The absence of transparency and forthrightness can destroy organizations built on trust – churches, universities and the like. Lacking these, educational institutions become like Wal-Mart. Now, I am a Wal-Mart fan, but I find myself on guard every time Iā¦
Each personās head and heart, the twin seats or our identity, lie just eighteen inches apart, about a cubit. The connection between them is being stretched to the breaking point by universities and other institutions that have tried desperately toā¦
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 everyā¦
Current events related to intercollegiate athletics leads me to post a story this week that was originally published on July 27, 2010. The cost of low integrity programs and poor executive decision making is the highest cost to bear, evenā¦
The separation of private beliefs and public expression of those may be acceptable in many settings (though I am not convinced that is the case) but it is absolutely unacceptable for university leadership. University leadership is private morality expressed publically.ā¦
Sixth in a series on state funding for higher education If we measure the value of an educational institution solely by the number students enrolled, the number of degrees produced, the research dollars garnered, the books written, the paintings orā¦
Fearless, confident leadership is required in our universities.Ā Leaders focused on academic excellence and student success will eventually prevail, but it may not be pretty between now and then as fearlessness is a scarce commodity in the face of subventionā¦
States universities should revisit the history of Performance-Based Funding of higher education.Ā A uniform approach will not work well.Ā Instead, there must be as many performance models as there are universities in a state.Ā While attainable, this is an especiallyā¦
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 theā¦
Universities need to change over time.Ā Change comes from leadership, as organizations resist it by nature. Interim Chancellor Robert Easter, who oversees the Urbana-Champaign campus, praised the program’s “long and prestigious history as a leader in aviation education” but saidā¦
Leaders learn, or leaders fail.Ā The basis of all effective leadership is as powerful as the Boy Scout Law.Ā Its simplicity and timelessness do not diminish its value.Ā Ward doesnāt add to it, but strengthens it. “We must be silentā¦
Bachelorās degrees at community colleges are not a good idea.Ā Articulated transfer is a better answer but both community colleges and universities must be more responsive to the needs of student and state. Pascarella and Terenzini suggest, in Studying Collegeā¦
The words of the popular early twentieth century song Iām Forever Blowing Bubbles may reflect the spirit of the challenges in the housing and education sectors of the U.S. economy better than most twenty-first century economists – I’m dreaming dreams,ā¦
Unions have helped create positive working conditions in this country that would have been unimaginable 100 years ago.Ā One needs look no further than the history of the development of the Fair Labor Standards Act for proof.Ā Every major advanceā¦
University leaders who politicize intention and talk about public benefit and public purpose as primary mission show a complete lack of understanding of institutions and learning in a free market.Ā We exist to tirelessly serve students. Here is an inconvenientā¦
The Congressional Record, August 1985, provides a revealing perspective held by Albert Shanker, former President of the United Federation of Teachers from 1964 to 1984 and President of the American Federation of Teachers from 1974 to 1997, regarding his jobā¦
Universities have a duty to help create a more effective republic.Ā While this purpose has remained constant over the centuries, the means and methods necessary to accomplish that purpose must continually evolve to keep up with an advancing society.Ā Inā¦
Universities must compete for students through excellence and quality.Ā There is no substitute for competition in creating excellence, and it should be the highest priority for any institution of higher education. Governments cannot make universities by enactments of laws: Norā¦
Our University ā Race, Ethnicity and Other Forces Seventh in a series of who our students are and how they perform. The factors that influence ethnic and racial diversity in universities are many: Ā wealth; preparation; ability, whether innate or learned;ā¦
This column, in a slightly modified form, originally ran in August 2008.Ā Walter Wendler Universities provide a key ingredient for the foundation of a free society.Ā They help create, through active faculty and engaged students, the fabric of informed economicā¦
First in a series on who our students are, and how they perform. The precariousness of balancing opportunity, access and excellence will be addressed in the coming weeks as the face of the university intersects the faces of students.Ā Anā¦
The season and current events cause me to offer this slightly modified piece originally published on July 11, 2008.Ā The importance and value of voluntary military training in universities cannot be argued, nor can the interdependence in mission of aā¦
Universities are propositions for the long run.Ā Short-term strategies lead to short-term successes.Ā Little is more important to a university than succession planning and it is almost universally overlooked as institutions lurch from one foggy set of leadership goals toā¦
Clark Kerr, the former chancellor of the University of California, had a good idea.Ā He wanted to make college more affordable for more people, and simultaneously build excellence in higher education for California.Ā He did both. He proposed a three-tieredā¦
Geraldine Fabricant of The New York Times reports in a November 15th story, āAs Donors Retrench, Challenges for Universitiesā, that university fundraising efforts may be in for tough times. In 2009, donations fell by almost 12% nationally.Ā Most unfortunate inā¦
Leadership is primarily a fiduciary action. A fiduciary is charged with giving priority to the interests of others over self in a way that engenders and protects trust. Frequently the idea is associated with fiscal affairs and legal perspectives.Ā Surelyā¦
Universities across the nation are rushing to ābrandā themselves.Ā There is the āD+ā branding idea at Drake, the genius of a high priced expert no doubt.Ā An unfortunate choice for a university identifier. I know. Ā I received a D+ oneā¦
Second in a series on teaching excellence Teaching is leadership.Ā There are many distinctive views of teaching but, in the end, teaching is about leadership.Ā I do not think it possible to find a great leader who is not aā¦
Fall comes with anticipation.Ā Even the crustiest university people get excited about seeing students return.Ā A shot in the arm of the local economy is always welcome, but the excitement of seeing new faces painted with anticipation, fear, hope, andā¦
Last in a series of eight on integrity Killing integrity is a slow, predictable process.Ā Here are seven deadly sins. One – Lower standards to increase the perceived desirability of the university and grow enrollment.Ā Treat students as commodities andā¦
People donāt like the concept of downsizing.Ā A few years ago management experts were talking about āright-sizingā as an alternative concept. Organizations always serve best when they serve most efficiently. One way to create efficiency is to make sure thatā¦
The Bologna Process is an ongoing effort of the European Higher Education Area to ātuneā universities from 47 countries so that more predictable outcomes and consistency across national and institutional boundaries, leading to transparency in expectations, employment preparedness and certification,ā¦
There is an old Madison Avenue adage suggesting that interviewees make sure the heals of their shoes are shined as that is the last thing the interviewer will see when they leave the office.Ā Good point, but first impressions mayā¦
Merit is a concept that is uncomfortable to many on university campuses.Ā Years of service are seen as the golden coin, but longevity and excellence are not always cousins. Confusion between meritorious performance and meeting performance expectations kills the recognitionā¦
Knowing the character of any organization requires multiple perspectives.Ā One powerful way to gauge the character of a university is to see it through the eyes of those who leave it.Ā As I participated in graduation exercises this week, Iā¦
The world is unfair.Ā People without resources are denied access to higher education.Ā No matter how low tuition is, it is still out of reach for some.Ā Inside Higher Ed ran a story recently about a program at Tulsa Communityā¦
Abraham Lincoln said, āCharacter is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thingā.Ā Ā Any university with strong character and commitment to academic excellence will haveā¦
Community colleges and dual enrollment high school programs are seen as the ticket to reducing costs in higher education.Ā Carefully used they are a means to reduce cost, but they are not round-trip tickets. Cost comparisons for credit hours attainedā¦
University leaders decry the idea that universities are becoming more like private enterprises, seeking increased fees, grant support, philanthropic dollars, and auxiliary incomes to make up for the relentless loss of state funding over the past few decades.Ā Even moreā¦
Not one stone will remain unturned in a nationwide effort to reduce operating costs, tuition and fees over the next few years for all public and private universities.Ā American ingenuity coupled with a deep, abiding pragmatism suggests this crisis ofā¦
In any organization, when times are tough, there is a natural tendency for people to find someone, or something, to blame.Ā I used to work with a fellow who taught juniors in the program.Ā He always complained about the qualityā¦
Universities across the nation are facing some of the toughest times imaginable. In Atlanta, Georgia Tech is talking about cutting research according to Jim Kirk, the budget director.Ā Cut research at Georgia Tech?Ā The place may be losing its way.Ā ā¦
In a study from the early part of this century, Learning and Earning: Working in College by Orszag and others, it was found that students who work a reasonable number of hours per week while enrolled in college, say 8ā¦
One of the greatest challenges for leadership is to get people, in all parts of the organization, to tell the truth about how things are.Ā It is not that they actively lie, but that they never want to be bearersā¦
If B.F. Skinner was a university leader who wanted to foster excellence in teaching, research, and service, as do all intelligent university leaders, he would have come up with a dynamic suggestion, one that many inside and outside of theā¦
In order to achieve excellence in such aspects of university life as teaching, scholarly and creative work and service to the professions and community, a vision and plan are essential.Ā Accrediting agencies seek to understand the universityās vision and plan.Ā ā¦
If you pay any attention to anything regarding higher education, things are getting tough.Ā No news here. They have been since nearly the turn of this century when the state stopped increasing support of higher education.Ā Oh, there are increasesā¦
Ā The University of Illinois has been bruised by its aired clout list, but it will recover.Ā In fact, it will be a stronger institution for the focus this incident places on excellence and personal achievement as the measure ofā¦
Trade unionism is an old concept and unions exist for very good reasons.Ā In work environments where the safety of workers is tenuous and the motivation for profit is high, coal mines or steel mills for example, unions create anā¦
Any organization, public or private, for profit or not-for-profit, large or small, new or old, and governmental or non governmental, lives and dies based on a long view. This does not mean the short-term view is unimportant.Ā The difference isā¦
In political organizations, the first allegiance for all employees is to the elected official for whom they work.Ā For better or worse the elected officialās allegiance may be to party, to country, to ideology, or unfortunately in many cases, toā¦
Ā When I was seventeen, like many young men I wanted a cool, fast car.Ā Many of my generation will remember the significance of a ā55, ā56, or ā57 Chevy.Ā There were other cars, but all where second fiddle toā¦
All universities have histories.Ā Some aspects of those collected histories are powerful while some are minor nuances of institutional life.Ā Look at the impact of the shootings at the University of Texas on August 1, 1966, at Kent State onā¦
There is a cloister of monks that makes wooden bowls from green, uncured lumber.Ā The bowls are very beautiful but they immediately begin to crack as the wood dries out and shrinks as wood is prone to do.Ā This isā¦
I know I am trouble already with that title, but hear me out.Ā For all the discourse about universities being like businesses, they are not run in a business-like fashion. Great businesses run on the nexus of merit, productivity andā¦
The concept of āthe Ivory Towerā is used in a negative sense when referring to universities to indicate a separation from reality and the practical concerns of the world. āIvory Towerā first appears in the Song of Solomon 7:4, butā¦
In the study of architecture at any university there are always a few courses on professional practice.Ā They are required by accrediting agencies, but that burden is of little consequence.Ā Ā Practitioners want the discipline to flourish; therefore standards of behaviorā¦
Reverse transfer is the growing phenomenon of students leaving a four-year institution, like our university, and going to community colleges.Ā This is called reverse transfer because; when community colleges were initially established the purpose was for technical training, adult education,ā¦
For all of the bad news about Illinois politicians and their appointees, pay for play, rigged bidding and contract decision making, favoritism, patronage, back room dealing, sinecure, influence peddling, and plain old back scratching, I have become very fond ofā¦
Diversity is a catalyst for strength.Ā There is a great deal of discussion at our university, as there is on other campuses, about diversity and its importance to the campus culture.Ā This dialog is usually viewed through the lens ofā¦
Distinctiveness is the strength of any organization.Ā True at any time, in any place, its importance is magnified when the competitive climate intensifies.Ā We own geographic distinctiveness.Ā The location above, the front steps of the recently renovated Morris Library, isā¦
As the eternal optimist, I have pondered the lessons available from watching the national response to the economic challenges that we face, and how some instruction or, should providence smile on us, some wisdom might be valuable for our university.Ā ā¦
Ā Our university has an excellent architecture program. Ā Ā Architecture students have ACT scores that are over two points higher than the university average.Ā We are oversubscribed and turn away applicants.Ā Bringing in more students than can be properlyā¦
I have previously commented on the various ways that families can reduce the cost of attending university.Ā In my own case, I attended a community college and completed my AAS degree earning 70 hoursā¦ almost all of which transferred toā¦
Ā Entitlement is the state of being owed that which you have not earned. We see workers of all kinds, at every level, from classroom teachers to state and national political leaders who suffer from the notion that they areā¦
It is that season of the year, when the smell of turkey and Christmas tress is in the air.Ā It is that time of year when finals occur.Ā I really have never liked to think of final exams as final.Ā ā¦
Barbara Bush acknowledged a number of years ago, possibly when First Lady, what she believed was the most pressing problem in America. āGreed.ā We have heard a great deal about greed on Wall Street.Ā Bankers who want to makeā¦
The greatest challenge of any university is building a community.Ā This probably could be said for any enterprise, including towns in Southern Illinois that so many of us call home. Individuals sometimes get things done, communities almost always get thingsā¦
When Mary and I go out to eat we always decide where we are going before we leave.Ā Sometimes we even talk about it on the phone before I get to the house.Ā In other words, this is not aā¦
Calcification is what happens to soft tissue when it is taken over by calcium.Ā It gets hard. It is no longer resilient.Ā It becomes immobile. And eventually, it cannot work or act the way it was intended to.Ā While Iā¦
Ā Ā St. Paul was a brave man.Ā He summed up the purpose of the Christian Church in ten words uttered to the Church at Corinth: Ā āBe imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.ā Ā The simplicityā¦
I shop at a local hardware store.Ā Ā I have since the day I got into town.Ā Ā Mary and I needed a washer and dryer for our new home and someone we met, our new friend, suggested we go to this particular store.Ā Ā Heā¦
My mother worked as a riveter sewing sheet metal to plane wings in a defense plant on Long Island during the big war.Ā Countless others did too.Ā My in-laws worked at Grumman on Long Island for a combined total ofā¦
I recently had the opportunity to spend time in Vietnam.Ā For veterans who served “in countryā Vietnam is a different place today.Ā It is teeming with free enterprise, the entrepreneurial spirit.Ā New business start-ups are everywhere and there is aā¦
Universities are affected by many forces at work in the environment.Ā Location, student population, faculty composition and a multitude of other factors shape what a university is. On occasion, an individual will come along and join a university, sometimes asā¦
In places of worship we often think about the importance of lay leadership. No matter how powerful the spiritual leader, how driven by God, how adroit at understanding the business of the organization, how gifted in dealing with people helpingā¦
I had occasion recently to reflect on the social purpose of a university. Actually, this reflection took place as I held my grandson and thought a bit about this little fellowās future. My lifeās work is the university, so myā¦
In a great universityā¦ this could probably be said for any great organizationā¦ individuals must feel responsibility for the future, that it rests on their actions and decisions. This creates a powerful kind of accountability, a deep sense of purposeā¦
Moral perspective is the legitimate work of a university, for without it there is no possibility of intellectual fulfillment, advancement, achievement, or satisfaction.Ā Intellect and morality are like inhaling and exhaling, one without the other is of no real utility.Ā ā¦
Creating a strong sense of community for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends is crucial to building a strong university. There are many avenues through which communities are built, but one that is undeniably powerful for public research universities isā¦
You may have heard the old adage; the value of real estate is determined by three factors, location, location, and location. Here is a twist as we think about our university; the quality of the university is determined by threeā¦
Stock certificates are used to prove partial ownership of a corporation. A bearerās stock certificate entitles the holder to exercise all legal rights associated with the stock. Holders of stock certificates want the value of the stock to increase therebyā¦
The greatest example of a beneficial public-private partnership in our nation is public higher education.Ā Any student of history knows the key to glory in our republic is the balance between the private lives of citizens and their support ofā¦
Wanting our university to grow in stature and importance, because it will be a better friend to our region, is an appropriate and powerful aspiration. There is only one way to do it. Seeking quality, defined and heralded as academicā¦
Everywhere you look you hear about the high cost of college. You see it in this newspaper, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Houston Chronicle. Costs are going up at a rate that exceeds inflation here andā¦
All universities are a consequence of the cultures in which they exist.Ā Simultaneously, however, universities continuously act to change those selfsame cultures. The philosophical bedrock on which public higher education in America is constructed comprises these conflicting causal relationships. Seekingā¦
