BU Announces Academic Success

[ER3]

ER3 You should have gone to a big sponsored state school for that. I hope that BU is always 1st about scholastic endeavor. I also want wins but I believe they do not need to be exclusive. I pointed out a few schools that seem to have the recipe. I guarantee you that BU's ability to rank in as a top regional school in the mid-west does more for the quality of life for the mass majority of graduates then if BU goes to the NCAA a few times a decade. Let's take two extreme cases. I'd take a degree from University of Chicago over a degree from U of KY. If I was going to be a professional basketball player then that would be different story. The real world business owner does not give a rat's @ss about NCAA feel goods you have had. That is how I feel and academic achievements is one way I measure BU overall. Basketball is only a very small part. If our Prez can bring BU to another level in the academic world, well then she is doing her job. Again Nobel prize winner from BU or NCAA championship. I know what I'd prefer.

BU can have academic success...and the basketball program can have success on the basketball court. These aren't mutually exclusive of each other. We are not recruiting basketball players to play at this University based on their ability to "win a Nobel prize"...nor should we be. The basketball players should be expected to work hard and have success in the classroom...but if the Prez "wants to raise the level of BU within the academic world", she largely needs to be looking for her shining stars and future Nobel Prize winners elsewhere in the student population...The scholarship basketball players brought into this University need to win games to bring in money and raise the level of national awareness for this institution, first and foremost...and along the way, they need to insure that they keep their noses clean and do as well as possible in the classroom...That's where the priorities need lie for these scholarship athletes within the men's basketball program at BU...
I hope, for themselves, they place a huge value on their education...and, yes, we should be proud of the successes they have in the classroom...but recruiting basketball players based on their academic prowess should never, ever be the #1 priority for an NCAA D-I institution.

[amckillip]

...recruiting basketball players based on their academic prowess should never, ever be the #1 priority for an NCAA D-I institution.

I completely and totally disagree. Basketball is an extra-curricular at the end of the day. Not really that much different, than myself getting journalism scholarships. Yes, I was recruited for my ability to write articles in part, but they wanted a full academic background, they wanted to know what I did in highschool, and they wanted my SAT's and ACT's. They looked at what classes I took. A college's first and foremost priority should be to recruit students who will reflect positively on the university and be an asset as an alum and through their actions speak to the quality of the university. If Will goes to apply for a job a Deloitte, they could care less if he's got a hook and averaged 6 rpg. U of I med school doesn't look at assists per game for Eddren McCain. The job of the university is to choose people which it can help excel and that reflect well upon the university. Basketball is a part of that equation for the players, but by no means the whole of the it.

[Boiler]

I could care less about 'developing national scholars'...if that is our #1 priority, then BU might as well become a D-III athletic program...
It's great if the athletes have some success in the classroom to help them in their future...but I want wins, Valley titles, NCAA appearances, etc. from my basketball team, first and foremost...
Give me the kid with the killer crossover over the kid with the killer ACT score every day of the week...

Amen, brother! Let's kick some ass!

[amckillip]

I could care less about 'developing national scholars'...if that is our #1 priority, then BU might as well become a D-III athletic program...
It's great if the athletes have some success in the classroom to help them in their future...but I want wins, Valley titles, NCAA appearances, etc. from my basketball team, first and foremost...
Give me the kid with the killer crossover over the kid with the killer ACT score every day of the week...

Just follow Calipari, he'll give you exactly what you're asking for.

[ER3]

I completely and totally disagree. Basketball is an extra-curricular at the end of the day. Not really that much different, than myself getting journalism scholarships. Yes, I was recruited for my ability to write articles in part, but they wanted a full academic background, they wanted to know what I did in highschool, and they wanted my SAT's and ACT's. They looked at what classes I took. A college's first and foremost priority should be to recruit students who will reflect positively on the university and be an asset as an alum and through their actions speak to the quality of the university. If Will goes to apply for a job a Deloitte, they could care less if he's got a hook and averaged 6 rpg. U of I med school doesn't look at assists per game for Eddren McCain. The job of the university is to choose people which it can help excel and that reflect well upon the university. Basketball is a part of that equation for the players, but by no means the whole of the it.

Basketball is not just "another extra-curricular activity" at a University when is the primary and only real revenue-generating program that BU has...that fact makes it much, much different than you getting your journalism scholarships to BU...
Bradley basketball is a big money maker for the university...without it, significant revenue streams dry up. That's why they travel to AAU tournaments and try to recruit the best basketball players in the country instead of sending Alvin Brooks to the National Spelling Bees and Scholastic Bowls to find their recruits. The scholarship basketball players we bring in have to at least meet BU's academic minimums to get into the school, they have to do their work while they are here to remain eligible, but don't kid yourself....they are recruited, first and foremost, based on their basketball talents and their ability to help this team win basketball games and insure the future earning potential of this basketball program.
We tried to get DeAaron Williams into this school to play basketball...why was that? Because of his sterling academic "accomplishments" at Wisconsin and ICC? No, of course not...we hoped he could get himself up to the academic minimum requirements of Bradley University so he could come here and give us a better chance to win basketball games...not because the University thought he could 'excel' in the classroom.

[BUfan14]

I gotta agree with Dallas here. Let's face it, 99.9% of BU players are playing pro-sports. I love the BU is focused on their academic success. If all you care about is an organization that's focused on winning basketball games, go watch the NBA. College is about way more than sports, and I hope these players don't lose sight of that. People can throw around degrees, call each other academic or not; but I'll tell you what, in 2 years, the fact Sam has kept a good GPA, will mean way more than whether or not he beat SIU at home this year.

I completely agree, and I really don't see how anyone who is thinking less about themselves and more about the kids going to school can say otherwise. This is the kids futures we are talking about. Basketball is great and I love winning, but these kids well-being comes way before my personal wants. I don't want to win if we are not running a class program that does it the right way in the class room and on the court, I could never root for a guy like Calipari because of that. Everyone loves winning, and I really want on the court success, but it should be a secondary goal behind academics and developing as people (the main goals of college).

[SFP]

I love our basketball program and I'm not saying that we recruit scholars and not worry about their skills. I'm not even saying that the Jocks have to be honor roll types. I want them to excel but what I was saying I'd rather have our school give a scholarship to a person with the possibility of achieving academic greatness (not a sports person) then a person who may or may not be a 1st team All American. A Nobel Prize is greater then an NCAA championship in my eyes. Having our athletic department achieve pretty good academic progress is fantastic and if we win any type of title that is icing on the cake.

Tell me guys, would you rather attend KY and win NCAA titles at any cost or attend a top notch school like Cal Tech or U of Chicago with zero sports and receive a diploma.

I'd take the top notch education any day. That is where BU when it is all said and done needs to keep their site on. With this Administration I have a feeling they are. I'm not saying we can't have both but being who BU is, it will be real tough. Others have no problem sacrificing their academic integrity and I hope we never ever come close.

[tornado]

We tried to get DeAaron Williams into this school ...

you should consider picking another example, because you are wrong and misinformed on this one...


DeAaron Williams is not stupid kid...
-he was a good student in high school and was National Honor Society
-he initially did well at Wisconsin, but became depressed, missed classes, then left the school, his probelm at Wisconsin only partly involved academics
-his academics at ICC were fine, and he was on target to get his degree and be eligible at BU, HE WAS NOT flunking, but due to faulty advice, he took too many courses in physical education and he exceeded the limit of credits that could be trasnferred to BU, thus he did not have the proper curriculum....
but he did NOT have a bad GPA.
-then he went to Northern Kentucky and did fine there as well...remaining academically eligible the rest of the way...

[ER3]

you should consider picking another example, because you are wrong and misinformed on this one...


DeAaron Williams is not stupid kid...
-he was a good student in high school and was National Honor Society
-he initially did well at Wisconsin, but became depressed, missed classes, then left the school, his probelm at Wisconsin only partly involved academics
-his academics at ICC were fine, and he was on target to get his degree and be eligible at BU, HE WAS NOT flunking, but due to faulty advice, he took too many courses in physical education and he exceeded the limit of credits that could be trasnferred to BU, thus he did not have the proper curriculum....
but he did NOT have a bad GPA.
-then he went to Northern Kentucky and did fine there as well...remaining academically eligible the rest of the way...

Actually, I am NOT misinformed on this one. You are the one with some inaccurate facts on the matter.
DeAaron's academics at ICC were NOT "fine"...
He was nowhere near on target to get his associate's degree there.
Yes, he took too many classes in PHYS ED, and those happened to be the only ones that he got passing grades in. The other classes he was either failing or withdrew from.
I never said DeAaron was a stupid kid...those are your words. I only brought him up to prove the point that basketball players are recruited to come to BU based on their basketball abilities, first and foremost...not based on their academic prowess as some others want to believe...

[tornado]

BU, unfortunately has little ability to exert any influence at ICC, and ICC has few if any academic advisors who can be assigned just to the athletes...
DeAaron was caught is a bad situation, got bad advice, but was never suspended for academics...
He did miss games because he skipped practices, but I contend he was a good student and was not an academic failure...