UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012 - (Page 5)

WHOOSH! The UTeach program at UT Dallas received funding for the Teacher Enhancement Academy in Mathematics and Science, which aids science and mathematics classroom teachers in obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching in science or mathematics education. The Student Services Building has been awarded LEED Platinum status by the United States Building Council, becoming the first academic structure— and the 11th statewide—to achieve the designation. Saskia Versteeg, a McDermott Scholar and physics major, won UT Dallas’ first Udall Scholarship, a prestigious award with a $5,000 prize that is given to college students who are committed to environmental careers. On Campus UT Dallas Earns Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society our officers and 17 founding faculty members were inducted in April into the newly formed chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. By forming a Phi Kappa Phi chapter, UT Dallas has made strides in its effort to access interest earned from the state’s $600 million National Research University Fund, a voter-approved endowment. Access is contingent in part on institutional membership in Phi Kappa Phi or a similar academic honors group. “My impression of UT Dallas could be summed up in one word: quality,” said Dr. Perry Snyder, Phi Kappa Phi’s executive director. “The quality of the petitioning group, the faculty and the students was most impressive. Along with the other campus visitors, I was most favorably impressed with the level of interest of the president and provost and the deans.” F Securing the chapter was an extensive process that involved providing a detailed introduction to the University, then culminated in a three-day campus visit by Phi Kappa Phi officials to speak with students, deans and other University administrators. “Phi Kappa Phi seeks evidence of high-quality academics and student services, as well as an environment supportive of research,” Executive Vice President and Provost Hobson Wildenthal said. “The granting of the UT Dallas chapter is further affirmation of our excellence.” Phi Kappa Phi brings together faculty, select upperclassmen, graduate students, alumni and members of the community in an interdisciplinary environment dedicated to the advancement of learning and service to others. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi chapters are on more than 300 campuses in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Each year, approximately 30,000 members are initiated. Since its founding, Phi Kappa Phi has initiated more than 1 million members into its ranks. Membership to the Society is by invitation. -Marissa Alanis T UT Regents Approve Plans to Build New Home for ATEC he UT System Board of Regents has approved construction of a 155,000-square-foot facility that will house programs in visual arts, emerging media technology and multimedia communications, as well as a 1,200-seat auditorium. Designed as a showcase to the visual arts and a highly adaptable technology hub for the Arts and Technology program, the $60 million building is slated for completion in 2013. design and visual arts, conference rooms, 2D drawing and painting art studios, 3D art studios, and photography and print-making labs. “We are in a growth phase, and there has been a chokepoint for us in terms of new facilities,” said UT Dallas President David E. Daniel. “The building, with its 2,150 new classroom seats and 50 faculty offices, will aid our effort to meet our strategic growth goals.” -Chaz Lilly Winter 2012 5 The Arts and Technology Building will be near the center of campus, adjacent to the library and facing the newly renovated mall and reflecting pools. It will include an exterior courtyard next to the new auditorium. Inside features include classrooms for game The University of Texas at Dallas

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012
Contents
On Campus
From the Lab
Arts and Culture
Courtside Success
Athletics
Research Is Teaching
Town and Gown
In Your Footsteps: An Alumni Perspective
Alumni Notes
In Memoriam
Hindsight

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012