May 2024

At Texas Woman’s, community is at our core

Dear Friends,

I believe strongly in building community at Texas Woman’s and in the last few weeks of the semester the university did just that. We reflected with generations of treasured alumni during Homecoming. Students, faculty and staff gathered on the Hubbard lawn to revel in a rare celestial event: a full solar eclipse. And we commemorated TWU’s founding with our annual festival, Pioneer Palooza. Of course, there was so much more to celebrate as the spring semester wound to a close.

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TWU, City of Denton, Bezos Academy usher new era of childcare

I was elated to see such a strong presence of city officials and other dignitaries as Texas Woman’s broke ground on a $6 million building that will house a tuition-free preschool to serve student-parents and families in Denton. The university and the City of Denton have partnered to build the facility while the Bezos Academy and Texas Woman’s will operate the Montessori-inspired childcare center. The preschool will serve up to 120 children from 3 to 5 years old. This preschool will be transformational for student-parents who overwhelmingly cite access to child care as the biggest obstacle to completing a higher education. The center is scheduled for completion in 2025.

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Thousands celebrate at seven graduation ceremonies

We completed another graduation season last week, this time conferring about 2,260 degrees on elated  graduates from our Denton, Dallas and Houston campuses during ceremonies in Denton and the Houston area. It is a massive undertaking involving hundreds of volunteers and staff to make these ceremonies possible, but clearly well worth the effort after seeing jubilation on such a grand scale. At each of these ceremonies, we take a few moments to highlight some of our outstanding graduates who lead by example. We also invite some of our own exceptional alumni to offer inspiring remarks.

Among the outstanding graduates this year was Adriana Grosch, a first-generation Latina who earned an MBA in Women in Leadership and who already has had an impressive career that has included an internship with G.E. designing hardware for GPS systems; a stint as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Navy testing sonar in submarines; and as a senior quality assurance engineer with Wabtec Corp. overseeing railroad signaling systems to prevent train accidents. And among this year’s speakers was Tiana James, a 2014 graduate and current marketing executive who early in her career made a bold career leap that resulted in key PR positions with JCPenney, Keurig Dr Pepper, and Victoria’s Secret PINK. She currently serves as the director of global PR for Disney Experiences.

I encourage you to view some of these extraordinary moments in the photo galleries and video recordings posted on our website.

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Celebration recognizes family role in earning diploma

Each year, prior to our May commencement exercises, the university celebrates the role of family, particularly children and significant others, in a graduate’s journey. Called Family Graduation Celebration, the event allows children to dress up in caps and gowns themselves — and to cross a stage as acknowledgement for sacrifices made to their parents’ achievements. The event continues to grow in popularity and is worth attending. The cuteness overload factor alone makes it a memorable occasion.

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Pioneer gymnastics, dance finish stellar seasons

To close out a historic, record-breaking season, the Texas Woman’s gymnastics team finished second at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championship Finals in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Before reaching the finals, the team had posted record scores for their season and home openers. Individually, Daisy Woodring scored a program record 9.950 on vault and Kaitlyn Hoiland set the individual program record on bars with a 9.950. Also, the Pioneer Pride Dance Team placed third in the spirit rally category and fourth in the pom category during the 2024 National Dance Alliance College Nationals in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Pioneers had advanced to the Division II finals in both categories following strong showings in the preliminaries.

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Lastly, I am sharing a photo of a tea party I hosted recently with members of the Athenian Honor Society, which facilitates engagement and leadership for students. I am pleased that their presence on campus helps enrich the student experience.

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 3:19 PM, August 27, 2024