Compiled by Mike Davis, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications; Renata Loyo Perez, and Asier Quiroga, Institutional Marketing & Communications Interns.

International and National Media Highlights

National Geographic | April 2024 
Dr. Martin Wells, Associate Professor of Classics at Austin College, along with Zack Griffith ’23, and Chloe Hunt ’22 helped to complete excavations of an ancient Roman synagogue, revealing elaborate mosaics and insights into Jewish life in the fifth century.

The New York Times Magazine | September 7, 2023 
Austin College ranked in the top 15% of schools with the greatest economic diversity by the College-Access Index, a list of the most selective universities in the United States. Economic diversity is measured by analyzing the share of students receiving Pell Grants. 

Dallas and Regional News

The Katy News | April 6, 2024 
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), participated in a roundtable discussion of the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub Consortium and the growth of this industry in North Texas. Austin College continues to partner with Southern Methodist University and other organizations in the development of this program.

Texas Association of Schools of Art | April 2024 
Alyssa Vyrva ’24 and Seth Fulenchek ’25 each had artwork included in the Artovation Student Show 2024 by the Texas Association of Schools of Art. Artovation is a statewide art competition open to all students in two- and four-year colleges, as well as graduate students.

Local Media Highlights

Herald Democrat | April 30, 2024 
Austin College honored faculty achievements at its annual Honors Convocation, awarding the Homer P. Rainey Award to Dr. Julie Hempel and Dr. Julia Shahid. Additionally, three faculty members were installed into endowed chairs. Dr. Andrew Carr was nominated for the Piper Professor Award, and Dr. Tom Blake received the Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Award. The event also recognized retiring faculty members.

Herald Democrat | April 26, 2024 
Blume Cernero ’25 recruited fellow Austin College students to create the ’RooBuddies program to help elementary school students connect with local college students for positive role models. He brought this back to his former school, Sory Elementary in Sherman, where he participated in a similar program from Sherman High School, the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program.

Herald Democrat | April 23, 2024 
Austin College’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter welcomed 23 new members during its induction ceremony, held Friday, April 12, 2024, in Wright Campus Center Mabee Hall. Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors association. Ronald Kirk ’76 was selected as this year’s alumni member, in honor of his many years of public service in Texas.

Herald Democrat | April 15, 2024 
Austin College Service Station‘s fourteenth annual GreenServe day engaged students, faculty, and staff to volunteer for environmental projects, and has accumulated over 8,000 service hours since 2010. Activities include cleaning parks, planting gardens, and participating in the Sherman Earth Day Festival. The event reflects the college’s long-standing commitment to sustainability.

KXII | April 17, 2024 
Maya Dodson ’28 of Durant, Oklahoma, committed to continue her education and play basketball at Austin College in the coming academic year.

KXII | April 1, 2024 
Dr. David Whelan, Associate Professor of Physics at Austin College, discussed safety tips prior to the full solar eclipse that occurred on April 8, 2024. Dr. Whelan spoke on the logistics of how an eclipse occurs and offered a demonstration on how to properly wear solar glasses to safely view the historic event.

Blogs and Online Media

Austin College | April 29, 2024 
Nine Austin College students will embark on a summer research journey to Australia, Singapore, and South Korea, exploring the geopolitical dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region. Their projects, supported by scholarships, cover topics like regional defense, climate change, and international trade. The program, funded by private donors, aims for inclusive learning experiences.

Austin College | April 25, 2024 
Dr. Wayne Crannell, Associate Professor of Music at Austin College, and Daniel Dominick, Professor of Music at Austin College, presented a collaborative concert of the Austin College A Cappella Choir and the Chamber Orchestra on May 6, 2024, in Wynne Chapel-Grum Sanctuary.

Austin College | April 11, 2024 
Austin College faculty presented summaries of their current research initiatives as part of the College’s new Research Spotlight Series. Presentation topics included “George B. Bridgman’s Life Drawing Instruction: Bringing the Classic Figure into the Modern World” by Dr. Jeffrey Fontana, the chemistry of atmospheric aerosols by Dr. Aaron Harrison, and the systematic review of observational coding tools that assess patient-provider interactions in healthcare by Dr. Kerri-Anne Mitchell.

Austin College | April 9, 2024 
Austin College students, faculty, and staff, along with alumni and members of the community, have completed a mural at local nonprofit Grand Central Station as part of the Austin College 2024 Posey Leader-In-Residence series.

North Texas E-News | April 21, 2024 
The Austin College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa welcomed 23 new members during its induction ceremony, held Friday, April 12, 2024, in Wright Campus Center Mabee Hall. Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors association. The Austin College chapter was founded in 2001.

North Texas E-News | April 21, 2024 
Henry H. Bucher Jr., Faculty Emeritus in Humanities at Austin College, penned an op-ed piece discussing how maternal instincts carry beyond humanity throughout the animal kingdom, and how humans and animals can peacefully coexist.

North Texas E-News | April 20, 2024 
GreenServe, an annual event hosted by Austin College Service Station and Think, blends service with environmental responsibility. Students, faculty, and staff participated in a variety of environmental projects.

North Texas E-News | April 18, 2024 
The Greater Texoma Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. Ricky Duhaime, Professor of Music at Austin College, presented its spring concert series An Evening of Big Band Jazz at Texoma locations throughout April. The Jazz Ensemble is comprised of students, faculty, and community members from across northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma.

North Texas E-News | April 11, 2024 
Austin College and local non-profit Grand Central Station collaborated on a mural project where students, staff, alumni, and members of the community participated and completed the mural at the non-profit.

North Texas E-News | April 10, 2024 
Henry H. Bucher Jr., Faculty Emeritus in Humanities at Austin College, added a fifth installment to his ongoing op-ed series comparing the historic religious and modern political aspects of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

News ‘Roos Can Use

The Chronicle of Higher Education | April 30, 2024 
The U.S. Department of Education announced that it will now allow students whose parents lack a Social Security number to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which many such families have been unable to do since the online form became available late last year. This change will allow these parents to manually enter their tax information, which is required to create an FSA ID, for the student to obtain financial aid.

Forbes | April 30, 2024 
The number of families choosing alternative homeschooling forms of education continues to increase since the pandemic. This count has risen from approximately 2.5 million in 2019, to over 4 million in the most recent review. Many families cite concerns in the quality of education students receive in public or private schools as primary reasons for homeschooling their children.