My alma mater - Tulane University, wanted to do this a couple years ago. The school President had a scehduled Athletic Review done and it was soon discovered that he had intentions of dropping the school's athletic programs to either Div-II or , preferably Div-III, much like the school he had come from - Case Western in Ohio. Folks got wind of the idea and a big fuss was made out of it. Alumni and fans of the school's Sports teams wrote personal and intelligent letters and e-mails to the President about why Tulane - hardly a college powerhouse in anything except Baseall, should stay in Div-1. The arguements to stay in Div-1 mentioned the value of exposure and name recognition the school gets from athletics. It is priceless. People like having the school mentioned in athletics and , like it or not, that is one of the main ways people come to hear of the school. NCAA athletics also helps generate alumni donations to the school and Tulane enjoys the benefits of being one of the few schools that actually tries to balance academics and athletics. Graduation rates for athletes is high and a source of pride ( Hot Rod Williams was an exception to most of the TU athletes at the school). Without Div-1 athletics and being in the NCAA, Tulane would be just another very good university without the fanfare that comes with athletic accomplishments. The Board voted down the idea of dropping from Div-1 and the school has undertaken a project to raise money for the Athletic Dept.