From the happiest students to professional bull riding and men’s contraception, TCU and its faculty, staff and alumni are in the news.
INSTITUTIONAL
Smiles all around: 10 US colleges with the happiest students
June 5, 2024
Study International
Choosing one of the colleges with the happiest students is more important than choosing
one with high rankings. With its vibrant campus culture and strong sense of community,
TCU tops the list of colleges with the happiest students in the U.S. Big on school
spirit, you will find the school’s frog mascot all around the school. “Walking across
campus, you will see many, many students in TCU gear, and I think that is representative
of the love the student body has at this university,” shared a senior. Kathy Cavins-Tull, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said, “The student experience is at the core
of what makes TCU special. The connections built here last a lifetime, and our hope
is that students will become part of a community where they feel like they matter
and belong.”
Our 2024 List of The 400: Fort Worth’s Most Influential People
June 4, 2024
Fort Worth Inc.
Every year, Fort Worth Inc. celebrates the outstanding individuals who have made a
significant difference in Fort Worth and the surrounding areas. The rigorous selection
process highlights key leaders within their industries and spheres. In the Education
category, Fort Worth Inc. honored TCU faculty and staff, including Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr., President Daniel W. Pullin, Ann Bluntzer, executive director of the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute and professor of professional
practice, and Rodney D. Souza, executive director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and professor
of professional practice.
TCU names vice chancellor for marketing & communication
June 4, 2024
The Fort Worth Business Press
TCU named Merianne Kimmel Roth vice chancellor for marketing and communication. Roth, who had served as associate
vice chancellor since 2019, began her new role June 1. Roth was selected following
a nationwide search that attracted an extensive pool of candidates from top-tier universities,
TCU said in a news release. “Merianne’s impressive array of skills and brand expertise
will be instrumental in TCU’s quest to enhance our national reputation, elevate TCU’s
brand and further strengthen our community engagement efforts,” said the university’s
president, Daniel W. Pullin. “As a member of the president’s cabinet, the role of vice chancellor for marketing
and communication is critical as we collaborate to develop TCU’s next strategic plan
and even more so as we work to achieve our greatest aspirations and lead our university
into the future.”
Roth named vice chancellor for marketing and communications at TCU
June 3, 3024
Fort Worth Report
Merianne Kimmel Roth was named the newest vice chancellor for marketing and communication at TCU. The
career of Roth, currently associate vice chancellor, spans both corporate and community
executive leadership roles that will be beneficial in leading the university’s Division
of Marketing & Communication. “It’s been a privilege to be a part of the TCU team for the past five years, and
I’m honored to serve as vice chancellor,” said Roth. “TCU is a place of values, community
and academic mission, and, thanks to our leadership, we’re entering a remarkable era
of innovation and growth. I’m proud to have a role in building an even stronger future
for our university and ensuring that a TCU education continues to benefit our students
and the broader community. There’s no better time to be a Horned Frog.”
FACULTY & STAFF
Texas power grid ‘in better shape’ than last year. How likely are rolling blackouts?
June 13, 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
As summer heats up and memories of last year’s streak of 105 degrees days come rushing
back to North Texas residents, the idea of losing power in August may seem a bit frightening.
Fears of that possibility popped up after Texas’ power grid operator ERCOT warned
in a report published last week that it may have to force rolling blackouts as energy
demand rises in August. Rolling blackouts are not completely out of the realm of possibility,
but they are unlikely, according to energy and power grid experts. Still, ERCOT is
erring on the safe side. “They’re very conservative in terms of generation availability,”
said Tom Seng, assistant professor of professional practice in energy finance. “They look at worst
case scenarios.”
Fort Worth pastors react to Southern Baptists’ rejection of ban on women in leadership
June 12, 2024
Fort Worth Report
A rule that would ban churches with women pastors from the Southern Baptist Convention
failed Wednesday at an annual meeting of the faithful in Indianapolis. At 61.45%,
the vote fell shy of the two-thirds majority needed to codify the rule. Aretha Flucker, director of community and spiritual life, director of Baptist studies and campus pastor at
Brite Divinity School, opposed the rule but still said the vote harmed the Baptist
community. “As a Baptist woman who has served in pastoral leadership for almost a
decade, the thought that women cannot or should not fulfill the role of a pastor is
just outlandish,” Flucker said.
Contraceptive Gel Shows Promise as New Form of Male Birth Control
June 8, 2024
Healthline
New research presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting shows promise as
a new contraceptive option for men. The study included 222 participants and their
partners but has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Dr. Andrew Y. Sun, associate professor at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, says that this research
has to be viewed in the context of America’s recent reduction in reproductive rights
and a corresponding uptick in vasectomies. “The topic of male contraception comes
out [in conversation with patients] a lot. Especially, I think, with recent legal
changes, especially in certain states here in America, this has become an even bigger
issue as people are trying to basically find easier and more accessible ways to achieve
contraception. Historically, unfortunately, that always fell on the women.”
Biden sold off nearly 50% of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Is that a problem?
June 6, 2024
Fortune
Now that crude oil prices have fallen below the government’s target price of $79 per
barrel, it is likely that further replenishments for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
(SPR) will be purchased soon. This could be particularly important ahead of hurricane
season, said Tom Seng, assistant professor with over 30 years in the natural gas industry. Any disruptions
in the Gulf Coast could lead to additional sales from the SPR, depleting it further.
“We’re in good shape,” said Seng. “But it would be smart of the (Department of Energy)
to get a long-term contract in place to get it up to a much higher level.”
PBR World Finals will ride on at AT&T Stadium, Cowtown Coliseum
June 6, 2024
Fort Worth Report
The historic Cowtown Coliseum will host the 2025 event next May for the elimination
round and the “Ride for Redemption,” while AT&T Stadium will welcome spectators to
the final showdown. The event, previously held in Las Vegas for 28 years, has bounced
between locations following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. That changed in 2022,
when Fort Worth and Tarrant County offered a $3 million deal with PBR to bring the
world finals to Fort Worth through 2024, in addition to a corporate relocation. While
Tarrant County officials contributed funds to PBR’s incentive package, Arlington did
not offer additional dollars to persuade PBR to host events at AT&T Stadium. John Harvey, economics professor, said that city leaders are put in a tough position when it
comes to offering incentives to bring in business. “All these local communities are
competing with each other by cutting back on the tax revenue that they otherwise would
have received,” Harvey said.
Program Innovation: Creating Counseling Capacity for Student Success
June 6, 2024
Inside Higher Ed
One of the greatest challenges for administrators in supporting college students’
mental health is identifying effective programs that can service large populations.
Many counseling centers cannot accommodate all students with one-on-one counseling,
and some students who need services don’t want one-on-one counseling. In a webinar
hosted by the American Council on Education, campus leaders from Boston University
and TCU shared four evidence-based practices colleges and universities can adopt that
don’t require additional personnel. Nationally, half of college counseling centers
only can serve around 20 percent of students who seek care, and a large number of
those who are not served have high mental health needs that exceed the capabilities
of short-term counseling, said Eric Wood, TCU’s director of counseling and mental health. When that happens, often students
are referred off campus, and they may or may not get care, either due to transportation
or cost or other barriers. “But 100 percent, they’re still on campus, and they’re
still in class. They’re still in the residence halls. So eventually, even if they
don’t get treatment, somebody gets worried about them, brings them to the counseling
center,” Wood said, and it creates a cycle.
‘Malas’ by Marcela Fuentes is our ‘GMA’ Book Club pick for June
June 4, 2024
Good Morning America
Malas by Marcela Fuentes, a Pushcart Prize-winning fiction writer, is the Good Morning America Book Club pick for June. The debut novel from Fuentes,
assistant professor of creative writing, takes readers to experience the life of one
family living on the Texas-Mexico border with a curse that echoed across generations.
Taking place in two different eras between the 1950s and 1990s, Malas is a vibrant portrait of two fierce women, separated by decades, but both determined
to thwart fate and escape the confines of their lives.
How can North Texas students prepare for job search? TCC, TCU, UTA advisers share
tips
June 4, 2024
Fort Worth Report
Landing your first job after college takes planning and years of building skills and
making contacts. And that means starting to make a plan as early as freshmaen and sophomore years, college counselors advise. “The recruiting processes and timelines,
as I have seen, and others in this field have seen, they’ve moved up more and more
early,” said Mike Caldwell, executive director of the Center for Career and Professional Development. “Employers
are looking to recruit talent early and get ahead of their competition.”
ALUMNI
Texas pediatric emergency physician elected to AMA Board of Trustees
June 11, 2024
AMA
The American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician organization,
today announced the election of Texas-based pediatrician Dr. Melissa J. Garretson ’89 to its Board of Trustees. Garretson has more than 20 years of experience practicing
as an emergency physician who specializes in pediatric medicine. She spent the first
five years of her career in a small group pediatric practice before transitioning
to pediatric emergency medicine at Cook Children’s Medical Center. “It is an honor
to be elected to represent my colleagues on the AMA Board of Trustees,” said Garretson.
“Shaping the future of medicine is a responsibility that I will take on with great
care. I will work tirelessly to address the issues important to physicians, so that
we can focus on what matters most—our patients.”
Newy Scruggs, Inspired by Job Insecurity, Took Plunge Into TCU’s EMBA Program
June 3, 2024
Fort Worth Magazine
After close to three decades of steady employment in an industry he loves, Newy Scruggs MBA ’23, found himself in a professional place in which he had no experience: job insecurity.
If Scruggs lost his job, for whatever reason, he would have to fix the skills gap.
Last year, Scruggs walked across the stage at TCU with an executive MBA from the Neeley School of Business. “I had to figure it out;
I needed a toolbox. You need a toolbox in case you have to pivot,” Scruggs said. “That’s
what Kevin Davis was always talking about. Kevin is a recruiter for TCU. He had been on me for like
six years. I’d gone to some of the informational meetings, and I’m like, ‘This fits,
this works.’”
ATHLETICS
TCU men’s basketball announces home-and-home series with Michigan
June 13, 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU men’s basketball announced a marque addition to the upcoming schedule on Thursday afternoon. The Horned
Frogs will face Michigan in Ann Arbor this season, the first game of a home and home
series. TCU will then host the Wolverines in the 2025-26 season in Fort Worth. Michigan
is entering a new era after parting ways with Juwan Howard and tabbing tapping Dusty May from Florida Atlantic to take over the program after the Wolverines went 8-24 last season and 18-16 the year prior.
TCU football adds to top-15 recruiting class with multiple commitments
June 12, 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU football continued its hot streak on the recruiting trail with two more commitments this week
to add to a class that’s surging into the top-15. The Horned Frogs added another offensive
tackle with a commitment from three-star recruit Witten Van Hoy. Van Hoy is an intriguing
prospect from Benton, Louisiana, that already stands at 6-foot-7, 305 pounds. TCU now has the No. 14 recruiting class
in the country with 15 prospects in the class, including four four-star recruits.
The class also sits at the top of the Big 12, three spots ahead of Arizona State.
TCU guard Hailey Van Lith named to 2024 USA Basketball 3x3 Women’s National Team
Jun 5, 2024
Frogs O’ War
Before new TCU women’s basketball guard Hailey Van Lith will join the Horned Frogs for the 2024-25 season, she’ll be in Paris, France, for the 2024 Summer Olympics, competing for USA Basketball 3x3 women’s national team.
Van Lith will be joined in Paris by fellow Horned Frogs Tania Moreno and Daniela Alvarez who will be competing for Team Spain in women’s beach volleyball.
Sonny Dykes on College Football’s Future: ‘Logos Need to Quit Mattering So Much’
June 1, 2024
Heartland College Sports
In a recent interview with Heartland College Sports, head football coach Sonny Dykes voiced some criticisms of the conversations regarding the future of college football.
“Well, the biggest thing is to have success. I mean, I think that’s the whole thing. You can talk about whatever you want to talk about, but you
have to go out there, and at some point, you got to play the games, and the games
have to matter at some point... I think that when the games matter, and people look at the body of work in the Big
12, I think they’re going to have a ton of respect for what they see.” While conference
prestige, strength of schedule, and non-conference opponents all factor into determining the value or skill level
of a football team, Dykes noted that regardless of any external factors, the most
important evaluating metric of a football team is their ability to find a way to win.