From developing ranch land to treating eating disorders to reflecting on the impact of Jimmy Carter, TCU and its faculty, staff alumni and students are in the news.
INSTITUTIONAL
‘An extraordinary time.’ Murals spread the word about TCU in nation’s biggest cities
March 7, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, and murals are going up in major cities
throughout the United States as a reminder of the school’s impact on society. “This
is an extraordinary time in TCU’s history,” Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. said. “We are showing the world what Horned Frogs can do when we Lead On — together.
Our innovative murals across the country give us an even greater opportunity to connect
with and celebrate our powerful community of students, faculty, staff, alumni and
fans. We’ve just begun our 150th year, and this campaign captures the character and
tenacity of our leaders.” The first two murals featured John Devereaux ’12 in New York City and Katherine Beattie ’08 in Los Angeles. “I am so grateful to everyone at TCU for nurturing and expanding
my gifts,” Devereaux said. “It is so meaningful to be celebrated like this and to
know that I am viewed as a leader in my community.” Beattie said, “They asked if I
would be the subject of the mural and I said, ‘Are you sure?’” she laughed. “I’ve
had a couple months to wrap my mind around it. It’s surreal, pretty wild, but also
very cool to see myself up there promoting my alma mater.”
Major investment and large-scale projects attracting national attention to Fort Worth
March 1, 2023
Boston Business Journal
As one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in the country, Fort Worth boasts
many unique characteristics that add up to an especially fertile ground in which businesses
can thrive. TCU is building a new medical campus for the Anne Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, one of the newest and most innovative medical schools in the country. The campus
is in Fort Worth's recently formalized Medical Innovation District, which is working
to become the “most livable medical district in the U.S.,” thanks to the combined
efforts of academic institutions like TCU.
FACULTY/STAFF
New report finds more than 40 countries maintained restrictions on women’s economic
rights
March 8, 2023
Fraser Institute
Despite improvements worldwide, 42 countries continued to have restrictions on the
economic rights of women over a recent two-year period, while 13 countries lifted
legal restrictions on women’s economic rights. “In countries where men and women enjoy
the same economic rights, women live longer, healthier lives while also benefiting
society by creating a more prosperous society and increasing economic activity,” said Rosemarie Fike, economics instructor.
10 Things Your College Professors Won't Tell You
March 7, 2023
U.S. News & World Report
College professors are people. And like most people, they have their secrets. John T. Harvey, professor of economics, grants extensions to students if they are attending class
daily and turning in all of their assignments. He’s also insulted by academic dishonesty.
“Professors take cheating very personally,” Harvey says. “If you wanted help or guidance,
we would have been happy to provide it. I don't disrespect you, why are you disrespecting
me?”
Focus at Four: How ChatGPT is changing business and higher education
March 7, 2023
KBTX-TV (Bryan, TX)
There is a new form of artificial intelligence technology making waves in business
and higher education. ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022.
Education experts say ChatGPT can offer real-time, one-on-one guidance to students
by answering questions and providing personalized feedback on projects and assignments.
“Right now, we are so early in the adoption process of the technology. A majority
of users are just experimenting with it,” said Beata Jones, professor of professional practice. “The fields of journalism, media, publishing,
real estate workers, architecture, financial advisors, every industry has really taken
to ChatGPT.”
Four elements of quality campus-based eating disorder treatment
March 6, 2023
Inside Higher Ed
TCU plans to soon launch a program in which experts from the local Eating Recovery
Center will run intensive on-campus outpatient treatment. Eric Wood, director of counseling and mental health, said, “When students are really at higher
risk, you do need a specialist. And not only a specialist. You need a team.” Staffing
that expert team often becomes a “matter of resources” for institutions. “That’s such
a complex thing. So, I think our way works a lot better, because if you already have
community-based treatment centers that have an established program, they have the
staffing and we have the infrastructure. And we create this win-win situation.”
How to Cope With Storm Anxiety When Severe Weather Hits North Texas
March 3, 2023
NBC
Storm anxiety, even weather-related phobias, can seem difficult to manage in the moment,
but there are ways to cope. Dr. Debra Atkisson, associate professor at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, said, “As far as in
the moment, if you're noticing tension, agitation, pause. Take some deep breaths as
a way to reset where you are. Sit down, spend a minute calming and clearing your mind.
That's when, if you have a plan in place, it really helps you cope with what's happening.”
Resisting arrest, bankruptcy and a restraining order: A look at Fort Worth's mayoral
candidates' past legal issues
March 2, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Background checks into Fort Worth’s mayoral candidates revealed three candidates have
been involved in criminal or civil proceedings in the past 15 years. James Riddlesperger, political science professor, said having a criminal or civil history doesn’t necessarily
doom a candidate. “It depends upon how the candidate reacts to it,” he said. “If a
candidate tries to explain a criminal record and can do so in a compelling way, then
it might mitigate the impact on an election. It’s hard to guess, these days. Obviously,
it’s a disadvantage, but whether it’s a crippling disadvantage, depends upon the circumstances.”
For this Black, Jewish choreographer, dance can 'fill in the blanks of history'
Feb. 27, 2023
The Forward
In 2019, Adam McKinney, associate professor of dance, was deep into researching his Black, Jewish and Native
American family's genealogy for a solo dance piece he was developing. In search of
a former cotton field owned by his Black paternal great-grandparents, McKinney found
himself in Forrest City, Arkansas. “A question that I often ask is ‘What can dance
do other than entertainment?’” he said. “Not only does dance have the capacity to
heal, but, for me, dance has the capacity to fill in the blanks of history.” For McKinney,
dance has always been intricately connected to Judaism.
Jimmy Carter in Hospice
Feb. 24, 2023
KRLD
Tributes are in pouring in for former President Jimmy Carter who entered hospice care
earlier this week. “Let's begin with the fact that he came into the presidency in
the shadow of Watergate and that he promised the American people he would never lie
to them,” Political Science Professor Jim Riddlesperger said. “The result of that was that Jimmy Carter provided a fresh breath of air for
the American people and someone who was not tainted by Washington and, by the end,
by the scandals that had taken place in the years before he became president.”
After fleeing Ukraine on foot, young family puts down new roots in Fort Worth
Feb. 24, 2023
Fort Worth Report
While Ukraine has held up longer than most anticipated one year after Russia invaded
Ukraine, the conflict could be far from over, Ralph Carter, political science professor, said. “Russia has established a series of things that
in literature we call ‘frozen conflicts’ that are unresolved, but Russian presence
is still there. They’ve done it in Georgia. They’ve done it in Moldova,” Carter said.
“So, it’s a possibility that this could linger as a minor ongoing conflict in eastern
Ukraine for years.”
Rural Texas Needs Health Care Providers, Why is a Texas Law Still Standing in the
Way?
Feb. 23, 2023
Gilmer Mirror
Vicki Brooks, assistant professor of professional practice in TCU Nursing, wrote an article on
the need for health care providers in rural Texas. “It’s well documented that rural
Texans face obstacles when it comes to providing and accessing health care services,
including workforce shortages, aging infrastructure and difficulties in getting health
care coverage. This has huge negative implications on both the physical and mental
health of people of all ages,” she wrote.
Eyes on Politics
Feb. 23, 2023
CBS News
The mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington aren't facing any major challenges
during the municipal elections this May. And Mayor Eric Johnson in Dallas isn't facing any challengers on the ballot. Jim Riddlesperger, political science professor, provided some perspective.
A year after Russian invasion, resettled Ukrainian family dreams of peace back home
Feb. 23, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Missiles rained down on the Ukrainians, as Putin ordered Russian troops to invade,
the largest escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. “This
aggression by Russia is in line with Putin’s dream of recreating a semblance of the
Russian Empire,” Ralph Carter, political science professor, said. “In the interim since 2014, there’s been a low-level ground war being fought
in eastern Ukraine in the region they call the Donbas, between Ukrainian troops trying
to hold on to their territory and Russian troops and more recently groups from the
private military contracting firm, the Wagner group, trying to expand Russia’s territorial
footprint in eastern Ukraine.”
STUDENTS
Meet Martha Santos, TCU MBA student and fourth-generation rancher
March 3, 2023
WFAA-TV
Martha Santos, TCU MBA student, is studying energy. She sits on the Hispanic Advisory Committee for the Fort Worth
Stock Show and Rodeo and is a fourth-generation rancher. Santos grew up on her family’s
ranch in Laredo where they owned a packing plant and a grocery store – but now, her
family’s Laredo land is almost all commercial. “Where the country club sits in Laredo,
that was part of my grandfather's ranch,” Santos said. “Obviously, I have a pull and
a draw to the land. I don't want to see buildings there where I grew up seeing horses
and cattle. But at the same time, that's just part of life.” With her bachelor’s degree
in ranch management from TCU, Santos is now studying energy to fuel a new conversation: How can ranchers stay in business
and also adapt to new technology, like solar panels? “How do you incentivize people
to stay in (ranching) and not just sell out to a solar farm?” Santos said. “It’s green
energy. But we have to also clear the land and displace the quail, the doves, the
turkeys and the whitetail: What happens to them too?”
Meet Melondy Doddy-Muñoz, who followed her dream to help others achieve theirs
Feb. 23, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Melondy Doddy-Muñoz is working as senior director of strategy and growth at Tarrant To and Through Partnership
– known as T3 – an organization that helps students get accepted into college after
high school and complete their degrees. She sees herself in the students that she
aims to help. She is working toward a doctorate in higher education leadership at TCU. “People say their kids fall between the cracks, fall between the cracks, fall between
the cracks,” Doddy-Muñoz said. “My job is to be a flashlight to illuminate the cracks.”
ALUMNI
New group aims to bring Fort Worth entrepreneur community out from 'under the radar'
March 8, 2023
Fort Worth Report
The Fort Worth Innovation Council will provide speakers, panel discussions, job fairs
and hackathons in hopes to build up a community. Founder Edward Ipser ’08 said, “The
group will focus on startups, corporate innovators and how university corporations
can collaborate.” Ipser recently moved back to Fort Worth from Silicon Valley. “I’m
told there’s a lot of activity here that’s kind of under the radar,” he said. “Many
universities in the area, including TCU, struggle to commercialize research.” He hopes
the new council can help make that easier.
Capua named dean of Tarleton’s Fort Worth campus
March 2, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Rachael Capua ’09 has been named dean of Tarleton State University’s Fort Worth campus
and vice president for external operations. She currently serves the Tarrant To &
Through (T3) Partnership as its founding director of college and career success. Prior
to helping launch T3 in 2020, Capua served as the first manager of internal communications
for Tarrant County College and worked in student affairs at TCU. “I … look forward
to working with faculty and staff to advance and transform partnerships and programs,
all while positively impacting the workforce and local economy,” Capua said.
Successful Realtors Wear Many Hats
Feb. 24, 2023
City Lifestyle
There’s never a dull moment in the fast-paced world of real estate. Jim Allen is part of a trio of realtors working to help clients find their very own piece of
paradise in Yorba Linda, California. “During my college years, I continued my involvement
in real estate by learning about the effective management and leasing of high-rise
office buildings in Dallas and Fort Worth,” he said. “During that time in North Texas,
I earned my Bachelor of Science degree and MBA from Texas Christian University.”
ATHLETICS
Three Horned Frogs selected for All Big-12 Men’s Basketball honors
March 6, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Mike Miles Jr., Damion Baugh and Emmanuel Miller were all selected to the All-Big 12 team by the conference head coaches on Sunday. Miles and Baugh were
both selected to the second team as guards and Miller was an honorable mention for
the Horned Frogs. Miles was also named as one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden
Award given out annually to the best male and female players in the country.
Steven Johnson: TCU sends statement with the way it beat No. 9 Texas
March 2, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU won against the University of Texas on a night where Longhorn Damion Baugh scored
a career-high 24 points while adding nine assists and Emanuel Miller produced his
second straight double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, including 14 points
and six rebounds in the second half as Texas almost rallied back from 16 points down.
“We’ve got balanced scoring. I know Mike (Miles Jr.) stands out a lot, but we’ve played a lot without him,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “We talked about this not being pretty game because we know what they do and
what we had to do. We got it done with defense and rebounding. It’s good to win a
game when not everybody plays their best.”
Max Duggan Says He Plays Like Jalen Hurts Ahead of 2023 NFL Draft
Feb. 22, 2023
Bleacher Report
Former TCU quarterback and 2023 NFL draft prospect Max Duggan ’22 went on the Rich Eisen Show to discuss his professional preparations and aspirations.
“A guy that I've watched a lot even lately was Joe Burrow, what he does with his movement
and efficient movements and how he is in the pocket,” Duggan said. “I don't know if I'd say I play like him, probably someone I kind of
play like would probably be Jalen Hurts, kind of that tough-minded leader, who can
make the throws any time. Can lead a group of men, fought through adversity, things
of that sort.”