Campus News
News of broad interest to the campus community and general public about UT Dallas and its accomplishments.
UT Dallas Strives to Encourage, Support Female STEM Students
Recent gifts from a private donor, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, and matching funds from Texas Instruments are being used to create the year-long Young Women Science Achiever program. The program allows high school females, mentored by faculty and industrial partners, to work on a science project throughout the school year. read more
Week of Events to Give Seniors a Festive Send-Off
A full-scale carnival, a comedy show, a ring ceremony and a special-edition newspaper highlight plans for the University’s annual Senior Week festivities, set for May 14-19 on campus. The Senior Send Off carnival is the highlight of Senior Week, with rides, food, amusements and more. Senior Send Off is open to all of campus. The week is part of the Senior Year Experience program, which provides resources and support to help students in their final year at UT Dallas. read more
Data Systems To Be Offline for Planned Maintenance
The University’s data systems are scheduled to be offline for maintenance between 5 p.m., Friday, May 18, and 8 a.m., Monday, May 21. During this time, student, employee and business data will be unavailable. Oracle PeopleSoft, the vendor for UT Dallas’ student and business systems, requires organizations running its systems to install periodic updates. The update package being implemented focuses on the University’s finance (FMS) and human resources (HCM) systems. read more
Readings, Choral Performance to Wrap Up Arts Festival
The Student Art Spring Festival comes to a close this weekend with readings from creative writing students and the year’s final choral concert. The festival kicked off last week with the student visual art show, which featured more than 40 works from students enrolled in arts courses. read more
Callier Center Welcomes Russian Delegates
A group of Russian educators and public officials toured the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders recently to see the facilities and the work of the University’s audiologists and speech language pathologists. The group was hosted at Callier’s Dallas facilities as part of a week-long visit to Dallas though the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Ft. Worth’s Open World Program. read more
Legislators Teach Students About Texas Campaigns
Four state legislators visited UT Dallas this semester to share with students their insights on running political campaigns in Texas. The undergraduate course, Campaigns and Elections taught by Dr. Greg Thielemann, was offered through the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences. read more
UT Dallas Summer Camps Offer Challenges, Learning and Fun
Robotics, chess, solar cars, sports, the stock market and theater are a few of the topics K-12 students will be exploring this summer at more than 20 summer camps at UT Dallas. The camps provide opportunities for students to learn and engage in specific interest areas and to become acquainted with the University's campus. read more
CARE Awards Honor Staffers Who Go Above and Beyond
Staffers who are experts on everything from campus signs to electrical engineering student issues recently received Spring 2012 CARE Awards. The awards, which stand for Celebrate Achievement – Reward Excellence, were created by the Staff Council in 1999 to honor employees deserving special recognition for superior performance, outstanding customer service, and enhancing the image of the University. read more
Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter Celebrates 10th Anniversary
The UT Dallas chapter of the international business honorary society Beta Gamma Sigma celebrated its 10thanniversary by inducting a record number of new members at a recent ceremony in the Naveen Jindal School of Management. read more
Richardson Honors University for Contributions to Cityscape
UT Dallas has been honored by the city of Richardson with a Community Revitalization Award for its extensive campus transformation project. The award, a first for UT Dallas, recognizes the impact that the University’s redesign of its entrance and central mall area has had on the surrounding community. read more
Campus Energy Initiatives Earn Efficiency Rewards
Oncor, Texas’ largest regulated electric delivery business, recently recognized UT Dallas’ efforts to upgrade the campus to be more energy-efficient. Oncor rewarded UT Dallas with a $98,371 cash incentive for replacing older cooling equipment with energy-efficient equipment in the Supplemental Utility Plant and residence halls. The incentive recognizes the University’s participation in Oncor’s Educational Facilities Program. read more
Modern Trombone Master to Jazz Up Campus
Hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz will come to campus Friday night when acclaimed trombonist Wycliffe Gordon performs. Gordon will play at 8 p.m., April 27, in the Alexander Clark Center. The band will include UT Dallas faculty member Kelly Durbin on piano, James Gilyard on bass and Steve Barnes on drums. Gordon is a modern master of the plunger mute, a jazz device that gives brass instruments a distinct sound. read more
Gala Event Recognizes Champions of Diversity
It was a gala in every sense of the word: a live jazz band, a capella performances, high heels and dark suits, a choice of filet mignon or salmon and hosted by a prime time TV actress. But the real stars of the night were the recipients of scholarships provided by the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement. The 2012 Diversity Awards Gala and Scholarship Fundraiser gave opportunities for leaders on campus and corporate representatives to extol the value of enrolling and hiring people from different backgrounds and perspectives at a University. read more
UT Dallas Recognized for Green Campus Efforts
UT Dallas has been named one of the greenest universities in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition. The Guide profiles 322 institutions of higher education that demonstrate commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. read more
India Enterprise Forum Explores Country's Global Future
Prominent leaders from international business, government, academia and law will gather on May 15 at the India Enterprise Forum at the UT Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management. The group will explore what is required for India to continue its growth trajectory and to fuel the global economy. read more
Math, Science Teacher Program Gets Boost from JPMorgan Chase
An innovative program at UT Dallas aimed at improving the quality of math and science teachers recently received part of a $200,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase through the National Math and Science Initiative. The $50,000 grant will support induction services for new graduates from UTeach Dallas, a program that prepares science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors to be secondary science or math teachers. The University of California at Berkeley, Florida State University and Louisiana State University UTeach programs each also received grants of $50,000. read more
Hero’s Honor Strikes a Somber Chord 70 Years After Raid
The McDermott Library’s Special Collections department has received a medal that makes a poignant addition to the History of Aviation holdings. The Prisoner of War Medal honors one of three airmen who were executed after a daring U.S. bombing strike on Japan 70 years ago. The medal joins the library’s James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle Archive, named after the raid’s planner and leader, Gen. Jimmy Doolittle. read more
Newly Released Annual Report Shows Continued Progress
UT Dallas experienced record growth in enrollment, increased research activity and new fundraising records last year, achievements reflected in a newly released annual report that details continued progress toward many key goals of the University’s strategic plan. read more
Arts Week Schedule Packs in Poetry, Philosophy, Music and More
School of Arts and Humanities events cover a wide swath of pursuits this week, including theater, poetry, philosophy and music. Kick-starting the week is a reading from poet and memoirist Alex Lemon. Other events include chamber music and a musical stage comedy. read more
Visiting Nobel Laureate to Speak on Campus April 11
Dr. Konstantin Novoselov, a professor and Royal Society Research Fellow at the University of Manchester who shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics, is visiting UT Dallas. Novoselov will give a lecture appropriate for a general scientific audience from noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 11. read more
Campus Enhancement Plan to Grow With New Gifts
Three gifts totaling at least $7 million have been announced for the expansion of the Campus Enhancement Project, which has already transformed the UT Dallas campus. President David E. Daniel announced the anonymous donations for the project at a campaign launch event March 29. read more
Guitar Composer's Music Blends the Best from East and West
The School of Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas has scheduled a guitar concert and a talk this week that mix Asian and American cultures. On Thursday, April 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Jonsson Performance Hall, guitarist and composer Shingo Fujii from Japan will be joined on stage by UT Dallas faculty members Enric Madriguera and Eddie Healy for a concert that blends the sounds of East and West. read more
Nonprofits Cautioned to Select Board Members Carefully
For homeless shelters, food banks and other charities to thrive, the nonprofit boards that serve them must be effective. The prescription for improving corporate governance in the past has focused on the structure of boards – their size, composition and independence. The emphasis instead should be on recruiting directors who are competent, and who have the right skill and behavior, an expert recently told a conference for nonprofit board members at UT Dallas. read more
A Celebration of Diversity, iWeek Kicks off April 2
With its international talent show, henna, foreign films and table tennis tournament, the events and activities associated with International Week at UT Dallas are popular springtime campus traditions. A celebration of the University’s diverse student body, iWeek kicks off Monday, April 2. read more
Arts Week Covers Topics Spanning From China to Dallas
UT Dallas winds up its March arts calendar with explorations of such diverse subject matter as the state of the arts in Dallas and the status of Judaism in China. Kicking off the events will be a talk Wednesday, March 28, by Dr. Xu Xin, director of the Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies at Nanjing University. read more
UT Dallas Announces 1st Comprehensive Campaign
Marking a 40-year transformation that has taken UT Dallas from a cluster of research stations in a cotton field to a center of educational excellence for almost 20,000 students, the University will celebrate the launch of its first comprehensive campaign on Thursday. read more
Speaker Will Reveal the Art of Reading People
The Naveen Jindal School of Management hosts the seventh annual Fraud Summit on March 29-30. Author, documentary producer and independent investigative journalist Dan Korem will be the keynote speaker, discussing how to read people with speed and accuracy. read more
Naveen Jindal School of Management Climbs in Rankings
The Naveen Jindal School of Management gained ground in rankings of the nation’s top public business schools in the recent U.S. News & World Report annual “2013 Best Graduate Schools” report. The full-time program was ranked No. 37, tying with Boston College, Boston University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Rochester. Last year, the full-time program was No. 40. read more
Philosopher to Wrestle With Science Policy Questions
The Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology at UT Dallas is winding down its 2011-2012 lecture series, Funded and Forbidden Knowledge: Science, Policy and Cultural Values with a presentation from an internationally known science philosopher. On Wednesday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Jonsson Performance Hall, Dr. Nancy Cartwright will discuss connections among science, values and politics with her talk Wiser Use of Science, Wiser Wishes, Wiser Policies. read more
Diversity Awards Fundraiser to Get a Hand from TV Actress
The Office of Diversity and Community Engagement hosts its third annual Diversity Awards Gala and Scholarship Fundraiser to highlight the University’s successes in pursuing its diversity mission. Guest speaker for the gala will be screen actress and activist Beth Broderick. The event is set for March 31. The awards were created to honor UT Dallas faculty, staff, students and others working to build a campus committed to cultural understanding, tolerance, acceptance and respect. read more
Historian Takes New Look at Tuskegee Airmen's Story
The first book on the Tuskegee Airmen to draw from an extensive interview project will be the subject of the author’s talk at UT Dallas on Tuesday, March 20. University of North Texas history Professor J. Todd Moye, director of the UNT Oral History Program, will discuss Freedom Flyers: The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II as a guest of McDermott Library Special Collections and the History of Aviation Collection.The event is free and open to the public. It will include a book signing with Tuskegee Airmen being available from the UT Dallas Bookstore at the lecture. read more
Audiology, Speech Pathology Programs Rise in Rankings
UT Dallas’ audiology program rose to third place, and speech-language pathology climbed to 11th place in the latest U.S. News and World Report national ranking of graduate schools. Both programs landed in the top 4 percent of similar graduate school programs. They each climbed one spot on the list, which evaluates the quality of more than 1,200 U.S. graduate programs based on detailed statistical information and assessments by university administrators and faculty. The programs assessed in the annual poll focus on a wide range of disciplines, ranging from business to psychology. read more
Alumnus, NatureSweet CEO Described Career Journey
A book that Bryant Ambelang read as a UT Dallas undergraduate planted the seeds for his future as the CEO of NatureSweet Tomatoes. The class was on political economy, the year was 1989, and the book was The Road to Serfdom, by economist and philosopher Friedrich von Hayek. “It changed my life,” Ambelang recently told a crowd at TI Auditorium on the UT Dallas campus. “I wrote a paper later on about Hayek and I thought, ‘What an interesting opportunity – to go into free enterprise and to have the opportunity to change the world.’ ” read more
Artist Transcends Boundaries Between Music, Space and Memory
Deborah Aschheim’s art crosses boundaries and traditional subjects – she connects the invisible worlds of memory and sound with the tangible reality of bodies and buildings. Her exhibit, Method of Loci, opens at CentralTrak on Saturday, March 10, at 8 p.m. The show takes it name from a method of memory enhancement that uses visualization to organize and recall information. The project has led her to collaborate with musicians as well as neuroscientists. read more
Awards Recognize More Than 2 Millennia of UT Dallas Service
The University took time out Tuesday to recognize its faculty and staff members who have devoted significant periods of service to UT Dallas – 2,180 years all told. “Each and every one of you contributes to making this a great University,” President David E. Daniel said to the 255 honorees. read more
UT Dallas to Honor Staffers for Decades of Service
The University of Texas at Dallas will recognize 255 employees for their years of service at 3 p.m., Tuesday, March 6, in the Alexander Clark Center auditorium. The upcoming Annual Service Awards will honor employees who reached service milestones during the September 2010-August 2011 time frame. Co-workers, family and friends are welcome to attend. read more
Guitar Fans and Virtuosos to Gather for Competition
The School of Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas is holding its 11th Annual Texas Guitar Competition and Festival on March 2-3. The competition will showcase world-renowned classical guitarists and award $8,000 in cash prizes to the winners. Guest artists this year include Duo Melis, featuring Susana Prieto of Madrid and Alexis Murakis of Athens. They have performed in such prestigious international halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Berlin Philharmonie. read more
Youths Give Spelling Words a Workout in Annual Bees
They came, they spelled, and they conquered some of the toughest words in the dictionary. For the third consecutive year, UT Dallas hosted the Dallas County Spelling Bees. Students from private and public schools competed separately for the top spots in their respective contests. Shanna Druffner from All Saints Catholic School took first place in the private school competition on Feb. 7. Sadiq Shaikh from Brighter Horizons School was awarded second. read more
Event to Help Nonprofits Create Effective Boards
The Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance is hosting a seminar for nonprofit board members next month. Author Dr. Richard Leblanc, professor of law, governance and ethics at York University in Toronto, will share insights from his research of the boardroom. read more
Conference Studies Newest Modes of Marketing
Top researchers are addressing novel Internet-era marketing ideas this week at a Naveen Jindal School of Management conference. About two dozen marketing professors from such universities as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School will present papers on such evolving marketing practices as search engine key word pricing strategies, dynamic choice and collecting user-generated content for consumer rankings. read more
Business Leaders Discuss Technology of Next 25 Years
The “25 Years of Technology Show and Tell” event at UT Dallas was held in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. Leaders of engineering-related companies talked about their products from 25 years ago as well as those predicted for the future. read more
Events Emphasize Theatrical Arts, Cultural Connections
The School of Arts and Humanities' events lean toward the theatrical this week, with performances that include a pantomime show, opera demonstration and a three-act comedy from UT Dallas students. Chinese performing artist, scriptwriter, and screen director Peng Jingquan will make two presentations, and UT Dallas students will perform in the comedy Sin, Sex, and the CIA. read more
Investiture Ceremonies Begin New Tradition at UT Dallas
A series of Investiture Ceremonies acknowledged both the achievements of accomplished scholars and the generosity of far-sighted donors. More than 50 faculty members from four schools celebrated investiture last week. read more
Slideshow: A Week of Ceremonies and Celebration
Pictures capture a week of ceremony and celebration from the investitures for the endowed chairs and professorships of four schools at The University of Texas at Dallas.
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Futurist: New Tech to Ditch Calendar, Clock Mentality
The future is nearly here. Some corporations, governments and professionals will embrace the technological shifts and some will be left behind. Jeff Wacker, a senior fellow in enterprise services and futurist at Hewlett-Packard, describes technology and its possible affects on society. read more
Archivist Charged With Preserving University’s Past
To preserve essential pieces of UT Dallas’ past, the Eugene McDermott Library has hired the school’s first university archivist. The new specialist, Ty Lovelady, will collect and catalog materials now housed in multiple locations across campus in work that will be crucial to the University’s preparations for its 50th anniversary in 2019. He comes to UT Dallas from Texas Tech, where he was a key figure in the development of that university's Vietnam Center and Archive. read more
Debate Team Earns ‘Outright Win’ in Kansas City Tournament
The UT Dallas debate team has started off 2012 strong, including an “outright win” in Kansas City. The partnership of Collin Roark and Wes Dwyer took outright first place at the Brian Johnson Memorial Tournament, hosted by the University of Missouri, Kansas City from Jan. 28-30. “The nature of intercollegiate debate makes an outright win at a tournament something rare. This is the first tournament win for UT Dallas since September 2009,” said Chris Burk, director of debate and a political science lecturer at UT Dallas. read more
Dallas Fed Executive to Address Investor Symposium
A top official of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas headlines a list of industry experts that will speak at an investment symposium Saturday at the Naveen Jindal School of Management. The daylong event, the annual Texas Investment Portfolio Symposium, will draw investment professionals and business students from 30 universities in Texas and surrounding states. The keynote luncheon speaker will be Harvey Rosenblum, PhD, executive vice president and director of research at the Dallas Fed, who will offer an economic outlook for 2012. read more
Online Evaluation System Gets High Marks from Students and Faculty
Students at UT Dallas have a new option for sharing thoughts about a particular class or professor: a University-wide online course evaluation system. The Faculty Senate and a committee of faculty and students adopted the program last semester. The move follows a decade of relying on paper course evaluations. read more
Photography Exhibit Opens Eclectic Arts Week at UT Dallas
The unveiling of a new exhibit of images Tuesday from the Jerry and Marilyn Comer Photography Collection kicks off a varied week of arts events at UT Dallas. The opening reception for will be Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m. in the University Theatre Gallery.This exhibit invites viewers to consider how they discover affinities for specific photographs. The photos are by such artists as Larry Fink, Andrea Modica, Luis Mallo, Rufus O. Lovett, Andres Serrano and Paula Willmot Kraus. read more
