Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New Trophy's
New trophy room comments
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Classifieds
Trophy Room
New items
New comments
Latest content
Latest updates
Latest reviews
Author list
Series list
Search showcase
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Off Topic TN Forums
Sports talk
A dream come true
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Zulu" data-source="post: 4128021" data-attributes="member: 5425"><p>An interesting essay, and one that's been around the internet since at least 2010. What I find even more interesting is that the writer either didn't sign the original, or those who have copied his work have failed to give him credit. In either case it fails to represent the "individual self-respect or dignity" the writer claims to admire.</p><p></p><p>As the father of two University of Alabama students (one a sophomore, the other a 2015 graduate and current grad student) I can credibly claim that the writer's assertion that Alabama is simply a "college football factory" is simply untrue. Ever since we started the college visits for my eldest back in the spring of 2009, I've had several opportunities for lengthy conversations with Dean Shane Sharpe (Dean of the Honors College) and Dr. Ken Whitaker (former assistant dean of the College of Engineering and current University Provost) regarding the academic philosophy at Alabama. I was very impressed with what I heard; impressed enough to encourage my sons to attend. While I can't remember exactly which of the two men provided each specific point, I can assure anyone that what I'm about write is a paraphrase of several conversions I had with the two.</p><p></p><p>Dr. Robert Witt, who was President of the University of Alabama from 2003-2012, embarked on a path of improving the overall quality of education and academic reputation of the university that has been continued by his predecessors. He goal was to transform Alabama from a school simply known for its football team into a university that was highly respected for both it's academic and athletic programs. They specifically mentioned the Universities of Michigan (sorry OHVATN) and Texas as models of large state universities known for both academics and athletics. </p><p></p><p>This change in policy was greatly assisted by the success of the football team. Since the Tide have risen again to national prominence, financial contributions to the university (and not just the football program) have exploded. Championships make alumni happy, and happy alumni are generous alumni. Corporate donations and partnerships also increased significantly; I guess corporate executives like being associated with winners. Whatever the reasons, the success of the football team has led to a dramatic increase in funds for the university as a whole.</p><p></p><p>With the money to support Dr. Witt's plan, Alabama has taken a three-pronged approach to reaching their goal: (1) World class facilities, (2) Nation leading faculty, and (3) high performing students. Facilities like the brand-new Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC) are second-to-none; My younger son had a visiting professor from Georgia Tech tell him that the labs at Tech aren't even in the same class as what they have available in the SERC. With the latest "toys" and higher salaries, Bama has been able to lure (poach) top notch professors from other schools. My boys tell me that the majority of their engineering professors have either been hired away from other schools or lured back into teaching from the private sector. Finally, Alabama is spending the money to get high performing students. High school graduates with a good GPA and ACT scores can easily get most or all of their tuition covered by automatic scholarships. As a result, over 50% of my eldest son's freshman class was from out-of-state, and at this point over half the student body are out-of-state students.</p><p></p><p>All that being said, is it working? I'd say so. I received an email earlier this semester (parents' mailing list) that stated that the incoming 37% of the incoming freshman class had ACT scores of 30 or higher. That's pretty impressive for a state university. They also now have just over 600 National Merit Scholars on campus. I think that's #1 outside of the Ivy League. More importantly, the <em>US News and World Report</em> university ranking for 2015-2016 recently came out, and for SEC schools it's:</p><p></p><p>#1 Vanderbilt (by far)</p><p>#2 Florida</p><p>#3 Georgia</p><p>#4 Texas A&M</p><p>#5 Alabama</p><p>#6 Auburn</p><p>#7 (tie) Tennessee</p><p>#7 (tie) Missouri</p><p>#9 South Carolina</p><p>#10 (tie) LSU</p><p>#10 (tie) Arkansas</p><p>#10 (tie) Kentucky</p><p>#13 Ole Miss</p><p>#14 Mississippi State</p><p></p><p>So, "football factory" and "identify with an uneducated backward white population?" Maybe in the past, but definitely not anymore. My boys are getting a great education and are proud of their school and their football team; and <strong>I'm</strong> proud of <strong>them</strong>. Roll Tide.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Zulu, post: 4128021, member: 5425"] An interesting essay, and one that's been around the internet since at least 2010. What I find even more interesting is that the writer either didn't sign the original, or those who have copied his work have failed to give him credit. In either case it fails to represent the "individual self-respect or dignity" the writer claims to admire. As the father of two University of Alabama students (one a sophomore, the other a 2015 graduate and current grad student) I can credibly claim that the writer's assertion that Alabama is simply a "college football factory" is simply untrue. Ever since we started the college visits for my eldest back in the spring of 2009, I've had several opportunities for lengthy conversations with Dean Shane Sharpe (Dean of the Honors College) and Dr. Ken Whitaker (former assistant dean of the College of Engineering and current University Provost) regarding the academic philosophy at Alabama. I was very impressed with what I heard; impressed enough to encourage my sons to attend. While I can't remember exactly which of the two men provided each specific point, I can assure anyone that what I'm about write is a paraphrase of several conversions I had with the two. Dr. Robert Witt, who was President of the University of Alabama from 2003-2012, embarked on a path of improving the overall quality of education and academic reputation of the university that has been continued by his predecessors. He goal was to transform Alabama from a school simply known for its football team into a university that was highly respected for both it's academic and athletic programs. They specifically mentioned the Universities of Michigan (sorry OHVATN) and Texas as models of large state universities known for both academics and athletics. This change in policy was greatly assisted by the success of the football team. Since the Tide have risen again to national prominence, financial contributions to the university (and not just the football program) have exploded. Championships make alumni happy, and happy alumni are generous alumni. Corporate donations and partnerships also increased significantly; I guess corporate executives like being associated with winners. Whatever the reasons, the success of the football team has led to a dramatic increase in funds for the university as a whole. With the money to support Dr. Witt's plan, Alabama has taken a three-pronged approach to reaching their goal: (1) World class facilities, (2) Nation leading faculty, and (3) high performing students. Facilities like the brand-new Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC) are second-to-none; My younger son had a visiting professor from Georgia Tech tell him that the labs at Tech aren't even in the same class as what they have available in the SERC. With the latest "toys" and higher salaries, Bama has been able to lure (poach) top notch professors from other schools. My boys tell me that the majority of their engineering professors have either been hired away from other schools or lured back into teaching from the private sector. Finally, Alabama is spending the money to get high performing students. High school graduates with a good GPA and ACT scores can easily get most or all of their tuition covered by automatic scholarships. As a result, over 50% of my eldest son's freshman class was from out-of-state, and at this point over half the student body are out-of-state students. All that being said, is it working? I'd say so. I received an email earlier this semester (parents' mailing list) that stated that the incoming 37% of the incoming freshman class had ACT scores of 30 or higher. That's pretty impressive for a state university. They also now have just over 600 National Merit Scholars on campus. I think that's #1 outside of the Ivy League. More importantly, the [i]US News and World Report[/i] university ranking for 2015-2016 recently came out, and for SEC schools it's: #1 Vanderbilt (by far) #2 Florida #3 Georgia #4 Texas A&M #5 Alabama #6 Auburn #7 (tie) Tennessee #7 (tie) Missouri #9 South Carolina #10 (tie) LSU #10 (tie) Arkansas #10 (tie) Kentucky #13 Ole Miss #14 Mississippi State So, "football factory" and "identify with an uneducated backward white population?" Maybe in the past, but definitely not anymore. My boys are getting a great education and are proud of their school and their football team; and [b]I'm[/b] proud of [b]them[/b]. Roll Tide. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Off Topic TN Forums
Sports talk
A dream come true
Top