MIAA Program question for prospective FB Player/Recruit

[Predatory Primates]

I think MoWest is more of a commuter school than UCM.

Building on the above. Relating to the staff and the football stuff is important. Being comfortable with the campus culture and environment is equally important.

[GrifFan]

As others have said, the connections with coaching staff, academic fit, etc. are going to be a lot more important than information you get on a message board. That said, there's a lot of good stuff happening at Missouri Western:

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[HookemHerd]

I have a serious question, so asking for honest and serious answers only.
I have a family member who is being recruited by two schools in the MIAA. The schools are Missouri Western State and Central Missouri. I would like to know from anyone (with or without ties to either school but with ties to the MIAA) what are the pros and cons of the school. This could be as it pertains to Football program /Academics/enrollment size/ the student support, etc.

Thanks - any info is appreciated

[S&TMinerfan]

Of course the official visits will really be the time when you can learn more about the school and the football program. I appreciate the incite. I was just curious and was looking at an overview of what each college was like. Sounds like MoWest you are gonna get shanked and CentMo you are gonna catch an STD. - lol just kidding. Being from out of state(8 hrs away) it is always good to hear what the people in the area think of the college.

[Predatory Primates]

Even the ones with STD's?

[libertybearcat]

The STD line is getting pretty old and comes up every year. But on a serious note; here goes for UCM:

Pro's UCM - 1) Better atmosphere for a game IMO. I also have not been to Mo West since the upgrades, 2) Campus is small in size and easy to get around. Main campus is 2 blocks by 2 blocks. 3) UCM has a better reputation academically. 4) Students/community will come out and support a winner. 5) If they are going into education, criminal justice, CADD/Engineering Tech or Construction Management, UCM's programs are very good. 5) Easy town to get around and has most everything other than your larger clothing stores. We now have a Starbucks, Chipotle and Culvers is opening in the spring.However, you can be in Lee's Summit in 40 minutes and it is an easy drive. 6) Close enough to KC and all it has to offer but not nearly as expensive. 7) Campus is not nearly as isolated as Mo West. 8) Get to see the B2 regularly and for an occasional fly over for a home football game. 9) Overall athletic program

Cons: 1) Doesn't have an indoor practice facility; this is a huge factor to some 2) Is a smaller community than St. Joe and thus doesn't have as many things to offer; 3) Is a transient community given the nature of those attending the University and with Whiteman Air Force Base 10 miles away. 4) The reputation of Pine Street (bar district) two blocks from campus. This is changing but it is not by those that visited years ago 5) Doesn't have a bevy of big dollar donors so it is hard to fund raise and update things. Yes, Jim Crane the owner of the Astros is an Alumnus but you can't go to him every year. He put out a pledge to upgrade the baseball facilities two years ago and Jerry has not come up with his to match so things are on hold. I believe the amount Crane pledged was 2 million that Jerry had to match in order to move forward. 6) Not a ton of places to just "hang out" other than bars/restaurants.

Had no idea it's difficult for UCM to fund raise. As an outsider, I'd figure with the higher enrollment would give many more opportunities for Grads to become big time donors. Of course, I was told by the previous NW President that Fund Raising at NW got much easier to do after 1998 and 99's NC's. Which makes sense. It would appear once again NC's in FB carry much more weight in such matters than NC's in Hoops or other sports.

On another note...I've been a member of the board for many years, not always on it...so I must have missed the story behind Gorilla John being a UCM fan...just curious?

While my daughter's choice of college will have me being a Pitt St fan in the winters for the foreseeable future...I can't see me changing my Avatar or Handle! ;)

[HookemHerd]

Even the ones with STD's?

Sally rottencrotch has seduced many men

[Predatory Primates]

Had no idea it's difficult for UCM to fund raise. As an outsider, I'd figure with the higher enrollment would give many more opportunities for Grads to become big time donors. Of course, I was told by the previous NW President that Fund Raising at NW got much easier to do after 1998 and 99's NC's. Which makes sense. It would appear once again NC's in FB carry much more weight in such matters than NC's in Hoops or other sports.

On another note...I've been a member of the board for many years, not always on it...so I must have missed the story behind Gorilla John being a UCM fan...just curious?

While my daughter's choice of college will have me being a Pitt St fan in the winters for the foreseeable future...I can't see me changing my Avatar or Handle! ;)

Pretty sure he has worked at UCM for a decade or two

[Donkeydamus]

Pretty simple really......it boils down to whether your relative would rather get shanked or acquire an STD.

The usual snakes crawled out of their holes. but didn't expect you to be one of them..

[libertybearcat]

Pretty sure he has worked at UCM for a decade or two

Gotcha! Thanks!

[Bearcat97]

This is the honest truth and reality from back in my day (25+yrs ago). Most of the people from my hometown, who did poorly on their ACT, ended up at UCM or MoWest. I hope that's helpful. :)

[Gorilla John 92]

This is the honest truth and reality from back in my day (25+yrs ago). Most of the people from my hometown, who did poorly on their ACT, ended up at UCM or MoWest. I hope that's helpful. :)

That was indeed true back in the late 80's early 90's. I believe it was in 1997, UCM went from open enrollment to a moderately selective institution. That meant that one had to have more than just a high school diploma to get into UCM. The overall quality of students changed dramatically back then and has change a little since I have been here. We have our share of high performing students, 26+ ACT and some that are well over 30, with the majority in the 21-25 range. Selection now comes down to is the size of the institution. Class sizes are not that big even with a larger enrollment than many in the conference. UCM draws most of it's student from the Kansas City and St Louis areas with the remainder coming from a wide array of communities. Again a small town feel in a community that has just over 18,000 residents.

Another advantage for UCM (I believe some other schools have followed this approach) is that is your state borders Missouri, you pay in-state tuition versus out-of-state. This opens the institution up to students from Chicago, Des Moines (an area we do not recruit well overall IMO), Arkansas, Memphis, Oklahoma etc, (8 states in total). While we are seeing some students from these areas come for specific programs, it has helped out in recruiting students regardless if they are an athlete. Overall, the bread and butter is still kids from Missouri.

As for fund raising, look at the type of degrees your institution awards. UCM was founded as a Normal School, ie teacher education. Since teachers have always been paid at a high level, insert all the sarcasm you want here, many alums have "served" society in a manner in which obtaining wealth is a challenge and thus fund raising has always lagged. Furthermore, the county has a small tax base. The largest employer, UCM, is tax exempt, The second largest employer, Western Missouri Medical Center, is also tax exempt. I believe Wal-Mart is the largest employer that ISN'T tax exempt. Add in the military presence and one can quickly see the uniqueness of the surrounding area.

Lastly, overall Warresnburg is a quiet, safe community. We occasionally have an incident but they are few and far in-between. For some, this is heaven, for other's it's hell but that can be said about any community. Communities are like art, two people can look at something and have two different opinions and to each his own.

Like has been mentioned for this student athlete, it will come down to the visit. How does one feel about the surroundings, coaching staff etc. The hustle and bustle of a large university or community is not for all nor is a small school in a smaller rural town. We are not Hays or Kearney but to many, those communities are are just right and destination locations.

[catbacker07]

The usual snakes crawled out of their holes. but didn't expect you to be one of them..

[Gorilla John 92]

I agree it's not all about football but it is the experience one has playing football while attaining their degree. Take Pitt and Southern. If the degree program is slightly better at Southern, where do you think one would want to play? While this is currently a debatable subject, the vast majority would go to Pitt as their football experience would be significantly better. Same could be said about many of the schools in the conference.

Here's another thought. Kid is good in football and wants to play in college. Would one go to NW and ride the pine for four/five years knowing they will never see the field and getting the snot kicked out of them day in and day out or go to (insert school here other than NW)? I am confident that you would say they would go to NW because of the program and chance to get a ring for something., ie conference championship and maybe a natty. But would they? The kid's good and has a chance to play but maybe not at NW. So do they go elsewhere and play?

I know that NW is close to Nebraska which has the history of the walk-on program there and that may cloud some's perceptions. How many times have you heard of a kid in Nebraska talking the walk-on and turning down other scholarships? Too many to count. But my question is this; "Does that hold true for DII schools?"

[Donkeydamus]

Sorry pal, but you should have known better. Once you've had your own highly respected column....... you can't hang out with the snakes.