Letâs not jump the gunâŚthey have âthrivedâ for one comeback season so far. They were in a MUCH worse position than us in almost all respects until their shutdown and eventual reboot.[/quote]
They had football for years before we did. And I didnât mean in just sports. They have a medical program. Howâs our doing?
Letâs not jump the gunâŚthey have âthrivedâ for one comeback season so far. They were in a MUCH worse position than us in almost all respects until their shutdown and eventual reboot.[/quote]
They had football for years before we did. And I didnât mean in just sports. They have a medical program. Howâs our doing?[/quote]. Iâm talking football here. They had less than 10,000 butts in the seats for most games, for yearsâŚ, in a 70,000 seat off-campus dump of a stadium. The newness will likely wear off again soon unless they continue to win big.
[quote=â49ER9ER, post:14, topic:32131â]Great Point regarding leadership. UAB and UNC Charlotte are similar in a lot of ways. We have grown up together in the same conferences and the schools are of similar size. Well, actually, UAB has 20,000 students and Charlotte has 30,000. They are in the shadow of the University of Alabama and we are in the shadow of the University of North Carolina.
The difference is in their affiliation with their local city, Birmingham. We are disconnected. They have a medical school and other professional schools. We keep punting at every opportunity and disconnecting ourselves from our local community.
The opportunities to bring home programs that would give us instant credibility keep getting swept under the rug. We are content with accepting mediocrity and being complacent. Birmingham keeps raising the bar and challenging their big brother, the University of Alabama. I am now a huge fan of UAB. Letâs give the city of Charlotte and surrounding area a bona fide reason to become fans of the University of Charlotte. I am tired of us being weak in the knee.
How many people are aware that we are allowing Chapel Hill to start a medical school in our front yard? We passed on a Law School and allowed a private business to come in. They were not successful but it would have been at the University of Charlotte.
We have no pharmacy school, no Dental School, no veterinary school. How many people are aware that a School of Optometry is opening up in our front yard very soon. Of course, it will not be at the University of Charlotte but rather Wingate University. Are you kidding me?
We should have the drive, the connections, and the ability to bring on a School of Optometry. There is not currently one in the entire state of North Carolina. In athletics, a good defense often leads to a strong offense. Similarly, a strong academic University enhances athletics. And, Athletics enhances academics. There must be balance.
Give the people of Charlotte and surrounding area a reason to pull for us. Give them a reason to believe in US. Give young students a reason to believe that the University of Charlotte should be their primary choice.
I am sick and tired of our leadership accepting complacency. I am certain they are being discouraged at every opportunity to raise the bar. I am also certain that they are all extremely capable of making things happen. If they looked out the window and saw a deep desire from students, alumni, faculty, staff, city leaders and the general population as a whole, they would find a way to win and be willing to fight for it.
I applaud everyone on this forum and beyond that is attempting to make a difference. Letâs be professional, diplomatic and tactful in our approach but be willing to fight on both fronts, athletics and academics. Charlotte is a hidden gem with unlimited potential. Letâs go make it happen![/quote]
i love every word of this post. howeverâŚnot âBUTââŚwhen you are responsible for developing an academic powerhouse, you have to keep so many moving parts in mind. (thatâs why some university chancellors/presidents are compensated so well) examples only: would a medical school be so demanding on our budget and energy right now that it would drain other programs we have in the making? are our local legislators and representatives currently powerful enough and well-placed enough to give us effective support? is the local business community in line to turn its attention to us right now? would a (Blank) become the elephant in the room and swamp other important programs related to our mission at this point? Etc. Etc. Etc
let me tell an embarrassing story. itâs true.
right after i was out of graduate school, i did some âconsultingâ work for the Ford Foundation. i was in Washington on such a visit and I felt that the Lord was leading meâŚno, i wonât try to be funny here. i thought that my plan to save society (i was 29) should be unfolded for the people in the room. so i unveiled it.
after i finished, there was a hush. then finally an old friend of mine chimed in.
âBen,â he drawled. "It sounds like you just wanna open the window and fuck the world."
he was exactly right. i did. but it donât work thataway.