New Hampshire Spending $1 Million of Librarian Gift On Football Scoreboard

A University of New Hampshire librarian amassed a $4 million fortune and left it to the university. UNH has drawn criticism, for earmarking $1 million of that gift for a video scoreboard at their $8,000-seat FCS football stadium.

The justifications, per Inside Higher Ed, were that the librarian was a purported late convert to football and that he did not specify how the money was to be spent, beyond a $100,000 donation for the library.

"The university has sought to bridge the gap between the image of the tweed-wearing librarian and that of the macho athletic donor by saying Morin was a football fan by the end of his life. He started watching football games on television while living in an assisted living center in the 15 months before he died, university officials said, learning the rules and names of players and teams. University officials have also pointed out that Morin specifically did not give them instructions on how to spend most of his gift, except for the $100,000 for the library, trusting them and their priorities."

One might quibble with the allocation of funding clearly meant for academics. Though, enhancing the football operation could have a knock on branding effect with better paycheck games and, perhaps, even a coveted appearance in a blowout on a conference network.