A sign of the times that OU is wasting money

[SOONER STEAKER]

OU's is buying a Monestary in a small town in Italy. David Boren and his wife went to Italy and missed the Texas Tech game so they could see the monastery before OU buys it.

I think this is a waste of money, OU will raise tuition another 10% and say we don't have enough money to run the school but they can go out and spend many millions to buy a piece of Italy.

There are many other projects on campus where that money can be used, maybe you can upgrade the baseball facility instead.

[bonkuba]

huh?

[SCOUT]

Can you provide a little context here?

[Jimminy Crimson]

I'd assume it would be for an OU study abroad program. If I'm not mistaken, don't students pay tutition to their college, then the college turns around and pays the institution in the foreign land? Seems like if that is indeed what this is for, OU wouldn't have to pay another school to send its students overseas.

:pop:

[tommieharris91]

OU's is buying a Monestary in a small town in Italy. David Boren and his wife went to Italy and missed the Texas Tech game so they could see the monastery before OU buys it.

I think this is a waste of money, OU will raise tuition another 10% and say we don't have enough money to run the school but they can go out and spend many millions to buy a piece of Italy.

There are many other projects on campus where that money can be used, maybe you can upgrade the baseball facility instead.

That's funny. I saw him in one of the suites at the OU/Tech game. He would gain like 15 million cool points if he and his family could be in 2 places at once.

[LilSooner]

Also it does make since as we now have a religion studies program at OU now.

But if you can't provide a link I call Bull****.

[Viking Kitten]

That's funny. I saw him in one of the suites at the OU/Tech game. He would gain like 15 million cool points if he and his family could be in 2 places at once.

"Cool points"? Did you and I have that same Happy Days board game growing up, the one with the huge jukebox on it?

[StoopTroup]

OK Barney...put your bullet back in your pocket. :D

http://andy-griffith-show-dvds.com/andygriffith.jpg

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Please tell me you aren't an OU grad.

[King Crimson]

I'm working with very little knowledge of the actual situation in Norman but, study abroad programs make a lot of money for universities. it's not just OU students who will use it--but also participating schools. it's a marketing frontier for schools these days. this last semester i wrote 3 recommendations for CU students who were going to study abroad programs in Australia, Copenhagen and another...all were technically through another university but coordinated by the study abroad program at CU--Syracuse, I don't remember the other two.

if it's for this purpose, it's pretty forward looking I'd say.

[Okla-homey]

I'm working with very little knowledge of the actual situation in Norman but, study abroad programs make a lot of money for universities. it's not just OU students who will use it--but also participating schools. it's a marketing frontier for schools these days. this last semester i wrote 3 recommendations for CU students who were going to study abroad programs in Australia, Copenhagen and another...all were technically through another university but coordinated by the study abroad program at CU--Syracuse, I don't remember the other two.

if it's for this purpose, it's pretty forward looking I'd say.

I agree. Rather like prudent parents of a few children they believe are bound for the same college who purchase a house or condo in that town in order to save in the short term and make money over the long term.

<start rant>

Now, that said, annual tuition increases averaging ten percent per year nowadays are difficult for the folks paying the freight to understand. I can speak to my own recent experience at TU. TU, following the state regents' lead, raised tuition ten percent every year I was I in law school and I hear they plan on doing so next year too.

IMHO, much of the reason universities do so is to cover necessary physical improvements and that makes sense. What I have a problem with are professorial salaries. I don't "get" why a law perfesser who spends five or six hours a week at the lectern, plus a couple of "office hours," is worth $150K per year.

I'm sure figures are available as to average Oklahoma state school professorial salaries, but I'm too lazy to look them up.

The bottomline is pretty simple. Although this may sound overly populist to some, I believe our public colleges and universities need to figure out a way to check the rightward march of tuition that is putting college beyond the reach of kids who simply can't cover it without going into debt up to their eyeballs.

Starting life with $30K or $40K worth of student loan debt is, well, kinda scary, especially in this economy. Those estimates may be on the low side BTW. This debt is made scarier since that debt usually can't be negotiated with the lender or discharged by bankruptcy. Add the fact that so many disciplines "require" a grad degree in order to be truly competitive, and a kid potentially doubles his student loan debt before his first full-time gig.

As to private schools, I graduated with kids at TU Law that bear $90K for law skool in addition to their undergrad debt. That's just nuts. I was fortunate enough to score a schooly to cover what the VA didn't, but I would have had to incur debt in order to eat and make the house payment but for my retired pay and a wife who does well.

That's not even to mention things like the cost of textbooks, which has turned into a conspiratorial racket that would make Al Capone proud.

One final thought. And this is just moaning to no good purpose because these "directional schools" aren't going away, but jayzus, we have too many "directional schools!" Back in the day, when people rode horses to school, it made sense, but nowadays, its just redundant and wasteful. Right here in Tulsa, ; OU-Tulsa, OSU-Tulsa, NSU-Broken Arrow, each with a physical plant and expensive infrastructure.

<end rant>.

[proud gonzo]

i'd be okay with OU owning a monastary. I'd rather pay tuition to cover that than a swim complex i'll never use.

[Curly Bill]

i'd be okay with OU owning a monastary. I'd rather pay tuition to cover that than a swim complex i'll never use.

Are you saying you'd use the monastary? ;) :D

[bluedogok]

I am referencing UT in this case because I get so much of the news about them (and A&M) down here but I think it pretty much applies to most states flagship universities.

I know that in recent years that tuition at UT and A&M have gone up every semester by what my entire tuition+fees was at OU in 1982. I think that if state institutions want the ability to raise tuition every semester without legislative oversight (which the Texas legislature granted them a few years ago) then the state should not be giving them any money, if they want to act like a private school then make them into one. I also get tired of hearing how buildings are falling apart on campuses like UT when they have endowments in the billions. To me there is absolutely no reason why buildings should be in ANY state of disrepair at schools with so much financial backing. ANY donation or endowment should have a certain percentage of funds dedicated to maintenance of the campus because if the campus wasn't there more than likely the money wouldn't be either.

[Vaevictis]

IMHO, much of the reason universities do so is to cover necessary physical improvements and that makes sense. What I have a problem with are professorial salaries. I don't "get" why a law perfesser who spends five or six hours a week at the lectern, plus a couple of "office hours," is worth $150K per year.

I can't speak to law school profs, but in the areas I know (engineering, finance) -- well, they do more than just spend 5-6 hours a week in the classroom and a few office hours.

My boss (an engineering prof) works at least 50 hours a week between classes, research, advising, drumming up funding, and other job related activities. He probably gets paid around $100k +/- 10%, which is actually below industry for someone with his education, experience and duties.

In the finance department, starting salaries are on the order of $180k. This is simply supply and demand. If you don't pay them that much (1) industry will and (2) being finance folks, they can calculate NPV and they know what kind of salary it takes to make it worthwhile to suffer GRA-level salary for 5 years. If there isn't a salary that high at the end of it, they'll stop with the MBA and go into industry.

[sooneron]

Are you saying you'd use the monastary? ;) :D

:hot:


:pop:

[jkjsooner]

In the finance department, starting salaries are on the order of $180k. This is simply supply and demand. If you don't pay them that much (1) industry will ....

You apparently haven't been watching the news much lately. ;-)