Stanford athletics cuts 21 posts

(02-25) 18:26 PST -- Twenty-one staff positions are being eliminated in the Stanford athletic department, which faces an expected $5.4 million shortfall in revenue over the next three years.

The staff cuts, which athletic director Bob Bowlsby called "excruciating" on Wednesday, represent 13 percent of the department's 163 administrative and service positions.

No coaching positions were affected, nor any staff members in marketing or media relations. Bowlsby said the school has tried to avoid making any cuts that would affect athletes directly.

The positions being cut, most of which will take effect Monday, were not announced, but it was learned that one of those let go was associate athletic director Scott Schuhmann, who had been at the school nearly two decades.

Part of Stanford's problem has been the football program's inability to fill Stanford Stadium.

"If we could consistently draw bigger crowds, we could solve a lot of our problems," Bowlsby said. Coach Jim Harbaugh "has done a great job, we had a great recruiting class, and we think we'll be a fun team to watch. But you can't bank on those revenues, especially in a soft economy."

Among the other staff members cut, it was learned, were assistant athletic director for facilities Skip Braatz, men's basketball administrative associate Sandi Peregrina, director of photography David Gonzales, ticket assistants Jason Gall and Chris Meloy, and six members of the physical education, recreation and wellness staff.

"Basically they'll be going to only part-time people in phys-ed and rec," one insider said. "It's very sad."

Stanford has the third largest endowment of any university in the country. As of Aug. 31, 2008, its endowment was $17.2 billion. However, Stanford's endowment has lost approximately $4 billion to $5 billion, or 20 to 30 percent of its value, a university spokesperson said. As a result, all campus units are cutting their budgets by 15 percent.

E-mail Tom FitzGerald at tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page D - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle