From games as learning environments to karate’s Olympic debut, TCU and its faculty and alumni are being featured in the news. Check out the latest roundup of newsworthy Horned Frogs.
INSTITUTIONAL
The 25 Best College Dorms in America
Aug. 5, 2021
Newsweek
Here are 25 of the best college dorms in America, according to reviews and ratings on college information site Niche: The TCU dorms score an A+, as does the campus and student life rating.
FACULTY
TCU Professor and Author Matthew Pitt Talks the Art of Short Storytelling
Aug. 9, 2021
Fort Worth Magazine
Among our three book recs for the month of August is a collection of short stories penned by a local Horned Frog. These Are Our Demands by Associate Professor Matthew Pitt features 12 narratives ranging in aesthetic from tidy realism to a slanted, fabulist bent concerned with the contours of where our culture is headed. Through subversive satire, this collection explores ways in which consignment to the margins opens up a kind of wilderness beyond the borders of polite society.
Abbott criticized for ban on COVID mandates as cases soar in Texas
Aug. 9, 2021
The New York Times
Gov. Greg Abbott joins other Republican leaders standing by their orders against mandates for masks and vaccines. James Riddlesperger, political science professor, said, “This is a very high-risk, high-reward strategy that he is pursuing, and other national Republican leaders as well, where they simply don’t believe the COVID crisis is going to cause the amount of deaths that many health professionals are suggesting that it might.”
North Texas hospitals' requests for additional staffing denied by state officials
Aug. 2, 2021
KDFW-TV
Because of the spread of the delta variant, hospitals in North Texas sent a request to the state for additional staff. It was also done last year during the pandemic. Health officials describe it as a pandemic among the unvaccinated, but a small percentage of vaccinated adults are also testing positive. "Unless there's a change in the behaviors of those who are not vaccinated and that they become vaccinated, I think that the numbers will continue to rise," said Floyd Wormley, associate provost for research.
Doctor discusses COVID-19 delta variant dangers
Aug. 2, 2021
KDFW-TV
As the delta strain of the coronavirus becomes more prevalent, doctors are learning more about how it works and why people should worry if they are not vaccinated. Dr. Mohanakrishnan Sathyamoorthy, a cardiologist and the chair of internal medicine at the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, talks about the latest.
Fort Worth ISD slipped further behind on this spring’s STAAR. Timing of interventions,
lower at-risk student performance partially explain results.
Aug. 1, 2021
Fort Worth Report
Through interviews with education experts and school administrators, two factors that contributed to Fort Worth ISD’s showing on the test appear to be the timing of academic interventions and the performance of at-risk students. “If a student was already historically struggling, it’s really not surprising that in the last year and a half that was sometimes chaotic and sometimes just unpredictable that they are still continuing to struggle,” said Jo Beth Jimerson, associate professor of educational leadership.
Hate crime or not, Atlanta shooter was motivated by racism
July 30, 2021
Los Angeles Times
Robert Aaron Long, who was convicted in the March shootings that killed six Asian American women, has not been found guilty of a hate crime. Hate crime laws are often narrowly defined and rarely prosecuted. They seem designed to exclude any considerations of structural and institutional racism, said Scott Kurashige, chair and professor of Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies, who is researching anti-Asian racism.
Sundance Institute announces recipients of grants supporting BIPOC artists
July 29, 2021
Deadline Hollywood
Sundance Institute has named the recipients of the inaugural Uprise Grant Fund and Arts Organization Grants, supporting BIPOC artists. One of the recipients is Wendi Sierra, assistant professor of game studies. A researcher and designer, Sierra is interested in games as novel learning environments. The Uprise Grant Fund specifically looks to uplift BIPOC artists, whose careers and creative development have been harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
How youth, diversity will impact Fort Worth's new city government
July 29, 2021
Fort Worth, Texas Magazine
The city of Fort Worth now has the youngest and most diverse city council Fort Worth has ever seen — which could mean the city may see shifts in policy that reflect the youthful nature of its leaders, said Jim Riddlesperger, political science professor.
ALUMNI
Governor Abbott Appoints Glotfelty to Public Utility Commission of Texas
Aug. 6, 2021
gov.texas.gov
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Jimmy Glotfelty ’88 to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) for a term set to expire Sept. 1, 2025. The PUC regulates the state's electric, water, wastewater and telecommunications utility industries, implements respective legislation and offers customer assistance in resolving consumer complaints. Glotfelty received a Bachelor of Science in political science from TCU.
Two North Texans Set to Kick-Off Karate’s Olympic Debut
Aug. 6, 2021
KXAS-TV
Karate is making its Olympic debut and two North Texans are ready to fight their way to the top. Tom Scott ’12 takes on Japan at 3 a.m. CST Friday. Scott was raised in Richardson, is a 15-time national champion and six-time Pan American Champion. He met his wife Morgan while attending TCU. “I am so, so proud. If anyone knows how hard work and commitment pay off, it’s him. I get goosebumps talking about it because I am so very proud of him,” said Morgan Scott ’13. Tom Scott competes in Kumite, a part of karate.
Andrew Lombardi – Crescent Real Estate - Vanguard Law Magazine
Aug. 5, 2021
Vanguard Law Magazine
When Andrew Lombardi ’03 returned to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, after graduating from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in 2006, he became an attorney at McDonald Sanders, a practice focused on real estate and oil and gas transactions. Crescent Real Estate happened to be in the same office building. For four years, Lombardi plugged away at his work—with the hope of one day putting his 2003 accounting and finance degree from TCU to use. When he got wind of a job opportunity at Crescent in 2010—one that would marry his love of business with that of law—he was hired as asset management counsel.
TCU sprinter Baker takes fifth in Tokyo Olympics 100M final
Aug. 1, 2021
KRLD-AM
At the Tokyo Olympics, sprinter Ronnie Baker ’16 finished fifth in the final of the 100 meters. Fellow American Fred Kerley took the silver. En route to the final, Baker recorded a personal best in the semi-final of 9.83 seconds.
STUDENTS
TCU students take cross-country trek for a good cause
July 29, 2021
KXAS-TV
Two TCU students are on a cross-country bike ride with a purpose, to do something good by raising awareness and money for people with disabilities. Juniors Clayton Rogers and Asher Smith are riding from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.
Plan removes older students from Fort Worth school for refugees
Aug. 9, 2021
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
When school begins later this month, more than half of the International Newcomer Academy’s students will be in school somewhere else. Fort Worth ISD officials plan to send the academy’s students who are 16 and older to Success High School, a school for under-credited students. Lau'Rent Shumbusha, now a senior criminal justice student at TCU, enrolled in the academy in 2013 after he came to Fort Worth from Zimbabwe. One of the main benefits of the academy is helping new arrivals understand how life in the United States works.
Recovery program opens doors for recently incarcerated, addicted women
Aug. 2, 2021
Fort Worth Report
Autumn Henry, 37, moved to Fort Worth thinking a new location would provide her a new lease on life. Years of childhood trauma led her to substance abuse and legal troubles. She heard about Fort Worth's Opening Doors For Women In Need, a nonprofit that provides programs and resources such as housing for women who have been recently incarcerated or have struggled with addiction. Since graduating from the program in May 2017, she received two associate degrees with honors from Tarrant County College. Stanley inspired her to continue her education and now she has a full-ride scholarship to TCU, where she will study social work and child development in the fall.
ATHLETICS
TCU QB Max Duggan focused on winning football games, not endorsements
Aug. 6, 2021
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU quarterback Max Duggan isn’t among those cashing in. At least not yet. Instead, he has been focused on preparing for the 2021 season. “He told me, ‘It’s time to go win football games,’” coach Gary Patterson said. “If that happens then good things will happen. He’s not worried about what’s happening in front, he’d rather do it on the back end of it. “I think that speaks volumes of what the group is and where we’re trying to get to and what we’re trying to do.”
TCU athletic director turns down chance to interview for Missouri AD job, source says
Aug. 4, 2021
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati isn’t looking to leave the university anytime soon. Not even for an SEC job. The University of Missouri reached out to Donati about its athletic director opening but Donati declined the chance to interview, according to a source. Donati is focused on navigating TCU through the latest round of realignment in college sports, a source said, and is happy with where he’s at. His contract with TCU runs through 2023.
Billy Bob’s concert raises over $15,000 for The Gary Patterson Foundation
Aug. 2, 2021
Fort Worth, Texas Magazine
Few things are more Texan than football, country music and cars. All three joined forces at the end of June as coach Gary Patterson and Ewing Automotive Group president Fin Ewing took the stage for a Billy Bob’s Texas concert like no other. The gig ultimately raised over $15,000 for The Gary Patterson Foundation, whose primary goal is to provide educational opportunities for children. This year’s focus is to fund better Wi-Fi access to all children in the area.