Completed Event: Football versus Georgia Southern on September 27, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 10
FB
Final
James Madison
35
vs Georgia Southern
10
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Bourne Dialogue - Cost of Attendance for Basketball
6/17/2016 10:30:00 AM | Administration
Today we announced the implementation of cost-of-attendance (COA) coverage for the student-athletes in men's and women's basketball, effective for the 2017-18 school year, and going forward contingent upon private future support from donors, fans and alumni. I wanted to share a few more thoughts on the subject with the JMU Nation.Â
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In January of 2015, the NCAA passed a rule allowing an athletic scholarship to cover the full cost of attending college. This amount is determined by each school based on federal guidelines, and includes items such as transportation and personal expenses. This is above and beyond the room, board and tuition that is already included by the institution and athletic department.  Â
Â
A lot has changed within the landscape of college athletics during the last year and a half. When the NCAA first permitted these additional stipends under its new governance process, we shared concerns with many other institutions about how to ensure that costs were appropriately managed within the context of our educational mission and values. That was a snapshot in time, and we have reviewed the situation carefully as the national landscape has evolved. As the recent wave of change has moved over college athletics—and many schools against whom we compete now offer COA in the sport of basketball—we remained nimble in our thinking and approach to the topic. More recently COA has been one of many items discussed with our Colonial Athletic Association counterparts and with new Commissioner Joe D'Antonio. The CAA has not legislated uniformity with the application of COA for all its members, but we believe it's the right time for JMU to begin moving in this direction.Â
Â
We want to maintain a competitive balance for our basketball programs in recruiting. Both Lou Rowe and Sean O'Regan can now offer COA during the current recruiting cycle for those student-athletes who will come to our campus for the 17-18 academic year. For some student-athletes, this is a factor in their decision-making process as to where they choose to pursue their education and want to play college basketball. Sean and Lou can now add this as another benefit of attending JMU – along with the overall community experience, academic prowess and competitive excellence of our University.Â
Â
I've been asked about COA for the other 16 varsity sport programs at JMU. At this time, we are moving forward only with the basketball programs. I speak with all of our coaches often about this subject, and at this time it is not a recruiting disadvantage in these other sports programs as our approach is similar to that of many other institutions. Of course, we do need to be prepared to act responsibly if it becomes a competitive imbalance for other programs. Just as we did with this process, if we look to add COA for additional sports in the future, we must be mindful of Title IX legislation to ensure compliance. The same guidelines we follow for general scholarships, and the balance between the student-athlete male to female ratio, must remain consistent when offering COA.            Â
Â
While I plan to discuss the Cox Bill and the overall athletic department budget in my next Bourne Dialogue, I want to impress upon you that we are confronting some significant challenges with regard to our finances because of new state legislation. Briefly, the recently passed Cox Bill sets restrictions on the percentages of athletic budgets that can be subsidized by student fees. It's important to note that no student fees will be used to pay the projected annual cost of $125,000 required to cover COA for the basketball programs. I've asked Senior Associate Athletic Director David Biancamano and the Duke Club Staff to take on the task of raising additional scholarship dollars required. That means your support now and in the near-to-mid term has never been more integral to our competitiveness and to our success. In fact, for a majority of our plans moving forward, we will need to find opportunities to add new revenues and resources. The Cox Bill fundamentally changes our financial reality, and I will dive into this topic more deeply in my next Dialogue. Meanwhile, you can read more about how the strategic theme of Sustainable Athletic Generated Revenue within the Engaged in Excellence plan guides our thinking on this topic.      Â
Â
Those that are tracking on the matters concerning the NCAA may have heard about the one-time distribution of resources from that organization to each member school. The amount of $775,000 will come in 2017 and is earmarked for student-athlete enhancements. We plan to create an endowment with those monies to support our new student-athlete leadership program. This is another area of focus within the Engaged in Excellence plan that needs funding.   Â
Â
I hope this has provided you a glimpse into the complexities of this topic. I am grateful to the administration at JMU for its continuing support and its focus on the success of our student-athletes and their preparation for life. We will continue to work to provide all the tools necessary for JMU student-athletes to be successful in the classroom and on the court.
Â
Go Dukes!
Â
Jeff Bourne (@BourneJeff)
Director of Athletics
Â
In January of 2015, the NCAA passed a rule allowing an athletic scholarship to cover the full cost of attending college. This amount is determined by each school based on federal guidelines, and includes items such as transportation and personal expenses. This is above and beyond the room, board and tuition that is already included by the institution and athletic department.  Â
Â
A lot has changed within the landscape of college athletics during the last year and a half. When the NCAA first permitted these additional stipends under its new governance process, we shared concerns with many other institutions about how to ensure that costs were appropriately managed within the context of our educational mission and values. That was a snapshot in time, and we have reviewed the situation carefully as the national landscape has evolved. As the recent wave of change has moved over college athletics—and many schools against whom we compete now offer COA in the sport of basketball—we remained nimble in our thinking and approach to the topic. More recently COA has been one of many items discussed with our Colonial Athletic Association counterparts and with new Commissioner Joe D'Antonio. The CAA has not legislated uniformity with the application of COA for all its members, but we believe it's the right time for JMU to begin moving in this direction.Â
Â
We want to maintain a competitive balance for our basketball programs in recruiting. Both Lou Rowe and Sean O'Regan can now offer COA during the current recruiting cycle for those student-athletes who will come to our campus for the 17-18 academic year. For some student-athletes, this is a factor in their decision-making process as to where they choose to pursue their education and want to play college basketball. Sean and Lou can now add this as another benefit of attending JMU – along with the overall community experience, academic prowess and competitive excellence of our University.Â
Â
I've been asked about COA for the other 16 varsity sport programs at JMU. At this time, we are moving forward only with the basketball programs. I speak with all of our coaches often about this subject, and at this time it is not a recruiting disadvantage in these other sports programs as our approach is similar to that of many other institutions. Of course, we do need to be prepared to act responsibly if it becomes a competitive imbalance for other programs. Just as we did with this process, if we look to add COA for additional sports in the future, we must be mindful of Title IX legislation to ensure compliance. The same guidelines we follow for general scholarships, and the balance between the student-athlete male to female ratio, must remain consistent when offering COA.            Â
Â
While I plan to discuss the Cox Bill and the overall athletic department budget in my next Bourne Dialogue, I want to impress upon you that we are confronting some significant challenges with regard to our finances because of new state legislation. Briefly, the recently passed Cox Bill sets restrictions on the percentages of athletic budgets that can be subsidized by student fees. It's important to note that no student fees will be used to pay the projected annual cost of $125,000 required to cover COA for the basketball programs. I've asked Senior Associate Athletic Director David Biancamano and the Duke Club Staff to take on the task of raising additional scholarship dollars required. That means your support now and in the near-to-mid term has never been more integral to our competitiveness and to our success. In fact, for a majority of our plans moving forward, we will need to find opportunities to add new revenues and resources. The Cox Bill fundamentally changes our financial reality, and I will dive into this topic more deeply in my next Dialogue. Meanwhile, you can read more about how the strategic theme of Sustainable Athletic Generated Revenue within the Engaged in Excellence plan guides our thinking on this topic.      Â
Â
Those that are tracking on the matters concerning the NCAA may have heard about the one-time distribution of resources from that organization to each member school. The amount of $775,000 will come in 2017 and is earmarked for student-athlete enhancements. We plan to create an endowment with those monies to support our new student-athlete leadership program. This is another area of focus within the Engaged in Excellence plan that needs funding.   Â
Â
I hope this has provided you a glimpse into the complexities of this topic. I am grateful to the administration at JMU for its continuing support and its focus on the success of our student-athletes and their preparation for life. We will continue to work to provide all the tools necessary for JMU student-athletes to be successful in the classroom and on the court.
Â
Go Dukes!
 Jeff Bourne (@BourneJeff)
Director of Athletics
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