International and National Media Highlights
Breaking Cancer News | August 13, 2024
Dr. Fazlur Rahman, Senior Trustee at Austin College, is featured in this review of his upcoming book, Our Connected Lives: Caring for Patients in Rural Texas. Dr. Rahman details many highs and lows in his decades of service, providing medical care for patients with cancer.
U.S. News & World Report | September 24, 2024
Austin College achieved an outstanding performance in the U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges rankings, which recognize the College's excellence across multiple key aspects of education. Austin College secured high rankings in categories of National Liberal Arts Colleges, Best Value, Social Mobility, Most Innovative Schools, and Undergraduate Economics Programs.
Voice America | September 19, 2024
Mary Randers, Vice President for Institutional Enrollment at Austin College, was featured on a podcast discussing the Colleges That Change Lives non-profit organization, considering a liberal arts college, and more details about Austin College.
Dallas and Regional News
East Texas Radio | September 2024
Don Newsom ’64 was inducted into the Mount Pleasant Independent School District’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Inductees were honored with a private ceremony and participated in the coin toss for the Mount Pleasant High School football game, in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
KEAN-FM (Abilene, Texas) | August 12, 2024
Dr. Fazlur Rahman, Senior Trustee at Austin College, promoted his upcoming book and discussed the importance of empathy for doctors treating patients. Dr. Rahman shared how the bedside manner, when working with cancer patients, can make a significant difference in their overall care.
The Lawerence Times | September 16, 2024
Alicia Houser ’12, a University of Kansas doctoral candidate, received the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Award. Houser will use the award to study abroad for a year in Moshi, Tanzania, where she will research the social and physical changes women have made since colonization of the city.
Local Media Highlights
Herald Democrat | September 24, 2024
Austin College scored high rankings in several categories in the U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges. Dr. Beth Gill, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at Austin College, said these rankings, “reflect our dedication to excellence, affordability, and innovation, showcasing the hard work and passion of our incredible faculty, staff, and students.”
Herald Democrat | September 3, 2024
The Austin College Class of 2028 and new students transferring from other institutions settled into their residence halls over the weekend of August 23, 2024, in anticipation of the 2024-2025 academic year. The cohort of 414 new students is the second-largest group of incoming undergraduate students in the College’s history.
KTEN | September 25, 2024
Tom Thompson ’12 became the oldest player ever in an NCAA football game, at Austin College in 2009, at age 61. Fifteen years later, he remains on staff as the ’Roos kicking coach, while simultaneously completing a law degree.
KTEN | September 2, 2024
Tony White, Head Football Coach at Austin College, discussed laying the foundations for new goals in the football program and the excitement surrounding the new season.
KXII | September 29, 2024
The Austin College Police Department partnered with the Sherman and Sherman ISD Police Departments to host the National Night Out event. The event featured food and family fun, all in hopes of helping unify the community.
Blogs and Online Media
Austin College | September 11, 2024
Harold Wallace Totten, Senior Trustee at Austin College, passed away in August 2024. Wally served as a member of the Board of Trustees from 1986 until 1991 and remained a senior trustee until his death. Additionally, he served on the Wilson N Jones Board for 12 years as a Vice Chairman and then became Chairman in 1996. He was also the Finance Chairman of the Southern Gas Compression Conference and served on the State National Bank of Denison Board.
Austin College | September 10, 2024
The Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub (TSTH) received the Consortium Accelerator Award from the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Austin College remains an active partner with TSTH, which will use the award funding to continue implementing its strategy focused on increasing semiconductor production in the Texoma region.
Austin College | September 9, 2024
Austin College faculty presented summaries of their current research initiatives as part of the College’s new Research Spotlight series. The Research Spotlight series is presented by the Robert and Joyce Johnson Center for Faculty Development and Excellence in Teaching, with the goal of recognizing and sharing research initiatives of the College’s professors.
North Texas E-News | September 28, 2024
Austin College will host the ninth annual TEDxAustinCollege Conference on Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the Ida Green Communication Center, Sally and Jim Nation Theatre. Speakers will cover significant topics ranging from the complexity of medical problems and effects of parental incarceration to advice for job seekers. This event is free, and open to the public.
North Texas E-News | September 28, 2024
Austin College will host a theater production at 8 p.m. on October 4 and 5 in the Ida Green Communication Center, to honor the late Christopher Ferdinand Durang. The production includes: The Funeral Parlor, directed by Dr. Kirk Everist, four short Durang plays directed by four student directors, followed by 30 minutes of The Austin College Improv Troupe.
North Texas E-News | September 26, 2024
Dr. Katherine Elkins presented the annual A.J. Carlson Lecture on the Liberal Arts, titled The Value of the Liberal Arts in the Age of AI. Dr. Elkins is a Professor of Comparative Literature and Humanities at Kenyon College; her courses focus on natural language processing and generation, as well as the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence, which holds increasing power over our daily lives.
North Texas E-News | September 25, 2024
Austin College achieved high rankings in several categories in the U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges. U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with the comparative merits of the undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities.
North Texas E-News | September 9, 2024
Dr. Thomas Stidham, Associate Professor of Biology at Austin College, presented at the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge in Sherman, Texas, on September 14, 2024. Dr. Stidham’s topic discussed the evolutionary origins of nearly 11,000 species of living birds that can trace their origins back to dinosaurs nearly 200 million years ago in the Mesozoic Era.
North Texas E-News | September 6, 2024
Austin College first-year and transfer students kicked off the school year with the annual First We Serve event, hosted by the Austin College Service Station. This service event brought new students together to pack 43,314 meal boxes to send to families in need in Honduras.
North Texas E-News | September 4, 2024
The Austin College Class of 2028 is one of the largest incoming classes in the College’s history, as they bring new excitement to the campus. The new students originate from over 20 American states, and multiple foreign countries.
News 'Roos Can Use
The Chronicle of Higher Education | September 11, 2024
College students reported a lower prevalence of mental health concerns for the first time in 15 years, according to data from the Healthy Minds Study. Researchers hope this is the beginning of a downward trend in these survey results.
Inside Higher Ed | September 19, 2024
Reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities can foster an environment of enhanced accessibility and student success. Faculty are encouraged to work with students for short and long-term accommodations to help them succeed through challenging circumstances.
- 'Roos in the News