Increasing diversity. The good news is that student applications to TCU are up, from 4,841 last year to 5,654 this year. The great news? Minority applications also increased dramatically, rising from 18 percent to 25 percent of the total applicants this year. Students from minority and ethnic backgrounds now comprise 18 percent of TCU’s admissions, up from only 13 percent a year ago. Admission Dean Ray Brown said that high school counselors are pushing students this direction. “The truth is, the counselors are telling their students TCU is a hot place to go.”

Top trustee. In April, TCU Board Chair John V. Roach ’61 became one of only two university trustees in the country to be honored with the Trusteeship Award, given annually by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. The prestigious award goes to only two trustees each year from public and private institutions. Said James D. Gates, member of the National Advisory Council for the Radio Shack National Teacher Awards Program: “He has provided unselfish leadership for the improvement of teaching and learning of mathematics, science and technology by our nation’s students and teachers.”

Fast-track nursing. The Harris School of Nursing will launch an online master’s degree this fall that will allow RNs with a bachelor of science degree to complete their master’s in two years, and RNs with an associate of arts degree to complete the program in three. Harris faculty will offer the program with technical support from eCollege, which recently provided TCU with a $120,000 grant to launch the degree. The program prepares RNs as clinical nurse specialists in adult health nursing, developing nurses who can practice in a myriad of settings.

Another Goldwater. Engineering sophomore Ben Ludington earned a 2001-2002 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Award. The 20-year-old Houston native was just one of 302 undergraduates nationwide selected for the top academic award out of more than 1,000 nominees.

Pre-law plus. Always in solid standing, TCU students heading to law school after graduation can now put Pre-law Affiliate for the Law Student Division of the State Bar of Texas on their resumes. A new association sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, the Pre-Law Affiliate program lends credibility to students’ undergraduate preparations. Said Political Science Prof. Donald Jackson, TCU’s longtime pre-law adviser: “So far this year the students leading the program here have brought in an FBI agent and a student who was just admitted to law school who is helping them with the application process.”

Mastering education. The School of Education is expanding its master’s in educational foundations degree this fall to include specializations in non-traditional settings such as zoos and museums. The 36-hour track will create a pool of educators who can do everything from conduct educational workshops for fellow educators to assist with interactive designs.