Rallying Point:The Laura Bush School of Education

[SMUer]

But seriously, crying about not having a EDU major is like me crying because SMU doesn't have a Law, Politics and Society (LPS) major.

Both Bennett and Orsini lamented the lack of and education degree yesterday to the press and they'd know more than you and me both what recruits want.

If they can't make a good hard sell with what SMU already has, then they aren't earning their money OR they don't realize the facilities they have. The EDU school is new so maybe that was a "major" problem in the beginning and that's what they were talking about (and maybe why it was built). To every recruit it should be pointed out that you can gain everything you need to do nearly everything you want in to do education, without even leaving SMU campus. But, I'm fairly positive that most recruits aren't turning down Bennett by saying "I don't think your School of Education will prepare me for my TExES as much as TCU's BA in Education." A good recruiter would be able to counter that with evidence to the contrary and point out the positive of what we have. Haven't any of you been recruited by a school athletics program!?! Most programs would tell you anything to get you to go there. And this isn't a case of selling ocean front property either...we have the curriculum and the grad school ready to go...and it's a good one!

[abezontar]

Jeez....everybody's [deleted] is equally big!

[SMUer]

hopefully *looks down and around nervously*

[Stallion]

"just know that I was a student/SMU during the entire Phil Bennet regime, I have attended 4-5 football homegames every year, I have been on several state and national championship sports teams."

Dear Mr. Soccer or Tid-Li-Winks National Champion with an inferiority complex. We don't care how they do it in the Country Club sports-in football you are dealing with an entire different group of athletes that are necessary to remain competitive at the Division 1A Level. Let's get down to what we are really talking about-and that is opportunities of students who might not of been a Punter from Country Day or a sixth string walkon from Highland Park. We are talking about scholarship minorities who often are at Division 1A schools in hugely inverse relationship % than the other minorities at that school.The real numbers to look at on TCU's roster are the majors of scholarship minorities. 31 out of 35 scholarship minorities are in non-rigorous, non-traditional majors --IF ANY.

NO MAJOR LISTED: 2
UNDECIDED: 1
GENERAL STUDIES: 3
ARTS & SCIENCE PRE MAJOR: 6
(you laughingly wonder if these guys are pre-med)
MOVEMENT SCIENCES: 1
(Gym Class)
PSYCHO-SOCIAL KINESIOLOGY: 1
(teaching Gym Class)
COMMUNICATION: 9
(English as a First Language)
LIBERAL ARTS: 3
EDUCATION: 3
SOCIAL WORK: 1
GRAPHIC DESIGN: 1
Pschology: 2
Business: 2

Where are all the Economic Majors, the Science Majors, the Literature Majors, Political Science Majors, History Majors, the Jounalism Majors, Pre-Med Majors et al. There aren't any-we ain't talking about rigorus degree choices or graduate level. Any school can deign courses with complicated words that sound like tough curriculm but that's not the reality of what is done in Division 1A non-Country Club athletics. We can see quite clearly that TCU minority athletes are not a reflection of the degrtee choices of TCU students at large.

[SMUer]

"just know that I was a student/SMU during the entire Phil Bennet regime, I have attended 4-5 football homegames every year, I have been on several state and national championship sports teams."

Dear Mr. Soccer or Tid-Li-Winks National Champion with an inferiority complex. We don't care how they do it in the Country Club sports-in football you are dealing with an entire different group of athletes that are necessary to remain competitive at the Division 1A Level. Let's get down to what we are really talking about-and that is opportunities of students who might not of been a Punter from Country Day or a sixth string walkon from Highland Park. We are talking about scholarship minorities who often are at Division 1A schools in hugely inverse relationship % than the other minorities at that school.The real numbers to look at on TCU's roster are the majors of scholarship minorities. 31 out of 35 scholarship minorities are in non-rigorous, non-traditional majors --IF ANY.

NO MAJOR LISTED: 2
UNDECIDED: 1
GENERAL STUDIES: 3
ARTS & SCIENCE PRE MAJOR: 6
(you laughingly wonder if these guys are pre-med)
MOVEMENT SCIENCES: 1
(Gym Class)
PSYCHO-SOCIAL KINESIOLOGY: 1
(teaching Gym Class)
COMMUNICATION: 9
(English as a First Language)
LIBERAL ARTS: 3
EDUCATION: 3
SOCIAL WORK: 1
GRAPHIC DESIGN: 1
Pschology: 2
Business: 2

Where are all the Economic Majors, the Science Majors, the Literature Majors, Political Science Majors, History Majors, the Jounalism Majors, Pre-Med Majors et al. There aren't any-we ain't talking about rigorus degree choices or graduate level. Any school can deign courses with complicated words that sound like tough curriculm but that's not the reality of what is done in Division 1A non-Country Club athletics. We can see quite clearly that TCU minority athletes are not a reflection of the degrtee choices of TCU students at large.

I was laughing at what the hell Arts/Science PreMajor is...I didn't really think it was a PreMed program but that's what I think they were making it sound like. True, you could break that roster down to minories and majors and I didn't...good job (honestly)...and that's a good route to take

[SMU1952]

Stallion, thank you, thank you. That was an eloquent and tactful response, but most of all it was HONEST. I am forever thankful to SMU for giving a family member of mine the opportunity to get such a distinguished degree and a heads-up in life through a scholarship in athletics. A win-win situation all around. Hopefully, others can benefit academically by the changes and in return help SMU WIN some football games!

[jtstang]

But seriously, crying about not having a EDU major is like me crying because SMU doesn't have a Law, Politics and Society (LPS) major.

Both Bennett and Orsini lamented the lack of and education degree yesterday to the press and they'd know more than you and me both what recruits want.

If they can't make a good hard sell with what SMU already has, then they aren't earning their money OR they don't realize the facilities they have.

Well, Bennett is doen with his selling job for SMU. Are you saying Orsini should be canned next?

[SMUer]

I think suddenly we are talking about students who want a path of least resistance instead of students who want to be education majors. At SMU, my impression is that Sociology basically serves that function (but building other would be good...for instance, I'm in favor of a Sports Managment program). I think we/everyone can building a winning program without NFL-quality/Blue Chip athletes coming to SMU and we can begin by coaching some gosh darn fundamentals to our players first. After some success, better (actually lets just say more highly tauted) athletes will gradually come. Athletes often pick schools for their success rather than their major. As with most freshman, their major gets sorted out while they are there. SMU doesn't have a General Studies major but I'm not convinced we need one right now. I don't think having one will suddenly uncork a new talent base. I agree, it is important to have majors/programs that appeal to recruits (and minorities) but I'd say for the most part SMU has some of these. There is a lot we can do to our football program to improve it before we start dumbing down the academics more than it is now. But that's just based on my experience with winning teams, football and not.

[SMUer]

But seriously, crying about not having a EDU major is like me crying because SMU doesn't have a Law, Politics and Society (LPS) major.

Both Bennett and Orsini lamented the lack of and education degree yesterday to the press and they'd know more than you and me both what recruits want.

If they can't make a good hard sell with what SMU already has, then they aren't earning their money OR they don't realize the facilities they have.

Well, Bennett is doen with his selling job for SMU. Are you saying Orsini should be canned next?

I actually like Orsini a lot. I'm surprised he let Bennett say that we have no appeal to recruits interested in education and didn't try to clarify or spin it in a positive way ("we have a great program...here's what we have"). I mean, he's human. He may have forgotten about it during the heat of the moment...he was probably tired...whatever. But if neither Phil nor Steve can sit in front of a recruit and his family and tell them about all the great opportunities SMU has for kids interested in education...then no, he isn't as great as I thought he was and neither deserves to be where they are at. A good recruiter is able to make almost everything sunshine.

[SMUer]

I mean, having absolutely no facility is one thing but when you have a School of Education and Human Development...it shouldn't be hard to sell that dream. Now, if you have a recruit that crosses his arms and tells you, "I came here to play Football and I don't want to do much else as far as school goes" then you can make a decision. You can decide, a) this really isn't a person I want to represent SMU from a university standpoint OR b) you can try to shuttle him into programs at SMU where their isn't much effort required. I have a lot of respect for both psychology and sociology majors but both are programs where you can get Bs without ever taking notes. Plus athletes have access to the Learning Center at SMU where tutors with access to all the tests you are going to take are willing to spend however long you want telling you all the answers.

[Stallion]

"think we/everyone can building a winning program without NFL-quality/Blue Chip athletes coming to SMU"

and the basis of this opinion is what? If you are talking about the bluest of the blue you might be right. You are talking about highly recruited players at at least the non-BCS level you are wrong. Who has reached Top 25 Level among non-BCS schools -the level at which Orsini has said he strives to reach as SMU's Goal? ANSWER: TCU. TCU has among the highest level of players in the NFL of all schools in Texas not including UT. TCU almost assuredly is among the Top 3 in non-BCS composite recruiting over the last 10 years. Whether you are in the SEC, Big 12 MWC or CUSA you need to outrecruit your opponents to be successful. If SMU's Goal is Top 25 then SMU needs to recruit about 3 great classes at a level we have not seen in 20 recruited classes. Now if you think Orsini and the university are simply playing lip-service to that Top 25 Goal then that's another issue

[SMUer]

I think students who come to SMU are fully aware that there is a great chance they won't become NFL players and hence they choose SMU for reasons other than football or cake academics. Time-wise and perception-wise, football will always be their primary "major" but they are usually red shirted and able to choose whatever track they want...easy or a major geared towards attending grad school.

[SMUer]

"think we/everyone can building a winning program without NFL-quality/Blue Chip athletes coming to SMU"

and the basis of this opinion is what? If you are talking about the bluest of the blue you might be right. You are talking about highly recruited players at at least the non-BCS level you are wrong. Who has reached Top 25 Level among non-BCS schools -the level at which Orsini has said he strives to reach as SMU's Goal? ANSWER: TCU. TCU has among the highest level of players in the NFL of all schools in Texas not including UT. TCU almost assuredly is among the Top 3 in non-BCS composite recruiting over the last 10 years. Whether you are in the SEC, Big 12 MWC or CUSA you need to outrecruit your opponents to be successful. If SMU's Goal is Top 25 then SMU needs to recruit about 3 great classes at a level we have not seen in 20 recruited classes. Now if you think Orsini and the university are simply playing lip-service to that Top 25 Goal then that's another issue

Better coaching would make up for a lot of the under-recruiting we are supposedly doing. Simple fundamentals last year would have taken the guys we were already able to get and gotten them to a bowl game. The same fundamentals would have gotten us there or close the year before. If we could join the other half of the schools that earns bowl games, recruiting would come much more simply for us. I agree though...a Top 25 ranking...phew...it's going to take more than 1-2-star athletes...but that's like Step 2 or Step 3.

[crazy horse]

http://guildhall.smu.edu/about/program.htm

The Guildhall Program
The Professional Certificate program in Digital Game Development is an intense, 21-month (seven-term), professional development program for digital game developers. The curriculum was designed by expert teachers working with leaders in the digital games industry to provide students with a solid foundation in digital game development.

The Master of Interactive Technology degree in Digital Game Development melds theory and practice and is comprised of game-related coursework, transdiciplinary team game production, and directed individual work in the student’s chosen area of specialization. Students are expected to complete a thesis, project-in-lieu-of-thesis, or graduate exhibition. Admissions requirements for the program are the same as SMU admissions standards for graduate enrollment, which require a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university or college with a 3.0 overall grade-point average, and adequate subject preparation in the major field.

Its a shame there is no undergrad options with Guildhall, because I would think that would be a interesting program - and very different. Heck don't they all play video games in their down time?

[SMUer]

Meanwhile, there are a ton of good athletes from affluent areas from all over the country who know they aren't going to play in a SEC or PAC-10 school but are attracted to SMU because they'll play and because SMU has good Law/Business graduate schools. A good coach could make those guys solid. SMU also has respected theology and music programs that could appeal to a lot of minority/dare-I-say-it-black athletes. SMU has a lot to offer all sorts of athletes...except winning. Get a coach with NFL connections and a few winning seasons under his belt, the blue chips will start coming.