https://today.appstate.edu/2025/02/13/r2

Very significantly academically.

Wow! About time. I know I’m biased, but we turn out some of the smartest and most determined graduates out there. There is truth in being an App Guy or App Gal.

This is actually a huge deal. When the next USNWR comes out we will be classified as a "national" university.

If you're not in academia, this is a classification system, not a ranking. R2 doesn't mean you are better than a masters level university, and R1 doesn't mean you're better than an R2. Its just about how many Phds you grant in how many categories.

Carnegie just lowered the requirements for both R2 and R1 status. ECU and UNCC just achieved R1.

About time!

We need higher rankings to stay competitive, since the price for App doesn't seem as cheap in NC as it used to be compared to other univs.

biggie wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 11:43 am

We need higher rankings to stay competitive, since the price for App doesn't seem as cheap in NC as it used to be compared to other univs.

yes growth is good and all, I do have ambiguous feelings though. I always thought Apps commitment to undergraduate curriculum and undergraduate led research was a competitive advantage vis a vis other in state institutions. Those things don't count towards any carnegie research classification but its a big part of preparing our undergraduates, and I think the overall consensus in the academic community is our undergraduates are particularly prepared.

BallantyneApp wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 11:57 am

biggie wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 11:43 am

We need higher rankings to stay competitive, since the price for App doesn't seem as cheap in NC as it used to be compared to other univs.

yes growth is good and all, I do have ambiguous feelings though. I always thought Apps commitment to undergraduate curriculum and undergraduate led research was a competitive advantage vis a vis other in state institutions. Those things don't count towards any carnegie research classification but its a big part of preparing our undergraduates, and I think the overall consensus in the academic community is our undergraduates are particularly prepared.

I would think they make more $ on undergrad students, especially with all the fees and the on-campus housing costs. So not sure if they are trying to push graduate work more or not. Not many I know looked at App for master, most I know went with the easiest program they could do online and they were also cheaper than App.

This could be beneficial if/when conference realignment comes around.

It will be interesting to see where US News etc rank us going forward. We’ve been a top 3 in the south school in the regional category for a long time. So we won’t get that exposure, but I’m sure there are benefits to being considered “national”. Currently JMU is the highest ranked sun belt school in the national category. I would think/hope we would fall somewhere near them. They are also our only “peer institution” in the league, which I believe involves similar mission, enrollment profile, revenue and other measures. College of Charleston is also considered a “peer”.

Wonderful news, and on top of that the nursing dept will start a DNP program in fall 2026. That’s going to be big for the region.

Wonder which other Sunbelt schools are R2 or R1?

appfanjj wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 9:25 am

Wonder which other Sunbelt schools are R2 or R1?

With this last reclassification, I think Troy is the last not designated as R1-3. That will likely change in the near future.

JTApps1 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 3:30 pm

This could be beneficial if/when conference realignment comes around.

It’s good for us, but I’m not sure if it makes an impact there. Mainly considering that our competition just moved to r1

boonetown1 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 9:45 am

JTApps1 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 3:30 pm

This could be beneficial if/when conference realignment comes around.

It’s good for us, but I’m not sure if it makes an impact there. Mainly considering that our competition just moved to r1

Charlotte?

IMO, ..for now tv markets are drinking the bus. If app was in a major market, putting 50+K fans and selling out each Saturday, the Big 12 or whomever would have been calling us no matter or less matter of what our R rating.

Maybe that changes in future.

BambooRdApp wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 11:07 am

IMO, ..for now tv markets are drinking the bus. If app was in a major market, putting 50+K fans and selling out each Saturday, the Big 12 or whomever would have been calling us no matter or less matter of what our R rating.

Maybe that changes in future.

Brands>tv markets nowadays. Only old school thinkers look at tv markets first.

The SEC explicitly said they went with the best brands available. The big 10 skipped over cal and Stanford, located in an uber rich megalopolis, to invite Oregon.

proasu89 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:08 am

boonetown1 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 9:45 am

JTApps1 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 3:30 pm

This could be beneficial if/when conference realignment comes around.

It’s good for us, but I’m not sure if it makes an impact there. Mainly considering that our competition just moved to r1

Charlotte?

+ecu

BallantyneApp wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 11:10 am

BambooRdApp wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 11:07 am

IMO, ..for now tv markets are drinking the bus. If app was in a major market, putting 50+K fans and selling out each Saturday, the Big 12 or whomever would have been calling us no matter or less matter of what our R rating.

Maybe that changes in future.

Brands>tv markets nowadays. Only old school thinkers look at tv markets first.

The SEC explicitly said they went with the best brands available. The big 10 skipped over cal and Stanford, located in an uber rich megalopolis, to invite Oregon.

Oregon is a big brand because of the investment made by the founder of Nike.

Brands>tv markets nowadays. Only old school thinkers look at tv markets first.

This statement is why I believe that the AAC and C-USA will be left behind as conferences by conferences like the Sun Belt Conference. Regionality and having fans that care if their school wins or loses is what actually matters.

Significant in that hopefully this means more per student funding provided from the State. The last I saw we were still funded nearly equal to wcu (bottom 20-25% of the UNC System) on a per student basis.

All of the articles seen over the SNE years saying “most state funding received ever…” really is a bit of smoke and mirrors. Have we received the more than before, yes. But it was driven by increased enrollment numbers not per student funding. Thus, still creating the same per student “deficit” just multiplying that deficit by more students. Hopefully R2 allows us to reduce that deficit going forward.

IF>>>>SOMEHOW>>>>the sunbelt could get ECU, UAB, USF to the SunBelt. I would be good for life. I would hope for a North/South conference alignment Basketball should be a home/away round robin and make some rivalries. Those teams deserve better than the AAC and will probably get left out of the next realignment. I hope this ends up being the outcome. The three new schools fans would be unhappy at first but I think quickly would find out that it is legit fanbases with legit games that matter to local fans. (I would like to see this when the next realignment happens). I could see Charlotte getting the call to the Big 12 before ECU.

APP/Marshall
GS/CCU
USF/ECU
JMU/ODU
Georgia St./UAB
Southern Miss/Louisiana
South Alabama/Troy
Arkansas State/ULM


Probably P3 baseball

This would be such a nice conference.