Compiled by Public Affairs Interns Nye Howard and Marissa Graf
International and National Media Highlight
Arte | October 13, 2020
Dr. Felix Harcourt, assistant professor of history at Austin College, is featured in the first episode of a French documentary titled Ku Klux Klan – An American Story: Birth of the Invisible Empire. This first episode traces the secretive organization’s formation in the wake of the American Civil War. (in French)
Education Dive | October 28, 2020
Joe Biden has said that, as president, he would undo current Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ new Title IX regulations which took effect in mid-August. Jake Sapp, deputy Title IX coordinator and compliance officer at Austin College, explains that Biden would almost certainly re-expand Title IX’s jurisdiction.
UNMC Newsroom | October 15, 2020
Elizabeth Preas, Ph.D. ’09, is a new faculty member at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Dallas and Regional News
Dallas Art Dealers Association | October 27, 2020
The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture is pleased to announce a change of leadership as the non-profit organization begins its fifth decade of offering public programs for North Texans. Dr. Seemee Ali ’89 has been chosen to lead the Institute as its first-ever president.
Galveston.com| October 6, 2020
Galveston Arts Center (GAC) presents Going Through a Phrase, a group exhibition of text-based works by Alicia Eggert, Stephanie Patton, Andrea Tosten, Rachelle Vasquez, and Candace Hicks ’01, who studied drawing, painting, and French at Austin College. This exhibit aims to communicate ideas, warnings, personal reflections, and social commentary by bringing words into physical form.
Green Source DFW | October 16, 2020
Reporter Marshall Hinsley speaks to Dr. George Diggs, a professor of biology at Austin College and research associate at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. Diggs, coauthor of Shinner’s and Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas and Illustrated Flora of East Texas, speaks on the effects of climate change on Texas native plants in the interview.
NBC5 DFW | October 26, 2020
Kim Powers ’79 publishes his new book Rules for Being Dead. Set in McKinney, the novel is part mystery and part ghost story; based on Powers’ family story and the lingering questions after his own mother’s death.
People Newspapers | October 23, 2020
The North Texas chapter of the nonprofit Project Transformation named Kirsten Brandt James ’85 its executive director. James has most recently served as the chief development officer of 29 Acres. She has also served as president of the Austin College Alumni Board and has been recognized with the Altrusa Richardson Outstanding Woman of Today Award and the Dallas Women’s Council Individual Member Award.
San Antonio Business Journal | October 24, 2020
San Antonio Independent School District announced an expansion of their partnership with Austin College. The program, Achieve @ Austin College, now offers the opportunity for twelve selected students to attend Austin College, with the college committed to covering 80% of their cost, regardless of income. The district has comparable partnerships with Trinity, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and the University of Houston-Victoria.
Uptown Dallas Inc | October 27, 2020
Dr. Seemee Ali ’89 is announced as the new president of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. Dr. Ali has been closely involved with the work of the Institute in different capacities since the 1990s.
Local Media Highlights
Democratic Underground| October 27, 2020
Lydia Bean ’02 was the Democratic candidate for the Texas Legislature in HD 93. Lydia is passionate about equipping ordinary people to make their voices heard in state politics and hopes to greater mutual understanding between people with different politics and religious beliefs.
Herald Democrat | October 19, 2020
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference has released its updated tentative schedules for men’s and women’s basketball, with both the Austin College men and women set to play 14 games across January and February. The teams will hit the road on January 19, headed to Centenary College for their first three games.
Herald Democrat | October 16, 2020
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Association has announced a modified schedule for its football teams to compete in the spring semester 2021. Austin College is entering its final year as an affiliate member of the conference; the ‘Roos will play a four-game schedule, with all four games taking place in February.
Herald Democrat | October 12, 2020
GoGetTested.com to offer COVID-19 tests at sites including Austin College in Sherman and Grayson College in Denison. The tests are free to the patient though individuals will be asked to show proof of insurance or other medical payment identification such as Medicare or Medicaid.
Herald Democrat | October 8, 2020
GoGetTested, now has COVID-19 sites at Grayson College in Denison, Austin College in Sherman, and at the Grayson County Health Department in Sherman where people can be without having to pay anything out of pocket.
KTEN News | October 8th, 2020
Austin College is partnering with GoGetTested to provide COVID-19 tests that are quick and accurate. Although GoGetTested’s site is set up in a parking lot on the Austin College campus, it is open to the public, and free of charge.
KXII News| October 22, 2020
To the cheers of nurses, doctors, and hospital staff who have been by his side since day one of his battle with COVID-19, 21-year-old Austin College senior Chris Miller ’20 is finally headed home.
KXII News | October 19, 2020
Austin College student Chris Miller ’20, recently in critical condition with COVID-19, is now getting ready to leave the hospital to recover. His family calls it a miracle.
KXII News | October 19, 2020
Austin College, along with the Grayson County Health Department, and Grayson College are partnering with GoGetTested.com to bring free COVID-19 testing to Texoma.
Blogs and Online Media
Austin College | October 2, 2020
Austin College’s 2020 Todd A. Williams Executive-in-Residence Lecture will be presented via Zoom on October 16 at Noon by Melissa Thompson ’84, senior vice president for talent acquisition at the Nielsen Company in Dallas. Thompson will share insights gained during her 25-year career in global human resources and talent acquisition, including leadership positions at McGraw-Hill Education, Citrix, and Dell, and as CEO of Thompson Talent Innovations.
NewsBreak.com |October 26, 2020
Dr. Seemee Ali ’89, a former Harvard fellow, takes the helm of The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. Dr. Ali replaces Larry Allums, who retired after 23 years as executive director of the think tank.
North Texas eNews | October 29, 2020
Free COVID-19 testing is taking place in the parking lot of the Grayson County Health Department, in Sherman daily Friday through Saturday, at Grayson College in Denison, and Austin College in Sherman.
North Texas eNews | October 21, 2020
Henry Bucher Jr., faculty emeritus in Humanities, discusses the value of money in one’s life, and how Covid-19 is affecting the financial aspect of life no one could predict.
North Texas eNews | October 11, 2020
Austin College and Grayson College officials say COVID-19 PCR testing is key — so they’re working with GoGetTested.com to help keep each campus safe. They say students, faculty, staff, and members of the Texoma community can visit GoGetTested.com to make an appointment in about a minute.
North Texas eNews | October 5, 2020
Dr. Jerry Lincecum, professor emeritus of English, discusses a brief history of surgery in America.
North Texas eNews | October 2, 2020
Henry Bucher Jr., faculty emeritus in humanities, discusses the array of books published about Donald Trump and him as a businessman before he became president, and the many surprises that come with them.
North Texas eNews | October 2, 2020
Austin College students and faculty have the opportunity to interact with medical students and health professionals in Mexico during the Fifth International Conference on Health Sciences Research. Dr. Saritha Bangara, public health professor and co-director of the Austin College Public Health Program, will deliver the keynote address of the conference.
NotiUlti.com | October 2020
Nancy Pineda-Gama ’21 is one of 40 applicants selected for the 2020 IME SCHOLARSHIPS / HACEMOS Dallas scholarship. Margie Norman, Austin College’s director of Career Services, described her as having an “incredible attitude in the face of adversity” and “a willingness to go the extra mile in everything she touches.”
The Austin College Observer| October 26, 2020
With Election Day just around the corner, the Austin College Observer staff ask the students of Austin College to please take time out of their day to vote.
The Austin College Observer | October 26, 2020
On October 30, a trick or treat drive-thru event will be held at the athletic complex near Pecan Grove Park instead of the city’s annual Fright Fest. Parents and children are required to stay in their vehicles with doors and hatches closed for safety purposes.
The Austin College Observer| October 26, 2020
Fall football season has been canceled, so the Austin College team is using this semester to practice and train hard for the upcoming season in the spring. Practices began September 23rd with a multitude of regulations, such as constant mask-wearing and adequate social distancing. Although different in terms of Covid-19 regulations, they still focus on the same skills.
The Observer| October 12, 2020
Though this year’s homecoming is not the same as in previous years due to COVID-19 restrictions, homecoming week is still jam-packed with virtual events for alumni and for students alike.
The Austin College 20Observer | October 12, 2020
October 10 marked the 28th celebration of World Mental Health Day. This year, the World Health Organization dedicated the day to focus on “increased investment in mental health” following the COVID pandemic.
News ’Roos Can Use
Inside Higher Ed | October 15, 2020
A Generation Defined by the Pandemic
A new survey about student experiences during the fall semester and the coronavirus pandemic found that stress, anxiety, and loneliness were students’ overriding concern. The data are representative of the real-life challenges and uncertainty that students say they face.
Inside Higher Ed | October 27, 2020
Transfer Enrollment Declines
The bad news from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center about college enrollments continues.
Inside Higher Ed | November 2, 2020
What Counts as Success in a COVID Semester
With less than a month to Thanksgiving, some colleges are starting to tell their stories of how they’ve contained the virus—and they’re feeling pretty good about the results of their efforts.