West Texas A&M NewsWire

Thomas Named Geneva Schaeffer Professor of Education and Social Sciences

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Feb. 7, 2012

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

Thomas Named Geneva Schaeffer Professor of Education and Social Sciences

CANYON, Texas—The College of Education and Social Sciences at West Texas A&M University has named Dr. Conn Thomas as the Geneva Schaeffer Professor of Education and Social Sciences. The appointment becomes effective Sept. 1.

Schaeffer, a distinguished WTAMU alumna and philanthropist, established the professorship in 2010 to stimulate academic excellence and enhance scholarship, research and instruction for faculty in the College of Education and Social Sciences. The professorship is a three-year appointment, and funds from the endowed account will provide Thomas with approximately $5,000 for travel, graduate assistants, computer software and hardware, database and/or journal subscriptions or any other resources for enhancing scholarly activity.

“Dr. Thomas’ excellence in teaching, research and professional service make him the perfect choice for the Geneva Schaeffer Professor of Education and Social Sciences,” Dr. Eddie Henderson, dean of the College of Education and Social Sciences, said. “His expertise and national reputation in the field of learning disabilities also contributes to the mission of the WTAMU Partnership for Learning Disabilities which is a significant initiative supported by Mrs. Schaeffer. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Thomas as a member of our faculty and congratulate him on this professional achievement.”

Thomas joined the WTAMU faculty in 1993. His teaching fields and research interests include evidence-based instructional practices in academically diverse classrooms as well as the performance of bilingual and special education students on high-stakes tests. He has been an invited speaker at national and international conferences and is the author and co-author of numerous publications including Special Education Case-by-Case, Accommodations and Modifications for Students with Disabilities and TExES Success: A Comprehensive Guide to the Texas PPR Examination of Educator Competencies. Thomas is the recipient of the Gordon Alley Partnership Award from the Institute for Research on Learning.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences in 1969 from Northwest Missouri State University and a M.Ed. in psychology and counseling services in 1975 from Georgia State University and a M.Ed. in special education from Columbus State University in 1976. He received his Ph.D. in 1995 from the University of Mississippi.

Endowed chairs and professorships are created through generous donor contributions to the University and benefit an academic department designated specifically by the donor. The University’s first endowed position was established in 1984 with the Gene Edwards Professorship. Today the University is home to three endowed chair positions and 17 endowed professorships.

—WTAMU—

WTAMU Student Wins First Place in National Foreign Exchange Trading Contest

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Feb. 7, 2012

CONTACT: Dr. James Owens, 806-651-2525, jowens@wtamu.edu

WTAMU Student Wins First Place in National Foreign Exchange Trading Contest

CANYON, Texas—Joey Ruiz, a graduate student in finance and economics at West Texas A&M University, won first place in the FXCM University Currency Contest with a gain of more than $100,000 in just one month. In his demo account, Ruiz actively traded the euro and finished the competition with $150,107.10, a gain of 200 percent. The first-place win earned Ruiz $1,000 toward his education.

Ruiz bested more than 150 other students from colleges and universities across the country. Universities represented in the competition included Baruch College—City University of New York, University of Wisconsin, University of Dayton, Texas A&M University and University of Texas at Dallas to name a few.

“I lost a lot of sleep trading,” Ruiz said. “But the experience I gained was well worth it. I learned a lot about currency trading and how volatile currencies can be during uncertain economic times.” Ruiz acknowledged that he was lucky, but he tried several trading strategies, which worked really well for him.

The month-long competition was hosted by FXCM (NYSE: FXCM), a global online foreign exchange broker, and Texas A&M University. Ruiz and five other WTAMU students participated in the national competition as part of the course requirement for Dr. Barbara Wang’s international finance class.

“We have a trading game in international finance,” Wang, assistant professor of finance, said. “Students have the option to either participate in the FXCM currency contest or take a more laid-back approach of trading with Oanda’s practice account. Joey’s success in the competition is a testament to the global perspective and practical nature of our graduate business programs.”

—WTAMU—

WTAMU Student Named Top Dz Scholarship Recipient

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jan. 25, 2012

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

WTAMU Student Named Top Dz Scholarship Recipient

CANYON, Texas—One West Texas A&M University student’s mainframe experience has earned him accolades as the top honoree in the fourth annual Destination z Enterprise Computing Scholarship program, winning one of 2011 scholarships as well as the coveted Greg Zaubi Memorial Scholarship.

Vance Morris, a senior computer science major from Canyon, was one of 12 students chosen from a field of 29 applicants to receive a Destination z Enterprise Computing Scholarship. He also was the top student in the field of 12 recipients, and that designation earned him the $2,500 Greg Zaubi Memorial Scholarship—a high honor in the field of mainframe education. Zaubi was a systems programmer who connected thousands of students and professors around the world to System z through the mainframe Knowledge Center hub.

The annual scholarship program provides funds to encourage students to pursue mainframe-related IT careers. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in enterprise computing coursework, attend a Destination z member school and have plans to continue pursuing opportunities on the mainframe. Applications for the scholarships are reviewed by a committee of IBM academic initiative members and representatives of companies contributing to the scholarship funds. Individual scholarship awards vary from year to year, and the student receiving the highest score is awarded the Zaubi scholarship.

Morris has an extensive background in mainframe experience. He has participated in the annual Master the Mainframe competition, finishing in the top one percent. He also serves as the systems administrator of the University’s coursework mainframe called Buffalo Thunder.

“I’ve also built a custom Rational Developer for System z (RDz) unit test and deployed it to 40 Linux machines in our campus lab,” Morris said. “This semester will be the first offering of the final course in enterprise computing at WTAMU, and we plan to utilize the RDz unit extensively.”

According to Rhonda Dittfurth, outreach coordinator with the Department of Engineering and Computer Science, WTAMU is the first university in the world to run a RDz, which provides full emulation of IBM’s System z hardware and runs z/OS operating system. Other universities are now looking to follow WTAMU’s lead and implement the RDz system.

The scholarship funds will allow Morris to concentrate on his coursework this semester and after graduation, he hopes to put his skills in enterprise systems to work in either the business or U.S. government sector.

—WTAMU—

U.S. News Ranks WTAMU's Graduate Online Education Program

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jan. 17, 2012

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

U.S. News Ranks WTAMU’s Graduate Online Education Program

CANYON, Texas—West Texas A&M University has been recognized in the first-ever Top Online Education Program rankings by U.S. News and World Report.

Recognizing the popularity and growing importance of online education, U.S. News ranked 196 online bachelor’s degree programs and 523 online master’s degree programs in business, engineering, nursing, education and computer information technology. U.S. News developed the ranking lists to provide information to prospective students interested in pursuing an online degree program.

Graduate online education programs, with at least 80 percent of their course content available online, were ranked in three areas: student services and technology, faculty credentials and training and student engagement and accreditation. WTAMU’s program was listed among the top 11.5 percent in the student services and technology category with a score of 87.0 and received positive responses for career placement assistance, live tutoring, smartphone app and live streaming video. The University’s 24/7 tech help combined with discussion boards, streaming audio and video and online chat rooms also helped WTAMU score well.

In the category on faculty credentials and training, WTAMU landed in the top 33 percent of all universities ranked. The University earned high marks for its percentage of faculty with terminal degrees—90 percent of which have at least two years of online teaching experience—and for its online training opportunities and support available for faculty members.

WTAMU fell short in the third category of student engagement and accreditation, ranking in the bottom 20 percent of universities ranked. This category looked at class size, student collaboration and teacher-response time frame, but placed much of the weight of ranking in the area of outside accreditation. Dr. Amy Andersen, head of the Department of Education, said WTAMU’s programs are accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, State Board for Educator Certification and the Texas Education Agency. The department is currently pursuing accreditation through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) which will help WTAMU’s ranking in the student engagement and accreditation category in the future.

“We are pleased with how well WTAMU did overall in this first-ever ranking of online programs but while accreditation can be an important factor, student performance on certification exams as a result of their online graduate program is an indicator not considered in the survey,” she said. “Our online graduate students certify in several fields and in almost all of them, 100 percent of students taking the certification exams pass them with a high score, and we are very proud of that.”

The WTAMU Department of Education offers a variety of online graduate education programs in areas that include curriculum and instruction, educational leadership, counseling, special education and instructional technology. For more information about online opportunities, call WTAMU’s Department of Education at 806-651-2626.

—WTAMU—

WTAMU Awards Diplomas to Fall 2011 Graduates

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jan. 17, 2012

CONTACT: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

WTAMU Awards Diplomas to Fall 2011 Graduates

CANYON, Texas—Degrees were officially conferred on 522 West Texas A&M University students during fall commencement exercises Dec. 16 at the First United Bank Center. The University awarded 403 baccalaureate degrees, 117 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees.

Graduates with an overall grade point average of 3.50 or higher were recognized as honor graduates and wore gold honor cords. The three levels of honor recognition are Summa Cum Laude (3.90-4.00), Magna Cum Laude (3.75-3.89) and Cum Laude (3.50-3.74). The WTAMU Class of 2010 included 29 graduates with Summa Cum Laude honors, 25 students with Magna Cum Laude honors and 40 with Cum Laude honors.

The graduating class represented 12 states and 110 Texas cities and towns.

—WTAMU—

Note to Media: Students are listed by hometown and include degrees, majors and honors. Abbreviations for honors are S—Summa Cum Laude, M—Magna Cum Laude and C—Cum Laude.

Degree abbreviations are as follows: BA—Bachelor of Arts; BAAS—Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences; BBA—Bachelor of Business Administration; BMA—Bachelor of Business Administration/Master of Professional Accounting; BFA—Bachelor of Fine Arts; BGS—Bachelor of General Studies; BM—Bachelor of Music; BS—Bachelor of Science; BSMT—Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology; BSN—Bachelor of Science in Nursing; BMSN—Bachelor of Science in Nursing/Master of Science in Nursing; MA—Master of Arts; MAT—Master of Arts in Teaching; MBA—Master of Business Administration; MED—Master of Education; MFA—Master of Fine Arts; MM—Master of Music; MPA—Master of Professional Accounting; MS—Master of Science; MSN—Master of Science in Nursing and PHD—Doctor of Philosophy.

WTAMU Announces Fall 2011 Honors Lists

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jan. 17, 2012

CONTACT: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

WTAMU Announces Fall 2011 Honors Lists

CANYON, Texas—West Texas A&M University has named more than 1,300 students to honors lists for the fall 2011 semester. Of that total, 452 were named to the President’s List and 932 students were named to the Dean’s List.

Students named to the President’s List must have a grade point average (GPA) of 4.00 and carry a minimum class load of 12 undergraduate hours.

Those named to the Dean’s List must have a GPA between 3.50 and 3.99 and carry a minimum of 12 undergraduate hours.

—WTAMU—

WTAMU Professor Receives Funds to Research Animal Disease Outbreak

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Jan. 13, 2012

CONTACT: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

WTAMU Professor Receives Funds to Research Animal Disease Outbreak

CANYON, Texas—In the movie, Hud, a foot and mouth disease outbreak resulted in a pit being dug, and cattle being driven into the pit, killed and buried. If a similar incident were to happen in the Texas Panhandle where three million head of cattle are fed, a large enough pit couldn’t be dug fast enough to contain the outbreak.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has contracted with West Texas A&M University’s Dr. Robert DeOtte, professor of civil and environmental engineering, to research options for such a scenario and awarded him $522,522 for a project titled “Animal Disease Outbreak Emergency Response Logistical Infrastructure – Texas Region.”

DeOtte will identify transportation options, disease-free status in the environment and animal population, alternative disease control strategies and restocking standards. His research will be used by APHIS to establish policies for the entire United States.

If an incident of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) like the one recently experienced on the Korean peninsula was handled as inadequately as that epidemic was, losses to the cattlemen, the rural communities and the American population could easily total billions of dollars. Whole communities could disappear, and the ability to feed the American people would be severely challenged.

The United States has not had a case of FMD since 1929 but with the modern global economy and extensive air travel, it may not be possible to prevent introduction of the disease. Coupling that with the realization that much of this region is classified as tornado alley and is prone to blizzards, ice storms, wildfires and severe drought, it is obvious how vital it is to understand the relationship of the communities with livestock production.

The researchable and important questions are: What is the ability of rural agricultural communities to recover from catastrophic livestock disasters? What is the ability to dispose of carcasses? What criteria is required for recovery from disease status, including monitoring for disease and establishing criteria to begin restocking animals? How can we quantify our ability to dispose of animal carcasses?

DeOtte’s work involving the United States food security has placed him on numerous national review panels such as FAD PReP Guidelines for Appraisal and Compensation, FAD PReP Guidelines for Beef Feedlot Industry Manual and USDA-APHIS-VS National Steering Committee for a Secure Milk Supply. He has served as chair of the Panhandle Agrosecurity Working Group (PAWG), as a member of the Panhandle Regional Emergency Management Advisory Committee (PREMAC) and is both qualified and well positioned to perform this research. A critical issue for those working on agricultural disasters is how can we respond if there is a corresponding incident and resources are directed toward that. It is important to explore that possibility.

More than 450,000 beef cattle are housed near and within the city of Hereford. At an average value or $1,000 per animal, the cost of lost livestock would be on the order of $450 million, not counting the costs of labor and equipment to accomplish the task. The potential environmental impact is staggering. The intent of this study is to significantly reduce the cost of response and eliminate the need for such a profound elimination of livestock while enhancing resiliency.

For more information, contact DeOtte at 806-651-8780.

—WTAMU—