A Texas Wesleyan University - Office of Communications Publication

May 7, 2008

Commencement: May 2008
Texas Wesleyan will host graduation exercises at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, at the Will Rogers Auditorium, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave. Dr. Sheryl Smith Kappus will deliver the commencement address, "Everyday Leadership." The precommencement robing ceremony will be at 11 a.m. Friday in Polytechnic United Methodist Church.

     Brooke McNabb, a chemistry major, will have an underwater ceremony at 1 p.m. in the Wesleyan pool. She has a minor in scuba. She also plays on the softball team and has completed a summer scuba internship in Grand Cayman.

     Kappus is the fourteenth president of Hill College and its first female president. She began her career at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, where she served for 13 years and co-authored more than 20 scientific publications in microbiological research. She has served as president of Hill College, a community college with five locations in Central Texas, since 2004. Kappus is a member of the editorial board of the prestigious journal, Community College Review. She currently serves on the Texas Association of Community Colleges Executive Committee as the elected representative for the Central Region Colleges as well as on the TACC Legislative Committee. She also serves on many civic and public boards, including the Cleburne Economic Development Board, Tuesday Forum, Johnson County Heritage Foundation Advisory Board, and the Johnson County Education Foundation Board. She is the recipient of numerous local, state, and national awards, including a scholarship named in her honor, the Dr. Sheryl Kappus Rotary Scholarship.

Shingleton Promoted to Associate Head Coach

Brennen Shingleton has been promoted to men’s basketball associate head coach. Shingleton has been head coach Terry Waldrop’s lead assistant for each of the last six seasons. He has been instrumental in the success of the program, helping the team to a record of 122-72, a national championship in 2006, and a Red River Athletic Conference championship in 2008 during his tenure.

     “His impact on the basketball team has been invaluable, and we are very fortunate to have him at Texas Wesleyan University," Waldrop said. "Our players are given a wonderful opportunity to learn so much about life and basketball from Brennen, and he has been a big piece of the success the basketball program has enjoyed during the last decade at Wesleyan. We have come to expect success both in the classroom and on the basketball court and our staff continues to work to provide both of those in ever increasing amounts each year. I look forward to continuing to build on the overall excellence of our program with Brennen’s help and see a very bright future for the Ram basketball program.”

     Shingleton played for Coach Waldrop, then an assistant coach, at Southeastern Louisiana University. The two helped the Lions to a share of the Trans America Conference Championship. Shingleton renewed his relationship with Waldrop in 2002 when he joined the Texas Wesleyan program as an assistant coach.

Farewell Party for Leyla Mohamed

Please drop by the purchasing department (first floor of the Administration Building) from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 14, to say goodbye to Leyla Mohamed, purchasing secretary, and wish her well as she moves to Pennsylvania. Mohamed graduated from Texas Wesleyan in December with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance. Light refreshments will be served.

Ramon Joins Title III Team

Mayra Ramon has recently joined the Title III team as the Grants Assistant. In this position, she will be providing administrative and accounting support for the Title III grant. Ramon comes to us from ESC Region XI, where she served as a program assistant for more than seven years on several federal grant programs designed to increase content knowledge of area math teachers. Ramon can be reached at 817-531-4979.

Playmarket 2008: Spend Mother's Day with One Bad Mother

Please join Wesleyan Theatre at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 11, in the Thad Smotherman Theatre for the concert reading of Far From the Tree by Chuck Fain, English major at Texas Wesleyan. This one-act features the reading talents of real-life mother and son Gina and Ben Phillips along with theatre majors Garrett Beames and Rene Sarradet. Directed by Connie Whitt-Lambert, professor of theatre, this black comedy is rated PG for subject matter and language.
      Ma Spenser (played by Gina Phillips, director of development and alumni relations), devoted mother to at least one of her two children, fakes an illness in order to persuade the favorite son, Jason (freshman theatre major Garrett Beames), to move from Chicago and take care of her. Jason has pressing issues back home and calls on his brother, Jesse (Ben Phillips, junior theatre major), to take his place. Neither Jesse nor Ma Spenser is happy with the arrangement. Their personalities clash as they try to coexist in the same house. Bickering and back talking abound. In spite of the well-meaning aid of neighbor Mrs. Kirkpatrick (Rene Sarradet), the situation finally comes to a head when Ma Spenser's real intentions are revealed.
      Wesleyan Playmarket provides a venue for student and alumni playwrights to present their original work to an audience.

Transition to Active Directory

The IT department will transition all University servers and student accounts to Microsoft Active Directory on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18. This transition will bring to a close the recent migration of the historic, law school and Burleson campuses. Over the weekend all campuses will experience periodic service outages. Normal service will be restored on Monday, May 19, and the migration will be complete. The entire IT department thanks everyone for your patience and understanding over the last several months during this necessary transition.  

School Uniform Drive

With the Texas heat fast approaching, many area children and their families cannot afford to buy school uniforms for the warmer weather. Help us help students in need by donating summer school uniforms: khaki or navy shorts, pants, skirts (all sizes); and white or navy collared shirts (all sizes). All donations, including monetary donations, should be brought to the Student Life Office by Friday, May 9. For more information, contact Jenny Houze at 817-531-4870 or jlhouze@txwes.edu.

Grant to Help Victims of Domestic Abuse and Violence

In collaboration with SafeHaven of Tarrant County, the Texas Wesleyan Law School has received a subgrant under a U.S. Department of Justice grant for victims of domestic abuse and violence. Funding in the amount of more than $120,000 has been awarded for a two-year period to support SafeHaven clients seeking services from the Law Clinic.

Summer Chemistry Camp for Kids

The Gil and Dody Weaver Foundation has awarded a $7,500 grant to Texas Wesleyan in support of the Summer Chemistry Camp for Kids. Under the direction of Ric Rodriguez, professor of chemistry, approximately 80 underprivileged elementary-age students will attend a three week summer camp focusing on the sciences. Schools participating this year include D. McRae, Hubbard Heights, Sagamore Hill, and T.A. Sims Elementary Schools, as well as students from the Boys and Girls Club. For more information on the Summer Chemistry Camp, please visit their web site.

Alumni Honored at TCC Gala

Granger	Lewis

Two Texas Wesleyan alumni, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, BS '65, and attorney Glenn Lewis, BA '81, were recently honored during Tarrant County College's 40th Anniversary Celebration. Granger and Lewis were among six individuals recognized for their major roles in TCC’s history and progress.

     Granger encouraged a cooperative partnership between the city and TCC to advance the area’s economic development during her tenure as Fort Worth mayor, and as the Trinity River Vision project developed, she worked with TCC and city officials on plans for a TCC campus downtown. She also helped secure the land for the campus that is considered the anchor for the Trinity project.

     Lewis is a former Texas legislator who helped secure a special appropriation for the establishment of the TCC Southeast Campus in Arlington. Lewis received his Associate of Arts from what was then Tarrant County Junior College in 1979. He is a partner in the law firm of Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson and chair of The Board of Regents at Texas Southern University.

Curtin Publishes Practical Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

Congratulations to Aileen Curtin. education professor, who recently had a book published as part of the Pathways to Teaching Series. Her college textbook, Practical Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, was published by Pearson and will be available for adoption by teacher preparation programs throughout the United States for fall 2008. This book is designed for public school teachers seeking professional support in teaching the growing number of non-English speaking students.

Spring 2008 Edition of Wesleyan Magazine Now Available

The latest edition of Wesleyan magazine is now available on the Office of Communications website or in print. Stop by the Office of Communications to pick up a copy.

Twelve Rams Named All-Conference

The Red River Athletic Conference has released its all-conference baseball and softball teams. Nine members of the Texas Wesleyan University baseball squad and three Lady Rams were among those honored.

     Seven Rams were named 1st-team All-RRAC including repeat winners Brandon Frazier and Hayden Lackey. Both earned their third All-RRAC awards and second 1st-team selections. Infielders Butch Ballez (SS – El Paso, TX) and Zach Smith (3B – Sanger, TX), outfielder Antoine Cole (RF – Shreveport, LA), and pitchers Steven DeFratus (RHP – Oxnard, CA) and Aaron Wimpee (RHP – Bells, TX) were also named to the 1st-team. Blake Walker (LF – Southlake, TX) and Jayson Racuig (RHP – Fort Worth, TX) were both named to the 2nd-team.

     Seniors Elizabeth Brady and Ariel Raley and sophomore Ashley Oldham were named to the RRAC softball all-conference team. It was the third All-RRAC selection for Raley. In somewhat limited time this season, she led the team with four home runs, while ranking second with a .351 batting average and fourth with 23 RBI.

After four seasons, she ranks second all-time at Texas Wesleyan with 131 RBI. It was the first All-RRAC selection for Brady and Oldham. Brady led the team and ranked fourth in the conference with a .432 batting average. She also racked up 57 hits, 32 RBI, and 28 runs scored. Oldham posted six wins and a 3.53 ERA in her sophomore season. She carried the bulk of the workload for the Lady Rams pitching staff, racking up 109 innings pitched in 18 appearances.

Second Annual Golf Tournament

The Texas Wesleyan University Graduate School of Business will sponsor its Second Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, May 19, at Woodhaven Country Club.

Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin on all par 3s, longest drive on the 12th hole, and hole-in-one contest. All proceeds will be used for scholarships and other assistance for Texas Wesleyan’s graduate business students. For more information or to register, call (817) 531-6500 or email jperez@txwes.edu or clittle@txwes.edu. Space is limited. Register now!

SUB Dining Services Closed for Summer

ARAMARK thanks everyone for making $3 Thursdays a success this year. Last Thursday was the last $3 Thursday for this semester, and the SUB dining services are closed for the summer. $3 Thursdays and service in the SUB will resume in August; ARAMARK looks forward to a bigger and better year!

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