University of Alabama updates

[ttownfeen]

Let's try to keep on topic

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by ttownfeen

Let's try to keep on topic

It's a futile effort at this point. I just avoid this thread, now.

[Packer16]

I plan on continuing to post good news about the University of Alabama. And, again, thank you for starting this thread. RTR

[Packer16]

This is a link to a video message from Dr. Witt and Dean Sippial about why the Honors College was started at UA and its development as we celebrate its 20 year anniversary. I think they do a good job explaining how Dr. Witt's vision was implemented to affect the entire University. If you have 15-20 minutes, just click on the link and it will automatically play several short videos from Dr. Witt and Dean Sippial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1zU...nHXg14&index=2

[Packer16]

Some outstanding news from this weekend. The University of Alabama's Capital Campaign has surpassed $1.4 Billion of the $1.5 Billion goal three years before its end date. Therefore, look for an adjustment of the goal to $2 Billion, soon. Previously, in the state, the largest Campaigns were the $1 Billion Campaigns at Auburn and UAB. Both had to extend the time of their Campaigns to reach their goals. Great work from all the volunteers and ALL the pledgers for making the "Rising Tide Campaign" a HUGE SUCCESS! Let's blow the doors off!!! RTR

[chadinhsv]

Originally Posted by Packer16

Some outstanding news from this weekend. The University of Alabama's Capital Campaign has surpassed $1.4 Billion of the $1.5 Billion goal three years before its end date. Therefore, look for an adjustment of the goal to $2 Billion, soon. Previously, in the state, the largest Campaigns were the $1 Billion Campaigns at Auburn and UAB. Both had to extend the time of their Campaigns to reach their goals. Great work from all the volunteers and ALL the pledgers for making the "Rising Tide Campaign" a HUGE SUCCESS! Let's blow the doors off!!! RTR

That is fantastic news! Maybe they can use that money and give to the city so they can put some more lights in downtown. I was in town this weekend for the game and walking back to the car was very dark and the streets aren't exactly well paved or even

[atlanta68]

Originally Posted by MdtwnATL

Man you're in deep aren't u

I think I care about UA more than you. It is not easy to speak out about problems at the state's flagship, especially as an alumnus. If you don't like it, just ignore it. Focus on Packer's rah rah. I appreciate the rah rah too, I know there are a lot of exciting things happening, but just don't like it when it is all rah rah, and there is no concern about the negative trends at UA. Do you think Coach Saban or Bear Bryant never cared to identify problems and ameliorate them?

I am willing to criticize UA's leadership cause I know UA has great potential and I am not happy to see the progress made under Dr. Witt falter. We were growing with quality in the past, now we are just growing, with significantly lower avg test scores among our first year students. Central Florida is a huge school too, but not that respected in terms of academics.

We now know from that student's testimony that Marxism and anti White ideology are being pushed by UA professors. If you are ok with that, that is your business. But I am not going to stop objecting to it. Some of you care deeply about UA's rank in football, as do I, but I care even more about its academic ranking. If you are ok with UA dropping from #31 in 2011, among publics, to #91 this Fall, AFTER the installation of DEI across campus, again, that is your business. But it is not fine with me, and I will continue to object to bad leadership at UA.

By the way, Auburn and UAB also fell in the rankings this year, and I don't like that either. Alabama's top universities are sliding in reputation and that is very bad for the state and the value of the degrees from those schools. We need to figure out why, and address it. I think DEI keeps each school from raising standards.

No one expects Harvard or even less highly ranked top 30 (among publics) schools like UGA to not care about admission standards, so those schools can have DEI programs and not suffer such a decline in prestige. But schools like UA which have traditionally had lax admission standards, will face backlash from their own Offices of DEI, should they try to raise standards.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Anyways...

University of Alabama finds success recruiting more top academic students

Gary Cosby
Tuscaloosa News
Oct 26, 2023

The University of Alabama has a reputation for hauling in an annual catch of blue-chip athletic recruits, but the university is increasingly casting a net to snare top-level academic recruits as well.

The current academic year produced a record enrollment at UA with an overall class size of 39,623, a number that includes 3,184 freshmen. The overall enrollment includes 1,142 National Merit Scholars, which makes the University of Alabama one of the nation’s largest enrolling institutions of National Merit Scholars. The freshman class has 43.4% of its members with a 4.0 high school grade point average, to go along with 300 National Merit Scholars.
......

[atlanta68]

Originally Posted by SpawnOfVulcan

Anyways...

University of Alabama finds success recruiting more top academic students

Gary Cosby
Tuscaloosa News
Oct 26, 2023

I have never denied that UA does a great job at attracting top students, though the NMF thing is not indicative of the mean student quality. Nevertheless, I celebrate this good news too. I just want the lower quality students kept out via higher admission standards, or encouraged to prove their academic quality at a directional school, before enrolling at UA.

[atlanta68]

https://1819news.com/news/item/it-wi...-in-tuscaloosa

Moody Music Hall is the location.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by atlanta68

https://1819news.com/news/item/it-wi...-in-tuscaloosa

Moody Music Hall is the location.

Not surprised... it's the only presentable theater on campus at the moment.

[atlanta68]

Originally Posted by SpawnOfVulcan

Not surprised... it's the only presentable theater on campus at the moment.

The coming Performing Arts Center under construction behind Old Bryce Main) is going to be such an amazing addition to campus and Alabama culture.

[Packer16]

The University of Alabama System Data Summary for 2023. Enjoy.

https://uasystem.edu/images/document...tober-2023.pdf

The numbers just keep improving. RTR

[MdtwnATL]

Originally Posted by atlanta68

The coming Performing Arts Center under construction behind Old Bryce Main) is going to be such an amazing addition to campus and Alabama culture.

That it will be! However, it will really be focused on university performances since there is not a large capacity venue included in its design. I wish the city would built a 1,200 - 1,800-seat PAC near the river and amphitheater to lure even more acts and traveling theater performances. It would definitely be well-received by the city.

[atlanta68]

Originally Posted by Packer16

The University of Alabama System Data Summary for 2023. Enjoy.

https://uasystem.edu/images/document...tober-2023.pdf

The numbers just keep improving. RTR

I just looked at the Admissions and Test Scores page at that link, and was surprised to see a positive change in the 25th/75th percentile scores. It contradicts (UA has removed certain data reports previously found at its OIRA page) what I recall seeing earlier this Fall, but if it is not doctored, I am heartened that UA just might have finally raised standards. From 2015, UA had a 23 to 31 25th/75th percentile range. Then it dropped down to 21/31 in 2021. I know that was blamed on Covid, but the least capable students are the ones most likely to have opted out of ACT/SAT testing, so that range should have been better. Nevertheless, I hope this data is correct. It would not be the first time that UA presented questionable data about freshman classes.

[Packer16]

Malcolm Gladwell hosts an outstanding podcast named "Revisionist Theory". Season 6, Episode 2, titled "Lord of the Rankings", interviews the man who started the US News and World Report rankings and takes a deep dive into these Mythological rankings. Also, the hacking of the "secret sauce" by Reed College shows schools can be punished for not complying to a magazine's demands. I believe the success of UA football, that has only built since 2008, and the amazing growth in the student body and the campus has created a lot of "BAMA Hate" and jealousy amongst peers. The peer ranking and the "secret ranking" can explain a lot. People, in the know, see all this success and improvement, but, those who are out of the loop can reflect their jealousy in a BS score. I think this podcats explains a lot in how trying to rank universities across the Nation is an impossible task. It's just marketing. I'm glad a bankrupt magazine's rankings have lost its luster and the smart kids are ignoring the BS and flooding into UA. RTR

https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revi...f-the-rankings

[Packer16]

A good example of "BAMA Hate" is from the author of this "opinion article" (you know what they say about opinions?) from 2015. John Knox is a distinguished professor from the University of Georgia. I met him about five years ago and was able to quiz him on his "opinions". At the end of the conversation, he admitted what was quite obvious all along. He said, "I have always hated the University of Alabama". Time has proven him to be a fool. The University of Alabama is a very wealthy and powerful Public University. And, the momentum has continued for over 20 years with no end in sight. RTR

https://thecrimsonwhite.com/25052/op...unsustainable/

[chadinhsv]

Originally Posted by atlanta68

It contradicts (UA has removed certain data reports previously found at its OIRA page) what I recall seeing earlier this Fall, but if it is not doctored, I am heartened that UA just might have finally raised standards. From 2015, UA had a 23 to 31 25th/75th percentile range. Then it dropped down to 21/31 in 2021. I know that was blamed on Covid, but the least capable students are the ones most likely to have opted out of ACT/SAT testing, so that range should have been better. Nevertheless, I hope this data is correct. It would not be the first time that UA presented questionable data about freshman classes.

I noticed the same thing when comparing what Packer sent us versus the OIRA data. I like Packer's link better, haha. Comparing each system school highlights some things and the main thing is how much money comes in for UAB. I knew medical research gets a lot more money than anything else but holy crap they bring in tons. I also looked at the UA website and saw a couple articles worth mentioning and it relates to the research comment I just made:

https://news.ua.edu/2023/11/ua-stude...U4ODEuNjAuMC4w

and this one:

https://news.ua.edu/2023/11/a-decade...YzNDMuNjAuMC4w

These are the articles that keeps my hope up for our current students and graduating students that they will become successful in the workplace.

[atlanta68]

Originally Posted by atlanta68

I just looked at the Admissions and Test Scores page at that link, and was surprised to see a positive change in the 25th/75th percentile scores. It contradicts (UA has removed certain data reports previously found at its OIRA page) what I recall seeing earlier this Fall, but if it is not doctored, I am heartened that UA just might have finally raised standards. From 2015, UA had a 23 to 31 25th/75th percentile range. Then it dropped down to 21/31 in 2021. I know that was blamed on Covid, but the least capable students are the ones most likely to have opted out of ACT/SAT testing, so that range should have been better. Nevertheless, I hope this data is correct. It would not be the first time that UA presented questionable data about freshman classes.

Update: I just looked at the UA system table of data again, and found what might be the cause for the positive change in the 25th/75th percentile scores. In 2020, 77% of UA accepted applicants submittied the ACT. By 2023, that percentage had dropped to only 45%. The percentage submitting the SAT stayed basically the same. Thus, this could be artificially boosting the percentile data. If the ones not submitting the ACT or SAT are the lower quality students, then it stands to reason that the percentiles would be positively impacted. Not good, cause till UA raises its admission standards, it will keep performing lousy in several important indicators that reflect on student quality that USNWR uses for its annual ranking. Peer evaluation IS subjective, and till UA raises standards, it will have a lower peer evaluation score, which Packer correctly says plays a significant role in the rankings.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by atlanta68

Update: I just looked at the UA system table of data again, and found what might be the cause for the positive change in the 25th/75th percentile scores. In 2020, 77% of UA accepted applicants submittied the ACT. By 2023, that percentage had dropped to only 45%. The percentage submitting the SAT stayed basically the same. Thus, this could be artificially boosting the percentile data. If the ones not submitting the ACT or SAT are the lower quality students, then it stands to reason that the percentiles would be positively impacted. Not good, cause till UA raises its admission standards, it will keep performing lousy in several important indicators that reflect on student quality that USNWR uses for its annual ranking. Peer evaluation IS subjective, and till UA raises standards, it will have a lower peer evaluation score, which Packer correctly says plays a significant role in the rankings.

I'm just waiting for us to hit that ceiling, at which time, UA has to increase acceptance standards. Campus is, and is being, built for a capacity of some 45,000 to 50,000. I don't know what that ceiling number is, but I'd darn sure hope we hit it sooner rather than later.