Top seniors honored at sendoff dinner, devotional
BY MACI WEATHERS NEWSLETTER EDITORThe graduating class of 2023 gathered in Moody Coliseum Sunday for the new Senior Celebration and Sendoff, which included a dinner followed by and a candlelight devotional in the Teague Special Events Center.
During the dinner, the ACU Alumni Association gave awards to seniors who excelled in their grades or department:
• ACU Honor Man: Conner Crawford
• ACU Honor Woman: Mackenzie Bankes
• Trustees Awards: Ma-
cee Valter, Thomas Sanderson, Lindsey May
• Dean Adams Achievement Award: Dylan Roundtree, Elizabeth Crawford, Stephanie Tran
• V.W. and Loreta Kelley Scholarship: Amelia Little and Angel Smith
• Mr. ACU: Nate Wade
• Miss. ACU: Lindsey May
“I think it’s one of their last times to be together just as a class and just be,” said April Young, senior alumni and university relations officer. “But the worship piece that ACU provides at the school that the universities don’t provide is really unique. I think that an added factor to being together is not only they’re together, but they’re worshiping to-
gether and spending time with the Lord together.”
The Senior Celebration and Sendoff used to be called the Senior Candlelight Sendoff however, because of the added dinner portion the ACU Alumni Association changed the name for the seniors.
“So we started senior candlelight here, and it’s probably been going on 10 plus years with the idea of capping an ACU experience starting with candlelight and ending with candlelight,” Young said. “This year, we felt a need to elevate even that experience and create an addition to it, what we’re calling the celebration part, essentially a senior dinner,
for lack of a better term, that serves as that last element of time where they get to spend time together in a meal and then get to go worship together.”
Dinner was provided by The Shed Market, and a speech was given during the celebration by Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university. The ACU Alumni Association office provided gifts for seniors as a way of welcoming them into the organization.
“I think for us, specifically for the alumni office, it allows us for the first time to introduce ourselves as our staff, to welcome these students into the alumni community of ACU,” Young said.
“And so that’s one of the many reasons why we love it. And it’s just a great tradition that we enjoy putting on for the senior class.”
After the dinner, Dr. Laura Carroll, executive director of Adams Center for Teaching and Learning and professor of English, led the candlelight devotional in the Teague. Sage Lauderback, senior biology major from Farmington, New Mexico, said that was signifiant because Carroll led the freshman Candlelight Devotional four years ago.
“I think getting to be a part of something we did as a freshman and rounding out the four years the same way we have started is really exciting,” Lauderback said.
ACU Museum to reopen full-time in fall 2023
BY MACI WEATHERS NEWSLETTER EDITOR
The ACU Museum reopened and soft-launched seven exhibitions for the ACU community April 20 in conjunction with the anniversary of the class of 1973.
The museum was put together in part by students in the new public history track within the Department of History and Global Studies.
“In 2019, the Department of History and Global Studies launched a new public history track within the history major which enables our students to specialize in public history which includes work in the museum field,” said Dr. Amanda Biles, assistant professor of history and director of public history in the Department of History and Global Studies. “The department
knew that we needed to address the conditions in the museum otherwise the collections in the museum would deteriorate.”
The ACU Museum was started by the Women for ACU. In the 1970s, WACU started collecting, building their collection plan and conceptualizing
BYwhat they wanted the museum to do and the stories it would tell around campus.
The ACU Museum officially opened in the 1980s and was curated by The WACU committee and funded by the WACU organization. The WACU also hired student interns from the history depart-
ment including a named internship, the Mary Manly internship.
In recent years, The WACU have been unable to keep the ACU Museum open and curated.
“Last year, we spoke to them about a process of transition where the museum would come under the
leadership of myself and the department of history and global studies, James Wiser, dean of the library, and Craig Fisher, associate vice president for advancement and alumni,” Biles said.
Biles, Wiser and Fisher worked out a partnership plan to reopen the museum and have it led by student curators who are developing experience to work in the museum field.
“This museum had not been open very much in the past couple of years especially because of COVID-19,” Biles said. “In that time period, there was a lot of damage that occurred. There were some insect infestations and some rodent infestations, that was one of the first problems we had to tackle.”
The next step for the museum was to re-document all of the collections
Major changes to come to MyACU portal over summer
BY WILL DALTON SPORTS DIRECTORACU’s Information Technology Department is rolling out a new MyACU portal this summer in an effort to enhance students’ online experience, allowing for more customization and easier access.
The MyACU portal is home to different resources for students, staff and faculty, including access to student services, personal information, and ongoing news and events on campus. But now, after 18 years of running on the same technology infrastructure, major changes will be made.
Jeff Brawley, director of enterprise applications says many reasons have led to the shift and that it is ultimately to give those in the ACU community what they have been asking for.
“We wanted an opportunity to move to new technology that is more advanced that is going to give us flexibility, functionality and features that don’t exist right now,” Brawley said. “It also is an opportunity for IT to do something that is impactful for everyone on campus. It doesn’t matter if you are a student or staff, this is going to have an impact on you in some way.”
The core of the site is set to come out this sum-
mer with more features and functions being added throughout the duration of the summer and into the next school year. The site is designed to be much more targeted to the user themselves and their personal preferences and delivers a more modern design and layout.
“Think of it as kind of a Netflix experience,” Brawley said. “Whenever you log into the portal, you are going to see announcements that are relevant to you, you are going to see widgets that are relevant to you, you are going to see your courses, your balances, and you are going to be able to customize and tailor that experi-
ence to your needs.
The portal will offer content specific customization including aspects such as major, classification, and allows the user to see only what they want to see.
On top of the newly renovated portal, one of the biggest features will be a new mobile app set to release in late summer.
“One of the biggest requests from our students was a mobile experience,” Brawley said. “Students want to be able to do on their phone what they can do on their laptop. You will be able to do that moving forward with a true mobile app that will closely mimic what you
can do on the computer.”
Some students are glad a change is being made and are excited to try out the new features and customization.
“It definitely sounds like it will make things a lot easier,” said Colby Vaughn, sophomore kinesiology major from Fort Worth. “I obviously don’t know what all the new applications have to offer but just knowing that changes are being made and these changes are being put in place to benefit students is exciting.”
The new portal is set to make its release June 2 with the mobile app set to release around a month after.
McCracken gets slice at dream role in ‘Sweeney Todd’
BY JAYLYNN WARD EDITOR IN CHIEFDr. Vic McCracken, professor of Bible, missions and ministry, has landed the role of Sweeney Todd, presented by the Abilene Paramount.
Sweeney Todd is a dark musical that follows the life of a man after he returns home to London. This return is the result of 15 years in prison. Sweeney Todd was in prison after he was wrongfully convicted and seeks vengeance during the play against a corrupt judge.
McCracken grew up in the theatre world. He performed plays in middle school, high school and in college with a minor in theatre. He took a step down from the spotlight to focus on his family and his career on the Bible faculty.
After years without performing, McCracken took the opportunity to audition for this musical and landed one of his dream roles.
“I’m elated, I keep pinching myself,” said McCracken. “This is something that I have dreamed about doing for many, many years.”
The play focuses on dark messages that people face in the real world, such as revenge and murder, said Ryan Chu, who is performing as Anthony.
“It deals with the really, really hard things in life that we do not like to talk about,” said Chu, junior musical theatre major from Austin.
With a play that is focused on dark messages to shine a light on the real world, it needs to have a cast that is well equipped and prepared to portray these charac -
ters, especially the main character Sweeney Todd, said Megan Sloane, who performs in the play as Johanna. McCracken was chosen for this role and is ready to step up to the challenge. “A good message to take out of it is that we live in a broken world, and we really have to look for the light and be the light,” said Sloane, freshman musical theatre major from Belton. The auditions were
open call and took place in January. Individuals auditioning were to prepare a portion of a song from a Stephen Sondheim production. Sondheim is the writer of the music in Sweeney Todd. McCracken was involved in this audition and received a callback. In the callback, McCracken said he met others who auditioned, and they worked through more of the play to be cast for a role.
During the call -
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
ELIZABETH YOUNG
B A C H E L O R O F A R T S E N G L I S H
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backs and in rehearsals, McCracken has shown multiple people kindness and created a positive atmosphere to perform, Chu said. Cast members cannot wait to take the stage with him.
“Working with him the past two rehearsals have made me want to be a better person,” said Chu. “I genuinely appreciate him, and I admire his vulnerability and his honesty. I am excited to see how he is
going to be able to carry that vulnerability into his acting.”
McCracken will be joined on stage by people in the Abilene community and in the ACU community. The director of this musical is Katie Hahn, who graduated from ACU with a degree in theatre. Dr. Rick Piersall, professor of music, will join McCracken on stage, and another ACU student who will perform with him is Abby Peyton, freshman theatre
major from Oro Valley, Arizona, playing Tobias.
The play will be performed in the Paramount Theatre on June 23-25, 30, and July 1. McCracken said he is excited to be a part of this musical and is encouraging ACU and Abilene communities to come witness.
“I hope that ACU students, faculty, staff and the Abilene community come out and watch the show,” said McCracken. “It is going to be a really exciting show.”
K A D E N E R
s A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , M a r k e t i n g C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s M r P r e s i d e n t o n f o u r f a n t a s t i c W i l d c a t y e a r s ! W e a r e b e y o n d p r o u d o f y o u a n d l o o k f o r w
Jenny Roslyn De Los Santos
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership San Antonio, Texas
Amanda M Dunn
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Magnolia, Texas
Adrian Lamont Eaglin
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Argyle, Texas
Irene Sofia Garcia-Benavides
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Conroe, Texas
Arvinder Kaur Gill
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Clovis, California
Scott Mitchell January
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership
Weatherford, Texas
Trenee Tiffany Johnson
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Cincinnati, Ohio
Tara Michelle Jones
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Ringgold, Georgia
LaKeyshure S A Marzell
E.D.D., Organizational Leadership Spring, Texas
Dayana Nunez
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Scarsdale, New York
Tai Lea Peacock
E.D.D., Organizational Leadership River Oaks, Texas
Genesis Wyne Player
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Bessemer, Alabama
Amanda Renee Ritchie
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership
San Angelo, Texas
Jason E Shepherd
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Crandall, Texas
Tracie Leigh Shutt
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership McKinney, Texas
Lan Misty Song
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Amarillo, Texas
Jacquelyn Kaye Timmons
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Port Arthur, Texas
Misti N Tope
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership
Yukon, Oklahoma
Anna Marie Warren
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Waxahachie, Texas
Tanya Stubbs White
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership
Chesapeake, Virginia
Mitzi S. Willis
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership
Flower Mound, Texas
Alisa S. Wright
E.D.D., Organizational
Leadership Fort Worth, Texas
Adam Ybarra
E.D.D., Organizational Leadership
Corona, California
College of Biblical Studies
Graduate School of Theology
Abanoub Attalla
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Officer, Australia
Johnnie L Birks
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Duncanville, Texas
Jason Andrew Henderson
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Meadows Place, Texas
Roger Dale Hendricks
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Springboro, Ohio
Gayle None Hill
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Carlton, Australia
Mark Daniel Riessen
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Coromandel Valley, Australia
Justin Lance Simmons
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Glenmora, Louisiana
Catherine Jane Spiller
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Ringwood North, Australia
Michael B Stevens
D.M.I.N. Christian Ministry Adelaide, Australia School of Nursing Nursing
Natalee Calais
D.N.P., Nursing Practice Houston, Texas
Stacey Forte
D.N.P., Nursing Practice Houston, Texas
Anna Gil
D.N.P., Nursing Practice Chula Vista, California
Michelle Lee Johnson
D.N.P., Nursing Practice
Hallettsville, Texas
Shelia Moore Miller
D.N.P., Nursing Practice The Villages, Florida
Deashandrea T. Williams
D.N.P., Nursing Practice Mansfield, Texas
Audra Renee-Smith Xenakis
D.N.P., Nursing Practice Belton, Texas
College of Arts and Sciences
Communication and Sociology
Ethan Riley Arbuckle
M.A., Communication
Shreveport, Louisiana
Keely Ann Hardeman
M.A., Communication
Brighton, Massachusetts
Ileana Andrea Mocciola
M.A., Communication
Rio Negro, Argentina
Sydney Rae Risher
M.A., Communication
Oak Point, Texas
Language and Literature
Megan Leigh Cline
M.A., English
Granbury, Texas
Payton Elizabeth Herring
M.A., English
Millsap, Texas
Rebecca Leigh McIntosh
M.A., English Abilene, Texas
Elizabeth Marie Miller
M.A., English
Allen, Texas
Michaella Roach
M.A., English
Marble Falls, Texas Psychology
Harrison Liam Adams
M.S., Clinical Psychology
Georgetown, Texas
Joshua Joaquin Alvarenga
S.S.P., School Psychology
Arlington, Texas
Maxwell Alton Bailey
S.S.P., School Psychology Abilene, Texas
Naomi Jael Cole
S.S.P., School Psychology Fort Worth, Texas
Carma Cassandra Frazier
M.S., Psychology Counseling
Flower Mound, Texas
Rylee Nicole Hallum
M.S., Psychology
Counseling
Lake Jackson, Texas
Madison Morte Hill
S.S.P., School Psychology Conroe, Texas
Andrea Huerta
S.S.P., School Psychology Boerne, Texas
Madison Nicole Johnson
S.S.P., School Psychology
Coppell, Texas
Bryce Hoffman Kennedy
M.S., Psychology Counseling Cheyenne, Wyoming
Francine Rashelle Lewis
M.S., Psychology Counseling Spanish Town, Jamaica
Angeline Rianna Melendez
M.S., Psychology Counseling Granbury, Texas
Arianna Grizel Mendiola
M.S., Psychology Counseling La Porte, Texas
Mari Arielle Mireles
S.S.P., School Psychology Kingsville, Texas
David Patrick Mitchell
M.S., Clinical Psychology Irving, Texas
Theodor James Napp
M.S., Clinical Psychology Houston, Texas
Emilie Nelson
S.S.P., School Psychology Blairsville, Georgia
Grant Wilson Parker
M.S., Clinical Psychology Denton, Texas
Kanessa Ramdeo
S.S.P., School Psychology Abilene, Texas
Kourtney S Raven
M.S., Psychology Counseling Houston, Texas
Baylen Mckenna Roundtree
M.S., Psychology Counseling Lucas, Texas
Samantha Lynne Simms
M.S., Psychology Counseling Plains, Pennsylvania
Taylor Madison Smith
M.S., Psychology Counseling Lubbock, Texas
Zachary Ryan Terry
M.S., Psychology Counseling Junction City, Kansas
Melissa Jean Winn
S.S.P., School Psychology
Germantown, Tennessee
College of Biblical Studies
Graduate School of Theology
Jenny Sue Beck
M.A.C.M., Christian Ministry
Lubbock, Texas
Ariel M Bloomer
M.A., Modern and American
Christ.
West Chester, Ohio
Ariel M Bloomer
M.D.I.V., Master of Divinity
West Chester, Ohio
Emmanuel Dawutey
M.A.C.M., Christian Ministry
Koforidua, Ghana
David Anthony Herbst
M.D.I.V., Master of Divinity
Arlington, Texas
Grace Elizabeth Hill
M.A.C.M., Christian Ministry
New Brighton, Minnesota
Karon Falaq Johnson
M.A.C.M., Christian Ministry
Durham, North Carolina
Jacob Douglas Keahey
M.D.I.V., Master of Divinity
Missions
Texarkana, Arkansas
Susan Lewis King
M.D.I.V., Master of Divinity
Abilene, Texas
Manzini, Eswatini
Andrew David Nelson
M.D.I.V., Master of Divinity Blairsville, Georgia
Collen Ngwarati
M.A.C.M.,, Christian Ministry Harare, Zimbabwe
Ian Damone Nickerson
M.D.I.V., Master of Divinity Abilene, Texas
Amani Sebaziga
M.A.C.M.,, Christian Ministry
Fort Worth, Texas
Jordan Ryan Turney
M.D.I.V., Master of Divinity
Missions
Abilene, Texas
Katie Turnipseed
M.A.C.M.,, Christian Ministry
Lubbock, Texas
Marriage & Family Therapy
Molly Shannon Ruth Burke
M.M.F.T., Marriage & Family Therapy Thesis
Edmond, Oklahoma
Jacob Andre Corona
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy
Corpus Christi, Texas
Kelli Anne Johnson
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy
Tuscola, Texas
Justin Rae Mendoza
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy
Abilene, Texas
Katharine Elizabeth Newberry
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy
Haskell, Texas
Jenn McCarthy-Blundin Prichard
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy Stamford, Texas
Rickia J. Smith
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy Red Oak, Texas
Erin Nicole Solomon
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy
Ennis, Texas
Rebecca Marilou Trujillo
M.M.F.T., Marriage & Family Therapy Thesis
Abilene, Texas
Summer Elise Wright
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy
Abilene, Texas
Elisa M. Zepeda
M.M.F.T., Marriage and Family Therapy Jerome, Idaho College of Business
Accounting and Finance
Mitchell Thomas Dickson
M.A.C.C., Accounting Flower Mound, Texas
Grayson Joseph Martin
M.A.C.C., Accounting
Abilene, Texas
Nathan Tyler Merritt
M.A.C.C., Accounting
Abilene, Texas
Lauren Neas
M.A.C.C., Accounting
Dallas, Texas
William Todd Phinney
M.A.C.C., Accounting
Colleyville, Texas
Carter Mccook Rhyne
M.A.C.C., Accounting Spring, Texas
Colton Michael Schannuth
M.A.C.C., Accounting Parker, Colorado
Ethan Cade Schmidt
M.A.C.C., Accounting Amarillo, Texas
Andrew James Stripling
M.A.C.C., Accounting Marble Falls, Texas
Sitong Zhou
M.A.C.C., Accounting Hunan, China
Education and Human Services
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Crystal Denise Acuna
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Mentone, California
Alyssa Jordae Adams
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
San Antonio, Texas
Ashlee Nicole Andrews
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Mckinney, Texas
Anastasia Nicole Badillo
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Coppell, Texas
Sydney Elaine Baer
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Grapevine, Texas
Brynley Kaylene Baker
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Kerrville, Texas
Kylie Bena
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Mansfield, Texas
Ashten Lynne Berdon
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Plano, Texas
Sydney Alexis Bland
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Southlake, Texas
Marcella Leigh Bordas
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Xenia, Ohio
Allison Elizabeth Brown
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Midland, Texas
Caleb Josiah Brown
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Carrollton, Texas
Alexandra Mckenzie Burris
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
The Colony, Texas
Abigail Elise Cain
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Edmond, Oklahoma
Lauren F Campagna
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Dallas, Texas
Courtney Marie Caraway
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Midland, Texas
Cristina Cardenas
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Eagle Pass, Texas
Hadley Clyce
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Dallas, Texas
Regan Crognale
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Southampton, Pennsylvania
Kelly Marie DeCao
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Woodbridge, Virginia
Julia Elizabeth Denton
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Trophy Club, Texas
Haley L Devore
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology The Woodlands, Texas
Margarette Drebot
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Windsor, Connecticut
Alyah Rose Edwards
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
San Antonio, Texas
Elise Emberlin
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Flower Mound, Texas
Kathryn Faile
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Little Elm, Texas
Shelby Brooke Freeman
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Kerrville, Texas
Danira Garcia
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Desoto, Texas
Yadira Godinez
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Moreno Valley, California
Ivalis Anita Guajardo
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Waukegan, Illinois
Abbey Grace Hale
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Hamilton, Texas
Kate Henley
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Gainesville, Texas
Amber Kate Holmberg
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Katy, Texas
Christena Mae Hulsey
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Dallas, Texas
Hannah Olivia Jumper
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Allen, Texas
Jordan Lauridia
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Flower Mound, Texas
Kathryn Elizabeth Lebo
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology McKinney, Texas
Rachel Caroline Lipp
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Irving, Texas
Catherine Rose Long
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Rowlett, Texas
Denise Abigail Lopez
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Hesperia, California
Jade L Martinez
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology
Abilene, Texas
Elizabeth Evans McGetrick
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Aubrey, Texas
Elena Victoria Mendoza
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Allen, Texas
Holly Caroline Milner
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Euless, Texas
Anna Karen Navarini
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Laguna Niguel, California
Alisha Brooke Norman
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Lucas, Texas
Celeste De Jesus Olivares
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Flatonia, Texas
Matti Lynn Ortiz
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Little Elm, Texas
Dailey Marie Parker
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Midland, Texas
Rachel Anna-Marie Parr
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Mesquite, Texas
Jenna Christine Pesek
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Addison, Texas
Morgan J Powell
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Flower Mound, Texas
Katherine E Purcell
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Prosper, Texas
Victoria Ratliff
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Kyle, Texas
India Elizabeth Rhines
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Sunnyvale, Texas
Kailey Victoria Rivera
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Coppell, Texas
Lauren Tess Sotoodeh
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Denton, Texas
Rachel Toliver
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Los Angeles, California
Caitlyn S Turner
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Moreno Valley, California
Abigail Alin Ware
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Hurst, Texas
Sarah Katherine Westfall
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Flower Mound, Texas
Megan Olivia Wittkowske
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology Shorewood, Wisconsin
Michelle Wong
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology McAllen, Texas
Kinesiology and Nutrition
Josselyn Andrea Castillo MAT, Athletic Training Friona, Texas
Michael Anthony Mungia MAT, Athletic Training Abilene, Texas
Julia Carrie Prado MAT, Athletic Training
El Dorado, Arkansas
Brittanee Waddell MAT, Athletic Training Allen, Texas
Kelton Cole Wylie MAT, Athletic Training
MEN’S BASKETBALL
From Wildcat Week to Graduation,
MUSEUM: History takes over from WACU
because the collections will now come under the ownership of ACU Special Collections and Archives.
“Before they could take those objects on officially, we had to verify that they were all there,” Biles said.
“This spring I have been working with our interns to enter those into Past Perfect collections management software which is the museum standard for history museums.”
Three interns, Kelci Campbell, senior liberal studies major from Abilene, Maddie Thompson, sophomore history major
1772 TX HWY 351 (325) 672-4232 Dine in, To-GO, Delivery, Curbside, Catering No Delivery Fee, Or Minimum Earn Point Every Visit by downloading the APP! CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
from Keller and Alessandra Rosales, junior global studies major from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, helped Biles in curating the museum.
“One of the really cool things with me going through the different artifacts that we had, I found different little things that have ended up relating to my family,” Campbell said. “My great-grandfather was a professor here and I found a faculty wives book from the 60s that had my great-grandmother in it.”
The current exhibits featured in the soft launch are:
• Cold War exhibit
• Social Clubs exhibit
• Sing Song exhibit
• Cheerleading exhibit
• ACU Sports exhibit
• Music exhibit Science department exhibit
“Dr. Biles with the public history program will let her students work in the museum like a lab and have a space to handson curate exhibits,” Campbell said.
Campbell helped with the cold war, Sing Song, cheerleading and science exhibit while Thompson worked on the sports, cold war, music and science exhibit. Rosales worked on the music and science exhibit.
“It was really cool to have a hand in curating a lot of what
get involved. Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, was the main participant in a dunk tank fundraiser as a way for students to give.
people came in and saw,” Thompson said. “It just made me realize how important these four years are for so many people, I think it’s really important to preserve the memories that are created here at ACU.”
The ACU Museum will officially open full-time starting in the fall semester with a grand opening for Homecoming. Student employees will allow full access and guided tours Monday through Friday.
The ACU Museum is an actively collecting museum and Biles encourages people to email museum@acu.edu to inquire about donations to the museum.
BY LONDYN GRAY | PHOTOGRAPHER
ACU Gives lasted for 1,906 minutes, or 36 hours, starting April 25 in honor of the founding year of ACU. This year the number of organizations to give toward expanded from three to 42. Messages and events across campus were encouraging students to
Samantha Adkins, director of donor relations and annual giving, said this year one of the main focuses was student engagement to help them feel a part of change on campus. “We don’t want students to feel like they need to give to the university because we can’t
3 ~ A U S T I N B R I T T E N
W e a r e s o p r o u d o f y o u ! W e h a v e t a k e n g r e a t d e l i g h t i n w a t c h i n g y o u g r o w s p i r i t u a l l y , m e n t a l l y , a n d e m o t i o n a l l y i n t o t h e s p e c i a l y o u n g m a n t h a t y o u a r e O n e d e g r e e d o w n a n d o n e t o g o ! W e l o v e y o u d e e p l y , D a d a n d M o m
fund something,” Adkins said. “We want them to feel a part of making ACU possible for every student that’s here now and will come after them.” Adkins said the university adopted the giving day in 2017, the same year as the city, after seeing the success.
“About six years we decided to get in on the one day giving initiative just to give it a shot of what it could do for the university,” Adkins said. “We’ve just continued to
T A N N E R W E B B
B S I N D I G I T A L E N T E R T A I N M E N T T E C H N O L O G Y I t j u s t s e e m s l i k e y e s t e r d a y y o u w e r e b o r n W e h a v e b e e n l u c k y t o b e w i t h y o u o n t h i s a d v e n t u r e I t s b e e n o u r j o y t o w a t c h y o u g r o w a n d a c h i e v e s o m u c h t h e s e p a s t f o u r y e a r s L o v e y a T a n n e r B o y ! G & G W h o w o u l d h a v e t h o u g h t t h a t a l i t t l e b o y w i t h A u t i s m a n d A D H D w o u l d b e g r a d u a t i n g f r o m c o l l e g e w i t h h o n o r s ? G O D d i d t h a t ' s w h o ! H e h a s b e e n w i t h u s e v e r y s t e p o f t h e w a y - b l e s s i n g y o u a n d h e l p i n g y o u o v e r c o m e e v e r y o b s t a c l e ! W e c e l e b r a t e y o u r a c h i e v e m e n t t o d a y a n d p r a y G o d s g u i d a n c e a s y o u g o o n t o p u r s u e y o u r M a s t e r ' s d e g r e e W e a r e s o P R O U D o f y o u ! L o v e D a d M o m & S a m a n t h a T h e L O R D w i l l w a t c h o v e r y o u r c o m i n g a n d g o i n g b o t h n o w a n d f o r e v e r m o r e P s a l m 1 2 1 : 8
adjust and mold the day given the circumstances and we’ve grown it significantly.”
One of the channels ACU Gives funds is an entrepreneur course, where students join a committee to advocate for funding of community nonprofits. The selective course is made up of about 10 students, who apply and are recommended by their peers or faculty. They reviewed nine nonprofits, funding six of them with a total of $50,000. Lind -
sey May, 2022-23 student body president, said the committee course helped her find her voice in advocating for others.
“It taught me to stand my ground and stand up for nonprofits that I saw fit,” May said, senior marketing major from Farmersville. “We get the opportunity to explore what being on a community foundation would look like.”
ACU Gives mainly used an online medium to receive their donations.
C l a s s o f 2 0 2 3
B L A K E L Y E L L E R
B S W I L D L I F E B I O L O G Y
ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY M a c K e n z i e Z o d y B A C H E L O R S O F B U S I N E S S A D M I N I S T R A T I O N , M A R K E T I N G & M A N A G E M E N T ; C O N C E N T R A T I O N I N P R E - L A W A N D E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s M a c K e n z i e B r o o k e Z o d y ! Y o u h a v e a l w a y s w o r k e d h a r d t o a c h i e v e y o u r g o
a l s M a y y o u r d r e a m s t a k e y o u t o t h e c o r n e r s o f y o u r s m i l e s , t o t h e h i g h e s t o f y o u r h o p e s , t o t h e w i n d o w s o f y o u r o p p o r t u n i t i e s a n d t o t h e m o s t s p e c i a l p l a c e s y o u r h ea r t h a s e v e r k n o w n C o n t i n u e s e e k i n g n e w v i s t a s d r e a m i n g n e w d r e a m s e m b a r k i n g o n n e w a n d e x c i t i n g a d v e n t u r e s , e m b r a c i n g l i f e w i t h l o v e a n d p a s s i o n a s y o u f u l l y r e l y o n G o d t o g u i d e y o u r s t e p s R e m e m b e r t h a t t h e p r o c e s s o f l e a r n i n g n e v e r e n d s Y o u r b r i l l i a n t a c h i e v e m e n t s a r e r e m a r k a b l e M a y a l l y o u r d r e a m s c o m e t r u e W e a r e b l e s s e d t o b e y o u r p a r e n t s a n d w i l l a l w a y s l o v e y o u u n c o n d i t i o n a l l y ! t o t h e m o o n a n d b a c k i n f i n i t y ”
Wessel to welcome residential faculty as Sikes set for renovations
BY MATTHEW DELACRUZ NEWS WRITERSikes Hall will close next year to undergo renovations as Wessel Hall will provide additional space to include faculty.
Wessel will house firstyear honors college students with a new “living learning community,” An initiative that would allow both freshmen and faculty to room in the new hall.
Emily Berry, director of residential life operations, said this will enrich the faculty-student relationship.
“We want students to feel connected to faculty and students in their classes,” Berry said. “What better way to do that than to bring the faculty to them.”
The completion of Wessel and the ensuing Sikes renovation will mark the final additions to the Freshmen Village, which
will be a series of structures on the south side of campus set to be complete in 2024 and designed to allow for a larger freshman class.
The renovation to Sikes will allow the 46-year-old dormitory to accommodate a coed community similar to Bullock Hall.
Berry said the growth of co-ed dorms on campus will help students make connections during their first year at ACU.
“I am excited to see how the additions and renovations can create more opportunities and spaces for students to gather together and make meaningful con -
C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s
B S C H I L D & F A M I L Y S E R V I C E S W a y t o g o N i A u n a ! I a m G o d l y p r o u d o f y o u r t e n a c i t y p e r s e v e r a n c e c o m m i t m e n t a n d d e d i c a t i o n i n a l l t h a t y o u d o Y o u r f a i t h i n G o d h a r d w o r k a n d s a c r i f i c e s h a v e b e e n p i v o t a l t o t h e e d u c a t i o n a l s u c c e s s e s y o u h a v e a c h i e v e d t h u s f a r I l o o k f o r w a r d t o s e e i n g t h e m a n y m o r e b l e s s i n g s G o d h a s p r e p a r e d f o r H i s s w e e t d a u g h t e r !
nections,” Berry said. Sikes now has common rooms that are optimal for small groups but are too small for larger groups of students. Sikes resident Mandy Wilkins, freshman engineering major from Midlothian, has experienced the problem herself.
“There is not much to do [in the common rooms] – there is a TV and some sitting with a wall that separates the room, but that’s it,” Wilkins said.
“The study rooms are nice; however, you cannot fit many people. So it is hard to build community.” Kameron Spanberg, se -
nior resident adviser in Wessel, said the opening of the 96,000-square-foot project this fall will help new students to naturally form quick relationships.
“Having 400 people in a dorm is exciting,” said Kameron Spanberg, junior biology major from Katy. “The large common areas which will be featured in Wessel will allow for a lot of people to get to know each other really fast.”
Berry said observing Wessel’s completion and looking ahead toward renovations in Sikes has heightened anticipations for future students.
“It has been very exciting to watch this vision come to life over the past few years,” Berry said.
“I am really excited to see the ways that this community will help students be able to connect their academics to their social lives.”
2 0 2 3 G R A D U A T E
MCKENNA
ELLER
o r o f S c i e n c e , J o u r n a l i s m
W e a r e s o v e r y p r o u d o f y o u M c K e n n a a n d w e a r e b e y o n d e x c i t e d t o s e e t h i s n e x t p a r t o f y o u r j o u r n e y T h e r e i s n o t h i n g t h a t y o u c a n t d o a n d s o m u c h t h a t y o u c a n ! T o q u o t e a j o u r n a l i s m g r e a t : Y o u a r e e d u c a t e d Y o u r c e r t i f i c a t i o n i s i n y o u r d e g r e e Y o u m a y t h i n k o f i t a s t h e t i c k e t t o t h e g o o d l i f e L e t m e a s k y o u t o t h i n k o f a n a l t e r n a t i v e Th i n k o f i t a s y o u r t i c k e t t o c h a n g e t h e w o r l d T o m B r o k a w C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s & S c r a t c h e m ! L o v e M o m , D a d , M a d i s o n a n d M a e c y n
B a c h e l o r o f S c i e n c e i n J o u r n a l i s m
W e a r e b e y o n d p r o u d o f y o u ! Y o u h a v e c r u s h e d e v e r y g o a l y o u s e t f o r y o u r s e l f F i n i s h i n g c o l l e g e i n t h r e e s h o r t y e a r s i s s u c h a n a c h i e v e m e n t Y o u r d r e a m o f b e c o m i n g a T V N e w s R e p o r t e r i s c o m i n g t r u e a n d w e a r e s o e x c i t e d t o w a t c h y o u a s y o u e m b a r k o n t h i s n e w j o u r n e y !
L o v e M o m D a d P a i s l e y P h o e n y x P h y n n G r a m m y a n d B o b
M i r a n d a W e a r e s o p r o u d o f y o u a n d a l l y o u h a v e a c c o m p l i s h e d d u r i n g y o u r t i m e a t A C U ! W e a r e e x c i t e d t o s e e w h a t y o u a c h i e v e a s y o u e m b a r k o n y o u r n e x t a d v e n t u r e C o n g r a t s ! L o v e M o m D a d a n d M i k a y l a
C
n g r a t u l a t i o n
Rachel Puckett
B S Advertising/ Public Relations
C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s R a c h e l ! ! ! W e a r e s o p r o u d o f y o u r a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s a t A C U ! Y o u h a v e a b r i g h t f u t u r e W e l o o k f o r w a r d t o s e e i n g y o u c o n t i n u e t o d o a m a z i n g t h i n g s a s y o u c o n t i n u e i n y o u r l i f e g o a l s ! K e e p b e l i e v i n g ! L o v e - M o m a n d D a d
C L A S S O F 2 0 2 3
Megan Ashley Lovejoy
r a d u a t i o n i s a t i m e f o r r e f l e c t i o n o n t h e l a b o r o f t h e p a s t t h e a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s o f t h e p r e s e n t a n d t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f t h e f u t u r e T a k e p r i d e i n h o w f a r y o u v e c o m e h a v e f a i t h i n h o w f a r y o u c a n g o b u t d o n t f o r g e t t o e n j o y t h e j o u r n e y S t a r t w h e r e y o u a r e u s e w h a t y o u h a v e a n d d o w h a t y o u c a n F a i t h o v e r f e a r i n a l l t h i n g s C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s o n y o u r g r a d u a t i o n ! W e ’ r e s o p r o u d o f y o u r a m a z i n g a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s W h a t a n e x c i t i n g a d v e n t u r e t h a t l i e s a h e a d W e l o v e y o u s w e e t h e a r t M o m & D a d P r o v e r b s 3 : 6 I n a l l y o u r w a y s a c k n o w l e d g e H i m a n d H e w i l l d i r e c t y o u r p a t h s
Ni'Auna Harrison
C L A S S O F 2 0 2 3
Global Studies Missouri City, Texas
Hatley Faith Whitfield B.A., Global Studies San Antonio, Texas Journalism and Mass
Hailey Nicole Anderson B.S., Advertising/Public Relations Springfield, Missouri
ALEXANDER JULIAN HOCK
n g r a t u l a t i o n s ! W o r d s c a n n o t d e s c r i b e h o w h a p p y w e a r e w h a t a g r e a t a c h i e v e m e n t i t i s f o r y o u t o g r a d u a t e f r o m c o l l e g e ! W e a r e s o p r o u d o f y o u A l e x W e h a v e h o p e d a n d p r a y e d t h a t t h i s d a y w o u l d c o m e S t a y h a p p y s t a y s a f e a n d b e k i n d S e r v e t h e L o r d w i t h g l a d n e s s ( P s a l m 1 0 0 2 ) a n d r e m e m b e r T h e L o r d w i l l g u i d e y o u a l w a y s ; h e w i l l s a t i s f y y o u r n e e d s i n a s u n - s c o r c h e d l a n d a n d w i l l s t r e n g t h e n y o u r f r a m e Y o u w i l l b e l i k e a w e l l - w a t e r e d g a r d e n l i k e a s p r i n g w h o s e w a t e r n e v e r f a i l s ( I s a i a h 5 8 : 1 1 ) W e l o v e y o u a n d a r e c o n f i d e n t y o u w i l l g r o w i n t o a s u c c e s s f u l y o u n g m a n
Liam Moore
d o f t h e p e r s o n y o u h a v e b e c o m e . Y o u w i l l b r i n g s u c c e s s t o P i n e C o v e a s S h a n k l y b r o u g h t t o L i v e r p o o l A n d “ y o u w i l l m a k e t h e p e o p l e h a p p y ” S o i t s t i m e t o g e t l o u d ! B e s t o f l u c k !
L o v e M o m D a d a n d T r e v o r
I n t h e s a m e w a y l e t y o u r l i g h t s h i n e b e f o r e o t h e r s t h a t t h e y m a y s e e y o u r g o o d d e e d s a n d g l o r i f y y o u r F a t h e r i n H e a v e n M a t t h e w 5 1
W e a r e s o p r o u d o f y o u ! ! L o v e D a d M o m T a s h J a k e a n d
B S i n D i g i t a l
E n t e r t a i n m e n t T e c h n o l o g y
D R E W C H A R L E S M C L E O D
C o n g r a t s D r e w o n a n o t h e r m i l e s t o n e i n y o u r l i f e W e h a v e b e e n b l e s s e d t o w a t c h y o u g r o w i n t o t h e y o u n g m a n t h a t y o u a r e W e p r a y f o r y o u r s u c c e s s a n d t h a t y o u w i l l g r o w i n f a i t h a n d a s a m a n , a c c e p t i n g t h e c h a l l e n g e t h a t i s l i f e a n d o v e r c o m i n g a n y b a r r i e r s t h a t w i l l c o m e y o u r w a y W e a r e v e r y p r o u d o f y o u L o v e M o m a n d D a d
C l a s s o f 2 0 2 3 G r a d u a t e s
Julie & Jessica Jones
B a c h e l o r o f S c i e n c e , N u r s i n g
J u l i e a n d J e s s i c a h a v e w o r k e d d a y a n d n i g h t t o a c c o m p l i s h t h i s g r e a t a c h i e v e m e n t a n d w e c o u l d n ' t b e m o r e p r o u d
D a d d y a n d M o m m y l o v e y ' a l l s o v e r y m u c h .
Sydney Varner
C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s , G r a d u a t e ! W e a r e s o p r o u d o f y o u r a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t s , l e a d e r s h i p , g r o w t h , a n d y o u r f a i t h Y o u a r e g o i n g t o d o a m a z i n g t h i n g s ! M a y G o d c o n t i n u e t o b l e s s y o u i n a l l t h a t y o u d o a s y o u g o i n t o t h e w o r l d a n d l i v e a b e a u t i f u l l i f e ! W e l o v e y o u ! M o m , D a d , a n d J o s h u a
Benjamin James Peterson
B.S., Digital Entertainment Tech
Windsor, Colorado
Matthew Pietrucha
B.S., Computer Science
Fort Worth, Texas
Garrett Blake Powell
B.S., Computer Science
Fort Worth, Texas
Michael Kelland Thorson
B.S., Computer Science
Conroe, Texas
Tanner Daniel Webb
B.S., Digital Entertainment Tech
Weatherford, Texas
Education and Human Services
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Taylor Grace Benton
B.S., Communication Disorders
Tuscola, Texas
Elizabeth Brooke Boyd
B.S., Communication Disorders
New Braunfels, Texas
Konner Halyn Braziel
B.S., Communication Disorders
Quanah, Texas
Alyssa Marie Burkhead
B.S., Communication Disorders
Black Diamond, Washington
Genesis Renee Cabrera
B.S., Communication Disorders
Early, Texas
Claire Lane Choate
B.S., Communication Disorders
Stephenville, Texas
Delaney K Dawson
B.S., Communication Disorders
Granbury, Texas
Claire Elizabeth Fisher
B.S., Communication Disorders
Bullard, Texas
Emma Ann Harper
B.S., Communication Disorders
Allen, Texas
Meredith C Hickl
B.S., Communication Disorders
Double Oak, Texas
Lily M Jenkins
B.S., Communication Disorders
Dallas, Texas
Isabelle A Jennings
B.S., Communication Disorders
Wichita Falls, Texas
Ryan Kathryn Jones
B.S., Communication Disorders
Kerrville, Texas
Bailey Noel Jordan
B.S., Communication Disorders
Northlake, Texas
Jocelyn Luella Kurnik
B.S., Communication Disorders
La Verne, California
Kennedy Samone Ligon
B.S., Communication Disorders
Plano, Texas
Whitney Nicole Marshall
B.S., Communication Disorders
Gunter, Texas
Mattie J Martin
B.S., Communication Disorders
Snyder, Texas
Ava Ashton McCown
B.S., Communication Disorders
Tyler, Texas
Ashley Beth Parker
B.S., Communication Disorders
Round Rock, Texas
Julia Elizabeth Perry
B.S., Communication Disorders
Flower Mound, Texas
Merrellann Danell Sawyer
B.S., Communication Disorders
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Cameron Elyse Snider
B.S., Communication Disorders
Tyler, Texas
Laura Allyn Van Ravenswaay
B.S., Communication Disorders
Montevideo, Minnesota
Keianna C Whitfield
B.S., Communication Disorders
Lubbock, Texas
Kinesiology and Nutrition
Amy Elizabeth Ambelang
B.S., Kinesiology San Antonio, Texas
MeKaela Alyssa Bell
B.S., Kinesiology San Antonio, Texas
Anne Elizabeth Bonham
B.S., Kinesiology Decatur, Texas
Brianna Lyn Brauner
B.S., Kinesiology Seabrook, Texas
Sydney Jordyn Brown
B.S., Kinesiology Fort Smith, Arkansas
Caden Clark Burke
B.S., Kinesiology Tuscola, Texas
Courtney Nicole Bynum
B.S., Kinesiology Boerne, Texas
Thomas Keith Chambers
B.S., Kinesiology Lewisville, Texas
Yajarrah D Covington
B.S., Nutrition Abilene, Texas
Rachel Erin Crismore
B.S., Kinesiology New Braunfels, Texas
Cydney Elizabeth Ford
B.S., Kinesiology Fort Worth, Texas
Callie Danielle Freeman
B.S., Kinesiology Merkel, Texas
Ruth Gatwiri Gafner
B.S., Nutrition Eldoret, Kenya
Meg Elizabeth Goff
B.S., Kinesiology North Richland Hills, Texas
Tatum Anne Gradke
B.S., Kinesiology Grapevine, Texas
Roy Gage Graham
B.S., Kinesiology
Stephenville, Texas
Alexis Wendy Gray
B.S., Kinesiology Schertz, Texas
Matthew A Guild
B.S., Kinesiology Abilene, Texas
Jesus Guillen
B.S., Kinesiology Merkel, Texas
Tyler Farris Heath
B.S., Kinesiology Tuscola, Texas
Max Gabriel Huffling
B.S., Kinesiology Edmond, Oklahoma
Avery Elise Iles
B.S., Kinesiology Graham, Texas
Natalie Rene Jones
B.S., Nutrition Lubbock, Texas
Prudence Jepkosgei Kiyeng
B.S., Kinesiology Eldoret, Kenya
Jobey Zane McCurley
B.S., Kinesiology Abilene, Texas
Abigail Marie Paul
B.S., Kinesiology Houston, Texas
Kaydin Maclane Pursley
B.S., Kinesiology
Merkel, Texas
Sterling Lance Riggs
B.S., Kinesiology Boerne, Texas
McKenly Lynn Roberts
B.S., Kinesiology
Breckenridge, Texas
Danielle Nicole Ruot
B.S., Kinesiology
Abilene, Texas
Samantha Elaine Samford
B.S., Kinesiology Clyde, Texas
Haylee A Sharp
B.S., Kinesiology
Clyde, Texas
Gabriel Nathanial Trevino
B.S., Kinesiology San Antonio, Texas
Jaelyn Ramelle Williams
B.S., Kinesiology Mesquite, Texas
Caitlyn Lena Wilson
B.S., Kinesiology San Antonio, Texas
School of Social Work
Marilyn Alicia Allen
B.S., Social Work
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Eden Grace Babovec
B.S., Social Work Dallas, Texas
Rihan Katherine Carty
B.S., Social Work San Antonio, Texas
Jianna Carolina Castillo
B.S., Social Work San Antonio, Texas
Meredith Adele Childress
B.S., Social Work Fairview, Texas
Ella Mckay Crimmings
B.S., Social Work Fort Worth, Texas
Abigail Grace Easley
B.S., Social Work San Antonio, Texas
Anna Nicole Ecklar
B.S., Social Work Euless, Texas
Rylee M Jordan
B.S., Social Work Wolfforth, Texas
Madelyn Valleen Maxwell
B.S., Social Work Abilene, Texas
Bryka Emalei McNeill
B.S., Social Work Abilene, Texas
Hannah E Mercer
B.S., Social Work Abilene, Texas
Chaela A Morgan
B.S., Social Work Lubbock, Texas
John Michael Myers
B.S., Social Work Abilene, Texas
Sara Grace Parks
B.S., Social Work Colleyville, Texas
Ashley Unique Perry
B.S., Social Work Houston, Texas
Daisy Jasmine Portillo
B.S., Social Work Clute, Texas
Jaia Alexandra Ramirez
B.S., Social Work Abilene, Texas
Mackenzie Diane Stevens
B.S., Social Work Abilene, Texas
Kelsey Morgan Streun
B.S., Social Work
Tremonton, Texas
Ella Grace Strever
B.S., Social Work Granbury, Texas
Anna Elizabeth Wasson
B.S., Social Work
Abilene, Texas
Grace Elizabeth White
B.S., Social Work New Braunfels, Texas
Teacher Education
Alexa Aponte Bojorquez
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Southlake, Texas
Rebekah Lee Curry
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Robinson, Texas
Allison N Dale
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Abilene, Texas
Sierra Marie Gradwell
B.S., Middle School Education
4-8)
Buda, Texas
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B.S., Special Education
Elementary
San Antonio, Texas
Anna Elinor Kensing
B.S., Middle School Education
4-8) New Braunfels, Texas
Laura Marie LaBarge
B.S., Special Education
Elementary Southlake, Texas
Hannah Noelle McLean
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Abilene, Texas
Rena A Morrell
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Snyder, Texas
Katherine Elizabeth Murdock
B.S., Middle School Education
4-8)
Justin, Texas
Lauren Mackenzie Sheldon
B.S., Middle School Education
4-8) Fort Worth, Texas
Abriyah S Skull
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Abilene, Texas
Audra Jo Smith
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Garland, Texas
Breanna Nicole Stephens
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. McKinney, Texas
Sarah Kirstine Wilcox
B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Leander, Texas
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B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Allen, Texas
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B.S., Int.Stud:Early Child/Elem. Hamlin, Texas
College of Graduate and Profsional Studies
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B.S., Applied Communication
Plano, Texas
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B.S., Child and Family Services
Katy, Texas
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B.S., Child and Family Services
McKinney, Texas
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B.S., Child and Family Services
Evans, Georgia
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B.S., Child and Family Services
Richmond, Texas
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B.S., Child and Family Services
Fort Worth, Texas
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B.S., Child and Family Services
Mansfield, Texas
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B.S., Child and Family Services
Nottingham, Maryland
Pam Buller
B.S., Christian Service & Formation
Durham, Kansas
Kerry Brooks
B.S., Communication Disorders
Vista, California
Brittany N Moore
B.S., Communication Disorders
Willow Park, Texas
Chloie Gail Trevino
B.S., Communication Disorders
Kennedale, Texas
Madison Denae Smith
B.S., Criminal Justice
Dallas, Texas
Javier Torres
B.S., Criminal Justice
Hillsboro, Texas
Veronica Lopez Brennan
B.S., Health & Human Performance
Royse City, Texas
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Performance Norman, Oklahoma
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B.S., Healthcare Administration
Abilene, Texas
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Admin
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Houston, Texas
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Abilene, Texas
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Tucson, Arizona
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Royse City, Texas
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Ovalo, Texas
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Grand Prairie, Texas
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Lubbock, Texas
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Hurst, Texas
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B.S., Integrated Studies
Frisco, Texas
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Hurst, Texas
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B.S., Integrated Studies
Decatur, Texas
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B.S., Integrated Studies
Abilene, Texas
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Fort Worth, Texas
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B.S., Integrated Studies
Woodway, Texas
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B.S., Integrated Studies
Missouri City, Texas
Alishia Barragan
B.S., Management
Haslet, Texas
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B.S., Marketing
Abilene, Texas
Heather Merriman
B.S., Management
Mansfield, Texas
Cody Collins Nelson
B.S., Marketing
Zephyr Cove, Nevada
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B.S., Management
Houston, Texas
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B.S., Marketing
Fort Worth, Texas
Cierra Sad’A Archer
B.S., Psychology
Clyde, Texas
Rachel Ann Boswell
B.S., Psychology
Allen, Texas
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B.S., Psychology
Irving, Texas
Ashlyn Richardson
B.S., Psychology Forest, Virginia
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B.S., Psychology
El Paso, Texas
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Haven Joy Burch
B.S.N., Nursing Flower Mound, Texas
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Unsigned
may
Athletics moves to Under Armour from Nike come July
The university will start a new collaboration with Under Armour for athletic needs, ending its Nike contract after seven years, on July 1.
Since joining Division I in 2013, this is the third collaboration with a big brand name company for athletics. ACU had a three-year contract with Adidas from 2013-16, followed by Nike from 2016-23 and now starting its Under Armour five-year contract.
“We want to find an apparel partner that can serve the needs of our student-athletes,” said Zack Lassiter, vice president of athletics “Under Armour came to us with the most attractive package and wanted that partnership.”
Signing with a company that stands with the university’s value is important to the athletics staff and is the main reason the contract with Under Armour is in place.
In an article written about this transition, ACU deputy athletics director for administration Chris Ballard said he his confident in the partnership.
“We feel confident our new partnership will allow our student-athletes and coaches to be outfitted at the highest level,” Ballard said. “Both Under Armour and Game One have already shown tremendous support of ACU Athletics and we can’t wait to get our student-athletes in UA gear.”
Before ACU decided to make the switch, it was important to Lassiter that he heard the thoughts of coaches from every program. Lassiter said he involved the coaches in this process because he believes they should have
a significant say. These coaches will be the closest people working with the company and the transition will affect them the most in athlete recruitment and retention.
This process included comparing the committing rates of programs with Nike and Under Armour to see if college athletes preferred one brand over the other. It was found that there was no significant correlation between the two, allowing the transition process to move along.
ACU is working with Under Armour and Game One to produce what is needed for its programs
to succeed. Game One is the middle company between ACU and Under Armour that gets ACU exactly what it needs from Under Armour.
“At the end of the day,” Ballard said. “Under Armour and Game One made a really strong offer and ended up being the better financial package for us. But from the service and belief side, it just made more sense.”
One of the main problems ACU had with Nike was the lack of access. Because ACU is a lower-end Division I program, the University was not allowed the same access to items as the University of
Abigail Easley
B A C H E L O R O F S C I E N C E I N S O C I A L W O R K
C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o o u r b r i g h t , c r e a t i v e , b e a u t i f u l , k i n d , i n t e l l i g e n t , h a r d - w o r k i n g l o v e l y d a u g h t e r ! Y o u v e w a l k e d a n a m a z i n g p a t h t o r e a c h t h i s m i l e s t o n e i n y o u r l i f e - e n j o y y o u r a c h i e v e m e n t ! O u r p r a y e r i s t h a t y o u s t e p i n t o t h e n e x t c h a p t e r w i t h c o m p l e t e c o n f i d e n c e t h a t y o u a r e f u l l y l o v e d a n d t h a t G o d h a s g r e a t p l a n s f o r y o u ! W e a r e s o p r o u d o f y o u ! W i t h a l l o u r lo v e , M o m , D a d a n d A l e x
BYTexas and the University of Alabama. This seemed to hinder the growth that ACU wanted to make over the next decade for their programs.
With the support from coaches, athletics, and under Armour, the University decided this transition would be the best to grow its programs and to keep climbing the Division I ladder.
“While transitions are always challenging because you are learning new things,” Lassiter said. “It has been really refreshing with the relationship we have been able to create in a short amount of time. I am looking forward to
FINAL RECORDS
seeing that and I hope our student-athletes see that we are providing a higher level of service to them for their needs.”
Under Armour currently sponsors Division I state athletic programs at Texas Tech, Auburn University, South Caroliana and Notre Dame. Within the Western Athletic Conference, ACU joins Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, and the University of Texas at Arlington.
ACU Under Armour products can be found on athletic teams and in the campus store starting this summer.
C l a s s o f 2 0 2 3
W h a t G o d s p e a k s i n t o e x i s t e n c e c a n n o t b e c o n t a i n e d G o d h a s p r o v e n t h i s c o n s i s t e n t l y i n y o u r l i f e Y o u h a v e a m i s s i o n a n d a p u r p o s e - t h i s i s y o u r t i m e ( 1 C o r 1 2 : 7 M s g )
W e L o v e Y o u !
C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s C y d n e y o n y o u r g r a d u a t i o n f r o m A b i l e n e C h r i s t i a n U n i v e r s i t y ! W e a r e s o v e r y p r o u d o f y o u a n d w e k n o w t h a t G o d h a s g r e a t p l a n s f o r y o u a s y o u t r a n s i t i o n i n t o t h e n e x t s e a s o n o f y o u r l i f e Y o u a r e s u c h a s p e c i a l b l e s s i n g t o u s a n d s o m a n y o t h e r s w h o s e l i v e s y o u h a v e t o u c h e d W e p r a y f o r y o u r c o n t i n u e d g r o w t h i n w i s d o m a n d k n o w l e d g e a s y o u u s e y o u r g i f t s f o r H i s g l o r y W e l o v e y o u w i t h a l l o u r h e a r t s - D a d a n d M o m T r u s t i n t h e L O R D w i t h a l l y o u r h e a r t A n d l e a n n o t o n y o u r o w n u n d e r s t a n d i n g ; I n a l l y o u r w a y s a c k n o w l e d g e H i m A n d H e s h a l l d i r e c t y o u r p a t h s P r o v e r b s 3 : 5 - 6
B S K i n e s i o l o g y , M u s i c M i n o r
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MeKaela Bell
A B l e s s i n g O n O c t o b e r 2 2 0 0 0 G o d b l e s s e d m e w i t h a b e a u t i f u l g r a n d d a u g h t e r Y o u h a v e b e e n s u c h a j o y i n m y l i f e e v e r s i n c e I m s o p r o u d o f y o u a n d y o u r a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s M e K a e l a c o n t i n u e t o r e a c h f o r y o u r g o a l s M y p r a y e r s a r e f o r g r e a t n e s s i n y o u r l i f e a h e a d Y o u r g r a n d p a r e n t s l o v e y o u s o m u c h C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s G r a n n y a n d P a w P a w
UAC BOUND
Fall season to feature new football-focused conference
BY WILL DALTON SPORTS DIRECTORLooking ahead to the upcoming football season, the Wildcats prepare for a season highlighted by a new conference, a season finale against Texas A&M, and some high level recruits
Although the Wildcats lost in the WAC championship to Stephen F. Austin at the end of the last season, the team exceeded expectations in its second year in the WAC. The Wildcats had their first winning season in four years and won seven games for the first time since 2012.
During Keith Patterson’s second season as head coach, ACU will look to build off last years success in a season that should be filled with excitement for many different reasons reasons.
New Conference
The Western Athletic Conference and the ASUN Conference have officially announced their formal partnership known as the United Athletic Conference. The two conferences had previously partnered in football for the last two years due to low conference membership numbers. In this partnership, the firstplace team landed an automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
According to the UAC release, “the United Athletic Conference now fully operates like a single-sport conference with an independent budget, policies and governing documents. The group will recognize its own league champion and at-large FCS playoffs automatic qualifier under a singular conference banner beginning with the 2023 football season.”
Zach Lassiter, vice president for athletics, said the partnership was a long time coming.
“There had been a scheduling alliance and conversations for a while because we had been sharing an automatic bid,” Lassiter said. “So those conversations over time led to a desire to formalize that in a better way. That had been going on for a while, but taking the step and actually forming the conference was something that came out of last year.”
For now, the conference operates with nine teams: ACU, Austin Peay State, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton and Utah Tech. The UT-Rio Grande Valley will join the conference in 2025 when it adds a football program.
“We got to the stage where these ten schools were like, ‘Hey, we all have a desire to play a high level of football. Let’s create some stability in an environment that’s highly unknown.'” Lassiter said. We just wanted to formalize that in more detail.”
The 2023 season will consist of six conference games with the 2024 sea -
son consisting of eight games. The team with the best conference record and that owns any tiebreakers will be crowned as the UAC champion.
With media speculation that the league possibly could have become the 11th FBS conference, those ideas quickly fell through because the ten current conferences are hesitant to share NCAA College Football Playoff revenue.
The conference has hired Oliver Luck, former NFL quarterback and athletic director at West Virginia, as the executive director in navigating how the two leagues come together. This puts him on the leadership team with WAC commissioner Brian Thorton and ASUN commissioner Jeff Bacon. The leadership structure also features cochairs of the Council of Presidents, Dr. James Hurley from Tarleton State and Dr. David McFaddin from Eastern Kentucky.
New Schedule
With ACU football now set to be a part of the UAC for the upcoming season,
it means the Wildcats will face some familiar opponents along with some new faces on top of an already stacked non-conference schedule.
The Wildcats will kick off the 2023 season on a Thursday night matchup when they take on the Northern Colorado Bears at 7 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium.
ACU will take on Prairie View A&M on Sept. 9 before coming back and facing former Southland Conference foe Incarnate Word at home on Sept. 16 for Family Weekend. The Red Cardinals had a successful 2022 season, going 12-2 before losing in the FCS playoff semifinal.
The Wildcats find themselves on the road for their next two matchups, including their first look at a UAC opponent when they take on Central Arkansas at 6 p.m. on Sept. 23 and then head to Denton to take on North Texas on Sept. 30. UNT capped off its 2022 season with a three-point loss in the Frisco Bowl.
After a week off, the Wildcats will host North Alabama for Homecoming Weekend taking on the Lions at 3 p.m. on Oct. 14. This will mark ACU’s second of two ASUN opponents who it will face next season.
The Wildcats go back on the road for back-to-back weeks, taking on Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 21 and Southern Utah on Oct. 28. ACU will look for some revenge as the Wildcats lost both matchups to the Lumberjacks last season, including the WAC Championship game.
The Wildcats then head back home to finish conference play and their remaining two home games when they take on Utah Tech and Tarleton on Nov. 4 and Nov. 11, respectively.
ACU will cap off the regular season with its most anticipated game of the season when it takes on Texas A&M on Nov. 18 in College Station. The Aggies are coming off a disappointing 2022 season, with a 5-7 record, yet still come into the new season with the 11th highest recruiting
class in the nation.
New Transfers
Along with the new conference and schedule alignment, the football team is adding some new faces from the transfer portal that should have a direct impact on next season.
Starting off the list of notable transfers is freshman wide receiver Jacoby Boykins. He was a fourstar recruit out of Lamar High School in Houston and originally walked on to the University of Alabama. The speedy wide receiver did not see playing time in Tuscaloosa, playing behind a stacked receiving core but should play a large role in the Wildcat offense come fall.
A big addition on the defensive side of the ball comes in sophomore defensive back and University of Oklahoma transfer Jordan Mukes. Also a four-star recruit out of high school, Mukes played in 12 games in the 2021 season, mostly on special teams, and will play a key role on the defensive side of the ball next year.
A pair of high level running backs have also made their way to Abilene in sophomore Jay’veon Sunday and sophomore Javion Hunt. Sunday comes in as a three-star from the University of Washington, and Hunt comes in as a threestar from The University of Arkansas. The two backs will be able to take some of the load off the already solidified Wildcat running back core. Other notable transfers include sophomore wide receiver Marcayll Jones from the University of Memphis, sophomore offensive lineman Carson Walker from the University of Houston, and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Syncere Massey from Texas Tech University.
Wildcats win first series since March, taking down Trailblazers
BY RYDER MAPLE SPORTS WRITERThe Wildcats closed out a three game series against the Utah Tech Trailblazers Sunday, ending the home stand with two wins and one loss. Despite falling in the opening contest, ACU bounced back in the next two, winning each game by two runs.
The first game of the three day matchup at Crutcher Scott was action packed with only two of the nine innings not having a score. ACU’s offense was solid, with the team recording 12 hits, as well as three players having multiple hit games. UTU was up in the offensive battle, recording
14 hits of its own, along with nine RBI’s. The Trailblazers never trailed in the game, and used that momentum to help generate scoring opportunities despite the Wildcat’s attempts to even up the score. With a total of nine pitchers making appearances, the game was defined by defensive fortitude, and UTU was not afraid to take risks on offense. Good onbase percentage and well placed bunts would help the Trailblazers come out with the 14-6 win in the opening game. In game two, the Wildcats stepped up on the defensive front, not allowing the Trailblazers to score until the sixth inning. Complementing this de -
fense was another good day of hitting, with junior outfielder Logan Britt and senior outfielder Grayson Tatrow combining for four hits, three homers, and five RBI’s.
Senior right-hander
Breck Eichelberger led the way on defense, pitching five innings and allowing only two hits. With ACU playing lights out, UTU needed to put runs on the board if they wanted any chance of coming back. Scoring four runs in the 9th was a step in the right direction, but the ACU defense remained stout until the finish, ending the contest with a strikeout taking the game 8-6. With the series tied at one, both teams would
want to establish an offensive presence and get out to an early lead in game three. Despite hopes for an offensive shootout, the defense of both teams shined, with only three scores until a pivotal moment for ACU in the bottom of the 7th. With the Wildcats down 2-1, Tatrow stepped up to the plate and would hit a three run homer to put ACU ahead. This was crucial, as it provided the Wildcats with the momentum to put the game to sleep, only allowing UTU one hit in the final two innings. Junior right-hander Blake Anderson got the win, coming out of the bullpen and pitching 3.2 innings, allowing no runs on one hit, and recording
three KO’s.
After struggling in the first game, ACU stepped up to the enjoyment of the home crowds and was able to take the final two games of the homestand in someclose defensive battles. De -
