Compiled by Institutional Marketing & Communications Interns Nye Howard and Marissa Graf
International and National Media Highlights
Baptist News Global | April 19, 2021
Gary Ivory ’89 has been announced as the new president of Youth Advocate Programs, a nonprofit that offers mentoring, development, and family support services, His work is meant to “change the biographies” of at-risk and high-risk youth in 30 states. He says he is not interested in just changing behaviors but the whole trajectory of their lives.
CNN Business | April 25, 2021
Samsung has taken promotion to a new level by co-creating the Hulu series “Exposure”, in which eight photographers use the new Galaxy S21 phone to take photos and compete for a prize worth $250,000. William Swann ’04 is the head of entertainment at BBH LA, Samsung’s longtime marketing agency, which helped create the series.
Inside Higher Ed |April 23, 2021
The traditional date for “Decision Day,” when college applicants to make their final decision, is May 1st. This year many institutions, including Austin College, will continue to accept applications for new students and transfers beyond that date. This is a move to accommodate for the uncertainty that students and families are living with right now. Todd C. Burrell, director of undergraduate admissions at Southern Illinois at Edwardsville, said that students’ plans are more up in the air than is the norm, “so our message was that we were giving students more time.”
SCAC | April 14, 2021
Jade Kemp ’22, a junior on the women’s swimming and diving team, was selected as the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete of the Week for the week beginning with April 12th. Jade has been an active member of the Austin College community through a number of outlets, in addition to being a key competitor for the ‘Roos in the pool.
Vegetable Growers News | April 20, 2021
Seedway LLC has announced that Mario Perches ’87 is the new General Manager for Vegetable seed for the Texas and Mexico regions. Perches comes to Seedway LLC from East West International, and has extensive experience in the seed and agricultural business. In his new role, Perches will provide leadership in Seedway vegetable seed product strategy, selection, placement, trial process and planning across all areas of the Texas-Mexico region.
Dallas and Regional News
D Magazine | April 20, 2021
Gary Ivory ’89, new president of the national nonprofit Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), is profiled in D Magazine. The organization helps young people through alternatives to incarceration, connecting them to jobs and social services and stipends. The Dallas City Council is set to approve a contract that would see YAP bring that model to Dallas.
Dallas Morning News | April 17, 2021
Philanthropists Abby and Todd Williams ’82 will receive the 92nd Linz Award for contributions to Dallas education. The couple has founded a public school that primarily serves low-income families, advocated in the Legislature for education funding, and has sponsored hundreds of scholarships to boost access to college for Dallas students.
TASART | April 20, 2021
Kianna Marrs ’21 has been named Best in Show in the Texas Association of Schools of Art “Artovation 2021” competition for undergraduate art students statewide. Tristan Reno ’24 was also selected for the juried exhibition.
Local Media Highlights
Herald Democrat | April 28, 2021
Austin College water polo coach Mark Lawrence was named the CWPA Division III Coach of the Year. Sophie Oliver ’23 was named the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Player of the Year. Lexi Wong ’22, Madison Taylor ’22, and Valery Piachonkina ’22 joined Oliver as first team All-CWPA selections and Brooke Le ’22 was named second team all-conference.
Herald Democrat | April 21, 2021
Tom Bean senior Kaitlyn Lind announced her decision to play volleyball for Austin College. She chose the local Division III program due to its proximity to home, and for the chance to play for head coach Ed Garza.
Herald Democrat | April 18, 2021
The Austin College women’s water polo team wins the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Championship. This was the second time the ‘Roos appeared in the CWPA Division III title game, after finishing as the runner-up in 2019 which was their first year as a varsity program.
Herald Democrat | April 1, 2021
Austin College women’s water polo players Lexi Wong ’22 and Valery Piachonkina ’22 have been named the CWPA Division III Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
KTEN | April 27, 2021
As part of a class, physics students got to install and upgrade the weather station at Sneed Environmental Research Center with state-of-the-art technology. A computer will dial into the station through cellular network and collect data every 15 minutes. Dr. David Baker, Professor of Physics, says that the weather station will measure the standard meteorological measurements: temperature, real humidity, pressure, wind speed and wind directions.
KXII | April 27, 2021
Physics students at Austin College installed their new weather station Tuesday afternoon. The station was first built in 2001 at the Sneed Environmental Research Center. Twenty years later, a new group of students got to work to replace the weather center with state-of-the-art technology. The station is solar powered, has an upgraded rain gauge, and measures temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind speed, wind direction, and more.
KXII | April 21, 2021
Austin college has once again partnered with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, to host the ‘Shave for the Cure’ event. It’s an event aimed at raising money for childhood cancer research. For one Sherman teenager, 16-year-old Michael Gary, this foundation has given him a voice to share his battle with cancer.
KXII | April 21, 2021
Austin College basketball standout Reagan Chiaverini ’23 has been named to the all-region team by D3-hoops.com Chiaverini was one of twelve players honored by the South region after a tremendous season with the ’Roos, averaging thirteen points and eight rebounds per game.
KXII | April 15, 2021
Two Bonham players have signed to play softball at Austin College. Chyrsi Hemby and Joli Kirkpatrick each signed with the ‘Roos on Thursday afternoon. They are excited about the chance to play college softball and continue their playing time together.
KXII | April 9, 2021
Bonham baseball star Brant Stuber signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Austin College. The former A+ Athlete has been a corner stone of the Warriors athletic program, and says AC checks all the boxes.
Blogs and Online Media
AC Observer | April 26, 2021
On Saturday April 17th, the 11th GreenServe took place with approximately 130 participating students. GreenServe is an annual campus-wide service event which aims at fostering community and environmental wellness. The event is organized by Thinking Green, the environmental organization of Austin College, and supported by Service Station.
AC Observer | April 12, 2021
TEDxAustinCollege 2021 has been scheduled for September 25, 2021. The student team planning the event are excited to announce the speakers for the 2021 conference: Mariam Abeje ’22, Kate Kahle ’23, Laura Lawson ’10, Ann Crews Melton ’03, Ting Sun ’87, and Kelly Yarbrough ’09.
AC Observer | April 12, 2021
Austin College will be partnering with the Grayson County Public Health Department to provide COVID vaccines to students and employees at no cost.
AC Observer | April 12, 2021
Austin College hosted this year’s Tostan art auction on March 24th in the newly renovated Sallie Majors Chapel. Students donated their hand-made art, including paintings, drawings, ceramics, pottery, and photography, to be sold in the silent auction. All the money made from the auction is donated to Tostan.
AC Observer | April 12, 2021
After winning 4 games in a row, including victories against NCAA Division II teams from Gannon University and Mercyhurst, the Austin College Women’s Water Polo team ranked in the national Top 25, including the NCAA Division I programs.
AC Observer | April 8, 2021
The 9th edition of the annual Austin College Student Scholarship Conference – known as the ACSC – was held virtually this year. The ACSC is an opportunity for students from disciplines across the college to present research projects and showcase what they have been working on.
Austin College News | April 28, 2021
Each spring at the Austin College Honors Convocation, President Steven O’Day presents the Homer P. Rainey award to a faculty or staff member in recognition of distinguished achievement or exemplary service to the College. This year, President O’Day announced two recipients: Dr. Saritha Bangara, co-director of the College’s Public Health Program, and Garrett Hubbard, director of Information Technology.
Austin College News | April 27, 2021
Emily Aller ’21 presented her research entitled “Investigating the Role of PA28γ in Regulating the Proteasome-Mediated Degradation of the Oncoprotein c-Myc.” She has been involved with cancer research for most of her Austin College career. Her work was in conjunction with the Austin College Biology Department and a National Science Foundation grant.
North Texas e-News | April 27, 2021
Austin College vocalists Jake Hanes ’22 and Zach Magers ’21 presented an online-only recital on April 29th. Both young men are the students of Sylvia Rivers, who has taught voice as an adjunct instructor at Austin College for many years. Each student had individual performance sets, then closed the recital with a duet of “Lily’s Eyes” from The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon.
North Texas e-News | April 27, 2021
The Austin College Wind Symphony presented an online concert on April 28th viewable on the Austin College Department of Music Facebook page. This Spring Concert program included a variety of works, including “La Morisque” by Tielman Susato and Fred J Allen, Blackbirds by Fred J. Allen, and more.
North Texas e-News | April 19, 2021
Austin College sopranos Meghan Reeves ’23 and Lillian Boessen ’22 presented a joint recital on Friday, April 23. The sophomores performed separately during the recital and joined for a duet performing “I Waited for the Lord” by Felix Mendelssohn to close the performance. The event was livestreamed via Facebook.
North Texas e-News| April 17, 2021
Austin College held their 11th annual GreenServe event, where students work on volunteer projects focused on environmental responsibility and sustainability. Over the last several weeks, student members of the Service Station Board and the Austin College Thinking Green (THINK) initiative worked to bring together this innovative day of service.
North Texas e-News| April 16, 2021
Tenor Austin Rue ’23 and bass-baritone Brian Linares ’23 presented an online recital on Friday, April 16, livestreamed on Facebook/Austin College Music Department. The two singers each performed separately during the recital and a duet by the two students ended the recital, as they performed “Au fond du temple saint” from Les pecheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) by Georges Bizet.
North Texas e-News | April 12, 2021
Professor emeritus of English Dr. Jerry Lincecum, discusses Cal Newport’s book “A World Without Email.” His book discusses some smart recommendations for individuals and organizations on reducing email use and increasing face-to-face and interactive conversations.
North Texas e-News | April 6, 2021
The first Austin College Giving Day on March 30th was deemed an “absolute smash hit” by organizer Leanna Swart, director of Annual Giving. She described the event as a 24-hour fundraising campaign, ‘Give Where Your Heart Is,’ in support of the greatest needs of the college.
Shoutout HTX | April 21, 2021
Shoutout HTX has profiled artist Miguel Rojas ’19. Rojas discusses his drive to express myself and how it sets him apart from other artists within his career.
News ’Roos Can Use
Dallas Morning News | April 19, 2021
Congress has passed three major federal education packages since last spring to help schools address the pandemic. Texas sent the first to districts but cut state aid accordingly. Now Texas is one of a few states that hasn’t made plans to distribute the second or third packages because elected officials said they don’t know if the state will meet the rules to use the money. In order to tap into the federal pandemic aid, Texas must keep funding steady for both K-12 public schools and state institutions of higher education or seek a waiver. However, new guidelines suggest that the Department of Education will not sign a waiver if the state if the state has used previous federal COVID-19 relief packages to pay for already budgeted expenses.
Inside Higher Ed | April 8, 2021
As more colleges adopt vaccine requirements for students this fall, the political environment for such mandates in some states becomes more fraught. “I think we’re going to see legal challenges, because my sense is that this issue is very quickly becoming far less a legal issue or even a science and data and facts issue and it’s becoming a political issue,” said Peter McDonough, vice president and general counsel for the American Council on Education.
Inside Higher Ed | April 6, 2021
The Association of American Colleges and Universities’ latest survey of employers shows liberal arts skills are valued and sought out in the workplace. Employers said they appreciate breadth and depth of learning, as reflected in their desire that students learn to think for themselves, to be adaptable and versatile, to be technically capable and well-rounded. Ninety-two percent of employers said it’s very important or somewhat important that students have been exposed to a wide variety of academic topics and disciplines.
Texas Standard | April 13, 2021
Many colleges and universities have expressed “cautious optimism” about a return to normalcy this fall, and the COVID vaccine is a key part of that. Health experts are advising students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus in person, but it’s unclear if universities can mandate shots since none of the vaccines are officially approved by the FDA. An executive order issued by Gov. Abbott prohibits public universities from requiring students to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to campus. However, at least one private university in Texas – St. Edward’s in Austin – is requiring vaccinations with some exemptions allowed.
The Washington Post | April 28, 2021
President Biden has released a plan that would cover two years of tuition at community colleges and extend the same benefit to low- and middle-income students attending historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and other minority-serving institutions. It would also up the maximum PELL grant for students in financial need.