by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.
One of the stars of higher education is at it again. Michael J. Sorrell., president of Paul Quinn College in Texas, announced last week that 400 students were admitted to the college—along with two other family members. This means that these 3.0, Pell-eligible students who live locally will have the chance to bring their support team with them to college. Part of the motivation behind the program is giving up on the notion that, according to Sorrell, “engag(ing) in a hero narrative about one person (will) somehow rescu(e) everyone”.
This kind of innovation inspires counselors and admissions professionals across the globe. Just as counselors are about to begin a new round of scheduling for next year, and begin meeting with juniors to discuss college plans, along comes a real-life example of doing things differently. To those professionals caught in a mindset of “Here’s what we do, and there’s nothing we can do about it”, along comes a new approach that isn’t just an idea—it is an idea with wings.
And that leads us to an important question. Long before he was superstar Michael Sorrell, we had lawyer Michael Sorrell, a talented team member of many organizations, who could have gone along with the system he was part of, or presented just enough change to keep his bosses off his heels. But the goal or the vision was never sustaining a system that helped kids, if a different system could help more kids, or help kids more. There were doubtless days of business as usual before he attained positions of leadership, but those days weren’t the focus. Education was; students were; society was. As a result, 400 kids are now starting college with a built-in, on-campus support team. I wish I could say I did that; this is just one innovation of many for President Sorrell.
So here’s the question. What are we doing to emulate Michael Sorrell in our own world? Sure, it’s important to be inspired by him, to see what he’s done as a leader and let it energize us through another round of meetings or transcript reviews. But it can do more, and it should do more. It should lead you to ask three questions:
What needs to be changed that I can change? This new program is a boundary-stretcher to be sure, but it was built by asking a key question—what needs to be different, and can be different? Every one of us has control over some aspect of our work, and we can make it better. It’s important to remember that; it’s more important to act on it.
How do I go about changing it? This is where many good ideas get lost. The mechanics seem too complicated, the processes too overwhelming. Keeping the goal in mind, and organizing a plan of action, brings more change than you can imagine. Get it in writing.
What’s the timeline and budget? Ideas also get lost when we share them with others without a realistic eye on the resources the institution will have to contribute. Planning these out ahead of time gives you plenty of time to rework the plan, anticipate objections, and Make. Real. Change. This may require working with others, but isn’t a little profession collaboration (and humility) worth the progress for the kids?
It's easy to see Michael Sorrell as inspired. But his example shows something else—he can be inspiring, too. What change will you make, thanks to him?
This kind of innovation inspires counselors and admissions professionals across the globe. Just as counselors are about to begin a new round of scheduling for next year, and begin meeting with juniors to discuss college plans, along comes a real-life example of doing things differently. To those professionals caught in a mindset of “Here’s what we do, and there’s nothing we can do about it”, along comes a new approach that isn’t just an idea—it is an idea with wings.
And that leads us to an important question. Long before he was superstar Michael Sorrell, we had lawyer Michael Sorrell, a talented team member of many organizations, who could have gone along with the system he was part of, or presented just enough change to keep his bosses off his heels. But the goal or the vision was never sustaining a system that helped kids, if a different system could help more kids, or help kids more. There were doubtless days of business as usual before he attained positions of leadership, but those days weren’t the focus. Education was; students were; society was. As a result, 400 kids are now starting college with a built-in, on-campus support team. I wish I could say I did that; this is just one innovation of many for President Sorrell.
So here’s the question. What are we doing to emulate Michael Sorrell in our own world? Sure, it’s important to be inspired by him, to see what he’s done as a leader and let it energize us through another round of meetings or transcript reviews. But it can do more, and it should do more. It should lead you to ask three questions:
What needs to be changed that I can change? This new program is a boundary-stretcher to be sure, but it was built by asking a key question—what needs to be different, and can be different? Every one of us has control over some aspect of our work, and we can make it better. It’s important to remember that; it’s more important to act on it.
How do I go about changing it? This is where many good ideas get lost. The mechanics seem too complicated, the processes too overwhelming. Keeping the goal in mind, and organizing a plan of action, brings more change than you can imagine. Get it in writing.
What’s the timeline and budget? Ideas also get lost when we share them with others without a realistic eye on the resources the institution will have to contribute. Planning these out ahead of time gives you plenty of time to rework the plan, anticipate objections, and Make. Real. Change. This may require working with others, but isn’t a little profession collaboration (and humility) worth the progress for the kids?
It's easy to see Michael Sorrell as inspired. But his example shows something else—he can be inspiring, too. What change will you make, thanks to him?
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