CSNbbs

Good grief, they've already have a nicer setup than what we've got. UNC's BOT probably doesn't have a lot of jerks on it though.

According to that article, Charlotte expects to have 30,000 enrollment by 2020. This past season was Bama's first at that level. When is UAB projected to have 30,000? As an urban university in this modern age, UAB should be thinking 30,000 (or more) by 2020 as well.

(08-11-2013 08:29 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]Good grief, they've already have a nicer setup than what we've got. UNC's BOT probably doesn't have a lot of jerks on it though.

It's been almost 20 years since UAB announced they were going 1-A (FBS). I don't think a football-specific anything has been built in that time. We have some grass fields with lights and a fence around it. What else?

(08-11-2013 11:39 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]According to that article, Charlotte expects to have 30,000 enrollment by 2020. This past season was Bama's first at that level. When is UAB projected to have 30,000? As an urban university in this modern age, UAB should be thinking 30,000 (or more) by 2020 as well.

By 2020, 30,000 people in the entire country might not be able to afford to attend college.

Or no one will need to go to college because the government will provide everything that is needed.

Too many people are going to college to begin with.

The commercialization of higher education has effectively watered down the workforce by allowing people to go into debt to get a degree to compete for what was once considered non-degree entry level jobs.

College isn't for everyone, but you wouldn't know that from all the outside pressures coming from schools who get their funding based on whether or not their students end up going to college, etc.

Sometime junior college or a trade school are good enough, depending on what you want to go into.

A lot of times I wish I had the skills of a tradesman.

(08-12-2013 09:19 AM)demiveeman Wrote: [ -> ]Too many people are going to college to begin with.

The commercialization of higher education has effectively watered down the workforce by allowing people to go into debt to get a degree to compete for what was once considered non-degree entry level jobs.

College isn't for everyone, but you wouldn't know that from all the outside pressures coming from schools who get their funding based on whether or not their students end up going to college, etc.

"College isn't for everyone" is true. Marriage, parenting, cooking or driving a car are not "for everyone", but the cultural pressure is great to do them all - even if done poorly.

The problem is that such judgements are only ascertained in retrospect after years of trial and error. How do you go about making such life decisions - IN ADVANCE - for all elementary grade students today. The European system was to give a test to all 8th grade age students and according to their scores, place them in a "college track" school or a "tech (trade) school track". American school systems have never been very comfortable with that system. Many school districts don't even have more than one or two vocational schools if any at all.(We have an Alabama School of Fine Arts (which has added math & science courses), but do we have an Alabama School of Vocational Specialties"?)

But if I don't go to college and try to compete with those that do in the non degree necessary jobs ill lose out.

Jefferson County School Board has Shades Valley Tech Academy (formerly Dabbs Vocational School). They teach art, photography, welding, auto mechanics, and some special education. When I was in school they also offered masonry, HVAC, and plumbing (I am guessing they still do).

In those days, the vocational students would only be at SVHS to take certain classes then hop a shuttle bus over to Dabbs. I had a friend that took that route; he started in the masonry program there. Now he makes 3 or 4 times what I do as a contractor with a vocational school diploma. He told me going to Dabbs was the smartest move he ever made; a university education just was not his thing and he knew it by the time he was a freshman in high school.

(08-11-2013 11:39 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]According to that article, Charlotte expects to have 30,000 enrollment by 2020. This past season was Bama's first at that level. When is UAB projected to have 30,000? As an urban university in this modern age, UAB should be thinking 30,000 (or more) by 2020 as well.

Charlotte would only need a ten percent increase in their student body. Just looking at their website UNCC is still a close to an open admission, and still has a substantial late in life admission targets and very little research activity

UAB would need to increase by two to three times our current student body. The charlotte Student profile - urban marketing strategy is what UAB is trying to leave behind.

Yes we want to increase our student body but by attracting high academic out of state students but this strategy which will take longer. We hope to one day have an undergraduate side that our medical school can be proud of. (sorry on the paraphrase of UAT statement)

(08-11-2013 08:29 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]Good grief, they've already have a nicer setup than what we've got. UNC's BOT probably doesn't have a lot of jerks on it though.

From the feedback I've gotten from the last several months from the Charlotte fans, not at all, in fact, they were more than amicable, they laid out the challenge, raise this much $$$$ in a certain amount of time, and we'll do the rest. Well, fans, students and supporters alike came together and raised more $$$$ than was required, and their Board Of Regents kept their word and pitched in the rest (see Charlotte Football Initiative, this was the catalyst that got everything set in motion to where they are now, would be the perfect plan for Birmingham to go by if we had the same resolve to succeed and a fair and balanced board of trustees, jury's out on one and there's no doubt about the lack of equitability in the other)...Charlotte is graced with people of compassion, vision, civic spirit and mutual achievement, & damn it, they get things done there!

(08-12-2013 08:00 AM)the_blazerman Wrote: [ -> ]Or no one will need to go to college because the government will provide everything that is needed.

...stupid.

More likely that noone will be able to afford college and there will be no jobs for graduates anyway because corporate greed will have rendered the American Dream a quaint memory of the past.

(08-12-2013 09:25 PM)uabbean Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-11-2013 11:39 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]According to that article, Charlotte expects to have 30,000 enrollment by 2020. This past season was Bama's first at that level. When is UAB projected to have 30,000? As an urban university in this modern age, UAB should be thinking 30,000 (or more) by 2020 as well.

Charlotte would only need a ten percent increase in their student body. Just looking at their website UNCC is still a close to an open admission, and still has a substantial late in life admission targets and very little research activity

UAB would need to increase by two to three times our current student body. The charlotte Student profile - urban marketing strategy is what UAB is trying to leave behind.

Yes we want to increase our student body but by attracting high academic out of state students but this strategy which will take longer. We hope to one day have an undergraduate side that our medical school can be proud of. (sorry on the paraphrase of UAT statement)

Yes, there are many factors involved in growing the UAB student body, but I hope one is not an effort to replicate a rural university setting like that found in T-town or Opelika, AL. Those schools are right for those cities (<65,000) and UAB must be right for its own metro area (>1,000,000).

It is true that with the nation's largest cuts in per pupil funding for the SETF since 2008, UAB will have to think "outside the (state) box" more in the rest of this decade just like all the other state schools, but "snob appeal" is not what UAB needs to depend upon. How closely it can come to "open (no standards at all) enrollment" instead of top 30% of high school GPA is to be decided by the administration.

Because of its limited classroom and dorms capacity, UAB can use this explanation to conveniently cover its need to limit enrollment. How small does its leadership (including that system BOT) want the school to remain in the next few decades? I think Dr Volker had it right back in the 60s and 70s when he foresaw a major national university growing beside the nationally ranked medical center (more like "twin towers" than a tower and its basement).

A university does NOT have to choose between being a great national university and being a school for only the elite and privileged like has largely been the case up to now (and many want to keep it that way today) for the rural dominated schools.

(08-12-2013 10:04 AM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-12-2013 09:19 AM)demiveeman Wrote: [ -> ]Too many people are going to college to begin with.

The commercialization of higher education has effectively watered down the workforce by allowing people to go into debt to get a degree to compete for what was once considered non-degree entry level jobs.

College isn't for everyone, but you wouldn't know that from all the outside pressures coming from schools who get their funding based on whether or not their students end up going to college, etc.

"College isn't for everyone" is true. Marriage, parenting, cooking or driving a car are not "for everyone", but the cultural pressure is great to do them all - even if done poorly.

The problem is that such judgements are only ascertained in retrospect after years of trial and error. How do you go about making such life decisions - IN ADVANCE - for all elementary grade students today. The European system was to give a test to all 8th grade age students and according to their scores, place them in a "college track" school or a "tech (trade) school track". American school systems have never been very comfortable with that system. Many school districts don't even have more than one or two vocational schools if any at all.(We have an Alabama School of Fine Arts (which has added math & science courses), but do we have an Alabama School of Vocational Specialties"?)

Most every county in North Alabama has a Technical/Vocational School where a lot of blue collar guys learn a trade while still in High School.

(08-14-2013 02:27 PM)BlazerPhil Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-12-2013 10:04 AM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-12-2013 09:19 AM)demiveeman Wrote: [ -> ]Too many people are going to college to begin with.

The commercialization of higher education has effectively watered down the workforce by allowing people to go into debt to get a degree to compete for what was once considered non-degree entry level jobs.

College isn't for everyone, but you wouldn't know that from all the outside pressures coming from schools who get their funding based on whether or not their students end up going to college, etc.

"College isn't for everyone" is true. Marriage, parenting, cooking or driving a car are not "for everyone", but the cultural pressure is great to do them all - even if done poorly.

The problem is that such judgements are only ascertained in retrospect after years of trial and error. How do you go about making such life decisions - IN ADVANCE - for all elementary grade students today. The European system was to give a test to all 8th grade age students and according to their scores, place them in a "college track" school or a "tech (trade) school track". American school systems have never been very comfortable with that system. Many school districts don't even have more than one or two vocational schools if any at all.(We have an Alabama School of Fine Arts (which has added math & science courses), but do we have an Alabama School of Vocational Specialties"?)

Most every county in North Alabama has a Technical/Vocational School where a lot of blue collar guys learn a trade while still in High School.

The point of my comparison is that there SHOULD be a STATE system of vocational secondary schools like the (state) School of Fine Arts in B'ham. Our state's ability to provide adequately trained skilled workers should not be left to the financial capability (or willingness) of 133 school districts to provide for this valuable human resource as it is now. Because of demands for higher levels of technical know-how in this "digital age", many who could be successful "white collar" students would also be successful "blue collar' workers as well. Accident of place of birth should be minimalized as a factor in this widely accepted need for the state to prosper.

(08-11-2013 08:29 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote: [ -> ]Good grief, they've already have a nicer setup than what we've got. UNC's BOT probably doesn't have a lot of jerks on it though.

we have our own BoT. All schools in NC do. We don't answer to anyone but ourselves. The only thing we had to ask the system for was permission for a construction loan for the stadium, but we already had a payment plan in place for that so that was no problem.

Politics are definitely at play in NC too, but our system is not the same as the University of Alabama system. Each school is largely in control of their own activities.

(08-12-2013 04:21 PM)Doktyr X Wrote: [ -> ]Jefferson County School Board has Shades Valley Tech Academy (formerly Dabbs Vocational School). They teach art, photography, welding, auto mechanics, and some special education. When I was in school they also offered masonry, HVAC, and plumbing (I am guessing they still do).

In those days, the vocational students would only be at SVHS to take certain classes then hop a shuttle bus over to Dabbs. I had a friend that took that route; he started in the masonry program there. Now he makes 3 or 4 times what I do as a contractor with a vocational school diploma. He told me going to Dabbs was the smartest move he ever made; a university education just was not his thing and he knew it by the time he was a freshman in high school.

I am a proud graduate of Dabbs. It launched my career.

(08-17-2013 01:24 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-12-2013 04:21 PM)Doktyr X Wrote: [ -> ]Jefferson County School Board has Shades Valley Tech Academy (formerly Dabbs Vocational School). They teach art, photography, welding, auto mechanics, and some special education. When I was in school they also offered masonry, HVAC, and plumbing (I am guessing they still do).

In those days, the vocational students would only be at SVHS to take certain classes then hop a shuttle bus over to Dabbs. I had a friend that took that route; he started in the masonry program there. Now he makes 3 or 4 times what I do as a contractor with a vocational school diploma. He told me going to Dabbs was the smartest move he ever made; a university education just was not his thing and he knew it by the time he was a freshman in high school.

I am a proud graduate of Dabbs. It launched my career.

These testimonials show the great potential that having a system of state vocational high schools like Dabbs could mean for the state's future development of all its children. Like the ASFA, they should be residential so that they serve all children regardless of their residence - as does ASFA which maintains dorm space in its top floors.

B'ham has / had several vocational programs at Jones Valley, Glenn and Phillips High Schools. How many of these still exist today and where, I don't know. B'ham City schools administer the ASFA, but it is a state, not city, school (much like BC/BS administers PEEHIP, but K-12 teachers don't HAVE BC/BS insurance).

My own former son-in-law had similar construction training in Tallapoosa County (Lincoln HS) and was making a 6 figure income before he was 30. He had competed in several area, state and regional vocational competitions and won some of them. (He is the father of 2 of my granddaughters, one who is starting her teaching career in IN this fall, and one who is starting IN Weslyan University in Dec.)