Let me begin with a simple but unsettling question: Is a university amoral? Some would say yes. They would say the university is a neutral space, a marketplace of ideas, where every opinion has its price and no truth isā¦
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¦
Most elected officials in the United States, especially at the federal level (e.g., Congress and the Presidency), tend to graduate from a relatively small group of prestigious colleges and universities. Many top elected officials attended Ivy League institutions or otherā¦
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¦
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¦
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¦
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 15 years ago on July 17, 2009, it rings truer now than then. So, here we go again with modest modification.Ā Clarion calls for the rights of every stripe fill the air on our university campuses across theā¦
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 19, 2009, a decade and one half ago, but still as fresh as a cool afternoon in June in the Texas Panhandle. Updated modestly here. There was a cloister of monks that made wooden bowls fromā¦
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¦
In a recent book from Harvard Education Press, former faculty member, dean, provost and president Brian Rosenberg summed up his thinking clearly in the title: “Whatever It Is, I’m Against Itā: Resistance to Change in Higher Education.ā Rosenberg says universitiesā¦
Since its inception, the GI Bill has disbursed multiplied billions of dollars in education benefits to millions of veterans and their families. Some elected leaders consider it the most important piece of federal legislation ever produced. After being signed byā¦
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 December 18, 2012. Fifth in a Series on Research Research and scholarly work atā¦
Above, speaking to students at Randall High School.Ā I will resume the reflections on university research next week. University leaders are required to make bold and innovative decisions. Never has innovation in higher education been needed more. However, ideas areā¦
The following reflection is the second of six pieces focusing on the importance of university research. This series was initially posted a decade ago. The following, modified modestly here, appeared on November 27, 2012. Second in a Series on Researchā¦
West Texas A&M University will not host a drag show on campus. It was advertised for March 31, 2023, as an effort to raise money for The Trevor Project. The nonprofit organization focuses on suicide preventionāa noble causeāin the LGBTQā¦
Rural folks produce the food, fuel and fiber that powers our state and nation. Texas dwarfs all other states in the nation in the number of beef cows produced, with over 4.6 million. Texas ranks fourth nationally in milk production,ā¦
Sixth in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. This reflection is modified but was initially posted in February 2021. The concept ofĀ patriotism is recognized as love or devotion to one’s country. I believe patriotism is cultivated fromā¦
Fifth in a series regarding Panhandle values and quality of life. Freedom and the personal responsibility required for the effective functioning of a republican form of government are powerful one-two punches. Anarchy reigns when feeble leadership encourages freedom to beā¦
Over the next ten weeks, I will address the values of the Texas Panhandle that contribute to our university and the quality of life in our communities. In āThe Rights of Man,ā Thomas Paine, reflecting on the failings of theā¦
Sixth in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. Historically, leadership was naturally developed in the home. Families had a built-in leadership structure. As the family structures have broken down, natural leadership factories have alsoā¦
Second in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. For students to engage in a rewarding and complete campus experience, little is more important than the foundation laid in the first year. Many universities haveā¦
First in a series of reflections on student life at West Texas A&M University. The core function of any University is to satisfy student aspirations for a rewarding professional and personal life. As University leaders, we recognize there is noā¦
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% wereā¦
Ā This is the third piece, published in November 2017, after I arrived in Canyon. Relationships with communities is as important now, as it was then. Communities and the universities they host are married to each other. When one partner growsā¦
Fourth in a series on student educational debt. This column was penned in August 2008āit is slightly modified here. It was a reasonable observation then. It has more weight a decade and a half later as the increasing debt burdensā¦
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 orā¦
Third in a series on student educational debt. While indebtedness for a college education can be debilitating for many, it can be especially crippling to single parents. For instance, one 48-year-old single mom has a cumulative debt of $430,000 forā¦
This reflection was originally published on December 15, 2008. It is 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; Cajun Christmases withā¦
Dear Reader, I am on a respite. In the meantime feel free to comb the archives, there are over 600 columns posted here dating back to the first in November 2007.Ā Use the search bar on the website to lookā¦
Originally published December 11, 2011, in the Chicago Tribuneāslight modifications have been made. As we start the school year, amid a storm of moral relativism, fear and doubt, this may be as appropriate for the autumn and the start ofā¦
Previously published but updated here as the council is still worthwhile.Ā High School Graduates ā In a few months, millions of people like you, full of hope and anticipation, will transition from high school to college. Privilege may have providedā¦
Previously published but updated here. What a year. Old council sometimes retains its value. Dear Graduating Senior, I am begging your pardon for a somber reflection amidst the joy of the near completion of high school ā not to beā¦
Topping marzipan tart cheesecake sweet lollipop jelly-o jelly beans. Marshmallow sweet fruitcake apple pie I love oat cake jelly-o. Jelly jelly-o cupcake dessert I love cake chupa chups icing. Powder sesame snaps powder sesame snaps pastry pudding I love. Candyā¦
Macaroon I love ice cream bear claw icing jelly beans jelly-o gingerbread cookie. Tootsie roll gummi bears liquorice brownie candy canes candy canes I love soufflĆ© bear claw. Liquorice apple pie I love topping bear claw cheesecake sesame snaps. Gummiā¦
I love tootsie roll sesame snaps croissant I love powder. Jelly beans I love jujubes. Marshmallow croissant ice cream soufflĆ©. I love bonbon tootsie roll I love icing. I love powder jelly-o ice cream powder macaroon ice cream. Croissant oatā¦
Toffee dessert cake halvah topping. Powder I love oat cake biscuit. Brownie lemon drops I love cheesecake gummi bears lollipop cupcake. I love icing cake brownie cheesecake I love. I love apple pie liquorice liquorice pie wafer. Pudding sweet halvahā¦
Sweet roll chupa chups halvah muffin sweet roll jujubes caramels cupcake chocolate bar. Chupa chups donut ice cream cupcake carrot cake oat cake sweet pastry jujubes. Candy canes sugar plum jelly beans soufflĆ© jujubes. Danish lollipop jelly-o croissant dessert chocolateā¦
Liquorice sweet biscuit chocolate pudding. Candy canes jujubes cake gingerbread I love toffee powder. Topping cotton candy soufflĆ© chocolate pie tart wafer liquorice. SoufflĆ© chocolate gummies lollipop chocolate cake dessert soufflĆ© tiramisu cake. Pie chocolate cookie lollipop I love waferā¦
I love jelly beans dessert cotton candy I love macaroon. Lollipop cake I love cake cupcake chupa chups. Tootsie roll donut fruitcake gummies. Sugar plum fruitcake I love pudding dragĆ©e lollipop tootsie roll oat cake danish. Halvah tootsie roll Iā¦
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Eighth and final in a series on the Heart and Soul of the Texas Panhandle Over the past seven weeks, various intersecting aspects of the Texas Panhandle and West Texas A&M University have been communicated in the ‘Heart and Soulā¦
As the impact of COVID-19 grows with corresponding actions that limited or halted face-to-face instruction in public schools across the nation and world, many parents opted into homeschooling. Homeschooling is not a new phenomenon in America, but the trend acceleratedā¦
West Texas A&M University will host a virtual graduation in December ā a decision reached only after much discussion and heartfelt deliberations. Details regarding the event will be released soon. I know that many faculty, staff, students and families willā¦
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¦
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¦
John, an old friend, reminded me that the COVID-19 cloud has slivers of silver linings. But for educational institutions to see those precious opportunities, they must look carefully at how student demands that have been changing for two decades areā¦
Pernicious bureaucracies shun leadership sustaining themselves on a diet of rules and regulations. A crisis reinforces bureaucracy when vision is absent. A clear sense of direction is the antidote that limits a pervasive, rule-driven ecosystem in any enterprise. The denserā¦
Discussions over the last three months regarding the costs and benefits of face-to-face (F2F) versus online teaching and learning have been ubiquitous. Rigorously assessing these teaching modalities should occur elsewhere, but personal experience and reflection might have modest value. Aboutā¦
This draws from a series of reflections on excellent teaching published a decade ago. The COVID-19 crisis has created unimaginable hardships for individuals, families, small businesses and international behemoths. Crisis knows no boundaries in how it impacts people and theirā¦
Excellent staff are important at any time in the life of any enterprise. In a crisis, purposeful people, excellent people, allow organizations to thrive. I didnāt say survive because many organizations will whimper out of the COVID-19 doghouse and simplyā¦
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¦
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¦
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¦
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 rigorousā¦
Tenth and final in a series on what to look for in college. In August 1975, I started teaching at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. After 45 years of service to students in universities, I thought I knew something.ā¦
Ninth in a series on what to look for in college. Seventy percent of college students graduated with debt last yearāon average $30,000. Some will repay that debt with Social Security checks voluntarily or through garnishment. Of Americans over 60,ā¦
Eighth in a series on what to look for in college. Borden County School District in Gail, Texas, on the edge of the Caprock Escarpment, is cut in two by the Colorado River. Borden County is the fourth-least populous countyā¦
This reflection originally posted on April 25, 2008, appears here slightly modified. In this season of Thanksgiving, there are many ways to be thankful. In a great universityāthis could probably be said for any great organizationā individuals must recognize thatā¦
Sixth in a series on what to look for in college. Abernathy, Texas, is a small town just west of I-27, an old stop on the Santa Fe when it was the way to get from Lubbock to Amarillo. Itsā¦
Fifth in a series on what to look for in college. According to The History of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity to the Present Time, Rabbi Judah said, “He whoĀ teachethĀ not his son aĀ trade,Ā does asĀ ifĀ heĀ taught himĀ to be aĀ thief.ā This proverbialā¦
Pictured:Ā Sundownās rich history in the oil and gas industry is represented through a donated energy exhibit that has been a fixture of Sundown High School since the late 70s. Pictured from left: Bill Craddock, WTAMU Alumnus, Graduate of Sundownā¦
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¦
The passing of T. Boone Pickens, with his colorful relationship to West Texas A&M University, affords consideration of two great Panhandle pioneers. J. A. Hill became president of West Texas State Teachers College in 1918, having joined the campus inā¦
Universities are under pressure to changeāto reconfigureāin response to a changing culture, student body and work environment and to meet an increasingly diverse set of expectations for and from graduates. Innovation is required. Simultaneously, universities strain to stay the same.ā¦
Regional Universities are the core of educational opportunity for many students who choose lower-cost, locally-focused study opportunities. These same universities provide regional economies with a shot in the arm. They not only promote new businesses serving campus students, faculty andā¦
Cardiovascular disease, cancer, type II diabetes, strokes, high blood pressure, dementia, Parkinsonās, COPD, arthritis, cataracts and osteoporosis are unfortunate and common, in varying degrees, as people grow old. Now, adding insult to injury, a growing number of aging Americans haveā¦
āJohnny, have you seen my backpack?ā āMom, I told you to keep track of your school stuff.ā My junior year in college, there were approximately one hundred students studying architecture in my class. I remember two of those students wereā¦
Corporations, public and private; bureaucracies, large and small; and families, whether two or 100 members, rise and fall based on mission acuity. A few things irrevocably impede mission attainment, and fear of change tops the list. Unwillingness to change –ā¦
U.S. News & World Report does not rank the quality of academic advising. It is unlikely that any ranking system does. Outcomes easily measured are most frequently used in rankings. Unfortunately, the quality of advising is neither accounted for orā¦
When Clark Kerr unveiled A Master Plan for Higher Education in California in 1960, it was heralded as a stroke of genius. And it was. Kerr went to the capitol in Sacramento requesting unparalleled financial support to build scientific prowess.ā¦
As we begin 2019 anyone involved in higher education, student or family member, spouse or friend, high school principal or daycare worker, instructor or president, knows things are changing at universities. Whether a public or private, for-profit or not-for-profit, onlineā¦
Jesus Christ responded to a question from a student regarding the greatest commandment in the Law: āAnd he said to him, āYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with allā¦
As the new year begins, scores of students and their families will make choices about where to study next fall. Affordability, location and degree offerings should be serious considerations. No one should ever say, āIt is worth it no matterā¦
Without trappings, the ultimate purpose of a university education is to enhance human potential. While wrapping up a high school visit in Amarillo, Texas, I asked the audience of students and parents if anyone had any questions. A young manā¦
When colleges are confronted regarding low six-year graduation rates (52% in Texas) and low persistence ratesāthe rate at which freshman continue into the second year of college (about 73% nationally), the immediate response of too many in leadership positions isā¦
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 Westā¦
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. Impactā¦
West Texas A&M University had its summer graduation last week, as did many universities around the nation. People are always willing to give advice to recent graduates, and I am no exception. Hold on to your hat. Donāt delay payingā¦
There are multiple views of the university and its purpose. Uncle Johnny remembers fraternity parties, the āgentlemanās Cā and leisurely student life as the be-all and end-all. Aunt Susie reminisces of working 40 or 50 hours a week on topā¦
One of the challenges for students and parents trying to select a place of study is that no two postsecondary institutions are the same. If for no other reason, the laws of physics assert that two things cannot occupy theā¦
For universities job one is serving students one at a time, but they are not customers.Ā Patients maybe, clients perhaps, hopefully subscribers, but there is no fixed product or performance guarantee. Only hope, and servicing hope requires several basic understandings.ā¦
This series of six reflections on corporate culture was originally published in October and November 2013.Ā I am on summer break but I think these still have some value.Ā WVW. Fifth in a series on Corporate Cultureā¦ Where we workā¦
This series of six reflections on corporate culture was originally published in October and NovemberĀ 2013.Ā I am on summer break but I think these still have some value.Ā WVW. Fourth in a series on Corporate Cultureā¦ Rules without relationships guideā¦
I am begging your pardon for a somber reflection amidst the joy of accomplishmentānot to be a wet rag on the festivities of high school graduation, but a bright light on the realities of post-secondary education. If your GPA isā¦
A Continued reflection on citizenship from last week. There are significant relationships between education and citizenship. I am, before anything else, a professorāa teacher. I work to provide students the opportunity to learn. For me, this relationship between opportunity asā¦
Americaās universities are the best in the world. This is so for many reasons, but primary among them is that we live in a free and open society. Two and one-half centuries of freedom and individual independence have allowed andā¦
Organizations succeed or fail based on their willingness to focus and concentrate. Because of the explosion of data, and therefore the ability to compare, organizations and individuals spend an inordinate amount of time concentrating on āothers.ā Bobby Jones, probably theā¦
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 buyerās ability to negotiate, the salesperson, color, options, trade-in, interestā¦
Thatās what they used to call it: on-the-job training. In the professional discipline of architecture, it was common for people to become architects by being an apprentice in an architectural office. After 12 years of apprenticeship, a candidate couldā¦
We create false dichotomies. āAll work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.ā āIdle hands are the devilās workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece,ā from the Book of Proverbs. At 14 years old in 1964, I heard, āIdle handsā¦
This reflection, first published on December 15, 2008, may be worth another look. Christmas memories are personal, deep and important. My familyās New York Christmases had the strong, first-generation influence of Western Europe. Cajun Christmases with their peculiarities of placeā¦
