BU brand poll

[SFP]

The thread was in response to the direction I believe the school should lean towards not necessarily become. If we think we can be a great sports school then we should go for it but my opinion is that with the limited resources BU when planning should always first consider, how will it make us a better higher education institution not a better farm team for pro sports. In my experience the people nationally who have heard of BU, is through our basketball program, not academics. I'm not saying that is bad or good, it is just the way it is. I take that more on a reflection of our society then anything else. I wish some of our notable non-sports graduates were front and center of our recognition.

Guys I love BU basketball and I would love the program to win a few MVC championships and NCAA tourney wins but not at the expense of the educational part of the institution. It can be done because others have managed to walk that line. To name a few: Georgetown, Villanova and Creighton is doing a pretty good job!

BTW...I'm done with this topic! I just believe BU can be a lot more and I never want it to settle for anything less then trying to be the best.

[theBUer]

There are some good points in this thread.

BU is a teaching institution. Many of the other institutions, including the poll options, are research universities with vast post-graduate degree offerings.

There would have to be a fundamental shift in BU's philosophy before we begin those comparisons.

As it is, I'm proud of my Bradley education. It is well-respected and is known for its graduates being well prepared for the work force. People are impressed with the fact that I have a Bradley degree.

I think Bradley's brand is strong. Obviously, it has a strong reputation in Illinois and regionally, but from personal experience, it has a quality reputation around the country as well.

Thank you. As a student, I like Bradley as well. But it is downright foolishness to think we could ever be a major, flagship state university or a uber-prestigious private school that is no larger than SIU.

If BU wants to be a school of national distinction, they need to stop pounding their chests being the sixth-best masters level university in the Midwest. All you're doing is comparing yourself to nearly similar schools in one area.

It will take awhile for BU to make the lists of top national universities.

There are schools though that win titles in athletics and are highly-respected academically (Stanford and the prison experiment anyone), but I would not feel like Bradley is any better of a school because they care way more about honor roll student-athletes than winning on the court. It's a balance, focus too much on athletics and there is gross oversight. Focus too much on academics and folks will not care about your sports teams, the big ones that is.

Bradley is an in-between school, not a small private liberal arts school but not a large state school.

[theBUer]

There are some good points in this thread.

BU is a teaching institution. Many of the other institutions, including the poll options, are research universities with vast post-graduate degree offerings.

There would have to be a fundamental shift in BU's philosophy before we begin those comparisons.

As it is, I'm proud of my Bradley education. It is well-respected and is known for its graduates being well prepared for the work force. People are impressed with the fact that I have a Bradley degree.

I think Bradley's brand is strong. Obviously, it has a strong reputation in Illinois and regionally, but from personal experience, it has a quality reputation around the country as well.

Thank you. As a student, I like Bradley as well. But it is downright foolishness to think we could ever be a major, flagship state university or a uber-prestigious private school that is no larger than SIU.

If BU wants to be a school of national distinction, they need to stop pounding their chests being the sixth-best masters level university in the Midwest. All you're doing is comparing yourself to nearly similar schools in one area.

It will take awhile for BU to make the lists of top national universities.

There are schools though that win titles in athletics and are highly-respected academically (Stanford and the prison experiment anyone), but I would not feel like Bradley is any better of a school because they care way more about honor roll student-athletes than winning on the court. It's a balance, focus too much on athletics and there is gross oversight. Focus too much on academics and folks will not care about your sports teams, the big ones that is.

Bradley is an in-between school, not a small private liberal arts school but not a large state school.

And SFP, I'll take your lead as well.

[TylerDurden]

The thread was in response to the direction I believe the school should lean towards not necessarily become. If we think we can be a great sports school then we should go for it but my opinion is that with the limited resources BU when planning should always first consider, how will it make us a better higher education institution not a better farm team for pro sports. In my experience the people nationally who have heard of BU, is through our basketball program, not academics. I'm not saying that is bad or good, it is just the way it is. I take that more on a reflection of our society then anything else. I wish some of our notable non-sports graduates were front and center of our recognition.

Guys I love BU basketball and I would love the program to win a few MVC championships and NCAA tourney wins but not at the expense of the educational part of the institution. It can be done because others have managed to walk that line. To name a few: Georgetown, Villanova and Creighton is doing a pretty good job!

BTW...I'm done with this topic! I just believe BU can be a lot more and I never want it to settle for anything less then trying to be the best.

Harvard, without question.

[Chico]

The thread was in response to the direction I believe the school should lean towards not necessarily become. If we think we can be a great sports school then we should go for it but my opinion is that with the limited resources BU when planning should always first consider, how will it make us a better higher education institution not a better farm team for pro sports. In my experience the people nationally who have heard of BU, is through our basketball program, not academics. I'm not saying that is bad or good, it is just the way it is. I take that more on a reflection of our society then anything else. I wish some of our notable non-sports graduates were front and center of our recognition.

Guys I love BU basketball and I would love the program to win a few MVC championships and NCAA tourney wins but not at the expense of the educational part of the institution. It can be done because others have managed to walk that line. To name a few: Georgetown, Villanova and Creighton is doing a pretty good job!

BTW...I'm done with this topic! I just believe BU can be a lot more and I never want it to settle for anything less then trying to be the best.

All that is good, but this is a basketball board, and that is why the discussions are mostly about, guess what, basketball.

[SFP]

All that is good, but this is a basketball board, and that is why the discussions are mostly about, guess what, basketball.

I have no idea what I would do without your insight.

I guess BU basketball is nothing but a franchise of the University. How naive am I to think that they were inclusive of each other.

[Beninator]

WOW! Why is it so hard to phantom that BU is a brand and each and every graduate will have to use their diploma as part of their own brand to sell themselves in the labor market, like it or not? The closer BU is associated with outstanding education the easier it will be for graduates to get a high paying job or excepted to a high ranking graduate school or recruit the best educators in their field or imagine a vast network of very influential people to help each other in the business world.

No disrespect to Florida but the value put on an Ivy school diploma is much greater over a lifetime then any SEC school save Vanderbilt. There are reason we are closer to winning an NCAA basketball championship then a Nobel prize winner. I still believe BU would be best served by being the best academic institution it can be with the basketball team as a tool to create a diverse and fun collegiate atmosphere. I'm not saying we can't have both but if I had my choice I'd rather have a Harvard diploma over a Florida any day of the week.

+1 -- very much agree and this is also a Bradley board so I think this is an interesting thread. I think that we can strike a balance between academics and sports. First and foremost on the athletic front, I think that we need to look inward as to how to improve and become a consistent mid-major power. I am very confident that the academic part of BU is in good hands.

[Chico]

I have no idea what I would do without your insight.

I guess BU basketball is nothing but a franchise of the University. How naive am I to think that they were inclusive of each other.

Always glad to help.

[Braves4Life]

All that is good, but this is a basketball board, and that is why the discussions are mostly about, guess what, basketball.

And all threads are OPTIONAL to read. If you don't like the thread then skip it and, by all means, don't poison it with negativity.

[godukegobradley]

Hate to self promote too much but...

I feel as though we have missed a pretty huge elephant in the 'nerd/jock hybrid' room:

2011 U.S. News Rankings
Duke - #9
Kind of a down year though 20 year average ('87 to '07) - 6.3 (behind only Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, and MIT)

Not a bad basketball team either.

[Chico]

And all threads are OPTIONAL to read. If you don't like the thread then skip it and, by all means, don't poison it with negativity.

I read all the threads and don't respond to all of them, but I still think this a basketboard board, not a how high does Bradley rank against Harvard, etc. board. Thats not being negative, just telling it like it is IMO.

[Dallas Brave]

The thread was in response to the direction I believe the school should lean towards

If the lean is toward Harvard, would that be a lean to the left?

[Dallas Brave]

I think our academic reputation is plenty good for the type of D1 school we are. We have military leaders, political leaders, business leaders and top engineers.

What Bradley needs to graduate is a multi-billionaire ... or two. That would speed things up. I volunteered but it hasn't worked out yet ... maybe the next technology bubble, which is probably only 3-5 years away, will ring the cash register.