WSJ: Ohio State's New President Tackles Football

[ClassOf02]

I'm not entirely sure what the point of this article is (perhaps the columnist is an OSU fan), but the parallels between their new president and ours are interesting.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/ohio-states-new-president-tackles-football-1447893940

 

[Knight Shift]

Article is a must read.

"But there have been victories outside Ohio Stadium, too. Undergraduate applications are up 72% since 2010—as are the academic credentials of incoming students as measured by their average ACT composite scores and class rankings. The school’s endowment has nearly doubled in the last five years."

"Alex Shumate, a Columbus attorney and university trustee, said the last five years have given Ohio State “the momentum and confidence to believe we’re going to be one of the most-talked about universities in the country—not just the most talked-about football team.”

It can happen in New Brunswick, too, Dr. Barchi.

 

[srru86]

If anybody missed this previously posted link:
NY Times
Alabama Is Rolling in Cash,With Tide Lifting All Boats

"Over the past decade, the success of Alabama’s football program has become a powerful engine for the university’s economic and academic growth."

"In the last decade, enrollment has increased by more than 55 percent, to a record 37,100 students this fall, and more than half of the students now are from out of state, another seismic shift. The acceptance rate in the last decade fell to 54 percent, from 72 percent. This year, 2,261 freshmen are enrolled in its Honors College, two and half times the number 10 years ago. Its 174 National Merit and National Achievement finalists rank Alabama among the top five public universities."

"Alabama has funneled some of its largess into millions of dollars in scholarships and faculty salaries, with pledges to do more as it essentially monetizes the passion for the sport and embeds it in the university’s DNA."​

 

[RC1991]

This is a great article and explains how it is possible to have big time athletics and academics not only co-exist but enhance one another along with the overall student experience and quality of education. What's telling is that if OSU didn't have the enhanced exposure due to athletics over the years along with the $$ that athletics and particularly football sends back to invest in academics would they have been able to get to the point of talking about being a top 10 public university? Maybe they would be I think they have been able to make the academic climb much quicker.

 

[rubaseball78]

We have heard first hand the impact of football success on admissions and admissions requirements. My daughter has applied to Florida State. When she and Mom visited last spring, the admissions people told them the same thing; number of applications is way up and the incoming standards for GPA and test scores is going up. When they asked why, they were told because they won the national championship. What normally follow here is someone making a snarky comment about how stupid it is for someone to choose a school for football (unless of course you are a player). These students aren't choosing FSU (or OSU) for football. What happens is due to the notoriety, they look into the school and, if they have their major, subsequently become interested enough to apply.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

These students aren't choosing FSU (or OSU) for football. What happens is due to the notoriety, they look into the school and, if they have their major, subsequently become interested enough to apply.

FINALLY someone gets it!

 

[MozRU]

It doesn't take a dummy or the WSJ to point it out

 

[srru86]

And in the nineties is was Virginia Tech coming out of obscurity based on Beamer Ball.