Other than athletics, conferences meaningless?

[80'sKnight]

So are there any important connections between schools in a conference? All this babble about how they want good academic school, WHY? Do they share research between each other, have any connection education wise at all? Is it just prestige?

 

[UCFProf]

So are there any important connections between schools in a conference? All this babble about how they want good academic school, WHY? Do they share research between each other, have any connection education wise at all? Is it just prestige?

Excellent question. I guess a faculty guy should take a first crack at this. It all depends on what aspect of academics they are talking about. At the basic level, intercollegiate athletics and the university have been drifting far apart. One by one, athletic programs like UCF, UF, Auburn, etc. have become fiscally separate from university budgets. Thus, when UCF suffered 48% budget cuts during the recession (ugh!), our athletic foundation totally insulated sports! In addition, research finds no correlation between donors to college sports and donations to academic programs. Conversely, no athletic program can make "profits" (they spend all excess!) and most lose money, with bigtime losses for most non-P-5 schools (donors, taxpayers, and students make up the shortfall). Thus, the academic part of the university doesn't interact with athletics.

If you are concerned about academic rep in the sense of research and national ranking of programs, that's clearly not a factor either. The Big 12 expansion committee is not visiting high academically-ranked Tulane or Rice! P-5 conference members include Duke, Vandy, Stanford, Boston College, Northwestern, USC, UCLA, Berkeley, University of North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, and Notre Dame, all in the top 35 (and Penn State, Ohio State, UF are just behind) in USNews top national university rankings. But so are Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Alabama, Nebraska, and several others low-academically ranked universities. After the scandal that Oklahoma State didn't have a single basketball player graduate for 5 years, the myth of the student-athlete became the butt of jokes. Most schools use their golf, tennis, and women's teams to bring up the pitiful graduation rates of athletes. Places like UCF and Penn State are the exceptions.

 

[80'sKnight]

Is there a connection for research, like you're wanting to produce the next textbook for your study are you "encouraged" to work with other faculty from a conference member before you can go elsewhere? Or, you're setting up a study, is there any benefit in being a conference member i.e. a study set up between UT and Okla. What I'm assuming is grant money for studies go to individual universities/faculty. Conference university presidents aren't getting together to talk about grants, studies etc. it's just sports? It just seems to me that conferences are just for athletics and academics is for their prestige.

 

[Panthergrowl13]

Actually Conferences do have Academic Alliances.

At least the Big 10 and ACC do.

For more information you can Google:

Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA)

ACC Academic Consortium (ACCAC)

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

 

[UCFProf]

Is there a connection for research, like you're wanting to produce the next textbook for your study are you "encouraged" to work with other faculty from a conference member before you can go elsewhere? Or, you're setting up a study, is there any benefit in being a conference member i.e. a study set up between UT and Okla. What I'm assuming is grant money for studies go to individual universities/faculty. Conference university presidents aren't getting together to talk about grants, studies etc. it's just sports? It just seems to me that conferences are just for athletics and academics is for their prestige.

Funny you mention this. UCF's Provost directed half faculty hiring for clusters funded by grants in new bldg next to engineering and public service. Grant-sponsored research teams encouraged to work with universities elsewhere. BUT, you are correct: as athletic conferences become less regional, even less connection of research with conferences!

 

[80'sKnight]

Thanks for the info.