HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) The top Republican in the Connecticut Senate wants private donors to pick up the cost of UConn's departure from the American Athletic Conference.

Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano wrote on Wednesday to the school's new president, Tom Katsouleas, urging him to have the UConn Foundation pick up the $20.5 million tab and not students or taxpayers.

The money includes a $17 million exit fee to the AAC and a $3.5 million entrance fee to rejoin the Big East for the 2020-21 academic year. The exit fee must be paid in full by the end of the 2026 fiscal year.