In addition to alumni, there are the faculties.
There are some seriously snooty faculties in the ACC, and they have a say in the matter. Much of what helps a university climb the academic food chain is the faculty, and the higher up the academic rankings the institution goes, the more powerful the faculty. And these faculties are very selective about who they want to associate.
John Swofford learned this in a painful way during the expansion fiasco of 2002. When he made that process very public it gave the opposition to organize, and there was mutiny in the faculties of UNC and Duke. Their Presidents did not buck their respective faculties and backed down from expansion. Swofford makes a point to keep the faculties included in anything done going forward.
I don't agree that academics can be separated from these topics because raising academic profile is a major part of the mission at these institutions. And the athletics programs are used to attract students and raise the profile of the university. They aren't for making money.
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In response to this post by Old Line Hokie)
Posted: 10/24/2018 at 7:38PM