(03-28-2014 08:50 AM)AtlantaJag Wrote:  Top to bottom the MAC and the SBC (and CUSA) are very similar from a standpoint of admissions, retention, graduation rates, and GPA.
I have never understood JMU's fascination with MAC academics vs CUSA and the SBC. They are all the same.

If the three leagues are academically roughly equivalent, then the former women's teacher school just doesn't want to affiliate with a group of southern schools who variously have the mission of serving some of the nation's most improvished and disadvantaged regions and have almost uniformly as their orgin either being an agriculture school to help improve the efficiency and production of food, or schools to produce teacher who would go back out into the rural areas and raise the education of the children of their region, or were created as an education option for people living in the larger communities of their state who could not for various reasons go to another part of the state and devote four uninterrupted years to higher education or who needed to stay closer to home to save expense and help their family.

But they are willing to affiliate midwestern agriculture schools, and teacher schools, and urban schools.

I keep hearing about the profile of where JMU students come from.
The map here says most come from Virginia, followed by Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, none of which have schools in the MAC, CUSA or Sun Belt. The next tier is Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticuit, Massachusetts and there is only upstate Buffalo and departing UMass among those states. Finally the less than 1% which includes all the rest of MAC, Sun Belt, and C-USA except for Indiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi with no JMU students.

Looks to me that the MAC is not a significantly better fit for where their students come from than any other league except maybe AAC and you can't get to AAC from FCS.

I think it is simply bias against the deep south vs. midwest and not a matter of academics nor attracting students.
[/quote]

I absolutely agree with your final sentiment. It has always seemed to have the flavor to me as well.
[/quote]

Sounds like JMU wouldn't fit. They've been on a constant downward trend for several years anyways. No disappointment if they don't join.