Do people really think......

[djct1999]

that a major state university can thrive with an obsolete athletic program playing in an even less relevant conference? lets call a spade a spade. if this does indeed play out like its being reported, the board of trustees needs to wake up. people get fired for this type of s&^t, ya'll. i still remember taking a campus tour in 1992 and i marvel at how different the entire campus looks today. there is a reason for that...............the revenue generated by the success of our athletic programs and the various influences those successes have on every aspect of running a college university. Ms. Herbst, you are dillusional to think you can make UConn this top tier academic and research instittuion while allowing the already top tier athletic program crumble to irrelevancy. Without the national exposure of our sports teams, out of state admissions will plummet. Net revenue will drop. .........and all the amazing progress UConn has made over the past 25plus years to be a national brand will disappear and UConn will fall back to being that quaint regional school tucked in the middle of new england with a disproportionate number of an in state student body. the future is that bleak and i contend that in five years from now, the feelings of any alumni, student, avid sports fan, faculty, resident of this state, etc will feel much different than they do today. That is not a good thing. The whole way this realignment was handled is not a good thing. I want answers. I want them now. Or, else, I want heads. Like I said, people get fired for this.

 

[zls44]

This is the sort of thing you should probably email to Herbst/Manuel/McHugh instead of posting on a message board.

 

[Excalibur]

The whole way this realignment was handled is not a good thing. I want answers. I want them now. Or, else, I want heads. Like I said, people get fired for this.

The ones most responsible are already gone . . .

 

[hexlub]

This is the sort of thing you should probably email to Herbst/Manuel/McHugh instead of posting on a message board.

I would suggest a quick-run through on a spell check, though.

 

[hexlub]

that a major state university can thrive with an obsolete athletic program playing in an even less relevant conference? lets call a spade a spade. if this does indeed play out like its being reported, the board of trustees needs to wake up. people get fired for this type of s&^t, ya'll. i still remember taking a campus tour in 1992 and i marvel at how different the entire campus looks today. there is a reason for that...............the revenue generated by the success of our athletic programs and the various influences those successes have on every aspect of running a college university. Ms. Herbst, you are dillusional to think you can make UConn this top tier academic and research instittuion while allowing the already top tier athletic program crumble to irrelevancy. Without the national exposure of our sports teams, out of state admissions will plummet. Net revenue will drop. .........and all the amazing progress UConn has made over the past 25plus years to be a national brand will disappear and UConn will fall back to being that quaint regional school tucked in the middle of new england with a disproportionate number of an in state student body. the future is that bleak and i contend that in five years from now, the feelings of any alumni, student, avid sports fan, faculty, resident of this state, etc will feel much different than they do today. That is not a good thing. The whole way this realignment was handled is not a good thing. I want answers. I want them now. Or, else, I want heads. Like I said, people get fired for this.

I'm sure someone at the University of Chicago posted a similar letter 70 years ago.

 

[Whale22]

I'm sure someone at the University of Chicago posted a similar letter 70 years ago.

Name a great academic flagship state university without a great athletic program....UConn is not an Ivy, to use the U of Chicago analogy is comparing apples to oranges.....I went to Army and even played a sport there but follow and root for UConn athletics ....I can't name 5 Army Football players....i basically know the 3 deep at UConn....I don't think I consciously made that decision (ive been going to UConn football games since I was a kid)...followed both teams after I graduated but completely lost interest as Army's schedule is all over the place and the only games that I cared to watch were when they played BCS teams or Navy/AFA....my nine year old daughter's "dream school" is UConn....she's never stepped foot on that campus...why does she want to go? Because she goes to almost every football game (well used to at this point) and loves watching the bball games with me (dont know if she even knows theres a woman's team)...In today's day and age I think one is crazy to think we can have a top tier public university without a top tier athletic program...i agree 100% with the original poster...

 

[upstater]

that a major state university can thrive with an obsolete athletic program playing in an even less relevant conference? lets call a spade a spade. if this does indeed play out like its being reported, the board of trustees needs to wake up. people get fired for this type of s&^t, ya'll. i still remember taking a campus tour in 1992 and i marvel at how different the entire campus looks today. there is a reason for that...............the revenue generated by the success of our athletic programs and the various influences those successes have on every aspect of running a college university. Ms. Herbst, you are dillusional to think you can make UConn this top tier academic and research instittuion while allowing the already top tier athletic program crumble to irrelevancy. Without the national exposure of our sports teams, out of state admissions will plummet. Net revenue will drop. .........and all the amazing progress UConn has made over the past 25plus years to be a national brand will disappear and UConn will fall back to being that quaint regional school tucked in the middle of new england with a disproportionate number of an in state student body. the future is that bleak and i contend that in five years from now, the feelings of any alumni, student, avid sports fan, faculty, resident of this state, etc will feel much different than they do today. That is not a good thing. The whole way this realignment was handled is not a good thing. I want answers. I want them now. Or, else, I want heads. Like I said, people get fired for this.

Are you saying that schools without sports can't go from nowhere to somewhere academically?

 

[upstater]

Name a great academic flagship state university without a great athletic program....UConn is not an Ivy, to use the U of Chicago analogy is comparing apples to oranges.....I went to Army and even played a sport there but follow and root for UConn athletics ....I can't name 5 Army Football players....i basically know the 3 deep at UConn....I don't think I consciously made that decision (ive been going to UConn football games since I was a kid)...followed both teams after I graduated but completely lost interest as Army's schedule is all over the place and the only games that I cared to watch were when they played BCS teams or Navy/AFA....my nine year old daughter's "dream school" is UConn....she's never stepped foot on that campus...why does she want to go? Because she goes to almost every football game (well used to at this point) and loves watching the bball games with me (dont know if she even knows theres a woman's team)...In today's day and age I think one is crazy to think we can have a top tier public university without a top tier athletic program...i agree 100% with the original poster...

The Cals, the SUNYs. Heck, Boston U. just joined the AAU. Rutgers!

 

[Dooley]

The Cals, the SUNYs. Heck, Boston U. just joined the AAU. Rutgers!

You beat me to "Rutgers" upstater!

 

[djct1999]

The Cals, the SUNYs. Heck, Boston U. just joined the AAU. Rutgers!

Some of the Cals are in the Pac 12, Boston University is private. So I guess that leaves the SUNYs. You come across as a knowledgeable sports fan, so its hard for me to think that UConn's goal is to be the next Binghamton.

 

[upstater]

Some of the Cals are in the Pac 12, Boston University is private. So I guess that leaves the SUNYs. You come across as a knowledgeable sports fan, so its hard for me to think that UConn's goal is to be the next Binghamton.

I was answering a question about academics. Not sports. Can you be a good academic school without top quality sports? Yes.

Some of the Cals are in the Pac-12, but some aren't. Those Cals (who aren't) are extraordinary schools. The SUNYs are in the AAU.

So, the answer is most obviously yes. And though BU is private, you should realize it doesn't have a long history of academic excellence. It's actually a big school, and they have built their academic reputation from the ground up in a short time.

Believe it or not, Herbst's goal IS to raise the level of research to the SUNY level, which is double the UConn level.

 

[djct1999]

I'm sure someone at the University of Chicago posted a similar letter 70 years ago.

The Univeristy of Chicago is again a private school with an undegraduate enrollment of 5000. To compare, even 70 years ago, to UConn now is a complete joke.

Name one top public university with an enrollment similar to UConn's that is not in one of the top 5 conferences. (hint: there is only one) Now, when you scroll down the list and find one, ask yourself if that is what the fate you want UConn to share. Get real people.

 

[upstater]

The Univeristy of Chicago is again a private school with an undegraduate enrollment of 5000. To compare, even 70 years ago, to UConn now is a complete joke.

Name one top public university with an enrollment similar to UConn's that is not in one of the top 5 conferences. (hint: there is only one) Now, when you scroll down the list and find one, ask yourself if that is what you want UConn to share that fate. Get real people.

I can name half a dozen with top drawer academics but no top athletics.

Then there are large privates that have only recently risen to a high level, and they did it without athletics. Boston U. and Emory.

Finally, I was only half-joking about Rutgers, but its academic reputation was sealed when it joined the AAU in the 1980s, at a time when Rutgers sports was not in a big conference, at a time when its sports were abysmal. It wasn't in the Big East yet . The final game of the year back then, when they were an Indy, was against Colgate.

 

[zls44]

Name a great academic flagship state university without a great athletic program....UConn is not an Ivy, to use the U of Chicago analogy is comparing apples to oranges.....I went to Army and even played a sport there but follow and root for UConn athletics ....I can't name 5 Army Football players....i basically know the 3 deep at UConn....I don't think I consciously made that decision (ive been going to UConn football games since I was a kid)...followed both teams after I graduated but completely lost interest as Army's schedule is all over the place and the only games that I cared to watch were when they played BCS teams or Navy/AFA....my nine year old daughter's "dream school" is UConn....she's never stepped foot on that campus...why does she want to go? Because she goes to almost every football game (well used to at this point) and loves watching the bball games with me (dont know if she even knows theres a woman's team)...In today's day and age I think one is crazy to think we can have a top tier public university without a top tier athletic program...i agree 100% with the original poster...

Thank you for your service.

 

[djct1999]

I can name half a dozen with top drawer academics but no top athletics.

Public Universities with similar enrollments? Take the Cals out of it..... Most of those schools have less than 5% out of state students. UConn- Storrs has over 20%.

 

[hexlub]

The Univeristy of Chicago is again a private school with an undegraduate enrollment of 5000. To compare, even 70 years ago, to UConn now is a complete joke.

Indeed it was a joke.

 

[djct1999]

Indeed it was a joke.

forgive me for being sensitive these days.

 

[Whale22]

Indeed it was a joke.

figured but tough to read sarcasm on the internet...hey if our athletics fade and we turn into the next University of Chicago ...i'd take it, but I just don't see it happening...

 

[upstater]

Public Universities with similar enrollments? Take the Cals out of it..... Most of those schools have less than 5% out of state students. UConn- Storrs has over 20%.

Why do you want to take the Cals out of it again? What is your point about the Cals? Why are you placing heavy emphasis on enrollment as a measure of a school's strength?

It seems like you're trying to conveniently dismiss the Cals to me.

Also, the Cals--San Diego for instance--have double the number of students from out of state. But I don't know why this is relevant at all.

 

[djct1999]

The point is that you must take a snapshot of where UConn is today, enrollment, cost of admission, % revenue generated from athletics, etc. and realize that becoming a premier research institution without participation in a major athletic conference is unrealistic.

but be consistent upstater.....you have said in other posts that uconn should indeed keep its football program and play in the nbe. so you think its realistic that uconn can really do both, keep football in the nbe and become a top notch research university? last i checked, those other cals you are talking about dont field fbs football teams.

 

[upstater]

The point is that you must take a snapshot of where UConn is today, enrollment, cost of admission, % revenue generated from athletics, etc. and realize that becoming a premier research institution without participation in a major athletic conference is unrealistic.

but be consistent upstater.....you have said in other posts that uconn should indeed keep its football program and play in the nbe. so you think its realistic that uconn can really do both, keep football in the nbe and become a top notch research university? last i checked, those other cals you are talking about dont field fbs football teams.

I'm totally confused about your point. Athletics generates revenue that is all piled into athletics. It's a teeny part of the university budget. In fact, the academic side GIVES money to athletics, not the other way around.

Why is it unrealistic? All the noise Malloy and Herbst are making in academic institutions regarding hiring is impressing people. People who likely know next to nothing about athletics. The argument for UConn has always been that athletics helped state pols move money into UConn. So, the main point is, if the state wants to build UConn into a great academic institution, it can do it regardless of the conference. And it's not unrealistic as I've pointed out to you by naming the 3 SUNYs (all built out in the last 30 years) and the 5 Cals (Davis, Santa Barbara, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Cruz built in the last 40 years), not to mention Boston U and Emory (built out in the last 20 years as large private institutions). These schools did it. Why not UConn?

I also don;t understand your point about UConn's inability to have a football team in the NBE and become a top notch research school. Why are the two related? First off, I said UConn should play in the NBE instead of the MAC or something like that (not even sure the MAC would have us). I'd rather be in the ACC! So I'm not sure where you're going with that. And yes the Cals don't have football. That's my point. They are great institutions without football, whereas you're arguing you can't be great academically without it.

 

[noeynox]

Keep it's sports in the NBE? There is no alternative at the moment. The catholic only experiment with football independence pipe dream is a non starter. First, as fishy said, they don't yet have a contract. Second, even if their initial contract is as lucrative as is being speculated, if their ratings aren't there I would think their market would eventually correct itself. Eventually I see them plateauing at an A 10 level quality wise.

 

[huskymedic]

I want answers. I want them now. Or, else, I want heads. Like I said, people get fired for this.

Did that feel better just typing it...?

.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

UConn and University of Chicago?? Irrelevant point. UConn should = U of Indiana, U of Tennessee, U of Washington, U of Colorado, U of Missouri, U of Iowa, U of West Virginia, U of Illinois etc, etc. Those are some of the comparables all in major conferences . . . and there is a pattern.

 

[sportsart]

Outside of bags of cash sent to important people within the B1G and ACC community what is Herbst supposed to do? Who actually knows what she has done or not done?

It's silly to put this mess on Herbst and Warde when, as it was pointed out earlier in this thread, the previous administration drove us into the iceberg and then left in the last row boat.