A Texas Wesleyan University - Office of Communications Publication

May 14, 2008

In the News: Underwater Graduation

Texas Wesleyan graduate Brooke McNabb and her underwater graduation ceremony were recently featured by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Channel 11. Click here to read about the May 9 ceremony in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram; click here to view an audio slide show. McNabb, a chemistry major and scuba minor, received a pin and signed an oath to support Texas Wesleyan scuba and underwater programs. The ceremony recognized her achievement of advanced scuba certifications.

Trish Quinones Joins Title III Team

Patricia "Trish" Quinones joined the Title III team this month as the Advising Specialist. In this position, Trish will coordinate the development, planning, training, and assessment of the advising process. Trish comes to us with approximately 20 years experience in higher education positions, focusing on career service/advising, most recently from TCU where she served as the executive director of University Career Services. Trish can be reached at 817-531-6564.

Second Annual Golf Tournament Monday, May 19

There's still time to register to play or volunteer at the Graduate School of Business' Second Annual Golf Tournament, to be held Monday, May 19, at Woodhaven Country Club. The cost to play is $100 per person for 4-man scramble; price includes green fees, cart, lunch, driving range and other amenities. Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin on all par 3s, longest drive on the 12th hole, and hole-in-one contest. Volunteers are needed to help with various tournament activities. All proceeds will be used for scholarships and other assistance for Texas Wesleyan’s graduate business students. For more information or to register, call (817) 531-6500 or email jperez@txwes.edu or clittle@txwes.edu.

Transition to Active Directory

The IT department will transition all University servers and student accounts to Microsoft Active Directory this Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18. This transition will bring to a close the recent migration of the historic, law school and Burleson campuses. Over the weekend all campuses will experience periodic service outages. Normal service will be restored on Monday, May 19, and the migration will be complete. The entire IT department thanks everyone for your patience and understanding over the last several months during this necessary transition.  

Three Wesleyan Students Selected As Hatton Sumners Scholars

Towne	Wayman	Meyer

On behalf of the trustees of the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, Texas Wesleyan is proud to announce the latest recipients of the Hatton W. Sumners Scholarship: Jonathan Towne, who is majoring in political science; Natalie Wayman, who is majoring in history; and Robert Meyer, who is transferring to Texas Wesleyan from Tarrant County College and will be majoring in accounting to achieve the BBA/MBA. All will be juniors in the fall.
      Established in 1949, the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation is dedicated to the study and teachings of the science of self-government, to the development of leaders with a sense of community responsibility, and to the maintenance of the American constitutional principles and the quality of life afforded under those principles. In support of this policy, the Foundation established an endowed scholarship program at Texas Wesleyan in 1994. The Hatton W. Sumners Endowed Scholarship program provides not only a very generous scholarship to our students, but also a number of enrichment activities, including leadership training and educational opportunities each year. For more information on the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, please visit their web site.

Asian Judicial Institute Receives Funding from the Texas Bar Foundation

Texas Wesleyan's School of Law has received a $25,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation to support its Asian Judicial Institute. The funds will ensure the continuation and success of establishing democracy and judicial independence in Mongolia as the Law School's public service project.

Alumnus Nominated for Tony Awards

In the Heights, a production of alumnus Michael Skipper, BA '78, has been nominated for 13 2008 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Director. The thirteen nominations is the most for any one production. "I'm just jumpin' for joy," Skipper told The Fort Worth Business Press.

    In the Heights played at Skipper's 37 ARTS before moving to the Richard Rogers Theatre at W. 46th St. While the musical was at 37 ARTS in the spring of 2007, many of Texas Wesleyan's theatre alumni were able to see the show during the Playmarket trip to New York City. “I thoroughly enjoyed In the Heights; the combination of salsa and hip hop completely rocked. I enjoyed every second of it,” student Cari Watson told Wesleyan magazine. Skipper and his wife Anne, chairman of the Texas Wesleyan Board of Trustees, live in Graham and New York City.

    Click here to read more about the Playmarket trip and Theatre Wesleyan. Click to read news coverage in the Fort Worth Business Press, New York Times, and the official Tony Awards site.

Rams Finish Third in Region VI  

The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (42-16) took a 10-6 win over Oklahoma Baptist University (44-16) to move within one game of the NAIA Region VI final before falling to top-ranked Lubbock Christian University (53-3).

    In the opening game against Oklahoma Baptist, a fielding error cost Texas Wesleyan a run in the top of the second; however, the Rams’ bats responded in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Taylor Miller, Jerry Fisher, and Mikey Valdez singled in succession to tie the game at one. The Bison jumped ahead in the top of the fourth. A two-run double from Christian Ruiz and an RBI single from Keith Johnson gave Oklahoma Baptist a 4-1 advantage. A two-out run-scoring double from Butch Ballez put the Rams within two in the fifth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Brandon Frazier ripped a leadoff double. Antoine Cole followed with a base hit, and Miller drove Frazier home with a base hit. A balk and a two-run error put Texas Wesleyan back on top 5-4. The Rams didn’t stop there, adding an RBI double from Valdez and an RBI single from Ryan Jacobi to round out a five-run inning. A double from Billy Thomas in the seventh led to an Oklahoma Baptist run. Texas Wesleyan came back with RBI singles from Cole and Miller in the seventh and an RBI single from Frazier in the eight to run the score to 10-5. OBU’s Keith Johnson led off the ninth with a home run to account for the 10-6 final score. Aaron Wimpee (9-0) earned the win after allowing five runs, four earned, on four hits while striking out four in six innings of work. Smith, Ballez, and Miller all went 3-for-5 at the plate as the Rams racked up 18 hits in the game.

     With the win, Texas Wesleyan advanced to play Lubbock Christian University for the chance to play in Saturday’s regional final. The Chaps, ranked number one in the nation, got a leadoff home run from Buck Britton. They made it 5-0 by scoring four runs on two hits and two errors in the second inning. The Rams got on the board with a double from Fisher followed by a single from Miller in the fifth inning. However, LCU got a two-run single from Karlton Banks as part of a three run frame in the bottom of the fifth. An RBI single from Jacobi in the eighth brought the score to 8-2. Kody Thiebaud (3-3) took the loss after allowing five runs, three earned, on three hits in 1.1 innings. Miller went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Texas Wesleyan.

    The loss ended an outstanding season for the Rams at 42-16. Their 42 wins were the third-most in school history and the most since 1978 (52). One of the most productive offensive teams in school history, the team set school records with a .354 team batting average, a .430 team on-base percentage, 494 runs scored, 690 hits, 139 doubles, 432 runs batted in, and 1,005 total bases. Their 110 stolen bases were the third most in school history. They also posted a school record 19-game winning streak that spanned from March 12 to April 12.

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