Just recieved an e-mail from Father Pilarz...
He has 5 themes he is plans on emphasizing this year....the last one is "Stewardship of Valuable Resources".
Isn't our Basketball program a Valuable Resource?
hmmmm...interesting.
Here are the 5 themes described from the site - I do not think the theme is what you think it is.
http://www.marquette.edu/president/strategic-planning-themes.php
Pursuit of Academic Excellence for Human Well-being: Marquette's fundamental characteristic is its commitment to academic excellence. Marquette is further distinguished by its history of offering a professional education that is grounded in the arts and sciences. Building our academic strengths will be the primary focus of our planning and will be grounded in service of the "well-being" of the world, a tradition established by the earliest leaders of Jesuit higher education. This pursuit of excellence combines with our historic commitment to educational access.
Research in Action: Marquette is increasingly recognized for the research and scholarship undertaken by our faculty and students. Faculty and others describe research at Marquette as having a strong sense of purpose and action, whether it is through the development of solutions to the world's most pressing problems or the search for answers to life's deepest questions. This distinguishing focus of our university needs to be both better articulated and better prioritized through our planning process.
Service, Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement: Building on the university's tradition of leadership among its sister institutions in drawing meaning and purpose from its Catholic and Jesuit mission and identity, Marquette's students, faculty, staff and alumni live out a deep commitment to serving others and pursuing social justice. Our community recognizes that as a Jesuit university, Marquette has a special opportunity and responsibility to Milwaukee in particular and to contribute more broadly to needed solutions of community problems, especially through the knowledge and expertise of its faculty and students.
Formation of the Heart and Soul: With our educational experience rooted in the humanistic curriculum established by the earliest Jesuits, Marquette will continue to prioritize its commitment to develop each student's full potential inside and outside the classroom. In the context of an increasingly diverse community, we will continue to draw on our special gift for formation, academically, socially and spiritually.
Stewardship of Valuable Resources: For the strategic plan to be effective, any priorities established must be tied to specific financial plans and a commitment to appropriate resources, whether financial, human, physical or any other sort. We need to deepen our collective understanding of our financial reality—including the constraints of our annual budget and the hyper-competitive marketplace for new students, for research grants and for fund raising. If we want to invest in new ideas—to act boldly as I heard over and over again — we should look for ways to accept the challenge of being innovative and entrepreneurial in pursuing our dreams, while practicing discipline and efficiency in controlling costs.
I responded to the email immediately. I ponted out that we are a University meant to educate but that our soul is basketball. The most important figure in the history of our University is a basketball coach. The chant, We Are MArquette, actually means something and has since the 1970's. Any time we meet alums along the way of life, the 1st thing mentioned is basketball--regardless of our interests. I also said we have a wonderful Jesuit tradition and that the Jesuit education is the main thing. Even though trite, that basketball distinguishes us--just like a Jesuit education in the Ignatian tradition. Yet, in order to continue to distinguish our University and to enhance the themes espoused in the email, we need to nurture our soul--basketball. We believe AL McGuire when he said, among other things, that after you graduate, you should tend bar for six months and drive cab for six months, then you have a real education. Whether we did it or not, that espouses what we believe. These are the things that differentiate us and distinguish us as a University. I finished with the demand that the current administration must continue our fine basketball tradition to enhance the greatness of our University and to enhance the University's suggested themes. The administration needs to ensure that our basketball program remains top notch. I urge everyone to respond to that email and let the administration know what we think.
I responded as well; noting the absence of maintaining a National Brand as a strategic theme is a miss.
Quote from: Gato78 on September 06, 2012, 06:52:41 PM
I responded to the email immediately. I ponted out that we are a University meant to educate but that our soul is basketball. The most important figure in the history of our University is a basketball coach. The chant, We Are MArquette, actually means something and has since the 1970's. Any time we meet alums along the way of life, the 1st thing mentioned is basketball--regardless of our interests. I also said we have a wonderful Jesuit tradition and that the Jesuit education is the main thing. Even though trite, that basketball distinguishes us--just like a Jesuit education in the Ignatian tradition. Yet, in order to continue to distinguish our University and to enhance the themes espoused in the email, we need to nurture our soul--basketball. We believe AL McGuire when he said, among other things, that after you graduate, you should tend bar for six months and drive cab for six months, then you have a real education. Whether we did it or not, that espouses what we believe. These are the things that differentiate us and distinguish us as a University. I finished with the demand that the current administration must continue our fine basketball tradition to enhance the greatness of our University and to enhance the University's suggested themes. The administration needs to ensure that our basketball program remains top notch. I urge everyone to respond to that email and let the administration know what we think.
We should start an email campaign because the University President didn't specifically mention basketball in a letter?
I'm sorry, but does that seem crazy to anybody else?
Quote from: Guns n Ammo on September 06, 2012, 10:12:47 PM
We should start an email campaign because the University President didn't specifically mention basketball in a letter?
I'm sorry, but does that seem crazy to anybody else?
Yeah, it is crazy. To state that the "soul" of Marquette University is the basketball program is ludicrous. The soul of MU, like almost every other institution of higher learning, is the student body. And, it is the totality of their MU experience (which certainly includes basketball) that binds the MU community together.
Frankly, an institution who tries to define itself through an athletic program is bound to be disappointed.
What's more daffy is the thought that MU would give a rat's behind what any of us think.
Quote from: RJax55 on September 06, 2012, 11:29:56 PM
Yeah, it is crazy. To state that the "soul" of Marquette University is the basketball program is ludicrous. The soul of MU, like almost every other institution of higher learning, is the student body. And, it is the totality of their MU experience (which certainly includes basketball) that binds the MU community together.
Frankly, an institution who tries to define itself through an athletic program is bound to be disappointed.
I understand what Gato was saying, that the basketball program is very important to the identity of the University, but to say it is the "soul" of the University is overplay. Yes, it is a point of pride for alumni and is a significant part of the school's identity.
And I don't think the administration would dispute that anyway.
Quote from: RJax55 on September 06, 2012, 11:29:56 PM
Yeah, it is crazy. To state that the "soul" of Marquette University is the basketball program is ludicrous. The soul of MU, like almost every other institution of higher learning, is the student body. And, it is the totality of their MU experience (which certainly includes basketball) that binds the MU community together.
Frankly, an institution who tries to define itself through an athletic program is bound to be disappointed.
Notre Dame = Football; Harvard = Academics; Berkeley = Protest; MU = Basketball. Each school has an identity apart from the collective student body that is an asset that must be exploited, which is good. Many schools have no real identity (really - what do you think of when you hear Towson State?) Defining a university through athletics is just fine, it brings alumni back and raises the profile.
Quote from: mu_hilltopper on September 07, 2012, 07:52:09 AM
What's more daffy is the thought that MU would give a rat's behind what any of us think.
I would hope they would care since it is many of us who give the money that supports the scholarship, that ensures the tuition money is there and who follows the concepts of social justice preached by the Jesuits. A University's greatest gift is the quality of person it graduates into the world. If you don't care what these people think, then you don't care about the product you produce!
As to the broader issue of basketball, we're back in the debate about the role of basketball at Marquette, like it or not. Now isn't the first time we've been there and hopefully, it's the last. Basketball is important because it generates significant cash flow. Further, the reality is that for many in this country, Marquette is basketball. I've said it before that I would hope NO ONE selected Marquette because of basketball alone (except perhaps for 12 people on campus who happen to play basketball for us), but I do think that basketball plays a role in creating visibility for the university. At its core, basketball is a public relations tool!
On the question of our most famous celebrity, I still think Joe McCarthy may be number 1. He was a grad and in most history books. Al hasn't made American History books -- yet!
Quote from: Hamostradamus on September 07, 2012, 08:20:42 AM
Notre Dame = Football; Harvard = Academics; Berkeley = Protest; MU = Basketball.
Funny, for me, Harvard = Money.
As for this topic, I think basketball is what keeps alumni, particularly those outside WI/IL, attached to the university. I loved Warriors basketball while I was at MU, but it was only a small part of the great 4 years I had there (basketball wouldn't figure in my favorite 20 memories of college). Basketball now is my way of keeping in touch with the school and those who also love it. Wouldn't call it the soul of the school, though.
Here's the thing, these kind of grandiose statements are great for sending out in emails and making people feel important and impressing everyone with buzz words. I think what comes next is much more important, in terms of how they execute it.
I'm willing bet no 22 year old graduate is going to remember all these things. Hell, I'm back at MU getting a grad degree and I likely won't see any impact of these things in the university because what they plan and what they execute have been historically disconnected. Additionally, they have historically been disconnected between theory that they teach and the reality of the real world.
Having read it a couple of times now, I think they are basically saying we are putting a 5 year roadmap for the university together and then we are going to go execute it. In addition to that, especially in the last sentence of the Resource paragraph they are saying you better have it in the roadmap or its not happening. So we have to hope basketball, and athletics in general is a big part of that roadmap.
Ultimately, I will reserve judgement until we actually see a roadmap and then whether they actually execute. I have my doubts but we'll see.
Let's be clear:
Basketball is tremendously important to MU. It provides an entertainment and rallying point for students and alumni. It provides a branding opportunity for the university, and it' gives invaluable national television time.
It's important. Very important.
But, just because the University President didn't mention Al McGuire in a press release, doesn't mean we need an email campaign. Good Lord.
Pilarz graduated from Georgetown (undergrad) and worked at Georgetown from 1996-03. He owned and cared for the Georgetown bulldog mascot (the actual dog). The guy isn't some high and mighty academic who doesn't understand school spirit, and the importance of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pilarz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pilarz)
MU spent big bucks on a new assistant (Chew) this off season, and gave Buzz a big raise last off season.
Why are some people so nervous? What else are you looking for MU to do?
Quote from: mu03eng on September 07, 2012, 09:23:09 AM
Here's the thing, these kind of grandiose statements are great for sending out in emails and making people feel important and impressing everyone with buzz words. I think what comes next is much more important, in terms of how they execute it.
I'm willing bet no 22 year old graduate is going to remember all these things. Hell, I'm back at MU getting a grad degree and I likely won't see any impact of these things in the university because what they plan and what they execute have been historically disconnected. Additionally, they have historically been disconnected between theory that they teach and the reality of the real world.
Having read it a couple of times now, I think they are basically saying we are putting a 5 year roadmap for the university together and then we are going to go execute it. In addition to that, especially in the last sentence of the Resource paragraph they are saying you better have it in the roadmap or its not happening. So we have to hope basketball, and athletics in general is a big part of that roadmap.
Ultimately, I will reserve judgement until we actually see a roadmap and then whether they actually execute. I have my doubts but we'll see.
Yea, I actually found this statement the most interesting:
QuoteStewardship of Valuable Resources: For the strategic plan to be effective, any priorities established must be tied to specific financial plans and a commitment to appropriate resources, whether financial, human, physical or any other sort. We need to deepen our collective understanding of our financial reality—including the constraints of our annual budget and the hyper-competitive marketplace for new students, for research grants and for fund raising. If we want to invest in new ideas—to act boldly as I heard over and over again — we should look for ways to accept the challenge of being innovative and entrepreneurial in pursuing our dreams, while practicing discipline and efficiency in controlling costs.
For me, this means less new buildings and more preparing for the new reality. MU has experienced great prosperity for the past 15 years. The next 15 might not be as kind, they need to be prepared for that. Tuition rates are climbing very quickly, and MU can't afford to price it self out of the market. With this said, MU has a pretty good infrastructure in place (could use a new frosh. dorm, but whatever), and if they can keep tuition rates reasonable and build the endowment, they should be in good shape.
Quote from: Hamostradamus on September 07, 2012, 08:20:42 AM
Notre Dame = Football; Harvard = Academics; Berkeley = Protest; MU = Basketball. Each school has an identity apart from the collective student body that is an asset that must be exploited, which is good. Many schools have no real identity (really - what do you think of when you hear Towson State?) Defining a university through athletics is just fine, it brings alumni back and raises the profile.
I cannot stand Notre Dame, but when I do not think Notre Dame = Football. Far from it, in fact.
The e-mail directly asked for feedback. So I think their response is justified. Maybe the administrations track record on large decisions in the past make them nervous or maybe they just feel strongly about this aspect of Marquette.
You can also click the link in the e-mail and tell the admin they have it stated perfectly and even give some ideas on programs they can implement under the strategic plan.
Quote from: Guns n Ammo on September 07, 2012, 09:30:29 AM
Let's be clear:
...But, just because the University President didn't mention Al McGuire in a press release, doesn't mean we need an email campaign. Good Lord.
Quote from: Frenns Liquor Depot on September 07, 2012, 09:37:50 AM
The e-mail directly asked for feedback. So I think their response is justified. Maybe the administrations track record on large decisions in the past make them nervous or maybe they just feel strongly about this aspect of Marquette.
You can also click the link in the e-mail and tell the admin they have it stated perfectly and even give some ideas on programs they can implement under the strategic plan.
I stand corrected.
This copy is on the right hand side of the website:
QuoteThis strategic planning website is established as a vehicle for the campus community to learn about the strategic planning process and provide feedback.
Email away, gentlemen.
Quote from: mu_hilltopper on September 07, 2012, 07:52:09 AM
What's more daffy is the thought that MU would give a rat's behind what any of us think.
Well, who do you think MU is going to ask to help pay for the "stewardship of valuable resources"? Pilarz is known as a master fundraiser, and the Domers are in place to help. ND has a bit less than a 50% alumni donation rate and their network hunts you down. MU's is <18%, Georegetown a bit over 30%. Loyola just got the ex-CEO of McDonald's to build them a new business school. MU's business building is an old cobbled-together refrigerator box.
Grab for some of your Grover's, boys.
Agree with Guns. School has real challenges ahead that are bigger than the basketball program. MU needs to be focused on being competitive in the marketplace and building the school's reputation aside from basketball. One of the biggest issues it faces is that basketball is the identity of the school to many, great for fans but not so great for school. New President often leads to new direction with big picture of the university.
Quote from: Goose on September 07, 2012, 09:55:01 AM
Agree with Guns. School has real challenges ahead that are bigger than the basketball program. MU needs to be focused on being competitive in the marketplace and building the school's reputation aside from basketball. One of the biggest issues it faces is that basketball is the identity of the school to many, great for fans but not so great for school. New President often leads to new direction with big picture of the university.
Just to add to this, I think basketball can/will play a key role in building up donations and generating revenue.
My only point was just because Pilarz doesn't specifically mention hoops, doesn't mean MU isn't committed to to a big time program.
Guns
I have my overall beliefs on the role ball plays at MU moving forward, but am not jumping ship because of Pilarz email. Time will tell how big a role ball plays and respect overall direction of university is bigger than role basketball plays. My heart says everyone in BOT knows how important basketball is and hopefully that wins out.
Quote from: Goose on September 07, 2012, 10:23:45 AM
Guns
I have my overall beliefs on the role ball plays at MU moving forward, but am not jumping ship because of Pilarz email. Time will tell how big a role ball plays and respect overall direction of university is bigger than role basketball plays. My heart says everyone in BOT knows how important basketball is and hopefully that wins out.
That's exactly how I feel.
They are smart people, MU's direction has been very good (over the past 15-20 years) and the current leadership has a good pedigree.
MU isn't perfect, but they seem to be doing/saying the right things.
My concern is an overall messaging from the university and the utopian society they seem to live in at times. I provided my feedback and it had nothing to do with basketball. I think if the university were smart they would make their strategic vision and plan all about "we make students ready to jump into the real world with both feet". With that message and basketball, those are two powerful carrots to attract students and reinvigorate the alumni base.
Another thing, I don't know about everyone else, but I do feel like I get a lot of tell us how you feel type stuff from MU and very little seems to either happen or they go in what seems to be a per-conceived direction. I think they need to be conscious of this and really work to make sure the feedback and the actions are aligned or you are going to people even more turned off.
Quote from: Guns n Ammo on September 07, 2012, 09:36:16 AM
Tuition rates are climbing very quickly, and MU can't afford to price it self out of the market... If they can keep tuition rates reasonable....
Have you priced a Marquette education lately? Terms like "can't afford to price itself out of the market" and "reasonable" are so, well, nonsense with Marquette that it defies description.
Marquette is $43,000 a year now. That's right..... $43,000. I'm old enough to remember tuition and ancillary that was less than half that for four years. That's right, an undergraduate degree for less than half of one year's tuition. Even adjusting for inflation since the 1970s, Marquette's costs have risen between 2x and 3x the cost of living in the period.
If my children wanted a Marquette education and Marquette wanted my children, I doubt we could come close to affording it without massive financial assistance that I candidly doubt would be available.
I currently have a Freshman at MU and another going next year and it is putting me in the poor house. I always told my wife if one of the upper, upper end school's were fit for my kids I would do whatever possible to make it happen and if MU was their choice we would need great deal of discussion. I love MU and it has been great for my family for over 40 years and due to that I caved in. All I know is I met my kid for lunch today and aside from lunch I gave him a C note and check to MU for $17K....an expensive lunch in my opinion.
MU has priced themselves out of the game for 99% of the population, myself included. I will tell you that my son is under tough scrutiny from me on his time at MU.
Marquette does what many privates do. Mark it up real high, and offer discounts (labelled as "scholarships") based on those who they want to attend. "You can pay $25,000...but *you* have to pay $32,000." Of course this is all done because they have figured out ways to maximize what students, and their parents, are willing to borrow through federal financial aid programs. Believe me, one of my good friends works as a consultant to private colleges on how to set up and maintain these programs, how to manage scholarships, etc.
Marquette is no different than any other private school of its stature in that regard. And I have mentioned this before, but my son who is attending Butler, wanted to come to MU originally. But they didn't offer his major, and their scholarship offer was well under Butler's. So that's where he went.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 07, 2012, 03:05:02 PM
Marquette does what many privates do. Mark it up real high, and offer discounts (labelled as "scholarships") based on those who they want to attend. "You can pay $25,000...but *you* have to pay $32,000." Of course this is all done because they have figured out ways to maximize what students, and their parents, are willing to borrow through federal financial aid programs. Believe me, one of my good friends works as a consultant to private colleges on how to set up and maintain these programs, how to manage scholarships, etc.
Marquette is no different than any other private school of its stature in that regard. And I have mentioned this before, but my son who is attending Butler, wanted to come to MU originally. But they didn't offer his major, and their scholarship offer was well under Butler's. So that's where he went.
NPR's Planet Money did a whole podcast on this practice a few months ago. It was a very interesting listen.
Quote from: dgies9156 on September 07, 2012, 02:51:31 PM
Have you priced a Marquette education lately? Terms like "can't afford to price itself out of the market" and "reasonable" are so, well, nonsense with Marquette that it defies description.
Marquette is $43,000 a year now. That's right..... $43,000. I'm old enough to remember tuition and ancillary that was less than half that for four years. That's right, an undergraduate degree for less than half of one year's tuition. Even adjusting for inflation since the 1970s, Marquette's costs have risen between 2x and 3x the cost of living in the period.
If my children wanted a Marquette education and Marquette wanted my children, I doubt we could come close to affording it without massive financial assistance that I candidly doubt would be available.
I agree, but it's not like this is unique to MU. Tuition rates for all universities have been outpacing inflation for a while.
The problem for private schools is that they don't have the "in-state" discounts that work for public schools and make them attainable.
General economy is working against crazy tuition's. Grandma and Grandpa's are shelling out less and borrowing against house is too risky. Private school's need to be more creative in today's economy and throwing out a couple grand scholarship a semester is not creative. I always hoped my kids wanted to go to MU and selfishly the last few years I was hoping UW was there choice. Just like everywhere MU needs to cut costs and to it without going backwards with facilities or staff.
Quote from: Goose on September 07, 2012, 04:18:16 PM
General economy is working against crazy tuition's. Grandma and Grandpa's are shelling out less and borrowing against house is too risky. Private school's need to be more creative in today's economy and throwing out a couple grand scholarship a semester is not creative. I always hoped my kids wanted to go to MU and selfishly the last few years I was hoping UW was there choice. Just like everywhere MU needs to cut costs and to it without going backwards with facilities or staff.
Bingo. If they can flatten out the tuition costs for the next handful of years, build up some endowment and donations, they should be in good shape (its a lot to ask, I know).
If they simply keep jacking up tuition, sadly, a lot of alumni aren't going to be able to send their kids there (myself included).
Quote from: Guns n Ammo on September 07, 2012, 04:53:38 PM
Bingo. If they can flatten out the tuition costs for the next handful of years, build up some endowment and donations, they should be in good shape (its a lot to ask, I know).
If they simply keep jacking up tuition, sadly, a lot of alumni aren't going to be able to send their kids there (myself included).
Which is why I'm cautiously optimistic about the stewardship theme. The university might finally be ready to look at it's internal cost and find ways to drive that down which will limit or eliminate the need to increase tuition.
Here's the problem that colleges face - the vast majority of their costs are personnel related...about 75% at most places. That makes it very hard to control costs year-to-year. That means no raises and no benefit increases. Extremely unlikely. Of course there are other options...including cutting positions or cutting back elsewhere. But that is difficult unless you want to put more kids into classrooms or give them less services.
The other issue is that Marquette really doesn't have a lot of incentive to do this with demand being what it is.
Quote from: mu03eng on September 07, 2012, 05:01:17 PM
Which is why I'm cautiously optimistic about the stewardship theme. The university might finally be ready to look at it's internal cost and find ways to drive that down which will limit or eliminate the need to increase tuition.
I am a huge fan of Marquette education, but as a parent of two Marquette students, I do hope that this "stewardship" initiative is taken seriously. I can't help but notice that while the enrollment at Marquette has stayed relatively stable in the last 30 years,the amount of resources devoted to "administration" seems to have exploded.
For example, when I went to Marquette, they had no resources off-campus housing. Now, I recently discovered, they have both an Associate Dean and an Assistant Dean for off-campus housing services. The only administrative space Marquette has lost since the '80's is the (relatively small) 1212 building. In the meantime, they have added Alumni Memorial Union (which is really only about 1/2 student space, with the rest being offices and meeting rooms), several classroom buildings that have a significant amount office space, and Zilber Hall, which is an entire city block long and a half-block wide. It's a bit much.
Quote from: mu03eng on September 07, 2012, 10:45:51 AM
Another thing, I don't know about everyone else, but I do feel like I get a lot of tell us how you feel type stuff from MU and very little seems to either happen or they go in what seems to be a per-conceived direction. I think they need to be conscious of this and really work to make sure the feedback and the actions are aligned or you are going to people even more turned off.
I went to a Jesuit high school, college and grad school. One thing they were very good at was asking for feedback. Unfortunately, my experience has been that feedback that doesn't match a predetermined course of action is ignored.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 07, 2012, 08:59:03 PM
Here's the problem that colleges face - the vast majority of their costs are personnel related...about 75% at most places. That makes it very hard to control costs year-to-year. That means no raises and no benefit increases. Extremely unlikely. Of course there are other options...including cutting positions or cutting back elsewhere. But that is difficult unless you want to put more kids into classrooms or give them less services.
The other issue is that Marquette really doesn't have a lot of incentive to do this with demand being what it is.
These are all valid points, and if the free market will accommodate 50K per year, then MU should charge that.
However, when you keep moving the price up, and keep the quality relatively the same... you are playing a dangerous game. At some point people are going to say "no thanks" and MU doesn't want to be left scrambling to fill up it's frosh. class and/or rapidly dropping the price.
Always a balancing act.
Plus, (and I have not idea how to calculate this), if you keep jacking up the price you will eventually alienate alumni who can't afford to send their kids there. You aren't just going to effect enrollment rates, but donation rates as well. I love MU, but I'm not as inclined to donate to a school that prices my family and children out of the market.
I'm sure they know all of this, and if they are smart, they are already planning for it.
Quote from: warriorchick on September 07, 2012, 09:17:15 PM
I am a huge fan of Marquette education, but as a parent of two Marquette students, I do hope that this "stewardship" initiative is taken seriously. I can't help but notice that while the enrollment at Marquette has stayed relatively stable in the last 30 years,the amount of resources devoted to "administration" seems to have exploded.
For example, when I went to Marquette, they had no resources off-campus housing. Now, I recently discovered, they have both an Associate Dean and an Assistant Dean for off-campus housing services. The only administrative space Marquette has lost since the '80's is the (relatively small) 1212 building. In the meantime, they have added Alumni Memorial Union (which is really only about 1/2 student space, with the rest being offices and meeting rooms), several classroom buildings that have a significant amount office space, and Zilber Hall, which is an entire city block long and a half-block wide. It's a bit much.
I could be wrong, but didn't enrollment take a dip in the 90's?
But, your overall sentiment is well taken. MU has been doing well the past 15 years. That's great. Might be time to tighten everything up because the next 15 years might not be as nice. Competition is tough and $ is tight.
Warrior Chick may be on to something in her post. Match revenues to expenses.
Expenses should be linear to revenue growth. Sock a few schekels away for capital expenditures....feed future growth.
What I worry about.....we all see how much the athletic department spends. We also see the ROI it gives. Cash flow is king. I hope Fr. P and co. trim in other areas that don't have acceptable cash flow.
Of the personnel costs that I mentioned above, administrative is generally very small. Faculty costs are usually the highest. No offense guys, but Marquette charges this because they can. I mean, we have two parents on this thread complaining about their costs....but still pay for their kids to attend.
There are plenty of places to get a high quality education in this country, but your families are choosing MU. And you are not alone.
Quote from: CTWarrior on September 07, 2012, 09:09:08 AM
Funny, for me, Harvard = Money.
As for this topic, I think basketball is what keeps alumni, particularly those outside WI/IL, attached to the university. I loved Warriors basketball while I was at MU, but it was only a small part of the great 4 years I had there (basketball wouldn't figure in my favorite 20 memories of college). Basketball now is my way of keeping in touch with the school and those who also love it. Wouldn't call it the soul of the school, though.
You got it. And it's a huge selling point for me when talking to CA kids.
If I wanted a Jesuit education with a low-profile athletic program, I would have enrolled at Seattle or Wheeling Jesuit.
Basketball was a major reason why I went to Marquette. School spirit matters.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 07, 2012, 10:16:57 PM
Of the personnel costs that I mentioned above, administrative is generally very small. Faculty costs are usually the highest. No offense guys, but Marquette charges this because they can. I mean, we have two parents on this thread complaining about their costs....but still pay for their kids to attend.
There are plenty of places to get a high quality education in this country, but your families are choosing MU. And you are not alone.
For sometime I have wondered what kind of relationship would be shown by a study that tracked increases in federal support for student aid and increases in student tuition......
Quote from: LittleMurs on September 07, 2012, 11:39:15 PM
For sometime I have wondered what kind of relationship would be shown by a study that tracked increases in federal support for student aid and increases in student tuition......
Linear, rising at nearly a 45 degree angle would be my guess.
Yep. Not sure what you can do about that now though.
77champs
Hate to say that my 19y son's biggest interest in going to MU was the basketball program. He would never admit to my wife that was reason but in reality he picked MU over other schools because he has lived MU ball for 19 years. That being big part of decision did not bother me because the other schools in contention were comp cost and academic reputation. If he picked MU over Harvard because of program I would have been pissed.
OK, here's the problem with Marquette. One of the opening posts compared Marquette to other schools, like Notre Dame, Harvard etc. All are great schools. In my case, I'd be tickled if one of my children wanted to go to MU, could do MU work and came home four years later with an MU degree.
But here's the real world. A degree from Notre Dame, Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Northwestern and Stanford command respect and attention throughout the United States. Look at who recruits and hires from these schools! Marquette isn't in this league.
Marquette's a great school, no doubt. But on a value basis, if my choice for a liberal arts degree is Marquette at $43,000 or the University of Illinois in the mid-$20,000 range, guess where I'm pointing my child! In Journalism, for example, you come out of Marquette with a BA, no job or, in best circumstances, a job that pays $30,000 a year and you have $100,000 plus of debt. The exception is the students who get federal or university aid because some program wants them.
I can't see saddling a child with an enormous amount of debt they can't repay -- especially if they go into liberal arts. Nor can I see risking my retirement for the Marquette name alone.
It's a tough choice for many parents, I know.
At the core though, I think the early posters are right -- as long as enrollment is up and someone is willing to pay it, tuition will continue to rise exponentially. That's the free market.
The private vs. public cost debate has to be balanced. Private schools like Marquette provide individual attention and can get a kid graduated in 3.5 years while a state school can take 5 to 6. Very common. Also, internships are a big part of what students are looking for today and MU has many opportunities available with their urban (Milwaukee to Chicago) corridor)
Look at the big money at MU- mostly law and engineering alums. It has a niche including the medical technical fields but the university needs to transform itself elsewhere. Stanford is putting a big bet on virtual classrooms opening up enrollment beyond a physical classroom, giving the world access to professors' lectures. Similarly, schools like Tufts via eBay funding have opened their students up to wide international experiences.
Students today are looking for experiential opportunities, more technical/specialized, varied and customized, and with connected communities (including dorm infrastructure). They grew up living and learning very differently than the committee designing this strategic plan.
Quote from: Dr. Blackheart on September 08, 2012, 09:04:27 AM
The private vs. public cost debate has to be balanced. Private schools like Marquette provide individual attention and can get a kid graduated in 3.5 years while a state school can take 5 to 6.
Unless it is for a program that requires extra credits, almost every kid that goes to a public university can graduate in 4 years. The kids that don't generally are those that switch majors, take extra classes, or simply take extra time. The lower cost allows them to do this.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 08, 2012, 10:45:58 AM
Unless it is for a program that requires extra credits, almost every kid that goes to a public university can graduate in 4 years. The kids that don't generally are those that switch majors, take extra classes, or simply take extra time. The lower cost allows them to do this.
Look at U of Illinois. You basically need a 32 ACT to get into the school of your choice as they are taking so many more profitable out of state students. So, yeah, if I have a 25-30 I can major in General Studies and graduate in four years, but what I really wanted to study was Business so my plan is to transfer in. Or I am in Nutrition but I cannot get space in a clinical. Lots of History majors running around unemployed.
So my choices are a lesser esteemed Illinois Directional School or a Marquette. In California, there has been so many cuts in state schools, the private colleges are overflowing. This middle of the road is MU's wheelhouse.
Quote from: dgies9156 on September 08, 2012, 08:35:43 AM
OK, here's the problem with Marquette. One of the opening posts compared Marquette to other schools, like Notre Dame, Harvard etc. All are great schools. In my case, I'd be tickled if one of my children wanted to go to MU, could do MU work and came home four years later with an MU degree.
But here's the real world. A degree from Notre Dame, Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Northwestern and Stanford command respect and attention throughout the United States. Look at who recruits and hires from these schools! Marquette isn't in this league.
Marquette's a great school, no doubt. But on a value basis, if my choice for a liberal arts degree is Marquette at $43,000 or the University of Illinois in the mid-$20,000 range, guess where I'm pointing my child! In Journalism, for example, you come out of Marquette with a BA, no job or, in best circumstances, a job that pays $30,000 a year and you have $100,000 plus of debt. The exception is the students who get federal or university aid because some program wants them.
I can't see saddling a child with an enormous amount of debt they can't repay -- especially if they go into liberal arts. Nor can I see risking my retirement for the Marquette name alone.
It's a tough choice for many parents, I know.
At the core though, I think the early posters are right -- as long as enrollment is up and someone is willing to pay it, tuition will continue to rise exponentially. That's the free market.
You are correct, but that's not a bad thing. MU isn't a Cadillac. MU isn't a KIA. It's somewhere in the middle, and offers features that some consumers want.
I like the urban environment, size of the student body, D1 sports, etc. etc.
MU has value... but continual tuition increases might outprice MU's value, and then they will have a problem.
Not there yet, but they need to be planning and have a vision for where they are headed. They can't keep putting up new buildings and jacking up tuition every single year. That bubble will burst at some point. That really goes for every college, not just MU.
Regardless of whether MU bumps their list price then folks get a discounted price .. the cost of tuition, room, and board are outpacing inflation, but more importantly, outpacing both parental income, and expected graduate income.
There's a universe of people who can afford MU's tuition. That universe gets smaller each year. Projected out a few decades, and that universe drops to near zero.
In 10 years, MU will cost $68k. 20 years, $111k. PER YEAR!
Sorry, personal income inflation will no where near catch up to that. It is simply unfathomable that MU will exist in 30-40-50 years.
If MU, and all private schools for that matter, want to survive in the long term .. they need to bend the cost curve IMMEDIATELY.
Quote from: mu_hilltopper on September 08, 2012, 12:11:37 PM
Regardless of whether MU bumps their list price then folks get a discounted price .. the cost of tuition, room, and board are outpacing inflation, but more importantly, outpacing both parental income, and expected graduate income.
There's a universe of people who can afford MU's tuition. That universe gets smaller each year. Projected out a few decades, and that universe drops to near zero.
In 10 years, MU will cost $68k. 20 years, $111k. PER YEAR!
Sorry, personal income inflation will no where near catch up to that. It is simply unfathomable that MU will exist in 30-40-50 years.
If MU, and all private schools for that matter, want to survive in the long term .. they need to bend the cost curve IMMEDIATELY.
I think most/all colleges are facing this reality.
The cost of secondary education is eventually going to outpace it's value.
A good tradesman won't have the acquired debt and will begin producing decent income immediately (post high school) vs a college grad who is 100K in debt and won't make any significant income until they are 22.
A college degree will likely still make you more income over a lifetime, but it's far closer now than it used to be, and if rates continue to rise, the tradition 4 year degree might not be the best bet anymore.
Quote from: dgies9156 on September 08, 2012, 08:35:43 AM
OK, here's the problem with Marquette. One of the opening posts compared Marquette to other schools, like Notre Dame, Harvard etc. All are great schools. In my case, I'd be tickled if one of my children wanted to go to MU, could do MU work and came home four years later with an MU degree.
But here's the real world. A degree from Notre Dame, Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Northwestern and Stanford command respect and attention throughout the United States. Look at who recruits and hires from these schools! Marquette isn't in this league.
Marquette's a great school, no doubt. But on a value basis, if my choice for a liberal arts degree is Marquette at $43,000 or the University of Illinois in the mid-$20,000 range, guess where I'm pointing my child! In Journalism, for example, you come out of Marquette with a BA, no job or, in best circumstances, a job that pays $30,000 a year and you have $100,000 plus of debt. The exception is the students who get federal or university aid because some program wants them.
I can't see saddling a child with an enormous amount of debt they can't repay -- especially if they go into liberal arts. Nor can I see risking my retirement for the Marquette name alone.
It's a tough choice for many parents, I know.
At the core though, I think the early posters are right -- as long as enrollment is up and someone is willing to pay it, tuition will continue to rise exponentially. That's the free market.
I haven't found the study yet, but I read an analysis about a year ago looking at costs of the top 100 universities and the average salaries of alumni. They basically did a simple ROI calculation and found that there was about 1.5% salary difference in the number 1 and number 100 schools. So you can say oh I went to ND but as long as the price at MU and ND aren't the same there is plenty of value. It's all about if you want the "brand name" which I think is getting more and more diluted.
Quote from: mu_hilltopper on September 08, 2012, 12:11:37 PM
Regardless of whether MU bumps their list price then folks get a discounted price .. the cost of tuition, room, and board are outpacing inflation, but more importantly, outpacing both parental income, and expected graduate income.
There's a universe of people who can afford MU's tuition. That universe gets smaller each year. Projected out a few decades, and that universe drops to near zero.
In 10 years, MU will cost $68k. 20 years, $111k. PER YEAR!
Sorry, personal income inflation will no where near catch up to that. It is simply unfathomable that MU will exist in 30-40-50 years.
If MU, and all private schools for that matter, want to survive in the long term .. they need to bend the cost curve IMMEDIATELY.
What I wonder is, what do the schools that are USNWR ranked 150++ do? Marquette's tuition is outrageous, just like all other private tuition, but it's probably right in line with all of the other private schools in Wisconsin. How are St. Norberts or Ripon College surviving?
My guess is that if the public student loan market were cut off, a lot of these schools would be in trouble. How else can students afford to attend?
the uw-system is going to take a hit in quality as walker's cuts come full circle. while it's easy for staff to be transient in regards to state's paying higher wages (free market), it's not the same for in-state students looking to capitalize on the reduced in-state tuition. if the uw-system continues to raise tuition, mu will have a chance to either charge more and keep enrollment stable, or leave tuition where it is and make a play at part of a population it previously couldn't attract.
dr. blackheart mentioned that students are looking for a different "experience," and i think the real game changer may be that we're going to start seeing more of an international competition for the best and brightest in our universities. transportation and technology continues to shrink the world, and i know of many families that have sent their high achieving students overseas because the educational value was so much greater. our nation is going to have to decide if we want to compete in higher education or essentially allow it to be outsourced. this has been a concern to the ivy league schools for years, but i believe it will filter down...
Quote from: avid1010 on September 08, 2012, 08:06:51 PM
if the uw-system continues to raise tuition, mu will have a chance to either charge more and keep enrollment stable, or leave tuition where it is and make a play at part of a population it previously couldn't attract.
That's gonna take some time. UW is roughly half MU's cost right now, including room & board, UW is $24k, MU is $43. UW's rate of increases are 5-8% .. it'll take decades for them to catch MU's tuition rate, if ever. -- And who knows. Wisconsin's political landscape will swing the other direction at some point in the future. It always does.
Lift the bankruptcy discharge exemption on student loans and force recipient schools to provide a partial-guaranty on the loans. You'll be mindboggled at how quickly tuition rates drop.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 07, 2012, 08:59:03 PM
Here's the problem that colleges face - the vast majority of their costs are personnel related...about 75% at most places. That makes it very hard to control costs year-to-year. That means no raises and no benefit increases. Extremely unlikely. Of course there are other options...including cutting positions or cutting back elsewhere. But that is difficult unless you want to put more kids into classrooms or give them less services.
So if Marquette is looking to control costs - and it should be - the obvious place to look is where you can replace personnel with the highest salaries with competent, adequate personnel who would accept a lower salary. Isn't Buzz #1 on the salary hit parade?
Quote from: mr.MUskie on September 08, 2012, 11:02:07 PM
So if Marquette is looking to control costs - and it should be - the obvious place to look is where you can replace personnel with the highest salaries with competent, adequate personnel who would accept a lower salary. Isn't Buzz #1 on the salary hit parade?
Why not drop basketball altogether? Marquette will save tens of millions which we can then spend on professors. MU will become Harvard in no time.
And if we just raise the minimum wage to $150/hour we can end poverty and collect enough tax revenue to pay off the national debt.
This stuff is easy if you just think it through.
Quote from: Lennys Tap on September 08, 2012, 11:26:35 PM
Why not drop basketball altogether? Marquette will save tens of millions which we can then spend on professors. MU will become Harvard in no time.
And if we just raise the minimum wage to $150/hour we can end poverty and collect enough tax revenue to pay off the national debt.
This stuff is easy if you just think it through.
Thanks a lot Lenny!
You have just given some pointy head in the Philosophy department something to research for the next year. You'll start a debate that will chase Buzz off to the Southwest and resurrect Bob Dukiet's corpse and make him head basketball coach.
Or better yet, we'll be a Mid-Major at best and some of the folks in this room can get all excited because we'll play Green Bay and UWM twice a year.
Oh... and that $150 per hour minimum wage -- looks like more room to tax the wealthy!
Thanks but no thanks, Lenny. Go back to basketball.
Quote from: mu_hilltopper on September 08, 2012, 08:38:58 PM
That's gonna take some time. UW is roughly half MU's cost right now, including room & board, UW is $24k, MU is $43. UW's rate of increases are 5-8% .. it'll take decades for them to catch MU's tuition rate, if ever. -- And who knows. Wisconsin's political landscape will swing the other direction at some point in the future. It always does.
and i don't think the state system will ever balance with mu (if it does a good system is done)...but, with scholarships, if the difference is near 10k a year, i'd consider it for my children, if the difference is 20-30k a year that decision is much more difficult. the "free market" is fine, but it doesn't go exactly hand-in-hand with what mu beliefs are...often times i think the "free market" is used to make a complicated system sound easy. in this case, how much does mu charge those who can afford to attend, and what kind of options do they provide for those who don't have the $$$ to attend, but have earned the right to attend more so then many of the students (parents) that do have the $$$. as a catholic i believe we have a moral obligation to ensure opportunities are provided for all.
My senior year, the Friday Special at the Gym was 10 cent beers. The Friday Special at Caff's now is a $3 bottle of Pabst or Schlitz. Tuition was $6000 then. At that rate, Marquette's tuition should be $180,000 a year today. Have students stopped drinking at this ungodly rate of inflation?
Quote from: Lennys Tap on September 08, 2012, 11:26:35 PM
Why not drop basketball altogether? Marquette will save tens of millions which we can then spend on professors. MU will become Harvard in no time.
And if we just raise the minimum wage to $150/hour we can end poverty and collect enough tax revenue to pay off the national debt.
This stuff is easy if you just think it through.
or mu can put a strategical plan in place that allows it to move past its current competition, and earn an improved status in regards to higher ed.
i'm not sure why mu can't continue to have a solid basketball program that gets better over time and have an educational model that improves its status over the next 10-15 years.
your minimum wage sarcasm makes no sense in either direction...and if there's one thing a really tough economy provides is the enhanced opportunity for those who do it right to rise to the top and those who make mistakes to lose ground to their competition.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 07, 2012, 10:16:57 PM
Of the personnel costs that I mentioned above, administrative is generally very small. Faculty costs are usually the highest. No offense guys, but Marquette charges this because they can. I mean, we have two parents on this thread complaining about their costs....but still pay for their kids to attend.
There are plenty of places to get a high quality education in this country, but your families are choosing MU. And you are not alone.
I think you need to be careful Sultan as I wouldn't suggest that either Goose or WC were complaining. We've just got to be very careful with resources going forward, especially in light of the economic picture we all face. One thing to note in terms of the university's seriousness regarding budgetary constraint is the fact that they just asked Dean Salchenberger to leave Bus. Ad. and oversee the university budgeting process. I'm envisioning her role a "$$ cop'. I know Linda reasonably well and hope she succeeds in that newly created role.
One other note. MU takes pride in its ability to provide college educations to those 'first in family' to attend. Escalating tuition makes that increasingly difficult.
And to one last point, Sultan astutely observed that all private universities have gotten very good at individually pricing their product to attract the top talent. Neither warriorchick jr. nor jsglow jr. would be there without the very valuable scholarships THEY earned. Sure one can go to MU with a 27 ACT; you'll just pay the 'rack rate' published on the back of the motel room door.
Quote from: mr.MUskie on September 08, 2012, 11:02:07 PM
So if Marquette is looking to control costs - and it should be - the obvious place to look is where you can replace personnel with the highest salaries with competent, adequate personnel who would accept a lower salary. Isn't Buzz #1 on the salary hit parade?
I know you aren't being serious here, but cutting salaries to control costs simply isn't going to work. Talented professors, administrators, etc. would go elsewhere and you would make the school less valuable. Now strategically figuring out what positions are needed, and what really aren't, and how you can re-image what you are doing...that is a different story.
My experience with a lot of people in higher education, and I work with them on a daily basis, is that they try to do everything they have traditionally done without looking at it to see if it is strategically important...or if they can do it differently or forego it entirely. A lot of higher education administrators are well-intentioned...but simply not great managers.
jsglow...you are right..."complaining" isn't the right word. It's just that there are perfectly good alternatives to a MU education that are going to give the education you need to make a fine life for yourself. I mean if you are Joe Student from Brookfield, and you want to major in business, you have four schools in the state that really are going to get you what you need. MU and UW are the top two, but Milwaukee and Whitewater are just a little bit behind. Those last two might not get you the *first* job when compared to the other two, but they certainly are going to give you the knowledge you need to succeed and develop a nice career. But despite that, people still choose MU. Probably because of a perceived quality difference...but also because of the urban environment, campus life and private school atmosphere. (smaller class sizes, etc.)
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 09, 2012, 08:45:38 AM
My experience with a lot of people in higher education, and I work with them on a daily basis, is that they try to do everything they have traditionally done without looking at it to see if it is strategically important...or if they can do it differently or forego it entirely. A lot of higher education administrators are well-intentioned...but simply not great managers.
This.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 09, 2012, 08:45:38 AM
My experience with a lot of people in higher education, and I work with them on a daily basis, is that they try to do everything they have traditionally done without looking at it to see if it is strategically important...or if they can do it differently or forego it entirely. A lot of higher education administrators are well-intentioned...but simply not great managers.
Well, said, Sultan. I am sure it's the same at most schools, but I can't tell you the number of administrators I have met at Marquette, where after they describe what they do, I thought to myself, "Really? That's a full-time job?" I think university administration is very similar to government in that any time they decide to take on a new program or new initiative, no matter the size, it is automatically assumed that it needs a new department full of additional FTEs instead of carefully considering if it could be handled with current resources.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 09, 2012, 08:45:38 AM
I know you aren't being serious here, but cutting salaries to control costs simply isn't going to work. Talented professors, administrators, etc. would go elsewhere and you would make the school less valuable.
The point I was trying to make is that administrators might be working hard to save $100,000 here and $10,000 there and realize that they can save $1,000,000 by pushing out Buzz and hiring a lesser coach, and if they have to turn MU into SLU on the athletics side, they might be ok with that.
Quote from: mr.MUskie on September 09, 2012, 10:30:20 AM
The point I was trying to make is that administrators might be working hard to save $100,000 here and $10,000 there and realize that they can save $1,000,000 by pushing out Buzz and hiring a lesser coach, and if they have to turn MU into SLU on the athletics side, they might be ok with that.
Considering they just dropped big $$$ on Chew, I doubt it.
Quote from: mr.MUskie on September 09, 2012, 10:30:20 AM
The point I was trying to make is that administrators might be working hard to save $100,000 here and $10,000 there and realize that they can save $1,000,000 by pushing out Buzz and hiring a lesser coach, and if they have to turn MU into SLU on the athletics side, they might be ok with that.
That's where a department by department ROI comes in handy. The ROI On successful athletic departments is tough to beat. Especially when you factor in all the donations that are attributed to the good will that comes from alums who enjoy supporting successful athletics.
Academic and athletic excellence are not mutually exclusive. Athletic excellence can contribute in a big way (if done right) to academic excellence.
Quote from: mr.MUskie on September 09, 2012, 10:30:20 AM
The point I was trying to make is that administrators might be working hard to save $100,000 here and $10,000 there and realize that they can save $1,000,000 by pushing out Buzz and hiring a lesser coach, and if they have to turn MU into SLU on the athletics side, they might be ok with that.
In addition to the ROI argument above .. the Athletic Department is self-funding, as in the BBall program brings in enough revenue to not only pay for itself, but all other sports.
In return for no money, it gives the University a huge marketing boost and makes the Marquette brand (and all degrees) far more valuable.
You /might/ be able to make the argument that if MU had a crappier BBall program, the donors to the Blue & Gold fund would instead make donations to MU's general fund. This would be true for a fraction, yes. Most people are donating to B&G because they want to improve their point standing/seats.
MU basketball is stand alone business to some degree. It not only funds itself but covers all other sport expenses. Hands down the greatest marketing tool the school has and ROI is off the charts. Only rub in the mix is negative basketball exposure probably could hurt far greater than all the positives it provides. The BOT and President have big job in balancing the unreal positives over potential negatives. No need to lessen ball program provided it is clean and well run. Only concern in big picture is if the President is more concerned about possible issues in future.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on September 09, 2012, 08:45:38 AM
My experience with a lot of people in higher education, and I work with them on a daily basis, is that they try to do everything they have traditionally done without looking at it to see if it is strategically important...or if they can do it differently or forego it entirely. A lot of higher education administrators are well-intentioned...but simply not great managers.
agreed, but the higher paying admin positions should be people with successful management experience and successful educational experience. i've worked in the public and private sector, and have seen my share of awful management on both sides of the coin...the major difference being that the private sector was paying 2-20 times more for a similar workload.
i'm not as knowledgeable as most of you on what mu has for administration, but the important positions are being filled under the watch of mu's board...which is made up of "managers" from the private sector. when someone states that they work with administrators that are well-intentioned but not great managers, it makes me believe the school has an issue with upper management being able to increase the effectiveness of mid-level managers/admin. and model something as simple as a project managment system that should clearly place accountability on administration to focus on what is in the strategic plan.
Quote from: Goose on September 08, 2012, 08:23:28 AM
77champs
Hate to say that my 19y son's biggest interest in going to MU was the basketball program. He would never admit to my wife that was reason but in reality he picked MU over other schools because he has lived MU ball for 19 years. That being big part of decision did not bother me because the other schools in contention were comp cost and academic reputation. If he picked MU over Harvard because of program I would have been pissed.
Yep. My choices were Boston U and NYU in addition to MU. Both are waaaaay better cities but I couldn't see myself rooting for the BU hockey team (not a hockey fan) nor their basketball team. And NYU?! Yeah right.
I went to MU for a program, came from a Jesuit school, had a Jesuit scholarship, loved the distance from CA, weather, and different experiences it offered. And cheering on my school at bk games made it a no-brainer.
Quote from: Dr. Blackheart on September 09, 2012, 08:14:51 AM
My senior year, the Friday Special at the Gym was 10 cent beers. The Friday Special at Caff's now is a $3 bottle of Pabst or Schlitz. Tuition was $6000 then. At that rate, Marquette's tuition should be $180,000 a year today. Have students stopped drinking at this ungodly rate of inflation?
And the kicker is that today's beer is watered down!