April 2024

Winning season is catalyst for school pride

Dear Friends,

There is a remarkable energy associated with winning, and the Texas Woman’s community experienced it last month with the basketball team’s spirited march to the championship game. But there were other events that evoked pride within the university community as well. Please read on.

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Basketball rides wave to historic season

By any measure, the Texas Woman’s basketball team had an extraordinary season, achieving several feats in its quest for a Division II championship game, and recording the program’s most successful season ever.

It marked the first time in program history the Pioneers hosted and won the Division II South Central Regional Tournament; the first time the Pioneers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, the Final Four and the championship game; the first time a Pioneer was named conference player of the year and a first team All-American; and the first time the program recorded 30-plus wins. Additionally, Head Coach Beth Jillson became the first three-time Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year.

What’s more is that this group of women showed remarkable character and sportsmanship at every level of competition throughout the season, which ended just one game shy of a national championship. Also, as so many of our student-athletes do, these Pioneers demonstrated their talent in the classroom. Collectively, the basketball players accounted for an astonishing 3.85 grade point average.

Fittingly, the university celebrated the team’s stellar accomplishments with an enthusiastic party on Hubbard lawn on April 3.

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Christopher installed as Dallas campus president

I reported last month that Monica Christopher began her role in February as the inaugural Dallas campus president. But in late March, the university held an installment ceremony to officially welcome her on board. The community responded with a packed house and a sort of Who’s Who of guests, including the presidents of UT Southwestern and the University of North Texas – Dallas, Dallas Regional Chamber President and TWU alumna Lottyle Brodsky-Lyle and Texas Woman’s Chancellor Emerita Ann Stuart.

We knew that Monica had built a reputation as a collaborator and high achiever in her previous role with Communities Foundation of Texas, and that it would help her build partnerships as she grows the Dallas campus. This reception certainly indicated she has a strong following of supporters who share our goal of raising the visibility of the Dallas campus, and we look forward to forging more partnerships with them.

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Regent’s planned gift to support athletics

She was a sprinter on the Texas Woman’s University Track and Field team in the 1970s. And now, as a member of the TWU System Board of Regents, Ellen Amirkhan is again supporting student-athletes.

Last month, Regent Amirkhan signed an agreement for a generous planned gift to the TWU athletics department, which establishes the Ellen Amirkhan Athletics Program Endowment. The endowment will support sports programs at Texas Woman’s, and it is our hope that this gift inspires others to support our growing sports presence.

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Jamison Lecture to feature post-Cold War expert Sarotte

Texas Woman’s annual Jamison Lecture on Thursday, April 11 features a timely guest: Mary Elise Sarotte, who has six book credits as either author or editor and is an expert in international relations. Sarotte’s latest book explores the dynamic relationship between Russia and America in the post-Cold War period and she has some disarming thoughts about the tensions between the United States and Russia. It is particularly interesting at this time, given the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The lecture, as always, is free, but registration is required. This year’s lecture will be at 7 p.m. in the Phyllis J. Bridges Auditorium in the Student Union at Hubbard Hall.

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Lastly, I wanted to acknowledge the work of an amazing alumna, Hannah Werchan, who graduated from TWU in 2019, and is now living a true artist’s dream life in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. There, she recently completed her first commissioned mural. Werchan has Stickler syndrome, a rare, debilitating condition that affects connective tissue and restricts movement. In 2018, while a student at Texas Woman’s, she won a national young artists competition sponsored by the Kennedy Center, and has continued producing art ever since. I commend her on her work, and look forward to seeing more of it.

As always, email me with your comments or questions. I am delighted that you have spent a few minutes with me today.

Warm Regards,

 

 

 

 

 

Follow Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D.

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Page last updated 11:05 AM, May 21, 2024