Groundbreaking Held for $45 Million Building to House Nursing Programs
State and local dignitaries, A&M System officials and special guests manned the shovels Wednesday, Nov. 14, to break ground for the $45 million building that will house the University’s nursing and health sciences programs. Pictured are (l to r) F&S Partners architect Anita Moran; Dr. Mary Jane Hamilton, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences; State Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr.; student Jessica Morris; University President Flavius Killebrew; Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst; State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa; State Rep. Juan Garcia; The Texas A&M System Chairman of the Board Bill Jones; Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board member Fred Heldenfels, IV; A&M System Chancellor Michael D. McKinney; Dr. Dee Hopkins, dean of the College of Education; Kinesiology Professor Randy Bonnette; and Joe Fulton of Fulton Construction. |
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 Galloway Speaks on 'Honoring Our Troops'
Nationally-syndicated newspaper columnist Joe Galloway, whose nearly 50 years as a journalist have included on-the-scene coverage of many conflicts including Vietnam, Kuwait and Iraq, spoke on “Honoring Our Troops” Monday, Nov. 5, in the Performing Arts Center as part of the University’s 60th Anniversary Speaker Series. Full Story
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 First Year Learning Students Present Projects
More than 1,250 students in the University’s First-Year Learning Communities Program (FYLCP) presented their freshman research projects during the “First-Year Celebration” Thursday, Nov. 29, in the University Center, Lone Star Ballroom. The “First-Year Celebration” allows students to take their writing public and present their projects in visual, multimedia and other creative formats.
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 Reception Honors fifth Puentes Volume
The College of Liberal Arts held a reception honoring the fifth publication of Puentes: Revista de literatura, cultura y arte, a journal promoting Chicano and Mexican literature, culture and art, Friday, Nov. 2. The annual journal founded in 2003 by Dr. Jesus Rosales, features poetry, narrative and includes works in Spanish and English. The journal has published national and international writers including Luis Leal, Rolando Hinojosa-Smith, Miguel Méndez, Pat Mora, Norma Cantú, Alejandro Morales, José Angel Gutiérrez, Demetria Martínez, Francisco Lomelí, María Herrera-Sobek, Jorge Huerta and Rosaura Sánchez. |
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| Awards, Honors, and Grants |
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has received a five-year grant totaling more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Education to fund research internships for students from under-represented populations. Dr. Susan Garza, associate professor of English, was principal investigator and Dr. Luke Moissinac, assistant professor of psychology, was the co-principal investigator for the award request. Full Story |
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| Dr. Jack Cassidy, associate dean and professor of curriculum and instruction, has been awarded the A.B. Herr Award by the College Reading Association (CRA). The award, which has been presented annually since 1972, recognizes a professional educator who has made outstanding contributions to the field of reading. Cassidy, a former CRA president, has been involved with more than 100 national publications and has also written, edited or consulted on more than a dozen series of texts and materials for children and youth. Cassidy served as the chief architect of the College of Education’s doctorate in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in reading. That program, now in its fourth year, has more than 40 students. |
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Dr. Jim Needham, dean for the Department of Community Outreach, and Dr. David McKee, professor of biology and mariculture, have been named winners of the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation’s (CBBF) Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Awards. Needham, who received the Public Awareness Award, was recognized for raising Texans’ public awareness about the natural resources of the Coastal Bend. McKee, who received the Higher Education Award, was recognized for his dedication and effectiveness in educating Texans about the natural resources of the Coastal Bend. |
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Shere Salinas, an adjunct professor of mathematics, has received National Board Certification as a middle school mathematics teacher. National Board Certification is the highest symbol of professional teaching excellence and these teachers have been judged by their peers as one who is accomplished in their field. Salinas, who will graduate this semester with a master’s degree in mathematics, teaches math at Elliott Grant Middle School. |
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| Research and Scholarly Activity |
Dr. Kim Withers, associate research scientist with the Center for Coastal Studies, has been awarded $113,383 from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for field sampling and benthic invertebrate analysis for the 2007 Texas Coastal Assessment Program. |
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| Brien A. Nicolau, assistant director of operations/research associate, and Erin M. Hill, research specialist II, both with the Center for Coastal Studies, have been awarded $159,959 from the City of Corpus Christi to continue Rincon Bayou Diversion Project-Biological Monitoring 2007-2008 in the Nueces Delta. Nicolau and Hill have also been awarded $35,905 from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for continuation of the Nueces Bay Zinc Total Maximum Daily Load Project (TMDL). |
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| Dr. Jesús Rosales, professor of Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts, has been named director of the University’s Clearinghouse for Mexican American Studies (CMAR). Rosales graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Spanish and received his master’s degree from Stanford University in 1981. He was awarded his Ph.D. from Stanford in 1995. |
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| Dr. JoAnn Canales, a professor in the College of Education, has been named associate dean of Graduate Studies. Canales received her B.A. from University of Houston, an M.S. from Laredo State University, and her Ph.D. from University of Texas. Dr. Canales has been a member of the A&M-Corpus Christi faculty since 1998. |
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| Around the Island |
 The Furgason Bravo! Series will present “Michael Martin Murphey’s Cowboy Christmas Concert” Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Ticket prices range from $10 to $30 for adults and are $7 for children and students. To purchase tickets, go to www.ticketweb.com or call the Performing Arts Center box office at 361.825.2787 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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| The University will hold its fall 2007 Commencement Saturday, Dec. 15, at 10:30 a.m. at the American Bank Center arena. The ceremony will include the College of Business, College of Education, College of Liberal Arts, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the College of Science and Technology. Keynote speaker will be Bill Jones, chairman of the Texas A&M System Board of Regents. |
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 “El Esfuerzo Humano (The Human Endeavor),” an exhibition by Leonel Monsivais, will be on display through Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Islander Art Gallery, located at 4024 Weber Road in the Hamlin Center. The work of Monsivais, the University’s first candidate for a master of fine arts in sculpture, includes a narrative of his own family’s crossing of the border into Texas and uses imagery to represent the common language and bond that exists among those who live on both sides of the border. Full Story |
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The Department of Music will present the “Corpus Christi Chorale Christmas Concert” Saturday, Dec. 15, at 8 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $7 for general admission and free for students with ID from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Del Mar College, and area high schools. Tickets are available in advance by calling 361.825.2787(ARTS) or at the door the evening of the concert. |
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The University will hold its Islander Lights lighting ceremony Friday, Nov. 30. Holiday festivities kick off at 5:30 p.m. with the 3-mile Islander Lights Fun Run and Walk around the hike and bike trail beginning at the Hammerhead parking lot, followed by Santa’s visit to the Island at 6 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center plaza. The Wishes and Dreams Toy Drive will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University Services Center plaza. The lighting along Ocean Drive will take place at 7:30 p.m.
The Islander Cultural Alliance and other student organizations celebrated the fifth annual Culture Fest “Where the Cultures Meet” Saturday, Nov. 3, in the University Center commons. Full Story
The Educational Center for Math and Science held a professional development class for kindergarten through fifth grade science teachers, Friday, Nov. 9, and Saturday, Nov. 10. Full Story
The Islander String Quartet entertained spectators during a “Luncheon on the Grass” concert Wednesday, Nov. 7, at La Retama Park in downtown Corpus Christi. The University-based Islander String Quartet has violinists José Flores and Kathleen Kono, violist Melissa Meléndez and cellist Susan Sturman.
An array of women’s artistic talents were showcased during the “Celebration of Women in the Arts” Thursday, Nov. 8, in the University Center, Lone Star Ballroom. The celebration included singing and guitar solos and performances by the Islander Corp Auxiliary Performers, University jazz dance class and the Middle Eastern Dance Club. Interactive stations featured stress-relief techniques, pastry decorating, belly dance basics and knitting. Full Story
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi took first and second place in a field of 16 teams from 11 Universities at the Texas Regional Ethics Bowl Saturday, Nov. 10, at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
The first-place team won all its matches, earning a spot in the national competition in February in San Antonio. Full Story
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