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The Rambler
The students’ voice since 1917
www.txwes.edu/rambler
April 30, 2008
NEWS BRIEFS Have a Great Summer The Rambler wishes all students, faculty and staff a great summer! The Rambler returns in the fall. Let it commence! The 2008 Texas Wesleyan graduation services are at 7 p.m. May 9 at the Will Rodgers Auditorium. Sheryl Kappus, president of Hill College, is the keynote speaker. Robing ceremonies is at 11 a.m. May 9 in the Polytechnic United Methodist Church.
News Briefs
Congrats! Congratulations to Dr. Mary Anne Clark, biology professor, was featured in Fort Worth, Texas magazine as one of the 14 “Brilliant Minds” in Tarrant County. National Police Week Texas Wesleyan University campus security celebrates National Police Week May 11-17, which honors fallen officers and allows the community to show their appreciation to officers that protect the property and lives of the community. Security will host a barbecue event for the Fort Worth police officers that patrol our campus and the surrounding neighborhoods from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. May 13 in the Baker Martin Pavilion. RSVP by May 2. Gimme some tee! The Texas Wesleyan Graduate School of Business will sponsor its second annual golf tournament May 19 at Woodhaven Country Club. The cost to play is $100 per four-man scramble, which includes all green fees, driving range, cart, lunch and other amenities. An individual or organization can sponsor a hole for $1000 and their team play for free. Volunteers are needed for various tournament activities. Register at 817-531-6500. Password Changes As part of the university’s transition to the Microsoft Active Directory, all student passwords will automatically be changed to the last six digits of their social security numbers on May 17. Students will be able to change their passwords starting May 20. It must be at least six characters long and TXWESLEYAN will be the new, single university domain. WebCt logins and posswords will not change. Call the IT help desk at 817-5314428 or e-mail helpdesk@txwes.edu for more information. Get Informed Now Get instant text message updates on Texas Wesleyan University events, exclusive contests and other fun stuff by joining the text message mob. Joining the group by sending a text to Student Activities at 66937. You will get a text back asking you to reply with a “Y” to join the group. Standard rates apply.
Vol. 100, No.12
Espinosa resigns as dean, will continue teaching dents majoring in the school’s program.” According to Espinosa, the size and mass of the school of arts and sciSTAFF WRITER ences is calling for an organizational change. After serving in the position of dean of the school of arts and sciences for “We do not know yet how the school of arts and sciences might be nearly five years, Dr. Miriam Espinosa is stepping down. restructured,” Kerr said. “During this coming interim year, we will look at “I’ll retire in about three years, so I decided to let someone else look at several possible models.” the organization of the school,” said Espinosa of her choice to step down. She is currently focusing on models with two specific values. The English professor who has taught and served at Wesleyan for 30 years “In order to serve the arts and science programs well, there needs to be will return to teaching in the summer and fall. She plans to run the 3PR pro- ‘parity’ and ‘equity’ within and across the university’s schools,” said Kerr, gram and work with student and parent orireferring to the ratio of administrative leadentation. ers to faculty and students within each of the According to Espinosa, there were more three undergraduate schools on campus. perks to the dean’s position than just having According to Kerr, her plans include a sweet corner office. improving communications within the “Helping the faculty through the Bass school and across campus and assisting facGrants, helping them improve programs, ulty with program reviews and strategic and do their departmental reviews has been plans. Conducting a needs assessment to rewarding,” said Espinosa. The Bass Grants examine the administrative operations and are monies awarded to professors to travel gathering information to best assess reorgaand present their research. The dean position nization needs are also top priorities. is mainly one that aids the faculty with “I will feel that I have been successful if reports, hiring and scheduling. the faculty and staff believe that their voices “The dean is an advocate for the faculty have been heard in important decision-makin both ends—with the administration and ing, they have received information in a the students,” said Espinosa. timely and effective manner, and they conDr. Marcel Kerr, associate professor of tinue to be excited about working at Texas psychology and psychology department Wesleyan and serving our students” said chair, was named interim dean. Kerr. “The position of dean is one of service Like Espinosa, Kerr will continue to teach and advocacy,” Kerr said. “To me the prione course a semester while serving as the mary role of a school dean is to provide facdean. Administration will search for a candiulty and staff the tools and information they date to fill the position, and Kerr will be free need to do their jobs and remove any impedto apply. iments to their progress.” “There are a lot of possibilities for rearAlso, she said, the school dean is the Miriam Espinosa recently resigned as the dean of the school of ranging the school, but it will be up to the primary advocate for the faculty and stu- arts and sciences after five years. She will continue to teach new dean,” said Espinosa.
COLLEEN BURNIE
English courses and has plans to run the 3PR program.
Fall to bring changes on campus SHAMEKA HYATT STAFF WRITER
Texas Wesleyan University will see more changes next year than just the incoming class of 2012. The fall 2008 semester will begin with a variety of academic and structural enhancements. In the academic arena, Wesleyan will rewire current curriculums, implement new programs and relocate faculty members. In the school of arts and sciences, for starters, the religion curriculum will be reconstructed in order to gear religion majors more toward “comparative religion,” which will allow students to study a wide array of religions. “There will be an expansion of the religion department to permit studying of more than just Christianity,” said University President Dr. Hal Jeffcoat. Christianity instruction will not be abandoned nor replaced, he clarified, but a broader range of religious studies will be available. This curriculum reconstruction will take up to three years. The graduate school of nurse anesthesia will implement a new doctoral program, allowing nurse anesthesia students with master’s degrees to obtain doctorates in nurse anesthesia practice. “We want to offer more advanced training in such fields as the very competitive nurse anesthesia,” said Jeffcoat. This program will primarily be available online. Wesleyan is also looking to establish student learning communities, which will allow students from “different walks of life,” according to Jeffcoat, to interact with one another academically by working in groups. Administration hopes these and other changes will improve education. “We want to prepare students to be life-long learners and the best in their desired careers,” said Provost Allen Henderson. Changes are also on the horizon for faculty. Dr. Miriam Espinosa is stepping down as dean of the school of arts and sciences and will step up to numerous faculty positions including being a professor of English and pre-professional classes, a lead adviser for freshmen and transfer students and an overseer of the dual-credit program, which allows seniors in high school to gain college credit before even entering into college.
Here we go
again
While many students are getting ready to graduate (see more on page 5), freshman kiniseology major Rachel Daniel and freshman biology major Nikki Massey register for classes with Ashley Milligan, assistant director of advising.
Dr. Marcel Kerr, chair of the psychology department, will serve as interim dean. The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is being completed in the West Library and will enable faculty to learn how to better use technology and grasp techniques to better serve students. The center will make available computers and equipment to aid in making instructors more tech savvy and will also host faculty seminars. Henderson said Wesleyan will strive to enhance instruction quality for students via faculty members. “We want to continue to improve instruction,” he said. Wesleyan will also change on the surface. To provide a more interactive, engaging instructional experience in the classroom, four more “presentation technology” classes will be installed on the Wesleyan campus, thanks to the Title III and AT&T Excelerator grants. In these classrooms, smart boards will be present to bring visual liveliness to classroom instruction. The Wesleyan theater department will have a new scene shop. The old Joe Brown Scene Shop at the corner of East Rosedale and Wesleyan Street will be renovated and transformed into a community meeting facility and a cyber café. The new 5,000 square foot scene shop, which will be known as the Claudia Stepp Scene Shop, will be built at the southwest intersection of Binkley Avenue and Avenue C. Other construction plans include four faculty offices, a conference room and a serving area. Near Wesleyan, a private developer, Townsite Company, will be enhancing retail space in the 3000-3100 blocks of East Rosedale. “These are positive changes that will dramatically improve the appearance of that area of East Rosedale,” said Steve Roberts, associate vice president of administrative services and human resources. Additional retail services, Roberts said, will greatly benefit Wesleyan faculty, staff and students. Whether it be construction or curriculum, Jeffcoat said Wesleyan will become a more academically alive, better academic institution, giving students more opportunities and faculty more opportunities in regards of research. With this goal in mind, Wesleyan will continue to experience change as it seeks opportunities. “Universities are always experiencing constant evolution,” said Jeffcoat. “We will never be still; we want to be more responsive to opportunities.”