September 2011
1 post
5 tags
Texas State alum named chancellor of A&M System
John Sharp has been named chancellor of The Texas A&M University System.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Texas A&M in 1972 and a master’s degree in public administration from Texas State University in 1976.
“I am truly honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead this great university system,” said Sharp. “This is truly a dream come true.”
A...
August 2011
3 posts
4 tags
Shields' outdoor adventure business an Austin...
Texas State University alumnus Robert Shields, owner of Hill Country Bob Recreation, says he has found a way to “play for a living.”
His Austin-based business offers outdoor adventures such as rock climbing, canoeing, mountain biking, tree camping, tubing and caving.
The 27-year-old Shields, who has a degree in recreation administration from Texas State, is a guide with Cypress...
3 tags
Cavitt receives Teaching Award of Honor
Texas State University professor Mary Ellen Cavitt has been named the recipient of the 2011 Teaching Award of Honor. Cavitt is a professor of music education and the director of graduate studies in music at Texas State University.
This prestigious award, given annually by the Texas State Alumni Association, recognizes, encourages and rewards superior Texas State classroom teachers. Texas State...
6 tags
Kneis crowned Miss Tip of South Texas
Tasha Kneis, a Texas State University alumna and a debate teacher at Harlingen High School South, was crowned Miss Tip of South Texas at a pageant Saturday.
“I am very excited; it was a big surprise,” Kneis says.
Kneis, 25, is now preparing to compete in the Miss Texas pageant, to be held Sept. 3 in Houston. She said she competed in pageants as a teenager in Harlingen, but considers herself a...
July 2011
6 posts
3 tags
Clark starts Floyd Medical Center residency
Texas State alumnus Tim Clark is one of eight physicians to have joined Floyd Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency program. Clark earned his Bachelor of Science in biology from Texas State and his medical doctorate from Ross University School of Medicine, Dominica, West Indies. He resides in Rome.
Established in 1976, the Floyd Family Medicine Residency program provides three years...
5 tags
Slocum to head New Life Children's Center
Texas State University alumnus Robert “Bob” Slocum was recently named chief executive officer of the New Life Children’s Center, a nonprofit residential treatment facility in Canyon Lake, Texas.
New Life, operating under the umbrella of Lutheran Social Services, treats girls aged 11-17 with severe emotional and behavioral problems resulting from past abuse and neglect.
“New Life...
4 tags
Harper gets a new beat in Jacksonville
The Jacksonville Daily Progress in Jackson, Texas, welcomed Texas State University graduate Faith Harper to its news department earlier this month.
Harper, who lives in Bullard, says she is glad to be working in an area connected to her past.
“I grew up down the road, and spent a large portion of my childhood in Jacksonville,” she says. “I can’t believe what a great opportunity. I am...
3 tags
Valdivia takes entrepreneurship to new depths in...
As a young entrepreneur, Texas State grad Jaime Valdivia says business is going along swimmingly.
Valdivia owns Blue Lagoon Aquariums, based in Victoria, Texas. The company, which he started on his own 10 years ago, cleans and maintains about 150 aquariums a month, located in homes and offices such as the tank in Crossroads Title Company (pictured).
Valdivia got his start in the aquarium...
5 tags
Tobias to coach at San Marcos Academy
Texas State University graduate Anthony Tobias, who retired from a 32-year coaching career in May, is back in the game as a new member of the coaching staff at San Marcos Academy.
Tobias, who graduated from San Marcos High School in 1974 before earning his bachelor’s degree from Texas State, will serve as an assistant coach for varsity football and baseball.
“Coach Tobias is another...
3 tags
Colleen Dean profiled in San Antonio Business...
Texas State University alumna Colleen Dean was recently profiled by the San Antonio Business Journal.
The Victoria native, who used her fashion merchandising bachelor’s degree as a springboard into a successful business career, now handles private wealth management for J.P. Morgan in San Antonio.
She shared her journey through job transitions as well as her thoughts on financial planning,...
June 2011
6 posts
3 tags
Jarrell honored by memorial bridge in Humble
Bevil Jarrell, a Texas State alumnus, was a longtime educator whose influence spanned a generation. This month, the Bevil Jarrell Memorial Bridge, spanning the San Jacinto River, was dedicated in his honor in his native Humble.
After serving in World War II, Jarrell attended Texas State. At the conclusion of his studies, he returned home and became a teacher and coach in the Humble Independent...
3 tags
Brinckmeyer named Lowell Mason Fellow
The National Association for Music Education (MENC) named Dr. Lynn M. Brinckmeyer, an associate professor of music and the director of Choral Music Education at Texas State University, as one of three Lowell Mason Fellows for the year. She will be formally recognized in a June 26 ceremony during MENC’s 2011 Music Education Week in Washington, DC.
Brinckmeyer teaches graduate and...
4 tags
Bobcats rise in education ranks
Texas State University graduates are gaining prominence as leaders and administrators in Central Texas schools.
The Pflugerville school board appointed Reese Weirich (pictured) to be promoted to principal at Murchison Elementary School, where she has served as assistant principal since 2007.
Weirich began her career in education in 1998. She has worked as a teacher, coach and assistant...
4 tags
Gonzalez named Principal of the Year
Spring Independent School District recently recognized Texas State alumna Leticia Gonzalez as its 2011 Elementary Principal of the Year. She is the principal of Milton Cooper Elementary in Houston, Texas.
Gonzalez has worked in education for the past 30 years. After graduating from Texas State University in 1980 with a degree in elementary education and certification in bilingual education, she...
2 tags
Mottet moves from UTPA to Texas State
Dr. Timothy Mottet will return to Texas State University this July as the new dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication. Mottet will replace long-time dean and faculty member Richard Cheatham.
Mottet was a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies from 1998 to 2007. During his time at Texas State, he received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Service in 2005, ...
maribby19 asked: Can you be living on your own to be eligible for the Bobcat Promise?
May 2011
8 posts
Patterson Named TGA President Elect
The Texas Glass Association (TGA) announced that Deron Patterson, a sales development manager of PPG Industries, was elected president elect of the 2011-2012 board of directors. Patterson earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas State University and his master’s degree in theological studies degree from Southern Methodist University.
Patterson entered the glass business...
5 tags
Asiabanpour receives faculty award from SME
Dr. Bahram Asiabanpour, a professor in Texas State University’s Ingram School of Engineering, has received the inaugural Faculty Advisor Professional Development Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Asiabanpour, a faculty advisor for the student chapter of SME at Texas State, received an award of $1,000 to be used in support of professional development.
The SME...
4 tags
Dave Parsons named Texas Poet Laureate
Texas State University alumnus David M. Parsons was named the Poet Laureate of Texas for 2011.
Parsons grew up in Austin and joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from high school. As a Texas State student, he majored in business and minored in physical education.
Throughout his career endeavors - as a small business owner, teacher and high school coach - he wrote poetry, and...
4 tags
Phillips earns Dow Jones News Fund internship
Jarod Phillips, a graduating senior at Texas State University, has been selected for a prestigious Dow Jones New Fund internship during the summer of 2011. He was one of 10 students nationwide to be awarded a DJNF multimedia internship.
The multimedia interns will be trained at Western Kentucky University by Dr. Pam Johnson. After training, Phillips will work for a minimum of 10 weeks as a paid...
3 tags
Terri Teinert receives 2011 Leading Light Award
Texas State University alumna Terri Teinert received the 2011 Leading Light Award, a national award for customer service.
The award, given by Professional Research Consultants, a national health care research company in Omaha, Neb., recognizes a person for their dedication to promoting excellence in customer service.
As the director of customer service at Valley Baptist Health System, Teinert...
3 tags
Ryan Beaver headlines Ft. Worth music festival
Rising Texas music star Ryan Beaver will headline the Impossible Possibilities’ third annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival on March 12, 2011, in Ft. Worth.
Beaver, a native of Emory, is a 2006 business graduate of Texas State University-San Marcos. His debut album is the 2008 release Under the Neons. His sophomore record, Constant, was released in February.
Read a Q & A with Beaver at...
4 tags
Pat Hawthorne elected to LLAMA leadership
The Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), a division of the American Library Association, has elected Pat Hawthorne as vice president/ president-elect for 2011-2012. Hawthorne is the director of research and learning services for the Albert B. Alkek Library at Texas State University-San Marcos, a position she started in April 2010.
“I was fortunate to find a home in...
4 tags
Dr. Richard Boehm featured in AIT's Technos
Dick Boehm, director of the Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education at Texas State University-San Marcos, is a well-known educator in the area of geographic studies. As a long-time consultant for geography curricula, he was recently interviewed by the Agency for Instructional Technology and featured in the online magazine, Technos.
Boehm has received numerous awards for his work in...
April 2011
6 posts
4 tags
Kevin Garrity named president of HollisterStier...
Kevin Garrity, a graduate of the McCoy College of Business Administration at Texas State University-San Marcos, has been named the president of HollisterStier Allergy.
HollisterStier Allergy, a leading manufacturer of products for the testing and treatment of allergies, is headquartered in Spokane, Washington.
Garrity has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including 15...
Sister entrepreneurs market beauty and brains
Sisters Taylor and Hailey Brandt, both graduates of Texas State University, have put their heads together to offer online retail therapy to the MD crowd.
The two have launched an e-commerce website, www.thegirldoc.com, targeted at women medical doctors.
Taylor Brandt, who is finishing her residency in internal medicine, claims the product development role in the start-up while Hailey Brandt is...
5 tags
Jeanes cast in next 'Transformers' film
Texas State grad Don Jeanes has been cast as Neil Armstrong in the upcoming film Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Jeanes graduated from Texas State in 2003 with a degree in marketing from McCoy College of Business Administration. After spending one year in the marketing industry, he moved to New York and started working as an off-Broadway actor. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he has found...
4 tags
Till works with Social Media Club students
Hillary Till, a 2010 public relations graduate from Texas State University-San Marcos, is the new student chapter liaison for Social Media Club.
She oversees the success of university Social Media Club chapters and will work with the organization’s board of directors to establish mentoring programs and develop student training resources.
“Not only do I have a passion for social...
4 tags
O'Connor profiled for healthcare administrator...
Courtney O’Connor is the new administrator for Golden Age Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation and Maple Grove Assisted Living Center in Centerville, Iowa. The Texas State University-San Marcos alumna has a degree in health care administration. Following graduation she worked in San Antonio before moving to Des Moines, Iowa.
Read the Daily Iowegian’s profile of O’Connor here.
4 tags
Heiman speaks with The Guardian about acting
Jesse Heiman was recently crowned the “Most Important Actor of Our Generation” by the blog Hypervocal.
Heiman, who graduated from Texas State University-San Marcos with an English degree in 2000, has appeared as a background actor in more than 50 films and television shows.
The Guardian, a London-based newspaper, interviewed Heiman about his acting career and the viral popularity of...
March 2011
6 posts
4 tags
Whitman named DPS Assistant Director
Texas State University alumnus Hank Whitman has been named assistant director of the Department of Public Safety for the State of Texas.
In his new role, Whitman will oversee the Texas Rangers. He has served in many roles with the DPS since joining the force in 1990.
“I’m humbled to have been selected to lead this outstanding group of men and women. I will continue to strive to maintain the...
Carifio rescues high school music program
Alexia Carifio, a graduate of the music education master’s program at Texas State University-San Marcos, is working to safeguard music education.
Carifio, the band director at San Luis High School in San Luis, Arizona, said the school was on the verge of canceling its music education program when she was hired in 2007. This year, for the first time in the school’s history, the SLHS...
4 tags
Bobcat blogs to buy a Buick
Tony Zamora, a senior at Texas State University, is blogging for a Buick.
Inspired by other online fundraising success stories, the McAllen, Texas, native hopes to purchase a Buick Lacrosse with help from online donations made through a widget on his blog, Tony’s Ride to College.
“I have seen the power and generosity of people coming together on the Internet to make dreams come...
4 tags
Alumna, volunteer memorialized by City of San...
Gwen Smith, a Texas State University alumna and a lifelong volunteer, has been memorialized by the City of San Marcos for her efforts to improve the lives of her fellow citizens.
The Gwen K. Smith Fountain, erected by the Heritage Association of San Marcos and the River Walk Park Committee, was dedicated Friday, March 18, in Veramendi Plaza’s Memorial Grove in San Marcos. Association members...
5 tags
Crawford to head Brownwood EDC
Emily Crawford has been recommended by Brownwood City Manager Bobby Rountree to be hired as the executive director for the city’s Economic Development Corporation. She will begin her duties April 4, 2011.
Crawford is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Texas State University-San Marcos. She previously worked with the Texas Recreational Vehicle Association in Austin and the Brownwood Chamber of...
4 tags
Alumna celebrates 100 years, 50 spent teaching
Allie Dezelle has seen it all. The retired teacher, and the oldest known alumna of Texas State University-San Marcos, celebrated her 100th birthday this month.
Dezelle declared that her life “is more fun now than ever.”
Born in 1912 in Stockdale, Texas, Dezelle started working as a Forth Worth school teacher when she was just 17 years old. She later graduated from Texas State - then Southwest...
February 2011
7 posts
3 tags
Student regents defend higher education funding
Texas State senior Chris Covo, who serves as the student regent for The Texas State University System, co-authored an editorial piece defending state funding for higher education. The editorial appeared in the Feb. 23 edition of the Austin American-Statesman and was written by Covo and student regents for The University of Houston System, The Texas A&M University System and The Texas Tech...
3 tags
Felson consulted on Australian 'super schools'
Texas State University criminal justice professor Marcus Felson argues that large schools put more problem students together and make it difficult to supervise behavior.
The issue is being discussed nationally in Australia as so-called “super schools,” with student capacities in the thousands, are opening in the state of South Australia.
Professor Felson, whose research was...
3 tags
Akiwumi finds water solutions with cultural...
Fenda Akiwumi, a Texas State alumna and a professor of geography at the University of South Florida, is studying ways to make water more accessible to rural villages in Africa through her work with UNESCO and the National Science Foundation. Her work integrates the scientific study of water resource management and local community views of water resources.
“Water is life itself and a human...
5 tags
Texas State poet Kathleen Peirce gives reading in...
Poet and Texas State University professor Kathleen Peirce will read from her work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, for Washington University’s writing program in arts and sciences.
Peirce is the author of four books of poems: Mercy (1991), Divided Touch, Divided Color (1995), The Oval Hour (1999) and The Ardors (2004).
Her numerous awards include the Associated Writing Programs Prize, The...
2 tags
Pflugerville hires Texas State grad to head parks
Amy Atkins, a two-time Texas State graduate, was promoted by the City of Pflugerville to be the city’s new parks and recreation director.
Atkins served as Pflugerville’s assistant director of parks and recreation starting in 1998 and filled in as interim parks director starting in August 2010. As assistant director, Atkins helped implement the department’s $2.9 million annual budget,...
2 tags
Anna Irion ('03) joins top energy industry law...
Texas State alumna Anna R. Irion has joined the the global law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP as the firm expands its Oil and Gas Practice Group. As a top energy industry firm, Thompson & Knight is proud to have one of the largest groups of attorneys in the nation who focus their practice exclusively on oil and gas matters.
“Thompson & Knight is one of the only large U.S. law firms...
McKinnon appointed Interim VP for Advancement at...
Ted McKinnon has been selected to serve as Interim Vice President for University Advancement at Texas State University-San Marcos, effective Feb. 1, 2011.
McKinnon earned his bachelor of science in education degree from Texas State University in 1972. He worked for the American Cancer Society, where he led the state in percent of increase in funds raised. He also developed and conducted a cancer...
January 2011
4 posts
Chancellor McCall named alumnus of the year
Brian McCall, a former state representative and the current chancellor of The Texas State University System, was named the 2010 Arts and Humanities Distinguished Alumnus of the Year at the University of Texas at Dallas last month.
McCall was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1991 to 2010, representing North Dallas, Frisco, Allen and Plano. He received his doctorate in...
Boulanger launches new play for FronteraFest
Texas State alum John Boulanger has written a new play for the Austin fringe theatre festival, FronteraFest. “A Writer’s Vision(s)” will be performed Jan. 21, 22, 28 and 30 at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre.
Read the write-up on “Vision(s)” in the Austin American-Statesman.
Texas State grad named VP and COO of Victory...
Kenneth Hill, a graduate of Texas State University, has been named the new vice president and chief operating officer of Victory Energy Corporation.
As vice president and chief operating officer at Victory Energy, Hill will take on the leadership role of managing operations for the company, overseeing contract negotiations, field oversight and administration. The company has a new office in...
Texas State Graduate becomes CEO in newly merged...
Effective Jan. 4, Doral Energy Corp. and Pure Energy Group have merged to create Cross Border Resources Inc. It is an oil and gas company that owns rights to more than 800,000 gross mineral and lease acres within New Mexico.
The Cross Border Resources Inc. management team will include Texas State University graduate Everett Willard Gray II, Mark Stark and Lawrence J. Risley. Everett Willard Gray...
December 2010
4 posts
1 tag
Free printing from laptops
Windows-based laptops, connected anywhere on campus to the Texas State encrypted wireless network, can send documents to printers in the Alkek Library 4th floor Computer Lab.
First, the correct print driver must be downloaded and installed on the laptop from the ITAC Wireless Printer Setup web page. Then print jobs can be released and picked up outside the Alkek 4th floor computer lab.
...
Glass Bottom Boats
Texas State University-San Marcos operates Aquarena Center, a 90-acre nature preserve, educational center and research facility at the headwaters of the San Marcos River. Since 1946 the glass bottom boat tours at Aquarena Center have given people an “in-depth” look at the wildlife and beauty of the river. As the boats glide across the crystal waters of Spring Lake, riders can view...
Texas State Ornaments
Texas State University releases a custom ornament each December. Designs from 2008, 2009 and 2010 are available, as well as holiday greeting cards with Texas State artwork by Clemente Guzman III. Order online or purchase in person at the Office of University Marketing, JCK 860, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.