RU should endeavor to be its own model, the one it embodied with great pride and distinction for over 100 years before embarking on this wasteful venture into big time football. Rutgers should disengage from the corrupt world of commercialized big time athletics and immediately withdraw from Division IA football. With such unmistakeable evidence of RU’s recommitment to academics the best students will once again return to the university. Beat Lehigh!

A thoughtful post. However, we diverge on matters of substance here, and best that I should explain my objections. Your comment that “a successful football program will eliminate the stigma attached to Rutgers”, while hopeful, seems pure pie in the sky, given the seriousness of the situation. As I’m sure you’re aware, there is utterly no guarantee that this influx of cash will result in a successful or “big time” football program. You may hope it will, but the fact that this remains only hope and not fact demonstrates the scope of this gamble. That it is a gamble that is drawing money from academics to put on the roulette wheel of football success is something I would hope you would acknowledge. Furthermore, I would argue that for a significant portion of NJ’s bright students – perhaps women mostly – football success combined with a deteriorating academic profile would just lend Rutgers the additional stigma of being a dumbed-down football school. Under Bloustein, this school looked towards a future of being a world-class public university, as good as any of them. This dream sank when Lawrence was hired by the BoG, on (and I have reliable sources for this) a quid-pro-quo for bringing “big time” football to Rutgers. After close to 20 years of promises about what football will do for Rutgers whilst the university plumets down the rankings, you will forgive my cynicism about yet more of them.

Certainly, it would be wonderful if we were Michigan with its deep alumni pockets. But we’re not. Whilst I share your frustrations about NJ’s criminal neglect of Rutgers, I see a desperately underfunded university taking money from academics and redirecting it to football in still-increasing amounts. To my mind, regaining the academic standing of Rutgers starts with a simple step. Making excellence in academics the unambiguous first priority of the university. it has been, again, close to 20 years since that was the case at Rutgers. And how have we done in that time? These last two decades have been, quite simply, the worst in Rutgers’ history.

As for Rutgers 1000, I don’t see any delusion in arguing and fighting for a better Rutgers. For me, it’s incredibly heartening that the direction of Rutgers as an instiution still arouses passion and real debate. When this subsides, we’re in trouble. To me, it is students like these, not the sort that comment here that they care more about a decent football program than the English Department, who are the real patriots of this university.

I should mention two things. Among my alumni circle, opinion on football is split about 50/50. Yet the unease, even among supporters is growing, especially as regards to the stadium gamble. One thing that is not split is the sense of immense disappointment in Richard McCormick. We thought he would be a savior after Lawrence, and it turns out he was dumped on us by wiser heads at UW. Somehow, Rutgers always seems to get the ones nobody else wants.

You raise some valid points in your posts, but I think the RU 1000 is operating under a sort of delusion that Rutgers can quickly retain its academic statute. It can’t. Not without alumni support. Not with state support.

How is Rutgers suppose to become a “public ivy” in the midst of state cuts, poor perception and low alumni support rates? My alma mater, Michigan, has suffered enormous cuts in state support that are unlikely to end anytime soon (incidentally, this has led some to suggest Michigan should just turn private). But the school conquered those challenges by easily raising $2.5 billion from alums (ahead of schedule, see http://www.giving.umich.edu/campaign/news/current/052107_goal.htm). On top of that, they are continuing the campaign. Now, the AD is asking for alumni support to finance a $226 million dollar stadium renovation. Do you think any of these benchmarks are even remotely possible at Rutgers? If not, then how can Rutgers regain its academic standing? You can’t get something for nothing.

At the very least, a successful football program will eliminate the stigma attached to Rutgers. Someone told me when I was applying to colleges that there’s this building at Rutgers called the “hall of broken dreams,” or something to that affect. And I admit, when I visited, I was less than impressed with the facilities and the atmosphere as a whole. A successful football program, even if it only has a chance of winning, will at least create some pride that will make it more difficult to cut the Rutgers budget. You might not like the idea of the state stabilizing or increasing funds because New Jersey views Rutgers as a point of pride because of the football team, but I’ll take anything at this point.

I’m a Rutgers Grad Student now. I have a personal stake in Rutgers. I want to see Rutgers succeed. I love my home state. But I think in order for that to happen, we need to acknowledge some realities.

As a college football fan, I can tell you that Rutgers is very close. There is a reason why Schiano changed his mind literally the last second on the Michigan opening (there are also reports he tried to get back into the mix after changing his mind, but that’s another story). Rutgers is competing in one of, of not the weakest BCS conference in the country. Schiano’s main competition, Rich Rodriguez, is now gone (took Michigan job). Louisville seems to be on the decline after Petrino left. Pitt is doing well with recruiting but they don’t have a good Xs and Os coach. Syracuse used to be good but they’re now a joke. So the door is wide open for Rutgers. And the recruits know that too. With the current situation, Rutgers is only a couple of good recruiting classes away from a BCS bowl, and potentially many more after that. With no established teams in the Big East, Rutgers only needs to hang on to a few recruits in order to be competitive. With the cost much lower for Rutgers simply because of low competition, my assumption is that state monies will be used to fund the stadium expansion. Whether you like this or not, that is the future I envision.

Schiano had better deliver though. If he can’t win in the current Big East, Rutgers football will lose a lot of money in the future. But the admin is so invested in this I don’t see them backing down right now.

I didn’t like the architecture – and from what I understand, few did – but this inital phase doesn’t include buildings. It’s focused on making that horrible, trash-filled street into a properly landscaped, pedestrian-friendly area. Regardless of what built structures may follow, I certainly support this part of it. College Ave as it has been ever since my day is a disgrace to the university.

I’m of two minds about the College Avenue “greening”. One is being thankful that it didn’t happen and looks like it’s not going to happen. It was completely insensitive to the character of College Ave and would have been a blight on New Brunswick.

On the other hand, several million dollars were spent on studies, drawings, plans, models, exhibitions, competitions, etc, etc, etc. How many years support of Crew, Swimming, Fencing etc, would this have represented? How many current buildings could have been renovated with the money?

And the campus with the most pressing development needs is Livingston. It needs to be turned from a 1960s monstrosity into a human-sized set of facilities, mainly by banishing the parking lots to elsewhere and constructing buildings much more densely, so that the campus becomes friendly and walkable.

But I agree that the President and BoG really should resign over the stadium disaster. Who remembers back in January that both McCormick and Mulcahy promised us that this wouldn’t cost us a thing. Well, it’s now July, construction is under way and we have no bonds and no donations. So is the tooth fairy paying?