From a new medical campus to public education and from Nike to outer space, TCU and its faculty and alumni are in the news.
INSTITUTIONAL
Sept. 27, 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to understand community frustration over the Fort Worth Independent School
District鈥檚 latest state testing results,鈥� writes Frank Hernandez, dean of the College of Education, in a recent op-ed. 鈥淎s Mayor Mattie Parker told
the school board Aug. 27, lagging academic performance simply can鈥檛 continue. Fortunately
for Fort Worth, much of what we need to solve the complex challenges in our public
education system already exists here. We must be willing to commit to long-term partnerships
and investment in the people, organizations and programs doing the work today.鈥�
Sept. 26, 2024
USA Today
The nation鈥檚 nearly 3,000 nonprofit hospitals collected billions in tax breaks but
paid less than half that amount in charity care to low-income patients. In exchange
for not paying income, property, sales or other taxes, these hospitals are expected
to provide free or reduced-cost care to low-income patients as well as other community
benefits. A new study published by Johns Hopkins University and TCU researchers estimates the enormous size of this collective tax break. The study reported
the nation鈥檚 nearly 3,000 nonprofit hospitals were spared $37.4 billion in federal,
state and local taxes in 2021, a reflection of how lucrative these tax benefits can
be for medical centers.
Sept. 25, 2024
Fort Worth Inc.
University and city leaders cut the ribbon during a dedication ceremony for the glistening
new Arnold Hall, a 95,000-square-foot facility that houses Anne Burnett Marion School
of Medicine at TCU in Fort Worth鈥檚 Medical Innovation District. 鈥淭his beautiful and
functional new medical education building now known as Arnold Hall shows TCU鈥檚 continued
investment in Fort Worth,鈥� said TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. 鈥淗ere, we inspire students to be leaders in their field, give back to their communities
and provide the most compassionate care. All of us at TCU express our deepest appreciation
to Ashley and Greg Arnold for their significant and continued support and for helping
our vision become a reality.鈥�
Sept. 25, 2024
Dallas Innovates
Architect partners CO Architects and Hoefer Welker have marked the official project
completion of Arnold Hall, home to the Burnett School of Medicine. Dr. Stuart D. Flynn, founding dean, said the new medical school 鈥渨ill be a significant contributor to
Fort Worth鈥檚 economy and growth as a city where medical innovation happens. We love
the proximity to all of our clinical partners in the Near Southside Medical Innovation
District and look forward to deepening those connections. It also communicates TCU鈥檚
commitment to creating dynamic state-of-the-art facilities for next-generation medical
education, where students now have access to cutting-edge technology and facilities
that will pair with a curriculum that balances wellness, knowledge and the growth
of students.鈥�
Sept. 24, 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU celebrated the official opening of Arnold Hall, the new home of its medical school,
at a dedication ceremony. University leaders, city officials and medical students
heralded the four-story building鈥檚 opening in Near Southside as a future cornerstone
of Fort Worth鈥檚 medical community. 鈥淲e鈥檝e put together the most innovative, rigorous
curriculum of any medical school in the country, something that is very TCU,鈥� President
Daniel Pullin said. 鈥淭hat is that curriculum starts and ends with connection to the patient.鈥�
Sept. 23, 2024
Fort Worth Report
TCU beat out Stanford twice, in football and in financial health. The Frogs inched
past the California 鈥淚vy鈥� in 贵辞谤产别蝉鈥� ranking of private universities and their financial health. TCU鈥檚 spot? 8. Stanford鈥檚
spot? 11. 鈥淥ver the past decade, TCU鈥檚 student population has grown from 9,000 to
more than 12,000, supported by significant investments in campus infrastructure through
a balance of campus and philanthropic resources,鈥� said Bill Nunez, vice chancellor for finance and administration. 鈥淭his growth has been carefully
managed to ensure it enhances the student academic experience without compromising
financial stability.鈥�
Sept. 19, 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A virtual reality skeleton hovers above the floor, its muscles, nervous system and
organs visible. When instructor Adam Jennings magnifies the brain to the size of a small golf cart, students wearing headsets 鈥渟tep
into鈥� the 3D model to get a better view of the organ. The Microsoft Hololens, with
about 30 interactive models of the body and its systems, is just one of the high-tech
tools used by medical students at the new Burnett School of Medicine. Cutting-edge
technology is a standard part of the curriculum. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what TCU does really
well, innovative curriculum,鈥� said Bijan Hosseini, a first-year medical student. Though the medical school is about three miles from
the rest of campus, TCU President Daniel Pullin said it is an important part of the university鈥檚 鈥渃ulture of collaboration,鈥� and
there are opportunities for other schools to join in on cross-disciplinary projects.
Pullin noted the importance of support from the community, hospital partners, donors
and city leaders in bringing the project to fruition. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all in it together, and
we鈥檙e going to make a difference,鈥� he said.
University Researches Opioid Treatments Among Parolees
Sept. 18, 2024
The Loyola Phoenix
Loyola鈥檚 Criminal Justice Center is collaborating with TCU and the University of New Mexico (UNM) on a research project focused on opioid use
among individuals on parole. The project is funded by a grant awarded to TCU from
the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network, which operates under the National
Institute on Drug Abuse. Through this collaboration Loyola, TCU and UNM are examining
how treatment programs can be most effectively employed in Illinois, Texas and New
Mexico.
Sept. 16, 2024
Retail Technology Innovation Hub
TCU is set to open Shoppe at Wright, a checkout-free campus store for students, faculty
and staff. The smart bodega style concept utilizes Amazon鈥檚 Just Walk Out technology,
which allows shoppers to enter a store, grab what they want and return to their day
without waiting for a cashier or going through a self-checkout line. Customers enter
or exit the store displaying a payment method, and the store鈥檚 camera vision and sensors
detect what items shoppers choose, explains Miles Oller, director of Student Affairs Facilities. 鈥淧art of what we hope will make this successful
and helpful to all is that inventory can quickly shift based on the needs of our campus
community,鈥� Oller says. 鈥淐ustomer feedback will be crucial in making sure that the
market sells useful, necessary products.鈥�
FACULTY & STAFF
Sept. 25, 2024
USA Today
The news that NFL great Brett Favre has been diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 disease has
reignited questions about whether the degenerative brain disorder could have been
triggered by injuries during the Hall of Famer鈥檚 20-year football career. Head trauma
alone is not the sole risk factor for Parkinson鈥檚. 鈥淚f all the ingredients in the
recipe come together, you may develop Parkinson鈥檚 disease,鈥� said Christopher Watts, dean of the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, who researches the disease. 鈥淭he reason
why we know is because not every boxer develops Parkinson鈥檚 disease鈥� it has to be
other things that are acting along with that exposure to head trauma.鈥�
Sept. 24, 2024
Marketplace.org
While technology continues to rapidly transform the workplace and the jobs marketplace,
soft skills don鈥檛 just help workers get jobs, they are critical for adapting to technology,
growing into new roles and working effectively with a team. TCU is piloting a mandatory
career development program for business students that will help them develop soft
skills and career readiness. 鈥淚t鈥檚 doing group projects around interviews, the job
search, creating a resume, crafting a cover letter, networking with alumni, all of
those different things in a course setting,鈥� said Mike Caldwell, executive director of the TCU Center for Career & Professional Development.
Sept. 23, 2024
NBCDFW
TCU鈥檚 new medical school building features unique technology for the next generation
of physicians. Some of it you can鈥檛 find anywhere else in the Lone Star State. The
new Burnett School of Medicine sits in the heart of Fort Worth鈥檚 Medical Innovation District. 鈥淭he three-dimensional
relationships, the structures, you know, truly how the anatomy interacts within itself
and with other parts of the body,鈥� said Adam Jennings, executive director of Simulation, Innovation and Research at the school. Jennings
said most of his medical education revolved around sitting in lecture halls and watching
PowerPoint presentations. 鈥淏ut we couldn鈥檛 see it. There was no tangible to it. With
augmented reality and with a HoloLens, it鈥檚 as if you鈥檙e getting to actually experience
the anatomy as opposed to just a PowerPoint and someone trying to guide you through
it,鈥� he said.
Sept. 20, 2024
Forbes
Higher education is being revamped by collaborative models in college mental health,
such as the one Director of Counseling & Mental Health Eric Wood shaped for TCU, which was featured in a sponsored Chronicle of Higher Education post. These models meet the recommendations of the World Health Organization by utilizing
the infrastructure of higher education and establishing formal partnerships with community
providers. As described by a 2022 report in the Journal of Medicine, collaborative care is a model among primary care providers to integrate mental health
care services, and these models are effective and cost-efficient. Campus counseling
centers can collaborate with community providers to integrate specialized programs
designed to treat high mental health needs.
Sept. 19, 2024
Shared.com
Recess is more than just a free break for kids to play. That unstructured play time
allows kids to exercise, which helps them focus better when they are in class. One
Texas school is taking a big risk, and the results have everyone talking. Eagle Mountain
Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas, has given kindergarten and first-grade students two
15-minute recess breaks every morning and two 15-minute recess breaks in the afternoon
to go play outside. At first there were concerns about the lost classroom time and
being able to cover all the material, but five months into the experiment, teachers
indicate that kids are actually learning more because they are better able to focus
in class. 鈥淵ou start putting 15 minutes of what I call reboot into these kids every
so often and... it gives the platform for them to be able to function at their best
level,鈥� said Debbie Rhea, kinesiology professor and project creator director of LiiNK Center for Healthy Play.
Sept. 16, 2024
Fort Worth Report
The rigs are mostly gone and neighborhood drilling controversies rear their ugly head
with reduced frequency since the boom days. But the Barnett Shale is still here and
continues to produce plenty of natural gas. The halcyon days of the Barnett Shale
had been good to TCU. The school formed the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute to provide education and professional development opportunities for people in the
energy industry. The institute has also initiated a new energy business minor program
where students in finance, accounting, marketing, management and other disciplines
can get a background in the energy business, said Tom Seng, assistant professor of professional practice. 鈥淎 year ago, we had 50 students in
our energy minor, and right now we have 75,鈥� said Seng. 鈥淲e鈥檝e grown that, and they
get that background that can help them in their careers, if not immediately, later
on.鈥�
STUDENTS & ALUMNI
Sept. 26, 2024
ABC7Amarillo.com
Students who are pursuing the opportunity to manage a ranch and work in the ag industry
are touring several agricultural businesses this week in the Texas Panhandle. 鈥淚t鈥檚
a lot more than what meets the eye, and a lot of people don鈥檛 know where their beef
comes from and honestly, I really don鈥檛 know everything where my beef comes from either,鈥�
said Joseph Vasseur, a student at TCU. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really good to see all the nitty gritty stuff.鈥� Added student
Kate Kibby: 鈥淭he benefits of working in this industry is, we鈥檙e here to provide for the world
and we鈥檙e raising beef to feed the world.鈥�
Sept. 26, 2024
Fort Worth Report
NAACP Fort Worth Tarrant County will host its 47th Annual George D. Flemmings Freedom
Fund Celebration and feature Maj. Gen. Anthony Woods 鈥�87, commander of the Texas State Guard. Woods made history in 2005 as the first African-American
Commander of the 1st Armor Battalion, a significant milestone. He also served as the
deputy commander of the Joint Interagency Task Force, Texas鈥檚 first attempt to establish
a dedicated task force to support law enforcement during a manufactured or natural
disaster.
Sept. 24, 2024
Fort Worth Magazine
The career of Elliott Hill 鈥�86 at Nike spanned 32 years, culminating in his stepping down in 2020 from his role
as president of Consumer and Marketplace, where he led the company鈥檚 strategy around
consumer engagement, sales and market growth. 鈥淓lliott is a visionary whose leadership
has had an immeasurable influence on 香港六合彩图库. As chairman of the
Intercollegiate Athletics Committee of our Board of Trustees, he has been a mentor
to our student-athletes and a trusted friend to me, coaches and so many others in
our athletics program,鈥� said Jeremiah Donati, TCU鈥檚 director of intercollegiate athletics. 鈥淭hrough his previous work with Nike,
Elliott was instrumental in growing the TCU brand globally. We congratulate Elliott
and know his impact on our student-athletes and their TCU experience will continue
for years to come.鈥�
Sept. 23, 2024
Los Angeles Business Journal
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX, recently made history
when the Hawthorne aerospace company successfully completed the first spacewalk by
a commercial crew. Medical officer Anna Menon 鈥�08 and a teammate became the first ever SpaceX employees to fly into space. They also
were the first women to travel the farthest from Earth aboard the Dragon capsule.
鈥淭his is a stepping stone,鈥� Menon, 38, a NASA veteran, told People magazine earlier this month as she and the other astronauts prepared for takeoff.
鈥淚t鈥檚 helping to build technologies that will get humans closer to Mars and beyond.鈥�
Sept. 20, 2024
Fort Worth Report
TCU graduate and current Board of Trustee member Elliott Hill 鈥�86 has been named president and CEO of Nike Inc. He will also become a director of the
Nike board of directors and a member of the executive committee. 鈥淣ike has always
been a core part of who I am, and I鈥檓 ready to help lead it to an even brighter future,鈥�
Hill said in a statement. 鈥淔or 32 years, I鈥檝e had the privilege of working with the
best in the industry, helping to shape our company into the magical place it is today.鈥�
Sept. 20, 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nike announced that its CEO and president will retire and be replaced by former Nike
executive Elliott Hill 鈥�86. Hill, who retired from Nike in 2020 while he was president of the company鈥檚 consumer
and marketplace division, will take on the lead role and become part of the company鈥檚
board of directors Oct. 14. After working at Nike for 32 years and holding various
leadership positions, Hill has most recently served on the board of his alma mater,
TCU. 鈥淚鈥檓 eager to reconnect with the many employees and trusted partners I鈥檝e worked
with over the years and just as excited to build new, impactful relationships that
will move us ahead,鈥� he said.
Sept. 20, 2024
Reuters.com
Elliott Hill 鈥�86, started at Nike as an intern in 1988 but steadily scaled its ranks, banking on values
of grit and hard work ingrained in him as the son of a single mom in a working-class
Texas neighborhood. Those qualities may be useful again when Hill becomes the global
sneaker and sportswear brand鈥檚 top boss next month, helping revive the company where
he has spent his whole career. The TCU graduate helped lead Nike鈥檚 Dream Crazy campaign, narrated by NFL quarterback Colin
Kaepernick, in 2018. He also built relationships with key athletes, including Michael
Jordan. Hill recalls a time when Nike epitomized innovation. He was in the room when
the company unveiled its iconic 鈥淛ust Do It鈥� ad in 1988. 鈥淚f you can inspire people
inside of your company, you know you鈥檙e going to inspire people outside the company,鈥�
he said on a podcast.
Sept. 18, 2024
Fort Worth Report
The Davey O鈥橞rien Foundation has awarded a high school scholarship to exceptional
student-athletes across North Texas since 1986, focusing on students鈥� scholastic achievements,
community service, character, leadership and, most notably, varsity sports participation.
Davey O鈥橞rien 鈥�39 made his name as a Horned Frog when he enrolled in 1935. By 1938, O鈥橞rien won TCU
a national championship and was its first 鈥� and still its only 鈥� athlete to win college
football鈥檚 premier individual award, the Heisman Trophy. Today, besides the annual
high school scholarship, the Davey O鈥橞rien Foundation also recognizes the collegiate
American football player judged to be the best of all NCAA quarterbacks. TCU鈥檚 Max Duggan won in 2022.
Sept. 17, 2024
NBCNews.com
Days after returning to Earth, the four civilian crew members of the Polaris Dawn
mission opened up about their experience seeing the planet from orbit, floating in
weightlessness and conducting the world鈥檚 first all-civilian spacewalk. Because the
crew members reached an orbital altitude of 870 miles above Earth鈥檚 surface, they
passed through the inner regions of the Van Allen radiation belt, a zone of high-energy
radiation particles trapped by Earth鈥檚 magnetosphere. SpaceX engineer Anna Menon 鈥�08 said, 鈥淲e were taking all sorts of data to be able to learn more through science
and research about the human response to that environment. We will take all of this
back, learn from it, and then be able to go further based on this.鈥�