The Messenger - Spring 2018

THE MCMURRY UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS

BUILDING SUCCESS

McMurry Selected to Participate in Gateways to Completion Program

SPRING2018

Alumni and Friends,

T

ransformational is a word that is often used to describe the kind of educational experience that students enrolled at small, residential liberal arts colleges encounter.

I know that during my three decades of work in these types of institutions, it is a word I have used repeatedly to describe the educational experience.

That said, it wasn’t until my arrival at McMurry that I realized just how transformational an educational experience can be.

In my three years, I have heard countless stories of how the faculty and staff at McMurry have truly changed the lives of the students they encounter.

Whether the students are traditional or posttraditional – online or face to face – our faculty and staff are dedicated to their success and their growth as individuals. Most importantly, our faculty and staff believe in the success of our students. To borrow a phrase from Dr. Weldon Crowley ’57, McMurry often believes in our students even before they believe in themselves. That kind of confidence in a student’s ability and the dedication and commitment to give the students the personal attention to excel is woven throughout the McMurry educational experience – and it has been since its founding.

In this edition of The Messenger, you will read about the global issues facing higher education and the state of private higher education. You will also have the

opportunity to learn about how we are working to help students be more successful and to make the McMurry educational experience more affordable. Students of all income levels and all backgrounds deserve to encounter the kind of transformational experience that McMurry has to offer. I look forward to continuing to work with all of you to make that a reality.

Dr. James W. Hunt Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty

SPRING2018 A PUBLICATION OF MCMURRY UNIVERSITY

PRESIDENT

Dr. Sandra S. Harper VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS/ DEAN OF THE FACULTY

Dr. James Hunt VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

David Heringer VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Lisa Williams VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Debra Hulse ’80 DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Sam Ferguson UNIVERSITY CHAPLAIN & DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS LIFE

Rev. Marty CashBurless ’78 EDITORIAL OFFICE PUBLISHER

Daniel Manson EDITOR

Gary Ellison ART DIRECTOR

Matt Tate DESIGNER

Craftsman Printers, Inc. PHOTOGRAPHERS

Steve Butman Nellie Doneva Matt Tate CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Katherine Betts Jennifer Pilgrim Loretta Fulton Wendy Taylor Dave Beyer Gary Ellison 1 McMurry University #938 Abilene, Texas 79697 325-793-4610 mcm.edu marketing@mcm.edu THE MESSENGER is published by McMurry University. ©2018 McMurry University.

The views and opinions presented in this publication are not necessarily those of the editors or the official policies of the University.

inthisissue

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Higher Education Must Continue to Grow A Perspective from President Dr. Sandra S. Harper

Financial Aid Reset Attracting and Retaining Students Who Thrive

Building Success

McMurry hosted the regional Destination Imagination competition on campus February 24.

DEPARTMENTS 2 Around Campus 22 Alumni and Friends Corner 26 Class Notes 27 Athletics 28 Friends We’ll Miss

SOCIAL.MCM.EDU

McMurry Selected to Participate in Gateways to Completion Program

Refocusing on Why Higher Education’s Battle to Preserve Critical Thinking

TO UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS: 325-793-4750 goodnature.patricia@mcm.edu

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AROUNDCAMPUS

Destination Imagination

Crowley-Lawrence Endowment Established McMurry is pleased to announce the establishment of an endowed scholarship that will benefit students attending the Walter F. and Virginia Johnson School of Business.

The Crowley-Lawrence Endowment established by Weldon ’57 and Pat ’58 Crowley, will also honor longtime McMurry board member and Sweetwater business man Jere Lawrence ’54, his wife Mildred ’55 and their family.

The Crowleys established the endowed scholarship to honor Jere Lawrence’s devoted commitment to McMurry, where he served from 1982 to 2010 as a member of the Board of Trustees. Lawrence was McMurry’s Distinguished Alumnus in 1993 and was awarded an honorary doctorate by McMurry in 2000.

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Jere was an astute businessman and a Christian gentleman, and he and Millie were focused on family in ways that Pat and I tried to follow,” said Weldon Crowley, who also served as a Board of Trustees member from 2006 to 2015 at the encouragement of Lawrence.

Dr. Crowley received McMurry’s Distinguished Alumnus award in 2016 and has been honored as a McMurry University Trustee Emeritus. Pat Crowley is also the daughter of former McMurry President Dr. Gordon Bennett.

The Crowley-Lawrence Endowment will be used to provide scholarships to recruit and retain students pursing a business degree who have financial need and high academic qualifications.

McMurry hosted the regional Destination Imagination competition on campus February 24. There were nearly four thousand students, parents, families and school district personnel on campus and over 100 McMurry and community volunteers stepped up to help out.

Destination Imagination is dedicated to teaching students the skills needed to succeed in school, their careers and beyond. It provides projectbased competitions that blend STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education with the arts and social entrepreneurship.

During the competition for third graders through university, students use the creative process to turn their ideas into reality and learn invaluable skills through the process, including creative and critical thinking, team building, problem solving, risk taking, project management, perseverance, and self-confidence.

This is the first time the regional competition was held outside the greater Ft. Worth area and we received rave reviews from our visitors. McMurry is honored to have been chosen to host this special event.

AROUNDCAMPUS

Study Abroad Initiative Dr. Sandra Harper has signed a memorandum of understanding to partner with Harlaxton College, located near London, England. Harlaxton will become an “anchor” site for McMurry’s study abroad opportunities. McMurry Student Government President, Hope Rouse ’19, will be the first McMurry student to study there. She will go during the May/June 2018 summer term.

Harlaxton College is owned by the University of Evansville, a Methodist institution located in Evansville, Indiana.

Harlaxton offers a full curriculum for semesters abroad as well as a very affordable summer term ($4,500 for tuition, room, and board plus airfare).

Excursions across Europe include an additional fee, but are quite possible by train. The average Harlaxton student visits nine countries while studying at the institution. Weekday schedules in the summer and during regular terms include classes Monday through Thursday, with Friday through Sunday available for travel.

The McMurry Honors Program will offer two competitive scholarships per year for students to study at Harlaxton.

Scholarships will be for $2,500 each.

Students with a 3.25 or higher GPA are eligible to apply. An online scholarship application form is available. Most summer terms are taught by faculty members of Evansville’s partners, now including McMurry.

Roger Ward Gift At Homecoming, alumnus Roger Ward ’67 donated a generous gift of $750,000 to the Ward-Bottom Physics Fund he established in 2004 to honor former physics professor Dr. Virgil E. Bottom, who taught at McMurry from 1958 to 1973. Roger credits Dr. Bottom for his guidance and teaching that helped prepare him for his successful career in quartz crystal devices.

The 2015 recipient of the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, Roger has come a long way from growing up on a cotton farm near Seagraves, Texas, but he’s never forgotten the extraordinary impact McMurry and Dr. Bottom had on his life – both professionally and personally.

Women’s Leadership Luncheon McMurry students Kylie Fonville ’20 and Rhonda Fujiwara ’19 received the 2018 Dr. Sandra S. Harper Women’s Leadership Scholarship at the fifth annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon on Thursday, March 8, in the Garrison Campus Center.

Business executive and philanthropist Dian Stai highlighted the communitywide event, which provides the opportunity to join together to celebrate the achievements of women leaders and hear from an inspiring speaker as she shares her leadership journey.

Stai, who has achieved success in business and philanthropic endeavors, has received a number of prestigious awards. She also served on the McMurry Board of Trustees and co-chaired McMurry’s successful Shaping the Future capital campaign. The proceeds from the luncheon fund the Dr. Sandra S. Harper Women’s Leadership Scholarship.

After this year, we will have awarded $5,000 scholarships to seven outstanding young women leaders, as well as increased the Harper Scholarship Endowment to well over $55,000.

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AROUNDCAMPUS

McMurry and SMU Sign Agreement

Fourth Annual McMurry Serves More than 375 McMurry University alumni, students, family and friends gathered in groups on Saturday, February 10, for the fourth annual McMurry Serves event. McMurry Serves is a community service initiative that embodies the Servant Leadership spirit at McMurry.

In Abilene, McMurry alumni, faculty and staff worked on volunteer projects at Red Bud Park, Lake Kirby Park, Nelson Park, Will Hair Park, The Palm House, First United Methodist Church, St. Paul United Methodist Church, Aldersgate United Methodist Church and Global Samaritan Resources.

In addition, McMurry alumni from across Texas and the nation participated. Groups for this year included Albuquerque, Amarillo, Artesia, Atlanta, Austin, Fort Worth, Houston, Irving, Lubbock, Odessa, Oklahoma City, Plano, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C.

“The growth of our McMurry Serves event is a bit overwhelming,” says Suzann Couts, McMurry’s director for alumni relations and architect of the initiative. “I knew once I arrived at McMurry that this type of nation-wide, one-day, community service event would be a great fit for our alumni, students and the entire McMurry Community. The continued increase we’ve experienced in alumni and student participation, along with the growing number of local and regional sites, is outstanding. We had 13 projects for our first year in 2015, and this year we have 23! McMurry is impacting Abilene and communities around the state and the nation, and we look forward to continuing this tradition, and increasing our impact, in the future!”

“Service is an integral part of the McMurry mission and McMurry Serves shows that our current students and our graduates continue to serve their communities as servant leaders throughout their lifetime,” said McMurry University President Dr. Sandra S. Harper.

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McMurry and SMU’s Perkins School of Theology signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which will allow McMurry University students in ministerial vocations to receive preferred consideration and early acceptance to Perkins.

Dr. Sandra Harper and Dr. James Hunt joined Dr. Craig C. Hill, dean of the Perkins School of Theology in signing the MOU in Carleton Chapel.

McMurry University and SMU share a common heritage within the United Methodist Church and are committed to the training of students for ministry, the MOU states. Both institutions seek to create an efficient, streamlined path from undergraduate study at McMurry to graduate study at Perkins.

“Perkins School of Theology is one of the very best institutions in the country for training people in the practice of Christian ministry,” said Dr. John B. Miller, professor of religion. “I’m really excited about what this agreement means for our students, for our Department of Religion and Philosophy, and for the McMurry community.”

The agreement also states that McMurry and Perkins will continue to develop a deepening relationship which will encourage new opportunities for future cooperation between the two schools.

AROUNDCAMPUS

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Dr. Paul Mason, dean of McMurry’s Walter F. and Virginia Johnson School of Business. Fortunately, neither was too exhausted for one more interview.

“Cindy was still enthusiastic and full of questions,” Mason said.

Those qualities carried through to her on-campus interview, where Wang met with faculty, staff and students.

All were impressed. They caught her dedication to being a great classroom teacher.

“She was also very enthusiastic about her research,” Mason said, “and its applicability for the betterment of society.”

Wang’s first impression of McMurry was a good one. That came during the interview with Mason.

She wasn’t sure how that would go since both had had a long day of interviewing. But it couldn’t have gone better. “When we started talking,” Wang said, “I was really impressed.”

Wang moved from Eugene, Oregon, to Abilene to start teaching last fall. At McMurry she enjoys the small classes, which allow for one-on-one engagement, and the freedom to conduct research. In class, Wang teaches her students practical applications for business. interchange with students, she was

“I’m trying to provide useful tools,” hooked on teaching.

Wang said, “that they can write down

So, instead of entering the in their resume when looking for a job.” business world as she had assumed

Mason noted that Wang has she would after earning an MBA from melded seamlessly into the culture of Oklahoma State University and a McMurry. She would agree. Despite a doctorate at Oregon, Wang traveled to vast cultural gap between Qingdao, Atlanta last spring for job interviews.

China, and Abilene, Texas, Wang fits in.

After eight interviews in one day, Wang “People here are just so genuine,” had one more to go, and that was with she said. “I think that’s what I like best.”

An International Perspective McMurry’s new business professor Dr. Cindy Wang is as surprised as anyone that she became a college professor and loves every minute of it.

That realization didn’t come until she taught classes while earning her doctorate in marketing at the University of Oregon, far from her home in Qingdao, China. But once she discovered she enjoyed the

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Spring is a time of new beginnings. Nature has a way of demonstrating that scenes of a barren winter give way to the joys of new growth, new life, and new possibilities.

HIGHER EDUCATION MUST CONTINUE TO GROW

BY DR. SANDRA S. HARPER

s I reflect on the disruptions that have affected many of our legacy industries (book publishing, newspapers, the recording industry, traditional manufacturing), I am especially interested in how higher education is evolving. McMurry is entering its 95th year. What will our next century look like? What will the classroom experience be and how might that impact the residential experience? Will we have new majors to offer that are currently in their nascent stage? I’ve been in higher education long enough to recall a new academic discipline, computer science, that had trouble finding doctorally qualified faculty to teach in it since that area of study burst onto the scene so quickly. What will be the next computer science? Data analytics? Cybersecurity?

Humanics?

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While many parents and students are interested in going to college, the number one concern about college is its affordability. McMurry University has identified affordability as one of the characteristics of our Centennial Vision.

The fields and methods of study, as well as the academic support needed to assist our students to achieve their academic goals, are all part of our growing conversation about higher education and McMurry’s place in it.

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e are spending quite a bit of time at McMurry analyzing the evolving higher education landscape and deciding how McMurry will take the lead in it. The fields and methods of study, as well as the academic support needed to assist our students to achieve their academic goals, are all part of our growing conversation about higher education and McMurry’s place in it. This is of major importance for our state, our region and our nation. Higher education is the one element of society that intentionally links the traditions and “lessons learned” of the past to the potential achievements of the future. Texas, the Southwest, and the United States will only succeed with educated individuals to serve as leaders of our rapidly changing world.

According to the Texas Higher Education Strategic Plan: 2015-2030, 60x30TX, the demand for skilled and knowledgeable workers continues to outpace workforce supply in Texas.

It is imperative for Texas to remain globally competitive by setting the goal of having 60% of the 25-34 year old population to have a postsecondary degree or certificate by the year 2030.

This is a daunting challenge considering that the current number of young adults in that age bracket holding this credential is only slightly above 40%. Because of the bold nature of the goal, the plan acknowledges that its achievement can be met only with both private and public sectors of higher education working together. The private universities and colleges are eager to help achieve this statewide objective. Currently, Texas private institutions educate over 125,000 students, approximately 16.8% of the total 4-year college enrollment in the state. The Economic Modeling Specialists International Report concluded that in Fiscal Year 2013, payroll and operations spending of Texas’ independent colleges and universities, together with the spending generated by their

students, visitors, and human capital creation (alumni impact) created $18.5 billion for the Texas economy.

60x30TX highlights that its goal is only achievable if a wide and representative range of Texans have access to a postsecondary education. Given that the population increase among Hispanics accounted for 65% of the state’s population growth in the 2010 census, it is essential that all institutions employ recruitment and student success efforts to the growing sectors of the Texas population. Among the 40 members of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT), 13 are Hispanic Serving Institutions, which means that 25% or more of their undergraduate populations are Hispanic.

And two of them are in West Texas (McMurry University and Wayland Baptist University).

While many parents and students are interested in going to college, the number one concern about college is its affordability. McMurry University has identified affordability as one of the characteristics of our Centennial Vision. We devote over $10,000,000 of our $27,000,000 budget towards assisting our students with financial aid.

With this year’s enrollment increases, McMurry is growing at three times the rate of the enrollment growth that the collective Texas private sector usually experiences. It is important for all of higher education to grow in order to remain competitive with other countries who are making significant investments in their educational competencies. We hope you will appreciate this issue of The Messenger that focuses on the importance of higher education in our society and how McMurry University intends to achieve it mission to “challenge students to examine our complex world from multiple perspectives in preparation for lives of leadership, service and professional success.”

McMurry University intends to achieve its mission to “challenge students to examine our complex world from multiple perspectives in preparation for lives of leadership, service and professional success.”

Dr. Harper is currently the chair of the board of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas

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Financial Aid

RESET Attracting and Retaining Students Who Thrive

BY JENNIFER PILGRIM

Student retention is one of the most pressing challenges facing today’s universities.

Nationwide, more than 40 percent of students who entered college in the fall of 2015 left their starting institution after the first year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Financial Strategy RESEARCH

Solution to student retention

DATA COLLECTED

Factors that detemine student’s success

FINANCIAL AID More financial aid awarded

STEP-UP SCHOLARSHIP

Merit-based Need-based

GRADUATE SUCCESS

Students with 2.5 GPA or greater at end of freshman year are more likely to graduate

COMMUNITY

Community is the core of McMurry’s strategy is to meet the retention challenge

David Heringer, vice president for Enrollment Management, was searching for a solution to the student retention challenge. He wanted to know which students are most successful at McMurry, and to what extent financial need plays into their success. He contacted Dr. Jori Sechrist ’01, professor of sociology, who was able to use her expertise in research to find that solution.

Dr. Sechrist began examining data collected from first-time freshman who enrolled during the 2006-2013 academic years. The goal was to determine which factors most predicted a student’s success (and likelihood to eventually graduate). She discovered that high school GPA, standardized test scores and geographic region all contributed strongly to student success at McMurry, but the high school GPA was the strongest predictor of success rather than a student’s test scores.

By October of 2017, Dr. Sechrist had gathered a substantial amount of data. She joined an interdisciplinary team of McMurry faculty and staff members—including Heringer, Director of Financial Services Tim Sechrist ’01, Vice President of Financial Affairs Lisa Williams, and Director of the First Year Experience Dr. Cynthia Martin— to completely revamp the University’s financial aid strategy. Together, they came up with an

McMurry is unique in that it “works well with students who may not have excelled in high school, but because of the relationships built between faculty and students, are able to be successful in college.

McMurry invests time and energy in those students so that they can be successful here.”

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With the introduction of innovative solution that they are counting on to increase student retention.

Dr. Sechrist believes that McMurry is unique in that it “works well with students who may not have excelled in high school, but because of the relationships built between faculty and students, are able to be successful in college. McMurry invests time and energy in those students so that they can be successful here.”

Because of Dr. Sechrist’s research, the financial aid awarding process now takes a more holistic view of the student into account. Dubbed a “financial aid reset,” this strategy is designed to attract and retain students who will thrive at McMurry. In a nutshell, the reset changes the way that financial aid is awarded. Rather than focusing mainly on traditional merit-based aid, the reset takes into account multiple factors that encourage enrollment and increase retention. This allows the University to predict which students are most likely to stay and offer them the best possible financial aid package.

Starting in the fall of 2018, incoming freshman will be evaluated on a variety of factors when awarding financial aid. These include high school GPA, standardized test scores, and geographic region, among others—Dr. Sechrist emphasizes that “there’s more to a student than just test scores and GPA.” Students will now receive two separate financial aid awards—merit-based and need-based. The results of Dr. Sechrist’s analysis determined that using this approach will result in more financial aid being awarded to those students who are most likely to succeed at McMurry.

A key component of the financial aid reset is the Step-Up Scholarship. Research shows that students are four times as likely to graduate if they have a 2.5 or greater GPA at the end of their freshman year. Under this new program, incoming freshmen with strong potential to succeed academically will receive a minimum

the financial aid reset, McMurry now has a comprehensive strategy in place to increase retention, addressing academic, social and financial factors.

scholarship of $11,000 per year. Those students who achieve at least a 2.5 GPA are eligible to “step up” their scholarship an additional $1,500 for their sophomore year, then an additional $1,000 for each of their junior and senior years. According to Dr. Sechrist, this approach “gives students a reason to be focused on the classroom.” It also increases confidence by demonstrating the University’s belief in each of its students’ potential and it’s willingness to invest in it.

With the introduction of the financial aid reset, McMurry now has a comprehensive strategy in place to increase retention, addressing academic, social and financial factors.

With the many challenges facing higher education today, it is imperative that universities develop effective strategies to meet those challenges. Community is a fundamental aspect of life at McMurry, and it is also at the core of the University’s strategy to meet the retention challenge. By harnessing the expertise of McMurry faculty and staff members, the University is working together as a community to address the retention challenge and benefit students.

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BUILDING McMurry Selected to Participate in Gateways to Completion Program

BY WENDY TAYLOR-TANIELIAN

Three years after selection for the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education Foundations of Excellence program, which mined best practices for improving retention among freshman and sophomore students, McMurry has been selected to participate in the institute’s Gateways to Completion (G2C) program. Work on this next endeavor into refining recruitment and retention is slated for the Fall 2018 semester.

The new program creates evidence-based plans for improving success in high failure-rate foundation courses, such as accounting, math, chemistry, biology and writing and rhetoric.

Specifically targeted courses will be chosen by

McMurry representatives as they go through the process.

“Building on the success that resulted from our participation in the Gardner Institute Foundations of Excellence program, we are excited about the ways in which our participation in the G2C program will further enhance student success at McMurry,” said Dr. James Hunt, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty.

Dr. Jori Sechrist who, along with Dr. Cindy Martin, will serve as a McMurry liaison on the project, finds this undertaking a natural step after the success of Foundations of Excellence.

“This is exciting because it takes a full institutional approach,” Sechrist said. “It provides

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the support necessary for the professors who are already doing some of this work. It gives them even more support. It gives them lots of developmental opportunities as we get to access the rich knowledge and information that the John Gardner Institute has developed in this process and work with other institutions who are part of the process as well.”

The nearly 40 institutions participating

in G2C since 2013 show successful results, such as a reduction of the number of students in poor academic standing, a drop in course repetition rates and improved performance in the progressive sequence courses.

Martin holds experience with Gardner’s development process, as she also participated in the Foundation of Excellence implementation.

This familiarity raises her expectations even more

“McMurry is a university that has a wide gen-ed, where we encourage students to take courses in lots of different areas so that they’re broadly educated.”

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for this new program.

“I think for me, having the type of discussions we’re going to be having with our colleagues, and looking at what we do to help students succeed and looking at it with a focused manner and an intent … those conversations can only be positive,” she said.

Martin also adds she believes the results of this program will carry over well beyond the specifically targeted courses, as even those professors not directly associated with the identified classes tend to participate, adding input and taking away benefits from the discussions.

“The things we’re discussing are going to help across the board on a global-scale at the University,” Martin said.

Sechrist echoes this statement. She acknowledges that people often tend to think of foundation courses in math or sciences, but she expects the nature of the program will result in a

broader approach simply because of McMurry’s culture and academic traditions.

“McMurry is a university that has a wide gened, where we encourage students to take courses in lots of different areas so that they’re broadly educated,” she said. “I think that’s something that we’re also trying to do with the Gateways to Completion is not to have it all centered in the sciences or one area, but really spread out so that it touches more students and we support more students in their completion of their degree.”

The John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education works with campuses around the nation to increase institutional responsibility, while improving teaching, learning, retention, and completion outcomes.

McMurry’s participation in this program is being provided by a generous gift from McMurry University Trustee, Jack Reed, and his wife, Jan.

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REFOCUSING ON Dr. DonnaJean Fredeen ’81

Higher Education’s Battle to Preserve Critical Thinking

BY WENDY TAYLOR-TANIELIAN

It might surprise you that Dr. DonnaJean Fredeen ’81, a renowned chemist published on subjects such as ionic transition metal carbonyl cluster fragments, cites a religion class as her favorite McMurry undergraduate course.

However, when speaking with Fredeen, who currently serves as Rider University’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, the reason seems perfectly clear.

Fredeen, whose work now includes science education reform and leadership models in higher education, found that course an instructional ideal. A world away from the typical classes of a chemistry major, Dr. Joseph Stamey’s comparative religion course fell right in the middle of the Iranian hostage crisis for Fredeen as an undergrad.

Stamey spent a great deal of time discussing and exploring Islam, teaching the course aligned to and augmenting the headlines of the day. This ability to pull information out of the classroom and into real world complexities is an attribute Fredeen finds essential in the current climate of needing to defend higher education’s value.

“As we look at private education and we’re trying to see how we can contain our costs, we also need to make certain we protect what makes it a college degree to begin with, and that’s the idea that liberal education – which is not named very well – is a breadth of understanding, as well as a depth,” she said.

Today, the McMurry alumna finds herself navigating a constant debate between the learning style of a new generation of students wondering why topic dissections matter to them and a traditional “If it worked for me, it will work for my students” lecture philosophy still engrained throughout much of higher education.

It’s a subject many private schools now look to aggressively tackle.

“There’s a lack of curiosity in this generation,” Fredeen said. “That’s because everything’s at our fingertips. If you want to know something, all you have to do is ask Alexa, Siri or Google it. You don’t really have to say,

“There’s a lack of curiosity in this generation,” Fredeen said. “That’s because everything’s at our fingertips. If you want to know something, all you have to do is ask Alexa, Siri or Google it. You don’t really have to say, ‘I wonder why?’ I think that curiosity is very much a part of learning and wanting to learn. With this group of students in the classroom, we need to also help them understand why it’s important to them,” she stresses, echoing the impression her McMurry religion class made on her decades ago.

Fredeen points out that while academia always evolved somewhat to include fresh ideas and modern influence; it was typically at a slower, almost tedious rate. Today’s pace tends to mirror

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There is movement to emphasize critical thinking, especially among the current generation that has been consistently subjected to retention and skills standardized testing instead of complex understanding and application challenges.

the rapid evolutions seen outside of education in the worlds of business and technology. It’s leading colleges and universities to address a tendency to focus on knowledge and data quantities, without the associated process or rationale. Fredeen points out that this is not just troubling regarding students, but also as an overall cultural trend.

Big data plays into this outside the classroom, focusing on gathering an abundance of information without thinking through the products of execution. This is an area where higher education can work to steer trends outside of academics. There is movement to emphasize critical thinking, especially among the current generation that has been consistently subjected to retention and skills standardized testing instead of complex understanding and application challenges.

To this point, Fredeen credits the growing

assets of universities bringing in teaching and learning centers on campus. She feels the scholarship of teaching is extremely important, both in recruiting faculty and in tenure considerations at a time when teaching must be less about projecting the “what” and more about extracting the “how” and “why.”

Fredeen believes this evolution will be higher education’s greatest value to this generation.

“A college degree is good (for opening doors) for about five years, but after that, it’s up to the individual,” Fredeen said. “What really is important is what you got out of that degree and how professors worked with students to teach them that critical thinking is needed, particularly in a world in which technology is constantly changing and therefore changing many aspects of any career students pursue.”

“What really is important is what you got out of that degree and how professors worked with students to teach them that

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McMurry University Carnegie Hall NEW YORK CITY

The McMurry University Wind Ensemble and Chanters performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall on March 15, 2018. During their four-day residency, the McMurry groups toured the city and shared the stage for a solo concert performance in Carnegie’s main performance venue, the Isaac Stern Auditorium.

Please help us in improving The Messenger by taking this online survey.

mcm.edu/magazine-survey

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ALUMNIANDFRIENDS

Join us back on campus

McMURRY

HOMECOMING For more information please visit homecoming.mcm.edu or call 325-793-4608

OUR NEW HOME FOR ONLINE GIVING AND ALUMNI EVENTS! A new website dedicated to improving your experience with online giving, event registration and keeping your information up to date.

Check it out at join.mcm.edu/profile

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Support Our Students

“Giving to the McMurry Fund is important to me because it provides scholarship opportunities for students, ultimately making school more affordable and an education a little easier to obtain.”

Tyler Walker ’18 (pictured with his sister, Taylor ’18)

mcm.edu/give

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ALUMNIANDFRIENDSCORNER

AFRICAN AM

Earnest Merritt ’84

Student Fund

BY KATHERINE BETTS

Arthur Pertile ’83

It was McMurry University’s annual day of giving and alumni board member Earnest Merritt ’84 was reaching out to his fellow alumni by phone to do his part to help the University. Giving back is a part of Merritt’s heart, and when he called friend and fellow alumni Todd Marshall ’84, Marshall had an idea: what if there was a scholarship fund

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specifically for African American students at McMurry?

Merritt brought the idea to the University and the African American Alumni Student Fund was born.

“The purpose of the fund is to reach back and do something for these students so that when they graduate from McMurry, they’ll want to continue the trend of helping out students that come after them,” said Merritt “I hope the scholarship will help the students who receive it move forward in their careers. The whole purpose is just to give back. You only look down on a person to help them up,” said Merritt.

When it came time to raise money for the newly minted African American Alumni Student Fund, Merritt reached out to his former classmates, including one of his oldest friends who he says “is a true servant” - Arthur Pertile ’83.

Pertile and Merritt grew up together and have

AMERICAN ALUMNI

Elijah Dawson ’19 on the left and Zakai Love ’20

been friends since junior high school. They were roommates at McMurry and have remained close throughout the various chapters of their lives.

“For Earnest and me, McMurry really got us to where are now in life,” explained Pertile.

“When we went off to school, we were the first ones basically in our family to go to college and

graduate. McMurry will always be a special place, and we have a duty to reach back out and help those kids that were just like us.”

In its first year, 24 alumni donated to the scholarship fund. The African American Alumni Student Fund was first given in the Fall of 2017 to three students: Elijah Dawson ’19, Zakai Love ’20, and Desmond Turner ’20. Each student received $1,000 for the 2017-2018 school year.

“You really don’t know the impact of giving before you begin to give back,” explained Merritt.

“To meet the students who are the recipients of the fund, it does something inside of you that makes you want to continue to help. We want to begin a process that encourages and teaches the students to give back when it’s their turn,” said Merritt.

“The African American Alumni Student Fund is a way to directly benefit the students at the University and we’re just starting to plant the seed with the hopes that it will grow and continue on to benefit the African American students on campus,” said Pertile.

Current McMurry students on track to graduate can apply for the African American Alumni Student Fund through the University.

After the inaugural year, the fund is continuing to grow. Merritt and Lewis White ’99 have already begun reaching out to alumni to raise funds for the 2018-2019 award.

Pertile sums it up perfectly, “What we can’t do individually, we can do together.”

McMURRY UNIVERSITY / mcm.edu 25

ALUMNIANDFRIENDSCORNER

ClassNotes ’70s | REV. WALT

MARCUM ‘73 had a goal was to be the “oldest living youth minister.” He’s almost 69 years old and has been in youth ministry since about 1986 when a colleague told him: “Have you noticed, Walt, that your youth group has grown as large as your church”. Sometime after that he switched from being the pastor in charge to serving full time in youth ministry. Along the way, he wrote quite a few books on youth and wrote the confirmation curriculum that was used for years by the UMC. He also started the Perkins School of Youth Ministry which helps train and support youth ministers. He has a twelve-month Confirmation Class of over 300 youth and has been loving this work at HPUMC (on the SMU campus) for 26 years now.

Walt received his undergraduate degree at McMurry and is forever grateful for the love and attention he received from the faculty and staff. The school was kind enough to give him scholarship aid, which allowed him to go to college.

Carol Vandiver Love ‘77 wanted to share this honor with you!

“I graduated from McMurry in 1977.

Upon graduation, I came back to El Paso and began substituting in the Ysleta ISD. In August of 1977, I began my full time teaching career at Loma Terrace Elementary. In May, I will close my 41st year! I am blessed and humbled to have been selected by my faculty as the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year, so I’m not finished...yet! I wanted to share with my dear McMurry, not to boast, but

26

THE MESSENGER / SPRING 2018

S TAY C O N N E C T E D

Moved? New Job? because I owe my successful career to the wonderful people there that helped to form my path. May God continue to bless McMurry.”

’80s | PETER

DIMARZIO ‘89 currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts and works for Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Groups. He is the Victim Assistance Specialist for victims of human trafficking and child exploitation, and once they are rescued from their traffickers his team works to get them into a safe house, detox center and mental health services so they can start reclaiming their lives. In 2015 and 2017, Peter was invited to the United Nations in New York to speak on human trafficking and what is needed in helping fight this horrific crime.

’90s | ASHLEY

STEWART ‘93 received her doctorate of educational administration (Ed.D.) in 2015 and was named Assistant Superintendent for School Administration at Boerne ISD in November of 2017. Congratulations Ashley!

MICHAEL ROSS ‘98 AND ERIN ENGLAND ROSS ‘98, and their sons Jacob 15, and Isaac 14, would like to announce the newest addition to their family. They have a new baby boy, Mason William Ross, born June 18, 2017.

Update your information and submit a classnote to let your fellow McMurry alumni know about the milestones in your life—including everything from weddings to births, retirements to awards, adoptions to promotions. We’ll print your update and photos in The Messenger and deliver to over 11,000 of your McMurry friends and family!

Send your note by email to Suzann Couts, Director of Alumni Relations, at couts.suzann@mcm.edu or mail to The Messenger, 1 McMurry University, #938, Abilene TX 79697.

The Messenger reserves the right to make the final selection of all photography based upon available space, subject matter and photo quality.

LESLIE CHALMERS ‘99 was named Executive Director for the Jacksboro Chamber of Commerce in December 2017. Congratulations Leslie!

’00s | BROOKE

HENDRICKS-GREEN ‘02 was recently elected judge of Ector County Court at Law in Texas.

Congratulations Brooke!

’10s |ALYSSA

FIELDS ALVAREZ ‘15 married Nicolas Alvarez on October 8, 2017. The two met at McMurry where Alyssa ran track and Nic was a swimmer. They reside in Abilene.

DANIEL ‘12 AND NATALIE ZIPPRIAN ‘12 welcome their first child, Scarlett Stormye Zipprian, born February 28th, 2018.

For the latest McMurry sports information, visit mcmurrysports.com

ATHLETE PROFILE

Robyn Remschel ’18

The closing of the 2018 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Swimming and Diving Championships also spelled the end of what has arguably been the most amazing career – that of senior Robyn Remschel ’18 - in the sport’s history at McMurry University. After all of the splashes had subsided, and the ripples receded, only then could the true magnitude of Remschel’s accomplishments be clearly reflected upon and appreciated.

For four years, Remschel – a native of Fredericksburg, Texas - set a standard of excellence that will not likely be equaled anytime soon for the War Hawks. In the pool – especially in her specialty 100-yard and 200yard backstroke events – Remschel was, literally, the War Hawks’ “Golden Girl.” You can count on one hand the number of times she failed to win those races in any meet. At the 2018 SCAC championships, she capped her career by winning her third-consecutive crown in both races, including breaking her own conference and school records in the 200 backstroke (2:00.92). She previously had set the 100-backstroke mark (56.29) at the 2016 SCAC finals.

Just for good measure, Remschel swam in a 200-yard freestyle time trial at the 2018 SCAC meet and ended up setting a McMurry record (1:58.62)

in that race, as well. She also owns the War Hawks’ record in the 50-yard freestyle (24.41).

But as good is she is in the water, Remschel is equally impressive on terra firma. She is actively involved in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Campus Activities Board, volunteering at McMurry athletics community outreach efforts, Gamma Sigma social club, and as an orientation and peer leader. She regularly attends other McMurry sporting events, as well.

Despite her historic career at McMurry, her best memory was “the time I was standing on the championship podium while my teammates, and other competitors were giving me high fives. Also being able to set conference records and

ATHLETICS

hear my name being called out with the SCAC is a great feeling that I’ll never forget.”

“Robyn is one of those students you always dream about having as a coach,” Head Swiming Coach Casey Pacheco said. “Her dedication to our program and University is quite unbelievable.”

For Remschel, the success at the 2018 SCAC championships solidified the answer to some four-year old questions she had entering college. “I didn’t have a high school swim team – I was just swimming with a club – so coming in to McMurry, I didn’t know if I could even swim in college,” Remschel reflected. “It’s been really awesome. I’m so glad I chose to swim at McMurry.”

McMURRY UNIVERSITY / mcm.edu 27

FRIENDSWE’LLMISS Dr. Gene M. Tucker ’57 Dr. Gene M. Tucker, 82, died Thursday, January 4, 2018. He was born on January 8, 1935, in Albany, Texas. He graduated from McMurry College in 1957. He graduated from Yale Divinity School in 1960 with a B.D. degree, and then the Yale Graduate School with an M.A. in 1961 and a Ph.D. in Religion in 1963. He then embarked on his career in teaching, scholarship, and as an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. He became a respected scholar, publishing numerous books and articles as author, co-author, and editor. He was honored by McMurry University as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2008.

Judy Daniel Longtime McMurry educator Judy Finley Daniel of Abilene, Texas, passed away on December 18, 2017.

She was born in Ft. Knox, Kentucky to

Geology. He moved to Texas where he started his career as a surface geologist. In 1957, he formed the roots of Nordan Oil and Gas Corporation.

Russell served the University as head of the Geology Department for twentyfour years, mentoring young minds with his passion for geology and the oil and gas industry. Russell was known to hold his students to a higher standard than most. He cared for his students and wanted them to succeed beyond his classroom.

Russell was president of the Abilene Geological Society, where he was honored as an Honorary Life Member. In 1975, he founded Big Country Geophysical, a high-resolution data gathering company. From 1983-1985 he served as president of WCTOGA which is now called Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.

Owen Armbruster of Abilene, TX died October 20, 2017.

Claude Giles ’64 of Waco, TX died January 11, 2018.

Carolyn Monk of Abilene, TX died December 16, 2017.

Billy Atkins ’55 of Richardson, TX died December 11, 2017.

Ronald Giles ’64 of Stephenville, TX died January 17, 2018.

Lamar Moore of Abilene, TX died January 21, 2018.

James Bales ’55 of Lubbock, TX died February 10, 2018.

Douglas Gossett ’49 of Dallas, TX died January 5, 2018.

Martha Webb Murphy ’64 of Abilene, TX died February 27, 2018.

Madeleine Johnson Brown ’70 of Tuscola, TX died October 19, 2017.

Thomas Ivey ’57 of Baird, TX died January 6, 2018.

Ricky Burks ’07 of Tuscola, TX died January 19, 2018.

Wayne Jepson of Abilene, TX died February 8, 2018.

Dwight Needels ’77 of Brentwood, CA died March 12, 2018.

Sammie Williams Clay ’65 of Richardson, TX died January 28, 2018.

Frank Knopp ’52 of Gatlinburg, TN died December 17, 2017.

Edlena Flair Cooper of Hutto, TX died February 21, 2018.

Judy Daniel of Abilene, TX died December 18, 2017.

Robert Denson ’59 of Yukon, OK died January 3, 2018.

Glen Freeman ’76 of Abilene, TX died March 7, 2018.

Wanda Windham Gaulding ’51 of Abilene, TX died January 3, 2018.

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the late Nadine and William Finley on February 14, 1949.

She graduated from Monterey High School, Texas Tech University, and Hardin Simmons University.

A professor of English and Holocaust History. Daniel taught at McMurry for 25 years and was a mentor to the T.I.P. social club. She leaves a tremendous legacy through the lives of the women and students whom she guided.

Russell Norman Taylor Former McMurry professor Russell Norman Taylor, 91, of Abilene passed away on Tuesday October 24, 2017.

Born on December 14, 1925 to the late William and Lillian Taylor, in Cuba, New York. Russell graduated from Cuba Rushford High School in 1944.

After high school Russell attended Colgate University, where he obtained his bachelor of science degree in

THE MESSENGER / SPRING 2018

J. Larsen of Allen, TX died December 30, 2017.

Lanelle Easter Lucas ’51 of Bedford, TX died October 18, 2017.

Harley Maberry ’55 of Arlington, TX died October 21, 2017.

Larry Marshall ’65 of Trinidad, CO died March 15, 2018.

John McNulty ’81 of Abilene, TX died November 20, 2017.

Billy Newmon ’57 of Highland Village, TX died January 5, 2018.

James Nowlin of Texarkana, AR died October 27, 2017.

Elroy Payne ’56 of Stephenville, TX died February 11, 2018.

Don Pennington ’62 of Plano, TX died October 31, 2017.

Ronald Piland ’70 of Clyde, TX died March 19, 2018.

Ronny Powell ’88 of Ranger, TX died November 3, 2017.

Robert Pritchett ’59 of Tahoka, TX died October 20, 2017.

Donald Raymond ’42 of Levelland, TX died December 22, 2017.

Helen Patterson Sims ’58 of Granbury, TX died December 1, 2017.

Kathy Speegle of Tuscola, TX died December 19, 2017.

Richard Spencer ’83 of Arlington, TX died January 10, 2018.

Bruce Stovall of Cisco, TX died January 9, 2018.

Gil Thomsen ’66 of San Antonio, TX died March 9, 2018.

Gene Tucker ’57 of Denver, CO died January 4, 2018.

Bobbie Harrison Turk ’68 of Center, TX died December 4, 2017.

Randall Weir ’09 of Odessa, TX died February 11, 2018.

Fred Williams ’62 of Bedford, TX died October 26, 2017.

Did you make the Dean’s List? Send us a screenshot and we’ll give you a t-shirt! “*Disclaimer, this promotion has expired, follow us to keep your eye out for the next one!”

Are you interested in studying abroad? We now offer the opportunity to study at Harlaxton College in England! The intense semester-long experience emphasizes the study of British and European cultures.

Admission Counselor Calvin Middlebrooks ‘16 welcomes Lyndsey Johnson ‘22 to the McMurry family. We can’t wait to have all our new students on campus this fall!

You know what they say! Even though you’re growing up, you should never stop having fun! #tbt

During the next five years, McMurry University will be celebrating the many people, events and memories that make McMurry unique leading up to its Centennial Celebration in 2023. There are five themes leading up to our 100th anniversary: McMurry Discovers, McMurry Creates, McMurry Inspires, McMurry Innovates, and McMurry Celebrates. Please join us as we begin our journey to McMurry’s 100th birthday!

McMURRY UNIVERSITY / mcm.edu 29

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Consider Rolling Over Your IRA Today!

By taking a distribution from your IRA this year, you will likely pay more in taxes and may even be in a higher tax bracket. Rolling over part of you IRA’s “required minimum distribution” or RMD to McMurry University can help to reduce your tax bill while supporting the University.

An IRA Charitable rollover gift can benefit both you and McMurry’s mission! Contact your IRA Administrator to get started with you gift. While you will not receive an income tax deduction, you will not pay taxes on any distributions made to McMurry.

Please inform us of your plans so we use your gift in a way that means the most to you.

Debra Hulse | 325-793-4761 | hulse.debra@mcm.edu

70 1/2 or Older You Can Direct Up to $100,000