As you can read in “My Journey,” I have been around universities my entire 50+ years. I studied them in high school, building spreadsheets before Excel was even available and searching for the “best” colleges using various variables (see my notes from 1986 below).
My master’s degree was in counseling but I concentrated my electives on the fields of student affairs and higher education. My doctorate was devoted to the study of higher education and the leadership and organizational behavior within it. I have presented at professional conferences on how to stay current with the higher education literature. I literally spend between 30 and 60 minutes a day scanning and identifying the highlights of the higher education news cycle. I listen to podcasts and books about higher education. And on vacations, I always try to visit the various colleges in the areas where we staying.
In 2019, I realized, after the end of nine years as a dean at Baylor, that I finally had time to think and write about what I have learned looking in to the past and what I can see looking forward in to the future. Obviously, I would love for you to read and engage with me on any of these topics. But at the minimum, I guess I wanted to know that before I died (sorry, but true,) I tried to share some of my thoughts on this fascinating industry. Unfortunately, none of my family has, as of yet, developed a similar passion for higher education, so my writing will ideally reach someone who does share my interest.
I am a continual learner, so I welcome feedback on my articles and my blog. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
One of the many pages of Jeff’s analysis of colleges ~1986 on the old dot matrix
Deep Thoughts on Higher Ed 