Page 17 - Considering 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 COVID-19 virus, many people
believe smaller college towns and the universities and the allied schools they serve will become

extinct. They are wrong, particularly when a strong partnership exists between the local
community, the independent school district and the regional university. In unison, aspirations for

individuals and economic development potential for communities in the region are served in and
through Canyon,
Texas.

In Forbes this month, Derek Newton claims that smaller, close to home, regional universities may

fare well in spite of COVID-19 concerns. He points out issues such as over-admissions, increased
competition and reliance on international students that are confounding issues for universities

like WT. Most importantly he opines, “All education is local,” parroting Tip O’Neill’s famous quip.

Valuable action that West Texas A&M University can take as an antidote is to pay attention to the
communities of West Texas. This includes knowing the high schools, the leadership and their
students. Canyon ISD is a large school district compared to the other districts in the Panhandle

and Region 16, but it is “our” school. It helps build West Texas A&M University as a better
institution of higher learning in the same way that a host of other committed independent school

districts in the Texas Panhandle do.

In Forbes this month, Derek Newton claims that smaller, close to home, regional
universities may fare well in spite of COVID-19 concerns. He points out issues such as over-

admissions, increased competition and reliance on international students
that are confounding issues for universities like WT. Most importantly he opines, “
All education is local,” parroting Tip O’Neill’s famous quip.

Seventy percent of WT’s student body borrows to pay for school. This reflects the national average,
but, fortunately, WT students borrow less than average. Borrowing may reduce the chance for a

home loan in the future. “Thoughtful homeownership” is a vital part of the Jeffersonian Dream.
Thoughtless homeownership, the kind that led to the bursting of the housing bubble in 2008, was

driven by a number of forces that included a lax view by lending institutions regarding appropriate
borrowing levels.