while not identical at all, Michigan went thru a similar set of problems. The state was running terrible deficits. We had lived on the auto business and on peoples capital gains taxes for quite a while. then the bubble burst.
The dems were in the gov office and republicans ran the legislature. So nothing got done much because the dems wouldn't go for a tax increase and the republicans wouldn't go for a cut in some things and vice versa at times. The republicans were happy to cut anything that said union on it, like education. Then a republican got into the gov office and we raised taxes by taxing retirements, which were not taxed before. We also gave business a big tax cut. rightly or wrongly and closed a number of prisons. ( Michigan incarcerates 2 or 3 times as many people as the states around us, like Illinois, as a % of population, so we have a lot of prisons.) Anyway, Employment has risen some, the budget has stabilized and the economy has recovered a bit.
The university system in Michigan is one of the top ones nationwide, but had to contend with basically a frozen budget from the state for about 10 years. Next year for the first time in memory, they are going to get an increase in the budget.
Many university's are still feeling the pinch and some are hurting more than others. Most raised tuition significantly and virtually every year. LSSU is struggling as much as anyone, but everyone has been hurt.
So any improvements to athletic salaries etc, have come from donations. Tech cut football, but the football alumni did fund raising and funded the program for the foreseeable future so it got un cut.
The hockey program improvements have mostly been done with donations as well.
But I'll reiterate. Both of your teams are better than you think, and not that far from real success.
just my two cents.
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