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Only the beginning: The University will award 2,082 bachelor's degrees, 685 master's degrees and 51 doctoral degrees during ceremonies May 14-18.

Accomplished alumni among speakers at UT Arlington graduation ceremonies

Graduates will hear from outstanding speakers, including four alumni, at Commencement ceremonies scheduled May 14-18. All ceremonies will be held at Texas Hall. The Commencement schedule is posted online at www.uta.edu/commencement.

Nathan Keller, who completed his doctoral degree in social work at UT Arlington in 2005, will speak at the School of Social Work Commencement, Friday at 11:30 a.m. Maj. Keller has practiced social work as an active duty Army officer since 1994.

Michael Guyton, a 1982 electrical engineering graduate, will speak to College of Engineering graduation candidates, both at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. He is the Fort Worth and Tarrant County area vice president of customer operations and community relations for Oncor Electric Delivery.

Donald Jernigan and Maxwell C. Scarlett will speak at the College of Science Commencement on Monday at 3 p.m. In 1967, Dr. Jernigan was the first graduate of UT Arlington after the University's name was changed from Arlington State College. He is now president and CEO of Adventist Health System. Dr. Scarlett became the first African-American graduate from Arlington State College in 1966. He is president and CEO of Lekar Emergency Medical Associates in Killeen.

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Fireworks add bang to Graduation Celebration

Graduation Celebration begins at 8 p.m., Friday, May 15, at Maverick Stadium, and a Texas-size fireworks show will conclude the event, which is open to the public.

U.S. Trade Representative and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk is the keynote speaker. Other speakers include UT Arlington President James D. Spaniolo, Provost Donald Bobbitt, Alumni Association President Emily Hoad, and representing the Class of 2009, finance major Jorge Callado.

The event will include a performance by the University Festival Band. An after-party, featuring food, drinks and live music by Zach Walther and the Cronkites, will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Graduation Celebration in the tent just south of the football field.

Breakfast anyone? Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Mardie Sorensen serves students at the Late Night Breakfast at the Connection Cafe Tuesday night. Staff and faculty have served the Late Night Breakfast twice a year during finals week since 1997. The event is sponsored by Apartment and Residence Life, Housing and University Center, and Dining Services.

In the event of rain, Graduation Celebration will be held in Texas Hall. For more Graduation Celebration and Commencement information, see www.uta.edu/commencement.

Young Alumni Chapter
hosts graduation party

The UT Arlington Young Alumni Chapter will host its Fourth Annual Young Alumni Official Graduation Party at Sherlock's Baker Street Pub, located at 254 Lincoln Square Center in Arlington on Friday, May 15. UT Arlington President James D. Spaniolo and men's basketball coach Scott Cross will give toasts at the party, which begins at 10 p.m.

All recent graduates (fall '08 and spring '09) who sign up as young alumni members will receive a graduation gift. The event is open to all recent UT Arlington graduates, their friends and family as well as to all members of the University community. For more information, visit www.utaya.org.

Upward Bound seeks partners
for summer program

The UT Arlington Upward Bound program is preparing to implement a work-study program titled FOCUS for this summer. To provide the best possible experiences for participants, Upward Bound needs support from the campus community. If you are willing to allow an Upward Bound participant to gain valuable work experience in your office at no cost to your department, please contact the Upward Bound office to request a FOCUS Partner Application, which must be returned to Upward Bound by Thursday, May 28.

Six teams represent UT Arlington in Relay for Life Teams of staff and students from the School of Nursing, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science, Alumni Association, Resident and Apartment Life, and Sigma Alpha Lambda service learning organization participated in the Relay for Life on May 1. The event was sponsored by the American Cancer Society. UT Arlington Vice President of Human Resources Jean Hood gave a welcome from the University to all relay participants.

As a college preparatory program, Upward Bound provides its participants with a wide range of services aimed at improving their academic skills, motivation and determination to pursue a post-secondary education. The program's goal is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education. Upward Bound projects provide academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature and foreign languages. Tutoring, counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment and work-study programs are also supported.

For more information, see www.uta.edu/upward

OneBook seeks volunteers for tutorials

This summer, the OneBook program will prepare a series of short video tutorials on each chapter of the upcoming OneBook, Bill McKibben's Deep Economy. The 1-2 minute videos will be entertaining and informal commentaries designed to assist all first-year students with their reading of the book. Any member of the University community (staff, faculty or student) is welcome to participate. Those interested in contributing should contact OneBook faculty co-chair Christopher Conway at conway@uta.edu.

MavWire will switch to summer schedule next week

Beginning next week and continuing through the summer, you will receive MavWire once a week, on Wednesdays. MavWire will return to the Monday/Thursday schedule on August 24.

Fort Dearborn Life to provide disability insurance

Effective Sept. 1, 2009, short-term and long-term disability insurance will be provided by Fort Dearborn Life Insurance Co. FDL was selected through the request for proposal process required every six years to ensure that vendors contracting with the UT System offer competitive plans and services. Read more about this topic.

Connie Lorick receives scouting award of thanks In April, Connie Lorick ('01 MBA), assistant director of Testing Services, was awarded the Girl Scouts of USA Thanks Badge by the Fort Worth service area of the Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains. The award is one of the highest for an adult Girl Scout for extraordinary service. Q: Were you a Girl Scout? A: I was a Brownie and then a Junior Girl Scout up to sixth grade in California. Q: What are some of your memories of being a Girl Scout? A: I really enjoyed camping. I camp to this day because of my experiences with Girl Scouts. Q: How did you get started volunteering with Girl Scouts? A: I always knew if I had a daughter, she would be in Girl Scouts. I started as a leader in Brownies, then Juniors. As the girls in the troop got older and started fading away in junior high, I knew I wanted to teach adults about taking their girls camping. I've been doing that for four years. Q: What is Girl University? A: I'm co-chair of Girl University. All girls, not just Girl Scouts, are invited to come to UT Arlington and learn what it takes to go to college. We teach them about applying for college, writing a resume, career education and how to decorate a dorm room. Q: What do you like most about being a Girl Scout volunteer? A: My favorite part is getting the girls to go camping … being outside, building a fire. It gets them out of their normal environment at home, and they learn skills that will help them later on.

Your benefits/your money: Stretch both with generic medications

Prescription drugs can be costly, especially for those who suffer from chronic illnesses. One way to save money on out-of-pocket expenses for your prescriptions is to use generic medications—instead of more costly brand-name drugs—whenever clinically appropriate. Read more about generic medications and a full summary of UT SELECT pharmacy benefits.

Professionalism in the workplace

No matter what your title, you are an essential element in the success of your organization. To fulfill the responsibilities of your role, you must be able to present yourself and your ideas with professionalism. This course is designed to help you identify and develop those needed skills for projecting and maintaining professional working relationships and confidence in the workplace. Tuesday, May 26, 9-11 a.m., Wetsel Service Center, Room 200. For a complete list of training classes click here.

OIT Training and Documentation Services

The Office of Information Technology's Training and Documentation Services team provides training, orientations and workshops to meet the needs of UT Arlington students, faculty and staff. Every semester computer classes cover topics such as MyMav, MavSpace, MavMail, MS Office 2007, MacOS, PowerPoint, Access, HTML, Student Web pages, NetID and others. In addition to the free computer classes, OIT staff members are available to provide customized training and orientation services to your class or your department. Contact oit-training@uta.edu if you have questions regarding any of the courses or if you have suggestions for other training opportunities.

Selecting the best: Criteria for choosing UT System retirement providers

In the current economic climate, it's important to remember some of the reasons our current retirement providers were selected and some of the standards they must maintain to continue as a retirement provider.

In September 2006, the UT System selected six companies to provide retirement plan services to all UT System employees. The selection process was completed with one goal in mind: to provide the best retirement services and investment options possible to all employees. Criteria include financial strength, expenses and experience. Read more about this topic.

On the fast track: Sophomore sprinter Cordero Gray was the meet's top scorer in the men's division at the Southland Conference Track and Field Championships in Nacogdoches.

Track teams impressive at conference meet

The men's and women's track teams finished second and third, respectively, at the 2009 Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday in Nacogdoches. The men's team just missed winning the title, losing by a half-point to Southeastern Louisiana University.

Sophomore Cordero Gray was the men's top scorer with 22.5 points. He won the 100-meter dash, ran on the winning 4x100-meter relay team, finished second in the 200 meters and ran on the second-place 4x400-meter relay team.

The third-place finish by the women was the team's best showing since 2003. Individuals and relay teams that have qualified will participate in the NCAA Track and Field Regional championships May 29-30 in Norman, Okla.

Sports briefs

The golf team will compete in the NCAA Regional at Austin starting today and continuing through Saturday. It will be the Mavericks' second consecutive regional appearance, fourth in the last five years and the seventh in school history. Sophomore Zack Fischer tied for top individual honors at the Southland Conference Championship. Junior Bobby Massa leads the team with a 71.97 stroke average. … The baseball team closes its home season with games against SLC leader Texas State on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Clay Gould Ballpark. The Mavericks are currently tied for third place in the conference.

Thursday, May 14 - Monday, May 18 Commencement Exercises All events at Texas Hall.

Thursday, May 14 School of Nursing 7 p.m.

Friday, May 15 School of Social Work 11:30 a.m.

Friday, May 15 School of Architecture 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 16 College of Business (Bachelor candidates in Finance, International Business, Management, Marketing and Real Estate) 9 a.m.

Saturday, May 16 College of Business (All Master and Doctoral candidates, Bachelor candidates in Accounting, Economics, Information Systems, Operations Management and Goolsby Scholars) 12:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16 College of Liberal Arts (Bachelor and Master candidates in Communication and Music; Bachelor candidates in Theatre Arts, and Art and Art History) 4 p.m.

Saturday, May 16 College of Liberal Arts (All Master and Doctoral candidates except for Communication and Music; all Bachelor candidates in Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, English, History, Modern Languages, Philosophy and Humanities, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology) 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 17 School of Urban and Public Affairs 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 17 College of Engineering (Aerospace, Electrical, Materials Science, Mechanical) 4 p.m.

Sunday, May 17 College of Engineering (Bioengineering, Computer Science, Civil, Industrial) 7:30 p.m.

Monday, May 18 College of Science 3 p.m.

Monday, May 18 College of Education 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 14 - Saturday, May 16 Baseball UT Arlington vs. Texas State. $2 faculty and staff. 6:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday; 1 p.m., Saturday. Clay Gould Ballpark. See Athletics.

Friday, May 15 National Bike to Work Day The League of American Bicyclists invites you to participate in National Bike to Work Day to support alternative commuting.

Friday, May 15 Graduation Celebration Featured speaker is U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. Free and open to the public. 8 p.m., Maverick Stadium.

Saturday, May 16 Commissioning Ceremony: Military Science 9:30 a.m., Free and open to the public. E.H. Hereford University Center, Rio Grande Ballroom.

Now through May 16 Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition Showcases 74 graduating BFA students working in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics, glass, metals, printmaking, film/video and visual communication. Fine Arts Building, The Gallery at UTA. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Call 2-5658 for more information.

Now through May 16 Collecting Our History: 35 Years of Special Collections The exhibit features photographs, documents and artifacts from the UT Arlington Library's Special Collections. Five areas of interest within the collection are University archives, local history, Texas history, labor union archives and cartography. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Central Library, sixth floor. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. 2-3393 or e-mail spcoref@uta.edu for more information.

Now through May 30 Cynthia Ann and Quanah Parker Trail Exhibit Heritage tourism exhibit sponsored by the Texas Lakes Trail Regional Heritage Tourism Program. Free and open to the public. Noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday. Special visiting times can be arranged through the Gallery. Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center, Santa Fe Station. Contact Megan Topham at 2-5908.

Now through May 31 Faculty/Staff Creative Works Exhibit Features books written by UT Arlington faculty and staff. Free and open to the public. Central Library, sixth floor atrium and parlor. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Contact Tommie Wingfield at 2-2658 or wingfield@uta.edu.

Ongoing UT Arlington Planetarium programs Spring shows include Ice Worlds, Bad Astronomy, Rock on Demand, The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket, matinees and $2 movies. Check the Planetarium Web site for upcoming shows. Contact the Planetarium at 2-1183 or planetarium@uta.edu for tickets.

(For an expanded list of events, see the UT Arlington Calendar)

Editors: Jim Patterson, Teresa Newton Web Developer: James Barberousse Photographers: Beth McHenry, Robert Crosby Executive Director for University Publications: Mark Permenter Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing: David Johnson Vice President for Communications: Jerry Lewis Published by University Communications © 2009 The University of Texas at Arlington

MavWire is published by the Department of University Communications on Mondays and Thursdays (except for holidays) during the fall and spring semesters, and on Wednesdays during the summer. To submit items for possible inclusion in MavWire, e-mail mavwire@uta.edu. Items must be received three working days before distribution. Inclusion of events and activities in MavWire does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by the University. Read the MavWire Guidelines. MavWire welcomes any non-employees of UT Arlington who would like to subscribe.