From TCU’s new mural in Sundance Square to sharing expertise on officer-involved shootings and the term “happy holidays,” TCU is in the news.
INSTITUTIONAL
Dec. 26, 2023
Fort Worth Business Press
Not that folks need another reason to visit Sundance Square, but Ƶ
has given us one – and a pretty impressive one at that. TCU unveiled a 96-by-90-foot
mural in Sundance Square. Designed by Trevor Scott ’22, a graduate of the graphic design program, the mural features the message “Fort Worth,
Home of the Horned Frogs” and showcases campus icons including Frog Fountain and SuperFrog
as well as Fort Worth landmarks such as Bass Performance Hall, the West 7th Street
bridge and the downtown skyline. “TCU is Fort Worth’s university,” Scott said. “Together
they serve as the home for proud alumni, fans and the great community of the city.”
Dec. 12, 2023
WFAA-TV
The next time you’re in downtown Fort Worth, keep your eyes open for this. You won’t
have to look very hard — TCU unveiled an impressive 96-by-90-foot mural. It reads,
“Fort Worth. Home of the Horned Frogs Since 1910.” Trevor Scott ’22, the guy who designed this, by the way, recently graduated from TCU’s College of
Fine Arts. He says the goal is to show people that TCU is Fort Worth’s university.
Dec. 12, 2023
Fort Worth Report
TCU announced the completion and unveiling of a 96-by-90-foot mural in Sundance Square.
With plans for the mural to remain in downtown Fort Worth for five years, the location
at 5th and Throckmorton streets is being used to celebrate the historical and integral
relationship with Fort Worth as the university closes out its 150th year. “The mural
was designed with the goal to unify TCU and Fort Worth, showing that TCU is Fort Worth’s
university,” said designer Trevor Scott ’22.
FACULTY
Jan. 1, 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
It took Texas to make America swallow the idea of lucky New Year’s black-eyed peas.
“It’s definitely African in origin,” said history professor Rebecca Sharpless, a scholar on American food history. “We wish we could find someone’s diary saying,
‘I learned about black-eyed peas today,’ but that’s how it must have happened,” she
said. “Southern food is fusion food. It’s European, and it’s African. Cooking peas
with fat pork is something both Anglos and African-Americans did.”
Dec. 28, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU faculty Michael Slattery and Ann Bluntzer penned an editorial addressing COP28, an agreement that seeks a global transition
away from fossil fuels to aid the environment. “The deal paves the way for what environmentalists’
hope will be the ‘beginning of the end’ of the fossil fuel era, and the deep emission
cuts pledged at COP28 (coupled with substantially increased financing) are intended
to set the world on that path. But it’s not words that impact the climate. It’s actions,
and the money to fund them,” they wrote.
Dec. 21, 2023
Դڴǰ´ǰ
Without fine-tuning or being trained on a specific topic, ChatGPT can answer questions
about a wide range of technology subjects — including how to write R code. That means
ChatGPT’s power is available to any R programmer, even one who knows little about
large language models. Even incorrect responses can be a starting point, and save
you time, but don’t assume the code will do exactly what you expect. Kyle Walker, director of the Center for Urban Studies and associate professor of geography at TCU, tweeted that ChatGPT can “supercharge your work if you understand a topic well,” or
it can leave you “exposed for not knowing what you are doing.” The difference is in
knowing when the AI output isn’t right. Always check ChatGPT’s responses.
Dec. 21, 2023
National Oil & Lube News
Oil prices have been falling in recent weeks, and a large reason for that is credited
to an uptick in U.S. oil production. Seeing as the number of oil rigs has not increased,
an increase in efficiency has been cited as a reason for the rise in U.S. oil production.
Recent mergers taking place within the fracking industry have incentivized oil producers
to push for an increase in revenue. The numbers represent a million barrels a day
more than what EIA estimated a year ago. “They’re going to have to justify those acquisitions,”
explained Tom Seng, assistant professor of professional practice in energy finance at the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute. “And the way you do that is you get out there, you develop,
you increase production, so that your revenue from these properties goes up.”
Dec. 19, 2023
Inside Higher Ed
In spring 2021, the TCU Neeley School of Business, supported by philanthropy, launched a program to address
a need among its MBA students, offering one custom outfit for any student who met
need-based criteria. This year, TCU partnered with Reveal Suits to give students specially
made garb featuring the university’s colors and students’ names. Since the program’s
launch, 80 students have received business attire, about half of which have come from
Reveal Suits. “There is clearly a demonstrated need for the program,” said Ann J. Tasby, director of the office of inclusive excellence in the Neeley School of Business.
“Right now, the program is dependent upon discrete donations from our generous donors
and corporate partners. To drive sustainability, we would ideally like to have the
program endowed at a level that will provide operational funding.”
Dec. 18, 2023
Tampa Bay Times
The University of Tampa has named TCU Provost Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg as its next president. Following a monthslong search that saw more than 160 candidates
apply, Dahlberg was named the successor to outgoing president Ronald Vaughn, who has
led the university for almost 30 years. Dalhberg said in an interview that she had
been frequently approached by higher education search firms but was intrigued by the
University of Tampa. “I was so impressed,” she said. “It is a university that has
undergone an amazing transformation and trajectory, an upward trajectory for the past
three decades. I’m very impressed that this was all accomplished with very strategic
thinking, working step by step. I give big kudos to President Vaughn for what he has
managed to accomplish.”
Dec. 16, 2023
Daily Mail
Cougar Life, the dating app that was created for “modern mature women,” has compiled
a list of the top 10 hottest age-gap cities, just in time for cuffing season — the
moniker given to the phenomenon that sees more people get into relationships because
of the colder climate. Coming in at number one and two were two cities in Florida:
Miami and Orlando, with Tampa also in the top 10. Sarah Hill, a research psychologist and professor specializing in dating, said it was “not surprising”
that three Florida cities had made it onto the list. “Florida is known for being a
mecca for those who have retired and is home to a number of older women with access
to resources and time to pursue relationships with men for the sake of fun and pleasure
alone (there is no longer a need to look for a provider for children),” she told DailyMail.com.
“It is also a place where people are continuing to invest in looking their best across
all age ranges. With an abundance of beautiful older women who have time and resources
to invest in having fun, carefree relationships, this is a great place for men to
dip their toes in the water of female-led age gap relationships.”
Dec. 13, 2023
KTVT-TV
Fort Worth police continue to investigate a shooting, which involved three of their
officers responding to a burglary alarm. Johnny Nhan, a criminal justice professor and a volunteer reserve officer, says there are many
factors with officer-involved shootings. “It’s a very complicated situation, because
some of the factors that they have to take into account is ‘who’s in the background.’
You can’t just shoot at somebody. They [police] must consider who’s in the background.
What’s that person doing? Are they actively shooting at the police? Are you going
to be aggressive at that point?” Nhan said.
Dec. 12, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. While people of Christian, Jewish and Sikh faiths
and Pagan spirituality share some of the holidays observed toward the end and beginning
of each year, it’s possible to appropriately exchange greetings for each of these
holidays — and others — by simply using the phrase “happy holidays.”Jan Quesada, senior instructor of religion, explains the significance behind the expression.
“Recognize, appreciate and give space for religious differences,” Quesada said. “Take
holiday encounters as an opportunity to be open and to try to learn more about the
way other people experience and celebrate this time of year.”
Dec. 9, 2023
Chattanooga Times Free Press
“The Forsaken and the Dead,” the final installment of English professor Sidney Thompson’s fictional trilogy based on the life of legendary U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, opens
12 years after events of the second book, “Hell on the Border.” The book hit shelves
shortly before the November premiere of “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” a star-studded streaming
series based on the first two books, co-produced by Taylor Sheridan of “Yellowstone”
fame.
Dec. 6, 2023
Fort Worth Report
As Tri-County Electric navigates the aftermath of the bankruptcy of its energy provider,
Brazos Electric, and an ongoing lawsuit filed against the board by the co-op’s former
CEO, customers are set to vote on whether to keep an incumbent or vote in a new board
member during an upcoming election. At a cooperative, members are the owners of the
company, said Tom Seng, assistant professor of professional practice in energy finance at the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute. Co-op members elect a board to represent them. “They
really are an oversight approval board that’s supposed to look out for the best interests
of the members of the co-op itself,” Seng said.
Dec. 2, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Given the possibility of a shortage of pediatricians in Fort Worth, some are asking:
Should Cook Children’s establish a physician residency program? Cook Children’s only
offers clinical observations to medical school students affiliated with two programs,
including the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. “If health systems want to grow something, they’re
going to fund it for the most part, unless there’s a creative way to do it,” said Dr. Stuart Flynn, founding dean of the Burnett School of Medicine.
STUDENTS
Dec. 26, 2023
Weatherford Democrat
A former dry goods store turned restaurant is making history again in Mingus. Beneventi’s
Italian restaurant is a participant in a nonprofit job skills program. Students in
TCU’s radio and television major have heard of Beneventi’s history and new mission.
Their 23-minute documentary on the Mingus operation is set to premiere at 6 p.m. on
Jan. 29 in TCU’s BLUU Auditorium with a Q&A session after the film.
Dec. 26, 2023
Gilmer Mirror
The legendary Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo All Western Parade is expected to see
records broken during the Jan. 13 event in downtown Fort Worth, while it also pays
tribute to law enforcement agencies from across the state. An estimated 3,000 horses
are projected to participate in the parade, which first hit the streets of Fort Worth
in 1898, besting the previous high of 2,800 set in 2023. The TCU Marching Band kicks off the parade.
Dec. 26, 2023
The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
Every year, Louisiana lawmakers, lobbyists and business executives meet in Washington,
D.C., for a condensed and slightly more politically correct version of Mardi Gras,
a tradition that has been carried out for more than 70 years. Baton Rouge native Camille Morrison, a TCU sophomore, will reign as queen over Washington Mardi Gras.
Dec. 23, 2023
ABC News
Sam Sayed, a student at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, said one of his fondest memories
growing up was when his late sister, Dayna, bought him and his brother a pair of new
Nike shoes. “When you put them on, you walked out of the door to go to school, you
just felt like a better person,” Sayed said. Soon after that moment, she was killed
in a drive-by shooting in Arlington, Texas, he said. Sayed said he has always wanted
to honor his sister and that moment. So he and his brother started a nonprofit in
her name that aims to recreate that memory for kids looking for a great shoe. Sayed
said that this emotion is something that he is studying as part of his school's “Empathetic
Scholar” program. The program allows future physicians to spend time in underserved
communities and improve the community relations between doctors and patients. “I’ve
always maintained that once I become a physician, it’s not my job just to wait for
patients to come to me. The most important thing to me is to get to know them in their
environment and know them before they need me,” Sayed said.
ALUMNI
Dec. 31, 2023
Texas Tribune
پ U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson ’67, has died. She was 88. A towering Dallas political figure — once a nurse, state legislator
and congresswoman — Johnson was the dean of the Texas Congressional delegation before
retiring from office in 2022. She proved effective at her work due to her long tenure
serving in the U.S. House — nearly 30 years at the time of her passing — and a pragmatist
streak that made her open to working with Republicans. After graduating from A.J.
Moore High School in 1952, Johnson sought to work in the medical field.