Carneige is a classification system, not a ranking.  SFT ignors this fact.  It is not embarrassing to be catagorized as a Carneige Research Extensive University, yet be listed (not RANKED) in the third tier of universities in the US by US News?  But if AD can go from $10,000 t0 $39 million in two years, SFT can surely go from third tier to "world class" in a New York minute!

Pirate

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RE: USM PR on Dvorak, etc.

The Research Foundation was the result of a lot of hard work by Dr. Don Cotten and Dr. Cecil Burge under a previous administration and is based upon the immense success of the true World Class universities that do not have to proclaim themselves World Class. So SFT is taking credit for other's very gifted lead and hard work.

The Research Foundation values its assets in a legal, but unique manner. Most of the value is from patents that have been donated to the university. For example, if Company A donates a patent that cost them $3 million to develop (throught the patent process, which can be costly), it is a $3 million asset. And the company takes a $3 million tax deduction. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much!

However, the actual value to the Research Foundation from a cash flow standpoint is $0, zip, nada. We now just own the intellectual property. First, someone has to want to license the patent from the university. Then they would pay a small amount for the license and either a percentage of the profits from the results of the patent or a fee per widget manufactured using the patent. OR, we could just sell the patent. That is a negotiation issue.

In the years before SFT and his sycophants came aboard, the Research Foundation had well over $10 million in assets, based upon the development costs through the individual patents. In the last year before SFT took over, I think an additional $5+ million was added to the books.

There is a fee to transfer the patent from the company to the university, usually in the several thousand dollar range (government paperwork and lawyer costs). This is usually paid for by the university.

These numbers ($39 million) are 'funny money' numbers and do not represent actual cash and negotiable securities. They have, for the most part, no actual value. At least until we can find a 'buyer' for the patent.

It is a numbers game. The more patents that the university 'collects' the greater the likelyhood that a potentially big winner will come into the fold. But in the meantime, you collect a lot of toads.

But the companies who are developing new ideas often come up with products that do not fit their needs, but they have the invention patented. After a while, if there is no internal justification, and there is no 'buyer' for the patent, they like to donate it to a university to get the tax deduction. After all, they then get some of their capital back to invest in new research. After a 'relationship' is built between the company and the university, if the experience is positive, the word spreads.

Some universities are receiving tens of millions each year in royalties from these patent donations. But like I said, you have to acquire a lot of toads before one becomes a prince.

The idea (Research Foundation) is a real step forward for the university's long term financial health. The numbers being kicked about, while they may be valid (AD taking it from $10,000 to $39,000,000 is a pure fabrication), they are not real dollars.

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Originally posted by: R A
" But in the meantime, you collect a lot of toads. ... But like I said, you have to acquire a lot of toads before one becomes a prince..."

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C E:

Simply put, Shelby does not understand this concept. He is not that smart. He just sees it as a way to make himself look 'successful'. The man does understand PR.

He is a slightly above average chemist with a well above average ability to sell himself. It went unchecked for the last 35+ years, and AKL would not deal with him, ultimately allowing him to slide into his current position. He started at the top of the polymer program, so everyone that came in had to cowtow to him. If he had entered an existing program (as he did when he was in the Chemistry Department), he would have been forced out due to his inability to work with others (as happended with the Chemistry Department and his subsequent request to McCain to start his own program).

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Originally posted by: Eve

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Originally posted by: Cowboy's Sweetheart
" Here's a site which uses the National Research Council data in ranking doctoral programs along 20 criteria. One can select one or all of the criteria in achieving a ranking. Only one criterion (e.g., quality of faculty) need be given a nonzero weight. The website is: www.phds.org/rankings  "

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