(04-16-2014 08:44 AM)AppManDG Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 04:26 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

If they cannot afford it truthfully, then they cannot afford it. Would be the same with Sun Belt, CUSA, or MAC it sounds like. You just would want to shake your administration though if they didn't tell you that long before now. Seems their Carr Report didn't see it the same way their administration does. Guess Liberty is the only potential Virginia candidate left. Would hate to be a Dukes fan under these circumstances.

Keep in mind the Carr Report was completed under the previous JMU administration. Having served on ASU's 1st 1A Study Committee (Carr also did our study) I know the report usually comes back saying what the administration wants it to say. After the conclusion of our study was revealed some on the committee disputed and proved, by the numbers, Carr's conclusions were flawed. Outfits like The Carr Group get future business by gaining recommendations from previous clients. You better believe they are going to give them exactly what they want to hear.

Wrong. It was done on Alger's watch.

Plus the Carr report states that we will see a marked revenue decrease by staying in FCS/CAA. If the Carr report was generated just to say what the admin wanted it to say, then we are looking to go FBS. While not recommending FBS, it clearly states that staying in FCS could be fatal for athletics.

If anyone's interested, the Carr Report is here.

(04-16-2014 09:04 AM)hapapp Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 09:01 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:31 AM)UofRfan Wrote:  JMU very well could have said no to the Sunbelt, but the idea JMU wouldn't go to the MAC/CUSA if invited today seems incorrect IMO. There are fiscal concerns and an overreliance on student fees, but I have always been under the impression JMU doesn't think the Sun Belt is a good fit geographically (students don't come from south) as well as academic concerns (staying with peers).

How can that be true if by JMU's own report that only 30% of their students are from out of state.

Northern Virginia is not very southern.

When you get near DC this is very true, but otherwise VA is southern. I confirmed with a fellow JMU poster that you can indeed buy sweet tea in Harrisonburg.

Has there ever been a time that a school went to the FBS that the faculty was completely in
favor of it? Doubt it.

JMU reminds me of both App and GSU before we got the official invite.

GSU's previous Pres and A.D. bashed the SBC publicly and had no intentions of ever going FBS. We had numerous fans who looked down on the sbc and only wanted to move if it was for the CUSA (or even SEC/ACC ). We were also fed the line that in order to support a move up we would need 25Million/year in funding. So every time you asked one of the Baker's dozen (or Baker the A.D.) about a move to FBS, you would get the standard answer,"Are you going to write a check for $25M?" They even did a feasibility study that was given restrictions by the Pres (like not ever raising student fees) to "prove" it couldn't be done. Only when a new President and then a new A.D. were in place did we see any changes in this attitude. The new admin is completely opposite and very pro athletics.
Also, even when we were serious about moving up there was a lot of speculation and rumor right upto about a week before the official invite. So all these rumors are just that, rumors. Until mid to late May comes around I won't believe them. But it is/was fun to guess what the future might hold.

I feel for JMU fans. Their admin. could be costing them a seat at the grownups table (well at least one closer). I think FCS will be completely out of the room in the near future.

(04-16-2014 09:16 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  I think this is about not wanting to piss off their faculty and the like by moving to FBS. That group is never going to be happy so you can't worry about it.

Apparently the faculty senate has stated they would already give Alger a vote of no confidence if JMU was moved to any FBS conference. Alger might not want to rock the boat that much this early on in his tenure, but leaders are meant to lead. I understand it's a lot to handle this early on, but he had to have known that this could be an issue when he took the job as President.

(04-16-2014 09:21 AM)pjc1979 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 09:04 AM)hapapp Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 09:01 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:31 AM)UofRfan Wrote:  JMU very well could have said no to the Sunbelt, but the idea JMU wouldn't go to the MAC/CUSA if invited today seems incorrect IMO. There are fiscal concerns and an overreliance on student fees, but I have always been under the impression JMU doesn't think the Sun Belt is a good fit geographically (students don't come from south) as well as academic concerns (staying with peers).

How can that be true if by JMU's own report that only 30% of their students are from out of state.

Northern Virginia is not very southern.

When you get near DC this is very true, but otherwise VA is southern. I confirmed with a fellow JMU poster that you can indeed buy sweet tea in Harrisonburg.

Living in Virginia for all of my life (excluding my fours years in Boone), I can attest that Virginia is southern but I would guess a large percentage of their student body comes from NOVA and points north.

Yeah App's facility did the same to our Chancellor. The Chancellor that was the dean of the business school that led the way to becoming one of the best undergrad business schools in the state, then became chancellor raising the admissions standards by 20% and raising $200M during his tenure.

Screw what the faculty think, 90% of them never had a job in the real world.

(04-16-2014 09:34 AM)hapapp Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 09:21 AM)pjc1979 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 09:04 AM)hapapp Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 09:01 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:31 AM)UofRfan Wrote:  JMU very well could have said no to the Sunbelt, but the idea JMU wouldn't go to the MAC/CUSA if invited today seems incorrect IMO. There are fiscal concerns and an overreliance on student fees, but I have always been under the impression JMU doesn't think the Sun Belt is a good fit geographically (students don't come from south) as well as academic concerns (staying with peers).

How can that be true if by JMU's own report that only 30% of their students are from out of state.

Northern Virginia is not very southern.

When you get near DC this is very true, but otherwise VA is southern. I confirmed with a fellow JMU poster that you can indeed buy sweet tea in Harrisonburg.

Living in Virginia for all of my life (excluding my fours years in Boone), I can attest that Virginia is southern but I would guess a large percentage of their student body comes from NOVA and points north.

That's correct. As a SW Va'er I was in a minority. We don't even have a Duke Club contingent down this way (although we do have a large number of alumni...)

(04-16-2014 09:36 AM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Yeah App's facility did the same to our Chancellor. The Chancellor that was the dean of the business school that led the way to becoming one of the best undergrad business schools in the state, then became chancellor raising the admissions standards by 20% and raising $200M during his tenure.

Screw what the faculty think, 90% of them never had a job in the real world.

That is pathetic and spiteful. Faculty senates are like freaking cartels.

(04-16-2014 09:29 AM)All Dukes_All Day Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 09:16 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  I think this is about not wanting to piss off their faculty and the like by moving to FBS. That group is never going to be happy so you can't worry about it.

Apparently the faculty senate has stated they would already give Alger a vote of no confidence if JMU was moved to any FBS conference. Alger might not want to rock the boat that much this early on in his tenure, but leaders are meant to lead. I understand it's a lot to handle this early on, but he had to have known that this could be an issue when he took the job as President.

Guess Alger is sitting down beside them on this one.

Alger is taking a lot of heat, maybe some of it not deserved. Indeed maybe NONE of it deserved.

I would turn my attention to the BOV.

Until he [Alger] has a grant of authority from the BOV (ODU did that, and I think App as well) to actually make a decision, he is little more than a spokesperson and/or fall guy for the BOV/BOT.

(04-15-2014 09:08 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  At no point in this process have I ever heard from anyone in the know that JMU was likely to join.

Missouri State, the book on them has remained they can't be ready before this time next year at the earliest.

I don't see that anything has changed.

Gentlemen:

Now THIS is a reliable source.

And, here's something to add to that. No league would ever issue an invitation to a school unless they knew the school would accept.

The presidents have to vote to add a school. No vote was taken on JMU.

There may have been discussions, but JMU was NEVER invited to join the league.

(04-16-2014 08:39 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:35 AM)UofRfan Wrote:  From JMU Board - This was at the end of a long email from Pres. Alger to JMU employees titled "Spring Update" ...

Conference Affiliation Discussions: The topic of athletics conference membership continues to be on the minds of many of our constituents. As we plot our course through a constantly shifting landscape, we remain committed to thoughtful and open communication.

We are well aware of the changing scene within our conference as well as nationally. In response, we have engaged in a rigorous analysis of our athletic profile within the context of our strategic planning process. This process, resulting in The Madison Plan, confirmed our institutional core values: Academic Quality, Community, Diversity, Excellence, Integrity and Student Focus. Further, we determined that any new conference membership opportunity must align with the following guiding principles and criteria: academic profile and fit, university culture, student and student-athlete welfare, financial impact and sustainability, competitive balance, and geographic footprint. Feedback received from the JMU community and its many constituencies through extensive and thoughtful dialogue supports these values and principles, and we will use them as criteria for all future decisions, including those involving athletics.

Consistent with these values and principles and the ongoing issue of conference alignment, JMU will not pursue or accept an invitation from a conference that does not meet our criteria. If we do receive an offer consistent with our established values, we are prepared to review it and make a recommendation to the Board of Visitors. This process is ongoing and will require continued support on the part of the university, students, faculty, staff, coaches, alumni, and fans.

In the meantime, we are enjoying the close of our spring sports season and looking forward to an exciting new year in 2014-15 across our entire athletics program.

As you can tell, it has been an eventful year at JMU. JMU is clearly on the move, and we are excited about the future as we continue to dream big together. Thank you all for being part of the JMU community!

Jon Alger

President

Like I said. They don't want to be with a bunch of deep south rubes. JMU is so academically superior with a better class of people involved with their program that affiliating would cause the walls to collapse and average students would suddenly feel welcome there.

Hold it. The letter states that they would not have brought our potential invite to the BOV if it did not meet "The Madison Plan" criteria. They did bring it to the BOV to vote, so the administration must have felt it met the criteria. BOV voted "no" on an FBS offer that the administration put forward for a vote. All the rest of this is garbage. They had a legit offer for FBS and they blinked. Time to move on.

(04-16-2014 09:54 AM)GoAppsGo92 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:39 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:35 AM)UofRfan Wrote:  From JMU Board - This was at the end of a long email from Pres. Alger to JMU employees titled "Spring Update" ...

Conference Affiliation Discussions: The topic of athletics conference membership continues to be on the minds of many of our constituents. As we plot our course through a constantly shifting landscape, we remain committed to thoughtful and open communication.

We are well aware of the changing scene within our conference as well as nationally. In response, we have engaged in a rigorous analysis of our athletic profile within the context of our strategic planning process. This process, resulting in The Madison Plan, confirmed our institutional core values: Academic Quality, Community, Diversity, Excellence, Integrity and Student Focus. Further, we determined that any new conference membership opportunity must align with the following guiding principles and criteria: academic profile and fit, university culture, student and student-athlete welfare, financial impact and sustainability, competitive balance, and geographic footprint. Feedback received from the JMU community and its many constituencies through extensive and thoughtful dialogue supports these values and principles, and we will use them as criteria for all future decisions, including those involving athletics.

Consistent with these values and principles and the ongoing issue of conference alignment, JMU will not pursue or accept an invitation from a conference that does not meet our criteria. If we do receive an offer consistent with our established values, we are prepared to review it and make a recommendation to the Board of Visitors. This process is ongoing and will require continued support on the part of the university, students, faculty, staff, coaches, alumni, and fans.

In the meantime, we are enjoying the close of our spring sports season and looking forward to an exciting new year in 2014-15 across our entire athletics program.

As you can tell, it has been an eventful year at JMU. JMU is clearly on the move, and we are excited about the future as we continue to dream big together. Thank you all for being part of the JMU community!

Jon Alger

President

Like I said. They don't want to be with a bunch of deep south rubes. JMU is so academically superior with a better class of people involved with their program that affiliating would cause the walls to collapse and average students would suddenly feel welcome there.

Hold it. The letter states that they would not have brought our invitation to the BOV if it did not meet "The Madison Plan" criteria. The did bring it to the BOV to vote, so the administration must have felt it met the criteria. BOV voted "no" on an FBS offer that the administration put forward for a vote. All the rest of this is garbage. They had a legit offer for FBS and they blinked. Time to move on.

Indeed.
If the reported vote is true is true, it reinforces my point that it is the JMU Boiard of Visitors, and not the administration, that is ultimately responsible.

What's missing from this conversation is the addition of UMASS to the Sun Belt. Can you imagine the day, Western Division Champ Idaho v. Eastern Division Champ UMASS in a Conference Championship game hosted at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA.

(04-16-2014 10:03 AM)Panarican Wrote:  Can you imagine the day, Western Division Champ Idaho v. Eastern Division Champ UMASS in a Conference Championship game hosted at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA.

No I can't.

(04-16-2014 10:04 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 10:03 AM)Panarican Wrote:  Can you imagine the day, Western Division Champ Idaho v. Eastern Division Champ UMASS in a Conference Championship game hosted at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA.

No I can't.

The SBC Championship game will not be held at a neutral site. It will be held on-campus of the team with the highest ranking. That's been stated many times.

(04-16-2014 09:54 AM)GoAppsGo92 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:39 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:35 AM)UofRfan Wrote:  From JMU Board - This was at the end of a long email from Pres. Alger to JMU employees titled "Spring Update" ...

Conference Affiliation Discussions: The topic of athletics conference membership continues to be on the minds of many of our constituents. As we plot our course through a constantly shifting landscape, we remain committed to thoughtful and open communication.

We are well aware of the changing scene within our conference as well as nationally. In response, we have engaged in a rigorous analysis of our athletic profile within the context of our strategic planning process. This process, resulting in The Madison Plan, confirmed our institutional core values: Academic Quality, Community, Diversity, Excellence, Integrity and Student Focus. Further, we determined that any new conference membership opportunity must align with the following guiding principles and criteria: academic profile and fit, university culture, student and student-athlete welfare, financial impact and sustainability, competitive balance, and geographic footprint. Feedback received from the JMU community and its many constituencies through extensive and thoughtful dialogue supports these values and principles, and we will use them as criteria for all future decisions, including those involving athletics.

Consistent with these values and principles and the ongoing issue of conference alignment, JMU will not pursue or accept an invitation from a conference that does not meet our criteria. If we do receive an offer consistent with our established values, we are prepared to review it and make a recommendation to the Board of Visitors. This process is ongoing and will require continued support on the part of the university, students, faculty, staff, coaches, alumni, and fans.

In the meantime, we are enjoying the close of our spring sports season and looking forward to an exciting new year in 2014-15 across our entire athletics program.

As you can tell, it has been an eventful year at JMU. JMU is clearly on the move, and we are excited about the future as we continue to dream big together. Thank you all for being part of the JMU community!

Jon Alger

President

Like I said. They don't want to be with a bunch of deep south rubes. JMU is so academically superior with a better class of people involved with their program that affiliating would cause the walls to collapse and average students would suddenly feel welcome there.

Hold it. The letter states that they would not have brought our potential invite to the BOV if it did not meet "The Madison Plan" criteria. They did bring it to the BOV to vote, so the administration must have felt it met the criteria. BOV voted "no" on an FBS offer that the administration put forward for a vote. All the rest of this is garbage. They had a legit offer for FBS and they blinked. Time to move on.

Quote:Brent Thibodeaux ‏@BrentThibodeaux 2h
To clear up a circulating rumor, James Madison has never at anytime been offered an invitation to the #SunBelt formally or informally. #JMU

I don't know but I just read through the bio for JMU on wiki and it aint real impressive. 19,000 students, only 1,800 of which are grad students with no real Phd or professional programs to speak of. It's in the middle of nowhere (MSA of 126k and a town pop. of 45k). I thought we were talking about an Old Dominion type school here; we aren't.

No great loss in not having JMU on board....might even be better off.

(04-16-2014 09:50 AM)BirdofParadise Wrote:  

(04-15-2014 09:08 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  At no point in this process have I ever heard from anyone in the know that JMU was likely to join.

Missouri State, the book on them has remained they can't be ready before this time next year at the earliest.

I don't see that anything has changed.

Gentlemen:

Now THIS is a reliable source.

And, here's something to add to that. No league would ever issue an invitation to a school unless they knew the school would accept.

The presidents have to vote to add a school. No vote was taken on JMU.

There may have been discussions, but JMU was NEVER invited to join the league.

The prior source is pretty reliable, I've known him for 15 years.

As for an invite being issued. Technically no invite was issued, but you're really splitting hairs. Everyone knows what the vote was about, the one FBS option out there which is the SBC. No other conference is looking to add members pre-6/1/14.