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Finding ANSERS

February 23, 2016 12:45 pm Leave a Comment

The Alice S. Neeley Special Education Institute has been re-named the Alice Neeley Special Education Research and Service (ANSERS) Institute.

“Associates of the Institute believe that the acronym ANSERS better reflects our desire to seek solutions, or answers, to the challenges faced by teachers, administrators and educational researchers in the field today,” says Lindy Crawford, the Ann Jones Endowed Chair in Special Education for the College of Education. “We’re trying to help people understand what we do as well as use the acronym to make remembering it easier.”

The change follows Crawford’s appointment last fall, providing an opportunity to redefine the institute’s two main missions — providing research and service to the special education community.

The institute’s research includes Crawford’s $1.5 million federal grant examining the effectiveness of the Math Learning Companion, as well as studying educational equity issues in Chinese preschool education.

In addition to training teacher candidates to work with students with special needs, the institute serves as a resource to parents, teachers and administrators.

In April, the institute hosted a breakfast with area special education directors and superintendents to explain the name change and also solicit ideas for improving special education.

Crawford said attendants emphasized the need for professional development as the state cuts back on funding for education, including teacher training. One idea in the works is developing a website with video instruction offering strategies for working with students with diverse learning differences.

“Things like that, which are easy, that they can pull up and use and see an example,” Crawford says. “That’s what we want to provide.”

On the Web:
College of Education
ANSERS Institute

Object lesson: “Dream machine”

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New machines on campus are rewarding Horned Frogs who recycle. Thanks to an effort led by Grecia Garza, a junior biology major, and Jordan Mazurek, a sophomore political science major, the state-of-the art recycling kiosks dubbed “Dream Machines” debuted in April as part of Recycling Awareness Week.

Working with Keith Whitworth, a sociology instructor who teaches classes on sustainability, they worked with the Physical Plant to have the machines installed in strategic campus locations including residence halls and the University Recreation Center.

“The machines are vending machines in reverse,” Garza says. Students scan the bar code of the bottle or can then deposit it into the machine and are rewarded points that can be used for discounts at local businesses.

Garza says the impact of recycling can really add up. Last fall semester, she filled her closet with more than 400 used bottles and cans by the end of the term. She recycled them all through the Dream Machine, earning more than 1,000 points.

The Dream Machine recycling initiative — created by PepsiCo in collaboration with Waste Management, Keep America Beautiful and Greenopolis — is introducing thousands of recycling kiosks and bins at high-traffic, public locations around the country to help increase the U.S. beverage container recycling rate. They were introduced along with the Greenopolis Recycling System, an online social community that encourages incentive-based recycling. Students can go online, set up an account and get rewards based on their recycling efforts. The rewards can be redeemed for things such as meals, movie tickets or merchandise.

Garza says the machine are already proving to be popular.

“The day we did the ribbon-cutting, the machines, which hold 500 plastic bottles or aluminum cans each, were already full.”

On the Web:
sustainability.tcu.edu
More on TCU’s green initiatives

First Person: Kyle Winkler

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You were drafted in the 10th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Where do you think you’ll be pitching come the fall? My dream has always been to play professional baseball. I passed that dream up once when I was drafted coming out of high school [in the 37th round by the Milwaukee Brewers], which was the right decision for me at the time. But it’s going to be hard to do it again. It’s a tough decision. I won’t say that I couldn’t return [to TCU], but I really want to follow my dream. Being at TCU was the best years of my life, that’s for sure. Even if I get what I want contract-wise, it will be hard to leave friends and coaches behind.

How would you assess the team’s 2011 season compared to last year’s magical run to the College World Series? Struggle. It seemed like we were fighting injuries all year this time. A year ago, we didn’t have any. But we kept playing TCU baseball, and we ended up hosting a regional.

You missed several starts in May because of arm pain and then only threw 12 pitches in the Fort Worth Regional. Describe what your arm felt like. Soreness. Tightness. When the regional started, I felt good. I felt like I could pitch five or six innings. But then [in the regional game against Oral Roberts] I felt something pop, and I came out of the game. Very disappointing.

When you got here as a freshman, TCU had never hosted. Now, it has three straight years and gotten to Omaha. The program has a lot of momentum now. What’s it like to be a player during that time? I tell guys that come here on recruiting visits, ‘You can either be a part of a tradition, or you can come here and help build a tradition.’ That’s sort of how I see my career at TCU. A lot of guys see it that way. We wanted to come to a place that hadn’t hosted, hadn’t won a regional, hadn’t gotten to Omaha, and we wanted to accomplish those things. I’m very proud of being a part of that.

Read more of the First Person interview with Kyle Winkler, and watch a video, including what Jim Schlossnagle is like as the coach, the new bats in college baseball and what it was like to play with a pitch clock at magazine.tcu.edu/webextras.

In my day, I could play: Curtis Modkins ’93 (MLA ’97)

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What does an NFL offensive coordinator do during a work stoppage? He keeps game-planning. That’s what Curtis Modkins spends his days on for the Buffalo Bills while the league and players’ union work out their differences. “I’m actually more busy,” he says. “Instead of one offseason workout plan, I have five. There’s scripting, planning practice schedules. Also some self-study. Study of opponents. Study of defenses that give us problems.” It’s the kind of work ethic he learned as a Horned Frog from 1989-92 under Jim Wacker and Pat Sullivan. Modkins still ranks eighth all time in rushing yards with 2,763, plus 14 touchdowns and 440 yards receiving.

We tracked Modkins down this summer to find out what he was doing during the NFL Labor Strike.

What does an NFL offensive coordinator do during a work stoppage? I’m almost as busy – no more busy – than if there was no lockout. There are so many scenarios I have to prepare for: Do we have a full training camp but no OTAs (Organized Team Activities)? What if we do have OTAs? What if only rookies can come early? What if we have three weeks to prepare for our first game? I’m working on about five or six different contingency plans. There’s scripting, planning practice schedules. Also some self-study. Study of opponents. We have the schedule so we know who to get ready for. What new things do we want to incorporate. Study defenses that give us problems.

Normally you’d be doing what? Instead of five plans, we’d have one. Either way, we still have to get ready to teach and install the plan. It’s new territory for all of us. I’m just doing what I always do and that is to focus on what I can control. I can be ready when they say it’s time to go.

What’s your take on the prospects for a deal getting done? I’m just focused on the job I have to do. It’s really a waste of time and energy to think about it. I just need to be ready whenever they tell us to go.

How would he assess the Bills in the second year as OC? The first year you take over an organization, it takes time to incorporate you ideals and change the culture and learn the personnel and have them learn the coaches. You have install how you practice, new terminology. I think the arrow is point up, though.

How would you describe your style as an offensive coordinator? What [head coach Chan Gailey and I] do doesn’t have a name and that might be one of the best things about it. It’s not a West Coast anything. Or a Coast of any kind. Each year is different and the players are different. I think the strength of our system is that it’s versatile to mold to our players. In Kansas City, we had a two-back system and the quarterback went down. The backup was more of a spread, West Coast guy, so we went to that. We try to be successful with multiple systems. In this league it changes week to week.

What kind of coach are you? A screamer? A quiet guy? I’m demanding but not demeaning. I expect their best and I give them my best. I have the ability to communicate. I have the ability to teach. They know my expectations. That stays the same.

What are your coaching asperations? Like everybody else, I would like to be a head coach in this league or in college, especially if a good opportunity came along. But right now, my focus is helping Chan Gailey win a championship. That’s as far as I can go. It would be selfish to say anything otherwise.

What are your thoughts on the current success of the Horned Frogs? I’m very proud of them. I’m excited for what they’ve accomplished. I follow them as much as I can. I get every game I can. They’re doing what I knew TCU could do when I went there. I knew things could happen at that place with the location and the culture. The resources have changed, but they’ve done a great job. Every year when the schedule comes out, I check mine to see if there is an opening I can come see a game. So far there’s not been. But as you know, how your college team does is the No. 1 thing guys like to brag about. So I have a lot to say.

Q&A with … Don Mills

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In May, Don Mills ’69 (MDiv) ended his 17-year tenure as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs to take a faculty position within the College of Education as Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership. Mills, who has served TCU in various administrative capacities since 1969 and as a senior executive since 1993, will develop and oversee the college’s higher education doctorate program. Mills has taught one course on organization and administration in the college for several years.

Why make this change? This is the 41st year that I’ve been a college administrator. I like what I do. I like the people. I feel like I’m a part of a community, and I’m making a contribution. And, I wasn’t ready to retire to the couch or the golf course. So I talked to the College of Education last fall about developing a higher education graduate program. It is energizing to start something new and think about education in a new way. As an administrator, there are always things to be done. I’m looking forward to being a faculty member and devoting more time to thinking through academic issues and enjoy interacting with other faculty members. I’m excited about contributing to students’ training to be professionals.

Why now? Initially, I thought I would wait two or three years, but as my wife says, that opportunity may not be there in two or three years. I talked to the chancellor, and we agreed that it was a good time because some projects we had going were being finished.

Describe your vision, at this point, for the higher education doctoral program. The Education in Leadership program is adding a higher ed emphasis. We want to look at how does a college operate. Not just the student affairs part. I think it’s central to develop skills in finance, develop skills in management. Look at the role of the college president. What training makes a person qualified to hold that position? We’ll explore that. Of course, there will be some focus on private education and some focus on international education. Both of those would be natural at TCU. It really is a blank canvas. My job is put the picture together. I’ll lay out the curriculum, and then ask faculty for input. We want to make it truly a collaborative effort. Enrollment will start in fall 2012, so there’s a lot to be done.

You sound personally energized by something new. I hate to use the phrase “at my age,” but when you get to the point in a career that I am, most opportunities fall under the heading “been there, done that” rather than under the heading “haven’t done that.” This is an opportunity to be involved in creating something. And I think you always want to leave a legacy on a place. So it is extremely energizing. It’s invigorating.

You’re no stranger to the classroom. How will an entire program be different for you than teaching a single course? What happens in the classroom will be pretty much the same. We’re going to challenge one another with ideas. I look forward to sitting down with students and helping them plan their academic paths and offer guidance on their professional careers. It will be a lot of mentoring. Then there will be research opportunities with the extraordinary faculty in the college. Mostly, students will get more of my time. Not that I didn’t see students and work with students as an administrator, but in the College of Education, I’ll be able to spend more time on academics with them. Of course, they’ll be graduate students, so they will be pretty focused on what they want to do.

What will you take from your years as an administrator into the classroom? As an administrator, I know how the system works and how things get done. I think that’s a valuable thing to pass along to students. We’ll talk about how decisions are made, how a governing board works with senior administrators, such as a college president or chancellor. Students can read it in books, but it is quite another thing to learn from someone’s experience.

It’s been 17 years for you as vice chancellor for Student Affairs, dealing with everything from the good (like Community Renewal U) to the tragic (student deaths). What’s your mindset as you leave? Are you relieved? Are you saddened? It’s not a sense of relief, but I have an awareness that I won’t deal with certain issues any longer. I think there is a sense of loss. As an administrator, you are used to making things happen. For example, Barbara Herman had the idea for Frog Camp back in the 1990s, and so we said, “Yeah, let’s do that.” I think it’s a job that always has to focus on how to help people get to where they’re going. There are nearly 9,000 students on this campus with 9,000 ideas about where they’re going. I think we have tried to create an environment in which a person can truly define their future. This is an important transitional time for young people who are going from adolescence to adulthood. They’re learning a lot about themselves and the world around them. Often, that learning happens in fits and starts. It’s rare that everything goes right. If you focus on today’s problem, you get depressed. The most important thing is that they’re learning. I think when you look at it from that perspective, nothing gets you down for long.

What would be your advice for your successor, Kathryn Cavins-Tull? Just the same advice I have for everybody: Have fun in what you do. [Then Mills shares a card Student Affairs had printed with his Top 10 guidelines for work and life:

10. What we do is important.
9. Have a vision.
8. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
7. Trust others. Celebrate others.
6. Trust yourself.
5. Pay your dues.
4. Don’t be afraid to say “No.”
3. Don’t look only at what went wrong.
2. Build your career with a solid foundation.
1. Have joy at work.]

You began working at TCU in 1969. How would you characterize how the university has changed in the 42 years that you’ve been here? I came to TCU in 1968 to attend Brite Divinity School. As I was finishing up, former chancellor Bill Tucker, who was the dean of Brite at the time, recommended me for a job in Student Activities with Libby Proffer. He joked that he was saving both the church and me. I sort of expected that I would eventually go back east. But I loved the people. I loved the spirit of the place. It’s evident that people care for each other here. There is an attitude that we like you how you are.

I think it was pretty clear at the time that TCU was struggling for its identity. It was a good regional school, but it wanted to be more. In many ways, TCU is reflective of Fort Worth. It was a big city but not a premier city in Texas. There was parallel growth for the two over the years. I would dare say now in Student Affairs that TCU is unique. We’re certainly not a regional college any more. We have an international reputation. And the live oaks are much taller.

I think I appreciate more and more the roots the pioneers of the school put down when they were in Thorp Spring and Waco. We are benefiting from those roots today. As a university, we can be buffeted about or go through periods of drought. But the roots are deep enough that we can survive and sustain ourselves. Why? Because the things people like the Clark brothers and others believed in are the same for TCU today: People matter more than things. Accomplishments can be great even from modest beginnings.

Scenes from a spelling bee

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At times, they looked glum, restless, even bored. Spelling bees are laborious animals, after all, with their word origins and multiple pronunciations.

Other moments, there were glimpses of confidence, relief and heartache.

Few events showcase the spectrum of human emotion and expression like a contest of words and letters.

TCU got a first-hand view in March. For the first time, the Star-Telegram Regional Spelling Bee took place on campus, featuring 25 spellers, aged 8 to 14, from five North Texas counties.

With cool precision, eighth-grade Euless charter school student Narahari Bharadwaj, 13, correctly spelled “dolorous” to end the 14th round, then called out the right letters for “enthalpy” to clinch the championship and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the Scripps National Spelling Bee June 1-2.

Bharadwaj, who attends Harmony Science Academy, also received a trophy and oversized check for a $1,000 scholarship from TCU. Runner-up Mark De Los Santos, 12, from Holy Rosary Catholic School in Arlington fudged on “osoberry” in the final round. He was the defending champion.

The four-hour competition produced some impressive spelling and colorful displays of expression:

– Nine-year-old Celia Nowlin of Fine Arts Academy in White Settlement spent much of the competition sitting pensively with her chin resting in her hands and elbows on her knees. When it was her turn, she hopped up and called out letters, often without asking for a word’s definition or etymology.

– Participating in his first competition, 8-year-old Tyler Ellis of Emma Roberson Elementary in Granbury was the youngest competitor and, perhaps, the crowd favorite. With a closely cropped mohawk, he was the only competitor to bring a water bottle with him to the microphone every turn and appeared at ease under pressure. He survived until round 6 when he left off an “n” in “innocuous.” By the time he had made it off the stage, he’d buried his head in his hands, sobbing woefully.

– Ansun Sujoe, 10, of Lone Star Elementary in Keller was listed as age 19 in the program, and he probably could have passed for it with his appearance and his adult-like manner of sitting. Wearing khaki dress slacks and a blue pinstripe dress shirt buttoned to the top, Sujoe sat casually with one leg crossed over his knee, watching as other competitors took their turns. He made it into the final foursome, missing on the word “salubrious” in the 13th round.

– Jordan Proffer, 11, of Smithfield Elementary School in North Richland Hills, was dressed sharply in a striped tie. He bowed out in the 12th round after asking for several pronunciations of “tacitly.” He incorrectly included a “d” and was eliminated. His parents, who were videotaping on the front row, protested his ouster saying the pronunciation was confusing. The call stood.

– Several of the spellers, including 12-year-old Miranda De La Rea of Dawson Middle School in Southlake, used the back of their number tags to write out words with their finger before calling out letters. Effective strategy.

TCU’s College of Education hosted the event for the first time, which dean Mary Patton said was a great opportunity to align the school with an high-profile academic pursuit.

“The College of Education at TCU is nationally recognized for its preparation of reading teachers,” Patton said. “We were delighted to have these remarkable young spellers and their families on the TCU campus.”

The College of Education is one of only six institutions ever to receive the International Reading Association’s Certificate of Distinction, which is the highest honor given by the organization and recognizes outstanding preparation of future reading teachers.

On the Web:
Fort Worth Star-Telegram coverage
Gallery of spellers

TCU hires new VC for Student Affairs

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In April, TCU announced the hiring of Kathryn Cavins-Tull as the new Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, effective July 1. She replaces Dr. Donald B. Mills ’69 (MDiv), who is shifting roles at TCU to become Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership in the College of Education.

Cavins-Tull comes to Fort Worth from Bloomington, Ill., where she has been the vice president for Student Affairs/Dean of Students at Illinois Wesleyan University since 2005. In that role, she oversaw student development and orientation functions, provided training and leadership for campus life and served as university consultant for handling behavioral and psychological problems of students.

She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Illinois and a PhD in philosophy from Illinois State University.

“Dr. Cavins-Tull will be a tremendous asset to TCU in her new role as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs,” said Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. “Her extensive background in Student Affairs, along with her enthusiasm and vigor, set her apart from other candidates.”

A banner year for TCU ROTC cadets

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The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a workhorse.

Since the 1960s, the twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter has deployed America’s troops in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and other battlefields. With its wide cargo bay, it is also the ideal aircraft for rescue and humanitarian missions, including scores of hurricane relief jobs, fire fighting duty, food distribution and fuel transport. Three Chinooks were recently used to cool Reactors 3 and 4 of Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear power plant with seawater after recent earthquakes and tsunami.

In March, 30 cadets from TCU’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program rode one to Fort Hood, Texas, for three days of military training as part of the biannual field training exercises.

“These freshmen and sophomores are fortunate to get to experience this opportunity,” said Lt. Col. Chris Talcott, chair of the military science department and TCU’s ranking ROTC professor. “The rest of our cadets are taking a 2 1/2 hour bus ride. So needless to say, this is pretty special.”

The “lucky 30,” as Talcott called them, assembled in the early morning for regular physical training and then greeted the Chinook as it landed in a field north of Lupton Stadium on the campus’s west side.

Helmets and fatigues strapped on, the cadets huddled just outside the rear cargo hatch as Col. Frank Y. Rangel, Jr. of Fort Hood presented a tutorial on the Chinook’s capabilities.

“Top speed is 170 knots, fastest in the military,” Rangel said. “It will smoke a Blackhawk.”

The Chinook is also the Army’s safest aircraft, he said, although it requires 10 times as much maintenance. The helicopter’s three hooks underneath can haul up to 2,000 pounds of water, which is useful in containing fires. During the winter’s ice storms, a Chinook functioned as a mobile gas station, transporting fuel to the Amarillo area.

Rangel also described what the cadets could expect once they touched down at the Army post in central Texas.

“You will exit the vehicle quickly at a near 90 degree angle and fall in position,” he instructed. “Left side first, single-file line.”

Cadets practiced the maneuver a half-dozen times before cramming in ear plugs for the real thing.

Field exercises are a testing ground. Cadets will be transported to one of Fort Hood’s training areas, dropped off and left for three days – essentially, a practice air assault. Over the weekend, they’ll face military tasks to assess leadership, decision-making and teamwork skills.

“They’re going to land quick, get out and get down,” Talcott said. “It’s like a pretend war.”

Classwork, girlfriends, boyfriends, parents all will have to wait til Sunday.

The helicopter ride is a bonus. Talcott says the program views it as a retainment tool.

“A lot of what we do is very difficult,” he said. “We get up at 6 for PT [physical training] four days a week. They take extra classes on top of their normal university workload. Many of them are involved with fraternities or sororities or other campus organizations. The ‘military stuff’ is the cool, exciting part. We use it – especially for the freshmen and sophomores – to keep them invested in the program.”

TCU’s ROTC program is among the nation’s best. In February, it was honored with the General Douglas MacArthur Award as one of the top eight programs in the United States. The 305-cadet unit, which includes students from Texas Wesleyan, Baylor, North Texas, Columbia College, Tarrant County College and Weatherford College, make it one of the country’s largest units. About 150 are from TCU.

In May, the program commissioned 35 lieutenants, a TCU record.

Photo Gallery:
ROTC Spring Field Training Exercises

Video:

TCU among nation’s greenest universities

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TCU has long been associated with purple, but in recent years the university has embraced green in a big way — and was rewarded in April for its efforts with inclusion into The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges, 2011 Edition.

More than 2,000 colleges were reviewed for their environmentally responsible practices, from which the magazine’s editors and their partners at the U.S. Green Building Council selected the 311 best in the nation.

TCU began many of its “green” practices in the 1990s in an effort to reduce energy use, maximize efficiency and save money.

Today, the physical plant’s efforts stretch from energy-efficient lighting, and heating and cooling plants to biodegradable cutlery to single-stream recycling to LEED certified buildings and “green” cleaning supplies.

Five of TCU’s campus buildings meet Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) gold standards, and two others are at the silver level.

Additionally, TCU students are directly involved in the school’s “green” accounting, which is one of the requirements of the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment in 2008 that Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr. signed in 1998.

Last fall, the TCU Energy Institute was given a 2010 Honda Civic GX — dubbed the Frogmobile — that is solely powered by natural gas and has emissions that are 30 percent cleaner than gas-powered vehicles. The car was a gift from select members of the Energy Institute’s Metroplex NGV Consortium, a group of nearly 60 companies dedicated to increasing the use of NGVs through education and research.

On the Web:
Read more about TCU’s “green-ness”

New director to lead Jazz Studies

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Jazz musician and saxophone professor Joe Eckert was appointed Director of Jazz Studies in the TCU School of Music. He took over the program in May from Curt Wilson, who retired from TCU after 35 years.

Eckert joined the TCU School of Music in 2007 after a 20-year career as lead alto saxophonist/woodwind specialist and music director of the famed U.S. Air Force “Airmen of Note,” the armed forces’ premier jazz ensemble.

He has also served on the music faculty at Shenandoah University and West Virginia University.

Eckert has performed with some of the great names in jazz, including Louie Bellson, The Brecker Brothers, Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, Clark Terry and many others.

On the Web:
Curt Wilson’s final curtain

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