Recently there was a quip on Twitter from one of the talking heads of lacrosse that is DIII heavy on that platform. He said something to the effect of “Hobart and Hopkins, you’re DIII schools... Come home..”
I don’t see it happening, and I don’t know what sort of paperwork mess it would entail for those on scholarships etc, but it’s fun to dream. And it would be awesome.
In size, tradition, records etc. Hobart is D 3 and several years ago their President announced they were returning there. Alumni pressure forced him to back off I think b/c they wanted to keep their rivalries with Syracuse and Cornell and the NCAA doesn't currently allow inter division games. Under their deal with the NCAA I don't think Hobart is allowed to give lax scholarships. Maybe one of the Hobart alums on this board can fill us in.
Hopkins does give lax scholarships so they'd have to negotiate a transition with the NCAA. The way undergraduate admissions are trending at Hopkins they could as easily devolve into an MIT like lax program as become a powerhouse supplanting Salisbury.
Given their stellar graduate programs (Intl Affairs, Health/medical complex, APL etc.) Hopkins could phase out undergraduate study altogether like Rockefeller University in NYC and concentrate on its strengths. Not a crazy idea and I'd bet $s to donuts Mike Bloomberg has given it some thought.