Al Renovation Rumors

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

MU has erected a great deal of brick and mortar in the last 10 years starting with Raynor.  It's going to slow.  Promise.

As it should.

I mean, new buildings are sexy and all, but MU can't keep this up.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Having more students enrolled won't drop tuition. When I started in 1999 Marquette had 7000 undergrads and 10,000 plus total. Now they have 8000+ undergrads and 12,000 total students and tuition and room and board has more than doubled in those 15 years.

Difference between lowering tuition and not having it go up as much may be what he meant.  Costs are going to go up whenever you deal with people, question is if it will go up at the same rate which is always difficult to gauge. 

When dealing with people, if you want to retain them you have to pay them and that is going to raise your costs in salary, benefits, etc. 

[MUMonster03]

Difference between lowering tuition and not having it go up as much may be what he meant.  Costs are going to go up whenever you deal with people, question is if it will go up at the same rate which is always difficult to gauge. 

When dealing with people, if you want to retain them you have to pay them and that is going to raise your costs in salary, benefits, etc. 

As I believe you are trying to elude to more students means more faculty and classes especially since Marquette likes to advertise their student to teacher ratio.

Either way tuition cannot continue to rise at its current rate. A lot of majors are already getting to the point of the investment not being worth the return. The only way any of my children are going to Marquette, or anything else besides a in state school at this point is if they get major scholarship help. Otherwise you graduate and are already under immense debt.

[Litehouse]

Concur Bleu.  I simply try not to put too many words in their mouth.  It's not difficult at all to know what their two targets might be.  But remember it always takes two to tango.

I assume one is the Catholic Life Insurance building.  What's the other?  Does someone else still occupy that building next to Cobeen?

[jsglow]

I assume one is the Catholic Life Insurance building.  What's the other?  Does someone else still occupy that building next to Cobeen?

The 707 Building was purchased by MU from the former Old Line Life Insurance Co. (owned by USLife and later American General) in the early 2000s.  It currently houses university offices.  I've got a personal attachment to that building.  My dad spent his entire 39 year professional career on the 3rd floor.  As he used to say, he never left campus.

As to a second target I'd bet on the Ardmore Building although I have never even heard that specifically mentioned in the rumor mill.  But do understand that MU owns everything else in that square block between 16th and 17th.  Another plausible candidate could be the Sovereign Building on 18th and WI.

 

[ChicosBailBonds]

As I believe you are trying to elude to more students means more faculty and classes especially since Marquette likes to advertise their student to teacher ratio.

Either way tuition cannot continue to rise at its current rate. A lot of majors are already getting to the point of the investment not being worth the return. The only way any of my children are going to Marquette, or anything else besides a in state school at this point is if they get major scholarship help. Otherwise you graduate and are already under immense debt.

Actually, I was eluding to simple retention of faculty and staff.  If you're good, others will want you and you need to give them a reason to stay. If MU wants to continue to improve its reputation, etc, than you need to retain quality people to do so.  Your point also well taken on class size.

90% of MU students get financial aid of some kind.  There are a number of majors already that have hit that tipping point in my opinion.  Plenty of discussions on here over the years on that subject here. 

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Actually, I was eluding to simple retention of faculty and staff.  If you're good, others will want you and you need to give them a reason to stay. If MU wants to continue to improve its reputation, etc, than you need to retain quality people to do so.  Your point also well taken on class size.

90% of MU students get financial aid of some kind.  There are a number of majors already that have hit that tipping point in my opinion.  Plenty of discussions on here over the years on that subject here. 

This is all part of the secondary education shell game that's going on. Obviously that's not limited to MU, but at some point "actual cost" is going to come into play, and I'm afraid that it's going to hurt the private schools more than public.

Will somebody pay $300,000 to become a teacher? How about playing $500,000 to major in Communications? Will MU eventually have to just eliminate some majors? Law, engineering, dental, business, science. Cut everything else?   

I hope MU has some smart people working on this stuff, because I can't imagine how this is all going to work.

[Brewtown Andy]

The other sports have offices, lockers, and various support resources in the Al.

Support resources, yes.  Academic support is in the Al, as is the main weight room.

The offices and locker rooms for everything that's not basketball or volleyball are in the Old Gym or, in the case of the lacrosse offices, the 707 building.  As far as I know, the lacrosse teams do not have a locker room space on campus.

[ChicosBailBonds]

This is all part of the secondary education shell game that's going on. Obviously that's not limited to MU, but at some point "actual cost" is going to come into play, and I'm afraid that it's going to hurt the private schools more than public.

Will somebody pay $300,000 to become a teacher? How about playing $500,000 to major in Communications? Will MU eventually have to just eliminate some majors? Law, engineering, dental, business, science. Cut everything else?   

I hope MU has some smart people working on this stuff, because I can't imagine how this is all going to work.

I asked that question here several years ago and again last year and this year on this site.  Quite frankly, if my child said they wanted to become a teacher, I'm not sending them to a private school.  Why on earth would I.  No ROI.  I'd say the same thing for many other majors.  Makes no sense at all.   

Online education may make much of this moot in the next 20 years anyway.  Institutions with the right brand will be able to educate throughout the country (world) as class size means nothing, but as long as you get your degree from XYZ (Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, etc) associated school and that degree then that's what one will pay for.  I suspect a number of smaller private schools go under and some state campuses will no longer be needed.  There will always be a place for the student to go physically to school on a campus, but long distance education or low cost in state education via technology will make things interesting.

[warriorchick]

Don't make sophomores live on campus. Then you have ask the replacement housing you need in order to treat down and build new any building. It also allows Marquette to expand enrollment. If they add between 500 and 1000 students to the average freshmen class, they will be able to lower tuition.

If anything, there is a desire among students and their parents to have more housing on campus, not less.  There is a waiting list for the university-run apartments every year.  Also, based on the way things have gone for the more desirable housing, freshmen would feel pressure to sign leases for sophomore-year apartments 6-8 weeks after arriving on campus, before they are even really settled into their freshman-year dorms.

[NYWarrior]

I asked that question here several years ago and again last year and this year on this site.  Quite frankly, if my child said they wanted to become a teacher, I'm not sending them to a private school.  Why on earth would I.  No ROI.  I'd say the same thing for many other majors.  Makes no sense at all.   

Online education may make much of this moot in the next 20 years anyway.  Institutions with the right brand will be able to educate throughout the country (world) as class size means nothing, but as long as you get your degree from XYZ (Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, etc) associated school and that degree then that's what one will pay for.  I suspect a number of smaller private schools go under and some state campuses will no longer be needed.  There will always be a place for the student to go physically to school on a campus, but long distance education or low cost in state education via technology will make things interesting.

yup, lots of change coming  ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-brian-c-mitchell/the-future-of-higher-educ_b_5563285.html

[StillAWarrior]

I asked that question here several years ago and again last year and this year on this site.  Quite frankly, if my child said they wanted to become a teacher, I'm not sending them to a private school.  Why on earth would I.  No ROI.  I'd say the same thing for many other majors.  Makes no sense at all.

I've got one at home just getting ready to start his senior year (and another starting sophomore), so I can really relate to this issue.  I've often said that it was absolutely crazy for me to travel half-way across the country and have my parents pay what they did for me to obtain a communications degree.  It made no sense whatsoever.  I'm glad they did, but it was crazy.

My son is also thinking about getting a more "generic" undergraduate degree with an eye toward graduate school.  Although he still hasn't narrowed his list too much, his preferred profile is smallish (4,000 - 8,000) liberal arts schools.  I'm having a hard time figuring the ROI for these schools.  He's visiting Miami (OH) on Friday morning, and I'm really hoping he likes it.  It's a great school and I haven't seen anything that even remotely compares from a value standpoint.  I hate thinking in these terms, but the costs are so overwhelming at this point -- especially when you have four kids -- that it's impossible not to.

[Coleman]

Don't have kids yet, not even married yet...but does anyone here have a 529 plan for their kid(s)?

How effective a mechanism is it for saving for college?

[GGGG]

Don't make sophomores live on campus. Then you have ask the replacement housing you need in order to treat down and build new any building. It also allows Marquette to expand enrollment. If they add between 500 and 1000 students to the average freshmen class, they will be able to lower tuition.

So you would send, what, 1,500 additional students onto the rental market around campus?  Do you think that there is the capacity to handle that safely and effectively?  Do we want students living further west or north than they do already?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

So you would send, what, 1,500 additional students onto the rental market around campus?  Do you think that there is the capacity to handle that safely and effectively?  Do we want students living further west or north than they do already?

That's an interesting topic.

I'd like to see MU & Milwaukee do a better job of driving neighborhood improvements. MU isn't an island. Like it or not, it's a part of the overall neighborhood, so the University and the city need to work together to help improve the neighborhood from the bottom up. Adding new buildings is nice, but the real improvements will come when the neighborhood residents get involved and start driving the changes.

It's not easy, and it's a long-term vision, but there is some decent real estate just west of campus (historic homes), and north/northeast of campus (just west of the Pabst/downtown).

[jsglow]

Don't have kids yet, not even married yet...but does anyone here have a 529 plan for their kid(s)?

How effective a mechanism is it for saving for college?

Yes.  Had one for each child.  One fully exhausted with daughter now graduated; second working its way down with son a Junior now.  We found them to be useful.  Every check we wrote directly to MU came out of the 529s.  Help with rent when they were upperclassmen did not.  2 more years until my 'raise' Bleu.

[Tums Festival]

What is the cost of tuition and room & board now for a semester? When I was at MU, tuition and room & board went up $200 each per semester each year. Pretty good deal now looking back.

[jsglow]

What is the cost of tuition and room & board now for a semester? When I was at MU, tuition and room & board went up $200 each per semester each year. Pretty good deal now looking back.

$47K per year.  That was painful to type.

[Texas Western]

Actually, I was eluding to simple retention of faculty and staff.  If you're good, others will want you and you need to give them a reason to stay. If MU wants to continue to improve its reputation, etc, than you need to retain quality people to do so.  Your point also well taken on class size.

90% of MU students get financial aid of some kind.  There are a number of majors already that have hit that tipping point in my opinion.  Plenty of discussions on here over the years on that subject here. 

I think upgrading the quality of the faculty is the single most important factor in improving our reputation.  We offer a decent educational value but with upgraded faculty we could move up to the next tier.
Getting back to the point of the thread. By keeping the Al up to date, we are maintaining our investment in our most visible asset the basketball program. Continued success on the court will eventually translate into endowment dollars. I would like to see the endowment get closer to $1 billion.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Don't have kids yet, not even married yet...but does anyone here have a 529 plan for their kid(s)?

How effective a mechanism is it for saving for college?

I have two plans for each child.  Yes, useful.

[Coleman]

$47K per year.  That was painful to type.

Jesus.

It was under 30k when I started in 2004.

That is not sustainable.

[Galway Eagle]

Jesus.

It was around $30k when I was there 6 years ago.

I started there in 09 and it was like 36K if I remember correctly.

[jesmu84]

$47K per year.  That was painful to type.

Holy crap. mid 30s from 03-07. Can't believe that.

[Coleman]

I love Marquette, and I realize rising tuition is a problem that is bigger than Marquette.

But this is totally counter to their mission. Containing tuition increases should be priority #1, not new construction.

[reinko]

Don't have kids yet, not even married yet...but does anyone here have a 529 plan for their kid(s)?

How effective a mechanism is it for saving for college?

Plus it brings down your tax liability which is nice too.  But, I imagine you know, make sure retirement funds are up and kicking before even thinking about college savings accounts.  Don't want to be stealing food from your kids college cafeteria because you can't afford to eat.