former - Schreiner University

fromthepresident
Dear friends of Schreiner,
A description of Schreiner we used to hear was “the best
kept secret in college education.” Even when I recognized
truth in the phrase, it bothered me, conjuring up lines
from Thomas Gray’s famous “Elegy”: Full many a flower is
born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
Those lines evoke a powerful melancholy over the
waste of human talent and genius, but they are poison
for a university that has much to offer the world. Happily,
we do not hear the expression much anymore and
for good reason—Schreiner University is simply not a
secret. Oh, we have a long way to go in establishing
name recognition to the degree we seek, but we are
not a “mute, inglorious Milton” unknown beyond our
borders, fortunately. What has made the difference?
We can credit no single factor, but certainly the
decision made nine years ago by our board of trustees to
embark on aggressive media promotion and to ask the
administration to make integrated marketing a continuing
part of operations has contributed greatly. When we
learned in this spring’s annual survey of media impact
that recognition of the Schreiner name in our marketing
area had moved to 81 percent, we had tangible evidence
of that impact. In addition, the success of our creative
media as measured by Emmy and CASE awards for
excellence makes the same point. Ditto the consistent
awards received by Schreiner publications, particularly
by SCENE magazine itself. But, of course, our primary
marketing area is limited to the Hill Country and greater
San Antonio, so other influences must be sought.
We can start with our students. Consistently, 30
percent and more of our graduates proceed to graduate
or professional school, where they are establishing a
compelling record. Whether they are studying medicine,
law or the hospitality industry, their success enhances
Schreiner’s reputation. And their accomplishments
here as undergraduates have the same effect. Roy
Espinosa’s excellence in research award at this year’s
Southwest Regional American Chemical Society
conference and Caitlyn Weinheimer’s national success
in trap shooting (very nearly claiming a place on the
2 Summer 2012 SCENE
“ No, Schreiner University is no longer
a best-kept secret, and that change
is reflective of broad and continuous
dedication to quality.”
Olympic team) illustrate the varied ways in which
student achievement strengthens our name. You can
appreciate that point when you read in this issue about
the accomplishments of those students who provided
leadership for the national Better Together program.
Similarly, Schreiner faculty enhance the university’s
reputation. Recent Piper Professors Dr. Fred Stevens and
Dr. Kathleen Hudson are examples. Competitive national
grants secured by Dr. Adam Feltz in philosophy and our
chemistry faculty for laboratories offer other evidence.
Via Texas Public Radio, the work of faculty and students
in our history department, led by Dr. John Huddleston,
is regularly heard through vignettes tracking the course
of the Civil War 150 years ago. When our BSN program,
developed by Dr. Lena Rippstein, was approved two years
ago and praised by the state board for its quality and
when faculty from other Texas colleges came in May to
our campus to participate in a workshop based on our
freshman seminar’s “Reacting to the Past” curriculum, the
strength and creativity of Schreiner academics registered.
Unquestionably, our expanding and attractive physical
facilities are part of this good story as well. And
administrative leadership plays its part, as when provost
Dr. Charlie McCormick recently led in developing a new
five-college consortium for online language study.
Increasingly, key senior administrators are called upon to
share their expertise in national settings, from SACS visits
to seminar leadership and officer roles with professional
organizations. Their writings for publications also spread
the Schreiner name.
A college’s commitment to quality finds many
expressions, collectively establishing a stronger reputation.
Those summarized above illustrate that the change is
neither an accident nor the sudden product of one or
two accomplishments. No, Schreiner University is no
longer a best-kept secret, and that change is reflective
of broad and continuous dedication to quality.
Tim Summerlin
President