Quote:While in Athens, Gee enjoyed visiting campus to meet with leaders of the educational and business spheres in Athens. “It’s a beautiful campus. This is one of the real treasures in this country,” he said. “I like the campus but I also like the fact that there’s a wonderful little town. It’s a great little college town and I like that feel of the community and the town being together.”

http://www.ohio.edu/compass/stories/13-1...e-2014.cfm

I've said before that Ohio's campus is a state treasure as the school is loaded with historical markers but not even I considered it a national treasure.

A few of the historical sites in and around town:



[/quote]

I'm sure Athens is great place and Ohio is a great school, but Gordon Gee is one of the least credible people around. Touting anything he has to say won't score you many points.

(04-07-2014 02:17 AM)prp Wrote:  I'm sure Athens is great place and Ohio is a great school, but Gordon Gee is one of the least credible people around. Touting anything he has to say won't score you many points.

I know he's a strange guy but I thought it was a nice segway to an Ohio thread.

The metal band Skeletonwitch is from Athens, OH. Not really my cup of tea because I dont like the vocals but if you know about the current extreme metal scene then you know them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeletonwitch

I've never spent much time in Ohio. But I had always heard that, among MAC campuses, that Miami of Ohio was the prettiest.

The Cradle of Coaches.

(04-07-2014 06:51 AM)TerryD Wrote:  The Cradle of Coaches.

TerryD you where speaking about Miami of Ohio and not Ohio University when you said "the Cradle of Coaches" right?

(04-07-2014 07:13 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(04-07-2014 06:51 AM)TerryD Wrote:  The Cradle of Coaches.

TerryD you where speaking about Miami of Ohio and not Ohio University when you said "the Cradle of Coaches" right?

Lol, yes. Let me wake up and have this first cup of coffee.

I concur with Gee. Schools like Ohio and Miami University are wonderful midwestern college towns surrounded by beautiful landscapes.

good god can we get a "pimp my school" forum???????

I hear DeKalb, IL is beautiful this time of year.

Anyway, I've heard Athens is nice but haven't been there. Too bad Gee and his ilk would like to run Ohio U and the rest of the MAC, among others, out of Division I.

It looks like UNA, University or North Alabama.

I have earned three degrees and I am proud to count Ohio as one of my alma maters. I haven't been back to Athens in a VERY long time but I keep meaning to do so.

Athens is a SPECTACULAR little college town. It is truly in the middle of nowhere in Southeastern Ohio but it is a true jewel. I suspect that it's remote location is why it has remained such a well kept secret but if you ever do find yourself in Southern Ohio for any reason, it's hard to pass up a trip to Athens.

As someone who has traveled all over the country to many different college campuses, I can tell you that without question Athens holds its own with just about any of them. The only thing it's really missing is big time college football. That's a pretty big drawback for a campus that is otherwise just about perfect.

As for Ohio and Miami, my best friend from HS went there (even though we are both from PA) and I would agree that they are the two nicest campuses in the MAC.

On sheer beauty, Oxford, OH may be nicer than Athens. That is one pretty campus at Miami University. However, the vibes of each are quite different. Miami is very preppy and a little uptight feeling whereas Athens has a little hippy to it - or at least it did when I was there. It is a much more relaxed and less buttoned up atmosphere than its Western counterpart and I always cherished that about Athens.

I also have always loved how the Ohio campus hugs and basically incorporates Court Street into the larger campus. That is VERY cool and fairly unique.

Another MAC campus that is really pretty is the one at Kent State. That too is a very nice place to go to school and it too has a very relaxed feel. I like Kent State a lot actually.

The other MAC campus that is WAAAAY nicer now than it was when I was in school is Akron. Back when I was at OU, we went to Akron a few times and it was basically a complete ghetto. I remember wondering to myself why anyone would choose to go to school there? I had the same questions about Toledo and Bowling Green.

However, a family friend has a son playing baseball for the Zips and we went up there last spring to watch him play. I was amazed at how far they've come at Akron. They have GREATLY improved that campus and it is now has a legitimate urban campus feel that's pretty cool and very different than it's nearest neighbor, Kent State - even though the two schools are only like 20 minutes apart.

As for the rest of the MAC, I don't want to offend anyone but I have been to all of the Michigan directionals, Ball State and even Buffalo and none of them did a thing for me. Buffalo had the best of that group but its campus was split in two and they were not close to each other. Their football stadium was WAAAAAAY too large for their needs and a very far distance from the campus we were visiting. I would not go back to UB or any of the others.

My other favorite campuses include:
1. Pepperdine - EASILY the best campus I have ever set foot on.
2. Washington - What a cool campus/city. Spectacular.
3. Vanderbilt - Another cool campus and city. I love the way they interface with each other.
4. West Point - If you ever have the opportunity to go to Michie Stadium in the fall when the leaves are changing color, do whatever it takes to go. It is unbelievable.
5. Notre Dame - Just a classic college campus that gets better every time I set foot on it.
6. Michigan - I just really like the urban feel to it AA has.
7. Virginia - Bucolic and very impressive.
8. North Carolina - Another beautiful campus and Franklin Street is spectacular.
9. Annapolis - Like West Point, the USNA is just super impressive on every level.
10. Harvard - Another super cool urban campus. Very different than what I was expecting going in - much more urban and rugged - but super cool.

I could give you all a top 50 list as I have been to hundreds of campuses over the years but I'll leave it at that for now. I'll just add that my wife went to Penn State and it too is close to cracking the top 10 as it is a stunning campus. Also, Virginia Tech has a beautiful campus and it too would garner consideration.

I have spent a lot of time on Ohio State's campus over the years and it's okay. It's nothing special but it's not bad. UConn is the same way. It is VERY small feeling and that surprised me. It's not bad but it's much smaller than I had imagined. I just remember walking around it wondering to myself how in the hell they are able to convince all of those high level inner city black kids to go to school there? If you don't have respect for what Jim Calhoun built there and what Kevin Ollie has apparently maintained, take a visit up to tiny, isolated Storrs, CT sometime and your perspective will change very quickly. What they've managed to build there is incredible. Also, after taking a trip to UConn, I no longer have any questions as to why they built their football stadium a half hour away in East Hartford (which is a dump, BTW). That is a MUCH better solution than trying to build an on campus stadium in the middle of nowhere and which lacks the infrastructure to get people in and out of in a timely fashion. I think the Huskies building their stadium where they did was a stroke of genius.

BC too is very small but BC's campus is much nicer than UConn's, IMHO. Still, BC's campus feels like a monastery grounds or something. Also, to get to their football stadium and basketball arena - which are ATTACHED - you have to walk down about 10,000 steps. That was really weird but also kinda cool in its own way. That said, I must also say that walking back up those steps afterwards was not cool at all!

colorado, alabama & vandy are the 3 best campuses IMO

I can't speak to that as of those three, I have only been to Vanderbilt. I would agree that Vandy does have a VERY nice campus and I'm told that Boulder and Tuscaloosa are also both nice places but I've never been to either so I can't say.

The campus/town that everyone raves about is Texas. I'm looking forward to spending some time in Austin one of these years. I have been to SMU and I liked it a lot but it was very small.

Also, in that general neck of the woods I have been to Arizona and Arizona State. I really liked that bar area in Tempe by ASU that was really nice. Also, the talent at ASU was as impressive as hell. However, between the two, if I had to choose, I think Arizona has a nicer campus of the two. Also, Tucson is a lot larger than I had guessed it would be and that was a pleasant surprise.

I also visited New Mexico and liked it but we were there for about 15 minutes so I didn't have a great amount of time to really drink it in. Albuquerque was a nice town though and I'd like to go back some day.

LSU has a beautiful campus, when it's clean, which is two times a year.

Ol' Gordon is still a flamer. And Ohio is still flat.

(04-07-2014 10:44 AM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I have earned three degrees and I am proud to count Ohio as one of my alma maters. I haven't been back to Athens in a VERY long time but I keep meaning to do so.

Athens is a SPECTACULAR little college town. It is truly in the middle of nowhere in Southeastern Ohio but it is a true jewel. I suspect that it's remote location is why it has remained such a well kept secret but if you ever do find yourself in Southern Ohio for any reason, it's hard to pass up a trip to Athens.

As someone who has traveled all over the country to many different college campuses, I can tell you that without question Athens holds its own with just about any of them. The only thing it's really missing is big time college football. That's a pretty big drawback for a campus that is otherwise just about perfect.

As for Ohio and Miami, my best friend from HS went there (even though we are both from PA) and I would agree that they are the two nicest campuses in the MAC.

On sheer beauty, Oxford, OH may be nicer than Athens. That is one pretty campus at Miami University. However, the vibes of each are quite different. Miami is very preppy and a little uptight feeling whereas Athens has a little hippy to it - or at least it did when I was there. It is a much more relaxed and less buttoned up atmosphere than its Western counterpart and I always cherished that about Athens.

I also have always loved how the Ohio campus hugs and basically incorporates Court Street into the larger campus. That is VERY cool and fairly unique.

Another MAC campus that is really pretty is the one at Kent State. That too is a very nice place to go to school and it too has a very relaxed feel. I like Kent State a lot actually.

The other MAC campus that is WAAAAY nicer now than it was when I was in school is Akron. Back when I was at OU, we went to Akron a few times and it was basically a complete ghetto. I remember wondering to myself why anyone would choose to go to school there? I had the same questions about Toledo and Bowling Green.

However, a family friend has a son playing baseball for the Zips and we went up there last spring to watch him play. I was amazed at how far they've come at Akron. They have GREATLY improved that campus and it is now has a legitimate urban campus feel that's pretty cool and very different than it's nearest neighbor, Kent State - even though the two schools are only like 20 minutes apart.

As for the rest of the MAC, I don't want to offend anyone but I have been to all of the Michigan directionals, Ball State and even Buffalo and none of them did a thing for me. Buffalo had the best of that group but its campus was split in two and they were not close to each other. Their football stadium was WAAAAAAY too large for their needs and a very far distance from the campus we were visiting. I would not go back to UB or any of the others.

My other favorite campuses include:
1. Pepperdine - EASILY the best campus I have ever set foot on.
2. Washington - What a cool campus/city. Spectacular.
3. Vanderbilt - Another cool campus and city. I love the way they interface with each other.
4. West Point - If you ever have the opportunity to go to Michie Stadium in the fall when the leaves are changing color, do whatever it takes to go. It is unbelievable.
5. Notre Dame - Just a classic college campus that gets better every time I set foot on it.
6. Michigan - I just really like the urban feel to it AA has.
7. Virginia - Bucolic and very impressive.
8. North Carolina - Another beautiful campus and Franklin Street is spectacular.
9. Annapolis - Like West Point, the USNA is just super impressive on every level.
10. Harvard - Another super cool urban campus. Very different than what I was expecting going in - much more urban and rugged - but super cool.

I could give you all a top 50 list as I have been to hundreds of campuses over the years but I'll leave it at that for now. I'll just add that my wife went to Penn State and it too is close to cracking the top 10 as it is a stunning campus. Also, Virginia Tech has a beautiful campus and it too would garner consideration.

I have spent a lot of time on Ohio State's campus over the years and it's okay. It's nothing special but it's not bad. UConn is the same way. It is VERY small feeling and that surprised me. It's not bad but it's much smaller than I had imagined. I just remember walking around it wondering to myself how in the hell they are able to convince all of those high level inner city black kids to go to school there? If you don't have respect for what Jim Calhoun built there and what Kevin Ollie has apparently maintained, take a visit up to tiny, isolated Storrs, CT sometime and your perspective will change very quickly. What they've managed to build there is incredible. Also, after taking a trip to UConn, I no longer have any questions as to why they built their football stadium a half hour away in East Hartford (which is a dump, BTW). That is a MUCH better solution than trying to build an on campus stadium in the middle of nowhere and which lacks the infrastructure to get people in and out of in a timely fashion. I think the Huskies building their stadium where they did was a stroke of genius.

BC too is very small but BC's campus is much nicer than UConn's, IMHO. Still, BC's campus feels like a monastery grounds or something. Also, to get to their football stadium and basketball arena - which are ATTACHED - you have to walk down about 10,000 steps. That was really weird but also kinda cool in its own way. That said, I must also say that walking back up those steps afterwards was not cool at all!

Kind of like the old Cardiac Hill that I recall walking to Pitt Stadium and Forbes Field as a kid.

(04-07-2014 11:03 AM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I can't speak to that as of those three, I have only been to Vanderbilt. I would agree that Vandy does have a VERY nice campus and I'm told that Boulder and Tuscaloosa are also both nice places but I've never been to either so I can't say.

The campus/town that everyone raves about is Texas. I'm looking forward to spending some time in Austin one of these years. I have been to SMU and I liked it a lot but it was very small.

Also, in that general neck of the woods I have been to Arizona and Arizona State. I really liked that bar area in Tempe by ASU that was really nice. Also, the talent at ASU was as impressive as hell. However, between the two, if I had to choose, I think Arizona has a nicer campus of the two. Also, Tucson is a lot larger than I had guessed it would be and that was a pleasant surprise.

I also visited New Mexico and liked it but we were there for about 15 minutes so I didn't have a great amount of time to really drink it in. Albuquerque was a nice town though and I'd like to go back some day.

I have been to all of the highlighted places. I really liked Boulder. Austin is great too.

My wife is originally from Tucson (or as it is affectionately known by the locals---"Too Stoned") and I really like U of A's campus.

Arizona State's campus is nice too. The "scenery" is great there in Tempe as well.

I have been to Albuquerque (and Santa Fe) a bunch of times and like it. I have not been to New Mexico's campus, though.

There is not a person on this planet, alive or dead, who has done more to actively keep Ohio University (and the other FBS schools in Ohio) from ever having the opportunity to rise up through a rigged system of Haves and Have Nots that he helped engineer to protect his beloved Suckeyes. He can take his $60k bow tie collection and his condescending remarks about Athens and GTFO.