2012 SAT/GPA for public colleges and universities: UGA, Tech set records, averages increases overall (Atlanta: shop, assess)

[consultingengineer]

Originally Posted by ChefRamsey

My previous post said research partnership

I meant transfer partnership.

Again, consultingengineer, no offense. It's just too frustrating for me to the point of the debate just not being worth it at all. SPSU compared to Georgia Tech. wow. First time I actually started laughing while reading something on here. Everyone can have an opinion is all I will say. I don't agree with anything you're saying at all.

I'll leave it at that and only that.

Chef,
I'm glad you got a chuckle out of my posting. Your opinion (low) and knowledge (meager) of SPSU is shared by a few. My posting was more of a contrast than a comparison. Everyone knows GT is the toughest university in Georgia to get into and to graduate from. That does not make GT the holy grail for all engineering. If you have read my postings, you will know the two schools have different missions and serve different purposes.

However, let's lood at where the rubber meets the road. Money. SPSU grads often start at higher salaries than do GT grads. Many emploeyers prefer SPSU grads because they hit the gruond running. This has been evident time and again over my 42-year career.

In hiring scores of engineers over the years, given eqaul backgronds, I have paid SPSU grads at least as well as grads from GT, UT, NCSU, Auburn, Maryland, Clemson, you name it. I have never had to fire an SPSU grad. I have fired GT grads. This is not necessarily a reflection of GT, but rather that of an individual's capability level.

Incidently, do you have a degree from SPSU, GT, or any other engineering school? Have you hired engineers in your career and evluated their perfomance? Just wondering.

[gog8rs]

Originally Posted by consultingengineer

However, let's lood at where the rubber meets the road. Money. SPSU grads often start at higher salaries than do GT grads. Many emploeyers prefer SPSU grads because they hit the gruond running. This has been evident time and again over my 42-year career.

In hiring scores of engineers over the years, given eqaul backgronds, I have paid SPSU grads at least as well as grads from GT, UT, NCSU, Auburn, Maryland, Clemson, you name it. I have never had to fire an SPSU grad. I have fired GT grads. This is not necessarily a reflection of GT, but rather that of an individual's capability level.

What does an equal background mean? Coursework is one thing, but comparing GPA is another. Is your company local/regional or is it a prestigious and renowned engineering firm? The top GT grads are chasing the latter jobs, so, depending on the answer to my question you may be seeing a bias in the quality of grads applying to your company from different tier schools. I do not mean to insult you, but the fact of the matter is, at a GT career fair, all the EEs, for example, are lining up around the corner at the chance to talk with reps from Intel, Google, Qualcomm, etc., while the other reps are lucky to get a few people an hour.

No doubt, there is some overlap in ability between GT and SPSU grads, but to call the average SPSU grad better than the average GT grad (why else would you pay the former more so often?) probably flies in the face of reason.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by ChefRamsey

Wow. You lost a lot of credibility right there.

Engineering Armstrong Atlantic Savannah Georgia

Armstrong atlantic is an RETP school meaning they have a research partnership with Tech(just like SPSU). If Herty isn't going to be a cash cow or valuable, why not just merge it with a geographically relevant school? Less travel cost.

Regents' Engineering Transfer Program (RETP) | Admission

Dude...they aren't even close to SPSU. SPSU offers Bachelor's and even a Master's degree in engineering. All AAU can do is give you 2 years and then you have to do your Junior and Senior years at GT.

Engineering Studies - Engineering Armstrong Atlantic Savannah Georgia

AAU has a grand total of 4 engineering faculty and one emeritus.

Faculty & Staff - Engineering Armstrong Atlantic Savannah Georgia

GA Southern is trying to break into research. I promise you.

Well...first of all you have to have quality faculty who can win those grants. It's not as easy as just deciding to "do research".

Apparently, people really hate SPSU
SPSU: Worst Schools Reviewed - Southern Polytechnic State University Does Not Rank

That site just sounds vindictive. Not exactly an objective assessment of SPSU. And SPSU has a ranking at US News.

[consultingengineer]

Originally Posted by gog8rs

What does an equal background mean? Coursework is one thing, but comparing GPA is another. Is your company local/regional or is it a prestigious and renowned engineering firm? The top GT grads are chasing the latter jobs, so, depending on the answer to my question you may be seeing a bias in the quality of grads applying to your company from different tier schools. I do not mean to insult you, but the fact of the matter is, at a GT career fair, all the EEs, for example, are lining up around the corner at the chance to talk with reps from Intel, Google, Qualcomm, etc., while the other reps are lucky to get a few people an hour.

No doubt, there is some overlap in ability between GT and SPSU grads, but to call the average SPSU grad better than the average GT grad (why else would you pay the former more so often?) probably flies in the face of reason.

Engineering, like other disciplines, is not "one size fits all." I have spoken only of my experience and my line of work, product development, special machine design and build, and system design and build. This is for dozens of companies, large and small. We work internationally. We are not a large company. That is not our mission.

What we do, conceive, design, prototype, test, develop and build, requires design knowledge and the practical skills to carry a project from concept to completion. We work on product development and the capability to manufacture products. This requires knowledge of the design process as well as practical aspects, such as manufcturing processes and their implementation.

SPSU covers these areas well. Schools that are primarily theory-oriented generally lack the courses and laboratories to cover all of these skills. A graduate of one of these schools takes a longer period of time to become acclimated to the full spectrum of the entire process. Some don't adapt at all. This isn't to disparage GT and their ilk. It simply means they are far heavier into theory than practical application. We get our hands dirty. Some aren't equipped for that.

After four decades of this work, it's evident that a high or low GPA is not necessarily an indicator of quality of work in our field. It's more up to the individual than where he went to school.

How long have you been in engineering? What does your company conceive, design, and build?

[ChefRamsey]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Dude...they aren't even close to SPSU. SPSU offers Bachelor's and even a Master's degree in engineering. All AAU can do is give you 2 years and then you have to do your Junior and Senior years at GT.

Engineering Studies - Engineering Armstrong Atlantic Savannah Georgia

AAU has a grand total of 4 engineering faculty and one emeritus.

Faculty & Staff - Engineering Armstrong Atlantic Savannah Georgia


Well...first of all you have to have quality faculty who can win those grants. It's not as easy as just deciding to "do research".



That site just sounds vindictive. Not exactly an objective assessment of SPSU. And SPSU has a ranking at US News.

Relax. I only meant they have an RETP partnership. A lot of talk from someone who didn't even know Armstrong had engineering.

I want one of you to answer me on why Herty wasn't given to schools who could better utilize it. I'm curious to know what you'll say to that.

[dichloromethane]

Georgia Southern might become a research university - maybe a decade later. As my other thread stated, GA Southern is only creeping towards that stature, but they aren't there yet. Southern isn't going to suddenly spring up to compete directly with GRU and GSU in terms of research money. Southern will funnel in whatever projects can't be absorbed by the other four research universities. I think the same is true for KSU. I do think the BOR will try to strengthen GA Southern, if not the BOR then the two GA Southern alumni. The school has a lot of potential if it wasn't seen as a mere jumper school for students who don't get into UGA or Georgia Tech, much like GSU. People don't realize just how much KSU and GA Southern have improved, even past the bump in quality of students. There is some good academic work going on in those places.

It will be good for South Georgia if we can have GRU and Georgia Southern serve as research catalysts for that area. Obviously, UGA and Georgia Tech have the state, and frankly, region covered in terms of high profile grant and research dollars. Both schools will continue to strengthen their research spendings. We can still have other research going on at all of these schools. Savannah State U regularly works with UGA, Georgia Tech and Skidaway Institute of Oceanography on research. They do good work. I've seen it myself.

Why was Herty given to GA Southern instead of Tech or UGA? I don't know, you have a great point. Georgia Tech's Savannah campus could have and should have absorbed that physical plant.

[ChefRamsey]

Originally Posted by dichloromethane

Georgia Southern might become a research university - maybe a decade later. As my other thread stated, GA Southern is only creeping towards that stature, but they aren't there yet. Southern isn't going to suddenly spring up to compete directly with GRU and GSU in terms of research money. Southern will funnel in whatever projects can't be absorbed by the other four research universities. I think the same is true for KSU. I do think the BOR will try to strengthen GA Southern, if not the BOR then the two GA Southern alumni. The school has a lot of potential if it wasn't seen as a mere jumper school for students who don't get into UGA or Georgia Tech, much like GSU. People don't realize just how much KSU and GA Southern have improved, even past the bump in quality of students. There is some good academic work going on in those places.

It will be good for South Georgia if we can have GRU and Georgia Southern serve as research catalysts for that area. Obviously, UGA and Georgia Tech have the state, and frankly, region covered in terms of high profile grant and research dollars. Both schools will continue to strengthen their research spendings. We can still have other research going on at all of these schools. Savannah State U regularly works with UGA, Georgia Tech and Skidaway Institute of Oceanography on research. They do good work. I've seen it myself.

Why was Herty given to GA Southern instead of Tech or UGA? I don't know, you have a great point. Georgia Tech's Savannah campus could have and should have absorbed that physical plant.

I'm all for Southern strengthening and developing south Georgia. We need less hillbillies. Let's push them all to Alabama and the pan-handle Florida.

I just think Herty rightfully belongs with either UGA or Georgia Tech. Mark my words... Southern is up to something.

This is completely out of the blue...what do you think of a GRU-GA Southern merger? It would be more of a multi-campus situation like University of North Georgia.

[MathmanMathman]

I'm sure Ga Southern has research university as a goal but I think it'll take a while. I doubt the BOR wants both GRU and Ga Southern research at this time. Plus state funding is still way down and Ga Southern has a small endowment and doesn't bring in much money as it is. They can probably argue that South Georgia deserves a research university but one school in Statesboro won't support South Georgia. GT and UGA are more meaningful to Valdosta and Albany than a school in Statesboro.

I doubt a GRU-Ga Southern merger. Neither school would consent to begin the branch of the other.

[dichloromethane]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I'm sure Ga Southern has research university as a goal but I think it'll take a while. I doubt the BOR wants both GRU and Ga Southern research at this time. Plus state funding is still way down and Ga Southern has a small endowment and doesn't bring in much money as it is. They can probably argue that South Georgia deserves a research university but one school in Statesboro won't support South Georgia. GT and UGA are more meaningful to Valdosta and Albany than a school in Statesboro.

I doubt a GRU-Ga Southern merger. Neither school would consent to begin the branch of the other.

I'm also skeptical about a GRU-GA Southern merger. That wouldn't make any sense at all, even coming from the BOR's track record of merging USG institutions. Georgia Southern has, will and should continue to improve it's academics and research image. Any and all schools that deliver more research end up serving the state well. If anything, I think GRU will be the one playing politics to levy resources towards them. With an undergraduate program, they'll probably need it.

I'm interested in seeing the next USG budget distribution.

[ChefRamsey]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I'm sure Ga Southern has research university as a goal but I think it'll take a while. I doubt the BOR wants both GRU and Ga Southern research at this time. Plus state funding is still way down and Ga Southern has a small endowment and doesn't bring in much money as it is. They can probably argue that South Georgia deserves a research university but one school in Statesboro won't support South Georgia. GT and UGA are more meaningful to Valdosta and Albany than a school in Statesboro.

I doubt a GRU-Ga Southern merger. Neither school would consent to begin the branch of the other.

GRU doesn't have any BOR members. GRU is able to do what it's doing just because of Georgia's goal to become more of a research/health/tech hub. I don't know how ole Ricardo got so much influence. I would be willing to bet Southern will be seeing a lot more support.