Let me preface this by saying that I support nearly any effort of people trying to do what they think is best for our school.
I do have a few questions concerning the direction(s) that seem to be the goal of many supporters and at times the University itself. What is this university? And where is itās logical path to success?
I do not believe that UNC Charlotteās path to success is trying to beat more established schools at their own game. Our school has the incredible opportunity to be different, serve a unique and meaningful purpose and redefine what a state university can be.
By this I mean we are young, we are in a growing area that will continue ensure our growth no matter what course we take, we are not bound by the legacies, traditions and norms of yesteryear. Yet I see us trying to create traditional buildings, traditional social hubs, a traditional athletic department and scratch my head. We cannot catch up to ACC and SEC schools by playing their game and copying their style; they made those rules, theyāll win that game.
What UNC Charlotte can do is set its own rules. We can be a model that traditional schools have to adapt to because our way and our town are taking students who are attracted to our competitive advantages. We should embrace and grow what we do well: attract students in professional fields (architecture, engineering, business, etc) who want to be a part of growing a university that is redefining the college experience.
We are urban, we are suburban, we are not traditional college town. We are young, we are growing, we are not old, set in our ways. We provide the resources of our stateās largest metro area, we do not ship people off a mountain or out of liberal, traditional college town to get real world experience; we ARE real world experience. We do provide aspects of the traditional college experience, but we also embrace non-traditional students realizing that the make-up of the ātypicalā college student is ever-changing; different backgrounds add to our culture. Most of our students work part or even full time, they are not handed their spot in college or in the world, at UNC Charlotte, we earn what we enjoy and vice versa.
These things are assets as soon as we say they are. As soon as we decided that we have the opportunity to embrace a niche with great potential, as soon as we market ourselves as the alternative to tired, aged ways. This does not mean turning in to a sprawling (sub)urban - largely vocational - school (ie: South Florida, Buffalo, Temple), those schools are still trying to be FSU, Syracuse, and Penn State, thatās what got them there. What we can be is a place that truly does encourage individual outlooks and opportunities. A UNC Charlotte Student can do internship with the Carolina Panthers/CMC/BOA, work at an infinite number of convenient part-time jobs the next, go to Niner basketball games, Bobcats basketball games, great bars, frat parties and clubs as well as the cultural events of a major metro area.
We need to be a haven for students who want something that Chapel Hill and Raleigh cannot provide, yet we seem to be intent on catching them playing their rules. We are a place where students can shape our school and traditions, not just blindly abide by them.
We can not differentiate ourselves while people cannot identify us. We need to be the University of Charlotte, that is critical for defining the university as an independent force offering unique and valuable resources. We cannot add football without a plan that gets us in a conference that will give us the opportunity to be a viable success, and without a plan that integrates the program into the fabric of our strengths. Adding football to get us one step close to Clemson or State will fail. If it is a part of a larger plan to (re)define who we are, it has a chance.
I am excited about the future of UNC Charlotte, but I worry that that future will be spent chasing something we are not rather than cultivating what we are and can be.
Go Niners!
