Dr. Rawlins' Letter to the Editor

SUMG · December 15, 2011

This was in today's DMNews...not the D-RC. FWIW:

Only a decade or so ago, excitement for college football in the Dallas-Fort Worth area came mostly from being a fan of a major college team either to the north or south of us. Today, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about teams that are playing successful Division I sports right here at home.

Congratulations to TCU and SMU on their remarkable success in advancing to major conference affiliations, providing top quality football. UNT football also is moving forward. With our new Apogee Stadium and a proven coaching staff, we have made significant progress in the past year.

All three universities are making remarkable progress competing in other sports. A lot of attention goes to men's basketball, especially at UNT, where we've had five straight seasons with more than 20 wins, resulting in two trips to the NCAA tournament. But there are great athletes playing competitively in almost every sport among the three Division I universities in Dallas-Fort Worth.

For all of us at SMU, TCU and UNT, maintaining the quality of our academic programs is the most important goal. Yet offering strong, visible athletic programs is an important part of university success. And it's fun for everyone.

V. Lane Rawlins, president, University of North Texas, Denton

Read More: http://letterstotheeditorblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/12/excitement-here.html

This post has been promoted to an article

Edited December 15, 2011 by SUMG

forevereagle · December 15, 2011

Seems like selling the university to anyone who reads it, which could be someone from CUSA.

KRAM1 · December 15, 2011

I love it and think it serves several very positive purposes including a "notice" to the conference realignment folks...It "plays nice" with TCU and SMU sending a subtle message that UNT would love to play them in football, basketball, etc. Two, it tells the folks that Athletics is important at UNT once again, and three...it just gets the word out that UNT has a President who cares and sees UNT as an integral and valuable part of the metroplex higher ed opportunities.

Most of all...it's a really good..."folks, we are here and we are moving forward" little piece.

Glad to see it!

Probably much more to it than any of us might realize...never really know what's happening behind the scenes in the ivory towers at UNT, but I trust Dr. Rawlins to know exactly what he is doing and why he is doing it.....

Mean Green 93-98 · December 15, 2011

Seems like selling the university to anyone who reads it, which could be someone from CUSA.

Even better advertising for SMU and TCU.

letsgiveacheer · December 15, 2011

"Congratulations to TCU and SMU on their remarkable success in advancing to major conference affiliations"

Now we know for sure that we are not in a major conference if there was ever any question.

Harry · December 15, 2011

I liked it. In the very least it says "we're here".

greenjoe · December 15, 2011

And it's cheaper that one of those newspaper ads or billboards.

forevereagle · December 15, 2011

Even better advertising for SMU and TCU.

"Congratulations to TCU and SMU on their remarkable success in advancing to major conference affiliations"

Now we know for sure that we are not in a major conference if there was ever any question.

So let's be jerks about it and give them a very public finger. Of course you want to be nice, we may need their vote in the future.

Mean Green 93-98 · December 15, 2011

So let's be jerks about it and give them a very public finger. Of course you want to be nice, we may need their vote in the future.

I was just making an observation. Do you disagree that it is good advertising for SMU and TCU? And where do you get the idea that either I or letsgiveacheer were suggesting we "give them a very public finger"?

forevereagle · December 15, 2011

I was just making an observation. Do you disagree that it is good advertising for SMU and TCU? And where do you get the idea that either I or letsgiveacheer were suggesting we "give them a very public finger"?

Maybe it was a tone thing. Your comment specifically said that it was better advertising for TCU and SMU. Made it seem like you didn't like us mentioning them. Maybe I misread.

foutsrouts · December 15, 2011

Sorry UTA. Guess you don't exist as that 4th school in the area because you don't play football.

Green P1 · December 15, 2011

Even better advertising for SMU and TCU.

i read it the same way you did.

meangreenbob · December 16, 2011

"Congratulations to TCU and SMU on their remarkable success in advancing to major conference affiliations"

Now we know for sure that we are not in a major conference if there was ever any question.

Yeah, lets make it perfectly clear to all the local recruits that we are not in a major conference but if you want to play in one you might try smu or tcu.

I am losing total faith in this Athletic Department and Administration.

What was Rawlins thinking....oh he wasn't.

Edited December 16, 2011 by meangreenbob

UNT90 · December 16, 2011

I don't really understand this letter and why any part of it would focus on what any other university has done instead of what has been accomplished at UNT. Unless we have a shot at the Big East or the Big 12-3+1, bringing up TCU or SMU really makes no sense, much less bringing up both.

I'm so confused by this.

Green P1 · December 16, 2011

I don't really understand this letter and why any part of it would focus on what any other university has done instead of what has been accomplished at UNT. Unless we have a shot at the Big East or the Big 12-3+1, bringing up TCU or SMU really makes no sense, much less bringing up both.

I'm so confused by this.

bingo

rjmunthe · December 16, 2011

Sorry UTA. Guess you don't exist as that 4th school in the area because you don't play football.

People care about UTA? UTA is the..."I got rejected from every school but don't want to go to Community College" school.

eulessismore · December 16, 2011

Honestly, it hurts me to think of others in the area having achieved membership in "major conferences", but I really think that is a fact AT THIS TIME. I say that because about a year ago the talk was more "will the Big 12 or Howevermany, or the Big East or Wherever" survive. It appears that they will, but I'm still not certain enough that the "AQ" status will last that long for the Big East to where I would wish our athletes to have those travel requirements (how do college BASEBALL players manage that and a full class load).

I'm just putting Rawlins statement down as "hey, congratulations, you other area schools, and thanks for what you've done for college sports in our area, but you conferences that they left, don't forget that we're here and on the improve". Sure, I'd like to see stronger statements, but I don't want to assume the worse because Rawlins' statement was so sparse and conciliatory. There may be reasons for that; we all know the man has held important positions in the NCAA and helped found CUSA, so he may see things we don't.

I try to think of our situation as when I was between my last girlfriend and first (and current) wife. It kinda hurt to see others out and enjoying the relationships that I desired and that had eluded me, but I saw them as more similar than different from me, thus showing me that if they could enjoy love and companionship, that I could too. And I do. Oh, and I think it's possible that the geographic footprint of CUSA might make them "the right girl for us".

Edited December 16, 2011 by eulessismore

UNTP1 · December 16, 2011

People care about UTA? UTA is the..."I got rejected from every school but don't want to go to Community College" school.

First, let me say that I personally like this letter and believe that it was the result of careful consideration and planning. Second, and completely unrelated, I'm not sure how many people care about UTA but the quote above is false in many different ways. In the case of my former roomate and 2 of his friends, who loved UNT by the way, they had to transfer to UTA this fall. When they enrolled here in 2008 the engineering department assured them that the mechanical engineering program would be accredited by 2012. Over the summer they found out that their degree program was not any closer to being accredited then when they started. All 3 of them along with many others have been forced to transfer due to the mechanical engineering department dragging their feet on this matter. So for many, UTA is not an " I got rejected from every school but don't want to go to community college" but more like a "I waited for a bigger school to get my degree program accredited and they screwed me when I could have gone to this great engineering school right down the road the whole time" type of school... just sayin

Aquila_Viridis · December 16, 2011

First, let me say that I personally like this letter and believe that it was the result of careful consideration and planning. Second, and completely unrelated, I'm not sure how many people care about UTA but the quote above is false in many different ways. In the case of my former roomate and 2 of his friends, who loved UNT by the way, they had to transfer to UTA this fall. When they enrolled here in 2008 the engineering department assured them that the mechanical engineering program would be accredited by 2012. Over the summer they found out that their degree program was not any closer to being accredited then when they started. All 3 of them along with many others have been forced to transfer due to the mechanical engineering department dragging their feet on this matter. So for many, UTA is not an " I got rejected from every school but don't want to go to community college" but more like a "I waited for a bigger school to get my degree program accredited and they screwed me when I could have gone to this great engineering school right down the road the whole time" type of school... just sayin

UTA should be UNTA. UT should get out of UNT's region and turn over its campuses to the UNT system. Otherwise we should annihilate them.

Aquila_Viridis · December 16, 2011

I should add that if North Texas seceded from the rest of Texas I would leave Austin immediately and move to North Texas.

All About UNT · December 16, 2011

I should add that if North Texas seceded from the rest of Texas I would leave Austin immediately and move to North Texas.

Do I smell a political movement in the making?

VideoEagle · December 16, 2011

It's a great letter overall. Pretending TCU isnt in the Big 12 and SMU didn't just get invited to the Big East is silly. Just acknowledge it and move on. All three football schools in the Metroplex could collectively use more attention than schools 300 miles north or south. The recent achievements of NT are the focus of the letter. This is a better way of gaining attention than some goofy "we demand to be in XYZ conference" statement.

It being positive without being stupid.

TheTastyGreek · December 16, 2011

It being positive without being stupid.

A depressingly rare combination in support of North Texas athletics.

Quoner · December 16, 2011

It's a great letter overall. Pretending TCU isnt in the Big 12 and SMU didn't just get invited to the Big East is silly. Just acknowledge it and move on. All three football schools in the Metroplex could collectively use more attention than schools 300 miles north or south. The recent achievements of NT are the focus of the letter. This is a better way of gaining attention than some goofy "we demand to be in XYZ conference" statement.

It being positive without being stupid.

I wish I could buy VideoEagle trinkets and baubles of varying size and expense in exchange for some of his posts.

FirefightnRick · December 16, 2011

I don't really understand this letter and why any part of it would focus on what any other university has done instead of what has been accomplished at UNT. Unless we have a shot at the Big East or the Big 12-3+1, bringing up TCU or SMU really makes no sense, much less bringing up both.

I'm so confused by this.

Completely agree.

Rick