Texas Tidbits_20904

Posted: 2/06/04

Texas Tidbits

Brueggemann to lecture at Truett. Old Testament scholar and noted author Walter Brueggemann will present the Parchman Lecture series March 9-11 at Truett Theological Seminary in Waco. His lectures will be presented at 3 p.m. daily in the seminary chapel and are open to the public. For more information, contact Roger Olson at (254) 710-6654.

Gregory and Seay share pulpit at Wayland. Joel Gregory, former pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, and Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia Community in Houston, will headline the 83rd annual Panhandle Pastors' and Laymen's Conference, Feb. 23-24 at Wayland Baptist University. Gregory will lead the conference Bible study, focusing on restoration and reconciliation. Seay will preach on bridging the generations in the church. A special session for Hispanic pastors and laymen will be held at 6 p.m. on Feb. 23 in Brown Chapel on the Wayland campus. Al Guajardo, president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, will speak. For more information on the conference, call (806) 291-1165.

UMHB schedules retirement seminar. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention will co-sponsor an investment and retirement seminar for ministers Feb. 26 in the Mabee Student Center on the UMHB campus. For more information, contact the church relations office at UMHB at (254) 295-4620 or email [email protected].

Baylor provost honored. David L. Jeffrey, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Baylor University, has received the lifetime achievement award from the Conference on Christianity and Literature. The conference is an international organization allied with the Modern Language Association that encourages scholarly exploration of the relationship between literature and the Christian faith.

Howard Payne plans social justice center. A $500,000 gift from Bettie and Robert Girling of Austin will enable Howard Payne University to renovate its historic Coggin Academy building as the headquarters for a new Center for Social Justice. The center will be an undergraduate multi-disciplinary program involving the social work, sociology, psychology and criminal justice departments and the legal studies program. Built in 1876, the Coggin Academy building is the oldest school building in continuous use west of the Mississippi River.

Hardin-Simmons honors young alums. The chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission and an Internet commerce expert have been named Hardin-Simmons University's Outstanding Young Alumni. Victor Carrillo, a 1986 Hardin-Simmons graduate, is a former Taylor County judge who was appointed to the Railroad Commission by Gov. Rick Perry. Leland Harden, a 1984 graduate, is vice chancellor of institutional advancement at New Canoe University and a senior-level executive in Internet commerce. The awards will be presented Feb. 12.

DBU receives foundation gift. Dallas Baptist University has received a $250,000 gift from the Andersen Foundation of Minnesota for a new building project. The International Student Center will serve as a multi-use activity and learning center, including offices for the intensive English program, classrooms, computer-equipped study areas and a lounge for international students.

Baylor diamond leads off. Ferrell Field at Baylor Ballpark, home of the Baylor baseball team since 1990, was spotlighted as the stadium for the month of January in this year's Baseball America's Great Parks Calendar. The Waco stadium was the only collegiate ballpark to be included in the calendar. The magazine selected the Bears' diamond as the third-best collegiate stadium in the nation last year. The stadium features red brick and exposed green steel beams.

DBU enters partnership. Dallas Baptist University has entered a strategic partnership with the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics that will enable DBU students to earn a minor or concentration in linguistics. The partnership also will allow the institute's international graduate students to participate in the intensive English program at DBU prior to beginning their course work with GIAL. The institute offers training in applied linguistics and language development, including linguistics, ethnology, language assessment, literacy and Bible translation. Linguistic classes tentatively are scheduled to begin in the fall 2004 semester.

HSU prof named to national exam committee. Michelle Dose, head of the chemistry and physics department at Hardin-Simmons University, has been appointed to a national committee that writes standardized examinations covering material included in most first-semester general chemistry courses. She was named to the committee by the American Chemical Society Division of the Chemical Education Examinations Institute. The exam the committee develops will be available for use by colleges and universities around the nation in the fall of 2006.

Foundation grant boosts Wayland music lab project. A $50,000 gift from the Helen Jones Foundation of Lubbock will help fund an electronic music laboratory at Wayland Baptist University. The grant covers half of the funds needed for the project, which includes installation, faculty training and use of a 15-keyboard SoundTree technology/keyboard lab. The Jones Foundation was established by Helen DeVitt Jones in 1984 from profits from her family's share of the Mallet Ranch in Hockley County. For information on the ongoing campaign to raise funds for the music lab, contact the Wayland University development office at (806) 291-3427.