Investigators: Maturi's Records

MINNEAPOLIS - Everyone's feeling the pain of belt tightening at the University of Minnesota. Even the sports teams that bring dollars onto campus have had to make cuts. The man running the U's athletic department's a successful fundraiser, for sure but the FOX 9 Investigators examined four years of expense records, that includes travel and asked is he tightening his own belt?

Joel Maturi wears a lot of hats. He’s a fundraiser, ambassador and number one Gopher fan. None of those hats is cheap. Maturi gets to a lot of games.

He says his goal is to get to one away game for each major Gopher team a season and as much post season play as possible but that makes up just a fraction of his travel demands:

“I think three years ago I spent 115 to 120 days in a hotel.” Maturi said when he sat down for an interview.

Instructors say resources elsewhere on campus seem to be shrinking. Tuition's going up, which is the worst thing for students. The budget cuts are lowering the number of teaching assistants consequently students are getting less help and less grading.

But wait U athletics pays its own freight. It has ticket sales and television contracts.
And what it spends is unrelated to spending at the rest of the U. But that's only partly true because the U athletic department does not turn a profit.

In fact more than any other school in the big 10, U of M athletics has to be subsidized by both the Big 10 and overall U of M budget. That's tuition and state tax money although the subsidy is coming down.

“Out of our 75 million dollars, we believe about two and a half million comes from the institution or the state.” Maturi said.

Of that $75 million athletics budget just under $6 million this past year was spent on travel. The travel budget has grown steadily yet the athletes themselves are facing cuts. For the first time in years the football team bussed to Iowa and will to Madison next year. The basketball team will as well if schedules allows.

“We'll fly to Midway and bus to Champaign or LaFayette.” Maturi said.

So called Olympic sports are riding the bus more, too Maturi told us, “It's saved us some money, it's not quite as convenient. It’s not as easy.”

It's also a potential recruiting disadvantage. We asked Maturi whether he had personally tightened his travel belt?

“I think so. When our men play in Indianapolis, I fly to Midway rent a car and drive to Indianapolis.”

That's a significant savings to flying which I believe I am entitled to as athletic director. But I want to walk the walk. Records show Maturi's trips are usually short. Hotels are moderately priced. Flights are often paid by the folks who invited him.

Maturi's contract gives him a 10 thousand dollar allowance for his wife and children to travel with
him.

“I'm really happy he brings his wife because she's a big part of his life and represents the university. I'm sure in a very positive way wherever she is by his side.” A fan said.

That money comes not from general university funds but gifts donated to athletics. He has never claimed that full amount.

Still a student said, “I do not like what you're showing me.”

Some numbers jump out. At least to those living the U's economic realities. For example:
In each of the past four years Maturi has gone to the football Hall of Fame banquet in New York City. In 2009 Maturi stayed two nights in a double room at $553.00 a night.

Then says the hotel switched him to a single room for a third night at a rate of $690.85.
A grad student says, “That's a huge expense.”

“Wow, that doesn't seem appropriate at all.” Another student said.

“I was embarrassed at the cost.” Maturi said. But, he says it was comparable to others right in the area. “It was where the event was. I had two surgeries in a six month span just prior to that just gotten off crutches. I needed to stay near the hotel.”

Much of Maturi's travel and spending comes down to fundraising. It takes money to make money. Expense records show he travels to Arizona and Florida to court snowbirds as potential donors with moderately priced meals.

Large donors qualify for trips out of town with the football team. Maturi invites staff, too. That's why the team's charter plane to this year’s Insight Bowl had lots of folks who didn't look much like players.

The trips are rewards. The flight, if it is a charter doesn't cost the program anything but there are other costs.

“I don't think we've done things lavishly, but I do think we've done things appropriately.” Maturi said.

FOX 9 took a look:
A football game at Dolphin stadium in 2007. Maturi hosts one donor and the wives of about 15 coaches in a stadium suite. They spend a thousand dollars on things like chicken tenders, hotdogs and popcorn and brownies. In September a group headed off to Ohio. A receipt for a dinner for $1,333. It’s for 22 people but only half of them are donors. The other half is staff.

“We have staff who are away from home a lot, they put in a lot of hours during their competitive season so when it's appropriate