Perfect case of flagship envy.

Freud would have a field day with you.

Here are the peer institutions for James Madison University which includes the University of Notre Dame, University of Delaware, University of Rhode Island, Baylor, TCU, Ohio U, and the University of North Dakota:

http://www.jmu.edu/instresrch/notes/Vol16no3.htm

Idaho State uses a number of flagships/land grants as peer institutions as well, including UND:

http://www.isu.edu/fsen/Notices/softhardbenefits.htm

The University of Texas system compares flagships across the nation on tuition rates, UND is included:

http://www.utsystem.edu/News/Tuition/tuitioncomparison50states.htm

As well as the peer institutions with Northern Arizona University with 5 state flagships:

http://www.abor.asu.edu/1_the_regents/reports_factbook/fb_files/peer-institution.html

So, yes, it is a typical small state flagship university along the lines of the University of Montana, University of Wyoming, University of Nevada-Reno, University of Idaho, University of Alaska-Fairbanks and the University of South Dakota. The University of Texas system recognizes UND as a flagship for the state of North Dakota.

The comparison with UC-Davis is more along the lines of generalities. UC-Davis has Pac 10 and Big 10 academics. That is not what I am getting at. The schools in the Intermountain West that would like to get into the Big Sky or the Big Sky would invite, well there aren't that many that are flagship. They would be UC-Davis, UND, NDSU and SDSU (I don't know if USD was sent a letter or not from the Big Sky and/or if they would like to be in the Big Sky). When I made that reference, that is what I was referring to. U Wyoming, CSU, UUtah, Utah State, New Mexico State, UNM, UNevada are not going to join the Big Sky. These schools would be between UC-Davis and UND/NDSU/SDSU/USD.

You know, there was a poster on here that was from NDSU that thought a NDSU degree was the equivalant of a Harvard degree.

Get real.

Talk about a Freudian slip.

NorthDakotaBison:

It’s “peer”, not “pier”.

Even though you are actually one of the more thoughtful Bison posters, you and your fellow fans’ bitterness, disdain, and toxicity toward UND do nothing postive to enhance your school. There is actually a concept of win-win which you should consider embracing, rather than a zero-sum game that too many NDSU grads seem to espouse in their stance toward UND. When the Big Sky announces NDSU, UND, and SDSU as expansion choices within the next two years, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth because of UND’s selection, rather than joy at NDSU’s selection, in Bisonville. Sad.

He may have a point. 8-)

Who would you hire, an NDSU grad or a Harvard grad, both with livestock management degrees? ;)

Harvard doesn't offer such a degree. Cornell on the other hand might. Between Cornell grads and NDSU grads of livestock management, it would be the Cornell grad most likely.

Now as far as MBAs, MAs, BAs, and every other sort of degrees it would most likely be a Harvard or a Cornell degreed person.

But, not to be too snobby, its always the individual, so nothing is for certain no matter where they got their degree. But if you run around with flagship envy and it shows in your interview, that may be a problem. How would that person get along with others might be a concern. But it always depends upon the person.

Am I the only person who finds it laughable that Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton is bemoaning the fact that "Nine is an awkward number...." ?

Hell, they just made a conscious decision to go to nine !!!

Or was their hand somehow forced by another impending offer to Northern Colorado ? Or perhaps they wanted a hedge against what may be the impending departure of Sac St. So they had to move quickly, before completely thinking it through....

They could just add 3 football schools and be done with it (looks like all the candidates are in the Great West Conference). That would make the Big SKy the premier [and pretty much the only] western 1-AA football conference.

However, there is a bit more instability on the horizon.
S'pose, just s'pose, the PAC and / or MWC expand to 12. Suddenly the WAC is below critical mass. Then we will have a battle royale for survival between the WAC and Big Sky. Seems like the WAC would want to expand with some combination of Montana schools or California Schools (sho play football) like Sacramento State, UCD or Cal-Poly SLO.

IF the Big Sky does expand, it would probably kill the Great West Football Conference, and send the remaining teams in that scrambling. If the Big Sky were to add the Dakota schools, UCD and Cal-Poly SLO might accelerate their plans to move up to 1-A (realistically UCD might start a dialogue with the WAC).

Sacramento State seems to be perhaps be engaged in a stealth move-up to the WAC already. They have announced over the last few year or so, that several sports will play in the WAC.

Are you kidding me about the bitterness?

Metro can't go three posts without contradicting himself or writing something so illogical it boggles the mind.

He posts about how crappy the Dakota media markets are and then refers to how UND would give them a piece of the action.

Point #2. There is no Grand Forks media market. It's the Fargo DMA.

I found this on another board, it is from the Aberdeen American News.

Posted on Tue, Oct. 04, 2005

Regents head says state must keep college enrollment up

Associated Press

CHAMBERLAIN, S.D. - South Dakota's college enrollment is reaching an all-time high, but officials need to expand the pipeline of students from state school districts to keep those numbers up, the executive director of the Board of Regents said Monday. . . .

South Dakota State's enrollment, released by the university on Tuesday, shows 11,021 students attending for the fall semester. University officials said it marks the sixth year of significant enrollment increases. . . .


As for USD they may have creeped over the 8,000 mark.

Great post!

That's not true, at least in my case, Star2City. I wonder who all these NDSU fans you refer to really are (or are they just in your head?)?

I want conference affiliation, I want NDSU to be successful. A move to DI by UND would generate big bucks for NDSU and generate further interest.

That was my point.



Agreed

Its a not a contradiction. Both UND and NDSU are statewide teams. Their markets are both statewide which is two media markets. The Fargo-Valley City Market and the Bismarck-Minot-thingyinson media market.

The issue is that about 1/2 of both markets is what you get when you take only 1 of these schools (or 1/2 of the state). In order to maximize the entire state, and have the entire ND market in that conference's footprint, you need both schools, UND and NDSU, not one. One is a small market.

Both statewide schools = the Wyoming market. That's the difference. With only one school you offer the smallest market in all of Division I. That is a serious weakness.

Commissioner Fullerton raved about UNC Greeley-Denver market. The best that a conference can get out of ND is to take both UND and NDSU if they are even going to go into ND in the first place.

Point #3. NDSU is the only DI institution in the state, as is the University of Wyoming.

The other more likely scenario if the WAC loses members to the MWC is that there will be a merger of the WAC and Sun Belt teams, just like Idaho, Utah State and New Mexico State were before. San Jose State could just go away. Hawaii could go independent. Nevada may join UI, USU and NMSU in the Sun Belt, and Fresno, Boise, maybe Hawaii might end up in the MWC, and the entire WAC would go away.

They didn't take the Dakotas for the obvious reason of location and travel, on top of the possibility of their market, as Commissioner Fullerton raves about UNC market and location and the exposure that would bring to the Big Sky. Their attendance is much worse than the Dakotas.

Travel and location is an issue, and so is the market of the Dakotas. The market could be ameliorated by taking both ND teams. In SD, if USD was available, that would improve the market size as well.

Irrelevant.

Considering the following for both teams in the state.

Sure it's irrelevant or least it has to seem that way for your illusions of grandeur for UND to make any sense.