This is getting really stupid. The comment at the bottom really pissed me off.
The casual observer can tell you an unlimited number of positive things about Ohio Athletics.
I know only one thing (positive or negative) about the Russ College of Engineering - plagiarism. I'm not trying to be mean or spiteful, just realistic that I wouldn't trade the $15 mil in athletics for another $15 mil into the Engineering College with their recent spate of issues. I would assume the culture that fostered plagiarism had a negative effect on applications to OU, as a degree from that college became a punchline to a sick joke.
Also as a pretty intense observer.....I CANNOT tell you one Nationally recognizable piece of output (Study, Innovation, Drug, Person of Interest, Solved Math Equation, etc) that any of our colleges has produced recently. None of our academic divisions has done anything worthy enough to put Ohio University in the minds of prospective students who are looking at the University solely for academic endeavors. In fact, all I read about in the news is one scandal after another coming out of the administrative and academic offices.
With the NCAA Basketball appearance and New Orleans Bowl...you have two VERY big items to put in the "Nationally Recognized Positives" column for a long time to come. The NCAA Tournament in particular, and subsequent win v. Georgetown are enormous. Absolutely enormous, and you have your head buried in the sand if you argue otherwise. Not surprising that most of the academics aren't quite in touch with reality.
Honest to god, I can't name you any one thing of note that's come out of the Ridges, Clippenger, Lindley, Copeland, Scripps, R-Tech, Bentley or any other academic building in the past 5 years. (Before you start listing a bunch of minor accomplishments, I'm talking about big ticket things that people would know NATIONALLY). These people want more money to enhance their already bloated budgets, yet they don't produce ANYTHING visible on the NATIONAL scene to help promote Ohio University like athletics does. All they have is a hand out for a freebie.
Stop the whining already. If you want to enhance the National profile of the school and attract the best and brightest - you either start putting out quality deliverables from the academic colleges (which you haven't), or you keep pumping up athletics to get the Ohio name out there.
It's time somebody fought back against the faculty and their BS in this argument. Honest to god, I can't name one nationally recognizable piece of output from Ohio University in the past 5 years. I'd argue, the Russ College of Engineering did more to take Ohio University OFF the map instead of help advance the place. To me, it's their Professors and Administrators that should lose some of their current budget and compensation to athletics. They are the ones who made the Russ College a punchline - not athletics.