A Texas Wesleyan University - Office of Communications Publication

September 19, 2007

Texas Wesleyan Receives $1.3 Million Bilingual Education Grant

Texas Wesleyan University has been selected to receive more than $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Professional Development Program. The grant award will be approximately $273,000 per year for five years and begins immediately.

     The Wesleyan - Tarrant County Project will provide quality training to prepare 175 (about 35 per year) pre-service, and paraprofessionals to increase the number of certified teachers meeting the linguistic, cultural and academic needs of English Language Learners (ELL students) in 13 partner school districts, including Fort Worth, Burleson, and Arlington. The project is strengthened by the Tarrant County College partnership and its role of providing students with the first 45 to 54 hours of coursework, at a more economical cost. This three-way partnership will make obtaining an undergraduate degree and a teaching certificate a reality to many first generation and underrepresented students.

    In addition to scholarship funds for students majoring in bilingual education at Texas Wesleyan, the project will also provide 10 professional development training sessions to at least 300 teachers, principals and other administrators from the 13 partner school districts. Presenters will be University faculty, and local and state experts, speaking about topics identified by the districts in the needs assessment.

Theatre Wesleyan Performance: Laundry & Bourbon and Lone Star

Theatre Wesleyan kicks off its season with Laundry & Bourbon and Lone Star – a production that will be directed by two theatre alumni, both of whom are local teachers. Connie Sanchez, BA ’83, will direct Laundry & Bourbon and Larry Cure, BA ’76, will direct Lone Star. Both of the one-act plays, set in small-town Texas, were written by James McLure. The production runs Sept. 19-23 in the Thad Smotherman Theatre, located at the corner of Binkley Street and Avenue E. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices are $6 for general admission, $4 for Wesleyan faculty and staff, and $2 for students and seniors. For ticket information, call the box office at 817-531-4211.

2007 Willson Lecture Series: Dr. Stacey Floyd-Thomas

Dr. Stacey Floyd-Thomas, co-founder of the nationally acclaimed Black Religious Scholars Group and director of Black Church Studies at Brite Divinity School, will be the featured speaker during the 2007 Willson Lecture Series at Texas Wesleyan University. She will talk about the permanence of racism, the erasure of eduation, and the relevance of religion.

     The lecture will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Martin Hall, with a reception immediately following. Admission is free. The event is sponsored by the chaplain’s office.

     Floyd-Thomas is the associate professor of ethics and director of Black Church Studies at Brite Divinity School of Texas Christian University. She holds degrees from Vassar College, Candler School of Theology and Temple University. As a theologian, scholar, professor, and pastoral counselor, her scholarly research and social activism has been dedicated to examining the effects that institutions such as the church, higher education, family, and government have had on defining marginalized groups and these groups’ undertaken tasks to define their own identities. She is a sought-after lecturer and scholar who has taught and lectured throughout the United States as well as in Egypt, England, France, Italy, Japan, and West Africa. She has also written three books: Mining the Motherlode: Methods in Womanist Ethics, Deeper Shades of Purple: Womanism in Religion and Society and Black Church Studies: An Introduction.

     For more information, contact Dr. Gladys Childs, Chaplain, at (817) 531-4461 or gchilds@txwes.edu.

Alumna Wins Third Emmy Award

Tamlyn Wright, BA '92, has won her third Emmy Award. She received the award for Oustanding Art Direction for Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming for her work as art director on the 79th Annual Academy Awards.

     The 2006-2007 Creative Arts Primetime Emmys for programs and individual achievements were awarded at the 59th Emmy Awards presentation Sept. 8 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

     Wright received an Emmy in 2005 for her work on the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, and in 2003 for work on the 75th Academy Awards.

     Wright is a freelance art director and production designer in Hollywood. She has designed the look and feel of many high-profile productions, including such live programs as the Oscars, the MTV Movie Awards, and the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Music Scholarship Benefit Concert: Mikhail Barash

Mikhail Barash, international violinist and new Wesleyan board member, will present a music scholarship benefit recital at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28, in Martin Hall. Barash has chosen a program of world-renowned violin solos, including Csardas by Monti, Liebesleid and Liebesfreud by Fritz Kreisler, Schubert’s Ave Maria, The Swan by Saint-Saëns, John Williams’ Theme from Schindler’s List, and five more. A reception will follow in the Louella Baker Martin Pavilion. Both events are free and open to the public. The concert and reception are sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of Advancement, the Office of Alumni Relations, and the Music Department. Donations to benefit music scholarships. Attire is black tie optional. Valet parking will be available. For more information, contact Jeannie Conner at (817) 531-6548 or jconner@txwes.edu.

Farewell Party for Jason Neal

Please join fellow faculty and staff at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, in the University Club to bid farewell to Jason Neal, who has served the University since 2002 when he was hired as the University Web Master. He was promoted to Director of Academic Technology & Web Development in 2003, where he has been responsible for developing and managing the University's web pages; serving as the WebCT administrator; and managing the faculty resource center. Neal is an alumnus of the University, receiving his BBA in 2001 and his MBA in 2004. Do not miss the opportunity to come by and wish him well.

Do you know a Great Woman of Texas? The Fort Worth Business Press is taking nominations for their annual list. If you'd like to nominate someone for the Great Women of Texas edition of the Business Press, click here to fill out the form online or here for a PDF to mail in. Nominations are due by the end of September.

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