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TWU announces
2007 distinguished alumni
3/26/07
DENTON —Texas
Woman’s University and the TWU Former Students Association
have announced TWU Provost Carolyn Gunning, Ph.D., of Denton,
Norma Silva-Quinn of Austin and Colleen A. Smith, Ph.D., of
Cisco as the 2007 distinguished alumni.
The three honorees
will be recognized at the Distinguished Alumni Awards Luncheon
at 11 a.m., April 21 in the Southeast Ballroom of Hubbard
Hall. Luncheon tickets are $25. For more information or tickets,
call the TWU Office of Alumni Relations at (940) 898-2586
or visit www.twu.edu/alum.
Dr. Carolyn Gunning
Dr. Gunning’s
distinguished career in nursing and higher education spans
more than 40 years. She received her bachelor of science in
nursing from TWU in 1965, and has since served as a nursing
clinician, nursing educator, dean of the TWU College of Nursing
and as the TWU provost.
She began her career as an officer in the U.S. Army Nurse
Corps serving during the Vietnam War. She then worked for
several years as a head nurse of a critical care unit at the
county hospital in San Antonio. Dr. Gunning also served in
the Texas Army National Guard, achieving the rank of lieutenant
colonel.
Dr. Gunning has
exhibited a strong commitment to the values of higher education,
achieving both a master’s degree in nursing and a doctoral
degree in higher education. Her skill and leadership is evidenced
in the various positions she has held at several universities,
including TWU, culminating in her appointment as dean of the
TWU College of Nursing in 1991. After a brief retirement,
Dr. Gunning was named interim TWU provost in 2005 and later
was appointed as the TWU provost and vice-president of academic
affairs.
She has had a strong
presence in national organizations serving both higher education
and nursing, including the Commission on Collegiate Nursing
Education, the National League for Nursing and the American
Nurses Association. Dr. Gunning was elected to three terms
as the chairperson of the Texas Organization for Baccalaureate
and Graduate Nursing Education. Dr. Gunning’s service
on a national task force for the American Association of Colleges
of Nursing resulted in a document that is now used nationwide
to structure nursing curriculum. Her expertise in nursing
education is exemplified by her serving as a consultant for
the Louisiana Board of Regents, Midwestern State University
and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Dr. Gunning has
received numerous awards recognizing her contributions, including
receiving a commendation medal from the U.S. Army, being named
one of TWU’s 100 Great Nursing Alumni and receiving
the TWU Award for Meritorious Service.
“I am tremendously
honored to have been selected as a distinguished alumna,”
Dr. Gunning said. “TWU provided me the educational base
to succeed in a leadership role in nursing and in higher education,
and I am glad that I have been able to contribute back to
the university. I have always been in awe of the accomplishments
of those women selected as TWU Distinguished Alumni. I am
humbled to have been selected to join their ranks.”
Norma Silva-Quinn
Norma Silva-Quinn
earned her bachelor of arts degree in history and government
from TWU in 1974 and has continued to give back to her alma
mater since graduation. She has served in numerous positions
on the Former Students Association Board, serves as a class
agent and has encouraged many of her students to attend TWU.
In 1998, she had the honor of seeing one of those former students
named an outstanding senior at TWU.
Ms. Silva-Quinn
has spent her professional life with the Austin Independent
School District, serving as a teacher, assistant principal
and principal. Currently, she is principal of Palm Elementary
School, which in 2006 was one of four national recipients
of the “Lend a Hand” program. In recognition,
the school and its choir were featured live on the NBC Today
Show.
She has been active
in a variety of professional associations throughout her career.
During her term on the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards, the first national teaching certificate was created.
Ms. Silva-Quinn was the first Hispanic to serve as president
of the Austin Association of Teachers. She also was one of
the first teachers in Austin to be involved in the Peer Assistance
and Leadership Program and served on the organizing committee
when the program expanded statewide.
Ms. Silva-Quinn
has been named an Austin Teacher of the Year and received
the University of Texas Excellence Award for Outstanding High
School Teachers — one of 10 awarded annually in the
state.
Her activities
extend beyond those associated with her profession and include
serving as a volunteer in her church, in Leadership Austin,
Brackenridge Hospital’s Safe Kids Campaign and the National
Literacy Day Hotline. She has been a lifetime member of the
TWU Former Students Association for more than 20 years.
“I am truly
honored to receive this award from my university,” Ms.
Silva-Quinn said. “TWU’s tradition of high standards
for excellence prepared me well for my career as an educator
and also gave me opportunities to develop leadership.”
Dr. Colleen A.
Smith
Dr. Colleen Smith’s
association with TWU began as a Federation Master’s
Student and continued as she earned her Ph.D. in dance from
TWU in 1997. She has worked in higher education for more than
25 years, with a reputation as a national authority on the
assessment of student learning, institutional effectiveness
and accreditation.
In 2006, she was
selected to be the first woman president of Cisco Junior College.
Prior to this appointment, she was the vice president of instruction
for the college.
Dr. Smith spent
more than 20 years at Western Wyoming College, where she developed
the college’s dance curriculum. The program received
regional and national recognition for its choreography, and
students were invited to perform for national and regional
festivals. During her tenure at Western Wyoming, Dr. Smith
advanced from instructor to associate professor to division
chair to associate dean for assessment and occupational programs.
During her time
in Wyoming, Dr. Smith was appointed by the governor to serve
on the Wyoming Commission for National and Community Service.
She also has worked on the Planning and Zoning Commission
of Rock Springs, Wyo., on the Workforce Investment Council
and as a volunteer for the United Way.
Dr. Smith has served as a consultant-evaluator for the North
Central Association of Colleges and Schools. She was named
a TWU Kitty Magee Distinguished Scholar in 2000 and a Wyoming
Outstanding Dance Educator in 1989 and 1992.
“I cannot
begin to tell you how much it means to me to be recognized
by TWU as a distinguished alumni and to know that people I
respect have demonstrated their support for me,” Dr.
Smith said. “I am deeply thankful for my time as a doctoral
student in the dance program and for the continued collegiality
the faculty members have shown me over the years.”
###
For
Further Information Contact:
Amanda McKeen Simpson
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: asimpson1@twu.edu
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