The money would have been better spent in upgrading their basketball program. Worked out great for Gonzaga! lol
We never knew how financially desperate Gonzaga was during my years at GU, 72-76. We knew money was tight, but that was about it.
The ROTC department really helped in that regard. Although we averaged around 100 cadets, or about 5% of the student body, IIRC 75% of the cadets (if not more) were on ROTC scholarships. I was one of those lucky ones, never had to worry about how to pay tuition, books, lab fees, etc.
Then there was Dr. Dan (Black Dan) Brajcich. For years, he was the only professor who taught every accounting class from sophomore year on. He was my accounting professor for over 30 hours. He also signed his paycheck back over to the University, as he had a very successful accounting firm in Spokane...not to mention his 10 kids went through Gonzaga tuition free.
The emergence of our basketball program has been of great benefit: undergrad enrollment exceeds 5000 now, and our endowment is well over $150 million. I'll be visiting the campus next month, my first visit in over 15 years. I'm looking forward to seeing how the campus has been transformed, with new facilities to handle the additional students.
