Extra Credit

New scholarship aims to help first-generation students at UT Arlington

First-generation college sophomores at the University of Texas at Arlington will be able to access a new scholarship thanks to the newly established Shirlee J. and Taylor Gandy First Generation Scholarship Program.

A new $1 million endowment was established with the help of a $500,000 gift committed by the Gandys. Their gift aims to provide scholarships to sophomores who excel academically and who are the first in their families to attend college.

UTA sophomores will be selected for the scholarship based on merit and financial need. The Gandy’s gift was doubled in value through the university’s Maverick Match program, which leverages UTA’s natural gas royalties to encourage new donations.

Shirlee Gandy, president of RPM Commercial in Fort Worth, earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from UTA in 1970. She also serves on the university’s development board.

“I was the first in my family to graduate college, and at the time I did not realize the tremendous impact it would forever have on my life,” Shirlee Gandy said in a press release. “...We wanted to make this financial commitment to help first generation students achieve their goals.” 

Gandy said students can apply for the scholarship for their sophomore year plus the junior and senior years.

 “It’s not a one time thing,” she said, adding that she and her husband want to ease the burden of student debt for these students.

Gandy said the rising cost of tuition, housing and books can result in painful student debt.

Georgina Martinez, a 21-year-old first-generation college student, said she juggles her studies with two jobs. She also relies on UTA academic aid programs through the Maverick Promise to pay for tuition. She said it is a major effort to continue to find scholarships to pay school bills, but investment in higher education is key to a better future.

"Education is the way to go," Martinez said.

-Diane Smith

 

HKS Inc. CEO commits $1.5 million to UTA's School of Architecture

(Photo provided by UTA)

 

Ralph Hawkins, chairman and CEO of HKS Inc., and his wife, Susan, have committed $1.5 million to support the University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture. Part of the funds will be used to develop a strategic vision for the school's future, according to a press release issued by UTA.

Hawkins earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 1973 from UTA.

"I received a tremendous opportunity at UT Arlington, and I want others to share those opportunities," Hawkins said in the news release.

-Diane Smith

UT Arlington physicists thrilled by discovery of new particle at Geneva collider

Physicists at the University of Texas at Arlington celebrated the announcement this morning that an international research project in which they participate has discovered a new particle.

Scientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Geneva stopped short of claiming that the particle is the elusive Higgs boson, a theoretical particle that could explain where mass comes from, Bloomberg News reported.

“As a layman, I think I would say ‘we have it,’” CERN director Rolf-Dieter Heuer said at a news conference. It will take at least three to four years of research to fully understand the properties of the observed particle, Heuer said.

The announcement brings humankind closer to answering a millennia-old question that the ancient Greeks wrestled with: What is matter made of? The particle is a key to the Standard Model, a theory explaining how the universe is built, and its existence would help scientists gain a better understanding of how galaxies hold together. It also could open a door to exploring other parts of physics such as superparticles or dark matter that telescopes can’t detect.

The Center of Excellence for High Energy Physics at UT Arlington is part of the U.S. team contributing to the experiments, both in Switzerland and on campus, where it operates a massive computing center for the ATLAS project.

Kaushik De, director of the center, said the discovery is one of the biggest in 30 years in physics.

“Without the Higgs there would be no matter,” he said. “No stars, no planets. Only light would exist, and maybe some other unknown massless objects. Everything would move fast — at the speed of light. Nothing in the universe could move slower or faster. It would indeed be an unusual universe.”

The field that generates mass for objects is named for UK physicist Peter Higgs, who in the 1960s was one of the first scientists to outline a working theory on how elemental particles achieve mass.

Higgs was one of four of the theorists attending today’s meeting in Geneva. He wiped a tear from his eye as the findings were presented, Bloomberg News reported.

"For me, it’s really an incredible thing that it’s happened in my lifetime,” he said.

-Patrick M. Walker

UTA's College of Nursing reaccredited

Two nursing degree programs at the University of Texas at Arlington were reaccredited for 10 years by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Association. The university's bachelor of science and master of science each received the designation, according to a news release.  

The commission accredits higher education institutions and health care providers across the country by assessing the quality and integrity of their educational programs, according to the university. The new designation follows a three-day visit by evaluators in 2011.

“This is a major accomplishment,” said Elizabeth Poster, dean of The University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing. “The accreditation process was rigorous, and the results we achieved attest to the unsurpassed quality of our campus-based and online programs.”

-Diane Smith

Good morning from the White House conference at UT Arlington

The White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools and Communities is under way at the  University of Texas at Arlington.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will be the keynote speaker later this morning. UT Arlington President James Spaniolo led off by telling those in attendance that it is critical to provide safe and secure schools and communities for everyone in the community.

Spaniolo said campuses are the ideal places to exchange information and ideas while searching for common ground.

"College campuses are where people of all walks of life can find acceptance and can express their views freely," he said.

Thomas Anable, president of Fairness Ft. Worth, welcomed participants while explaining how difficult it was for him to find resources for gay people during his college years. During his days at UT Arlington, there were no resources or people to turn for advice or knowledge.

While times have changed, the need to address bullying in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth community is a top concern.

"We must do the right thing and protect all students," Anable said.

-Diane Smith @dianestar

-Patrick  M. Walker @patrickmwalker1

#whlgbt

 

At UT Arlington, it's not brain surgery -- but close

From peewee to pros, the U.S. sports culture has become hard-headed about concussions.

Being knocked silly is no longer silly. Getting your bell rung means facing the music — or at least the head trainer — not sneaking back onto the field when the coach isn’t looking.

The days of a woozy player running around on autopilot, oblivious of the action, aren't completely over, to be sure. But a conference this weekend at the University of Texas at Arlington aims to share the latest concussion research with doctors, coaches, athletic trainers and even parents — including how to better spot incapacitated athletes and ensure that they remain safely on the sidelines until they are fully healed.

Conference organizer Jacob Resch, an assistant professor of kinesiology at UT Arlington, is leading a long-term study on young athletes in North Texas. He and researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Resources have recorded baseline measurements for every middle and high school athelete at Pantego Christian Academy and the DeSoto school district. When one of the athletes suffers a concussion, the researchers compare test results with the baseline data, and work to ensure that the student is fully recovered before he or she resumes contact.

The conference begins at 6 p.m. Friday with a keynote address by former Cowboys fullback Daryl “Moose” Johnston, now an NFL broadcaster for Fox Sports. Leading experts from around the country will present topics Saturday, including four lab demonstrations in the afternoon.

Registration must be done in advance. Find out more here.

-Patrick M. Walker

Tickets now available for Jeb Bush appearance at UT Arlington

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will close out this year's Maverick Speakers Series with an appearance March 23 at the sparkling new College Park Center.

The University of Texas at Arlington made tickets available at 10 a.m. today for Bush's lecture on "Achieving Excellence in Education." You can get them here.

Bush, whose appearance will coincide with the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES) symposium, heads the Foundation for Excellence in Education. His ideas are stirring national debate.

The son of the nation's 41st president and brother of its 43rd takes the podium at 8 p.m., and audience members will have a chance to ask questions after his remarks.

-Patrick M. Walker

 

 

About that UT Arlington student who wants to bring mass transit to Arlington

By now you've probably heard the buzz created by UT Arlington freshman Anthia Meme with her drive to bring mass transit to the city. Here's a little about how it all began:

"My political science teacher was telling us how Arlington is the biggest city in the United States that doesn't have public transportation," the 18-year-old nursing major recalled. "In my head, I'm thinking, 'That's ridiculous.' So I started a petition right after that."

She started the petition in late January on the advocacy website www.change.org. Her goal was to collect 500 signatures and present them to the City Council. Within two weeks, she had gathered more than 700. (She's now at 833.)

Now she's planning to meet with local public transportation advocates and a business group to work up a detailed plan and funding possibilities to bolster her eventual council presentation.

"It's crazy," she said. "I'm a freshman. I never planned to start a revolution, but I'm glad it's getting so far."

The Houston native is putting fresh eyes and energy on an issue that has simmered for decades in Arlington and at times been hotly debated. Voters have rejected proposals for bus or rail service three times since 1980, most recently in 2002.

Read more here and don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section.

-Patrick M. Walker

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