<div dir="ltr"><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="georgia, serif">Dear Visionaries:</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="georgia, serif">I thank Tom for posting my Daily News column on UI athletics and the request for an additional $4 million. The editor failed to make a correction: The UI Faculty Senate did hear from the Financial V-P on Tuesday, but, even after some hard questioning, it took no action.</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="georgia, serif">The long version will appear in the Pocatello paper this Sunday and here are three sections of possible interest to you:</font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><b style="text-indent:0.5in"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></span></b></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><b style="text-indent:0.5in"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">The “Flutie Effect” at Boston College, Gonzaga, and Boise State</font></span></b></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black;text-indent:0.5in"><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="georgia, serif"><span style="color:black;text-indent:0.5in">Some would point
to the great success attained at Gonzaga University. Since the Bulldog
basketball team started winning in 1999, Gonzaga has registered 86.4 percent
more students, its endowment has increased 218 percent, and a doubling of
donors has increased giving from $13.4 to $31.1 million. Boise State’s alumni giving increased
four-fold from 2006 to 2011 during a period of great football achievement.</span><br></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">
<span></span></font></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">Gonzaga’s
basketball success was sustained achievement, while the Vandals’ three bowl
wins did not balance out losing records (some lopsided) in other years.
Furthermore, UI student enrollment did not increase appreciably and in one year
it actually dropped.<span></span></font></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><span><font face="georgia, serif"> </font></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">Gonzaga has
experienced the “Flutie Effect,” named after quarterback Doug Flutie who
carried Boston College to national fame in 1984. These are rare exceptions rather than the
rule, and once the teams stop winning, the donations and student enrollment generally
drop off. <i>The quality of academic programs—not athletic success—is still the key
to higher education excellence.<br clear="all">
</i><span></span></font></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">Boston College’s
application rate did go up 16 percent and 12 percent two years after their
upset win over the University of Miami, but they also went up 17 percent after
a 4-7 season and up 9 percent after their worst season ever (0-11). After of a year
of embarrassing athletic scandals, application rates remained the same as the
previous year.<span></span></font></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><span><font face="georgia, serif"> </font></span></span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><b style="text-indent:0.5in"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">Boise State Has Low Freshman Retention and Graduation
Rate</font></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="color:black"><span><font face="georgia, serif"> </font></span></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">In 2010, after
beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007 and winning it again in 2010, Boise
State’s freshman class enrollment peaked at 2,400—16.5 percent over the low of
2,104 in 2003. It has now returned to 2001 levels, even though BSU won yet
another Fiesta Bowl in 2014. <span></span></font></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><span><font face="georgia, serif"> </font></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">This temporary
success is mitigated by the fact that BSU’s freshman retention rate is only 69
percent as opposed to 93 percent at Boston College. BSU’s graduation rate of 29 percent is also
one of the lowest in the nation. BSU administrators boast about record numbers
of applications, but what counts is not only new freshman enrolled but those
who go on and graduate.<span></span></font></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><span><font face="georgia, serif"> </font></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="georgia, serif"><span style="color:black">With a high number
of applications, BSU has the pick of the best students for their freshman
classes. Even so, average ATC and SAT scores for these students are only
somewhat higher than before. Economist Craig Depken states: “</span><span style="color:black;letter-spacing:0.05pt">I can talk about how the incoming
freshman class has a higher SAT score, at the same time, in many places it’s
been documented that a successful football program tends to correlate with
lower GPAs, that is lower performance in the classroom, especially amongst male
students.” </span><span style="color:black"><span></span></span></font></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><span><font face="georgia, serif"> </font></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">Faculty Salaries Rarely Correlate with Athletic Success<span></span></font></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><b><span style="color:black"><span><font face="georgia, serif"> </font></span></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:black"><font face="georgia, serif">Faculty salaries
at Gonzaga increased dramatically, but UI and BSU professors are still 20-30
percent behind their peers. <i>Rarely has
there been, nation-wide, a transfer of athletic revenue to academic budgets. </i>BSU
salaries still remain at the bottom of a list of 10 comparable metropolitan
universities. The Lewis-Clark State Warriors have had winning baseball teams
since 1972 with a win-loss percentage of .777, but average faculty salaries are
below Idaho K-12 teachers. For details go to <a href="http://idaho-aft.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Survey16.pdf">http://idaho-aft.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Survey16.pdf</a><span></span></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:0.5in;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;color:black"><span><font face="georgia, serif"> </font></span></span></b></p><div><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></div><font face="georgia, serif">-- <br></font><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div> <div style="height:auto;width:auto"> <div> <div><div><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt"><div><font face="georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:13.3333px">A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. </span><br style="font-size:13.3333px"><br style="font-size:13.3333px"><span style="font-size:13.3333px">-Greek proverb</span></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif"><br>
“Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity.
Immaturity is the inability to use one’s understanding without guidance
from another. This immaturity is self- imposed when its cause lies not
in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it
without guidance from another. Sapere Aude! ‘Have courage to use your
own understand-ing!—that is the motto of enlightenment.<br>
<br>
--Immanuel Kant<br>
<br></font><br></div></span></font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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