Dear Owls Fan,

It seems I can't go into a store or restaurant, or even walk around my own home these days without being asked about the shifting landscape of intercollegiate athletics.

Specifically, "the conference issue." And more specifically, "What is Temple going to do?"

Friends, never more than during the past 12 months have we been reminded that the business of college sports is just that -- a business. While the core of our business remains centered on providing 18- to 22-year-old student-athletes with the opportunity to continue athletic competition and access an excellent Temple education, the stakes have never been higher.

Providing today's student-athletes with a broad-based, championship-caliber collegiate experience is an ever-changing, ever-more-expensive endeavor. As the economic recession of 2008 continues to play havoc (probably on a permanent basis) with federal/state allocations to higher education, university budgets and subsidies to athletics, today's modern Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) athletics departments are under much more pressure to fund their operations with external sources.

It is no secret that many of the country's most well-run athletics programs are fueled by two things: donors and dollars. The competition for these dollars is increasingly intense and the methods to secure these dollars ever more creative: corporate partner programs, unique fundraising ideas and events, and more.

As schools nationwide are proving, through the game of "conference hopscotch" playing out before us, the true growth opportunity lies with league revenue sharing. Simply put, your conference affiliation determines your television revenue sharing payout, your football bowl and NCAA Basketball Tournament payout, and other forms of revenue sharing such as corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, media contracts and more.

Surely, being in the right league matters. At Temple, we're fortunate to have two conferences to call home: the Mid-American Conference for football and the Atlantic 10 Conference for the majority of our other sport programs. Why do I say "fortunate"?

We're grateful for our relationship with the MAC, which offered us a home after suffering through life as a football independent after our departure from the Big East. The MAC affiliation provides us with the opportunity to compete against quality peers with like-sized programs and resources. More importantly, we have the opportunity to truly compete for a league championship and to advance to a bowl game each year.

The Atlantic 10 Conference provides built-in rivalries with both local and regional foes, such as Saint Joseph's, La Salle, Xavier and UMass, among others. The A-10 is a strong league for many sports and we're proud to have had so much success there, particularly in basketball. So this begs the question, where does Temple fit in to the conference shuffle?

The answers are easy, and the answers are genuine:

We remain squarely focused on Temple, not other institutions.

Above all else, we exist to guide, encourage and support our student-athletes in their quest for comprehensive excellence.

Our most urgent need is to dramatically increase ALL forms of revenue for Temple Athletics: ticket sales, Owl Club and fundraising, and corporate sponsorships are chief among them.

We will not lose focus of this need. We will keep our heads down, working passionately each day to grow the resources that make our program possible. With hard work comes success. With success comes opportunity. If and when opportunities to dramatically change the dynamic of our athletics program arise, you can be confident that the most talented group of university leaders I've had the privilege to work alongside will make the right decisions for Temple and for our student-athletes.

Meanwhile, we will hold true to our vision and work hard each day to conduct our program with class and excellence, with pride in the leagues we are associated with.