Meanwhile in Ruston...

[ZoomZoom]

Did tech get their junk chopped off too?

Naw, rumor is the dog that died bit it off and choked on it. Death by tic-tac. At least it died with fresh breath.

Joking aside, us older guys keep pointing out McNeese is to never be trusted while some don’t get why. And today, some younger guys are done with the Necksters.

That vitriol towards Tech needs to be the same towards McNeese. Never trust.

What also hurt Tech was the gag ship copied their best engineering program years back and Tech never recovered. And of course the gag ship hasn’t done much with it.

[CajunFun]

Well, I think we have a dilemma.

Tech has been soooo arrogant. A friend, a ULM alum, said they weren't obnoxious until they went 1A some years after we did. I can't be sure, but I think their problems stem from Renaud. He was cocky, he swaggered, and he bet the house on athletics. I've noted before that, from all appearances, their strong suit of engineering is starting to fall apart because they (Renaud, apparently) neglected to keep salaries competitive. Their people are retiring, and they can't afford strong new faculty.

And all of that money went for smoke & mirrors: I have noted here several times that "Louisiana Tarp University" should be their snarky epithet, because those tarps reveal Renaud's strategy: appear to be bigger than you are, and eventually, you will be. As I have noted, they kept swinging for the fences, and kept clearing them.

Until they didn't, and found out they didn't know how to play small-ball, or even blooper-ball.

Here's the other side of our dilemma. We are the largest and best-off school in the ULS (please, no mention of 'leader' or 'flagship' or other stuff, just stick to the metrics). We don't talk about it here, and really, I don't hear any public university talking about it, but our #1 job is to move Louisiana forward.

Otherwise, why would the taxpayers invest us? So we could give them athletic bragging rights?

Well, if we're going to improve Louisiana, we're going to need the entire ULS to come together. And the ULS could do it: we comprise most of the citizen-students, most of the college alumni, and most of the big cities in the state.

Tech is a pain in the derrière, but they are nevertheless important. Yes we need a stick in our fist, but in our other hand we need a carrot. If we're going to lead this sad little state of disenchantment to any kind of future (and face it, who else is going to step up to lead?) then we need to work to bring Tech back into the fold.

Let 'em suffer for awhile. But then it is our responsibility, even our obligation as a prospering state school, to rehabilitate the sick bastiges.

[ZoomZoom]

Well, I think we have a dilemma.

Tech has been soooo arrogant. A friend, a ULM alum, said they weren't obnoxious until they went 1A some years after we did. I can't be sure, but I think their problems stem from Renaud. He was cocky, he swaggered, and he bet the house on athletics. I've noted before that, from all appearances, their strong suit of engineering is starting to fall apart because they (Renaud, apparently) neglected to keep salaries competitive. Their people are retiring, and they can't afford strong new faculty.

And all of that money went for smoke & mirrors: I have noted here several times that "Louisiana Tarp University" should be their snarky epithet, because those tarps reveal Renaud's strategy: appear to be bigger than you are, and eventually, you will be. As I have noted, they kept swinging for the fences, and kept clearing them.

Until they didn't, and found out they didn't know how to play small-ball, or even blooper-ball.

Here's the other side of our dilemma. We are the largest and best-off school in the ULS (please, no mention of 'leader' or 'flagship' or other stuff, just stick to the metrics). We don't talk about it here, and really, I don't hear any public university talking about it, but our #1 job is to move Louisiana forward.

Otherwise, why would the taxpayers invest us? So we could give them athletic bragging rights?

Well, if we're going to improve Louisiana, we're going to need the entire ULS to come together. And the ULS could do it: we comprise most of the citizen-students, most of the college alumni, and most of the big cities in the state.

Tech is a pain in the derrière, but they are nevertheless important. Yes we need a stick in our fist, but in our other hand we need a carrot. If we're going to lead this sad little state of disenchantment to any kind of future (and face it, who else is going to step up to lead?) then we need to work to bring Tech back into the fold.

Let 'em suffer for awhile. But then it is our responsibility, even our obligation as a prospering state school, to rehabilitate the sick bastiges.

In other words, with the LSU rejects in the ULS, UL is going to lead…with or without you. So check your egos and get on board.

[CajunFun]

In other words, with the LSU rejects in the ULS, UL is going to lead…with or without you. So check your egos and get on board.

If you're serious, I suppose so...

But why LSU rejects? What has LSU got that the rest of us really want? We've all worked with their alums; they are no smarter than people I've met from here, or ULM, McNeese, UNO etc. The year before I got to Tulane Med, the top grad was a U(S)L alum. Among my classmates who were really sharp, some went to big-name schools.

A few (because there weren't that many to start with) went to small public colleges.

Of the three sharpest doctors I ever worked with, one went to Rice & Southwestern (TX); one went to UMass & Harvard; and one went to ULM and LSU-S.

And something I noted along the way (and about which I write) is something that is already well-known and well-documented: all of those metrics, those grades, entrance exams, and graduate school grades? They are predictors of one, and only one, thing:

The ability to perform well on tests predicts your ability to perform well on tests.

One MD I worked with won all kinds of undergrad and med school awards. But she was clueless, literally, about a simple case of hypertension.

LSU does not get smarter students than the ULS does, but they do get more ambitious and wealthier students.

LSU doesn't have anything we need.

And most of what they have that we want, we shouldn't want.

[R1Letterman]

Based on the news of the numerous rewards our engineering students always seem to win, as well as tier 1 status if they really want to argue name correctness.... What should be the definition of tech?
When I hear tech associated with other states I always it is the best engineering school in that state that has the title tech, it seems in Louisiana that is up for debate.

Is it best, is it largest, should it be based on number of students, number of degrees or percentage of the rest of the school.

[R1Letterman]

Looks like both have around 2500.... so they would have a higher percentage of their school being tech. Unless those numbers change drastically if you add in computer science and any other Tech fields that may be elsewhere?

[ZoomZoom]

If you're serious, I suppose so...

But why LSU rejects? What has LSU got that the rest of us really want? We've all worked with their alums; they are no smarter than people I've met from here, or ULM, McNeese, UNO etc. The year before I got to Tulane Med, the top grad was a U(S)L alum. Among my classmates who were really sharp, some went to big-name schools.

A few (because there weren't that many to start with) went to small public colleges.

Of the three sharpest doctors I ever worked with, one went to Rice & Southwestern (TX); one went to UMass & Harvard; and one went to ULM and LSU-S.

And something I noted along the way (and about which I write) is something that is already well-known and well-documented: all of those metrics, those grades, entrance exams, and graduate school grades? They are predictors of one, and only one, thing:

The ability to perform well on tests predicts your ability to perform well on tests.

One MD I worked with won all kinds of undergrad and med school awards. But she was clueless, literally, about a simple case of hypertension.

LSU does not get smarter students than the ULS does, but they do get more ambitious and wealthier students.

LSU doesn't have anything we need.

And most of what they have that we want, we shouldn't want.

LSU rejects…all but Tech and UL are universities founded under LSU and they were banished for whatever reasons. LSU-S (less medical) will be next, give or take a decade.

I’m with you…don’t want to be a LSU…they’re a great example of failure of the saying “with great power comes great responsibility”. Too much effort wasted trying to be the omnipotent leader.

[Boomer]

Well, I think we have a dilemma.

Tech has been soooo arrogant. A friend, a ULM alum, said they weren't obnoxious until they went 1A some years after we did. I can't be sure, but I think their problems stem from Renaud. He was cocky, he swaggered, and he bet the house on athletics. I've noted before that, from all appearances, their strong suit of engineering is starting to fall apart because they (Renaud, apparently) neglected to keep salaries competitive. Their people are retiring, and they can't afford strong new faculty.

And all of that money went for smoke & mirrors: I have noted here several times that "Louisiana Tarp University" should be their snarky epithet, because those tarps reveal Renaud's strategy: appear to be bigger than you are, and eventually, you will be. As I have noted, they kept swinging for the fences, and kept clearing them.

Until they didn't, and found out they didn't know how to play small-ball, or even blooper-ball.

Here's the other side of our dilemma. We are the largest and best-off school in the ULS (please, no mention of 'leader' or 'flagship' or other stuff, just stick to the metrics). We don't talk about it here, and really, I don't hear any public university talking about it, but our #1 job is to move Louisiana forward.

Otherwise, why would the taxpayers invest us? So we could give them athletic bragging rights?

Well, if we're going to improve Louisiana, we're going to need the entire ULS to come together. And the ULS could do it: we comprise most of the citizen-students, most of the college alumni, and most of the big cities in the state.

Tech is a pain in the derrière, but they are nevertheless important. Yes we need a stick in our fist, but in our other hand we need a carrot. If we're going to lead this sad little state of disenchantment to any kind of future (and face it, who else is going to step up to lead?) then we need to work to bring Tech back into the fold.

Let 'em suffer for awhile. But then it is our responsibility, even our obligation as a prospering state school, to rehabilitate the sick bastiges.

…..llHey Doc Fun…..was the former President Jay Taylor that really got Ltur going for a bit…..He scared me with his outlook……also it seems to me that ULM is quickly moving up to not be second fiddle in the North…..recent acquisitions seem to be going their way…..donation U with the State Farm building some years back and the latest one! Talk about their rivalry/direction if you would!

[CajunNation]

…..llHey Doc Fun…..was the former President Jay Taylor that really got Ltur going for a bit…..He scared me with his outlook……also it seems to me that ULM is quickly moving up to not be second fiddle in the North…..recent acquisitions seem to be going their way…..donation U with the State Farm building some years back and the latest one! Talk about their rivalry/direction if you would!

I think we need Dr. Fun to give us a Ted Talk.

[CajunFun]

I think we need Dr. Fun to give us a Ted Talk.

Funny.

Really, we want T-Joe to give us a talk. But he wouldn't tell us what we want to know, he wouldn't tell us everything that's cooking for UL. He doesn't want people to know; I only know tiny bits and pieces.

But ask yourself this: which Louisiana college president is currently the political master? T-Joe was our lobbyist for years. An administrator back then once told me that, by himself, T-Joe had created so much movement for UL that some schools thought we had a lobbying team.

Nope. Just one guy.

And then he was head of Regents, where he saw ALL the political machinations.

I have seen criticisms of T-Joe here from time to time. I don't understand everything he does, and sometimes he has me scratching my head. But there's no doubt in my mind that he has taken UL to a position far beyond where we could have hoped when he became president. I have looked at some numbers. You are all aware that in research funding, we are in the top 100 public US universities.

But here's a couple of things to consider. First, look at all of those top 100 who have medical schools. I think if you look at research funding at schools that don't have med schools, we are in the top 10, maybe top 5. Second, when you then factor in our funding; our size; our number of faculty; and our ridiculously small number of PhD programs (11!), I'm not sure anyone in the country comes close to our success.

And with T-Joe, we're succeeding in sports, too. I think other schools look at us like we used to look at Marshall, Boise, UNT, Troy, you name it. This stuff takes time, patience, and focus.

T-Joe is only the 6th UL president in 125 years (just 4 of them account for 116 years). That is unheard of, most university presidents don't last a decade. There are, of course, downsides to having long-tenured presidents such as we have had. But the upside is, if you've got someone who understands the game, and who has ambition, you can move very, very fast.

[Cajunsmike]

I’ve learned not to talk schitt about techs athletic programs cause somehow it always comes back to bite us in the ass. Just let them rot.

Wise approach. Having no one sign up for your basketball camp has to be disappointing however. Ours occurred recently. Social media pictures of it looked like we had a decent no. of kids participate. Our current players were a big part of it.

[USLJim]

And to think, when Mike White (current UGA MBB HC) left Ruston to become the UF HC, Dusty May (top Mike White asst.) badly wanted the Tech HC gig but was passed over.

Dusty May, now the HC at FAU, who just took them to the Final Four and will likely have a preseason Top 10 ranking.

History of bad decisions up there.

You forgot they passed over Kim Mulkey, the biggest blunder of all