In the News
Master Plan update
Our enrollment is higher than ever this year (almost 31,000 students) and we are certain to be headed even higher next fall. To keep pace, the university has millions of dollars in construction projects either under way, in the planning stages or on the drawing board. Alumni who return to campus after being away a few years comment on the growth and frequently seem amazed at all that has happened since they attended. We know how they feel. We are often astonished at all that is happening right before our eyes. The Austin Business Journal did an excellent update on our Campus Master Plan and where we are going from here. Read it here.
North Campus housing
Another project that was just added to the university’s Capital Improvements Program is the North Campus housing project. Construction is expected to begin next fall on this $50 million, 612-bed residence hall. It will be located at the corner of Comanche Street and Sessom Drive and will help us meet our student housing needs as enrollment continues to grow. The project has received coverage in several area media outlets, including here in the Austin Business Journal.
Star sleuth
Physics professor Don Olson and his colleagues continue to amaze us with their ability to solve puzzles of art, history and literature using the science of astronomy. Through the years, Olson has solved mysteries from World War II, the Civil War, the paintings of such masters as Van Gogh and Munch, the literary works of Chaucer and Shakespeare and, along the way, even managed to save Abe Lincoln’s reputation for honesty. A learned man who loves the art of teaching, Olson always involves students in his interdisciplinary research projects that can sometimes carry them to the far corners of the globe. Olson’s work has been the topic of news stories worldwide and, most recently, the Austin American-Statesman carried an interesting summary of some of his work. It may be read here.
When seconds count
Texas State’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) program has received substantial media coverage in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings in November. The officers who stopped the Fort Hood shooter had taken the ALERRT class, and a subsequent after-action report of a blue ribbon Defense Department committee that examined the lessons learned at Fort Hood recognized the value of active-shooter training programs such as ALERRT and recommended more such training. KABB-TV in San Antonio visited Texas State and produced this report on ALERRT.
Teen pregnancy
Professor of health David Wiley has become one of the nation’s leading experts on the problem of teen pregnancy and the effectiveness of “abstinence only” sex education programs. He has been quoted in news stories around the country on the topic. Recently, the Dallas Morning News conducted a thorough interview with Wiley. It may be read here.