The University of Texas at Tyler’s online graduate and doctoral nursing programs have received national recognition from U.S. News & World Report, Dr. Linda Klotz, College of Nursing and Health Sciences dean, announced.
Out of 458 institutions surveyed, the publication ranks UT Tyler in the top three in Teaching Practices and Student Engagement. This ranking examines how supportive the university programs are of students and recognizes strategies to ensure
The achievement puts UT Tyler among major universities such as Yale University, University of Florida, Arizona State University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University and University of Kansas.
Four categories are considered including admission selectivity, faculty credentials and training, teaching practices and student engagement and student services and technology, which UT Tyler also ranked in the top 50.
The UT Tyler master’s and doctoral programs currently enroll 200 students and 56 students, respectively.
For more information, visit www2.uttyler.edu/nursing/.

Teaching Practices and Student Engagement

Fourteen industrial technology majors at The University of Texas at Tyler recently achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering’s Certified Manufacturing Specialist exam, Dr. Harold Doty,
College of Business and Technology dean, announced.
This is the university’s first group to attempt the exam.
“I am really proud of my students because the national pass rate for the exam is currently at 47 percent. To have all of them pass it is quite an accomplishment,” said Dr. Mark R. Miller, UT Tyler professor and industrial technology program coordinator.
Students are Ray Adkins, Darren Downey, Alan Jackson, Daniel Lee and Tyler Morris, all of Tyler; Clint Helms and Carlos Zavala, both of Flint; Charles Higgins and Mitch Koerner, both of Glen Rose; Adrienne Crone of Winnsboro; Kerri Parker of Overton; Justin Waller of Henderson; Johnathan Wilson of Brownsboro and Bryan Ganske of Whitehouse.
The CMS exam covers manufacturing processes and materials as well as topics including supervision, electronics, quality, industrial safety, automation and engineering graphics.
“The exam is a good assessment measure of how well our students compare to students from other industrial technology and applied engineering programs all across the country at more than 40 other institutions, such as Purdue, Kent State and Iowa State,” Miller added.
The industrial technology program prepares individuals to apply basic engineering principles and technical skills in support of industrial engineers and managers. Graduates hold positions to include plant manager, quality assurance manager, industrial engineer, manufacturing engineer, inventory manager, project engineer, technical salesperson, technology professor and more.
One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and communityservice. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 7,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.

The University of Texas at Tyler will name the Administration Building in honor of founding president Dr. James H. Stewart, Jr., President Rodney H. Mabry announced.
As part of the university’s 40th anniversary celebration events, an unveiling ceremony recognized Stewart and his contributions to the institution that is now UT Tyler. The ceremony was held at 11 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 3 at the University Center theater, followed by the signage unveiling.
“In recognition of Dr. Stewart’s remarkable achievements as the first president, the UT System Board of Regents approved my recommendation for this honorific naming. This building was constructed during Dr. Stewart’s era, and it is fitting that it be named for him,” said President Mabry.
Serving 1972 – 1981, Stewart is the only president to have led all three institutions – Tyler State College, Texas Eastern University and The University of Texas at Tyler. He was instrumental in developing the only public degree-granting institution of higher education in the 14-county East Texas Planning Region and responsible for the plans to move the university to its present-day location in 1976.
He established a higher education program based on academic excellence, developing a fully-accredited institution. Under his leadership, enrollment increased from 176 in spring 1973 to more than 1,900 in spring 1981. Stewart also led the university through four major construction contracts totaling more than $21 million.
Stewart was named President Emeritus of UT Tyler in 2005.
He holds bachelor’s, master’s and Ed.D. degrees from North Texas State College, having served there as an assistant to the president until moving to Tyler in the early 1970s.
One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 7,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.

The undergraduate human resource development program at The University of Texas at Tyler has been recognized by the Society for Human Resource Management for fully meeting HR academic standards, Dr. Harold Doty, College of Business and Technology dean, announced.
In the UT Tyler Department of Human Resource Development and Technology, the program provides students a rigorous academic curriculum based upon the society’s guidebook, HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates.
“With this acknowledgement, graduates are determined to have mastered core HR principles and be highly competitive in the profession,” said Dr. Jerry W. Gilley, department chair.
The society’s suggested guides and templates are part of its Academic Initiative, created in 2006 and revalidated in 2010, to help the society define HR education standards taught in university business schools across the nation and help universities develop degree programs that follow these standards.
Sixty-three students are currently enrolled in the program, which is accredited by the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering.
Graduates hold careers in education, training, directing, web development and organizational development and change.
Founded in 1948, SHRM is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 250,000 members in more 140 countries, the society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession.
For more information, call 903.566.7363 or email cbtadvising@uttyler.edu.
One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 7,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.

The University of Texas at Tyler has recorded a 29 percent increase in first-time undergraduate students and a 37 percent increase in graduate enrollment compared to last fall, President Rodney H. Mabry announced.
Total headcount for this fall is 6,703 over fall 2010 figures of 6,446. The overall enrollment increase is four percent.
“We are very pleased with these figures. Students statewide and across the nation increasingly realize that UT Tyler is a top-flight institution that produces some of the best graduates anywhere. I believe this increase, especially during these challenging economic times, attests to the fact that our academic programs are among the best and are very worthwhile investments for students,” said President Mabry.
UT Tyler welcomed its inaugural cohort of students in its new Global Awareness Through Education program in August. Students enrolled in GATE are from East Texas, areas in and around Dallas and Houston, as well as California, Louisiana, Brazil, Kenya, Mexico and the Philippines.
“This is just one example of the high-ability students we’ve attracted from all over world,” said President Mabry.
GATE is the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan that is designed to increase global awareness among cohorts of freshman and sophomore students.  It will enhance and increase UT Tyler students’ global knowledge and understanding of other cultures and worldviews.
UT Tyler also has implemented new academic programs, such as religion studies, and re-invigorated others, such as construction management.
“Our objective is to offer programs that meet the needs of our students as well as industry—and we intend to provide our students the richest and highest quality educational experience possible,” President Mabry added.

The University of Texas at Tyler will hold New Student Convocation and social events for its 2011 freshman class this month, Ona Tolliver, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students, announced.
Scheduled events are as follows:
Friday, Aug. 19: Freshmen will move into on-campus housing
Saturday, Aug. 20: The Office of New Student Programs will host an all-freshman social event in the University Center.
Monday, Aug. 22: Fall 2011 classes begin.
Tuesday, Aug. 23: The UT Tyler 2011 New Student Convocation will be 6 – 7:30 p.m. in the University Center theater. All freshman and transfer students are invited to attend.
This year’s convocation speaker is award-winning author Yann Martel. Martel’s 2001 fantasy adventure novel, Life of Pi, was given to every freshman as part of the UT Tyler 2011 Freshman Summer Reading Program.  In the book, protagonist Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel explores issues of spirituality and practicality. After being shipwrecked, he survives 227 days while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger.
Aug. 22 – 26:  The university’s welcome week, Patriot Palooza, provides all students with concerts, free food, movies and other social activities.
Friday, Aug. 26: The Office of New Student Programs will partner with the Office of Community Relations to host an all-freshman Day of Service 2 – 5 p.m.
For more information, visit www.uttyler.edu/sll/.

The University of Texas at Tyler’s (UTT) chair and Chandler professor of computer science Dr. Stephen B. Rainwater has received the 2010-2011 President’s Volunteer Service Award.
College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Dr. James Nelson announced Rainwater’s award for his work in putting forth more than 250 hours of voluntary service work for educational technology.
The President’s Council on Service and Civic participation was established in 2003 to exalt those making significant volunteer contributions to their communities and to those they serve.  This council founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize those who, through their own unselfish example, encourage their peers to participate in civic service.
Rainwater has taught at UTT since 1982, and presently sits on the board of directors of the International Society for Technology (ISTE) in Education as its computer science representative.  He concentrates on the society’s goal of inspiring leadership and general service in order to attain higher standards in teaching, learning and scholastic leadership.  He has also worked to re-define the standards the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education uses to set the requirements for teaching certification in this field.
The busy Rainwater is furthermore president if the ISTE’s Special Interest Group for Computing Teachers, and is local campus director of the UTT System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Summer Research Academy (LSAMP.)  The National Science Foundation supports this program through funding and by providing undergraduate research experiences for students working on graduate-level courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
While attending Texas A&M at Commerce Rainwater took his Ed.D. in supervision, curriculum and instruction and in secondary higher education. He also holds a master’s degree in computer science from this school.  For 2005-2006 he earned the UT System Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teacher Award, and has served on the UT system’s Faculty Advisory Council.  He has also been president of the UTT Faculty Senate and of the Texas Computer Education Association.
His additional credits include memberships in the American Society for Engineering Education, the Association for Computing Machinery,and the Computer Science Teachers Association.

Dr. Sarah Sass, assistant professor of psychology at The University of Texas at Tyler, has received a grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to study a new approach to treating anxiety, Dr. William Geiger, College of Education and Psychology dean, announced.
With the $17,150 grant, Sass will develop a computer program that can divert people’s attention away from emotionally arousing stimuli that may contribute to anxiety. She hopes to show that attention training is capable of reducing symptoms of anxiety.
Her proposal was selected from a pool of 48 applicants from 17 Texas universities. The foundation awarded one-year grants totaling $226,770 to 13 tenure-track assistant professors exploring different aspects of mental health in Texas.
“Anxiety disorders affect millions of people in the U.S. For example, general anxiety disorder affects about four million adults, while social anxiety disorder impacts another 5.3 million adults. This highlights the need to continue to look for effective treatments and that is just what Dr. Sass is doing with this grant,” said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., Hogg Foundation executive director.
Serving UT Tyler since 2010, Sass holds a Ph.D. and master of arts degrees in clinical psychology, both from the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign.  Her research interests involve mechanisms and treatment of psychological disorders, emphasizing internalizing disorders such as anxiety and depression.

The University of Texas at Tyler offers four new student orientation sessions this summer, Ona Tolliver, assistant vice president and dean of students, announced.
This year’s on-campus sessions will be offered June 12 – 13, July 7 – 8, July 31 – Aug. 1 and Aug. 18 – 19.
Cost is $75 per student and $40 per guest. The fee covers meals and orientation materials. All incoming UT Tyler freshman students are expected to attend New Student Orientation.
To register, visit www.uttyler.edu/orientation/registration.php.
Before attending orientation, students must return a signed acceptance letter along with a $100 deposit to the UT Tyler admissions office and complete their advising and registration appointment through the Academic Advising Center.
Session 4 is reserved for families traveling more than 300 miles to attend orientation.
During each first day of orientation, officials will hold the Resource Fair, which showcases the activities and resources available to UT Tyler students.
For more information, contact Adrian Lodge, student development specialist, 903.565.5873.

University of Texas at Tyler (UTT) Interim Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr. Donna Dickerson has announced the university will be offering bachelor of arts training for religious studies beginning in the fall 2011 semester.  The curriculum will be made up of newly created religion courses along with more traditional studies in philosophy, anthropology, art, history and speech communications.
Available as major or minor, the studies are for students studying the philosophy and sociology of religion.  College of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Dr. Kenneth Wink is enthusiastic about the new courses.
“I believe this program will substantially strengthen our humanities offerings at the university,” he said.  “A glance at a newspaper on any given day should indicate that one could benefit from understanding how religion impacts society, culture and politics in our nation and in other nations around the world.”
The courses will be titled Introduction to Religion and Society (RELI 1301,) Major Religious Thinkers (RELI 2350) and Religious Texts (RELI 4353.)  Students signing up for RELI 4353 this autumn will concentrate on the sacred texts of Judaism.
For more information call (903) 566-7456, (903) 566-7368 or visit SKrebbs@uttyler.edu.