DALLAS (AP) — Jeans, flip-flops, sneakers, T-shirts, sweats. These define the college student wardrobe, right?
Not at Paul Quinn College. Not anymore.
A closely monitored, “business casual” dress code that came in with new President Michael Sorrell is part of makeover he’s driving at the beleaguered institution, which calls itself the oldest historically black college in Texas.
Named president in October after serving as the school’s interim leader since March, Sorrell quickly ordered the dress code for students and made class attendance mandatory.
And there were other changes. In football-crazy Texas, he even decided to save $600,000 a year by cutting the football program and, he chuckles, “lived to tell.”
The charismatic 40-year-old Sorrell — a lawyer, businessman and political consultant — admittedly lacks the traditional academic background of a college administrator. But he is winning converts among the student body, who say his full-speed-ahead approach to fixing Paul Quinn is just what the school needs.
“Some students say he is just trying to do this for publicity,” said Kenneth Boston, the student government president. “Go sit down and talk with him one-on-one. Get to know him. Then you will understand what he is doing and why he is doing it.”
