(02-15-2019 01:03 AM)CarlSmithCenter Wrote:  Peers and Aspirants are the new Leaders and Legends.

Keeping up with peers and chasing the aspirants has really deteriorated what used to be whatever good or benefit there was working in higher education. It was like there was a migration, a long sunset of schools turning over long-time employees, and the new people in charge turned these places into insane asylums utterly fixated on institutional positioning.

For UConn, yeah, that whole "we should be like <peer or aspirant school>" is something that would be said in the big meetings. And its totality, which may include the athletics portfolio, may explain why they are in a mess of it. Being "D1" or "FB/CS" may be a small sliver of the greater peer/aspirant thing, but it's definitely part of the overall equation. From what floated out there over the years, it definitely mattered in places like Rutgers, who kept Penn State and Maryland in its sites for years, and the Big Ten (recalling the conversations in the 80's or 90's about whether to source out hosting football to the Meadowlands instead of keeping the OCS).

(02-18-2019 11:42 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(02-15-2019 01:03 AM)CarlSmithCenter Wrote:  Peers and Aspirants are the new Leaders and Legends.

Keeping up with peers and chasing the aspirants has really deteriorated what used to be whatever good or benefit there was working in higher education. It was like there was a migration, a long sunset of schools turning over long-time employees, and the new people in charge turned these places into insane asylums utterly fixated on institutional positioning.

It is inherent in academia to be "fixated on institutional positioning". UConn is utterly unremarkable in that regard, everyone is.

(02-18-2019 12:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 11:42 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(02-15-2019 01:03 AM)CarlSmithCenter Wrote:  Peers and Aspirants are the new Leaders and Legends.

Keeping up with peers and chasing the aspirants has really deteriorated what used to be whatever good or benefit there was working in higher education. It was like there was a migration, a long sunset of schools turning over long-time employees, and the new people in charge turned these places into insane asylums utterly fixated on institutional positioning.

It is inherent in academia to be "fixated on institutional positioning". UConn is utterly unremarkable in that regard, everyone is.

No, unremarkable because, correct, there is nothing new about this kind of comparator list or benchmarking. Yes, because of the shifts in enrollment profiles, access, funding (especially at the state level), operations consolidation and expansion, governmental regulations and research emphasis in what seems to be a very tight time-frame.

The world of higher education was very different at a place like UConn back in 1999/00 than it is today. I doubt such a shift was as significant in similar 15-20 year windows. For a sector known for being quite glacial when it comes to change, those pivot points are really huge given their proximity to one another. To add the swift-moving changes to FBS football operations as part of the overall operations? Yeah, sorry...I can understand how UConn is a bit behind on that one. I mean, really, you know where they are on a map, right?

UConn being perceived and regulated, by default, to being a "perennial bubble school" for a grander conference is really just a permanent state of limbo. It is the perils of frustrating aspirations.

https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-foo...story.html

(02-26-2019 12:27 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-foo...story.html

Pretty depressing story

I found this part of the story interesting, regarding the complexities of booking events at the Rent:

Quote:In a twisted way, Rentschler’s overreliance on UConn actually hamstrings the building’s ability to book other events, Freimuth said. Rentschler’s lease with the university prohibits the venue from taking a loss on a concert or soccer game just for the sake of using the field more often, because doing so would essentially mean asking UConn to pay for other events through its $250,000 subsidy. In other words, CRDA can’t book as many events outside UConn football as it would like because the building isn’t self-sufficient. But part of the reason the building isn’t self-sufficient, Freimuth said, is because CRDA can’t take chances on non-UConn events.

“We can only take events in that give us a break-even or produce revenue to the bottom line,” Freimuth said. “The event load could be better if we could be a little bit more risky with them, and that’s only going to happen once the building starts producing positive revenues and UConn doesn’t have to write that $250,000 check.”

It's not that uncommon an issue, really. It's partly what frustrates a lot of people about how schools take on this infrastructure, like a massive stadium with its operations, repairs, maintenance, etc., that sits nearly vacant for most, sometimes all of the year spare the college football season, and then tosses funding and upkeep costs back onto students or the state tax base.

There's a reason why the pro venues do this better. Or why the basketball arenas sop up business at schools. They're not burdened by public non-profit bureaucracy that make these places nothing more than eyesores and taxpayer waste because of the complexities of management.

The Rent won't clear these issues unless it divorces itself from UConn.

I am from Connecticut, in a small town of New Fairfield, near Danbury.

I was 10 to 15 years old when The Patriots played their charade. I was prepared to be a huge Patriots Fan, because I did not want to follow my parents Steelers fandom. It felt like after losing the Whalers, it would be awesome to have another Professional team.

Now - Only thing CT has now is debt from Mafia corruption, and Nutmeg, and Maybe Stew Leonards?. I hear amazing things about the AAF, from North CArolina, Twitter, and CoWorkers. It is always being brought up. CT needs to use that field for AAF and have another Professional team, or at the WORST one of those soccer teams. Problem solved...

Heck of a lot of Italians and Portugeese in CT, they could go for that ****.

Sad, cautionary tale about the losses that can be incurred when Football Dreamers spend other people's money on White Elephant ego projects.

(02-26-2019 01:43 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I found this part of the story interesting, regarding the complexities of booking events at the Rent:

Quote:In a twisted way, Rentschler’s overreliance on UConn actually hamstrings the building’s ability to book other events, Freimuth said. Rentschler’s lease with the university prohibits the venue from taking a loss on a concert or soccer game just for the sake of using the field more often, because doing so would essentially mean asking UConn to pay for other events through its $250,000 subsidy. In other words, CRDA can’t book as many events outside UConn football as it would like because the building isn’t self-sufficient. But part of the reason the building isn’t self-sufficient, Freimuth said, is because CRDA can’t take chances on non-UConn events.

“We can only take events in that give us a break-even or produce revenue to the bottom line,” Freimuth said. “The event load could be better if we could be a little bit more risky with them, and that’s only going to happen once the building starts producing positive revenues and UConn doesn’t have to write that $250,000 check.”

It's not that uncommon an issue, really. It's partly what frustrates a lot of people about how schools take on this infrastructure, like a massive stadium with its operations, repairs, maintenance, etc., that sits nearly vacant for most, sometimes all of the year spare the college football season, and then tosses funding and upkeep costs back onto students or the state tax base.

There's a reason why the pro venues do this better. Or why the basketball arenas sop up business at schools. They're not burdened by public non-profit bureaucracy that make these places nothing more than eyesores and taxpayer waste because of the complexities of management.

The Rent won't clear these issues unless it divorces itself from UConn.

Arenas are built with the idea of moving most if not all seats. Since they aren't exposed to the weather the apparatus to do so doesn't have to be over-engineered either. No one expects an arena to be clear of events for 24 or 48 hours prior to a game yet football does.

I've been in AState's arena on a Thursday evening and while the coach is doing post-game interview with radio on the sidelines (which is patched into the PA system) the arena staff was breaking down to get ready for a Thursday night concert and would switch back over for a game on Saturday.

Football? War Memorial in Little Rock under their contract with Arkansas can't let a local high school use the stadium on Friday night before a Saturday Razorback game. Catholic High has to either play on Thursday night or play a road game.

(02-26-2019 12:27 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-foo...story.html

The way the story reads which could always be wrong, it sounds like if UConn did drop football or returned to FCS and went back to campus that the school would still be on the hook for $250,000 per year. The rent is surprisingly high.

(02-14-2019 02:49 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-14-2019 02:07 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  You have a point. That said---I actually think the AAC has some solid peer institutions for UConn. For instance---all are FBS. All but one are top 200 USNWR universities. Most are high research universities per Carnegie.

Here's a link to a document from a UConn website (Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness) that lists UConn's "peers and aspirants":

Peers:

Indiana
Michigan State
Purdue
Delaware
Georgia
Kansas
Kentucky
Utah

Aspirants:

Ohio State
Penn State
UC - Davis
Florida
Illinois
Maryland
Texas
Wisconsin


What stands out to me is that (a) all the schools are public schools, (b) just about all are flagships, © a full 8 of the 16 schools on the combined lists are from the B1G. None are from the ACC or AAC/Big East. Three are from the SEC, two from the Big 12.

The rubber: Seems like UConn sees itself and wants to see itself as an elite public flagship, and that's who it wants to affiliate with. That says B1G more than anything else. Doesn't say AAC at all, or Big East.

https://oire.uconn.edu/wp-content/upload...irants.pdf

I couldn't tell from the link when these lists were compiled. In September 2012 results of a national survey was published in which UConn listed 20 peers (without distinguishing between those it considered actual peers and those it aspired to be considered peers with). All the schools you list as aspirants were included on that list of 20. Of peers, only Purdue and Georgia were on the 2012 list. Four ACC schools ( Georgia Tech, Maryland, UNC and Virginia) were on the list then, and only Maryland, which left the ACC for the B1G shortly afterwards, is on both lists.

Significantly, none of the 20 schools UConn listed as peers reported that they also considered UConn as one of their peers. These are the schools that listed UConn as peers:

Arizona State
Binghamton U.
Bowdoin
BYU
Florida State
George Mason
Iowa State
Miami (O)
North Dakota State
Ohio U.
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rutgers
SUNY Albany
Sacred Heart
St John's
Texas Tech
UMass
New Hampshire
University of Phoenix, Jersey City
Rhode island
UT-Dallas
Vermont
West Virginia

While one should always take lists like this with a grain of salt, these suggest a certain lack of self-awareness by UConn. It's one thing to aspire for self-improvement. But it's hard to avoid using the word "wannabe" when you see something like this.

(02-26-2019 02:58 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(02-26-2019 01:43 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I found this part of the story interesting, regarding the complexities of booking events at the Rent:

Quote:In a twisted way, Rentschler’s overreliance on UConn actually hamstrings the building’s ability to book other events, Freimuth said. Rentschler’s lease with the university prohibits the venue from taking a loss on a concert or soccer game just for the sake of using the field more often, because doing so would essentially mean asking UConn to pay for other events through its $250,000 subsidy. In other words, CRDA can’t book as many events outside UConn football as it would like because the building isn’t self-sufficient. But part of the reason the building isn’t self-sufficient, Freimuth said, is because CRDA can’t take chances on non-UConn events.

“We can only take events in that give us a break-even or produce revenue to the bottom line,” Freimuth said. “The event load could be better if we could be a little bit more risky with them, and that’s only going to happen once the building starts producing positive revenues and UConn doesn’t have to write that $250,000 check.”

It's not that uncommon an issue, really. It's partly what frustrates a lot of people about how schools take on this infrastructure, like a massive stadium with its operations, repairs, maintenance, etc., that sits nearly vacant for most, sometimes all of the year spare the college football season, and then tosses funding and upkeep costs back onto students or the state tax base.

There's a reason why the pro venues do this better. Or why the basketball arenas sop up business at schools. They're not burdened by public non-profit bureaucracy that make these places nothing more than eyesores and taxpayer waste because of the complexities of management.

The Rent won't clear these issues unless it divorces itself from UConn.

Arenas are built with the idea of moving most if not all seats. Since they aren't exposed to the weather the apparatus to do so doesn't have to be over-engineered either. No one expects an arena to be clear of events for 24 or 48 hours prior to a game yet football does.

I've been in AState's arena on a Thursday evening and while the coach is doing post-game interview with radio on the sidelines (which is patched into the PA system) the arena staff was breaking down to get ready for a Thursday night concert and would switch back over for a game on Saturday.

Football? War Memorial in Little Rock under their contract with Arkansas can't let a local high school use the stadium on Friday night before a Saturday Razorback game. Catholic High has to either play on Thursday night or play a road game.

Right, back at Penn State, Beaver Stadium stood/stands vacant all days except when football is played or practiced there. It's BJC that gets the action. BJC brings in revenue.

My "beef" with the football venue thing isn't that schools play football, but how major conferences really stressed the value of the OCS. Folks, the OCS is a money-losing venture no matter how great the program. It's simply infuriating that when schools looked to ink deals with other venues to host, and how "unpopular" the options are within the schools. I'll never understand how something that actually saves money, real money, is discouraged. It really must be a higher ed thing...because it's not always their money they're spending.

(02-26-2019 05:09 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Right, back at Penn State, Beaver Stadium stood/stands vacant all days except when football is played or practiced there. It's BJC that gets the action. BJC brings in revenue.

My "beef" with the football venue thing isn't that schools play football, but how major conferences really stressed the value of the OCS. Folks, the OCS is a money-losing venture no matter how great the program. It's simply infuriating that when schools looked to ink deals with other venues to host, and how "unpopular" the options are within the schools. I'll never understand how something that actually saves money, real money, is discouraged. It really must be a higher ed thing...because it's not always their money they're spending.

A lot of the outdoor facilities game is based on fads not revenue.

When I was a kid. The rich programs had artificial surfaces in football and grass in baseball. The poor programs had real grass in football and it wasn't unusual that they'd have an artificial surface in baseball because the baseball field was multi-use or multi-tenant or both.

Now most P5's have grass football fields and artificial surfaces in baseball.

Arenas you go in planning to at a bare minimum host multiple events like basketball and volleyball (maybe even track) and try to draw in some concerts and maybe host graduation and big lectures and concerts.

AState and the city of Jonesboro have talked about doing a joint off-campus venue for baseball and maybe softball (if we add it, as expected) because it doesn't make any sense to build new baseball and softball stadiums that are empty except for March and April and parts of February and May.

This is a little harsh....

“The Huskies failed to land in a major conference during realignment earlier this decade, leaving them in the second-rate American Athletic Conference.”

Difficult to take this Alex Putterman serious when in one breath he ridicules UCONN’s football performance the last decade then in the next breath criticizes their conference calling it “second-rate”.

UCONN is still a relatively young football program. Given the right coach it will improve.

(02-26-2019 06:59 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  This is a little harsh....

“The Huskies failed to land in a major conference during realignment earlier this decade, leaving them in the second-rate American Athletic Conference.”

Difficult to take this Alex Putterman serious when in one breath he ridicules UCONN’s football performance the last decade then in the next breath criticizes their conference calling it “second-rate”.

UCONN is still a relatively young football program. Given the right coach it will improve.

The AAC is a "second-rate" conference. If you aren't in the A5, you are second rate.

That's the truth.

I remember smug UConn fans telling Cuse fans how they zoomed past Cuse as a program. Not we have a better team in Year 20xx but we are a better program. History and tradition really does mean something in college athletics.

(02-26-2019 07:05 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-26-2019 06:59 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  This is a little harsh....

“The Huskies failed to land in a major conference during realignment earlier this decade, leaving them in the second-rate American Athletic Conference.”

Difficult to take this Alex Putterman serious when in one breath he ridicules UCONN’s football performance the last decade then in the next breath criticizes their conference calling it “second-rate”.

UCONN is still a relatively young football program. Given the right coach it will improve.

The AAC is a "second-rate" conference. If you aren't in the A5, you are second rate.

That's the truth.

I understand what you are saying but let’s be real. Only 6 to 8 programs have a chance to win the national title each season and they are usually “chosen” before the season begins. The college football championship, while improved with the CFP, is still a farce.

PS... can’t see that coffee drinking emoji and not think of Wilkie

(02-26-2019 07:56 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  PS... can’t see that coffee drinking emoji and not think of Wilkie

Yes, I stole it from him long ago.

(02-26-2019 07:36 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  I remember smug UConn fans telling Cuse fans how they zoomed past Cuse as a program. Not we have a better team in Year 20xx but we are a better program. History and tradition really does mean something in college athletics.

It has its gatekeepers in the power structure, that's for sure.