University Communications » Internal Communications » MavWire » MavWire 06-10-2010

Green project: An artist's rendering shows the Center Street Green, which is under construction at Center and Mitchell streets.

Special Events Center, Center Street Green chosen for pilot sustainable landscape program

Designed with sustainability in mind, the University's new Special Events Center will have a landscape and adjacent park that is certifiably green, too.

The nine-acre site that includes the events center and the Center Street Green under construction at Center and Mitchell streets is among 150 sites worldwide that will test the first-ever rating system for green landscape design, construction, and maintenance.

The rating system is a project of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, a partnership created to promote sustainable land development and management practices. SITES partners include the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at UT Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden. SITES selected the UT Arlington campus landscape project based on its extensive environmentally friendly elements, according to the organization.

The Center Street Green was designed by Schrickel, Rollins and Associates and is a joint project between the city of Arlington and UT Arlington. Construction of the $2.1 million green space is funded through a grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

The park will feature native grasses and adaptive plants that consume less water and a dry creek bed that will help manage rainwater and storm water runoff that drains into Johnson Creek. It also features a large lawn, a curved stone wall that offers seating, and paving materials made from recycled bottles that will allow water to permeate. The Center Street Green is expected to be complete this fall.

More information is available at sustainablesites.org.

Grants provide boost: Two grants will help the UT Arlington College of Nursing promote collaboration between hospital and nursing education programs.

University grants to expand nursing education in Texas

The College of Nursing is partnering with Good Shepherd Health System in East Texas and Arlington-based Texas Health Resources in two grants designed to increase the number of registered nurses in Texas and faculty who teach them.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has named the UT Arlington College of Nursing in two of the eight awards given through the 2010 Hospital-Based Nursing Education Partnership Grant Program. State lawmakers created the competitive, peer-reviewed grant program in 2007 to increase the number of students in professional nursing education programs and to promote collaboration between hospitals and nursing education programs.

"These awards recognize the expertise that we've developed and capitalize on what we have learned about using clinical simulation to teach students and health care providers, both in urban centers and rural communities," says Elizabeth Poster, dean of the College of Nursing. "Our hospital partners are speeding us along on our mission of educating the best nurses possible to meet health care demands in Texas."

The Good Shepherd award provides $771,035 to establish a 15-month Bachelor of Science in Nursing program based in East Texas. The project aims to enroll 80 students from among the hospital's clinical and non-clinical employees.

The Texas Health Resources award provides $550,753 to expand an existing hospital-based program from 20 to 80 students per year through UT Arlington's online, accelerated BSN program. The project first will recruit faculty from current hospital staff and educate them through immersion courses tailored to those who will deliver clinical education to pre-licensure nursing students.

Three Dog Night: The musical group that got its start more than 40 years ago will perform June 26 at the Levitt Pavilion.

Three Dog Night to appear at Levitt Pavilion June 26

An appearance by Three Dog Night will highlight the Levitt Pavilion Summer Concert Series at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 26. The concert series is co-sponsored by UT Arlington.

From 1969 to 1974, Three Dog Night was one of the most popular bands in America with 21 consecutive Top 40 hits and 12 straight gold LPs. Some of the group's top songs include "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)," "Joy to the World," "Black and White," "Shambala," "One," and "Old-Fashioned Love Song."

Concert-only tickets are $25.

A VIP dinner complete with wine, a live luxury auction, and cash bar is available from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Sheraton Arlington, 1500 Convention Center Drive. VIP tickets include dinner and the concert and are $150 each. Tables for 10 people are available for $1,500. After dinner, VIP ticket holders will go to the Levitt Pavilion, 100 W. Abram, where they will park in the VIP parking area and enjoy the concert in a reserved seating area near the stage.

Tickets can be purchased online.

Checking in to education President James D. Spaniolo, second from left, accepts a check for $30,600 from Bill Carpenter, ExxonMobil program manager, from the ExxonMobil Educational Matching Gift Program to encourage giving to higher education. The program matches $3 for every $1 contributed by employees, retirees, and surviving spouses to U.S. colleges and universities each calendar year, up to $7,500. Emily Snooks, left, with ExxonMobil public and government affairs, and Jim Lewis, UT Arlington vice president for development, were also on hand.

Education professor earns third literacy grant for service learning

Kathleen Tice, assistant professor in the College of Education and Health Professions, was awarded a 2010 Literacy Grant by Phi Kappa Phi, a national honor society for select students and faculty.

It is the third consecutive year that Dr. Tice has received the award. This year she was one of 12 honorees nationwide and the only recipient in Texas.

Tice plans to use the $2,500 grant to continue a service-learning project called "Literary Livewires: Bringing Books to English Language Learners." The program encourages literacy by bringing university students to the Open Door Preschool in East Dallas to read to children from low-income families for a month. Families also are involved with a literacy-day event where each child and teacher receive a set of six books that were read aloud.

University to participate in UT System Second Life conference

UT Arlington will participate in a UT System-sponsored conference that will address teaching and learning in Second Life on Thursday, June 17. This conference will take place entirely in the virtual world of Second Life.

University participation will include a graduate student in the College of Nursing who will be part of a panel discussion where students from across the UT System will talk about their experiences using Second Life in classes.

In addition, the University will have two entries in the conference exhibition. One will be a digital version of the "You Are What You Eat" exhibit produced by the Freshman Leaders On Campus in April. The other is a College of Nursing display featuring academic and research programs and the Smart Hospital.

This conference is the culmination of a year-long UT System Transforming Undergraduate Education grant that created a Second Life presence for all UT System universities and health science centers.

For more about the conference and to see the presentation schedule, visit the Undergraduate Conference website. Also, see UT System Second Life project and UT Arlington Second Life website.

Construction in MAC lobby among summer projects

Construction to create offices for the New Maverick Orientation and Off Campus Mavericks is under way in the Maverick Activities Center lobby. Also new will be a computing area in the main lobby as well as social areas on the first and second floors for student use. The project is scheduled for a mid-August completion.

For the latest updates on campus construction projects, go to Blazin' Construction, a blog of Facilities Management construction and maintenance news.

Campus printers to get 'sleep' setting

As part of the University's ongoing energy-saving initiatives, capable network printers will receive an automated energy-saving setting Monday, June 14. Printers will be set to sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity. Printers will still be available after they have gone to sleep but will have a short delay for warm-up as they wake up for use. Warm-up times will vary depending on model. Printers will be set to automatically awaken at 7:45 a.m. on weekdays to facilitate quicker printer response.

If you have questions regarding these changes, notify the Help Desk at helpdesk@uta.edu or 2-2208.

Annual Enrollment for Benefits

Annual Enrollment for benefits for the 2010-11 plan year begins July 1 and lasts through July 31. Special Annual Enrollment editions of the A Matter of Health newsletter for employees and for retirees will be released Wednesday, June 16.

Both newsletters include detailed information on benefits plan premium changes, changes to the UT SELECT medical benefits plan design, as well as new cost reductions and plan enhancements for group term life and AD&D insurance.

Powerful Proofreading Skills

You need more than "spell check" to produce quality letters or reports. This course is designed to identify the skills needed to create and produce documents with accuracy and without error. The techniques of this course will help you learn to handle projects as simple as a quick e-mail and as difficult as detailed technical reports. Free. 9-11 a.m. Wednesday, June 16, Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. See a complete list of HR training classes.

Excel: How to Create Your Own Budget

What better way to manage your household finances and plan for the future than to build an Excel spreadsheet? Learn how to format a spreadsheet to meet your personal needs. Create formulas to help plan your financial future or finance a car, a home, or college. Additional topics as time allows. Basic familiarity with Excel recommended. $115. Register online. 2 sessions. 6-10 p.m. Thursday, June 17, and Thursday, June 24, Room E200D, Continuing Education.

Undergraduate Academic Adviser

This course provides training for undergraduate academic advisers. Topics include:

• advising and registration student services center, academic progress, and service indicators

• advising and reports class schedule, transfer credit, and MAP (degree audit)

• curriculum management class section, schedules, rosters, and enrollment/drop

• Texas Success Initiative test scores and exemptions

• viewing test scores MPT, CRT, and others

• program/plan stack career summary, changing a major/minor

• advising comments adding and viewing

Free. Register online. 9 a.m.-noon. Monday, June 21, Room E200D, Continuing Education.

Take a break with Mindful Moments

Take a break from stress with Mindful Moments each Wednesday this summer. Mindfulness draws on one's internal resources to cultivate awareness and practice being present in each moment of our lives. The summer session continues through Aug. 11. Free. 12:15-12:45 p.m. Wednesdays, Room 235, Business Building. Marie Bannister, 2-2771.

Employment information

Check out employment opportunities at uta.edu/jobs. Have questions? Call Human Resources/Employment Services at 2-3461 or TDD 2-8139, or e-mail employment@uta.edu. The University of Texas at Arlington is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Tuesday, June 15

Lasers in the Biosciences and Medicine Hans Schuessler of the Stored Ion and Bio-optics Research Lab at Texas A&M University talks about how exploiting the properties of laser light has revolutionized the way we approach and think about the interaction of light with biomolecules. Dr. Schuessler will describe some of the research on how single atoms, biomolecules, and living sub cellular units are studied with lasers. Free. 3 p.m., Room 601, Nedderman Hall. Department of Bioengineering, 2-0109.

Wednesday, June 23

Recycling Training Want to know how UT Arlington's recycling program works? This presentation will explain it all. E-mail registration is required. Free. 10 a.m., Room 109, Nedderman Hall. Office of Sustainability, Becky Valentich, becky@uta.edu. 2-9299.

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

Good Choice: Michael Choice is the first UT Arlington baseball player to be drafted in the first round.

Michael Choice heads list of four Maverick players selected in Major League Baseball draft

Four UT Arlington players were selected in the Major League Baseball draft this week. Outfielder Michael Choice, picked by the Oakland Athletics, was the 10th player chosen in the first round of the draft.

Other Maverick players drafted were pitchers Rett Varner, Florida Marlins, sixth round; Jason Mitchell, Kansas City Royals, 15th round; and Logan Bawcom, Los Angeles Dodgers, 17th round.

Choice is the first UT Arlington player selected in the opening round. Current major leaguers John Lackey and Hunter Pence were both taken in the second round, Lackey by the Los Angeles Angels in 1999 and Pence by the Houston Astros in 2004.

Choice was the Southland Conference Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year as he compiled a .383 batting average and hit 16 home runs. He set the UT Arlington career record for homers with 34 in three years with the Mavericks.

See more information on the MLB draft.

Gray, Walls run today at national track championships

Cordero Gray and Jasmine Walls are competing in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships that began yesterday and continue through Saturday in Eugene, Ore.

Gray will run in the men's 200-meter semifinals today while Walls is entered in the women's 200-meter event. Each event has three heats with the top two in each heat plus those with the next two best times advancing to Saturday's finals.

Gray ran in the men's 100-meter semifinals Wednesday but failed to qualify for the finals.

Intramural entries due; sand volleyball registration begins today

Intramural entries for indoor soccer, softball, and the FIFA World Cup group stage pick 'em are due today, Thursday, June 10, while entries for tennis and racquetball are due Friday, June 11. Sand volleyball registration begins today, Thursday, June 10, and ends Thursday, June 24.

Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members are eligible to participate as long as they have an active Campus Recreation membership. A faculty/staff league will be available for softball at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and sand volleyball at 6 p.m. Tuesdays. Faculty/staff softball teams may have five students per team, and faculty/staff sand volleyball teams may have one student per team.

For more information, see the intramural sports summer calendar.

(For more sports news, go to utamavs.com, utamovinmavs.com, or uta.edu/campusrec.)

New Works reception features photography faculty Five members of the photography faculty will be featured at the opening reception for "New Works: UTA Photography Faculty" 6-8 p.m. today, Thursday, June 10, at Gallery 76102 in the UT Arlington Fort Worth Center, 1401 Jones St., Fort Worth. "New Works" features the work of Kenda North, professor and area coordinator; Andrew Ortiz, associate professor; Leighton McWilliams, assistant professor and assistant chair; and Bryan Florentin and Scott Hilton, senior lecturers. Pictured is Stratosphere/Palm, a Diana camera image/Giclee print by McWilliams. The free exhibit continues through July 31. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.

Thursday, June 10

Summer Movie: Shutter Island Rated R. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Concession for drinks, candy. Free popcorn. Free. 8 p.m., West lawn, Maverick Activities Center. EXCEL Campus Activities, excel-entertainment@uta.edu.

Friday-Saturday, June 11-12

$2 Movie: Astro Boy Rated PG. 5:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Planetarium. 2-1183.

Wednesday, June 16

$2 Movie: Planet 51 Rated PG. 5:30 p.m., Planetarium. Also, 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 18, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 19. 2-1183.

Thursday, June 17

Men, Women, and Dogs: A Thurber Celebration SceneShop Reading Series presents an ensemble of six reading the funny, absurd, and unique works of James Thurber. The program gives voice to his pieces about men, women, and dogs. Actors include Natalie Gaupp ('93 BFA, '99 MA), senior lecturer in theatre arts, Nicholas Irion ('10 BFA), and Steven McGaw ('10 BFA). Free. 7:30 p.m., Room 143, Fine Arts Building. 817-899-8602.

Summer Movie: Brooklyn's Finest Rated R. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Concession for drinks, candy. Free popcorn. Free. 8 p.m., West lawn, Maverick Activities Center. EXCEL Campus Activities, excel-entertainment@uta.edu.

Through July 3

Summer Concert Series Concerts each Wednesday through Sunday. All concerts are free except for the special benefit concert featuring Three Dog Night on Saturday, June 26. Co-sponsored by UT Arlington. Levitt Pavilion, 100 W. Abram. levittpavilionarlington.org, 817-543-4301.

Through Aug. 7

For All Workers: The Legacy of the Texas Labor Movement, 1838-2010 Features the personal papers of labor and political activist John "J.W." Jackson, as well as numerous items from the Texas Labor Archives at UT Arlington. Free. Summer hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Special Collections, sixth floor, Central Library. 2-7511.

Through Aug. 31

MFA Summer Exhibition The third annual summer exhibition by 16 Master of Fine Arts students represents the Department of Art and Art History graduate program in intermedia studio, glass, visual communication, and film and video. A closing reception will be held 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31. Free. Summer hours noon-2 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays. The Gallery at UTA, Fine Arts Building. 2-2891.

Ongoing

Downtown Farmers Market Arlington's downtown farmers market features locally grown produce and locally made baked goods, arts, and crafts. Co-sponsored by UT Arlington Dining Services. 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Fridays-Saturdays, 215 E. Front St.

Planetarium Programs Astronaut is a new show on the summer schedule. See Astronaut at 6 p.m. Tuesday or 5:30 p.m. Saturday through Aug. 22. $4 faculty, staff. 2-1183.

Discount Ranger tickets The Texas Rangers offer discounted tickets to selected games for faculty, staff, students, alumni, family, and friends. Access texasrangers.com/uta and use the password rangers to purchase tickets for designated games through Oct. 3.

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