Rutgers president: Big Ten membership boosted our profile. Now the goal is simple — win.

satnom

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Pillars are in place for Rutgers success in the BIG: National profile, Academic mission, Long Term financial sustainability.

One more piece missing: WIN.

Tate gets it.


GO RU
 

Knight Shift

Heisman
May 19, 2011
88,574
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Great job by President Tate pushing back on the crap paper that craps on RU at every turn. He s made a strong case. This paragraph alone should shut up the whining about money:

"Total research funding rose from $614 million in 2014 to $993 million in 2025. With nearly $1 billion in external research funding, Rutgers’ research productivity is associated with an estimated $2 billion to $5 billion in long-term economic value, consistent with decades of evidence that public investment in university research returns $2 to $5 for every dollar invested."

Membership in the B1G is a double-edged sword that cuts two ways. Rutgers in the B1G has increased money in research funding and productivity. Rutgers is currently losing money in athletics, but winning can turn that around. And this should be a banner at the top of every negative article:

"Athletics represents about 3% of the university’s $6 billion budget — less than half of average athletic expenses at the top Division I universities."

Just one thing left to do:
 

RU848789

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
65,189
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Just saw this elsewhere and came here figuring there would be a thread on it. I was very impressed with President Tate's letter. He knows what it takes to win in big time athletics, but also knows how important academics and research funding are to a university and how much those things have improved since we joined the B1G and he understands that our academic trajectory can continue to climb while also improving our athletics profile and performance by investing in them more. Hopefully more winning will follow.
 

JL23

Junior
Oct 4, 2005
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Just saw this elsewhere and came here figuring there would be a thread on it. I was very impressed with President Tate's letter. He knows what it takes to win in big time athletics, but also knows how important academics and research funding are to a university and how much those things have improved since we joined the B1G and he understands that our academic trajectory can continue to climb while also improving our athletics profile and performance by investing in them more. Hopefully more winning will follow.
Agree with everything except the "hopefully part"
We need to start expecting to win

Underperformers who are paid handsomely, regardless of sport, longevity, positive attitude, good people, etc., need to be shown the door
The expectation should be winning - and winning big
 

RUBlackout

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if the President was serious about winning, then Greg “So So” Schiano would be gone already.
Not true!! It also about making sound financial decisions also. These coaches have not been supported in terms of dollars and MAYBE JUST MAYBE they want to setup future coaches with an infrastructure to make this role attractive as well. Who wants to come here without an NIL platform in place…I think this is more about the NIL platform than the coaches at the moment.
Give them 1-2yrs to prove it out and if not we are setup to attract top tier coaches. Get this stain off the program out of peoples minds
 

RU848789

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
65,189
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Not true!! It also about making sound financial decisions also. These coaches have not been supported in terms of dollars and MAYBE JUST MAYBE they want to setup future coaches with an infrastructure to make this role attractive as well. Who wants to come here without an NIL platform in place…I think this is more about the NIL platform than the coaches at the moment.
Give them 1-2yrs to prove it out and if not we are setup to attract top tier coaches. Get this stain off the program out of peoples minds
1000%. Was a typical churlish post about Greg that misses the big picture.
 
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CatManTrue

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Not true!! It also about making sound financial decisions also. These coaches have not been supported in terms of dollars and MAYBE JUST MAYBE they want to setup future coaches with an infrastructure to make this role attractive as well. Who wants to come here without an NIL platform in place…I think this is more about the NIL platform than the coaches at the moment.
Give them 1-2yrs to prove it out and if not we are setup to attract top tier coaches. Get this stain off the program out of peoples minds
Check out what happened at Michigan State this offseason.

A MSU booster who didn’t attend the school offered them $400M if they fired Smith and hired Pat Fitzgerald.

Now they have plenty of NIL cash and no excuses.

Neither does 6-6 Schiano.
 

Knight Shift

Heisman
May 19, 2011
88,574
86,594
113
Great job by President Tate pushing back on the crap paper that craps on RU at every turn. He s made a strong case. This paragraph alone should shut up the whining about money:

"Total research funding rose from $614 million in 2014 to $993 million in 2025. With nearly $1 billion in external research funding, Rutgers’ research productivity is associated with an estimated $2 billion to $5 billion in long-term economic value, consistent with decades of evidence that public investment in university research returns $2 to $5 for every dollar invested."

Membership in the B1G is a double-edged sword that cuts two ways. Rutgers in the B1G has increased money in research funding and productivity. Rutgers is currently losing money in athletics, but winning can turn that around. And this should be a banner at the top of every negative article:

"Athletics represents about 3% of the university’s $6 billion budget — less than half of average athletic expenses at the top Division I universities."

Just one thing left to do:
I stand corrected by the President (of Rutgers):

 

Knight Shift

Heisman
May 19, 2011
88,574
86,594
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Not true!! It also about making sound financial decisions also. These coaches have not been supported in terms of dollars and MAYBE JUST MAYBE they want to setup future coaches with an infrastructure to make this role attractive as well. Who wants to come here without an NIL platform in place…I think this is more about the NIL platform than the coaches at the moment.
Give them 1-2yrs to prove it out and if not we are setup to attract top tier coaches. Get this stain off the program out of peoples minds
Keep in mind the clamor to fire Pikiell may be even louder.

Don't think Rutgers is going to take on $45M in combined payouts this year to fire both of them.

 
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CatManTrue

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The dolt is a Northwestern fan. Best to put on ignore.
Yes, we Northwestern graduates are dolts 😆 Based on these posts alone, I have a feeling you couldn’t get into Rutgers now if you re-applied. Not smart enough.

I’ve cheered for RU since 2012, and have a master’s from the school.

As long as the school embraces mediocrity and losing then you’re likely to be kicked out when the ACC disbands in 2030+ and a new conference is formed.

(Northwestern could also be booted now that USC is in the conference, despite being a charter member even before Michigan… I’m sure you know why with all your Big Ten expertise!)
 

RUBlackout

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Check out what happened at Michigan State this offseason.

A MSU booster who didn’t attend the school offered them $400M if they fired Smith and hired Pat Fitzgerald.

Now they have plenty of NIL cash and no excuses.

Neither does 6-6 Schiano.

Keep in mind the clamor to fire Pikiell may be even louder.

Don't think Rutgers is going to take on $45M in combined payouts this year to fire both of them.

We do not have a massive booster stepping forward to front those buyouts similar to MSU or even PSU. So we need to do the financially sound thing at the moment. It’s tough bc it’s small time thinking as we potentially totally lose revenue during these dark periods and even lose potential long terms fans which could be donors.
 
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CatManTrue

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We do not have a massive booster stepping forward to front those buyouts similar to MSU or even PSU. So we need to do the financially sound thing at the moment. It’s tough bc it’s small time thinking as we potentially totally lose revenue during these dark periods and even lose potential long terms fans which could be donors.
Nobody at MSU expected it either. The guy wasn’t even an alum.

What about @rutgersal_rivals139582 ? Doesn’t he know lots of wealthy boosters?
 
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tru2ru1

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Check out what happened at Michigan State this offseason.

A MSU booster who didn’t attend the school offered them $400M if they fired Smith and hired Pat Fitzgerald.

Now they have plenty of NIL cash and no excuses.

Neither does 6-6 Schiano.
Your version of what happened it total BS, Dawn & Greg became friends with Tom Izzo over the past several years & Greg Williams has been a MSU fan since he was a kid growing up. They had NOTHING to do with firing Smith & the money was earmarked for multiple purposes, none of which was to fire a coach.
 

CatManTrue

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Your version of what happened it total BS, Dawn & Greg became friends with Tom Izzo over the past several years & Greg Williams has been a MSU fan since he was a kid growing up. They had NOTHING to do with firing Smith & the money was earmarked for multiple purposes, none of which was to fire a coach.
You need to check your sources in East Lansing.

The $400M was an open secret after Fitz replaced Smith and everyone was confused why they ate a $30M buyout after two seasons.
 

tru2ru1

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You need to check your sources in East Lansing.

The $400M was an open secret after Fitz replaced Smith and everyone was confused why they ate a $30M buyout after two seasons.
My sources in East Lansing are closer to this then yours & you are making BS up again!!!
 

RU#1fan

Heisman
Mar 7, 2003
23,562
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You need to check your sources in East Lansing.

The $400M was an open secret after Fitz replaced Smith and everyone was confused why they ate a $30M buyout after two seasons.
tru2ru1 is a condescending prick.
Best to put him on Ignorance.
 
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Yes, we Northwestern graduates are dolts 😆 Based on these posts alone, I have a feeling you couldn’t get into Rutgers now if you re-applied. Not smart enough.

I’ve cheered for RU since 2012, and have a master’s from the school.

As long as the school embraces mediocrity and losing then you’re likely to be kicked out when the ACC disbands in 2030+ and a new conference is formed.

(Northwestern could also be booted now that USC is in the conference, despite being a charter member even before Michigan… I’m sure you know why with all your Big Ten expertise!)
NW is the losingest program in CFB history so congrats!
 
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Academics, research and scholarship has never been the problem at Rutgers. The problem for RU has always been competing from behind…even as the AD makes positive strides, those above RU, athletically, have made their very own positive strides.
 

Fat Koko

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Very well written. Amazing how there is not a universally required way of accounting for all academic institutions.
Athletic departments report financial results to the NCAA using uniform rules.

Tate writes, "I do hope that the accounting principles are better understood."

These principles can be better understood by reading them.
 

kupuna133

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Jul 13, 2015
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Athletic departments report financial results to the NCAA using uniform rules.

Tate writes, "I do hope that the accounting principles are better understood."

These principles can be better understood by reading them.
Yea that’s how athletic departments report to NCAA. Not all universities account for expenditures the same both athletically and academically.
 

CatManTrue

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NW is the losingest program in CFB history so congrats!
Look who’s #2 and #3, and also check the winning percentage.

But, wow, never thought Rutgers fans would think they could ever cash shade on Northwestern University 😆 and I love RU compared to most B1G fans.

Both degrees I got were overpriced… although I only paid a few K for my Rutgers’s masters 💵
 

Bueller

Junior
Nov 28, 2025
249
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Maybe Tate can buy GS and KC a stay at Red Zone summer camp. Twenty years of mediocrity is enough
 

RUTGERS95

Heisman
Sep 28, 2005
31,003
44,246
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Look who’s #2 and #3, and also check the winning percentage.

But, wow, never thought Rutgers fans would think they could ever cash shade on Northwestern University 😆 and I love RU compared to most B1G fans.

Both degrees I got were overpriced… although I only paid a few K for my Rutgers’s masters 💵
from AI.

Northwestern University currently has at least 30 undergraduate and graduate programs ranked within the top 25 nationally and globally, based on the 2025-2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings. It is one of only four universities nationwide to have four major graduate schools ranked in the top 20 simultaneously

Rutgers University has over 50 academic programs ranked in the top 25 nationally and globally as of the 2025–2026 rankings cycles. The university's presence in these top tiers is dominated by its graduate and professional schools, which account for the vast majority of these high placements. Graduate Programs (48+): In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked 48 of Rutgers' graduate programs in the top 25. Some official university communications now cite this number as over 50 across all campuses

Rutgers problem is that it doesn't market itself like many other schools do
 

CatManTrue

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from AI.

Northwestern University currently has at least 30 undergraduate and graduate programs ranked within the top 25 nationally and globally, based on the 2025-2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings. It is one of only four universities nationwide to have four major graduate schools ranked in the top 20 simultaneously

Rutgers University has over 50 academic programs ranked in the top 25 nationally and globally as of the 2025–2026 rankings cycles. The university's presence in these top tiers is dominated by its graduate and professional schools, which account for the vast majority of these high placements. Graduate Programs (48+): In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked 48 of Rutgers' graduate programs in the top 25. Some official university communications now cite this number as over 50 across all campuses

Rutgers problem is that it doesn't market itself like many other schools do
Rutgers offers a much better bang for your buck these days than NU, Michigan, and other B1G schools.


Fielding crappy Big Ten teams won’t help the marketing angle. Northwestern and Duke took off when their lead programs did.
 
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mdk02

Heisman
Aug 18, 2011
26,672
18,961
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Rutgers offers a much better bang for your buck these days than NU, Michigan, and other B1G schools.


Fielding crappy Big Ten teams won’t help the marketing angle. Northwestern and Duke took off when their lead programs did.

Duke and Northwestern took off LONG before their lead programs did
 

CatManTrue

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Duke and Northwestern took off LONG before their lead programs did
Not true. Northwestern was relatively unknown as a small private school before the 1995 Rose Bowl run. They doubled the tuition over the next four years alone (it was once affordable!), kept admissions flat while applications sky rocketed, and became known as the Big Ten’s Harvard.

Duke has been much better but Coach K’s next level of success turned them into a blue blood program - and, again, increased admissions.

Let’s see what happens to Indiana’s applications and rankings. Both will likely increase thanks to their turnaround:

Most college fans realized Rutgers could be a winner in 2006. Now RU needs a real run.
 

yesrutgers01

Heisman
Nov 9, 2008
122,347
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This article and Tate's follow-up responses should be nothing but positive for all of us fans on here. And he finally responded in a way that the President of a School should. Anyone that wants to talk financial burden and costs of athletics and being in the B1G- should now STFU. A few of us have been saying this for years- how being in the B1G as a University, way overshadows any loss we may have in accounting for athletics. He just happened to have the facts and stated it much better than any of us could have,

Now- let's talk winning.

This starts and ends with Schiano as well as Pikiell. With GS...I was for giving him another year with the new funding and support he is getting. And then he started to lose me a bit, as it seems he just really hit his ceiling. After reading this from Tate- I am going to fully support Greg if that is the decision Tate and Keli make. And I want to see if he can pull it off with this sort of support.
And many are correct- and I have said it before- Rutgers is uniquely sitting on such a hotbed. We saw in 2006, what can happen here with winning. NY/NJ is a double edged sword. You lose or are boring- we all have so many other options. But you win- oh boy- this thing can ramp up in a way other schools could only dream of. And as much as we knock our school a lot and the local residents do- most of the rest of the country seems Rutgers so much different. And they love to see a school like Rutgers make some noise.

As for Pike- ohhhh boy...not sure where to go with him. He just doesn't seem to be able to adjust to the new era and or how to pivit his coaching even just a little based on what he has. And no matter what anyone says- when you have 2 generational players on your team...you can't have a losing record. And the team is horrible again and there is not a vision where any of us can even see a winning record again for quite a while. and that is a shame- as we saw when we did have a couple of good years- our fanbase can destroy other teams when they come to the RAC.

I see some great years coming but we do need to see very positive steps forward this year or there will be changes.
 

Knight Shift

Heisman
May 19, 2011
88,574
86,594
113
This article and Tate's follow-up responses should be nothing but positive for all of us fans on here. And he finally responded in a way that the President of a School should. Anyone that wants to talk financial burden and costs of athletics and being in the B1G- should now STFU. A few of us have been saying this for years- how being in the B1G as a University, way overshadows any loss we may have in accounting for athletics. He just happened to have the facts and stated it much better than any of us could have,

Now- let's talk winning.

This starts and ends with Schiano as well as Pikiell. With GS...I was for giving him another year with the new funding and support he is getting. And then he started to lose me a bit, as it seems he just really hit his ceiling. After reading this from Tate- I am going to fully support Greg if that is the decision Tate and Keli make. And I want to see if he can pull it off with this sort of support.
And many are correct- and I have said it before- Rutgers is uniquely sitting on such a hotbed. We saw in 2006, what can happen here with winning. NY/NJ is a double edged sword. You lose or are boring- we all have so many other options. But you win- oh boy- this thing can ramp up in a way other schools could only dream of. And as much as we knock our school a lot and the local residents do- most of the rest of the country seems Rutgers so much different. And they love to see a school like Rutgers make some noise.

As for Pike- ohhhh boy...not sure where to go with him. He just doesn't seem to be able to adjust to the new era and or how to pivit his coaching even just a little based on what he has. And no matter what anyone says- when you have 2 generational players on your team...you can't have a losing record. And the team is horrible again and there is not a vision where any of us can even see a winning record again for quite a while. and that is a shame- as we saw when we did have a couple of good years- our fanbase can destroy other teams when they come to the RAC.

I see some great years coming but we do need to see very positive steps forward this year or there will be changes.
Not just you, but I find the dichotomy in opinions on Pikiell (bad) and Schiano (good or OK) comical. If Rutgers had LSU money to burn, both should and would be gone. And for the last time--stop with the 2 generational players nonsense. FFS, just stop. Cliff was never replaced or upgraded--why, because the AD was busy on yoga retreats instead of raising NIL so Pikiell had money to go after players. You missed the recent remarks of Keli on Pikiell. You mentioned generational players. Greg had 3 of them--Duff, Strong and Raymond. He also let the best piece of his of defense go to Miami. But St Greg can do no wrong. LOL.