He left the university with the impression that they really were interested in him and wanted him at their university. This student's comments started me thinking that perhaps there is something to be learned from the methods successful college football coaches use to attract and retain top talent. I know a similar approach certainly worked for one student I met, and I have to believe there are many more who would respond to the same type of personal touch. It does not take a million dollars or a lengthy study to implement this approach. Think for a moment what changes may be possible if deans and university presidents adopted some of the strategies and tactics college coaches use and applied them to graduate studies programs.
Coaches constantly stress that there is no room for individual heroes.
I have been told that some academic communities are so divided by parochial interests that there is absolutely no sense of being an academic team a group of people actually committed to the process of developing scholars and faculty for the future. Imagine the energy that could be focused on educating graduate students if we focused on developing a sense of team academe. Perhaps it is time to begin putting a higher premium and reward on faculty performance that contributes to academic teamwork and teaching. The perceptions that a number of Ph.D. students have shared with me over the past year suggest that at some universities the environment is so focused on research and fundraising that there is little or no time devoted to student development. Every year millions of dollars are spent on tutorial services for student athletes.