The "Public" vs. "Private" Distinction

[crusaderjoe]

I was able to catch a few minutes of Butler's press conference on their move to the A-10.  The move certainly will help provide additional exposure for its basketball program.  From a non-athletic standpoint, it seemed apparent, at least to me, that an important consideration which helped propel them into making the move to the A-10 was that by doing so they as an institution would now be a part of a conference that had similar membership in general. This would in turn increase their overall academic stature in the marketplace since the conference was mostly made up of likewise private selective universities.

So here's the question.  How important is this distinction to Valpo in terms of athletic conference affiliation?  With Butler gone, there are only three private schools left in the HL.  Should VU send out feelers to the Valley or request that if the HL expands, it seriously considers another private school?  Or, is this distinction regarding conference affiliation irrelevant to VU in its entirety? 

We've been told that academics, not athletics drives the bus at least at Valpo.  Ok,fine. Regarding conference affiliation, if you were the AD or President how would you proceed in this respect given that Butler is now gone?

[vu72]

In a perfect world I think you have a very valid point.  Things aren't perfect.  If we could steal a St. Louis, for example, I think we certainly would want to add somone like that versus an IUPUI. Not sure who the academic prospects might include.  Evansville comes to mind, or Bradley.  If the conference is looking to maintain its basketball TV presence then we need to add a Murray State, or, as you have suggested previously, a Western Kentucky.

[setshot]

A better academic and athletic fit would be for Valpo to associate with and compete against the likes of: Wabash,DePauw,Kenyon,Oberlin,Wooster,Wittenberg and others,if they'd have us. D3 in athletics and A1 in academics. Sure beats our present company of WSU,CSU,YSU and others. Amen!

[MattCarter]

Honestly I don't feel that it is Valpo's place, at this time, to act or react to Butler leaving the Horizon League.

Let's be real.  We have around 3,000 students.  We are lucky and over-achieving where we are at.  I think staying and "anchoring" a new-look Horizon League is the answer.

The top priority, funny enough, would be to find a school that has baseball so the HL can save its automatic bid.  We also have to look at teams that dont need or can stay where they are with football.

Schools I like on the list are Oakland, St Louis, Northern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, and Evansville.

Again, this conference is supposed to be about great schools competing in a financially responsible way.  "Where our students are also athletes".

If IPFW or IUPUI want to join, we would have to INSIST the institution go under a name change.  The name makes them sound like a D3 or community college outside of Indiana.  Although, if Fife were still at IPFW I'd give em a pass...but since he isn't its name change or stay in the Summit.

[agibson]

We have around 3,000 students.

Around 3000 undergrads, and another 1000 graduate students.

[crusaderjoe]

A better academic and athletic fit would be for Valpo to associate with and compete against the likes of: Wabash,DePauw,Kenyon,Oberlin,Wooster,Wittenberg and others,if they'd have us. D3 in athletics and A1 in academics. Sure beats our present company of WSU,CSU,YSU and others. Amen!

There's the good ol' jj we know...ha!

I know this is your schtick, but I believe VU, in its athletic history, was more akin to the suggestion you provided as a non D-I member.  It was only after VU became a D-I institution and help chartered the AMCU-8 did the public vs. private distinction become much less relevant for the University from an athletic conference standpoint, IMO.  If you look at VU's history as a D-I institution, I believe it was the only private school that was a member of the AMCU-8/Mid Continent Conference before 1994.  Only Centenary and Oral Roberts have been private institution conference mates with VU since 1982 (unless I am missing someone).  This is unlike Butler in that it was conference mates with many private schools (Xavier, ND, Marquette, SLU, Evansville, Loyola, et.al.) during its D-I history.

Part of the reason why I raised this thread in the first place is because the HL in its current make up is uncharted territory for VU as a D-I institution in that it has never been affiliated with a conference where at least 40% of it consisted of other private schools.  I don't know if this is important to VU in general.  I suppose we'll find out how important it is in the future--particularly if the situation occurs where Oakland is proposed to join and Detroit looks to other private HL members to help prevent their entrance.

[vu72]

Honestly I don't feel that it is Valpo's place, at this time, to act or react to Butler leaving the Horizon League.

Let's be real.  We have around 3,000 students.  We are lucky and over-achieving where we are at.  I think staying and "anchoring" a new-look Horizon League is the answer.

The top priority, funny enough, would be to find a school that has baseball so the HL can save its automatic bid.  We also have to look at teams that dont need or can stay where they are with football.

Schools I like on the list are Oakland, St Louis, Northern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, and Evansville.

Again, this conference is supposed to be about great schools competing in a financially responsible way.  "Where our students are also athletes".

If IPFW or IUPUI want to join, we would have to INSIST the institution go under a name change.  The name makes them sound like a D3 or community college outside of Indiana.  Although, if Fife were still at IPFW I'd give em a pass...but since he isn't its name change or stay in the Summit.

The idea that somehow because we are small and successful we must be over achieving is just wrong.  Look, St. Bonaventure, in the vaunted A-10, has an undergrad enrollment of 2000.  Evansville, in the Valley (also a higher ranked conference) has about the same undergrad enrollment as Valpo.  I could go on but won't.  If enrollment size was the key to success then YSU or Milwaukee would win everything.

[motowntitan]

IUPUI is most likely out due to no baseball team.  My guess is either Oakland or IPFW

[VULB#62]

[/quote]
The idea that somehow because we are small and successful we must be over achieving is just wrong.  Look, St. Bonaventure, in the vaunted A-10, has an undergrad enrollment of 2000.  Evansville, in the Valley (also a higher ranked conference) has about the same undergrad enrollment as Valpo.  I could go on but won't.  If enrollment size was the key to success then YSU or Milwaukee would win everything.
[/quote]

Agree 72.  Wake Forest, private, Baptist, has 4400 undergrads and competes across the board in the ACC.  Not too many people consider them over-achievers. It's what you are willing to commit to. BTW they have produced 36 Rhodes Scholars,

[valpo84]

If the Horizon is going to add anyone, as stated before, it should not be the likes of NKU, IUPUI, IPFW or even Oakland. The Horizon for survival and for its reputation needs to find another traditionally good basketball program that also has a wide array of sports but also focuses on academics. Quite frankly, and I've said it for years, we really need to be in a league like the A-10/12/14. We should be with like-minded/private institutions who look at the whole student and have balance. We should be playing Daytons and St Bonnies, LaSalles and Duquesnes as well as Xavier and Butler. If we do not add a good school then we need to plan our move. I joked last Fall when this first started that maybe we should look at the BigLeast, they have some private schools and maybe SETSHOT could finally read about us in the NYT.