They are the priorities at Fordham. And always will and should be. But to dismiss a successful, well-promoted athletic program as a vehicle to promote our university is both naive and a dismal mistake. -- FORDHAM RAMS FOOTBALL FORUM

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Subject: They are the priorities at Fordham. And always will and should be. But to dismiss a successful, well-promoted athletic program as a vehicle to promote our university is both naive and a dismal mistake.

Author:
Rambacker
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Date Posted: 09:04:59 11/19/04 Fri
In reply to: Ramadama 's message, "Billion dollar endowments, research centers, endowed faculty and chairs, great libraries, prize winning faculty and outstanding student facilities are what make Universities great. We lag in most of these while everyschool that is above Fordham in the rankings excels in all areas. These are the areas that make universities great, not 1-AA football. Those should be the priorities." on 07:29:52 11/19/04 Fri

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It's good that they are. Since we are so far behind the schools we would like to believe are our peers, you have to have priorities. We don't have a real athletic center or student center, our scholarship endowment isn't great, landlocked campus to name a few. We're obviously making tremendous strides but you can only do so many things. I don't see 1AA football making the impact that a couple of fully endowed faculty chairs would have and one you get the chair, it is paid for forever. Football at that level will never make money and its taking our eye off the bigger needs. (NT) Ramadama 10:25:15 11/19/04 Fri

Perhaps you missed RamMan's posts showing that the current Fordham Football budget is already at the full scholarship level. We would have very small, incremental costs to go 1-AA full scholarship and the benefits would be considerable. Imagine Fordham playing Navy at Annapolis one year and Army at West Point the next, on a rotating basis. Playing Duke and Wake Forest, Vanderbilt & Tulane.Talk about a rallying point for alums and students! It's the way to go. (NT) -- Rambacker, 12:07:36 11/19/04 Fri

Rallying points are great. A new student center, named business school and student scholarships are more productive. No evidence at all that alumni/students want that or a proposed schedule that you suggest is feasible. Priorities. (NT) -- Ramadama, 14:46:14 11/19/04 Fri

The majority of posters on this board have expressed an interest in moving to 1-AA scholarship football. You make it sound like we can't have both an attractive 1-AA scholarship football program and a new student center, named business school and student scholarships. Not even close to the truth. With minimal additional costs to move up in football, it would be an easy move. We can have both, and should. And if you don't realize that we can play Army, Navy and other top academic schools in football if we move to scholarship 1-AA, then you've been out of the loop too long. (NT) -- Rambacker, 15:46:50 11/19/04 Fri

The number of posters on this board is insignificant compared to the number of alums. We're the zealots. We need a facility and staffing to move up. The costs are more than you think. We need to get basketball on the right footing and get some kind of facility, first. You can't do it all. Currently, we have no relationship with any of the schools you mention. It can be built but it will take time. Navy and Army have relationships with the 1AA schools they play. No reason to think they would drop those just to play us. Finally, there is no student/alum outcry for this move. (NT) -- Ramadama, 17:05:58 11/19/04 Fri

Agree basketball must be top priority. But I'd suggest we begin planning a capital campaign for athletics that includes ALL sports. The plan would include a convocations center(to be used for hoops, entertainment, symposia, etc), new recreation complex, legit football stadium, 400 meter track, etc. It's way overdue. If students/alums learn we can play Army, Navy, Duke, Tulane in football if we go scholarship, the response will be overwhelmingly positive. I think you know that, but are afraid to admit it. Setting up games with those schools is fairly easy, & a professional AD can get it done. (NT) -- Rambacker, 17:55:38 11/19/04 Fri

They may well and as soon as we tart hearing the demand for it, it might be the way to go. Right now we have a hug gap to fill to get where we want to go and there are more important things to focus on. A new AD is going to have to reverse 50 years of lack of direction and inept management. He's going to have more than enough to do without propping up a program that has little internal or external support. Until I see the mandate for it, I can't agree. (NT) -- Ramadama, 08:01:15 11/20/04 Sat

No one has even begun to sell it the students and alums. When that happens, there will be overwhelming support. Improvements in our Athletic program should be a PART of building the future Fordham, not separate from it. The strategy of viewing athletics as a separate(and low-priority entity has been used in the past and is a major reason why we have struggled. (NT) -- Rambacker, 09:31:30 11/20/04 Sat

I don't think we can do everything you want at one time and do it all the right way. You have to get basketball straightened out, build an athletic facility and a recreation center. Get those done, see if we can build a market for basketball and then look at football. (NT) -- Ramadama, 12:17:10 11/20/04 Sat

I agree we should prioritize, but in some cases efficiencies are found in planning capital/administrative programs as a single entity, not separately. Eg., we could save a lot of $ by tearing down McGinley/Lombardi/Rose Hill Gym, then replacing them with one interconnected complex to include a state of the art Campus Center/Convocations Center/Recreation Complex. That way we get 3 major benefits instead of 2, all as part of the same plan/construction project. If we connect luxury boxes in the Convocations Center with the football facility, we take care of football at the same time. (NT) -- Rambacker, 12:34:12 11/20/04 Sat

That's fine, I'm not an engineer or a campus planner. If it makes sense to do it that way, great. Then we have to revive basketball and make sure there is a market for it that justifies upgrading football. I look at it as a 3-4 step process. I can't see commiting the resources otherwise. Too many other things to be done. Show we can get some some priorities addressed on the one side and then take a next step. Too easy to make a bad choice and you can't go back once it is done. (NT) -- Ramadama, 13:52:24 11/20/04 Sat

I think basketball is on it's way to being competitive, possibly very competitive. I agree that this must be done in stages and that there are several priorities that should be addressed before athletics. But the student experience must be enhanced at Fordham to enhance our ranking, and soon. A new Campus Center, Recreation Complex and Convocations Center will take us a long way toward that end. We have renovated much of the Rose Hill campus and built and renovated all the dorms. It's time. (NT) -- Rambacker, 10:24:41 11/21/04 Sun