How much longer can U-M remain an elite institution?
Just thought I'd throw this out for discussion as I avoid getting heat stroke in my apt...
With a massive brain drain in the state of Michigan, and the US population's gradual migration south and west, is Michigan in a good position to remain one of the top public universities in the country?
We have seen M slide a spot or so every year in US News rankings, and Mary Sue is admitting record freshman classes every year to offset the decrease in state funding. How can the university avoid sliding with the entire Midwest? Should we go private or find alternative tuition structures to attract the best out-of-state students?
In 50 years, I see Texas and Florida becoming the top public universities along with Berkeley and UCLA due to population shift and job opportunities, unless Michigan is able to invest in something besides autos.
Forever, if the people running the show have foresight and continue to build upon what is already there. Losing population and business from Detroit hurts, but it not the most important factors in maintaining an elite university.
Not to sound like an Enzyte commercial, but it's all about the endowment. UofM is so far ahead of everyone in the Big Ten (maybe not Northwestern) and miles ahead of msu that our place is safe. I was at a private gathering here in CBus recently where Mary Sue told us the strength of the endowment has allowed UofM to hire away some of the best and brightest professors from places where they are laying off and cutting back. There was an article in the News or possibly the paper whose name we do not speak in my household before I banned it from all souces of media that in the past few years msu has gotten up to a $700MM endowment from $300MM at the same time UofM went from $1B to $7B. That's a war chest to go along with all of the other things UofM has going for it. We'll be fine.
This. UM has the 7th largest endowment in the country, ahead of 5 of the 8 Ivy League schools and every other public college (the UTexas "system" is ahead of us).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_United_States_by_endowment
Look at this list, sort it by 2009 endowment, largest to smallest. Look at our number, look at the schools near us, then look at the drop off. Money plays brother, and we've got it.
The rankings slide is in part because of the affirmative action public announcements.
Lee Bollinger started it by going to the United States Supreme Court and making sure everyone in America knew that Michigan has two systems. White and Asian, and Black and Hispanic. He made sure everyone knew that the class 2 admissions are easier to get in at Michigan than an Asian at EMU.
Then he followed up with the lego test, which gave Rush Limbaugh something to laugh at for years.
Then Mary Sue Coleman didn't like the Michigan Constitution, which promised fairness for all races. She stood, as much of a racist as Governor Wallace, at the school stairs declaring she would ignore the law and keep racism at the U. Then she kept it up so it is never far from the raters' minds.
After a while that causes a slide.
I'd be curious to see your evidence in support of this assertion. The only way this would work as you claim is if two things were true.
First, the raters would have to agree with you that affirmative action as a policy dimishes a school. Which would mean a majority of presidents, provosts, and admissions directors at top national schools--to be honest, my impression is that, as a group, they tend to support the concept.
Second, we'd expect to see evidence that they are applying that belief to their ratings, leading to a consistent downward trend for those schools that practice affirmative action. And we should see a stable or upward rating for those institutions who do not practice it, or who (like Michigan and Berkeley) are prohibited. I am confused by your claim that MSC is not following Prop 2, because the University is.
It's not clear to me that either of those things are true. But, for the sake of argument you're presenting here, let's say they are. If so, would we not be seeing an upward trend for U-M? Prop 2 has been on the books for several years, long enough for the ratings lag to catch up.
i tried to read through most of the threads and find many of the comments both illuminating and entertaining. For my piece, I too often wonder about the direction that the university is headed in and whether or not the school will end up like the state.
One of the things that is most shocking to me about alums from the Graduate Schools (not undergrad) is how few of them stay in the state. Now...I am not from Michigan and never really considered the state as a potential long-term residence. Nevertheless, I can for the two top-5 professional programs that I graduated from at UM.
The majority of students came to UM with several years of national/global experience, solid academic and professional records, and a type-A attitude of getting the best jobs possible post-grad. Yet, of the more than 300 students that I graduated with, a combined 15 stayed in-state...and, none of the students that received top jobs with multi-national firms and/or companies with regional operations in Michigan actually asked to stay in Michigan.
I cannot speak for why the great majority of my classmates chose to leave Michigan - I can only speak for myself. For me, I wasn't from Michigan and found the winters to be absolutely brutal! I've never been so cold in my entire life and vowed never to experience winters like the one I spent in Michigan again! More importantly, I found the job market to be very scary for a recent grad and feared the prospect of vertical movement in the near future.
I sincerely hope that the state can learn from its mistakes, adapt, evolve, and turn itself around. As has been pointed out by previous posters, most of these sorts of economic slumps are temporary. Texas, Arizona, etc. all went through their own slumps at various points of recent history. Nevertheless, I believe that in order for Michigan (the state) to rebuild and improve, the state and its companies need to attract and retain the top talent from the state's premier school...including those from out of state.