researcher studies bats for Texas Military Department
Long to 108 Years of Experience
Tarleton leaders retire
In a hit song more than 30 years ago, George Strait asked the question: “Does Fort Worth ever cross your mind?” Our answer is a resounding YES.
The Tarleton State University flag was planted in Fort Worth in 1978 when it became home to our highly acclaimed Medical Laboratory Sciences degree program. Today we offer 48 degree and certificate programs in Fort Worth.
Who are the students in our Fort Worth programs?
They are area residents of all ages seeking an affordable college experience. They are people responding to workforce demands by elevating their qualifications and opportunities. They may be place-bound by a job or family circumstance. They are veterans and others wanting to make a career change. Some are finishing what was interrupted by life’s events or fulfilling a promise made to a parent or to themselves years earlier.
Tarleton was founded on the principles of access to education and opportunity for success. Those same principles inspire our commitment to the people of the Tarrant County area.
A flourishing Fort Worth campus advances the academic mission and Strategic Plan for all parts of our university. We are developing an innovative and relevant mix of academic programs grounded in real-world experiences across the colleges and campuses. We are implementing course redesign and classroom changes that reflect new learning techniques and tools. To implement these strategies in Fort Worth, we needed new facilities.
The generous donation of 80 acres by the Walton Group and the support of The Texas A&M University System, the State Legislature and the City of Fort Worth have made Tarleton’s new Fort Worth campus possible. We are very excited that construction of the first building is under way.
The campus is alongside the beautiful Chisholm Trail Parkway. While we know little of the details of John Tarleton’s life, we do know that he was in the cattle business and had a large herd on his ranchlands in the last decades of the 19th century. I like to imagine that from time to time John Tarleton walked the Chisholm Trail and had dreams of making education accessible to future generations of Texans, which is exactly what will happen on our new Fort Worth campus.
F. DOMINIC DOTTAVIO, PRESIDENTInvolved students are more successful and stand a better chance
The best kind of give and take
researcher studies bats for Texas Military Department
Briefs on a new online accelerated MBA, a new head men’s basketball coach, a Tarleton alumnus who was recognized for his heroism during a mid-air crisis and the topping out of the new Engineering Building
Ann Calahan lives and breathes education
Tarleton State University has added an accelerated MBA to its College of Business Administration, giving graduate students an opportunity to complete the degree program in 12 months.
The fully online choice is in addition to Tarleton’s traditional two-year MBA degree program.
Both degree options are designed for hardworking individuals who want a broad business-based academic experience that will prepare them for workplace advancement and provide the skills and tools needed for career changes.
“We worked diligently to ensure this new accelerated format has the same quality components and experiences as our traditional MBA program, but in a condensed format,” said Dr. Nate Heller, director of graduate studies for the business college.
After 30 years at Tarleton and the face of the men’s basketball program, athletic department and university, Lonn Reisman will focus solely on being athletic director—a role he’s held for 25 years.
His son, Associate Head Coach Chris Reisman, takes over as head coach of the Tarleton men’s basketball program.
Reisman has 691 career wins—654 of them at Tarleton— the most wins by any coach in Tarleton history and the most wins of any active head coach in the state of Texas at any NCAA level.
Tarleton State University graduate Andrew Needum proved the adage about heroes running toward trouble in the April 17 mid-air explosion on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380.
Needum, a member of Tarleton’s Class of 2006 and an emergency medical technician in Celina, was with his family on a return flight from New York when the blast from the plane’s left engine sent shrapnel into the aircraft and depressurized the cabin.
A passenger seated near the explosion, Jennifer Riordan, was pulled out of her seat and partially through a broken window. Needum, with the help of fellow passenger and Texas farmer Tim McGinty, pulled Riordan back inside. Despite CPR administered by a retired nurse on the flight, Riordan died.
Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio recognized the former student’s efforts.
“Tarleton alumnus Andrew Needum demonstrated courage and selfless compassion in his attempt to save Jennifer Riordan on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380,” he said.
“We applaud his heroic efforts as they continue to reflect the university’s core values long after his 2006 graduation.”
Dr. Samantha Pehl, assistant professor of nursing at Tarleton State University, has been selected as an honoree in the 2018 DFW Great 100 Nurses Celebration.
The event on April 18 at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas recognized professional registered nurses for their contributions to the communities where they live and work.
Pehl has been with Tarleton since 1999 and a full-time faculty member since 2007. She worked at the Student Health Center as a nurse practitioner prior to joining the Department of Nursing.
Pehl is the second nurse from the Tarleton program to be a DFW Great 100 honoree. Diana Kunce-Collins was named in 2005.
arleton State University earned a listing in the Safest College Campuses in America, according to a survey released by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.
“The men and women of Tarleton’s University Police Department are humbled by this distinction,” said Chief Matt Welch. “It is a collective effort of Tarleton PD, surrounding law enforcement agencies and the Tarleton community support that helps to keep us safe.”
Tarleton ranks No. 57 in the survey’s Top 100, one of three Texas A&M University System members to claim positions on the list.
Texas A&M University-Commerce ranked 33rd in the survey while Texas A&M University in College Station was tagged No. 49. Brigham Young University–Idaho in Rexburg rated the country’s safest campus.
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Number of dollars raised on Tarleton’s third Giving Day held in April 54
Anew home for Tarleton State University’s School of Engineering achieved an important milestone in early April when workers reached the pinnacle of the building’s construction—a celebration known as “topping out.”
Set to open in January 2019, the 97,000-square-foot building will provide space for many programs currently housed in several facilities across the Stephenville campus, including civil, mechanical, electrical and environmental engineering; engineering technology; construction science; and computer science.
The number of Tarleton engineering, engineering technology and computer science students has doubled since 2010 and continued enrollment growth is projected as the university aids in meeting the need for highly skilled engineering professionals in Texas.
Number of debate teams from four universities who competed in the third Texan Debate, a program designed to engage freshmen and improve retention and graduation rates
Number of ROTC Cadets commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army in May
Pehl honored as one of the best in DFW healthcare
Tarleton tabbed one of the nation’s safest college campuses
Dr. Rick Richardson was named chief financial officer and senior vice president for the Division of Finance and Administration. Richardson has led the division in an interim capacity since last August. During that time, he helped the university explore issues for a potential move to an athletics Division I conference and implemented processes to improve the management of contractors and vendors. As part of Tarleton’s leadership team, Richardson oversees the budgetary and fiscal affairs of the university, including planning, monitoring and managing overall financial plans, policies, programs and operations.
Dr. Chris Shao was appointed dean of the College of Business Administration.
Shao joined Tarleton full time in 2015 as professor of marketing, advancing to head of the Department of Marketing and Computer Information Systems. He was named associate dean in 2016. He is an active scholar with more than 15 journal publications and eight conference proceedings.
A society that tolerates mediocrity among its learners is remiss. A society that tolerates mediocrity among its teachers is doomed.
The sign above Dr. Ann Calahan’s office door says that. She lives by the words.
She has dedicated her professional life to making sure learners and teachers alike have the resources they need to succeed.
In short, she is ultimately involved in education.
“About as involved as I can be,” she said.
As the head of curriculum and instruction at Tarleton, Calahan’s job is teaching teachers. But she works for students, too. She’s a Texas Association of School Boards director and a six-term president of the Stephenville Independent School District Board of Trustees.
“I feel very strongly that our children need the best opportunities possible,” she said, “and it’s our responsibility as citizens and adults to provide that opportunity. Education opens doors.”
A 1965 graduate of Winters High School (south of Abilene), Calahan came to Tarleton in 1977 as an administrative assistant in the department of physical science and chemistry, where she worked for two years before beginning her higher education. She liked the university so much that after more schooling she returned and never left.
She credits long-time professor and administrator Dr. Lamar Johanson with showing her the value of education. She had earned her bachelor’s degree and followed it with her master’s and was preparing to enter the classroom when Johanson gave her some critical direction.
He said, “You’re going on to A&M. If you stop going to school now, you’ll become so involved with your kids you won’t ever go back.”
She followed his advice, earned her doctorate, and proceeded to make a career in education.
“She is one of the smartest people I’ve ever been around,” said Dr. Randal Ford, who worked with Calahan in Tarleton’s alternative teacher certification program, TMATE. “She is bright, kind and intelligent, and that’s a nice combination.”
Calahan’s duties as school board president and head of curriculum and instruction enable her to create relationships between the district and the university that benefit both.
“That connection with our public school partners is what makes our program here unique,” she said. “It is important as an educator
in teacher preparation to know what’s going on in public schools and what teachers are being expected to do. Not only do I try to keep up with what is impacting teacher preparation, but what’s impacting our Texas public schools.”
She is proud of her achievements leading Stephenville schools, citing upgraded technology as among the most recent.
“We worked really hard on a strategic plan to provide one-on-one technology,” she said.
Under her direction, the Stephenville ISD just rolled out a program providing tablets to first- and second-graders, giving all classes in the district personal technology devices.
Additionally, she spearheaded the drive to provide internet access on four of Stephenville’s school buses, so kids can do schoolwork online going to and from campus.
“We’ve worked hard to keep up with technology,” she said. “It’s a struggle because it changes so fast.”
Now a grandmother of six from her son and two daughters, Calahan and her husband, John, a Tarleton biology professor, enjoy hitting the open road when time allows, heading to Creede, Colo., each year in their RV.
“He fly fishes and I read,” she said. “Plus, there’s a repertory theater, so we see three or four plays there every year.”
Having been part of the university landscape for more than four decades, it’s no wonder Tarleton commands such an important place in her heart.
“It’s a big family that holds you and says, ‘You can do whatever you want to do; we’re going to support you,’” she said. “Tarleton opened doors for me that I’m not sure I would have seen as possibilities had I not had the support of lots of people.”
Above one of those doors just might be a sign with a very profound message.
2018 Chancellor’s Academy of Teacher Educators. The academy recognizes individuals who make significant contributions to teacher education. An associate professor of music within the university’s College of Liberal and Fine Arts, Johnson joined the Tarleton faculty as an instructor in August 1999. She has a doctorate of musical arts from Boston University, a master of arts from Sam Houston State University and a bachelor’s in music education from Tarleton.
Dr. Steve Steed, who retired as dean of the College of Business Administration in May, received the Texas Health Resources J. Andy Thompson Award. He has given 17 years of dedicated service to the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville Board, and has been a tireless advocate for the hospital, helping to spearhead philanthropic efforts in the community to construct the Terrell Family Emergency Center. He served as board chair from 2011-14.
It’s tough being the new kid.
It was true in kindergarten, it’s true in high school, and it’s true in college.
Research shows that first-generation college students face unique difficulties obtaining a higher education. For two years, Tarleton has been part of a nationwide consortium trying to help.
Re-Imagining the First Year of College (RFY) is a three-year initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. For its part, Tarleton has implemented best practices for increasing retention and academic success of firstyear students.
RFY focuses on the success of all students, although emphasis goes to firstgeneration students and students from underrepresented populations.
Three programs, specifically tailored to drive first-year student engagement and retention, highlight Tarleton’s work in this area. Texan Debate, Tarleton Town Hall and Phage Hunters are drawing accolades for immersing freshmen in Tarleton culture.
Based on a successful program at California’s Chico State University, Texan Debate gathers students in communication classes to consider arguments on various sides of controversial topics.
Participating students, divided into teams of two, do not get to choose which side they argue.
“It’s not about belief, it’s about developing and presenting an argument,” said Dr. Delwin Richey, who leads the program. “I want them to think more like an attorney with a client, and they have to advocate for that client, whether they agree with the client or not. That teaches them how to look at things, not just in a personal manner. They are working on an argument to be successful.”
Successful describes Texan Debate, at least in the number of students participating. According to Richey, 54 teams, counting debaters from Central Texas College, Ranger College and TCU, came to Tarleton for a competition April 12.
The program began with 15 teams just three semesters ago. Students prepare for each semester’s debate in weekly workshops, which Richey, a communication instructor, calls key to the program’s success.
“Obviously, there’s a social element to it. They may not know their teammate in the beginning, but it helps link them together for an academic purpose. For students considering dropping out in their first semester, this is good. It’s like they’re on a team. I think that’s very encouraging for the majority of them.”
The competition also spawned a Tarleton debate squad, sponsored by Richey, which has traveled to meets at the University of Oklahoma and TCU.
“So far it has been a very successful program,” he said. “We have a lot of fun.”
Also in its third semester, the political science program already boasts more than 600 students who work throughout a semester researching a policy matter relating to civic engagement.
Issues confronting federal and state lawmakers like immigration, the Affordable Care Act and the Second Amendment are researched by students and presented in breakout groups of 20, who then hear experiences from topic experts in the community.
“Whatever the issue, we’ve got someone who not only has theoretical experience but also real-world experience, and can share it with our students,” said political science instructor Casey Thompson.
“They’re not picking a side. This isn’t a persuasive argument or a debate environment. The real goal is to be able to understand what’s broken, how to fix it and what tools you use to fix it.”
Faculty members guide students through their research. Students also spend time with an agency, organization, individual or other political actor to advocate for a position.
“The Town Hall Meeting course is designed to help them better understand their role in government, politics and the process,” Thompson said.
Program intern and former participant Peyton Martin, a sophomore early education major, said she gleaned helpful lessons from the class. Her research topic was abortion, and she developed a healthy respect for those on the opposite side of the argument.
“I was very aware of where they were coming from and what they might want that was different than what I did. I learned a lot about current laws, and how they could be changed, and how I’d like to see them change. It helped me discover what I really wanted.”
Thompson said that even though the program requires a rigorous schedule of assignments, his experience shows that the students are more involved and have a higher class-completion rate.
“It’s harder,” he said, “yet we have more students who are finishing the class and we see more students who are staying engaged with their student career because of it.”
Looking for microscopic organisms could prompt huge returns in the educational experience of first-year students.
Phage Hunters is a national initiative of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through which students at about 100 participating universities, including Tarleton, apply scientific research principles in their search for viruses.
To do that, participants have to seriously play in the dirt.
“What we’re doing is looking for new bacteria phages that have never been identified before,” said Dr. Dustin Edwards, a Tarleton assistant professor of biological sciences. A bacteria phage is a virus that can infect bacteria so it doesn’t infect people or animals.
“It’s a good project for students to work on since there is less risk of injury. Students are going out into their communities and looking through soil samples. We go through steps trying to isolate viruses that may be in that soil.”
Once the phages are identified, student researchers extract the DNA and sequence the genome of that virus.
“We discovered 16 (phages) this past year,” Edwards said. “That’s a lot higher than I thought we’d find. Students are going through them right now looking for all the pieces of the puzzle of the viruses.”
The program is a true research course designed to accelerate student independence.
“We want to get everything into their hands and give them ownership in the project. In just a few months, they are asking amazing questions, some that don’t even have answers. They have to find the answers themselves. They get really excited about working on their projects.”
The rally drew John W. Thiele II like a magnet.
Seven hundred students had gathered to honor Tarleton’s traditional gateway the night before it closed. The year was 1984, and the rush of student spirit sparked the Tarleton sophomore’s sense of camaraderie and common cause.
“It got me involved in student government,” recalled Thiele, who would go on to be student body president his senior year. “I was very fortunate to be able to embrace the full experience of college and work together with my fellow officers for the larger student body.”
For 100 years, students and their governing body have had a dynamic impact on Tarleton. Leaders held spirited elections, wrote and revised their constitution, and broadened student representation. They’ve inaugurated traditions on campus, appealed to administrators for faculty pay raises, and given aid to those in need.
“The voice of many becomes the voice of one when students connect with each other,” said Mike Moncrief, student body president in 1967-68 and a former state lawmaker and Fort Worth mayor. “A representative government teaches students to work together in concert to help move the university forward.”
One hundred years ago, Tarleton’s Grassburr noted the organization of the Students’ Council and ran photographs of Fred Chandler Jr., president, and Esther Wilkerson, secretary. In 1920 the university newspaper, The J-TAC , urged students to be involved in their government.
“Let’s have the kind of students’ council that we heard about today in chapel,” the paper said in an editorial. “If we ever expect to do anything, we’d better begin. Do your part and don’t be a knocker or ‘I don’t care.’”
As Tarleton became a four-year university in the early 1960s, nationwide social change influenced students to form a Progressive Party and nominate a slate of candidates for student government offices. They sponsored debates, wrote a party platform and defeated establishment contenders.
“I vividly remember the enthusiasm,” said Senior District Judge Don Jones, who served as student body president in 1964-65 and district judge for Erath County for 31 years. “It was an interesting and exciting time. We worked hard on party goals, and I developed an interest in making things better for people.”
With new degree programs, Tarleton’s student body flourished. In 1966 and 1967, Bob Glasgow, president, and Jerry Golden, vice president, proposed and passed a new constitution creating a student senate. Glasgow continued his public service after graduation, serving as a state senator and Erath County district attorney.
“Developing a student senate seemed appropriate for a four-year college,” said Golden, who had a long career in government and private consulting. “We had a growing student body who weren’t well-represented, so we brought in a cross-section of students.”
The next year, students elected Moncrief president after he erected a sailboat emblazoned with campaign signs in front of the student center and dispatched “voter toters” to pick up students and transport them to the polls. In fall 1967, Moncrief and the larger student government collected relief items for victims of Hurricane Beulah on the Texas coast.
Students opened the door to a legacy of female leaders in the late 1970s when they elected Golden’s sister, Nancy Golden Turley, the first woman student body president in the university’s 80-year history.
“It was a pretty exciting time” for Turley, who is now chief financial officer for Tarleton Distinguished Alumnus Mike A. Myers. “I had strong support and, when I prevailed, it was a positive endorsement for women in leadership by fellow students.”
When Thiele served as president in the late 1980s, he attended meetings of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and Tarleton’s Faculty Senate on behalf of the student body. After listening to professors’ concerns, Thiele and his fellow student leaders appealed to the administration for a faculty raise.
“Student government allowed me to be involved and see things that inspired me to succeed,” said Thiele,
who is executive vice president and chief lending officer of Citizens State Bank. “Being exposed to accomplished regents like Henry Cisneros gave me focus to strive for similar personal achievements.”
The constitution written in 1967 was replaced before the end of the 1990s, and by the early 21st century student government consisted of a three-branch system with a twohouse legislature. By 2006 the organization became known as the Student Government Association.
When Chance Cerda ran for president in 2013, he won by two votes in a runoff that attracted more than 1,000 student voters. After his election, Cerda and fellow officers worked to strengthen involvement in the association.
“I learned that the tiniest things I thought never mattered, actually matter 100 percent,” said Cerda, a business entrepreneur. “Serving gave me confidence and taught me leadership. I became a professional who could make a difference and a change.”
Past officers of Tarleton’s student government agree that the experience had a positive impact on their personal and professional lives. They forged lifelong friendships, benefited from networking and discovered new passions.
Several student body presidents transitioned into careers in public service. During the 1990s, when
Moncrief and Glasgow served in the state Senate together, two of Texas’ 31 senators were Tarleton alumni.
“Student government gave me my start in politics,” Moncrief said. “It taught me to lead by example, that I’m only as good as the people I surround myself with, and what a group can accomplish when they don’t care who is getting credit.”
Serving as student body president taught Judge Jones to understand and consider different viewpoints, a skill he refined as a past mayor of Stephenville and strives to practice today in Texas courtrooms.
Former Student Government Association officers were honored at a banquet held in April 2018.
“There were 28 people on the student council, so I saw a little bit of both sides of every issue,” Jones said. “I learned to listen carefully and resolve issues in ways that bring justice to both sides.”
For Thiele, student government offered a glimpse of what he had to do to succeed in business. “When you go out in the real world, you’re not always going to make people happy. People who come together and work for a common goal have unique passions, but we have to resolve issues to accomplish something.”
As the Tarleton community celebrates 100 years of organized student government, past officers commend its accomplishments. Turley said students’ unified voices have effected change and played a key role in Tarleton’s global influence.
Cerda praised the impact of decades of student advocacy on the university’s mission.
“There is a very important growing and dynamic relationship between student government and the president’s cabinet,” he said. “To see that sustained and deepened over 100 years speaks volumes about the administration’s goal to be student-focused.”
Tarleton’s Student Government Association celebrated its 100th anniversary with a week of activities in March, including a town hall meeting and “Coffee with Congress,” where students visited with their elected officials. Leaders designed an anniversary logo, and a banquet in April honored past student body officers and current association members.
“We can’t imagine the accomplishments by student government during the past 100 years,” SGA President Mason Barker said, speaking for himself and Vice President Dominic Procaccino. “We want to continue to be the voice of students, create changes, make students feel at home and instill student spirit—we want our campus to bleed purple.”
Under their leadership, student government is implementing a new constitution approved by students last year that reduced its legislative branch from two bodies to one elected congress. Six active committees are in place. Last fall, Barker and Procaccino presented nine pieces of legislation; eight passed and have been enacted.
One of the bills creates “Rudder’s Two Cents,” which hopefully will become a tradition, where students leave two pennies at the base of the statue of Maj. Gen. James Earl Rudder, the 16th president of Texas A&M University, former Texas A&M University System chancellor and a Tarleton Distinguished Alumnus. One penny honors Rudder, and the other brings the student good luck. The money will fund an annual giving program.
“Student government’s 100th anniversary is a testament to the longstanding value Tarleton has for student voice and learning governance,” said Dr. Laura Boren, vice president for the Division of Student Affairs. “Today’s SGA represents the essence of the university’s core values of tradition, integrity, civility, leadership, excellence and service.”
Friends and Tarleton colleagues, Barker and Procaccino are proud to leave a strong, restructured organization in place that will support growth in student involvement for the next 100 years. They encourage fellow students to develop passion for participation at Tarleton.
“Students don’t realize the power for change they have when they speak out and advocate,” Barker said. “It develops pride of ownership in our school. Tarleton has a special place in our hearts.”
For information on other activities celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Student Government Association, visit www.tarleton.edu/sga or call (254) 968-9082.
On a sunny spring Service Day morning, Tarleton construction science and technology students worked side by side with military veterans to rehabilitate the American Legion Hall in Stephenville.
As junior Sheldon Stone removed rotted boards from a doorframe, a veteran shared stories about his service in Vietnam, where he flew helicopters above dense jungles. During their conversation, the veteran reminisced about the brothers he left behind and told Stone that the old hall had become his second home.
“In that somber moment listening to his stories, I recognized this wasn’t just a stone-and-mortar building, but a special place where our veterans can interact with others who understand them,” Stone said. “We were helping preserve a safe space for a group most of us don’t realize need a secure haven.”
American Legion Post 240–Turnbow-Higgs hired Fort Worth architect Wyatt Hedrick in 1938 to design the limestone hall, which opened in 1940. The 78-year-old landmark needed tender loving care when faculty and students undertook its rehabilitation as part of Tarleton’s Service Day the past three years.
Students have replaced doors, rehabilitated old wooden windows, removed debris from around the foundation, painted, cleaned the interior and gussied up the landscaping.
This year on March 22, thousands of Tarleton students, faculty and staff members fanned out across eight communities in North Texas to serve 67 agencies and their clients. In its third year, Service Day offered 158 projects with 4,400 volunteer opportunities.
Initiated by the Center for Transformative Learning as part of Service Week, the day presents hands-on experiences in a student’s discipline and embodies Tarleton’s core value of service.
“Tarleton has made a strategic commitment to service and meeting the needs of our communities,” said Dr. Denae Dorris, director of the Center for Transformative Learning, which was created in 2014 as the Center for Community Engagement. “Service Day provides students with distinctive engagements in their fields, teaches them social responsibility and clarifies perceptions of their future professions.”
Professors submit service opportunities for their colleges, and
each project has at least one faculty supervisor. This year, 151 faculty members oversaw projects that included nursing students creating Disney character wigs for pediatric patients in children’s hospitals, science majors conducting magic shows at elementary schools, environmental science and chemistry students testing residential water wells, English majors preserving living history through oral interviews with senior citizens, and agriculture students organizing Tarleton’s FFA Invitational.
“Serving others has given me a new perspective on community and the value of individuals we encounter every day,” Stone said. “It has helped me become a more caring and understanding person.”
Last year on Service Day, Dorris visited Foster’s Home for Children in Stephenville, which provides sanctuary to young victims of trauma. There she watched as students in the child and family study program and criminal justice majors talked to the residents about overcoming adversity. The students even helped fashion costumes for an upcoming dance at the home.
“There’s not a part of the population in our communities that we don’t touch,” Dorris said. “The effect on clients, community residents and our students can’t be put into words. Watching students and children making poodle skirts together for a sock hop was uplifting and jubilant and brought a lot of joy to everyone.
“When you walk away from that, you’re charged. When you talk to a veteran who is tearfully appreciative, it’s very rewarding.”
For several years, Tarleton students have helped prepare Stephenville ISD pupils for the local Special Olympics track meet. This year, after Dorris offered encouragement, the school district scheduled the meet for Service Day. One hundred Tarleton education and kinesiology students helped Sabrina Carter, the district’s Special Olympics coordinator, produce the event and mentor about 40 special-education athletes of all ages.
“It was a great initiative on Tarleton’s part to reach out to help us,” Carter said. “It was an amazing experience to collaborate with the university and its students. They were extraordinary and super positive while helping me design the track meet, train students and coordinate volunteers.”
For Tarleton students, Service Day ignites an existing passion or introduces new interests. Rehabilitating the old American Legion Hall strengthened Stone’s enthusiasm for historic preservation, which he cultivated growing up in Brownwood surrounded by antique Texas architecture. After graduation in May, he’ll work in safety and quality control for a North Texas construction company.
“I’m interested in integrating the modern construction technology I’ve learned at Tarleton with the historic value of buildings,” he said. “Working on the American Legion Hall was a highlight of my semester and gave me a different viewpoint of preservation. The sentimental value of the building and the amount of non-physical help we were providing to veterans and the community went far beyond the physical restoration.”
This year Service Day spread from students, faculty and staff to alumni, who provided services to their communities throughout the county on the university’s dedicated day. In addition to Service Day, the university’s studentled Round Up supports Tarleton’s core value of service. Round Up takes place annually in partnership with the city of Stephenville, with students, faculty and staff rolling up their sleeves to help local residents with everything from cleaning windows to garden work.
“It’s the lifestyle of Tarleton Texans to help our neighbors with whatever situation arises,” Dorris said. “We want students to graduate and leave Tarleton determined to practice a culture of service all year long in the communities they call home.”
Tarleton’s Dr. Christopher Higgins has studied bats in lots of places—Costa Rica, Mexico, all over Central and South America.
Now, the Texas Military Department wants Higgins to research the nocturnal flying mammals at home.
Higgins, associate professor of biological sciences and director of the university’s Timberlake Biological Field Station, was recently contracted by the TMD for a two-year field study of bats at Camp Bowie and Camp Swift military training facilities.
The survey will aid the agency’s habitat plan, helping to maximize the diversity of wildlife at the sites near Brownwood and Bastrop, and to monitor the spread of an affliction proving devastating to bat populations, according to Higgins.
White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease, was first recorded among bats in New York in 2006. Since then it has worked its way down the eastern seaboard and into Texas. A recent case was noted in the Texas Panhandle, near the Caprock.
“We’re trying to see if it is spreading to the southwest,” Higgins said. “It can have major impact on the diversity of bats we have in Texas. The first six years it killed six million bats. This thing is killing at least a million to two million bats a year as it moves through the United States.”
While many may not see the value of research on the nocturnal flying creatures, Higgins recognizes the environmental advantages of a healthy bat population.
“Bats are important for several ecological reasons,” Higgins said. “For pollination, just like bees, bats play a huge role. In seed dispersal—one of the things bats eat is fruit. They will digest the seeds and, as they fly from one location to the next, disperse those seeds. It’s a mechanism for plants to move away from their place of origin.”
Maybe most important is the bat’s part in natural pest control.
“Bats can eat their weight in insects per night,” Higgins reported. “A study in South Texas showed that bats saved local farmers millions of dollars annually in pesticide since the bats were consuming the insects that potentially could harm their crops.”
Bats are the second most diverse order of mammals, after rodents, representing almost 20 percent of all classified mammal groups worldwide,
with more than 1,200 species. They also occur globally, with possible exceptions of remote locations far from the mainland.
Higgins and graduate students Jarrett Vincik and Vanessa Hays, along with undergraduate research assistants Elexus Hargis and Madison Gover, trap bats on the almost 20,000 acres of the two sites, using fine mesh mist nets. If the captured specimens show symptoms of white-nose syndrome, they are euthanized. If they appear to be healthy, the bats are weighed, measured, photographed and released.
“For me, it’s just the fact they have such a wide range of ecological roles,” Higgins said. “They can disperse pretty great distances. It’s not like a mouse, which is going to live its life within 20 yards. Bats can fly miles on a nightly basis.”
His research also points to the fact that bats, like other organisms, are sensitive to climate change.
“We can monitor bat populations and connect results to the environment to see how any changes in temperature and precipitation are impacting bat populations,” he said.
Higgins, who is bestknown for his work involving stream fish communities in Texas and parts of Europe, also has published papers on the effect of hurricanes on Puerto Rican snails. He currently is involved in a project involving African arthropods, invertebrate animals with an external skeleton, segmented bodies and paired appendages.
“Bats are just one of the groups of organisms I work with,” he said. “I am mostly question-driven—
What is the diversity of this area? What are the environmental impacts that are affecting that diversity?”
In a couple of years, he should have some answers.
A hidden gem of Tarleton’s biology department is its massive outdoor learning venue, Timberlake Biological Field Station.
Part of the Timberlake Ranch, donated in 2013 by university benefactors Dr. Lamar and Marilynn Johanson, the Timberlake Biological Field Station is a prize location for researchers.
“More and more people are taking advantage of what the Johansons have offered,” said Dr. Christopher Higgins, associate professor of biological sciences and director of the field station. “We’ve branched out. Researchers from the University of Oklahoma have come down and used it. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is partnering with us to do some work. We’ve also received a $350,000 National Science Foundation grant that is tied to the field station.”
Covering 1,700 acres in Mills County near Goldthwaite, the field station is home to a vast array of indigenous plants and wildlife, allowing students and researchers to study aquatic, plant, community and restoration ecology; environmental biology, chemistry, engineering and sociology; geospatial analyses, hydrogeology, wildlife and landscape management, sustainability, water quality and other specialties.
Participating in a NSF funded Research Experience for Undergraduates program, Tarleton uses the ranchland as a laboratory to study environmentally relevant issues, allowing 10 undergraduates from across the country an opportunity to conduct research and present their findings in summer projects.
The field station also attracts students to Tarleton.
“We’re heavily recruiting from two-year community colleges and four-year universities that really don’t have these undergraduate research opportunities,” says Higgins.
In addition to its academic applications, the field station will serve as an outdoor recreation area for Tarleton students interested in hiking, camping and fishing.
“We also have an outreach program in which we are trying to get local school districts to come to the field station for outdoor education and hands-on experiences,” Higgins said.
“It’s really something that will develop and turn into a prestigious long-term asset that Tarleton will be proud of.”
Beneath cloud-filled skies, Tarleton State University broke ground Feb. 27 for the first building of its 80-acre campus along the bustling Chisholm Trail Parkway in Fort Worth.
Several hundred people—Tarleton administrators, Fort Worth business and education leaders, elected state and city officials—crowded under a big top to tout the new campus and its potential to improve access to affordable higher education.
Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio said the campus advances the university’s plan for strategic growth.
“At the heart of our presence in Fort Worth, this building is a nod to our rich heritage and bright future,” he said. “Our founder, John Tarleton, had dreams of making education accessible and affordable. Now we have an opportunity to extend that dream to more than just the students we serve at our Stephenville campus.
“That’s exactly what is happening in Fort Worth.”
The Walton Group of Companies donated the land, and The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved $41 million for the first phase.
From left, Tarrant County College District Chancellor Dr. Eugene Giovannini, State Rep. Craig Goldman, State Sen. Konni Burton, A&M System Board of Regents Chairman Charles W. Schwartz, Tarleton President Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, A&M System Regent Bill Mahomes, Fort Worth Councilman Jungus Jordan, West Region Walton Development and Management President John Vick, West Region Walton Development and Management General Manager Matt Robinson and Tarleton Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. Kyle McGregor.
Construction is under way on the initial project, a 76,000-square-foot, three-story multipurpose academic building, scheduled to open in fall 2019.
The building will house innovative learning areas, common gathering spaces, a large event area and a community counseling center offering assistance on a sliding-fee scale.
“It won’t be long until this single building grows to a second and then a third,” remarked Charles W. Schwartz, chairman of the A&M System Board of Regents. “We are in the business of making aspirations a
reality. Today’s groundbreaking is just one small step in accomplishing that mission.”
John Vick, president of West Region Walton Development and Management, Inc., said Tarleton fits perfectly with the company’s vision for Chisholm Trail Parkway.
“Higher education is critical to our community,” he said. “As the city competes nationally and internationally for business, education is a key component and one where we can prove that Tarleton’s new campus in southwest Fort Worth is a great step in that direction.”
Tarleton opened in Fort Worth in 1978 with only eight students. Forty years later, the university serves almost 2,000 students at two locations, the Richard C. Schaffer Building on Enderly Place and the Hickman Building on Camp Bowie Boulevard.
Now the university needs more space.
Fort Worth enrollment at move-in is expected to approach 2,500 students. With additional buildings, the campus could serve 9,000 students by 2030.
Many of those are transfers. Tarleton-Fort Worth has seen a sharp increase in transfer students from other Texas colleges and universities—nearly 41 percent in the past five years.
Tarleton enjoys a close partnership with several area schools, including the Tarrant County College District, whose chancellor, Dr. Eugene V. Giovannini, spoke at the groundbreaking.
“We share programs. We share services. We share resources, and we’re really excited to be an ongoing partner,” he said. “We have a shared vision, and that is being student-centered. We have a wonderful collaboration.”
Tarleton-Fort Worth offers more than 40 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to a diverse student population of working adults, community college graduates and returning students.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said the campus will fill a need in the rapidly growing city. To remain competitive, Fort Worth must have an educated workforce.
“Our great nation was founded on great public schools and great universities,” Price explained. “To continue that, we have to continue to provide wonderful, highquality, affordable universities for all of our children to come to.”
More than a year before it opens its doors, Dottavio joked that the Fort Worth campus already has “a big problem.”
“We will be out of space the day we open the first building on our new campus,” he said. “Tarleton is quickly becoming a university of choice for students who want to start a new chapter in their lives with a highquality, affordable college education.
“We are committed to them. To Fort Worth. To becoming the premier student-focused university in Texas and beyond.”
BY SARAH BAHARI
O ne landed at Tarleton State University amid the Vietnam War, thinking he’d only stay a couple of years.
Another never considered going to college until a high school counselor encouraged him.
A third recalled his grandfather’s advice to pursue an education and set out for a career in teaching.
Three longtime Tarleton administrators retire this year, bringing an end to their combined 108 years of service to the university.
Dr. Steve Steed arrived at Tarleton in 1971, planning to teach a couple of accounting courses before moving up north.
Nearly five decades later, he’s retiring as dean of the College of Business Administration.
“Sometimes you are blessed to be in the right place at the right time,” Steed said. “Tarleton was a much different place when I arrived, and I got caught up in the growth and excitement over the years.”
Named dean of the College of Business Administration in 2015, Steed said the moments when he reached students are among his proudest accomplishments.
“We work in a field where we do not know the real result for a long, long time,” he explained. “But occasionally when you’re working with a student, you see that light come on. It’s a good feeling.
“Those of us who teach are blessed. Working with young people keeps us young.”
Growing up, college was not on Dr. David Weissenburger’s radar.
The son of a steel mill worker, Weissenburger assumed he might follow in his father’s footsteps. A high school counselor convinced him otherwise, and Weissenburger went on to earn a degree in psychology, even while working at the mill to make ends meet.
Weissenburger retires as interim dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services.
“College was not an expectation for me,” he said. “As a first-generation college student, I understand the challenges so many students face. Graduating from college was daunting.”
Weissenburger worked as a psychologist for the state of Texas before moving to academia in 1994. He joined Tarleton in 1999 as an associate professor of psychology and counseling.
Higher education, he said, shares some common traits with counseling. “The pursuit of money never drove me,” he said. “I wanted to work with others and be of service. Psychology and higher education both offered the opportunity to empower others in fulfillment of their dreams and ambitions.”
Dr. Dwayne Snider’s grandfather had little education, but a profound appreciation for it.
“Education is one thing no one can take away from you,” Snider recalled his grandfather saying.
Snider retires as Tarleton’s associate provost after 42 years as a member of the faculty and administration.
He served his first stint as a teacher at age 16 while his algebra teacher recovered from an injury.
“I always knew I wanted to teach,” Snider said. “My goal when I came to Tarleton was to teach in public high schools. I saw teachers at Tarleton and decided that looked like a pretty good life.”
Throughout his career, Snider has seen his share of change at the university. New buildings have popped up, and enrollment has soared.
Among his proudest accomplishments are working with every Tarleton provost to hold the title and continuing to work as a mathematics professor, even as he moved to the university’s administrative side.
Retiring comes with mixed emotions, Snider admitted.
“I’m going to miss the people, but I’m comfortable with my decision. It’s the right time.”
Afamily member left Dr. Randal Ford an important job:
Find a place to invest nearly a half-million dollars to help educate worthy FFA students from the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Southeast Texas.
Dr. Ben Hosey, a Houston physician, made the bequest in honor of a late friend who worked in Cypress-Fairbanks. Hosey was a bachelor, and when he died a codicil in his will put Ford in charge of founding the Hosey-Whitman Scholarship.
Hosey couldn’t have made a better choice. “I got this huge amount of money,” Ford said, “and I really investigated the best place for it to go.”
Ford, who works in the curriculum and instruction department of Tarleton’s College of Education, took the task seriously, researching extensively before deciding on Tarleton.
“His wishes were very clear,” she said. “He wanted me to decide what to do with this money. He wanted to help.”
Although her heart told her where the educational windfall should land, Ford’s uncle left no guidelines. She called several universities.
“Not one of them was as excited or seemed to meet the needs as much as Tarleton,” she said.
Tarleton is well-known among FFA students. The university hosts the organization’s annual invitational contests, the largest in the state. “Where better to attract kids and get them to come? The atmosphere is perfect for that scholarship.”
Established in 2016, the scholarship targets full-time students involved in high school FFA and graduating in the top 25 percent of their class. It can offer ongoing help for up to four students, two years each.
The decision to grant Tarleton the donation was sealed by Dr. Kyle McGregor, vice president of Institutional Advancement, who worked with Ford to help get university agriculture teachers certified through Ford’s program— Tarleton Model for Accelerated Teacher Education (TMATE)—and Assistant Vice President for Development Janice Horak, who guided the donation process.
“They both played instrumental parts in the reason for Tarleton getting the money,” Ford said.
The first recipient is senior history major Emily Howell, who was delightfully surprised that a Central Texas university wanted to fund a graduate of Lamar Consolidated High School.
“It seemed almost random that Tarleton would offer a scholarship to someone all the way down to the Houston area,” she said.
Howell plans to become a teacher, either of European history or human geography, and intends to earn her teaching certification through TMATE after graduating with her bachelor’s degree.
“It’s a huge help,” she said of the scholarship. “I pay for school myself without any outside help. It lifts a big financial burden.”
Hosey trusted his niece to fulfill his vision of enriching young people with schooling, something she has done her entire career.
A graduate of Waco High School, Ford took her bachelor’s and her doctorate from Baylor with a master’s from Mary Hardin-Baylor in between. She came to Tarleton in 2005 when a friend, Dr. Ann Calahan, asked if she’d be interested in running the university’s alternative teaching certification program.
“I was in an administrative position at UT Arlington, but I really wanted to teach. Ann called me up and I applied. Easy as that.”
Now an instructor in the TMATE program, Ford derived tremendous satisfaction in shaping the scholarship.
“My uncle believed in education,” she said. “I get the pleasure of knowing somebody gets to go to college.”
Mrs. Nancy Golden Turley, ’79 served as Tarleton’s first female student body president, graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s of business administration degree in accounting. She was a member of Gamma Sigma Sigma Service Sorority and Tau Beta Chi Business Chapter.
Turley served four years in Student Government, first as a member of the Student Senate, then as student body vice president and ultimately as president in 1978-79. Other honors include election as Miss TSU, receiving the Accounting Excellence Award from the Texas Society of CPAs and listing in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. Her imprint at Tarleton lives on through a campus street named in her honor—Nancy Golden Drive.
Turley’s 39-year professional career has been spent working for Tarleton Distinguished Alumnus and benefactor Mike A. Myers. Currently, she is CFO for the Dallas-based Myers Financial Corporation.
Turley’s close bond with Tarleton has continued through the years, serving multiple terms on the TAA board of directors.
Dr. Jason Mogonye, M.D., ’02 graduated from the Presidential Honors Program and summa cum laude from the College of Science and Technology. Mogonye was granted membership into Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society while at Tarleton and continued his academic legacy at Texas Tech University’s Health Sciences Center School of Medicine.
He received his doctorate of medicine (M.D.) in 2006 and was named the Outstanding Medical Student in Sports Medicine. He completed his residency in family medicine as well as his fellowship in sports medicine at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.
He currently serves as team physician for TCU, Texas Wesleyan University, the Justin Rodeo Sports Medicine Team, and Arlington and Fort Worth ISDs.
Tarleton State University honored several distinguished alumni and former faculty and staff members during the University Gala held Saturday, Feb. 17. TEXANS
Mrs. Sandra Cox began her distinguished career at Tarleton as a student worker in 1961 while pursuing her degree. She later returned to become executive director in charge of university budgets, payroll and human resources. Cox retired as Vice President Jerry Graham’s “right hand woman” utilizing her vast knowledge of the budget system at Tarleton and her excellent management of both budget and payroll.
President Emeritus Dr. Dennis P. McCabe said, “With a deep and quiet strength, Sandra Cox served Tarleton with great distinction. Her work was exceptional. Her record of employment was exemplary. Her quiet and firm resolve to serve others as she would like to be served gave her focus and intent.”
E.L. Stephens established City Electric in Stephenville in 1949, molding the company into a top-notch business with a reputation for providing quality, dependable electrical work.
Stephens owned and operated the successful business for 33 years before selling it to someone he felt could maintain the same quality of work and ethics that he had. David Bragg was that man.
In 1982, Bragg jumped at Stephens’ offer. In 1986, he felt that the growing company needed to broaden its horizons, so he incorporated the electric company under the name “Stephenville City Electric, Inc.”
Since 1982, Bragg has not only maintained the same level of excellence that Stephens originally established, but has expanded and molded the company into a business of distinction.
Legacy Awards recognize individuals and supporters who exhibit Tarleton’s core values of tradition, integrity, civility, leadership, excellence and service. The university president selects recipients.
The Legacy Award for Civility with Integrity recognizes significant contributions to the betterment of society through character, forthrightness, honorable actions and commitment to the well-being of others.
This year’s recipient, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles Leigon, began his distinguished military career in 1941, receiving his commission as a second lieutenant in 1943 and serving two years in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater in World War II.
Before service in Vietnam, he was base commander at Randolph Air Force Base and Air Force Missile Training Program commander at Sheppard Air Force Base, among other assignments.
In 1968, he earned the Legion of Merit for exceptional, meritorious performance as commander of the 31st Combat Support Group in Vietnam. Leigon attended Tarleton in the 1930s and completed his undergraduate degree at Trinity University in San Antonio. He deeded the family farmland to Tarleton in 2016 in concert with the Department of Nursing’s 40th anniversary, providing scholarships to nursing students and those enrolled in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts.
The Legacy Award for Excellence through Leadership recognizes an individual’s significant career accomplishments that bring honor and credit to Tarleton.
This year’s recipient, Bill Casner, grew up in El Paso, always wanting to be a cowboy. After graduating from Tarleton in 1972, he embarked on a career training racehorses in the Midwest. In 1988, he left the Thoroughbred industry and, with partner Kenny Troutt, founded Excel Communications.
After selling Excel Communications in 2002 for more than $3.5 billion, the two founded WinStar Farm in
Versailles, Ky., taking it to the pinnacle of horse racing.
WinStar’s Colonel John won the 2008 Travers Stakes, and the farm’s Well Armed won the $6 million Dubai World Cup in 2009. The next year, Super Saver won the Kentucky Derby, and Drosselmeyer captured the Belmont Stakes—a win that happened again in 2016 by WinStar’s Creator.
Casner is co-founder of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) and has served on the board of the Thoroughbred Owner Breeders Association and Breeders’ Cup. In addition, he is a founding member of The Race for Education, which provides educational opportunities for young people with significant financial need and academic challenges.
The Legacy Award for Tradition of Service recognizes the selfless giving of an individual or corporation that exemplifies the philanthropic ideals of university founder John Tarleton.
This year’s recipient is Pevehouse Family Foundation, Inc. Pillars in the West Texas philanthropic community, Beverly and Joe Pevehouse had a strong desire to help others. Their generosity and leadership earned them numerous accolades and awards spanning more than five decades.
In 2008, Beverly Pevehouse created Pevehouse Family Foundation, Inc. with the help of her children—Melissa and Clay (’82)—and trusted advisors to sustain the couple’s philanthropic endeavors. Since then, the foundation has awarded more than $2 million. In addition to higher education, Pevehouse Family Foundation, Inc. awards grants in the areas of health, performing and visual arts, and community and cultural endeavors.
Tarleton has received more than $400,000 from this foundation for scholarships and support of the Agricultural Mechanical and Fabrication Laboratory.
It was a spring afternoon in the late 1940s, and as Ben Baty walked from Tarleton’s campus to his home east of the Bosque River, a thunderous rainstorm struck. When he reached the bridge, which was being rebuilt, he faced a decision: walk across it or detour and go a longer distance.
As he balanced on a slick, narrow beam above the roiling river, Baty realized his choice was risky.
But he persevered and returned to classes the next morning.
“I had a burning desire to be somebody and accomplish something,” Baty, the son of a pastor, later recalled. “Tarleton was the only opportunity I had to go to college, and professors gave me a gift—the understanding that I could achieve my goals. They instilled in me that I could be successful and that hard work, drive and determination would be key.”
The bridge decision is telling.
A certain tenacity, courage of conviction and willingness to take risks have marked Baty’s days.
Now 87, he served in Tarleton’s Corps of Cadets and Wainwright Rifle Drill Team as a student and graduated from Texas A&M as a distinguished cadet with a degree in marketing.
Following a tour of duty in the Army, he joined Shell Oil Co. His perseverance as a marketing executive for 38 years earned him the nickname “Bulldog.”
His Shell career featured a succession of assignments of increasing responsibility that moved him, wife Nellie and their two children to locations all over the country. In the early 1970s, Shell appointed Baty director of a new department, Strategic Planning and Research.
Shell executives charged Baty and his team with developing a strategy to increase the company’s market share of national gasoline sales and vault Shell from the middle of the pack to No. 1, all while increasing return on investment. This came against a backdrop of fundamental changes occurring in the business, including improved automobile design and drivers who preferred speediness over service.
“My perception was that customers wanted convenience,” Baty said. “Faster get-in and get-out. Despite the fact that prices were lower, convenience was their major reason for preferring self-serve gas.”
Nellie and Ben BatyMarketing research confirmed Baty’s observations about a growing synergism between gasoline sales and convenience food sales. On a visit to South Carolina, he watched customers gas up at an independent self-serve station and then wait in line for several minutes to pay. That moment, he
“I thought, ‘Holy cow! Could we create an automatic pay dispenser to speed up the convenience of self-serve?’”
Shell’s technology experts found a way to make Baty’s pay-at-the-pump idea a reality. Next, he and his staff developed a cost-effective strategy to reposition Shell’s full-service stations as convenience stores with self-serve gas and card
Tests in three markets scored phenomenal results, but Shell was hesitant to change.
Then Baty made a presentation to the directors, and soon the company approved a plan to convert up to 75 percent of its stations. When fully implemented in the mid-1980s, Shell became the top marketer of gasoline in the country.
After retirement from Shell, Baty became executive vice president of an international company doing business in 100 countries. In 2000 he established his own consulting business.
He and Nellie have moved for the 30th and last time, returning to Stephenville, where they devote their expertise to the university. Baty is a Tarleton Distinguished Alumnus and former president of the Tarleton Foundation, Inc. and the Alumni Association. He is a member of the College of Business Advisory Board and regularly meets with
“When I speak to students, I focus on what I learned at Tarleton 70 years ago,” he said. “Be sure you have goals and never lose enthusiasm for the pursuit of excellence.”
Dr. Stan Carpenter loved college so much he never left.
The self-described “quintessential first-generation college student,” latched onto higher education and made it a career.
Now dean of the College of Education at Texas State University in San Marcos, Carpenter credits his Tarleton experiences as his springboard to academic success.
“They gave me the opportunity to become a leader and to build friendships that I have to this day,” he said.
One of eight children born and raised in Stephenville, his high school guidance counselor warned him to manage his expectations.
“He told me not to aim too high,” Carpenter said with a laugh.
When powerhouses Rice University and MIT wooed the National Merit Scholar, he stayed home and enrolled at Tarleton.
“I was very unsophisticated,” Carpenter said. “I probably couldn’t have made it in Boston or Houston at that time, but I never took a backseat to anyone. Everything I’ll ever do began at Tarleton.”
A 1972 graduate with a degree in mathematics, Carpenter earned his master’s in student personnel and guidance from Texas A&M and his Ph.D. in counseling and student personnel services from the University of Georgia.
Through the years he held a variety of administrative roles at Texas State, including department chair, and also spent nearly two decades on the Texas A&M faculty, where he launched and directed a nationally recognized master’s degree program in student affairs administration.
From 1987 to 1997, he was executive director of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.
“Dr. Carpenter has provided exceptional leadership throughout his years at Texas State,” said President Denise Trauth. “Our College of Education has an extraordinary tradition
of providing excellent teachers and other educational leaders for the state of Texas, and Dean Carpenter has built on that record.”
Carpenter has presented at more than 150 conferences and is author or co-author of more than 95 journal articles, book chapters and other professional publications and reports, focusing on professionalism and leadership in student affairs. In 2010 the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators named him a Pillar of the Profession.
And it all started with his decision to come to Tarleton.
“Tarleton was small enough and understood its mission to take kids like me and care about us,” he said.
Carpenter did odd jobs around campus to pay for his education. “I was washing pots in the dining hall for $1.05 an hour and taking jobs on the side,” he said. “I had worked 35 jobs by the time I graduated.”
Once a month, he would go to the bursar’s office for an accounting and to draw money for expenses, with the rest earmarked for tuition. During summers, he’d work to make enough to come back.
At Tarleton, he became involved with Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity. For more than 40 years he has not missed a meeting, along the way absorbing the core principles of leadership, friendship and service.
He served a four-year stint as APO president, and was the driving force behind construction of the fraternity’s national headquarters. “Everybody has their volunteer work,” he said. “The service really sounded good to me. It was the kind of work I could do with a higher ed career.”
Preparing for retirement this August, Carpenter easily recalled the three best days of his life—the birth of his daughter, his marriage and his first day as a professor in 1985.
“I understood when I walked into that classroom that I had found what I was supposed to be doing. Higher ed is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
No wonder he never left.
John Lennon couldn’t have had Amanda Martin in mind when he featured in one of his songs the line “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Martin, the laboratory administrative director for Cook Children’s Medical Center, runs the facility that physicians count on to make accurate diagnoses to successfully treat their young patients.
But that wasn’t the original plan.
A standout high school tennis player in Fort Stockton, she was recruited by then-coach Chet Martin (no relation) to play at Tarleton. She competed for two years before homework dominated her schedule, forcing her to leave tennis for recreation only.
She was active in campus organizations, though, participating in the Tarleton chapter of the biological honor society TriBeta and competing in intramural sports before earning a degree in animal biology in 2001.
small town, the culture felt right for me. The Purple Poo and all the traditions. Just that rich culture. You bleed purple forever.”
After earning her degree, she moved to Tarleton’s Fort Worth campus and started down a path—enrolling in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences program—that changed her life.
“The education was outstanding,” she said. “It really positioned me with the confidence and the background I needed.
“After graduating and getting into the field to look for a job, I found that if you were a Tarleton CLS graduate, you were pretty much a shoo-in. People want Tarleton graduates from that program.”
Martin has a soft spot for CLS grads, having married one. Husband Michael, who grew up in Hico, is the Transfusion Services Supervisor at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center–Fort Worth.
They have two children, Bailey and Brayden, who might be swayed by family history to attend Tarleton when the time comes. Besides mom and dad, Michael’s mother and three sisters all have Tarleton diplomas.
“I have always treasured the memories I have from Tarleton,” Martin said. “They situate you to let you grow and succeed. It’s something to be proud of.”
Looking back on her time as a college student, she wishes she had been more outgoing and participated more in the student experiences at Tarleton.
“Go to Duck Camp,” she tells any prospective Tarleton students. “I missed out on that, being the introvert I am. I tell people I know I missed out, but they definitely need to go. They need to know all that tradition from the get-go.”
She’s not so introverted now.
Coming from far West Texas, she could be forgiven for not knowing much about the Stephenville campus.
“I had not heard a lot about Tarleton, but when I got there, I knew that’s where I needed to be. Coming from a
“I think my experiences at Tarleton had a lot to do with that, getting outside my shell.”
Maybe there’s a song there, too.
Second Tarleton degree helps Martin help others
“ The education was outstanding. It really positioned me with the confidence and the background I needed. ”
Amanda Martin
KATHRYN “KACI” SISK , BA in history and government, has been appointed to the State Board of Dental Examiners, which regulates the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene in the state. Sisk, from Spring Branch, is a member of the Project Management Institute.
JANET FOLEY, BS in agricultural economics, was promoted to chief mortgage loan officer and will head up the mortgage loan department at First State Bank of Uvalde. She was born and raised in Dallas, where she graduated from high school in 1979. She moved to Uvalde in May of 1983 and began her employment with First State Bank one month later.
STAN LEECH, BS in physical education, won his 800th game as a high school basketball coach when his Boerne-Samuel V. Champion Chargers defeated Wimberley 62-47 in December. Leech, who has coached in Boerne ISD for 31-plus seasons, is in his 10th season of coaching the Chargers. He has been at the helm of Chargers basketball since the school opened in 2008. Included in the wins throughout the years, Leech’s teams have earned 12 district championships, 18 bi-district titles, 10 area championships, two regional crowns, one state semi-final championship and one state finals appearance.
TERRY GAMBILL, BS in physical education, was named Large High School Coach of the Year by the National Football Foundation Gridiron Club Dallas Chapter. In just his second year as Allen’s head football coach, Gambill guided the Eagles to a perfect 16-0 record and the 2017 6A Division I state title. Boasting more than 30 years of coaching experience, he had previous stints at Garland, Duncanville, Forney and Southlake Carroll, where he was the secondary coach on the Dragons’ 1993 state championship team. After graduating from Garland High School, Gambill lettered four years at Tarleton and earned allconference and honorable mention All-America honors in 1983. He is a 1998 inductee into the Tarleton State University Athletics Hall of Fame.
RONNY KORB, MS, has been promoted to Charter President for Pinnacle Bank, Texas. In his 18 years with the company, he has worked at locations in Keene, Mountain Valley, Burleson, Azle and Fort Worth. Korb will be located at Pinnacle Bank Place in downtown Fort Worth.
SHANNAN BURCH, BS in business administration, has been named executive director of the Early Chamber of Commerce. A resident of Comanche since 1985, she graduated from Comanche High School before attending Tarleton, where she also earned her paramedic certification. Burch joins the Early Chamber after seven years at Heart of Texas EMS, where she served as the director of operations. She also owns two businesses, Paramed Exam Plus and Lilly B’s jewelry boutique.
JASON WESTBROOK, MS in agriculture, has been named agriculture extension agent for Palo Pinto County. He assumed the role in January.
DR. SUSAN BALLABINA, BS in home economics, has been appointed deputy vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station.
Ballabina previously was executive associate director for AgriLife Extension. She began her career with AgriLife Extension in 1994, serving as an agent in Cherokee, Williamson, Upshur and Dallas counties and later as a regional program director. In 2013 she became AgriLife Extension’s associate director for program development. Ballabina was promoted to her most recent role as executive associate director for the agency in 2016.
She has been awarded AgriLife Extension’s Superior Service Award four times, the Texas A&M University System Regents Fellow Honor, and was recognized by Tarleton State University as a distinguished alumnae. She is also a graduate of the AgriLife Advanced Leaders Program.
’14KODY FAIN, BBA in accounting, has been hired as vice president of lending at Anahuac National Bank. His responsibilities will include commercial and consumer lending. His area of expertise includes real estate, construction and machine and equipment lending. Previously, Fain served as loan officer at Lone Star Ag Credit where he managed a sizeable portfolio and originated new loans.
DEREK MARSHALL, BBA in business administration and management, was named field service representative for Skyjack. Throughout his career, Marshall has worked specifically on aerial work platforms as a field service technician and technical trainer. He has earned his Mobile Hydraulic Mechanic Certification from the International Fluid Power Society. Prior to joining the industry, he served four years in the United States Navy.
BUDDY HARDIN, BA in physical education, was named head football coach at Alvin High School. Hardin started his coaching career in Granbury, where he held assistant football posts at both the junior high and high school levels during a six-year stint. Hardin then moved to Teague, where he was part of the coaching staff that led the Lions to their first playoff win in school history and ultimately to the regional round of the playoffs. Hardin proceeded to take the ground-breaking postseason trend to his first two head coaching jobs at 2A Hawley and 4A Venus.
MATTHEW ILEY, BS in agribusiness, was promoted to branch manager of the Early location of Central Texas Farm Credit. A three-year veteran of the lending cooperative, Iley most recently served as the branch’s senior loan officer. He joined Farm Credit in 2014 with 11 years of experience in the commercial banking industry.
BETH BRIAN, BS in speech communications, has been named director of sales and marketing for Superior Livestock. She will be responsible for planning and implementing sales, marketing and developmental programs. Born in Kansas City, she currently resides in Weatherford.
JACK COCHRAN, BA in professional and relational communications, has been named youth director at First United Methodist Church in Beeville.
Cochran has experience in the fields of journalism, communications and ministry.
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They have a lot in common.
Both are the product of Tarleton athletics. Both are recognized leaders in women’s NCAA Division II sports who see a bright future for women coaches in all sports.
Women’s Head Basketball Coach Misty Wilson and Head Volleyball Coach Mary Schindler both bleed purple from their days as student athletes.
Wilson arrived on campus in 1997 and never left, playing basketball for and then serving as an assistant coach under Claude Cummings, then working for Ronnie Hearne for 12 seasons.
Just finishing her fourth season as head coach of the TexAnns, she has established her program as among the best in the Lone Star Conference.
The TexAnns finished the season 20-12, the first 20-win season under Wilson and the first 20-win season since 2013-14. That is coming off a breakthrough 2016-17 campaign when she led Tarleton to its first LSC conference tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA regional tournament.
Wilson’s career as a player and her early time on the sideline were spent with Cummings, and she said she’s thankful for that opportunity. But working for Hearne was transformative.
“I learned so much from Coach Hearne,” she said. “I worked for him for 12 years. I really learned a great deal about basketball from him, how to manage the job and family.”
She began her purple run as a terrific player. She is the sixth-best scorer in Tarleton history, playing in 103 games from 1998 to 2001. She scored 1,440 career points and was the season scoring leader three years in a row.
Schindler’s first year in Stephenville was 2000. Just five years later, after four seasons on the volleyball court for the TexAnns, she took over the program. She has earned conference Coach of the Year honors twice and capped last year with a 29-6 record and No. 20 national ranking.
She remembers the support of Athletic Director Lonn Reisman in her early days in charge of the volleyball team.
“He was a mentor, even though it was a different sport,” she said. “He’d won a lot, and he was so supportive. It was great to have someone to tell you, win or lose, you were going to be OK. It was one of the best things I could ask for, starting out.”
Schindler has compiled a 234-148 record and reached the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament in 10 of her 12 years, including seven straight postseason berths and one tournament championship. She also led Tarleton to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2014 and repeated the accomplishment in 2015.
She and Wilson understand the expectation of success, as well as the specific issues women in sports face.
“I think the biggest challenge is to get a balance,” Schindler said. “I don’t think there’s anything that makes it more difficult to be successful as a woman, but I think fewer women are in coaching at the college level because of the balance between family and work.
“I feel very blessed. Our program here is about family. My son is able to be in the gym with me, and I’m able to find the balance between attending his events and him being at mine.”
Wilson concurs. “The expectations (for both men and women coaches) are the same. You’re expected to win. However, I think the demands on female coaches may be brought on by yourself. Sometimes you feel more of a pull from the domestic part of your life.”
Coach Wilson has three daughters, each involved in a different stage of athletics.
“Managing your time and feeling like you’re contributing as much as you feel you need to for your family and to the program are challenging at times,” she said.
Both coaches share an excitement for the future in women’s coaching, pointing to Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs, the first female assistant in the NBA, and the opportunities for women in powerhouse men’s programs.
“I don’t know that’s something I’d be interested in, but I do think it will happen,” Schindler said. “The Spurs, a premier organization, have a woman on their staff. They’re setting a trend.”
Wilson watches men’s games on TV and often thinks the teams could benefit from a woman coach. Men and women just see things differently.
“There are a ton of women’s coaches who contribute a great deal to the fundamental part of the men’s basketball game,” she said. “With the Spurs’ assistant, the more headway she makes there, the more people’s eyes will be opened.”
Head Volleyball Coach Women’s Head Basketball Coach Misty WilsonWilson and Schindler agree on another thing: Working at Tarleton has great perks, among them the TexAnns’ supporters.
“Our fans are relentless,” Wilson said. “I have to scream at the top of my lungs during time outs so my team can hear me. That makes a huge difference to players.”
Same for the volleyball team’s visiting opponents.
“Any volleyball coach who has played in our gym will attest to the fact we have the best fans,” Schindler said. “They make it the toughest environment to play in.”
Not surprisingly, the coaches have a common goal for their programs.
They answered the question in unison.
“More winning!”
To
Box T-0570 Stephenville, TX 76402 (254) 968-9000 | www.tarleton.edu
Students attend a picnic on Tarleton’s Stephenville campus in the early 1980s. The Administration Building (left) was built in 1984 after this photo was taken. The Tarleton Center (right) was built in September 1962 and was the student center. It is now home to Admissions, Enrollment Management, Scholarships, Financial Aid, the Registrar’s Office, Texan Card, Military Veterans Service Center, Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Center for Agribusiness Excellence and the Office of Sponsored Projects.
