The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(09-19-2023 08:10 AM)BroncoFan2 Wrote:  

(09-19-2023 07:48 AM)GRBRONCO Wrote:  What did schools like WMU, CMU, EMU do when they lost over 40% of their enrollment over the last 15 years? They ADDED cost! They kept the same amount of teachers and added more administration bloat while building shiny new buildings. If they really wanted to get a competitive advantage they should have reduced headcount by 40-50% and lowered tuition.

They certainly do not have the same amount of faculty or staff. Programs getting cut. We just went through a massive $80+million cut that wiped out faculty and staff.

There is no "competitive" advantage with old buildings and out of date equipment.

We're not some corner store selling widgets. There are real people here taking on two and three different roles just to keep things afloat while having wages frozen or diminished. You don't know what you're talking about if you lump in WMU with other schools.

Yes, WMU was finally forced to make cuts in 2020 to survive. However they increased costs 2009-2019 while enrollment was decreasing. Their head in the sand approach is what caused the need for massive 1 time cuts. Could have been gradual over 10-15 years. Administrative bloat is also higher than ever.

(09-19-2023 08:51 AM)GRBRONCO Wrote:  

(09-19-2023 08:10 AM)BroncoFan2 Wrote:  

(09-19-2023 07:48 AM)GRBRONCO Wrote:  What did schools like WMU, CMU, EMU do when they lost over 40% of their enrollment over the last 15 years? They ADDED cost! They kept the same amount of teachers and added more administration bloat while building shiny new buildings. If they really wanted to get a competitive advantage they should have reduced headcount by 40-50% and lowered tuition.

They certainly do not have the same amount of faculty or staff. Programs getting cut. We just went through a massive $80+million cut that wiped out faculty and staff.

There is no "competitive" advantage with old buildings and out of date equipment.

We're not some corner store selling widgets. There are real people here taking on two and three different roles just to keep things afloat while having wages frozen or diminished. You don't know what you're talking about if you lump in WMU with other schools.

Yes, WMU was finally forced to make cuts in 2020 to survive. However they increased costs 2009-2019 while enrollment was decreasing. Their head in the sand approach is what caused the need for massive 1 time cuts. Could have been gradual over 10-15 years. Administrative bloat is also higher than ever.

Name one University that cut tuition.

Also, WMU cut funding consistently for a decade prior to the massive cuts of 2020.

I believe the biggest draw for GV is location. Allendale isn’t much but the proximity to GR, Grand Haven, and Holland is ideal. Downtown GR is the one of the few Michigan places that attracts young people nationally. To get a degree and work local in GR or Holland is an ideal setup in Michigan.

I was never impressed by Kalamazoo while I was there in the 90s. Doesn't seem much better now. Grand Rapids has improved tremendously over the last couple decades.
I definitely preferred WMU's campus though. GV has built many buildings in downtown GR to make it much more of an attraction.

(09-19-2023 02:34 PM)sketownguy Wrote:  I was never impressed by Kalamazoo while I was there in the 90s. Doesn't seem much better now. Grand Rapids has improved tremendously over the last couple decades.
I definitely preferred WMU's campus though. GV has built many buildings in downtown GR to make it much more of an attraction.

GR is growing and economically vibrant. Can't say the same about Kzoo. This isn't the only reason why GVSU has supplanted WMU as the state college of West Michigan, but it's a big one.

WMU receives more applications than GVSU. GVSU just has a better conversion rate. I’m sure there are a litany of reasons for that, but typically the leading cause will be cost.

I’ve never liked GVSU — not the campus, infrastructure, location, etc.

I didn’t like it in the 90s, and I don’t like it now. Proximity to GR is its saving grace.

If I was a freshman now, I’d probably go to Michigan Tech for academic reasons.

GVSU is a first rate, second rate school.

GVSU has done a better job promoting their school-location than we have.

We always seem to assume kids are just going to want to come here for whatever reasons.

And if they don't, then too bad.

(09-21-2023 01:17 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  GVSU has done a better job promoting their school-location than we have.

What makes our location better? I don't think the whole "halfway between Detroit and Chicago" is as relevant as it used to be.

Yeah GR is significantly more attractive to a college student. The only real thing you miss out on is a Division 1 athletic experience. From an experience perspective.

Some college ranks were just released. GV in rated 50 notches higher than us….. for what rankings are worth other click bait.

Quote:Yeah GR is significantly more attractive to a college student. The only real thing you miss out on is a Division 1 athletic experience. From an experience perspective.

It is, and the greater dtown area of GR has a lot of college students, which is fun -- but your first couple years is pretty much going to be in Allendale, which is pretty much as far as driving to Wayland. So out in BFE (they've even had a bar called 'BFE'). It is closer to the coastline, but incoming people have their 1st two years on their mind, and it's not GR. However, if you are from the greater GR area, I can see wanting to stay closer to home.

But as far as campus is concerned, I can't see it. I CAN definitely see it if you're transferring from a CC like more people are these days due to college costs. You go to GRCC in dtown GR, then go to GVSU and spend most your time in the GR campus. No reason to have motive to go to WMU unless you're from GR and want to live elsewhere, which happens -- but IMO, overridden by those who want to stay in the fun area of GR or are not from the city area to begin with.