SMU provost could be gone by end of year

[NavyCrimson]

Well said mex.

Let's see. USC has an acceptance rate of 17% (est.) & much of that's contributed to financial assistance & their FOOTBALL team. And that's been proven. How can RGT even think of saying something that ludicrous (or a lie such as that)?

[lwjr]

I think it is part of the academia self righteousness. Since many of them despise athletics they will go to their grave before they will ever admit the university athletic teams are the best recruiting tool a school can have as far as exposure goes.

[NavyCrimson]

Well said.

“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

― Mark Twain

[tristatecoog]

While Ludden just pushes the academic side, along with research, teaching quality and hiring deans, I don't know how much of the increases in apps contributes to athletics. I can't find the stats that show a 90% rise in SMU applications for Fall 2010, following the Hawaii Bowl win. I did see that Baylor's apps rose 23% in 2009. I'm not sure if they had a good football year in 2008. How much of the application rise would have been due to Bush Institute news?

Does USC have much greater financial assistance per student than SMU?

[tristatecoog]

One thing I've heard is that SMU decided to give out more merit-based half tuition scholarships to people just below the President's Endowed level. Has enrollment increased in either the engineering or business schools over the last few years? Their students' SAT scores are higher than average.

[solomouse]

I am pretty certain that Pres. Turner has acknowledged the increased interest in admission to an improvement in out football program.....it just was not very enthusiastic.

[NavyCrimson]

That said it should be quite interesting as for the background & qualifications our next president will have. Love to hear the athletic questions he will be asked.

[gostangs]

I think the bump was due to changes in our admissions team, plus some sports related, and also general reputational improvement among the high school counselors.

Also - Cali schools letting in too many foreign students has pushed many of the Cali students to Texas - and both SMU and TCU have benefitted, although SMU is widely known among the Cali kids to be the one you go to if you can get in.

Cox scholars have really moved us up also. Just that one area has been a big help - since there are so many of them, and they now average over 1450 SAT's. If anyone was going to give money to SMU you should give it to that program. It is moving the needle big time.

[tristatecoog]

Cox Scholars is a fabulous program. However, you would have to be increasing the number of them to move the needle much. That group currently consists of approx. 100 students per year. If their SAT average went from 1350 to 1450 over the last few years, that would have contributed 7 points to the overall change since there are about 1500 incoming freshmen each year.

Cox and Lyle are big draws. So are the Texas economy and the improving rankings. Hopefully so is buzz about the basketball program.

The new admissions team may be behind the idea to give half tuition merit scholarships. Carl Sewell lauded that program and said it was one reason for the school's improved stature. Of course, Carl gives a lot of cash to athletics so he clearly believes in that as well.

[friarwolf]

Universal application was the big driver......

[tristatecoog]

Yep, he just resigned effective the end of the semester. And he didn't get the Marquette job.

The Assoc. Provost at Notre Dame got that job. He did his PhD at UW-Madison.
http://www.marquette.edu/provost-search/

[blackoutpony]

[skyscraper]

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015 ... ties.html/

[GiddyUp]

fantastic news!

[NavyCrimson]

Obviously he wanted to get the hell out of Dodge...

But for all we know, he may have been run out or town on a rail too? Who knows???

All I know is that no idiot quits a job to look for another job but then again...