TCU COMMENCEMENT
May 12, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
TCU this weekend will present degrees to 2,400 candidates in four ceremonies. One
of them is Trey Fruend, who arrived on campus from his hometown of St. Louis with an insatiable appetite
for learning but not exactly sure how it would manifest in an undergraduate degree.
Fruend will walk across the stage on Saturday to receive two bachelor鈥檚 degrees in
three majors, in political science, economics and biology. 鈥淚 wanted to maximize my
learning potential,鈥� Fruend, who is also a graduate of The John V. Roach Honors College,
said.
May 12, 2023
KDFW
TCU鈥檚 new medical school reached a major milestone with the graduation of its first class
of doctors. There were 52 eager, excited and unprecedented TCU physician candidates
who made their way to the stage at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall as the first-ever
graduating class of the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. Proud families witnessed
the hooding ceremony, like Dilan Shah鈥檚 parents and sister, who recalled challenges he faced on his journey to becoming
a psychiatrist. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a tough journey for him, as well as us. He鈥檚 been working
for all of his life basically,鈥� his father recalled.
May 11, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
Ive Avila is the product of immigrants from Mexico, raised with her three siblings in Chicago.
Her mother was a janitor at a school and her father worked in construction. On Saturday,
the 32-year-old will be part of the first graduating class of the Anne Burnett Marion
School of Medicine at TCU. 鈥淚 think it's a huge responsibility, honestly,鈥� Avila says,
鈥淕oing on to the real world, going into our residency programs as MDs, I think that's
an even bigger responsibility because now programs are seeing the product of the school
essentially, and, hopefully, we can show them what we've learned throughout the four
years.鈥�
May 11, 2023
KXAS-TV
Brandon Mallory will graduate from the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU this weekend; he chose the relatively new medical school to help blaze a trail of
鈥渇irsts.鈥� He is the first in his family to get a medical degree. He's part of the
first medical school class. He's also the first African American male to graduate
from that school. 鈥淓specially when it was only our class here, like our first year,
just the 60 of us,鈥� Mallory said laughing. 鈥淚t's like, OK, I have to represent for
all Black men in medicine almost.鈥� According to the Association of American Medical
Colleges, Black men make up less than 3% of physicians. 鈥淚 think diversity is really
important, especially in emergency medicine, but in all areas of medicine,鈥� Dr. Terry McCarthy, the John M. Geesbreght MD, MS, FACEP Chair of Emergency Medicine, said. 鈥淏ecause
patients want to see physicians that look like them and can relate to them on a deep
level.鈥�
INSTITUTIONAL
May 4, 2023
CultureMap Dallas
The 2023 results are in, and U.S. News and World Report has deemed five Dallas universities among the best grad schools in the state, with
some of its departments landing among the top 100 in the country. At No. 50 nationally
and No. 6 in the state for its graduate business school is Fort Worth's TCU. The graduate education school ranked No. 8 in Texas, and No. 125 overall. It also
has the No. 43 best doctorate nursing program in the nation.
FACULTY
May 11, 2023
KXAS-TV
We discussed The Sh鈥檓a Project: Move Against Hate, with Suki John, TCU dance professor and the project鈥檚 founder and director. 鈥淭he Sh'ma Project is
built around a choreodrama or narrative ballet that I created that tells the story
of my mother and her family during the Holocaust,鈥� John said.
May 9, 2023
CNBC
CNBC鈥檚 Disruptor 50 Advisory Council has ranked the companies on the 2023 Disruptor
50 List using quantitative criteria based on importance and ability to disrupt established
industries and public companies. The qualitative scores were combined with a weighted
quantitative score to determine which 50 companies made the list and in what order. The
council, a group of 51 leading thinkers in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship
from around the world, includes Keith Hmieleski, academic director, Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation;
professor of entrepreneurship; and Robert and Edith Schumacher Executive Faculty Fellow
in Innovation and Technology.
May 9, 2023
Spectroscopy
A recent study has reported the observation of room temperature phosphorescence in
2-aminopyridine (2APi) embedded in poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films with direct triplet
state excitation, which could have implications for future technological applications.
Scientists at TCU have discovered a new form of phosphorescence in 2-aminopyridine
(2APi) using direct triplet state excitation. The team included Zygmunt Gryczynski, W.A. 鈥淭ex鈥� Moncrief Jr. Chair of Physics, and students Danh Pham, Emma Kitchner, Luca Ceresa and Jose Chavez.
May 8, 2023
CBS-11
Following the shooting in Allen, Texas, CBS News Texas spoke with Dr. Cheryl Hurd, professor at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, on how to cope with the emotions
felt after a tragedy occurs. 鈥淥ne of the things that鈥檚 really important for people
to understand is that authorities are doing their best and advocacy actually really
does work,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important also to seek support, to seek assistance,
perhaps even professional assistance.鈥�
May 8, 2023
Fort Worth Report
The Fort Worth Climate Safe Neighborhood Coalition 鈥� made up of TCU faculty, Historic
Southside residents and other community groups 鈥� is helping revitalize the 37-acre
park. The effort took off in the fall of 2023, when nursing professors Gina Alexander, Vicki Brooks and Tammie Williams began a partnership with the neighborhood association and the Kids Environmental
Education Network Group, which offers educational programming to youth in southeast
Fort Worth. 鈥淲hat can we do that really is at the intersection of human health benefits,
but also protecting and preserving our natural resources?鈥� Alexander said. 鈥淭hese
solutions are bipartisan. It doesn鈥檛 have to be everybody taking a different stance.
We can see where there鈥檚 areas of overlap there.鈥�
May 8, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The church conservative political clique is winning. But there's a way to slow down
special-interest committees and other groups. As soon as you can - start now - advocate
to switch your school board and city council to single-member districts. Any school
board can make the change with a simple board vote. Cities may require a charter election.
鈥淚n single-member districts, a group has to rally voters in each district,鈥� political
scientist Jim Riddlesperger said.
May 7, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Voters overwhelmingly elected Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker to a second term. Only
42,245 people voted in Fort Worth鈥檚 mayoral election, according to unofficial results
from Tarrant, Denton and Parker counties. More people show up to a sold-out TCU football
game than vote in city of Fort Worth elections, Emily Farris, associate professor of political science, said. She attributed the low number to
the election being in May, the lack of a competitive mayoral race, and the lack of
partisan party identification. 鈥淧artisan identity is a shortcut that voters use to
know which candidate to support,鈥� Farris said. 鈥淚n low-information elections, like
city council, the lack of a partisan cue really raises the required effort of a voter
to understand the candidates.鈥�
May 7, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Voter turnout in Tarrant County was just above 8.9% with 107,031 voters out of 1.2
million registered voters casting ballots in various municipal elections on May 6.
In the race for Fort Worth mayor, 42,245 voters cast ballots. In the May 2021 municipal
elections, 66,658 voters cast ballots for the mayoral contest. A less competitive
mayoral race at the top of the ballot often leads to lower turnout, Emily Farris, associate professor of political science, said.
May 4, 2023
InfoWorld
Without fine-tuning or being trained on a specific topic, ChatGPT can answer questions
about a wide range of technology subjects鈥攊ncluding how to write R code. That means
ChatGPT's power is available to any R programmer. However, ChatGPT may confidently
return answers that are wrong. Even incorrect responses can be a time-saving starting
point, but don't assume the code will do exactly what you expect. Kyle Walker, director, Center for Urban Studies at TCU; associate professor of geography; and
author of the popular tidycensus R package, recently tweeted that ChatGPT can 鈥渟upercharge
your work if you understand a topic well,鈥� or it can leave you 鈥渆xposed for not knowing
what you are doing.鈥�
May 3, 2023
The Boston Globe
A collection of scholars, students and stakeholders is working on a year-long commemoration
of poet Phillis Wheatley鈥檚 contributions to American literature. Last summer, Sarah Ruffing Robbins, Lorraine Sherley Professor of Literature, noted with a colleague that the 250th
publishing anniversary of 鈥淧oems on Various Subjects鈥� was approaching. They wondered
how they could commemorate the historic milestone. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to count now because
every week we get contacted by someone who wants to get involved,鈥� Robbins said. 鈥淟ike
Phillis Wheatley built networks, we鈥檙e trying to build networks, too.鈥� This summer,
Mona Narain, English professor and project co-director, is hosting a discussion in Rome to explore
Wheatley鈥檚 love for ancient writers.
May 3, 2023
KTVT-TV (Ft. Worth, TX)
Sarcoidosis is an immune disorder with symptoms so common that it is often misdiagnosed
and under diagnosed. Dr. Andrew Miller, assistant professor of medicine, said doctors and medical professionals are correct
to look first for common reasons for common symptoms. But he says pay attention when
those symptoms don't go away. 鈥淭hen it's not just appropriate, but the right thing
to do, to say, 鈥楲ook, I appreciate what's been done so far. Is there a next step?
Is there a specialist? Is there someone I should see?鈥欌��
May 3, 2023
KTRK-TV (Houston, TX)
13 Investigates requested information on an alleged assault at Alvin ISD, but the request was partially
denied. 鈥淭he Texas Public Information Act is a law 鈥� that gives all citizens the right
to full information from Texas agencies, government-funded operations, upon the request
of any citizen to that organization,鈥� Chip Stewart, journalism professor, said. 鈥淭here are some exceptions, of course, and what happens
is you file a request for a record (to an agency). ... They have 10 business days
to either give you the records, to tell you why they're not giving you the records
or to appeal to the Attorney General's Office to ask for clarification if they're
not sure whether they should give you records.鈥�
May 2, 2023
CandysDirt.com
Build in Fort Worth in 1904, the stately home at 2230 Warner Road includes something
special 鈥� a historical marker. W. Lee 鈥淧appy鈥� O鈥橠aniel, who was elected Texas governor
and edged out Lyndon B. Johnson to become U.S. Senator, once owned this home. 鈥淗e
was probably one of the least qualified people to ever serve as governor,鈥� Jim Riddlesperger, professor of political science, said of Pappy O鈥橠aniel. Even though he can claim
to be the only person to ever beat LBJ, he was not a revered leader, the professor
said.
May 1, 2023
Phys.org
New research from Penn State and TCU shows that shoppers looking to 鈥減op some tags鈥�
may be drawn to disordered thrift shop displays. 鈥淐onsumers like tidiness and organization,
but in a thrift store, where items are constantly coming in, it's difficult to stay
organized,鈥� Gretchen Ross, assistant professor of marketing and first author of the study, said.
May 1, 2023
Artnet
The National Gallery of Ireland is staging a rare exhibition of the trailblazing painter,
Lavinia Fontana. Fontana was the first professional woman artist in Italy working
outside a convent or court system and fully supported her husband and children with
her work. She was also the first known woman painter to depict female nudes. According
to Babette Bohn, art history professor and author of Women Artists, Their Patrons, and Their Publics in Early Modern Bologna, attention has come and gone for the Bolognese painter. 鈥淔rom my vantage point she鈥檚
always been famous,鈥� Bohn said. 鈥淪he received more biographies by early modern writers
in Italy than any other woman artist during the 16th century.鈥�
STUDENTS
May 11, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
Puerto Rican installation artist Sheryl Anaya has sought community connections throughout her career as an artist. In 2019, Anaya
moved to Fort Worth and began the MFA program at TCU. 鈥淚 think transitioning from
working in the studio on my own 鈥� especially my first year of grad school 鈥� was hard
because you鈥檙e expected to be making work consistently and kind of working through
ideas pretty quickly, which I was not used to doing,鈥� Anaya said. 鈥淚 tend to do tedious
work that takes a long time or more elaborate projects that I can鈥檛 necessarily complete
quickly or on my own.鈥�
May 3, 2023
Webnewswire
The Board of Directors of ElevateMeD, Inc. are proud to announce the 2023-2024 Scholars
Program cohort. The ElevateMeD Scholars Program is a multifaceted program designed
by ElevateMeD to develop the next generation of physician leaders from African-American/Black,
Latinx, and Native American backgrounds. Among the cohorts this year is Christopher Corona.
May 3, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
TCU student, dance enthusiast and ghost tour guide Betty Grace said she hasn鈥檛 sat still since she was 3 years old. In fact, dance has been such
a major part of Grace鈥檚 identity that she currently studies modern dance at TCU and
teaches aspiring dancers at the Dance Connection, a Fort Worth studio. 鈥淚 moved [to
Fort Worth] my sophomore year of college, but I have family here. So, I鈥檝e been coming
[to this city] since I was born,鈥� Grace said. 鈥淚 love the culture, the cowboys, and
going to Billy Bob鈥檚. [It鈥檚 great] seeing line dancing in-person and joining in.鈥�
ALUMNI
May 11, 2023
Mississippi State University
A Mississippi State University faculty member has received a lifetime achievement
award this spring from the Mississippi Alliance for Arts in Education for her dedication
to theater education. Tonya S. Hays 鈥�82, assistant professor of theatre performance in MSU鈥檚 Department of Communication,
said, 鈥淭his award is a wonderful way for MAAE to say that they continue to value my
work and the work of anyone who has dedicated their life to arts education.鈥� Hays
earned her Master of Fine Arts from TCU.
May 11, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Arts Fort Worth will continue to be led by a familiar face. The nonprofit announced
that its interim leader, Wesley Gentle 鈥�11, will serve as the group鈥檚 next executive director and president. Formerly the director
of advancement at Arts Fort Worth, Gentle has served as the group鈥檚 interim leader
for the past 10 months. Gentle completed his undergraduate studies at TCU.
May 4, 2023
BroadwayWorld.com
Lerner and Loewe's Broadway classic MY FAIR LADY, with 28-piece orchestra, will be
staged by Light Opera Works at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, June 4 through 12. The
show will be choreographed by Clayton Cross 鈥�02. Originally from Midland, Texas, Cross received his early training from La Petite
Dance Company, Coleman Academy and the Midland Community Theatre. He holds a BFA in
ballet and modern dance from TCU.
ATHLETICS
May 11, 2023
Frog O' War
TCU beach volleyball will be leaving the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association in favor of Conference
USA in 2024. The Horned Frogs, who have been members of the CCSA since 2019, won the
CCSA Championship this season for the first time in program history. TCU finished
as the No. 3 team in the AVCA Rankings after compiling a 37-3 overall record and earning
a semifinal berth in the NCAA National Championship tournament this spring.
May 5, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
If you look at new women鈥檚 basketball coach Mark Campbell鈥檚 track record, one thing clearly stands out. Whether it was as a player or as a coach,
wherever Campbell has gone immediate 鈥攁nd often times historic 鈥� success has followed.
Now Campbell will hope to apply that magic touch to TCU. Campbell doesn鈥檛 view this
as a massive rebuilding job. He views the Horned Frogs as a sleeping giant. 鈥淲e鈥檙e
here to build one of the best women鈥檚 basketball programs in the country,鈥� Campbell
said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of work ahead of us. But if you鈥檙e able to compete for a Big
12 titles year in and year out, that鈥檚 going to mean you鈥檙e going to be competing
for Final Four berths. We鈥檝e got a lot of work to do, but everything鈥檚 in place here
to be one of those programs.鈥�
May 4, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
On Feb. 23, 2022, Anhelina Khmil was with her beach volleyball partner and packing to leave to continue training in
the Czech Republic. For days Khmil had heard the rumors, and speculation, that the
Russian army would invade Ukraine. Khmil, 20, left her home, headed for the Czech
Republic. Six hours later, Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border. 鈥淧eople kept
talking about that something is coming soon, and to prepare,鈥� Khmil said. Those six
hours unintentionally created a gap large enough for Khmil to navigate her way to
the United States, and to TCU. She is a member of the TCU women鈥檚 beach volleyball
team.
May 3, 2023
Bleacher Report
Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle and Chris Vannini of The Athletic reports the
Big 12 conference is working toward finalizing a deal to host football and men's basketball
games in Mexico as early as 2024. The Big 12 鈥� including TCU 鈥� hopes to make it a
multi-year agreement with football games likely happening in Monterrey and basketball
games in Mexico City.