From the energy grid to West Nile virus and emergency room wait times, TCU and its faculty, students and alumni are in the news.
INSTITUTIONAL
July 13, 2023
Fort Worth Report
TCU hosted a prevention workshop addressing why discussions about mental health should
be moved forward to create more awareness. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for me to be able to use
the tools and resources for personal reasons and, as a training clinician, in hopes
that I can contribute to veterans and adults,鈥� said student Erica Ortega. The event was designed to increase awareness because mental health problems either
merge, escalate or get created between the ages of 18 and 24, said Eric Wood, director of Counseling & Mental Health. The school's counseling model focuses on
crisis response services, peer-support communities and community partners to meet
students鈥� needs. Wood recently met with nine other universities to share the model.
July 12, 2023
Fort Worth Weekly
United Way of Tarrant County recently launched an initiative aimed at curbing youth
gun violence. Major stakeholders include the Fort Worth police department, city of
Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Conducting an assessment of the scope of youth gang
violence through a partnership with TCU, establishing a steering committee to identify problems and set goals, mobilizing
intervention teams, reporting data, and modifying approaches as needed are the initiative鈥檚
main tenets.
July 11, 2023
case.org
In New York City, a 15-by-35-foot, colorful mural features a photorealistic portrait
of actor John Devereaux 鈥�12. In Los Angeles, on the side of Hollywood Boulevard鈥檚 historic Fonda Theatre, a 56-by-32-foot
mural displays an image of television writer and producer Katherine Beattie 鈥�08, flying through the air in her wheelchair. Professional basketball star Desmond Bane 鈥�20, is featured in similar style on a larger-than-life mural in Nashville, Tennessee.
The hand-painted murals featuring them are part of the TCU鈥檚 national brand campaign
supporting its 150th anniversary theme 鈥淟ead On: Celebrating 150 Years of TCU.鈥� Placing
the brand campaign and the anniversary celebration side-by-side was a perfect fit,
says Tracy Syler-Jones, vice chancellor for marketing and communication. 鈥淭CU offers an experience grounded
in liberal arts with leadership at its core. Utilizing the 150th anniversary as a
leverage point to tell the institution鈥檚 story and long history as a force for greater
good made sense,鈥� she explains.
July 6, 2023
CultureMap Fort Worth
A new study conducted by business advice company Venture Smarter has revealed graduates
from the Neeley School of Business produce the ninth-highest earnings in the nation. Four years post-graduation, TCU
business alumni make an average of $93,488 per year. That salary is a huge jump from
the average earnings from just one year post-grad, which amounts to $57,155. The study
goes on to list prominent alumni, which includes CEO of BNSF Railway Kathryn Farmer 鈥�92 (MBA 鈥�96) and billionaire entrepreneur John Davis 鈥�74.
June 30, 2023
Fortune
Senior-level education leaders at schools, school districts and higher education institutions
are generally equipped to teach and create better, improved curriculum. Leaders at
this level are increasingly responsible for also making financial decisions. However,
most educators and administrators lack the expertise to make financial and budgetary
decisions. To address this gap, TCU created a dual degree program in which students
earn advanced degrees in business and education 鈥� a master of business administration
(MBA) 鈥� and a doctorate of education (Ed.D.). 鈥淭he joint degree program is meant to
give MBA/Ed.D. students a combination of business training and organizational concepts
intertwined with traditional educational training,鈥� said Ashley Tull, chair of the department of educational leadership and higher education and professor
of professional practice. 鈥淭hey get content at the intersection of corporate America
as well as the education system.鈥� The program is a collaboration between the university鈥檚 Neeley
School of Business and College of Education.
FACULTY
July 13, 2023
Medscape
A recent broadcast discussion on reducing patient wait times hosted by Medscape featured faculty
from the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. 鈥淭his issue is truly a nationwide crisis
right now. Emergency departments across the country are at a true breaking point,鈥�
said Assistant Professor Heidi Knowles. Associate Professor Jessica Kirby said, 鈥淲e were seeing up to 50 patients a day who presented to be seen that left
without being cared for, and we knew we could do better.鈥�
July 12, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Because of climate change and population growth, mosquito breeding grounds are becoming
more prevalent throughout North Texas, medical experts say, putting more individuals
at risk for West Nile virus than in years past. Laura Luque, biology professor, thinks hundreds of cases could happen this season. 鈥淲e鈥檙e expecting
an over-population of mosquitoes this year, and really all kinds of other insects,鈥� Luque said. Without
proper precautions, this year鈥檚 potential outbreak could rival that of 2020, when
Tarrant County had 44 cases of West Nile virus 鈥� nine of which resulted in deaths.
The county had 13 cases in 2021 and two in 2022. But signs point to a season closer
to what 2020 looked like, Luque said.
July 10, 2023
KTBC-TV (Austin, TX)
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the state will receive $60 million in
federal funds to help strengthen the infrastructure on the Texas power grid. Tom Seng, assistant professor of professional practice in energy and leader of the MBA program
at TCU鈥檚 Ralph Lowe Energy Institute explains, 鈥淭his is one of those moments where
the U.S. transmission grid has been in need of repair and expansion for quite some
time. You know, we're adding all these new sources of generation, primarily wind and
solar, but you've got a system that's pretty outdated.鈥�
July 7, 2023
Wiley Online Library
Two important contributions to the understanding of voluntary turnover are the ideas
that employees become embedded in a net or web of restraining forces on- and off-the-job
and that they experience varying degrees of control and desire that yield proximal
withdrawal states explaining turnover motivations. We build on these ideas in two
multi-wave studies to study job insecurity, one of the most common work stressors
and top concerns among employees around the world. This study was authored by Vesa
Peltokorpi, professor in management at Hiroshima University in Japan, and David G. Allen, senior associate dean, graduate programs and Luther A. Henderson University Chair
in Leadership.
July 7, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
Sh鈥檓a is a new dance film by Suki John, professor of classical and contemporary dance, featuring a cast of 15 extraordinary
performers, including Dance Theatre of Harlem and Texas Ballet Theatre professionals,
celebrated local artists and TCU alumni and students. Sh鈥檓a uses the languages of
film, choreodrama, and music to tell the story of John鈥檚 family during the Holocaust.
July 5, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
In her new role at the Fort Worth Opera, Angela Turner Wilson is taking a more behind-the-scenes approach. Wilson has also served on the faculty
of the Vocal Arts Division at TCU since 2008 and has served as chair. She is the founding
director of TCU鈥檚 鈥淔estival of American Song,鈥� a three-day fest that celebrates the
genre of American song in all its various likenesses. 鈥淚 started that really as a
passion project. Through Cliburn at the Modern with Buddy Bray, I had many opportunities
to sing with composers and try new American works, as a singer. I knew how this experience
improved my musicianship and my artistry. I thought, if my TCU students could have
that experience of working with a composer on that composer鈥檚 material, performing
it and then having that relationship, they could build that important connection,鈥�
Wilson explained.
June 30, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
As Tarrant County鈥檚 Election Commission made its hire for an elections administrator,
county Judge Tim O鈥橦are made one thing clear to the public 鈥� the applicants for the
job weren鈥檛 qualified. Emily Farris, associate professor of political science, disagrees. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure what criteria
the county judge and others involved in the hiring used for selecting someone for
the position, but one would reasonably think that prior election administration would
be a useful trait for someone tasked to run elections here in Tarrant County,鈥�
June 30, 2023
archives.gov
Randa Tawil, assistant professor of women and gender studies and one of two 2022 Cokie Roberts
Women鈥檚 History Fellows, spent November 2022 at the National Archives, researching
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) case files to explore the correlation
between pregnancy and deportation for early 20th-century migrants to the United States.
Tawil looked at how INS officials worked with doctors to enforce public charge laws
against single pregnant women months after their arrival to the United States. 鈥淚
had never heard of women being deported so late in their pregnancy and for this reason,鈥�
Tawil explained. 鈥淭hese women were not visibly pregnant when they arrived in the U.S.
and subsequently sought medical care in hospitals for their pregnancies, and the government
used that moment, simultaneously with the latest advances in the field of obstetrics,
to decide when a woman became pregnant in order to enforce immigration restrictions.
That was an interesting timeline that I wanted to delve into.鈥�
STUDENTS
July 6, 2023
American Medical Association (AMA)
Efforts to increase diversity among the physician workforce include removing the obstacles
people with disabilities face when pursuing a career in medicine. Physicians and medical
students are too often ill at ease when interacting with colleagues or fellow medical
students with the same conditions. Courtney Franz, a third-year student at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, had her left leg
amputated above the knee to address a genetic condition that she struggled with her
entire life. Her amputation was the 21st surgery she had on her leg. 鈥淪omething I
want to say right out: 鈥楧isabled鈥� is not a dirty word; amputation is not a bad thing,鈥�
Franz said during the session, held during the 2023 AMA Annual Meeting. 鈥淎mputation
improved my life.鈥�
July 6, 2023
The Madison Record
The curtain will rise on the Bank Street Players鈥� production of 鈥淭he Little Mermaid,鈥�
and leading the 50-plus member cast is Joe Dobbs as Prince Eric. For Dobbs, the opportunity to challenge himself as an actor and play
a Disney prince, attracted him to the role. 鈥淚 had never played a Disney prince before,鈥�
the 20-year-old Dobbs said. 鈥淧laying a Disney prince is completely different than
anything I鈥檝e done before. Playing a Disney prince, you have to live up to a standard.
People come into the show knowing who the prince is. I hope to live up to that standard
while also bringing a bit of me to the character.鈥�
ALUMNI
July 14, 2023
CultureMap Fort Worth
In partnership with the International Trombone Festival and TCU, the Fort Worth Symphony
Orchestra鈥檚 season finale goes out with a blast, spotlighting the brass instruments
of the orchestra. Music Director Robert Spano will lead the ensemble in a brand-new
double concerto for trombone and piano by 茄子视频 alumnus Kevin Day 鈥�19, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon鈥檚 river sings a song to
trees. For the big finish: Mahler鈥檚 Symphony No. 5.
July 13, 2023
ProductionHUB
Emily Mendez 鈥�13, was more than excited to be tasked to help with editing the adaptation of the popular
PlayStation game, The Last of Us. 鈥淚鈥檝e been interested in editing since I was a teenager. I would use my family鈥檚
old handycam to re-create my favorite films with my siblings. This all led me to studying
film and editing at 茄子视频 鈥� and the American Film Institute in
Los Angeles. After graduating from AFI, I worked in behind-the-scenes/EPK editorial
for a couple years at a company called NR8R in Los Angeles. I then made my entrance
into television, where I鈥檝e happily been ever since.鈥�
July 10, 2023
KIDY-TV (San Angelo, TX)
Tia Agan 鈥�90, chair of Angelo State University's Department of Teacher Education, was elected
president of the Texas Association of Teacher Educators (TxATE) for a one-year term
that runs through June 2024. TxATE is an organization for college and university faculty
in teacher preparation programs aimed at actively promoting best practices for educating
and creating quality teacher candidates through professional development and research.
July 7, 2023
Community Impact Newspaper
Arts Fort Worth gave interim Executive Director and President Wesley Gentle 鈥�11 the full-time role. He had been serving in an interim role as the director for the
past 10 months. Gentle previously worked for the Fort Worth Opera and the Fort Worth
Symphony Orchestra. He was a performing artist prior to joining Arts Fort Worth in
2018. 鈥淲hen everyone in Fort Worth has the resources, opportunities and empowerment
to share their stories through art, and when everyone here can see part of their own
story reflected in the art around them, then Arts Fort Worth has succeeded in our
mission,鈥� Gentle said.
July 4, 2023
tanglewoodmoms.com
Miss Molly is an homage to Oscar Wilde鈥檚 The Importance of Being Earnest. This new comedy comes from Christine Carmela 鈥�19, and will be directed by Evan Michael Woods 鈥�19, who were roommates when Carmela 铿乺st drafted Miss Molly. 鈥淭o have Miss Molly premiere in any other city, at any other theatre, with any other director would feel
blasphemous. DFW has always been an artistic home for me,鈥� said Carmela. The ties
to TCU don鈥檛 stop with Carmela and Woods. Not only are there several other 鈥淗orned
Frog鈥� cast and creative members, but Amphibian Stage was founded in 2000 by a group
of freshly graduated Theatre TCU students: Logan Graye 鈥�19, Brayden Raque帽o 鈥�21 and Luke Atkison 鈥�16.
ATHLETICS
July 12, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
During this year鈥檚 Big 12 media days, commissioner Brett Yormark announced that the
Bob Bowlsby Award will presented annually to a male and female athlete who best represents
leadership and character. The inaugural award went to Max Duggan, who helped lead TCU to its first College Football Playoff appearance and first win
in the playoff. The award is named in honor of the former Big 12 commissioner who
Yormark said has helped him transition into his new role. Head coach Sonny Dykes said, 鈥淲hat made last year鈥檚 team special was the leadership,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ax was
a tremendous, once-in-a-lifetime leader.鈥�
July 5, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU landed four players on the preseason All-Big 12 team, the conference announced. Josh Newton, Johnny Hodges, Damonic Williams and Griffin Kell were the Horned Frogs鈥� selections. The four selections were tied for second-most,
while the three picks on defense were the most in the league.
June 29, 2023
Fort Worth Business Press
The 2022-23 school year was a big one for TCU, with the Fort Worth university celebrating its 150th anniversary, the football team
getting within one win of a national championship, and the baseball Horned Frogs going
to the College World Series for the first time since 2017. All that made 鈥淭CU鈥� a common
sight in local and national news headlines but it鈥檚 only part of the story. Almost
unnoticed in the glare of the purple spotlight was a spectacular overall performance
for TCU athletics. There were no national champions, but several programs came close:
six TCU teams reached either the title contest or the final four in their respective
sports. That鈥檚 almost a third of the university鈥檚 21 sports programs.