[Purple Haize]

IN THEORY this was one of the reasons John M Borek was brought in. The whole SACS accreditation thing was a huge concern for the school, and wouldn't you know it, guess who was a member of the committee!!! The question know is DID admission standards raise during the tumultuous reign of John M, certainly enrollment either went down or did not progress sufficiently for the powers that be. From my point of view, LU is STILL subscribes to the "If You Have A Checkbook We Have A Space" enrollment policy. Of course the scholarships are always nice, especially "Jerry Told Me To Come" scholarship! But once you are in WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT!!! I agree to that extent with MrMAC that it is up to you to use your chance the best you can. HOWEVER, a degree is imperative in today's society. Recent numbers suggest that over 80% of college graduates end up in careers they did NOT study for in college. How is THAT for making you feel good about your student tuition bill!!!

[A.G.]

And I'm sure Haize didn't do all his years of studying just to be a dope peddler (insert joke about years of teaching Sport Management majors, here).

The good thing about what LU does is two-fold: 1) allowing pretty much open admissions gives students who might not otherwise get a chance to go to college; 2) more students in helps spread Gods' word in training future Christian leaders in all fields. Christianity is not just for the elite or the smart.

[LUconn]

This is fun to poke fun of but the fact is if you don't pull your weight while at LU, they have no problem not inviting you back. I knew a bunch of people who had a little too much fun thier first semester, wound up in a couple of mandatory creditless CLST classes the 2nd semester, apparently didn't learn their lesson and were never seen again after that 2nd semester. So while our entrance standards might not be the highest, at least the graduation standards are still pretty good.

edited for spelling nazi

[Purple Haize]

And I'm sure Haize didn't do all his years of studying just to be a dope peddler (insert joke about years of teaching Sport Management majors, here).

The good thing about what LU does is two-fold: 1) allowing pretty much open admissions gives students who might not otherwise get a chance to go to college; 2) more students in helps spread Gods' word in training future Christian leaders in all fields. Christianity is not just for the elite or the smart.

It was teaching you that LED me to drugs
Also, don't be so sure that LU will drop you. There was a LOT of pressure to keep numbers in your major to justify your existence. So basically, if you DID fail you deserved it. (Or you got a second/third/fourth/) chance. Just ask AG

[Jasmen8182]

I remember a guy being broken up abt. having to leave due to his low GPA.
PS Even though I'm still not sure what I want to do w/ my life-except be a better
mom...for now-at least I can spell "entrance" , didn't put a state of being verb where
it doesn't belong in front of an adverb and action verb , etc. Dr. Hubele had one bit of
advice when I mentioned maybe being a writer- don't overuse the pronoun "I."
I think I like the idea of taking some time out to really consider direction; the
fear of losing out (relationships, scholarships...) is probably what keeps a lot of people from doing that. I had to take one semester out-2nd half of junior yr.- to go home and work. Even after dating the same guy for 2 yrs., I didn't leave w/ a certainty abt. things.
Another thing is that distractions detract from making the most of one's opportunities, etc. The story abt. the hs friend w/1.8 gpa that did well @LU is good.

[SuperJon]

I know a guy who failed all but one class fall semester and failed all of his classes last semester and he's still back. He failed because he simply didn't go to class.

[TallyW]

I think it's hilarious that people who attended college under an open enrollment or are attentending today take so many pot-shots at LU. It never ceases to amaze me. The reality is that most places want to know if you have an accredited degree. If that is the case, then they interview you on YOUR merit. It's only in the elite part of this world that they will sit down and concern themselves with entrance rates.

Due to the fact that LU is accredited (as opposed to many 'Christian' schools), you can be assured that your education is equal to or above that of other students around the country. As for Borek... he did what he was brought in to do... raise the level of standards. Regardless of the drama... I beleive he did his job. While I was a student the quality of student services was raised to a new level. There were several times when I saw him come into the student accounts office and ask questions or get on people who were standing around with a line out front. He shook things up at a time when we'd all agree they needed to be shaken up. Honestly that time led to what we are experiencing today. Pierre wasn't getting that done on his watch.

Overall we must be proud and excited about the University... it is moving at the speed of light compared to most universities and honestly your degree will mean more 15 years from now than it does today... as the University continues to improve. I'm in the camp that says we should all be greatful.


By the way... about the ACT SCORE: Top is 36 and the average is 20.9 (http://www.act.org/news/releases/2004/8-18-04.html)

[ATrain]

I agree with Tally...I do believe LU is a school on the rise, and as time continues to progress a degree from LU will become more valuable. Frankly I sorta/kinda agree that anyone who wants to come should be able to, but they must pull their weight if they want to stay and graduate. Yes-I know that view doesn't get looked upon too kindly in the US News and World Report, but I think its time we started comparing colleges on the quality of the academic programs and not admission standards and retention rates.

[mrmacphisto]

I think Borek was brought in for appearances, and to save our butts. LU was in trouble with SACS several years back, and was put on probation. The university was in danger of losing its accreditation for reasons I won't state here. Borek was respected by SACS, so he was brought in, and the people responsible for the probation were sent away while the heat died down. When LU was taken off probation and everything seemed okay again, the people who were sent away during the probation came back, and Borek once again had his hands full. A few years later he retired.

JMB is a man with high standards, but it's hard to compete when those around you seek to lower many of those standards to the point of endangering accreditation. I've already said too much, so I'm going to end it here.

[Purple Haize]

TallyW - I can agree with some of what yousay but not all of it. For starters MOST Christian schools are accredited. Look around. The midwest has TONS of christian universities and colleges that are accredited. Granted there are a few out there that don't/can't/won't get accredited, but you really can't hold LU up as the "light on a shining hill" for Christian colleges. I do agree that in the long run the only thing that matters is you have a degree. Now early on WHERe you get your degree will come into play, unless it is IVY LEAUGE, ND or Stanford which are a class unto themselves, when looking at two degrees the choice may come down to where you went to school. Obviously in your vocation this would not be a big deal, but in others it is. I know we worked TIRELESSLY in our department to stay accredited and get the word out about the quality of our students (AG being the exception that proves our rule!!) Now all the competing universities have gotten their SMGT accredited (and some paid US to help - Thank you all for my big screen tv and trips (non LU sponsored) to Vegas) so we sort of lost that niche. THey are not pot shots, just statement of facts.

[A.G.]

FOFLMAO!!!

There had to be a black sheep to the flock.

[mrmacphisto]

I may be wrong about this, but accreditation only truly matters if you're transferring credits. Most accredited schools will not accept transfer credits from unaccredited institutions. Once you have your degree, though, employers don't care if you went to an accredited school, and you shouldn't be prevented from entering a graduate program at an accredited institution if your GPA and GRE are up to par.

[Purple Haize]

I may be wrong about this, but accreditation only truly matters if you're transferring credits. Most accredited schools will not accept transfer credits from unaccredited institutions. Once you have your degree, though, employers don't care if you went to an accredited school, and you shouldn't be prevented from entering a graduate program at an accredited institution if your GPA and GRE are up to par.

If you want to get technical where you go to school can have a LOT to do with your success. Not necessarily b/c of your GPA but b/c of the alumni network. If I am working at Job A for a few years getting experience, then I want to switch and HAPPEN to discover that my new boss either 1)graduated from the same school 2)belonged to the same social order (frat etc) or 3) Family member attends said university then that gives me a good chance at landing Job B. The old addage is still true: WHO you know gets you in the door, WHAT you know keeps you from getting thrown out!!
As for Grad school admissions, it is VERY important that you have a degree from an accredited institution.

[mrmacphisto]

As for Grad school admissions, it is VERY important that you have a degree from an accredited institution.

Like I said, I may be wrong. I'm basing this on a friend of mine who got his BS from an unaccredited school and went on to get his Master's from a secular, accredited university. I'll add that he's had no problems finding work, is financially stable and buying a house. Maybe some people just aren't as fortunate.