WT news in brief: A retirement, honors, graduates and more
As the spring semester winds down, activities are picking up at West Texas A&M University, among other area schools. Here are a few achievements and events the university has announced over the past week ahead of graduation weekend.
WT’s Jessica Mallard to retire; new Fine Arts and Humanities Dean to be named
CANYON — The longtime leader of West Texas A&M University’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities is retiring. Dr. Jessica Mallard, who joined WT in 2002 and was named dean in 2012, will retire at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. Her successor will be named shortly, following a nationwide search.
“I work with great students, great faculty and great staff,” Mallard said. “When I was first thinking of taking the dean position, my husband Chuck said, ‘You’re one of the few people I know who wakes up excited to go to their job.’ And that’s still true. WT is a great place to work, a great atmosphere. I’m going to miss it.”
Likewise, she will be missed by the university.
“Dean Mallard has been an uplifting force since the beginning of her service time as dean,” said Dr. Neil Terry, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “The University community is grateful for Jessica’s commitment to students and her collaborative leadership approach during her tenure. We wish her and her husband, Charles, many years of happy, well-earned retirement.”
The Jessica Mallard Scholarship fund has been established in Mallard’s honor by the Office of Academic Affairs. A minimum of $1,000 will be given annually to one or more communication students beginning in fall 2024.
Mallard joined the University in 2002 as a faculty member in the Department of Communication. She later was named director of the William H. and Joyce Attebury Honors Program, then interim dean of the Harrington College in 2011. During her tenure, Mallard oversaw the addition of eight new endowed professorships among her faculty, as well as added faculty positions in the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance. She also helped expand The Arts at WT Subscription Series, which showcases creativity around the College through a series of special events.
In her spare time, Mallard has developed her own skills as an artisan, making both pottery and jewelry.
“Chuck and I are moving to Cosa Rica, and there’s a gift shop there that will sell my products,” Mallard said. “I’m open to new adventures. We just want to figure out what makes us happy.”
WT Spring Commencement Ceremonies set for May 11
CANYON — Nearly 1,500 West Texas A&M University students are expected to take part in three commencement ceremonies on May 11.
In all, WT expects to see 1,273 spring graduates and 195 projected August graduates to be recognized in the May ceremonies. Commencement exercises will begin at 10 a.m. for the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences; 2 p.m. for the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business and Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities; and at 6 p.m. for the College of Engineering and College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Each ceremony will be livestreamed at wtamu.edu/commencement.
Annie Valicek, student regent for The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, will offer greetings at the 10 a.m. ceremony, from which she herself will graduate. Dr. Kim McCuistion, assistant vice chancellor and director of Texas A&M–Fort Worth, will confer degrees at the 10 a.m. ceremony and will offer greetings at the 2 and 6 p.m. ceremonies. WT President Walter V. Wendler will confer degrees at the 2 and 6 p.m. ceremonies.
Doors at the center, located on the east end of WT’s Canyon campus at the intersection of Russell Long Boulevard and Fourth Avenue, will open to the public an hour before each ceremony begins. Seating is open and on a first-come, first-served basis at the 5,000-seat center. No tickets are required.
Spring ’24 Attebury Honors graduates celebrated at WT
CANYON — Eleven of West Texas A&M University’s most accomplished spring graduates were recognized April 30 at a pre-commencement reception.
Students from the William H. and Joyce Attebury Honors Program celebrated their accomplishments and saluted their advisers during the reception in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus.
“It is a pleasure to recognize these Attebury Scholars,” said Dr. Carolyn Baum, Attebury Honors director and assistant professor in the Department of Communication. “These students come into the program seeking enrichment opportunities that will help them grow personally and professionally, share interesting ideas, and make connections that last a lifetime.”
The program was established in 2001 to provide an enriched learning community for some of WT’s best and brightest students. The students have taken specially designed courses under faculty from across the university, completed a capstone project unique to their skills and majors, and displayed leadership in their respective disciplines, Baum said.
Those honored included:
Nathaniel Berkes, an English major from Cameron;
Barrett Bright, a civil engineering major from Borger;
Kassidee Clark, an agriculture major from Tucumcari, New Mexico;
Jaden Davenport, an agribusiness major from Lubbock;
Katherine Davis, a psychology major from Borger;
Emily Field, a biology major from Whitesboro;
Josiah Kinsky, a history major from Canyon;
Emily Klein, a biochemistry major from Amarillo;
Kayla Monds, a studio art major from Pampa;
Riley Moore, an agribusiness major from Roswell, New Mexico; and
Roy Thomason, a biochemistry major from Childress.
The graduating seniors will receive a special designation in the commencement program and a medallion at the May 11 commencement ceremonies in the First United Bank Center on the Canyon campus.
The program presented Dr. Matthew Harrison, associate professor of English, with the first Fanning the Flame Faculty Excellence Award, recognizing a faculty member who has “gone above and beyond to promote academic leadership, support student goals, and encourage student inquiry and critical thought.”
Attebury Honors students initially enroll in honors sections of core curriculum courses taught by honors faculty that encourage development of exceptional written and oral communication skills with expanded content. After taking courses within their major, students enroll in upper-level interdisciplinary honors seminar courses, where they critically consider local and global issues both past and present.
The Attebury Honors program currently includes 170 students. It was endowed in 2007 by William H. and Joyce Attebury.
WT College of Nursing and Health Sciences honors top students, faculty
CANYON — The West Texas A&M University College of Nursing and Health Sciences recognized outstanding students and faculty at a year-end reception April 25. Students from each of the College’s departments — the Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing, Speech and Hearing Sciences, Sports and Exercise Sciences, and Health Sciences — were honored, as were all scholarship recipients, Dean’s and President’s List recipients, and honor graduates.
“We have had a remarkable year in the College, from the celebration of Nursing’s 50th anniversary and renaming as the Street School of Nursing, to the continuing triumphs of our Communication Disorders, Sports and Exercise Sciences and Health Sciences areas,” said Dr. Holly Jeffreys, dean. “We are grateful that we can celebrate these successes together and look forward to another impactful year.”
Nursing students recognized were Elizabeth Cranfill of Amarillo, Outstanding Junior 1 Student; Alexa Dolezal of Amarillo, Outstanding Junior 2 Student; Lezley Cummings of Amarillo, Outstanding Senior 1 Student; Emili Mora of Muleshoe, Outstanding Senior 2 Student; Sandra Estrada of Hereford, Outstanding RN-BSN Student; Haley Jones of Perryton, Outstanding Family Nurse Practitioner Student; Shayna Stevens of Plano, Outstanding Comprehensive Student; and Annette Stacy of Robert Lee, Outstanding Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Student.
Macayla Warren, a senior nursing major of Amarillo, was presented the BSA Bright Star Student Award by Katrina Tokar, BSA Health System chief nursing officer.
Communication Disorders students recognized were Desiree Sotelo of Amarillo, Outstanding Junior Student; Marlee Hicks of Sweetwater, Outstanding Senior Student; Rahaf Shawakfeh of Bronson, Outstanding First-Year Graduate Student; and Allison Davis of Amarillo, Outstanding Second-Year Graduate Student.
Sports and Exercise Sciences students recognized were Jack Wilkerson, a senior of Spearman, Outstanding All-Level SES Student; Scarlett Gonzalez, a senior of Torreon, New Mexico, Outstanding Athletic Training Student; Parker Nielsen, a senior of Prescott, Wisconsin, Outstanding Exercise Sciences Student; Heidi Vortherms, a graduate student from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Outstanding Human Performance Student; and Melissa Doss of Lubbock, Outstanding Graduate Student.
Outstanding Health Sciences students were Jonathan Horton, a senior of Amarillo, and, for the RELLIS campus, Haley Goldstone, a senior of College Station.
Faculty members recognized were Dr. Traci Fredman, assistant professor in communication disorders, for research; Teresa Smoot, instructor of nursing, for service; and Blake Price, assistant professor of sports and exercise sciences, for teaching.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WTAMU news includes arts dean retirement, graduation, honors
