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Topic: JMU to the MAC?
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DelBobcat
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Posted: 3/4/2014 11:46 AM
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catfan28 wrote:expand_more
If you look at full university profile, it's hard to argue Buffalo not being the strongest. They're an AAU member and have an assortment of professional schools that gives O$U a run for it's money.

Yet, everybody knows who UMass is. On the other hand, the other day I was playing bar trivia and one of the questions was, "What is the second largest city in New York?" I immediately said Buffalo. Another person at the table said "I think it's Albany because they are the capital and have SUNY-Albany as well." My reply that Buffalo actually had the largest SUNY campus was met with disbelief. 

Now that's anecdotal, but I feel like most people either don't know that Buffalo has a major university--or if they do, they think that it must be a middling institution like Akron or a directional Michigan. That includes people from NYC.

 
Last Edited: 3/4/2014 11:46:47 AM by DelBobcat
GoCats105
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Posted: 3/4/2014 12:25 PM
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DelBobcat wrote:expand_more
If you look at full university profile, it's hard to argue Buffalo not being the strongest. They're an AAU member and have an assortment of professional schools that gives O$U a run for it's money.

Yet, everybody knows who UMass is. On the other hand, the other day I was playing bar trivia and one of the questions was, "What is the second largest city in New York?" I immediately said Buffalo. Another person at the table said "I think it's Albany because they are the capital and have SUNY-Albany as well." My reply that Buffalo actually had the largest SUNY campus was met with disbelief. 

Now that's anecdotal, but I feel like most people either don't know that Buffalo has a major university--or if they do, they think that it must be a middling institution like Akron or a directional Michigan. That includes people from NYC.

 


It's amazing what sports can do for a program and especially a run through March Madness with a controversial coach and NBA-bound center. I would have no idea who UMass is if it wasn't for Marcus Camby and John Calipari and their run to the Final Four in 1996.

Nor would anyone know who George Mason is...or VCU...and on and on and on...
C Money
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Posted: 3/4/2014 3:02 PM
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GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
I would have no idea who UMass is if it wasn't for Marcus Camby and John Calipari and their run to the Final Four in 1996.


What Final Four run?
L.C.
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Posted: 3/4/2014 7:13 PM
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DelBobcat wrote:expand_more
If you look at full university profile, it's hard to argue Buffalo not being the strongest. They're an AAU member and have an assortment of professional schools that gives O$U a run for it's money.
Yet, everybody knows who UMass is. On the other hand, the other day I was playing bar trivia and one of the questions was, "What is the second largest city in New York?" I immediately said Buffalo. Another person at the table said "I think it's Albany because they are the capital and have SUNY-Albany as well." My reply that Buffalo actually had the largest SUNY campus was met with disbelief. 

Now that's anecdotal, but I feel like most people either don't know that Buffalo has a major university--or if they do, they think that it must be a middling institution like Akron or a directional Michigan. That includes people from NYC.
We can argue about what benefits universities get from participating in sports, but I think Buffalo clearly shows that if you don't use the same name for sports as you use in academic circles, you lose many of the advertising effects. I bet that less than 10% of the people who see "Buffalo" on TV realize they are watching SUNY.


OhioCatFan
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Posted: 3/4/2014 8:00 PM
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L.C., maybe that's why the are now emphasizing State University of NEW YORK at Buffalo.  On their basketball uniforms this year, at least the away uniforms, I could hardly see anything on their jerseys except New York.  I thought maybe we were playing the Knicks! And, the way our team played, maybe that's what they thought, too!
Mike Johnson
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Posted: 3/4/2014 9:44 PM
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L.C. wrote:expand_more
If you look at full university profile, it's hard to argue Buffalo not being the strongest. They're an AAU member and have an assortment of professional schools that gives O$U a run for it's money.

Yet, everybody knows who UMass is. On the other hand, the other day I was playing bar trivia and one of the questions was, "What is the second largest city in New York?" I immediately said Buffalo. Another person at the table said "I think it's Albany because they are the capital and have SUNY-Albany as well." My reply that Buffalo actually had the largest SUNY campus was met with disbelief.

Now that's anecdotal, but I feel like most people either don't know that Buffalo has a major university--or if they do, they think that it must be a middling institution like Akron or a directional Michigan. That includes people from NYC.

We can argue about what benefits universities get from participating in sports, but I think Buffalo clearly shows that if you don't use the same name for sports as you use in academic circles, you lose many of the advertising effects. I bet that less than 10% of the people who see "Buffalo" on TV realize they are watching SUNY.
Back in the mid-90s, my Ohio graduate daughter did a master's at SUNY-Albany, and I don't either of us knew Buffalo was part of the SUNY system.

BTW, I think other SUNY schools, including Albany and Stonybrook, have now pretty much dispensed with any reference to SUNY as to their athletic teams.
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 3/4/2014 10:04 PM
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From my seats I had to look very carefully to see anything other than NEW YORK. 
DelBobcat
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Posted: 3/5/2014 9:23 AM
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OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
 

From my seats I had to look very carefully to see anything other than NEW YORK. 

I wonder if this is even helpful since they actually have two problems:
 
1. People don't know that they are a SUNY.

2. People don't know that there is even a university in Buffalo. 

These jerseys might help fix number one, but they also take the emphasis off Buffalo. A quick glance and I might think this university is in Manhattan.

 
mf279801
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Posted: 3/5/2014 10:41 AM
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Its a good effort on their part, but from my point of view most Buffalonians who pay ANY attention at all to college football or basketball primarily root for either Syracuse (as New York's college team, even though its a private school) or Notre Dame (catholic and non-catholic alike)
fiugoldenpanthers1
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Posted: 3/5/2014 9:19 PM
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What makes an institution as established as Ohio not being able to compete academically with the top ranked MAC programs when it comes to academics? We are not discussing top ranked universities in the MAC after all.

What is holding Ohio University back from being a true quality academic institution?
Mike Johnson
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Posted: 3/5/2014 10:46 PM
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fiugoldenpanthers1 wrote:expand_more
What makes an institution as established as Ohio not being able to compete academically with the top ranked MAC programs when it comes to academics? We are not discussing top ranked universities in the MAC after all.

What is holding Ohio University back from being a true quality academic institution?


We know Ohio has highly regarded areas: Russ College of Engineering, Scripps College of Communcation, the graduate Sports Management program and likely others with which I'm not familiar.

Could you or someone else identify areas that are regarded as inferior?
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 3/5/2014 10:52 PM
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Ohio is one of the few MAC schools with a medical school and our engineering school will become world class over the next decade with the recent influx of alumni donations and bequests.  We also have one of the most mature and developed graduate programs at the masters and doctoral level, probably second only to Buffalo and UMass.  Most the rankings that are quoted frequently here are rankings of undergraduate education.  These are somewhat subjective.  Ohio also has the most developed and far-flung "regional campus" (i.e., branch) system in the state with outposts in Chillicothe, Lancaster, Zanesville, St. Clairsville and Ironton.  The Lancaster regional campus actually has a "branch" in Pickerington.  Our medical school is in the process of establishing campuses in Columbus and Cleveland, the latter in conjunction with the Cleveland Clinic.   Our journalism school is consistently ranked in the top ten nationally and has been for over 30 years.  We have world class research in the biotechnology area, which has spun off a very profitable company, Diagnostic Hybrids, now part of Quidel Corporation, a world leader in the production of medical diagnostic kits and cell culture lines for research purpose.  In short, we are no Kent State or Bowling Green! 
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 3/5/2014 11:22 PM
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As kind of a funny aside, I noted that on the Sun Belt board that there is some discussion of Youngstown State joining the SBC.  Now, how humorous would that being having a team from Buckeye State with the nickname Penguins in this southern conference.  
Athens
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Posted: 3/6/2014 1:01 AM
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fiugoldenpanthers1 wrote:expand_more
What makes an institution as established as Ohio not being able to compete academically with the top ranked MAC programs when it comes to academics? We are not discussing top ranked universities in the MAC after all.

What is holding Ohio University back from being a true quality academic institution?

I don't see Ohio having an issue competing academically with the top schools of the MAC. We have been ranked close around Buffalo, Miami and UMass for a very long time. One issue is the state of Ohio doesn't fund its universities to the extent it should. California is an example of a state that build a research class of universities in the University of California system that was defined as having more research funding than the Cal State system. In Ohio they should have concentrated funding into the 5 residential campuses (Ohio, Miami, Kent, Ohio St, BG) and placed the municipal schools in a different tier. The funding distribution they have in place is equitable but calculated on the amount of undergraduates, graduates and PhD's students with more money given for advanced degrees. Due to budget the state is limiting PhD programs at every school to areas of strength. Its a more balanced approach than placing all the resources into one school and that is driven partially by state politics where the biggest school Ohio State is not located in the two biggest population centers SW Ohio and NE Ohio. Those regions are demanding strong universities for themselves in the state legislature. The answer is the politics of a multi-region state constrains Ohio University or any other public school for that matter from being exceptional. 
Athens
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Posted: 3/6/2014 1:46 AM
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DelBobcat wrote:expand_more
If you look at full university profile, it's hard to argue Buffalo not being the strongest. They're an AAU member and have an assortment of professional schools that gives O$U a run for it's money.

Yet, everybody knows who UMass is. On the other hand, the other day I was playing bar trivia and one of the questions was, "What is the second largest city in New York?" I immediately said Buffalo. Another person at the table said "I think it's Albany because they are the capital and have SUNY-Albany as well." My reply that Buffalo actually had the largest SUNY campus was met with disbelief. 

Now that's anecdotal, but I feel like most people either don't know that Buffalo has a major university--or if they do, they think that it must be a middling institution like Akron or a directional Michigan. That includes people from NYC.

It must have to do with having a unique brand. Names like Marquette and Gonzaga are easy to remember and I would place UMass in that category. Buffalo has an identity crisis with Buffalo State in its own backyard, Buffalo State-SUNY. For their region UB is only considered a mid tier school. Cornell, RPI, Syracuse, RIT all have better reputations. They've done nothing athletically either. No trips to the NCAAs and 2 winning seasons in 15 years of MAC football. 

Pataskala
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Posted: 3/6/2014 11:41 AM
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OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
As kind of a funny aside, I noted that on the Sun Belt board that there is some discussion of Youngstown State joining the SBC.  Now, how humorous would that being having a team from Buckeye State with the nickname Penguins in this southern conference.  


Makes about as much sense as 1AA San Diego being in a conference with eleven other teams, the closest being in Iowa.

But you know, YSU would have a better chance of getting into the post-season in the SBC than they do now having to play ND State every year.
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Posted: 3/6/2014 1:02 PM
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Pataskala wrote:expand_more
...But you know, YSU would have a better chance of getting into the post-season in the SBC than they do now having to play ND State every year.

ND State had a coaching change this year, with Craig Bohl moving to Wyoming. It remains to be seen if they will continue at the same level.
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