Jeanette Shoecraft: Minority Scholar Alumnus
Keeps Bearcats Accounts Balanced

UC's Darwin Turner Scholarship program, which celebrated its 25th anniversary on April 21, didn't have to look far to find a successful member of its first graduating class. There's one right here on campus, 1980 graduate Jeanette Shoecraft, the chief fiscal officer for the university's athletic department where she oversees a $17 million budget.

Shoecraft says the scholarship program, which assists academically talented students in under-represented groups, gave her a sense of belonging as a UC undergraduate from 1976 to 1980. Her full scholarship, which included tuition and room and board, allowed her to attend UC as a business administration major at a time when an older sister was already in college and straining the family resources.

"Without this I'm not sure how I would've gone to college. I was planning to go to school but probably would have had to work to pay the expenses, if UC hadn't offered me a scholarship," said the Princeton High School alumnus in her office at Shoemaker Center.

She recalls that the scholarship program also helped her academically even though she was accustomed to earning good grades all on her own. Scholarship program administrators pointed her in the right direction when she found she couldn't understand her calculus instructor's accent. "In high school I had never had a tutor before, but they directed me to a get tutor."

"I always felt the door was open if I had a problem or needed someone to talk to," said Shoecraft, who has saved a list with the names of the original class of 15 scholars all these years.

Now in her third year as the associate athletic director for business operations, she came to UC after owning her own financial services company for six years and previously working as an auditor in private industry for 12 years.

Today, she oversees UC's $17 million-a-year sports budget. She is also responsible for the personnel operations of the athletic department, which has 120 employees.

While the athletic department and gifts from boosters generate more than 70 percent of UC's athletic operating revenues, the department still feels the pinch when the rest of the university does.

Compared with other sports programs across the country, UC must do "a lot with very little," said Shoecraft. UC's budget is below average for Division I schools and about average for Conference USA schools, she added.

Dollar signs and balances may dominate her workday, but Shoecraft describes herself as an avid sports fan. She plays tennis on a casual basis. In high school, she served as the basketball team statistician and did the same thing for Bearcat practices under coach Gale Catlett.

She attends nearly every home sports event, often bringing her 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son along. She also travels to most of the tournaments and bowl games with the teams and helps out, just as all the staff members in athletics do, in any way needed.

Behind the scenes, she's the one the coaches see to get approval before spending money. "Any spending needs to be approved through this office," she said. "I don't have any friends because I say 'No' too much," Shoecraft joked.

Shoecraft has an ardent admirer in UC athletics director Bob Goin. "Jeanette's thorough knowledge of budget and finances enables us to maximize our resources, and her prudent fiscal management has helped us finish with a balanced budget every year since she joined the staff," Goin stated.

"Jeanette is sometimes called upon to make difficult decisions," Goin continued. "Most of the time, she finds a way to meet the needs of our teams and programs. She's a great credit to the university and the Darwin Turner Scholarship program."

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