Home
Articles
Photos
Interviews
Forums
New posts
Search forums
Georgia Tech Recruiting
Dashboard
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Chat
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Home
Forums
Georgia Tech Athletics
Georgia Tech Football
Mostly “Fire Geoff Collins”, some reminiscing, maybe bourbon or other distractions
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Vespidae" data-source="post: 865348" data-attributes="member: 2957"><p>I have a different perspective. After corporate life, I taught in the University System of Georgia and currently teach at Auburn. So, let's start there. </p><p></p><p>Tech, like many mechanical schools, was founded in the late 19th century in response to the rapid industrialization of the South. (Did you know that Tech's original location was to be Macon?) Schools like Auburn, Texas A&M, VA Tech, etc ... were the "mechanical" schools in each state, as compared to the land grant universities that usually bore the name of the state (e.g., Georgia, Alabama, UNC, etc.)</p><p></p><p>Tech, like Auburn, had a primary mission to educate and train skilled employees to meet the demand, especially in the textile mills. Auburn, even today, has a state mission to address the needs of citizens of Alabama and has operations in every county of the state. The University of Alabama is seen as the flagship brand and professional school (law, medicine, etc) but ... does NOT have a majority of students coming from the state ... they come from out of state. Also, Auburn is viewed by the state government as THE university of Alabama ... the workhorse. Alabama by contrast, is the brand. </p><p></p><p>This was similar in Georgia. However, unlike Auburn ... Georgia Tech took its Experiment Station under Petit and retooled it to be the Georgia Tech Research Institute and focus on delivering research. The state of Georgia makes about $1 Billion a year from Tech and THAT ... is the mission for Tech today. It is NOT to educate future technologists for the state (KSU, UGA and others now teach engineering) ... Tech's role is to deliver the money. Global reach, global students, global mission. Operations in every county of Georgia? Forget it. </p><p></p><p>That's why "students don't care". The demographics have evolved along with the mission. On game day, Auburn has multiple generations show up en masse for tailgating because the experience, the education, the environment ... are largely the same. That's not the case at Tech anymore. </p><p></p><p>I graduated 40 years ago. The school today bears little resemblance to the same GT I knew. Yes, many of the buildings are the same (although repurposed) but ... many of the traditions have been changed or dropped, the faculty is much less supportive of athletics (Auburn, by contrast, values athletics as part of a healthy lifestyle and actively encourages students to involve themselves in Auburn Athletics or enjoy the athletic facilities ... much more so that Tech did when I was there.) </p><p></p><p>Do we have bad fans? No. We have different fans. And that is reflective of the changing demographics, brand and mission of the Institute. I remain proud of the school but ... I also recognize that football is not a priority and probably hasn't been from about 25 years. Realistically, I don't expect that to change. I hope (and we probably will) remain D1, but our best shot at future championships is probably in baseball, basketball, golf and similar sports. </p><p></p><p>At least, that's the view from my perch.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Vespidae, post: 865348, member: 2957"] I have a different perspective. After corporate life, I taught in the University System of Georgia and currently teach at Auburn. So, let's start there. Tech, like many mechanical schools, was founded in the late 19th century in response to the rapid industrialization of the South. (Did you know that Tech's original location was to be Macon?) Schools like Auburn, Texas A&M, VA Tech, etc ... were the "mechanical" schools in each state, as compared to the land grant universities that usually bore the name of the state (e.g., Georgia, Alabama, UNC, etc.) Tech, like Auburn, had a primary mission to educate and train skilled employees to meet the demand, especially in the textile mills. Auburn, even today, has a state mission to address the needs of citizens of Alabama and has operations in every county of the state. The University of Alabama is seen as the flagship brand and professional school (law, medicine, etc) but ... does NOT have a majority of students coming from the state ... they come from out of state. Also, Auburn is viewed by the state government as THE university of Alabama ... the workhorse. Alabama by contrast, is the brand. This was similar in Georgia. However, unlike Auburn ... Georgia Tech took its Experiment Station under Petit and retooled it to be the Georgia Tech Research Institute and focus on delivering research. The state of Georgia makes about $1 Billion a year from Tech and THAT ... is the mission for Tech today. It is NOT to educate future technologists for the state (KSU, UGA and others now teach engineering) ... Tech's role is to deliver the money. Global reach, global students, global mission. Operations in every county of Georgia? Forget it. That's why "students don't care". The demographics have evolved along with the mission. On game day, Auburn has multiple generations show up en masse for tailgating because the experience, the education, the environment ... are largely the same. That's not the case at Tech anymore. I graduated 40 years ago. The school today bears little resemblance to the same GT I knew. Yes, many of the buildings are the same (although repurposed) but ... many of the traditions have been changed or dropped, the faculty is much less supportive of athletics (Auburn, by contrast, values athletics as part of a healthy lifestyle and actively encourages students to involve themselves in Auburn Athletics or enjoy the athletic facilities ... much more so that Tech did when I was there.) Do we have bad fans? No. We have different fans. And that is reflective of the changing demographics, brand and mission of the Institute. I remain proud of the school but ... I also recognize that football is not a priority and probably hasn't been from about 25 years. Realistically, I don't expect that to change. I hope (and we probably will) remain D1, but our best shot at future championships is probably in baseball, basketball, golf and similar sports. At least, that's the view from my perch. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
What is the name of Georgia Tech's mascot?
Post reply
Home
Forums
Georgia Tech Athletics
Georgia Tech Football
Mostly “Fire Geoff Collins”, some reminiscing, maybe bourbon or other distractions
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top