University Communications » Internal Communications » TrailBlazer » TrailBlazer 09-27-2011

Petsche Court: The University is honoring a $1 million gift by naming the College Park Center basketball court for alums Alan and Bonnie Smith Petsche.

Gifts totaling $1.75 million provide boost for College Park Center

The families of two distinguished business leaders have committed $1.75 million in new gifts in support of the 7,000-seat College Park Center, the events venue set to open on campus early next year.

Alan Petsche ('80 BBA) and his wife, Bonnie Smith Petsche ('86 BBA), both alumni of the College of Business, have committed $1 million to College Park Center. The University will honor the couple by naming the new basketball court Petsche Court. The couple’s commitment is the second-largest gift in support of the $78 million events center.

The Moritz family, of the Moritz Dealerships, has committed $750,000 to College Park Center. The family’s gift will be recognized with Moritz Plaza, a grand space at the northwest corner of South Pecan and East Second streets that will serve as the main entrance to College Park Center. Moritz Plaza will connect the events center and the mixed-use retail and residential development spanning three blocks to the north.

Read more about the College Park Center gifts and Petsche Court.

Emmitt Smith

Maverick Speakers Series tickets on sale Oct. 3

Tickets for the first lecture of the Maverick Speakers Series, featuring Emmitt Smith, will be available at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3, through utatickets.com.

Smith, the National Football League's all-time leading rusher, appears at Texas Hall on Thursday, Oct. 20.

Free general admission tickets will be available, as will a new $25 preferred package while supplies last. The package includes reserved parking, reserved entrance to avoid long lines, reserved seating near the stage, and front-of-the-line access to book signings (participating speakers only).

For more information, call the Texas Hall box office at 817-272-9595 or see the Maverick Speakers Series website.

Dominc Bracco II

Photojournalist presents view of Ciudad Juarez

Dominic Bracco II discusses documenting the effects of Mexican and North American policies on the border region where he was raised in his talk "The Lost Generation: Globalization, Youth Culture, and Violence in Ciudad Juarez" at noon Wednesday, Sept. 28, in the sixth floor atrium of the Central Library.

His lecture is part of a series on "The War Next Door: Narco-Violence and the U.S.-Mexico Border" tied to the photo exhibit "Life and Death in the Northern Pass" in the library's sixth floor parlor.

Bracco ('08 BA), a distinguished photojournalist and former photographer for The Shorthorn, documented the horrors of Mexico's drug war through images of violence and its aftermath, grieving families, and tender scenes of day-to-day urban life.

Chris Conway, exhibit coordinator and an associate professor of modern languages, calls Bracco's work astonishingly brave and illuminating photojournalism.

"Dominic is reporting from the front lines of a devastating war at our doorstep, and his work can help us understand its impact on Mexico and the United States," says Dr. Conway, who was one of Bracco's professors.

Bracco's lecture is part of the annual Festival of Ideas, which was founded in 2005 by Mustaque Ahmed ('81).

Job seekers About 1,800 students and alumni handed out resumes and met with 136 employers at the Fall Job Fair on Wednesday at the Maverick Activities Center. The Career Center hosted the fair. See the slideshow.

Laptop-friendly spaces arrive with ribbon cutting Wednesday

Join in the ribbon cutting as the Office of Information Technology celebrates nine new laptop-friendly spaces around campus to accommodate evolving computer trends.

The celebration is 2-3 p.m. Wednesday, September 28, in Room 340 in the Business Building.

The wireless spaces have charging stations. To access a printer, download print drivers at the OIT web page.

Find the laptop-friendly spaces on campus.

Volunteers needed for health events

Volunteers are needed for presentations on breast cancer awareness 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Arlington Hall mall, and prescription drug awareness 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, in the Palo Duro Lounge of the E.H. Hereford University Center.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Health Services at 817-272-2771.

Flu vaccine now available

Avoid the flu this year with an immunization shot at the Health Services Center. The vaccine is available 8:30 a.m.–noon and 1–4:30 p.m. at the center. No appointment is needed. Outreach clinics will be available in October.

For more details, go online to Health Services or call 817-272-2771.

Pump it up Ashley Pena, advertising sophomore, keeps an eye on her money jar at the Cyclethon for World Heart Day on Monday at the Maverick Activities Center. Teams rode exercise bikes for 12 hours to raise money for the American Heart Association. Pena was part of the Ultimate Frisbee Club team.

Read a banned book this week

Check out a banned book and participate in the virtual read-out for Banned Books Week through Friday, Sept. 30. The read-out is at the Central Library.

Participants can read a two-minute excerpt from their favorite book, which will be recorded and uploaded to the library’s YouTube channel and to the ALA Virtual Read-Out YouTube channel.

Need some suggestions? See the display at the Central Library or the Banned Books Week slideshow showing the Maverick librarians reading their favorite banned books.

Choose from three locations for Alternative Spring Break

Enjoy a different kind of spring break by volunteering with three helpful organizations. The 2012 Alternative Spring Break sites are:

Atlanta—Essential2Life works with tutoring for at-risk elementary kids, the Salvation Army, shelters, food banks, and more.

New Orleans—Katrina's Kids works with inner city children in Head Start programs who were affected or born after Hurricane Katrina.

Perryville, Ark.—Heifer International works with animals and organic farming that are the primary sources of food and resources for Third World countries.

Applications are available in Room B140 of the E.H. Hereford University Center and are due by 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7.

Look for more information on the Student Activities website.

Count me in Nanci Monter, nursing sophomore, adds her name to a banner for National Hazing Prevention Week. The banner was in front of the E.H. Hereford University Center on Tuesday.

Register now for 31st Annual Bed Races

Think yabba-dabba-do when signing up for the 31st annual Bed Races. The Flintstones cartoon classic is the theme for this year’s race at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at Maverick Stadium.

Student teams push beds on wheels while decked out in creative costumes at the University’s longest-running tradition. Other fun that night includes music, dancing, games, giveaways, and a halftime competition.

Teams must register by Tuesday, Oct. 4, with EXCEL Campus Activities.

Endowed distinguished professorship will attract physics optics innovator

An endowed distinguished professorship will honor Fort Worth physicist and businessman Richard N. Claytor while strengthening the University’s cutting edge optics-related research.

The professorship will be funded by a $500,000 endowment recently established through a philanthropic gift from Nelson E. Claytor, Richard Claytor’s son.

Nelson Claytor and Fresnel Technologies committed $250,000 to create the distinguished professorship in the Physics Department. That sum will be matched by the Maverick Match program, which leverages the University’s natural gas royalties to encourage philanthropy and bolster the University's endowment.

Read more about the Richard N. Claytor endowment.

Honored professor: Dr. Beverly Black is the first recipient of the Jillian Michele Smith Professorship in Family Violence Research.

Jillian Smith social work professorship established

The School of Social Work Advisory Council has created a $250,000 endowed professorship focused on issues of family violence in honor of Jillian Smith (’09 BA), an Arlington police officer killed in the line of duty last year.

Advisory council members committed $125,000 to create the Jillian Michele Smith Professorship in Family Violence Research, believed to be the first endowment of its kind from a University advisory group. That sum has doubled through the Maverick Match program, which pairs natural gas royalties with new endowment commitments to encourage philanthropic gifts.

Social Work Professor Beverly Black, who joined the University in 2008, has been named the professorship’s first recipient. Dr. Black is director of the doctoral social work program and has focused her research on sexual assault, adolescent dating violence, prevention programming, and domestic violence.

Read more about the professorship.

Progress reports available as soon as entered

Progress reports are available to many undergraduate students through their MyMav Student Center. Progress reports are intended to give realistic feedback from instructors.

When your instructor enters progress report grades, you will receive an email through your student account.

Progress report grades for freshmen are being posted now. Midterm grades will be added through October. You can see the grades as soon as they are entered, so check your MyMav Student Center often.

Final deadlines near for December graduation

Late applications for December graduation will be accepted from undergraduates through Friday, Oct. 7, and from graduate students through Wednesday, Oct. 12. Additional fees and procedures may apply. Read more about undergraduate graduation and graduate student graduation requirements.

Depending on the publishing deadlines, late-applying students may not have their name included in the Commencement program.

Students who graduated in summer or will graduate this fall and want to be included in the printed souvenir Commencement booklet must set or change their privacy settings by Saturday, Oct. 1. Follow instructions on Inclusion in the Commencement Booklet.

Early advising to begin for winter intersession, spring

Beginning Monday, Oct. 3, students can meet with their academic advisers to discuss registration for winter intersession and spring terms.

Check with your major department’s advising office to schedule an appointment or find walk-in hours. A list of advising offices is online.

Registration for winter intersession and spring begins Monday, Oct. 24.

Special Collections exhibit looks at the West The American West comes alive in more than 30 paintings, sculptures, and prints in the latest exhibit by UT Arlington Library's Special Collections. Impressions of the West: Works of Art from Special Collections looks at how artists interpreted the land and peoples of the southwest and west. Focusing on artists who worked during the 20th century, the exhibit explores whether western art is a truthful recording of a bygone era, an idealized version of history, or merely kitsch created for the popular market. Featured works are by such greats as Frederic Remington and Charles Marion Russell, who epitomize western art, as well as Bert Phillips, one of the founding members of the Taos School. Works by other well-known western artists such as Olaf Wieghorst and Fremont Ellis also are on display. The exhibit runs through Jan. 14. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, call 817-272-3393.

Tuesday, Sept. 27

Clavier Series Piano Recital Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, music@uta.edu, 817-272-3471.

Wednesday, Sept. 28

$2 Movie: The Wizard of Oz Classic 1939 tale of Dorthy's journey to the Emerald City. 5:30 p.m. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1. Planetarium, 817-272-1183.

Thursday, Sept. 29

Volleyball Mavericks vs. McNeese State. Free with student ID. 7 p.m., Texas Hall, Athletics, 817-272-2261.

Wind Symphony Concert Features faculty guest soloists Martha Walvoord, violin; David Grogan, baritone; and Soo Hong Kim, soprano. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, music@uta.edu, 817-272-3471.

Friday, Sept. 30-Saturday, Oct. 1

Fort Worth Music Festival UT Arlington Jazz Combo performs at 6:15 p.m. Saturday. See the schedule. Advance tickets $5. Gate price $10. Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth.

Saturday, Oct. 1

Volleyball Mavericks vs. Lamar. Free with student ID. 2 p.m., Texas Hall, Athletics, 817-272-2261.

Monday, Oct. 3

Voice Division Recital Free. Noon, Irons Recial Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, music@uta.edu, 817-272-3471.

Faculty and Friends Chamber Orchestra Concert Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music, music@uta.edu, 817-272-3471.

Tuesday, Oct. 4

UTA Celebrates National Night Out Join in the 28th Annual National Night Out event for free food and crime prevention information. Learn about free women's self-defense classes, emergency situation information, bicycle patrols, escort services, and more. Free. 6-8 p.m., University Center mall. UT Arlington Police, 817-272-3904.

Wednesday, Oct. 5

$2 Movie: Gremlins A boy inadvertantly breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town. Rated PG. 5:30 p.m. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. Planetarium, 817-272-1183.

Ongoing

Levitt Pavilion Concert Series The fall Levitt Pavilion Arlington series concludes this weekend with concerts Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Free. Levitt Pavilion Arlington, 100 W. Abram St.

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. Through Friday, Sept. 30. Gallery 76102, Fort Worth Center.

Natural Perceptions Marilyn Jolly, associate professor of art and art history, has work featured in Natural Perceptions, an exhibit at the University of Dallas. Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Through Sunday, Oct. 2. Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery, University of Dallas.

Silver: 25th Anniversary Exhibition A group show of 25 artists who have shown works from The Gallery at UTA's 1986 beginning as the Center for Research in Contemporary Art to the present. Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Through Saturday, Oct. 15. The Gallery at UTA, Fine Arts Building. 817-272-5658.

Life and Death in the Northern Pass Photojournalist Dominic Bracco II ('08 BA) provides a view of drug violence in Ciudad Juarez. Free. Through Jan. 14. Sixth floor parlor, Central Library.

Planetarium Join two children on a magical journey through the solar system in Secret of the Cardboard Rocket. 1 p.m., Saturdays. Planetarium, 817-272-1183.

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

Tuesday, Sept. 27	Development of Ultrasound-mediated Optical Imaging Techniques Baohong Yuan, assistant professor of bioengineering, discusses how ultrasonic and optical imaging techniques are promising tools for cancer diagnosis and treatment follow-up. Free. 9:30 a.m., Room 601, Nedderman Hall. Electrical Engineering, Samir Iqbal, 817-272-0228.
Wednesday, Sept. 28	Be a Maverick: Student Organizations and Campus Involvement Identify the organizations and activities that will be the best fit for you. Free. Noon-1 p.m., Room 101, College Hall. University College, Success Series. Study Abroad Workshop: Critical Language and Area Studies Free. Noon-1:30 p.m., Room 200, Trimble Hall. International Education. The Lost Generation: Globalization, Youth Culture and Violence in Ciudad Juarez Photojournalist Dominic Bracco II ('08 BA) discusses his work documenting the effect of Mexican and U.S. policies on the border region where he was raised. His lecture is part of the Festival of Ideas. Free. Noon-1 p.m., sixth floor parlor, Central Library.
Thursday, Sept. 29	Introduction to Adobe Dreamweaver Register online. Free. 2-4 p.m., Digital Media Studio, Room B29, Central Library. UT Arlington Library, Technoscholar workshops. Conversations: First College Student in the Family Discuss issues that may be unique to your experience. Free. Noon-1 p.m., Room 101, College Hall. University College, Success Series. GIS Workshop: Accessing Census Statistics No GIS or census research experience necessary. Free. 3-5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 29, Room B20, Central Library. GIS Workshops. Biology Colloquium Series Shawn Christensen, assistant professor of biology, presents "Targeting Target-primed Reserve Transcription: The Structure and Function of Site Specific Retrotransposons." Free. 4 p.m., Room 124, Life Science Building. Biology, 817-272-2872. Majors Exploration Free. 1 p.m., Room 303, Ransom Hall. University Advising Center, exploringmajors@uta.edu, 817-272-3140.
Tuesday, Oct. 4	College of Engineering Distinguished Speaker Series Cathy Leslie, president of Engineers Without Borders-USA, has more than 20 years experience overseeing both domestic and international corporate engineering projects. EWB-USA creates sustainable and participatory solutions to rural community development projects. Free. 6-7 p.m., Room 100, Nedderman Hall. Engineering, Distinguished Speaker Series.
Wednesday, Oct. 5	Student Veterans Workshop: Understanding Your Learning Style Free. Noon-1 p.m., Room 330, Science Hall. University College, resources@uta.edu. Undergraduate Grammar and Mechanics Workshop Free. Noon-1 p.m., Room 411, Central Library. Writing Center, owl@uta.edu, 817-272-2601. Study Abroad Info Session: Focus on Asia Free. Noon-1 p.m., Sabine Room, E.H. Hereford University Center. International Education, studyabroad@uta.edu. Challenges in Designing a Hybrid Racecar UT Arlington's Formula SAE Racing Team is converting one of its racecars to hybrid power. Mechanical Engineering Professor Bob Woods, the team's adviser, describes challenges they faced and decisions they made in the conversion. Light breakfast provided. Reservations. Arlington Technology Association members, students, and first-time guests free. Others $5. 7 a.m. Room 601, Nedderman Hall. Engineering, 817-924-1850. Employability Skills Strengthen job-seeking skills and make a smooth transition from college life to the workforce. Free. Noon-1 p.m., Room 101, College Hall. University College, Success Series, 817-272-0777.
Thursday, Oct. 6	Introduction to Adobe Illustrator Register online. Free. 2-4 p.m., Digital Media Studio, Room B29, Central Library. UT Arlington Library, Technoscholar workshops.
(For an expanded list of events, see the UT Arlington Calendar.)

Tennis champ: Junior Yauheni Yakauleu won the men’s singles consolation title at the Baylor Invitational on Sunday.

Yakauleu wins consolation tennis title at Baylor

After dropping his first match in the round of 64, junior Yauheni Yakauleu came back to win his next six singles matches and captured the Baylor Invitational men’s tennis consolation championship Sunday in Waco.

Participants from 16 schools competed in the tournament.

Volleyballers split conference matches

UT Arlington opened Southland Conference volleyball play with a victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday, but lost to UT San Antonio on Saturday.

The Mavericks host McNeese State at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, and Lamar at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1. Both matches are at Texas Hall.

Bees cut Waterchase golf tournament short

Bees won the final round of the UTA/Waterchase Invitational last Tuesday at the Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth when the insects invaded the course.

The Maverick golf team finished tied for third when the final round was canceled because of the infestation. Scores reverted to Monday's completed rounds as juniors Paul McConnell and Hunter Brown led the Mavericks with even-par scores of 144.

The golfers are competing at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic in Notre Dame, Ind., this week. The tournament concludes today.

Intramural entries due for ultimate frisbee, badminton

Intramural entries are due Wednesday, Sept. 28, for the ultimate frisbee tournament, and Sunday, Oct. 2, for badminton competition. An adapted badminton wheelchair division is available upon advance request by contacting Doug Garner at dgarner@uta.edu.

Other intramural events coming up include indoor soccer and volleyball.

For more information, see intramural sports.

Free food, T-shirts at Student Appreciation Night

Come out to watch the Maverick volleyball team take on Texas State and enjoy Student Appreciation Night on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Enter the raffle for your chance to win $10,000 courtesy of the UTA Bookstore. There will be free food and free T-shirts as the match begins at 7:30 p.m. at Texas Hall.

Sponsored by Athletics, Student Affairs, Student Governance and Organizations, and Apartment and Residence Life. For more information, contact Student Affairs at 817-272-6080.

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