By Danny Horne staff reporter All TCU students who are deemed ineligible for need-based aid by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid are now allowed to stack scholarships. Mike Scott, director of scholarships and financial aid, said the fact that some students can now stack TCU-funded awards is the only aspect that is different from the old policy. "Under the old policy, students could not receive more than one TCU-funded award," Scott said. "Now, however, students who do not receive any need-based aid can stack those TCU-funded scholarships up to the price of 32 hours of tuition.
Scott said another important aspect of the new policy is that all departments on campus will be allowed to stack scholarships. No individual departments will be left out of this policy change, he said. "It will not just be those students in Fine Arts who will be able to utilize this," Scott said. "Some confusion came from the fact that the Fine Arts do have such a large amount of departmental scholarships. They may be the most effected by this but certainly not the only ones effected." Kenneth Raessler, director of the School of Music, has said that he is looking forward to the chance to stack scholarships because it will greatly improve the competitiveness of the performing arts at TCU. "We had been competing against other schools who could stack scholarships," Raessler said. "But, now I think we are competing right with them. With our staff and resources, the new policy should help."
"I see this as nothing but a positive development for pre-med," Hartman said. "I echo the previous sentiments of those in Fine Arts. It will definitely enable us to more aggressively pursue the high-quality students." Christian Youth Fellowship students will still receive their half-tuition entitlement as will the children of Disciples of Christ ministers. "The difference in the policy there is that they will now be able to stack scholarships on that entitlement," Scott said. "These students as well as the Disciples of Christ students cannot exceed that 32-credit-hour limit." Leo Munson, associate vice chancellor for academic support, said every effort has been made to ensure that current students will not lose money under the new policy. "We have made sure that they will have nothing to worry about," Munson said. "Now, it is true that some students will not necessarily gain money, but no current student will lose money." Scott said while he is concerned that some students will be less than satisfied, he does know that he cannot please everyone. "Everything I do could possibly make someone mad," Scott said. "I worry about it, but it's not possible for me to please everyone. We have more need for aid than we can meet."
Danny Horne
By Victor Drabicky staff reporter TCU's entrepreneurship center will be named for Dallas businessman James A. Ryffel following a $5 million donation Tuesday from the 40-year-old alumnus. "An entrepreneurship center is critical to the business frontier ahead of us," said Ryffel, who is the founder and chairman of the board of directors for Hispanic Television Network, president of Woodcrest Enterprises, a founding investor and former director of FlashNet Communications and director of Worth National Bank in Lake Worth. "In order for the students and TCU to be their best, TCU needs an entrepreneurship center." The James A. Ryffel Entrepreneurship Center will focus on entrepreneurial education through experience, said William Moncrief, interim dean of the M.J. Neeley School of Business. Students will learn everything from the pre-startup procedures of a business to how to gather resources necessary for a company to grow, he said. Chancellor Michael Ferrari said the gift could not have come at a better time. "We established an entrepreneurship center earlier this year, but we didn't have the resources to offer students everything we wanted to," Ferrari said. "This gift is exactly what the program needed." Center Director David Minor said the donation could make TCU's entrepreneurship program one of the top in the country.
Ferrari said although TCU's entrepreneurial program is young, it will mature very quickly. "We have the advantage of looking at other programs and making sure we don't make the same mistakes they did," Ferrari said. "We can take the best aspects of each program and blend them together to make a program that is unique to TCU." In addition to the $5 million gift, Ryffel - who has bachelor's and master's degrees and a ranch management certificate from TCU - said he will donate $1 million for venture capital. Minor said the venture capital program will be different from other collegiate programs because it will be open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Ryffel said the primary influence on the venture capital program will come from the students. "Only when students are allowed to make decisions will they find out what it is like to make good and bad business decisions," he said. Moncrief said the program will give students opportunities that have been unavailable to them. "Students will be able to do things outside the TCU community," Moncrief said. "Now they will get more hands-on experience and exposure to real-world business." Ryffel said in addition to helping students get experience, the program will help to broaden the way students think. "Students will learn to think out of the box," Ryffel said. "Students will learn that the new business frontier is about relationships. Business is not life and death and is not about making money. Business is about giving back to your school and church, but most importantly, your community."
Victor Drabicky
By Kaitie Smith staff reporter With bags packed, the United States Institute for Theatrical Technology waited for the final vote from the House of Student Representatives to attend the USITT National Convention in Denver. After a closing statement from USITT President Meredith Mamgum, the House voted unanimously to allocate $900 to the group. Shortly afterward, USITT members were off to catch a plane. "We are very excited that USITT will attend its first national convention," Mamgum said. "This is an opportunity to get national recognition for TCU and our chapter." The convention will educate students on all aspects of technical theater and allow them to learn about new equipment and technology. In other House business, the service band sorority Tau Beta Sigma was given $558 to attend the Southwest District Convention in Hot Springs, Ark. TBE President Victoria Devaney said the chapter has been nominated for the District Award for Outstanding Chapter. "Attending the convention will allow us to promote our chapter and our school," Devaney said. TBE Vice President Michelle Hefner said the chapter has been asked to make a presentation during the convention discussing its achievements. "The money will allow us to send more members to support our chapter and our presentation," Hefner said. The Arnold Air Society of the Air Force ROTC Detachment 845 was allocated $542 to attend its National Conclave in San Diego. The AFROTC is a national honorary professional and service organization established to strengthen relations between the Air Force and the local community. Lauren Ice, a civilian member of the Arnold Air Society, said the conclave will allow members to learn about new community service projects. "This conference will teach us how to make better decisions concerning society and teach us valuable leadership skills," Ice said. House members also discussed The Main X-Change, a program designed to incorporate everyone on campus and allow them to meet one another. Student Government Association will be hosting The Main X-Change from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in The Main. Participants are given a name tag and asked to introduce themselves to others. Campus Communications Chairwoman Mandy Mahan said the program is a priceless experience. "This is an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to connect with one another and exchange ideas and concerns," Mahan said. The Main X-Change will be held every other Wednesday for the remainder of the semester.
Kaitie Smith
Editor's note: This is the seventh in a series of articles profiling the 17 task forces that make up the Commission on the Future of TCU. By Reagan Duplisea staff reporter A doctorate program in the School of Education could bring the school and the university higher visibility and prestige, said Joel Mitchell, interim dean of the School of Education. The School of Education task force on the Commission on the Future of TCU is looking into what establishing a doctorate program would entail, said Mitchell, faculty facilitator of the task force. It has not finalized its recommendations, Mitchell said. The task force is one of 17 on the Commission, which was established by Chancellor Michael Ferrari to determine how the university can move to the next level of academic distinction. Judy Groulx, associate professor in educational foundations and administration, is heading the task force subcommittee that is looking into graduate programs, including the possibility of offering a doctorate degree. "There are strong needs for educational leaders who have been prepared thoughtfully to understand education and contribute to research in education," Groulx said. Mitchell said a doctoral program would add prestige to the program.
A doctoral program could also grow from the recently established Math, Science and Technology Institute, said Mary Lane, executive assistant to the dean of the School of Education. Lane said the subcommittee on which she serves is focusing on project ideas for the Institute. Lane said there is a demand for teachers in the fields of math, science and technology. "We're looking at different ways to recruit students in the field," Lane said. The demand is high because students in those fields find they make more money by going into professional fields instead of teaching, Lane said. The last subcommittee is addressing issues of urban education and the possibility of setting up an urban education institute. Mitchell said an urban education program would prepare teachers to work in inner-city schools where there is much diversity and a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. "It's not to say that that's something that hasn't been done in the past," Mitchell said. "It's an area of teaching where it's difficult to hire and retain teachers (The program) would look at the social problems inherent in that type of setting." Lane said the task force is ultimately trying to address the country's education needs. "I think all of us who have children or read newspapers are aware of the problems in the school systems - what needs to be fixed," Lane said.
Reagan Duplisea
By Yonina Robinson staff reporter The new Institute of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education will focus less on paper and pencil and more on the integration of technology into math, said Angiline Powell, assistant professor of mathematics education. The institute, which began conducting workshops last month, will focus on promoting better, more creative teaching of math and science in high school and college settings, Powell said. It will provide ongoing support to current educators, and it will conduct summer programs for math and science teachers, she added. "We hope to make it more problem-solving and less computational," Powell said. "We're not concerned if students can multiply 643 by 512 but if they can apply what they have learned." Powell, Janet Kelly, Paul Kennedy and other TCU math and science professors will conduct the workshops and in-services for elementary and high school math and science teachers who attend the institute. Kennedy, a professor of mathematics education and director of the institute, said the main focus is on the impact of technology on student learning and the student's response to the learning. "By improving the undergraduate experience of math and science, hopefully, TCU will attract more teachers," Kennedy said. The program will give TCU a high recognition in the community by impacting both math and science education students and current professors, Kennedy said. Jill Clay, a senior chemistry major, plans to be a high school chemistry teacher after graduation in December. "I hope the institute will give me places to go for resources and ideas for teaching," Clay said. The first workshop focused on utilizing the graphing calculator to help students learn algebra, trigonometry and calculus. It also explored ways to incorporate the graphing calculator into instruction in algebra and calculus. Kennedy said most of the workshops are already filled, and the others are filling up quickly. Powell will be working primarily with elementary school math teachers this month and high school math teachers in the summer. Although the initial funding came from the Sid Richardson grant, Kennedy said he is currently writing grants to help with the funding for the program. "Most of the funding will come from people doing hard work," Kennedy said.
Yonina Robinson |
"TCU can now create high-quality entrepreneurs that
can directly impact the Dallas/Fort Worth (area)," Minor said. "TCU
can now be recognized along with schools such as the (University of Southern
California) and (the University of California at Los Angeles) as one of
the top five entrepreneurial schools in the United States."| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |