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Wednesday, May 6, 2009 :: Vol. 97, No. 55 :: 1 section, 16 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com
Inside This Issue:
Pg. 3
Pg. 4
Local businesses prepare for an exodus of students
Pg. 16 Bringing it home: Wildcat Baseball claims LSC title
What’s in a name: A comprehensive list of graduating seniors
Pg. 13
Before I go: Parting words from graduating, ‘Optimist’ staff
One Giant Leap Willis to address attendees, students By Lizzy Spano Arts Editor
Graduation can be an intimidating step into the real world, as well as an exciting beginning to life after college. At this semester’s Commencement, Dr. John Willis will speak to graduating seniors. He plans to encourage them and celebrate with Willis them as they take an important step toward their futures. Willis, who serves as an elder at Highland Church of Christ, has been a professor of Bible at ACU since 1971 and is the Burton Coffman Chair of Biblical Studies. In addition to teaching, he has written several Bible commentaries for ACU’s Living Word commentaries and traveled to numerous countries across the world. Students on campus who had Willis as their professor know he remembers each of them by name, and he always welcomes them to his home, said Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen, provost. To select Willis as the Commencement speaker, graduating seniors nominated faculty members, who were then reviewed by the provost’s office. The office discussed each nominee and made a recommendation to VanRheenen, who contacted Willis to see if he was willing to speak. “It is quite an honor to be selected,” VanRheenen said. Willis said he was honored and thankful he was chosen by students to speak. He said he has given thought and time to preparing a speech for Commencement that will have a positive impact on graduating students. “I’m hoping and praying it’s going to be an encouragement to all that are graduating,” he said. See
Willis page 14
Emily Smith :: contributing photographer
A group of graduates revel in graduation bliss during their commencement ceremony in 2008.
Commencement to bless, commission graduates By Katie Gager Student Reporter
Emily Smith :: contributing photographer A graduating senior joins in the singing of the school song at commencement in 2008.
At Commencement Saturday, 560 undergraduate and 115 graduate students will walk the stage of Moody Coliseum as one of the larger graduating classes for the undergraduate program and the largest for the graduate program, said Bart Herridge, registrar and director of academic records.
Graduation will be divided into two ceremonies. The first will begin at 11 a.m. for graduates of the College of Biblical Studies, College of Business Administration, College of Education and Human Services and the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing. The second ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. for the graduates of the College of See
Graduates page 14
International students anticipate life after ACU By Ryan Elam Student Reporter
Emily Smith :: contributing photographer Students eye the stage during commencement in 2008.
Some international seniors look back on their past with nostalgia, but impending decisions regarding their future do not let them drift too far from reality. Quyen Do, senior biochemistry major from Hanoi, Vietnam, chose ACU because of some family ties to the university. She said Steven Gist, admissions representative for international students, was persistent in getting her to ACU.
“Steven Gist was very friendly and encouraging to me,” Do said. “We had a hard time, but he never gave up on me.” She said she loves ACU, and the school has prepared her for life ahead. “Being in the biochemistry department is probably the biggest blessing to me; the professors and staff are very loving and they make me feel at home,” Do said. “The knowledge I gained here prepares me well for what I want to do.” Some of Do’s favorite memories from her time at ACU were made on a medical mission trip she took to Nias, Indonesia. She is also a member of the
A Cappella Chorus, an extracurricular that fulfills more than just singing. “Being a member not only enhances my love for music but also teaches me a lot about professionalism,” Do said. Do will pursue a job in the medical field as a doctor or researcher. In the fall, she will attend the University of Texas at Dallas to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Adeniyi Adebesin, senior biochemistry major from Lagos, Nigeria, said he chose ACU because the university’s chemistry department was recommended to him. See
International page 14
Mobile initiative completes first year, prepares for fall By Colter Hettich Editor in Chief
The inaugural year of ACU’s Mobile Learning Initiative draws to a close this week as faculty members assess the success of the effort to date. The first two semesters allowed initiative leaders to ob-
serve students’ reactions to owning a multi-faceted mobile device and allowed freshmen to familiarize themselves with the technology. George Saltsman, director of educational technology for the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning, said the difficult steps of distributing the devices
and tailoring an infrastructure able to support the expanded network are past. “Our first year focus was just getting the stuff deployed,” Saltsman said. “Next year we’re going to have classes where everyone in the class has iPhones, so there will be a renewed emphasis.”
Administrators hope that research done throughout the year by the Mobile Learning Initiative research fellows will reveal specific areas and strategies they should pursue. Scott Perkins, director of research in the Office for Research and Sponsored Programs, assisted faculty members through
the grant application process and kept track of this year’s fellows’ research. “While the primary goals of the program remain the same, our expectation and interest in academic utilization is greater this time around,” Perkins said. Several new tools for the classroom, such as a class log,
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are being explored. A greater percentage of students with mobile devices will make classroom implementation much easier. Perkins said they hope to have “loaner” iPod Touches available in some classes for students without a device. E-mail Hettich at: clh05d@acu.edu
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