Recently, I had lunch with Daniels Scholars at West Texas A&M University. These bright, focused, and principled students are part of an exceptional program based in Denver, Colorado. These scholars could attend almost any university in the country and have…
Fourth in a series on the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. The closure of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum (PPHM) has sparked grief, anger and finger-pointing among some. Many want to know how one of the largest history museums in the nation, and…
Second in a series on the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. The following is a direct quote from the letter addressed to me on March 18, 2025, by the State Fire Marshall’s Office (SFMO) regarding the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. “The SFMO…
First in a series on the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. The future of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is at the forefront of the minds of Texas Panhandle residents and, indeed, anyone who values the history of this remarkable region. This week,…
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, higher education stands at a crossroads. Our colleges and universities face a convergence of challenges, public expectations, financial uncertainty, political and public scrutiny and rapid technological change. These are not isolated crises…
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: A contract between citizens…
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 always…
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 transformative…
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 professionals—teachers, nurses, engineers…
Public colleges and universities often have lower tuition rates for in-state residents, making higher education more accessible and affordable. From an accessibility perspective, 60% of university students study less than 100 miles from their hometown and 72% of the students…
Regional universities are vital to our nation for several reasons, particularly in promoting localized economic development, enhancing social mobility and fostering community engagement. Regional universities matter. They provide a connection to higher education with greater geographical accessibility, serving students who…
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…
Third in a series on the Texas Triangles. Texas faces significant healthcare access disparities between its rural and urban communities. According to Health Care that Works for All Americans, rural Texans (roughly 16% of the state’s population) experience difficulty obtaining…
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…
Native Americans inhabited the Texas Panhandle and the high plains 11,000 years ago. For context, Holy Writ establishes Moses’ birthdate as the 13th century BCE just over 3,300 years ago, according to Jerome in the Chronicon. The Native Americans that…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
Third in a series on philanthropy in higher education In 2020, according to the Council for Advancement and Support of Higher Education, nearly $50 billion flowed into University coffers. Over half of all giving, 55.5%, came from foundations (43% were…
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…
First in a series on philanthropy in higher education Higher educational giving is exceeded only by giving to faith-based organizations in our nation. Americans gave $471.44 billion to charitable causes in 2020. Religious giving topped the list with 28% of…
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,…
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,…
One of the negative impacts of the pandemic on universities is the significant increase in undergraduates who drop out or “stop out” whilst pursuing academic degrees. Two important progress indicators, retention and persistence, are frequently confused. Retention tallies the number…
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…
In the Texas Panhandle, self-reliance, a sense of control for personal destiny and a commitment to hard work governs and guides. There is an abiding belief that this cord of three strands is strong and presents the opportunity for a…
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…
As we begin the holiday season, a time of thanksgiving for many, even in the midst of trepidation and gloom, thoughtful people will look ahead. Choices regarding college attendance in the spring are more important than ever before. A few…
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 have…
Fourth in a series on the reopening of West Texas A&M University in the midst of COVID-19. It’s a shotgun wedding of sorts—families driven to home schooling by a virus. On the planet, 1.5 billion kids are being home-schooled, according…
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…
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 of…
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 the…
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…
Change in universities, especially those well established and funded through public resources, is a challenge. Yet, as the nature of students change—and they have changed dramatically, it is incumbent that universities become more flexible, responsive to different types of learners,…
Dual enrollment, or dual credit, is the process whereby students in high school enroll in college courses that count for both high school and college credit. These programs are heavily subscribed to in various parts of our state and nation.…
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 continues to increase, students and prospective students should be ever mindful of ways that they might help themselves reduce the cost and increase the power of the college experience. For a self-reliant student who doesn’t…
Raymund Paredes, the Commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), recently announced his resignation, effective August 31, 2019. This announcement caused me to reflect on the complexity of the enterprise and the importance of the coordination among the…
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,…
There is a shifting public perception regarding the value of universities both to society in general as a public good, and to individuals as a private good, according to a recent Gallop study. It is sad for me. I have…
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…
Student debt for college is a twisted labyrinth of complexities. Clarity is hard to find. In 2015, two of three student loan balances were less than $25,000. That sounds bearable. The chillingly high debt loads of $100,000 occur in only…
“The American Dream … is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they…
from www.businessinsider.com State funding to universities over the past 50 years has decreased. As one example of this state and national trend, West Texas A&M University received 49% of its total budget from the state treasury in 1968. By 2017,…
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…
In 1769, Charles Thompson received financial aid from John Hobbs’s widow to study the ministry at Brown University. In 1792, the Philadelphia Association gave Brown’s president permission to employ a student to ring the bell. For this, the student earned…
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…
Sixth in a series on why U.S. Universities are great Only religious organizations benefit from American philanthropy more than universities. The causes for this are manifold, but the effect is that universities have become excellent because of philanthropy. Generosity ceases…
The value of an education is difficult to measure because it is tied to each person’s aspirations, abilities, resources and life circumstances as well as the state a student lives in. These attributes and conditions create opportunity and community benefit. …
The changing student demographics and accompanying changes in expectation from higher education come with no “gentle rapping.” Rather a thunderous pounding that is wished away by many institutions as they long for what used to be. Leadership grapples with a…
This reflection is an extension of a reflection from January 7, 2010. If you pay any attention to anything regarding higher education, things are getting tough. They have been since the turn of this century when nearly all states stopped…
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 November 13, 2012. Some circumstances have changed regarding veterans, but the thrust of treating learners correctly continues to have value considering debt and underemployment of college graduates are both at record highs as we start…
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…
Second in a series on university struggles American universities are struggling. Many U.S. universities, public and private, are built on a faulty financial footing. Nearly 50% of U.S. universities are in danger of insolvency without dramatic changes to how they…
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…
Last week the staff of the Federal Reserve Board of New York published a report, “Credit Supply and the Rise in College Tuition,” tracing the relationship between a cheap, seemingly never-ending, supply of cash and the interminable increases in college…
Universities impact regional economies. In rural areas where economic diversity is scant, the impact is greatest. Economic growth follows four forces. A Labor Force Universities require workers of every stripe, and the jobs needed are one aspect of economic development.…
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…
Universities used to be led and managed by people who understood the academic enterprise. Teachers, scholars, servants to individual students, people who with grade-book in hand looked into the eyes of freshmen, taught class, listened to the struggles of students…
As colleges across the nation open their doors to anxious freshmen the value and worth of this or that degree, at College X or College Y attracts intense scrutiny. Everything from earning capacity to preparation for adulthood, even happiness and…
A March 12, 2010, column “Student Work” suggested, “One thing that good universities can do is help reconfigure the role of being a college student on campus so that it might include the opportunity to do personally and institutionally useful…
Some try to defuse the increasing costs of college and subsidized student debt as an overreaction. Can that be? “Debt is the fatal disease of republics, the first thing and the mightiest to undermine governments and corrupt the people.” Wendell…
Universities can sustain the status quo, asking students to absorb higher levels of debt while begging statehouses for more money and turning faculty into day laborers. It’s a failed strategy though and change must occur. “Gonna change my way of…
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…
Student debt recently surpassed total credit card debt. Payments can be delayed through graduate school enrollment; and the accrual of more debt. “Making loans accessible to millions of the previously unbankable customers is a noble goal. Getting them hooked to…