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Rebirth of Sheridan College Athletics Program Still Unclear
Published
1 year agoon
It’s been three years since the Northern Wyoming Community College Board Of Trustees voted to eliminate athletics for financial reasons, and it remains unclear on when it will be brought back to Sheridan.
When the covid pandemic hit in 2020, the District, which was both Sheridan and Gillette Colleges, was facing a financial loss of $4.2 million and eliminating athletics at both places, allowed the District to make up more than half of that loss.
The exception was the rodeo program at both places.
Since that time, voters in Campbell County decided to separate Gillette College from the district it was in and form its own.
Gillette will start volleyball along with men’s and women’s soccer next month (August), while men’s and women’s basketball will start in late October/early November.
The separation process is not complete because Gillette College is waiting to become an accredited learning institution, thus it is still a part of the district with Sheridan College, and Sheridan is earning some revenue from Gillette.
Sheridan College Dr. Walter Tribley says the trick is figuring out where the college will be financially, once that revenue from Gillette is no more.
“If we were to look at this year’s budget, we could go there, but we are not fully independent from that revenue. It is still coming in, it is not as much as it was, so I am going to be asking the board to at least give us a year without any of that revenue, to see where we are and at that time, bring back athletics to the level that we can sustain and do right.”
The next scheduled Sheridan College Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18th.
Mike McLaughlin
July 7, 2023 at 11:44 am
Sheridan is the ONLY Jr. College in the State that cut athletic programs, and it came at the cost of Gillette leaving. Tribley made the call, and the call was wrong………..
Rollie zempel
July 7, 2023 at 3:37 pm
I think it will be very hard to get good quality players, if sports are started up. I think it was a bad call from the the board and the president . Sheridan always had a great basketball team, the other sports also did well . Like it or not sports in college is almost mandatory , I think it even helps enrollment for non players in sports . They want to be in a school that is winners.
Lisa Gilbertson
July 8, 2023 at 9:26 am
This needs to be remedied and the sooner the better. Athletics was a primary method of keeping the community involved with the campus. That connection now appears to be severed. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get this corrected.
PJ Goodman
July 11, 2023 at 1:05 am
What portion of my property taxes fund the college overall?
I was pleased to have the Culinary Program. The course benefitted less traditional students. Now the building sits unused. The food truck also. How much money was lost from that program drying up?
Sports on this level seemed pretty vital when the board was trying to sell the tax payers on building the dome and ball fields plus all the grounds and parking improvements in those areas. I thought sports were a draw to students applying to attend Sheridan College.
Now it seems as tho we have fabulous buildings with no programs.
I know I will be seriously scrutinizing upcoming opportunities to be involved in voting for those who support resuming and expanding programs.
Dan Tate
July 11, 2023 at 10:38 am
Sports has been a long lasting legacy at S.C. which should never have been eliminated; especially with that beautiful domed stadium sitting vacant; and should be reinstated *STAT*