Extra Credit

Good luck Texas Rangers from the students in Fort Worth

The excitement for the first game of the AL Division Series at tonight has everyone seeing Ranger red, white and blue. J.P. Elder Middle School relaxed its dress code today allowing students to wear shirts supporting the team. Here are the north Fort Worth kiddos throwing up their "claws" and "antlers" sending out good vibes to the Rangers.

(Photo courtesy of J.P. Elder Middle School principal James Garcia)

-Eva-Marie Ayala

 

New endowed professorship honors Fort Worth physicist

Fort Worth physicist and businessman Richard N. Claytor is being honored with the creation of a new endowed distinguish professorship at the University of Texas at Arlington.

The professorship will be funded by a $500,000 endowment established through a gift from Nelson E. Claytor, Richard Clatyor's son.

Richard Claytor founded Fresnal Technologies Inc., which manufactures molded plastic lenses and optical components.

Nelson Claytor and Fresnel Technologies committed $250,000 to create the distinguished professorship in UTA's Physics Department. The gift was matched by UTA's Maverick Match program.

-Diane Smith

Couple pledges $1 million toward UT Arlington's College Park Center

"Petsche Court."

That's what the home floor of the UT Arlington men's and women's basketball teams will be called after a pair of alumni committed $1 million to the new College Park Center events venue that opens early next year.

Alan and Bonnie Smith Petsche chose to support the $78 million project because of the role UT Arlington has played in their lives and the impact that the venue will play in the downtown area, the university said in a news release.

The UT Arlington men’s and women’s basketball teams are expected to take to Petsche Court for the first time Feb. 1 against UT San Antonio.

“This moves the university up to the next level,” Alan Petsche said. “You have to have something to rally around, and I think the basketball program can be a center of the UT Arlington experience.”

Alan Petsche earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from UT Arlington in 1980. Bonnie Smith Petsche earned her BBA from in 1986. Mr. Petsche is the former chief operating officer for A.E. Petsche Co., an aerospace distribution company that his family sold to Arrow Electronics in 2009.

Alan Petsche recently acquired the historic Candlelite Inn on East Division Street near Cowboys Stadium and is refurbishing it with plans to reopen with the original menu soon. An avid musician, he also plans to open an instrument rental business downtown and a separate studio that he said will be suitable for symphony-quality musical recordings.

During college, Petsche joined a popular local band, The Pengwins, as lead guitarist. UT Arlington was also where he met his wife at a Sigma Nu fraternity party, he said.

Bonnie Smith Petsche said her UT Arlington education, including her service through the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, was a life-shaping opportunity.

“I was the first person in my family to go to college, and I was truly blessed to have a four-year university in this community,” she said.

-Patrick M. Walker 

U.S. senators worry too many veterans' education benefits are going to for-profit colleges

Several U.S. senators released figures showing that the top 10 recipients of Post 9-11-G.I. Bill education benefits include eight for-profit colleges with troubling success rates.

"The Post-9-11 G.I. Bill education benefits is intended to be a gateway to opportunity for those who have bravely served our country, but I am concerned that many of those who use their one-time benefit at a for-profit college are being denied the chance to get a good education and begin a fulfilling career" said Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA. "We need to step up oversight of veterans' education benefits to ensure that these brave me and women receive the quality education they deserve."

Among issues that raised concerns upon analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs were:

The cost to taxpayers to send a veteran to a for-profit school is more than double the cost of a public university education: $10,900 versus $4,900.

Of the 10 educational institutions collecting the most V.A. benefits, eight are for-profit schools. Those eight have collected $1 billion last - 24 percent of all benefits.

Of the eight for-profit colleges receiving the most G.I. Bill funds, a combined 409,437 students withdrew from degree programs within one year of enrolling.

To find out more about the senators' analysis, check out this committee document.

-Diane Smith

Tarrant County College fall enrollment was up 1.9 percent

Tarrant County College's fall headcount continued to grow, according to recent figures released by the college district. Total credit enrollment was 50,062 students on the district's five campuses. 

The new Trinity River East Campus helped bring a 32.4 percent increase from last year for the downtown campuses. The headcount for the Trinity River East and Trinity River campuses was 7,229 students. The growth was attributed to the relocation of the nursing program from the South Campus and some of the Allied Health Programs from the Northeast Campus in Hurst.

The move caused a 3.2 percent dip in enrollment at the South Campus, which listed a headcount of 12,123 students. The Northeast Campus experienced a 2.4 percent dip with 17,032 students listed.

TCC's Northwest Campus experienced a 1.8 percent increase. Enrollment on that campus was listed at 13,669 students. Southeast campus in Arlington listed 14,945 students. That was a 1.7 percent increase from last fall, according to TCC.

-Diane Smith

State approves new charter school for Deion Sanders group

The State Board of Education on Friday approved an application for a charter school project planned by former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders and Metroplex business leaders.

The Prime Prep Academy is to open for the 2012-2013 school year with students in kindergarten through grade six and eventually expand to grade 12, officials have said.

The board approved eight new open enrollment charter schools at a meeting in Austin on Friday.

Sanders is working with Uplift Fort Worth, a Dallas-Fort Worth group, to launch the school.

Jessamy Brown

 

State grant dollars helped equip TCC's new downtown campus

 

TCC Nursing students train in a hospital setting.

 (Photo from Star-Telegram archives)

 

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs witnessed state grant dollars in action during a visit to the Trinity River East Campus. Nursing students train at the Learning In Virtual Environment - replicated hospital rooms with computerized manikins - purchased with the help of state dollars.

A $276,494 grant helped pay for some of the computerized "patients" that allow nurses to practice procedures. Among the manikins are some that replicate a mother, a newborn and a 5-year-old child.

The 148,000-square-foot center, at Belknap and Calhoun streets, is used by students concentrating on health professions such as nursing, physical therapy, respiratory care and radiology.

"Fantastic," Combs said of the TCC facility. "Absolutely, overwhelmingly fantastic."

The grant money is part of the state's Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) funds. That money aims to help fill the need for skilled workers in key area such as health care. In the last two years, $10 million in grants to fund training equipment have been awarded to 39 college districts.

To find out more: http://everychanceeverytexan.org

-Diane Smith

 

Tarleton credits enrollment gains to student-tailored communications

Freshmen enrollment at Tarleton State University continues to be strong. (See recent Star-Telegram report on fall 2011 enrollment).

Tarleton's freshmen class increased by 19 percent in fall 2010 and 7 percent this fall. The fall 2011 headcount is 1,577. 

Denise Groves, dean of enrollment management at Tarleton, credits enrollment gains to their efforts to build relationships with prospective students using targeted communications. The school customizes their message to potential students via email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

This allows the university to talk to students about their interests and majors. For example, this year the university worked with the marching band to recruit student musicians and as a result the school has the largest marching band.

Tarleton is also working to target honor students with the same strategy.

Groves said their tailored approach was recently recognized with the 2011 Marketing-Recruitment Excellence Award at the National Conference on Student Recruitment, Marketing and Retention. 

A one-on-one approach allows students to better assess if they are a good fit with a university, Groves said.

-Diane Smith

Mansfield school district joins program that pays $40 for anonymous tips on truant students

The Mansfield school district  is ready to receive truancy tips from the community through a new area Crime Stoppers program that pays a $40 reward to residents for information.
 
At the start of the 2011-12 school year, the Arlington Police Department and the Arlington school district launched an incentive program funded by Safe City Commission to help stop truancy.
 
On  Monday, the Mansfield school district began participating in the program, called "You Earn, They Learn. Stop Truancy."

More information here.

-Patrick M. Walker

TCC's Joe Hudson starts new chapter

Tarrant County College Trustee Joe Hudson, who campaigned for more transparency and accountability in spending while speaking out against the construction of the new downtown campus, stepped down from the board to pursue other interests. See the Star-Telegram story.

But Hudson said Friday the move doesn't mark an end to his interest in politics. Hudson, who previously served two terms as an Arkansas State representative, said he might turn up in other political circles. He didn't elaborate further.

Politics often takes center stage in Hudson's role as professor of American and Texas government at North Lake College in Irving.

Hudson's resignation was announced Thursday in a news release by the Tarrant County College District. Hudson, a business analyst from Bedford, was first elected to the board in 2008. 

"I felt I had accomplished what I promised my constituents I would do," Hudson said, adding that he wanted to fight backdoor politics and bring transparency to college dealings.

Some of Hudson's goals weren't possible. For example, he wanted to require a super majority vote on the board when considering high-dollar projects. But after exploring the issue with the Texas Attorney General's office, but he was told that wasn't possible.

Hudson said he believes he helped make information more available to the public.

"If the public is paying attention then they have a role to play," he said.

Hudson said he has put his Northeast Tarrant home on the market and will try to find a new house closer to his wife's work - possibly in Irving.

-Diane Smith