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.…
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 problem…
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 operational…
WT will be updating the long-range plan WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. The origins of the plan began in the fall of 2016 upon my arrival with the goal to cast a vision for what West Texas…
Penned over a decade ago, modified slightly here. 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 of…
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 the…
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 next…
Students and parents have varied expectations of higher education. Some are brand new, others haven’t 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 the…
The following reflection is one of six focusing on the importance of university research initially posted a decade ago. The following, modified modestly here, appeared on January 8, 2012. Sixth in a Series on Research Escalating financial exigency increasingly encourages…
A study of West Texas A&M University’s economic impact in 2017-2018 was carried out by Emsi, a labor market analytics firm that has in the last 20 years conducted 2,000 economic impact studies. They are national leaders. WT’s contribution to…
On Feb. 2, Bill Cofer, a retired Pampa business leader, committed a $1.5 million endowment to create a scholarship that will be given to students from White Deer and Pampa high schools in alternating years to attend West Texas A&M…
I have talked about the problem of student debt and have diligently worked for West Texas A&M University to be part of the solution to over-indebtedness. All the while, Texas is losing students to other states where out-of-state costs may…
The challenges facing universities as we approach the mid-21st century are growing. Despite those challenges, United States institutions frequently top international rankings. And that perch reveals other nations aggressively mimicking our nation’s leaders. Competition is positive, and this is why…
The season of decision-making for many college students is upon us. Applications have been prepared and sent to universities. Discussions with family and friends have been pursued. Assessments of costs, financial aid and scholarships are being deliberated. A major factor…
The worth of post-secondary education is increasingly questioned, according to Forbes. The return on investment of bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctoral degrees are all the subject of much discussion. Many corporations no longer require a bachelor’s degree: Apple, Google,…
This reflection was originally posted on March 26, 2013. It is worth another look. Real leadership liberates, never limits: it unleashes people to work with passion. Effective universities recognize that strength in academic programs exists on the ground, with engaged…
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…
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 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. 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…
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…
Expect several changes in higher education to intensify in 2022. Families and students should look for universities that willingly respond to a changing world: a triangle of triage is at work. Enrollment at regional universities has been a challenge this…
First in a series on student educational debt. Over the past decade, I have routinely reflected on the dilemma of student debt. Topics such as the educational indebtedness of Social Security recipients, the role of personal responsibility in accrued debt,…
As seniors in high school contemplate graduation at the end of the school year, their possibilities are nearly endless—no matter a student’s class rank or personal opportunities and challenges faced, are facing or will soon face. Configuring the post-high school…
Higher education is changing remarkably in response to digitization, demographics, and increasingly diverse market forces. Smaller public and private regional universities that educate half the nation’s students will likely be challenged in the future. Those that don’t adapt will falter…
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.…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
image from o-MONEY-facebook.jpg-photos Universities endeavor to transfer the burden of blame to bankers and politicians. Sallie Mae holds almost $200 billion dollars of the debt. Like the housing bubble, much of the student debt problem involves politically driven, unsecured, unchecked…
Final installment in a series on why U.S. Universities are great Considerations beyond standardized test scores and high school GPAs, the rule in many nations, are common in admissions processes at U. S. institutions. Holistic admissions, when properly managed and…
Ninth in a series on university struggles Administrative and bureaucratic operatives at universities have grown at rates that exceed even the rates of cost increases experienced by students and families. Rules rather than academic purpose govern too many institutions. Bureaucratic…
This reflection was originally published on December 15, 2008. It is worth a second look. Christmas memories are personal, deep and important for me. My family’s New York Christmases with the strong, first generational, influence of Western Europe; Cajun Christmases…
American universities are struggling. Rethinking purpose, attention to mission, and refreshed understanding of value are required. Ten forces at work on higher education will be addressed in the coming months. One – A foolish man builds his house on a…
According to the higher education leaders, many elected officials, faculty, students, staff and the general public, higher education budget cuts will send universities, and therefore their states, into decline. Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker’s budget proposal last week included a decrease…
Retirement systems that devalue the contribution of people, or constrain meaningful participation in post retirement work are dysfunctional, costly, and shortsighted. In universities, it is essential that valuable experience be put to best use for as long as possible to…
Universities that deny the relationship between merit and value undermine quality. Without recognition of meritorious achievement results fall. So desperate are organizations to be perceived as having value they replace excellence with its appearance, real performance with placebos, and the…
Clear communication regarding value and cost in higher education is more important than ever. College presidents and financial analysts agree — mission focus is essential. “In general, higher education does not know how to speak for its interests. It offers…
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 of the degree is no longer borne solely by…
Ninth in the series, Follow the money Confidence is like capital; it can be accumulated, invested or saved, and spent. When universities are well-tuned, a two-way flow of confidence occurs from outside the institution, inward, and from within the institution,…
Eighth in the series, Follow the money Retirements trim budgets. Retirements without assessment of individual contribution to attaining mission may reduce operating costs. Important as that is in an environment of scarcity, budget trimming alone represents a wanting accomplishment if…
Competition for ideas is unlike competition for anything else. If we compete to harvest the most gold, we find a limited supply. Fastest person, physiology sets in. Universities should compete for ideas, and those ideas will generate new resources. We…
The relationship of a student to the university is a bit like a marriage. The idea of that relationship is shifting as George Bernard Shaw predicted it would. As with marriage, the university experience is becoming a contractual affiliation rather than…
As we move past the shortest day of the year, my thoughts turn to the eventual return of languid summer days. This column about how universities could make better use of their facilities and faculty during the summer months first…
Increasing costs, lavish loans, low performance standards, the absence of merit, and a lost sense of mission contribute to the diminishment of the effectiveness of public higher education. But most loathsome and detrimental is an organization hell-bent on deflecting every…
Fifth in a series on state funding for higher education Chester Dunning, an acquaintance of mine, understands the value of faculty work in a free society. He is quoted in a WSJ piece, Putting a Price on Professors: Mr. Dunning…
Fourth in a series on state funding for higher education The human drive to create profit, the Internet and other technologies, are endeavoring to transform higher education. And in part, they have. But digital interaction alone will never be a…
The only result of whining is to push people with purpose from addressing real problems. The tendency to whining and complaining may be taken as the surest sign symptom of little souls and inferior intellects. Lord Jeffrey ___________________________________________________________________ Recently the…
I recently had the opportunity to attend a reception in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Arts. It was an alumni event to celebrate the life and work of R. Buckminster Fuller. Fuller was a remarkable man by any…
The most powerful stimulus ever invented, used for good and evil since the beginning of time, and producing both astoundingly positive results and the greatest tragedies in human history, creating vast wealth and pervasive poverty, leading to fulfillment or failure,…
When Mary and I go out to eat we always decide where we are going before we leave. Sometimes we even talk about it on the phone before I get to the house. In other words, this is not a…
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