SMU On a Roll

[Stallion]

raises fund drive goal to $1,000,000,000. Check out SAT improvement

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/communit ... illion.ece

[gostangs]

1302 is second in the state, behind rice and ahead of UT.

[Mustangs_Maroons]

Thanks for the post. I don't live in Dallas and hardly check the DMN. I saw they have this below the A&M news and even below the tt and tcu game. It's sad that the only main D1 university in Dallas doesn't get enough press from the hometown newspaper. And when I do check, why is SMU news mostly always subscriber-based? It's ridiculous.

Regardless, this is good news and shows strong positive momentum. I'm particularly encouraged by the increase in the $1bn goal. They would never do that unless they felt very confidently it would be achieved. The SAT scores is a sign of the stronger student class that we bring in year in and year out. I think we're separating ourselves further from everyone else. In terms of public schools, UT will always trump A&M, and if we can continue to get ourselves in the picture and get closer to rice (we're still far), our goal (and it's more realistic every year) should be to only have rice and smu as far and away the 2 best private universities in Texas. Rice and SMU - to have that in the minds of h.s. students as the 2 options for the state should be our ultimate goal!

Lastly, the additional money should not be used on additional buildings unless those buildings are to house new centers created. We need to invest in faculty, scholarships and centers of study. The additional $250mm should only be used for that, IMO.

[leopold]

If property becomes available then they need to buy it - it's only going to become more expensive and more difficult to obtain.
But way to go SMU!

[leopold]

If property becomes available then they need to buy it - it's only going to become more expensive and more difficult to obtain.
But way to go SMU!

[East Coast Mustang]

BUILD AN INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM

[blackoutpony]

BUILD AN INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM

PLUS ONE

[Mustangs_Maroons]

BUILD AN INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM

Not everything has to be about football. I think this money is better put to use in faculty positions and academic scholarships.

[Bergermeister]

BUILD AN INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM

Not everything has to be about football. I think this money is better put to use in faculty positions and academic scholarships.

[sponygirl]

raises fund drive goal to $1,000,000,000. Check out SAT improvement

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/communit ... illion.ece

Current students are a little frustrated and feel overlooked in the campaign. Scholarships for returning students haven't been adjusted, although tuition has been raised 5-6% per year to pay for the new residential halls, and it's hurting. My inside source tells me that the band's budget has been cut once again and scholarships are now extremely limited for new members and that the band apparently has some obligation to reimburse the university for the new hall (this was from a band member). SMU has built some very nice buildings, but I rapidly deleted my alumni request from Turner and had to laugh at the comment to eliminate a takeout pizza. Very sad.

[BigT3x]

Current students are a little frustrated and feel overlooked in the campaign. Scholarships for returning students haven't been adjusted, although tuition has been raised 5-6% per year to pay for the new residential halls, and it's hurting. My inside source tells me that the band's budget has been cut once again and scholarships are now extremely limited for new members and that the band apparently has some obligation to reimburse the university for the new hall (this was from a band member). SMU has built some very nice buildings, but I rapidly deleted my alumni request from Turner and had to laugh at the comment to eliminate a takeout pizza. Very sad.

Nothing new. Reading the yearly letter about poor SMU's rising expenses causing a tuition increase while another old Dedman hag gets her name on a new marble fountain is a classic SMU experience for our students... like eating at Bubba's or doing cocaine.

[Mustangs_Maroons]

raises fund drive goal to $1,000,000,000. Check out SAT improvement

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/communit ... illion.ece

Current students are a little frustrated and feel overlooked in the campaign. Scholarships for returning students haven't been adjusted, although tuition has been raised 5-6% per year to pay for the new residential halls, and it's hurting. My inside source tells me that the band's budget has been cut once again and scholarships are now extremely limited for new members and that the band apparently has some obligation to reimburse the university for the new hall (this was from a band member). SMU has built some very nice buildings, but I rapidly deleted my alumni request from Turner and had to laugh at the comment to eliminate a takeout pizza. Very sad.

I agree with your premise that the campaign should strive to make sure it addresses current students as well, as in potential increase in scholarship money or new scholarships based on their academic performance. But, this should be done and subject to academic performance and merit based. This can't be to increase scholarships dollar for dollar because tuition increases. It has never happened that way before (even when I was in school), and it doesn't happen at any other university that I'm aware of

Regarding the outreach to donate and the comment about eliminating a takeout pizza, not sure why you took offense to that. The point of that was that it doesn't matter the amount you give just that you give. It can be as low as $10 (the cost of a pizza), as this increases the alumni participation rate. I don't see anything wrong with that, and at the end of the day, as SMU increases in perception and ranking, that only helps the value of that diploma you worked so hard to get. And I don't have any problems with that.

[Greenwich Pony]

Hmm. I have heard that the band has to recompense some of the construction costs as well. I wonder, is Turner personally paying for the 2.5 million dollar Turner Quad centennial whatsit thingee? What academic or student experience impact will that expense have? At least with the band, that is a unique part of the SMU experience and student life. And what about the poor swim team, who have actually raised millions to build their new facility? If we are raising an additional $250 million, why can't we help these (successful) student groups out? I wasn't a swimmer, but I thought it was cool that we had a great swim team, and a pretty unique band. It was part of the experience of going to SMU. I understand that "revenue sports" are priority because the bring in money, but still. After all, we are for some reason finding significant funding to Trinity River for a golf course we don't need. Oh, AND it's not like Trinity River would be like the UT golf club, we would get use of it, but it doesn't appeared to be branded for us. Would someone PLEASE explain why we're dumping cash into this?

I'm not disputing that most of that money needs to go to the endowment or to scholarship funds and academic programs. The lion's share should. But the administration should be raising this money for all of the SMU community. Will setting aside some of the money for the swim center or the band actually hurt our academic rep? After all, for all the pushing and improvement we are allegely making we fell two spots in the USNEWS (Understanding that those rankings are not the end all, but we have designed this push to improve in them). In fact we've pretty much stayed where we are for nearly two decades without huge, or really any, improvement. And it is not like news outlets are speaking of SMU's academic ascent. In fact, a quick google search of improving and rising institutions, we are conspicuously absent in these discussions. There is no "buzz" around our academics.

The band and swim team needed new facilities. Both are very successful community-facing programs that have been allowed to starve for lack of a new building or administrative support. If we had broken the top 50, or even made a stride in that direction, perhaps this would not disturb me so much, i could say, well, the administration is improving the quality of the school. But they haven't. We sit in neutral. Leave the band be, and build the swim center already.

[Stallion]

Since when has SMU ever directed general endowment gifts to individual projects. You want a project built at a university like SMU you need to find donors with funds directed at that particular project. That's how it is with athletics and other departments. You won't see general endowments funds used for an IPF or Moody or the Golf facility either. Ford Stadium also relied upon directed donations. same with some of the nonsense that SMU should pour millions and millions into the athletic department. SMU is going to have the athletic department that SMU alumni financially want and can afford based upon alumni funding-that's why it is essential that SMU broadened the revenue base by doubling revenue from say tickets sales which are holding the athletic department back

[gostangs]

The swim center will happen eventually - but it is not that much of a reach to understand why a VERY non revenue producing sport is not on the top of the list. And by the way - most of the building built are started with a certain percentage of the money in hand. The band hall is under construction even though it was not quite there on the money. They have pulled out the stops for the band - getting Craig James to go our publically asking for help, and have approached many non-band people to help. They are doing the right thing by the band - there is no reason to belly ache on that one.

And there has been incredible academic progress. Our SAT has risen by 100 pts in a very short period - but other schools have improved as well - we are racing other world class racers. Just a few yrs ago we were generally thought of as lumped with Baylor and TCU well below UT and waaaaay below Rice. We are now separated from the other privates right behind UT - and even with them in most metrics. The rankings are five year rolling averages, so have some patience.

Its an arms race and we are about to get some big traction with the Bush library pub, the on campus dorm improvements which are very popular and the press coming from basketball among other things. .