Inside Schreiner President’s Perspective
winter
2010
. volume
XIV .
number
I
Schreiner Announces 2010 Alumni Awards
by Dr. Tim Summerlin A buzzword in higher education these days is accountability. It is a legitimate concern for all stakeholders. Of course, it is not as if we only recently discovered that we need to account for our actions. There are scores of ways that colleges have done so for many years, including annual financial audits, reports on the use of federal and state financial aid, NCAA compliance data, and reports to boards and the public. However, the role of the regional accreditor—in our case the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and its Commission on Colleges —has long been exercised as a means of measuring an institution’s ability to accomplish its mission. Regional accreditors stress that their efforts are a voluntary form of self-regulation. Well, an institution that decided not to “volunteer” would soon discover unpleasant consequences in the form of availability of student aid and the transfer of its academic credits, so let’s keep quotation marks around that word! The “self-regulation” tenet is more meaningful: Reaffirmation of accreditation is anchored in a close self-scrutiny by the institution in the context of criteria it has opportunity to help define. And that self-scrutiny is reviewed by peer volunteers, representatives of similar institutions with expertise in curricula, finance, technology and other key areas. At its best, regional accreditation does permit the profession to require institutions of higher education to review honestly their policies and operations and to
Schreiner University has named Dr. Samuel W. T. Lanham III ’51 as a Distinguished Alumnus, and former Schreiner coach William Dudley Rogers and David Lindsy Hulse ’90 as members of the Athletic Hall of Honor. In addition, the Schreiner Former Students Association is conferring the Distinguished Service Award on Capt. Jack Stevens ’43 for his great service to the University. All four men will be honored at the Tribute to Schreiner Legends Banquet Saturday, April 17, during the 2010 Recall weekend. Schreiner established the Distinguished Alumnus Award to recognize and honor former students who have gone on to prominent success in their lives and careers after graduation. The Athletic Hall of Honor recognizes former students who were outstanding athletes or coaches at Schreiner and afterwards. Nominees for both awards “must exhibit high ethical standards and must be a person of such integrity, stature, demonstrated ability and renown that students, alumni, faculty and staff of the university will take pride in—and be inspired by—his or her recognition.” Distinguished Alumni Dr. Samuel W. T. Lanham III ’51 attended Schreiner for two years of high school and two years of college. He has been a faculty member and trustee, a benefactor to Schreiner’s William Logan Library, an attorney and a Presbyterian minister.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
NEWSLETTER OF SCHREINER UNIVERSITY
“I grew up as a printer’s devil for the Victoria Advocate. I started out as a paperboy and printer’s devil was a step up from that,” said Lanham. “My grandparents told my folks they’d pay half of my tuition if I’d go to Schreiner. Mother drove me up here and through the campus and I loved it. A lot of my family went to Culver Military Academy; Schreiner was the alternative for my brother Mike and me.” Lanham lived in Hoon Hall in the same room that would be his office when he returned to Schreiner as a faculty member. His best friend and study buddy while he was here was Sam Junkin, future president of Schreiner. “I came to Schreiner as sort of a country Baptist,” Lanham said, “but Sam and some friends were Presbyterian, so I left as a Presbyterian.” He left Schreiner to get his B.A. and a law degree at Baylor University, and practiced law in Waco from 1955-64. Then he “fell from law to grace.” “It hit me on my way home in my fine sports car,” Lanham remembers. “I thought, ‘I need to talk to our minister.’ But Missie (his wife) wanted to go out and get groceries, so I went home—and our minister was there.” Lanham taught law at Baylor University while practicing in Waco and at the University of Texas while attending Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. After pastorates in Galveston and at St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston, he became an associate professor at Schreiner in 1981, while also minister of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Fredericksburg. “Pretty soon, both those jobs continued on page 2
B o d Po d p g . 5
Athletic News pg. 6
Honor Roll of Donors pg. 7