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Mustangsabu wrote: And we wonder why SMU has a negligible global academic reputation...

Global academic reputation

Mustangsabu wrote:I find the points made to be interesting. And honest.

When I think about it, however, I am dismayed that people choose to give more money to athletics than to the academic side. Shows a total apathy for the actual purpose of the university. Athletics should be an extension of the college experience not the focus. Students are there to be taught and to learn. And we wonder why SMU has a negligible global academic reputation...


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Appreciate the honest critique, but for what it's worth, donations are based on what is perceived value. For alot of us, people want to contribute to sports to better help their university's image. I forgot but didn't attendance/applications sky rocket for both Baylor and TCU when their football programs got into gear? If so, you are driving more students, more money, more interest into the school that can indirectly help academics. Sadly it doesn't go the other way. I agree that the overall objective of universities are to teach students. No disagreement there. I just think that sports can help drive academic funding indirectly both in the current and future as the school builds a bigger fan base.

Lastly, I think SMU will always have a good distribution of funding as people do donate to endowment and non-sport related areas. It's just that on PonyFans.com, it's going to feel that all the money is pointed to sports because it's a sports website.

SMU's academic reputation is miles above it's athletic reputation. Perhaps we should aim for excellence in both, not a zero sum game.

Mustangsabu wrote:We are really going to spend millions of $$ so that a minuscule subset of our students, students who but for the football program wouldn't be at the school anyway, can train in cooler temperatures.

Pretty disgusting comment here on the quality of student athletes you believe are recruited to SMU. Most are very high quality, intelligent, and leaders. It is also a naive comment based off how the university has sold the utilization of the IPC.

I also find it interesting you choose to complain about how other people spend their money. As mentioned before in this thread, there are plenty of other universities that have utilized athletics to raise their academic profile.

Getting this thread back on topic - the IPF is actually going to be useful. It's not just for recruiting. Using TCU's as an example - they practice half inside and half outside twice a week and solely inside once a week. I've heard GP give examples of its benefit and how the team concentrates better inside. We also all mention the heat, but I'm sure it was also hard to practice outside in September when we were getting 11 inches of rain. SMU also has plans for its use outside of just football. I find it hard to believe after years of wanting one that anyone on here is anything but excited for it, but nothing surprises me on here anymore.

PonyPlayer4 wrote:

Mustangsabu wrote:We are really going to spend millions of $$ so that a minuscule subset of our students, students who but for the football program wouldn't be at the school anyway, can train in cooler temperatures.

Pretty disgusting comment here on the quality of student athletes you believe are recruited to SMU. Most are very high quality, intelligent, and leaders. It is also a naive comment based off how the university has sold the utilization of the IPC.

I also find it interesting you choose to complain about how other people spend their money. As mentioned before in this thread, there are plenty of other universities that have utilized athletics to raise their academic profile.

My comment about them not being at SMU if it weren’t for athletics was not meant in terms of academic ability but reality. They are here primarily to play sports. I struggle with spending disproportionate amounts on non academics. I know athletics can be used to sell a school. I find that troubling too.

I’m not complaining about how other people spend their money. They are free to do what they want. I can opine that the university should raise money to improve its academic mission.


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SMU_Alum11 wrote:

Mustangsabu wrote:

SMU_Alum11 wrote:
Honestly, until we see improvement from the schools outside of engineering, law and business, I don't see any one should bother donating there. Just my opinion. I rather donate to the sports programs because that's my main and pretty much only reason for coming back to campus. Outside of sports, I would only donate to Celebration of Lights. I wish the whole boulevard could be annually lit up and not just right outside Dallas hall.

Don't leave out the Guildhall, Meadows. And Simmons (which serves as an anchor to the Athletics Dept). That leaves the Dedman College (the academic heart of the university), and Perkins (We are Southern Methodist University afterall...)

Have yall heard of PonyPower? It started in 17-18; its goal was to increase the annual "current use" $ raised across schools, departments etc. Prior to 17-18 that amount was around 45mm. The goal for 17-18 was to raise 45mm. Actual raised was 57.6mm. Goal for this year is 50mm. About half the amount raised went straight to scholarships & research.

Here's some more info.

https://giving.smu.edu/pony-power/

RGV Pony wrote:Have yall heard of PonyPower? It started in 17-18; its goal was to increase the annual "current use" $ raised across schools, departments etc. Prior to 17-18 that amount was around 45mm. The goal for 17-18 was to raise 45mm. Actual raised was 57.6mm. Goal for this year is 50mm. About half the amount raised went straight to scholarships & research.

Here's some more info.

https://giving.smu.edu/pony-power/

Thanks.

We should have the Pony Power fundraising logo on our football field so more people know about it.

This IPF puts SMU even with the larger high school programs in North Texas. One high school has just spent $75,000,000 on there new high school stadium. If I remember correctly Ford's budget was originally announced at $26,000,000. As someone said, this facility puts us number 31 amongst IPF's in North Dallas. Don't bother to check these numbers, as I didn't, I just repeated some numbers thrown around while having a beer while watching UCF. The point being, this facility puts us even with major high school programs, but SMU is again a dollar short and a decade late.

As far as measuring the performance of the Athletic Department by mentioning the Director's Cup rankings, after ranking the dismal performance of football and basketball what else is left to measure but the combined performance of all sports, including those referred to as Olympic sports? We haven't won a football championship in any of our alphabet conferences in 30 years! And we won't see another in basketball for another five to ten years.

For all the directors cup talk here are our current sports for fall '18 so far.

W XC 1st 1st 3rd
W Soc 8-5-1
M Soc 5-4-2
Volleyball 6-9
Football 2-4

mtrout wrote:For all the directors cup talk here are our current sports for fall '18 so far.

W XC 1st 1st 3rd
W Soc 8-5-1
M Soc 5-4-2
Volleyball 6-9
Football 2-4

You left off Golf

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/golf-men/d1/gcaa-coaches

Ranked 21. Since this ranking SMU also took 1st out of 14 teams in a tournament this weekend.

Also- Equestrian. Ranked 4th

http://www.collegiateequestrian.com/

Mexmustang wrote:As far as measuring the performance of the Athletic Department by mentioning the Director's Cup rankings, after ranking the dismal performance of football and basketball what else is left to measure but the combined performance of all sports, including those referred to as Olympic sports? We haven't won a football championship in any of our alphabet conferences in 30 years! And we won't see another in basketball for another five to ten years.

That has to be the most negatively slanted post I've ever read on this board. You might dial the scotch back a tick or two in the evenings. Just a friendly suggestion

The Pye era had to rely on the Directors Cup because they gutted the revenue sports. That is the Mex legacy to which he clings.

Mexmustang wrote:This IPF puts SMU even with the larger high school programs in North Texas. One high school has just spent $75,000,000 on there new high school stadium. If I remember correctly Ford's budget was originally announced at $26,000,000. As someone said, this facility puts us number 31 amongst IPF's in North Dallas. Don't bother to check these numbers, as I didn't, I just repeated some numbers thrown around while having a beer while watching UCF. The point being, this facility puts us even with major high school programs, but SMU is again a dollar short and a decade late.

As far as measuring the performance of the Athletic Department by mentioning the Director's Cup rankings, after ranking the dismal performance of football and basketball what else is left to measure but the combined performance of all sports, including those referred to as Olympic sports? We haven't won a football championship in any of our alphabet conferences in 30 years! And we won't see another in basketball for another five to ten years.

Why do you always seem to drag this garbage over here after your half-baked arguments get systematically dismantled on the pay boards? Hoping it won't happen here, too?