[NU Sports] Expansion & Academics

[cherron604 at aol.com]

The CIC - the Big Ten's best kept secret

http://www.cic.net/Home.aspx

Every expansion discussion with a potential candidate I have read - Texas, Missouri, ND before the athletic guys vetoed it - the CIC has been a huge part of why that school should join.  The shared research assets of the conference schools, plus U of Chicago, and a chance to cooperate with them in research, academics, etc.  have been huge selling points on the academic side for our potential candidates.  It has also been srtated that it was a huge motivating factor for Penn State (http://www.psu.edu/ur/archives/intercom_1996/Jan25/BigTen.html)

Among the quotes from PSU Provost John Brighton:

"Without reservation, I can say that our joining the CIC has been the best thing to happen to Penn State during my many years with this institution. And I'm confident that this alliance will continue to be a tremendous benefit to Penn State for many years to come."   

The most important benefit of the affiliation is the "greater opportunities to improve the way we do our work -- from teaching students to managing our finances. The University's energy and vigor has increased across the board as a result of our interaction with the CIC." 

The Big Ten is the only conference that has an academic branch like the CIC

Chuck Herron   Tech '85






-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Leonard <jleonard518 at yahoo.com>
To: Northwestern Wildcats <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
Sent: Wed, Feb 24, 2010 5:17 am
Subject: [NU Sports] Expansion & Academics


Fellow Wildcat Faithful,
It has been mentioned several times that the decision to add another team to our 
onference would depend quite a bit on academics. I can why the Big Ten would 
ot want to have a school that would embarass the conference, but really what 
ole does academics play here? 
An athletic conference is an athletic conference. It determines who you play in 
oftball, golf, and football. The only real 'academic' link that I'm aware of 
etween the schools is that there is a Big Ten inter-campus library program that 
llows you to borrow rare books from other schools. 
I don't want to see a lower academic school like Middle Tennessee State 
niversity join the Big Ten, but I would like to better understand why the 
cademics matter within athletic conferences.
Victory & Honor,
im

<<<<<<<And there you go - if it is an academic decision, then Texas will run, 
ot walk, to the Big Ten. Other leagues have similar strength at the top (Duke, 
andy, Cal/Stanford) ... but no one comes close in depth.>>>>>>>>

     
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