<p>Just to give credit where it is due, here’s a copy of the US News form Bernie completed a few years ago…it looks ridiculous to me.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.gainesville.com/assets/pdf/GS17003616.PDF[/url]”>http://www.gainesville.com/assets/pdf/GS17003616.PDF</a></p>
<p>UF should consider building more housing since it appears to be such an issue.</p>
<p>[UF-Facilities</a> Planning & Construction](<a href=“http://www.facilities.ufl.edu/projects/project.php?prj=9385]UF-Facilities”>http://www.facilities.ufl.edu/projects/project.php?prj=9385)</p>
<p>New Dorm</p>
<p>What is UFs freshman retention rate?</p>
<p>Also, I think many view UF as primarily an SEC powerhouse before an academic powerhouse. In order to boost the rep and the rank, they need a reorganization of priorities.</p>
<p>Despite being eligible for a Bright Future scholarship, my son, who was accepted to UF, specifically did not want to attend the school because he just got the feeling that the whole Gator Nation vibe related to athletics and not academics.</p>
<p>@amissy14</p>
<p>UF’s Freshman (full time) retention rate is 95 to 96%.</p>
<p>I’m constantly amazed at this theme of academics taking a back seat to athletics. It doesn’t take resources from the university, as it’s self- funding (and in UF’s case, a money maker, hence UF’s relatively low student fees). The Alumni (of Gator Nation) focus on athletics, since that’s how we stay connected with the school. The students enjoy it, but they have other concerns, classes, finales, boy/girl friends, being active in one or more of the 975 registered student organizations…</p>
<p>In 2011-12 UF awarded 8,601 Bachelor, 3,924 Master and 1,954 Doctor. In 2012, on Saturdays in the fall, students could have attended up to 7 home football games.</p>
<p>I don’t think you fully understand the purpose of the athletic programs. They don’t exist just to exist, but to provide alumni and students something to bond over.</p>
<p>I have seen alumni bond over that crazy blocked field goal or wild finish to a basketball game so many times. It provides a common interest for your alumni network to relate to each other over, and I know I personally have been offered an internship after a short bonding conversation over the upcoming season. </p>
<p>It is a light, easy conversation starter that serves a purpose well beyond athletics. It also increases the bond alumni feel to their school, as they can relive that connection all the time, which makes fundraising significantly easier. That comes from a development officer in the college of engineering.</p>
<p>@mfhettig I’m sorry. But that’s a little too kum ba yah for me to believe. The principal purpose for most of the perennially successful athletic programs is the revenue that it produces. While you may find the sense of community a real effect of athletic programs, it is nothing more than a secondary consequence that lay apart from primarily monetary priorities of the university. But that’s just how I see it I guess.</p>
<p>Many colleges/universities run athletic programs at a lost (University of Maryland is losing $ while being a member of the ACC, which is why they want to jump ship to the Big 10). Out of the 120 largest NCAA athletic departments, only 22 made money in 2010.</p>
<p>[22</a> Elite College Sports Programs Turned a Profit in 2010, but Gaps Remain - Athletics - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“22 Elite College Sports Programs Turned a Profit in 2010, but Gaps Remain”>22 Elite College Sports Programs Turned a Profit in 2010, but Gaps Remain)</p>
<p>If most FBS schools are losing money (with UF being one of the exceptions), then why do they continue to support these programs?</p>
<p>University’s use athletics to raise their profile; while students are willing to pay the higher student fee’s in support of the program. Schools like UCF and USF are willing to invest the $, in an effort to raise awareness of the school, and to help recruit students. </p>
<p>UNF recently decided it wasn’t feasible to start a football program. They determined enrollment would need to be over 25,000 students, before it could make financial sense. </p>
<p>[No</a> UNF football, Delaney says | jacksonville.com](<a href=“http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/479262/khristopher-j-brooks/2013-04-04/no-unf-football-delaney-says]No”>http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/479262/khristopher-j-brooks/2013-04-04/no-unf-football-delaney-says)</p>
<p>I’m sure some students decline acceptance to UF, due to the “Gator Nation” vibe, but I’m also sure far more accept, thinking UF athletics is a plus and not a negative. There is a reason every campus tour ends at Florida Field.</p>
<p>The Big Ten has a council (CIC) of their member schools. They are going after research $ in addition to TV markets. This is one of the reasons why the B1G only goes after AAU affiliated universities. Follow the money.</p>
<p>“consensus seems to be that this was all about adding TV dollars and sets, and any future expansion should be viewed through the lens of TV markets and how they may affect Big Ten Network revenues. While all this discussion has merit, it misses an important aspect of conference expansion. The impact of expansion on the ability to influence the allocation of federal research dollars to the B1G member schools has monetary implications that dwarf the potential for increased athletic dept. revenues.”</p>
<p>“Adding established AAU members can increase the CIC’s powerbase within the AAU. With $20 billion dollars in annual research dollars at stake, it only takes a little extra power to put a billion a year in extra research dollars into CIC hands, a figure four times the revenue of the BTN”</p>
<p>Agreed, from the BIG10 standpoint, Maryland was a good fit, in more ways than the BTN. However, without the BTN, they never would have expanded past 12 schools. Maryland’s move was financial (and they are still catching flack from Alumni and Students over the move…it’s an interesting story to watch, as long as you’re not a Maryland Alumni/student).</p>
<p>When the SEC expanded, they also targeted two AAU schools, TAMU and Mizzou.</p>
<p>Which is all beside the point (making UF a top 10 school), other than UF (and the other SEC Presidents) looked to leveraging SEC expansion to improve the conference academic reputation. Just one piece of the puzzle(another would be the new SEC Network, which will further increase UF’s national exposure).</p>