TWU Brags

RANKINGS

• Forbes magazine ranks TWU among the top 25 percent of U.S. colleges for undergraduates. (2011)
• U.S. News and World Report magazine ranks TWU in the top three in the state and the top 10 nationally among universities with the most diverse student populations. (2012 Best Colleges issue)
• U.S. News and World Report ranks TWU’s occupational and physical therapy programs among the nation’s best. (2012 Best Graduate Schools issue)
• U.S. News and World Report ranks TWU’s graduate program in occupational therapy 17th nationally. (2012 Best Graduate Schools issue)
• TWU’s physical therapy program is ranked 24th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. (2012 Best Graduate Schools issue)
• Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine lists TWU among its Top 100 Schools in awarding bachelor's and master’s degrees to Hispanics. (2011)
• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ranks TWU’s Hispanic enrollment increase (173.5 percent from 2000-2010) the sixth-highest increase among universities in Texas.  (Fall 2010)
• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ranks TWU’s enrollment growth (66.7 percent from 2000-2010) the sixth-highest enrollment growth percentage among universities in Texas. (Fall 2010)

EXCELLENCE

• Eighty-six percent of TWU baccalaureate graduates are employed in Texas or enrolled in a Texas graduate program within one year, higher than the state average of 80 percent. (2010)
• TWU is among the nation’s leading providers of nurses and other healthcare professionals. (2010)
• TWU’s occupational therapy program produces more occupational therapists than any other program in the nation.  (2010)
• TWU produces more speech language pathologists than any other program in the state.  (2010)
• TWU produces more teachers of the deaf than any other program in the state.  (2010)
• The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement selected TWU as one of six regional SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) Centers in the country.  SENCER is a comprehensive faculty development and science education reform project funded by the National Science Foundation.  (2010)
• TWU is one of only 16 universities in the United States — and the only university in Texas — selected to participate in the American Democracy Project Civic Agency Initiative.  The three-year program is a national initiative focused on encouraging students to be civic leaders in their communities.  (2008-11)
• TWU nursing students’ first-time pass rate on the 2010 National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) was 98 percent, well above the state average. (Texas Board of Nursing)
• TWU Honors Scholars hold more than 180 local, regional, national and TWU scholarships.
• TWU’s Honors Scholar program is one of the 10 most selective honors programs in Texas.
• TWU has transformed its campuses with more than $130 million in new and renovated facilities, including the TWU Institute of Health Sciences-Houston Center, the Redbud Theater Complex, the Ann Stuart Science Complex and the TWU T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences-Dallas Center and the TWU Fitness and Recreation Center.
• TWU's single-stream recycling program, introduced on the Denton campus in January 2010, decreased the amount of materials sent to the landfill by approximately 25 percent.  Among other "greening" initiatives, TWU is reducing its carbon footprint by utilizing 40 percent wind energy on its Denton, Dallas and Houston campuses.
• TWU’s Partnering for Teachers program with the Dallas Independent School District was one of only six initiatives in the state to receive a 2009 Texas Higher Education Star Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
• TWU prepares approximately 550 new teachers each year.  TWU students typically achieve an overall pass rate of 98 percent on state teacher certification examinations. (2010)
• TWU awards almost $9 million in scholarships annually.
• Minority students (excluding international students) comprise 45 percent of enrollment at TWU. (Fall 2010)
• TWU currently holds the Carnegie Classification of Doctoral/Research University, which means the university awards at least 20 research doctoral degrees a year.
• TWU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.

MILESTONES

• The TWU Concert Choir made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2005, performing with the National Women’s Festival Chorus.  TWU’s choir was the only one asked to perform alone at the festival.
• The TWU Drama Program debuted “The Long March” at New York City’s Greenwich Street Theater in 2006 in collaboration with the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.
• TWU offers the only Ph.D. in physical therapy in Texas.
• TWU’s occupational therapy program is one of only three in the United States to offer a Ph.D., the most rigorous degree in the field.  (2010)
• TWU’s doctoral program in nursing was the first of its kind in the Southwest.
• TWU’s Ph.D. in dance is the oldest continuing doctoral program in dance in the United States and one of only three Ph.D. programs nationwide.
• TWU offers the only undergraduate degree program in culinary science and food service management in Texas.
• TWU offers the only undergraduate degree in adapted physical education in Texas.
• TWU researchers were the first to document bone loss in space in a project with NASA.  Today, the TWU Institute for Women’s Health has the world’s largest database of osteoporosis imagery/scans.
• In 2010, TWU became the first university in Texas to offer a Ph.D. in women’s studies.  TWU was the first university in Texas to offer a freestanding master of arts degree in women’s studies (1999).
• TWU became the first public university in Texas to offer a specialist degree in September 2006.  
• TWU was the first higher education institution in Texas to offer a degree in music.
• TWU’s Fine Arts Building was the first facility in Texas designed and built specifically to house programs in the studio arts.
• In 1956, TWU opened the first building in the nation dedicated to library science instruction.
• TWU offered the first bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in Texas.

RESEARCH/SPONSORED PROJECTS

• Dr. Judith McFarlane, holder of the Parry Chair in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention on TWU’s Houston campus, conducts research on the health effects of violence against women and the effectiveness of interventions to prevent further violence.  Her findings on the abuse of pregnant women and its connection with low birthweight have been used by clinicians in the United States and abroad to set standards of care for pregnant women.
• The Growing with EASE (Eating, Activity and Self Esteem) Project is an interdisciplinary approach to the prevention of childhood obesity, with Dr. Barney Sanborn (kinesiology); Dr. Nancy DiMarco (nutrition and food sciences); Dr. Shannon Rich (psychology and philosophy); Dr. Carol Huettig (kinesiology); Dr. David Nichols (kinesiology); Dr. Jo Ann Engelbrecht (family sciences); and Dr. Junehee Kwon (nutrition and food sciences).  The project examines the impact of participation in a family active play and nutrition program on body composition, physical activity, nutrition and self-esteem in obese at-risk preschoolers.
• The TWU Stroke Center-Dallas conducts cutting-edge research in neuropharmacologic therapy.  Ongoing studies combine drugs with behavioral treatment to enhance the brain’s ability to recover from stroke.

GRANTS

• TWU and the Fort Worth Independent School District have partnered to address critical teacher shortages in the FWISD using a $1.65 million Transition to Teaching grant — one of only 20 Transition to Teaching grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.  The goal of the FWISD program is to recruit 120 candidates for intensive teacher preparation in math, science, bilingual education and special education. (Grant period continues through 2011.)
• TWU and the Fort Worth Independent School District were awarded a $1.3 million federal grant for Project ACCELERATE, a program designed to improve the academic achievement of English language learners in the FWISD.  The U.S. Department of Education’s National Professional Development Program in the Office of English Language Acquisition awarded grants for projects designed to increase the pool of highly qualified teachers prepared to serve students with limited English proficiency and increase the skills of teachers already serving them. (Grant period ends in 2012.)
• TWU received $900,000 in federal grant money to help economically disadvantaged students pursue degrees in nursing and occupational therapy.  The funds, awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will provide scholarships to undergraduate nursing students and students in occupational therapy.  (Grant was awarded in 2010.)
• TWU received a $900,000 grant from Houston Endowment, with the funds to be used toward a study on the effectiveness of shelters and civil protection orders and their respective roles in helping abused women and children transition into safety. (Grant was awarded in 2010.)
• TWU’s Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences received almost $800,000 in state and federal research grants to study how nutrition affects the health of humans.  Studies include the impact of vitamin A on bone cells; how eating blueberries can protect bone health; developing half-frying procedures for processed and fried foods; how consuming cottonseed oil impacts diabetes, osteoarthritis and melanoma; and how grapes improve joint mobility and reduce pain associated with knee osteoarthritis. (Grants were awarded in 2009.)
• TWU received $744,422 in federal grant money to expand its weekend nursing program in Dallas.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) award will fund 80 new nursing students in the Weekend Nursing Program over a three-year period.  (Grant was awarded in 2010.)
• TWU’s doctor of nurse practitioner (DNP) degree program was awarded a $614,919 grant from the U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Advanced Education Nursing Program.  The three-year grant will help provide nurses in rural and underserved areas with access to TWU’s DNP program. (Grant period continues through 2011.)
• TWU received a $593,520 grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program.  The grant, to be distributed over a four-year period, will be used to fund scholarships to TWU undergraduate students majoring in the STEM fields. (Grant period ends in 2012.)
• The TWU Nelda C. Stark College of Nursing in Houston is using two grants totaling $483,301 to increase the use of patient simulation in teaching medical and nursing students and nursing faculty.  The Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation and the Texas Workforce Commission awarded the grants to TWU. (Grants were awarded in 2010.)

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

• Emma Zemler, a senior mathematics major, is one of only 15 university students in the nation selected as a Texas Aerospace Scholar by NASA's Universities Space Research Association.  She interned at NASA's Johnson Space Center in spring 2011.
• Marianne Follis, a doctoral student in library science, is one of only 15 members of the Association of Library Service to Children’s 2011 Newbery Award Selection Committee.
• Elaine Cho, a doctoral student in rhetoric, was one of only 17 educators in the nation selected for the 2010 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad: History and Culture in China Program.  The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations organizes the program.
• Ladia Hernandez, a 2009 doctoral graduate in nutrition, presented her research on pistachios and the prevention of lung cancer at the 2009 American Association for Cancer Research “Frontiers in Cancer Prevention” conference.
• Brenna Tucker, a master’s student in chemistry, was the only student from the U.S. and one of only four students internationally to receive a William F. Glauque Travel Award to attend the 2010 North American Calorimetry Conference.
• Katie Schniebs, a senior mathematics major, is one of only 20 undergraduate students in the nation to receive a $40,000 scholarship from the NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program. (2010)
• Jose Zamora, a master of fine arts in dance graduate, was one of only 31 choreographers in the US whose work was chosen for performance at the 2010 National College Dance Festival.
• Sarah Sutherland, a senior chemistry major, was the only student from Texas and one of only 32 students in the nation to receive a National Science Foundation Scholar Grant to attend the American Chemistry Society’s 2010 Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference.
• Sarah Adams, a senior biology and chemistry major; Victoria Loveland, a post-
  baccalaureate chemistry major; and Carin Balusek, a senior biochemistry major; are among only 46 students in the nation to receive scholarships from the National Consortium of Measurement and Signals Intelligence Research (NCMR) Scholars Program. The $10,000 scholarships were awarded through the National Science Foundation.  (2010)
• Rae Lynn McFarlin, a 2010 mathematics and chemistry graduate, was one of only 60 students in the U.S. and two in Texas to receive a national Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship.  The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective all-discipline honor society. (2010)
• TWU fashion students have held prestigious internships with the Paris American Academy in France, “O, The Oprah Magazine,” Bergdorf Goodman, Betsey Johnson, CeCe Feinberg PR, Natori, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and other national and international companies.

FACULTY

National Office

• Dr. Anne Simpson (reading) is president of the North American Trainers Group of the Reading Recovery Council of North America.  (Term ends June 30, 2012.)
• Dr. Janine Golden (library and information studies) is president of the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), a division of the American Library Association.  (Term ends June 2012.)
• Dr. Peggy Gleeson (physical therapy, Houston) is president of the education section of the American Physical Therapy Association.  (Term ends June 2012.)
• Dr. Jimmy Ishee (College of Health Sciences) is president-elect of the National Association of Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education (NAKPEHE).  (Term as president begins in 2012.)

State Office

• Cynthia Maguire (chemistry and physics) is president of the Native Plant Society of Texas.  (Her term as immediate past president begins Jan. 2012.)
• Dr. Donna Scott Tilley (nursing) was appointed to the Texas Nursing Facility Administrators Advisory Committee by Gov. Rick Perry.  Dr. Tilley is the only nurse on the committee, which advises the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services on licensing and regulation of nursing facility administrators. (Term ends Feb. 1, 2013.)
• Dr. Ronald Davis (kinesiology) is the Texas State Coordinator of Adapted Sports for the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP).  He develops school-based sports programs for students with disabilities in coordination with the Texas high school scholastic sports.  (2010)

National Awards

• Dr. Ronald Davis (kinesiology) received an Ambassador Award from the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR), part of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).  The award recognizes those who personify outstanding leadership and who advocate for physical activity and recreation.  (2011)
• Dr. Carolyn Bednar (nutrition and food sciences) received the 2011 National Collegiate Advisory Award from the National Council of Phi Upsilon Omicron, a national honor society in family and consumer sciences.
• Patricia Nunn (dental hygiene) was the first dental hygiene educator — and one of only 10 honorees in the nation — to receive the William J. Gies Award for Vision and Achievement from the American Dental Education Association. (2010)
• Dr. Jimmy Ishee (College of Health Sciences) received the 2010 Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education (NAKPEHE)
• Dr. Dan Miller (psychology) is a 2006 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of School Psychologists’ Neuropsychology Special Interest Group.
• The American Culture Association/Popular Culture Association of the Southwest established an award in honor of Dr. Phyllis Bridges (English, Speech and Foreign Languages) in 1999.  The award is presented to a person who presents the best paper in biography, autobiography, memoir or personal narrative.

International Excellence

• Dr. Ling Hwey Jeng (library and information studies) received the Chinese American Librarians Association’s (CALA) 2010 Distinguished Service Award.  The award was presented for “outstanding accomplishments and extraordinary success at national and international levels.”
• Dr. Connie Briggs (reading) serves on the Executive Board of the International Reading Recovery Trainers Organization (IRRTO) as the elected representative of all university Reading Recovery® trainers in the United States. (Term ends in 2012.)
• Dr. Dojin Ryu (nutrition and food sciences) in 2010 was elected as a commissioner to the International Commission on Food Mycology, a partner of the International Union of Microbiological Societies.  The election is in recognition of contribution/authority in the field of molds and mycotoxin research.  Dr. Ryu is one of three active delegates from the United States.
• Dr. Mary Anderson (chemistry and physics) serves on the editorial board of the international journal “Analytical Biochemistry.”  (Term ends May 31, 2014.)

State Awards

• Nine TWU faculty members have been named a Piper Professor since the award was established in 1958. The award honors outstanding teaching in Texas colleges and universities.  The foundation makes only 15 awards each year.

Faculty Achievement

• Among TWU’s distinguished faculty are Fulbright Scholars Dr. Jim Williams, (sociology); Dr. Richard Shuster (music); Dr. Timothy Hoye (history and government); Dr. Claire Sahlin (women’s studies); and Dr. Evelyn Curry (library and information studies); Joan Edwards (nursing-Houston); Fulbright Senior Specialist Dr. Hugh Burns (English, speech and foreign languages); and Fulbright-Nehru Scholar Dr. Lisa Zottarelli (sociology).
• TWU faculty developed the Theory of Occupational Adaptation, a treatment model taught in occupational therapy education throughout the world.
• Dr. Dan Miller (psychology) has earned diplomate status in school psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology.  The ABPP diplomate is the highest practice credential in psychology.
• Joseph Pinson (music) has been a recipient of the annual Standard Award from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) since 2000.
• Dr. Anne Stiles (nursing) was re-elected to a second term as a Member-at-Large and Director of Communications on the Southern Nursing Research Society Board of Directors.  (Term ends in 2012.)
• Gladys Keeton (dance) is a past recipient of the prestigious Honor Award from the Southern District American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Association.  This is the highest district award for service to the profession.
• Pat Driscoll (health systems management, Dallas) is vice chair of the DFW Health Industry Council board of directors.  (2009)

STAFF

Staff Honors

• John Cissik (Fitness and Recreation) was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Early Childhood Intervention Advisory Committee.  The committee serves Texas families who have infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays.  (Term ends Feb. 1, 2015)
• Sherilyn Bird (TWU Libraries) is president-elect of the Texas Library Association.  (Term runs April 15, 2011-2012.)
• Gregg Hardin (TWU Libraries) is chair of District 7 of the Texas Library Association.  (Term runs April 15, 2011-2014.)

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT

Milestones

• Dr. Millie Hughes-Fulford was the first female civilian scientist in space.
• Ann Williams is founder and artistic director of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre and a member of the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.
• Maryellen Hicks was the first African-American and first woman to serve on the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth.
• Sylvia Garcia was the first Hispanic woman elected to the Harris County Commissioners Court.
• Maj. Gen. Mary Saunders, U.S. Air Force, Retired, was the first woman to serve as the director of transportation at the United States Air Force Headquarters.
• Dr. E. Ann Nalley was the first woman to be honored as Oklahoma Chemist of the Year by the five Oklahoma sections of the American Chemical Society, and the first woman appointed to the Board of Pacifichem, an international organization of the Pacific Basin Chemical Society.

Health Care

• Dr. James H. Rimmer is recognized internationally as the pre-eminent researcher/scholar in exercise physiology, especially as it relates to persons with disabilities.
• Dr. Therese Bartholomew Bevers is the medical director of the Cancer Prevention Center at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.  She has overseen the center — the first comprehensive clinical cancer prevention service program in the country — since its opening in 1996.
• Dr. Rosemary Luquire is senior vice president and chief nursing officer of the Baylor Health Care System.
• Gary Hamrick is vice president of nursing operations for the Baylor Health Care System.
• Michael Mayo is president of Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
• Debbie Paganelli is president of Texas Health Resources Hurst-Euless-Bedford.
• Miriam Sibley is chief nursing officer of the Parkland Health & Hospital System.
• Mary Stowe is vice president and chief nursing officer of Children’s Medical Center Dallas.
• Troy Thibodeaux is chief operations officer of Covenant Health System in Lubbock.
• Polly Bednash is chief executive officer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
• Marilyn Bratcher Davis, MPA, RN, was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to a six-year term on the Texas State Board of Nursing.  (Term expires Jan. 13, 2013.)

Education

• Dr. Dana Gibson is the first female president of Sam Houston State University.
• Dr. Helen Benjamin is chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District in California.
• Dr. Elma Gozalez founded the Center for Academic and Research Excellence at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and was director of the Minority Access to Research Careers at the university.
• Dr. Ellen Miller Frye was named the 2010 Educational Diagnostician of the Year at the national conference of the Council for Educational Diagnostic Services.  She is an educational diagnostician with the Lubbock Independent School District.

Arts

• Lisa Niedermeyer is a professional dancer with the Jane Comfort Dance Company, touring nationally and internationally.
• Sean McGlashan is curator of contemporary art at the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, Scotland.
• Hannah Frieser was co-chair of a Society for Photographic Education (SPE) National Conference with Miriam Romais, executive director of En Foco.  The conference, held in March 2010, focused on diversity and multiculturalism.

Miscellaneous

• Kay Alexander, senior vice president for Mid-Markets with the American Heart Association, was appointed by Texas Speaker of the House Tom Craddick to the nine-member Commission on State Emergency Communications.  (Term ends in 2014)
• Michelle Lee is founder, president and CEO of STG International, a company that provides management and technical services to federal clients. 
• Ramiro Salazar is director of the San Antonio Public Library.
• Leslie Ligon received the People’s Design Award at the National Design Awards Gala, sponsored by the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, for the design of her Braille Alphabet bracelet.  (2010)

ATHLETICS

• For 58 consecutive semesters (that’s 29 years), student-athletes at TWU have achieved an overall team GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. (Spring 2011)
• TWU gymnast Brittany Johnson won the Individual All-Around Championship at the 2011 USAG Collegiate National Championships, marking the third consecutive year that a TWU gymnast has taken the national title.
• TWU gymnasts finished second at the 2011 USAG Collegiate National Championships.  Marcella Fallon placed second on vault, Kristin Edwards placed third on floor and Brittany Johnson tied for third on bars during the individual event finals.
• The TWU basketball team captured the university’s first-ever Lone Star Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament —a first in program history — during the 2010-2011 season.
• TWU’s 10 conference victories in basketball were the most in school history.  (2010-2011)
• Kayla Weaver was named Most Valuable Player of the 2011 Lone Star Conference Basketball Tournament.  Brooke Shepherd and Jessica Hanna also were named to the All-Tournament Team.
• TWU soccer players Natalie Holovach, Andrea Choate, Kyli Morgan, Nori Morgan and Halla Ali made the All-Lone Star Conference Team.  Natalie Holovach also was named to the All-Region Team for the third consecutive year. (2010)
• TWU’s volleyball team advanced to the LSC Conference Tournament for the eighth consecutive season.  Kendra Coulson and Gene’ Traylor were named to the All-Conference Team. (2010)

HISTORY

The idea of higher education for women was a revolutionary one in 1901, when the 27th Texas Legislature created what is now Texas Woman’s University.

The first classes were offered in 1903 in Denton at what was then known as the Girls Industrial College of Texas.  Since then, the university has undergone three name changes — the College of Industrial Arts (CIA) in 1905, Texas State College for Women (TSCW) in 1934 and TWU in 1957.  Though founded as a college for women, TWU has welcomed male students for more than 30 years. 

The university began with four academic departments housed in a single building on the Denton campus.  That building, known as Old Main, still stands today.  TWU has expanded its physical size and its curriculum to offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in nearly 100 areas of study at four campuses and through online courses.  TWU currently holds the Carnegie Classification of Comprehensive Doctoral.

The university established its first graduate programs in 1930, and awarded its first doctoral degrees in 1953.  TWU opened the Institute of Health Sciences Dallas and Houston centers in 1957 and 1960, respectively.  Two new, state-of-the-art centers — the Houston campus in the Texas Medical Center and the TWU T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences-Dallas Center — opened in 2006 and 2011, respectively.
 
TWU takes a lead role in higher education by staying focused on its mission to educate students and to promote research, teaching and leadership.

Ann Stuart, Ph.D., is the chancellor and president of TWU (appointed 1999).