Interview With President Assanis

[UDel]

Dan spoke with President Assanis at the Wells Fargo Center.

https://udreview.com/assanis-conference ... hic-cliff/

[topstraight]

Some posters (across various message boards) have tried to suggest a Delaware move to the MAC.

President Assanis's comments in this story certainly put that talk to rest.

We are Happy to have UD in Conference USA!!

[BlueHenBill]

The thing is that you do not have to play college athletics in the far rung reaches of the US to be a university with national pull and enrollment from the entires US as well as the world (which UD used to have and maybe still does - see all of the states & countries that recent UD enrollees come from also all the places that UD alums live). If you want to increase your national/world profile, the best path IMO is to increase your academics to the top tier in the US and the world.

[bluehens2005]

The thing is that you do not have to play college athletics in the far rung reaches of the US to be a university with national pull and enrollment from the entires US as well as the world (which UD used to have and maybe still does - see all of the states & countries that recent UD enrollees come from abs all the places that UD alums live). If you want to increase your national/world profile, the best path IMO is to increase your academics to the top tier in the US and the world.

Sure, we’ll get a few games on TV during the week but yeah I’m not sure that this is going to somehow save them from an enrollment cliff when yes young people are now deciding to enroll in trades maybe not go to college the birth rate is down, etc.

[Caribbean Hen]

“It is, therefore, quite the different crowd that Delaware is poised to embrace.

For any concern of culture shock or an unnatural fit, there is the more apparently pressing interest of widening the university’s scope and visibility.”

Oh come on Dan
don’t tell me you’ve never been down to Sussex County

[BlueHenBobby]

While I am aware of the issues Universities face in terms of financial solvency and the challenges of competition from online institutions, community colleges, jucos and the drive towards technical education I think that linking a move up in athletics to beings part of a solution for increasing enrollment is a little bit of a stretch. Certainly not totally out of line but seems a bit self-serving to help justify the increase costs in moving up the athletic programs.

[BlueHenBill]

How many students from outside UD's region are going to want to come to UD and pay out-of-state tuition with limited financial aid?

[jd of de]

How many students from outside UD's region are going to want to come to UD and pay out-of-state tuition with limited financial aid?

You are going to have to explain why a student from Texas or Tennessee would have more limited financial aid, than the students from New Jersey currently do.

[BlueHenBobby]

How many students from outside UD's region are going to want to come to UD and pay out-of-state tuition with limited financial aid?

You are going to have to explain why a student from Texas or Tennessee would have more limited financial aid, than the students from New Jersey currently do.

Not sure what the campus make up is these days in terms of those living on campus/Newark versus commuters or what the percentage of in-staters is any more. It's not out of the realm to live at home in South Jersey, southern Pa. or the north east of Maryland, UD's relatively high tuition plus distance might be a deterence.......

[Cluck U]

“It is, therefore, quite the different crowd that Delaware is poised to embrace.

For any concern of culture shock or an unnatural fit, there is the more apparently pressing interest of widening the university’s scope and visibility.”

Oh come on Dan
don’t tell me you’ve never been down to Sussex County

A shock? An unnatural fit? To meet people with different opinions? Very disappointing, Dan. Don’t fall into that ignorant view of the world…be better.

As to UD, yes, they see the future and want to stay ahead of the demographic drop. I mentioned this plenty of times in regard to their student housing needs. They no longer want to invest heavily in dorms (which are expensive to build and not easy to convert to different uses) that might end up empty buildings 10-15 years from now. UD is also drawing a pretty good income stream from ELA students, who pay full rides and more, mainly from foreign countries with a large cash flows. Those countries have also been very generous in their gifts and donations.

Remember, UD is a business (state and federally funded, as are their student/customers)…nothing more.

CUSA does give UD a “presence” across a much broader customer base. Plenty of students in the Northeast have heard of Delaware and have seen the Blue Hen, but those students are also familiar with our competitors. Think of CUSA as being a position coach who has contacts in different areas of the country. If our games against our conference foes (complete with TV advertisements) can draw the interest of a few students form those areas, then it could result (long term) in gaining more students from that area.

Besides, what else is Assantis going to say? “We don’t want to be in the CUSA for long, because the teams are so far away.”

[77HEN]

Very good Cluck. Imagine the horrors of meeting someone who is not a drone for the herd. Oh, the horrors!

Demographic cliff? The link in the article says there was a noticeable drop in birth rates in 2008 to 2011 due to the “Great Recession”. Not true. The birth rates in those years are right in line with the steady drop in the US over the last 50 plus years (https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metr ... birth-rate). If there is a cliff, it is likely due to the fact that many are now seeing that it is not worth the money (debt) if you aren’t a good student who plans to study a useful subject. Folks may realize that you can’t always count on the gubment to bail you out from debt (with taxpayer money or more debt) you agreed to take on.

BTW, Dan - take a look at CUSA and you will find many other universities with different approaches to UD than just Liberty in purple VA. Like JaxState, SHSU, TX El Paso, WKU, MTSU, LaTech and FIU (in Red FL), etc. But, I guess Liberty is a good target, cause - you know why.

[Hens79]

Very good Cluck. Imagine the horrors of meeting someone who is not a drone for the herd. Oh, the horrors!

Demographic cliff? The link in the article says there was a noticeable drop in birth rates in 2008 to 2011 due to the “Great Recession”. Not true. The birth rates in those years are right in line with the steady drop in the US over the last 50 plus years (https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metr ... birth-rate). If there is a cliff, it is likely due to the fact that many are now seeing that it is not worth the money (debt) if you aren’t a good student who plans to study a useful subject. Folks may realize that you can’t always count on the gubment to bail you out from debt (with taxpayer money or more debt) you agreed to take on.

BTW, Dan - take a look at CUSA and you will find many other universities with different approaches to UD than just Liberty in purple VA. Like JaxState, SHSU, TX El Paso, WKU, MTSU, LaTech and FIU (in Red FL), etc. But, I guess Liberty is a good target, cause - you know why.

Enlighten us as to the “different approaches” that these other schools take. I mean we’ve been told here that it is “fact” that UD wastes so much money on unnecessary things but haven’t been provided any “facts”. Maybe we will now?

And about Liberty … well we know why and deservedly so.

And why would anyone not appreciate different opinions? But opinions are quite different than facts. And when you form opinions based on out right lies … well … I don’t want to be part of that “herd” and glad they are in the large minority around here.

Anyway, UD is trying to spread their reach. Hopefully, competing in FBS in a conference with a wider reach that the east coast will help. It will be interesting to see donation wise if it will bring in more money than UD’s more traditional footprint from the wealthier northeast and mid-Atlantic.

[Baltimore Hen]

How many students from outside UD's region are going to want to come to UD and pay out-of-state tuition with limited financial aid?

You are going to have to explain why a student from Texas or Tennessee would have more limited financial aid, than the students from New Jersey currently do.

i think the question is more why would they want to travel that distance at the cost of UD out of state.

[Cluck U]

Very good Cluck. Imagine the horrors of meeting someone who is not a drone for the herd. Oh, the horrors!

Demographic cliff? The link in the article says there was a noticeable drop in birth rates in 2008 to 2011 due to the “Great Recession”. Not true. The birth rates in those years are right in line with the steady drop in the US over the last 50 plus years (https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metr ... birth-rate). If there is a cliff, it is likely due to the fact that many are now seeing that it is not worth the money (debt) if you aren’t a good student who plans to study a useful subject. Folks may realize that you can’t always count on the gubment to bail you out from debt (with taxpayer money or more debt) you agreed to take on.

BTW, Dan - take a look at CUSA and you will find many other universities with different approaches to UD than just Liberty in purple VA. Like JaxState, SHSU, TX El Paso, WKU, MTSU, LaTech and FIU (in Red FL), etc. But, I guess Liberty is a good target, cause - you know why.

Enlighten us as to the “different approaches” that these other schools take. I mean we’ve been told here that it is “fact” that UD wastes so much money on unnecessary things but haven’t been provided any “facts”. Maybe we will now?

And about Liberty … well we know why and deservedly so.

And why would anyone not appreciate different opinions? But opinions are quite different than facts. And when you form opinions based on out right lies … well … I don’t want to be part of that “herd” and glad they are in the large minority around here.

Anyway, UD is trying to spread their reach. Hopefully, competing in FBS in a conference with a wider reach that the east coast will help. It will be interesting to see donation wise if it will bring in more money than UD’s more traditional footprint from the wealthier northeast and mid-Atlantic.

I’ll give you a free one.

How much did UD pay for the INBRE building (that number is out there)? How long ago? How much work has been done on it? How many people are actually working in that building? How much does it cost to run the facility? What is the return on that solid investment?

The fact that you don’t know any of that is…well, funny…as is that fact that you don’t know anything about how many non-teaching positions have been added, what those positions are, and what the compensation packages are for those positions.

Why is that? One would think a local journalist would be on top of a story where our state’s top university is very publicly crying poor while asking alumni, fans and the state taxpayers to pay for the university’s newest whims and upgrades (whether that be sports, student enrollment or a host of other monetary needs).

WHY is UD in such a position? Increased healthcare costs? A first year journalism student could confirm any of those numbers. Gosh, in such a booming economy and temporary inflation , how in the world is UD crying poor and asking everyone to help them from a budget disaster?

UD sports fans should be upset about a $5 million fee that was unnecessary if the plan really was to move forward. Now, those same UD folks are saying that our new upgrades might be delayed or downgraded because fundraising isn’t humming along as predicted.

By the way, who needs a chilled pool…in Delaware?

Plenty of facts out there…funny how only some get reported while other stuff gets buried. Selective journalism.

The fact that you don’t know anything about UD’s excess spending is hilarious considering that you are such a supporter of the local rag that declares itself a news organization. Any journalist worth their salt would delve into UD’s spending and budget and make mincemeat of UD’s begging. But it doesn’t happen. Why is that?

Maybe the info is on a laptop somewhere, but the News Journal is afraid that they will be banned from the internet while UD’s administration denies its existence or blames it on Russian interference.

Funny thing about facts.

In the meantime, I don’t expect KT to do any reporting involving UD’s expenditures that don’t related to sports…even if those expenditures impact sports indirectly. But I would expect someone…anyone…in journalism to actually try to delve into why the state’s biggest economic contributor is having serious financial challenges…and not to just lip sync and print some lame excuses proffered up by the guys in charge of that spending.

Hopefully, we can focus on facts instead of inventing boogie men from far away lands.

[Hens79]

And again Cluck, after throwing up on the keyboard yet again, you provided ZERO facts.

But the laptop and Russian reference were a chuckle.

And a question for you. If you dislike so much about UD, why do you continue to support them?

Anyway, hope UD’s venture into bigger time football works out.

Oh … tell me again what I “got for free”????