(04-22-2010 03:44 AM)RecoveringHillbilly Wrote: Total Enrollment:
UCF: 53,664 (Only 3,600 'distance-learning only)
Houston (System): 37,000 (With "Over 10,000" distance learning)
Public BCS Average: 30,900
Buffalo: 28,192 (<200 'distance-learning only')
ECU: 27,667 (18% are 'distance learning only')
Memphis: 21,424
UAB: 18,047
USM: 16,050
Mississippi: 15,220
Marshall: 13,584
Thanks for clearing that up. There's just one thing. We have 37,000 just for the flagship campus, not the system (which is actually 61,000+). We plan to be at 45,000 in six years.
As far as academics go, it should also be noted that Houston is a lot closer to "Tier I" than any other schools on the list. We're pretty much #3 (behind Texas and Texas A&M) for Texas public schools in just about every measure (yes, ahead of Texas Tech) except our freshmen class requirements. We're in the process of changing that now.
Regardless, the real reason why we're so close has to do with new state legislation. The Texas Legislature pretty much understood that both New York and California are much more competitive in education than we are, and we are losing many graduates to out of state schools. In Texas, the main difference between Texas and Texas A&M versus other state schools pretty much boils down to funding. The former schools have access to the Permanent University Fund (PUF), which is a fortune amassed from oil. All other state schools don't have access to this money, but Texas House Bill 51 was enacted this past legislative session which allowed for an amendment to the Texas Constitution to be introduced (Proposition 4). The amendment, which created the
National Research University Fund, will allow Houston to really become Tier I.
Check out where we stand for access to the NRUF:
I honestly have absolutely no idea why the University of Houston is considered a Tier 4 school by U.S. News & World Report. There's just not really a justification in terms of academics and research, and there are schools that are considered Tier one on that list that have lower endowments than us.
Sorry for the long-windedness, but it's important for all the right facts to be conveyed here.