Discussion w/ Nebraska Dean of Admissions on benefits of B10
I was in Lincoln this weekend and through fortunate happenstance, the Nebraska Dean of Admissions was a guest at dinner one of the nights. Seeing the opportunity, I pounced to get the Nebraska point of view on the B10 from a person in the administration. A few of the comments were interesting:
- It is pretty uniform across the Nebraska administration that they would say they already feel more welcome and at home in the B10 than they ever felt in the B12. The news stories of dysfunction and poor collaboration between the institutions were fairly accurate. They feel very lucky to have such a good fit.
- One the biggest benefits to the university from conference affiliation have been reflected in the dramatic uptick in applications. The bulk of these new apps have been from the Chicago area and east coast. They feel continuing this trend will be important in further raising the profile of the university and elevating in departmental rankings. (I wonder though if this would be offset by declines in places like Texas? I didn’t ask.)
- Nebraska has been putting considerable dollars towards building its research capability over the last decade and the B10 CIC is already showing dividends in this area. They already earn $120-130M in research funding so growing this area was no small consideration when they were evaluating joining the conference.
- BTN has been incredible for the school’s other sports and they feel it is another great marketing tool. (the annual payout probably does not hurt either)
- I have been mispronouncing Bob Devaney’s name wrong, the “a” is short like van. I swear I heard it many times with a long “a”, but have been wrong all these years.
- No real comment on the Pelinis beyond what is already known. I was hoping for something like Bo and Carl participating in bum fights, but alas no.
I guess I was pretty proud to hear the comments and how there has been benefits beyond just sports affiliation. I wouldn’t have guessed they would also get a bump in applicants to the university as well, but I suppose it makes sense just due to the extra marketing in untapped geographies
December 11th, 2011 at 8:37 PM ^
Are a great addition to the conference. Glad to hear they are happy and continue the success for years to come.... Just as long as we keep kicking their ass :)
December 11th, 2011 at 8:40 PM ^
B10: Our population base may be shrinking, but our behind-the-scenes bureaucracy and research collaboration efforts are second to none!
December 11th, 2011 at 8:56 PM ^
While you joke, that behind the scenes bureacracy is an under-appreciated part of any organization - the tiny cogs that end up being the majority of a huge operation, and allow the part you see to actually work. Having a well-functioning bureacracy sets us apart with a significant advantage, and is good to hear about from an outsider who has just joined. It's also probably the reason that, despite 40 years of population decline, we've seen our national reputation for academics rocket upwards.
December 11th, 2011 at 11:09 PM ^
and I understand the hard work it takes to make large, complex enterprises work properly. I can't say that I got a huge amount of accolades for my work but I got satisfaction out of seeing things run well.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
The population of the Big Ten region is not dropping. In proportional terms, it does not have as big as share of the U.S. population as it once did, but in absolute numbers every Big Ten state grew during the 2000s except Michigan (which dropped by 55,000 and is now growing again). It's still a very densely-populated region. Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan are the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th-most populous states in the Union.
December 11th, 2011 at 8:46 PM ^
Pretty interesting notes you wrote down here. I am surprised that he was so honest about the dysfunction of the Big 12.
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<br>Glad to see Nebraska is a happy member of the B1G.
December 11th, 2011 at 8:52 PM ^
I really hope they get their acredited academic standing back
December 11th, 2011 at 10:39 PM ^
Surprised they were not more bitter about this.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:46 AM ^
about Nebraska here, not Sparty.
December 12th, 2011 at 1:05 PM ^
Say which now? Do you mean their AAU membership?
December 11th, 2011 at 9:10 PM ^
Thanks to the OP for posting this. Here's one thing I don't really get:
"One the biggest benefits to the university from conference affiliation have been reflected in the dramatic uptick in applications. The bulk of these new apps have been from the Chicago area and east coast."
Why would that occur? I suppose I could understand (maybe) a slight rise, but a dramatic one?
December 12th, 2011 at 9:32 AM ^
I can think of several reasons there would be a dramatice increase in applications, most importantly,
1) Nebraska is now on people's radar screen. People who would have never even thought about Nebraska now at least consider it as a possibility.
2) Athletic conferences play a more significant role in academics and perception about academic quality than many realize. The Ivy League is an obvious example, but other conferences play a role as well. By switching from the Big 12 to the Big 10, Nebraska elevated its academic reputation considerably. It's like changing the value of a house based on its neighborhood: the same house in two very different neighborhoods is going to be worth different amounts, and it is going to be worth more surrounded by better, more expensive homes, that in a run down neighborhood.
3) Nebraska has a very cool and easy to use out-of-state scholarship estimator. All you have to do is plug in ACT or SAT test scores, class rank, and a few other bits of information and you get an instant estimate of scholarship money available.
When my oldest daughter was applying to college, we visited four Big Ten universities (UM, MSU, Purdue, and Northwestern) and one other out-of-state school (Washington University in St. Louis). Northwestern offers no merit based scholarships at all, so they were off our list (and this might explain why more Chicgoans don't go to Northwestern). The reason I even know about point 3 above is that when Nebraska was joining the conference, I decided to check it out as a possible school for my youngest daughter. The thought never crossed my mind before then, even though Nebraska is closer geographically to where I now live than any of the other Big Ten schools we looked at with my oldest daughter. (Btw, my oldest daughter selected MSU in large part because she liked the campus setting and did not want to be in an urban setting like UM; she was a National Merit Scholar, so got a free ride at MSU, even as an out- of -state student.)
December 12th, 2011 at 9:44 AM ^
"Btw, my oldest daughter selected MSU in large part because she liked the campus setting and did not want to be in an urban setting like UM; she was a National Merit Scholar, so got a free ride at MSU, even as an out- of -state student."
Funny, I chose U-M over Georgia Tech because I liked the campus setting and did not want to be in an urban setting like GT (near downtown Atlanta). And yes, AA is technically an urbanized area per the US Census Bureau, but it just seemed so small and quaint compared to ATL, especially back in the early/mid 90s when I attended.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:05 AM ^
Yes, everything's relative. Compared to a lot of places, you're right, UM could barely be described as an urban campus, but compared to MSU....
And while most of the logical reasons (well, all that I can think of, actually) places UM as a better choice than MSU, I never underestimate the gut feeling, and she wanted to go to MSU. And since she basically had it paid for through her own efforts, I wasn't about to try and coerce her to change her mind. As it turns out, it worked out well for her.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
I graduated from HS about half an hour off NU's campus, and at least in my neck of the woods, people didn't go because they couldn't get in. We had a study group that crossed a few AP classes, each of us applied to either Chicago or Northwestern and there were no admissions. One guy got into Harvard and currently attends, a few went on scholarship at UIUC, Loyola and UIC both threw a ton of money at most of the remainder, and then there's me and one valedictorian who just graduated early from a small LAC. It was our best guess that Northwestern and Chicago both take wealthy legacies and then overachieving students from poorer areas in the area, and that pretty much fills out their "quota" for our area.
TL;DR version, if Northwestern wanted more students from Chicagoland, they would have them, and I doubt there would be any drop off in talent.
December 11th, 2011 at 9:48 PM ^
Could he offer me a job? #currentlylookingforanadmissionsjob
December 12th, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^
not if you use hashtags on mgo blog
December 12th, 2011 at 3:22 AM ^
touche...
December 12th, 2011 at 10:40 AM ^
check to see if there are any openings. I could pass a CV along if there is something posted. With state institutions (like I am seeing at Iowa now), there is no traction without an opening due to budgeting issues. Would not want to waste your time.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:16 AM ^
Your tagline works really well for empty posts. Well played.
December 11th, 2011 at 10:15 PM ^
Nowledge
December 11th, 2011 at 10:35 PM ^
I'm admittedly going to be a Husker next year. Out-of-state tuition was going to be too much at Michigan, and my rebellion against homework freshman year really killed my GPA. However, I can say the people of Nebraska were extremely excited to be a part of the Big Ten, and while talking to the dean of business on my visit, they were talking about how they plan to increase their student population to around 30,000. And now being part of the Big Ten, they've been given opportunities academically they never had before.
And although Michigan will always hold a special place in my heart because of my connections to it, I'm very much so looking forward to attending college at Nebraska! Go Blue and Go Big Red!
December 11th, 2011 at 10:41 PM ^
Nebraska, make us proud on New Years Day against the SEC!
December 11th, 2011 at 11:52 PM ^
One of the best feelings after a Michigan game this year. This game gave me the feeling "Michigan is Back". Look forward to going to lincoln to watch the game next year.
December 12th, 2011 at 1:12 PM ^
The Omaha paper has done a pretty good job talking up the benefits of the B1G membership (beyond just athletics). That's nice, because it means it's not just the eggheads that know about it. Thanks for posting this because it's nice to hear more about it, especially from people on their campus.
Nebraska recently acquired the old state fairgrounds. That means they have tons of acreage to work with if they want to expand research space. They got it about the same time we scooped up the old Pfizer property, and they are a little envious that we got an awesome state-of-the-art wetlab space while they got old cracked parking lots and pole barns, but hey, you get what you get.
December 12th, 2011 at 1:26 PM ^
Nebraska has been an excellent addition to the conference in every respect. To hell with Notre Dame.