OUPride: Rhodes even had a name for the new school -- University of Northeastern Ohio. I think that horrible name helped sink the proposal. Ocasek jumped all over it and used it as ammunition. In today's environment, I'd just make Akron the downtown campus of Kent State, which is the more solvent of the two. I know it's a hard sell, but it would make great economic sense. I'm not optimistic that this will happen, but I'm hoping common sense might eventually prevail.

Those administrative expenses you're proposing cutting are jobs. Those schools are economic engines irrespective of any flaws. Every elected official in either Stark or Summit county would fight such a move with their last political breath.

And that's not even talking about how students and alumni would feel. Would you want Ohio to merge with Miami? Because that's what those two schools think of each other. A merger wouldn't do much for donations for either school, to put it nicely.

Setting aside the major political and alumni challenges, it would not be a merger of equals. Kent State has been doing quite well in building up the city and campus, and even holding its own enrollment-wise in demographically challenged Ohio. Akron has some good programs but doesn't bring much more to the table aside from a lot of debt, a great soccer team and a big empty stadium.

SBH and Swank can correct me if I'm wrong, but I dont think $20 million would have been enough to "refurbish" the Rubber Bowl.

Relevant to this discussion:

https://www.ohio.com/news/20181205/financially-struggling...


From Crain's (subscription):

One of the biggest anchors on the athletic department's budget is the $61.6 million InfoCision Stadium, which has an annual debt service of $5 million. About 94% of that is allocated to athletics.
https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-business/universit...

Wow Mark and Recovering Journalist, that's even more depressing than I thought. Akron is like an episode of Air Disasters where the pilots try all kind of frantic activity to save the plane only to cause more problems as the tailspin gets worse.

The article seems to give the impression that they are banking on College Credit Plus to greatly help their cause. Many high school students use their local university to earn college credit even though most end up never attending that university. This goes back to our conversation about three major state universities (Akron, Kent State and Youngstown State) near each other. I doubt there are few areas in the country with that kind of population base that has three large state funded universities within 75 miles of each other. I hope they can figure it out, but it just seems like they are up against it.

Uncle Wes, major in the sense that they have more than a few thousand students and have Division I sports programs, unlike state schools like Shawnee State etc.

FTE number comparison shows a drop off once you move beyond the MAC schools.

Ohio St. 41,666

Cincinnati 21,445

Kent St. 19,034
Ohio 17,794
Miami 16,109
Akron 13,367
Bowling Green 13,111
Toledo 12,810

Wright St. 9,582
Cleveland St. 9,148
Youngstown St. 8,618

Shawnee St. 2,958
Central St. 1,601

https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/institution/list

College Credit Plus is being used as all schools save a couple to boost enrollment and save the budget. OHIO has monopolized this and executed this with precision. There are actually local schools who have teachers who adjunct on campus that the University will not accredit to teach the same class on their high school campus.

Well, those three universities do together run a medical school, located in Rootstown, Ohio, called Northeast Ohio Medical University (formerly, Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine ). Cleveland State was later added to the cooperating universities, as was Hiram College, but UA, KSU and YSU are the founding partners.

Yes Mike families are a lot smaller than they were in 50 years ago. Also, the only areas growing in Ohio are the ten counties around Columbus and Cincinnati. Even with the all the growth that has occurred in the Columbus area, it pales in comparison to what has taken place in that area in northern Virginia just outside of Wash DC, Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix etc.

The kicker as you said Mike is to look at high school numbers. One would expect big drops in northeast Ohio, but we see this even in Columbus. For example in 1970 Columbus public schools peaked and that's when the city was at less than 600,000 and now it is around 900,000. You might say didn't people flee the public schools after the school desegregation case in the mid 1970s? No, Catholic school enrollment as well as other non-public school enrollment has declined, in some cases in great numbers. The suburban school districts have skyrocketed around Columbus even as the city has skyrocketed. Yet, young singles, small families and unmarried couples have moved into the city, while families have left. This all has implications down the road and when you can't draw out of state students, it really throws a monkey wrench in the operations.

Several pricey private colleges were sent reeling during the economic downturn of 2008 and beyond. I believe Wittenberg got thrown for a loop a couple of years ago when the Saudi government informed them that the several hundred students they normally sent the university (at full price) would not be returning. It was rumored that he students informed the government they didn't like the cold weather, so the government found a university in Florida that met their needs; isn't that a metaphor for a lot of what ails the state's economy and investment?

CC+ is free money to Universities, that's why so many with shrinking enrollments are gobbling up students are "accrediting" teachers to teach CC+ classes within the High School. Though there is a slightly discounted rate, they are essentially plugging students into empty chairs, the home school turns over their funding and pays for the text books. OHIO University actually has local high school teachers that are adjuncts on campus, but the University will not allow those same teachers to be "accredited" with teaching on the high school campus because they make about 85% more if the student is forced onto the campus, even though the University realizes NO cost for any student educated CC+ on the High School grounds.