[Ill flame]

I think the online strategy has proven to have longer life span than most ( or at least Jerry Jr ) thought

I hope our online presence is strong for decades to come. However, without our online presence, none of the rest of this would be possible. There are many things which could cause this house to crumble. At some point, congress is likely to take up education reform. Those changes could be quite devastating to our standing. (The things I have in mind have nothing to do with attacks on our faith, by the way)

If things keep trending how they've been, 5 years from now we'll have a bigger endowment than all but roughly 23 of the 70 P4 schools including the biggest in the big 12. Right now we would be 34th out of 70 P4s. Wake forest and Boston College will be the only non AAU schools with a bigger endowment than us.

Financially speaking we are already among the elites and our online presence going away won't change that at this point. Academically our standing would improve if LUO went away.

[ballcoach15]

Just remember that fine academic institution, Louisville, got into the ACC, and I've never heard anyone refer to SMU's academics as being great.

[Humble_Opinion]

I'm not sure why anyone thought online would ever go away. In my opinion, other institutions not embracing it soon enough is part of the problem as to why the cost of a degree has gone up so tremendously, and why we are now seeing declining enrollments across the board. LUO exploded in 2007-08 and was booming during the Great Recession as people changed careers to something new. There's clearly a niche for evangelical Christian higher learning and without LUO, the university would look vastly different, and may have gone defunct. Does it come with some baggage still? The answer is obviously yes, but the benefits still outweigh the cost.

If things keep trending how they've been, 5 years from now we'll have a bigger endowment than all but roughly 23 of the 70 P4 schools including the biggest in the big 12. Right now we would be 34th out of 70 P4s. Wake forest and Boston College will be the only non AAU schools with a bigger endowment than us.

Financially speaking we are already among the elites and our online presence going away won't change that at this point. Academically our standing would improve if LUO went away.

I'm going to disagree with you here. Are we strong financially speaking? Yes. However, the reasons why are largely due to our online footprint. Without it our Athletics budget would not be ~$62M (in 2022) and we would not have a practically brand-new campus. The OI from online operations is also the reason why we're sitting on a $2.1B quasi-endowment. Would all of that evaporate overnight? No, but it would re-introduce austerity into an institution that hasn’t had it for almost two decades now. That would essentially mean, a higher burden of tuition/fees increases for Resident students, reductions to staff and stagnating athletics where it’s at. The reason? The residential campus, by itself, is not able to pay for itself. That was true back in the heyday of the 2007-2010 period of growth, and you’re kidding yourself if you think the additional $1.5B expansion that has occurred has made that any different. If LUO were to go away because we sold it… that would be different. That would have the potential of doubling, or maybe even tripling our quasi-endowment overnight and make it so the investment income on the assets would be more than enough to plug any holes in the operating budgets. We’re not there yet though, despite our strength. All that to say, we need LUO to continue to be viable and they need to invest in technologies that will make it more cutting edge.

[Yacht Rock]

I don't know if it's changed since I went but the online experience at LUO wasn't great. I last attended in 2019.

With many other institutions jumping in the online game, LU doesn't have the benefit of being one of the only games in town anymore. It was when I started my degree path but now people have the choice of going online to other schools that invest more heavily in more modern technologies and engage their students with a pedagogy that's geared toward a flexible and engaging online program.

[cruzan_flame13]

I don't know if it's changed since I went but the online experience at LUO wasn't great. I last attended in 2019.

With many other institutions jumping in the online game, LU doesn't have the benefit of being one of the only games in town anymore. It was when I started my degree path but now people have the choice of going online to other schools that invest more heavily in more modern technologies and engage their students with a pedagogy that's geared toward a flexible and engaging online program.

This is why LU needs to expand it's campus, enrollment and academic funding. We shouldn't just be depending mostly on the online side of things, which needs to be improved heavily in my opinion. LU should've already be at 25-27k residential student population by now and growing everything else residentially. Unfortunately things slowed down with one or two buildings being built here or there which made it seem like things were progressing quickly as it did around the 2013-2016 period. Some may say we shouldn't rush into anything, but as mentioned, online education is not rare anymore. Since LU have been freezing their tuition for awhile now, I'm hoping they are promoting that constantly since families are more hesitant about applying to schools based on their tuition fees(can't forget academic quality). Just have to see what the future plan is going to be this coming August.

[tyndal23]

I'm not sure why anyone thought online would ever go away. In my opinion, other institutions not embracing it soon enough is part of the problem as to why the cost of a degree has gone up so tremendously, and why we are now seeing declining enrollments across the board. LUO exploded in 2007-08 and was booming during the Great Recession as people changed careers to something new. There's clearly a niche for evangelical Christian higher learning and without LUO, the university would look vastly different, and may have gone defunct. Does it come with some baggage still? The answer is obviously yes, but the benefits still outweigh the cost.

If things keep trending how they've been, 5 years from now we'll have a bigger endowment than all but roughly 23 of the 70 P4 schools including the biggest in the big 12. Right now we would be 34th out of 70 P4s. Wake forest and Boston College will be the only non AAU schools with a bigger endowment than us.

Financially speaking we are already among the elites and our online presence going away won't change that at this point. Academically our standing would improve if LUO went away.

I'm going to disagree with you here. Are we strong financially speaking? Yes. However, the reasons why are largely due to our online footprint. Without it our Athletics budget would not be ~$62M (in 2022) and we would not have a practically brand-new campus. The OI from online operations is also the reason why we're sitting on a $2.1B quasi-endowment. Would all of that evaporate overnight? No, but it would re-introduce austerity into an institution that hasn’t had it for almost two decades now. That would essentially mean, a higher burden of tuition/fees increases for Resident students, reductions to staff and stagnating athletics where it’s at. The reason? The residential campus, by itself, is not able to pay for itself. That was true back in the heyday of the 2007-2010 period of growth, and you’re kidding yourself if you think the additional $1.5B expansion that has occurred has made that any different. If LUO were to go away because we sold it… that would be different. That would have the potential of doubling, or maybe even tripling our quasi-endowment overnight and make it so the investment income on the assets would be more than enough to plug any holes in the operating budgets. We’re not there yet though, despite our strength. All that to say, we need LUO to continue to be viable and they need to invest in technologies that will make it more cutting edge.

I agree, it was JR who was cautious about the longevity of LUO and wanting to do everything based on the possibility of it going away and focusing on build out of residential. Good theory, but not wanting to invest more in the LUO product to keep a step ahead might be a self fulfilling prophecy. Seems like we have enough of a financial cushion now to be able to focus on both - we have kept our online enrollment high, even with a gradually deteriorating product ( compared to some newer players ) - how long will that last?

[cruzan_flame13]

Just remember that fine academic institution, Louisville, got into the ACC, and I've never heard anyone refer to SMU's academics as being great.

They have a $2 billion endowment, so they must be doing something great. Plus they've improved in regards to NIL sponsorship.

[Ill flame]

SMU is ranked 89th in USNWR which is pretty worthless in actually ranking education quality but it carries a lot of weight unfortunately.

[Humble_Opinion]

Just remember that fine academic institution, Louisville, got into the ACC, and I've never heard anyone refer to SMU's academics as being great.

They have a $2 billion endowment, so they must be doing something great. Plus they've improved in regards to NIL sponsorship.

SMU may not be exactly on part w/ some ACC/BIG 10 schools in the rankings, but rest assured they have a wealthy donor base. It's no accident that GW Bush built his Presidential library on the campus. Numerous dignitaries from around the world, business leaders/CEOs and a few billionaires are amongst their alumni base. It's not a surprise that from a total value perspective, their endowment is on par with ours. However, there is one distinct difference between our endowment, and virtually all others in higher ed (including SMU) and that is that ours is a quasi-endowment with over 99% of the funds being board directed. The vast majority of higher education is the opposite. Our endowment is very fungible as a result, while others have numerous strings attached. You can't underestimate the importance of that difference.

[olldflame]

Just remember that fine academic institution, Louisville, got into the ACC, and I've never heard anyone refer to SMU's academics as being great.

They have a $2 billion endowment, so they must be doing something great. Plus they've improved in regards to NIL sponsorship.

SMU may not be exactly on part w/ some ACC/BIG 10 schools in the rankings, but rest assured they have a wealthy donor base. It's no accident that GW Bush built his Presidential library on the campus. Numerous dignitaries from around the world, business leaders/CEOs and a few billionaires are amongst their alumni base. It's not a surprise that from a total value perspective, their endowment is on par with ours. However, there is one distinct difference between our endowment, and virtually all others in higher ed (including SMU) and that is that ours is a quasi-endowment with over 99% of the funds being board directed. The vast majority of higher education is the opposite. Our endowment is very fungible as a result, while others have numerous strings attached. You can't underestimate the importance of that difference.

Pretty sure you meant to say you can't overestimate it.

[cruzan_flame13]

SMU is ranked 89th in USNWR which is pretty worthless in actually ranking education quality but it carries a lot of weight unfortunately.

That, along with other factors, are just legal manipulation universites are allowed to use in manufacturing academic quality including graduation rates anyways. It's all about money and who can look good without anyone noticing the stench that each institution conceals to get by in this business (Rockefeller education 101-the origin of it all).

[TH Spangler]

Playing with AI. Ask it about a former NFL player with some college eligibility left, returning to college and playing. Here is the responce I got.

The landscape of college sports, particularly with the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation, has changed significantly. The NCAA has been facing legal challenges and has seen its grip on amateurism loosen.

As of the information available, a professional football player who has been cut from a team could potentially return to college and play college football under certain conditions. However, this is a complex area with evolving rules due to NIL policies and ongoing legal battles.

In the context of NCAA eligibility, amateur status refers to a student-athlete’s status as someone who participates in college sports without accepting payment for their athletic performance. Here are some key points regarding amateur status:

Criteria for Amateur Status:

According to the NCAA, an amateur athlete is someone who:

• Does not have a written or verbal agreement with an agent.

• Does not profit above their actual and necessary expenses.

• Does not gain a competitive advantage in their sport.

• To maintain amateur status, student-athletes should avoid activities that could be considered professional.

NIL Impact:

• With the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation, student-athletes can now participate in the NCAA while benefiting from approved NIL deals without being considered professionals.

Remember that the rules around amateur status can be complex and may evolve over time. For specific situations or personalized advice, it’s essential to consult institutional compliance officers or legal experts familiar with NCAA regulations.

Your thoughts

[ballcoach15]

My thoughts are, whoever invented NIL should be sent to North Korea and never be heard from again. Followed closely by whoever invented Transfer Portal. Both are destroying college sports.

[TH Spangler]

When I finished reading the AI response, I felt like I had just watched Abbott & Costello - Who's on First?

[JK37]

My thoughts are, whoever invented NIL should be sent to North Korea and never be heard from again. Followed closely by whoever invented Transfer Portal. Both are destroying college sports.

Definitely changing college sports as we knew it. But whether or not it is “destroying college sports” is up for debate. This is like flag burning or hate speech: if you believe in freedom, then you have to also believe in the freedom of people to make bad choices. And 18-22 year olds making bad choices? That’s nothing new.

[TH Spangler]

NFL’s trading rules, salary cap, and profit-sharing mechanisms aim to create a competitive and financially stable league. College football, on the other hand, lacks these centralized regulations.

[Humble_Opinion]

NFL’s trading rules, salary cap, and profit-sharing mechanisms aim to create a competitive and financially stable league. College football, on the other hand, lacks these centralized regulations.

Are you a communist?

[ballcoach15]

For years the NCAA has refused to crown a national champion in football. That is the number one reason for the mess college football is in now. NCAA has always crowned a champion in other sports, they should have for football also.

[TH Spangler]

NFL’s trading rules, salary cap, and profit-sharing mechanisms aim to create a competitive and financially stable league. College football, on the other hand, lacks these centralized regulations.

Are you a communist?

No Just don't want to watch either Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama or Georgia crowned every year.

[alabama24]

I think the online strategy has proven to have longer life span than most ( or at least Jerry Jr ) thought

I hope our online presence is strong for decades to come. However, without our online presence, none of the rest of this would be possible. There are many things which could cause this house to crumble. At some point, congress is likely to take up education reform. Those changes could be quite devastating to our standing. (The things I have in mind have nothing to do with attacks on our faith, by the way)

If things keep trending how they've been, 5 years from now we'll have a bigger endowment than all but roughly 23 of the 70 P4 schools including the biggest in the big 12. Right now we would be 34th out of 70 P4s. Wake forest and Boston College will be the only non AAU schools with a bigger endowment than us.

Financially speaking we are already among the elites and our online presence going away won't change that at this point. Academically our standing would improve if LUO went away.

What if congress passes free college for all? Don’t discount the possibility. If that happens, it won’t be Liberty they would be sending students to.