<p>I guess I just don’t get it. What is Alabama’s mission? The school is using its limited resources to attract good, but not great, students from out of state to the extent that the majority of freshmen aren’t even from Alabama. Surely that means it’s become harder for in-staters to attend their flagship. Meanwhile, very few of these out-of-staters attracted by huge scholarships will use their educations to work and live in Alabama. So how is any of this in the interest of Alabama taxpayers and students? What exactly is the point? To simply burnish the school’s national reputation at the expense of Aabama’s citizens? This all seems to fly in the face of the rationale for a state-run university.</p>
<p>No way can I speak for the university, but as the parent of one of those out-of-staters who likes to think that her child is at least pretty good, if not great, (kind of thought the Presidential Scholarship would be enough to prove at least pretty good), I think your perspective is really narrow-minded.</p>
<p>Here is what the university accomplishes by drawing in some of the top students from all over the country (who recognize the value of merit scholarships and attending university without the prospect of huge student loans): more Alabama alumni placed in corporations around the country. I think more out-of-staters might stay in Alabama, or the Southeast Region (including Tennessee, Georgia, Florida), than you would expect. Those who return home to California or to the Northeast bring with them those diplomas with UA on them, and they help spread the reputation of the university far and wide.</p>
<p>My husband has already had conversations with at least a few very high up corporate managers and directors in the defense industry (some out in Southern California, others in the DC area), who, upon hearing that our son is likely going to attend UA, are very glad to hear of it - the university’s engineering program, in particular, is already very respected beyond the borders of Alabama. More graduates going off in all directions means more corporate connections, which leads to more job placement and, ultimately, more corporate sponsorship and/or alumni donations.</p>
<p>We don’t live in a world anymore where every state-run university has to serve only the residents, and, in doing so (and admirably), many are now nearly bankrupt. I graduated from a California state university, and, yes, California’s system was always supposed to be a promise to its residents - my grandparents paid taxes to support it, my parents did, and I did. But along with that promise was the promise of very low, subsidized tuition, and, as with any of these government promises that keep tuition artificially low thanks to taxpayers’ dollars, we end up with universities unable to keep enough faculty, and students unable to get their classes. The CSU system would have benefited from recruiting more out-of-staters years ago (selling a move to California is quite easy, especially to college students who are not worried yet about housing prices and the length of commute) and perhaps the system would not have been brought to its knees. Now that the UCs are accepting more out of state students willing to pay a premium to go to Berkeley or UCLA, perhaps all students, especially the California residents, will benefit from that new cash.</p>
<p>Looking at Alabama’s institutional reports, it does not look to me as if Alabama residents are suffering as Alabama has expanded to accommodate all of these new students. Most of the Presidential Scholars and Honors College students are Alabama residents. Alabama is managing to expand its campus to accommodate the larger student population - and likely thanks to all of those out of staters willing to pay higher tuition to come to Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>We live in a global world (so cliche I know), and people are on the move in this country. I grew up out west, my husband and I both graduated from California universities, we lived the lifestyle out there in the Silicon Valley (it was awesome for most of those years), and then we escaped the taxes and the traffic and ended up in the South. I still send an alumni contribution to my California university, though I doubt my kids will ever go back out there to go to school (I don’t want to pay that premium for out-of-staters myself.) That said, I think my kids would gladly take their debt-free Alabama diplomas back out to the Silicon Valley in a heartbeat, and I am confident they could find jobs out there without a problem - and open some Bay Area minds about the University of Alabama :)</p>
<p>*I guess I just don’t get it. What is Alabama’s mission? The school is using its limited resources to attract good, but not great, students from out of state to the extent that the majority of freshmen aren’t even from Alabama. </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Wow…MommaJ, I’m shocked out how insulting your words are. I consider all the kids who are accepting those big scholarships with excellent stats to be “great”. What’s your definition of “great”…only those who eek thru ivy admissions? I hope your children have perfect stats otherwise I guess you don’t consider them to be “great”. </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Surely that means it’s become harder for in-staters to attend their flagship. *</p>
<p>Surely? No. Not at all. Instead of shutting out instate students, Bama has significantly grown its student body size. The number of instate students has grown, not shrunk since the institution of these scholarships.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, very few of these out-of-staters attracted by huge scholarships will use their educations to work and live in Alabama.</p>
<p>Do you always take an assumption and state it as a fact? OOS students are staying for employment opps. The state is home to the 2nd largest research park in the nation.</p>
<p>Mom2,
My daughter doesn’t want to go that far away, but sounds like Bama does a great job of recruiting great students.</p>
<p>I think it is unfortunate that this important informational post was turned into a discussion of Alabama’s educational mission. </p>
<p>However, you should understand that the big scholarships go to only a fraction of the students attending the school, and that the opportunities are greater for in state students than for OOS students. </p>
<p>My view is that Alabama has invested many resources into improving the academic image and reputation of the school, including scholarships, endowed chairs, facilities, etc. At least regionally here in the South, the benefits to the school and the state are quite evident. Where I live in Georgia, Alabama is almost the de facto OOS choice for students who want the “state school” experience but don’t want to stay in Georgia. 20 years ago that was definitely not the norm. The large majority of OOS students at Bama are not getting large scholarships and are bringing OOS tuition into the university’s coffers.</p>
<p>This is a good point at which to lock this thread. The information has been presented, and students will be able to see the thread and decide whether or not the opportunity appeals to them. Mission accomplished.</p>