Missourians - SMS change

[ZACTAK]

Hey everyone, not sure if anyone cares, but I am a student at SMS, and as most of you or some of you might know, we are trying to get our name changed and drop the Southwest off of our name...to name ourselves Missouri State University. Anyways, sorry for the late notice, but if any of you are interested, please e-mail your congressman and let them know to support the name change as it will benefit our school as well as the entire state of Missouri. It will allow us to possibly eventually get a medical school and a law school, and it will make our school better known and reputable throughout the entire United States... which means more people will be interested in attending Missouri State University. Hope you all will e-mail your congressman and show your support for the name change!

http://www.senate.mo.gov/04info/leg_lookup.htm

 

[Mic]

How will it help the possibility of getting a medical or law school? How will it make the school better known and rebutable? I don't follow...

I say leave it alone...and change Truman back to NEMO...

Mic

 

[ZACTAK]

How will it help the possibility of getting a medical or law school? How will it make the school better known and rebutable? I don't follow...

I say leave it alone...and change Truman back to NEMO...

Mic

Schools are divided up into "divisions" and each division is only allowed to have certain programs at their school. The name Southwest is holding SMS back from being in the division in which law schools and medical schools can be accredited. As a result the name change will give SMS the abilities to have a these schools added on.

When people look at a school, a lot look for such things as Oklahoma State University, or University of Missouri, or New York University, they don't look for schools that have Southwest, or Southeast in the name if they plan on moving from one state to the next and is not in the region that Missouri is in. By removing the name Southwest, more people would consider SMS as a school to attend because they will think it is "mainstream" or a better school... all psychological. More people interested in the school will increase the amount of students SMS has, and thus increasing the revenue the state of Missouri can receive....these are just a few of the benefits of the name change.

Name changes don't seem like they benefit a lot, but they do...schools are looked on better, and give them more opportunities as well as give extra money to the state. And for saying schools shouldn't change names, time changes man, and it is time for SMS to change their name.

 

[Mic]

Schools are divided up into "divisions" and each division is only allowed to have certain programs at their school. The name Southwest is holding SMS back from being in the division in which law schools and medical schools can be accredited. As a result the name change will give SMS the abilities to have a these schools added on.

http://www.showmenews.com/2005/Jan/20050119News007.asp

Propaganda.

The "divisions" are merely the way the state legislature divides higher education funding. Currently, the University of Missouri system is in the top "division" and receives about half of the state's higher education dollars. The other state funded schools are in the other "division" and divide the other half.

Your proposal is actually one of the "scare tactics" used by opponents of the change. They say SMS wants the change to start new degree programs, and get more funding.

Proponents of the change actually are saying SMS (or MS, as it would then be) isn't looking for more funding or to duplicate programs at schools like Mizzou or UMKC.

When people look at a school, a lot look for such things as Oklahoma State University, or University of Missouri, or New York University, they don't look for schools that have Southwest, or Southeast in the name if they plan on moving from one state to the next and is not in the region that Missouri is in. By removing the name Southwest, more people would consider SMS as a school to attend because they will think it is "mainstream" or a better school... all psychological. More people interested in the school will increase the amount of students SMS has, and thus increasing the revenue the state of Missouri can receive....these are just a few of the benefits of the name change.

UCLA doesn't seem hurt by the city in it's name...or UC-Berkley, for that matter.

SMS has to offer more than a different name to attract a wider population of students. They need to give students a reason to travel across the country, and pay out-of-state tuition. They have to have something different from the state universities in their home state.

Name changes don't seem like they benefit a lot, but they do...schools are looked on better, and give them more opportunities as well as give extra money to the state. And for saying schools shouldn't change names, time changes man, and it is time for SMS to change their name.

They shouldn't change names for no reason...

This change was first proposed almost 20 years ago. In those 20 years SMS has improved significantly. Why try to fix something that isn't broken?

Mic

 

[ZACTAK]

No, the name change currently is stopping SMS from being able to have such things as law schools and medical schools. And SMS is one of the LEAST funded schools in the state... by changing their name they will get increased funding and will be able to add more degree programs. Also, students from across the country will take SMS more seriously as a school and will consider going to it over a school that has a Southwest in front of it.

 

[Flipper]

SEMO is internationally known for their teaching and archeology programs - and they didn't get a name change.

 

[ZACTAK]

SEMO is internationally known for their teaching and archeology programs - and they didn't get a name change.

SEMO didn't request a name change.....and SMS is known for their business and political science as well as their teaching.... each school is known for something.... Central Missouri State University came in about 1AM last night and asked for a name change too...

Also, I was just reading an article and SMS agrees they will not be adding a law school or a medical school at least not at this time, they are putting this on the table so that in the future they can do it. And I didn't explain what I was talking about is that when a school has Southwest, or Southeast, Central, those schools are usually regional schools, and not statewide schools... so SMS is a statewide school but still has the Southwest on their name, so they will be better seen as a statewide school if they get the name taken off.

The school name change passed the Senate at about 6:30 this morning, it will go to the House sometime soon.

Oh and one more thing, it would be MSU, not MS, not to get technical though

 

[Mic]

I don't know that SMS is one of the least funded schools in the state, but I don't feel like doing the research right now...

I think the key to state higher education funding in MO is the sheer number of state-funded schools! I'm originally from IA; we had THREE state universities. Here in MO, we have WAYYYYYYYYY more than that, just in the UM system!

I still think the name change is just appearances, and real changes have to be made if SMS (or MS (it's not official, I can make up my own abbreviations )) wants to attract more nation-wide students. After all, I would hardly call Alabama State or Montana State, or Vermont State major national universities (of course, I'm also not sure they exist, but you can see the point).

Mic

 

[ZACTAK]

I don't know that SMS is one of the least funded schools in the state, but I don't feel like doing the research right now...

I think the key to state higher education funding in MO is the sheer number of state-funded schools! I'm originally from IA; we had THREE state universities. Here in MO, we have WAYYYYYYYYY more than that, just in the UM system!

I still think the name change is just appearances, and real changes have to be made if SMS (or MS (it's not official, I can make up my own abbreviations )) wants to attract more nation-wide students. After all, I would hardly call Alabama State or Montana State, or Vermont State major national universities (of course, I'm also not sure they exist, but you can see the point).

Mic

Yes, but you are not actively looking for a University either. Like the arguement that I have been making with friends is that I was considering a college in downtown Pittsburgh to go to, but one of the reasons I chose not to go was because they were not a state school.... And we do have a lot of state funded schools already, but it is only in that system that most of the funding is, and we deserve to have that right as well, to be a state funded school, and anyways there was an amendment added to the bill saying we will not ask for more funding with the name change.

And it was recently in our school newspaper with sources, but I didn't keep it that we are one of the least funded schools in the state, MU gets most of the funding, and I think we might even be lower then SEMO.

This was my 100th post :-D

 

[22smsbears]

i agree with you! what is in a name? Who cares? i think that it is just a way for our current president to get recognition for doing something big before he retires. That is all it is politics and stupidity. Why can't we get the "funding" with Southwest in the name? Also, we are not really getting any state funding when it goes through because otherwise they would not have to raise our tuition to pay for all the new stupid signs they are going to have to buy. That's my idea anyway.

 

[biblebeliever]

How will it affect the other state universities such as Western in St Joseph and the others? Or will it? I've heard some stuff on this but haven't really been clear about it. I live near CMSU and have heard mixed feelings about it here.

 

[ZACTAK]

i agree with you! what is in a name? Who cares? i think that it is just a way for our current president to get recognition for doing something big before he retires. That is all it is politics and stupidity. Why can't we get the "funding" with Southwest in the name? Also, we are not really getting any state funding when it goes through because otherwise they would not have to raise our tuition to pay for all the new stupid signs they are going to have to buy. That's my idea anyway.

They can't get as much funding because the name Southwest indicates a regional school, and SMS isn't a regional school. By changing their name it will be better noticed as a statewide school and thus be able to get more funding. And you do realize that the name change thing is not new right? It has been going on since the late-80's...so it has nothing to do with our current president. And I don't believe our tuition would be raised that much, because that would make more students leave the school and be disinterested.

 

[ZACTAK]

How will it affect the other state universities such as Western in St Joseph and the others? Or will it? I've heard some stuff on this but haven't really been clear about it. I live near CMSU and have heard mixed feelings about it here.

The state currently has a 2-tier system in regards to schools. With the SMS name change, MSU would become the 2nd tiered school, and the other schools that are currently on the 2nd tier would be moved to a newly created third tier, but it would not change anything in terms of funding or anything else for any other school.


Also, since it passed the Senate last week, the House will begin debating it either this week or next.

 

[Mic]

The state currently has a 2-tier system in regards to schools. With the SMS name change, MSU would become the 2nd tiered school, and the other schools that are currently on the 2nd tier would be moved to a newly created third tier, but it would not change anything in terms of funding or anything else for any other school.


Also, since it passed the Senate last week, the House will begin debating it either this week or next.

It would have to change funding for someone else, unless the legislature increases overall higher education funding.

So either the UM system would lose funding, or the other "regional" state schools would lose funding.

Mic

 

[ZACTAK]

It would have to change funding for someone else, unless the legislature increases overall higher education funding.

So either the UM system would lose funding, or the other "regional" state schools would lose funding.

Mic

And the state legislators know best as to what to do in regards to high education money. SMS says they won't ask for more funding.... but renaming the university will better the state in the long run, and no other school will get screwed over because of the name change...

 

[lonewolf777]

I believe too much money has been wasted on this. SMS should stay SMS. There is plenty of other items that our so called politicians in the big MO, should be worrying about.

 

[ZACTAK]

I believe too much money has been wasted on this. SMS should stay SMS. There is plenty of other items that our so called politicians in the big MO, should be worrying about.

That might be what you believe, but in the long run the benefits will far exceed the money spent on this issue. Also, it is an issue because many people care about it. It was a point made during the debate.

 

[ZACTAK]

The name change should be known by 3pm on Tuesday March 1, 2005. The House has already debated it for 2 hours, they have 3 more hours of debate and between 2 and 3pm is the expected time of voting.

 

[ZACTAK]

no more room for debate, the House overwhelmingly passed the legislation to give SMS their new name of Missouri State University!