Campus Expansion

[Coleman]

Typically they are available for ALL students, not just athletes. The teams have priority, but there is usually plenty of availability for student events that don't have anything to do with varsity sports. These facilities bring a fun dynamic to the students who enjoy watching the sports, and also want to get involved athletically.

It would be open to all students, but you are going to be playing intramural soccer games at midnight.

Which, if you are on a student schedule, isn't all that bad.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

The meet President Lovell event was in NYC last night. 

An interesting discussion.  It was moderated by a MU alum from Boston.  She's class of '99 and does reporting for Comcast Sportsnet Boston for the Celtics.  Kaczmarek?

He seems to have some interesting out-of-the box thoughts for the university improvement, but nothing crazy or outlandish so all sounding very doable.

He touched on the new tech campus at the Medical Center of Wisconsin, a $5mil development fund for people to come to the university or students to develop their ideas into a product or service, joining a clean water research program in DT Milwaukee and the Avenues West program where all the major employers in the area, like Harley, Miller, the Pabst Mansion & Marquette among others try to clean-up & improve 2 blocks surrounding themselves with the end result an improved & more desirable section of Milwaukee.
(I think all of these have been mentioned on Scoop.)

He mentioned the vacant lot the university just purchased and he said one of the things being considered is a "Fieldhouse" (my words) - a rec center with an indoor track paired with some kind of sports/health research study program.  He said it's too far away for an academic building since students often only have 10 minutes between classes.  It sounds like they don't want a dorm there either for similar reasons.  Nothing written in stone.

He's an avid runner for sure, a marathoner.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

It was a good event last night -- really well attended.  I just left feeling that they picked a good leader, who has a ton of energy to enact change and understands what is special about Marquette - first impression is good.

I was also happy to hear the commitment to maintaining a national brand and world class sports. 

Finally thought it was positive that Val Ackerman was in attendance.

[mu03eng]

The meet President Lovell event was in NYC last night. 

An interesting discussion.  It was moderated by a MU alum from Boston.  She's class of '99 and does reporting for Comcast Sportsnet Boston for the Celtics.  Kaczmarek?

He seems to have some interesting out-of-the box thoughts for the university improvement, but nothing crazy or outlandish so all sounding very doable.

He touched on the new tech campus at the Medical Center of Wisconsin, a $5mil development fund for people to come to the university or students to develop their ideas into a product or service, joining a clean water research program in DT Milwaukee and the Avenues West program where all the major employers in the area, like Harley, Miller, the Pabst Mansion & Marquette among others try to clean-up & improve 2 blocks surrounding themselves with the end result an improved & more desirable section of Milwaukee.
(I think all of these have been mentioned on Scoop.)

He mentioned the vacant lot the university just purchased and he said one of the things being considered is a "Fieldhouse" (my words) - a rec center with an indoor track paired with some kind of sports/health research study program.  He said it's too far away for an academic building since students often only have 10 minutes between classes.  It sounds like they don't want a dorm there either for similar reasons.  Nothing written in stone.

He's an avid runner for sure, a marathoner.

Trenni Kusnierek, use to do the sideline reporting for the Brewers

[ChicosBailBonds]

The meet President Lovell event was in NYC last night. 

An interesting discussion.  It was moderated by a MU alum from Boston.  She's class of '99 and does reporting for Comcast Sportsnet Boston for the Celtics.  Kaczmarek?

Must have been the audio...tough to get her name?   

[warriorchick]

Must have been the audio...tough to get her name?   

How was the food?  Did you win any door prizes?

[mu_hilltopper]

He mentioned the vacant lot the university just purchased and he said one of the things being considered is a "Fieldhouse" (my words) - a rec center with an indoor track paired with some kind of sports/health research study program. 

What a fantastic idea, to add to the overhead costs, so tuition can keep going higher.

[Avenue Commons]

Yup, and the difference in pay for Private college grads vs public grads is an even bigger disparity.  I get where Hilltopper is going, but I think his comments are more applicable to private schools that don't cut it. This is why, in my opinion, MU has to do everything they can to justify the expense, not have a race to the bottom.  If you can provide value, if your graduates are successful and have high earning potential, then bright students will pay the cost to attend because the ROI makes sense.  Right now, I'd call MU's ROI a wash, they need to do better and the time is now.  For those private schools that are equally expensive, but not churning out productive graduates, the justification to attend those schools (lower ranked, poor earners, etc) is a reality that future students can't ignore.

This is a good point. Private = Better. In Chicago there are many schools like Robert Morris College which I'm sure do a fine job. But is it really any better than going to U of I - Chicago for in state tuition? Or much cheaper than going to DePaul or Loyola-Chicago?

At the extreme, all online schools like Phoenix etc are all "private" schools. In fact, they are so private they are FOR profit, basically money making operations.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

What a fantastic idea, to add to the overhead costs, so tuition can keep going higher.

To be fair, what is the new president suppose to say to get alumni excited?

"We're going to tighten our belts. Nothing new is going to happen at MU for a looooong time."

They are always going to be promoting something new and exciting, especially for a new president.

Now, we'll see what happens with all of this. If they aren't careful, they will spend themselves into a spot they can't get out of. A new rec center is great, but not if enrollment dips and tuition continues to rise. That's an almost impossible spot to get out of... and shiny new buildings aren't worth anything if they aren't getting used.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

What a fantastic idea, to add to the overhead costs, so tuition can keep going higher.

He addressed this actually.  He envisions the Innovation Fund to be used to find ways to make college operations more efficient (adopting technology or new ways to deliver learning/content).  He also envisions these new initiatives to be partnerships (public/private or co-development with other universities).  Pie in the sky I know but he even says that tuition may be able to hold/decline if they are successful in some of these endeavors.   

[GGGG]

I was actually at a presentation by an economist the other day who said that college tuition should actually be rising faster.  That with the growing income difference between those with and without a college degree, that college tuition should actually be about 20% higher than it is right now.

He said that there are a number of factors that are preventing this.  First, is politics.  Second, is that parents pay a good portion of the college costs but don't participate in the economic benefits.  Third, are cash flow issues - he believes that the governments loan programs should be expanded significantly and that such expansion would be beneficial for both the borrower and the lender.

It was interesting to say the least.

[mu03eng]

I was actually at a presentation by an economist the other day who said that college tuition should actually be rising faster.  That with the growing income difference between those with and without a college degree, that college tuition should actually be about 20% higher than it is right now.

He said that there are a number of factors that are preventing this.  First, is politics.  Second, is that parents pay a good portion of the college costs but don't participate in the economic benefits.  Third, are cash flow issues - he believes that the governments loan programs should be expanded significantly and that such expansion would be beneficial for both the borrower and the lender.

It was interesting to say the least.

I don't know how he justifies that from a total debt prospective.  Raising costs of student debt suck up more of the revenue generated by having a college degree to the point it chokes out other debt opportunities (car, house, etc).  Additionally, the debt taken on to acquire the higher revenue doesn't balance out a lot of time.

His argument makes sense based on certain majors I would like like IT and engineering but not from a generic college degree standpoint.

[GGGG]

I don't know how he justifies that from a total debt prospective.  Raising costs of student debt suck up more of the revenue generated by having a college degree to the point it chokes out other debt opportunities (car, house, etc).  Additionally, the debt taken on to acquire the higher revenue doesn't balance out a lot of time.

His argument makes sense based on certain majors I would like like IT and engineering but not from a generic college degree standpoint.

Yeah well...he didn't go into that last part with as much detail.  Or maybe he did and I just can't remember it. 

[mu03eng]

This is a good point. Private = Better. In Chicago there are many schools like Robert Morris College which I'm sure do a fine job. But is it really any better than going to U of I - Chicago for in state tuition? Or much cheaper than going to DePaul or Loyola-Chicago?

At the extreme, all online schools like Phoenix etc are all "private" schools. In fact, they are so private they are FOR profit, basically money making operations.

I don't see all the recruiting material but know a lot of the people involved, I don't think MU does a good job with the ROI argument.  I think MU leans too much on the whole person campaign, which while great and a corner stone of what makes MU, well MU....I don't know that it will continue to drive positive results.  Maybe it's because MU doesn't have a strong play with ROI, which is an issue, they need to improve that.  Or maybe teenagers are really touchy feely with college choices and impacting the rest of their lives with a decision isn't a factor

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

Third, are cash flow issues - he believes that the governments loan programs should be expanded significantly and that such expansion would be beneficial for both the borrower and the lender.

Government loan programs are part of the reason we got here today. There's nothing holding back schools from charging more when they know their students are guaranteed to get the money from somewhere.

[GGGG]

Government loan programs are part of the reason we got here today. There's nothing holding back schools from charging more when they know their students are guaranteed to get the money from somewhere.

His point is that "where we are today" isn't nearly as bad as it is made out to be. 

[moomoo]

Fieldhouse will actually enhance the economics of the school:

Better facilities, better recruits, better teams, better exposure ----> more kids who would not be interested in going to Marquette will now be willing to come, including many paying close to sticker price.

Additionally, many more donations to the school based on sports success.

Lastly, if you are not investing in the school, you are actually taking a step back. Status quo can never be an option.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Fieldhouse will actually enhance the economics of the school:

Better facilities, better recruits, better teams, better exposure ----> more kids who would not be interested in going to Marquette will now be willing to come, including many paying close to sticker price.

Additionally, many more donations to the school based on sports success.

Lastly, if you are not investing in the school, you are actually taking a step back. Status quo can never be an option.

Pres. Lovell sort of alluded to this.  He said along the lines of "the thing we hear most often from students on desirability to have is some sort of indoor facility since winter can be long in Milwaukee."

[warriorchick]

Pres. Lovell sort of alluded to this.  He said along the lines of "the thing we hear most often from students on desirability to have is some sort of indoor facility since winter can be long in Milwaukee."

Frankly, I am surprised we recruit as well as we do in the outdoor sports.  I would think it would be hard to convince a top player to come to Milwaukee if he or she has similar offers for schools in the South or West.  You are basically freezing your ass off for most of the season for both practices and games, whether it's a spring sport or fall.

[Groin_pull]

Frankly, I am surprised we recruit as well as we do in the outdoor sports.  I would think it would be hard to convince a top player to come to Milwaukee if he or she has similar offers for schools in the South or West.  You are basically freezing your ass off for most of the season for both practices and games, whether it's a spring sport or fall.

Many would argue that it's a better alternative than sweating your ass off.

[Warrior Code]

The quickest way to get campus expansion would be to add more soft serve machines in the mess halls, aina?

(Head nod to 4ever)

[_____]

Fieldhouse will actually enhance the economics of the school:

Better facilities, better recruits, better teams, better exposure ----> more kids who would not be interested in going to Marquette will now be willing to come, including many paying close to sticker price.

Additionally, many more donations to the school based on sports success.

Lastly, if you are not investing in the school, you are actually taking a step back. Status quo can never be an option.

So you're saying that some kid from Chicago is going to come to Marquette because they NOW have the best shot-putting program in the country.

Increasing exposure can only be associated with a Football or Basketball team's (maybe Hockey) success.  

[moomoo]

So you're saying that some kid from Chicago is going to come to Marquette because they NOW have the best shot-putting program in the country.

Increasing exposure can only be associated with a Football or Basketball team's (maybe Hockey) success.  

I obviously agree that hoops exposure, by far, pays the most dividends for Marquette. But I also know that better facilities can attract great student/athletes who play soccer and lacrosse, and these are kids who normally would have looked elsewhere, that's all. And you'd be surprised at the checks that some of the Olympic sport parents are willing to write to support the school.

[PistolPete]

So you're saying that some kid from Chicago is going to come to Marquette because they NOW have the best shot-putting program in the country.

Increasing exposure can only be associated with a Football or Basketball team's (maybe Hockey) success.  

No, what he or she is saying is that an investment in facilities will create more demand.

My interpretation of Lovell's comments is that the facility would be for all students, not student athletes.

I toured Miami University (OH) years ago before ultimately choosing MU. Those that have been there know what a beautiful campus it is. What stood out most, however, was their state of the art rec center. It left a lasting impression and was a strong selling point.

MU's recreational facilities are seriously inferior. Take a look across town at MSOE's Kern Center for a comparison. An investment in a new facility is long overdue and would be money well spent.

[warriorchick]

No, what he or she is saying is that an investment in facilities will create more demand.

My interpretation of Lovell's comments is that the facility would be for all students, not student athletes.

I toured Miami University (OH) years ago before ultimately choosing MU. Those that have been there know what a beautiful campus it is. What stood out most, however, was their state of the art rec center. It left a lasting impression and was a strong selling point.

MU's recreational facilities are seriously inferior. Take a look across town at MSOE's Kern Center for a comparison. An investment in a new facility is long overdue and would be money well spent.

Or even Carthage College.  Their sports facilities are amazing.