Louisiana is a "Tier One" School

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Originally Posted by OrlandeauxCajun

Will our new R1 status allow UL to raise their admission criteria as well as tuition? Anyone have insight?

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No school other than LSU is allowed to raise tuition without legislative approval. University of Louisiana system schools can raise fees by up to 10%(?) without legislative approval. That is a significant distinction since the TOPS program covers tuition and not fees. For a Louisiana student who has earned TOPS it means that it cost less for them to attend LSU than it does for them to attend UL.

As far as admission criteria. Even the Ivy League has reduced their criteria. It would be political suicide to raise the admission criteria in the current environment. Like it or not politics are important in public higher education and upping admission criteria based on test scores and grades at this point would be asking for a lot of trouble.

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Originally Posted by HoustonCajun

I saw a small article on The Advocate. Nothing in The Advertiser.

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Still nothing in the Advertiser.

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Originally Posted by HoustonCajun

Still nothing in the Advertiser.

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I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

Same newspaper that on Sunday morning, after the Conference Championship game, had NOTHING about the game. Zero.

There was an article about LSU and Brian Kelly looking to fill staff.

SO PROUD of everything OUR University has accomplished this year!! Now I don't know if anyone has mentioned him in this thread, yet, but special thanks needs to go out to former president Ray Authement and his administration. THEY are the ones who got the ball rolling for this University to achieve this Tier R1 academic status. Lots of people on this board were angry and upset because Dr. Authement did not support athletics as many thought he should, but the fact is he was doing every thing he could to make this University the very best it could be academically, and put Dr. Savoie in a position to continue in that direction AND begin to focus on bringing our athletics up to the same high level.

Dr. Ray Authement deserves to be recognized for what has happened in the last few months!!! .~..~..~.

#cULture

By your thinking let’s get back to our first president.

https://www.louisiana.edu/about-us/history/presidents

He established a short list of presidents guiding this university.

Currently averaging over twenty years. Stability, and USL’ing this has been a great thing.

Super news

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Originally Posted by NOCajun

Lots of people on this board were angry and upset because Dr. Authement did not support athletics as many thought he should, but the fact is he was doing every thing he could to make this University the very best it could be academically, and put Dr. Savoie in a position to continue in that direction AND begin to focus on bringing our athletics up to the same high level.

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He actively tried to suffocate athletics to death. We’d have been DIII with no athletic scholarship if it were up to him. He told coaches certain academic donors were off limits to solicit athletic donations from. He refused to allow the formation of an athletic booster fund, something people in the community tried to do since the 80s.

It wasn’t that he just didn’t like athletics. He pretty much had a hostility towards it. That is not a trait a real university president should have.

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Originally Posted by Cajunrunner

He actively tried to suffocate athletics to death. We’d have been DIII with no athletic scholarship if it were up to him. He told coaches certain academic donors were off limits to solicit athletic donations from. He refused to allow the formation of an athletic booster fund, something people in the community tried to do since the 80s.

It wasn’t that he just didn’t like athletics. He pretty much had a hostility towards it. That is not a trait a real university president should have.

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You are right in everything you wrote. One thing I would like to mention is that he became president right around the same time as our "death penalty" in basketball. Whether we liked it or not, he decided he was not going to let that happen again, in any sport, on his watch.

I'm not saying I liked it, because I didn't. But I can understand his view.

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Originally Posted by moorecajun

You are right in everything you wrote. One thing I would like to mention is that he became president right around the same time as our "death penalty" in basketball. Whether we liked it or not, he decided he was not going to let that happen again, in any sport, on his watch.

I'm not saying I liked it, because I didn't. But I can understand his view.

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Exactly right!! It had NOTHING to do with Dr. Authement hating or wanting to destroy athletics!!!

Bottom line: Dr. Authement stressed academic excellence at the University of Louisiana and had every right AND reason to do so.

#cULture

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Originally Posted by NOCajun

Exactly right!! It had NOTHING to do with Dr. Authement hating or wanting to destroy athletics!!!

Bottom line: Dr. Authement stressed academic excellence at the University of Louisiana and had every right AND reason to do so.

#cULture

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What if I told you he could have done both.....promote the university academically AND athletically. They arent mutually exclusive. He didnt need to stifle us athletically to advance us academically.

He could have done both
Good leaders should seek the best options, plans, and strategy -without regard to ego or whose ideas they might have been.
He was one dimensional -would not listen to those who tried to explain that BOTH were possible -and to improve both was the best way forward for his academic goals.

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Originally Posted by NOCajun

Exactly right!! It had NOTHING to do with Dr. Authement hating or wanting to destroy athletics!!!

Bottom line: Dr. Authement stressed academic excellence at the University of Louisiana and had every right AND reason to do so.

#cULture

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T-Joe has shown you can do both. Athletics never better and achieved a goal long sought.

I had the opportunity to spend a half dozen afternoons with Authement at football practice.

The deepest discussion we ever had was who owned the Cajundome.

UL owning the Cajun Dome is like vacations at your Gulf Shores beach house on the Gulf side. You always take it in February because you can’t afford it, and rent it out for summer and holidays.

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Originally Posted by Cajunrunner

He actively tried to suffocate athletics to death. We’d have been DIII with no athletic scholarship if it were up to him. He told coaches certain academic donors were off limits to solicit athletic donations from. He refused to allow the formation of an athletic booster fund, something people in the community tried to do since the 80s.

It wasn’t that he just didn’t like athletics. He pretty much had a hostility towards it. That is not a trait a real university president should have.

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I know as a former athlete your perspective was that he was hostile towards athletics. I think that is the wrong word. He viewed athletics as a side note to the University. He wasn't out to kill it but didn't view it as an investment either.

As far as fund raising.... I dealt with this first hand and it wasn't just athletics. It was absolutely insane how he and he alone approved or more often than not disapproved anyone associated with the University from seeking donations of any type. If there is anyone out there that ever had the conversation with him as to why I haven't heard it and I've talked to a lot of people through the years that experienced similar. Bottom line was that you better not seek any external funding sources without his explicit approval no matter if it was athletics or not.

Truer words ^^were never spoken.

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Originally Posted by Cajun90

I know as a former athlete your perspective was that he was hostile towards athletics. I think that is the wrong word. He viewed athletics as a side note to the University. He wasn't out to kill it but didn't view it as an investment either.

As far as fund raising.... I dealt with this first hand and it wasn't just athletics. It was absolutely insane how he and he alone approved or more often than not disapproved anyone associated with the University from seeking donations of any type. If there is anyone out there that ever had the conversation with him as to why I haven't heard it and I've talked to a lot of people through the years that experienced similar. Bottom line was that you better not seek any external funding sources without his explicit approval no matter if it was athletics or not.

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Steve Gossen broke the barrier and. secured a $1,000,000 dollar donation.

Authement did not turn it down, but also did not crack an appreciation smile at the 50-yard line presentation.

The general subject of RA may be similar to LL over here. Mind made up no matter the angle . . .

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Originally Posted by Cajun90

I know as a former athlete your perspective was that he was hostile towards athletics. I think that is the wrong word. He viewed athletics as a side note to the University. He wasn't out to kill it but didn't view it as an investment either.

As far as fund raising.... I dealt with this first hand and it wasn't just athletics. It was absolutely insane how he and he alone approved or more often than not disapproved anyone associated with the University from seeking donations of any type. If there is anyone out there that ever had the conversation with him as to why I haven't heard it and I've talked to a lot of people through the years that experienced similar. Bottom line was that you better not seek any external funding sources without his explicit approval no matter if it was athletics or not.

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I agree with CajunRunner. Vobserver had to raise money on his own just to get new hurdles purchased. About 15 years ago the head track coach at UL was making around $25K a year. C4L also qualified for the Ncaa's and the school couldn't/didn't pay for him to represent the school. Vobserver had to front the money.

My man!!

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Originally Posted by JMVCAJUNS

I agree with CajunRunner. Vobserver had to raise money on his own just to get new hurdles purchased. About 15 years ago the head track coach at UL was making around $25K a year.

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Did AutoGo Eric run hurdles with VOB?

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Originally Posted by Cajun90

I know as a former athlete your perspective was that he was hostile towards athletics. I think that is the wrong word. He viewed athletics as a side note to the University. He wasn't out to kill it but didn't view it as an investment either.

As far as fund raising.... I dealt with this first hand and it wasn't just athletics. It was absolutely insane how he and he alone approved or more often than not disapproved anyone associated with the University from seeking donations of any type. If there is anyone out there that ever had the conversation with him as to why I haven't heard it and I've talked to a lot of people through the years that experienced similar. Bottom line was that you better not seek any external funding sources without his explicit approval no matter if it was athletics or not.

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And he took that attitude because of the "death penalty". He went to that extreme because he refused to allow anything like that to happen here again. Remember, also, that several major universities were being penalized during that time for recruiting violations but were only being slapped on the wrist for it.

#cULture

The death penalty happened in the 70s. Ray Authement was still bleeding athletics dry in the late 90s and early 2000s. We’re damn lucky Coach Robe stayed through that fiasco, and Coach Yvette, yeah, I know, but who could blame her for leaving.

And to Cajun90’s statement, yes, I only saw it from an athletics standpoint. If Authement had that same attitude for fundraising in other arenas of the university, then that was flat out stupid, especially considering the late 80s to early 90s drying up of in-state jobs and revenues to fund the schools with tax dollars.

Authement was solely focused on academics.

Unfortunately he didn't grasp how the front porch of the university was an asset to academics.

It is no coincidence that tier one status coincides with unprecented achievements in athletics.

It may not be a conscious reaction, but the dollar doalers are much more likely to hand you the money if its not the first time they ever heard your name.

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Originally Posted by Cajunrunner

And to Cajun90’s statement, yes, I only saw it from an athletics standpoint. If Authement had that same attitude for fundraising in other arenas of the university, then that was flat out stupid, especially considering the late 80s to early 90s drying up of in-state jobs and revenues to fund the schools with tax dollars.

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I believe he saw it as a very finite pool of resources and he was going to make certain those resources went where he wanted them to go (i.e. computer science). I also have a very vague recollection of someone saying he thought it was a bad look for the University to have multiple people associated with the University soliciting some of the same resources. Obviously the death penalty issue in athletics played in as well. He wanted to make certain no outsider thought they had a say in how things were going to be run.