http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/sports/financial-aid-changes-game-as-sports-teams-in-ivies-rise.html?hpw
"This renaissance in a league known as the Ancient Eight can be traced to something that has nothing to do with sports: new policies that have substantially enhanced financial aid for all admitted students, making it easier to recruit elite athletes.."
It goes on, saying many althletes from middle class families had until recently rarely considered Ivy colleges, leaving only poor kids or rich ones to staff the teams.
An unusual example of the rising tide lifts all boats phenomenon.
In the Ivy League as in the Republican Party, one says, "A rising tide lifts all yachts."
Quote from: billhowardIn the Ivy League as in the Republican Party, one says, "A rising tide lifts all yachts."
(http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/imagebuzz/web04/2011/2/12/7/no-politics-with-your-md-4194-1297513666-3.jpg)
The key is match.
QuoteAndy Noel, Cornell's athletic director, said: "Eighty percent of our best recruits in the current freshman class would not have come here 10 years ago because we couldn't match other schools' offers. The impact has been enormous. And will continue to be."
Mike Schafer has explicitly spoken about the role of financial aid in recruiting and how this class would be significantly less impressive under the financial aid formulas that existed a few years ago. Hopefully, Cornell will note lose out on the future Will Webers of the world because Cornell is much more expensive than blue-chip recruits' other options.
Posted by my friend on Facebook. This article offers additional insight into the recruiting process.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/sports/before-athletic-recruiting-in-the-ivy-league-some-math.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
QuoteTo accomplish this, the league came up with a measurement called the Academic Index, which gives all prospective high school recruits a number, roughly from 170 to 240, that summarizes their high school grade-point averages and scores on standardized tests like the SAT. The index number of every admitted recruit is shared among the member institutions to guarantee that no vastly underqualified recruit has been admitted at a rival institution and to allow member universities to compare classwide index averages for athletes against similar averages for the overall student body.
While the Academic Index, referred to as the A.I., is a routine part of life in an Ivy League athletic department, outside those offices, it is frequently treated like the most furtive of secret fraternity handshakes. The specifics on how the Academic Index is calculated or how it is evaluated from university to university are not made public. The formula for calculating individual A.I. numbers is not available on the league Web site or in any other official public forum — even if there are dozens of such calculators listed online (nearly all of them inaccurate).
It is a league device established to ensure transparency, but many Ivy League coaches are instructed never to discuss it publicly, which adds to the sense of mystery.
Quote from: ajh258Posted by my friend on Facebook. This article offers additional insight into the recruiting process.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/sports/before-athletic-recruiting-in-the-ivy-league-some-math.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
QuoteIt is a league device established to ensure transparency, but many Ivy League coaches are instructed never to discuss it publicly, which adds to the sense of mystery.
..to ensure the
appearance of transparency, which is usually enough..
$20M more for "matching" reported in Cornell Chronicle (http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Sept12/WolcottGift.html)
QuoteWhile strengthening Cornell's financial aid for all eligible students, the gift also provides leveraging power for student-athlete recruitment, according to Andy Noel, the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education.
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott.
Let's Go Red!
I stand by my belief that matching financial aid is a not need-based, but merit-based. And works against Cornell's core principles. I would much rather have 20M on the regular financial aid pool benefiting all students, not just the ones who got into Harvard.