| I don't think you could come up with a better example of the impact the NCAA tournament can have on a school than George Mason. Before they made the Final Four a few years ago, GMU was pretty much a large, regional safety school for northern Virginia students. There was little school spirit to speak of, and it was essentially a commuter school.
Although many students do still commute, since the tournament run, applications have increased, admissions standards have increased, more students from outside the region are attending. The university has even expanded at the most basic level: facilities; over the last few years, new dorms and buildings have been erected, with more to come. More students are also living on campus. Even though I never considered attending Mason myself (I will almost surely apply to their law school eventually, however), I have seen all of these dramatic changes just by living nearby.
Most importantly, this looks like sustainable development, especially as evidenced by the new dorms and planned faculty housing. The tournament seems to have changed Mason permanently. |