Rumored salary for Schmidt draws ire of faculty

[treedoyle]

norm said:

(from treedoyle): I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but it's just not reasonable for SBU to add football. The initial investment alone would be in the millions ... millions SBU can't afford to spend on a football program that will generate next to no worthwhile revenue.

Your numbers are WAY off !

And, if there is a small group of donors (and there IS) that want football to return to SBU, and they already have a kitty of $3,000,000 to donate to get it started and then some, are you actually saying that we should tell these people (old-time alums, mostly retired that have been VERY successful in business), that we should say "thanks, but no thanks" ?!?!?!?!?

1. Show me where my numbers are wrong
2. Show me how football is going to magically save SBU (and to be honest I wasn't sure SBU needed saving)

[treedoyle]

softintheo said:

room109 said:

NORM - Rumor has it on the Left Coast that former St Bona Football caoch Matt Conte will be back at the helm to starts things off. Plus they only going to pay him a small salary of $225,000 per year for the first three years. I think it will be fun to watch Penn St play the Bonnies in Bradner Staduim! Also, next April SBU will be breaking ground for the new Dome sports complex that will hold 50,000 plus for all of the team sports including basketball.

That's awesome....I was waiting for someone to call out Norman's said "$3,000,000 kitty."

Now I obviously don't contribute $3,000,000 to SBU, but I would really be interested in knowing who these "older alumni" are that would be willing to drop that kind of bankroll for football at SBU???

It they were really that successful in business you would think they knew there was a better way to help a university with $3,000,000 than starting a stupid football program.

Exactly.

How about:
1. Better living facilities for students
2. Better alumni office
3. Improved Web sites and publications
4. More aggressive recruiting program for potential students
5. Improved development arm (athletics and University)
6. Better academic facilities

There's six right off the bat that will do far more than football.

Thankfully it's a vocal minority that actually believe FB is doable and could succeed.

[treedoyle]

spils84 said:

softintheo said:

That's awesome....I was waiting for someone to call out Norman's said "$3,000,000 kitty."

Now I obviously don't contribute $3,000,000 to SBU, but I would really be interested in knowing who these "older alumni" are that would be willing to drop that kind of bankroll for football at SBU???

It they were really that successful in business you would think they knew there was a better way to help a university with $3,000,000 than starting a stupid football program.

Tell me, what is your suggestion for helping the university, because it seems to me the ones tried recently aren't working? What is this "better way" that you speak of? Another coffee house or addition to the library, perhaps? Those looking to start the football program are doing so first and foremost to increase enrollment and help out Bonas. It's that simple.

Of course a non-scholarship, 2-9 football team will save SBU! People will come from miles around and the coffers will fill with money as if the heavens opened and rained down Benjamins!!! Rejoice!!! It's that simple!!!

[sneakers]

treedoyle said:

Of course a non-scholarship, 2-9 football team will save SBU! People will come from miles around and the coffers will fill with money as if the heavens opened and rained down Benjamins!!! Rejoice!!! It's that simple!!!

Nobody ever said that it is that simple. There needs to be a many pronged effort to bring this school into the 1990's and start attracting enough students so that the school actually grows for the first time since probably the 1950's. Adding sports is just one component of actions to take. Certainly facilities and academics must also be upgraded and expanded.

Just because there is no single silver bullet that will solve all the university's troubles does not mean we need to sit still and do nothing. Do you want to look at the school 20 years from now and see a university of 1,500 students that is struggling to pay its faculty? By doing nothing that will be where we end up (if we are lucky).

[sneakers]

southhampton said:

How about donating that money to upgrade academic buildings?

I agree wholeheartedly! Please feel free to open your checkbook and write a check.

In the meantime, those that choose to donate their own hard earned cash should maybe be able to do so in the manner they see fit.

[southhampton]

sneakers said:

southhampton said:

How about donating that money to upgrade academic buildings?

I agree wholeheartedly! Please feel free to open your checkbook and write a check.

In the meantime, those that choose to donate their own hard earned cash should maybe be able to do so in the manner they see fit.

I am certainly not telling people what they can and cannot donating money towards merely offering my opinions as to where the money would be best suited. I think that 3 million to start a football program is not the best way to better the university. I think that one of the major issues with the university is the condition of the academic buildings and that should be addressed.

[cosmonautlaunchpad]

southhampton said:

sneakers said:

I agree wholeheartedly! Please feel free to open your checkbook and write a check.

In the meantime, those that choose to donate their own hard earned cash should maybe be able to do so in the manner they see fit.

I am certainly not telling people what they can and cannot donating money towards merely offering my opinions as to where the money would be best suited. I think that 3 million to start a football program is not the best way to better the university. I think that one of the major issues with the university is the condition of the academic buildings and that should be addressed.

Agreed that fixing issues with academic or dorm buildings would be a better use of money. To me, football at Bonaventure would be like buying a fancy sports car. Yeah, sportscars are nice and all, but really all you have done is thrown your cash into a money sucking machine.

[sburizz]

good analogy Cosmo, I agree it would be nice to have football but there are many other areas that would bear fruit quicker. If we were to add a sport to boost revenue lacrosse would be it, lower start up costs and still higher enrollment. Hockey would also be a better geographical fit than football besides who wants a bunch of tough guy football players running around campus?

[sidbona99]

ah, football. Didn't we just have this argument?

[alumnussbu]

I was a student during the last SBU foray into football. A complete, total disaster and frankly an embarassment. Better to spend the funds on seriously upgrading the academic and dorm
facilities than a loser like football.

BTW...enrollment at SBU exploded during the 60s and 70s....at one point close to 3,000 students. The goal for admissions over theb next 5 years should be a solid 2.500 undergraduate student enrollment. What's attracting increased freshman interest this time around is better faciities (Shay, Hickey, Delaroche) and an admisiions department that is finally starting to do its job.

[spils84]

alumnussbu said:

BTW...enrollment at SBU exploded during the 60s and 70s....at one point close to 3,000 students. The goal for admissions over theb next 5 years should be a solid 2.500 undergraduate student enrollment. What's attracting increased freshman interest this time around is better faciities (Shay, Hickey, Delaroche) and an admisiions department that is finally starting to do its job.

I suspect that the success of the basketball team had a lot to do with the exploding enrollment that Alumnussbu cites in the 60's and 70's.

A certain percentage of students will come to Bonas because of the upgrades to campus, but only a new athletic or academic program will deliver the number of students that are needed to positively impact Bonas' future financial condition.

[softintheo]

Please quit acting like sports are the only things that attract students.

Here's 8 examples of why this is wrong:

Brown Bears
Columbia Lions
Cornell Big Red
Dartmouth Big Green
Harvard Crimson
Penn Quakers
Princeton Tigers
Yale Bulldogs

Now of course we aren't Ivy League, but my point is that sports are only one piece of a college's marketing strategy.

Hmmm imagine if people around the country knew of Bonaventure because of all the positive aspects we all know, not ,"didn't you have some scandal about a welder."

spils84 said:

alumnussbu said:

BTW...enrollment at SBU exploded during the 60s and 70s....at one point close to 3,000 students. The goal for admissions over theb next 5 years should be a solid 2.500 undergraduate student enrollment. What's attracting increased freshman interest this time around is better faciities (Shay, Hickey, Delaroche) and an admisiions department that is finally starting to do its job.

I suspect that the success of the basketball team had a lot to do with the exploding enrollment that Alumnussbu cites in the 60's and 70's.

A certain percentage of students will come to Bonas because of the upgrades to campus, but only a new athletic or academic program will deliver the number of students that are needed to positively impact Bonas' future financial condition.

[alumnussbu]

Sure the basketball team had something to do with the exploding enrollments in the 60's and 70's. But much, much more than that was all us baby-boomers combined with the Catholic school "pipeline" directly into colleges like SBU. Well, us baby boomers are getting ready to retire and the "pipeline" has pretty much dried up with the demise of the parochial elementary...and to some degree...high school system. Which means colleges like SBU have to work as hard as possible in a highly competitive environment to attract new students. Good student living and academic facilities coupled with a good academic program and a good athletic program are the cornerstones. A football program would be a disasterous waste of scarce resources. I'd much rather see a serious and professional effort to market the current athletic programs before even thinking about beginning a new one.

[treedoyle]

"A football program would be a disasterous waste of scarce resources. I'd much rather see a serious and professional effort to market the current athletic programs before even thinking about beginning a new one."

alumnussbu, don't try to use rational arguments. They don't work when it comes to FB. See spils84.

[towniegrad]

sbu has a pretty generic list of academic programs,and really none that are so outstanding that a student would specifically seek them out because they wer not available elsewhere. I t has not added or developed any niche programs that are not available at Suny or other liberal arts colleges;quality in progams and facilitie should be the number one priority. Having a party reputation ,weak academics ,and mediocre sports programs is not the way to any kind of long term success.