Can't State Kicks our butt

[zip81]

Well, it's official.Can't State has always been ahead of UA in journalism, public relations and broadcasting....now, with their new facility...they flat out kick our butts.I couldn't recommend UA to anyone wishing to major in these areas.Considering the sheepskin I hold from the Hilltop...it pains me to say this.Link

[GoZips88]

Not to get too political or anything but I would expect nothing less than excellence in those disciplines (well, at least journalism and broadcasting) from Berkeley East.

[zip81]

Not to get too political or anything but I would expect nothing less than excellence in those disciplines (well, at least journalism and broadcasting) from Berkeley East.

I hear what you say 88, however, most of the people I worked with, reporters that is, are conservative....personally, I'm one who is in the middle and when I lean, it is to the right side.

[GoZips88]

Not to get too political or anything but I would expect nothing less than excellence in those disciplines (well, at least journalism and broadcasting) from Berkeley East.

I hear what you say 88, however, most of the people I worked with, reporters that is, are conservative....personally, I'm one who is in the middle and when I lean, it is to the right side.

[Zipsrifle]

I think in Fingerhut's plan he was emphasizing how each university should focus on a specialty. I believe Can't was singled out for Journalism whereas UA was mentioned for Science and Engineering. No offense, but I'm glad UA is stronger than Can't in these areas as the future investment is likely to be much higher.

[zen]

air conditioning and windows????WOW! hang it up boys. It's over.

[Blue & Gold]

As God is my witness, I have 2 friends who have degrees in journalism from Can't State and one has been delivering pizzas for Dominoes since he graduated and the other writes one or two articles a month for the local town monthly and also does an occassional snipet for the ABJ's "In The Region" section - needless to say both are finding it next to impossible to find gainful employment. There just really aren't that many job opportunities in the journalism field. To encourage the second of my above mentioned friends, I tell him about watching ESPN's Around the Horn and how Kevin Blackistone - one of the top sports columnists in the country - doesn't even have a job right now. So, Can't State can have journalism; UA will gladly take math, science, business and law.

[zippyrifle32]

So, Can't State can have journalism; UA will gladly take math, science, business and law.

don't forget psychology too

[Big Zip]

If you are going to make the journalism should be a top major at Akron you need to look at our history. My understanding was -- years ago -- a decision was made similar to the one Fingerhut is looking to make now about specialty at Universities. Can't was given journalism and Akron was given a law school -- the state of Ohio will not let Can't have a Law School. On the other hand Akron does have PR programs and mass media, but no journalism degree.

[UAZipster0305]

So, Can't State can have journalism; UA will gladly take math, science, business and law.

don't forget psychology too

Can't currently offers a PhD in business, which is a program UA does not have.

[Valpo Zip]

Akron has a bachelor, Masters and Ph D in:1 - electrical engineering2 - computer engineering3 - civil engineering4 - mechanical engineering5 - chemical engineering6 - biomedical engineering7 - mechanical polymer engineeringalso Masters and Ph D in 1 - polymer science 2 - polymer engineering.And Law school.Until Can't get those, I will always consider them a humanities/arts and science hippie school and not a comprehensive university.

[zen]

I was under the impression that UofA got the Engineering programs and Can't got the architectural programs

[Zipsrifle]

Come on guys. Though you might not want to admit it, Can't is better than Akron in educating students in certain areas and they do provide a benefit to the community. Fashion design is important to many people and we all know that NE Ohio is a center for Liquid Crystal manufacturing! What I would like to emphasize is that in the area of technology and engineering I believe Akron holds the advantage and in this day in age, that is a very important position to hold. Also, I for one wouldn't be bragging about having a law school...you know what they say about lawyers.

[g-mann17]

So, Can't State can have journalism; UA will gladly take math, science, business and law.

don't forget psychology too

And Sociology

[LosAngelesZipFan]

I can't help but toss this is, since it is one of my favorite screeds, but this is exactly why the state needs to combine Akron and Can't. It is so incredibly stupid that these two large state schools are cheek by jowl with mostly over-lapping programs, and in a constant knife fight for the same, slowly contracting pool of resources.The UA-CSU combo made sense only for downtown Cleveland business interests-- it was a way to step change CSU's status by raiding Akron's success and momentum. But Cleveland already has plenty of economic drivers-- Case, Cleveland Clinic, etc. The Akron metro area, in contrast, really needs UA and Can't State as core drivers and stabilizers. A UA-Can't State merger makes incredible sense because it becomes the region doesn't lose naythin-- Can't becomes the fresh-soph and humanities campus; Akron is junior-grad and science/tech/med campus. NEOUCOM becomes part of the combined entity. It would be one of the largest Universities in the country, just shy of OSU in enrollment at over 50,000. Just think about the impact on the athletic programs-- if you kept the current investment the same but focused on one program instead of two. It would also provide the unifying institution that NEO really lacks-- an entity that essentially spans the entire area. Not sure if anyone has read the final Fingerhut report, but it is basically a ticket to second or even third tier status for UA (and Can't for that matter). I think the time is ripe to experiment and go for bold.

[Valpo Zip]

I can't help but toss this is, since it is one of my favorite screeds, but this is exactly why the state needs to combine Akron and Can't. It is so incredibly stupid that these two large state schools are cheek by jowl with mostly over-lapping programs, and in a constant knife fight for the same, slowly contracting pool of resources.The UA-CSU combo made sense only for downtown Cleveland business interests-- it was a way to step change CSU's status by raiding Akron's success and momentum. But Cleveland already has plenty of economic drivers-- Case, Cleveland Clinic, etc. The Akron metro area, in contrast, really needs UA and Can't State as core drivers and stabilizers. A UA-Can't State merger makes incredible sense because it becomes the region doesn't lose naythin-- Can't becomes the fresh-soph and humanities campus; Akron is junior-grad and science/tech/med campus. NEOUCOM becomes part of the combined entity. It would be one of the largest Universities in the country, just shy of OSU in enrollment at over 50,000. Just think about the impact on the athletic programs-- if you kept the current investment the same but focused on one program instead of two. It would also provide the unifying institution that NEO really lacks-- an entity that essentially spans the entire area. Not sure if anyone has read the final Fingerhut report, but it is basically a ticket to second or even third tier status for UA (and Can't for that matter). I think the time is ripe to experiment and go for bold.

I totally agree with you LAzipfan. Merging with Can't makes much more sense than merging with CSU. Also the two universities are extremely too close to each other (geographically) and a lot of resources can be shared. I also like the idea of a 50,000 enrollment and may be 8000 average attendance at home bball games.

[Blue & Gold]

I can't help but toss this is, since it is one of my favorite screeds, but this is exactly why the state needs to combine Akron and Can't. It is so incredibly stupid that these two large state schools are cheek by jowl with mostly over-lapping programs, and in a constant knife fight for the same, slowly contracting pool of resources.The UA-CSU combo made sense only for downtown Cleveland business interests-- it was a way to step change CSU's status by raiding Akron's success and momentum. But Cleveland already has plenty of economic drivers-- Case, Cleveland Clinic, etc. The Akron metro area, in contrast, really needs UA and Can't State as core drivers and stabilizers. A UA-Can't State merger makes incredible sense because it becomes the region doesn't lose naythin-- Can't becomes the fresh-soph and humanities campus; Akron is junior-grad and science/tech/med campus. NEOUCOM becomes part of the combined entity. It would be one of the largest Universities in the country, just shy of OSU in enrollment at over 50,000. Just think about the impact on the athletic programs-- if you kept the current investment the same but focused on one program instead of two. It would also provide the unifying institution that NEO really lacks-- an entity that essentially spans the entire area. Not sure if anyone has read the final Fingerhut report, but it is basically a ticket to second or even third tier status for UA (and Can't for that matter). I think the time is ripe to experiment and go for bold.

I totally agree with you LAzipfan. Merging with Can't makes much more sense than merging with CSU. Also the two universities are extremely too close to each other (geographically) and a lot of resources can be shared. I also like the idea of a 50,000 enrollment and may be 8000 average attendance at home bball games.

Whew... from a purely rational perspective it could be done. Then again, theoretically, anything can potentially be done. However, from an emotive perspective, wow, there's a lot of bad blood between these two institutions and their alumni - it'd take a full generation to get used to a merger the likes of this! What would the name of the school be?

[ziptrumpet87]

What would the name of the school be?

Cant-Crack U

[ZippyRulz]

What would the team colors be? I think we know who the mascot would be. What conference would we move to and who would be our archrival?

[LosAngelesZipFan]

While I think there would be an initial period of "WTF?" by a chunk of fans, that group would be dwarfed by others in NEO that were suddenly given reason to take an interest. If you just add the average crowds at basketball and football games, you start to get into very exciting territory from a "who do we compete with" perspective. It is not at all unrealistic to think the average BB attendence is 7-8K (our 3500 plus there 4000 rough averages however in the near term neither arena accomodates this). Football should get an average base of 25K with the ability to ramp up to 50K for the right games in the right situation. However, I think you would very quickly get a multiplier effect, assuming we were ramping up competition and winning with some consistency. A virtuous cycle of fan interest builds-- and soon (5 years), you have a very solid argument to make to the Big East. Our big rivals become Cincy, Pitt, Syracuse, and WVU. We play alot of Big Ten teams with a solid shot at winning. We also have a mix of ACC and SEC teams that we play. If we were playing at that level of competition and having some success, I think interest and support from throughout NEO would literally explode. That means a consistent base of fan support in the 12K range for BB and 45K range for football (with the ability to scale in certain situations to 75K).And I believe the same thing would happen on the academic and research sides-- Can't's LCI and Akron's polymer and engineering programs are a natural fit-- highly synergystic. We could quickly become the leader in all sorts of advanced materials, from nanotech to imaging to energy and environmental services. Because of the comprehensive branch system, we could positively impact education throughout NEO, down to the pre-school level. And this would be a massive economic development engine, a real asset in retaining current businesses, attracting others, and incubating new ones. It's about scaling to reframe the competitive set, really, in all aspects of the U. As much progress as UA has made and as proud as I am of that momentum, I feel like getting to that next level will be very difficult for UA alone (unless a group of alums emerge that have the ability to invest several hundred million dollars). I know Dr. P would be up for this type of scenario-- but my hunch is that the bedwetters at Can't would fight it, as would anyone in Ohio State's pocket-- they last thing they want is any challenge to their hegemony in the state. I was really disappointed that it never got serious consideration in Fingerhut's plan-- he defaulted to this "4 Corner" plan regarding Can't that makes absolutely no sense in terms of shuffling the higher education deck. The idea of a CSU-UA combo is equally stupid and would be ruinuous for the Akron area (it was clear he had no idea what was happening at UA and was astonished when he really took a look). The plan basically says "we have a serious problem in NEO with too many Universities with overlapping mandates competing for too few resources" but then does nothing about it. I'd encourage everyone to take a look at the plan-- it really doesn't project a good scenario for UA in the long term so I think we should start agitating for something better. It would be great to have a community led group emerge that pushes for consideration of this-- the solution shouldn't come from Cowlumbus, it should come from Akron and NEO.

[ZachTheZip]

The only way that Akron and Can't merge is if one school greatly surpasses the other in a large majority of areas. A much larger campus population, dominance in shared academic fields, huge differences in the amount of money raised, and a clear public perception of superiority. Right now that isn't the case, although UA is making strides at a much faster pace than Can't is. I can see it happening in a decade or two if UA continues to grow at it's current pace.The thing is, you can't have two main campuses. There has to be a clearly dominant campus or else you get confusion and division that will tear the university apart.

[KSUflash07]

The idea of Akron and Can't merging has been around for a long time. Unfortunately, it isn't going to happen. No way will Ohio's government allow for any school to become larger or more powerful than OSU. As far as the main campus argument, which is moot because it will never happen, two main campuses isn't uncommon. Look at Rutgers for example, they have two distinct large campuses located within 10 minutes of eachother, its all considered "main campus" but have different designations like "south campus" and "north campus". It could be done.I wouldn't be a good Can't fan if I didn't say that Can't State is the dominant school building a bunch of buildings alone doesn't make you better. But I do recognize that Akron has done a lot for their image and I think it's great. Good luck this year in football, except when you play us and I hope you guys will enjoy our improvements to our stadium including our high-def video score board and new entrances/seating. I can't wait to see Akron's new stadium soon.

[LosAngelesZipFan]

Yes, there are lots of examples of dual-campus systems-- you just designate one that is primarily for one set of functions (such as the Can't campus for underclassman and liberal arts) and one for something else (Akron for upperclass, graduate, science and research). It is also true that this is the one possible scenario where Ohio State would have a real in-state rival-- which means that they would fight it tooth and nail. If the state had its act together it would have major research institutions aligned against the 3 major population centers (Cincy, Columbus, NEO-- which uniquely has both Cleveland and Akron metro areas but Cleveland has a major private research school in Case so it's covered).I usually believe that competition is a good thing-- but the reality is that neither Akron not Can't can really scale to the next level, in part because of the competition between them. Together-- even loosely confederated at first-- they could really achieve a step change for NEO, which desperately needs this kind of news.

[Blue & Gold]

The idea of Akron and Can't merging has been around for a long time. Unfortunately, it isn't going to happen. No way will Ohio's government allow for any school to become larger or more powerful than OSU. As far as the main campus argument, which is moot because it will never happen, two main campuses isn't uncommon. Look at Rutgers for example, they have two distinct large campuses located within 10 minutes of eachother, its all considered "main campus" but have different designations like "south campus" and "north campus". It could be done.I wouldn't be a good Can't fan if I didn't say that Can't State is the dominant school building a bunch of buildings alone doesn't make you better. But I do recognize that Akron has done a lot for their image and I think it's great. Good luck this year in football, except when you play us and I hope you guys will enjoy our improvements to our stadium including our high-def video score board and new entrances/seating. I can't wait to see Akron's new stadium soon.

Thanks Honestly, I'm hoping both Can't State and Akron amp up our football programs to the level of our basketball programs! If we could both do that, wow, could you imagine the intensity of those football games?! That would be one sick, sick rivalry!!! And that's what makes it all so much fun!