Houston Chronicle December 18, 2011 After seasons of scandal, TSU blooms under new leadership By Monica Rhor The official tagline for the campaign to reinvent Texas Southern University<http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Texas+Southern+University%22> is lofty, ambitious and, some might say, hyperbolic. The phrase - "A Renaissance of Excellence" - evokes the notion of rebirth, of a battered institution rising from the ashes. It's also undeniably apt. In early 2008, TSU was gripped by a snarl of financial mismanagement, plummeting morale and a teetering national reputation. Less than four years later, guided by the brisk leadership of John Rudley, the 85-year-old historically black college has backed away from the brink and seems to be heading toward steady ground. This month, the school's accreditation was renewed for 10 years - a solid mark of approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools<http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Southern+Association+of+Colleges+and+Schools%22> and firm evidence of an incipient turnaround at TSU. "Things are much better than they were a few years ago. I don't know that institution is out of the woods yet, but it's headed in the right direction," said Raymund Paredes<http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Raymund+Paredes%22>, commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board<http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Texas+Higher+Education+Coordinating+Board%22>. "It's a completely different place than it was four or five years ago." Under Rudley, who became TSU president in January 2008, changes have been swift, sweeping and, for those used to the status quo, unsettling. In that time, Texas Southern has gone from being an open admissions college with 9,100 students to a school of about 10,000 that requires applicants to have a 2.5 GPA and an SAT score of 820. TSU's finances, once in such disarray that it was nearly impossible to decipher its cash balance, are now stabilized and include a comfortable reserve. The school, once in danger of losing a parking garage to foreclosure, recently received credit-worthy status and secured a $68 million loan to build two new dorms and two parking structures. The 150-acre campus, once dominated by large expanses of concrete and spotty grass, even looks more collegiate - with blossoming rose bushes, verdant shrubbery, pedestrian walkways and TSU logos in ample display. "We had to start acting like a university and looking like a university," said Rudley, summing up his philosophy. "I started with the premise that I'm a change president. As a change agent, you're given certain obvious tasks and you don't have forever to solve these problems." Daunting task Certainly, the scope of the problems awaiting Rudley when he took the helm at TSU was daunting. The school was still reeling from the arrest of former president Priscilla Slade<http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Priscilla+Slade%22>, dismissed for misappropriating funds and violating university procedures. Slade agreed to plead no contest, pay back about $127,672, perform community service and apologize. The Slade saga was an added blow to the school's reputation, already sagging under the weight of financial mismanagement and a dismal graduation rate of 11 percent. The school owed $13 million in unpaid bills and had not produced a financial statement in five years, Rudley recalled. In addition, TSU had been placed on probation in December 2007 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. "If you make a list of all the problems, that's a list most universities face over 20 years, one at a time," Rudley said. "But here, these all occurred at the same time." Rudley's first step was to replace the top administrative staff with his own team of financial officers, deans and provosts. They focused on cleaning up the mess. Then he turned his attention to elevating the school's academic profile by raising admissions standards. Raising the bar The proposal to change TSU's policy of accepting all students with a high school diploma or GED was met with resistance from community members, who said it veered from the school's mission. But Rudley was adamant. "An open admissions university is not going to be able to have a six-year graduation rate that is respected," Rudley said. "A lot of people who were vocal about the open admissions policy didn't see how it was ruining the university's reputation." Other academic changes include the creation of the Thomas F. Freeman Honors College<http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Thomas+F.+Freeman+Honors+College%22> for students with a 3.6 GPA or higher, and expanded tutoring and advising services. Students in the honors college also serve as mentors for lower-performing students, said Sunny E. Ohia<http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Sunny+E.+Ohia%22>, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs and Research. "The intent is to place a hand on the shoulder of each student and guide them through the learning process," Ohia said. It is too soon to tell if the changes will help raise graduation rates, but they have already made an impact. In 2005, 68 percent of freshmen needed remedial classes; last fall, that number was down to 50 percent. Persistence rates, which measure how many students stay in school from one term to the next, have risen from 52 percent to 62 percent. "A lot of people just concentrate on opening doors, but the only way it is meaningful if they also focus on helping students succeed," said state Sen. Judith Zaffirini<http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Judith+Zaffirini%22>, D-Laredo, who chairs the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee. "Before, we were constantly talking about the problems at TSU. Now, we're talking about the improvements." Work to be done Not that there isn't still much left to do. A pall hangs over TSU's athletic program, which is under NCAA investigation. This past April, the school's athletic director, Charles McClalland, fired the school's football coach, Johnnie Cole , after an investigation uncovered academic violations. In academics, Texas Southern's six-year graduation rate lingers at 11.3 percent. The persistence rate, while improving, is far below Rudley's goal of 80 percent. The school recently launched a systematic evaluation of graduate and undergraduate programs, looking for ways to strengthen offerings, Ohia said. In addition, officials want to emphasize TSU's research mission, saying that will enhance the university's status and draw better faculty and students. Rudley also wants to transform TSU from a commuter-based campus to a residential one. "Not only will that increase enrollment, but at resident-based campuses, students perform better and graduate in four years," he said. "That plays into raising the six-year graduation rate." In the meantime, Rudley and his team are savoring the accreditation and looking toward the future. "I'm really ecstatic with the outcome, but guarded because it's an ongoing process. We look at it as an opportunity to keep improving," Rudley said. "We get in some ditches, and we get out of them, too. I'm happy to be out of this ditch, this time." monica.rhor@chron.com<mailto:monica.rhor@chron.com> SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.