I spent the past year at a strange confluence, helping our teenager look at colleges while the university where I worked was imploding. In the end I managed largely to escape from higher education—for the first time in almost twenty years I have no “.edu” email address—just as the kid was looking to enter it.
Interesting question! What surprised me about sports (especially at the smaller liberal arts colleges where we mostly looked) was just how many varsity athletes are getting recruited—a third or more of the student body at some places that haven't historically been sporty. I assume that's a creative response to enrollment challenges, and it did throw my family a little, just because of the effects on campus culture.
As for excellent student journalism being an indicator of institutional excellence, WVU’s Daily Athenaeum hits all the marks, but well . . .
Derek, do you see any kind of relationship (even an inverse one) between academic and student services austerity with sports on the same campuses?
Interesting question! What surprised me about sports (especially at the smaller liberal arts colleges where we mostly looked) was just how many varsity athletes are getting recruited—a third or more of the student body at some places that haven't historically been sporty. I assume that's a creative response to enrollment challenges, and it did throw my family a little, just because of the effects on campus culture.
Hmmm. Kinda confirming my hunch.