E-NEWSLETTER
April 2005

LION’S ROAR

Greetings Alumni,

I would like to take this brief opportunity to update you on a few activities that have occurred this spring. We have revitalized the Student Alumni Association and are pleased with their efforts and involvement on campus. We recently held our 22nd Annual Alumni Ambassador Forum that highlights the achievements of our graduates. After the Forum, we met with alumni and students and facilitated a work session about the development of a mentoring program. We are excited about this venture that will provide opportunities for students to develop relationship with alumni and gain valuable information that will aid them in their career paths.

I extend my sincere appreciation to all of you who have paid your dues to the Alumni Association for 2005. Your support allows us to maintain and develop new programs for our students as well as, opportunities for alumni to network together. We have so much more to do, but can not achieve our goals without your help. If you are not yet a member of the alumni association, I encourage you join and support the university and our outstanding student body.

Derryle G. Peace
BS ’74, MS ‘75

Website has new look!

The Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations have launched a new website this month. Click on http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/advancement/alumni/ and see our new look!

New Alumni Board President

Meet Mick Trusty (BA ’72) who was elected President for the Alumni Association for 2005 and 2006. Click on http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/advancement/alumni/ for more information.

Ambassador Forum

The 22nd annual Alumni Ambassador Forum was held Thursday, April 7 at 12:00 noon in the Texas Ballroom of the MSC. The Alumni Ambassador Forum honors former students, designated Ambassadors, by inviting them to return to campus to interact with students and faculty. This is the highest honor that a department may bestow upon its alumni. Our alumni have a feeling of great pride in the University and that translates to pride in the faculty, past and present. Twenty-eight Ambassadors were honored.

Career Services for Alumni

The Career Services office at A&M-Commerce is NOT just for current students, but works with alumni, too. Alumni—who are considering career moves—are invited to register with Career Services as active job-seekers so that we can make referrals to potential employers and/or help manage your credentials. For a relatively small registration fee ($10 for basic registration or $15 for credential-management—both of which are explained in more detail on our web site, you can take advantage of all our services and programs. Each semester look for Teacher Career Days and Job Fairs. For more information go to the Career Services website at

http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/careerservices/job_openings-students.htm

Greetings from the Student Alumni Association!

The rekindled Student Alumni Association is off to a great start for the Spring 2005 academic semester! We have approximately 30 members, and the number continues to steadily grow. Recently, we went to our Lion Mens' basketball game and had a blast- we made posters for the event and served chili to players and alumni. University Day was a plus. Potential new students to TAMU-C left contact information and showed interest in joining SAA in the future. We are also excited about the Relay for Life team we have formed. With hard work and dedication, SAA will take off and soar higher than it ever has before!

Christina Seiber
President, Student Alumni Association

50 Year Club

The Fifty-Year club will honor the class of 1955 at a luncheon and dinner on Friday, May 6. Members of the class of 1955 and 1956 are welcome to attend, plus any members of previous classes. For more information contact the Alumni Relations office at 1-800-67LIONS or 903-886-5792.

35 th Annual Golf Classic

Mark your calendars for Friday, June 3 for the 35 th Annual Alumni Golf Classic. This golf event raises scholarship money for the Legacy Scholarship Fund. Tee off time is 1:00 p.m. For more information contact the Alumni Relations office at 1-800-67LIONS or 903-886-5792.

Challenger Scholarship

Two years after the space shuttle Columbia broke up over Northeastern Texas , the Cullen Family Foundation and Texas A&M University-Commerce will honor the seven astronauts and their work through the Columbia Crew Memorial Scholarship and Award.

This full four-year scholarship, to be awarded each year for the next decade, is made possible by a gift from the Cullen Family Foundation, headed by Brian Cullen, a pioneer of laser radar systems and a leader in the aerospace industry, his wife Barbara, a former student of East Texas State University, and their five children.

The scholarship will help students from Greenville High School and Greenville Christian School -- or a child of a parent employed by high technology companies L-3 and ComCept -- wishing to study for a career supporting the space program at A&M-Commerce. The timing of the gift to 115-year-old Texas A&M-Commerce is exceptional, with academics on campus involved in NASA research grants, and a state-of-the-art multi-million dollar science building - complete with a planetarium - due to open in Spring 2006. For more information, contact Glenda Anderson at 903-468-3020.

Time to Honor Mr. Sam .

Texas A&M University-Commerce alumnus Gordon Thomas is leaving his mark on campus. An artist from Greenville and retired A&M-Commerce director of creative services, Thomas sculpted the William L. Mayo bronze statue, which is located near the Heritage House.

Now Thomas is working on a new project for campus -- an 8-foot-tall bronze statue of Sam Rayburn, former U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Most Distinguished Alumnus of A&M-Commerce. Thomas, who worked at A&M-Commerce for 26 years and retired in 1999, has completed a 12-inch maquette, made of clay, that he will use in sculpting the statue.

Thomas said that two bronze maquettes of Rayburn holding a gavel and standing behind the central section of a rostrum like the one he used in the House of Representatives are expected to be finished the middle of January. The artist will use of the bronze figures in sculpting the large statue and the other will be used to show prospective financial donors what the statue will look like.

Fund raising is now under way for the $75,000 needed for the statue. Shannon Morley, Office of Advancement (468-8197) reported that over $10,000 has been donated to the Rayburn fund.

For information on the fund-raising effort, contact Shannon Morley, grants specialist in the Office of Advancement at (903) 468-8197. Please send gifts payable to Texas A&M University-Commerce Foundation, P.O. Box 3425 , Commerce , TX 75429-3425 with a "Sam Rayburn Statue" notation.

Performances at University Playhouse Scheduled

April 11-15 (daytime performances for schools)
April 15 at 7:00pm
Cinderella: a Rock Musical for Young Audiences
(Annual Children's Show)
Dr. John Hanners Main Stage

 For More Information Go To:
http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/mmct/productions.asp?ID=23

Amazing Outcomes from A&M-Commerce

Not only does Texas A&M University-Commerce rank as the fifth leading producer of teachers out of 110 programs in Texas , but it is also the third leading producer among universities and colleges in the state. The University is also the fifth leading producer of black educators and the 25th producer of Hispanic educators out of the 110 programs.

"Considering that there are colleges and universities out there who are a lot larger than we are, our results are amazing," says Dr. Frank Ashley, dean of education and human services. "We find because we have a full training program rather than just preparing teachers to take a certification, employers prefer to hire from us. "Even in our alternative certificate program we have a block of courses that all students are required to take."

When it comes to high-need teaching fields in Texas , A&M-Commerce has experienced a 200 percent increase in bilingual teachers, a 871 percent increase in special education teachers, a 335 percent increase in math teachers, a 513 percent increase in science teachers, and a 111 percent increase in foreign language teachers over its numbers of five years ago.

A&M-Commerce was conceived as teachers college 115 years ago. "We have a long tradition to maintain of producing excellent teachers," Ashley says.

"While it's true we have increased our quantity, we have also maintained our quality. Our pass rates show a 95 percent pass rate among all test takers, which is well above the state average and up two percent from five years ago. "One thing we see elsewhere is that, while the overall pass rate is acceptable, there are individual areas with problems," he says.

A&M-Commerce also ranked 29th in the nation and first in Texas in the number of master's degrees in education earned by Native American students for 2003-2004. "A&M-Commerce strives to meet needs," says Ashley. "We are currently looking at increasing our bilingual education program as well as our bilingual special education program and the bilingual counseling program."

Ashley credits the retired dean of education and human services, Jerry Hutton, as the producer of A&M-Commerce's outstanding results. "Much of the turnaround in meeting education needs took place under his leadership," he says. The statistics are referenced from the State Board of Educator Certification, A&M-Commerce Institutional Research, and the magazine "Black Issues in Higher Education."

For more information regarding the College of Education & Human Services, click on: http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/coe/Deans%20Message1.htm

Alumni Relations developing student mentoring program…

The Alumni Office is working with development staff to connect students with alumni in the business community who are willing to help guide and counsel students as they move through school to work. If you would like to be a mentor to help your alma mater, please call Jane Martyn in the alumni office, 903-886-5792.

Upcoming Pride Articles

The Pride is now available online at
http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/thepride/v2/

Also, look for your paper copy soon - they will be delivered any day now! Here are a few highlights:

• Through the Texas A&M University-Commerce Student Alumni Association, students and alumni look to build and share lasting lion pride. Find out what you can do to help launch these students into the professional world.
• Imagine never having to buy a light bulb for your home again. Find out how this could be possible in the near future.
• Everything's coming up lavender for alumnus Robb Kendrick. Check out his little piece of heaven in the heart of Texas .
• If Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah are all foreign words to you, this story will definitely turn you into a wine connoisseur.

Mark Your Calendar

April
19 Commerce Chapter Meeting
23 Alumni Association Board of Directors

May
5 Donor Recognition Banquet
6 Foundation Board Meeting
6 Fifty-Year Club Reunion-Class of 1955
13 Navarro Commencement
14 A&M-Commerce Commencement

June
3 34 th Annual Alumni Classic Golf Tournament
24, 25 Alumni Association Board of Directors Retreat

August
13 Summer Graduation
29 Lion’s Roar Week

Don't forget to check out the Alumni Association Web site at
http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/alumni/

Comments:

Your feedback is appreciated. Lion’s Roar is edited by Jane Martyn, Assistant Director.
Please write to us at alumni_office@tamu-commerce.edu with any suggestions or additions.

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While contributions are welcomed, content is determined solely by Alumni Relations of Texas A&M University-Commerce. Lion’s Roar is published quarterly by the Alumni Relations Office.