WT News & Notes | September 2025

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Here’s a roundup of the latest news and accomplishments of West Texas A&M University students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Price Appointed Sports and Exercise Sciences Department Head

Dr. Blake Price, a 12-year veteran of the WT faculty and WT alumnus, was named the new head of the Department of Sports and Exercise Sciences in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Price is an assistant professor of sports and exercise sciences who earned a Ph.D. from Troy University.

“The opportunity to serve as the department head for Sports and Exercise Sciences is an honor that I don’t take lightly, particularly as a two-time WT alum,” Price said. “I have had the opportunity to learn from a lot of mentors during my time here, and I look forward to growing the department and providing the best possible experience to our students.”

“Our College has worked hard to build a dedicated team of talented faculty and leaders of which Dr. Price clearly rises to the top,” said Dr. Holly Jeffreys, dean and Ware University Distinguished Professor. “He is respected throughout the community as well as by his peers and has been an outstanding instructor and mentor to SES students. Blake has unlimited potential as a leader, and we are thrilled for him to be a part of our administrative team as we work together to make a greater impact in our region and beyond.”

Price is a Happy native and member of several professional organizations, including the North American Society for Sport Management and the Texas High School Coaches Association. He serves as an alumni mentor for the Rogers LEAD WT program and is the faculty advisor for the WT Trap & Skeet Club.

His research interests include athletic policy, athletic facility construction and management, legal issues in sport, the role of sport tourism entities in community and economic development, and state-level sport tourism cooperatives.

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Lucherk Honored as Top 4-H Alum

Dr. Loni Lucherk, WT’s Gordon W. Davis Endowed Chair in Meat Judging, recently was selected as one of the 4 Under 40 Honorees by Texas 4-H.

Lucherk joined WT in January 2020. She earned a bachelor’s in animal science–meat business from Texas Tech University in 2012 and a master’s and a doctorate in 2014 and 2019, respectively, also from Texas Tech.

At WT, Lucherk teaches food science, meat animal/carcass evaluation and advanced animal/meat evaluation. She also coaches and mentors the meat judging, meat science quiz bowl, and meat animal evaluation teams and coordinates the wool judging team. She was the first female professor in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences to be named a chair.

Lucherk was a 4-H member in Johnson County for 12 years and served as Texas 4-H president and governor of the State 4-H Congress. She was a member of a national and state champion 4-H meat judging team and a national qualifying and state champion 4-H dairy cattle judging team.

“I am honored to be among great honorees, including Brady Ragland, CEO of the Amarillo Tri-State Exposition,” Lucherk said. “Brady and I served on State 4-H Council together as president and first vice-president in 2008, the centennial year of Texas 4-H. I would not be where I am today without my involvement in Texas 4-H.”

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Shrestha Research Featured in International Publication

Dr. Keshav Shrestha, assistant professor of physics in the Department of Chemistry and Physics, recently was featured by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics for his work with quantum materials.

Shrestha was interviewed by the research center during a summer workshop at the Abdul Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in Italy.

“ICTP is famous for leading research in the world, and I am glad that I could represent my research in such an international platform,” Shrestha said.

The article credits Shrestha’s training through ICTP’s postgraduate diploma program for his success as a researcher.

The chemistry and physics department is located in WT’s Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences.

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Brooks, Certification Pilot Program Honored Nationally

A pilot program in WT’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business that offers students the chance to earn free professional certifications alongside their degree will extend for an additional year.

Dr. Mary Liz Brooks, coordinator of the Coursera Career Academy program at WT and WT’s Barbara Petty Professor of Business Communication, also was awarded a Learning Hero Award by Coursera.

The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a notable commitment to fostering an environment of learning.

WT and four colleges of business in The Texas A&M University System were chosen in 2024 to pilot the Coursera certification program. Students can pursue certifications, both through extra credit and as supplemental course material alongside regular classwork. The program, through funds provided by TAMUS, is free for students, faculty and staff in the Engler College; WT has access to up to 1,000 seat licenses to use and reuse among students for the year.

TAMUS was named a global finalist for Courersa’s Rising Star Award, recognizing the System’s fast adoption, high learner engagement and strong momentum in course completions.

Coursera partners with more than 300 universities and companies to offer hands-on projects, courses, job-ready certificates and degree programs.

Brooks and the System were recognized at Coursera Connect, an annual conference held in September in Las Vegas.

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Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty to Present at National Conference

Two faculty members from WT’s Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences have been selected to present research at an upcoming national convention.

Dr. Kori Clements, instructor of speech and hearing sciences, and Dr. Zeth E. Collom, assistant professor and department chair, will present at the 2025 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention in November in Washington, D.C.

Clements will make three presentations and was invited to give an additional talk at the convention—the first WT faculty member chosen for that honor, Collom said.

Her selected works will range from using ultrasound in speech-language pathology as well as professional issues. Ashley Criswell, a 2019 WT alumna and speech-language pathologist in Plainview Independent School District, is a co-author for one presentation.

Collom and two co-authors will give a presentation about a potential new presentation of laryngeal muscle tension that affects breathing patterns.

The ASHA convention, to be held Nov. 20 to 22, is one of the largest professional development events for audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; and speech-language pathology and audiology assistants.

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Jennex Cited as Top Scientist

Dr. Murray E. Jennex, WT’s Gensler Professor of Computer Information Systems in the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, has been recognized as one of the most-cited scientists in the world by a leading data repository.

Jennex is listed in the 2025 update of the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2 Percent Scientists Network, which identifies scientists worldwide and evaluates the impact of their research. The list calculates career-long citation data across 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields for fair and comprehensive representation, focusing on meaningful impact rather than just productivity.

In addition to being listed on by Stanford/Elsevier, Jennex is the No. 3 lifetime knowledge management researcher and WT is the No. 25 lifetime knowledge management institution by ScholarGPS.

“I’m honored and humbled at being listed in the Top 2% of scientists for their career,” Jennex said. “It reflects that the research I have done and continue to do is having a wide and important impact on my discipline and society.”

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Promoting quality, both in education and student work, is a cornerstone of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—