Team UConn

[polycom]

Do the grad programs at USF meet at Mons Venus or do they get to hang out in the place shaped like a spaceship?

I've been there, the place is terrible. Can't believe Sapp use to spend $1000s there.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

... the 500 people who fund this state.

The income tax is half the revenue...

... New Caanan pays more in income tax than Hartford, Waterbury and Bridgeport combined.

Are these three statements factually accurate? They are very sobering if true.

Can you provide source(s)? Doing so would be very helpful.

I do not intend that these questions be regarded as personal challenges to your honestly as frequently is the case throughout the Boneyar. Rather, what you've written strikes me as quite significant if true. Therefore, I want to present an open mind in the face of my doubting intuition.

 

[J187Money]

Funny thing, random events and all - I don’t think we win that last title with Calhoun (or probably anyone else).

Would you give up the last title if we were in better shape now? I wouldn’t.

So I’m behind the decision to dump Ollie. But if I had a time machine I wouldn’t go back and undo it.

 

[Nostical]

Herbst must go.

I graduated over a decade ago and don’t really care about academic rankings.

I find it fascinating that what was intended as an optimistic thread on our athletic future has become a veritable Rorschach test on the state of higher education. While there have been interesting points made on both sides of arguments, bold predictions of the demise of the four year college model are simply hyperbolic. College can be improved for sure and the costs need to be better managed, but it’s still the best laboratory for educational and personal growth. On-line and commuter schools may be less costly and more vocationally focused, but what they cannot replace are all the life changing and memorable growth experiences of an on-campus quadrennial at dear old alma mater. That model isn’t going away.
As for irrational positions, I happily plead guilty to often predicting a brighter outcome for our teams on the field of battle and even chuckle at being called Nosticalodamus, but comments like “Herbst must go” and “ I graduated and don’t really care about academic rankings”, are not only quaintly uninformed, they’re dumb and dumber.

 

[whaler11]

Are these three statements factually accurate? They are very sobering if true.

Can you provide source(s)? Doing so would be very helpful.

I do not intend that these questions be regarded as personal challenges to your honestly as frequently is the case throughout the Boneyar. Rather, what you've written strikes me as quite significant if true. Therefore, I want to present an open mind in the face of my doubting intuition.

The first might be true. Something like 1/30th of the top 1% of taxpayers fund 12%.

The second are third are true according to reporting. I’ll see if I can find the source. I think they were in the same article.

 

[whaler11]

Are these three statements factually accurate? They are very sobering if true.

Can you provide source(s)? Doing so would be very helpful.

I do not intend that these questions be regarded as personal challenges to your honestly as frequently is the case throughout the Boneyar. Rather, what you've written strikes me as quite significant if true. Therefore, I want to present an open mind in the face of my doubting intuition.

The New Canaan factoid is in here

Connecticut on the Brink

The games Malloy played with the towns in the school funding this year were amazing. If they push more money to the cities in future budgets it’s going to be war.

If you polled the suburbs on letting Hartford declare bankruptcy versus cutting teachers at their schools... 85/15...


The single scariest fact is 54% of the budget is tied up in fixed costs. It allows zero flexibility.

 

[whaler11]

Eliminating the SALT deduction is catastrophic.

It’s a 30% state income tax hike with the dollars going to the Feds.

The people who fund it are paying 7 + 30% now.

If it motivates 1 in 10 to leave it’s yet another huge budget hole.

But yeah I’d make the rankings of a magazine that isn’t fit to line bird cages a priority.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

The starting premise from silly Jimmy supported by you is that sports wags the academic tail at a university. If that’s true, we’re in a whole heap of stupid. And as soon as you discount the academics, it does not reflect well on your degree.

Again, sources. Again, foresight. Silly and childlike. I’m not thrilled about where the major sports are, but the university is doing just fine under Susie.

You are starting to sound like Trump with the nicknames.

 

[cohenzone]

You are starting to sound like Trump with the nicknames.

Great reply, full of hard information. Show me something, squirt.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I find it fascinating that what was intended as an optimistic thread on our athletic future has become a veritable Rorschach test on the state of higher education. While there have been interesting points made on both sides of arguments, bold predictions of the demise of the four year college model are simply hyperbolic. College can be improved for sure and the costs need to be better managed, but it’s still the best laboratory for educational and personal growth. On-line and commuter schools may be less costly and more vocationally focused, but what they cannot replace are all the life changing and memorable growth experiences of an on-campus quadrennial at dear old alma mater. That model isn’t going away.
As for irrational positions, I happily plead guilty to often predicting a brighter outcome for our teams on the field of battle and even chuckle at being called Nosticalodamus, but comments like “Herbst must go” and “ I graduated and don’t really care about academic rankings”, are not only quaintly uninformed, they’re dumb and dumber.

She’s been fantastic.

Increasing spending at an alarming rate while failing to see what people have seen for decades regarding CT’s state budget.

During this time of budget crisis she gave raises to her cronies while tuition continued its meteoric rise.

She handled reports of sexual abuse on campus that would make Harvey Weinstein proud. This of course before the #metoo movement became trendy. #timesupSuzy.

She made horrific hires within the athletic department that’s seen us put on the brink of irrelevancy.

But hey we’ve moved up a few spots in some stupid ranking. @cohenzone you’re free to respond with different views or you can continue to dismantle the strawman you’ve given birth to.

 

[David 76]

Another thread kidnapped by the egos of less than six posters.

 

[cohenzone]

She’s been fantastic.

Increasing spending at an alarming rate while failing to see

what people have seen for decades regarding CT’s state budget.

During this time of budget crisis she gave raises to her cronies while tuition continued its meteoric rise.

She handled reports of sexual abuse on campus that would make Harvey Weinstein proud. This of course before the #metoo movement became trendy. #timesupSuzy.

She made horrific hires within the athletic department that’s seen us put on the brink of irrelevancy.

But hey we’ve moved up a few spots in some stupid ranking. @cohenzone you’re free to respond with different views or you can continue to dismantle the strawman you’ve given birth to.

Hilarious. She controls the budget and salary process. Not. Do you serve on a board of directors? The issues of how sexual abuse were handled is serious. Were you concerned about that before football and hoops went south?

Serious question. Do you know how a university competes for grants? How professors compete for grants.

You also seem to overlook Benedict’s hire. And overlook every other sport (I know you think women’s hoops isn’t worthy of you) and a general level of improvement in baseball and hockey.

 

[cohenzone]

Jimmy, ps. Thanks for at least answering like an adult.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Hilarious. She controls the budget and salary process. Not. Do you serve on a board of directors? The issues of how sexual abuse were handled is serious. Were you concerned about that before football and hoops went south?

Serious question. Do you know how a university competes for grants? How professors compete for grants.

You also seem to overlook Benedict’s hire. And overlook every other sport (I know you think women’s hoops isn’t worthy of you) and a general level of improvement in baseball and hockey.

It’s the age old argument that leadership is not held accountable because they are beholden and dependent on the BOD. I can’t wait to read your posts on the Cesspool that defends Trump in the same light.

I know how universities compete for grants. What is your point?

I’m not sold on Benedict. The guy who gave Ollie the extension is the guy who should be praised? Yeah I don’t care about women’s basketball. That lumps me right in the norm when it comes to sports fans. I’m a huge hockey fan but opposed the folly of spending the money for the move up to HE. I would rather have hockey back to being a club sport and allocate those funds elsewhere.

PS. I usually don’t respond to you “like an adult” because you’re a condescending tool who isn’t nearly as bright as you think you are.

 

[cohenzone]

It’s the age old argument that leadership is not held accountable because they are beholden and dependent on the BOD. I can’t wait to read your posts on the Cesspool that defends Trump in the same light.

I know how universities compete for grants. What is your point?

I’m not sold on Benedict. The guy who gave Ollie the extension is the guy who should be praised? Yeah I don’t care about women’s basketball. That lumps me right in the norm when it comes to sports fans. I’m a huge hockey fan but opposed the folly of spending the money for the move up to HE. I would rather have hockey back to being a club sport and allocate those funds elsewhere.

PS. I usually don’t respond to you “like an adult” because you’re a condescending tool who isn’t nearly as bright as you think you are.

Hmm I’m the tool and you dismiss some sports because they don’t meet your definition of worthiness. And there is no way on Earth, at least in this country, that a CEO responsible to a board determines budgets and salary structure without annual board approval, and in UConn’s case, without legislature approval and oversight.

If you believe university stature makes no difference in grant competition and that in general the universities gain stature by the quality of faculty, facilities and published research, then university stature is, of course, meaningless. Tell students competing for grad and professional schools that, rightly or wrongly, that grad and professional schools ignore where the undergrad degree was earned.

You decided on your lonesome that you can’t answer someone like an adult because you think being challenged is condescending. I know you from the Cesspool, too.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Hmm I’m the tool and you dismiss some sports because they don’t meet your definition of worthiness. And there is no way on Earth, at least in this country, that

Is everyone who doesn’t like WBB and soccer a tool in your eyes? That’s not very tolerant of someone of your ilk.

 

[cohenzone]

Is everyone who doesn’t like WBB and soccer a tool in your eyes? That’s not very tolerant of someone of your ilk.

And someone who disagrees with you on Herbst is a tool. Ok. Gotcha.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

And someone who disagrees with you on Herbst is a tool. Ok. Gotcha.

No, you’re a tool based on your posting history.

I have no idea why you disagree with me on Herbst because you’ve been too busy drumming up cute nicknames to actually state your positions on her leadership.

 

[CL82]

Eliminating the SALT deduction is catastrophic.

That was my initial reaction as well, but I now suspect that it's going to have less impact than you think. It is offset, somewhat, by the doubling of the standard deduction and the relaxing of tax rates.

 

[cohenzone]

No, you’re a tool based on your posting history.

I have no idea why you disagree with me on Herbst because you’ve been too busy drumming up cute nicknames to actually state your positions on her leadership.

Please see Whalers post to me if you want to see how name calling starts. And my original answer to you got a bunch of likes. You just don’t like my politics, so you think I’m a tool. The dumb thing is, we both want UConn sports to succeed. But I want them all to succeed and you clearly don’t care about the sports that don’t float your boat. You really do more than not like women’s hoops, you put it down. And are missing out on some of the greatest women players in history right in Storrs. And I think it’s not great to overemphasize sports on the responsibility of a university president.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Please see Whalers post to me if you want to see how name calling starts. And my original answer to you got a bunch of likes. You just don’t like my politics, so you think I’m a tool. The dumb thing is, we both want UConn sports to succeed. But I want them all to succeed and you clearly don’t care about the sports that don’t float your boat. You really do more than not like women’s hoops, you put it down. And are missing out on some of the greatest women players in history right in Storrs. And I think it’s not great to overemphasize sports on the responsibility of a university president.

Great. Still don’t know why you’re supportive of Herbst.

 

[cohenzone]

Great. Still don’t know why you’re supportive of Herbst.

because I notice how the university is thriving under her and I think when it comes to hiring athletic staff she has to rely on a lot of advice. And I was totally against how KO was hired, and not so much that KO was hired. If he was the guy after a national search, fine. But there was no search. I blame not standing up to Calhoun on her. Diaco no waydo I blame on her. And I still say nobody here has the slightest idea what Manuel was doing with his time. And we have no way of knowing that our situation would have changed if he’d camped out in the ACC or Big-0 commissioners offices.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

The New Canaan factoid is in here

Connecticut on the Brink

The games Malloy played with the towns in the school funding this year were amazing. If they push more money to the cities in future budgets it’s going to be war.

If you polled the suburbs on letting Hartford declare bankruptcy versus cutting teachers at their schools... 85/15...


The single scariest fact is 54% of the budget is tied up in fixed costs. It allows zero flexibility.

Thank you for providing the link to an interesting and disquieting read.
I'd still prefer that you'd walk more softly (read: talk more invitingly and with greater courtesy) when you have a big stick (read: stubborn facts that can provide a platform for quiet confidence).

It's the basic, "Say what you mean, mean what you say, don't say it mean" thing, but that may just be a mark of the prejudices in my rearing and my efforts as parent, partner, grandparent, friend, colleague, service provider, community member, citizen, etc.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

because I notice how the university is thriving under her and I think when it comes to hiring athletic staff she has to rely on a lot of advice. And I was totally against how KO was hired, and not so much that KO was hired. If he was the guy after a national search, fine. But there was no search. I blame not standing up to Calhoun on her. Diaco no waydo I blame on her. And I still say nobody here has the slightest idea what Manuel was doing with his time. And we have no way of knowing that our situation would have changed if he’d camped out in the ACC or Big-0 commissioners offices.

For future reference, don’t come at me and challenge me to state specifics when you come in hot with “I notice how the university is thriving”.

She hired Warde who hired Diaco. Warde was paid a handsome salary to figure out what I knew about Diaco 5 minutes into his press conference.

I get along fine with others who’s politics I don’t like. It’s your condescending know it all blustering that’s off putting.

 

[Pudge]

For future reference, don’t come at me and challenge me to state specifics when you come in hot with “I notice how the university is thriving”.

She hired Warde who hired Diaco. Warde was paid a handsome salary to figure out what I knew about Diaco 5 minutes into his press conference.

I get along fine with others who’s politics I don’t like. It’s your condescending know it all blustering that’s off putting.

Things more important at the UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT than Jimmy Serrano's hyperfocused myopia on the Athletic Director mistakes:

If you read the Job Description of President on or about when Herbst was hired:

Fundraising - Giftgiving - Grants

Raising the Profile and Ratings of key Academic Programs (particularly STEM and including Pharmacy, Engineering, Business, Nanoscience, Jackson Lab, UConn Health Center)

Hiring KEY Leadership and Professors with stature

Capital Campaign and Building the MasterPlan

Storrs Center

Life Safety and Residential Life

Integration of the Branch System into a Contemporary Multi-locational UConn

State Re-connectivity with the University at the Executive/Legislative level

Connectivity to major High Profile Productive Alumni.

And as I recall, it was Jimmy Serrano that stated that the Athletic Department was at the very lowest point ever. Since I go back to travels to Storrs with my Dad in 1967, I beg to differ: WE ARE UCONN and we are the finest mid-level State Athletic Department in the Country. The Best, by far in the Northeast (including all the New England states). National Championships and excellence in many sports. Rising Programs in Northeast Baseball, Hockey East Mens Hockey.

One mess of Kevin Ollie doesn't bring it all down.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Things more important at the UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT than Jimmy Serrano's hyperfocused myopia on the Athletic Director mistakes:

If you read the Job Description of President on or about when Herbst was hired:

Fundraising - Giftgiving - Grants

Raising the Profile and Ratings of key Academic Programs (particularly STEM and including Pharmacy, Engineering, Business, Nanoscience, Jackson Lab, UConn Health Center)

Hiring KEY Leadership and Professors with stature

Capital Campaign and Building the MasterPlan

Storrs Center

Life Safety and Residential Life

Integration of the Branch System into a Contemporary Multi-locational UConn

State Re-connectivity with the University at the Executive/Legislative level

Connectivity to major High Profile Productive Alumni.

And as I recall, it was Jimmy Serrano that stated that the Athletic Department was at the very lowest point ever. Since I go back to travels to Storrs with my Dad in 1967, I beg to differ: WE ARE UCONN and we are the finest mid-level State Athletic Department in the Country. The Best, by far in the Northeast (including all the New England states). National Championships and excellence in many sports. Rising Programs in Northeast Baseball, Hockey East Mens Hockey.

One mess of Kevin Ollie doesn't bring it all down.

I’ve listed my non athletic department views of Herbst.

But keep on preaching.

 

[mrl2016]

If you really care if the school is ranked 35th or 20th in some dopey system that is easily gamed you’ve got way too much of your self-esteem tied up in what the faculty to student ratio is long after you’ve graduated.

faculty to student ratio makes up 1% of the ranking. If you read https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/ranking-criteria-and-weights it becomes pretty clear that the factors that go into the ranking are indeed good indicators of quality of education & in practically all cases aren't something that can be "gamed" (graduation rates, first year retention, HS counselor surveys, SAT scores, faculty compensation etc.)

While these rankings may not matter to you they do matter to HS seniors applying to colleges and thus are important to the University's overall reputation. Herbst has done a good job "gaming" UConn up these rankings and it has been effecting the quality of the average UConn applicant. 1065 SAT in 1995 up to a 1220 in 2010, 1234 in 2014, 1294 in 2017. It'd be naive to think Herbst has had no hand in that.

 

[Nostical]

Reading these back and forth diatribes on Herbst reminds me of the lunacy of arguing against minds made up. So let's have fun and speculate on which conference UConn would be in had she been hired in 2007 instead of Hogan. She would likely have fired Hathaway (on grounds of the clear incompetence she saw immediately --as she did with our Provost) way before the academic issues surfaced. She then wouldn't have had to to placate the NCAA and hire WM to salve our APR wounds. Bring in Herbst and Benedict in 2007 and I submit we would be in a P-5 now. Edsall likely would have stayed, Calhoun's replacement hire would have been better managed. We squandered loads of athletic capital built over the years.

Now, as you ponder that exercise chew again, this time slower, on this tidbit from the article Whaler posted:
"Tiny New Canaan (population 20,000) throws off more income-tax revenues than New Haven, Waterbury, and Hartford combined." Since high taxes heading even higher will cause those who pay them to reconsider their address, we see where the problems really lie, and it ain't with SH.

 

[intlzncster]

faculty to student ratio makes up 1% of the ranking. If you read https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/ranking-criteria-and-weights it becomes pretty clear that the factors that go into the ranking are indeed good indicators of quality of education & in practically all cases aren't something that can be "gamed" (graduation rates, first year retention, HS counselor surveys, SAT scores, faculty compensation etc.)

While these rankings may not matter to you they do matter to HS seniors applying to colleges and thus are important to the University's overall reputation. Herbst has done a good job "gaming" UConn up these rankings and it has been effecting the quality of the average UConn applicant. 1065 SAT in 1995 up to a 1220 in 2010, 1234 in 2014, 1294 in 2017. It'd be naive to think Herbst has had no hand in that.

Gaming the system is pretty common actually. You can look up tons of articles on how colleges do it. Schools do things like manipulate or even providing flat out false data, and build infrastructure that might not help educationally, but raises the rank anway etc.

This is big business. Big businesses will lie, cheat, and steal their way to the top as a rule. Anything to give them an edge. Some articles if you're interested:

• Gaming the College Rankings
• Oh what a tangled web schools weave: The college rankings game
• How to Game the College Rankings – Boston Magazine

It largely comes down to money anyway. Look at the list of endowments and you see a rough approximation of the USNWR rankings.

How U.S. News College Rankings Rig the Game for Private Schools

 

[polycom]

Gaming the system is pretty common actually. You can look up tons of articles on how colleges do it. Schools do things like manipulate or even providing flat out false data, and build infrastructure that might not help educationally, but raises the rank anway. Some articles if you're interested:

• Gaming the College Rankings
• Oh what a tangled web schools weave: The college rankings game
• How to Game the College Rankings – Boston Magazine

It largely comes down to money anyway. Look at the list of endowments and you see a rough approximation of the USNWR rankings.

How U.S. News College Rankings Rig the Game for Private Schools

Or you can visit Northeastern for a live example