Recent news stories indicate that Appalachian State University had the most teacher education graduates in the nation who had received national board certification during 2011. This was also published in the ASU newsletter. This accolade for the university is a lot more important than whether the football program gets to play with the big dogs. It could be used as a drawing card to attract more students to ASU seeking a teaching degree. However, I doubt that will be the case because the emphasis is on the football program and not academics. Diana WardBoone