Scholarship Gifts from UHD Friends BMC Software Supports Business Students BMC Software, a leading provider of enterprise management solutions, donated $30,000 in scholarship funds to UHDowntown. With the funds, six annual $1,000 scholarships will be awarded each fall for the next five academic years. Students eligible for the BMC Software scholarships must be juniors or seniors pursuing a major or minor in administrative management, computer information systems, finance, or marketing at UHD. For the fall 2003 semester, the following students received the first BMC Software
scholarships: Stephanie Jefferson, Benjamin Peak, David A. Plath, Feryal Umrani, Vershonda Williams, and Monika Malgorzata. Greater Texas Foundation Helps Remove Barriers The Greater Texas Foundation gave $20,000 to UH-Downtown from their "Removing Educational Barriers Scholarship" fund. The scholarship is intended to help students overcome barriers to higher education. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Commissioner Don Brown said, "Helping students pay for college provides a path to a brighter future — for them and for the state."
(From left) UHD Vice President for Administration Chaney Anderson joins Lou Murray, representing the Greater Texas Foundation, as he presents a scholarship gift to Latasha Jackson, UHD director of scholarships and financial aid. Also on hand is UHD President Max Castillo.
The Greater Texas Foundation receives funds primarily from its for-profit subsidiary, LoanSTAR Funding Group, one of the largest Texas-based holders of student loans. J. Don Boney Book Scholarship To help students in financial need and to honor the university's first president, Dr. J. Don Boney, the UHD Soul Foods Image Awards Committee has dedicated the proceeds from its annual awards to a book scholarship in his name.
The awards honor AfricanAmerican UHD faculty and staff during Black History Month. In light of the group's purpose, applicants to the J. Don Boney Book Scholarship must submit an essay about the accomplishments of an African-American leader. The two winners must be currently enrolled students who can prove financial need. They will receive $600 for one year to buy textbooks and class materials from the UH-Downtown Bookstore.
Bragging Rights Fulbright Grant Dr. Robin Davidson, director of UHD's Learners Community, is the recipient of a grant from the prestigious Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's premier international educational exchange program.
Field Trip Chemistry Members of UHD's Scholars Academy (above) get an insider's view of a research facility at ChevronPhillips Chemical Company LP in Kingwood. Dr. Eduardo Baralt (in dark shirt on right), lead research chemist for ChevronPhillips, greets Scholars Academy students and faculty member Will LeDoux as they visit with UHD chemistry student Nicole Olsen (on left). Olsen is getting valuable industry experience from a co-op program with the company. A number of UHD students have gone on to successful careers in the chemical industry as a result of their participation in co-op programs.
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Dr. Davidson will teach American literature during this academic year with a focus on poetry at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. She has a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing. Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. Fulbright recipients are chosen for their leadership potential.
Ready for Hollywood When Dr. Ann Jennings isn't teaching students how to polish their proofreading skills or sharpen their syntax, she's at her own computer writing award-winning scripts. An associate professor of English and coordinator of UHD's professional writing program, Dr. Jennings has written mystery novels and took up screenplays a couple of years ago. Her screenplay, "Part-Time Czar," won a Silver Award at Worldfest Houston, the biggest film festival in terms of submissions. Dr. Jennings's entry was chosen from among 4,500 entries in all categories.