THIRD GROUP OF CHANCELLOR’S RESEARCH FELLOWS ANNOUNCED
TWU SLATES 25TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FEST
MA FERGUSON TOPIC OF THOMPSON LECTURE
PIONEER SCHOOL EARNS NAEYC REACCREDITATION
THE
NEXT TWO WEEKS AT TWU: Oct. 20-Nov. 2, 2003
Volume 26, Number 4, Oct. 20-Nov. 2, 2003
THIRD
GROUP OF CHANCELLOR’S RESEARCH FELLOWS ANNOUNCED
Ten TWU faculty have
been selected as Chancellor's Research Fellows for 2003-2004.
The program, now in
its third year, pairs faculty with strong potential for gaining external research
funding with mentors who have been successful at obtaining funds from federal
agencies or other sources and at publishing their research.
This year’s
protégés and mentors are: Dr. Mark Britt (chemistry
and physics), who will be mentored by Dr. James Johnson (chemistry
and physics); Dr. Ann Malecha (nursing), who will be mentored
by Dr. Judith McFarlane (nursing); Dr. Kyle Biggerstaff
(kinesiology), who will be mentored by Dr. Barney Sanborn
(kinesiology); Dr. Anne Stiles (nursing), who will be mentored
by Dr. Patti Hamilton (nursing); and Dr. Junehee
Kwon (nutrition and food sciences), who will be mentored by Dr. Carolyn
Bednar (nutrition and food sciences).
Protégés
receive awards of $3,000 and mentors receive $1,500 to use for their individual
research needs. Funding was provided by the TWU Chancellor’s Circle
and the TWU Foundation.
Mentors assist their
protégés in developing their research agendas and grant applications.
Protégés are responsible for preparing at least one proposal
for external funding during the fellowship year or the following academic
year. Both mentors and protégés participate in research roundtables
where topics such as finding funding proposals and proposal review and critique
are discussed.
*** *** ***
TWU
SLATES 25TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FEST
TWU will become a
melting pot of cultures on Nov. 7 during the 25th Annual International Festival.
Admission to the festival, which is open to the public, is $7 for adults,
$5 for students and $3 for children under 12.
The festival will take place from 5:30-9 p.m. in Hubbard Hall and will include
dinner with an international flavor, folk dance performances, an ethnic fashion
parade and a lecture by Sugar Land attorney Dr. Praveena Singh-Kaw. Tickets
are available in advance from the Office of International Education, located
on the second floor of Jones Hall. For ticket information, call 8-1-3338.
Dr. Singh-Kaw is a
native of South Africa and a United States citizen. She earned a bachelor’s
of science, master’s and doctoral degrees in biochemistry from the State
University of New York at Buffalo. In addition, she earned an MBA from the
University of Toronto, Canada and a J.D. from the College of Law at the University
of Toledo, Ohio.
Before she became
a lawyer, Dr. Singh-Kaw worked as a cancer research scientist. As an attorney,
she was employed as in-house counsel at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston, as an associate at one of the largest law firms in Michigan and worked
with an immigration attorney in Houston before starting her own firm.
Dr. Singh-Kaw will
discuss “Life as an International Student” following the dinner.
She first visited the U.S. at age 16 as an exchange student under the American
Field Service. She will recount her experiences as an international student
and discuss some of the challenges facing today’s exchange students.
The International Festival concludes a week of international education activities
at TWU.
International festival
sponsors are the Office of International Education, International Student
Association, TWU International Dance Company, the International Week Committee
and the Multi Cultural African Organization.
*** *** ***
MA
FERGUSON TOPIC OF THOMPSON LECTURE
Writer and political
historian Dr. May Paulissen will offer a glimpse into the governor’s
mansion with her talk about Texas’ first woman governor, Miriam “Ma”
Ferguson, at the Joyce Thompson Lectureship in American Literature and Culture,
Nov. 11 at 2:30 p.m. in MCL. Admission is free.
Dr. Paulissen began
collecting stories about James and Miriam Ferguson from her grandfather, a
former mayor of McKinney. A lifelong interest in Texas politics, extensive
research in the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and interviews with scores of people
associated with the Fergusons — their children, grandchildren, allies
and enemies — resulted in her writing Miriam, a Biography of the
First Woman to Serve as Governor of Texas.
Dr. Paulissen is a former dean and professor at Houston International University
and now assists doctoral students with their dissertations at Capella University,
a distance education institution of which she is a founding professor. She
is currently working on a book about Lady Mary Wroth and other 17th Century
writers.
The Joyce Thompson
Lectureship in American Literature and Culture is an annual event honoring
the memory of Dr. Joyce Thompson, professor of English, who served as a member
of the TWU faculty from 1977 until her death in 1992 at the age of 48. She
was the founder of the "Women and American Literature" course at
TWU as well as the founder of the "Ethnic Literature" course.
Author of more than
30 published works, Dr. Thompson’s major writings included Marking
A Trail: A History of the Texas Woman's University, Texas Women:
The Myth/The Reality and Ladies' Firsts: A Miscellany.
*** *** ***
PIONEER SCHOOL EARNS NAEYC REACCREDITATION
The TWU Pioneer School has been reaccredited by the National Association for
the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) under new criteria established by
the organization.
The accreditation
will run through 2010, according to the organization’s web site, www.naeyc.org.
The Pioneer School received a five-year accreditation with a two-year extension
based on its status in the program.
“This accreditation
benefits TWU students, the children, the families and our staff,” said
Kim Burton, Pioneer School director. “It assures that the children receive
a quality learning experience and that we as educators stay on our toes.”
The school, under
the direction of TWU’s College of Professional Education, provides education
for children ages 2 through 4 and also serves as an education and training
facility for TWU students who conduct practicums, observations and do volunteer
work.
“This accreditation
is important for our Pioneer School and reaffirms our commitment to developmentally
appropriate practices and the needs of children,” said Dr. April Miller,
dean of the College of Professional Education. “We are very proud of
this accreditation and the faculty and staff at the Pioneer School.”
The NAEYC in 2002
revised its accreditation criteria to focus on children and their learning
and development as well as the elements needed to develop excellent programs.
Accreditation criteria include interactions among teachers and children, curriculum,
relationships among teachers and families, staff qualifications and professional
development, physical environment and health and safety.
Burton said Pioneer
School personnel began the application process more than a year ago, gathering
information through family and staff questionnaires and classroom evaluations.
The NAEYC in May sent an accreditation validator to conduct evaluations and
examine the school’s documentation. That information then was sent to
the organization, which awarded the accreditation and developed a list of
areas that needed improvement. The school must report once each year what
is being done in those areas, Burton said.
Burton credits teamwork
with achieving reaccreditation for the school.
“It takes everybody
to achieve this, because the process covers such a wide scope,” she
said. “It includes the families who are very involved in their children’s
education; teachers who are here on a daily basis doing not only what needs
to be done, but also going the extra mile; and staff who provide invaluable
support.”
*** *** ***
Two TWU students who
plan to be doctors are the university’s first Joint Admission Medical
Program (JAMP) participants, according to Dr. James Johnson (chemistry and
physics), program director. Nathalie Ho is a chemistry and biology major form
Missouri City, and Sarah Brenner is a biology major from Garland.
JAMP was created by
Senate Bill 940 during the 77th Texas Legislature. The program is intended
to support highly qualified, economically disadvantaged students interested
in pursuing a medical career. The program provides undergraduate and medical
school scholarships, as well as stipends so the students can participate in
summer internships during their freshman, sophomore and junior years.
This summer, Ms. Ho
completed and five-week internship at the University of Texas Health Science
center in Houston and Ms. Brenner completed an internship at the University
of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
*** *** ***
Please submit
“People” items (faculty and staff only) to the office of marketing
and communication by campus mail or by e-mail to info@twu.edu. Include first
and last names (no initials, please) and appropriate titles (ie. Dr.)
Dr. Bill Cissell
(health studies) has been invited to serve as the keynote speaker for the
Texas Society for Public Health Education meeting in Austin on Oct. 25. His
topic will be “Reactions of the Professional Societies to Proposed Changes
in Continuing Education Requirements by the National Commission on Health
Education Credentialing.”
Laurie Weller
(visual art) had a solo show titled “Biomorphia” at Oklahoma University
in early October. Her works were described as depicting strangely natural
shapes reminiscent of biological forms, according to the Oklahoma Daily. She
also recently had a solo show at Tarleton State University.
Dr. Kristin
Wiginton (health studies) received the U.S. Army’s second highest
honor, the Army Commendation Medal. She received the honor for preventive
medicine services to more than 800 soldiers.
*** *** ***
THE
NEXT TWO WEEKS AT TWU: Oct. 20-Nov. 2, 2003
Oct. 20-23