If you had a wish list for AD JB what would it be?

SOWEGA Jacket

Helluva Engineer
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For the people who are unhappy with our acceptance rates and the size of our student body, I’d say to talk to your senator and your representative in the state legislature. Georgia has been squeezing funding for state schools for decades. Georgia Tech gets more of its funding from research grants and outside fundraising than ever before.

If the legislature wants increased enrollment at GT, and funds it, everyone else will line up behind that.

While you do that, if you get the legislature to support out of state tuition waivers like Alabama, South Carolina and other neighboring states, that would save our AA serious cash.



A friend’s son is a freshman engineering student at UGA. He’s also looking to transfer to Tech this summer.
The problem is the legislature is run by dogs who won’t do a thing to help GT. GT has made its bed over the decades and we are now living with the aftermath of those decisions. Leaving the SEC turned the state against us and gave UGA the sidewalk fans. Admitting the world in place of your own has slowly decayed our own fanbase as generational families now sport red/black, crimson/white, and many other colors. It’s hard to see a way out. The donations aren’t going to increase over where they are now because you have already been squeezing the alumni base for years. The only way out is to build our base of local alum and fans over the next 2-3 decades so we don’t have empty venues and limited donations. But we know that won’t happen.
 

slugboy

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11,491
The problem is the legislature is run by dogs who won’t do a thing to help GT. GT has made its bed over the decades and we are now living with the aftermath of those decisions. Leaving the SEC turned the state against us and gave UGA the sidewalk fans. Admitting the world in place of your own has slowly decayed our own fanbase as generational families now sport red/black, crimson/white, and many other colors. It’s hard to see a way out. The donations aren’t going to increase over where they are now because you have already been squeezing the alumni base for years. The only way out is to build our base of local alum and fans over the next 2-3 decades so we don’t have empty venues and limited donations. But we know that won’t happen.
Have you talked to them or written them?

I understand giving up if you talked to them, and they said “I’m a DAWG, so no way”. But if you care this much and haven’t talked to your reps, then why not?

In South GA, I’d think your rep would be able to get allies.
 

cpf2001

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I’m not a Georgia resident but I would hope that most politicians response to “were spending a bunch of our money on an institution that is no longer serving the state as much as it used to, or could” wouldn’t be “lol screw off, go dawgs.”

If hating GT was a major factor they could’ve been sabotaging the academic reputation already, right?

Maybe find some spin to make it something more like “attacking elitist administrators who don’t think in state kids are good enough” vs some sort of UGA vs GT pissing match to find common cause to boost enrollment and legacy and in-state admissions. “We believe more of Georgia’s kids can excel to the highest academic standards.”

The research mainly isn’t getting done by undergrads anyway so it’s not like that part of the school even has to suffer.
 

BeeRBee

Jolly Good Fellow
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236
While you do that, if you get the legislature to support out of state tuition waivers like Alabama, South Carolina and other neighboring states, that would save our AA serious cash.
The School is already waiving out of state tuition for the GTAA. FY2022 they reported a combined $5.8 million of Institutional Support, including out of state tuition waivers and administrative salaries and support.
 

slugboy

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The School is already waiving out of state tuition for the GTAA. FY2022 they reported a combined $5.8 million of Institutional Support, including out of state tuition waivers and administrative salaries and support.
The Institute’s funding for the GTAA is capped by state law—what I was aiming at was caponomics so that the tuition wavers wouldn’t count against the cap.

Maybe they already don’t though.
 

SOWEGA Jacket

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Have you talked to them or written them?

I understand giving up if you talked to them, and they said “I’m a DAWG, so no way”. But if you care this much and haven’t talked to your reps, then why not?

In South GA, I’d think your rep would be able to get allies.
The board of regents gave UGA an engineering department. What more proof do you need to know that GT has lost this state? Take your head out of the sand (not you directly but those who still think it’s the same game from 40 years ago). It’s over. UGA has taken this state completely over during the past 40 years. We are now a niche school that no one cares about. I hate to say this but our inept leadership over the decades, along with our own dumb decisions, have successfully turned us from a Georgia school to an international school that most citizens of this state don’t give a 2nd thought about.
 

BurdellJacket

Ramblin' Wreck
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Sorry Burdell, I was obviously hoping for a different discussion too. What are your thoughts on the best focus areas for ADJB?
Well, I was hoping to see discussion on areas in which an AD can actually have some amount of control. For instance, I think ADJB has already shown a much stronger line of good communication with the fan base than the prevIous several AD's. Hope he keeps it up. Secondly, I hope he will concentrate most of his efforts on recruiting and not a lot on facilities. IMO, our facilities should be adequate. It's a fools errand to try to keep up with the Bamas, UGAs, A&MS,etc. Facilities can be expanded after the winning tradition is re-established, more butts in the seats and $'s in the coffers.

He could help in providing focus, leadership, and resources in recruiting efforts. Maybe direct more emphasis on targeting the hot areas in the country such as metro ATL, Florida and Texas. Is there some regulation against having on the payroll sales type people who are not coaches who could establish a presence in those certain high target rich areas of the country? IMO that type of thing would have much greater bang/buck than facilities.
 

GTRambler

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Well, I was hoping to see discussion on areas in which an AD can actually have some amount of control. For instance, I think ADJB has already shown a much stronger line of good communication with the fan base than the prevIous several AD's. Hope he keeps it up. Secondly, I hope he will concentrate most of his efforts on recruiting and not a lot on facilities. IMO, our facilities should be adequate. It's a fools errand to try to keep up with the Bamas, UGAs, A&MS,etc. Facilities can be expanded after the winning tradition is re-established, more butts in the seats and $'s in the coffers.

He could help in providing focus, leadership, and resources in recruiting efforts. Maybe direct more emphasis on targeting the hot areas in the country such as metro ATL, Florida and Texas. Is there some regulation against having on the payroll sales type people who are not coaches who could establish a presence in those certain high target rich areas of the country? IMO that type of thing would have much greater bang/buck than facilities.
I love your post, Burdell! Here’s my thoughts:

GT’s current football facilities are very good.

J Batt now has a great opportunity to beef up recruiting by targeting as many 4- and 5-star high school football studs as possible. Spend big money on scouting and recruiting, and go after them hard wherever they are throughout the Nation.
 

forensicbuzz

21st Century Throwback Dad
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Well, I was hoping to see discussion on areas in which an AD can actually have some amount of control. For instance, I think ADJB has already shown a much stronger line of good communication with the fan base than the prevIous several AD's. Hope he keeps it up. Secondly, I hope he will concentrate most of his efforts on recruiting and not a lot on facilities. IMO, our facilities should be adequate. It's a fools errand to try to keep up with the Bamas, UGAs, A&MS,etc. Facilities can be expanded after the winning tradition is re-established, more butts in the seats and $'s in the coffers.

He could help in providing focus, leadership, and resources in recruiting efforts. Maybe direct more emphasis on targeting the hot areas in the country such as metro ATL, Florida and Texas. Is there some regulation against having on the payroll sales type people who are not coaches who could establish a presence in those certain high target rich areas of the country? IMO that type of thing would have much greater bang/buck than facilities.
I think J Batt should go to Indianapolis and punch the NCAA Commissioner in the nose, come back to the Edge Center and proudly take selfies in front of the 2009 ACC Championship trophy in the front lobby. That would be a gauntlet to throw down. Then when the NCAA come all puffed up, J Batt will bring in the best litigation team in Atlanta and kick them in the nether regions. Then take that trophy, the 2014 Orange Bowl trophy, and the National Championship trophy and go on a tour of every county in Georgia.
 

swarmer

Ramblin' Wreck
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700
It's the off-season, so time to make a wishlist for J. Batt to pursue once he finishes the monumental task of setting up our NIL infrastructure.

For me, the wish list is as follows.

1. Build a small donor program that allows for small recurring donations (simillar to the Tech Way on the NIL side).

2. Develop a program to drive student (and eventually alumni) engagement for all sports (including women's sports other than volleyball)

3. Establish new programs. Based on it's current popularity within the city or on campus I would suggest soccer and lacrosse as good places to start.
1. Fix the terrible gameday experience; realign with GT brand, history, traditions

2. Engage young alumni/fans. Fostering a new generation of season ticket holders is essential to our athletic future

3. Fundraising + Manage costs more prudently than previous ADs
 

leatherneckjacket

Helluva Engineer
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Atlanta, GA
1. Fix the long term financial situation by significantly reducing our debt and endowing at least 80% of all scholarships and coaching positions.

2. Work with student body leadership and fraternities/sororities to figure out ways to incentivize student attendance at all sporting events.

3. Work with individual coaches to develop an action plan to improve performance of programs and set clear expectations on what constitutes reasonable level of success including the frequency of postseason play.

4. Work with President to figure out how the GTAA can generate the appropriate level of funding required to achieve success across all sports in which we participate.
 
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