“Go Blue Night” with the Corpus Christi Hooks
Show your Islander spirit and enjoy a night of baseball at “Go Blue Night” when the Corpus Christi Hooks take on the Springfield Cardinals Sunday, Aug. 10, at Whataburger Field. University faculty, staff and students wearing a blue shirt and presenting their Sanddollars card will receive free general admission and $5 reserved seats. Full Story

Summer Bridge Program Teaches Math and Science Concepts
Students from Alice, Mathis, Odem-Edroy and West Oso high schools learned science and math concepts during the High School Summer Bridge Program sponsored by the College of Education. Using Ward Island for field explorations and experiments, participants collected water samples from the University Beach and other areas on campus.

McNair Scholars Speak to Children on Importance of College Education
The University’s McNair Scholars recently gave presentations on the research they are conducting with their faculty mentors to youth ages 6 to 12 at the Boys and Girls Club of Corpus Christi. Presentations included “Sharing Water,” “How to Act in a Science Lab,” “The Affect of Pollution on Animals in the Ocean” and “Does TV Tell Us What to Think?” The 10 scholars also talked to the young students about the importance of a college education.

Provost Addresses World Affairs Council on India's Rising Power
Dr. Anantha Babbili, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, spoke on “India: A Rising Power” at the July meeting of the World Affairs Council of South Texas. Babbili, a native of India, is a veteran media commentator and columnist whose op-ed columns addressing ethical issues in global affairs have appeared in major newspapers around the world. A former journalist in Asia, he has appeared on CNN and BBC and other media organizations.

Folklorico Dancers Learn Intricate Steps from Visiting Instructors
Visiting Instructors from Mexico taught intricate folklorico footwork to young dancers during the Tasia Marie Folklorico Institute at the Antonio E. Garcia Arts and Education Center. The Institute was created to honor the memory of Tasia Marie Silvas, a Corpus Christi folklorico dancer who died in 2005 at the age of 27 after battling a rare form of cancer. She founded “La Feria de San Marcos,” a folklorico event that offers scholarship and educational opportunities.

Ethics Students Study Coastal Marine Ecology During Field Trips
Students in the University’s Research Ethics and Professionalism class took a close-up look at Roseate spoonbills, herons and other winged coastal inhabitants during a July R/V Wetland Explorer expedition with Jay Tarkington, aquatic education program director. The students participated in a variety of activities while learning about the ecology of Texas bays. Full Story

Denise Landry-Hyde, reference/distributed learning librarian, has received the University’s 2008 Excellence in Librarianship Award. Landry-Hyde began at the Bell Library in 1993 as an information literacy/reference librarian. She became reference coordinator in 2000 and serves as the contact person for distance education issues and activities, Web support and the creation and maintenance of on-line tutorials. 

Dr. Denise Hill, assistant professor of education, has received the University’s 2008 Excellence in Teaching Award. Hill is the site professor for the Center for Professional Development and Teaching at Schanen Elementary in the Corpus Christi Independent School District. Before joining the University in fall 2002, she taught in the Texas public school system for 19 years and was named the district’s Teacher of the Year for the 2000-2001 school year.