Webber President

Question: What is the history of athletics at Webber?

2011-09-27T14:57:00.002-04:00

Athleticism has played a role at Webber for decades. And, it makes sense: teamwork, leadership, fair play, and hard work and determination – important components of sport – are also important components of business.

Records from the 1920’s are sketchy. But we were talking to Ms. Louise Barnes Adams, class of 1937, a few weeks ago, and she fondly remembers being captain of the Webber golf team in 1937. And our namesake, Camilla Webber McConnell, was part of the volleyball team in 1947.

But, it was not until the early 1980’s, when Webber joined the National Little College Association (which morphed into the United States Small College Athletics Association) that athletics became a major part of the Webber life. Webber joined the NAIA in 1985 and is a member of The Sun Conference.

Today, over 85% of Webber’s traditional full time undergraduates play a sport. Our students participate in men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s bowling, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s indoor volleyball, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, baseball, softball, football, and cheerleading. While not classified as a sport, Webber’s band makes frequent appearances at many athletic events.

Webber has won USCAA national championships in men’s basketball, baseball, and women’s soccer, an American Bowling Conference championship in women’s bowling, and two United States Bowling Congress Athletic Association national championships. While our alumni don’t always tell us what they’re doing and while we focus on turning out business leaders rather than professional athletes, we do know that we have amongst our graduates 1 NFL player, 6 arena football players, 2 professional basketball players (1 male, 1 female), 1 professional softball player, 2 European league football players, 2 major league baseball players, and 1 professional golfer.

My Pet Project

2010-02-11T15:48:00.016-05:00

Once upon a time, I thought a college president spent a lot of time smoking his pipe, adjusting his bow tie, and thinking deep thoughts.

As it turns out, the mix of work is a wee bit different. On any given day, it's about 10% CEO, about 40% principal, about 50% fundraiser, about 50% facilities engineer, about 20% psychologist, about 5% professor, about 10% HR manager, about 15% accountant, about 2% janitor, about 5% tour guide, about 3% receptionist, about 50% foster parent, about 10% life coach, about 25% advocate, about 2% attorney, and about 5% visionary. More or less. No, the math isn't wrong... and that's why my desk is so cluttered! By the end of the day, there's not much time left for pipe smoking, bow tie tieing, or deep thinking.

BUT, there are some really, really cool things about being a college president. First, every May as hundreds of people who you met as kids leave as adults, eager and equipped to build successful careers and productive lives, you get to see the fruits of your labor. Most people never get to have that impact, and it's an incredibly humbling, incredibly gratifying blessing.

Second, you do get to have an occasional pet project. Here's my latest. It's a Skype booth. It gives our students a place and a method to make free video calls anywhere in the world. It actually looks pretty cool too... it's a 1950's phone booth which we retrofitted with high speed processor, high speed internet, and two-way video and audio. It took me over a year of checking eBay three or four times a week to find an old phone booth that was in good shape yet cheap enough for me to buy. It's REALLY gratifying to see that here's often a student in it keeping in touch with the folks back home. I use Skype when I travel, so I know that while it's not as good as actually being there, live voice and video are pretty neat.

So, if you're a student... if your parents have internet access, Skype them. It's free, and they'd love to hear from you and would love to see your smiling face. Skype your parents or other loved ones... it will make their day. If you're a parent, and you have internet access, raise heck with your son or daughter about not Skyping you... it's free (the software, the membership, the usage). If you're just an idly curious reader of this blog, I'm already thinking that we could use another one of these. Why not click the "donate now" button and help make it happen. I do it every once in a while myself. It will feel really, really good. Go ahead, give it a click.

A tale of two conversations...

2009-11-18T15:41:00.010-05:00

I had two conversations today.

One was with someone who hires Webber graduates... a LOT of them. We were discussing why it is Webber students make good employees -- ones who hit the ground running and are promotable. He doesn't really care why, only that they do. My thought is that we have an excellent faculty who actually teach, an excellent curriculum which is based to a large extent upon what businesses tell us we need, small class size, and a firm conviction that we're going to do business education the right way, even if we're the last ones on the face of the planet doing so.

And, I had a quite different conversation with a prospective student who has decided to go somewhere faster, cheaper, and easier. Now, with maturity comes self control, so I only thought rather than actually said "why would someone pay good money for 'quick, cheap, and easy' when you can get that almost for free?"

Some of you know that my dog, Dr. Lizzie Bob Wade, has a PhD. She was able to pay for it, without going into debt, on a mutt's allowance. It took her almost no time at all to complete the requirements. And, she was able to churn out her dissertation notwithstanding not being able to read or write. I have attached a scan of her diploma, though I have blacked out a few areas because I do not enjoy being sued (though frankly "you gave a PhD to a DOG" probably is a legitimate defense to "you implied we were a degree mill").

The model is not difficult to copy. Cheap is a cinch... you make graduate students teach classes in exchange for free tuition. Quick and easy are not much more difficult (you will note that my dog has a PhD. She's a smart dog, but she's still a dog).

Yes, there are cheaper and easier ways to provide a piece of paper that says someone got an education. But, because we've never said to our surgeon "oh wow, you graduated from X, I heard it was cheap and easy!" and we've never said to a job applicant "oh wow, my dog went there too!", we're going to stick to the model that got us SACS and IACBE accredited, a US News and World Report's America's Best College designation, a Princeton Review Best in the Southeast designation, and, according to the State of Florida, #1 in employment 6 months after graduation.

Good week to be the president...

2009-10-27T10:54:00.001-04:00

Most weeks, being a college president is not as glamorous as advertised. While it's a lot like being a CEO at any business, there's the added pressure of the fact that a lot of people have entrusted you with their future. And, of course, in any community the size of ours, there are always going to be challenges and issues and, while "straight to the top" is almost never the quickest route, it is one well traveled.

But, some weeks, it's great to be president.

Yesterday's 18th Annual President's Golf Tournament fundraiser was a great success (and to paraphrase The Beatles, the way we provide a world class business education at less than half the cost of the average private college, is that we get by with a little help from our friends). Thanks to all of those who contributed time, money, and other support.

Last week's Career Fair was a great success. According to the Florida Department of Education, within 6 months of graduation, Webber's career placement rates are best in State (http://www.fldoe.org/fetpip). But let's not fool ourselves... it's a tough job market out there. Two years ago, our Career Fair threatened to grow so large that we thought we'd have to move it to the gym. While that threat has temporarily abated, what we did have was a Conference Center full of folks who were hiring. Not folks saying "we're not hiring right now" but folks with real jobs. With benefits. And they were blown away with the quality of Webber students.

Last week's trip to China, while involving some pretty grueling travel, was also a great success. We are hammering out agreements with China's #34 ranked comprehensive university, its #1 ranked Finance university, and its #1 ranked Accounting university. Is it great that we’ll be getting some great students transferring from some great schools? You bet. But it's also exciting that Webber's reputation for quality is truly global.

Over the weekend we had an alumni wedding reception (and I'm still waiting to officiate at my first wedding... I'll do a good job and won’t charge anything, though there are pretty reasonable fees for facilities and/or food and beverage) in the Conference Center, a Lake Wales Arts Festival fundraiser on the pier and gyms and fields full of winning performances. Fun to see all the activity.

And, most of what has been pushed over my desk over the last week has been related to expansion… of facilities and of degree offerings. That's a really fun part of the job.

Finally, the week will end with a bunch of alumni activities. It's really, really fun when alumni come back sharing their successes in their careers and their lives. Part of why we do this, I think, is that we really enjoy being able to contribute to a better society, one student at a time. But the relationship with students has to be purely professional, even with the ones you genuinely like a lot. Once they're alumni, if they choose, you can actually be their friend. It is unbelievably gratifying that so many so choose.

Yes, it has been a good week to be president. I hope it has been a good week to be whatever part of the Webber family you are.

Tallahassee Update

2009-10-10T13:59:00.002-04:00

As you may have heard, I went to Tallahassee earlier this week. Not realizing that so many people notice when I am gone, I was surprised to learn that, when I’m not on campus, people start rumors about where I am. The best was that I had won the lottery and had gone to pick up my prize in person. The meanest was that I had a hair transplant and didn’t want people to see it until it had all grown in. Like most rumors, these were untrue: I was actually at the semi-annual ICUF meeting.

ICUF is an advocate for the 120,000 students who attend Florida’s 28 private, not-for-profit, SACS accredited colleges and universities (like Webber). While most of the schools are small, like us, together, we have a lot of students. Among other things, ICUF advocates for the Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG), often meeting with legislators and/or testifying before the House or the Senate about the impact of this grant.

This meeting is held in Tallahassee so that the various college and university presidents can meet with legislators and explain the importance of FRAG, and other support, to our students. It also gives us the opportunity to get some feel for the upcoming State budget crisis.

It’s going to be another tough year in Tallahassee, with everyone scrambling for every available dollar. That’s where you come in. If you are a Florida resident, please take a moment to write to your State Representative and Senator and tell them how much FRAG means to you (click this link if you need more information http://www.webber.edu/academics/frag.aspx ). While I wrote to mine already, more letters are better, and I may be represented by someone different than are you. It will only take a few minutes, but it is important that they hear from you.

Have a great weekend and stay safe.

Fall Update

2009-10-09T15:46:00.000-04:00

It was just brought to my attention that I have not posted anything here since April. I should be ashamed and, of course, I am.

There are some exciting things going on at Webber. SACS (our regional accreditor) just approved our application to offer all of our courses on-line. While we are certainly not going to become an on-line university (nothing wrong with that; just not what we are), this not only lets us serve students who want a Webber degree but do not live year Webber, but it also allows our traditional students more flexibility, especially regarding winter (yes, winter! Be on the lookout for more information soon) and summer courses.

Things are also quite lively on campus. The Student Union is happening. The student newspaper comes out regularly. Lots of the clubs are active and rare is the day that there is not a game of some sort on campus.

While it is really too early to announce anything yet, I am excited about the prospects of some new construction and some new degree offerings. Stay tuned.

I’ll try to post more regularly. Please be careful out there. And remember to wash your hands.

Why I love Spring

2009-04-15T11:23:00.002-04:00

You might be surprised to learn, as I was, that very little of a college president's day is actually spent smoking his pipe and thinking deep thoughts (Animal House, it seems, is not a documentary). Much of it is spent trying to raise money, explaining to students why they cannot keep buffalo in their rooms, and doing other less than glamorous tasks.

But this time of year, there are some really, really cool duties. One of these was the annual Academic Awards Dinner, held Tuesday, April 14. Above is the photo of the students who showed up to enjoy a great meal and be recognized for exceptional performance.

In just a few short days, it's graduation. This really is our best day of the year. It is also, of course, bittersweet. While it's exciting to see them go off into the world to start careers, we still miss them!

Really cool donation

2009-03-24T14:42:00.004-04:00

As you may or may not be aware, Webber's International Student Association is spearheading a drive to restore Webber's beach and to buy some cool water toys to enjoy on the lake.

Today, An anonymous friend gave us a Hobie Cat (called "The Cat that Flies"... these are really cool boats). We're really grateful... I think this is going to be great fun as summer bears down on us. While they're still raising money to buy canoes, kayaks, native Florida plants, BBQ grilles, etc., frankly, it takes a BUNCH of bake sales to buy a super-premium sailboat, even a used one (if you don't think these puppies are cool, visit http://www.hobiecat.com/ and see them in action)

This brings to mind an important point -- while cash spends best, donations of all sorts to a 501(c)(3) are generally tax deductible. We'll take used catamarans, devalued stock, unplayed instruments, life insurance proceeds, vehicles, devalued real estate, etc., and put them to good use (if we cannot use it ourselves, we'll sell it and use the proceeds for something good, and you'll still get the deduction).

So if you've got something of value sitting around that you don't want or need anymore, let us know.

ICUF's Graph of The Week

2009-03-03T11:59:00.003-05:00

Not sure what more there is to say... it's not just a blessing for our students, but also a bargain for the taxpayers!

Now you see it, now you don't

2009-02-12T07:53:00.004-05:00

I provide for you today before and after photos (in that order).
Usually, university presidents talk about building things. The most recent project at Webber was a $2.5 million (alas, mostly borrowed money) dormitory construction project which brought 80 new state-of-the-art private bedrooms (including 16 completely private studio apartments) onto the Webber campus. But today’s entry is about demolition.

As you probably heard, we replaced our 20+ year old (and, consequently, not so efficient) lakeside wastewater treatment plant with a modern plant which is pretty well hidden (once the construction people are completely gone and we get a few plants and a little rain, it should be hard to find the new facility). But, it can be kind of tough to figure out what that means, so I took a couple of photos.

The first photo shows Webber’s old wastewater treatment plant. I took this photo around December 2008 (yes, I know it looks like it could have been in any architectural magazine, but I took it myself). The second photo shows the same area today. There’s still a bit of work to be done, but you get the picture. While demolition of the old plant was a very small part of the project’s $750,000 price tag (entirely borrowed, except for the $6,100 we got from T. Wayne Hill Trucking to name the new plant after their firm), as you can see, it was a very dramatic part.

To see more photos of the project, visit http://www.webber.edu/hotnews.aspx?id=85 To support this and Webber’s other good work, click on the donate button (go ahead… you an even pay by credit card if you’d like).

One Person's Junk...

2009-02-05T16:11:00.000-05:00

It has often been said that one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. As you may or may not know, Webber has had two garage sales which each netted over $1,000 (thanks to Mrs. McCallister and her army of volunteers, who sorted, priced, and worked the sale for us, even running the hot dog wagon). I, for one, was happy to get rid of the junk that was cluttering my house so that I could get new, different junk to clutter my house.

That brings us to a couple of specific requests from a couple of our Webber activities. Just like when you donate stuff to Goodwill, it’s deductible to the extent allowed by law, but we’re required to tell you to check with your own tax professional.

As you probably know (but a lot of folks read this blog, so some might not), Webber has a band. Our band director suggested that if folks have instruments sitting around gathering dust which they will never play again, the band would love to have them. If they are in good working order and are instruments which we need, we’ll play them. If they’re not in such good working order, we’ll either use them for parts or fix them, and play them. If we just don’t need them, I’m told even the philharmonic needs only so many harmonicas, we’ll sell them and buy instruments we do need. So if you have a tuba or saxophone or snare drum under your bed, we’ll put it to good use. I’d especially like trumpets – I’m not sure you can have too many trumpet fanfares at graduation – but I, of course, am not the band director!

Our baseball team would dearly love a tractor with which to maintain the fields. It doesn’t have to be a new tractor. It doesn’t even have to be a fancy tractor. If it has a three point hitch, PTO, and won’t cost them more than a new one to get in good working shape, they’d be just delighted. So, if you’ve given up farming recently, or if you’d just rather it go to good use than get nothing on the trade in, give us a shout.

Then there’s the president, but my wish list is a bit quirkier. I want a college mace. Nothing pompouses up graduation better than a good college mace. I was actually going to buy one with my own money, thinking “how much money could a big engraved stick be?” then I found out that they start at $4,000!!! So if you have an old college mace under your bed (or maybe a really cool beam from a church or other old building, a lathe, and bunches of time on your hands)…
ANYWAY… thanks for reading the blog.

Webber to Host Great Myths of the Great Depression

2009-01-19T20:21:00.001-05:00

It's free. It's fun. And, it's at Webber.

It's Lawrence Reed, President of the Foundation for Economic Education, and his world famous and highly acclaimed Great Myths of the Great Depression lecture. It's fun; it's enlightening, and it's FREE!

Thursday, Feburary 26th, 7:00pm. Tickets required. Visit www.mgd.eventbrite.com

Letters from "the Good Old Days"

2009-01-14T13:57:00.003-05:00

I received in the mail today several letters our founder, Roger Babson, sent to a student's father back in the 1930's. While we are still small enough that we talk to parents, these give, I think, an interesting perspective on the times.

http://www.webber.edu/images/backgrounds/academics/babson_letter_1.pdf
http://www.webber.edu/images/backgrounds/academics/babson_letter_2.pdf

Another brick in the walk...

2009-01-13T08:32:00.001-05:00

We hope that you are off to a fabulous 2009!

As those of you on campus know, I have now officially moved to the President’s Office. While there are some challenges inherent in being housed in the last original building on campus (for example, my office has not one, but two electrical outlets), there are some really great things as well.

One of these great things is that the majority of the alumni bricks are housed either on the front or back sidewalks. Now, from a fundraising standpoint, bricks are not the University’s most lucrative fundraiser. They’re expensive for us to buy and expensive for us to install. And, they’re not subject to the DOUBLE MATCH going on right now (more on that later). But I read a few of them each morning when I arrive at the office and each time leave the office throughout the day. I recognize some of the names as benefactors without whose generosity Webber simply would not have survived all these years. I recognize some as professors, coaches, and administrators who have given far more the University than they have taken and without whom, many young men and women would simply have not landed that first good job upon which they have built successful careers and productive lives. I recognize a few student names, though most of the students graduated before I arrived at Webber. There are also a few who I just don’t know, except through the common bond that many of us share: a love of Webber and an appreciation of being part of an institution that really is making the world better, one graduate at a time. It’s really neat to have such a reminder of the people who have been part of the Webber family throughout the decades.

As far as the DOUBLE MATCH noted earlier, this is actually really cool. We currently have TWO matching gifts which stack. So, let’s say you believe in what we’re doing here and want to support the good work, but you just cannot give much right now. So you click on the donate button on the right of this page and send $50, or $20, or even $10. Now, what happens, is we report this to both anonymous donors and double your gift from them. And, if your employer matches gifts – and many do – we end up with triple your gift. So, suddenly, your $50 gift becomes $150 (or $200 if your employer matches)!

And now for something completely different...

2009-01-07T08:15:00.004-05:00

Yes, the economy is still frightening and the independent schools not taking a disproportionate hit in next year's frightening budget still consumes a good deal of our thoughts and prayers. But, for something completely different, I thought I would muse on several recent discoveries I made.

I got my first computer in 1981 and was logging an embarrassing number of hours a week on the Internet by 1987 (I had one of those fancy new 1200 baud modems and it connected with most places at 300 baud, but when it found another 1200 baud connection, it was smoking!) So it’s fair to say I’m pretty technologically savvy. I’m not sure, therefore, why it took me so long to find Skype. I had to go to China a few months ago. I couldn’t find a cheap way to call home, so I decided to try Skype. I was astonished to find out not only that it was free (really 100% free… from downloading the software to unlimited computer to computer calls) but that the sound quality was great and that video was actually really cool when you’re 8,000 miles from home. We Skyped in several family members at Christmas so they could participate in the unwrapping of the presents via live video. Really, really cool. Especially for free.

I grew up in Miami and as a teenager made my monthly car and insurance payments by hawking t-shirts at the Hialeah Flea Market. And don’t get me started on Cohibas. So it’s kind of surprising that I just – this very week – discovered Cuban coffee. I got a cappuccino machine for the office as a Christmas gift (those who work with me can attest to how much I needed more caffeine). Much as I love cappuccino, I decided to try to avoid the milk. I tried espresso, and wasn’t a big fan (even though I like black coffee and had purchased good espresso). So I did a bit of research and learned how to make Cuban coffee. Oh yeah, that’s the ticket.

Best regards for a fabulous 2009!

FRAG Information Page

2008-12-17T15:17:00.002-05:00

I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is for students, parents, and alumni to tell Florida's elected officials what FRAG has meant to them. I can tell the Governor, our Senators, and our Representatives what FRAG means to the University. Only you can tell them what it means to you. Please do so. Below is a link to some resources which might help.

http://www.webber.edu/academics/frag.aspx

The FRAG

2008-12-10T13:50:00.002-05:00

By all accounts, it is going to be a very tough budget year in Florida. In today's Orlando Sentinel, there was an article (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/thrifty/orl-budget10met08dec10,0,1524896.story) discussing various budget cuts which might be made.

If you don't know much about the FRAG, it is essentially a grant which enables Floridians to pay for higher education at one of the state's independent colleges and universities, such as ours. As you can read (http://www.icuf.org/_resources/publications/Faces_Frag.pdf), it helps a wide variety of students many of whom simply would not be able to afford a college education otherwise. Dollar per dollar, it's one of the best investments our State makes.

I hope that you will support the FRAG by writing to your lawmakers in support of it. If you want more information about the dramatic impact FRAG has had on our state, please feel free to contact me directly.

The President's Holiday 2008 Collectible

2008-11-11T16:04:00.001-05:00

While we all make fun of the stores for putting their Christmas decorations out just after Labor Day (I’m old enough to remember when this happened the day after Thanksgiving), a similar thing happens on the Webber campus. Just after midterm, students start planning their trips home for the holidays!

I suspect that many of the readers of this blog (we don’t have any followers yet, but we do have readers) have either been in one of my classes or have been in my office. Therefore, you know that I collect Zippos. Once one starts collecting Zippos, it’s just a matter of time before he or she starts scouring the internet for the rare ones.

I currently own one of the rarest Zippos in the world: one bearing the Webber International University seal. I had it commissioned as a sample because I thought it would make a wonderful gift on those occasions when a wonderful gift was appropriate. As the President of the University, I am entrusted with the custody of the University’s intellectual property – logos, trademarks, seals. I can, therefore, absolutely control how many of these lighters are ever made.

This brings us to the Presidents Holiday Gift for 2008: a 50 piece edition of official Webber Zippos. These lighters are matte green with the Webber seal laser engraved and colored in gold (i.e., they are even in the school’s official colors). While the photo doesn’t show it because it’s my prototype, each will also say “2008” designating it as part of this exclusive edition. As noted, these are very rare. Consequently, owning one is going to cost you: the only way to get one is to make a $125 donation to Webber. For that, you get the lighter, shipping within the US (international shipping additional; please inquire for quote), a certificate of authenticity attesting to the lighter’s pedigree and limited edition status, and a receipt for a $100 donation (the portion of purchase price above the lighter’s actual cost to us), and advanced notification of any future release like this.

SO, if you or someone you know collects Zippos, this is a triple play: you get a very rare lighter, you help a great University with its mission of equipping the next generation of leaders with the tools they need to lead, and you get a sweet tax deduction as well (as allowed by law… check with your advisor). Click here to reserve yours today (delivery by December 12).

For those who aren’t Zippo fans, you can check out or commemorative bricks or our on-line gift shop.

Happy shopping!

Question or comment? Post it here.

2008-11-11T16:02:00.001-05:00

Reassuring signs notwithstanding a scary economy

2008-11-11T11:58:00.004-05:00

While I have not looked at my own retirement account in over six months -- no point in buying high and selling low anyway -- I do catch the news on occasion. And things are scary. While I think we actually talked ourselves into many of our current economic woes (say it enough, and it's sure to happen), for better or worse, we are where we are.

But there are some reassuring signs. Webber held its annual career fair today. We had a few cancellations so we did not have to move it to the gym as we thought we might have to do. The really reassuring thing in all of this, however, was that we had a room full of people who were HIRING. There were some internships, and some part time seasonal jobs, of course. But we had a room full of people who were hiring for FULL TIME positions.

While it's easy to hear bad news, there's some hope out there too. So with congrats to the students who landed jobs (full time or internships) and "go get them's" to those who landed interviews, we offer to all the empirical observation of the morning: while perhaps not a random distribution of employers, we had a room full this morning who were, in fact, hiring.

Question regarding cafeteria; comment regarding Faculty

2008-10-03T13:23:00.002-04:00

Recently asked questions

2008-10-03T13:15:00.003-04:00

Recently Asked Questions
Q: Is Webber going to sign the Amethyst Initiative’s “Rethinking the Drinking Age” petition?
A: No. Webber International University is a diverse group of diverse thinkers. I believe that we all agree that alcohol related deaths and injuries are especially tragic because they are completely avoidable. I think we all agree that if there is something we can do to prevent needless death – whether it be from binge drinking or drunken driving – then we ought to do it. Where thoughts diverge, however, is in what this “it” is. Our founder, Roger Babson, was a prohibitionist. Many of my very learned peers – other college and university presidents – believe that lowering the drinking age is the answer. At this point, many proposed solutions are diametrically opposed. In the spirit of the intellectual dialectic which is at the heart of a traditional university, I will not, as its president, commit the University to any one way of getting to this noble and laudable goal. We encourage each member of the Webber community to examine the issues, explore the evidence, and do his or her part in making the world safer.

Q: You seem friendly, approachable, and internet aware. Why is it you won’t “friend” current University students on FaceBook?
A: I’m not just the University’s president; I’m also an employee. That means that, just like every other employee, my relationship with students must be, as required by our code of conduct, “strictly professional”. Even if innocent and well meaning, the social aspect of social networking makes it inappropriate to engage in with current students. I cannot tell you how flattering it is to receive a FaceBook friend request or a LinkedIn connection request from alumni (and I always accept these). And I cannot tell you how personally gratifying it has been to see many of our students graduate to alumni with whom social relationships are perfectly acceptable (and, how great it has made me feel that some of them have chosen to include me in their real time and virtual social circles). But until they’ve graduated, I believe that it’s a violation of our code of conduct to engage in social networking with our students.

Question of the Day: Did you REALLY put the naming rights to Webber’s sewage treatment plant on eBay?

2008-09-25T09:22:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: Click here to see the Fox 13 news story on this auction.

Answer: I most certainly did. You’ll find it on eBay as item 320304726235. (UPDATE: Yes, this is a new number... someone deleted the first auction because they decided we were not a charity.)

The wastewater treatment plant needed to be moved. It was the right thing to do. Doing stuff like this costs money. It costs a whole lot of money. Amazingly, nobody has yet come forward wanting to put their name on the sewage plant. Maybe it will raise only $500 from someone who thinks it would be funny to name after a friend. But maybe a group that is as concerned about our environment as we are will donate the entire $750,000. Either way, it is more money than we had.

Feel free to bid. We will keep you posted!

The President on Campus Fire Safety Month

2008-09-13T10:33:00.001-04:00

As you likely read, I went to the County Commission meeting on Wednesday to accept the Campus Fire Safety Month Proclamation.

As you can probably imagine, the vast majority of college students who die in fires do so in off-campus housing. You may or may not be surprised to learn that amongst these deaths, most occur because of tampering with or disabling fire detection equipment. Most colleges, as do we, spend a mind boggling amount of money on fire prevention, fire detection, and fire suppression technologies. And most colleges, as does ours, see the fire inspectors on a fairly regular basis. Based on forensic evidence of the aftermath, following the rules and exercising common sense goes a long way in preventing campus fires.

Most landlords, we suspect, do not spend a mind boggling amount of money on fire prevention, fire detection, and fire suppression technologies. Perhaps it’s worth considering owning your own personal smoke detector as one of the many hidden costs of living off campus. While I’m not sure “it’s the cheapest model I could find on eBay” is a ringing endorsement of something on which one bets his or her life, there are lots of smoke detectors to be found for under $10.

Wherever it is you live, as we recognize Campus Fire Safety Month, live safely.

Questions I Wish Someone Had Asked (#1)

2008-09-09T19:46:00.003-04:00

Q: There are a lot of good universities out there. What makes Webber International University different? How can I tell if it's right for me?

A: You're right. There are a number of regionally accredited universities out there, and we're not the only one on the Princeton Review's Best Southeastern College list, the Princeton Review's America's Best Value list, or the US News and World Reports America's Best Colleges Colleges with a Specialty list. We've been doing things a bit differently since 1927. Here are some of the things you'll find different at Webber.

1) Our professors actually teach. We're proud of them -- most have doctorates and most have worked in the field they are teaching. But, most importantly, it's our professors, and not graduate assistants, who teach.

2) We're small. We know our students' names. We know their challenges. We know their capabilities. We know their dreams. And we do everything we can to help them achieve their dreams.

3) We're all business. We have 11 undergraduate majors and 4 MBA concentrations, all in the areas of business. We've been training managers, supervisors, and entrepreneurs for 81 years.

As for how you know it's right for you, look around. Ask questions. Meet our professors. Meet our coaches. Eat lunch with us. Ask our students what they think. Pop into the President's office without an appointment. Then, try that somewhere else. We think you'll be convinced.

Welcome

2008-08-26T19:09:00.005-04:00

Welcome.

It is truly an honor to be the twelfth president of Webber International University. We continue to do what we have done since 1927 -- equip supervisors, managers, CEO's and entrepreneurs with the tools which they need to lead. Leading an organization with such an august past -- and such a necessary role in our world's future -- is a truly humbling experience.

Irrespective of your role in the Webber family -- student, alumni, faculty, staff, parent, donor, or friend -- you play an integral part to our success. Thank you for visiting this blog. As one of the nation's more technologically savvy university presidents, I really do read what is posted here and craft the messages and responses -- typographical errors and all -- myself. I hope you will both enjoy and utilize this forum, and I thank you for visiting it.