(10-01-2023 03:59 PM)RockyMtnHerd Wrote:  I was scrolling through Boneyard Banter this morning and one thing jumped out to me: the ECU fans seem to be accepting the fact that the AAC sucks and they made a mistake with several of the CUSA 6, but their solution is raiding the Sun Belt rather than jumping ship. I think they're gonna need more time to come to terms with the new conference pecking order, but eventually they'll move from depression to acceptance. Probably not until those TV checks dry up though.

If any ECU fans read this I'd love to hear y'alls perspective: would you prefer an AAC retooling or jumping to the Belt as a medium-to-long-term home?

Yep https://eastcarolina.sportswar.com/mid/1...ecubanter/

It is puzzling how they can't make the mental leap of why SBC teams might not be so eager to go join that mess.

(10-02-2023 03:54 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 03:06 PM)Eagleyed Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 02:39 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 02:23 AM)Eagleyed Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 01:12 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  USNWR 2024 edition has them at 99% acceptance rate. That's did the check clear numbers.

Grouped with #394-435 in rankings ... you do realize there's basically no school ranked lower than that? Listed as "bottom 25%" on overall score.

not sure how any of that equates to rapidly rising ...

Forbes's list of America's Top Colleges ranked Liberty University No. 585 of 650 "Top Colleges", No. 231 as a "Research University", 371 as a "Private College", and 136 "in the South". Forbes also gave Liberty a "Forbes Financial Grade" of B+.

You have to remember that there are about 4,000 colleges and Universities in the U.S. not 435.

It's kind of like saying the worst football team in the United States for a college is the worst team in FBS then ignoring the fact that there are FSC/D2/D3 junior college and NAIA schools.

Also Liberties ranking is about in the middle of the Sun Belt's schools academic ranking.

Not buying that without more than a Forbes financial grade. Being a diploma mill is profitable. I didn't see any SBC schools ranked below them in USNews.

Being in the top 400, when there are only 50 states, is like saying they are the 8th best school in a state. I'm not even convinced they would qualify as 8th best in Virginia. I could be talked into W&M or others over Liberty, but really don't think we should add any more Virginia schools.

Niche academic rankings:

#386 Liberty
#387 Ohio
#393 Oregon
#397 MTSU
#405 Ball State
$422 Texas State
#423 FAU
#443 Louisiana
#447 Central Michigan
#457 Charlotte
#469 App. State
#479 James Madison
#488 Arkansas State
#496 Memphis
#506 Marshall
#518 UNLV
#540 Bowling Green
#568 Troy
#573 Boise State
#604 Kent State
$620 Northern Illinois
#640 East Carolina
$651 Georgia State
#676 Western Michigan
#689 Toledo
#692 Jax State
#697 Akron
#702 Ga. Southern
#703 Coastal Carolina
#707 Sam Houston St.
#714 UTSA
#758 San Jose State
#762 Eastern Michigan
#781 Old Dominion
#784 UTEP
#817 WKU

US NEWS is just one ranking system. US NEWS has a lot of factors that I personally don't think matter, such as 20% of the ranking being how other universities perceive you. That is a massive weight in which Liberty would score low. Or 6% how much they pay professors. I mean really the worst professor I ever had made an absurd amount of money. And several other factors that are specifically weighted to how poorer students do that I don't think should factor in to how overall rankings are. Just several rankings that sound like Elitist bs being included and several that are things I don't think matter to how well the school does for the AVERAGE student.

While Niche uses factors like what percentage get high paying jobs after graduation, satisfaction rankings from students, SAT scores and many others. One thing they do not do is have a 20% weight on how other University academics see you which I do not think matter, certainly not in comparison to student satisfaction after graduating. Which really should be the most important thing. You know, the students.

Niche also does a far more complete ranking. As US News only ranks the top 400 or so Universities. Many Sun Belt schools aren't even listed in their rankings making it hard to compare. While Niche does a comparison with pretty much all 4,000 colleges and Universities. Rather than just the top 10%.

This is not to say Liberty is some academic heavyweight. But, diploma mill that screws their students they are not.

Niche? Really?
Niche is a Pay to Play ranking. And isn't Oregon an AAU shool?

"As a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the UO is one of the top 32 public research universities in the nation—a distinction we share with Virginia, Berkeley, and Michigan. We're one of two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest, and the only one in Oregon."

Oregon at 393 tells me pretty much everything I need to know about the Niche academic ratings.

One does not look like the others...

Oregon:
- US News: 98 (national universities)
- Forbes: 133 (all universities)
- WSJ: 210 (all universities)
- Niche: 393 (all universities)

Another fun one...

Gonzaga:
- US News: 93 (national universities)
- Forbes: 202 (all universities)
- WSJ: 136 (all universities)
- Niche: 499 (all universities)

Among all universities, Oregon and Gonzaga are both probably somewhere in the 130-230 range. Then you have the crazy ass Niche ratings. When one rating looks nothing like the others, it should perhaps be taken with a very large grain of salt.

(10-02-2023 09:32 PM)We Are the Dukes of JMU Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 03:54 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 03:06 PM)Eagleyed Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 02:39 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 02:23 AM)Eagleyed Wrote:  Forbes's list of America's Top Colleges ranked Liberty University No. 585 of 650 "Top Colleges", No. 231 as a "Research University", 371 as a "Private College", and 136 "in the South". Forbes also gave Liberty a "Forbes Financial Grade" of B+.

You have to remember that there are about 4,000 colleges and Universities in the U.S. not 435.

It's kind of like saying the worst football team in the United States for a college is the worst team in FBS then ignoring the fact that there are FSC/D2/D3 junior college and NAIA schools.

Also Liberties ranking is about in the middle of the Sun Belt's schools academic ranking.

Not buying that without more than a Forbes financial grade. Being a diploma mill is profitable. I didn't see any SBC schools ranked below them in USNews.

Being in the top 400, when there are only 50 states, is like saying they are the 8th best school in a state. I'm not even convinced they would qualify as 8th best in Virginia. I could be talked into W&M or others over Liberty, but really don't think we should add any more Virginia schools.

Niche academic rankings:

#386 Liberty
#387 Ohio
#393 Oregon
#397 MTSU
#405 Ball State
$422 Texas State
#423 FAU
#443 Louisiana
#447 Central Michigan
#457 Charlotte
#469 App. State
#479 James Madison
#488 Arkansas State
#496 Memphis
#506 Marshall
#518 UNLV
#540 Bowling Green
#568 Troy
#573 Boise State
#604 Kent State
$620 Northern Illinois
#640 East Carolina
$651 Georgia State
#676 Western Michigan
#689 Toledo
#692 Jax State
#697 Akron
#702 Ga. Southern
#703 Coastal Carolina
#707 Sam Houston St.
#714 UTSA
#758 San Jose State
#762 Eastern Michigan
#781 Old Dominion
#784 UTEP
#817 WKU

US NEWS is just one ranking system. US NEWS has a lot of factors that I personally don't think matter, such as 20% of the ranking being how other universities perceive you. That is a massive weight in which Liberty would score low. Or 6% how much they pay professors. I mean really the worst professor I ever had made an absurd amount of money. And several other factors that are specifically weighted to how poorer students do that I don't think should factor in to how overall rankings are. Just several rankings that sound like Elitist bs being included and several that are things I don't think matter to how well the school does for the AVERAGE student.

While Niche uses factors like what percentage get high paying jobs after graduation, satisfaction rankings from students, SAT scores and many others. One thing they do not do is have a 20% weight on how other University academics see you which I do not think matter, certainly not in comparison to student satisfaction after graduating. Which really should be the most important thing. You know, the students.

Niche also does a far more complete ranking. As US News only ranks the top 400 or so Universities. Many Sun Belt schools aren't even listed in their rankings making it hard to compare. While Niche does a comparison with pretty much all 4,000 colleges and Universities. Rather than just the top 10%.

This is not to say Liberty is some academic heavyweight. But, diploma mill that screws their students they are not.

Niche? Really?
Niche is a Pay to Play ranking. And isn't Oregon an AAU shool?

"As a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the UO is one of the top 32 public research universities in the nation—a distinction we share with Virginia, Berkeley, and Michigan. We're one of two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest, and the only one in Oregon."

Oregon at 393 tells me pretty much everything I need to know about the Niche academic ratings.

One does not look like the others...

Oregon:
- US News: 98 (national universities)
- Forbes: 133 (all universities)
- WSJ: 210 (all universities)
- Niche: 393 (all universities)

Another fun one...

Gonzaga:
- US News: 93 (national universities)
- Forbes: 202 (all universities)
- WSJ: 136 (all universities)
- Niche: 499 (all universities)

Among all universities, Oregon and Gonzaga are both probably somewhere in the 130-230 range. Then you have the crazy ass Niche ratings. When one rating looks nothing like the others, it should perhaps be taken with a very large grain of salt.

Oregon scored low for having a terrible price per earnings rate when graduated. It's an incredibly expensive University that students don't get their value out of.

You also have to remember Niche is ranking pretty much all 4,000 colleges and Univerisites. While US News and the others do not rank anywhere near as many as all of them only rank about 400. So many smaller colleges that get really good results are ranked in the Niche while not in the others. My guess is if you only compared colleges that are listed in both rankings Oregon would be up near where they are in the others.

It's not really an oranges to oranges comparison.

And Niche has to be used since many of the Sun Belt schools aren't even rated at all in the others. Or are rated separately such as U.S. News rankings rating them as regional or national universities so you can't compare the 2.

This is not a please like us Sunbelt fans, as that ship has sailed, but I did want to clear up a couple things for those that have an open mind. The diploma mill is a popular catch phrase, but a large majority of our online students are people in the work force, wanting a graduate degree. Pastor’s are a large percentage, teachers wanting to move up in their professions and lastly we have a huge military presence with enlisted soldiers taking classes from around the globe. People that have families and careers and can’t go back to a brick and mortar school.

As far as the degree being worthless. I’ve done quite well with my Liberty degree. We have graduates working for major corporations all over the world. We have the same accreditation as almost all SunBelt schools.

One last thing. Falwell was a huge embarrassment for almost all alumni and professors. We advocated firing him for a couple years. Glad he’s gone. We hired a new president recently that doesn’t have a history of political leanings or involvement. He said his goal is to educate students.

(10-02-2023 09:58 PM)Eagleyed Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 09:32 PM)We Are the Dukes of JMU Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 03:54 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 03:06 PM)Eagleyed Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 02:39 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  Not buying that without more than a Forbes financial grade. Being a diploma mill is profitable. I didn't see any SBC schools ranked below them in USNews.

Being in the top 400, when there are only 50 states, is like saying they are the 8th best school in a state. I'm not even convinced they would qualify as 8th best in Virginia. I could be talked into W&M or others over Liberty, but really don't think we should add any more Virginia schools.

Niche academic rankings:

#386 Liberty
#387 Ohio
#393 Oregon
#397 MTSU
#405 Ball State
$422 Texas State
#423 FAU
#443 Louisiana
#447 Central Michigan
#457 Charlotte
#469 App. State
#479 James Madison
#488 Arkansas State
#496 Memphis
#506 Marshall
#518 UNLV
#540 Bowling Green
#568 Troy
#573 Boise State
#604 Kent State
$620 Northern Illinois
#640 East Carolina
$651 Georgia State
#676 Western Michigan
#689 Toledo
#692 Jax State
#697 Akron
#702 Ga. Southern
#703 Coastal Carolina
#707 Sam Houston St.
#714 UTSA
#758 San Jose State
#762 Eastern Michigan
#781 Old Dominion
#784 UTEP
#817 WKU

US NEWS is just one ranking system. US NEWS has a lot of factors that I personally don't think matter, such as 20% of the ranking being how other universities perceive you. That is a massive weight in which Liberty would score low. Or 6% how much they pay professors. I mean really the worst professor I ever had made an absurd amount of money. And several other factors that are specifically weighted to how poorer students do that I don't think should factor in to how overall rankings are. Just several rankings that sound like Elitist bs being included and several that are things I don't think matter to how well the school does for the AVERAGE student.

While Niche uses factors like what percentage get high paying jobs after graduation, satisfaction rankings from students, SAT scores and many others. One thing they do not do is have a 20% weight on how other University academics see you which I do not think matter, certainly not in comparison to student satisfaction after graduating. Which really should be the most important thing. You know, the students.

Niche also does a far more complete ranking. As US News only ranks the top 400 or so Universities. Many Sun Belt schools aren't even listed in their rankings making it hard to compare. While Niche does a comparison with pretty much all 4,000 colleges and Universities. Rather than just the top 10%.

This is not to say Liberty is some academic heavyweight. But, diploma mill that screws their students they are not.

Niche? Really?
Niche is a Pay to Play ranking. And isn't Oregon an AAU shool?

"As a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the UO is one of the top 32 public research universities in the nation—a distinction we share with Virginia, Berkeley, and Michigan. We're one of two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest, and the only one in Oregon."

Oregon at 393 tells me pretty much everything I need to know about the Niche academic ratings.

One does not look like the others...

Oregon:
- US News: 98 (national universities)
- Forbes: 133 (all universities)
- WSJ: 210 (all universities)
- Niche: 393 (all universities)

Another fun one...

Gonzaga:
- US News: 93 (national universities)
- Forbes: 202 (all universities)
- WSJ: 136 (all universities)
- Niche: 499 (all universities)

Among all universities, Oregon and Gonzaga are both probably somewhere in the 130-230 range. Then you have the crazy ass Niche ratings. When one rating looks nothing like the others, it should perhaps be taken with a very large grain of salt.

Oregon scored low for having a terrible price per earnings rate when graduated. It's an incredibly expensive University that students don't get their value out of.

You also have to remember Niche is ranking pretty much all 4,000 colleges and Univerisites. While US News and the others do not rank anywhere near as many as all of them only rank about 400. So many smaller colleges that get really good results are ranked in the Niche while not in the others. My guess is if you only compared colleges that are listed in both rankings Oregon would be up near where they are in the others.

It's not really an oranges to oranges comparison.

And Niche has to be used since many of the Sun Belt schools aren't even rated at all in the others. Or are rated separately such as U.S. News rankings rating them as regional or national universities so you can't compare the 2.

Your defense of Liberty and the Niche ratings (who most people have never heard of) is laughable. How many pieces of paper did you purchase there?

(10-02-2023 10:25 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  Your defense of Liberty and the Niche ratings (who most people have never heard of) is laughable. How many pieces of paper did you purchase there?

This is all just to counter the silly assertion that Liberty is nothing, but a diploma mill. Which is a pretty ridiculous assertion as there are plenty of schools ahead in any of the rankings you like. Whether U.S. news Forbes or WSJ. It is ahead of dozens of schools that are not considered diploma mills.

Changing the discussion to be about where Oregon ranks or different ratings system does not change this fact. Nor will personal insults being thrown change this fact.

Since you seem to be going to the path of personal insults rather than having a level headed debate about this. It will be the last thing I say to you on this subject. I don't do insult debates. Not worth my time.

I'd love to have liberty and louisiana tech.

(10-02-2023 11:22 PM)troutbummike Wrote:  I'd love to have liberty and louisiana tech.

Then you should go directly to c-doa. Do not Pass Go. Do not Collect $200.00.

(10-02-2023 11:25 PM)Bobcat87 Wrote:  

(10-02-2023 11:22 PM)troutbummike Wrote:  I'd love to have liberty and louisiana tech.

Then you should go directly to c-doa. Do not Pass Go. Do not Collect $200.00.

I'll try again: Liberty and Furman

This thread has probably reached the end of its usefulness. I was deciding between closing it or moving it to the Smack Board, but we have enough other threads there that end up in Liberty debate that have already died.