Prof Thatcher questions SMU's entry into the Big East

SMU 86 · Post by **SMU 86** » Thu May 03, 2012 3:41 pm

Here it is.

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/lates ... reregister

PK · Post by PK » Thu May 03, 2012 4:04 pm

Like so many of the staff, they keep forgetting that these high salaries for the coaches are being paid for by alums and not SMU. He has been involved with university presses and is obviously very partial to them, but maybe doesn't understand that the SMU Press was put out of business long before we had anything to do with the Big East...so it could hardly be a foreboding of a change in university priorities.

Junior · Post by **Junior** » Thu May 03, 2012 4:10 pm

gostangs · Post by **gostangs** » Thu May 03, 2012 5:23 pm

yawn. its just a professor.

GiddyUp · Post by **GiddyUp** » Thu May 03, 2012 6:55 pm

Who cares

Vitale · Post by **Vitale** » Thu May 03, 2012 7:28 pm

There is inarguable data at countless schools suggesting that successful football and basketball programs offer unmatched visibility for a university. When those sports do well, they're on TV more, advertising revenue increases, the number of applicants goes up and the caliber of students goes up, thereby allowing the faculty to teach better students. It's in the faculty's best interest that the revenue sports do well.

Digetydog · Post by **Digetydog** » Thu May 03, 2012 7:29 pm

gostangs wrote:yawn. its just a professor.

No he is not. He is some sort of visiting lecturer/scholar. With minimal ties to the school, he has no business giving the school advice or implying that he is some sort of professor.

SMU Pony Mom · Post by **SMU Pony Mom** » Thu May 03, 2012 7:53 pm

What he fails to recognize is that The College of New Jersey has over the last decade or so consistanly been a best buy and offers a significantly better college campus atmosphere. Rutgers has an awful looking campus that is extremely spread out and feels like a commuter school. My guess would be that has more to do with the best students looking elsewhere. Also, as a state school facing hard economic times, this most likely is the reason few structural improvements having been made to the campus.

CalallenStang · Post by **CalallenStang** » Thu May 03, 2012 8:53 pm

Thread from Big East board. http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=568364

The Rutgers fan disputes the claim about TCNJ being preferred to Rutgers

alaska pony · Post by **alaska pony** » Thu May 03, 2012 9:08 pm

I grew up in New Jersey and went to high school about an hour from Rutgers. I can't remember anyone in my class that chose to Rutgers if they had a chance to go anywhere else. Most Jersey kids that want to stay close to home and go to a state school go to the Univ of Delaware or Penn State. If anything, having high profile sports has improved the school's image throughout the state.

whitwiki · Post by **whitwiki** » Thu May 03, 2012 9:45 pm

alaska pony wrote:I grew up in New Jersey and went to high school about an hour from Rutgers. I can't remember anyone in my class that chose to Rutgers if they had a chance to go anywhere else. Most Jersey kids that want to stay close to home and go to a state school go to the Univ of Delaware or Penn State. If anything, having high profile sports has improved the school's image throughout the state.

rutgers was definitely not the academic institution of choice in my family.... We moved to TX when my older sister was a senior in HS and rutgers wasn't even on her list.

ponyte · Post by **ponyte** » Thu May 03, 2012 9:46 pm

Rutgers is a state school and subject to the states needs. SMU, in theory, isn't constrained by the state of Texas' needs. So I don't think this is a true apples to apples comparison. UT has an incredible athletic program and an impeccable academic reputation. And has athletic accomplishments in a variety of strong conferences. Thus one might argue that athletic and academic accomplishment are mutually inclusive.

One might consider the improvement of academics and sports at LSU to compare to Rutger. LSU has improved its academic standing and improved its athletic programs. There was a considerable effort made to improve both and it has worked.

SMU has some factors in its favor as well. A top notch arts school and business school which doesn't exist at Rutger. And the price of SMU is more affordable to some folks in other parts of the country (California). This alone places SMU at a competitive advantage to a New Jersey state school.

Grant Carter · Post by **Grant Carter** » Thu May 03, 2012 10:13 pm

Digetydog wrote:
gostangs wrote:yawn. its just a professor.

No he is not. He is some sort of visiting lecturer/scholar. With minimal ties to the school, he has no business giving the school advice or implying that he is some sort of professor.

It is a ridiculous article, but I take issue with your implication that someone with minimal ties to the school has no business giving the school advice. As we continue to connect with the city of Dallas we should be open to people without direct connections having opinions about what the school should do.

covok48 · Post by **covok48** » Thu May 03, 2012 11:31 pm

Grant Carter wrote:
Digetydog wrote:
gostangs wrote:yawn. its just a professor.

No he is not. He is some sort of visiting lecturer/scholar. With minimal ties to the school, he has no business giving the school advice or implying that he is some sort of professor.

It is a ridiculous article, but I take issue with your implication that someone with minimal ties to the school has no business giving the school advice. As we continue to connect with the city of Dallas we should be open to people without direct connections having opinions about what the school should do.

Except that SMU was doing just fine and dandy before he gave his advice. We should be taking advice on how to be a more successful university. Exactly what in this article should we be open to consider?

Grant Carter · Post by **Grant Carter** » Thu May 03, 2012 11:49 pm

I did not say there was any good advice in the article, in fact I said I thought it was ridiculous. My point is that being open to advice/criticism from people who are not directly connected with the school is a good thing. Sometimes people outside of an organization might be able to offer useful perspective.