Sonoma State University gets $45 million lifeline, potentially saving athletic department
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. (KGO) -- North Bay elected officials and California State University leadership are announcing a $45 million lifeline for Sonoma State University.
The cash-strapped school has been making national headlines for months after budget woes forced it to cut its entire athletic department and several degree programs.
"We need things to keep the students engaged and connected to the university, which leads to more involvement in the school spirit, in all the clubs," SSU Men's Soccer coach Marcus Ziemer said.
He says that while the specific details of how the money will be used are still undetermined, he believes some sports should be able to come back.
MORE: Many Sonoma State athletes moving on after sports programs cuts ruling
For Ziemer, news of the one-time investment is bittersweet.
He tells ABC7 News his contract with the school is up at the end of the month, and that he spent part of his final soccer season trying to help his players find new schools to attend.
One of those players was Jack Chapman.
"We still had a spring season, so I still had to focus on being an athlete, but I also had to focus on school as well," Chapman said.
Chapman says the experience of being a student athlete while also trying to find a new school was stressful.
MORE: Sonoma State to cut entire athletics program, degrees and more to address nearly $24M budget deficit
He tells ABC7 News while he's happy Sonoma State is getting the money, he thinks the school could have a hard time recruiting more student athletes.
"Now it'll get other athletes thinking, 'Is this a guarantee? Is something like this going to happen again? Is this the right decision for me?'" Chapman said.
The university declined ABC7 News' request for an interview Tuesday, but praised the new money in a statement that calls it, "...An investment in the future of the university as it develops cutting-edge programs to meet healthcare, data science, and other regional workforce needs in the coming years."
Ziemer says while nothing is for certain, he's fairly confident Sonoma State's soccer program will come back with or without him.
Helping to change a decision, he believes, should never have been made in the first place.
"I want to see it like we were, 9,500 students thriving. It's a beautiful place, beautiful destination, spot, and hopefully that can happen," Ziemer said.
