SMU to the Pac 10?

[RE Tycoon]

Article

Salient points:

The latest rankings from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching move UH to its highest category, for universities with "very high research activity."

That ranking is updated every five years, based upon criteria including research expenditures, number of doctorate degrees awarded and the size of the university's research staff.

UH previously ranked in Carnegie's second tier, for "high research activity."

The designation by the Carnegie Foundation, a policy and research organization focused on higher education, doesn't mean UH is now officially a Tier One school. Other rankings consider criteria beyond the research portfolio.

UH and six other schools — Texas Tech, the University of North Texas and UT campuses in Arlington, Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio — were designated to receive additional state funding to help them reach the goal.

And even if UH were to qualify for the Tier One funding this year, it and other public colleges and universities are likely to sustain cuts — maybe significant ones — in basic state support for higher education.

In general, top tier schools have annual research expenditures of $100 million or more, attract top high school students and offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.

Another measure is membership in the Association of American Universities. That's by invitation only, and leaders of the elite group of 63 schools have indicated they are in no hurry to expand.

Its six-year graduation rate remains a sticking point. Just 45.6 percent of students graduate within six years of starting as freshmen, a 10 percent increase over the past two years but below the state average of 56.8 percent.

[couch 'em]

And please note, Houston's Very High Research University classification by Carnegie (not "Tier 1") is based on the size and funding of research, NOT quality of education or quality of research. You litterally "buy" the rating by spending more money on research.

[Harry0569]

You could sell it to fans by increased revenue from TV networks, and sell it to the schools on the academic side...

It's all about selling them on the Dallas Market. Dallas is 6th biggest TV market in the US?

[StallionsModelT]

Granted I am biased but I've always viewed SMU as one of the largest sleeping giant programs in the country in regards to potential. We have a 1.5B endowment, some of the most powerful and affluent alumni of any school in the country, a world-class academic reputation, and being located in a large, metropolitan area. There are so many built-in advantages working in SMU's favor that if somehow we could string together 4-5 years of consistent winning that some conference out there would be willing to see those advantages and that SMU is trending WAY UP. I don't know maybe I should take off my red/blue tinted glasses but I see SMU as being a potentially huge asset for a conference considering expansion.

[ponyte]

I think we would be great in tha Pac 10. Afterall, we are 1-1 against PAC 10 teams lately.

[smuuth]

As TCU was up until a couple of years ago, SMU is not known very well nationally except for a few former great players and coaches and a big negative! Even worse, it is not embraced locally and has made little effort to become "The" university of the north Texas area. It has preferred to maintain it's reputation as a small, snobbish, private institution with very little outreach and marketing welcoming the local masses. Henceforth, very little appeal for tv ratings in the metroplex and therefore very little appeal to power conferences. TCU has shown the way but we have shown little effort in following their path! We prefer to wallow in self-pity instead of 'pulling up the bootstraps" and going to work with a vision of greatness!

[RunningStang]

Thanks Debbie Downer. I might as well mail my degrees back to Perkins.

[gostangs]

Wow Smuuth - i just think you are incorrect here. We are a more well known school nationally then TCU in every way but football - and the Doak Walker award and Bush library continue to put us on the map for those not in Texas. I will agree TCU has jumped up considerably due to football - but academically and historically we are more well known. By the way - our applicant pool in this current year (for next year;s class) is up by 40% - that is due to many things but football contributes to that. Our national reach is evidenced by our applicant pool whcih is over half from out of state - whereas TCU's remains well over half from in-state.

We cant do much about size - we wont get any bigger then 2k a class in our lifetimes.

I agree we could and should do more in outreach to the north texas market - and for us to get where we want to go we need to be thought of as THE local university for the unaffiliated to root for - like a Northwestern or USC is in those two urban markets.

[SMU89]

We cant do much about size - we wont get any bigger then 2k a class in our lifetimes.

[NavyCrimson]

"... as I'm sure I was admitted purely through postal error!)."

Now that is funny!!! LOL!!!

[Stallion]

I think Rice has decided to significantly increase enrollment-not by many in numbers but high in percentage

[couch 'em]

I personally would prefer for SMU to continue the amazing upward course it's on, but continue to keep the student body restricted to well qualified and/or affluent students

[deleted] like this makes me nauseated to be an smu alum...

Every private school functions this way. Affluent students come pay full tuition so the school can give large scholarships to those who are academically strong but are not from money. Even Harvard and Yale let in unqualified students who's daddy can make the donation.

[ponyscott]

What a weird thread...stupid add. Pac 10 people have no idea who SMU is.

[mustangxc]

What a weird thread...stupid add. Pac 10 people have no idea who SMU is.

You are forgetting about HB Pony Dad. He knows us so Pac 10 people certainly know SMU.
I would love to see us get an invite with TCU. If we manage to attract 45,000 fans per game and keep trending upward I think that this idea is not as far-fetched especially considering the current Pac 10 commissioner's innovative ideas. Keep in mind most Pac 10 schools attract around 45,000-60,000 fans so that would certainly make us a good fit. Academically speaking we are a great fit. Most commissioners would not consider us, but he is probably the most forward thinking and outside-the-box commissioner in the NCAA.

[East Coast Mustang]

The idiocy on Pony Fans never ceases to amaze me. I don't have time to read through five pages of BS, but a CUSA school that attracts 20k per game isn't going to get a Pac-10 invite anytime soon. And quit pimping out this DFW TV market crap; Texas, A&M, OU, and Tech DOMINATE this market. I don't see why that's so hard for some people to realize.