Karl Benson ready to get to work on new-look Sun Belt Conference

rcade · February 22, 2012

Sure, because helping promote and legitimize our direct competition is always a good idea. UNT should not only vote against these teams being included in the conference, but shOuld lobby other Sun Belt schools to do the same.

That's the kind of reasoning that SMU used to keep UNT out of its conference for decades.

UNT needs to play more Texas schools. We gain a lot more by having two in-state conference rivals than we stand to lose by having those rivals in our conference.

Everyone in the Sun Belt gains when a school prospers in the conference.

rcade · February 22, 2012

Texas St and UTSA will bring zero, nada, zip, zilch new fans put to see UNT football. They have no fan base, and wont travel well, either.

Denton is four hours drive from San Marcos and five hours from San Antonio. They'd be the two closest schools we play.

UTSA's first home football game was attended by 56,000. Their average home attendance was 35,521, which is the largest attendance for a new football program in its first year ever. They broke the record set by USF in 1997.

By comparison, UNT's average home attendance was 18,864 in 2011.

golfingomez · February 22, 2012

Texas St and UTSA will bring zero, nada, zip, zilch new fans out to see UNT football. They have no fan base, and wont travel well, either. No new rivalry or UNT fans will be made by having these schools in the conference.

And you make the Belt the entry level conference for FCS schools in the future, a tag reserved for the WAC right now.

Wanna expand? Go after the top 3 programs left in the WAC. Leave Texas St and UTSA twisting in the wind (where they should be, anyway). That should be UNT's goal if we can't get into a better conference.

regardless off whether you respect these schools or not, it would be ignorant to think that these schools would not put more butts in seats at home games...

also... it'd be nice to make a 4-5 hour trip to be able to see an in conference game...

UNT90 · February 22, 2012

That's the kind of reasoning that SMU used to keep UNT out of its conference for decades.

UNT needs to play more Texas schools. We gain a lot more by having two in-state conference rivals than we stand to lose by having those rivals in our conference.

Everyone in the Sun Belt gains when a school prospers in the conference.

That's the reasoning SMU used EFFECTIVELY to keep UNT out of it's conference for decades.

How did that work put for SMU? Well, they are in a BCS conference, so they must have done something right.

UNT needs to play more Texas schools THAT MATTER!! UTSA and TX St are not those type of schools. He'll, why not just establish an every year home and home with Texas Southern. Really not much of a difference.

Excuse me for not wanting to be in the second coming of the Southland. Played plenty of Texas teams then. Guess what. No one gave a crap.

UNT90 · February 22, 2012

also... it'd be nice to make a 4-5 hour trip to be able to see an in conference game...

And here is the real reason.as long as I have my cool roadie to San Antonio or San Marcos, who cares what happens to the program. I man, we are just little ole UNT, we really shouldn't expect to much, anyway.

Edited February 22, 2012 by UNT90

VideoEagle · February 22, 2012

That's the reasoning SMU used EFFECTIVELY to keep UNT out of it's conference for decades.

How did that work put for SMU? Well, they are in a BCS conference, so they must have done something right.

UNT needs to play more Texas schools THAT MATTER!! UTSA and TX St are not those type of schools. He'll, why not just establish an every year home and home with Texas Southern. Really not much of a difference.

Excuse me for not wanting to be in the second coming of the Southland. Played plenty of Texas teams then. Guess what. No one gave a crap.

Wow, you think SMU opposing NT from joining the old SWC is why they are now in the Big East? You really believe it had anything to do with it? I don't like the idea of being the home for FCS move ups, but by the time either school could join they will already BE FBS schools.

According to nearly every published report, the Presidents of the Allience schools are thinking of UTSA in the same terms as they think of NT.

If I remember correctly, the school we have played the most in our history is TXST.

golfingomez · February 22, 2012

And here is the real reason.as long as I have my cool roadie to San Antonio or San Marcos, who cares what happens to the program. I man, we are just little ole UNT, we really shouldn't expect to much, anyway.

you're right... my bad... I forgot that Boise did it the right way... by beating up on all the powerhouse schools in the WAC... voters were much more impressed by their 60 point wins over San Jose St. and Wyoming then the big name schools they were beating outside the conference...

let's be more like SMU... excuse me... I have to go shopping at American Exchange... and turn my nose up at every other school in Texas in order to make myself 'better' then them...

oh also... I won't be attending any home games...

MeanGreenTexan · February 22, 2012

Ugh.

Why does every thread that remotely resembles conference re-alignment turn into another TSU-SM & UTSA thread?

Is it really a surprise to anyone that Benson would go after C-USA teams to join the belt? This was his tactic when he was with the WAC. He continually targeted UNT to join the WAC after being repeatedly shot down by RV. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while, but Benson has been searching for his for quite a while now. I hardly believe a C-USA team will join the Belt unless something drastic happens like a school gets kicked out.

rcade · February 22, 2012

Is it really a surprise to anyone that Benson would go after C-USA teams to join the belt?

I'm surprised. It is completely delusional of Benson to think a CUSA team would switch to the Belt.

MeanGreenTexan · February 22, 2012

I'm surprised. It is completely delusional of Benson to think a CUSA team would switch to the Belt.

That's preceisely my argument. But, this has been his tactic in the past.

rcade · February 22, 2012

That's the reasoning SMU used EFFECTIVELY to keep UNT out of it's conference for decades.

How did that work put for SMU? Well, they are in a BCS conference, so they must have done something right.

SMU joining the Big East had nothing to do with UNT being excluded from its conferences. The Big East has gone crazy. Adding schools as far-flung as San Diego State, Boise State and UCF to keep your auto bid is a Hail Mary pass.

Edited February 22, 2012 by rcade

untjim1995 · February 22, 2012

That's the reasoning SMU used EFFECTIVELY to keep UNT out of it's conference for decades.

How did that work put for SMU? Well, they are in a BCS conference, so they must have done something right.

UNT needs to play more Texas schools THAT MATTER!! UTSA and TX St are not those type of schools. He'll, why not just establish an every year home and home with Texas Southern. Really not much of a difference.

Excuse me for not wanting to be in the second coming of the Southland. Played plenty of Texas teams then. Guess what. No one gave a crap.

OK, UNT90. Tell us how to get those Texas schools that "matter" to accept us in a conference with them? NOt just polay us, but be in a conference with us. Because the last 50+ years tell me that they all are looking at UNT the same way you are looking at Texas State and UTSA. BTW, if UTSA doesn't get included, it won't hurt my feelings, but TX State has been playing ball at some level for a long time, so they are very much like us when we moved up form our purgatory in 1994. Unfortunately for them--and maybe us, too--UTSA has a market that has very little competition and a city that likes and supports their university. North Texas cannot say this at all about our area, especially in terms of being liked by its home town.

UNT90 · February 22, 2012

Because the last 50+ years tell me that they all are looking at UNT the same way you are looking at Texas State and UTSA.

TX State has been playing ball at some level for a long time, so they are very much like us when we moved up form our purgatory in 1994.

UTSA has a market that has very little competition and a city that likes and supports their university. North Texas cannot say this at all about our area, especially in terms of being liked by its home town.

Answered in succession:

Yes, they are. That's because there is a college football heirarchy, and UTSA and TX St. are not at our level in that heirarchy. We should do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen. Again, this is a business.

IT'S NOT 1994!!! My god, people, how low is your self esteem when it comes to UNT football?? If it was 94, I would be all for them and UTSA moving up into a conference at the same time we made the move. IT'S NOT!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you really want to keep associating with the bottom feeders of FBS football?? Please expect more.

UTSA has huge competition in their market. It's a little school called the University of Texas a little over an hour up the road (just a little further than UNT is from the vaunted Dallas market). San Antonio has been and will continue to be UT's market. UTSA faces the exact same challenges we face with the Dallas market, except for the fact that they have been around less than 2 years and the San Antonio market is far smaller than the Dallas market.

Look, it's not just these 2 schools. If we have to stay in the Belt (God forbid), we should demand that the Belt not be the "hey, let's move up to FBS football conference" Conference. You think the Belt is disrespected now? Wait until Benson starts opening the door to any FCS program that will raise their skirt.

Hopefully, we move out of this god forsaken mess that is the Sun Belt into the CUSA/MWC alliance. When we start making it worth their while (get the football equivelent of an RPI above 60), other Texas schools will start coming to UNT. We damn sure aren't going to convince them to play us by sharing a conference with 2 FCS programs.

Or, we can just give up and be happy we have 2 close road games that no one outside of this board would give 2 sh*&s about.

Edited February 23, 2012 by UNT90

goodsn4 · February 23, 2012

Since when has UNT not been in the bottom of FBS?

UNT football has been a bottom feeder in FBS for several years. There is nothing you can do to get away from it until you start winning and go to bowl games in multiple years.

Yes Texas State and UTSA will start out at the bottom of the FBS, but the budgets that they are bringing to the table will help them improve quickly. Both are/have maxed out their athletic fees at $20 per credit hour and both have over 30,000 students enrolled.

Budget comparisons

School Expenditures Revenue

University of North Texas (FBS) $22,417,616 $22,417,616

Texas State University (FCS) $19,695,633 $21,300,108

UT-San Antonio (FCS) $14,475,118 $14,475,118

Another note: Texas State has already passed UNT on the Texas list of emerging institutions in regards to research with about a quarter of the PhD. programs that UNT offers, our endowment has grown and is now larger than UNT, and our 4, 5, and 6 year graduation rates in 2006-2009 (latest years of available data) were significantly higher than North Texas State.

We may be FCS now, but we are not just saying we want to be FBS, we are also putting the money into the program to make a successful move to the FBS level. Our football stadium is being upgraded now to approx. 29,500 and another expansion is scheduled in 2014 that should bring the capacity up to about 35-36,000. We recently completed new luxury boxes and club level seating that are very nice and will be some of the best in the WAC next year.

Whether you like it or not, on July 1 Texas State will be an FBS school.

Edited February 23, 2012 by goodsn4

rcade · February 23, 2012

Yes, they are. That's because there is a college football heirarchy, at UTSA and TX St. are not at our level in that heirarchy. We should do eveerything we can to make sure that doesn't happen. Again, this is a business.

UTSA won't be a bottom feeder. That much is already clear from its first-year attendance.

UNT has to prepare for the possibility we won't get invited into MWCUSA. Having UTSA in the Belt makes it stronger than it is today. UNT would be foolish to oppose that.

As for Texas State, a stronger argument can be made for their exclusion. But they're still a better draw for UNT fans than schools like Western Kentucky and FAU. When I went to UNT I saw us play them several times. A lot of alumni can say that. It's better than trying to create rivalries out of nothing, the way we've had to do with most Belt schools.

My god, people, how low is your self esteem when it comes to UNT football??

You're the one talking self-esteem. We're talking football. Maybe you're projecting.

Edited February 23, 2012 by rcade

PlummMeanGreen · February 23, 2012

Since when has UNT not been in the bottom of FBS?

UNT football has been a bottom feeder in FBS for several years. There is nothing you can do to get away from it until you start winning and go to bowl games in multiple years.

Yes Texas State and UTSA will start out at the bottom of the FBS, but the budgets that they are bringing to the table will help them improve quickly. Both are/have maxed out their athletic fees at $20 per credit hour and both have over 30,000 students enrolled.

Budget comparisons
School Expenditures Revenue

University of North Texas (FBS) $22,417,616 $22,417,616

Texas State University (FCS) $19,695,633 $21,300,108

UT-San Antonio (FCS) $14,475,118 $14,475,118

A Re-Post To Our Friends From Texas State-SM and UTSA:

History and legacy will not buy too many cups of coffee in today's NCAA but still it is important to have them and to have them at the NCAA's highest level of competition. No, UNT never won a National Championship since the modern era of NCAA Division 1 began in the 1950's, but we were hardly chopped liver during that era of so very few bowl games and our existence even in the shadows of the Southwest Conference.

For what it's worth, history, legacy or whatever you want to call it and our shared #5 ranked TV market is what (basically) got SMU into Big East. Bottom-feeder you say? Well, SMU is a school with about 3 winning seasons the last 25 years and that did not stop Big East officials from giving the Mustangs an invite and (again) the #5 (soon to pass Philly' and be #4) ranked TV market will probably get North Texas in the Alliance, too, if all our recent indicators prove to be true.

North Texas: Hardly A Notre Dame-Type Legacy--But At Least...A Legacy Dating Back To The 1950's To The Present At The NCAA's Highest Level (except for 12 years in 1-aa).

Where were most other schools in the NCAA presently in "non AQ" (non BCS) leagues in the 1950's--the beginning of the modern era of NCAA football? Is a school's legacy that important? I would say it would be especially if that school developed its brand which most in the present non AQ/non-BCS did not (including our school, ie, North Texas).

S M U truly doesn't have many winning seasons in the last 2 1/2 decades, doesn't have many fans for a bowl team (and that the prime reason June Jones will eventually leave SMU) but.............

........SMU does have a brand that was developed in the 1930's and 1940's and that is why the Big East chose SMU (poor attendance and all) rather than choosing some CUSA or MWC schools who are more deserving with some of those schools kicking butt at the turnstiles with numerous winning seasons in their past, too. It's all about a school's brand, folks--this is today's NCAA and most of us do not have it because of what we "were not" doing in the 1930's and 1940's in intercollegiate football.

.

2 Eras which occurred before the Hayden Fry Era at North Texas which was during most of the 70's and those 2 eras which is North Texas football legacy beginning in the modern era of the NCAA. The 1950's began in a most eventful way when the University of North Texas administration led by its school president, ie, Dr. Carl Matthews would lead the way in the state of Texas (and the Southwest) to integrate and that with the first 2 blacks, namely, one who many would call the American Football League's (AFL) first bonafide superstar, ie, the great Abner Haynes and his good friend, (now) Dr. Leon King whose college career was not as celebrated as Haynes. They both enrolled at North Texas in the mid 1950's after graduating from Dallas Lincoln High School

1'st Significant Era At North Texas In The NCAA's Modern Era: This mid-1950's North Texas football team led by Time Magazine All American Abner Haynes also played at the highest level of NCAA back then and that era which would later be called the beginnings of the modern era of NCAA college football. The level North Texas played in the early 50's was not College Division, NCAA Division II, NCAA III or NAIA, it was (once again) the highest level of NCAA football competition during that era.

NT Athletics Hall of Famer, Texas Sports Hall of Famer and Kansas City Chief Hall of Honor inductee Abner Haynes would take his North Texas team to the 1959 Sun Bowl in his senior year. Owner Lamar Hunt would sign Haynes to the (then) Dallas Texans in the end zone of our former football stadium, Fouts Field. The Texans would soon become the KC Chiefs.

2'nd Significant Era At North Texas: The Mean Joe Greene Years

It was mostly Houston and North Texas who were integrating their Texas inter-collegiate football teams long before SMU intregated with Jerry Levias in 1965.

The Joe Greene led Mean Green would play in a "bowl-less" Missouri Valley Conference which included Houston, Tulsa, Cincinatti, Memphis, Louisville and others.

Joe Greene's Era at North Texas had 3 or 4 #1 draft choices but their most signifcant game may have been a loss against Frank Broyles' Arkansas Razorbacks. The late Ron Shanklin who was another Mean Green NFL high draft choice wide receiver said several Arkansas Razorbacks called him years later to tell him "Sorry, Ron, but you guys really won that game against us and that end of game home cookin call which robbed your team of a winning TD was as embarrassing to us as anyone--except the SWC refs, of course."

That North Texas "home cookin' referried" loss was against that top ranked 1968 Arkansas Razorback football team and yes, a loss, but that was the quality of Mean Green football back in the 1960's and during the Mean Joe Greene Era.

3'rd Significant Era At North Texas: That was the Hayden Fry Era which would probably give our program more true national notoriety than any that preceded it but it would end too soon as Fry left for Iowa and the Big 10 after 6 years in Denton and a just 2 or 3 years later the North Texas administration making the biggest mistake in our athletic history when it chose to wave the white flag and go down to the next level which would be called NCAA D1-AA. We are still in recovery from those little over 10 years in college football purgatory truth be known but the recovery is still happening now with our new Apogee Stadium, an expected upsurge in Texas HS Rivals recruiting due to our new stadium and a dramatic boost in our football budget beginning in 2012.

It's really all good and getting better plus the TV market our school resides is not too shabby, either, since it will eventually do for UNT what it has done for SMU.

GMG!

Edited February 23, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen

goodsn4 · February 23, 2012

Maybe I should have worded my statement to say just the last 30 years.

North Texas at one time had great teams. But in the last 30 years, North Texas has not done much. A string of 4 Sunbelt championships break the monotony of the bad seasons, but not much else.

Texas State has not done much either. Back-to-back D2 national titles in the early 80's and 2 FCS playoff appearances in the 2000's. Mediocrity at its best.

Our fans would rather follow us playing FBS competitors vs. FCS competitors. I am anxious to see what our attendance is this coming season and how many season tickets are sold. Here is a seating chart for our upgraded stadium and I know they are bringing in temporary seating for the Texas Tech game for overflow.

UNT90 · February 23, 2012

Maybe I should have worded my statement to say just the last 30 years.

North Texas at one time had great teams. But in the last 30 years, North Texas has not done much. A string of 4 Sunbelt championships break the monotony of the bad seasons, but not much else.

Texas State has not done much either. Back-to-back D2 national titles in the early 80's and 2 FCS playoff appearances in the 2000's. Mediocrity at its best.

Our fans would rather follow us playing FBS competitors vs. FCS competitors. I am anxious to see what our attendance is this coming season and how many season tickets are sold. Here is a seating chart for our upgraded stadium and I know they are bringing in temporary seating for the Texas Tech game for overflow.

Look, I want to make it clear that I have nothing against Texas St. or UTSA. I hope you are successful in the WAC. My position here is based soley on what is best for the University of North Texas, which doesn't include conference membership with either TSU or UTSA. Pay your dues in the WAC and maybe we will see you in 10 years in CUSA.

UNT90 · February 23, 2012

UTSA won't be a bottom feeder. That much is already clear from its first-year attendance.

You're the one talking self-esteem. We're talking football. Maybe you're projecting.

First year attendance? Maybe you mean 1st game attendance. They were giving tickets away by the end of the year. No on campus stadium. No facilities. Only thing to sell is a recruiting market to bigger programs. Let's see what next year's attendance brings.

Seriously? Getting personal over conference realignment? It's like watching a girl go back to her abusive boyfriend time and again, all the while saying "but he's the only one who would ever love me."

Same thing for many UNT fans and the worst conference in college football as perceived by college football fans.

.

Edited February 23, 2012 by UNT90

UNTX · February 23, 2012

Another note: Texas State has already passed UNT on the Texas list of emerging institutions in regards to research with about a quarter of the PhD. programs that UNT offers, our endowment has grown and is now larger than UNT, and our 4, 5, and 6 year graduation rates in 2006-2009 (latest years of available data) were significantly higher than North Texas State.

No, you haven't "passed us", but you are very close to us. Texas State-San Marcos reported $33.5M In research expenditures for FY 2011 and UNT reported $37.5M for the same period. UNT's figure represented a 20 percent increase over 2010. As our engineering programs mature expenditures should increase. UNT is producing the level of research it is at what heretofore has largely been a liberal arts university. Yes, your grad rates are higher but your admission standards are lower, and UNT is raising its standards this coming fall.

Congrats on JUST RECENTLY surpassing us in endowment funds. I don't expect that to last.

PlummMeanGreen · February 23, 2012

No, you haven't "passed us", but you are very close to us. Texas State-San Marcos reported $33.5M In research expenditures for FY 2011 and UNT reported $37.5M for the same period. UNT's figure represented a 20 percent increase over 2010. As our engineering programs mature expenditures should increase. UNT is producing the level of research it is at what heretofore has largely been a liberal arts university. Yes, your grad rates are higher but your admission standards are lower, and UNT is raising its standards this coming fall.

Congrats on JUST RECENTLY surpassing us in endowment funds. I don't expect that to last.

Maybe I've missed something along the way, but when did the state of Texas or the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board officially designate any Texas State University System campus (SHSU, SFASU or TSU-SM) as an official emerging public or urban research university? I've often said the San Marcos school seems to have used UNT as their model of leaving a teacher's college past behind and I think they've succeeded in doing that but their location in the shadows of UT-Austin will always be a negative plus their TV market will never do for them what ours has done for SMU and apparently from all indicators will soon enough do for the University of North Texas.

I think there is a bit of frustration on the TSU-SM Bobcat poster's part inasmuch as just when he (and I'm sure a few of his fellow Bob'catters') thought their school had finally caught up being in the same University of North Texas athletic neighborhood, but he now sees that we are most likely going to be part of this Alliance and it will be his school that will probably spend the next 4 or 5 decades caught somewhere between a FCS/FBS purgatory or existence as they look for their place in the college football world. I think some of us would even call that "a paying of dues?" Sometimes life as far as the NCAA is concerned is just not fair.

GMG!

PS: TSU-SM really seems to be putting all their eggs into having one home game with Texas Tech. It will come and it will go, but they will still have Aquarena Springs and Arnold the Flying Pig is it?

Edited February 23, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen

dentUNiTe · February 23, 2012

Maybe I've missed something along the way, but when did the state of Texas or the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board officially designate any Texas State University System campus (SHSU, SFASU or TSU-SM) as an official emerging public or urban research university? I've often said the San Marcos school seems to have used UNT as their model of leaving a teacher's college past behind and I think they've succeeded in doing that but their location in the shadows of UT-Austin will always be a negative plus their TV market will never do for them what ours has done for SMU and apparently from all indicators will soon enough do for the University of North Texas.

I think there is a bit of frustration on the TSU-SM Bobcat poster's part inasmuch as just when he (and I'm sure a few of his fellow Bob'catters') thought their school had finally caught up being in the same University of North Texas athletic neighborhood, but he now sees that we are most likely going to be part of this Alliance and it will be his school that will probably spend the next 4 or 5 decades caught somewhere between a FCS/FBS purgatory or existence as they look for their place in the college football world. I think some of us would even call that "a paying of dues?" Sometimes life as far as the NCAA is concerned is just not fair.

GMG!

PS: TSU-SM really seems to be putting all their eggs into having one home game with Texas Tech. It will come and it will go, but they will still have Aquarena Springs and Arnold the Flying Pig is it?

Ralph the swimming pig....pure greatness

GL2Greatness · February 23, 2012

Maybe I've missed something along the way, but when did the state of Texas or the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board officially designate any Texas State University System campus (SHSU, SFASU or TSU-SM) as an official emerging public or urban research university? I've often said the San Marcos school seems to have used UNT as their model of leaving a teacher's college past behind and I think they've succeeded in doing that but their location in the shadows of UT-Austin will always be a negative plus their TV market will never do for them what ours has done for SMU and apparently from all indicators will soon enough do for the University of North Texas.

I think there is a bit of frustration on the TSU-SM Bobcat poster's part inasmuch as just when he (and I'm sure a few of his fellow Bob'catters') thought their school had finally caught up being in the same University of North Texas athletic neighborhood, but he now sees that we are most likely going to be part of this Alliance and it will be his school that will probably spend the next 4 or 5 decades caught somewhere between a FCS/FBS purgatory or existence as they look for their place in the college football world. I think some of us would even call that "a paying of dues?" Sometimes life as far as the NCAA is concerned is just not fair.

GMG!

PS: TSU-SM really seems to be putting all their eggs into having one home game with Texas Tech. It will come and it will go, but they will still have Aquarena Springs and Arnold the Flying Pig is it?

It was Ralph the swimming pig

http://boingboing.net/2008/10/16/home-of-ralph-the-sw.html

and that was when the Springs were privately owned Ralph was sent into retirement when TxState bought the springs

here is the presser for TxState becoming an emerging research university

http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2012/January-2012/EmergingResearch011212.html

and UNT can report anything they wish for research, but it is the THECB that verifies that and then list it

these are the state audited numbers for 2007-2011

Texas State University-San Marcos $10,319,657 $19,309,464 $24,494,208 $30,560,431 $33,486,998

University of North Texas $14,489,684 $16,798,880 $22,557,512 $24,715,921 $25,422,991

http://www.txhighereddata.org/Interactive/Accountability2011/InteractiveGenerate.cfm

here are the state audited numbers for restricted research which count towards NRUF funding

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:gJ2Q-CXdV1UJ:www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/xls/1260.xls+UNT+total+research+expenditures+2011&cd=29&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

from 2011-2007

Texas State - San Marcos $19,078,112 $17,778,634 $13,336,491 $11,300,309 $8,137,690

University of North Texas $14,476,509 $13,293,480 $11,240,239 $9,378,481 $8,178,519

here is verification of the same from UNT

http://research.unt.edu/sites/default/files/FY11_RR_Expenditures.pdf

and for the growing engineering program helping

there was a slight decrease from 2010-2011....opps

College of Engineering $4,492,111 (2010) $3,517,985 (2011)

and since 2008 TxState has had the larger endowment

http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/NES2008PublicTable-AllInstitutionsByFY08MarketValue.pdf

not exactly recent

and admissions standards for UNT will not be going up this fall they are already listed and they are the same since 2004

http://www.unt.edu/vwbk/admission.htm

Welcome, Class of 2016. the class of 2016 would be starting in....Fall of 2012

Fall 2012

March 1, 2012 Freshman Priority application deadline

July 2, 2012 Transfer application deadline

there is no mention of increased standards anywhere on the page that is welcoming the class of 2016 and giving Fall of 2012 admissions deadlines.....in the Dec 2011 BOR meeting they specifically declined to raise admissions and discussed hiring a firm (what UNT does best) to analyze the issue

if anyone has a disagreement with the audited data from the THECB they should take it up with them because that is the data that is used by the state and every other university on the list has data and numbers that are right in line with what they have stated in any press release that is available online

they also have it listed multiple places

http://www.txhighereddata.org/Interactive/Accountability2011/UNIV_Research.cfm?FICE=445566

choose the various universities in the drop down box

TxState

$ 11.653 $ 30.560 $ 33.487 187.4% $ 35.000 95.7%

2001 2010 2011 increase % from 2001 2015 CTG goal % completed towards CTG goal

UNT

$ 17.442 $ 24.716 $ 25.423 45.8% $ 30.330 83.8%

so "UNT reports of" are not accurate......the THECB has what is accurate......and TxState does more total research and they do more restricted research which is what counts towards NRUF funding

also TxState has a higher Closing The Gaps goal for 2015 by almost 5 million VS UNT

and it is all in those links.....audited and verified.....from the THECB......and everyone matches up with their claims.....well all but one :huh:

Edited February 23, 2012 by GL2Greatness

emmitt01 · February 23, 2012

We recently completed new luxury boxes and club level seating that are very nice and will be some of the best in the WAC next year.

And this about says all you need to know. No thanks.

rcade · February 23, 2012

Seriously? Getting personal over conference realignment? It's like watching a girl go back to her abusive boyfriend time and again, all the while saying "but he's the only one who would ever love me."

Same thing for many UNT fans and the worst conference in college football as perceived by college football fans.

This psychoanalysis is complete garbage. Those of us who are realistic about UNT's current place in the football world are not suffering from low self-esteem or acting like domestic violence victims.

Until we get an invite, we're in the Sun Belt and have to make the most of it.

The idea that we can move up if we all start feeling better about ourselves is hilarious. Does that work in your everyday life? Do great things happen just because you want them to?

I'm guessing no. You have to make them happen by putting in the work. Getting Apogee built and hiring McCarney were two steps in that direction. Actually filling the place would be a third.