University of Alabama updates - Page 64

Packer16 · #**1261** Posted **Jan 15, 2025, 3:40 PM**

Awesome!!! Another trophy for the mantel! RTR

chadinhsv · #**1262** Posted **Jan 15, 2025, 6:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Packer16

Awesome!!! Another trophy for the mantel! RTR

What are we thinking about Dr. Bell's announcement that he is retiring/leaving this summer? What was everyone's opinion? What would you like to see from the new President that is realistic? I repeat "Realistic"

1. I thought he did a fantastic job with our research programs and bringing in more money from the donors

2. Wish he would have tried everything possible to keep Dean Karr from the Engineering school. Maybe he did but Karr couldn't say no to UAH's offer

3. Would like to see from new President a plan to retain students
4. Would like the new president to say "No More" to the news publications that do University rankings. It has obviously done us no good and brings nothing but sneers and stereotypes about the University

Packer16 · #**1263** Posted **Jan 16, 2025, 9:10 PM**

I congratulate Dr. Bell on a well-deserved retirement. Ten years of attending multiple events per day, meeting and greeting, speaking, planning, plus hiring and firing can be taxing on an individual. I think he's done a great job. And, he has set the University up to be an attractive job for a new President.

I'm hoping we hire a bright, young, energetic President who can recruit and hire outstanding faculty and continue to grow the graduate school. I want to see the Medical School become more prominent on campus. Also, I would like to see the Engineering School expand and provide more programs. It's a great time for a new President. I'm looking forward to seeing who get.

chadinhsv · #**1264** Posted **Jan 16, 2025, 9:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Packer16

Also, I would like to see the Engineering School expand and provide more programs. It's a great time for a new President. I'm looking forward to seeing who get.

Karr, who was the Engineering Dean at UA for a long time and is the current President at UAH better be the top/first name called. He is solely responsible for the Engineering department growth and reputation. When he was Dean we had around 7,000 undergrad/grad students in the Engineer college. We went down to about 5,500 for a while before creeping back up a bit.

Packer16 · #**1265** Posted **Jan 17, 2025, 2:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadinhsv

Karr, who was the Engineering Dean at UA for a long time and is the current President at UAH better be the top/first name called. He is solely responsible for the Engineering department growth and reputation. When he was Dean we had around 7,000 undergrad/grad students in the Engineer college. We went down to about 5,500 for a while before creeping back up a bit.

I would love to see Chuck get the Chancellor position. RTR

SpawnOfVulcan · #**1266** Posted **Jan 18, 2025, 1:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadinhsv

What are we thinking about Dr. Bell's announcement that he is retiring/leaving this summer? What was everyone's opinion? What would you like to see from the new President that is realistic? I repeat "Realistic"

1. I thought he did a fantastic job with our research programs and bringing in more money from the donors

2. Wish he would have tried everything possible to keep Dean Karr from the Engineering school. Maybe he did but Karr couldn't say no to UAH's offer

3. Would like to see from new President a plan to retain students
4. Would like the new president to say "No More" to the news publications that do University rankings. It has obviously done us no good and brings nothing but sneers and stereotypes about the University

With the amount of growth engineering experienced over the past 15 years, I think it's good that he went to UAH. The State of Alabama needs more engineers and UAH is an excellent way to attract and retain them.

My two cents; the next President has to be focused on continuing the growth of research and number of grad students. It'll be extremely important this go round to find exactly the right person to lead.

Packer16 · #**1267** Posted **Jan 19, 2025, 8:55 PM**

Interesting ranking of Public Colleges. Check out #35. RTR

https://research.com/best-colleges/best-public

atlanta68 · #**1268** Posted **Jan 21, 2025, 3:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadinhsv

What are we thinking about Dr. Bell's announcement that he is retiring/leaving this summer? What was everyone's opinion? What would you like to see from the new President that is realistic? I repeat "Realistic"

1. I thought he did a fantastic job with our research programs and bringing in more money from the donors

2. Wish he would have tried everything possible to keep Dean Karr from the Engineering school. Maybe he did but Karr couldn't say no to UAH's offer

3. Would like to see from new President a plan to retain students
4. Would like the new president to say "No More" to the news publications that do University rankings. It has obviously done us no good and brings nothing but sneers and stereotypes about the University

1) he did
2) I want Chuck Karr back in Tuscaloosa! Make HIM the next UA president please! UA Engineering peaked under his tenure. He is a UA alum and loves UA.
3) Yes, our retention rate is still too low, as is the 6 year grad rate. The latter is really not good relative to our peers. And it is ONE of the main reasons why UA has plummeted in the rankings.

4) The rankings are largely not a popularity contest. If you look at the criteria, it is very clear why UA has fallen so much in the rankings: LOW admission standards. UA no longer even requires standardized testing. Despite that, our 25th to 75th percentile has dropped from 23-31, to 22-30. NOT good. 30% of all incoming UA freshman who have submitted an ACT score, have an ACT of only 23 or less! These lower tier students are why UA has a low 6 year grad rate, a lower retention rate, and such a ridiculously wide spread in student quality. See page 10 for documentation of my claims: https://oira.ua.edu/d/sites/all/files/reports25/CDS%202024-25%20FINAL.pdf UA can do so much better than this. Embarrassing!

I want a new president who will raise standards on day one! There is no reason for UA to be the Wal Mart of higher ed. If UA simply raised standards, it would be even MORE popular. The elevation in academic reputation would be sufficient to keep enrollment growing Let the lower tier students prove themselves at Shelton State first. Auburn does this with AUM and it saves their ranking to some degree, though their's is falling too, just not as fast as UA's.

chadinhsv · #**1269** Posted **Jan 21, 2025, 4:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Packer16

Interesting ranking of Public Colleges. Check out #35. RTR

https://research.com/best-colleges/best-public

I love it! You are the master at finding obscure rankings that have us ranked higher than other publications. Not going to lie, it's impressive

chadinhsv · #**1270** Posted **Jan 21, 2025, 4:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by atlanta68

The elevation in academic reputation would be sufficient to keep enrollment growing Let the lower tier students prove themselves at Shelton State first. Auburn does this with AUM and it saves their ranking to some degree, though their's is falling too, just not as fast as UA's.

I can get on board with this recommendation

Packer16 · #**1271** Posted **Jan 21, 2025, 7:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadinhsv

I love it! You are the master at finding obscure rankings that have us ranked higher than other publications. Not going to lie, it's impressive

For you, Chad.

https://www.appily.com/colleges/best-colleges/state/alabama

https://www.bestcolleges.com/united-states/alabama/colleges/

https://www.4icu.org/us/alabama/

https://research.com/best-colleges/best-public/alabama

https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/by-state/alabama/best-colleges-universities

https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/by-state/alabama/best-research-universities

https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/by-state/alabama/best-graduate-schools

https://www.collegechoice.net/choosing-a-college/location/best-colleges-in-alabama/

https://www.bestcolleges.com/united-states/alabama/online-colleges/

RTR

atlanta68 · #**1272** Posted **Jan 21, 2025, 9:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Packer16

For you, Chad.

https://www.appily.com/colleges/best-colleges/state/alabama

https://www.bestcolleges.com/united-states/alabama/colleges/

https://www.4icu.org/us/alabama/

https://research.com/best-colleges/best-public/alabama

https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/by-state/alabama/best-colleges-universities

https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/by-state/alabama/best-research-universities

https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/by-state/alabama/best-graduate-schools

https://www.collegechoice.net/choosing-a-college/location/best-colleges-in-alabama/

https://www.bestcolleges.com/united-states/alabama/online-colleges/

RTR

Can you share the criteria for these rankings? The USNWR rankings do change somewhat year to year, but they are largely dependent on student quality, which is a huge issue for UA at the bottom end. It is THE reason for the huge decline in ranking and can be fixed so easily.

Packer16 · #**1273** Posted **Jan 21, 2025, 10:03 PM**

Point is that college rankings are all over the place. Don't chase rankings. Focus on quality of programs and results. RTR

atlanta68 · #**1274** Posted **Jan 22, 2025, 9:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Packer16

Point is that college rankings are all over the place. Don't chase rankings. Focus on quality of programs and results. RTR

That is why I asked to see their criteria. USNWR's ranking has transparent criteria and that is one of the reasons it is eagerly observed each year. UA could easily reverse its trend in this ranking by only tightening admission standards. It was once very important to UA so it makes no sense that it is no longer important. I am not saying USNWR ranking should be the most respected, but it is one of the most respected so it impacts UA's academic reputation, for better or worse.

Packer16 · #**1275** Posted **Jan 22, 2025, 11:34 PM**

Some people believe the moon is made of cheese or Chinese medicine is better than modern American (AMA) Certified Medicine. It's a free country.

Packer16 · #**1276** Posted **Jan 23, 2025, 12:36 AM**

atlanta, just to ease your mind, you're about to get what you want. RTR

atlanta68 · #**1277** Posted **Jan 23, 2025, 4:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Packer16

Some people believe the moon is made of cheese or Chinese medicine is better than modern American (AMA) Certified Medicine. It's a free country.

You are such a goober trying to make this personal. I know of no one who thinks Chinese Medicine is better than American medicine in all things. You keep thinking I should be ashamed of what I do. I guarantee you my patients are very grateful I am there for them. I credit my education (Honors Program) at UA for instilling in me the desire to help others in this specific way. I feel sorry for you that you will never experience the gratitude I have received from my patients.

And not sure why you are think people should be impressed by the AMA given the fact that the US spends more on healthcare than any other nation, and yet, we are one of the least healthy people in the developed world.

Packer16 · #**1278** Posted **Jan 23, 2025, 10:45 PM**

Currently, a record number of National Merit Scholars are enrolled on campus. RTR

https://news.ua.edu/2025/01/national-mer...zNzY3MjAxNi4yLjAuMTczNzY3MjAyMy41My4wLjA.

Packer16 · #**1279** Posted **Jan 24, 2025, 4:51 PM**

There is a current pause in admissions at UA because demand/numbers are larger than projected. It's a good problem to have. So, those wanting a higher cut-off (atlanta) are going to get their wish. RTR

chadinhsv · #**1280** Posted **Jan 24, 2025, 8:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Packer16

Currently, a record number of National Merit Scholars are enrolled on campus. RTR

https://news.ua.edu/2025/01/national-mer...zNzY3MjAxNi4yLjAuMTczNzY3MjAyMy41My4wLjA.

That is astounding! Being able to attract that talent with generous scholarships was a great idea. Retaining them is tougher but if you are able to do so the return on investment is essential. The average salary for graduates increases and our profile gets better. They are also able to donate money back to the school because they can afford to. It's a good cycle to have.