'It was the best of times ...'

Source: Odessa American, TexasSept.儲存 27--With some humor and a dose of sincerity, an afternoon delving into the 40-year history of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin was told by those who lived it."We were known as the 'Princeton of the Plains,'" UTPB's third president, Duane Leach said from a chair on stage in the library lecture hall."Maybe we just called ourselves that," he deadpanned. He eked out amid the laughter: "It sounded good. It rolled off the tongue." About 150 people or so attended the 18th annual Presidents' Day convocation on Thursday afternoon.The focus of the talk was reflecting on the 40 years UTPB has been in existence in Odessa. Joining Leach was UTPB's fourth president Charles Sorber, founding faculty member Jim Olson, chair of the development board Frank Deaderick. Famous for radio show "The Sound of Texas," Tumbleweed Smith moderated the hour-long discussion. Current President David Watts introduced the panel."Like Dickens said, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a time of wisdom and of foolishness,'" Olson said. For many years, in a state of UTPB that was limited to juniors, senior and graduate students, there was a threat UTPB would close.Much credit was given to Sorber during his tenure from 1992 to 2001, and the construction of new buildings on campus; the library, the visual arts studio and student housing (beyond the trailers, which actually are still rented out today).In 1991, the university received four-year status."We wanted to create that environment. So it smelled like a university, looked like a university and tasted like a university. With the Mesa Building only, most people thought it was a prison," Sorber said.A change in UTPB's student body evolved during those times when much younger students were on campus, and faculty had to change their schedules to teach courses before 6 p.m."They迷你倉ve gotten younger. They've gotten taller," Olson said. "They're equally as bright and dedicated. Equally nice and interesting."The intangible that the panel could agree on is that UTPB -- in 1973 and still in 2013 -- is a place where people care."People recognize the importance in the community, to have an educated workforce," Deaderick said. "They care from the day you walk in and until the day you walk out."Sorber too, pointed to the advantage for students and parents of a smaller university in a non-urban setting."We don't have a Sixth Street. Well, we may now?" Sorber said with a smile. "Parents look for an opportunity for their children because the lack of diversion at college. It's not a disadvantage at all ... You don't have to take a number and sit in a hall. We do all kinds of things to make it easier for students."For Leach, several times described as eloquent by Smith during the question and answer session, the conversation circled back to a point he made in the first few minutes of the convocation."None of us have done anything alone in life. Remember that. We all stand on one another's shoulders. We're all indebted to one another. People got to care. We have no right to demand excellence if we don't demand it of ourselves," Leach said.Olson, in his final remarks, after 40 years finally (and definitely, Watts said not to worry) feels secure at UTPB. It's not going anywhere and he's not going to freak out."Plus there are too many buildings to make a prison," he said, launching one of the louder outbursts of laughter of the afternoon.Follow reporter Lindsay Weaver on Twitter @OAschools.--Contact Lindsay Weaver on twitter at @OAschools, on Facebook at OA Lindsay Weaver or call 432-333-7781.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at .oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存倉