UNDER THE RADAR with Host Frank Fear Frank Fear

Dennis (Denny) Brown had a fabulous career spanning multiple pursuits. He was a star high school athlete, an All-Big Ten quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines, a UM assistant coach, WVU Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach, Arizona State Defensive Coordinator, high school head coach and administrator, and U of Michigan assistant athletic director. Denny Brown was a difference-maker no matter what he did or where he did it. Mentored along the way by giants of the game--including Bump Elliot, Bo Schembechler, and Don Nehlen--Denny Brown helped elevate average programs, and he transformed successful programs into great ones.

Denny Brown, difference-maker.



Cover photo of Brown in 1981 as WVU DC, courtesy of Denny Brown and Scott (Dave) Voithofer.

We are pleased today to welcome Christopher Snyder, professor of history and founding dean of Mississippi State’s Honor College, who is joining us from the University of Oxford, where he is a visiting research fellow and working on a book manuscript associated with today’s topic.

Professor Snyder will speak today on the principles of a liberal arts education, drawing in his talk on an article published by Inside Higher Education in October 2023, entitled, A Liberal Arts Education in Name Only. The article is a response to administrative actions being taken across the country that are remaking what it means to use the words higher education, college, university, and what a college education is for. Too much is at stake to permit this trend to continue.

We are also pleased to welcome discussant Adrian Lenardic, professor in the Department of Earth, Environment, and Planetary Sciences at Rice University, who has written extensively on neoliberal influences in higher education and is a frequent contributor to Future U.  Also offering commentary today are Ruben Martinez, professor and director emeritus, Michigan State University and founder of FutureU; and Nathan Rousseau and Lewis (Terry Dibble), professor and senior lecturer, respectively, at Indiana University Purdue University Columbus. 

Today's forum is hosted and produced by Frank A. Fear, Michigan State University professor emeritus and FutureU's Managing Editor.

Follow FutureU: Conversations about Values and Change in Higher Education.

The Forum was taped on Friday, November 24, 2023.

Taped on September 12, 2023

Moundsville promo

In 2020, I referred to Samuel H. Johnson as a Renaissance Person. By that, I mean a person with wide-ranging interests/knowledge who draws on both attributes to create new and valuable things for public consumption. That description fits Sam to a "T." He has been a radio host, award-winning public TV producer, Hollywood actor, activist, trailblazing Federal staff writer, and (in retirement) a novelist and author of children's books. His ability to pivot from one endeavor to another--and do each well--is one reason (among many) why I hold Sam in high regard. Today, Sam discusses his personal background, including the impact of his collegiate years at Miami University (Ohio). He then talks about his book writing projects (two in particular), The Cherokee and the Slave (2013) and Gabriel's Favorite Angel (2018), before focusing on the centerpiece of today's program, HBCUs The Living Legacies, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (2022). (All three books are available on Amazon.com.) I know you will enjoy getting to know Samuel H. Johnson. (⁠You can read my review of his HBCU book here⁠.)

The title of this episode was written by today's guest, Jim Holland. The words are drawn from the end of his memorable autobiography, My Fortunate Detour: Making a Right Turn into a Baseball Career Among the Mountains of West Virginia. The book describes how Holland made a "fortunate detour" from a general business career into an executive management career in minor league baseball. In one sense, his is a baseball book. But as my recent book review emphasized, it's about that and much more. The autobiography tells us much about Jim Holland and what makes him tick, and I found the sports-personal narrative connection incredibly appealing. I hope you will too. You can purchase Jim's book at ⁠⁠⁠Amazon.com with Kindle and paperback options available.⁠



Cover photo: Jim Holland's photo as enshrined in the Appalachian League Hall of Fame (2019), lauded (among other things) for serving as General Manager of the Princeton, WV Appalachian League franchise for 24 years, earning the League's Award of Promotional Excellence five times, and being named Appalachian League Executive of the Year in 1993.