Let's go...

Article goes straight at JMU's huge 1-AA budget = big spend with little branding return. The article uses the C word, cut.

Couple of things- the cap is lower for FBS schools- 55% compared to 70% but it is assumes based on the Carr report projections that this could be covered by the increased revenue (tv, etc.) of going FBS. Either way JMU will have to tighten some things up whether they stay FCS or go FBS (bill still needs to be approved and they would have 5 years to comply once it is).

The no censorship cyber hacktivist group Anonymous is looking into the convo video disappearance yesterday. If it happens again, the entire JMU.edu domain may be taken down courtesy of a JMU Computer Science education.

purple - buddy take a chill pill and a deep breath. it's gonna be alright.

(01-29-2015 07:29 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  Couple of things- the cap is lower for FBS schools- 55% compared to 70% but it is assumes based on the Carr report projections that this could be covered by the increased revenue (tv, etc.) of going FBS. Either way JMU will have to tighten some things up whether they stay FCS or go FBS (bill still needs to be approved and they would have 5 years to comply once it is).

Yes, and no. Compliance is required immediately but if JMU fails to comply immediately the punishment is the creation of a 5 year action plan. The action plan would be reviewed annually, buy an auditor, to make sure that JMU is keeping pace with the required steps of the action plan. Failure to meet any one year goal would result in reduced autonomy and any two failures over consecutive years will result in complete loss of autonomy. There is no guaranteed 5 year period of compliance for JMU. JMU could have up to 5 years to comply if they meet their annual requirements as set out in the action plan. JMU could also fail the first 2 years of the action plan and be in big trouble.

(01-29-2015 08:53 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  purple - buddy take a chill pill and a deep breath. it's gonna be alright.

I get you Deez, I get where you are coming from, "it's all good." This is one approach. Everything is all good.

However, if I took that approach in my career, I'd be in MPLS humping audit bags for starting wage plus 5% annual merit increases. It's damn cold in MPLS. That could be "all good" too but I am much happier with "it's better" moving towards "best I can."

I fear an "all good" attitude will brand JMU as the cute little brother of UVa and VT that has moved back home telling mom and dad, "some day I'll move out, in the meantime, a waiter at Ruby Tues is all good."

It's all about Branding to me. We need to deemphasize sports and go full tilt academics or push all our chips. Remaining in the CAA at $36M a year is not "all good" IMO.

(01-29-2015 10:02 AM)Purplehazed Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 08:53 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  purple - buddy take a chill pill and a deep breath. it's gonna be alright.

I get you Deez, I get where you are coming from, "it's all good." This is one approach. Everything is all good.

However, if I took that approach in my career, I'd be in MPLS humping audit bags for starting wage plus 5% annual merit increases. It's damn cold in MPLS. That could be "all good" too but I am much happier with "it's better" moving towards "best I can."

I fear an "all good" attitude will brand JMU as the cute little brother of UVa and VT that has moved back home telling mom and dad, "some day I'll move out, in the meantime, a waiter at Ruby Tues is all good."

It's all about Branding to me. We need to deemphasize sports and go full tilt academics or push all our chips. Remaining in the CAA at $36M a year is not "all good" IMO.

Bingo.

(01-29-2015 10:02 AM)Purplehazed Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 08:53 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  purple - buddy take a chill pill and a deep breath. it's gonna be alright.

I get you Deez, I get where you are coming from, "it's all good." This is one approach. Everything is all good.

However, if I took that approach in my career, I'd be in MPLS humping audit bags for starting wage plus 5% annual merit increases. It's damn cold in MPLS. That could be "all good" too but I am much happier with "it's better" moving towards "best I can."

I fear an "all good" attitude will brand JMU as the cute little brother of UVa and VT that has moved back home telling mom and dad, "some day I'll move out, in the meantime, a waiter at Ruby Tues is all good."

It's all about Branding to me. We need to deemphasize sports and go full tilt academics or push all our chips. Remaining in the CAA at $36M a year is not "all good" IMO.

$43M

Simple solution: more alumni donations easily solves the problem.

(01-29-2015 10:29 AM)Phlegmish Wrote:  Simple solution: more alumni donations easily solves the problem.

yeah but WTF are we donating to?

(01-29-2015 10:29 AM)Phlegmish Wrote:  Simple solution: more alumni donations easily solves the problem.

I am willing to bet that if you post here, you are one of the 7% who donates, and probably in the top 20% at that.

An ongoing problem with JMU is that they simply FAIL to contact/reach out to the remaining 93%. If you got 1 out of 10 in that group to give, our giving numbers would more than double.

But hey, it's easy to point fingers rather than fix the real issue. Our development department is broken (or maybe, it has never worked).

To summarize to those that might not have the DNR, a JMU graduate, Cox, has sponsored this legislation. The impact of capping fees at 70% for 1-AA schools is roughly $3M a year, but JMU would have five years to comply. 78% of revenues roughly currently come from student fees. At the 55% cap and the current budget, however, that equates to roughly $9M a year, right? An expert on VA government weighed in that this legislation is likely to pass and be signed by the governor. Didn't sound like Charlie King was too cooperative in answering any questions. If this passes, it might make it pretty difficult to move to 1-A without identifying other revenue sources to bridge the gap. As an aside, you also have to wonder if something like this helps the cause of Matt Brady if the Dukes can finish the season strongly.

(01-29-2015 10:34 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 10:29 AM)Phlegmish Wrote:  Simple solution: more alumni donations easily solves the problem.

I am willing to bet that if you post here, you are one of the 7% who donates, and probably in the top 20% at that.

An ongoing problem with JMU is that they simply FAIL to contact/reach out to the remaining 93%. If you got 1 out of 10 in that group to give, our giving numbers would more than double.

But hey, it's easy to point fingers rather than fix the real issue. Our development department is broken (or maybe, it has never worked).

There is the other side of the coin that if JMU went after that other 93%, what would they be selling them on? "Help us raise more money to support an athletic program with a budget larger than most G5 FBS schools while we continue to go head to head with Stony Brook in football and Elon in basketball?

It's kind of a chicken and the egg...we have no vision because we don't have the support we need. We have no support because we don't have the vision we need. And round and round we go...

We are not going FBS, folks. It’s very clear from Selig’s recent comments that CUSA is not going to be taking us. MAC will not expand. We spat in the face of the Sun Belt.

So we market JMU football as being FCS, and proudly FCS, because our overall program is all about balanced excellence in all sports – women’s and men’s -- marquee sports like football and basketball but also others such as softball and field hockey. We say that our goal is to have the best FCS football program in the country and that upon construction of a new convo to have the very best facilities in Virginia for all sports. That balance, we’ll say, allows us to place the emphasis were it belongs – academics – while still giving students the atmosphere and excitement of Division I athletics.

I’ve wanted FBS, but the above vision is fine with me. And even if it’s not, that’s where we are.

(01-29-2015 10:34 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 10:29 AM)Phlegmish Wrote:  Simple solution: more alumni donations easily solves the problem.

I am willing to bet that if you post here, you are one of the 7% who donates, and probably in the top 20% at that.

An ongoing problem with JMU is that they simply FAIL to contact/reach out to the remaining 93%. If you got 1 out of 10 in that group to give, our giving numbers would more than double.

But hey, it's easy to point fingers rather than fix the real issue. Our development department is broken (or maybe, it has never worked).

You hit the nail on the head there.....if donations are lacking from a % of alumni as well as Total $$$$ look no further than the Development Department. Those men and women need to get their feet held to the fire a bit. WTF are they doing if anything to increase alumni giving. Work on getting the % up and that in turn will get the dollar value to rise exponentially over time. But you really need to set the hooks in right after graduation not wait 10 years later and then try to get them back.

(01-29-2015 11:13 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 10:34 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 10:29 AM)Phlegmish Wrote:  Simple solution: more alumni donations easily solves the problem.

I am willing to bet that if you post here, you are one of the 7% who donates, and probably in the top 20% at that.

An ongoing problem with JMU is that they simply FAIL to contact/reach out to the remaining 93%. If you got 1 out of 10 in that group to give, our giving numbers would more than double.

But hey, it's easy to point fingers rather than fix the real issue. Our development department is broken (or maybe, it has never worked).

You hit the nail on the head there.....if donations are lacking from a % of alumni as well as Total $$$$ look no further than the Development Department. Those men and women need to get their feet held to the fire a bit. WTF are they doing if anything to increase alumni giving. Work on getting the % up and that in turn will get the dollar value to rise exponentially over time. But you really need to set the hooks in right after graduation not wait 10 years later and then try to get them back.

Head of large gifts is Yeager's son

(01-29-2015 11:17 AM)jmusuperfan Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 11:13 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 10:34 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 10:29 AM)Phlegmish Wrote:  Simple solution: more alumni donations easily solves the problem.

I am willing to bet that if you post here, you are one of the 7% who donates, and probably in the top 20% at that.

An ongoing problem with JMU is that they simply FAIL to contact/reach out to the remaining 93%. If you got 1 out of 10 in that group to give, our giving numbers would more than double.

But hey, it's easy to point fingers rather than fix the real issue. Our development department is broken (or maybe, it has never worked).

You hit the nail on the head there.....if donations are lacking from a % of alumni as well as Total $$$$ look no further than the Development Department. Those men and women need to get their feet held to the fire a bit. WTF are they doing if anything to increase alumni giving. Work on getting the % up and that in turn will get the dollar value to rise exponentially over time. But you really need to set the hooks in right after graduation not wait 10 years later and then try to get them back.

Head of large gifts is Yeager's son

Hmmm.....that just seems like a conflict of interest to me or at the very least kind of odd.

4 out of 5 students* complain that they'll never donate a dime to JMU because they can't get past themselves and see the bigger picture (sounds like some posters on here that we know). "I paid 250 whatever dollars for a parking pass and there's no parking on campus! They'll never get any money from me! I already paid a billion dollars to them for my tuition!" Changing some of that culture would be a good start.



*not an actual statistic i can back up

(01-29-2015 11:13 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 10:34 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  

(01-29-2015 10:29 AM)Phlegmish Wrote:  Simple solution: more alumni donations easily solves the problem.

I am willing to bet that if you post here, you are one of the 7% who donates, and probably in the top 20% at that.

An ongoing problem with JMU is that they simply FAIL to contact/reach out to the remaining 93%. If you got 1 out of 10 in that group to give, our giving numbers would more than double.

But hey, it's easy to point fingers rather than fix the real issue. Our development department is broken (or maybe, it has never worked).

You hit the nail on the head there.....if donations are lacking from a % of alumni as well as Total $$$$ look no further than the Development Department. Those men and women need to get their feet held to the fire a bit. WTF are they doing if anything to increase alumni giving. Work on getting the % up and that in turn will get the dollar value to rise exponentially over time. But you really need to set the hooks in right after graduation not wait 10 years later and then try to get them back.

So we end up back at accountability.

If you're not succeeding in your job as defined by measurable metrics, what is the typical outcome?

I don't want to hear the excuse that JMU doesn't admit/graduate giving people. In my experience, JMU alums are some of the friendliest, most caring, passionate, and giving people that I know.

We keep talking about changing that giving %. In my opinion, start at the source and work from there.

(01-29-2015 11:20 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  4 out of 5 students* complain that they'll never donate a dime to JMU because they can't get past themselves and see the bigger picture (sounds like some posters on here that we know). "I paid 250 whatever dollars for a parking pass and there's no parking on campus! They'll never get any money from me! I already paid a billion dollars to them for my tuition!" Changing some of that culture would be a good start.



*not an actual statistic i can back up

It may be just me, but I have NEVER heard those lines among my classmates and friends.

The typical refrain is "I haven't heard from JMU since I left".

Now, that is 1/2 their fault as well, but not many people reach out to give their hard earned dollars. It is JMU's job to solicit support from their grads, not simply expect it.