UTEPDallas
Heisman
Posts: 6,007
Joined: Oct 2004
Reputation: 330
I Root For: UTEP/Penn State
Location: Dallas, TX
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RE: Cincinnati wants out of the American
(02-06-2014 09:52 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote: (02-06-2014 09:31 PM)Pony94 Wrote: (02-06-2014 09:28 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote: (02-06-2014 08:41 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote: (02-06-2014 07:33 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote: As a native Californian who grew up watching UCLA/Pac-10 sports, it would be a dream come true if UTEP is ever considered by the Pac-12. As much as I consider myself an optimistic person, I'm a realist as well and UTEP would never ever be considered by the Pac-12. The only hope UTEP has in ever being in a relevant conference is if the Big XII blows up and it needs to fill schools and even then it won't be guaranteed that UTEP would be even considered. At this point, it's either going to the MWC or help C-USA become stronger.
Now back to the topic.......
So Cincy fans, how do you feel about your new AD and chances of gong to the Big XII? Or is it ACC or bust for you guys?
UTEP would have to really step up their academic game, having a 99% acceptance rate, is not going to cut it, to get into the P12.
I don't want to derail the topic but the only thing I have to say is UTEP serves a different mission than most universities. It's the only accredited 4 year university in that part of the state (yes, NMSU is nearby but it's in a different state with a different mission).....the only other 4 year Texas university "nearby" is in Alpine (Sul Ross State) which is almost 3 hours away.
UTEP is becoming a Tier One university, it was selected by the Legislature for that purpose. Fundraising and research dollars are being increased for that reason alone. But it's main objective is to provide a quality education to a region that's growing and the poverty rate is high. Most UTEP students have either a part or full time job, are married and have families or are returning students that had to quit because of myriad of reasons (got married, went to the military, etc) so they're not the traditional students most universities target. UTEP will never be a Rice or Stanford or even a UCLA or Minnesota nor it pretends to be one because its mission it's different from those universities.
Now back to the topic.
I like UTEP for that fact and too often it goes unnoticed.
Yea, I understand, UH original mission was to educate the working class children of Houston, but it has changed, now it's become a Princeton review National Top Research University, acceptance rate is 60% now. Some people aren't happy about it, but things change. Hell, my own son couldn't get in, he had to go to Texas Tech. We had some good spirited football games when we played UTEP, all the best.
Houston and El Paso might be in the same state but they're two worlds apart. How many 4 year universities are within a 250 mile radius of Houston? I can think of University of Houston, Rice, Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston State, Texas State, Texas A&M-College Station, A&M-Galveston, A&M-Kingsville, A&M-Corpus Christi, Lamar, UT-Austin, UT-San Antonio, Incarnate Word, etc. How many 4 year universities where El Paso residents can pay in state tuition are located 250 miles within El Paso? One. Sul Russ State University in Alpine which is 220 miles away. Texas Tech is five hours away and UT-Permian Basin in Odessa is 4 hours away. Yes, there's NMSU, UNM, New Mexico Tech, Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico not too far away but except for NMSU (45 miles), you have to pay out of state tuition or live in NM for one year to qualify for residency. Comparing UH and UTEP's situations are apples to oranges.
The only way UTEP can become selective or even very selective is if suddenly the Texas A&M System or the Texas State University System decides to open a campus in El Paso. UTEP would send the rejected applicants to the new school and would encourage El Paso Community College students to transfer to the new school . But until that happens, UTEP's mission as the only four year university in a county of 850k people is to provide a quality and affordable education to its students. It is what it is.
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