Colleges and universities will face many challenges in 2023. Some are the same-old–same-old. Others are brand-new based on changing aspirations and perceptions of students, families, elected and appointed leaders and the world of employers. Institutions should increase niche market offerings.…
This reflection was originally published on December 15, 2008. It is refreshed and worth another look. Christmas memories are personal, deep and important to me. My family’s New York Christmases, with their strong, first generational influence of Western Europe; Cajun…
Originally written a decade ago (October 2013) but worth a second look, as the updated advice still has value. Many high school seniors are currently making important decisions about where to study next year. It’s the season when many soon-to-be…
As social attitudes and perspectives, ebb and flow universities are impacted and in some cases become barometers for measuring change and even predicting it. Fitch Ratings – Chicago/New York in a September 19, 2022 report predicts that enrollment trends will…
Tenth and final in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. Palo Duro Canyon and the challenging, unforgivingly stingy, unceasingly crusty regional geography drive people to band together into groups. It’s the Panhandle’s nature. In contrast to the…
When confronted with challenging times like ours, it is easy to lose heart, appreciation, gratefulness and admiration—in a word, thanksgiving—for the people and places we call home. Our University has been fortunate to have many distinguished leaders. One of those…
Ninth in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. This reflection is modified but was initially posted on March 6, 2021. In traveling the Texas Panhandle, I sensed in many communities a genuine, thoughtful loyalty to people and…
Eighth in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. In his 1893 essay, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” Frederick J. Turner recognizes the importance of faith and revivalism in America’s westward expansion in the 19th-century.…
Seventh in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. From a reflection almost two years ago, the following was noted: The Carson County Courthouse is the hub of Carson County in Panhandle, Texas, representative of many Panhandle courthouses.…
Sixth in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. This reflection is modified but was initially posted in February 2021. The concept of patriotism is recognized as love or devotion to one’s country. I believe patriotism is cultivated from…
Fourth in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. All universities have an economic impact on the regions and communities in which they are located. University education is a combined public and private good, benefiting everyone in the…
Third in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. Social groups, from two people to two million, are joined together by earnestly regarding others. As old as humanity, this natural law is infused in the hearts of Panhandle…
Second in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. Hard work is a well-understood value in many places. West Texas A&M University appreciates its’ import. In the Texas Panhandle, it’s a fact of life. Diane Meyer claims hard…
The enrollment challenges that universities face in the coming decade will be assigned to the enduring impact of COVID-19. While part of emerging trends, it’s not the complete ledger. Birthrates are down nationally, as is college readiness. In Texas, 90%…
The following is comprised of quotes from previously published reflections regarding student debt. For 15 years, I have written about the consequences students face when over borrowing. There are no silver bullets. What will reduce indebtedness? Personal and corporate responsibility—exercised…
Oxford Reference defines mental toughness: A quality of mind or intellect characterized by, among other things, a refusal to be intimidated, a determination to finish a contest even when things are going badly, and an ability to control emotions and…
Seventh and final in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. Over the past six weeks, we have addressed many issues regarding the University’s responsibility to engage students in leadership experiences. The value of leadership…
Sixth in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. Historically, leadership was naturally developed in the home. Families had a built-in leadership structure. As the family structures have broken down, natural leadership factories have also…
Fifth in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. According to Forbes, leaders lead everywhere they go, not solely in industries. Universities should be developing leaders who solve the problems that challenge our communities. An…
Fourth in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. One of the critical aspects of student life on a university campus is for students to become accustomed to, comfortable with and appreciative of the power…
Third in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. Of all the issues challenging students in pursuit of undergraduate degrees in universities across the nation, the most important is retention. Retention measures the number of…
Second in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. For students to engage in a rewarding and complete campus experience, little is more important than the foundation laid in the first year. Many universities have…
First in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. The core function of any University is to satisfy student aspirations for a rewarding professional and personal life. As University leaders, we recognize there is no…
West Texas A&M University has recently deepened its partnership with our region’s community colleges and is committed to engaging rural areas with smaller populations. In addition, we are working with business and industry leaders to create more commerce that attracts…
This reflection was originally posted on November 2, 2011. I think our faculty, staff, students and administration at WT are making great strides towards a performance culture. I am proud to be associated with this institution. We aspire to the…
In the following reflection, historical quotes use the word “man.” I understand the utilization of “man” as indicative of all human beings. Racism is a sin against God. It’s abhorrent. On April 6, West Texas A&M University held its annual…
Fifth and final in a series on philanthropy in higher education Campaigns have become the staple of most non-profit fundraising. The first fundraising campaign in the United States is believed to have taken place in 1641 when Harvard College representatives…
Previously published but updated here as the council is still worthwhile. High School Graduates — Soon, millions of people like you, full of hope and anticipation, will transition from high school to college. Privilege may have provided engaged deliberative parenting…
Originally published over a decade ago in the Chicago Tribune (May 17, 2012), but updated here. Dear Graduating Senior, I am begging your pardon for a somber reflection amidst the joy of the near completion of high school – not…
Fourth in a series on philanthropy in higher education Philanthropy is essential to all universities, especially public regional research universities. Donor giving demonstrates commitment and allows the joining of hands with institutional leaders, faculty, staff and students to pursue ideas,…
Second in a series on philanthropy in higher education Scholarships have always been central in higher education philanthropy. As costs for higher education, both public and private, increase, the impact and importance of student financial support have escalated. Over the…
Sixth and final in a series on Intercollegiate Athletics. Texas is home to 25 Division I athletics programs ranging in size from Texas A&M University (big) to Houston Baptist University (small). Nine football teams compete at the Football Championship Subdivision…
Fifth in a series on Intercollegiate Athletics. Texas has 53 colleges and universities competing in three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) divisions. These institutions belong to 11 different conferences comprised of many out-of-state members from coast to coast and…
Fourth in a series on Intercollegiate Athletics. Jerry Kill was Southern Illinois University’s (SIU) football coach from 2001 until 2007, during the same time President Wendler was SIU’s Chancellor. Recruiting student-athletes was one of Coach Kill’s greatest strengths. He told…
Third in a series on Intercollegiate Athletics. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is big (720 full-time employees and $1.06 billion in annual revenue). For decades the weight of dense bureaucracy and its impact on millions of intercollegiate athletes and…
Second in a series on Intercollegiate Athletics. The significant changes being thrust upon college athletics in recent months have markedly reshaped the concept of student-athletes. Or have they? Ronald A. Smith’s The Myth of the Amateur reveals that James Hogan,…
The fourth and final piece from November 2017. A thriving campus is of vital importance at WT, a vision I had when I first arrived and one that is still at the forefront. Every spring, countless families from across the…
This is the third piece, published in November 2017, after I arrived in Canyon. Relationships with communities is as important now, as it was then. Communities and the universities they host are married to each other. When one partner grows…
In continuation of sharing the first four reflections published in November 2017, this is the second piece I wrote after my arrival at WT. In 1769, Charles Thompson received financial aid from John Hobbs’s widow to study the ministry at…
-Buff courts under construction, looking north- In the coming weeks, I will publish the first four reflections posted in November 2017 after arriving at WT. I started this process to share thoughts about WT, our purpose and our passions. I…
First in a series on Intercollegiate Athletics. The impact of intercollegiate athletics on universities and colleges around our nation is undeniable. More than 460,000 students compete in intercollegiate athletics, the vast majority using their athletic ability to help fund, in…
Sixth in a series on student educational debt. The decision to borrow in pursuit of a college education is personal, but 45 million borrowers eventually impact the U.S. economy and therefore every American. The after-effects are persistent and pervasive, and…
Fifth in a series on student educational debt. There is something powerful about coming from behind—being an underdog. Students who are first-in-family to attend college, single parents, the offspring of immigrants or students of diverse backgrounds whose parents may have…
Fourth in a series on student educational debt. This column was penned in August 2008—it is slightly modified here. It was a reasonable observation then. It has more weight a decade and a half later as the increasing debt burdens…
Fourth in a series on student educational debt. Upon completing baccalaureate and professional degrees, student indebtedness varies markedly across various races, ethnic groups, family income levels, whether or not students are first-in-family to attend college and the geographic region or…
Third in a series on student educational debt. While indebtedness for a college education can be debilitating for many, it can be especially crippling to single parents. For instance, one 48-year-old single mom has a cumulative debt of $430,000 for…
Second in a series on student educational debt. Nearly everyone looks at student debt as a national problem. “True ‘dat,” as they say in South Louisiana, but it must be viewed from the state, institutional and personal level simultaneously. Here…
