(08-09-2022 05:25 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 12:12 PM)Claw Wrote:  SMU has officially cut the cord with the organized Methodist church. The growth of their endowments will slow because of this.

TCU, Baylor, and BYU continue to be strongly tied to their churches. Their endowments will continue to grow accordingly. Liberty has a 1.6 billion endowment.

Many religious schools grow their endowments precisely because they are religious schools.

So SMU has become like Wake Forest. Wake Forest was a former Baptist school, but now is like Rice, in that they are not a denominational school anymore. I still wonder why Baylor hasn't cut their ties, considering how they are as an institution, which is win at all costs.

Liberty does make sense though, and I wouldn't change them at all!!

I don't think SMU's split from the United Methodist Church (in the middle of its own split) will impact their endowment. There are still plenty of Methodists that love the school and will give to it. More importantly, there are plenty of old money people in Dallas that support SMU. As mentioned upthread, it is the historically elite institution in Dallas.

As mentioned upthread, Baylor and Baptists are...complicated. Baylor embraces its Texas heritage and its Baptist heritage at the same time. It's a private school well-respected within the state of Texas, known especially for its business and law schools. Their alumni demand that they compete in athletics at the highest level...sometimes to their benefit (recent championships), sometimes to their detriment (awful scandals). Its enrollment has been about 25% Baptist, and is probably less now. In the 90's, Baylor attempted to separate from the Baptist General Convention of Texas in reaction to the conservative takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention (Universities are not tied to the national SBC body, but to the individual state bodies). The BGCT negotiated a deal where they would maintain a relationship, but would give a reduced amount of money to the school and would allow Baylor to elect a majority of its trustees. Later that decade, partly due to the direction of Baylor, the BGCT split. The newer, more conservative state group wants nothing to do with Baylor.

Baylor retains a Baptist tie because there are still influential Baylor alumni serving as pastors and lay leaders in old-line Texas Baptist churches. But, Baylor walks an uneasy line between secular and sacred. It's not my cup of tea. But my friends and family members that went there or go there love it.

(08-09-2022 10:27 PM)johnintx Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 05:25 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 12:12 PM)Claw Wrote:  SMU has officially cut the cord with the organized Methodist church. The growth of their endowments will slow because of this.

TCU, Baylor, and BYU continue to be strongly tied to their churches. Their endowments will continue to grow accordingly. Liberty has a 1.6 billion endowment.

Many religious schools grow their endowments precisely because they are religious schools.

So SMU has become like Wake Forest. Wake Forest was a former Baptist school, but now is like Rice, in that they are not a denominational school anymore. I still wonder why Baylor hasn't cut their ties, considering how they are as an institution, which is win at all costs.

Liberty does make sense though, and I wouldn't change them at all!!

I don't think SMU's split from the United Methodist Church (in the middle of its own split) will impact their endowment. There are still plenty of Methodists that love the school and will give to it. More importantly, there are plenty of old money people in Dallas that support SMU. As mentioned upthread, it is the historically elite institution in Dallas.

As mentioned upthread, Baylor and Baptists are...complicated. Baylor embraces its Texas heritage and its Baptist heritage at the same time. It's a private school well-respected within the state of Texas, known especially for its business and law schools. Their alumni demand that they compete in athletics at the highest level...sometimes to their benefit (recent championships), sometimes to their detriment (awful scandals). Its enrollment has been about 25% Baptist, and is probably less now. In the 90's, Baylor attempted to separate from the Baptist General Convention of Texas in reaction to the conservative takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention (Universities are not tied to the national SBC body, but to the individual state bodies). The BGCT negotiated a deal where they would maintain a relationship, but would give a reduced amount of money to the school and would allow Baylor to elect a majority of its trustees. Later that decade, partly due to the direction of Baylor, the BGCT split. The newer, more conservative state group wants nothing to do with Baylor.

Baylor retains a Baptist tie because there are still influential Baylor alumni serving as pastors and lay leaders in old-line Texas Baptist churches. But, Baylor walks an uneasy line between secular and sacred. It's not my cup of tea. But my friends and family members that went there or go there love it.

I graduated from SMU in 1981 and I can tell you that back then and moving forward there has not been any methodist/religious involvement with with the student body from a curriculum or church standpoint. SMU, like TCU, is not a "religious" school; Baylor and Liberty on the other hand are true religious based universities.

(08-09-2022 07:18 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 07:08 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 07:06 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  ...so, is there a name change pending? Honestly wondering, as it would be a bit odd to have 'Methodist' in the title given the two entities have parted ways...

Hence we are requesting to be known as SMU now, similar to TCU

got it... as a UAB fan I can relate (different situation, same desired results regarding our 'true name'... )

UAB has "stuck" now, as everybody knows the school (congrats on that, too). But I strongly feel going by "Birmingham Blazers" for sports purposes would have been much better than UAB Blazers.

(08-09-2022 07:18 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 07:08 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 07:06 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  ...so, is there a name change pending? Honestly wondering, as it would be a bit odd to have 'Methodist' in the title given the two entities have parted ways...

Hence we are requesting to be known as SMU now, similar to TCU

got it... as a UAB fan I can relate (different situation, same desired results regarding our 'true name'... )

Whenever I see UAB, "Black Betty" lyrics play in my head.

"She's from Birmingham
Way down in Alabam'

Now that damn song will be with me the rest of the day.

(08-09-2022 08:14 AM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 07:55 AM)b2b Wrote:  What does the typical SMU grad do for a living? They've got a tiny fanbase so this seems crazy to me.

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Real estate, oil and gas, finance

One typical SMU grad owns the Carolina Hurricanes.

(08-09-2022 08:14 AM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 07:55 AM)b2b Wrote:  What does the typical SMU grad do for a living? They've got a tiny fanbase so this seems crazy to me.

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Real estate, oil and gas, finance

Law.

(08-10-2022 02:12 PM)Chappy Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 08:14 AM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 07:55 AM)b2b Wrote:  What does the typical SMU grad do for a living? They've got a tiny fanbase so this seems crazy to me.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Real estate, oil and gas, finance

One typical SMU grad owns the Carolina Hurricanes.

Another owns the Kansas City Chiefs. His dad wrote my recommendation to SMU and I’ll be forever grateful.

(08-09-2022 12:07 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Per Data USA

The enrolled student population at Southern Methodist University is 58.4% White, 13.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.51% Asian, 6.91% Black or African American, 3.65% Two or More Races, 0.194% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.0727% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.

That doesn't add up to nearly 100%. I'm suspicious of Data USA.

(08-09-2022 05:25 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  So SMU has become like Wake Forest. Wake Forest was a former Baptist school, but now is like Rice, in that they are not a denominational school anymore. I still wonder why Baylor hasn't cut their ties, considering how they are as an institution, which is win at all costs.

Liberty does make sense though, and I wouldn't change them at all!!

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jer...n-n1264319

Yeah, Liberty is the best.

(08-09-2022 10:18 PM)Todor Wrote:  It does help, but nobody would choose Liberty if price was their main consideration.

As noted above, there are clearly other things to consider when choosing Liberty.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not generally a very judgy person, but when you're leading a Religious Institution and supposed to be carrying on your Daddy's legacy, um, yeah, don't be like that guy.