How the University of Alabama Became a National Player

Stephen Burd was quoted in the New York Times about the aggressive recruiting techniques of four-year public schools like the University of Alabama:

Ambition has its costs. As colleges adopt enrollment management strategies like aggressive recruiting and merit aid, the traditional role of public colleges is changing, said Stephen Burd, senior policy analyst at the think tank New America. This is leaving state residents and lower-income students with “no four-year schools where they can go in an affordable way,” he said. “There is less aid for low-income students and there are fewer seats” as colleges favor those who already have an advantage.

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“Everybody wants the kids from the Northeast and California,” according to Mr. Burd of New America. “They are wealthy and they tend to be good students.”

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How a school with deep Southern history builds a modern national identity is an open question. To students from the urban North, the oft-evoked appeal to Bama “pride” and “tradition” may seem more like stubborn adherence to parochial views than something rich to rally behind. More than just ACT scores and G.P.A.’s, growth in stature is also about extending cultural boundaries.

Diluting ties to home states and communities, and filling classrooms with students from around the nation, can free ingrained perspectives.

On the other hand, it may transform these entrepreneurial public players — the pathway to better fortune for generations of state residents — into yet another national brand for those with resources. “It’s kind of like you can travel around the country and you see the same suburban stores everywhere you go, the same chains,” said Mr. Burd of New America. “You don’t diversify by only bringing in the most privileged people. You just get people who have pretty much the same values.”