UA rebranding

[zip-O-matic]

I really don't see any of the other state U.'s having much say in what happens with the NEO schools. I mean how chicken-poo would they have to be to lobby the state to try and suppress the improvement of higher education in Ohio because they might look less superior? And I would hope our governor, regents and legislators are above being susceptible to that kind of nonsense.

Well, that's not just Ohio higher education. That's Ohio, and it's been that way for over a century. Individual constituencies are going to lobby for what they think is in their best interest and certain larger elements will lobby for what they think is in the best interest of their corner of the state. Again, the NEO schools don't operate in a vacuum. They are part of a system. Akron-Can't would conceivably be lobbying for this primarily because they think it's in their best interest, but I think the key would need to be that they present it in a way that shows it's in the best interests of the University System of Ohio, the state of Ohio and the taxpayers of Ohio. For at least twenty years now--under Republicans and Democrats--the state has been steadily moving away from a public higher education system where individual schools feel free to do whatever is in their best interests even if it's counterproductive to the overall system.

because they might look less superior

That sounds like you're talking about OSU and Miami and, to a lesser extent, UC. OSU (and the other two) could very conceivably support Akron-Can't under the right circumstances. What I think you meant was because they might be classified as inferior. That would most definitely be OU, BG and UT. And fuck them. As I stated above, I believe that only one school (or merger of schools) is going to make the jump to the right side of the napkin. Of course, they are going to lobby against Akron-Can't doing something that positions themselves to be that school, just as Akron and Can't would do the same with a hypothetical BG-UT merger. It's politics, and it's messy.

And when it comes to Ohio politics, Akron-Can't needs to do whatever it can to make sure that OSU is supportive. To think OSU's political influence is based merely upon a bunch of obnoxious t-shirt alumni football fans, is to be suicidally stupid. You think it's all about them taking state reps on bowl trip junkets? For almost 150 years, OSU has been active in every county and every corner of the state with their agricultural institute and extension services. That's real economic impact and political clout built up over generations and absolutely explains why the state rep from that county who never went to Ohio State votes to support their agenda in the legislature ever single time. The economic impact to the state of the current level of research funding that they bring in is right around fifteen billion (that's with a "B"...the three comma club) dollars. They have hard, statistical evidence that in the 1990s they staunched the outflow of high ability students who were leaving the state for other public universities. They just devoted $100M of that unreserved cash that they're sitting on towards establishing a high tech business incubator for Ohio. Given the current Governor's emphasis on affordability for Ohio residents, they just committed $15M/year towards automatic $1000 or $1500 grants for 12,400 Ohio resident whose families make less than $100K/year. To put that into perspective, that $15M is roughly equal to the annual total disbursement of Akron's and Can't's entire endowments.........combined. They pulled it out of the couch cushions! Yes, Akron and Can't had better damned sure ensure that OSU is on board with the merger. Do you want to fight the 800lb gorilla, or do you want him on your side to swat aside the other chimpanzees trying to hold you back?

[Dave in Green]

Interesting twist on Michigan's efforts to cap tuition at state universities:

Tough choice? EMU hikes tuition, forfeits $1M in state aid

Here's the choice Eastern Michigan University administrators and board members say they faced as they worked to put together a budget for the upcoming school year – get $1 million in extra state aid by staying within a tuition cap of 3.2%, or hike tuition by 7.8% and get up to $10 million in additional funds.

On Tuesday, the Board of Regents delivered its verdict in an unanimous vote. It will cost 7.8% more to go to Eastern next school year than the year before. That's about $25 a credit hour. ...

[ZachTheZip]

Sounds like an easy choice to me. Even if enrollment takes a slight hit they come out ahead.

[Balsy]

A distinguished professor at UA's response to Scarborough's rebranding.

[zip-O-matic]

A distinguished professor at UA's response to Scarborough's rebranding.

Interesting take, but what she doesn't address, and what makes Ohio unique, is that the state is over-saturated with public universities and colleges (13 4-year and 47 2-year branch campuses and community colleges) for both its population and size. Ever since the Rhodes building boom in higher education ended, the state--under Republicans and Democrats--has moved slowly but steadily in the direction of consolidating and structuring the bloated, redundant mess of a system he left behind. That's a movement that has gained momentum under the last two Governors, and it would behoove any Ohio public university to think about where the system is going and what their role in it will be.

[Balsy]

Interesting take, but what she doesn't address, and what makes Ohio unique, is that the state is over-saturated with public universities and colleges (13 4-year and 47 2-year branch campuses and community colleges) for both its population and size. Ever since the Rhodes building boom in higher education ended, the state--under Republicans and Democrats--has moved slowly but steadily in the direction of consolidating and structuring the bloated, redundant mess of a system he left behind. That's a movement that has gained momentum under the last two Governors, and it would behoove any Ohio public university to think about where the system is going and what their role in it will be.

Good take zip-O-matic. I'd like to see Scarborough role out a plan on how to better our educational quality. So far I've only seen him role out a plan to reduce educational quality. I'll confess my bias, I don't believe online courses and MOOCs are positive for education, especially in the early college freshman year courses. Those are the courses that you should rely on heavily for the next 3 years of your college education, not slop through a slopped together course to gain credit. Many here have mentioned that those entry level courses are a joke, and I agree with them. But should they be? That's where we should start. Improving the quality of those courses.

I think she hits a homerun on the faculty issue though. We need less administrators, who seem to jump ship all the time, and more tenured faculty who are deeply invested in the university.

[skip-zip]

I think she hits on the bottom line for me, as I have mentioned before.......No matter what label you try to put on it, it all comes down to the quality of the education, and the graduates that it produces. That's where the investment needs to be, and that's what raises your profile as an academic institution.

[Hilltopper]

For those of you who don't have highschool aged kids, I will tell you that there is a big push to have kids take dual credit courses before graduation. The program is called College Credit Plus. It used to be called post Secondary. I have a daughter who is going to graduate with a BSN in 3 years. When she started college she already had 30 credit hours because she took classes at UA while still in highschool. My son will be taking 30 credit hours at UA this coming school year. The only class he will take at his HS is band. The best part of this program is that it costs me next to nothing. The only thing I have to pay for is a parking permit. This is the way of the future.

[Balsy]

For those of you who don't have highschool aged kids, I will tell you that there is a big push to have kids take dual credit courses before graduation. The program is called College Credit Plus. It used to be called post Secondary. I have a daughter who is going to graduate with a BSN in 3 years. When she started college she already had 30 credit hours because she took classes at UA while still in highschool. My son will be taking 30 credit hours at UA this coming school year. The only class he will take at his HS is band. The best part of this program is that it costs me next to nothing. The only thing I have to pay for is a parking permit. This is the way of the future.

It's also the destruction of education as we know it. HS students should be taking HS classes. College students should be taking college classes. If we want to make college affordable, than that's a discussion we should have as a society.

I'm a high school science teacher. Though College Credit Plus sounds good, in principal, the quality of education the students are recieving is not the same quality. Everyone in my department is against this push. Why you'd might ask? We already have classes for students to get college credit: it's called AP. There's already a system called post secondary, which costs students nothing. Our AP curriculum is 100x better than the College Credit Plus curriculum, and it better prepares students for the field of work. Sorry about the rant, but it's important to know an educators perspective on this.

[Dave in Green]

It's important to know everyone's perspective and understand that no one perspective tells the whole story.

[Hilltopper]

It's also the destruction of education as we know it. HS students should be taking HS classes. College students should be taking college classes. If we want to make college affordable, than that's a discussion we should have as a society.

I'm a high school science teacher. Though College Credit Plus sounds good, in principal, the quality of education the students are recieving is not the same quality. Everyone in my department is against this push. Why you'd might ask? We already have classes for students to get college credit: it's called AP. There's already a system called post secondary, which costs students nothing. Our AP curriculum is 100x better than the College Credit Plus curriculum, and it better prepares students for the field of work. Sorry about the rant, but it's important to know an educators perspective on this.

I'm really thankful my kids don't have you for a teacher because you have no idea what you are talking about. Post Secondary has been replaced by College Credit Plus. CCP consists of students taking classes on campus at the college of their choice. They go to the exact same classes a typical highschool grad is taking to fufill the requirements to get their undergrad degree. They are not some kind of special classes designed for students participating in CCP. I'm sorry it might be cutting into the extra pay your fellow HS teachers might be receiving for teaching AP courses which may or may not be accepted as accredited courses at any state university, unlike CCP courses. Maybe you should consult an administrator at your school to get you up to date on the CCP program.

[Balsy]

I'm really thankful my kids don't have you for a teacher because you have no idea what you are talking about. Post Secondary has been replaced by College Credit Plus. CCP consists of students taking classes on campus at the college of their choice. They go to the exact same classes a typical highschool grad is taking to fufill the requirements to get their undergrad degree. They are not some kind of special classes designed for students participating in CCP. I'm sorry it might be cutting into the extra pay your fellow HS teachers might be receiving for teaching AP courses which may or may not be accepted as accredited courses at any state university, unlike CCP courses. Maybe you should consult an administrator at your school to get you up to date on the CCP program.

What you just described already existed in Post Secondary, without the selection of a college choice. There are CCP classes offered through districts, as required by the law, classes that are alligned with a major or career pathway. These CCP courses that are offered through the district must be identical to a cooperating institution's in regards to curriculum of a participant university. Akron, for example, is a partner organization. For a Biomedical pathway, the class UA offers as a CCP class that can be taught at local highschools by the schools staff is called "Natural Science Biology". It's a 3 credit, non-lab based biology course, for non biology majors. The AP Biology curriculum is that of a major level biology, lab based course.

A student interested in taking the dual-credit biology course through the school might do so believing they are completing the standard Bio-I class. They are not. Now, if that student were interested in Nursing, and only Nursing, the credit they recieve for Natural Science Biology would benefit them. If, for example, that student were to later consider changing majors (to another biology, or life-science based field that requires completion of a standard lab based biology course), the student will not have credit for completion of the course at the college level.

We're both talking about the same thing here Hilltopper. The parts which you refered to already existed in PSEOP (Post Secondary) and have been added to CCP. I'm refering to the pathways, which I find potentially misleading to parents and students. And it worries me that some of my students may end up taking a biology, or other science course, that won't end up best serving their future career interests. I hope that clarrifies my stance on CCP, and not an evil teacher out to make a little extra money.

[Hilltopper]

Thanks for the clarification. My kids are/have taking gen-ed classes thar are required for pretty much any degree. IMO one of the most valuable parts of this program is getting my kid out of the highschool setting and into more challenging environment. My daughter was very comfortable when she left home for Toledo. She already knew what expect in the classroom and only had to adjust to dorm life. Invaluable IMHO.

[LZIp]

The real issue here that I can't believe nobody is addressing is that Hilltopper let his kid go to TOLEDO?!?

I guess it could be worse and be Can't.

Hope all of you enjoyed your weekend. Go Zips!

[Hilltopper]

They offered her a much bigger scholarship than UA.

[ZippyRulz]

They offered her a much bigger scholarship than UA.

That sounds a lot better than "she wanted to get away from mom & dad"

[Hilltopper]

That sounds a lot better than "she wanted to get away from mom & dad"

Well, there was that too.

[LZIp]

Not a good look Mr. Scarborough/Mortimer.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/07/university_of_akrons_juniors_a.html

[zip-O-matic]

Not a good look Mr. Scarborough/Mortimer.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/07/university_of_akrons_juniors_a.html

Mind-numbingly stupid. Proenza left a financial mess behind for others to clean up I will grant, but you can't pull shady crap like this, particularly with Kasich saying that schools that don't address the affordability issue will lose funding.

[Balsy]

Mind-numbingly stupid. Proenza left a financial mess behind for others to clean up I will grant, but you can't pull shady crap like this, particularly with Kasich saying that schools that don't address the affordability issue will lose funding.

I have a novel idea for the state legislature; stop cutting funding from state schools in order to fill the gap left in the budget by massive tax cuts. My tuition, city and county taxes have all been increased as a direct result of the sweeping tax "cuts" made by the state in the last decade. It's hardly a cut, if it causes the price other service to increase.

[Dave in Green]

From all I've read on the subject of the newly enacted budget, Ohio lawmakers increased spending for public universities by 4.5% in 2016 and another 4% in 2017 with the specific goal of reducing costs to students and making college more affordable. As part of this funding increase, public universities are required to freeze both tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students at current levels for these 2 years and also look for ways to reduce student costs by 5% over the 2-year period. This latest story cites UA officials describing the new charges for juniors and seniors as "new fees," which appears to be at odds with what Ohio lawmakers are trying to accomplish.

[zip-O-matic]

The athletic subsidy accounts for 10% of each UA undergraduate's tuition.

[zipsoutsider]

This could be, not saying will be, a great opportunity to retool curriculum and majors that are not technical to help students get jobs in those fields. If the closer alignment with industry aspect comes to fruition, it could be a huge win. Take for example, an English major. What if we added a technical writing focus? Still the primary focus is writing, but other courses that would enable students to work in fields in technical writing and copywriting fields? Pack the majors with relevant industry focused courses instead of some of the worthless gen-eds. The same could be true of other majors, like business. In the sales leadership programs, design the curriculum to help students land jobs in science and tech industries.

[Balsy]

This could be, not saying will be, a great opportunity to retool curriculum and majors that are not technical to help students get jobs in those fields. If the closer alignment with industry aspect comes to fruition, it could be a huge win. Take for example, an English major. What if we added a technical writing focus? Still the primary focus is writing, but other courses that would enable students to work in fields in technical writing and copywriting fields? Pack the majors with relevant industry focused courses instead of some of the worthless gen-eds. The same could be true of other majors, like business. In the sales leadership programs, design the curriculum to help students land jobs in science and tech industries.

First off gen-eds are not worthless. The goal you're trying to achieve can be achieved using gen-eds. Using your example: GenEds exist to make a person more diverse in the first place. If an english major were to take biology courses for their gened natural science credit, they'd be more attractive to Biology fields for writing technical things. However, they won't be able to walk in the first day and immidiately begin doing techinical writing/copy editing...a business would have to train them in the specifics that they want them to do. I was hired because I demonstrated competency and high achievement in my respective fields...now they train me specifically in what they'd like me to do.

As a student, why in the heck would you want to force yourself into a niche that may not exist in 5 years when you graduate? The best advice I got from a mentor of mine before I went to college was that "you are training for a job that hansn't yet been created"...in other words it's more important to be a well rounded individual than to focus on a niche.

But I'm on board with what you say about adding specific curriculum. Technical writing wouldn't be a class, it should be a minor. Minors are added skills and don't paint you into a niche, necessarily. As with any minor, it'd probably be cross disciplinary depending upon the focus. But adding minors requires hiring faculty whom are competent in that aspect, which Akron doesn't seem likely anytime soon.

[zip-O-matic]

I agree with the above. If you gut the arts and sciences, you no longer have a university. You have a trade school. The core of any university worthy of the name is a solid core of humanities, social sciences and sciences departments. Marginalize them in favor of solely more vocational majors, and you don't have a university......you have DeVry. The goal of a university should be to have you leaving educated not just trained.