G
ARYM. B
ELLTEXASTECHUNIVERSITY
As a young faculty member, I used to fantasize about how rewarding it would be to create and then to run my own university. I suspect that I was not alone in such dreams. I would get things right; I would make sure that all the pieces worked properly; I would be magnificently cre- ative. As with many dreams for most people, the realization is elusive. There are not many universities being created, except for the bur- geoning “for-profit” entities whose unvarnished materialism truly gets in the way of the dream.
As an additional preface, I need also to remark on the profession of honors administration—for profession it indeed has become. As I have consulted nationwide with programs, and as I have interacted with col- leagues through the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), I have developed the highest respect for the women and men who serve as directors, deans, and program heads. They are idealistic to a fault. In their pursuit of academic excellence for their institutions and educa- tional opportunities for their special cadre of students, they work inor- dinate numbers of hours, have some of the most student-centered per- spectives in all of higher education, and genuinely want what is best for their programs. Typically, they labor hard for modest recognition or reward, and all too frequently the result is burnout; or even a loss of their position when a new and generally clueless university administra- tion changes the circumstances of their carefully crafted programs. This is often a process that is not without pain.
By putting these two preceding factoids together and then combin- ing them with a third academic phenomenon, the creation of honors colleges nationally, perhaps one can find therein the seeds of redemp- tion and renewal for some of us in the honors community. Increasingly, hard-working and often inspired people are being permitted to partic- ipate in this crafting and design, one of the most widespread innova- tions in higher education. The development of a new college may grow out of an existing program, or it may constitute an altogether fresh start. But in the process, honors administrators are being allowed to live the dream. They are creating, if not a university, at least a significant
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Chapter 11: The Pillars of College Creation
component of the university. They can adopt some of the reforms that they always believed would make their institutions more effective. They can manipulate the curriculum in ways that they know will provide the best educational outcomes. They can launch some of the experiments that they have always hoped to try. They can inspire young minds, in a personalized setting, to achieve in a way they always suspected that it was possible to do. They model innovations that, with luck, they will see adopted throughout the university as the superiority of their educa- tional perceptions become manifest to the more general enterprise. In short, they have become the educational da Vinci’s of their fantasies. It is rewarding work, it is meaningful work, and, gratifyingly, it often car- ries the recognition that most of us cherish. Thus, the creation of hon- ors colleges is giving some reward to an unusually enterprising, dedi- cated, and motivated body of people who deserve nothing less.
Such an enterprise carries with it truly daunting demands and bur- dens as well. With privilege comes responsibility. We preach this maxim to our students, and it pertains to our calling (and that in which we are engaged is no less than a “calling”) as well. We are tak- ing the resources that Agriculture, Engineering, and Arts and Sciences would dearly love to have, and we are using them in ways that are unprecedented and challengeable. Therefore, as the college is created, there needs to be results—and often fairly prompt results. Honors colleges indeed have the ability to attract qualitatively better students than the institution has heretofore enjoyed and to do so rea- sonably quickly. Another virtual given will be a notable increase in outside funds attracted to the university as a result of the college. People enjoy contributing to excellence, and there is no better sym- bol of excellence at a university than an honors college devoted to the highest ideals in higher education. In like vein, producing competi- tive students makes an enormous difference. Honors colleges typical- ly have identifiable success with graduates going to highly regarded professional schools, to notable graduate schools, and to significant post-baccalaureate experiences. Administrators quickly notice this and recognize as well the recruitment potential and the positive reten- tion statistics that honors colleges can also generally supply. Furthermore, honors colleges can serve as a very prestigious launch- ing platform for winning the national and international scholarships that universities crave—the Rhodes, the Marshall, the Gates- Cambridge, the Truman, the Udall, the Goldwater. Identifying, grooming and preparing candidates for these awards should be a promptly offered and uniquely emphasized activity if it is not already