Western State College in Gunnison has raised enough money from private donations to keep its storied but financially struggling NCAA ski team.
Alumni and donors have made annual pledges of $135,000 over the next five years totaling $675,000 to save the historic team, which was a founding member and moving force behind the adoption of skiing as an NCAA sport 50 years ago.
The money will fund the program through 2010 and give it time to raise a $3 million endowment to fund it at a competitive level in perpetuity.
“Everyone involved in the effort agrees that the proud tradition of skiing … is worth saving and securing for the future,” said Western State president Jay Helman.
Western State, with 2,270 students, 28 miles south of Crested Butte, is the smallest public school in the nation to compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association skiing. It often competes against major universities with three times its budget, Helman said.
