FTA: 'Why is the money being used there instead of for athletics?' "

Yes, because if there is one thing that is underfunded at most universities, it's athelitics.

Stimulus money went to colleges who applied for prjojects.

Plan: submit for cash to build 'Science Center'. Use money planned for Science Center and shift it over to huge mansion.

Mission Accomplished

Is this why my MBA program has gone completely online?

TFA: They say the bill will be picked up by about 30 private donors - not students or taxpayers

But, you know... outrage and such.

ArkAngel: Considering parties at that house are how the university gets a great deal of it's endowment acquired, I don't have a big problem with this. Especially since the money came from fundraising directly for this purpose, the house was in bad shape before, and it essentially contains the functions a hotel would provide (catering, lecture hall, etc...)

$7.2m though?

You can get big houses for a lot less. And I've seen plenty of University President houses that are a lot smaller than that.

Catering can be provided by outside people. It's a university, there are lecture halls already. Give it a big connected living/dining room and be done with it.

The important question is: where did the money come from?

If the university hasn't been asking for handouts, who cares? This just sounds like jealousy to me. Just because everyone else seems to be sucking at handling their finances, doesn't mean those who can should suffer. FT.

fireclown: Is this why my MBA program has gone completely online?

Because online programs are way better than real classes. That's why many universities actually charge more for them.

//Cough, bullshiat, cough, the vast majority of online programs/classes suck and are as much value as just buying the book and teaching yourself. They generally offer almost zero real learning experience.

I get the need for a house, with some space for entertaining, but $7.2 million? Really? That is a mighty big place

Assume the donors will also be getting the contracts to build the place, sort a revolving door of cash.

tuxq: The important question is: where did the money come from?

If the university hasn't been asking for handouts, who cares? This just sounds like jealousy to me. Just because everyone else seems to be sucking at handling their finances, doesn't mean those who can should suffer. FT.

ArkAngel: Considering parties at that house are how the university gets a great deal of it's endowment acquired, I don't have a big problem with this. Especially since the money came from fundraising directly for this purpose, the house was in bad shape before, and it essentially contains the functions a hotel would provide (catering, lecture hall, etc...)

Bad shape? the former occupants main concern was that "it faced away from campus".

If they could raise $7M for a house, then how much could they have raised for edumacashun things? This is what happens when people turn into greedy pigs....

Should provide plenty of space away from prying eyes for their pedophile researchers and sports coaches.

/you really think Penn State is the only place where that was going on?
//Penn State was just arrogant and stupid enough to get caught

This is a natural out-growth of an oft-overlooked and seriously flawed portion of the University President's job. He's expected to host fund-raisers and events at his house in order to raise money and attract investment to the University. Why they think it's important to do it at his house as opposed to somewhere else is beyond me. The University has plenty of other facilities that would do. But for some godforsaken reason they think he has to receive visitors at his home for official University business, which is the justification behind even having a President's mansion in the first place, as well as upgrading it.

It really has nothing to do with the President. It has to do with the boosters / board of regents who want to wine and dine donors in an increasingly luxurious manner, and shows exactly how screwed up their priorities really are.

It's a public university. It should charge a reasonable tuition, keep costs low, and support the rest of its budget through taxes. If you want more money out of the rich people, let them live in luxury in their own damn mansions and raise their taxes to support the university.

This might be related Link (new window)
/Damn Onion

Turbo Cojones: ArkAngel: Considering parties at that house are how the university gets a great deal of it's endowment acquired, I don't have a big problem with this. Especially since the money came from fundraising directly for this purpose, the house was in bad shape before, and it essentially contains the functions a hotel would provide (catering, lecture hall, etc...)

Bad shape? the former occupants main concern was that "it faced away from campus".

If they could raise $7M for a house, then how much could they have raised for edumacashun things? This is what happens when people turn into greedy pigs....

That and the whole "damaged by a tornado, can't adequately heat or cool it, and I can't scratch my balls in my own living room because there are always campus tours going through it" thing.

RTFA. It's not as asinine as it looks.

MindStalker: fireclown: Is this why my MBA program has gone completely online?

Because online programs are way better than real classes. That's why many universities actually charge more for them.

//Cough, bullshiat, cough, the vast majority of online programs/classes suck and are as much value as just buying the book and teaching yourself. They generally offer almost zero real learning experience.

Agreed. You do get that recycled final-exam for your $2700 however; PRICELESS!!

beta_plus: Should provide plenty of space away from prying eyes for their pedophile researchers and sports coaches.

/you really think Penn State is the only place where that was going on?
//Penn State was just arrogant and stupid enough to get caught

This thread has been............(puts on glasses) Sanduskyed

FrancoFile: Turbo Cojones: ArkAngel: Considering parties at that house are how the university gets a great deal of it's endowment acquired, I don't have a big problem with this. Especially since the money came from fundraising directly for this purpose, the house was in bad shape before, and it essentially contains the functions a hotel would provide (catering, lecture hall, etc...)

Bad shape? the former occupants main concern was that "it faced away from campus".

If they could raise $7M for a house, then how much could they have raised for edumacashun things? This is what happens when people turn into greedy pigs....

That and the whole "damaged by a tornado, can't adequately heat or cool it, and I can't scratch my balls in my own living room because there are always campus tours going through it" thing.

RTFA. It's not as asinine as it looks.

HMMMMMM if only there was a way to obtain a place to live for people who want privacy...My house gets cold in winter; I put on a jacket or break out the whiskey. Sometimes I sit in front of the fireplace of

which his house seems to have more than one....DAMN you touch pad!

CygnusDarius: Jack Black 62: All universities should be private. If you want to go to school, pay for it yourself and stop demanding that the net taxpayers pay it for you.

And if you want to study but lack the monetary means?.

Prostitution.

Their slideshow of the president's homes at Washington-area universities missed the best one, Carr's Hill at UVA.

Spade: ArkAngel: Considering parties at that house are how the university gets a great deal of it's endowment acquired, I don't have a big problem with this. Especially since the money came from fundraising directly for this purpose, the house was in bad shape before, and it essentially contains the functions a hotel would provide (catering, lecture hall, etc...)

$7.2m though?

You can get big houses for a lot less. And I've seen plenty of University President houses that are a lot smaller than that.

Catering can be provided by outside people. It's a university, there are lecture halls already. Give it a big connected living/dining room and be done with it.

To play the advocate- one donation that's generated from a party there can cover the entire cost, and the rest is gravy.

Wellon Dowd: Their slideshow of the president's homes at Washington-area universities missed the best one, Carr's Hill at UVA.

[www.virginia.edu image 486x360]

Because UVa isn't in the Washington area, moran.

Imperialism: TFA: They say the bill will be picked up by about 30 private donors - not students or taxpayers

But, you know... outrage and such.

---- I bet tuition has been / is / will be on the rise anyway.
Did all those private donors agree to donate for the purpose of the mansion or the quality of education?

HHHHMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmm.....

Jack Black 62: MindStalker: fireclown: Is this why my MBA program has gone completely online?

Because online programs are way better than real classes. That's why many universities actually charge more for them.

//Cough, bullshiat, cough, the vast majority of online programs/classes suck and are as much value as just buying the book and teaching yourself. They generally offer almost zero real learning experience.

Really? Any proof to your "claim"?

I can't offer any proof, but I can say that as a college prof, I see that textbooks often come with an option to install an online course, fully developed and with little faculty knowhow or even expertise needed. Lecture outlines, slides, quizzes, videos and exams all included. Basically, all the prof needs to do have IT install the course package, then sit back and grade written assignments, if any are given. I would imagine taking such a canned course could lead to a really suck-filled experience. There are probably some really excellent 'canned' courses, but I don't have any hands-on experience with offering an online course; that is just a guess. I do know folk at other institutions who won't teach a "brick and mortar" course if they don't have to, because they'd rather do other things. These are exceptions, though. Most of us are control freaks, and don't trust someone else to make the right decisions for "our" courses. So, the question then becomes: why offer a course that takes this approach in the first place?

Here's why: the overhead is much smaller to the college/university. Less staff time, no classroom needed. Hell, students even supply their own computers. This equals more money to make up shortfalls, as long as funding and endowments don't plummet.

I do know that there are several canned MBA courses out there, btw. Maybe yours wasn't, doesn't matter, it sounds like you got a lot out of it.

MindStalker: fireclown: Is this why my MBA program has gone completely online?

Because online programs are way better than real classes. That's why many universities actually charge more for them.

//Cough, bullshiat, cough, the vast majority of online programs/classes suck and are as much value as just buying the book and teaching yourself. They generally offer almost zero real learning experience.

I thought the reason they charge more for them is because they can, because a lot of employers will pay for their employees to get more education. So the university charges more because employers will pay for it.

cefm: T

It really has nothing to do with the President. It has to do with the boosters / board of regents who want to wine and dine donors in an increasingly luxurious manner, and shows exactly how screwed up their priorities really are.


This...

Just look at the Football fiasco with the AD and current *cough* coach.

Not to mention how Friedgen leaving was handled.

Why don't they just take them to Kevin Planks pad...he runs the damn show anyways.

Oh noes, other people have money again. I thought we put a stop to that?

$7 mill? Pffft. It will probably pay for itself in donations from rich donors in two years.

Having been the acquaintance of a university president for a while, I can tell you that living in the "president's residence" is not so grate aksully.

Yes, it's thousands of square feet - but most of it is built to accommodate "parties" where the president gets to suck up to so-called "rich" people who may (or may not) decide at some point in the next hundred years or so that they might give some money to the university... or not. Plus you got the minimum wage warriors from conference and catering traipsing through your house with impunity at all hours of the day and night.

Sounds to me like a massive pain in the ass.

/yeah, I know...
//CSB

Imperialism: TFA: They say the bill will be picked up by about 30 private donors - not students or taxpayers

But, you know... outrage and such.

You know how it is around here; don't let facts get in the way of a good

where are teh OWS'er complaing about student loan debt? This is why you cant have nice things.

Turbo Cojones: MindStalker: fireclown: Is this why my MBA program has gone completely online?

Because online programs are way better than real classes. That's why many universities actually charge more for them.

//Cough, bullshiat, cough, the vast majority of online programs/classes suck and are as much value as just buying the book and teaching yourself. They generally offer almost zero real learning experience.

Agreed. You do get that recycled final-exam for your $2700 however; PRICELESS!!


I've found that the final exams aren't recycled (alas), but they are in fact developed by the textbook publishers. And graded automatically by the textbook publishers. If I were asked how I could distinguish the Frostburg State University MBA program from that of the University Of Phoenix, I would be hard pressed.

cefm: This is a natural out-growth of an oft-overlooked and seriously flawed portion of the University President's job. He's expected to host fund-raisers and events at his house in order to raise money and attract investment to the University. Why they think it's important to do it at his house as opposed to somewhere else is beyond me. The University has plenty of other facilities that would do. But for some godforsaken reason they think he has to receive visitors at his home for official University business, which is the justification behind even having a President's mansion in the first place, as well as upgrading it.

It really has nothing to do with the President. It has to do with the boosters / board of regents who want to wine and dine donors in an increasingly luxurious manner, and shows exactly how screwed up their priorities really are.

Yes and no. Many times, college presidents are encentivized, at least partialy, based on the college's finances and balance sheet. Bringing in more money and increasing net worth means a bigger bonus. An easy way to increase the net worth of the college is to build newer, bigger and better buildings, which in turn (supposedly) help bring in more money from donors. Even if the latter is not true, the former is. Note this puts the college presidents at odds with the students. Students want the best education at an affordable price. College presidents want to extract as much tuition and fees as possible from students and use it to build a spawling Versailles Palace.

It's $7.2 million. I think The George Washington University spent that per room renovating their current Presisdent's House:



It's the old F Street Club in DC, which was originally a Georgian mansion built for a US Navy Admiral, I think.

Lsherm: Presisdent's House:

President's House

/FTFM

Magorn: maxximillian: Imperialism: TFA: They say the bill will be picked up by about 30 private donors - not students or taxpayers

But, you know... outrage and such.

You know how it is around here; don't let facts get in the way of a good
[www.religiousforums.com image 425x337]

Boosters are a finite resource. If you are asking them for money it should be for a building that enhances the academic excellence of the school in some way, not the comfort of the university's president. I feel the exact same way about raising money for new on-campus stadiums. There was nothing wrong with Byrd stadium or Cole Feild house. They were perfectly adequate to carry out thier mission. The new Stadium monstorsity respresents nothing more than lost scholarships and lost equipment for the school's REAL job. I love sports, football in particular, but I think the NCAA should be shut down tomorrow and all University's football and b-ball and even baseball prgrams spun off into minor PROFESSIONAL legaue for their respective sports. The Current system is an insult to the players (as they get used as revenue source but are penalized if the try an participate in it in any way) and the Universities (calling some 2.0 HS GPA 1000 SAT mook with a wicked jump-shot a "scholar-athlete" is a joke, particularly when you have to supply a whole suite of dumbed-down classes just so thy can maintain their eligibility)


To be fair, the amount of time student athletes need to train to participate in college level sports, especially Division 1, pretty much precludes them from taking anything but bogus classes. What the NCAA should do instead is guarentee students four years of free tuition AFTER they've played their four years for the school. Four years of just play time followed by four years of just school, which can be redeemed at any time Since most college athletes don't get drafted into professional sports, this gives them a fair shot to actually learn something other than basket weaving. Even amongst pros, very few ever actually attain the long lucrative career they all want. A year or two and then you're out for one reason or another. Let 'em go to school then.