Each December, as lights trace rooftops and familiar carols fill public spaces, we are invited to celebrate and reflect. Christmas, rooted in the birth of Jesus Christ, carries a message deeper than custom or nostalgia. At its center, the seasonā¦
Fourth in a series.Ā Universities do not exist to produce intellectual unanimity; they exist to cultivate free minds capable of wrestling with complex truths. But freedom of thought is impossible without freedom of conscience. The ability of every personā¦
Third in a series. In American higher education, freedom is often a flag flown high; freedom of inquiry, thought and speech are indispensable to the life of the mind. Yet, as I have seen across decades in the academy, freedomā¦
Second in a series. The origins of the university, whether in the cloisters of medieval Europe or the colonial colleges of early America, are inseparable from the religions’ insistence on an ordered universe that can be known and studied.ā¦
First in a Series. American higher education once rested on a shared moral vision shaped by Judeo-Christian traditions, affirming the dignity of every person. These moral responsibilities accompany freedom and the pursuit of truth as a sacred calling. George Marsdenā¦
Our nation approaches its 250th year in 2026. We should reflect, not only on what America has achieved, but on what sustains a nation. The endurance of our constitutional republic has never depended solely on wealth or power. It hasā¦
While teaching geometry, mechanics and astronomy at the University of Padua, Galileo studied the movements of the Sun and the stars, and through his personal observations, proposed that our universe was heliocentric. His ideas and findings supported Copernicus’s repudiation ofā¦
The American higher education industry is in decline. Enrollment has decreased by nearly three million students over the past decade, public confidence is waning and costs keep rising faster than inflation. But beneath these trends lies a quieter, deeper, moreā¦
Written February 9, 2015, not published and slightly modified here. In loco parentis, meaning “in the place of a parent,” indicates that an organization or institution can act in a child’s best interest in the absence of the child’s parents.ā¦
Originally published in the Dallas Morning News on October 11, 2025. Universities once were built as places to pursue truth in its fullness. The medieval universitas joined science, philosophy and theology in one great search. Today, the vision of pursuingā¦
Many factors cause elitism in higher education. Prestige is rewarded by exclusivity. National rankings of universities favor high admissions rejection rates, high spending per student and high percentages of alumni giving. These perspectives cause some schools to manage admissions “yield,”ā¦
Americans are losing faith in higher education, and the data backs it up. A recent Gallup analysis shows the nation is now split, with just as many people expressing low confidence in colleges and universities as those who still believeā¦
A knowledgeable friend told me, “Texas is defined by its edges.” Even though the then State Representative Four Price’s comment referred to election results, it has resonated with me. The perimeter of Texas is 4,137 miles long, and the totalā¦
West Texas A&M University’s Educator’s Excellence Initiative (EEI) serves primary and secondary educators in the Texas Panhandle. We believe our state’s future largely rests on the quality of educational opportunities available to all students. Anything WT can do to helpā¦
Modified from a reflection written in January 2009. Entitlement is believing you are owed what you have not earned. Social Security is not an entitlement, but an earned benefit based on years of employment and contributions:Ā A contract between citizensā¦
As schools open nationwide, it is worth reflecting on the impact of a college education. The Free Academy of New York, eventually City College of New York (CCNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) were created to provide aā¦
As a new academic year kicks off, maybe your first in college, I want to share some advice, whether at a community college, a four-year university or a public or private institution. It is about something which does not alwaysā¦
A university education is clearly a private benefit. The lifetime value of a college degree in increased earnings is inarguable. However, there are extended public benefits to locals with increased educational attainment. Higher levels of educational attainment are stronglyā¦
Regional public campuses support arts and culture, enriching the lives of students and the surrounding community. These institutions often serve as cultural hubs, hosting galleries, theaters, concerts, lectures and festivals. These events expose students and residents to artistic and culturalā¦
Some excerpts have been modified from a 2016 WT 125 White Paper by Walter Wendler, Angela Spaulding and Eddie Henderson. Ā West Texas A&M University (WTAMU, WT) prioritizes its role as a regional research university (RRU) by intentionally directing itsā¦
Civic engagement, individual and collective actions aimed at addressing public opportunities and challenges, is fundamental to constitutional republics in healthy societies and is a key driver of personal, institutional and community growth. Within regional universities, civic engagement becomes a transformativeā¦
All public universities, including regional institutions, play a vital role in workforce development by educating and training millions of professionals who are essential to the economy and the well-being of society. Regional public universities train millions of professionalsāteachers, nurses, engineersā¦
People tend to be increasingly cynical about higher education. Tuition and fees have increased markedly in the last 40 years, more than doubled, according to Bankrate. Equally troubling, many students leave college without a diploma and still have substantial debt.ā¦
Tenth and final in a series on the Texas Triangles. Rural contributions significantly affect a state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), though the impact varies depending on the state’s economic structure and level of urbanization. Rural areas are often the backboneā¦
Ninth in a series on the Texas Triangles. Texas is two states. The Megaregion Triangle is defined by the area between DFW, Houston and San Antonio, which supports 66% of the population and is home to 53 Fortune 500 companies.ā¦
Eighth in a series on the Texas Triangles. “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money,” said Margaret Thatcher, according to the American Enterprise Institute. With great caution, I would add that a problemā¦
Seventh in a series on the Texas Triangles. More than a campus, a catalyst.Ā Ā Location plays a significant role in college attendance. Post-secondary educational attainment levels are higher in Tom Green (Angelo State University), Lubbock (Texas Tech University), El Pasoā¦
Sixth in a series on the Texas Triangles. Drawing lines from Dallas to San Antonio to Houston forms the Megaregion Triangle while connecting Amarillo to San Angelo to El Paso creates the Food, Fuel and Fiber Triangle. The two Texasā¦
The Power of One Triangle Fourth in a series on the Texas Triangles. The Texas Panhandle is rich and complex, shaped by Native American cultures, Spanish explorers, frontier settlers, ranchers and the development of railroads and the oil industry. Itā¦
Second in a series on the Texas Triangles. Water has been crucial in shaping U.S. culture, history and economic progress. Before European colonization, Native Americans relied on rivers, lakes and coastal waters for food, transportation and spiritual practices. Many settlementsā¦
Originally published in the Dallas Morning News on March 18, 2025. Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Texas SB17 in 2023, closing DEI offices at Texas universities. As colleges continue to adjust, we’ll see a rediscovery of our true calling.ā¦
First in a series on the food, fuel and fiber triangle of Texas. My thoughts in the coming weeks will consider two important triangles in Texas: The “Food, Fuel and Fiber Triangle” defined by Amarillo, San Angelo and El Paso,ā¦
This reflection was originally published on July 8, 2023. It is refreshed and worth another look. Large organizations can exploit size to create an economy of scale. It is, singularly, the best argument for bigness.Ā This may be true when makingā¦
Written onĀ August 13, 2013, slightly revised here. Bureaucracies create and sustain a moral perspective. āIf you are going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy. God will forgive you, but the bureaucracy wonāt,ā quipped Admiral Hyman Rickover regarding theā¦
Tenth and final in a series on rural universities. According to New Directions for Higher Education, rural universities face unique challenges and opportunities. In 2025, several trends will shape the landscape of colleges and universities in rural areas, and WTā¦
Ninth in a series on rural universities. Geography and culture in small communities play essential roles in shaping various traditions, practices and ways of life, according to Spatial Post. While culture seems to exist independently of place in some areas,ā¦
Eighth in a series on rural universities. What follows is not intended to be a gloom and doom forecast. Rather, it is an honest analysis of what smaller, often rural, regional universities will face as the reality for those whoā¦
Seventh in a series on rural universities Rural, regional colleges often cost less than metropolitan universities. Cost differences can be attributed to several factors. Rural regions typically have lower living costs than more densely populated metropolitan areas, and lower operationalā¦
Sixth in a series on rural universities. Flexible learning models in universities are evolving to accommodate various student needs, work-life balance and advancements in technology, reports University Business. These models are transforming higher education to be more accessible andā¦
Fifth in a series on rural universities. Universities should be impacted by location. Check any university website identified by the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, and you will find focus areas, including urban planning and urban sustainability, economic development inā¦
Fourth in a series on rural universities. Universities often partner with high schools to enhance educational opportunities, bridge gaps between secondary and higher education and prepare students for future academic challenges. Such partnerships are especially important in rural high schoolsā¦
Third in a series on rural universities Many states in our nation, particularly those with strong natural resource and agricultural economies, face a ātwo-state challengeā with two fundamentally different populations to serve in the state. Pew says the challenge existsā¦
Second in a series on rural universities Rural higher education faces unique challenges and opportunities. In 2025, several trends will shape the landscape of colleges and universities in rural areas, and in every aspect, WT will be responsive. Rural institutions,ā¦
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 familyās New York Christmases, with their strong, first generational influence of Western Europe; Cajunā¦
First in a series on Rural Universities. Rural regions of the United States make significant contributions to the economic well-being of the nation. Rural America is the backbone of U.S. agriculture. In 2023, the agriculture, food and related industries contributedā¦
As we approach the end of the year and the holiday season, I find myself reflecting on both personal challenges and the growth we see on our campus. While the world focuses on larger shifts, what matters is the progressā¦
WT will be updating the long-range plan WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.Ā The origins of the plan began in the fall of 2016 upon my arrival with the goal to cast a vision for what West Texasā¦
Originally posted a few years ago. When confronted with challenging times like ours, it is easy to lose heart, appreciation, gratefulness and admirationāin a word, thanksgivingāfor the people and places we call home. Our University has been fortunate to haveā¦
Penned a decade ago, modified slightly here. Too many universities accept unprepared students. Regardless of status ā public, private non-profit or for-profit ā motivation is suspect and results debilitating. Institutions know it, but bureaucracies need to be fed.Ā Federally insured loansā¦
Ā This essay was written onĀ June 9, 2014, and is modified here. Universities and lenders must be more transparent regarding costs, opportunities and likelihoods of success for students.Ā John Hutton, of the British Labor Party made this observation:Ā āGreater personal choice,ā¦
Penned a decade ago, still relevant, slightly modified here. Threats to higher education primarily come not from shady lenders, crass bankers and bureaucrats focused on turning government-subsidized, student-borrowed dollars into operating capital, nor from elected officials who seek to useā¦
Ā Penned over a decade ago, modified slightly here.Ā The number and value of college degrees produced in the U.S. will be a bone of contention for a long time, and the marrow of that bone is that the cost ofā¦
This essay was written a decade ago and is modified here. The thoughts still have value in helping students plot productive futures. Ā The higher education marketplace is special and unique and provides something unlike any other enterprise. But, itā¦
The excerpt is from a speech I gave on March 26, 2004, at a Naturalization Ceremony on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale recognizing the culmination of years of effort for many to become U.S. citizens. Naturalization isĀ the processā¦
West Texas A&M University has set a goal to become the most homeschool-friendly University in Texas. Michelle Quirk, writing on the Psychology Today website, shared thoughts regarding the value of homeschooled settings for many students, including her children. She isā¦
Good leaders act as lightning rods, attracting both criticism and praise otherwise directed toward their organizations or members of their team. Leaders absorb pressure, good and bad, guiding and protecting while exercising responsibility and transparency. Actions and decisions draw scrutinyā¦
Predatory gambling occurs when corporate gambling interests, sometimes coupled with government, exploit citizens and their communities. Universities are communities, and students are their primary citizens. Universities and the people that populate them recognize the deleterious impact of predatory gambling onā¦
Originally penned on February 19, 2020, but is possibly more valuable now than it was then. One of the greatest challenges for leadership is to get people, in all parts of any organization, to tell the truth about how thingsā¦
Originally published in the Dallas Morning News on August 28, 2024. College debt is suffocating. Students take on lifelong commitments too burdensome for degrees that may not have substantial value. That, in turn, diminishes the integrity and worth of theā¦
This was originally written nine years ago and was tuned up as a new school year begins. I am reminded of how important these fundamentals are and the value of new students reflecting on them as the school year getsā¦
A benefit of being involved with universities as a faculty member and administrator for nearly a half-century is the opportunity to work with generations of students. I began teaching baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, characterized by popularā¦
A predicted “enrollment cliff” is on the horizon for higher education. The national birthrate is the lowest in recorded history. Fewer college-ready high school graduates are being produced, and fewer of those are enrolling. Reality coupled with skepticism regarding theā¦
Ā Originally posted a decade ago. Worth another look. Leadership in any organization implies and requires transformation. Change in purposeful groups of people, large and small, creates discomfort. Organizational discomfort sometimes matures into a labyrinth of processes that stymie evolution inā¦
Written almost 15 years ago these points are still relevant.Ā National economic growth requires education beyond high school. College, in the conventional sense, is not always the answer to a stronger economy. Neither theĀ traditional 20th-century viewĀ of higher education from theā¦
Originally penned on July 8, 2015 this reflection reminds us of the impact that universities have on local economies.Ā Little has changed since that time regarding these insights.Ā Universities impact regional economies. In rural areas where economic diversity is scant,ā¦
I frequently challenge public higher education. I am occasionally cynical. Even critical. Not today. The impact of public universities on economic progress varies widely by the specific institution, and the economic sector being considered. But, almost every university contributes toā¦
What follows is extracted from testimony provided to the 1836 Project Advisory Committee at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on July 1, 2024. The 1836 Advisory Committee was established by HB No. 2497 in May 2021 and signed into law byā¦
Originally posted on December 18, 2009, but given the nature of the times, itās worth a look. Knife edges are the places where greatness lives in organizations.Ā The sides of a knife donāt cut, but the well-whetted edge of a knifeā¦
This was written on December 4, 2009, as one of a series of thoughts regarding the intersection of faith and reason in university life. I was reminded of the durability of this thought as we recently celebrated the beautifully renovatedā¦
Originally posted on June 15, 2009, modified slightly. Old hat? Nope, never more important. I know I am in trouble with that title, but hear me out. For all the discourse about universities being like businesses, they are not runā¦
Originally posted on June 10, 2015. Worth thinking about in our contemporary circumstances. Modified slightly here. Too many public organizations gravitate towards performance at the lowest common denominator.Ā Private organizations do too, but mediocrityās poison is more prevalent in public settings.Ā Thereā¦
Originally published nearly a decade ago, on March 30, 2015, it has a ring of interest for current students and students of current events. Slightly modified here. Overwhelmingly, theĀ 7,400 state lawmakersĀ nationwide attended and graduated from public universities. Again, overwhelmingly, theseā¦
Originally written on August 21, 2012, with continued interest in the value equation for higher education this is worth looking at again. No two universities are the same. No university was the same last year as it will be nextā¦
Written a decade ago, current events suggest a second look is valuable and is presented here slightly modified. Communities of every type, near and far ā social, geographic, political and professional ā have legitimate expectations about the universities they areā¦
This was originally penned on February 27, 2009. It is, by contemporary definition, old hat. Itās worth another look and appears here slightly modified. The most powerful stimulus ever invented, used for good and evil since the beginning of time,ā¦
In 1959, when Vince Lombardi had his first team meeting with the Green Bay Packers as their new head coach, he said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” A culture of excellence isā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāTenth and last in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. First, a principled conservative outpost values free thought. Free thought is not an intellectualĀ straight-jacketĀ of conforming to laws, rules, ideas, concepts or traditions withoutā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāNinth in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. Some of what follows is post commentary found in The Hill Institute. Joseph A. Hill advocated for what has been called a āperformance cultureā withinā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāEighth in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. The place where people live makes an indelible impact on how and what people think. To borrow a line from Winston Churchill, “We shape ourā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāSeventh in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. Patriotism is a feeling of love, devotion and a sense of attachment to a nation or homeland. The foundation of patriotism is citizenship. It mayā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāSixth in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. In free societies, and constitutional republics, individual identity and merit, plus the equality of all in the pursuit of lifeās aspirations, must be recognized asā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāFifth in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. āWhiteface, Texas, is a small community located in Cochran County (sharing a border with New Mexico). Its neighbor, Sundown, Texas, is located in Hockley County.ā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāFourth in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. Society functions best when individuals have the freedom to pursue, without undue coercion, their interests within the bounds of law, ethics and morality determined byā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāThird in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. “Patton Springs ISD in Afton, Texas, had 96 students for the 2017-2018 school year. It is small. It is oldāestablished in 1910, the same yearā¦
Thoughts from a Principled Conservative OutpostāSecond in a series on the aspects of Panhandle conservativism. “Early morning on September 24, 2019, in New Home, Texas, I watched with deep appreciation the order and discipline of students exiting a bus. Mostā¦
Over the next few weeks, I will address aspects of Panhandle conservativism. Simpleminded definitions or broad abstractions fail and are devoid of context. Thought applied to action creates results: life lived with purpose and independence. First in a series onā¦
Sixth in a series on the culture of engagement. According to Gallup, a work environment that fosters personal responsibility requires a combination of strategies, cultural norms and structural elements. Rewarding and retaining people, a strong sense of personal responsibility, independenceā¦
Fifth in a series on the culture of engagement. Encouraging people in any enterprise, public or private, profit or nonprofit, volunteer or professional, to maintain a healthy balance between their work engagements and personal lives leads to lower stress levelsā¦
Fourth in a series on the culture of engagement. Acknowledging and rewarding the hard work, contributions and achievements of all associated with any enterprise is essential, according to Mike Robbins. Recognition can be in various forms, from verbal praise andā¦
Third in a series on the culture of engagement. A work environment where people feel respected and valued regardless of who they are, where they come from, their role or their viewpoints is important to create an engaged workplace culture.ā¦
Creating a positive engaged working culture is crucial for the success and well-being of any organization. Trust and transparency should imbue all human interaction and both require open communication, honesty, integrity and a tolerance for risk-taking. People should feel confidentā¦
Any organization that attempts to serve people in any wayāA hospital, an automotive service center, a mom-and-pop candy shop or a big box behemoth, a family-owned bank, a public library, a doctorās office, an automotive manufacturing facility like GM, aā¦
Students and parents have varied expectations of higher education. Some are brand new, others havenāt changed. Debt: There will continue to be increased emphasis on student indebtedness and over-borrowing for higher education. When combined, 44 million students are on theā¦
Revised remarks from December 9, 2023, commencement speech at West Texas A&M University. At the height of the Great Depression, James Trustlow Adams first used the term āAmerican Dream.ā He said, among other things, in āThe Epic of America,ā thatā¦
The Hechinger Report recently published a piece regarding rural college students feeling āoverwhelmed on big campuses.ā California State University, Chico is targeting rural students and working diligently to address their needs. A worthy and noble effort to be sure, butā¦
Flyover Country is where I live. This term is commonly used in the United States to refer to the central parts of our nation, especially the rural areas between the East and West coasts, you know, where all the ārednecksāā¦
