Readers of this blog still recovering from the shock of learning that Kentucky Christian University is starting a football team will want to read the NY Times's coverage of startup football programs at small colleges looking to boost male enrollment. The plan has actually worked at some other colleges. And we hope it does for KCU too. We like those guys. And gals.
For those who wonder whether CCU will follow this trend, I would simply point out that CCU currently suffers no shortage of male students, with about 58% of undergraduates and a higher percentage of graduate students being male. Football at CCU would be the equivalent of the proverbial coals to Newcastle.
5 comments:
I love the opening quote from the president of "Seton Hill" (I wonder if there are at least a few jocks who have signed up to play football there thinking that they were going to play for "Seton Hall"--which by the way, does not actually have a football team). To me, this quote illustrates everything wrong with the state of American higher education. Spend money on the educational infrastructure of the campus? No way! It doesn't bring enough return on investment. No, instead let's start a football program and get a bunch of NCAA Division I wannabes in here. As long as they're paying tuition or bringing their grant/loan money here, we don't care if they're actually get an education or not.
American higher education, bowing to the marketing gods, has decided that entertaining students is now its most important job, instead of the job of actually providing a high quality education.
Meanwhile, as a nation we keep wringing our hands because our younger generations are ill-equipped in the areas of science, math and critical thinking.
Do you hear that? That's the sound of the rest of the world laughing at our once enviable educational system.
We have lost our way. May God have mercy.
Most elements of marketing and enrollment management in colleges these days is about things besides the instrisic value and quality of the education: dorms, food, student centers, sports, social life. But colleges that are succeeding most spectacularly are those that are offering high quality instruction in core areas of student interest.
Of course, it never hurts to have it all, but having it all means having lots of dough.
I've got a new hypothesis on college sports: the problems generally come when the sports have moved from club status (entirely student led) to being coached by an "adult."
Could Football at CCU be like bringing the proverbial pork and German Beer to Cincinnati? Does that work?
Good point, Farris. Who would want to see a CCU football game when Elder's Purple Nation is down the street at the Pit?
Oh no, I think that an even greater infusion of loutish testosterone drunk adrenaline junkies who are in attendance for reasons contrary to the university's aims is just what CCU needs!
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