Author Topic: Making SB better- Idea Thread  (Read 20334 times)

OldSeawolf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1775
  • Location: Suffolk County, NY
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #195 on: February 08, 2018, 05:21:05 pm »
didnt know this... we bidded to get $100m and free land in midtown to build a campus.  cornell won out: http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/387-11/mayor-bloomberg-next-steps-city-s-groundbreaking-economic-development-initiative

Not sure what the criteria was for winning the bid (I'm guessing $ had something to do with it), but Stony Brook still lacks name recognition in NYC, and maybe that had something to do with the final decision.

My son lives and works in NYC (for a major brokerage house), and he is a Stony Brook graduate.  At work, when people ask him where he graduated from, he still needs to clarify "I went to Stony Brook, ya know, on Long Island".  Lots of his co-workers went to big name schools (many from out-of-state), but he still gets blank stares and rolls of the eyes, when he mentions his alma mater. 

We still have a branding problem, and IMO, should be getting the word out more in NYC, along with Long Island.  My youngest daughter is currently an UG at SBU, and she tells me that Career Days at SBU are still 90% Long Island-based companies.  Why aren't we reaching out to more companies in NYC and telling them about our wonderful University?  Why aren't we advertising more in NYC in general?  How about a digital ad in Times Square?   Create a buzz, and they will come.

Takes money to make money, and if we ramp up our advertising budget, maybe we'll beat out Cornell next time round.  This University has come a long way from when I attended for sure, but seems like we've been stuck at the current plateau for a bit too long.   There's more room to climb.
How old a Seawolf am I? I followed them during their Final 4 DIII hoops run in 1977-78 (they were called the Patriots then)

Seawolf97

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2602
  • Location: Suffolk County , NY
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #196 on: February 08, 2018, 10:00:47 pm »
You have a good point . We  don't get the word out for academics or athletics and that continues t hurt us . I heard some folks at the game talking about that tonight in regard to football and basketball .

VA_Seawolf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1810
  • Location: VA
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #197 on: February 09, 2018, 12:51:07 am »
I find it unbelievable that we lack name recognition in NYC when that's our primary market and we're the closest SUNY flagship to the city. We have to do better than that.

Chairman of the Board

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8598
  • Location: New York, NY
    • View Profile
    • SBU Lacrosse Alumni Org
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #198 on: February 18, 2018, 01:20:02 pm »
you guys should REALLY check this out: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/advancement/_images/Presidents_Roadshow_PPT_Feb18_updated.pdf

especially slides 7, 15, 44, 48
There are 29,413,039 corporations in America; but only one Chairman of the Board.

VA_Seawolf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1810
  • Location: VA
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #199 on: February 18, 2018, 03:47:05 pm »
you guys should REALLY check this out: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/advancement/_images/Presidents_Roadshow_PPT_Feb18_updated.pdf

especially slides 7, 15, 44, 48

Great find and great stuff! I love that stat on upward mobility of our alums.

Chairman of the Board

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8598
  • Location: New York, NY
    • View Profile
    • SBU Lacrosse Alumni Org
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #200 on: February 20, 2018, 09:21:53 pm »
because it was brought up in the other thread...

take a quick skim- http://www.studentsreview.com/specific_detail.php3?uid=1011&f=Social

or this one- https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/suny-stony-brook/1576092-is-the-stony-brook-party-scene-as-bad-as-they-say.html

Quote
Ok so I'm a senior right now in high school and I want to do pre med/pre dental in college. I'm mainly considering Suny Stony Brook, Suny Binghamton, and Suny Albany. I know that SBU is awesome academically, and I would love to go there, but I'm getting worried about the numerous student reviews all over the internet.

I want to go away to college to get a good education, but also party...a lot. I've heard that Stony Brook is pretty much dead on the weekends and that there are almost no parties. Is it true? Is it that bad that I should look to a lower ranked ( but still good) school like UAlbany? ( which is known for having a great nightlife/party scene).
There are 29,413,039 corporations in America; but only one Chairman of the Board.

Hammertime

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4336
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #201 on: February 21, 2018, 07:30:08 am »
because it was brought up in the other thread...

take a quick skim- http://www.studentsreview.com/specific_detail.php3?uid=1011&f=Social

or this one- https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/suny-stony-brook/1576092-is-the-stony-brook-party-scene-as-bad-as-they-say.html

Quote
Ok so I'm a senior right now in high school and I want to do pre med/pre dental in college. I'm mainly considering Suny Stony Brook, Suny Binghamton, and Suny Albany. I know that SBU is awesome academically, and I would love to go there, but I'm getting worried about the numerous student reviews all over the internet.

I want to go away to college to get a good education, but also party...a lot. I've heard that Stony Brook is pretty much dead on the weekends and that there are almost no parties. Is it true? Is it that bad that I should look to a lower ranked ( but still good) school like UAlbany? ( which is known for having a great nightlife/party scene).

A couple of years ago I was talking about how my son, who is now a Junior in HS, was considering SB for his education.. Well, not that he is older and talking to many people about how bad SB is with their social life and how the professors are hard to understand has decided to withdraw SB as an option.. Looks like upstate NY SUNY schools are his choices. Binghampton, Oneonta, Cortland..

OldSeawolf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1775
  • Location: Suffolk County, NY
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #202 on: February 21, 2018, 09:45:27 am »
because it was brought up in the other thread...

take a quick skim- http://www.studentsreview.com/specific_detail.php3?uid=1011&f=Social

or this one- https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/suny-stony-brook/1576092-is-the-stony-brook-party-scene-as-bad-as-they-say.html

Quote
Ok so I'm a senior right now in high school and I want to do pre med/pre dental in college. I'm mainly considering Suny Stony Brook, Suny Binghamton, and Suny Albany. I know that SBU is awesome academically, and I would love to go there, but I'm getting worried about the numerous student reviews all over the internet.

I want to go away to college to get a good education, but also party...a lot. I've heard that Stony Brook is pretty much dead on the weekends and that there are almost no parties. Is it true? Is it that bad that I should look to a lower ranked ( but still good) school like UAlbany? ( which is known for having a great nightlife/party scene).

A couple of years ago I was talking about how my son, who is now a Junior in HS, was considering SB for his education.. Well, not that he is older and talking to many people about how bad SB is with their social life and how the professors are hard to understand has decided to withdraw SB as an option.. Looks like upstate NY SUNY schools are his choices. Binghampton, Oneonta, Cortland..

Maybe I'm showing my age and orientation towards this (I don't drink or use drugs), but I personally think "social life" is given way too much in level of importance.  More kids than ever are going to college, and here is what is most important, IMO, to separate oneself from the pack:

- Go to the best school you can get into for the $
- Major in something that is employable
- Get the best grades possible
- Learn as much as you can
- Internship, internship, internship

This is not being stated to brag, but just a statement of fact.  My oldest 2 graduated from SBU, followed the 5 points above, and are both highly successful in their chosen careers.  I have a 3rd going there now, and she is on a similar path.  They had a social life, but they always put academics ahead of all, for that I'm very proud of them.  I'm certainly not saying that SBU is the only game in town, but their degrees, relative to the cost paid, have been worth quite a bit in industry.

IMO, although having a social life and getting involved on campus is important, it is not the most important thing.   If that pre-med kid wants to stay pre-med, I'd suggest to curtail the partying.  Again IMO, social life is highly over-rated in the grand scheme of things.

All that said, I wish the kids would hang out more on weekends, and attend sporting events.  But as a 40% commuter school, and with a good bunch living close to campus, the exodus on weekends is an unfortunate reality.
How old a Seawolf am I? I followed them during their Final 4 DIII hoops run in 1977-78 (they were called the Patriots then)

Chairman of the Board

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8598
  • Location: New York, NY
    • View Profile
    • SBU Lacrosse Alumni Org
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #203 on: February 21, 2018, 09:52:21 am »
Quote
I personally think "social life" is given way too much in level of importance

yes, but, the question is which matters- the reality or the perception? 

either way you see it- we are losing students because of this.  good, competitive students.  the unfortunate reality is turning out to be very costly.

i think if you fix this fixable problem- a LOT of other things will fall into place.  i'm happy to expand.

i also note that quite a few of our competitors have a similar problem, though perhaps not as acute.

you should brag about your success stories at SBU- we need more of that here.  ;D
There are 29,413,039 corporations in America; but only one Chairman of the Board.

OldSeawolf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1775
  • Location: Suffolk County, NY
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #204 on: February 21, 2018, 10:29:14 am »
Quote
I personally think "social life" is given way too much in level of importance

yes, but, the question is which matters- the reality or the perception? 

either way you see it- we are losing students because of this.  good, competitive students.  the unfortunate reality is turning out to be very costly.

i think if you fix this fixable problem- a LOT of other things will fall into place.  i'm happy to expand.

i also note that quite a few of our competitors have a similar problem, though perhaps not as acute.

you should brag about your success stories at SBU- we need more of that here.  ;D

I also think that it is very hard for us to compete from an aesthetic standpoint, as many private institutions are built on park-like grounds, and unfortunately, many kids (and their parents) choose their destination school based on "looks", which adds to your stated perception problem.  Very hard for a state school to compete with this.  And BTW, I don't disagree with your argument, because perception does dictate a lot of decisions.  We want to rank as highly as possible in any sort of survey; yes, even the social one.

What I'd like SBU to tout more - and to me personally, this is the most important stat of all - Stony Brook ranks 33rd (tie) in the country, on Annual % ROI (Return on Investment) - that is, graduation salary relative to cost paid for the education.  We were 14th on this list a couple of years ago, so we have dipped a bit, but still quite impressive:

https://www.payscale.com/college-roi?page=130  (click on Annual % tab)

Put this one on the reality side of the board, but if marketed correctly, could grab the attention of some of those students that we are letting get away.
How old a Seawolf am I? I followed them during their Final 4 DIII hoops run in 1977-78 (they were called the Patriots then)

Chairman of the Board

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8598
  • Location: New York, NY
    • View Profile
    • SBU Lacrosse Alumni Org
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #205 on: February 21, 2018, 10:32:32 am »
that's a similar point to the one im making- about perception vs reality. 

my larger point i guess is that the campus is so bereft of any student life that it hamstrings SBU from truly becoming a great, world class, university.  instead it's a safety choice. 

they've really got to do something about this.  and strawberries aint gonna cut it.
There are 29,413,039 corporations in America; but only one Chairman of the Board.

VA_Seawolf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1810
  • Location: VA
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #206 on: February 21, 2018, 10:36:38 pm »
I disagree with OldSeawolf. Lack of a strong social scene on campus is the number one detriment to SBU. Why choose SBU when students can still get a good education but also enjoy their time elsewhere? I agree that if we're going to become truly world class, we've got to get those rankings up. I agree it's hard given the commuter image, but the school has to change. I think the new dorms and having more students on campus is helping with that. I also think maybe pulling in more kids from beyond NYC/state lines could help with this too.

Chairman of the Board

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8598
  • Location: New York, NY
    • View Profile
    • SBU Lacrosse Alumni Org
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #207 on: February 22, 2018, 10:00:31 am »
if bingo, buff and UA can do it, SB can do it.  we have some structual/design flaws that make it challenging. 

however, there is good news.  firstly, we have all the other pieces in place.  secondly, we were once there, just need to get back.  thirdly, we have a large student body and surrounding population (1/3 of the state is in the LI/NY area).  fourthly, our local peers in this space have the same issue (hof, SJU, fairfield, dowling, farm state, adelphi, molloy, jersey tech, army, umbc, purchase, etc).

if we can master this, or at least improve it, i really believe that all other things will fall into place.  we go from being a safety to a first choice.  we simply cannot grow in this age with those kinds of internet pages (posted above).  toothpaste is out of the bottle and now forever stuck on the web.

anyway, now on to constructive thoughts.  how to fix???
There are 29,413,039 corporations in America; but only one Chairman of the Board.

Wolffan

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 210
    • View Profile
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #208 on: February 22, 2018, 03:48:47 pm »
For the last 30 years I have been a high school teacher here on Long Island and have written hundreds of recommendations for college bound students.
 
Stony Brook is no longer a secret and is now the top choice (along with Binghamton)  for our brightest SUNY-bound kids. That is a big change from just seven or eight years ago and I see that trend continuing. It is not, I say again is not, a safety school for the SUNY-bound  - one glance at Naviance tells the kids I teach how difficult admissions are now.

The campus beautification efforts and successful D-1 programs are part of SBU's  increased and growing reputation amongst the college-bound. The impressive academic credentials of the applicants also contributes to our reputation.  As an added bonus, the price is right for New Yorkers - the saavy SUNY-bound kids are now asking themselves, "Why go anywhere else?"

Oddly enough, by now drawing more and more of the very strong students from NYC and LI (as we now do),  we may continue to be a campus that tends to empty out a bit on the weekends. That's okay.

And BTW, some of the top academic students tend to hit "College Confidential", here is a recent SBU thread for those who are wondering at SBU's reputation:

https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/suny-stony-brook/2038618-stony-brook-university-class-of-2022-decisions.html



« Last Edit: February 22, 2018, 07:37:13 pm by Wolffan »

Chairman of the Board

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8598
  • Location: New York, NY
    • View Profile
    • SBU Lacrosse Alumni Org
Re: Making SB better- Idea Thread
« Reply #209 on: April 03, 2018, 03:07:51 pm »
so it turns out we have a Weekend Life Council.  here's what they came up with: https://sbindependent.org/a-fun-night-at-wolfie-putt-putt-and-arcade/

http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/studentaffairs/sac/weekend_life/
You can look forward to Paint Nights, Button Making, Tie-dye T-shirts and more!
Our events are all free and range from movie nights, Murder Mystery dinners, Hypnotists, water parks, food expos, and much more!


mug painting, trivia night, etc.
http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/studentaffairs/sac/weekend_life/programming

well, they are trying!!!
There are 29,413,039 corporations in America; but only one Chairman of the Board.