(02-21-2020 10:27 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(02-21-2020 09:44 AM)Illini60940 Wrote:  

(02-14-2020 04:33 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-14-2020 08:58 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(02-13-2020 09:40 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Football isn't everything. Athletics isn't everything. Academics, geography, and demographics matter. Well at least to the Big Ten. I'm not sure they do to the SEC. Florida State isn't good enough for the SEC but not one but two schools in Mississippi are? Florida should just join the ACC then. Academically and demographically they're more of an ACC school than an SEC school and they can actually play men's basketball.

And I'm not big on history. Why are Kansas State, Iowa State, and Mississippi State "good enough" but Illinois State not good enough? Because they were back before most of us were born?

Illinois St. was a teacher's college. It was an Illinois directional with a better name. The 3 you mention are all land grant colleges-originally Kansas A&M, Mississippi A&M-not sure if Iowa St. was an "A&M" or if they were always "State."

Being a former teaching college is not a dealbreaker.

UCLA was a teacher's college until 1919 (it joined the PCC in 1928). Arizona State was a teacher's college until 1945. Florida State was mostly a teacher's college until 1947.

Also, Illinois State wasn't just a teacher's college. It was the best teacher's college in the country. Still is today. That quality is what has allowed it grow on par with many research institutions over the past 5 years, at a time when most teacher's colleges nationwide have been shrinking.

ISU has 220,000 living alumni, on par with most of the ACC and Big 12.

I have long thought the state of Illinois needs to pump up Illinois State so it can become equal to schools such as Iowa St and Kansas St, a state this size it makes no sense its not. They have made great strides down in Bloomington-Normal, maybe one day they will get there.

UIC appears to be taking that role - that is the school that's actually growing rapidly in the state (whereas enrollment at the directional schools has plummeted) and they have long been well-respected from an academic research perspective (particularly in the STEM areas that are increasingly important). It just probably will never be a "rah rah" sports school. If there's an aspirational model school for UIC, it would be UC-San Diego as a large urban public institution with top tier STEM research capabilities.

UIC is a great school with a great location, but such a commuter college, with like you say really no school spirit..

But UICU, UIC and ISU are certainly the trio that's carrying the states college system and do a very good job despite the states financial issues.