Fannosaurus- Thanks for the props to the Storm! Own us? Sheesh, c'mon!

BVofYore- Thanks for the invite on the tailgaiting- but I'll be skipping Storm Lake this weekend and listening in via the web. I am predicting... 21-17 Simpson wins!

Other pics this weekend: Coe, Dubuque and Wartburg.

Good to be back now that it's football season. Been reading all summer but short of talking about tornadoes there hasn't been much to comment on.

Ok- it's football season and time for football talk but how could I pass this one up? I actually think I agree with the rankings they did-if they are considering academic reputation. I would put Luther ahead of Coe though and maybe even ahead of Cornell. And I think I'd put Central ahead of Wartburg. But clearly Wartburg's national athletic success increases the name of their brand, and it's hard to differentiate that from academic repuation from a national standpoint.

Doesn't it seem ironic that there is almost (I say that rather loosely) an inverse relationship with their rankings and the way the schools perform on the football field?

Quote from: ShowMe on August 18, 2008, 07:42:58 AM

Quote from: Purple Heys on August 17, 2008, 11:52:55 PM

Quote from: Purple Heys on August 17, 2008, 11:00:59 PM

Quote from: doolittledog on August 17, 2008, 11:39:03 AM
Here is an article I am sure will spark debate.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/94/opinions_college08_Americas-Best-Colleges_Rank.html

Forbes made a ranking of colleges.  569 in all I think.  I scanned it quickly so I might have missed some schools.

Cornell was tops for the IIAC coming in at 71.  Finishing higher than Cornell University at 121...also finishing higher than Notre Dame at 77, Johns Hopkins at 81, and Grinnell at 107!!!

Coe came in at 182
Luther at 188
Simpson at 241
Wartburg at 430
Central at 554

I didn't see Dubuque, Loras, or BV in there 



Hey!  We win one!

This the kind of spontaneous advertising that makes people!   

I am counting this as our first IIAC win of the season.

Can you feel it?  The momentum building is almost tangible.

I'm feeling it!

Is Heys Jr ready?

2008 Picks
Central
Wartburg
Coe
Simpson
UD
Luther
Loras
BV
Cornell

Simpson definitely has some momentum and a great incoming class as well. The players seem to really like the new coaching staff- in 2-3 years it's going to realy start to show on the field, but I do agree that they'll be in the top 4 this fall.

Yes, I did not mean Doug, who had a stroke. I meant the guy under him who I think took his spot.

Wartburg's tuition went up more than most of the competitiors this year. I know that for the past 4-5 years Simpson, Central and WArtburg have literally been within hundreds dollars of each other. This year WArtburg is about $1,000 more. I imagine that feelings on campus would be fine. The financial stress will come in a few years when the payments are truly due. Anyway, enough of the financials!! 

Oh Klop, that hurts! Am I that bad? 

Walston- here's the info I could find.

http://home.mchsi.com/~wartburgaaup/files/Fitch.pdf

This link has copies of Wartburg's financial statements as of 2005. They had $85 Million in debt in 2005 (page 5 on that link) and a very reduced bond rating because of their financial ratios. Despite some of their largest classes in history, they also had negative revenues 3 of 6 years in that same time. There are two ways for them to get money- kids coming in and grads going out. They are already tapped out on kids coming in- they can't grow much more. That means Wartburg will HAVE to call on alums to give more and more and things are going to get very tight. 

Yes they raised $90 million but none of that went to their debt. According to the article the money was intended for: "The campaign is intended to provide
$41 million for financial aid and technology
enhancements, $40 million for facilities, and $7 million
for operations."   Also, half of that campaign, $43 million, is in "deferred payments" that Wartburg may not see for years- in things like wills, estates, etc. Right now 9% of Wartburg's revenues to toward debt payment. Right now the average for colleges is less than 5%. Right now Wartburg's entire campus is being used as collateral. That means is enrollment goes down, if alumni giving goes down, serious problems can arise overnight. As I recall one of the top leaders in admissions left in the past year. I don't know why, but I would speculate that the pressure to bring in huge classes, with a dwindling high school population and a horrible economy, had to be a factor.

I'm not saying Ohle was a bad leader, I don't know him at all. I'm just making the point that money is going to be an issue at Wartburg. There's no way around it. Construction can be a great thing, but like Alfred said, in 20 years there has been a ton of contruction- that comes at a cost. There is a reason most colleges don't have that much construction. It's a choice on how much debt to take and most colleges choose against it. Period.

Just curious those of you closely affiliated with Wartburg- my connnections say that the incoming class for this fall is coming in much slower than ever before? Any idea if that is true?

There is no doubt that Ohle has done some great things for Wartburg. Their athletics are the best in the conference and they have certainly built their fair share of new buildings. Seems like he was a charasmatic, much beloved leader.

That being said he was probably wise for getting out now. As I understand it, WArtburg has more than $80 million in debt and much of those payments are yet to come into full swing because of balloon loans. There is no other way to slice it, Wartburg is going to be in for some LEAN years for quite some time. You heard it here first- the WArtburg of the next 10 years is going to face some real struggles financially. And I'll also venture to bet that they will be hard pressed to maintain their athletic dominance, especially with a changing of the lead dog, who was obviously a big athletic supporter. Time will tell...

With about 5 minutes left Simpson was up 21 points. UW-EC made a nice late run to close the gap, but really the game was a little more one-sided than the score would suggest, I believe. The really tough thing about Simpson is they don't have that really stand out star. I mean, Whiton, a bit, but if you shut her down, they have about 10 girls that play a LOT of minutes and contribute each in their own way. It's hard to defend against. You'll see 4-5 players score 10+ points night after night.

At least the 3rd straight year Simpson meets a UW school in the postseason. I think it was Stout last year? Too bad the Simpson Storm have to travel to Whitewater. But should be a good matchup none the less!

Congrats to Simpson on making it to the Sweet 16!! They battled hard! Played much better in Saturday against UW-EuClair, than they did against Gustavus on Friday. I hope they can make it farther than last year!

Just a minor clarification- Coe's average ACT for their freshman class was 25.5 this past fall- and that was one of the stongest on COe's history (their words not mine). Not a BIG difference, but the college does not have an average of 27 or 28 as previously mentioned by someone.    I have always been the first to say I think they have a very good academic program though, definitely in the top tier of the conference.

http://www.coe.edu/aboutcoe/enewsletter/enewsletter090707.htm

Kohawk- Yes, the Coe team seems to have some really good players and chemistry. I think you are right that the Storm CAN content for the championship, if they can stay sharp! WHen they are on, they are ON!! It is a big advantage for them to play at home also!

I would argue that in mid-season it might have been tough for the Simpson team to stay motivated. I mean, they were cruising through so many victories and with no end really in sight. Now, the end is in sight and  I am sure they are fired up at the prospect of how the postseason will go! Time will tell!

No way! Coe will be worn down! Actually, I think it will be a really close game and Coe will fight hard. IF Simpson plays their game, and I think they will, then they will come out ahead.