| Robert Driscoll Chat Wrap On Thursday, May 29 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT, Providence College Athletics Director Robert Driscoll answered questions online at www.friars.com. This is a unique opportunity for fans to get insight and information about the Providence College Athletic Department. Since his hiring on November 2, 2001, Robert Driscoll, Jr., has made a tremendous impact on the Friar Athletic Department. In his short tenure on Smith Hill, Driscoll has been instrumental in leading the way for the construction of new athletic fields, the renovations to the existing athletic facilities, the reorganization of the athletic department, strategic planning and the development of new athletic marks. Many of these projects were driven by his newly created Friar Athletic Fund. With innovative concepts and dynamic communications skills, Driscoll has brought Friar Athletic Fundraising to new heights. Most importantly, Driscoll remains committed to his top priority of student-athlete development. With his student-athlete centered vision, he improved the student-athlete advisory board, increased the student services programs for the athletes, bolstered the support staff and coaching staff, and has increased the number of athletic scholarships. All this has led to continued success in the classroom and improvements on the playing field. In 2002-03, the men's and women's cross country teams each finished in the top 13 at the NCAA Championship, the women's hockey team won the HOCKEY EAST regular season and tournament titles, the men's lacrosse squad finished as regular season Co-Champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. Driscoll was a standout hockey and baseball player at Ithaca College (N.Y.), where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 1974. He earned his Master's of Science in physical education/psychology of sports from Ithaca in 1975. A native of Concord, Mass., Driscoll is the proud father of three children, Tara, Kelly and Sean. He resides in North Kingston with his wife, Cathy and their son, Sean. Driscoll won't be stopping by until Thursday, May 29, at 6 p.m., but feel free to submit your questions now and we'll save them for his arrival. |
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 |  | Robert Driscoll: Hello, Friar fans, it's great to be on line and we look forward to a productive and enjoyable chat! |
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| Alonzo: I want to know when the new soccer facility will be done? They have a much poorer field than its competition. It is necessary to finish in the next year or so. I think it is a top priority as they are an up-and-coming team at the college. |
 |  | Robert Driscoll: Since I started at Providence College, I have made upgrades to the facilities one of my top priorities. We have plans drawn up for a new soccer/track facility on Hendricken Field and a new field hockey/lacrosse facility adjacent to Peterson Rec. Center. The plans have been approved by the Board of Trustees. However, we must raise a substantial portion of the funds necessary to complete these projects before we can begin the construction and our fundraising is currently underway. If you would like to help us get closer to our goal, please contact Blake James, our director of fundraising, at 401-865-2827. |
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| Marcia: Will baseball be returning to PC? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Baseball is something that is very important to me. I played at Ithaca and I am a fan of college baseball. However, I am focused on improving the 19 athletic teams that we have right now at the College. Before we can talk about brining back baseball, we need to raise funds for other projects that require completion in order for our teams to improve. |
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| | Robert Driscoll: Father Smith is fully committed to competing at the highest level. I had these conversations during my interview process. His committment to developing an athletic program of national prominence remains as strong as ever and it is a big reason I am here at the college. |
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| Dan (Springfield, MA): Are there any plans for improving the Dunkin' Donuts Center? I think priority number one should be a new sound system if nothing else. |
| | Robert Driscoll: I am very hopeful that we can get a new or renovated Dunkin' Donuts Center in the not too distant future. I have had meetings with the mayor and the governor regarding the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Both parties are very open to the idea. However, like most states and local governments, they are facing shortages in revenue and need to decide how to prioritize this issue. I will continue to make this one of my priorities in the year to come. |
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| Kevin (Olney,MD): As a student and sports fan I loved the new ideas and promotions to bring students to games like the T-shirts and others. I was wondering if there will be any new ideas to havestudent support to the teams grow at games for the coming year. |
| | Robert Driscoll: I enjoy getting feedback like this. I need to know what people think of the ideas that we have implemented. I also like to hear that our students are excited about Friar athletics. One of the areas I am looking at is the student ticket prices for men?s basketball. I love our students? enthusiasm at the various games, especially men?s basketball and men?s hockey. But we need to get better. Men?s basketball is the only sport that students are required to purchase tickets for in order to attend the games. I hope to make it more economical or maybe even free for the students. |
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| Gary (Nashua NH): Will we see more numbers in the rafters next season besides Lenny Wilkins? |
| | Robert Driscoll: We are currently discussing other possible jersies to retire during the upcoming season. We reinstituted the hall of fame induction ceremony and we will continue to honor the great student-athletes that have helped build the Friar legacy. |
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| Sean (Providence, RI): What is the status of Friars merchandise being sold locally in RI? And more personally, when will there be an opportunity to buy, say, a Ryan Gomes jersey? |
| | Robert Driscoll: I am working to bring back the on-line store for Friars.com with a launch date sometime this summer. |
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| bill (smithfield): When will you get to the point that your championship woman's hockey team will have as many scholarships as the other members its competing against? |
| | Robert Driscoll: With the successful fundraising year, it is my plan to fully fund the women's ice hockey program in 2004-05. Our goal is to win the national championship and by fully funding it I believe we will achieve this goal. |
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| Joe: Can you tell us of any long term plans to improve PC?s on campus weight training and practice facilities (with regard to basketball). Marquette (and many other schools) have improved their programs greatly by going this route. |
| | Robert Driscoll: We currently have drawings for a state of the art weight facility for both the general students and our student-athletes. Preliminary estimates indicate a cost of more than $1 million, which we are currently raising money for. |
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| Gary (Nashua NH): Is next season' men's basketball schedule complete and who besides will be the non-league games? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Yes, the schedule is almost complete with some outstanding competition on tap. Final four participant Texas will be visiting the Dunk as well as NCAA participant Alabama. Others non-conf. games include, Penn, Richmond, South Florida and URI just to name a few. |
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| Dan: I understand that PC tries to maintain ties to former athletic standouts. Besides Marvin & Ernie, can you tell us what the response has been like with other alumni who are professional athletes, if the effort has been made? |
| | Robert Driscoll: We are starting to make an effort to reconnect with former student-athletes by inviting them back to games, golf tournaments and social functions. It is important to strengthen these ties as we build a successful athletic program. |
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| Paul (Waterford): What is your reaction to the Borges article dubbing PC as the "Mr. Irrelevant" of the Big East? |
| | Robert Driscoll: I could not disagree more with this statement! Providence has always been and will continue to be a significant presence in college basketball. |
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| Sean: Gotta know...what are the chances that the Big East is going to stay together? |
| | Robert Driscoll: It is too early to speculate on this. I have said from the beginning that our goal is to see the BIG EAST stay together in its current form. If that does not happen, I will do everything in my power to ensure that the Providence athletic teams, including men?s basketball, compete at the highest level of competition. |
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| Gary: Continuing on Paul's question: what does it take to get more name recognition with the press outside of RI |
| | Robert Driscoll: As we improve our facilities and recruiting the success of our programs will follow. With success comes interest and recognition. The more successful our programs become the more press coverage we will receive on a local and national scale. |
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| Jim (Coventry R. I.): Are you satisfied with the results of the men's hockey team in the two season you've been here. Any plans to bring the program to the level of the early 80's? |
| | Robert Driscoll: My goal is to have our student-athletes graduate, to finish in the top-four of the conference annually and make it to the NCAA Tournament on a consistent basis. Additional support for hockey must take place with the improvement of facilities, i.e. weight room, training room, etc. I am confident that with our renewed focus on building a championship hockey program we will see these results in the near future. |
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| Ken (White Plains NY): Bob, When Iona down here dropped men's hockey recently, they mentioned increasing insurance costs as an overall factor. Is that a major expense factor for you as well? Ken |
| | Robert Driscoll: No, the insurance issue is not a factor in us sponsoring a sports team. |
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| Gary: Do you ever visit the Projo PC website to get a feel for what the hardcore PC fans are saying and thinking? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Although I don't post, I occasionally go on the site to get a feel for the issues that our fans are concerned with. |
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| Darthfriar ( Johnston): Any chance of a on campus basketball arena ? |
| | Robert Driscoll: In a perfect world I would love to have an on-campus facility. Given estimated costs of $50-75 million, lack of parking, and insufficient access roads, such a facility would be difficult to build. However, if our on-going discussions with the mayor and governor are not fruitful we will need to consider any and all options to protect the future success of our basketball program. |
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| Rick, Boston: Why has the college never tried to raise money on a voluntary basis before imposing donations on basketball season ticket holders who are already supporting Friar athletics by purchasing the tickets? |
| | Robert Driscoll: For almost 30 years, the athletic department has raised money through the Front Court Club and the Friends of Friar Hockey. Unfortunately, in this day and age, we need to do more. Providence is the last school in the BIG EAST to impose a priority-seating program. For those fans that don?t want to or can?t afford to make a donation, there are plenty of seats in the Dunkin? Donuts Center that are not tied into the Friars Forever program. |
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| Tom, Wrentham: I've heard that your plan is to impose a contribution of $500 per ticket. Is this true? If so what is the rationale for this ridiculous sum which is more than the price of the tickets themselves? |
| | Robert Driscoll: The Friars Forever program only involves 16 sections (2600 seats) at the Dunkin? Donuts Center. Only two of those sections (108 and 122) involve a donation of $500. In the other 14 sections, the donations range from $100 - $250. For fans that don?t want to make a donation, there will be ample seats available in the other sections of the arena. We need to do this to in order to remain competitive in the BIG EAST. |
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| Joe: This chat is great. Will there be more of these chats in the future? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Yes, given the great response this evening, I would like to continue this...maybe on a monthly basis, depending on feedback from all of you. |
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| Petro ( Warwick): Does the womans basketball team have a chance to win on the national level ? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Our goal is to compete on a national level. It will take sometime to recruit the necessary talent to be able to do so. However, I am confident that Coach Yow and her staff have the necessary contacts to accomplish this. |
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| Gary: Comment: Bob I totally agree with the Friars Forever...time for PC to step out of the dark ages...by the way the donation is tax deductible |
| | Robert Driscoll: Gary, thanks for your support. We need more people like you to support the Friars if we want to build a program that we can be proud of. |
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| Brian (West Islip, NY): Any thoughts of extending the contract of Coach Welsh? |
| | Robert Driscoll: One of the main reasons I came to Providence was because of the confidence I had in Coach Welsh. I am fully committed to helping him build a nationally prominent program, and with the addional resources generated through our Friars Forever campaign, I will be able to provide him and his student-athletes with the necessary support facilities and personel to compete on the highest level. |
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| Jim (Coventry): An earlier question asked about basketball numbers and honoring past players. Any plans to do so for past hockey players (men and women) |
| | Robert Driscoll: Great question, Coach Pooley just raised that question today and we will follow the same process in the upcoming year. |
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| Gary: Do the mayor and governor see PC as an asset to the state? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Very much so. Both men are very interested in continuing the long and successful relationship between the state, the city and Providence College. The more successful the men's basketball program is, the greater the entertainment and the dollars generated for the local economy. |
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| Jim: Keep up the good work. Your visibility at PC and availability to the fans is refreshing. |
| | Robert Driscoll: Thank you for your kind comments. I consider it an honor and a privledge to be the athletic director at such a great institution that has so many passionate fans like yourself. |
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| Paul (Waterford): You have mentioned previously that PC has untapped fundraising potential among the "subway alumni". What effort is or will be made to reach those fans? |
| | Robert Driscoll: We are travelling around the country to meet with groups of alumni to share our vision for success in athletics. Last night in Boston, we hosted 35 alumni and friends where we generated 10's of thousands of dollars in support of our vision. We have similar events set up in New York City and Connecticut during the next few weeks. If you have any interest in attending such an event, please contac Blake Jame, our director of fundraising, at 401-865-2827. |
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| Ken (White Plains, NY): Bob: During the NCAA Men's bball tournament, there were reports of low graduation rates for many programs. Is there any initiative by the President's Group to limit scholarships offered by programs with poor graduation rates? |
| | Robert Driscoll: I'm proud to say that our graduation rates for our student-athletes is 94 percent. There are many schools around the country that are graduating fewer than 50 percent. There has been some discussion at the national level to reduce scholarships at schools that don't achieve a certain graduation rate. Candidly, I don't envision such legislation being passed anytime in the near future. |
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| Steve ( Warren): Thanks for the information and Good Luck to the friars. |
| | Robert Driscoll: Thanks for everyone's participation this evening. I enjoyed your thoughtful questions and I am sorry that we were not able to get to all of them. Let's plan on doing this again in the future. The date and time will be posted on our website. thanks Enjoy the sunshine and remember...GO FRIARS! |
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