College of Science and Technology Hosts Science Fair
Around 700 students competed for ribbons, medals and scholarships at the 20th annual Coastal Bend Science Fair hosted by the College of Science and Technology. Students prepared experiments utilizing the scientific method and gave oral presentations to a panel of judges that included scientists, engineers, faculty members, educators, college science students and community members.

ECDC Students Make a ‘Splash’
Students from the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) celebrated the end of the school year during “Splash Day” Tuesday, May 20, on the ECDC lawn. The fun included relay races, an obstacle course and maze, ball toss, moon jump, volleyball, tetherball, a two-story inflatable slide, slip-and-slides and an ice cream social.

New Executive Director of HRI to Assume Duties in July
Dr. Larry D. McKinney, director of Coastal Fisheries and senior director of Aquatic Resources for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), has been named executive director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. He will assume his new duties in July. McKinney earned his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 1976 and is a recognized authority on the habitats of amphipod crustaceans in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Full Story

BoldFuture Charts Course for Community Development
The kick-off event for BoldFuture for the Coastal Bend, a community visioning initiative co-sponsored by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Del Mar College, was held Tuesday, May 20, at the American Bank Center. University President Flavius Killebrew is co-chair of the initiative along with Chris Adler, chair of the Del Mar College Board of Regents. Full Story

Theatre Students Earn Recognition at Festival
Three students from the theatre program have received recognition from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). The annual competition involves 18,000 students from more than 600 colleges and universities throughout the nation. Full Story

Graduates Receive Commission into Naval Nurse Corps
Three graduates who received their commission into the Naval Nurse Corps were among the students honored at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Recognition Ceremony in the Performing Arts Center. The students commissioned were Lisa M. Davis, Joshua J. Morgan and Rhys A. Parker. Guest speaker was Capt. Holly Bennett, senior nurse executive and director of Branch Health Clinics, Naval Health Clinics Corpus Christi.

Dr. Daniel J. Jorgensen has been selected as the 2008 Public Service Educator of the Year by the Coastal Bend Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. Jorgensen is an associate professor of public administration and chair of the public administration department. The Coastal Bend chapter is one of more than 100 American Society for Public Administration chapters nationwide and serves Aransas, Kleberg, Jim Wells, Nueces and San Patricio counties.

Dr. JoAnn McDonald was honored with the MVP Award by the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau during a May luncheon celebrating National Tourism Month. McDonald, assistant professor in the College of Education, was recognized for her work in bringing the 2012 Science Teachers Association of Texas convention to the city. The meeting is expected to draw 4,000 people and inject an estimated $1.5 million into the local economy.

Dr. Elaine Young of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has been named program director of the 2008-09 Teacher Quality Grant “Problem Solving: Discrete to Continuous Mathematics” for middle school teachers. Dr. George Tintera and Dr. Faye Bruun are co-directors. The grant program, totaling $86,990 and written in conjunction with Robstown ISD, will prepare middle school teachers to teach mathematics more effectively and will offer three new graduate courses.

Faculty Tenure and Promotions Announced
The following faculty members have been granted tenure by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents effective Sept. 1: Dr. Karen Loveland, College of Business; Dr. Donna K. Peeples, College of Business; Dr. Walter Scott Sherman, College of Business; Dr. Susan Elwood, College of Education; Dr. Sherrye Garrett, College of Education; Dr. JoAnn M. McDonald, College of Education; Dr. Donald Berkich, College of Liberal Arts; Dr. Pamela E. Stetina, College of Nursing and Health Sciences; Dr. Timothy P. Causgrove, College of Science and Technology; Dr. Longzhuang Li, College of Science and Technology; and Dr. G. Beate Zimmer, College of Science and Technology.

The promotion of the following faculty members has been approved by Texas A&M University System Chancellor Michael D. McKinney effective Sept. 1: Dr. Longzhuang Li, associate professor of computer science; Dr. David Yoskowitz, professor of economics; Dr. Susan Elwood, associate professor of educational technology; Dr. Armand Picou, associate professor of finance; Dr. Donna K. Peeples, associate professor of management; Dr. Walter Scott Sherman, associate professor of management; Dr. Kent Byus, professor of marketing; Dr. Pamela E. Stetina, associate professor of nursing; Dr. Donald Berkich, associate professor of philosophy; Dr. Mirley K. Balasubramanya, professor of physics; Dr. Juan Carlos Huerta, professor of political science; Dr. Pamela Brouillard, professor of psychology; Dr. Sherrye Garrett, associate professor of reading education; and Dr. JoAnn Montez McDonald, associate professor of science education.