Around the State: DBU holds commencement parade

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dallas Baptist University held a commencement parade May 15 to honor graduates in place of the traditional commencement exercise. (Photo / Kirsten McKimmey)

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Instead of a typical graduation, Dallas Baptist scheduled a drive-through commencement ceremony to honor its spring 2020 graduates. (Photo / Kirsten McKimmey)

More than 600 vehicles participated in a May 15 commencement parade honoring Dallas Baptist University graduates. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of a traditional commencement exercise, DBU planned the outdoor event, streamed on Facebook Live. DBU President Adam C. Wright addressed the graduates, along with their families and friends, saying: “We did not choose our place in history, but we do have a choice in how we respond to our place in it. We will not be paralyzed by fear, but courageously, gripped by grace, face our trials with the resolve that God is with us. And if God is with us, who can be against us?” The entire event can be viewed here.

Howard Payne University announced a 50 percent discount for undergraduate tuition and housing for the summer 2020 academic sessions. “We’re always working on ways to assist students and their families in managing the expense of private higher education, and this plan to discount our undergraduate summer programs and housing is our latest initiative to do so,” HPU President Cory Hines said. Classes will be offered online and in person, with the on-campus classes hosted in classrooms that can accommodate social distancing while still providing quality face-to-face instruction. Any related lab fees remain at regular pricing. HPU’s summer sessions begin June 1.

East Texas Baptist is reducing its graduate tuition rate 50 percent and expanding degree programs for the fall semester. “It is our desire to make the Christ-centered education offered here on the Hill more accessible to those seeking a graduate degree, and we are hopeful that the reduced graduate tuition rate, in addition to the new master’s degree plans, will allow more professionals and bachelor’s degree graduates to earn a graduate degree for career advancement and to pursue God’s purposes for their lives,” ETBU President Blair Blackburn said. New programs offered in the fall include the Master of Arts in Strategic Communication degree and the integrated Master of Arts in Christian Ministry and Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree. ETBU offers seven graduate degree programs available entirely online: Master of Arts in Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, integrated Master of Arts in Christian Ministry and Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, Master of Education in College and University Leadership, Master of Science in Kinesiology and Master of Business Administration.

The National Science Foundation awarded Houston Baptist University’s College of Science and Engineering a $300,000, three-year grant from under the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic Serving Institutions Program. The grant will support a partnership between HBU and research labs at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Ten students per year, for three years, will participate in a focused program at HBU to prepare them for a summer undergraduate research experience at MD Anderson Cancer Center.


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