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Need an HT T-shirt, jacket, warm-up, mug, pen, wallet holder, lanyard, or other special item? Visit the HT bookstore. Purchase your HT paraphernalia, and, of course, books for your classes at the campus bookstore. Special hours during reunion weekend. Store located in the Davage-Durden Student Union, 900 Chicon Street.

 AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES ATTRACTED TO
HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY

(AUSTIN, Texas) 12.21.07 — Huston-Tillotson University officials announce registration for the Spring 2008 semester and report that during the prior semester the number of males enrolled exceeded the number of females for the first time in a number of years. Males made up fifty-eight percent of the incoming first-year students enrolled. The largest group represented was African American followed by Hispanic males. For nearly 50 years, the University’s ratio of females to males has been balanced with 51% to 48%, respectively, for the 768 students enrolled during the 2007-2008 term. University officials credit the increase to tradition and scholarship opportunities available to students.

HT PARTNERS WITH U.S. IMMIGRATIONS AND
CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT TO OFFER INTERNSHIPS

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Huston-Tillotson University President Larry L. Earvin and Office of Investigations Director Marcy Forman signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to create an internship partnership.  The agreement offers first hand experience and introduces upper level HT criminal justice majors to the challenges and benefits of a federal law enforcement career.

Huston-Tillotson University’s newest major, criminal justice, which was launched in 2003, has taken its place as the third most popular major among currently enrolled students as well as incoming first year, first time freshmen. Criminal justice ranks behind business administration, which has the most declared majors, and kinesiology.

“The opportunity is a fantastic one for any student who would like to gain practical, hands-on experience,” said Lorraine Samuels, HT’s Assistant Professor in Criminal Justice.  “What better agency than the Department of Homeland Security. This is truly a gift to our students.”

This agreement is the latest in a number of initiatives with law enforcement agencies designed to ensure job readiness for HT graduates and increase the number of minorities in the profession.

 NEW MEMBERS NAMED TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

 

(AUSTIN, Texas) — At the annual meeting on April 27, 2007, the Huston-Tillotson University Board of Trustees elected new members to fill vacant positions.  Terrance Grant-Malone, James Hill, and Donnie Williams were added to the 28-member board to fill vacant positions.  Carole Keeton Strayhorn was also elected to the board.  She subsequently launched a new nonprofit initiative, which meant she had to resign her board position.

 

Grant-Malone, the youngest member at age 28, is a 2001 Huston-Tillotson graduate.  After obtaining his bachelor of arts degree in English, he acquired a master of arts from Aspen Christian College and Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado, and recently completed his doctorate in Christian education.  He is pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Houston, Texas.

  

Williams, president of Austin’s Sovereign Bank, served as general chair of Huston-Tillotson’s most successful President’s Mankind Assisting Students Kindle Educational Dreams (MASKED) Ball.  He was previously president of Colonial Bank in Austin before opening the first Sovereign branch in the area in 2004.

 

Hill was employed with the University of Texas for the past 13 years and recently retired as vice president for community and school relations.  A native Austinite, Hill received his bachelor’s degree from Huston-Tillotson, and his master’s and doctorate degrees from UT.  He also taught, was a counselor, and band director with the Abilene Independent School District.

 

Rambie Briggs, M.D., Melvin R. Dillard, R. James George, Esq., and Thalia Matherson completed their terms as members of the Board of Trustees and were recognized for their years of service during commencement convocation.  Board member Thurmond Woodard died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

 

Matherson and Briggs served for 17 years each.  Matherson is a retired Dallas Independent School District middle school principal and retired laywoman with the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church.  Briggs is a retired medical doctor who served as an internal medicine specialist with North Austin Medical Center.  He also served with Scott and White Hospital.  Dillard was recognized for 18 years of service.  He is a 1963 graduate of Huston-Tillotson and an independent insurance broker.  George began his term in 1987 and served as Chair of the Board from 1998 to 2001.  He graduated from the University of Texas with high honors in 1966, was a law clerk for The Honorable Thurgood Marshall, Associate Justice of the United Supreme Court from 1970-71, was admitted to the bar in 1969 and continues to practice today within his firm of George and Brothers, LLP.

 

The Chair of the Board position passed from Wilhelmina R. Delco to David A. Talbot, Jr., Esq.  Delco will continue to serve as a member.

 

 Applied Materials Presents $20,000 to HT
 for Its Summer Math and Science 

(AUSTIN, Texas) — Applied Materials Manufacturing Project Manager Bill Kempf presented a $20,000 check to Huston-Tillotson University to support the Austin Pre-Freshman Engineering Program (AusPrEP) summer program.  The summer series, managed by Huston-Tillotson’s Professor of Chemistry Dr. Muchere Russ, is targeted toward minority students interested in opportunities in the fields of math, science, engineering, and technology.

 

The nationally recognized program, designed to identify high achieving middle and high school students with the potential and interest in becoming scientists and engineers, began on the Huston-Tillotson campus in 1990.  Applied Materials has provided funding for AusPrEP for the past four consecutive years.

 

Photo Information
Presenting the $20,000 check to Dr. Muchere Russ, Huston-Tillotson University Professor of Chemistry and AusPrEP Director, are Lee Hicks, Project Manager (left), and Bill Kempf, Manufacturing Project Manager, from Applied Materials.  Also shown are Dr. General Marshall, founder of the HT program and a retired mathematics professor, and current AusPrEP students.

 

Thunder™ Rolls on the HT Campus Landscape

 

 

By Janice B. Smith and Linda Y. Jackson

 

Academic collaboration at Huston-Tillotson University is more exciting, engaging, and immersive due to implementation of a revolutionary new technological tool.  Unlike many instructional technologies that focus on the ability to incorporate one or two types of media, this integrated tool capitalizes on displaying, sharing, and manipulating multiple types of media in real time.

Thunder™ Virtual Flipchart™ System is the brain child of Polyvision Corporation, a Steelcase Company, considered the world leader in visual communication products.  Through a grant from Polyvision ($48,850), a $500,000 appropriation facilitated by Texas Senator Royce West through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board funds, the five Texas Association of Developing Colleges (TADC) have acquired the Thunder™ Enterprise Collaboration System primarily to expand the schools’ Centers for Teacher Education distance learning offerings.  Thunder™ was originally designed for the global communication needs of corporate clients.  However, the TADC institutions quickly realized the benefits for instruction.  HT and the TADC institutions are the only higher education institutions in Texas, to date, that have adopted Thunder™ as an academic technology.

 

Interest in Thunder as an alternative distance learning platform for courses offered through TADCs' Centers for Teacher Education began in 2005. The learning curve required by professors for adoption is extremely low, because Thunder™ incorporates several familiar technologies with into one integrated system.   The system allows users to work in their style instead of adapting their style to accommodate new technologies or applications.  Imagine, a professor’s or student's handwritten notes projected directly from the flipchart to multiple screens and a laptop, or diagrams and reports saved by each student at the click of a button.  The collaboration and interaction with displayed content are the beauty of Thunder™.   Unlike typical videoconferencing configurations, Thunder™ is not dependent on a single audio video transmission.  Instead, the content displayed on the flip chart pages becomes the visual focus, and audio connections (phone) provide the avenue for oral collaboration—much like a conference call.  Digital and text files as well as individual desktops are shared and manipulated easily by all participants through the Thunder™ easel and computer client application.  All information presented during a session, whether face-to-face or at a distance, can be saved, re-opened, printed, and mailed electronically, if desired.    

 

The technology is definitely new generation for virtual group interaction.  Classes enhanced with Thunder™ at HT will be attractive to students intrigued by technology that addresses various learning styles and the opportunity to actively and collaboratively create content that becomes a part of the class session.  In addition to enhancing and expanding the distance learning offerings, opportunities to collaborate with current and future partners is easily accomplished.   Collaborative partnerships between the pre-service students at the University of Nottingham, the University of Toronto, and HT are in progress. 

 

According to Janice Smith, HT’s assistant professor of instructional technology, Thunder™ supports the University’s strategic plan objectives by expanding distance-learning opportunities to meet the needs of students desiring alternative modes of delivery; developing and promoting the use of technology in teaching; expanding student-focused learning center/computer facilities; and increasing student accessibility to support instruction, research, and development.  Smith provides technology training and instructional design support for the HT faculty and TADC consortium.

 

The Thunder™ product with its electronic room scheduling keypad is housed in HT’s Dickey-Lawless Science Building. 

HT AND APD

AGREE TO EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE MOVES INTO TOP FIVE AMONG HT MAJORS

 

(Austin, TEXAS) 8.15.07 — Huston-Tillotson University President Larry L. Earvin and Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo signed a collaborative agreement today that provides tuition discounts and reimbursements to APD employees who successfully complete classes in criminal justice.

 

Huston-Tillotson University’s newest major, criminal justice, has taken its place as the third most popular major among currently enrolled students as well as incoming first year, first time freshmen. Criminal justice ranks behind business administration, which has the most declared majors, and kinesiology. 

 

University officials added criminal justice to its offerings in 2003 and established partnerships with the Austin Police Department (APD), Travis County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO), Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and Hayes County Sheriff’s Office.  The partnerships offer discounted tuitions for employees to earn a baccalaureate degree in criminal justice with the anticipation of enhancing career opportunities for HT students, providing professional advancement options for existing law enforcement employees, and attracting more minorities to the profession.

 

In addition, during the 2007 commencement, 12 students received their bachelor's degree in criminal justice, which represented 13% of the 94 graduates. Graduates are currently employed with APD, in overseas positions, and the military.

 

Criminal justice, which is an interdisciplinary program in the study of crime and the administration of the justice system, raises the University’s liberal arts degree offerings to 15 as listed:  Academic degree (secondary education), biology, business administration, chemistry, computer science, English, interdisciplinary studies (elementary education), kinesiology, mathematics, music, music education, political science, psychology, and sociology.   Criminal justice, within the College of Arts and Sciences, is a 122-hour program of courses designed to endow students with skills necessary for critical knowledge, communications, personal growth, and real-world application opportunities within the criminal justice discipline. 

 

Classes start September 4 and registration is in progress now for the fall term.

 

HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY JOINS WORLD GRID COMMUNITY

(AUSTIN, Texas) 11.7.06 — Huston-Tillotson University officials have partnered with the IBM Corporation to link its more than 300 campus computers to the computational power of the World Community Grid that can be used to solve problems plaguing humanity.

 

HT joins more than 225 companies, associations, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions that contribute their idle personal computer (PC) time toward the creation of a massive research system that is easy to use, safe, and far exceeds the power of a few supercomputers.

 

“This partnership affords Huston-Tillotson the opportunity to utilize its resources not only to serve the community but to make a difference in the community,” said President, Larry L. Earvin, Ph.D.  “In addition, the collaboration advances HT’s ability to serve its students and faculty by addressing some difficult research challenges that the University has experienced.”

When personal computers are idle, data are requested from the grid’s server that is commutated, sent back for results, and prompted for the next records.

 

In its first year, the World Community Grid ran the “Human Proteome Folding Project,” which provided scientists with data on how individual proteins within the human body affect human health, enabling them to develop new cures for diseases like lyme disease, malaria, and

Tuberculosis.  Scientists now have descriptions of 120,000 protein domains that are critical to human well-being.  Without the benefit of the free grid technology, it would have taken five years to secure the results, compared with just 12 months.

 

Nearly 12 months ago, the World Community Grid launched FightAIDS@Home.com, sponsored by The Scripps Research Institute, to identify new candidate drugs to block Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) protease, a key molecular structure that when blocked, stops the virus from maturing and consequently prolonging life by avoiding the onset of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).  This past summer, the World Community Grid launched a new effort that will assist in cancer research.  The “Help Defeat Cancer” project will use the system to analyze tissue microarrays, a new investigative tool that will ultimately help doctors select proper treatments and provide accurate prognosis for cancer patients.

 

To join HT and others in this huge endeavor, individuals should visit www.worldcommunitygrid.org to download the free software on their computers.

 

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EARVIN INDUCTED INTO THE

NATIONAL BLACK COLLEGE ALUMNI HALL OF FAME

 

(AUSTIN, Texas) 9.5.06 — Larry L. Earvin, President and CEO, Huston-Tillotson University, was inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame, representing education, at a special ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 29, 2006.

 

Earvin, who started his career in higher education in a position that was only supposed to last one year, is now entering his 35^th year in the academic arena.  His career is filled with numerous accomplishments, successes, and a Huston-Tillotson presidential appointment in 2000.  He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University, completed his Master of Science degree at Georgia State University, and earned a doctorate from Emory University.

 

The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation was established to serve as a catalyst and partner in order to ensure the stability, strength, and excellence of the nation’s historically and/or predominately black colleges and universities.

WACHOVIA FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTES $100,000

FOR BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER

 (AUSTIN, Texas) 6.14.06 — The Wachovia Foundation awarded Huston-Tillotson University $100,000 in support of the Wachovia Business Resource and Training Center that will be housed in the newly renovated and historic Anthony and Louise Viaer-Alumni Hall, formerly the Old Administration Building (OAB).

 

The Resource Center will be designed as a one-stop center dedicated to meeting the training and employment needs of community residents and industry-specific businesses. 

“At Wachovia, we focus on building the strength of every community where we do business,” said Bill Wilson, president of Wachovia’s Central Texas region.  “It is a privilege for us to fund the Wachovia Business Resource and Training Center at Huston-Tillotson.  We see it as a solid investment in the future of the university, the people it serves and the entire Austin region.”

 

Timely information as well as various types of management and technical support will be available.  In addition, officials at the Resource Center intend to work closely with Texas Workforce to provide job search information to local residents in an effort to enhance their chances of achieving employment.  Finally, various job training programs such as entrepreneurship, computer applications, and industry specific training (i.e. bank teller training).