Snapshots Announcements Spotlight UTSA Athletics

June 2011, Issue 12



Announcements

UCPC

2011 UTSA Soccer Schedule
August - November

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UTSA Vice President Gage Paine receives NASPA award for outstanding performance as senior student affairs officer

Dr. Ricardo Romo- UTSA President

Note from editor: Dr. Paine received the John Jones Award at NASPA Region III Symposium in Savannah, GA on June 13

(May 19, 2011)--The National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Region III, has selected Gage Paine, UTSA vice president for student affairs, as winner of the John Jones Award for Outstanding Performance as a Senior Student Affairs Officer. Awards will be presented to Paine and other honorees at the NASPA Summer Symposium June 13 in Savannah, Ga.

Paine has served at UTSA for four years, leading a staff of 450 and an equal number of student employees, including overseeing the athletics program.

Paine earned her Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a juris doctorate from Texas Tech University. She has worked extensively in university student affairs, serving as vice president for student affairs at Trinity University in San Antonio, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of student life at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and associate dean of students at the University of Texas at Austin.

At UTSA, Paine serves as a consultant on Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation teams. In 2009, she was awarded the Dr. James (Jim) E. Caswell Distinguished Service Award for Excellence in Leadership by the Texas Association of College and Student Personnel Administrators.

She has presented workshops at numerous statewide and national conferences on student affairs topics and has presented various creative leadership programs. She served as director of the New Professionals Institute for NASPA, Region III, in 2008 and 2009.

Her innovative approach to creativity and leadership development and exploration includes the use of metaphors in workshops such as The Leadership Dance, The Heart of Leadership and Leadership Yoga. Paine co-implemented Leadership UTSA, a collaborative cross-functional partnership between academic and administrative staff to cultivate leadership skills, institutional vision and organizational change. She also delivers leadership and strategic planning consultations to a variety of academic and nonprofit audiences.

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Criteria for the NASPA award

* Sustained professional service as a senior student affairs officer
* High-level competency in administrative skills
* Merited respect and support of students, faculty and fellow administrators on his/her own campus
* Innovative response in meeting varied and emerging needs of students
* Effectiveness in the development of junior staff members
* Significant contributions to the field through publications or professional involvement
* Leadership in community and university affairs

For the full article, visit: URL

Public Health Summit

Public Health Summit logo

Student Health Services will be hosting a Public Health Summit on June 17, 2011 from 9 am to 3 pm in the UC Ballroom II. Onsite registration begins at 8:30 am.

The summit theme is The Intersection of Public Health and Student Affairs, and will feature workshops and a panel discussion on the role of public health practice/health and wellness within the Division of Student Affairs.

This year’s featured speakers include:

Gage E. Paine, PhD
Vice President for Student Affairs

Jennifer Shaw, DrPH
Assistant Professor in Management, Policy & Community Health
The University of Texas School of Public Health

Tunetha Wren Parchem, MPT
Lecturer II
College of Education and Human Development

Kasey Neece-Fielder, MEd
Director of Strategic Planning and Assessment
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

If you are interested in attending, please email studenthealthservices@utsa.edu. If you have any questions please call 210.458.6428.

UTSA hosts events at Downtown Campus to welcome new students

San Antonio Area Personnel Administrators (SAAPA) award

By Lorna Stafford
Communications Coordinator, Office of University Communications

(June 14, 2011)--The UTSA Downtown Campus will welcome new students to the university during the second annual "Welcome Back" events from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 16, July 7 and July 28.

The event locations are:
* Thursday, June 16 -- Buena Vista Street Building Aula Canaria (1.328)
* Thursday, July 7 -- Buena Vista Street Building Aula Canaria (1.328)
* Thursday, July 28 -- Frio Street Building Riklin Auditorium (1.406)

Sponsored by various departments in academic affairs and student affairs at the Downtown Campus, the three full-day events will welcome...

For the full article, visit: URL

University Center Gallery 23 hosts 'Uncanny Familiarities' photo exhibit


By Tyler Archer Moran Program Coordinator, University Center (June 2, 2011)--Gallery 23 at The University of Texas at San Antonio's University Center will host "Uncanny Familiarities," an exhibition of the photography of UTSA alumna Lupe Mendoza. Free and open to the public, the exhibit runs June 6-Aug. 12.

"Uncanny Familiarities" is a series of photos that explore how the mind recalls and reconstructs memories. The overlapping of non-specific, large, black-and-white images allows Mendoza to construct a narrative from multiple and unrelated experiences into a single linear format.

"I am most intrigued by the mind's inability to control how we consciously or subconsciously retain and recall past experience," said Mendoza...

For the full article, visit: URL

UTSA Students Attend Leadership Institute

Dr. Richardo Romo

Seven UTSA students and one staff member represented the Office of Student Activities at a national institute June 2-5 in New Braunfels, Texas.

The National Association for Campus Activities hosted its annual Huge Leadership Weekend for over 100 college students and student affairs professionals.

Huge Leadership Weekend provides students with continued development and growth in areas of citizenship and service, effective programming, ethics and character, interpersonal skills, organizational development, and personal development. Huge Leadership Weekend also strives to serve new and seasoned professionals in a dynamic environment which fosters communication, discussion, and cognitive enhancement on a focused topic.

“This year our focus was the Social Change Model which helps students understand that leadership is a process and it doesn’t matter if you are a new member or the president,” said Amanda Horne, Huge Leadership Weekend Coordinator. “Everyone has the opportunity to make a positive change.”

NACA promotes active student development and Huge Leadership Weekend is just one of the opportunities for our affiliated campuses. Huge Leadership Weekend delegates participated in a unique compass challenge course. This team building activity laid a solid foundation for the institute among students and staff.

“The compass course was an extremely challenging event but I feel that in completing it my group forged very strong bonds of friendship,” said Greg Hernandez, Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity representative. “The course itself was difficult but in working together it was fairly simple to complete. Even when the outcome looked bleak as a group we were able to think on our feet, adapt to the course and press on with the challenge. This is a trait I feel that is not only necessary in the compass course but in life where we are continually tested and pushed to our limits.” Participants had the opportunity to network with other students through round table discussions and open forums. NACA HLW staff facilitated leadership skill sessions and served as mentors to the students.

“Having the opportunity to meet and spend time with students from all around definitely helped me get a different view point of students, organizations and even cultures,” said Priscilla Elizondo, Campus Activities Board representative. “From interacting with so many different people, I learned that when working with people you must adjust and try to have a better understanding of their background. Every person is different and that must be taken into consideration.”

Continue...

Success By Degrees - William Dawson: A Life of Service

(Note from editor: UTSA student featured in Transfer 101 for Texas Program)

William Dawson earned his bachelor’s degree to fulfill a promise. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, William and his sister were raised by a single Will Dawson - fullmom who sometimes worked three jobs to support them. After serving three years in the ROTC, joining the military after high school seemed a natural way to help the family. After serving 21 years in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Corps, William retiring as a Senior Warrant Officer and returned to Texas and enrolled at The University of Texas San Antonio.

“I promised my mother I would complete my degree,” he says. “It was the only way to convince her to sign me into the Army when I was 17.”

William received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and is currently perusing a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration. But, he admits, the path to success is not always easy. “I was way behind in math and science,” he says. “UTSA has exceedingly gifted and patient tutors that helped me make the transition academically.”

After seeing other ex-military transfer students struggle with everything from transition between military/civilian lives to GI Bill payment delays or credit acceptance issues, William offers this advice: “You need to have a plan of attack from day one,” he says. “Contact the Student Veterans Association on your campus and ask for a mentor or sponsor.”

But the most important thing he says is to relax, enjoy your studies and participate in campus activities, especially the ones involving public service. “We veterans tend to be very good at public service,” he says. “It’s how we were raised.”

For the full article, visit: URL

Success By Degrees - David Longoria—From USAF to UTSA

(Note from editor: UTSA Student Affairs staff member featured in Transfer 101 for Texas Program)

For David Longoria, transferring to The University of Texas San Antonio was about finding a new career. A San Antonio native, David attended a number of community colleges, including San Antonio Community College, during his 20 years of service in the United States Air Force. “I took courses that related to my job with the USAF as a firefighter,” he says. But after retiring from the Air Force he was told that he was too old to pursue that career – so he needed to find a new one.

“The educational benefits I received from the Veterans Benefits Administration and the State of Texas made it feasible for me to return to school,” he says. “I was not going to let that opportunity go to waste.” In 2007, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mexican American Studies from UT San Antonio, then went on to receive a Masters of Arts in Bicultural-Bilingual Studies in 2011.

“It’s important to create a mentoring relationship with your instructors,” he says. “With the assistance of my professor, Dr. Josephina Mendez-Negrete, I knew I had selected the right university and the right field of study.”

The last piece of advice David has for future transfer students? “Take your time. Research the colleges and universities you are interested in. Visit the campus when possible. And talk to your academic advisor; they are there for you.”

For the full article, visit: URL

College educations include learning while lending a hand

Schools encourage students to reach out to community.
By Sarah Mills
smills@express-news.net
Updated 12:01 a.m., Sunday, May 29, 2011

Not everything can be learned by reading a book, something many college students throughout San Antonio are discovering by serving the community.

More often, schools are encouraging their students to reach out to those in need in three ways: through volunteering, service learning and civic engagement. Each method is different, but the goals are the same — helping people in need while students learn by experience.

The University of Texas at San Antonio has an office for volunteer services. Jennifer Rames, assistant director for volunteer services, said opportunities include service immersion trips, where students visit cities to do community projects...

For the full article, visit: URL

Students help spruce up McKinney Humanities Building for dedication ceremony


(June 9, 2011)--In spring 2011, the Humanities and Social Sciences Building on the UTSA Main Campus became the McKinney Humanities Building in recognition of alumna Mary E. McKinney, the largest single private donor in university history. To prepare for the renaming celebration, the Office of Facilities partnered with students of Sigma Pi fraternity to spruce up the building's interior and exterior.

Work spanned several days and included landscaping beautification, general cleanup, creating new interior and exteriors signs, and fresh paint on doors, frames and stairwells.

Facilities staff members are grateful for the assistance and extend sincere appreciation to members of Sigma Pi for their volunteer work to help enhance the look of the McKinney Building. Because of everyone's efforts, the interior and exterior of the building were pristine -- just in time for the dedication ceremony.

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Sigma Pi students
Alex Calloway (team leader)
Gerardo Breniz
Jack Coley
Garrett Clifton
Sami Farooki
Stephen Golder
Scott Frishman
Colin Gray
Tom Gray
Sean Harris
David Hoffman II
Klint Horn
Eric Krause
Rhett LaRose
Matt Lonneckr
Dereck Martinez
Arturo Morales
Jackson Mosley
Ryan Osterloh
Andrew Pecheux
Patrick Sautural

For the full article, visit: URL

UTSA marching band tunes up for Sept. 3 inaugural football home opener

UTSA Staff Council

By Kris Rodriguez
Public Affairs Specialist

(June 3, 2011)--A new era will begin next fall when the UTSA Roadrunners football team hits the Alamodome turf for the first time in its inaugural season home opener Sept. 3 against Northeastern State.

It's not only the beginning of a new tradition for the UTSA football program, but it also will mark the official debut of the new UTSA marching band under Ron Ellis, director of athletics bands.

Ellis came to UTSA last year, after 20 years leading the 308-member University of Central Florida Marching Knight band. He has been busy over the last year recruiting new members, selecting new equipment and uniforms, and updating the university's fight song...

For the full article, visit: URL

University Center Advisory Council approves fees for next academic year

Dr. Ricardo Romo- UTSA President

By Jared Jones
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communication, University Center

(May 18, 2011)--The University Center (UC) has published its revised fee, labor and resource rates for the 2011-2012 academic year. The rates will go into effect Sept. 1 and can be viewed in the online UC Handbook of Operating Procedures.

The UC Advisory Council (UCAC) approved fees unanimously. Before fee approval, UC staff educated the UCAC regarding current fees and provided fee benchmark comparisons. Benchmark fees were gathered from event facilities and service providers in the San Antonio community as well as university center facilities around the nation that are similar to the UC.

"These fees allow us to be wise stewards of our student-generated funds and ensure we are able to provide a wide range of services for years to come," said UC Director Lowa Mwilambwe...

For the full article, visit: URL