Is Georgia State headed for the big time as a major university? (Atlanta: private schools, universities)

[arjay57]

I think I misunderstood the criteria for what makes a major university. Georgia state still seems like a big deal to me.

[krogerDisco]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I think I misunderstood the criteria for what makes a major university. Georgia state still seems like a big deal to me.

GSU is not in US News' Top 200. Britain's Times placed GSU as #487 in the world. Not great, but good to be recognized. Emory #79, Georgia Tech #86, UGA #204, Augusta U #462. I think Augusta is resting on the laurels of its med school.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by krogerDisco

GSU is not in US News' Top 200. Britain's Times placed GSU as #487 in the world. Not great, but good to be recognized. Emory #79, Georgia Tech #86, UGA #204, Augusta U #462. I think Augusta is resting on the laurels of its med school.

I think it's going to take a long time for Augusta University to gain name recognition. I brought it up to my high school daughter and her North Gwinnett friends as an option for college and none of them had heard of it (or GRU for that matter). One said it sounded like an online school. I think they have some marketing to do.

[nortonguy]

Originally Posted by LTCM

Wait, have they changed names again?

That's a slap in the face to MCG. Cannot believe they now call it Augusta University, thats a complete joke.

And I grew up in Augusta, so i get the community stance but it's still a terrible decision.

MCG is still the name of the medical school.

Originally Posted by krogerDisco

MCG still exists, but as a college within AU. AU is a better name than Georgia Regents. But I think University of Augusta would have been a better name.

The board of regents didn't want the name to be similar to University of Georgia. University of Augusta was the most popular name among the national and statewide results.

Originally Posted by krogerDisco

GSU is not in US News' Top 200. Britain's Times placed GSU as #487 in the world. Not great, but good to be recognized. Emory #79, Georgia Tech #86, UGA #204, Augusta U #462. I think Augusta is resting on the laurels of its med school.

I agree to an certain extent, but the dental school and James Hull College of Business are other assets.
Hull College ranked a top business school by The Princeton Review |

New innovations are on the way to Augusta University..
Augusta University Cyber Institute recognized by NSA and DHD

Originally Posted by OhioNative

I think it's going to take a long time for Augusta University to gain name recognition. I brought it up to my high school daughter and her North Gwinnett friends as an option for college and none of them had heard of it (or GRU for that matter). One said it sounded like an online school. I think they have some marketing to do.

MCG or Medical College of Georgia are the most well known. The GRU experiment lasted 3 years and Augusta University was created in September 2015..

[bellhead]

Ga. State needs political backing from the Governor or a coalition of leading politicians who are willing to put major money into the university's programs.

The state really needs two or three more medical schools, another vet. program, and a dental school. This would be a huge boost to the urban core in Atlanta for them to add these 3 schools. After the medical school is up and running then you start the research programs associated with it.

[arjay57]

We've already got Emory and Morehouse medical schools intown. UGA is pretty far down the road in setting up their medical school as well.

I could definitely see a dental school, however.

Remember when Emory had a dental school? You could go over there and get your teeth worked on really cheap.

[krogerDisco]

Originally Posted by bellhead

Ga. State needs political backing from the Governor or a coalition of leading politicians who are willing to put major money into the university's programs.

The state really needs two or three more medical schools, another vet. program, and a dental school. This would be a huge boost to the urban core in Atlanta for them to add these 3 schools. After the medical school is up and running then you start the research programs associated with it.

I don't think there'll be backing from the state. GSU must continue to fundraise. There is a projected shortage of doctors so a med school at GSU, especially considering its proximity to Grady, is plausible. GSU's research and program emphasis makes me think GSU is moving towards a med school through the backdoor so to speak.

[DreamerD]

Originally Posted by krogerDisco

The state has been more interested in academic buildings rather than research buildings. Tech and Georgia have the money to build them. Much tougher for GSU though.

Like it or not, a successful sports program, especially in football, can give a school a perception of being a big deal.

But that's just it. It would only be perception. What a society we live in that people think that way. People wouldn't mind being as thick as bricks as long as sports is involved becsuse a nice sports team automatically equals a valuable education.

[goillini8]

Interesting question. It has a tremendous opportunity given it's location. Will it meet resistance from leaders and supporters of other schools? Can it get more money from the State? Can it get the research dollars?

It may never have the name recognition of huge flagship state schools or elite private schools, but that doesn't mean it can't be great. University of Central Florida in Orlando has really built itself into a very good school over the years. To an outsider, it just sounds like any old "directional" state school, and I think many people would be surprised to see it's below 50% acceptance rate, research activity, academic quality and size. Like GSU, it also has relatively big-time athletics - D1 in a great recruiting area for a lot of sports, but not Power 5 conference.

The one thing that schools on the rise like GSU usually don't have in relation to the flagship state Us or the elite private schools is a substantial endowment - which is always a hedge against short-term economic bumps and enables a school to think more strategically over the long term.

Also, being a great school, doesn't necessarily have to equate with being a "national" school - you know, the ones everyone knows either through sports and/or simply because of their elite status (e.g., Harvard). GSU could be school like San Jose State, which is easily overshadowed by Stanford and Berkeley in the Bay Area, yet has grown, improved, has great ties to the tech industry, and thrives under radar (well, under radar to most of the nation, not in the Bay Area). Given how much Atlanta area and the Southeast has grown in general over the past two decades, GSU could be the same sort of school.

[krogerDisco]

Originally Posted by DreamerD

But that's just it. It would only be perception. What a society we live in that people think that way. People wouldn't mind being as thick as bricks as long as sports is involved becsuse a nice sports team automatically equals a valuable education.

When I was in high school, UGA's appeal was really because of athletics. People I knew going to UGA had only the comment "Go Dawgs!" about it. Tech's appeal was solely academics. GSU was sort of a backup school. Kennesaw was for below average students wanting to go to college. Alabama and Auburn were probably propelled by athletics, today they are not bad academically. Schools know that successful sports programs increase donations.