(01-27-2026, 01:21 PM)paloalto Wrote: Before creating new majors Stanford should ask some questions first.
How many top-level football prospects choose a college based on a major it offers?
The data from one random school is not adequate to justify replicating majors. Do the majority of big-time college football factories offer those majors? If not, what would be the conclusion about attracting football players by offering those majors?
Do UM football players choose those majors because they view them as the path of least resistance to fulfill the annoying college requirement of attending some classes while training for the NFL? If that’s true, then maybe Stanford creating majors in basket weaving and fly fishing would be the better way to go.
If Stanford starts creating majors based primarily on attracting football players, will it continue to be viewed as a top ten academic university in the world? Or is winning football games more important than the University’s academic reputation?
The sport I’m most passionate about is WVB. Nebraska is by far and away the most dominant WVB school in the country. To attract elite WVB prospects do I want Stanford to start offering majors the Nebraska WVB players are choosing? No and it wouldn’t make a difference anyway.
Are you talking about all new majors, or just a sports management major? If for the former, I think you can rest assured the concerns you note would be pretty far down the priority list for new majors of any Stanford department/school faculty academic committee I can think of.
BTW - I'm truly curious - what are some of the majors the Nebraska WVB player's are choosing that seem to raise a red flag?