86 Comments - Sir Reel - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:03 pm: Yes let’s establish yet another commission to study the feasibility of whatever. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:07 pm: - wordslinger - got it right. The Rutgers and Maryland add was for NYC market and DC market, and the possibility of the BIG10 Conference championship being played at Madison Square Garden someday. 14 schools. Go to 16? Was suppose to be, in a perfect world Notre Dame and Syracuse, from what I had gathered right before Syracuse joined the ACC, and ND made the “deal” of “everything but football” with the ACC, the deal the BIG10 refused. Syracuse and ND would have made perfect a 16 team BIG10, including all the markets desired. So, to 16? Can’t see expansion, especially with a weak Illinois state school as one of the adds. No money with an Illinois school add. That is the bottom line. Wished for the Syracuse/ND add. What a BIG10 that would have been… “Goofy idea” - Chad - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:09 pm: Another elite-level public university is clearly needed, whether Big-10 or otherwise. The commission would be a good way to open discussion on how to expend additional funds (from new casinos?) on one institution in order to significantly raise the quality of its academics. What we now have is one great public campus, and ten others that will never be able to advance beyond middling. There is just this mentality that after Urbana gets its share, the remainder get crumbs on a nearly pro-rata share. Sports is part of the equation, but really not the point of this. - Norseman - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:09 pm: Goofy. On the other thread - Today’s number: $480,000 = a commenter talked about prestige. Prestige is not gained by joining an athletic conference. It takes funding and leadership. Neither of these sponsors would support the funding necessary to bring other Illinois universities to the level of prestige. Plus, they both voted for SB 1, which does more to prevent our universities from attaining this goal by making the recruitment of quality faculty more difficult. - Montrose - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:10 pm: Is there some equation that shows a causal relationship between being part of the Big10 and the quality of the education? Am I missing something? - Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:11 pm: Goofy idea for multiple reasons. 1. The state can’t fund the U of I system as it is and it is owed hundreds of millions; 2. The $ required would be in the billions to improve facilities, faculty, endowment (minimum $800m) to come close; 3. Neighboring states have the school places but not the population and jobs. The grads largely come back if there are jobs. - Lunchbox - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:11 pm: This is mind boggling. Creating a commission whose recommendations will probably mean diddly squat to the Big Ten is a big waste of time. - Nonplussed - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:11 pm: The Big 10 expansion has brought the flagship public schools from several states into the conference (Penn State, Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers). No school in Illinois fits the MO. - Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:14 pm: Bit weird to see an Iowa grad in Murphy leading this charge as well. Don’t do as I did? And Connelly went to Loyola. - BW - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:14 pm: Football and academics still drive the Big Ten. Look at how the Big East has fallen from the elite conferences. So, unless the University of Chicago turns back the clock to 1946 and reinvests in athletics, there are no other public or private universities in Illinois that are even close to meeting that threshold for a Big Ten University. So it is completely goofy. - dupage dan - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:15 pm: feh - Flame Alumnus - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:15 pm: As far as academics go, UIC is right up there with Northwestern and U of I Urbana Champaign. They are already Division I, and have the athletic facilities needed for the Big Ten. The only downside is no football team. - Proud - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:15 pm: Goofy, just expand U of I. Look at how many students it has vs Michigan or Ohis state! - Jake From Elwood - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:16 pm: The NCAA really wants to end up with four 16-team conferences. Since the BIG10 is at 14, they will undoubtedly add two more in time. The BIG10 is enamored with Association of American University (AAU) schools and the University of Chicago is the only non-BIG10 school in our state with that designation. 13 of 14 current BIG10 members are also AAU members. We have two schools in the BIG10 already, so this idea is goofy. I think the BIG10 will end up adding Kansas and either Vanderbilt or Virginia. - Rufus - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:18 pm: The Big Ten administration could care less what Illinois state government wants. If fact, considering the corruption in this state, They will stay far, far away. - Jimbo - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:19 pm: So, UofI can’t get good athletes? Is that what this is about? They want a school in Illinois that can win? We have institutions for all types in Illinois. Well, except maybe athletes who would like a big ten title in anything. Seriously though, priorities people… This isn’t one. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:21 pm: ===Is there some equation that shows a causal relationship between being part of the Big10 and the quality of the education? Am I missing something?=== Great question. The BIG10, when adding Penn State made it quite clear that the addition was an academic decision as well, and touting relationships between BIG10 schools and cooperation between academic disciplines and how academics dies indeed factor into acceptance and the offering of admission to the conference. When Nebraska came on board, same discussions, but added to that was that Nebraska-Lincoln was the jewel of Nebraska higher education. Taking the academic excellence of its state and region. Rutgers is NJ’s jewel, and Maryland is touted for its academic excellence in public education institutions of its region. Prestige academically. Reality? Added Pennsylvania, including Philly market, Pittsburgh, to stave of Pitt, and a coastal presence. Nebraska? Middle America markets, staving off the old “Big 8″. Giving exposure to middle America to Penn State, and Ohio State, every Saturday. It was covered why Rutgers and Maryland bring… And all 4 bring money. Loads of it. And academics too, as a cover, criteria, and a way to say no to the likes of NIU, SIU, ISU…etc.. - Laflin - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:23 pm: Terrible idea. Too-much-time-on-your-hands type idea. Seriously, terrible idea. Some more face time in the Daily Herald I suppose for Senator Murphy. Lot of Palatine area kids go to ISU/NIU/SIU. - Smoggie - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:24 pm: Goofy. Wasting money on stuff like that study? And then the GOP wonders why nobody takes seriously their claims of fiscal responsibility. Both parties waste money. They just waste it on different stuff. - Chad - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:24 pm: Montrose: There is a requirement for institutional cooperation on academics and research that is a perquisite for Big-10 membership. Institutions are required to first satisfy standards of an elite-level national association of universities. So, this would have to be a multi-year effort to first qualify the institution academically. In that regard , only NIU and UIC even approach what is required. The other campuses are not really adaptable. The sports part is indeed important, but is really more of an indicator that the institution meets higher academic standards. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:24 pm: ===considering the corruption in this state, They will stay far, far away.=== Yeah, which is why New Jersey’s Rutger’s has no chance of ever getting into the Big 10. Oh, wait. - Lost In Chicago - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:27 pm: I have a hard time agreeing with the premise of this - that students pick a school based on the conference it is in. Students go where they can fit in based on cost, financial aid, the culture. Oh and where they can get the best education for whatever they plan to major in. - Peters Post - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:29 pm: Some time ago, Northeastern Illinois University attempted to enter Division 1 athletics. This fizzled out after spending a boat load of money and left the program weker than when they started. Bid Ten would be even more educational monies pursuing a fantasy. - A modest proposal - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:30 pm: I voted good idea - but only cause im in the middle and give them the benefit of the doubt. - North Shore Joe - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:30 pm: A better and more popular idea would be for the actual Big 10 university in our state cap the amount of exchange students they currently admit. UIUC has a goal of having 25% foreign enrollment by the end of the decade while more than deserving students get shut out left and right from all corners of Illinois. - Robert the Bruce - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:31 pm: Goofy. Misunderstands the politics and the economics of big-time conference football. Big Ten already has the Chicago market and would have no reason to want to add another. I could see the need for a school for people who can’t quite get into Illinois, so choose to go to Iowa instead, but why not simply do something to buttress existing Illinois State’s academic standards? Make them raise the entrance requirements, or pour some money into a new sciences program there to attract more top young minds? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:32 pm: ===I have a hard time agreeing with the premise of this - that students pick a school based on the conference it is in. Students go where they can fit in based on cost, financial aid, the culture. Oh and where they can get the best education for whatever they plan to major in.=== That has to be snark. Schools like Gonzaga and Virginia Commonwealth had admission applications rise substantially with Basketball success, and Utah and Colorado, Adds to the old PAC10 also saw spikes in applications with PAC10 affiliation. Use the “search” key. Start with VCU… Sports are a significant factor, not a major one, but kids like their schools on the ESPN, in Bowls, in the NCAA basketball tourney. - B.C. - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:32 pm: The conferences ad teams only if they bring new t.v. markets with them. That’s why the Big 10 went after Rutgers and Maryland, they bring the New York and Baltimore/D.C. markets and a bunch of potential cable subscribers. Murphy and Connelly make a good point about how hard it seems to be for good in-state student to get into U of I these days. Maybe the answer is to jack up the enrollment numbers to U of Minn and Ohio State levels. - Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:33 pm: Goofy as heck and totally unrealistic. It is clear that Matt Murphy does not pay attention to the business of the Big Ten. If the Big Ten wanted to expand its footprint in its traditional areas it would have invited Kentucky, Louisville, Cincinnati, or Missouri into the conference. However, the Big Ten doesn’t want to expand its footprint that way, it wanted more east coast partners for Penn State as well as more relevance to the NYC television market, thus Rutgers and Maryland. - A modest proposal - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:33 pm: The Illinois media market can sustain 3 baseball teams, two football teams, two hockey teams, and one basketball team. Why not two BIG 10 schools? - Demoralized - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:36 pm: You have to be in the Big 10 to be a good school? - CollegeStudent - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:38 pm: ===As far as academics go, UIC is right up there with Northwestern and U of I Urbana Champaign. They are already Division I, and have the athletic facilities needed for the Big Ten. The only downside is no football team. === That and UIC athletics isn’t very good and doesn’t have much growth potential. There’s a reason they’re in the Horizon League and Loyola got tapped by the Missouri Valley Conference. ——————————————– To the poll-goofy. No other state school has the resources, athletic program, or media market to attract the Big Ten. Northern comes closest, but its still far away. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:38 pm: Goofy. The Big Ten doesn’t want them. They’re not on the list. Secondly, the Urbana gang and, to a lesser extent, the Northwestern crowd, would go apey and move heaven and earth to block even a commission. The Illini can’t lock down the best football and basketball players in the state now. You think they want to compete with another in-state school in their conference? - Draznnl - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:39 pm: It’s sad to think that schools like the University of Chicago and Washington U. in St. Louis languish with no recognition or prestige for their academic programs simply because they lack participation in a top flight athletic league. Perhaps the way to improve academic prestige is by improving academic programs. That worked for U of I - Urbana. It was in the Big 10 for years while lacking the scholastic reputation it now enjoys. Rather than worrying about who the jocks play with, I would suggest our state’s legislators concern themselves with who the nerds learn from. When that improves, the reputation of our state’s schools will improve. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:40 pm: The geniuses who cooked up this goofy idea ought to go back to school and study harder next time. The presidents in the Big Ten aren’t going to admit a school that isn’t a member of the American Association of Universities. AAU is the club for the big boy schools, that have superstar research programs and top academics. It would cost about a billion just to get Northern or Southern close to AAU standards. This is not going to happen. - Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:41 pm: ==Is there some equation that shows a causal relationship between being part of the Big10 and the quality of the education? Am I missing something?== Not that a Big Ten education is necessarily better than somewhere else, but all Big Ten schools + the University of Chicago are members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, which helps link researchers and has a traveling scholar program for graduate students to take some courses at one school while paying tuition and having grades recorded at their home school. According to CIC, “Member institutions educate over a half a million students annually, representing almost 14% of the doctoral degrees, 18% of the engineering Ph.D. degrees, and over 28% of the agricultural Ph.D. degrees granted in the United States each year.” http://www.cic.net/docs/default-source/reports/cic-annual-reportfeb2014.pdf - UIC Guy - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:42 pm: The ‘Big Ten’ has to do with athletics, right? What has that to do with an excellent education? And if you want another public university providing excellent education (which you should), try funding UIC properly. Hallo! We’re right here! Top academics these days are more likely to want to live in a big city than in cornfields, so with decent funding it could easily surpass UIUC. - anon - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:42 pm: How about first funding higher education generally? The state has devastated funding over the last 15 plus years. If you want to keep students in Illinois then fund the schools and fix their massive infrastructure problems (dated dorms, science buildings, classrooms, tech, etc). This will also keep a hold on tuition rates. - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:43 pm: Modest, it ain’t about the “Illinois media market” whatever that is. If we want more sons and daughters of Illinois attending a Big 10 uni, the solution is to admit more of them to the one we have instead of creating another. Unfortunately, the international student pays a lot more of the freight than a lowly native Illinoisan and higher ed is more about the Benjamins than the Bachelors’. - He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:44 pm: It would be great if they had ONE that could compete at the TOP of the Big 10 instead of the bottom. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:44 pm: Hat tip to Chris who made the same point on the other thread. As for Nebraska, it was an AAU member when it was admitted to the Big Ten. It lost its membership after that because, according to AAU, it spent too much of its research efforts on agriculture. I guess if you’re not trying to cure cancer you don’t belong in the AAU. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:47 pm: –It’s sad to think that schools like the University of Chicago and Washington U. in St. Louis languish with no recognition or prestige for their academic programs simply because they lack participation in a top flight athletic league.– I think their academic reputations are a-ok. And I haven’t noticed any languishing in Hyde Park or Forest Park. So be sad no more! - Wumpus - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:51 pm: How about Malcolm X, Triton, Daley or Harper be admitted? Stupid proposal! Ohio needs another school in there too. - BigDoggie - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:51 pm: I like the spirit of the idea, which I interpret to be to raise the academic stature of one of the existing state schools such that it would compete academically with U of I in theory, thus giving home state kids more attractive in-state college options. However, tying the school to a specific conference that the State has no control over seems to be getting ahead of things just a bit. - PoolGuy - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:56 pm: such a goofy idea that I wonder if either of the 2 senators even watch college football. if Big 10 adds more teams it would likely be Big East/AAC or Big 12 teams. four super conferences is probably where it’s headed anyway. Illinois does not have a Michigan State, Oklahoma State or even Iowa State equivalent, unfortunately. and UChicago is not a Louisville or Cincinnati (if those are even public schools). - Ahoy! - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 1:59 pm: It’s a goofy idea, you don’t just create a Big Ten school and they should know better. There are academics and sporting plays a significant role in that decision. A more appropriate idea would be for us to help create another tier 1 university. That is something that could be done over a period of time with adequate planning and implementation. Another idea would be to stop treating higher institution like an unwanted step child and help all our educational institutions in state become better. - Hit or Miss - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:00 pm: Goofy idea. The number of people turning 18, those who are about to graduate from high school and go to college, is forecast to be steady or even decrease slightly over the next few years. I know who will pay for the proposed school, but who will attend this proposed school? “The Illinois media market can sustain 3 baseball teams, two football teams, two hockey teams, and one basketball team.” The State of Illinois is deep in debt and cannot pay its bills. Support of the Illinois media market is far down (near the bottom) on my list of things that I think my tax dollars should be spent on. - Chad - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:01 pm: Tying the commission to potential big 10 membership is a bit clumsy, but it got everyone’s attention. We really need a second elite public in the state. The conversation here is a rough proxy of the inter-institutional rivalries that by nature will weigh against the effort. - Soccermom - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:06 pm: Once again, Rockford is overlooked. Let’s put Rock Valley College in the Big Ten! - Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:07 pm: ==A better and more popular idea would be for the actual Big 10 university in our state cap the amount of exchange students they currently admit. UIUC has a goal of having 25% foreign enrollment by the end of the decade while more than deserving students get shut out left and right from all corners of Illinois.== First off, I don’t think understand the meaning of “exchange.” The only exchange going on is a non-American student paying to receive an education. The first definition, not the second (https://www.google.com/#q=define+exchange). Second, there no evidence that “more than deserving students get shut out left and right from all corners of Illinois.” But on that note, historically, whenever UIUC has attempted to increase enrollment from underrepresented areas or groups within the state there has been an outcry from the state legislature as well as the media (usually the Tribune acting hysterical) about standards going down or some other made up nonsense. Third, time and again people want entities associated with our government (i.e. funded by public money) to “run like a business,” but then they complain when those entities run themselves like a business, i.e. targeting customers (students) who will pay more for your services. This is particularly galling when the state of Illinois is chronically late on its promises to the university and repeatedly cuts its funding for the university. What do you expect schools to do, wither and die? - Darienite - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:13 pm: Rutgers and Maryland were admitted because of the large numbers of Big 10 alumni in the NYC and DC areas. They can now catch their alma mater at a game as well as grow the Big 10 network. Using that logic, expect the Big 10 to expand to Florida or Arizona. Retired boomer alums - $$$$$ - Plutocrat03 - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:17 pm: UIC equivalent to northwester of Urbana? Must have really shot up since the last US News survey. I there a college doing phenomenal work? News to me. Goofy idea. Job 1 is to educate the kids at reasonable costs. When that is under control, consider a sports expansion. - A guy... - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:18 pm: Goofy. Waste of time. Get the heck out of this business. Just ask Northwestern to become a public university- totally joking here. Every kid in Illinois has a host of great choices in state. All of them are outstanding institutions. This is populist gobbledygook that must have come up at The Globe at about 1am. Can’t believe these two goofs sobered up and still thought it was a good idea. Just what we need; state legislatures deciding what schools should be in what conferences. Thankfully, there’s nothing more important going on in Springfield to discuss. Ugh GOOFY!!!!!! - Makandadawg - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:22 pm: Goofy, Take care of the Universities you already have/own. Give them what they need and free them to compete. Also, why just Big 10? Why not an SEC School (SIU is in their territory now, or a Big 12 School (ISU has expressed interest in the past). Also how many Big 10 schools did NIU Beat this year in Football? - aunt_petunia - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:27 pm: Goofy idea. At present, Illinois spectacularly fails at providing adequate support for its public universities. Our public universities are no longer state funded, are no longer state supported, and are now at best state crippled. - Louis Howe - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:28 pm: We have many fine Illinois public colleges from which students may choose to apply. Illinois is our flagship research institution, and as many other posts have mentioned, we don’t have another public university of UofI’s caliber to offer the Big Ten. Illinois is highly competitive, but its been highly competitive for decades. What the Illini need are better student-athletes from Illinois going to Illinois. Now that would be something to study. - G'Kar - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:36 pm: When I think of all the issues facing Higher Eduction in the this state, both 4 year and community colleges, I just shake my head at the time and effort being spent to support this goofy idea. - Keyser Soze - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:40 pm: One has to think that the U of I would not reject so many Illinois residents with high ACT scores if state revenue would off-set the high tuition fees gathered from out of state (country) students. If the legislature wants to fix the matter it might demand that the Big U accept any in-state applicant with an ACT score over 30, provided, of course, that the state would also pony up the cash lost in the process. Sorry to be so cynical. - Sangamo Sam - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:42 pm: The Big 10 is an athletic conference, not an academic conference. Plus why would a single state legislature hold any sway over a multi-state conference? Goofy. - Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:42 pm: At U of I they claim the issue with in-state vs. out-of-state students is to diversify the student body and they have the lowest out-of-state % of any Big Ten university. Naturally state politicians and many residents want them to maximize serving Illinois students. Ends up being a lot of tension between the competing goals. Of course neighboring states’ Big Ten schools have their out of state #’s increased by Illinois students. - I B Strapped - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:53 pm: Goofy-Goofy Squared wasn’t an option. - Ex Suburban Mayor - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 2:55 pm: Just two political opportunists. Duh…just decrease the number of out of state and out of the country students to make way for more Illinois students…..and no money spent ……end of study - Kerfuffle - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:02 pm: I think this is a great idea because we don’t have any really important issues in Illinois that our elected officals need to spend their time worrying about. - Just The Way It Is One - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:03 pm: Are you kidding me? With all of the other problems of MASSIVE importance facing our State, to waste even 2 minutes on this idea is just utter nonsense! Our 2 Fine Institutions already in the Big 10 are plenty…! - Norseman - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:10 pm: I believe the genesis of this proposal started, as so many bills do, as a way of pandering to an important constituent. The problem is that someone (staff or administrative aide) needs to have the courage to say “no Senator, this is a goofy idea and will make you look silly even though your VIP wants you to introduce it.” - Northsider - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:12 pm: A goofy idea from a pair of clowns looking for publicity. And it worked. - Walker - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:31 pm: Just a way to get their pictures in the Daily Herald the week of the Primary. And to ride the March madness interest in athletics. Pure political puffery. - Say again - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:33 pm: Really goofy. Higher Ed in Illinois is currently funded at mid-1990’s rates. All have huge deferred maintenance issues because the lack of funding. Let’s take care of what we’ve got. - Budget Watcher - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:36 pm: If these 2 senators are truly concerned educational opportunities for Illinois students, then why not give in-state preference instead of using 15 percent of the enrollment spots to international students who pay higher tuition fees? - Illini67 - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:36 pm: Goofy Idea - We have a premier University that our geniuses in the GA do not believe in funding anywhere close to what it was when I was a student. I got my degrees in ‘71 and ‘72 - at that time the Univ. of Illinois received almost 50% of its funding from the state, now it is probably closer to 10% ( I have not double checked my these figures, but believe them to be fairly accurate ). The duly elected members of the GA should be ashamed of themselves for even promoting such a ridiculous idea as opposed to properly and adequately funding our Flag Ship Institution. It is no wonder that the U of I has been rated as one of the most expensive in-state public universities in the Country ( yet admittedly, one of the best ), but when my brothers, cousins and friends are having to pay as dearly as they are for the privilege of having their very capable and competent children attend a top public in-state University makes me wonder what the GA is thinking. The U of I has been, and still is, a great institution in many respects, but could be even better if only the GA and the State of Illinois would get behind, promote and properly fund its undervalued and unrealized asset as it should. To to those wanting to wanting to establish a commission to find another “Big 10″ school I can only say this - properly fund the one premier public institution we now have. Your appalling indifference to maintaining the best we have in this State is indefensible. - Upon Further Review - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:38 pm: Since the B1G Conference just completed an expansion process (adding several new member schools for a total of fourteen), this idea seems tardy to say the least. Additionally, it is stupid. - PJ - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 3:56 pm: Remarkably goofy. I would offer that the academic prestige of the state schools comes as a result of their being the flagship universities in their respective states, or in the case of MSU/Michigan and IU/Purdue, essentially sharing this status. Size, history, tradition, and maintaining a large student body all contribute to the standing of these schools. Not to get all libertarian, but I find it pretty over the top that legislators would intend to try to force an athletic conference (which has already stretched comically beyond its stated ten members) to accept another school from the state in order to achieve a perceived higher academic status. Wouldn’t investing in facilities and the quality of education do a much better job of actually achieving higher academic status? - DuPage - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:01 pm: They seem to be looking for more deck chairs to rearrange. - Old and in the Way - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:11 pm: Goofy. How many millions do we currently owe the existing public universities in Illinois? Any serious discussion on supporting the universities and students we already have? These two dufuses need to join the real world! I won’t even mention the sorry state of K-12 and community colleges in Illinois. Senators, don’t worry the problem will solve itself, within a few years Illinois students will lack the skills and academic background to get into ANY of the universities in Illinois! BTW how many are aware that Illinois still sends tuition subsidy dollars to the private universities in Illinois! - Belle - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:13 pm: goofy Focus on improving the education priorities that we already have established. What consulting firm came up with this idea? These 2 need a REAL job. - Enemy of the State - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:15 pm: Great Idea! When the researchers, Nobel laureates,and Pulitzer Prize winners find out about what a sweet deal SURS is, they will flock to those schools. Oh, wait. - North Shore Joe - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:16 pm: Precinct Captain, I’m all for bringing in international talent. However, the 25% number is ridiculous–and a winner for any legislator willing to put up with the headache it would cause them if they were to challenge it. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:17 pm: think of an online big ten with sports(university of big ten)no building just sports. - Kerfuffle - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:18 pm: Rich - I have to seriously question the makeup of your readership if 15% actually think this is a good idea. They should be marginalized to the .01% like Rauner! - Filmmaker Professor - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:24 pm: The Big Ten is an athletic conference. That’s it. If you want to open up more seats at UIUC, increase funding for more faculty. That will be much cheaper than trying to finance another $71 million athletic program. - Filmmaker Professor - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 4:28 pm: By the way, is Nebraska rated higher as an academic institution than ISU or SIU? If so, it can’t be by much. Being in the Big Ten means each school rakes in over $20 million in revenue from the conference. Exactly $0 of that goes to education at the U of I, fyi. - Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 5:37 pm: North Shore Joe, less and less people from Illinois who are accepted choose to attend, mostly because of money. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-13/news/chi-u-of-i-enrollment-20130912_1_international-students-few-illinois-residents-stacey-kostell http://www.las.illinois.edu/alumni/magazine/articles/2011/tuition/ - AnonymousOne - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 6:40 pm: Sizable academic scholarships offered upon acceptance at 3 Big Ten, 2 other highly reputable schools and Illinois chooses to select this highly credentialed Illinois student in the second round with no offer of reward for almost perfection in academia. Cheaper by far to attend out of state and a place that actually wants you and celebrates with reward what Illinois k-12 schools have produced. Illinois is losing lots of kids like this and don’t seem to care. They’d like out of state tuition and a high percentage of international students for their cash too. That’s what lack of funding has done to our state institution and our kids who take their excellence elsewhere. Don’t blame the students one bit. If out of state tuition at a comparable school is more affordable than your own state university, why stay and pay? - one of the 35 - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 7:16 pm: So, this new commission studies what they think it takes for an in state university to become a member of the Big 10. Then what? They approach the Big 10 and say, “you really ought to admit them? The Big 10 says, “Buzz off”. Then what? We just wasted a lot of time and money for nothing. - Suncatcher - Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 10:11 pm: By the way, is Nebraska rated higher as an academic institution than ISU or SIU? According to US News … Nebraska is 101, UIC is 128 and SIU and NIU are 177. For the record, the U of I is 41. Northwestern is 12. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 26, 14 @ 9:00 am: When I attended undergrad or graduate school, I never once considered what ahtletic conference the school was in as a factor. This makes no sense unless I’m missing something in the story. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.