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WSU Athletic Director Jim Sterk

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Chat with Washington State Athletic Director Jim Sterk on Monday, November 23 at 11:00 a.m. PT.

Moderator: Good morning Cougar fans and thank you for visiting WSUCougars.com and today's online chat with WSU Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. Before we begin, you will notice links at the top of this page, which will direct you to Martinstadium.org, the official website of the stadium renovation, as well as links to donate to the project and premium seating information. Jim, thank you for joining us today.

Jim Sterk: Thank you for having me. Before we begin, I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Moderator: Okay, let's get started.

Chris (Gig Harbor): How do you respond to the fan concerns about lack of wins with the football program? On football, when is your timeline that we will see a winning season again at WSU and experience a bowl game? Missing warm weather Cougar games around the holidays.

Jim Sterk: Chris, our staff, coaches, and players are all concerned about the lack of wins over the past two years; however, given the lack of players with longevity in the program, as well as significant injuries, it was not totally unexpected. We set about two years ago building a foundation for future success with the majority of recruits being four to five year players. They young right now, but they are a very talented group. From the looks of the commitments thus far, the February class should be even better. As far as wins and losses, you could see as early as next year a winning record on the field; however, for sure by the 2011 season. Our expectations are to be in the thick of a bowl run by then.

JB (Olympia): Mr. Sterk, you referenced "value engineering" as a way to lower construction costs for Phase III. Can you describe in some detail what that means. Does it lower quality of the renovation in any way? Thanks as always...

Jim Sterk: JB, as you know from your question, we've received very favorable revised bids on Phase III. The revised bids have reduced the estimated cost of Phase III by almost $6 million. The subcontractors who have bid on the project also submitted ideas to Graham Construction about ways of reducing the cost even further (value engineering). We would not want to diminish quality; however, Graham is exploring with the subcontractors methods and ideas that may be more cost-effective than were originally designed. On Sept. 22 we went public with Phase III and you can find links to information on the project, including a premium seating application and our renovation website, martinstadium.org, at the top of this page.

Howard in Arizona: At what point will you evaluate whether to bring Wulff back?

Jim Sterk: Howard, as with any athletic program, we go through an evaluation of the coach and the program at the end of the season. We do this not only with football but with every sport at WSU. At that time we look at the strengths of the program, as well as the areas where improvement is needed.

Ben (Pullman): What are your plans for increased ticket sales for next year's football season? Will the Apple Cup being in Pullman help at all?

Jim Sterk: Ben, a few years ago we started to play all of the Pac-10 Institutions in the league. This resulted in an unbalanced schedule during even and odd years. With the Pac-10 schedule, we have five home games during the even years, and four on the odd years. On the even years, the home games are highlighted by Oregon, USC, and the Apple Cup. In years past attendance and season tickets have fluctuated from the even and odd years because of the Apple Cup. I expect that the team will be significantly more competitive next year due to our young team maturing and the experienced they have gained these past two years. The combination of these factors, I believe, will result in significant increases in attendance. As you may know, season tickets in football and the revenue generated from those sales, support all of our athletics programs at WSU. We appreciate all of our season ticket holders and those that purchase on an individual game basis.

Sacramento, CA: How confident are you with the construction schedule of Phase III? I read where, given the right financial backing from alumni, the Phase III could be completed in time for the 2011 season. This seems very aggressive...winter in the Palouse...and all that.

Jim Sterk: The fast track timeline that we are currently trying to hit includes having enough seat commitments in place by the end of this calendar year, which would allow us to seek Regent approval early in 2010. If construction is started by April 1, 2010 Phase III can be completed prior to the 2011 season. If those dates slip, construction could still be started in 2010; however, Phase III would not be completed prior to the 2011 season. Construction could, however, continue through that season and be completed shortly thereafter. We've received significant amount of signed commitments since our Sept. 22 public announcement; however, we still have a lot of work to do. As you may know, we've conducted Town Halls across the state earlier this month and we will be back on tour from Dec. 7 to Dec. 10. Locations are listed in my latest A.D. Forum column and we will be posting a release at WSUCougars.com later today. If you are considering making a gift to the project and/or a commitment to premium seating, I encourage you to make that commitment prior to the Dec. 18 deadline. We need to get this project completed as quickly and as cost-effective as possible. Meeting our fundraising benchmarks by the Dec. 18 deadline will allow us to do this.

Karl (University Place): Reports out of the Seattle Times has the Apple Cup being moved to December 4th. True? I would like to say that I think the idea of Dad's weekend on the 20th against Cal will definitely help fill the stands as Saturday was very empty around me. Lastly, I am curious how our Non-Conference schedule looks for next year? Any developments? Thanks And Happy Thanksgiving!

Jim Sterk: Karl, Happy Thanksgiving to you too! Don't eat too much! Due to the 12-game schedule, it is impossible for each school to work in a bye week or two without the schedule moving into the month of December. The schedule that will be released from the Pac-10 shortly will include bye weeks for each team in the league. In the past few years, many of the rivalry week games have moved to that first weekend in December. With regard to a game prior to Thanksgiving Weekend, if it hasn't been an Apple Cup, attendance has significantly dropped. There is a University committee which designates specific football weekends throughout the fall. This includes Future Cougar Day, Homecoming, Foundation Weekend, as well as Dad's Weekend. From what I understand, no final decision has been made, however, moving Dad's Weekend to that Saturday, Nov. 20, is a consideration. Once the Pac-10 schedule is announced, we should have everything in place for the announcement of our full schedule shortly thereafter.

Moderator: That's all the time we have. Jim, thank you for joining us once again.

Jim Sterk: Thank you, and thank you to all for your questions. Have a very blessed holiday, and P.S., beat the Huskies! Go Cougs!

Moderator: Thank you to everyone for your questions. Remember, to get all the information about WSU Athletics, go no further than wsucougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics, and for the stadium renovation, martinstadium.org.