University Communications » Internal Communications » TrailBlazer » TrailBlazer 08-16-2011

Vandergriff Hall: The residence hall under construction at College Park will be named in honor of the late Tom J. Vandergriff, former Arlington mayor, Tarrant County judge, and U.S. congressman. College Park is scheduled to open in August 2012.

Vandergriff Hall name approved for College Park

The UT System Board of Regents has approved an honorific naming of the new residence hall under construction at College Park for former Arlington mayor, congressman, and Tarrant County judge, the late Tom J. Vandergriff.

Vandergriff died in December 2010. He played a pivotal role in moving the former Arlington State College from a two-year institution to the comprehensive four-year, research university that UT Arlington is today.

President James D. Spaniolo says the naming of Tom J. Vandergriff Hall will recognize the historic contributions of the civic leader who launched UT Arlington on its path toward becoming a nationally recognized research institution.

“Vandergriff Hall will be a fitting tribute to a man who gave a lifetime of service to the University and to the city of Arlington,” Spaniolo says.

Read more about Vandergriff and Vandergriff Hall.

Maverick Stampede begins next week

Maverick Country issues a big Texas welcome to new and returning students next week.

Join the MavsMeet Convocation at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, in Texas Hall and hear guest faculty speaker Ya'Ke Smith, associate professor in art and art history. Other speakers include Provost Donald R. Bobbitt, Vice President for Student Affairs Frank R. Lamas, and Student Congress President Jennifer Fox. College of Science Dean Pamela Jansma serves as emcee. The kickoff ceremony also includes a spirited performance by the UT Arlington Marching Band and a musical offering from the 440 Alliance, a strings ensemble of UT Arlington alumni.

Afterward, a party allows students to meet, mingle, and enjoy music and munchies. It's all free on the Central Library mall.

See what’s new on campus during the Maverick Stampede, Monday, Aug. 22-Saturday, Sept. 10. The lineup includes campus traditions like the Residence Hall Move-in Event; MavsMeet Convocation; Maverick Cookout and Activities Day Fair; Welcome Back Splash; Wings, Wieners, and Water; and more. Check the events schedule.

Armanios, Alexander named to fill interim dean positions

Erian Armanios will serve as interim dean of the College of Engineering, and Julie Alexander has been named interim dean of the Library.

Dr. Armanios, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, will serve as interim dean Sept. 1-Dec. 31 until newly named Dean Jean-Pierre Bardet arrives on campus in January 2012.

"Dr. Armanios is an experienced administrator with an exceptional record as a teacher and scholar," says Donald R. Bobbitt, provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Alexander has worked in the UT Arlington Library since 1978 and has served as an associate director since 1995.

“Julie’s years of executive experience will be a valuable benefit for the University’s administration,” Dr. Bobbitt says.

Armanios and Alexander replace Bill Carroll and Gerald Saxon, respectively, who will step down from their dean's positions Aug. 31 and return to faculty positions.

Finishing touches Workers prepare a sidewalk ramp beside the College Park parking garage. Students can park in the north parking garage starting Monday, Aug. 22.

University makes Princeton Review's 'Best of the West' list

The Princeton Review has chosen UT Arlington as one of 121 schools featured in the “Best of the West” section of its “2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region.”

College ratings are based on academics, admissions selectivity, financial aid, and quality of life factors. The service also surveys students online and by mail.

The Best Regional Colleges section of The Princeton Review’s website features 629 colleges divided into four geographic areas. The chosen schools represent 25 percent of the four-year colleges in the U.S. The site says the schools “stand out as academically excellent institutions of higher learning.”

The review lists biology, business administration, and nursing as some of the most popular majors at UT Arlington. The site features a “Students Say” section that lauds the University’s diversity and says, “it would be hard not to find some group you would fit into.”

For more information about the rankings, visit princetonreview.com.

Water break Julio Alvarez, geology sophomore, cools off with a watermelon slice at Watermelon Wednesday, hosted recently by EXCEL Campus Activities on the Central Library mall.

Parking options expand this fall

A new garage on the east side of campus and a reduced-priced remote site on the west side provide numerous options to park this fall.

More than 1,100 spaces are available in the new College Park garage at UTA Boulevard between Pecan and Center streets. A free electric vehicle charging station is part of the new garage.

Reduced pricing on remote parking is available, allowing students to park at Maverick Stadium and ride the University shuttles to all parts of the campus.

Students must have their permits no later than Thursday, Aug. 25, the first day of fall classes. Order your parking permit for the 2011-12 academic year online by signing in on the MyMav page, then click on Self Service, and then Parking Request.

Call the Parking Office at 817-272-3907 for details.

Library closed Saturday, Sunday

The Central Library will be closed Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 20-Aug. 21, for electrical repairs. The library will reopen at 7 a.m. Monday, Aug. 22.

Maverick ancestor An early design of UT Arlington's Maverick mascot was discovered behind a wall during renovations in the Student Congress chambers. The lower level of the E.H. Hereford University Center received new carpet, paint, and other upgrades this summer.

Volunteer to welcome and help students at annual Residence Hall Move-in Event

Volunteer for the Residence Hall Move-in Event 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22, and help students get situated in their new on-campus home. The Move-in Event is a campus-wide initiative to assist more than 1,500 residence hall students who will be living on campus this fall.

Use the volunteer registration online for two-hour shifts.

The event is sponsored by Apartment and Residence Life in the Division of Student Affairs. For more information, contact Mari Duncan, director of Residence Life, at mari@uta.edu.

Physics student receives Department of Energy award for nuclear research

Dayla Morrison, physics doctoral student, received the second place prize in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards. She won in the nuclear fuels category for her research paper, “An Ab Initio Study of Bulk Gamma-Uranium and the (100) Surface,” which she presented at the American Physical Society Meeting in March.

The Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Awards program supports the goal of the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy to develop sustainable nuclear fuel cycle options by encouraging innovative research in fuel cycle-related discipline.

Scholarly pursuits From left, Alyssa Allen, psychology junior, and Nicholas Gehm, philosophy senior, discuss their research with Nakeshia Guillory, learning specialist, and Joan Reinhardt, McNair Scholars director. The students were among 14 McNair Scholars who presented their research abstracts to the University community.

Buy a Maverick license plate online, receive a free tumbler

Get ready for the fall semester by purchasing a 10-year personalized license plate from myplates.com during August and receive a My Plates tumbler.

Go to myplates.com/go/uta and enter the promo code tumbler during checkout.

For more information, call 1-888-7MY-PLATES.

Trust fund established for children of Trini Ta-Do at Chase Bank

President James D. Spaniolo has joined with Arlington civic leaders to establish a trust fund for the children of Trini Ta-Do, a UT Arlington research associate who died last month.

Ta-Do ('04 BS) and her sister Michelle Ta ('08 BS), who also died, both worked at TMAC (formerly the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center) at UT Arlington's Automation & Robotics Research Institute in Fort Worth.

“The UT Arlington family grieves the loss of these two valued employees,” Spaniolo says. “We support their families and friends as they establish a trust fund to benefit the surviving children.”

Contributions can be made at any Chase Bank location to “The Paul and Anna Do Trust.”

Summer final exams today

Final exams for the summer II and 11-week terms are today, Tuesday, Aug. 16. Check the final exam schedule online.

Summer grades to be posted by Friday

Grades for summer II and 11-week terms are expected to be available by Friday, Aug. 19. Grades will be available in the MyMav Student Center when official. Some grades are viewable before they are announced as official. Grades are not official until the Office of Records announces them and are subject to change until that time. Any delays in posting will be announced online.

Order your transcript and avoid end-of-term lines

Order your summer transcript online. You can request to hold the transcript for grades or for your degree posting if you are graduating this summer.

Enrollment loans available

Enrollment loans for the fall 2011 term are now available at the Bursar's Office. More information on enrollment loans is online.

Registration for fall semester continues

It's not too late to register for the fall semester. Registration timetables are online.

To determine if you need adviser clearance, check your portal page at MyMav and click on Student Center. You will see a section on the right titled Holds. Click the details link for specific hold information. If your academic department requires advising, you will see an academic department service indicator (hold).

A list of advising offices is online. Check the fall schedule of classes and the graduate catalog.

Print your own enrollment verification

Enrollment verification for the fall semester is available online. To print your verification, log on to MyMav, go to Student Center, and click on Request Enrollment Verification to access the National Student Loan Clearinghouse.

University closed for Labor Day

UT Arlington will be closed Monday, Sept. 5, in observance of Labor Day.

Drug violence on border focus of exhibit, lectures Alumnus Dominic Bracco II (BA '08) provides a view of drug violence in Ciudad Juárez in his exhibit “Life and Death in The Northern Passage,” part of a fall semester program on “The War Next Door: Narco-Violence on the U.S./Mexico Border." The exhibit, presented by Special Collections, opens Monday, Aug. 15, on the sixth floor of the Central Library and runs through Jan. 14, 2012. At UT Arlington, Bracco earned degrees in journalism and Spanish literature and was a photographer for The Shorthorn. He is a photojournalist based in Mexico City. He has worked for the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times Sunday Magazine. The photojournalist will speak at noon Wednesday, Sept. 28, in the sixth floor atrium of the Central Library. His topic is “The Lost Generation: Globalization, Youth Culture, and Violence in Ciudad Juárez." John Burnett of National Public Radio speaks on “The War Next Door” at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, in the library atrium. Photographer David Taylor talks about “Working the Line: Physical, Social, and Political Topography of the U.S./Mexico Border” at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in room 148 of the Fine Arts Building.

Wednesday, Aug. 17

$2 Movie: Mars Needs Moms A young boy gains a deeper appreciation for his mom after Martians take her away. Rated PG. 5:30 p.m. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. Planetarium, 817-272-1183.

Wednesday, Aug. 24

$2 Movie: Source Code A decorated soldier wakes up in the body of an unknown man as part of a program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last eight minutes of his life. Rated PG-13. 5:30 p.m. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27. Planetarium, 817-272-1183.

Ongoing

Influence Exhibit Three members of the Department of Art and Art History faculty—Marilyn Jolly, Sedrick Huckaby, and Carlos Donjuan—combine their talents for this painting exhibit. 3-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays. Free. Through Friday, Sept. 9. Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson Blvd., Dallas.

Texas Rangers Baseball Get tickets for students, faculty, staff, alumni, family, and friends. Access texasrangers.com/uta and use the password rangers for designated games through Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Broken Sugar Exhibit An exhibition of 22 mixed-media sculpture and two-dimensional works by Melba Northum. Free. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center.

Planetarium See the effects of ice in our own ecosystem and travel to distant worlds to see how ice shapes the landscape and natural systems there in Ice Worlds. 6 p.m. Thursdays, 1:30 p.m. Sundays. See the summer shows in the Planetarium schedule, 817-272-1183.

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

Two UT Arlington players named to volleyball first team

Seniors Amanda Aguilera and Alicia Shaffer were named to the preseason All-Southland Conference volleyball first team last week.

Coach Diane Seymour’s team was picked to finish fifth in a poll of conference coaches and fourth by league sports information directors.

The Mavericks give fans a preview with their annual Blue-White scrimmage at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, at Texas Hall. Admission is free.

Season opener is Friday, Aug. 26, at the El Paso Sports Commission Volleyball Tournament. First home matches are in the UT Arlington Invitational Sept. 16-17.

Tracksters earn academic honors

Lionel Mungwari and Ivan Storic were named 2011 Division I Track and Field All-Academic honorees by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Both athletes qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Preliminaries. Mungwari advanced in the long jump and three running events. Storic advanced through the preliminaries in the javelin to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He finished 19th in the nation in the event.

Both juniors, Mungwari compiled a 3.46 GPA, and Storic earned a 3.25.

Mavericks leave on Canada tour

Coach Scott Cross gets an early preview of what the men’s basketball team will look like this season as the Mavericks head to Canada for a five-game tour this week.

The Mavericks are one of a handful of teams that the NCAA has approved for tours this summer against teams from Canadian colleges.

"This trip will be an great opportunity for our team to grow and have a chance to play against quality competition," Cross says.

Games begin Wednesday, Aug. 17, with the final game on the tour set for Monday, Aug. 22. See more on men’s basketball.

Garner to speak at international conference

Movin’ Mavs Coach Doug Garner will present sessions on coaching wheelchair basketball at the 11th Annual BlazeSports International Conference on Paralympic Sport and Physical Activity Sept 15-18 in Atlanta.

Garner also will talk on goal setting and behavioral influences in athlete development.

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