<p>University of Alabama once again leads the nation with five students named to USA Todays 2009 All-USA College Academic Team…</p>
<p>UA has the most team members of any school with five. Harvard, the U.S. Naval Academy, Louisiana State University, Florida State University and Southern Illinois University each have three team members.</p>
<p>This years team brings UAs total for the last seven years to 36, a figure that tops all other colleges and universities. In addition to this year, UA had the most students on the list in 2008 with seven, in 2006 with six and in 2005 and 2003, both with five.</p>
<p>The USA Today All-USA College Academic Team honors the best of the best undergraduate academic all-stars from across the nation. The team recognizes college students who not only excel in scholarship but also extend their intellectual abilities beyond the classroom to benefit society.</p>
<p>Not sure how much credence to put in this list, compared to a listing of the Fulbright or Goldwater Scholarships. This list is fairly, and UA pushes this thing very hard. No offense to the students on this list and their accomplishments, but if Southern Illinois is high on this list…</p>
<p>If you look at the projects the UA kids have done over the last few years and what some are doing now…they are amazing.</p>
<p>I don’t know what the 3 Southern Illinois students did to get named, but I don’t think anyone should be diminishing their accomplishment. They may have worked on something phenomenal.</p>
<p>There were a total of 60 students named. The schools that had the most students named in 2009 were: </p>
<p>Alabama - 6 students named.<br>
FSU - 3 students
Harvard - 3 students
LSU - 3 students
SIUC - 3 students
US Naval Academy - 3 students
Brown - 2 students
Northwestern - 2 students
North Carolina - Chapel Hill - 2 students
Yale - 2 students</p>
<p>Well good for them, but I don’t think this list is particularly important when compared to scholarships. It doesn’t really speak to the university as a whole either–just what the top 80 out of 21,000 undergrads are doing.</p>
<p>Yes, it does speak for the university as a whole. This isn’t a one time thing. Alabama has had a high number of USA Today All-USA Academic Team several years in a row, so it’s no coincidence. Secondly, it serves as evidence of the success of Witt’s plan to attract the best and the brightest, which is certainly the image that UA is conveying.</p>
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<p>I’m sorry, but that’s just rude. If these Southern Illinois students did research that found the cure for AIDS, are you suggesting that they shouldn’t be on the team because they’re from Southern Illinois? That’s school snobbery at its finest.</p>
<p>I think that all of these accomplishments are significant, because it inspires other students to consider what they could be doing. </p>
<p>It’s like top performers at a company. They inspire others to try harder and to succeed in their own ways. The converse is also true. When at a school where no one accomplishes great things, it can be demoralizing.</p>
<p>“Yes, it does speak for the university as a whole. This isn’t a one time thing. Alabama has had a high number of USA Today All-USA Academic Team several years in a row, so it’s no coincidence. Secondly, it serves as evidence of the success of Witt’s plan to attract the best and the brightest, which is certainly the image that UA is conveying.”</p>
<p>How many times UA students have been on the list is irrelevant to the point I’m making. Also, yes, I will commend Dr. Witt for attracting the best and brightest, people who would otherwise go to ivy or other top tier schools. That’s pretty awesome. But besides those 80 people(Fellows and CBHP), it falls off. UHP is good, but not nearly as good as it is marketed to be IMO. The rest of the university seems middle of the road.</p>
<p>Yup, it is. Now, if Southern Illinois students find the cure for AIDS let me know, but in reality, the chances of that happening are nil. Academia is the ultimate caste-based society.</p>
<p>I commend UA on this - they found out about this (fairly new) program and worked hard to exploit it to their advantage. I want to see what the schools are reflected in this list when and if this program is around in 20 years.</p>
<p>Congrats to UA on having the top number of students once again. Besides being a great marketing tool, it emphasizes that students can do some pretty good things. While I do not doubt that there is a hierarchy in who UA helps get on this list, it is still possible to do well without being involved in the more prestigious programs, many of which choose students based on high school experiences many students did not have access to.</p>
<p>This discussion reminds me very much of the discussion surrounding college football bowls. In the football discussion, Alabama is with the “haves” and has easier and better access to the more prestigious bowls including the national championship. The “have nots” TCU, Boise State etc… have to work hard just to get a little recognition and work their way up the ladder. I suspect that in a few years there will be a break through in college football and one of these “lesser” schools will play for a championship. </p>
<p>So, not to sound too trite, for now Alabama (and Southern Illinois) must do well in the Gator Bowls of the academic world - still a terrific accomplishment. While the HYPS…schools compete in the academic equivalent of the BCS bowls. Does this mean that the Alabama or Southern Illinois of the world have accomplished less? Absolutely not, I am sure their academic and research accomplishments are deserving of lofty recognition. As their reputation grows, new accolades will be awarded. It is also possible that the USA Today recognition will rise to the standard of the other awards. Again, it happened in football, I remember when the Fiesta Bowl was a minor player in the college football scheme. Now it is a true power broker. </p>
<p>As far as the research going on at these “lesser” know academic institutions, many times it is truly groundbreaking and unbelievably innovative. Why? Because these institutions need to do something extraordinary to break into the old boy network and compete for the real prize - grant dollars. When research grant dollars really start to flow, then that’s where the real recognition comes in to play. And grant applications look a lot better with lists of honors and awards. </p>
<p>Great job by all the students and schools on the list. Keep working hard and do innovative research. It’s the best way to push science and academia forward.</p>
<p>"I hope you find what you’re looking for at UTenn. What is its honors program like and will you be a member?</p>
<p>Good luck. "</p>
<p>Thanks!I appreciate it. Um, I haven’t really looked at what kind of honors they have–I think their honors programs are through each individual majors; there isn’t an honors college per se.</p>
<p>I’m still gonna be at Bama in the spring, but barring getting denied admission(which won’t happen haha) I’ll be going to UTenn in fall of 2010. Sorry if I came off in a negative way.</p>
<p>I can understand how the money situation can really play into a situation. It will be much cheaper for you at UTenn. Look into their honors college, I think they have one.</p>
What is its honors program like and will you be a member? </p>