SMU raises 100 million dollars

[WoadBlue]

link

Opening of the article in the post:

University Community Rallies Around SMU’s ACC Invitation
Sep 18

DALLAS (SMU) – In just seven days, SMU has raised $100 million to support the Mustangs' transition to the Atlantic Coast Conference, University officials announced today.

"This is an unprecedented financial commitment from a core group of donors who have understood from the beginning that moving to the ACC will be transformational for our University on both athletic and academic levels," said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. "While there is still much work to be done, the ability to rally this kind of support in just one short week demonstrates that SMU and Dallas recognize the excellence of this opportunity and are stepping up to support it."

And a bit below, there is this: "Notably, the move has immediately raised SMU's profile, with media coverage of the move generating more than $163 million in advertising value in the first three days. In that same small window, SMU also experienced a 103% increase in visitors to its undergraduate admissions homepage."

 

[WoadBlue]

The key here is that SMU leaders grasp that the it is the combo of Major Conference sports, especially football, combined with academic clout that makes the big bang.

 

[razzaba]

They are here to play, it seems.

 

[ChrisMPA]

Remember the Pony Express with Eric Dickerson? Well now they can do it legally. The only reason it took a week to raise 100 Mil was they had to wait for the checks to clear after they made it in 2 days. It only took 30 donors

 

[tarheel0910]

100 million won't last nine years on a P4 competitive level. The question is, will they continue to have that type of money coming in once the initial excitement of being in a P4 dies down.