wfn.org | Re: United Methodist Daily News note 590

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
Eastern, about DAILY NEWS RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (594
notes).

Note 594 by UMNS on Feb. 5, 1998 at 17:24 Eastern (3443 characters).

TITLE:	College President Redefining University

Contact:  Joretta Purdue				67(10-21-71B){594}
Washington, D.C. (202)546-8722  	Feb. 5, 1998			
Texas Wesleyan University becoming
"new urban university," president says

   		by United Methodist News Service

Jake B. Schrum, president of Texas Wesleyan University, has redefined the
United Methodist-related college he heads.
"The new urban university" is how he would like this Fort Worth institution to
be known, and he is looking for other colleges that fit the category.
Schrum defines a new urban university -– a phrase he coined -– as one that:
· teaches values out of its church stance;
· has a more diverse and intergenerational student body than most liberal arts
colleges; and
· is more concerned with its students having personal success in education
than being known as an elite institution.
The new university needs new formats of instruction for those students –- "not
dumbing down," he said.
The new urban university concentrates on students, not on their scores in
college entrance exams or on elevating the college's ranking in various
listings, he emphasized.
Most important, perhaps, is that the school is seeking a long-term
relationship with the surrounding community, Schrum said.
Texas Wesleyan University has about 3,100 students, and it awards both
bachelor's and master's degrees. Founded in 1890, the university is in a part
of Fort Worth where the elementary and secondary school students who cut
across the campus probably do not have any idea what a college is, Schrum
said.
Schrum wants to change that by entering into a partnership with the middle
school and polytechnic school that serve the area. He wants Texas Wesleyan to
offer any student in the two schools who has a B average for grades six
through 12 automatic acceptance to the university for a tuition-free
education.
To implement such a plan, Schrum calculates he needs to raise an endowment of
at least $3 million. He is hoping to have the money in hand so the plan can be
announced in the schools this fall.
Schrum said this would not be a casual promise, where the school sits back and
sees who shows up with the B average.
The student and at least one parent or guardian would declare their intention
in writing, Schrum said. And he does not envision excluding anyone who is
already past the sixth grade. If a senior at the polytechnic school has a B
average for his or her middle school and high school years, they would get the
free tuition too.
And, to ensure success for more children, the students at Texas Wesleyan
University would offer tutoring and alumni would offer mentoring help. TWU
students and alumni are currently involved in such programs, but their efforts
are scattered.
Once the partnerships are established, the university would officially sponsor
only programs for those two particular schools.
"The new urban university educates mainstream America," Schrum declared. It is
unlikely that fewer than 25 percent of the student body of a new urban
university are ethnic minorities, he added.
Texas Wesleyan University's student body is about 33 percent ethnic minority
now. When Schrum became president seven years ago, that figure was 9 percent,
he said.
Meanwhile, each time Schrum attends a meeting of other college presidents, he
tries to find peers who might want to explore forming a consortium that would
approach foundations about supporting such programs.
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