University of Texas Arlington

Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee

USA Today interviewed Elisabeth Cawthon, associate professor of history at UT Arlington, about Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who marks 60 years on the throne today. It’s only the second Diamond Jubilee in British history. “She’s been very adaptable,” Cawthon said. “She’s presided over some very important historical developments and served as a symbol of Britain in the midst of that. … To the British, symbolism is important.”

City and University reconnect

Arlington city, business and university leaders say the new College Park District -- a $78 million, 7,000-seat arena and an $80 million retail and residential development just a few blocks from City Hall -- symbolizes a 30-year effort to create community-oriented night life downtown, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Sunday. For many, it is a sign that after decades of growing apart, Arlington and UTA are finally reconnecting. Even before the 218,000-square-foot arena's doors opened Wednesday, the project was being credited with helping attract millions of dollars in investment, including three privately funded multimillion-dollar apartment complexes along the university's northwestern and eastern edge.

Message of change

A Fort Worth Star-Telegram sidebar noted that UT Arlington's "College Town, UTA" outreach effort, begun in September 2009, has opened up communication by connecting UT Arlington's commercial and residential neighbors with opportunities available to them on campus. A website,  www.uta.edu/ucomm/collegetown, shares information on construction updates, public events, resources, discounts, partnership opportunities and children's programming. A newsletter is mailed twice a year to residents within a mile of campus.

Dream turns to reality

Jim Witt executive editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, wrote that UT Arlington President Jim Spaniolo has sprinkled magic fair dust around and… “suddenly UTA is flying?" in a Sunday column. Witt wrote: "College Park Center is a jewel. Designed by HKS Architects, the outfit that drew up Cowboys Stadium, it's just as spectacular, but on a smaller, more intimate scale," adding that including Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the city now has a sports venue trifecta.

Eye on the future

Also, Jim Baker, the new UT Arlington Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, told ESPN/103.3 FM’s Galloway & Co. that the University is committed to elevating its athletics programs while providing opportunities for true student-athletes the way college athletics should be, without undue influence of outside forces. Baker joined UT Arlington Feb. 1 and formerly was an associate athletics director at UT Austin.

Texas donors dig deep into pockets

Texans have been among the biggest donors in this year’s presidential race, with Gov. Perry receiving the bulk of the money last year, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Victoria Farrar-Myers, political science professor at UT Arlington, said those supporters find their votes and money up for grabs now. “The donor pattern … reflects the uncertain feelings that the nomination electorate … have not fully coalesced around one candidate,” she said. “The donor patters seem to also suggest and reflect, on the Republican side, the rifts in the party.”

Concussion study revisited

KXAS/NBC 5 interviewed Jacob Resch, assistant professor of kinesiology at UT Arlington, about his concussion research in partnership with Texas Health Resources and UT Southwestern. Since the study began last year more people have become aware about the dangers of concussions. “I believe that atmosphere is starting to shift, where beforehand I think it was really hard to break that stigma of what that injury actually was,” Resch said. The report comes ahead of a concussion summit March 9–10 at UT Arlington. Read the full report at NBCDFW.com.

Meteor sparks attention

Levent Gurdemir, director of The Planetarium at UT Arlington, commented on KDFW's Fox 4 News at 5 and Fox 4 News at 9, about the very bright meteor that lit up the Dallas sky last Wednesday night.

Extinction study unearths new details

The deadliest mass extinction of all took a long time to kill 90 percent of Earth’s marine life – and it killed in stages – according to a newly published report posted on the National Science Foundation website. Harry Rowe, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at UT Arlington, is a co-author of the paper.

Reversal of fortune

The Arlington school board reversed a budget-cutting measure that ended the district’s use of the UT Arlington stadium for Friday night high school football games, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Last year, officials projected that it would save $99,000, but now they said they realize that the loss in ticket and concession sales from switching 10 games from Friday to Thursday may have offset much if not all of the savings. It was too late for the district to get those 10 Friday dates back because Pantego Christian Academy has booked five of them for the next two years. Officials said they will negotiate for the other five Friday night dates.

Boxers ready for bouts

Boxing pros Terrance Woods, DuShawn Williams and Francisco Arellano are all preparing for upcoming bouts in February, the Bay City Tribune reported. Woods’ fight will be in Arlington on the campus of UT Arlington in the College Park Center and will be broadcast on ESPN 2.