Argumentative essay on a letter to the president of a university

Executive Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs

Ashbel Smith Hall, Room 810A
201 West Seventh Street

Austin, Texas 78701-2981

Re: A New Football Program
Dear Mr. Kelly:
As a football enthusiast, and one of the students at University of Texas, I am hereby supporting the newly proposed football program which is planned to be widely promoted by the university. Your capacity as Executive Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs make you the most appropriate person to decide on this matter, given the innumerable benefits that the new football program would generate for the university, which would be discussed below.
First and foremost, the most important benefit that a new football program would create for the University of Texas is the generation of financial returns. In the article written by Lundry, the author disclosed that “ the most obvious benefit of a college football team is the financial benefit” (par. 2). The financial resources generated could then be earmarked for different academic programs and endeavors, as deemed fit by the academic management team.
Likewise, a football program could definitely provide an enhanced image and prestige to the university. Since it has been traditionally known that the local population in Texas has been avid fans of football, a new football program would definitely lure a wide range of clientele, even from nearby cities and states. As such, the enhanced awareness due to the program would be a constructive way of promoting the school. It has actually been found that “ enrollment applications increase significantly following successful football seasons, and schools with a tradition of success always have a surplus of applicants” .
In addition, deciding positively on implementing a new football program would provide opportunities for the university to train and develop talents, who could be recruited for the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). According to Longhorn, “ Texas annually produces enough players to fill about 18 recruiting classes” (par. 7). Although the author has disclosed that “ production of players is clearly a function of a combination of population, demographics, and, to some extent anyway, the cultural importance of football within the state” , talents to be sourced from the university would be another accolade and source of pride for the academic institution and of the state of Texas, as well.
On the contrary, there are those who could oppose implementing a new football program for reasons which include asserting that other academic priorities should be the major thrust of the university. For instance, the cost alone, of establishing a new football facility could reach to as high as $60 million, from the experience of Allen High School . Despite the capital spent, the supporters of football enthused that the newly built stadium would be the perfect venue which would serve as a community centerpiece and a pride for the academic institution.
Overall, the benefits of implementing and promoting a new football program within the university clearly surpasses the costs related to its establishment. Costs are considered initial investment which could be returned over a period of time through the financial receipts that are to be generated from the program. The prestige and positive image that the program would create more than compensates the initial capital outlay. In this regard, I hope that the arguments would persuade the university to undertake implementation of the new football program, as proposed.

Thank you.

Very truly yours,