<p>Damnit Alex, I'm trying to gain some goddang notoriety around here! haha</p>
<p>Get in line son! ;)</p>
<p>Could someone please share with me the name or URL of an entity that has the ability to privatize a public university?</p>
<p>^ Hmmm…well if this was California, I’d guide you to the voter initiative ballot proposition process:
[California</a> Secretary of State - Elections & Voter Information - How to Qualify an Initiative](<a href=“http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_h.htm]California”>http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_h.htm)</p>
<p>No guarantees it would pass and might have some legal hair on it.</p>
<p>
Tell you what I’d do. Next time I go to an alum meeting, I will get a box and ask everyone to donate a dollar and leave their business cards. Perhaps we can compensate somewhat for the seriously flawed USNWR metrics for alum giving - measuring only number but not amount. It’s ridiculous a university that is 7th or 8th in endowment is only 74th in alum giving rate.</p>
<p>
Another serious flaw in USNWR is that it gives absolutely no credit for the breadth and depth of curriculum offered.</p>
<p>As of July of 2008, Michigan had the 6th largest endowment in the US. Alumni donation rates are directly correlated to size of alumni network. The smaller the network, the higher the percentage of alumni the university can reach and the higher the donation rate. It is no surprise that 90% of the colleges and universities with the top 50 alumni donation rates are LACs. Alumni donation does not indicate quality of university, alumni success or alumni loyalty. All it measures is size of alumni network. The smaller the network, the higher the donation rate.</p>
<p>^ In other words, the smaller the network, the more frequently they hound you for money and make you feel guilty for not contributing.</p>
<p>
I think the PA score addresses this issue pretty well though - albeit in an unsophisticated measure. Does Michigan deserve a higher PA score than Duke because it offers more breadth and depth? Maybe…;)</p>
<p>I would cry if UM went private. Why, because not every one can afford prestigious high level college education. You guys rely on the USNWR way too much. IT IS BIAS. You shouldn’t go by the numbers, you should compare groups of colleges together. Like compare the top 10 with the top 20. Why? Because I bet you that a UM Ross MBA student can out beat a Harvard MBA in finding a job. Ranking means nothing. Comparing school using the USNWR should be done by grouping them ranther than just comparing them individually becaues guess what? USNWR has been known to favor larger private institutions over smaller ones. I mean you guys are just looking at one ranking, there are many institutions that rank schools out there and one like Swarthmore and Williams that are very good too.
OK back to UM
I know people that rely on UM that are instate. Its not because they are dumb (infact one I know goes to one of the top public school in the nation) but why does my friend apply to UM, its because he can’t afford to go to a private institution like MIT, Caltech even though I believe he has a chance to get in. Many people who have good grades go to UM because they just can’t afford to go to anywhere else. If UM becomes private, it would devastate the state of Michigan because the economy is bad and people are loosing their jobs and if people are loosing their jobs, then they can’t pay for their kids tuition (even if they get financial aid on private institution because financial aid is becoming harder to get). These children decided to go to UM because they can’t afford the bigger schools but also because they get to get a outstanding education while still affording it. I mean I love UM because they offer kids with ambition to learn a chance at affordable rate. For out of state students, its your fault that you guys wanted to go to UM, you guys know that the tuition is higher but you guys still wanted to go. Its not the instate student’s fault that you guys decided to go to a state university, you guys knew you guys had to pay more. State university was made to benefit the people who have to pay taxes to support the university by allowing lower education to kids who wanted to attend. So really you out of state students shouldn’t be complaining, it was your fault, if you guys thought that UM cost to much, go to a private university. We instate students like the tuition, the ability to get a good education at lower cost because we have to pay the taxes and the fact that UM allows poorer students who just can’t afford the 50,000+ dollars (tuition plus room and board and other finance) to get it at a lower rate of about 20,000+ dollars. It really benefits the lower class people and I love the fact that they are willing to educate students and I have no objections about the rankings because to me, rankings mean nothing and I bet that a Ross student can beat a Harvard business student and a Engineering student at Umich can beat a engineering student at columbia any day (and not to mention the Michigan Medical school–and they accept instate students because they want to increase instate doctors and by law they are required to accept more instate, this is so great for prospective instate students as medical school cost so much).</p>
<p>Oh trust me most of us oos/international students knew that it would cost more. We also knew that UM was a prestigious name across the globe. However, the academic environment would be significantly better if there were less in-state students clogging up spaces and more qualified oos/international students who, at least from my experiences, show more intelligent during their academic pursuits. </p>
<p>Also, I believe, the state of Michigan doesn’t pay enough money to the institution to have any say in whether the school should stay public or private. If the people in Michigan really cared for their top institution then maybe they should contribute more for its growth. However, this is not the case. Besides, while there are still a lot of in-state kids who are actually at the same level of intelligence as the oos/international students, I bet the University could fill their spots with even brighter oos/international applicants if the school went private. The US News Rankings maybe a boatload of crap, but MANY students still chase after the top 10-15 schools in these published rankings.</p>
<p>And don’t please don’t argue about the difference between in-state students and out-of-state students and their lack of difference in intelligence. To let you in on a little surprise, most of my in-state friends (many of who are in the Honors Program or Engineering), agree that the quality of the out-of-state students are superior to that of the in-state students.</p>
<p>I was looking at Michigan’s total graduate enrollment for Fall 2008. </p>
<p>Altogether, there are 7,493 Non-Michigan Resident and 7,542 Michigan Resident graduate and professional students in the Fall 2008 semester. Very close (almost 50/50 split). The graduate level has more non-Michigan representation at the university than at the undergraduate level</p>
<p>You can find the information about university enrollment numbers here: <a href=“Office of Budget and Planning”>Office of Budget and Planning;
<p>Well don’t all universities have smart people and people who aren’t so smart? I mean you can’t go into Harvard thinking that everyone there is smart, there is a reason why people who have 4.0 get rejected, its because there will be no diversity. They need students who show persistence in something else, sports, community help etc.
Also its not our fault (the residents) that the state doesn’t give enough money to UM, its the state budget. I mean look at the state of Michigan, we currently are in something called the recession if you didn’t notice and on top of that, Michigan’s unemployment rate is the highest. Less people with job = lower income = people paying less tax = less tax revenue = less money to give to school. Plus don’t blame it on the residence saying that we are the ones that don’t give UM enough money because its the government that takes our money and then redistribute it and with the bad economy, I don’t think they have any money left to give out to anything. Public schools are getting less money. So protest as much as you want, but don’t blame it on the residence.
I’m sorry if you don’t like UM, then go somewhere else, other than that, they are not going to change and I hope they stay the same, accepting kids that they think are ambitious even with grades that others would criticize. UM doesn’t want to be private and the residence don’t want UM to be private, that’s a good agreement. If you like it, go back to your state and protest to your state university to get their academic prestige up otherwise, we the taxpayers are still supporting UM even if the state gives them not much money.</p>
<p>LOL…Michigan’s contribution to UM has been going down even before this little recession.
And yes, Michigan residents can be partially blamed for this pathetic rate of contribution.</p>
<p>Also, I love how you didn’t understand my point regarding UM. Tell me when did I ever say I disliked the University of Michigan?</p>
<p>You have to understand if the state produces a pathetic budget for its flagship university and then basically requires the university to follow its rules regarding admissions and etc (eg. there were talks of how some state legislators were trying to pass a bill that would allow Michigan students who are in the top 10% of their high school class to be automatically admitted to UM) why in the hell should the school stay public???</p>
<p>Its too bad that your wish for UM to be private isn’t going to happen any time soon or probably in your generation especially since the president of UM said in her own words “No such discussions are under way, nor are they being considered”. </p>
<p>[U-M</a> president refutes report that university will go private | detnews.com | The Detroit News](<a href=“Detroit Local News - Michigan News - Breaking News - detroitnews.com”>Detroit Local News - Michigan News - Breaking News - detroitnews.com)</p>
<p>cdz, CEO’s of major companies will always say that the company is doing fine just weeks before it goes bankrupt or is about to announce a major round of layoffs. Do you honestly expect Mary Sue Colemen to just come out and admit that the University is considering going private before it is ready to do so?</p>
<p>“Why do we need to pay for two viable programs in this state?” …this is not a unique question for Michigan. There are many professors in my family at public schools all over the country, and whenever there is a recession this question is always asked. It is almost the first place the state officials go. I have no doubt this same question is being asked somwhere at some level in Michigan as well comparing Michigan State and the University of Michigan. Usually, if there is not a good answer to the question, something gets cut. University of Michigan is in the unique position to go private.</p>
<p>My opinions are mixed on whether Umich should go private, but I do know the scenerio with University of Michigan makes no sense. School takes a fraction of its budget for the state and could stand on its own without the states help. There other viable state Universities in Michigan. University of Michigan is 50% out of state for undergrad and greater for grad students. Michigan is economy by itself is probably in a depression. Something has got to give.</p>
<p>Jack, Michigan is actually just 35% out of state. 50% would be nice. 65% would be even nicer.</p>
<p>At the graduate level, Michigan is roughly 50-55% out-of-state.</p>
<p>perfect recipe for controversy</p>
<p>By perfect recipe do you just mean bumping the thread?</p>