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 giveā¦
Category Campus
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 aā¦
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 customerā¦
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 regulationsā¦
Character
First in a series of how universities can help build character. Critical thinking skills, long held to be the nucleus of a strong liberal arts curriculum, are essential. A number of institutions receive acclaim for their ability to teach criticalā¦
New World. New Way. Always WT.
Tenth and final in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. Universities propel students, families and communities toward economic prosperity and intellectual liberty. WT has pursued this mission since 1910; training teachersā¦
āHome, Home on the Rangeā
Ninth in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified college cost discussions as unemployment has increased, family financial security decreased and college costs with accumulated debt haveā¦
The Other Education
Eighth in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. A recent NICHE study found after surveying 20,000 students, 78% said in-person classes were appealing, and 29% found online courses appealing. The findingsā¦
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 byā¦
Student-Athletes
Sixth in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. Regarding athletics, my goal as a university leader is to support student-athletes, first, and the enterprise of intercollegiate athletics, second. The individual andā¦
Fear and Focus
Fifth in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. Little is more crippling to an individual or an organization than fear. It petrifies people into indecisiveness. It spawns endless self-doubt that metastasizesā¦
COVID-19 Drives School Choice
Fourth in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. Itās a shotgun wedding of sortsāfamilies driven to home schooling by a virus. On the planet, 1.5 billion kids are being home-schooled, accordingā¦
Cost/Quality Differentials, Online/On-Campus Study
Third in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. This reflection represents a collaborative effort with the Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Neil Terry, and me to communicate cost and qualityā¦
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 experienceā¦
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 campusāthings such as residential life, classroom and communityā¦
Considering College and COVID-19
The 24-hour news circuitry is alive with concerns about COVID-19, its impact on people and the economic crater left in its wake. No segment of the American economy or enterprise, the faith life of Americans, or any other aspect ofā¦
Considering College ā Canyon, Texas:Ā Truthfulness and Transparency
Sixteenth in a series on what to look for in college. On February 2, 2017, I visited Canyon High School. A group of 600 students attended. Canyon ISD covers over 700 square miles of ground. With the onslaught of theā¦
Considering College – Childress, Texas: Higher Education Is Serious and Personal
Fourteenth in a series on what to look for in college. During the āYour Community, Your Universityā Tours, visits to high schools in the Panhandle and South Plainsādaytime visits while school was in sessionāhad a larger number of students present.ā¦
Considering College ā Booker, Texas: A Frontier Outpost
Thirteenth in a series on what to look for in college. At 37 degrees 27 minutes 12 seconds north latitude, Booker is the northernmost municipality in Texas. Booker used to be in La Kemp, Oklahoma, but in 1917 moved southā¦
Considering College ā Pampa, Texas: A City That Knows Determination
Twelfth in a series on what to look for in college. Pampa, Texas, is the county seat of Gray County in the heart of the Texas Panhandle. Its population of just under 18,000 people is supported by agriculture, ranching, someā¦
Considering College ā 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 toā¦
Considering College – New Home
First in a series on what to look for in a college.Ā Ā What should students and families look for as they consider college? In the coming weeks, insights from the South Plains of Texas will be shared. New Home, Texas,ā¦
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 institutionās progress and effectivenessāor not. More Harvard graduates live in Boston than any otherā¦
Organizational Trust
[Third in a series written about WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.] Trust is confidenceāthe reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and security of a person or thing. It enables and creates expectations and hope. Universities that donātā¦
The Real Problem with Student Debt
While West Texas A&M University and its generational plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World, are the basis for these reflections, the thoughts have value in many settings. Healthy organizations thrive on integrity and transparency. Since the Whiteā¦
