Sports in Arkansas

[mcheiss]

Here's a video of the press conference for those of you who haven't seen it.

Press Conference

Thanks Arkansawyer.

[Aporkalypse]

Here's a video of the press conference for those of you who haven't seen it.

Press Conference

Nutt looks like he's in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings.

[mcheiss]

Nutt looks like he's in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings.

[Mith242]

Well after news was that both Robert Johnson and Alex Mortensen were both staying now it sounds like Mortensen might have changed his mind since Tuesday. Sounds like he's considering going to play QB at Louisville. Nutt hasn't given him much of a chance yet and it's probably doubtful he'll get much of a chance next year either, even if Mustain doesn't come. Although Mortensen is considering staying because he's interested in Malzahn.

[Aporkalypse]

Well after news was that both Robert Johnson and Alex Mortensen were both staying now it sounds like Mortensen might have changed his mind since Tuesday. Sounds like he's considering going to play QB at Louisville. Nutt hasn't given him much of a chance yet and it's probably doubtful he'll get much of a chance next year either, even if Mustain doesn't come. Although Mortensen is considering staying because he's interested in Malzahn.

If we lost Mustain Mort will end up starting for Petrino. That's the kind of legacy we as Arkansas fans constantly deal with.

[Mith242]

Sounds like Gus Malzahn's book is getting some attention. Apparently it's even the top offensive coaching book on Amazon.

[tim2462]

The game with USC is being changed to the season opener for the Razorbacks so that ESPN can televise it...if they can work it out with the other schools involved with the scheduling.

[Aporkalypse]

Van Horn announced that Baum Stadium will be expanded to 10,000 chairback seats by 2007, possibly 12,000 by 2008 when Texas plays a series in Fayetteville which would easily make it the nation's largest college stadium. There will be considerable further renovation and addition of luxury boxes to what is already one of the nation's top 3 stadia and some consider it THE best.

[Arkansawyer]

Van Horn announced that Baum Stadium will be expanded to 10,000 chairback seats by 2007, possibly 12,000 by 2008 when Texas plays a series in Fayetteville which would easily make it the nation's largest college stadium. There will be considerable further renovation and addition of luxury boxes to what is already one of the nation's top 3 stadia and some consider it THE best.

That's awesome news. Improvements have been made to the stadium every year since Van Horn has been here. That may not be hyperbole either. With an excellent coach in Van Horn, strong fan support, and an athletic department dedicated to the program, it won't be long until the Razorbacks are a college baseball powerhouse (if we're not already). There are only a handful of schools out there that can compete with what UA can offer.

[Mith242]

Van Horn announced that Baum Stadium will be expanded to 10,000 chairback seats by 2007, possibly 12,000 by 2008 when Texas plays a series in Fayetteville which would easily make it the nation's largest college stadium. There will be considerable further renovation and addition of luxury boxes to what is already one of the nation's top 3 stadia and some consider it THE best.

Yeah that is great news. Especially since I believe we were only second to LSU in attendance. I wonder if LSU will expand their baseball stadium after they hear about us.

[mcheiss]

Van Horn announced that Baum Stadium will be expanded to 10,000 chairback seats by 2007, possibly 12,000 by 2008 when Texas plays a series in Fayetteville which would easily make it the nation's largest college stadium. There will be considerable further renovation and addition of luxury boxes to what is already one of the nation's top 3 stadia and some consider it THE best.

This will make Baum Stadium the best college baseball stadium in the US.

[Mith242]

Some interesting news from the Springdale 5. According to KNWA Cleveland has decommited to Florida and has now announced he will play for the Razorbacks. It sounds like Malzahn played a difference in the change. Even more news is that apparently Williams also of the Springdale 5 is now seriously reconsidering his commitment to Florida also. So it looks like Williams and Mustain are still possibilities for the Razorbacks. Finally some good news for a change for the football team.

[johnnydr87]

Good news.

This is making me reconsider Arkansas too

kidding. Sort of.

[Mith242]

Good news.

This is making me reconsider Arkansas too

kidding. Sort of.

Yeah I'd gotten the impression you were planning on going to school out of state.

[johnnydr87]

Yeah. University of Arkansas just dropped a tier in education rankings...and they seem to be building more parking decks, dormitories, and sports facilities in response. (They are now in the third tier.) But that's off topic and a rant for another day.....

In state, Hendrix is my best bet (full paid).....

[mcheiss]

Some interesting news from the Springdale 5. According to KNWA Cleveland has decommited to Florida and has now announced he will play for the Razorbacks. It sounds like Malzahn played a difference in the change. Even more news is that apparently Williams also of the Springdale 5 is now seriously reconsidering his commitment to Florida also. So it looks like Williams and Mustain are still possibilities for the Razorbacks. Finally some good news for a change for the football team.

That's great.

I've heard talk that Williams is considering Arkansas, but I didn't take it too seriously.

[Arkansawyer]

Yeah. University of Arkansas just dropped a tier in education rankings...and they seem to be building more parking decks, dormitories, and sports facilities in response. (They are now in the third tier.) But that's off topic and a rant for another day.....

In state, Hendrix is my best bet (full paid).....

Johnny, don't rely on rankings by various publications to make your choice. First, there is no accurate method, as they present something that is abstract in a concrete way. What matters most at a school is what it offers in your field of study.

That UA dropped a tier in a particular ranking is meaningless because it is rapidly improving. Since the Honors College was founded a few years ago, and $200 million of the $300 million Walton gift was earmarked for it, UA has been agressively pursuing some of the top professors in the country. The average ACT score of students in the Honors College is 30.3, which falls into the average range at schools such as Stanford and Yale.

Universities simply do not plan their operations around these rankings. The fact that UA is growing so rapidly necessitates new infrastructure such as parking decks and dormitories. Every university has to keep up with this, or they cannot successfully function. As for the new sports facilities, the athletic department receives no state funds, so don't worry about them competing with academics.

Anyway, I do believe that very soon we'll start to see UA climb the rankings as it becomes more selective and continues to improve its faculty and facilities.

[Aporkalypse]

Some interesting news from the Springdale 5. According to KNWA Cleveland has decommited to Florida and has now announced he will play for the Razorbacks. It sounds like Malzahn played a difference in the change. Even more news is that apparently Williams also of the Springdale 5 is now seriously reconsidering his commitment to Florida also. So it looks like Williams and Mustain are still possibilities for the Razorbacks. Finally some good news for a change for the football team.

Cleveland won't eligible and will be going juco. I would guess UF backed off knowing that and UA came after him hoping that he would help rein in Mustain and Williams. I heard Williams will never play for Nutt.

[Aporkalypse]

Yeah. University of Arkansas just dropped a tier in education rankings...and they seem to be building more parking decks, dormitories, and sports facilities in response. (They are now in the third tier.) But that's off topic and a rant for another day.....

In state, Hendrix is my best bet (full paid).....

Sports facilities don't come from the same monetary pool, they come from private donations earmarked for the athletic dept. We have great facilities largely because we have great donors, particularly a handful of very wealth NW Arkansans.

The UA is clearly a MUCH better school than it was when I chose Hendrix over it in 1993, in a large part due to an influx of big donations and due to Chancellor White who has really cracked the whip on improving UA as an academic institution and brought in much better faculty and research programs.

I'm not a big believer in the "Honors College" when evaluating the entire institution. It says very little about the university as a whole, only a handful of students. Many of the best and brightest aren't interested in being separated into the Honors College in any case.

I never trust US News rankings. They are prestige-based and the same names will be listed on these surveys for many years before the reputation has caught up to reality. UA is clearly not a 1st tier school but nor is it 3rd tier, either. US News makes the same mistakes when evaluating hospitals whose rankings are equally deceptive.

[Mith242]

Cleveland won't eligible and will be going juco. I would guess UF backed off knowing that and UA came after him hoping that he would help rein in Mustain and Williams. I heard Williams will never play for Nutt.

I guess I should have known the good news couldn't last for the football team.

[mcheiss]

I've heard Williams will be talking with UofA coaches this Sunday.

[johnnydr87]

Johnny, don't rely on rankings by various publications to make your choice. First, there is no accurate method, as they present something that is abstract in a concrete way. What matters most at a school is what it offers in your field of study.

That UA dropped a tier in a particular ranking is meaningless because it is rapidly improving. Since the Honors College was founded a few years ago, and $200 million of the $300 million Walton gift was earmarked for it, UA has been agressively pursuing some of the top professors in the country. The average ACT score of students in the Honors College is 30.3, which falls into the average range at schools such as Stanford and Yale.

Universities simply do not plan their operations around these rankings. The fact that UA is growing so rapidly necessitates new infrastructure such as parking decks and dormitories. Every university has to keep up with this, or they cannot successfully function. As for the new sports facilities, the athletic department receives no state funds, so don't worry about them competing with academics.

Anyway, I do believe that very soon we'll start to see UA climb the rankings as it becomes more selective and continues to improve its faculty and facilities.

Sports facilities don't come from the same monetary pool, they come from private donations earmarked for the athletic dept. We have great facilities largely because we have great donors, particularly a handful of very wealth NW Arkansans.

The UA is clearly a MUCH better school than it was when I chose Hendrix over it in 1993, in a large part due to an influx of big donations and due to Chancellor White who has really cracked the whip on improving UA as an academic institution and brought in much better faculty and research programs.

I'm not a big believer in the "Honors College" when evaluating the entire institution. It says very little about the university as a whole, only a handful of students. Many of the best and brightest aren't interested in being separated into the Honors College in any case.

I never trust US News rankings. They are prestige-based and the same names will be listed on these surveys for many years before the reputation has caught up to reality. UA is clearly not a 1st tier school but nor is it 3rd tier, either. US News makes the same mistakes when evaluating hospitals whose rankings are equally deceptive.

Thanks for both of your opinions. Although the US News rankings are not totally accurate in measuring schools.....I do believe it is a good indicator of the types of people and priorities at schools. I would say the same about standardized test scores.... I know many, many people who are smarter and more multidimensional than their scores.... but I think the scores still serve as a fairly valid indicator of a person's ablility (in the areas it tests)...

[Mith242]

Cleveland won't eligible and will be going juco. I would guess UF backed off knowing that and UA came after him hoping that he would help rein in Mustain and Williams. I heard Williams will never play for Nutt.

Are you sure about this news? I still haven't seen KNWA mention anything about this. They still act like he's coming to play in Fayetteville. I don't know if anyone saw any of the Army America game. I only caught part of it but it doesn't look like Mustain turned any heads. Didn't look like he did particularly well. The commentators kept pronouncing his name wrong too. They kept saying 'moose-stain'.

[mcheiss]

Are you sure about this news? I still haven't seen KNWA mention anything about this. They still act like he's coming to play in Fayetteville. I don't know if anyone saw any of the Army America game. I only caught part of it but it doesn't look like Mustain turned any heads. Didn't look like he did particularly well. The commentators kept pronouncing his name wrong too. They kept saying 'moose-stain'.

I as well am questioning this, because the media would have been all over this by now.

[Arkansawyer]

I'm not a big believer in the "Honors College" when evaluating the entire institution. It says very little about the university as a whole, only a handful of students. Many of the best and brightest aren't interested in being separated into the Honors College in any case.

If you're implying that I used it in this way, you are incorrect. I simply pointed out what a good educational opportunity was available at the University of Arkansas.

It doesn't sound like you have a very good grasp of how the Honors College works. More than "a handful of students" are in the Honors College. The most recent number I could find of 1,762 was from Spring 2003. The number has no doubt grown tremendously since that was merely a year after the Walton Foundation gave its gift. Honors students are in no way "separated" from the others. They are still enrolled in a college such as the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences or the Walton College of Business. The difference is that a student participating in the Honors College has to take about fifty core hours of honors courses, and then satisfy departmental honors, as well as defending an honors thesis before graduation. Honors classes are open to all students, they just involve more challenging material, as well as an emphasis on reading and writing. As you can tell, most classes that students in the Honors College take are non-honors courses. Being part of it doesn't have as much impact on one's college experience as the college of one's field, other than the more challenging studies of course. Money from the Walton gift is used to lure in the professors of these honors courses, but again, any student can take the class. It's just in order to graduate from the Honors College, one needs to satisfy various requirements to be bestowed with graduation from it.