Sul Ross State University
A Member of the Texas State University System
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News Release for Oct. 18, 2011MCDONOUGH, URBANOVSKY TO RECEIVE SUL ROSS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS Dr. William McDonough, University Park, Md., will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award during Sul Ross State University’s 2011 Homecoming celebration. Lamar Urbanovsky, Round Rock, retired Chancellor of the Texas State University System, will be honored with the Slingin’ Sammy Baugh Award for Outstanding Service. They will be recognized at the Athletic Hall of Honor/Distinguished Alumni banquet Saturday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. in the Espino Conference Center, Morgan University Center. Football standouts Sam Sparks, San Angelo; and Wayne Thorp, Mertzon; two-time basketball captain John Fortenberry, Orange; and long-time boosters Bob and Lucy Ward, Alpine, will join the Sul Ross State University Athletic Hall of Honor. William McDonough McDonough, currently a professor of Geology at the University of Maryland, joins his wife, Dr. Roberta Rudnick (2008), as a Sul Ross Distinguished Alumni recipient. The Boston, Mass. native received a Master of Science degree (1983) in geochemistry after earning a B.A. (1979) in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts. McDonough received his Ph.D. (1988) in geochemistry from the Research School of Earth Science, Australian National University. He has served on the University of Maryland faculty since 2000, first as an associate professor and since 2005 as professor. He previously was a research associate at Harvard University and a lecturer at Boston University. From 1989-1994, McDonough was a research fellow at the Australian National University, and from 1987-89, a Von Humboldt fellow, Max-Planck-Institute fur Chemie, in Mainz, Germany. He has authored or co-authored about 115 peer review articles in major geoscience journals. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America, the Mineralogical Society and the Geochemical Society. McDonough has served as editor of several major geological sciences journals and publications and has been on the organizing board of several workshops for institutions including the National Science Foundation, the American Geophysical Union, the Geochemical Society and Harvard University. Lamar Urbanovsky Urbanovsky, who worked for the Texas State University System for over 33 years, including 27 as Chancellor, provided the leadership for the development of the third largest comprehensive higher education system in the state. He expanded the system from 26,000 students in 1978 to over 69,000 in 2005, with an operating budget that increased from $83 million to more than $650 million. During his tenure, more than $1 billion in new facilities were constructed at the nine TSUS components, including about $100 million at Sul Ross. He developed the TSUS Foundation as a method of financing the construction of over 3,600 new residence hall beds and more than 2,900 parking places, while keeping the rental cost to students low. He enhanced the system’s bond rating and developed a system operation that was the most cost effective in the state in 2003. Urbanovsky developed a system operation that responded to the needs of the components and regents with the philosophy of “providing service and assistance to the institutions allowing them to grow in their own missions.” As Chancellor, he also facilitated the addition of eight Ph.D. programs to the components within the system and managed 12 successful presidential searches. He and his wife, Darlene, have one daughter, Lynette, who is employed by the Water-Crest Corp. “LOBO MASQUERADE” THEME OF 2011 SUL ROSS HOMECOMING ACTIVITIES, OCT. 24-30 Sul Ross State University alumni, students, staff, faculty and friends will celebrate “Lobo Masquerade,” the 2011 Homecoming theme, with events scheduled Monday-Sunday, Oct. 24-30. This year, Sul Ross’ Family Weekend will be celebrated in conjunction with Homecoming. Homecoming events include the parade, daily student events, football game, induction of five new members into the athletic Hall of Honor and presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Slingin’ Sammy Baugh Award for Outstanding Service. Seventeen candidates - nine women and eight men - seek the 2011 Homecoming Queen and King crowns. Coronation will be held at halftime of the Lobo-Mississippi College football game on Saturday, Oct. 29. Karla Dixon, Presidio, and Earnest Jones, Boerne, are the reigning Queen and King. Preliminary elections will be held Oct. 19-20. The five Queen and five King finalists will be introduced during a performance by comedian Sam Comroe on Monday, Oct. 24 in Marshall Auditorium. Final voting will be held Wednesday-Thursday, Oct. 26-27. Dr. William McDonough, a 1983 graduate, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award and Lamar Urbanovsky, retired Chancellor of the Texas State University System, will receive the Slingin’ Sammy Baugh Award for Outstanding Service. Football standouts Sam Sparks, San Angelo; and Wayne Thorp, Mertzon; two-time basketball captain John Fortenberry, Orange; and long-time boosters Bob and Lucy Ward, Alpine, will join the Sul Ross State University Athletic Hall of Honor. All will be honored during ceremonies Saturday, Oct. 29 at the annual Athletic Hall of Honor/Distinguished Alumni banquet. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Espino Conference Center, Morgan University Center. Tickets are $25 per person and may be purchased by contacting the Office of Alumni Affairs, (432) 837-8697 or the Office of Physical Education and Athletics, 837-8226. Other Homecoming Week events include: For more information, contact Saul Garza, (432) 837-8697 or visit www.sulross.edu/homecoming. 17 CANDIDATES FOR 2011 SUL ROSS HOMECOMING QUEEN, KING Seventeen candidates, nine women and eight men, are candidates for the 2011 Sul Ross State University Homecoming Queen and King. The new royalty will be crowned at halftime of the Lobos-Mississippi College football game on Saturday, Oct. 29. Karla Dixon, Presidio, and Earnest Jones, Boerne, are the reigning Queen and King. Preliminary elections will be held Oct. 19-20. The five Queen and five King finalists will be introduced during a performance by comedian Sam Comroe on Monday, Oct. 24 in Marshall Auditorium. Queen candidates and their sponsors are: Leilani Asuncion, El Paso, Student Government Association; Kahla Brown, Fort Worth, University Department of Public Safety; Josette Delgado, El Paso, Student Development; Martiza Garcia, Abilene, Lobo Legacy; Deannady Herrera, Pecos, Cheer Squad; Marina Moralez, Andrews, Student Government Association; Anna Alicia Sandoval, El Paso, Sully Productions; Jordan Taylor, St. Louis, Mo., Honors Program; and Jennifer Walden, Weatherford, Texas Teachers Club King candidates are: Samuel C. Aguilar, Presidio, Texas Teachers Club; Johnathon Cruz, San Antonio, Lobo Legacy; Brian LaLima, Spring, Lobo baseball; Miguel Pena, Fabens, Sully Productions; Matt Short, San Antonio, Music Department; Angel Rodriguez, Alpine, Independent; Mitchell Waechter, Devine, Honors Program; and Juston Weldon, Wimberley, Student Development. COWBOY POETRY CLASS TO BE OFFERED AT SUL ROSS Dr. Barney Nelson, Sul Ross State University associate professor of English, will be offering a new class in cowboy poetry during spring semester 2012.. Nelson’s class will use modern literary criticism to analyze similarities and differences between early poetry and contemporary, discover themes and patterns, and discuss ethics and culture. Students will read selected poems, essays about cowboy poetry, and write some of their own poems and critiques. Nelson attended and participated in the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev. in January 1985 while on assignment to write an article for Western Horseman magazine. When she returned, she went to Dr. Nelson Sager, then Dean of Arts and Sciences, and persuaded him to help start a similar event on the Sul Ross campus. The rest is history. Nelson participated for only the first five years, but Sager and the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering will be celebrating its 26th anniversary in February. Nelson recently contributed a chapter on cowboy poetry for the new Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, fourth edition. Her chapter marks the first time this prestigious publication has included cowboy poetry as a serious category. Textbooks for the class will include Stanley and Thatcher’s Cowboy Poets and Poetry (University of Illinois Press, 2000) and an anthology edited by Nelson in 1989 called Here’s to the Vinegaroon. The anthology was originally published in Alpine by Bill Brooks as Territorial Printers and represents selections from a collection housed primarily in the Archives of the Big Bend. “Numerous poets, critics, and folklorists have sent materials for the class,” said Nelson. “So it has turned into a huge undertaking. It might even result in a new book that will introduce cowboy poetry to the college classroom as both literature and creative writing.” For more information, contact Nelson, (432) 837-8154 or bnelson@sulross.edu. SUL ROSS FAMILY WEEKEND TO BE HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH HOMECOMING Sul Ross State University will host its annual Fall Family Weekend in conjunction with Homecoming activities, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 28-30. Families of students are invited to tour facilities, enjoy a meal and see the Sul Ross football team in action. Registration will be held Friday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. in the first floor foyer, Morgan University Center. Two packages are offered. Package A, at $40 per person, includes a Homecoming lunch on Saturday, Oct. 29, admission to the Sul Ross-Mississippi College football game, Homecoming commemorative T-shirt and ticket to the Sunday, Oct. 30 farewell brunch. Package B, at $15 per adult and $10 for per child 12 and under, includes the Homecoming lunch and football game pass. Commemorative T-shirts will be available at $10 each. Tickets for the annual Hall of Honor/Distinguished Alumni banquet are available at $25 per person. The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. in the Espino Conference Center, Morgan University Center. To register or for more information, contact the Sul Ross website, www.sulross.edu/homecoming; or the Office of Student Life at (432) 837-8037. SUL ROSS MBA STUDENT ATTENDS NATIONAL CONFERENCE by Jason Hennington, News Writer
Babatunde is the first Sul Ross student to attend the conference, and joined over 3,000 other students. “I learned from a friend and thought it was something worth checking out. It is a black sponsorship but anybody can go,” he said. “It’s the biggest business conference in the nation,” he said. “There were over 3,000 companies there recruiting at the career fair as well.” The National Black MBA Conference was held Oct. 4-8 and consists of guest speakers, workshops, on-site interviews, along with leadership and entrepreneurial sessions. “There was so much going on at once,” Babatunde said. “You have to scale out your preference and go for the one you want to be in the most.” While at the conference, Babatunde mingled with students from schools from around the country, including Ivy League schools and Morgan State University. “It was a good thing to be around people from Harvard and Morgan State.,” he said. “It was like a school away from school. I talked to a lot of recruiters and now I know what they want.” He feels the experience will impact him after graduation, and will change his outlook on the job market. “It’s really an eye opener and something to keep encouraging people,” he said. “It’s going to play a big role in my psychological life.” During the event, Babatunde explained that he exchanged information with different students and companies. “There were lots of big companies,” he said. “It was chance to network. I used my LinkedIn account to network.” While at the conference, Babatunde spread the word about Sul Ross with hopes that future students will follow in his footsteps. “I was able to tell people about Sul Ross. I want to encourage MBA students to go to such conferences. There are a variety of companies and references there,” he said. The conference inspired Babatunde and gave him more motivation, and he believes that any student that attends will also be motivated. “It’s very challenging,” he said. “It’s part of why every student should be driven. You are in school for a reason. You will eventually be able to make something of yourself.” Mazie Will, Interim chair of Business Administration, was pleased at the idea of a Sul Ross student attending this conference, and returning with encouraging information for other students. “BB came back so impressed and exciting about attending the NBMBA conference! He couldn't stop talking about the companies and people he networked with while he was there,” Will said. “Because of this opportunity, BB has far greater visions for a successful future in business. The Department of Business Administration is pleased to have BB represent Sul Ross at this event.” Babatunde researched the conference and found funds for the trip. He received assistance for his airfare and conference registration fees from various places including Title V and the Graduate Center. “I appreciate Mrs. Will for supporting the idea. Dr. Marett and Dr. Green for understanding and allowing me to miss class for those days,” he said. “Also, Rhonda Austin from the Title V post-bacc for partial help with registration and airfare.” After this experience, Babatunde plans to attend the conference every year if possible. “Next year it’s in Indianapolis, I will be there and would love to see students from my alma mater,” he said. “I will go every year for the rest of my life.” After attending this conference, Babatunde believes the Sul Ross MBA program can grow and become an even better program. “I am strongly looking forward to the Sul Ross MBA being a bigger program,” he said. “I really want Sul Ross to be a multi-cultural and more professional program.” |
Recently, Sul Ross State University student Babajide “BB” Babatunde, Nigeria, attended the National Black MBA Conference in Atlanta, Ga.