We were watching synchronized swimming yesterday and I told my wife and daughters that I thought that was THE most impressive sport there was........truly amazing to me how they are so together, while staying at the same depth, etc.
Strange the Texas schools are not on that list: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/1189.PDF The PUF is managed by the Board of Regents of the UT System. The UT System contracts with the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), a nonprofit investment organization, to provide day-to-day management of the PUF and other university investments. At the end of August 2005, net investment assets of the PUF had a market value of $9.2 billion, which does not include the value of PUF lands of $1.5 billion.
University research income does not go to educating students, it goes to covering the costs of producing delverable results for the funding organizations. It does cover some graduate student salaries, but they are research assistants, not teaching assistants. Donations range from endowed professorships (which do aid in education) to propery of little real value (a tax write-off) and to the funding of buildings that are named after the donors (which primarily are to boost donor and university prestige). But don't fool yourself into imagining that the large piles amassed by the schools is all about fostering education.
I hope that the Big Ten picks Notre Dame, and not a Big East or other conference team. As a college football fan I like seeing good teams in "minor" conferences. Rutgers, WVU, and Louisville work out great in the Big East and provide some parity in the college football world. If the major conferences stole teams from the minor conferences, then college football as a whole would be less exciting.
Didn't the Big East "steal" Louisville not long ago, after the ACC "stole" Miami? I can sort of see your point, but for me I don't much care which conference teams are in, other than as it relates to LSU of course. If a decent Louisville teams is playing a decent Rutgers team, I'll probably watch it regardless of the conferences involved., in other words.
I'd like to see Miami in the Big East, it would make it interesting to have three major players from one State, in three different conferences- UF, FSU, & the U.
