Compiled by Public Affairs Interns
International and National Media Highlights
The Standard-Journal | November 4, 2020
Blake Garmon ‘05, M.D., a primary care physician, has joined the Geisinger 65 Forward Health Center team in Shamokin Dam. Garmon earned his medical degree from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston after completing undergraduate studies in biology at Austin College and a residency in internal medicine at the University of Virginia Medical Center.
Dallas and Regional News
Culture Map Austin | November 6, 2020
Austin College joins seven other Texas colleges on College Factual’s list of best college for your money in the Southwest. Southwestern University in Georgetown, earned the No. 8 spot, while Austin College comes in at No 2.
Culture Map Dallas | November 4, 2020
Austin College took the No. 2 spot on the list of Texas colleges that are the best for the money in the Southwest. On average, the annual cost to attend the school is $27,662, and the average student finishes in 4.1 years, making the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Austin College $112,861. This places Austin College just ahead of No. 3 ranked Texas Tech, where the average student pays around $119,907 to get a bachelor’s degree.
Culture Map Houston | November 4, 2020
The University of Houston comes in at No. 7 on College Factual’s list of best colleges for your money in the Southwest. Austin College, No. 2 on the list, is the highest-ranked Texas college.
Culture Map San Antonio | October 30, 2020
St. Mary’s University, a Marist liberal arts school located in San Antonio, is the No. 5 best college for your money in the Southwest, according to a recent ranking from College Factual. Austin College ranked No. 2 on the list.
D Magazine | November 24, 2020
The CFO of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Jessica Lewis Wescott ’09, has recently added COO to her title. She joined Fuzzy’s Taco Shop in 2018 as executive vice president of finance and has worked her way into the C-suite.
D Magazine| November 2, 2020
Trivie, an on-demand gamification platform, has hired Eric Montgomery ’99 to be executive vice president of technology. Montgomery will oversee Trivie’s SaaS-based software development, integration, and strategy, as well as various other technologies.
Dallas News | November 17, 2020
A round-up of Dallas-area high school volleyball players to watch includes Brianne Tseng, who has committed to Austin College for the Class of 2025.
Dallas News | November 9, 2020
On 2020 National Signing Day, hundreds of Dallas-area athlete commit to colleges, including several future ’Roos.
Lubbock Avalance-Journal
During “National Distance Learning Week” Texas Tech takes a moment to highlight the importance of their eLearning opportunities, including the Texas Tech at Austin College master’s degree programs. While the pandemic forced a sudden shift to online learning for many, these programs have been carefully developed over years.
Local Media Highlights
Herald Democrat | November 30, 2020
GoGetTested.com COVID-19 testing sites in Grayson County, including the one at Austin College, have consolidated and moved the the Midway Mall parking lot to better handle the increased volume of testing.
Herald Democrat | November 30, 2020
Meals on Wheels of Grayson County is preparing so every senior citizen on their routes gets a hot meal for Thanksgiving. Austin College students volunteered their help prepping and packaging those meals, which will go out early this year due to increased COVID-19 safety requirements for their delivery volunteers.
Herald Democrat | November 9, 2020
The Sherman Chamber’s annual Legislative Luncheon, which is normally held at Austin College, went virtual this year, with recorded interviews that were streamed on the chamber’s social media pages. Among the speakers was State House Rep. Reggie Smith ’91 who discussed the upcoming session, as well as the challenges of his first term.
Herald Democrat | November 9, 2020
The City of Sherman has hired new legal representation, as the City Council approved an agreement with the law firm Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett, P.C. for services as city attorney. This will represent a return to Sherman for two members of the firm who are Austin College graduates: Richard Abernathy ’74 and Robert Roeder ’71.
KXII News| November 7, 2020
Austin College has held their Great Day of Service on the first Saturday of November every year since 1995. Because of the pandemic, the college was not able to send students off campus for their service day. Insterad Austin College partnered with Kids Against Hunger, and around 250 students volunteered to pack 40 thousand meals throughout the day. Other students were partnered with the Texas Ramp Project. installing ramps in houses for elderly people. Service Station Co-Chair, Aneurin Minson ’21 commented on how much students enjoyed the opportunity to be together and do some good for others.
KXII News | November 30, 2020
The three Texas Division of Emergency Management-supported COVID-19 testing sites in Grayson County, including the site at Austin College, have been consolidated into one location in the parking lot of Midway Mall on Texoma Parkway. County officials say the move will increase their testing capacity.
Blogs and Online Media
Austin College | November 16, 2020
Dr. Hannah M. Cates ’11will present the keynote address of the seventh annual Austin College Women’s Health Forum and Student Research Showcase.
Austin College | November 6, 2020
Austin College junior Andrew J. Pak was awarded “best student presentation” for his research poster delivery. A direct exchange between Austin College and the UJAT was established in January 2020 when Austin College students traveled to the university as part of Dr. Julie Hempel’s “Medicine in Mexico” course. The conference, available in virtual sessions online, “allowed pre-medical, public health, and psychology students from Austin College and the UJAT to share findings from research projects related to COVID 19,” said Hempel.
Austin College | November 6, 2020
Austin College has again been named one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges by The Princeton Review, which included the College in its Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges: 2021 Edition. The latest version of the guidebook profiles 416 colleges.
Austin College | November 5, 2020
Dr. J’Lee Bumpus, Austin College associate professor of mathematics, presents “The Mathematics of Blockchain: Ensuring Data is Verifiable, Unchangeable, and Anonymous” on November 11 via Zoom. The lecture is part of the Bernice S. Melvin Sabbatical Series hosted by the College’s Robert and Joyce Johnson Center for Faculty Development and Excellence in Teaching.
Austin College | November 5, 2020
Dr. Claire M. Wolnisty, Austin College assistant professor of history, has written a new book, A Different Manifest Destiny: Southern Identity, Citizenship, and Survival in Nineteenth-Century South America. The book, available in hardback or ebook versions, was just published by the University of Nebraska Press.
Austin College | November 5, 2020
The Austin College Pre-Law Society hosts “Colloquium on Civil Discourse and American Democracy: The Lawyer and American Public Life” on Thursday, November 12, via Zoom. Frank Stevenson, former president of the State Bar of Texas, will provide the keynote address. Other presenters include Kevin White ’96 and Jim Walker ’82, Chief Justice Robert Burns of the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals, and Judge Alfonso Charles of the Texas 124th District Court.
North Texas eNews | November 25, 2020
Dr. Henry H. Bucher Jr., emeritus faculty in Humanities at Austin College, reflects on the difficulties of celebrating Thanksgiving amid the pandemic.
North Texas eNews| November 6, 2020
Dr. Jerry Lincecum, Emeritus Professor of English, contemplates the COVID vaccine, pointing out that widespread adoption of the vaccine will take time, and that it will take even more time for people to recover from the “overall clinical, psychological, social, and economic shocks of the pandemic.”
North Texas eNews| November 6, 2020
Texoma Health Foundation has launched the “Community Support and Recovery Initiative” to help local nonprofit and health organizations secure supplies needed to continue to provide services to the region as safely as possible. THF president Michelle Lemming says that Austin College interns are key to the project, as they help to oversee collections of personal protective equipment, coordinate distributions, and track and evaluate the impact of the project.
North Texas eNews| November 6, 2020
Austin College Professor Emeritus Dr. Jerry Lincecum discusses a new book about birds, “Book of Birds: Introduction to Ornithology” by John Faaborg, and the many different approaches, from flight styles to feathers, that one can take when classifying birds.
Observer | November 9, 2020
Auditions for a student-directed play took place over Zoom. Junior Abbey Goodman ’22 encourages students to stay active in the theatre—or whatever they are passionate about—even during the pandemic, by finding creative solutions to keep things going.
Observer | November 9, 2020
The student body reacted to news that Austin College has done away with Spring Break for the 2021 semester in order to protect against a COVID-19 outbreak.
Observer | November 9, 2020
Austin College welcomes Dr. Traci Howard Moore as the director of Student Success and Transitions. Moore connects students with available resources which are intended to multiply their chances at academic success. She does that by working closely with the student and other service departments at Austin College such as the Academic Skills Center.
News ’Roos Can Use
Inside Higher Ed | November 13, 2020
According to a new survey, undergraduates who are studying online this fall rate their learning experience as modestly better than what they encountered last spring—with greater levels of satisfaction among students who see their instructors taking steps to understand and engage them.
Inside Higher Ed | November 12, 2020
President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team is drawing significantly upon the nation’s colleges and universities to prepare to take the reins of government in January. Of the nearly 600 mostly volunteers announced by Biden’s transition team, nearly 80 are professors. The group is one of the most diverse among those that have done similar work in previous transfers, Biden’s transition team said in a press release.