UA rebranding

[Dave in Green]

Skip, you've been right all along to question how the perception of a polytechnic university will affect UA moving forward. It's pretty clear that no one posting on ZipsNation over these past few weeks understood anything about it, including me. I graduated from a polytechnic university and never paid any attention to the true mean of polytechnic until this controversy blew up. Now that I've done a little homework I see that there are points that differentiate a polytechnic university that are worth pursuing.

I guess I'd have to say it's pretty much a done deal now. Dr. Scarborough's presentation drew a standing ovation at the Cleveland City Club, and I think the message is likely to be well-received by the Ohio business community and government. So I think those of us who want the best for UA should do our best to understand that a polytechnic university is much different than a technical institute and help try to educate others.

Really, the controversy offers a great opportunity to set the record straight. It drew a lot of attention to a situation that would otherwise have flown under the radar. So it makes sense to take advantage of the attention the controversy has drawn to educate everyone and set the record straight.

[skip-zip]

Dave, I'm with you. I just can't predict how long the "Akron is now a Tech school" idea might last before "education" takes place.

[ZachTheZip]

Really, the controversy offers a great opportunity to set the record straight. It drew a lot of attention to a situation that would otherwise have flown under the radar. So it makes sense to take advantage of the attention the controversy has drawn to educate everyone and set the record straight.

Or maybe the controversy forced him to scale things back from a full-fledged name change to Ohio Polytechnic University. If that was the case, I can't understate how glad I am that we managed to avoid being the subject of "Oh, P.U." jokes.

[LosAngelesZipFan]

Just in terms of indicating how "small ball" this is-- and inadequate to the challenge facing regional universities that he identifies in his speech-- is that it wasn't even covered in the city where the speech happened.

I'm not against UA sharpening its focus on its tech-- it should be known as a very solid engineering school. I just don't think that is going to be sufficient to really make a difference.

[Dave in Green]

Zach and Keener, the obvious reason why UA has elected to try to market something that most people don't understand is because that is what UA has quietly become over the years without advertising it and probably not even being aware of it. This all came out of Dr. Scarborough's review of the state of the business at UA which all good CEOs perform when they first take over running any business. You encourage input from all the various constituencies as well as external sources to do a level set of who we are, where are we going and what's the best way to get there.

It's pretty obvious that the answer that came out of all of this was that UA met most of the standards of a polytechnic university without fully realizing it or taking advantage of it. The options at that point were to deliberately move away from being a polytechnic university, keep on doing what you've been doing without mentioning that it was largely polytechnic, or embracing the concept and taking advantage of being the most polytechnic university in the state of Ohio.

Dr. Scarborough answered that question today when he said “We’re staking a claim to polytechnic path to becoming a great public university — one that survives and thrives in the future of higher education." He added that the greatest risk is to be “perceived as a generic public university, with limited reach, no clear identity, struggling to survive and likely to fail. Instead, we’re going to be Ohio’s great polytechnic university. Distinctive. Better. Different.”

[LosAngelesZipFan]

Definitely worth watching his speech: https://www.cityclub.org/events/more-than-harvard-building-a-great-public-university-in-northeast-ohio

And an article he mentions: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/02/09/regional-public-colleges-the-middle-children-of-higher-ed-struggle-to-survive/

[jupitertoo]

Skip, you've been right all along to question how the perception of a polytechnic university will affect UA moving forward. It's pretty clear that no one posting on ZipsNation over these past few weeks understood anything about it, including me. I graduated from a polytechnic university and never paid any attention to the true mean of polytechnic until this controversy blew up. Now that I've done a little homework I see that there are points that differentiate a polytechnic university that are worth pursuing.

I guess I'd have to say it's pretty much a done deal now. Dr. Scarborough's presentation drew a standing ovation at the Cleveland City Club, and I think the message is likely to be well-received by the Ohio business community and government. So I think those of us who want the best for UA should do our best to understand that a polytechnic university is much different than a technical institute and help try to educate others.

Really, the controversy offers a great opportunity to set the record straight. It drew a lot of attention to a situation that would otherwise have flown under the radar. So it makes sense to take advantage of the attention the controversy has drawn to educate everyone and set the record straight.

Um, I was there and he essentially brought all of his administrative people with him to cheer him on. It was a half hearted standing o started by one of his own people.

[LosAngelesZipFan]

Sorry, it was covered in PD: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/05/university_of_akron_to_become.html#incart_m-rpt-1

[Dave in Green]

Also covered by Crain's Cleveland Business and local NPR. Glad you were there to give us the objective view from the unbiased OU perspective, jupitertoo.

[K92]

Anybody catch some of the comments being posted on the UA Facebook page? I'd post a screen shot but this is supposed to be a family friendly forum.

[ZachTheZip]

Something he keep mentioning is how most state universities are going to be screwed in the near future. Surprised there hasn't been more of a reaction to that. No response from the presidents of OU or Can't or whoever saying that things are going well and they've actually increased enrollment while Akron's has fallen and blah blah blah.

[a-zip]

Zach and Keener, the obvious reason why UA has elected to try to market something that most people don't understand is because that is what UA has quietly become over the years without advertising it and probably not even being aware of it. This all came out of Dr. Scarborough's review of the state of the business at UA which all good CEOs perform when they first take over running any business. You encourage input from all the various constituencies as well as external sources to do a level set of who we are, where are we going and what's the best way to get there.

It's pretty obvious that the answer that came out of all of this was that UA met most of the standards of a polytechnic university without fully realizing it or taking advantage of it. The options at that point were to deliberately move away from being a polytechnic university, keep on doing what you've been doing without mentioning that it was largely polytechnic, or embracing the concept and taking advantage of being the most polytechnic university in the state of Ohio.

Dr. Scarborough answered that question today when he said “We’re staking a claim to polytechnic path to becoming a great public university — one that survives and thrives in the future of higher education." He added that the greatest risk is to be “perceived as a generic public university, with limited reach, no clear identity, struggling to survive and likely to fail. Instead, we’re going to be Ohio’s great polytechnic university. Distinctive. Better. Different.”

Thanks Dave. Nobody commented on my post (which is fine and why I don't bother posting on here anymore). BUT what Dr. Scarborough said is exactly what I and Mark Cuban said. YOU NEED TO SPECIALIZE, CHANGE, THINK DIFFERENTLY or you face not existing. If you are especially GREAT at something……FLAUNT IT!! If you are just going to chug along as the University of BLAH BLAH BLAH……good luck with that. If we become Ohio Tech vs. U of Akron, it has the perception of being a BIGGER school and a school that is GREAT at something vs a commuter college to a city. Seriously, what is the University of Akron's identity outside of the city of Akron? As someone who grew up in the mid-atlantic and went to UoA, I can tell you most people ask me……why did you go to school in Akron, Ohio? I know many people from Ga Tech, Va Tech that have nursing degrees, business degrees, etc……they are incredibly successful people and proud of their alma mater…..nobody really asks "why did you go there?" Things are changing,….. Dr. S is doing the right thing!!! You folks need to get with the times, educate yourself on the landscape before you start posting your emotional "I don't like this" "this is stupid" "its embarrassing"

Go to this website and check out the Highest Net Cost……you will see several of Ohio's universities listed on there. Do you all really think people are not going to figure this out some day?????

http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx#

When people figure out the net cost of an education at Can't State, Ohio U, Cincy is among the highest in the country….don't you think at some point people are going to say "what am I getting for this?" Miami O at least has some prestige to it but not that much.

[Dave in Green]

Nobody commented on my post (which is fine and why I don't bother posting on here anymore). ...

Just because no one comments on your post doesn't mean it wasn't read and appreciated. You bring a unique perspective to ZipsNation, as each of us do. Be comfortable in saying what you believe to be right regardless of what others say or don't say.

[a-zip]

Just because no one comments on your post doesn't mean it wasn't read and appreciated. You bring a unique perspective to ZipsNation, as each of us do. Be comfortable in saying what you believe to be right regardless of what others say or don't say.

Thanks Dave. I just read the same broken record on here….people can't seem to look towards the future and positive things. I don't want to hear bitching about the past and iCoach, TW, the JAR, Lebron is a traitor.

I want to see us move forward!! We have really good, smart people making some great decisions, we have unbelievable coaches….embrace it people!! I am not from Ohio but and a proud student/athlete of UA….damn, things are pretty good. Hell, Lebron may bring Cleveland its first championship in forever!!! I have not heard anybody praising him…..I sure heard a lot of bitching when he left….

In my opinion, THE University of Akron - Ohio's Polytechnic University, is making some smart moves.

[LosAngelesZipFan]

transcript here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2082233-scott-scarborough-city-club-speech.html

Key thing is saying NEO is somewhat unique in that there isn't a single great U but rather 4 "good" state universities with potential.

That's the point... none can really move ahead of the others. Instead, there are 4 universities trapped in stasis.

Rebranding is nice. But not a solution.

I think he is saying "this is as far as I can go right now...but the real answer is combining..."

[Dr Z]

I just read the same broken record on here

Please consider the source/poster when reading things on ZipsNation. Some members have an excellent record of opinion and fact. Some not so much. A gentle reminder that if a poster is decreasing your experience here, you are able to control that.

[Balsy]

Here is an article that Dr. Scarborough mentioned in his speech. I won't offer much commentary on it other than perhaps this will give a little context to UA's "rebranding". I believe this article to be a rather hyperbolic, pro-MOOC opinion piece. I find it a little academic curious for Dr. Scarborough to be playing into the hyperbole himself by mentioning it at all. Note: This article was published in 2012. A year later, several studies were published that seem to challenge a lot of the claims made by writer. Here's it from UP.

For those interested, here is an excellent response made to the MOOC "revolution of education" arguement, in a much more articulate manner than I could present here.

You might ask why I am focused on MOOCs with this post...I think it's an important point of interest for this discussion because Dr. Scarborough was very much involved with the attempt to get large, graduate level MOOCs started at Toledo while he was CFO, and it was a very controversial move. He also made many references throughout his speech yesterday that hinted to a focus on integrating MOOCs as a part of UA's future educational ventures.

[Dave in Green]

Thanks for those links, Balsy. I knew a little about MOOCs, but the pros and cons presented in those articles expanded my knowledge. I found the following paragraph to be the most interesting in the pro- and anti-MOOC articles:

Researchers at Ithaka S+R studied two groups of students—one group that received all instruction in person, and another group that received a mixture of traditional and computer-based instruction. The two groups did equally well on tests, but those who received the computer instruction were able to learn the same amount of material in 25 percent less time.

Emerging Conclusions

• Many “apply” but:
– Few active users
– “Engagement” falls off dramatically after first 1-­2 weeks

– Few “persist” to course end

The negative point above that many apply but few finish is no surprise to me. Since the cost of computer-based instruction is so much less than traditional classroom instruction it's easier to blow it off and drop out without thinking you're blowing a ton of cash. Importantly, the lower cost allows more people to try without great financial risk.

The positive point above that both groups learned about the same but those who took a mix of computer-based and classroom instruction learned faster than those who took only traditional classroom instruction was surprising. The most important takeaway for me is that it was a mix of computer-based and classroom instruction and not all computer-based.

In other words, I don't see MOOC as a revolutionary replacement for classroom instruction but simply another evolutionary teaching tool to augment the traditional university experience. MOOC needs to be kept in perspective as one of many tools of higher education that's still in its early stages of implementation and hasn't yet been fully optimized.

[Dave in Green]

LosAngelesZipFan, I finally had a chance to read Dr. Scarborough's entire speech, and it's certainly filled with facts and ideas worth considering. I see where some of his statements fit right in with what you've been saying:

You have to remember I worked for a university that closed a stand-alone college that it tried to rescue.

I worked for another university that merged two public universities into one.

I worked for a third university that attempted to merge a four-year university with a community college.

Merger is always an option to be considered in financially troubled industries, and there's no question that higher education in general is facing increasingly tough economic challenges. When mergers occur in the business world the stronger usually absorb the weaker. So before any UA supporters lobby for a quick merger of NEO universities, it would be prudent to ensure that UA is the strongest of the schools being considered for merger. I see that as Dr. Scarborough's initial move in a chess game of Ohio higher education that will take years to play out. Merger could very well be a future consideration. But the most important issue right now is to move UA closer to the top of the potential merger food chain.

[LZIp]

Interesting read right here http://www.10thperiod.com/2015/05/should-university-of-akron-put-faith-in.html?m=1

[Balsy]

Interesting read right here http://www.10thperiod.com/2015/05/should-university-of-akron-put-faith-in.html?m=1

[ZippyRulz]

After the University of Wisconsin-
Stout adopted the polytechnic designation
in 2007, it attracted more students (up 12
percent), more top freshmen (up 50 percent)
and greater prestige (from unranked to No.
17 on U.S. News & World Report’s top public
Midwest schools list). The University of Akron
needs to do the same.

http://www.uakron.edu/polytechnic/docs/UofA_polytech_trifold5_5newphoto.pdf

[ROCK1]

Sorry, it was covered in PD: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/05/university_of_akron_to_become.html#incart_m-rpt-1

This is exactly what Scarborough said when he was at Toledo, except that UT would be one of the schools to survive. But then Scarborough's boss (Jacobs) was fired and he got of town as quickly as he could.

[LZIp]

You've asked this question a couple of times in a couple of different threads. I suspect you haven't been following some of the statements that have come out of Columbus. Well, not really Columbus, because Ohio Governor John Kasich actually made the following comments at the New America Foundation, a think tank in Washington, D.C. It's not unreasonable to think that Governor Kasich has privately made this clear to Dr. Scarborough and other university presidents. This is what the guy who's ultimately responsible for Ohio's public university system, which includes UA, thinks. The guy who Dr. Scarborough has to deal with is, in fact, demanding change, or else.

.

Well seeing how we are the only ones attempting to making a change, I will dread the day that Toledo, OU, BG, and Can't cease to exist.

Psyche. Not going to happen. Hasn't anyone learned politicians are full of shit yet?

[a-zip]

So what is your point Lzip? You are saying we are stupid for trying to change and adapt? Are you saying the educational system is fine the way it is and if schools continue to operate stats quo - they will be fine and prosper? You don't think schools will start to go belly up? Have you read any reports? What can you offer to show that being the University of Akron in Akron Ohio and being another school in Ohio is going to help us survive and prosper in the future.

Let me ask a question - if you were from Ohio or from outside the state, why would you choose UA over Toledo, Can't State, Bowling Green, Ohio U?