New Big Ten Media Contract to Bring Big Money to Non-Sports Programs at Penn State

Penn State President Eric Barron on Friday detailed a number of non-athletics programs that will receive funding as a result of the new Big Ten media rights contract that’s expected to go into effect on July 1.

Barron confirmed his commitment to mental health funding at Penn State last week by detailing $705,000 in annual contributions to Counseling and Psychological Services in a matching of the Student Fee Board‘s contribution. Barron announced today at the university’s Board of Trustees meeting that these funds will come from the new Big Ten media contracts and from Penn State’s corporate partnership with Barnes & Noble.

“For almost two years, the Big Ten has had a hard start on negotiating the media rights extension,” Barron said. “Those negotiations will continue and I’m not going to make any comments about where we are. I do know that this institution will have enough of an increase that we will from the Big Ten media rights begin to contribute a substantial number of dollars to the overall success of Penn State.”

Beginning July 1, $4 million from new media rights contracts will be available to support different Penn State endeavors.

As promised, $450,000 will be earmarked for CAPS to provide mental health services for students. The additional funds for CAPS will come from an endowment created from “corporate donations,” which Barron announced will come from a Barnes & Noble partnership.

“I think this will be a substantial impact on our ability to serve the mental health needs of our students,” he said. “I’m quite excited about it.”

These funds will also support other university initiatives, including the Blue Band and the Arts & Arboretum complex that’s in the works for the current location of the Arboretum.

• $250,000 (increasing to $500,000) to Blue Band to defray costs
• $2 million annual contribution to match gifts for the Arts & Arboretum complex

Barron said a proposal is being considered that would create an arts and sciences museum at the Arboretum.

‘This is an opportunity to have a win/win in which our community becomes much more of a destination by combining the arts and the Arboretum and have a destination and support tens of thousands of school-age kids and other folks coming in,’ Barron said. ‘Our consultants sort of map this out for us, that this could have a profound impact of the number of people coming in to the community and that they thought that the number of people visiting such an arts and Arboretum complex might reach a million visitors a year.

‘This helps make our region a destination and think about the fact that it also creates opening for space on campus as we move a lot of the different museums, allowing us to create a museum environment which we’re accredited and can seek federal awards.’

He emphasized the Arts & Arboretum project would be dependent on gifts, and that the media revenue would be matching money.

Additional funding opportunities may arise in years two through six of the contract.

• up to $500k to match gifts supporting innovating projects under the Impact the World campaign theme
• up to $500k to match gifts supporting student success through the Open Doors or Transformative Experiences campaign themes

“Funding will begin near $1 million and increase rapidly to a total of $4 million per year creating a powerful impact at Penn State based on the success of Intercollegiate Athletics,” Barron said.

After year six, Barron expects the $4 million from the media contract will increase.