Student Debt
Originally published December 4, 2017. While some specifics have changed and some data has been updated, the general ideas are more important than they were in 2017 as students prepare to enter college in 2021, a time unlike any other.…
Category Faculty
Universities Are Businesses
Originally published March 18, 2014. While some specifics have changed, the general ideas are more important than they were in 2014. Good universities take risks because they must change. New ideas are risky business. Risk and progress are siblings. And don’t…
Student Leadership
In the coming weeks, I will share a few pieces from the past with slight modifications. This piece was originally posted March 30, 2015. Overwhelmingly, the more than 7,000 state lawmakers nationwide attended and graduated from public universities. Again overwhelmingly, these elected…
Teaching Excellence with Legs
In the coming weeks, I will share a few pieces from the past with slight modifications. This piece was originally posted August 19, 2010. Some things change little in a decade. The purpose of any university is to help people…
Organizational Change and Urgency
The rate of change required to sustain organizations in post-COVID-19 America is extraordinary. Things were tough in the ’90s, but a “walk in the park” compared to the past 18 months. John P. Kotter opined in a 1995 Harvard Business…
A Strong Sense of Self
Self-reliance, free will, critical thinking and control over one’s destiny are the essence of human purpose—a nearly valiant purpose—in achieving satisfaction following accomplishment. This is not to be confused with selfishness. Universities should help students mobilize these resources powered by…
Individuals and Regional Reality
Regions breed individuals with some common traits that generally represent all. People generate an identity, where—subject to environmental conditions, personal predilections, and aspirations of heart and soul, they have a shared experience and perspective. Regions in a state or nation…
Texas’ Most Conservative 21st-Century Public University
Texas’ Most Conservative 21st-Century Public University The Texas Panhandle owns a value system that serves as a benchmark for many of its citizens, even in its imperfection. And this region is WT’s home. Former University President Joseph A. Hill illuminated…
The Core of the University Experience
The Core Curriculum at universities (not to be confused with “Common Core“), sometimes called general education requirement, is determined by faculty and legislative leadership. Unfortunately, some students, parents, and even faculty and university leaders see these courses as what a…
Strength and Value in Regional Universities
Texas SB1295 recognizes the need for financial support and incentives for comprehensive regional universities that meet performance targets. It’s on the way to Governor Abbott’s desk. In all its forms, post-secondary education is a powerful force in improving job opportunities,…
University Leadership
Walter Wendler, West Texas A&M University President and John Sharp, The Texas A&M University System Chancellor Sixth in a series on Regional Universities Some university leaders have had a transformative impact on their institutions and, in turn, the larger community.…
A Tale of Two Cities, Two Universities, Two Regions
Walter Wendler, West Texas A&M University President and John Sharp, The Texas A&M University System Chancellor Fifth in a series on Regional Universities. Universities have significant economic impacts on the cities and regions in which they are located. The size…
Texas’ Regional Universities: Place, People, Purpose, Performance
Walter Wendler, West Texas A&M University President and John Sharp, The Texas A&M University System Chancellor Fourth in a series on Regional Universities. The location of any University, its place, is important for every institution. For a comprehensive regional university…
Regional Universities – Our Students
Walter Wendler, West Texas A&M University President and John Sharp, The Texas A&M University System Chancellor Third in a series on Regional Universities. Comprehensive Regional Universities (CRU) are the quiet centerpiece of the Texas higher education constellation. Often founded as…
Regional Empowerment
Walter Wendler, West Texas A&M University President and John Sharp, The Texas A&M University System Chancellor Second in a series on Regional Universities. Borrowing from a working paper, “A Regional Research University” West Texas A&M University’s commitment is to serve…
Regional Universities – System Membership
Walter Wendler, West Texas A&M University President and John Sharp, The Texas A&M University System Chancellor First in a Series on Regional Universities Regional universities in the U.S. educate 70% of the nearly 17 million students pursuing an undergraduate degree…
Rogers LEAD WT: A Leading Learning Laboratory
Modified from a column published on October 25, 2015 Organizations train leaders, for better or worse. Various enterprises are hotbeds for positive leadership training: manufacturing, public service, retail, professional services and universities provide examples. Effective leadership causes people to change their perspective, be…
Big Ideas in the Texas Panhandle
Seventh in a series on the Heart and Soul of the Texas Panhandle West Texas A&M University is focused on big ideas. Communities of the Texas Panhandle sharpen this focus. The Panhandle is a big place, with challenges and opportunities…
Rugged Individualism
Third in a series on the Heart and Soul of the Texas Panhandle The concept of belonging to something larger than self in the Texas Panhandle and the power of sustaining oneself, family and extended community is as old as…
Homeschooling 2021
As the impact of COVID-19 grows with corresponding actions that limited or halted face-to-face instruction in public schools across the nation and world, many parents opted into homeschooling. Homeschooling is not a new phenomenon in America, but the trend accelerated…
Rural Students
Reading the Chronicle of Higher Education on January 6, 2021, I came across an advertising banner that gave me pause. It read, “A College Lifeline: Higher Education for incarcerated and rural students – and why it matters.” I downloaded this…
Trends in Graduate Education
Seventh in a series on COVID-19 and studying in spring 2021 In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, graduate students previously enrolled or contemplating spring 2021 enrollment should be aware of significant trends. Nationally, students wrestle with costs and benefits…
Purpose and Place
Sixth in a series on COVID-19 and studying in Spring 2021 Originally published on September 29, 2018, slightly modified here The roots of higher education in the United States are knotted into purpose and place. From a functional standpoint, almost all…
Five Cost Lowering New Year’s Resolutions for 2021
Fifth in a series on COVID-19 and studying in spring 2021 Originally published on December 31, 2013, and slightly modified here As the effects of COVID-19 impact nearly every decision made regarding long-term investments, a college education is no exception.…
A Personal Reflection for the Season
Fourth in a series on COVID-19 and studying in spring 2021 Originally published on December 15, 2008, and a few times since then—it may have value as we look forward to the spring of 2021, a spring like no other…
Campus Life—Spring 2021
Third in a series on COVID-19 and studying in Spring 2021 Provisions are being made for students, faculty, and staff to return to West Texas A&M University this spring. Beginning last summer, to meet diverse needs of faculty and students,…
The CARES Act in the Coming Spring
Second in a series on COVID-19 and studying in Spring 2021 The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was instituted to provide assistance to individuals and families suffering through the economic trials of COVID-19. I will not rehearse…
Universities and Responsibility
Originally published April 13, 2015, and modified for another look. Universities and the people and organizations that support them require the exercise of free will that promotes personal and shared responsibility. Responsibility is the nucleus of Adam Smith’s Theory of…
The Anatomy of a Complex Decision
West Texas A&M University will host a virtual graduation in December — a decision reached only after much discussion and heartfelt deliberations. Details regarding the event will be released soon. I know that many faculty, staff, students and families will…
Aspire
Seventh and final in a series of how universities can help build character. The character of a university, or any organization, comes from vision and mission cemented by distinguishing core values. West Texas A&M University has identified six core values: …
Engagement
Sixth in a series of how universities can help build character. The idea of engagement carries with it a number of meanings. At a state-supported institution, we have a responsibility to promote effective citizenship. A citizen belongs to something larger…
Respect
Fifth in a series of how universities can help build character. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. If you hummed that along in your head, you probably know where this is going. Respect is a commodity. It is traded like baseball cards. It’s a give…
Innovation
Fourth in a series of how universities can help build character. University innovation is often, and appropriately, viewed as the work of faculty and students fueling discovery through individual scholarship, research, and creative activity. Universities must innovate corporately, too. Resource…
Pragmatism
Third in a series of how universities can help build character. WT values the practical framing of intellectual work. Being pragmatic does not mean big ideas or the big picture are avoided. When carried out faithfully, being pragmatic is a…
Service
Second core value in a series regarding character Service presents itself in many ways at public universities. Members of university communities understand the three-legged stool of responsible teaching, scholarly work and service. I recently reflected on the power of customer…
Academic Freedom
Core Value One Second in a series of how universities can help build character. Academic freedom is a defining core value at WT. Last week the U.S. Department of Education tried to clarify a burgeoning cadre of rules and regulations…
Culture and Energy on Campus
Seventh in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19 Written a number of years ago and updated for its value as we return to campus. A culture is created and sustained by…
Life on Campus
Second in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. A valuable part of attending a university for many college students, particularly those in their late teens or early 20s, is the experience…
Strength of Working Together Overcomes Fear
First in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. In the coming weeks, I will address a number of issues regarding our return to campus—things such as residential life, classroom and community…
The New Normal
The concept of “new normal” is wearisome. Enterprises of every kind falter assuming there was an old normal. Normalcy is an innovation-robbing concept. In February, I reflected on demographics and their impact on shaping a regional research university like West…
Customer Service
People working in higher education, whether in the classroom, research lab, dance studio, library, and various business support offices or even maintaining buildings and grounds, are all involved in customer service. Many resist seeing students as customers; however, students pay…
A Well Knitted University
West Texas A&M University is becoming a regional research university. Defined in WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World, it means in part, ”Our focus will be on community life, schools in rural settings, enriched enterprise, beef, rural health…
A Crisis that Teaches
This draws from a series of reflections on excellent teaching published a decade ago. The COVID-19 crisis has created unimaginable hardships for individuals, families, small businesses and international behemoths. Crisis knows no boundaries in how it impacts people and their…
The Crisis and Purposeful People
Excellent staff are important at any time in the life of any enterprise. In a crisis, purposeful people, excellent people, allow organizations to thrive. I didn’t say survive because many organizations will whimper out of the COVID-19 doghouse and simply…
Considering College – Field of Dreams: Gruver, Texas
Eleventh in a series on what to look for in college. Looking for a college? Gruver, Texas, can teach us something. A small but remarkable community in Hansford County, Gruver is home to about 1,200 souls. The community wanted to…
Who Are They, and What Do They Want?
This was originally released in September 2014. Given the challenges that universities are facing with the COVID-19 pandemic that may extend well into the future, the times are a barometer of purpose. I walked into a room full of…
The Middle Class Stretched Thin
In January 2019 the median household income in the United States was $63,688, a 0.3% increase over the December 2018 estimate. The growth rate of the median household income is substantial; however, according to Seeking Alpha, purchasing power for certain…
Demographics Shape Universities
The U.S. birth rate is at its lowest recorded level. Since the 2008 economic recession, fertility rates have decreased by nearly 20%. The population of students for universities to draw from is shrinking. At the same time, the age of…
Why do students go to college?
I will not pretend to know the answer to this question for every individual; however, two ideas are repeatedly reinforced to me. First, students are interested in getting a job. A university that neglects this will falter. Second, students are…
Intercollegiate Athletics
No matter the size of the university or college, its mission, its status as public or private, flagship or regional, intercollegiate athletics plays an important role in how the institution is perceived. For almost 150 years, intercollegiate athletics has created…
The Biggest Idea
Organizations flourish or perish based on big ideas that address issues of importance. Enterprises thrive through big ideas alone: their lack is toxic. Sony, Kodak, Apple, Disney, Walmart, and universities respond to big ideas shaping organizational culture. Snuffing out ideation…
University Realities for 2020
Universities face issues spawned during the past half-century that will cripple effectiveness if unaddressed. The standing and ranking perception of campuses will always be important. The best campuses will attend to excellence in teaching and scholarly work, affordability and rigorous…
Considering College – Pragmatism in the Texas Panhandle and on the South Plains
Ninth in a series on what to look for in college. Seventy percent of college students graduated with debt last year—on average $30,000. Some will repay that debt with Social Security checks voluntarily or through garnishment. Of Americans over 60,…
A New World Order in Higher Education
The Nifty Fifty/Fifty Enrollments at universities around the United States are shrinking—down 1.7 and 1.8 percent this year and last. Master’s and comprehensive universities, private liberal arts colleges, rural universities and a multitude of others that are not state flagships,…
Considering College – Teaching on the Border
Pictured: Sundown’s rich history in the oil and gas industry is represented through a donated energy exhibit that has been a fixture of Sundown High School since the late 70s. Pictured from left: Bill Craddock, WTAMU Alumnus, Graduate of Sundown…
Considering College – Clean Restrooms
Second in a series on what to look for in college. Tahoka, Texas, the county seat of Lynn County, is a small town of 3,000 souls. In spirit, it is bigger than the South Plains skies that crown it. Maybe…
Panhandle Pioneers
The passing of T. Boone Pickens, with his colorful relationship to West Texas A&M University, affords consideration of two great Panhandle pioneers. J. A. Hill became president of West Texas State Teachers College in 1918, having joined the campus in…
Summer Graduation 2.0
Posted last year on the occasion of summer graduation. The advice is still sound. West Texas A&M University had its summer graduation last week, as did many universities around the nation. People are always willing to give advice to recent…
Regionalism Reinvented
Regional Universities are the core of educational opportunity for many students who choose lower-cost, locally-focused study opportunities. These same universities provide regional economies with a shot in the arm. They not only promote new businesses serving campus students, faculty and…
Trouble in Paradise
Corporations, public and private; bureaucracies, large and small; and families, whether two or 100 members, rise and fall based on mission acuity. A few things irrevocably impede mission attainment, and fear of change tops the list. Unwillingness to change –…
Keeping Graduates Close
[Fourth in a series about WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.] Universities desire to keep alumni close by. Graduates are a testimony to an institution’s progress and effectiveness—or not. More Harvard graduates live in Boston than any other…
Organizational Trust
[Third in a series written about WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.] Trust is confidence—the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and security of a person or thing. It enables and creates expectations and hope. Universities that don’t…
Health Through Vision
In the coming months, means to develop healthier, stronger organizations will be examined. While West Texas A&M University and WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World are the basis for these reflections, the thoughts may have value in many…
Reaching a Region on Handshakes
The majority of college recruiting in the United States is focused on urban and suburban high schools. On the surface, given that approximately 80% of the U.S. population resides in metropolitan regions, it seems a plausible approach. However, the 20%…
Open Letter to High School Class of 2019
This has been published a number of times at spring break over the past decade. It is updated here and refreshed in its importance for the honesty and transparency required to make a good university great for a region. The…
Serving Locally—Pride of Place
The Texas Panhandle appreciates hard work, persistence and commitment to family and community. This value system should never be taken for granted. It oozes from the ground and sprinkles from the sky. Those who inhabit the space between live it.…
New Cake, Old Recipe
When Clark Kerr unveiled A Master Plan for Higher Education in California in 1960, it was heralded as a stroke of genius. And it was. Kerr went to the capitol in Sacramento requesting unparalleled financial support to build scientific prowess.…
A University and a Way Forward
Universities, like all human organizations, need a passion for purpose coupled to a plan for the future. Without such a commitment, reactionary leadership and management follows. Such passion for purpose and a future grows from an institution’s people, its purpose…
Changing Times
As we begin 2019 anyone involved in higher education, student or family member, spouse or friend, high school principal or daycare worker, instructor or president, knows things are changing at universities. Whether a public or private, for-profit or not-for-profit, online…
Why U.S. Universities Are Good
Photo: Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences WTAMU This reflection was originally published on April 10, 2016. I believe it is worth a second look, and it appears here with only a few modest updates. WVW American universities are the…
Clicks or Bricks
With the growing pervasiveness of online and distance education opportunities (Clicks), future students will have transcripts peppered with courses from different modes of instructional delivery at different institutions. At West Texas A&M University, rarely will a student’s academic record come…
Teaching First
Originally published on November 30, 2015. As we begin this season of reflection, “Teaching First” is worthy of another look as we focus on the first purpose of the university and the importance of staying true to our roots. Forward…
Scholarships and Student Support
As the cost of college attendance continues to escalate, private support through both need- and merit-based scholarships is more important than ever. The sources for private giving available to students continue to multiply. Last year, in federal grant money alone,…
College Readiness
When colleges are confronted regarding low six-year graduation rates (52% in Texas) and low persistence rates—the rate at which freshman continue into the second year of college (about 73% nationally), the immediate response of too many in leadership positions is…
Textbook-Free, Not Free Textbooks
Last week Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney reported that student debt now exceeds $1.53 trillion—a burden that millennial’s carry. There are no silver bullets. Hope for many lies in loan forgiveness. In all likelihood,…
Purpose and Place
The roots of higher education in the United States are knotted into purpose and place. From a functional standpoint, all universities, public and private, existed for producing ministers. At Harvard, three in four graduates in the seventeenth century became working…
The Squeeze
The birthrate in America has been on the decline. In 2016, with slightly less than 60 births per 1000 women, a historic low was realized. This marks universities. Those most affected by decreasing birthrates will be regional campuses like West…
You, You, You, not Me, Me, Me
An effective leader must do everything within his or her power to create a strong organizational culture. Teamwork, knowledge of process, values shared by all workers, a clear understanding of organizational purpose, and a shared goal of attaining that purpose…
New Directions in Higher Education Philanthropy
Funding for higher education is down over 20% in a few decades and continues to decrease. Institutional philanthropy designed to add dimensions of excellence to university life in support of students or simply to sustain steady quality is required. Impact…
Summer Graduation
West Texas A&M University had its summer graduation last week, as did many universities around the nation. People are always willing to give advice to recent graduates, and I am no exception. Hold on to your hat. Don’t delay paying…
No Two Alike – Purpose, Population and Place
One of the challenges for students and parents trying to select a place of study is that no two postsecondary institutions are the same. If for no other reason, the laws of physics assert that two things cannot occupy the…
Serving Students First
For universities job one is serving students one at a time, but they are not customers. Patients maybe, clients perhaps, hopefully subscribers, but there is no fixed product or performance guarantee. Only hope, and servicing hope requires several basic understandings.…
Treasure Trust, Transparency and Truth
Universities have lost the public trust. Pew, Gallop, and a number of other assemblers of public opinion have studied and reported findings that suggest public trust in Higher Education is eroding. University of Oregon president Michael Schill in a University…
The Creative Economy, the University and Human Spirit
The principles laid out in Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (commonly referred to as simply “The Wealth of Nations”) provide valuable insights regarding public universities. While useful in any university setting,…
“…Gently Rapping, Rapping at My Chamber Door.”
This was originally posted March 20, 2016. It is the last summer rerun… The changing student demographics and accompanying changes in expectation from higher education come with no “gentle rapping.” Rather a thunderous pounding that is wished away by many…
Creating a Powerful Corporate Culture
This series of six reflections on corporate culture was originally published in October and November 2013. I am on summer break but I think these still have some value. WVW. Sixth and final reflection on corporate culture… Nurturing a strong…
Place and Culture
This series of six reflections on corporate culture was originally published in October and November 2013. I am on summer break but I think these still have some value. WVW. Fifth in a series on Corporate Culture… Where we work…
People, Purpose, Principle
This series of six reflections on corporate culture was originally published in October and November 2013. I am on summer break but I think these still have some value. WVW. Fourth in a series on Corporate Culture… Rules without relationships guide…
Culture and Energy
This series of six reflections on corporate culture was originally published in October and November 2013. I am on summer break but I think these still have some value. WVW. Third in a series on Corporate Culture… A culture is…
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Graduates – In a few months, millions of people like you, full of hope and anticipation, will transition from high school to college. Privilege may have provided engaged deliberative parenting and quality primary and secondary educational opportunities, and you may have…
Dear Graduating Senior:
I am begging your pardon for a somber reflection amidst the joy of accomplishment—not to be a wet rag on the festivities of high school graduation, but a bright light on the realities of post-secondary education. If your GPA is…
Universities and Citizenship
A Continued reflection on citizenship from last week. There are significant relationships between education and citizenship. I am, before anything else, a professor—a teacher. I work to provide students the opportunity to learn. For me, this relationship between opportunity as…
Satisfied Students
Student satisfaction and customer satisfaction are not equal. Students are not customers except when they spend a night in their dorm room or buy a meal in the cafeteria, a book at the bookstore or a shirt with the school…
Radical Individualization
On the very best days, the very best universities treat each student distinctively. Universities are in the business of creating, developing and nurturing human capital. This is true when faculty and staff are hired for their unique skill sets to…
Travel and Education
Americans are becoming more insular. Universities value international exchanges and study experiences for the benefit to students. IES Abroad and other study-abroad organizations encourage learning abroad because of the many identified, positive outcomes. A lack of understanding between different people…
Sticker Price
If five people go into the same Ford dealership and buy an F150, each will pay a different price. The cost of the new vehicle will be determined by the buyer’s ability to negotiate, the salesperson, color, options, trade-in, interest…