TWU Brags

RANKINGS

• TWU was named one of the top five universities in the U.S. who have contributed to the national Energy Star Low Carbon IT Power Campaign. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy designed to protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. (2012)
• 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. (2013 Best Colleges issue)
• U.S. News and World Report ranks TWU’s library and information studies and occupational and physical therapy programs among the nation’s best. (2013 Best Graduate Schools issue)
• U.S. News and World Report ranks TWU’s graduate program in occupational therapy 15th nationally. (2013 Best Graduate Schools issue)
• TWU’s physical therapy program is ranked 27th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. (2013 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. (2012)
• Poder Hispanic magazine ranks TWU 13th among Texas public universities awarding master's degrees to Hispanics. (2012)
• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ranks TWU’s Hispanic enrollment increase (224 percent from 2000-2012) the eighth-highest enrollment growth percentage among universities in Texas and more than double the statewide growth in Hispanic enrollment. (Fall 2012)
• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ranks TWU’s enrollment growth (77.27 percent from 2000-2012) the sixth-highest enrollment growth percentage among universities in Texas and almost double the statewide growth rate. (Fall 2012)

EXCELLENCE

• Eighty-three 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 77 percent. (2012)
• TWU is among the nation’s leading providers of nurses and other healthcare professionals. (2012)
• TWU’s occupational therapy program produces more occupational therapists than any other program in the nation. (2012)
• 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)
• TWU is 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.
• TWU nursing students’ first-time pass rate on the 2011 National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) was 97 percent, well above the national and state averages. (Texas Board of Nursing)
• TWU Honors Scholars hold more than 180 local, regional, national and TWU scholarships.
• 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 was named one of the top five universities in the U.S. that have contributed to the national Energy Star Low Carbon IT Power Campaign. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy designed to protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. (2012)
• TWU prepares approximately 525 new teachers each year. TWU students typically achieve an overall pass rate of 96 percent on state teacher certification examinations. (2012)
• TWU awards more than $10 million in scholarships annually.
• Minority students (excluding international students) comprise 49 percent of enrollment at TWU. (Fall 2012)
• 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 five in the United States to offer a Ph.D., the most rigorous degree in the field. (2012)
• 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 was awarded $3 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to use for scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a nursing degree. (2012)
• TWU was awarded a $1.6 million grant from the U.S Department of Education’s National Professional Development Program in the Office of English Language Acquisition to improve the literacy and language skills of English language learners in rural north Texas schools. Project SMARTTTEL (Science and Mathematics for All: Rural Teacher raining through Technology for English Learners) is a five-year project designed to develop, implement and evaluate an online professional development program for math and science teachers. (2012)
• The TWU School of Library and Information Studies is one of 32 library organizations in the nation and one of four in Texas to receive a 2012 Laura Bush 21^st Century Librarian Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). TWU received a $469,999 grant from the IMLS. The university and its partners – the Texas Library Association (TLA) and the Dallas Public Library – are providing $273,037 in in-kind services for a total of $743,036 to establish the Literacy Matters: Educating Librarians to Serve Families with Young Children project. (2012)
• TWU is one of only two universities in the nation to receive a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Biomedical/Biobehavioral Research Administration Development (BRAD) grant. The $452,532 grant will be distributed over five years and will be used to develop and support a new Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at the TWU T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences-Dallas Center. (2012)
• 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.)

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

• Elizabeth Claffey, a 2011 master of fine arts graduate, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct creative and archival research in post-Communist cultural identity in Albania. (2012)
• Sonia M. Carrizales, a psychology doctoral candidate, was named Student of the Year by the American Psychological Association's Section for the Advancement of Women. (2012)
• Jessic McKinley, a senior nursing major, was one of only 10 nursing students in the U.S. selected for a research internship at the National Institutes of health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. (2012)
• Mayra Rivas, a senior nutrition major, was selected for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) National Internship Program. (2012)
• Robin Bartoletti, a doctoral student in education, was named a 2012-13 research fellow by the Texas Social Media Research Institute.
• Kayla McConnell, a senior biochemistry major, and Sarah Sutherland, a senior chemistry major, were among only a handful of undergraduate students to present their research at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. (2012)
• LaTondra Lawrence, a doctoral student in molecular biology, was one of only 10 researchers internationally to receive a Society of Investigative Dermatology (SID) Eugene M. Farber Travel Award for Young Investigators. (2011)
• 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.
• 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. Jimmy Ishee (College of Health Sciences) is past-president of the National Association of Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education (NAKPEHE). (Term ends in January 2014.)
• Dr. Connie Briggs (reading) serves as a trainer representative on the Reading Recovery Council of North America Board of Directors. (Term ends June 30, 2014.)
• Dr. Anne Simpson (reading) is past-president of the North American Trainers Group of the Reading Recovery Council of North America. (Term ends June 30, 2014.)

State Office

• Cynthia Maguire (chemistry and physics) is immediate past president of the Native Plant Society of Texas. (Term ends Jan. 2013.)
• Dr. Susan Adams (counseling and development) is past president of the Texas Counseling Association. (Term ends in July 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. (2012)

National Awards

• Dr. Susan Adams (counseling and development) received the Distinguished Service Award from the Association for Adult Development and Aging, a division of the American Counseling Association. (2012)
• Dr. Sandra Cesario (nursing) received the 2012 Distinguished Professional Service Award from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), the highest honor given by the organization.
• Cynthia Maguire (chemistry and biochemistry) is one of only nine educators in the U.S. to be elected as a 2012-13 SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) Leadership Fellow by the National Fellowship Board of the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement.
• Dr. Mary Thompson (physical therapy) received the Joan Mills Award from the American Physical Therapy Association Section on Geriatrics. (2012)
• 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.
• Dr. Mary Frances Baxter (occupational therapy) was among only 21 occupational therapy leaders in the nation named to the 2011 American Occupational Therapy Association's Roster of Fellows.

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. 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); 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.
• 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.
• 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.

STAFF

Staff Honors

• Governor Jackson (financial aid) was appointed to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' Higher Education Ace Reauthorization Task Force. (Term ends July 2013.)
• 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 of the Texas Library Association. (Term runs through April 15, 2013.)
• Gregg Hardin (TWU Libraries) is chair of District 7 of the Texas Library Association. (Term runs through April 15, 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.

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.

ATHLETICS

• For 60 consecutive semesters (that’s 30 years), student-athletes at TWU have achieved an overall team GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. (Spring 2012)
• TWU gymnast Courtney Cochefski won the individual title on bars at the 2012 USAG Collegiate National Championships.
• TWU gymnasts finished second at the 2012 USAG Collegiate National Championships. Courtney Cochefski (bars), Rashonda Cannie (vault, bars and all-around), Bethany Larimer (vault, bars and beam), Kristin Edward, Kayla Jones, Spencer Jones and Stephaine Repp (beam) received USAG All-America honors.
• Freshman gymnast Spencer Jones was named Midwest Independent Conference Newcomer of the Year.
• Assistant gymnastics coach Josh Nilson was named the 2012 USA Gymnastics and Midwest Independent Conference Assistant Coach of the Year.
• The TWU bastketball team advanced to its third consecutive Lone Star Conference championship during the 2011-2012 season. Senior Jessica Hanna was named First Team All-Conference.
• Head basketball coach Beth Jillson became the all-time winningest TWU basketball coach during the 2011-2012 season.
• TWU’s volleyball team advanced to the LSC Conference Tournament for the ninth consecutive season (2011). Junior Vicktorija Jablonska was named LSC Co-Offensive Player of the Year and LSC Newcomer of the Year.
• TWU's softball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three years and the Lone Star Conference Championship for the the third consecutive year. (2012)
• Sophomore softball player Bailey Vrazel led all collegiate softball players (NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA) in stolen bases with 75 and broke her own TWU and Lone Star Conference single-season record. She was named LSC Academic Player of the Year.
• The TWU softball team set 20 new individual and team school records in during the 2012 season.

HISTORY

• 1901 — The Girls Industrial College was founded by an act of the 27th Texas Legislature.
• 1903 — The first building, now known as Old Main, was constructed on campus.
• 1904 — First graduating class with one graduate, Beulah Kincaid.
• 1905 — The college’s name is changed to the College of Industrial Arts (CIA).
• 1915 — The first bachelor’s degrees are awarded at CIA.
• 1923 — CIA becomes an accredited member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
• 1930 — Graduate studies are established at the college.
• 1934 — The college’s name changes to Texas State College for Women.
• 1953 — The first doctoral degrees are awarded at TSCW.
• 1954 — The college’s nursing program begins in Dallas at Parkland Hospital.
• 1957 — The college’s name changes to Texas Woman’s University.
• 1960 — The TWU Institute of Health Sciences-Houston Center opens in the Texas Medical Center.
• 1966 — The TWU Institute of Health Sciences-Dallas Center opens near Parkland Hospital.
• 1972 — Men are admitted into TWU’s graduate programs and undergraduate and graduate health sciences professions programs in Denton, Dallas and Houston.
• 1976 — Mary Evelyn Blagg Huey becomes the first woman president of TWU.
• 1977 — TWU opens the Presbyterian campus, the university’s second clinical center in Dallas.
• 1986 — The Mary Evelyn Blagg Huey Library opens on the Denton campus.
• 1994 — Men are admitted to all undergraduate programs
• 2006 — The new, state-of-the-art TWU Houston Center opens at the southern gateway to the Texas Medical Center.
• 2011 — The TWU T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences-Dallas Center opens, combining the university’s Parkland and Presbyterian centers at the Parkland site. The Denton campus sees the opening of two new buildings: the Ann Stuart Science Complex, named for TWU Chancellor Ann Stuart, and the new Fitness and Recreation Center.