Cal Poly eliminates swim and dive teams as university faces $24 million budget cut
Cal Poly is eliminating its swim and dive teams amid budget cuts announced by the university Friday.
The university previously announced a potential $24.2 million in reductions under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January budget proposal, slated to cut $375 million from the CSU system’s budget.
These budget concerns are coupled with a proposed $2.8 billion legal settlement within the NCAA, which Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said would result in a loss of at least $450,000 per year for Cal Poly’s athletics programs, if approved.
“While this is disappointing news to share, the financial realities made the decision unavoidable,” Armstrong wrote of the athletics cuts in a campus memo Friday.
The decision will directly impact a total of 58 students — 29 men and 29 women, according to a university FAQ.
The students who were a part of the swim and dive programs had been notified, according to the memo. The students will have their scholarships honored throughout the rest of their time at the university — or they can enter the transfer portal, the announcement read.
The current swim and dive coaching positions will be cut in April.
The decision to cut the swim and diving teams was partially rooted in a lack of investment from alumni and donors. Cal Poly has tried to fundraise for the programs in recent years, but the efforts have not yielded enough to save them, according to the FAQ.
There are no plans to reinstate the swim and dive programs in the future, according to the university.
The Anderson Aquatics Center will continue to be used for classes, club sports and community events. The athletics department will also have access for training, conditioning and injury rehabilitation, according to the FAQ.
As of Friday, no other athletics programs were in immediate danger of getting cut — but some teams could shrink to avoid being axed entirely.
“The university continues to look at roster management to ensure we field the most competitive teams while providing a top-tier experience for our student-athletes,” Armstrong wrote.
One social media user commented on the cuts in the Cal Poly Reddit page Friday.
“This sucks,” they wrote. “Someone needs to ask where did all of our tuition, fees and state money go?”
The Tribune reached out to Cal Poly athletics director Don Oberhelman on Friday. He declined to comment beyond the information provided by the university.
What other changes are underway?
The athletics announcement was just one in a string of changes announced by Cal Poly.
Others include administrative updates and department reorganization.
For example, Cal Poly’s vice president for strategic enrollment management Terrance Harris will also take over the division of student affairs, which will be combined into one division with strategic enrollment management.
Cal Poly’s research division will no longer be led by a vice president — it’ll instead be swallowed by the department of academic affairs.
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Some aspects of housing administration will be moved into the division of administration and finance, and payroll was previously moved into the human resources department in January.
The university also announced some movement at Cal Maritime, which Cal Poly is currently in the process of merging with. Cal Maritime will be known as the Cal Poly Solano campus or Maritime Academy.
According to the memo, Bill Britton will be acting as executive director of the Solano campus and the maritime initiatives, under the leadership of vice president for strategic initiatives and advocacy Jessica Darin. The vice president of the Solano campus will be named soon, the memo read.
Britton worked as a vice president for the Cal Poly’s cybersecurity institute. Some of the programs he led will now be moved into the school of applied computing under different leadership.
Despite the changes announced Friday, Armstrong said he is “excited as ever” about the direction Cal Poly is headed.
“Our university is well-positioned to fulfill its mission and build upon its success, even in turbulent times,” he wrote.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM.
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