Legendary UCLA Chancellor Charles Young on U. Utah:

[Surfah]

in football and basketball Florida has the edge lately (but they are relatively equal) but in academics USC blows Florida away...btw USC passed UCLA this year according to US News.

USC is certainly a better school academically. I don't know that they blow Florida away. They are certainly comparable IMO.

USC's sports and tradition kill Florida though.

[SeattleUte]

Test scores, rankings of the college, med and law schools, and finances don't tell the whole tale for complex and multi-faceted institutions like USC and Florida. But if you go by those indicia, USC blows Florida away. Also, for a private school not called Harvard or Stanford, USC has a huge research budget.

USC is probably the best example of a school whose sports programs have actually injured the school's academic reputation among people who don't know better.

[Flystripper]

USC is certainly a better school academically. I don't know that they blow Florida away. They are certainly comparable IMO.

USC's sports and tradition kill Florida though.

Football tradition? Yes USC is better than just about everyone not named Notre Dame. (That is why I said lately) Where is Florida in comparison to USC in terms of USNews Rankings? (I know these rankings are not the end all be all but they are a good place to start)

[Flystripper]

USC is probably the best example of a school whose sports programs have actually injured the school's academic reputation among people who don't know better.

I think so, but you will also see a strong correlation between their academic ranking improvement and the improvement of their football team. I know correlation is not causation but it is interesting.

[Surfah]

Football tradition? Yes USC is better than just about everyone not named Notre Dame. (That is why I said lately) Where is Florida in comparison to USC in terms of USNews Rankings? (I know these rankings are not the end all be all but they are a good place to start)

I don't know.

[Flystripper]

I don't know.

Florida is 53 and USC is 23. That is actually closer than I thought it would be.

[SeattleUte]

I think so, but you will also see a strong correlation between their academic ranking improvement and the improvement of their football team. I know correlation is not causation but it is interesting.

There is certainly an empirical case that sports success attracts more applications, which drives up admitted GPA's and test score medians, which drives up rankings. 18 year olds, even intelligent ones, can be pretty shallow.

[Surfah]

There is certainly an empirical case that sports success attracts more applications, which drives up admitted GPA's and test score medians, which drives up rankings. 18 year olds, even intelligent ones, can be pretty shallow.

This is true. When George Mason when on their Final 4 run applications skyrocketed the following year.

http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/591/

Admissions

* Freshmen applications have increased by 20 percent.
* The number and size of campus tours for prospective students and parents nearly tripled.

Alumni Relations

* Mason alumni who registered with the online alumni directory have grown by more than 52 percent.
* There is a 24 percent increase in alumni e-mail addresses now registered on record.
* There is a 25 percent increase in active alumni.

Development/Fundraising

* Mason received more than $23.2 million in new gifts and pledge payments compared to $19.6 million the previous year.
* Donations to athletic programs increased by 25 percent.
* General scholarship support nearly tripled.
* Unrestricted gifts to the university increased by nearly 45 percent.

[Katy Lied]

Did David Garnder mistreat you? You are so nasty about him.

You know who told me that he recruited Fleischmann & Pons? Gardner did. We were yukking it up at one of his coffee hours hosted by Libby at their home. While others there were making snarky comments about how weak his coffee was, (not knowing that it was decafe) he was ruefully laughing about how he sidestepped the blowback of those two hires.

[SeattleUte]

You know who told me that he recruited Fleischmann & Pons? Gardner did. We were yukking it up at one of his coffee hours hosted by Libby at their home. While others there were making snarky comments about how weak his coffee was, (not knowing that it was decafe) he was ruefully laughing about how he sidestepped the blowback of those two hires.

Your comment about DP serving fake coffee is the first thing I've ever heard about him having anything less than perfect integrity.

I doubt he considers his hiring Fleischman and Pons a blemish on his career record.

[UtahDan]

Just wait until the PAC-XX divisions are announced. You will ahve some unhappy folsk then.

Is that meant to be "foreskin?"

[creekster]

Your comment about DP serving fake coffee is the first thing I've ever heard about him having anything less than perfect integrity.

I doubt he considers his hiring Fleischman and Pons a blemish on his career record.

DP = DG? and UD asks me about foreskins? What is this thread coming to?

[SeattleUte]

DP = DG? and UD asks me about foreskins? What is this thread coming to?

He was the prez when I was at the U, and much admired by me. I've always felt close to him, and so to me he's always been David P. I'm sure to LA he's just David.

[Mormon Red Death]

How about we let Cal Bears settle the issue?

I decided to take some time to do some real research on this matter and see if the allegations made by Young via Dickey's piece were unfounded. After several hours of work, I determined that, in fact, very little of the Dickey piece and Young's allegations are even remotely close to accurate. Many of the statements and numbers promulgated in the article seem to have no basis in reality and it is unclear how the author and his source arrive at these statements.

[Solon]

How about we let Cal Bears settle the issue?

The problem with the sentiments that engendered this thread is that people assume a static view of the universe, the country, their university, their conference, etc.

Utah to the Pac-10 is a guarantee that its profile will change, so the predictions of perennial middle-of-the-pack finishes are based on an understanding of what Utah is right now, not what Utah might become with its new circumstances.

I'm not saying that Utah will dominate the Pac-10. Nor am I suggesting that it will be the doormat. What I am saying is that we don't know what Utah will be in 5 or 10 years. We do know, however, that it will be different. It will have more money. It will have better facilities. Its athletic prospects are rosy.

In light of new information, in light of new circumstances, it's always a good idea to change our opinions.

For those of you who want to use old data for current projections, can I interest you in some investment properties in the greater Las Vegas and Phoenix areas?