TCU and UNT to open Med School

[rodrod5]

With so many cheaper and better alternatives around DFW I don't have a clue why anyone would want to go to UNT. UT-Dallas, UT-Arlington, University of Dallas, Collin College, etc. are all better institutions than UNT. Honestly A&M-Commerce is a better school.

SMU, TCU, UTD, UD, and DBU are definitely superior to UNT. UTA is academically better than UNT, but UNT is a little less commuter-esque.

On the topic, academically and administratively, it's worth noting UNTHSC is a separate entity from UNT (as is UNT-Dallas)---in the same way UTHSC-San Antonio and UTMB-Galveston aren't part of UT-Austin. UNTHSC is located in Fort Worth a couple miles from TCU and has the D.O. school, PA school, public health, nursing, biomedical science, and pharmacy schools. The folks running the clown show at UNTHSC have, by and large, shown a lot more competence than the System Board and the folks in Denton and Dallas.

the HSC has had leadership issues as well related to the discussed "merger" between Denton and the HSC and related to the MD program as well

[Pony^]

Not sure that TCU's increase in applications has resulted in a big increase in test scores. Looks like TCU's average SAT score is up about 15 points between 2009 and 2014. In 2014 TCU had an average SAT score of 1181. SMU's average SAT score is up 73 points over the same period to 1308 in 2014.

I don't think the medical school will help TCU's US News ranking much as that ranking's focus is on undergraduate schools.

I agree that the medical school will help with research dollars, but I'm not sure how those dollars will be allocated between the two institutions. Obviously, a new medical school will not bring instant AAU status either. A school needs a lot more going on than a medical school to generate sufficient research dollars. An institution also needs members in the academies, etc. Dartmouth has a well regarded medical school, but the school is still not an AAU member.

[rodrod5]

the AAU evaluates schools based on having a med school and not having one (amongst other university missions like public VS private) so adding a medical school does not necessarily move you up in terms of AAU criteria it just changes the criteria they use to evaluate you

in other words the medical school needs to carry it's own weight it is not something that moves the needle for the rest of the university

[Planter's Punch]

It will be interesting to see if UNT will ruin the whole thing before TCU is able to quick them out.

[tristatecoog]

With so many cheaper and better alternatives around DFW I don't have a clue why anyone would want to go to UNT. UT-Dallas, UT-Arlington, University of Dallas, Collin College, etc. are all better institutions than UNT. Honestly A&M-Commerce is a better school.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+23
UNT and UTA are similarly unranked, as is UTEP. I'm not impressed by DBU, except for its baseball program. The resumes I've seen are no different than UNT or UTA. The UTD resumes I've seen aren't impressive either. The Comets throw around a lot of scholarship money and they've smartly focused on science, engineering and business. Their location is also a big positive as it's in the Asian community of Richardson and surrounding by much more affluence than UTA, UNT or DBU. UNT is the most comprehensive experience with athletics and its music program is a draw. UTA is a draw due to location and its transfer program with UT-Austin.

CCCC, Brookhaven, etc. are fine places to start but you aren't going there to "plug in."

[StallionsModelT]

Strategic goals for 2015-2025

- Get endowment to 2.5B
- Application numbers increase to 20K
- Lower acceptance rate to 30-35%
- Grow undergraduate enrollment to 8,500
- Continue expansion and land grabs east of 75
- IPF/Natatorium
- RESEARCH $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
- Dedman Law into Top 30
- Cox into Top 15

Also, depending on how this whole conference realignment thing plays out we need to take a look at a major facelift to Ford in about 5 years. I love the feel of Ford but some of its creature comforts feel a bit dated now.

[Planter's Punch]

- Grow undergraduate enrollment to 8,500

That would put us at TCU's undergraduate size. Given the cost per additional student and focus on raising student quality, I really don't see SMU growing by that much unless they are wanting to take on more international full tuition paying students, like many west coast universities have done, which can be a mixed blessing. I would much rather see a pivot to growing the number of graduate students at SMU and growth of research.

Looking at back at medical schools (and related fields), it is hard to tell if UTSW is a potential partner or a road block. Yes major SMU donors also support UTSW, but are they happy keeping both in the status quo? Texas Tech has been on a push for growth and wanting to be seen as a peer to UT and A&M, I wonder if they could be a potential partner on a medical, dental, pharmacy, or related biomedical fields school in DFW.

[StallionsModelT]

We will grow to 8,500 undergrad by 2025.

[Ponymon]

SMU’s Forgotten Medical School

http://tinyurl.com/n7jc58s

[gostangs]

I don't see us getting to 8500 in ten yrs, but maybe 8k. It's is very tough if not impossible to grow and maintain ranking, and we still need to break top 50.

[Pony^]

I have never heard anyone in authority at SMU state that increasing enrollment to 8500 undergraduates was a goal. I have seen the following goals mentioned:

acceptance below 50%
sat above 1300
top 50 us news
25% tenured faculty in endowed chairs
retention 94%+
fifty million in research expenditures
multiple grad programs in top 25 by nrc


I'm not sure that we have reached any one of them except increasing our SAT score above 1300, and I doubt anyone is satisfied with that average score in the long run. I think we may have had an acceptance rate slightly below 50% in 2008, but not again since then.

As pointed out, increasing enrollment seems at odds with other stated goals.

I think you first have to make the school more competitive and thereby attract a lot more quality applications before you can think about significantly expanding enrollment.

Total Undergraduate Enrollment by Year:

2014 6391
2013 6357
2012 6249
2011 6221
2010 6192
2009 6228
2008 6240
2007 6176
2006 6296
2005 6489
2004 6210

We have been increasing standards by keeping enrollment fairly constant. How will we maintain/increase standards if we increase enrollment by about 35%?

[Pony^]

New Fort Worth med school more than just academic perk

“I think it is going to be huge,” TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini said. “It is a wonderful strategic move for Texas Christian University.”

The new medical school is expected to enhance TCU’s reputation by both increasing the number of graduate students and attracting more high-performing students, Boschini said. Both are factors in elevating universities to a higher level of prestige, and potential students look at those details when choosing a college, he said.

“A lot of students and families look at that and feel that is important,” he said.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article27046243.html

[couch 'em]

It's OK, we'll just throw up some fountains

[SoCal_Pony]

With so many cheaper and better alternatives around DFW I don't have a clue why anyone would want to go to UNT. UT-Dallas, UT-Arlington, University of Dallas, Collin College, etc. are all better institutions than UNT. Honestly A&M-Commerce is a better school.

Truth be told, many of the kids at UTA, NTSU and A&M Commerce would be better served by attending vocational schools.

[geno]

With so many cheaper and better alternatives around DFW I don't have a clue why anyone would want to go to UNT. UT-Dallas, UT-Arlington, University of Dallas, Collin College, etc. are all better institutions than UNT. Honestly A&M-Commerce is a better school.

Truth be told, many of the kids at UTA, NTSU and A&M Commerce would be better served by attending vocational schools.

And who would know better where UTA, NTSU and A&M Commerce students should go than someone who lives in Newport Beach, California? Yeah, right.