The University of Tennessee's Athletics Department is one of only a few college sports programs bringing in enough revenue — a projected $64 million this year — to pay its own way.

That's become harder to do in recent years as the program, which provides several million dollars in annual benefits to the university, has struggled to stay in the black.

But it may not always have to support itself.

Asked this week if one of UT Knoxville's priorities is to have a self-supporting athletics program, UT President John Petersen replied, "No, I don't think necessarily that it is."

"People have talked about the fact that we shouldn't be subsidizing athletics," he said. "Well, we subsidize the debate team. We subsidize the band. We subsidize Glee Club (and) all sorts of things that help balance the student's development.

"And athletics is one of those. So I don't think it is inappropriate," he added.

If UT's Athletics Department did eventually take operations money from the university, it would be a dramatic departure for a program that has prided itself on paying its own bills and giving money back to the university.

There is no move right now to change the way UT does business.

But UT Athletics Director Mike Hamilton said this week that UT could not continue to give as much financial support to the university as it does and still try to field elite teams in 20 different men's and women's sports.

"Institutionally we have said to this point that it is a priority to have a Top 10 athletic program, and we have supported our programs and our coaching staffs in such a manner as to be able to field a Top 10 athletic program," Hamilton said.

"As long as we continue to have that as an institutional philosophy that comes at a cost," he said. "That comes at a premium."

UT's marquee programs are the football team and its women's basketball team. But many of its teams have done well across the board.

The baseball and softball teams went to their respective college world series this year; the volleyball team made it to the NCAA Final Four; soccer won the Southeastern Conference title; and both men's and women's track programs have won national titles in recent years.

At the same time, in fiscal year 2005, UT took in a little more than $67 million in revenues and ended the year with a balance of $10,310.

"I realistically want all of our sports to be in the Top 10 in the country," said Joan Cronan, UT's women's athletics director, "and nine of our 11 (women's programs) were there last year. To do that we have to fund them, and that's what we try and go about every day."

Athletics officials and UT administrators have held a series of meetings about the athletics budget.

Hamilton and Cronan say they want to continue contributing financially to the university.

"I look at the athletic department as being an integral part of the university," Cronan said.

It's hard for them to envision a day when UT athletics wouldn't be self-supporting.

Petersen, however, can envision that sort of sea change.

"I think it's nice, because it is such a big business, to be able to say in Knoxville that the athletic department isn't subsidized by the university," he said, "but there is nothing wrong with that, I don't think."

Randy Kenner can be reached at 865-342-6305.