Surviving As A Socially Progressive University

By John Bilorusky

John Bilorusky is a co-founder of WISR, a longtime OPEN EXCHANGE lister offering innovative BA and MA programs in Psychology, Social Sciences, Human Services and Community Development. See WISR's listing in our Schools & Certifications category.

In 1975, I was one of four youthful academicians who had previously taught in both conventional and not-so-conventional universities who founded a tiny alternative university, the Western Institute for Social Research (WISR) in Berkeley.

We came of age during the 60s and were committed to creating an alternative, degree-granting (BA, MA and PhD) institution that would provide personalized instruction and a multicultural learning community, along with opportunities for our mature adult students to use their studies to contribute to their practical community involvements and social change commitments. During the 70s, many others created alternative institutions, some of them universities, but unfortunately, many of these alternatives did not survive, and some that did survive gradually lost, over the years, their creative and alternative edge. Thirty-one years later, WISR is still thriving, as a small but vibrant experiment, and with many distinguished and creative professionals and community leaders among our students and alumni.

In reflecting on the past 31 years, I realize that we have chosen some paths of institutional development and survival that have contributed to our vitality:

• Our educational methods are flexible and open-ended, but our administrative practices are well-structured and very thorough. Organized filing systems, good record-keeping, and obsessive-compulsive bookkeeping and financial practices are not antithetical to being "alternative."
• We have never tried to grow too fast, nor have we opted to develop new programs just to bring in money; and instead, we have consistently focused on providing high quality education consistent with our distinctive mission and purposes.
• By not growing too fast, we have not overcommitted our budget to new faculty and staff before we knew we could pay them.
• We have been cautious in recruiting Board members and new faculty members, and although we have considerable diversity, these key members of our institution understand our mission very well and are committed to it.
• Because of their commitments to WISR, we have very little turnover among faculty and Board—so there is long-term continuity and stability. Students and alumni contribute new ideas that help us to stretch ourselves and extend our visions of what's possible.
• Because of our distinctive qualities, we are able to attract highly talented paid and volunteer faculty, as well as Board members, who contribute wisdom, energy and expertise to our efforts.
• We consciously strive to economize with administrative expenses and overhead, so that most money goes directly to the cost of instruction and those activities central to our educational mission. We are therefore able to keep our tuition low, more affordable, and still allow the institution to survive financially and provide high quality education to our students.

I came of age at a time when many of my contemporaries said, "never trust anyone over 30." Now, I am 60 and WISR is "over 30"—but not only can WISR be trusted, there are perhaps some lessons to be learned in thinking about how WISR has not only survived but grown "old" gracefully and continues to be an exciting, dynamic alternative with a deeply rooted integrity.