How the legacy of professor John J. McDermott permeates ... · PRESIDENT’S LETTER A Testament to Two Legends here’s an old saying that when you reach a certain age, everyone you

T H E T E X A S A & M F O U N D A T I O N M A G A Z I N E | S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

How the legacy of professor John J. McDermott permeates Aggieland

Take a Walk With Me

P R E S I D E N T ’ S L E T T E R

A Testament to Two Legendshere’s an old saying that when you reach a certain age, everyone yousee reminds you of someone you already know. I’m old enough to attestthat there is a modicum of truth to the statement. Yet, the assertionthat there are only so many human archetypes is soundly refuted by a

couple of articles in this issue of Spirit. I’ve been privileged to know a number of unique characters, and we high-

light two of them in this issue.I met Dr. Thomas Hargrove ’66 “on the wall” in Dorm 2 in September 1963.

Tom was a sophomore in Spider D, and I was a fish in Saber C. We both came toTexas A&M from dusty West Texas cotton farms to study agricultural journalism.Tom was a mentor in many ways—some enjoyable, some not so much. He was anabsolutely unique human being. He was extraordinarily bright but more impor-tant, he was a creative storyteller and adventurer. Times were spartan at TexasA&M, and Tom found many ways to enliven the experience, often fueled by hispassion for a quick trip to Whiskey Bridge, where distilled spirits were for sale.

If he were still around, he would probably be embarrassed by an oft-quotedstatement, but it will stimulate memories among his myriad old friends: “Themost useless thing in the world is the top to a whiskey bottle.” Tom harnessedthose youthful forays and adventuresome activities into an extraordinary careeras an international agriculturalist. His most famous adventure was unfortunatelybeing captured by narco-guerillas in South America. The book and movie thatdocuments his experience there only adds to the Hargrove legend.

The second person highlighted who broke the mold is John McDermott, adistinguished professor of philosophy. I got to know John in the early 1980s whenI returned from a three-year absence from Texas A&M. With President FrankVandiver, he led the charge to create a Faculty Senate and was holding down thepost of its first chair. Curmudgeonly, always puffing on a pipe, and somewhatunkempt with a shock of long hair and a sweat-brimmed fedora, he was the proto-typical image of the crazy professor. His slightly disheveled appearance and con-frontational style gets your attention, but his well-camouflaged soft side is inter-ested in what is going on to expand a person’s mind.

All it took was a few minutes time engaged in conversation with McDermottto understand his deep affection for Texas A&M, in particular his students. Hisleadership of the Faculty Senate was based on a belief that faculty had a legiti-mate role in the governance of the institution. John and I continue to havethought ful and provocative conversations about his love for Texas A&M and hisnever-ending commitment to its students by protecting their interests and ex -panding their intellectual boundaries. He is and has been a faculty consciencefor Texas A&M for almost four decades.

I heartily endorse your careful reading of the two stories highlighted here aswell as the other inspirational content about Texas A&M in this issue of Spirit.

eddie j . davis ’ 67presidenttexas a&m foundation

Contents

The College of Architecture has four main

international options for its students to interact

with building design and extend Texas A&M’s

global reach— Italy, Germany, London and

Spain. » p.16

The Aggie International Ambassadors

see themselves as liaisons between

cultures, sponsoring activities and events

that introduce international students

to American traditions. » p.32

V O l U M E X V n O . 3 | S U M M E R 2 014

Spirit is published three times a year by the TexasA&M Foun dation, which manages major giftsand endowments for the benefit of academicprograms, scholarships and student activities atTexas A&M University. Please direct inquiries tothe Marketing Office, Texas A&M Foun dation,401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX77840- 2811, call (800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-8161,or email [email protected]. Informationin this magazine is for educational purposes onlyand should be examined by independent legalcounsel due to possible differences in local lawsand individual needs.

txamfoundation.comtxamfoundation.com/SpiritMagazinefacebook.com/TexasAMFoundationyoutube.com/AggieSpiritandMindtwitter.com/TXAMFoundation

copyr ight © 2014 texas a&m foundation

F E A T U R E S

CROSSING THE POND

The second story in a series on Texas A&M’sglobal reach explores the College ofArchitecture’s study abroad offerings.

Facul ty Impact:A TAPESTRY OF WOVEN TALES

Distinguished Professor John J. McDermotthas built a legacy in the field of Americanphilosophy during his 62-year career.

Student Impact:PATRIOT AND PIONEER

An endowed memorial scholarship honorsDr. Thomas Hargrove ’66, a Vietnam vet-eran who endured 11 months of Andeancaptivity on his journey to becoming oneof the Green Revolution’s finest.

Spir i t Impact:AT HOME WITH THE WORLD

The Aggie International Ambassadors arecultural liaisons who learn from and teachinternational students attending Texas A&M.

Col lege Impact:LET’S TALK TEACHING

When a Texas A&M department wasstruggling to meet national standards, the Center for Teaching Excellence came to the rescue.

16

24

28

32

36

Texas A&M’s Center for Teaching Excellence

helps faculty do a better job of teaching so

that they can do a better job of helping

students learn. » p.36

Contents

2 T E X A S A & M F O U N D A T I O N

D E P A R T M E N T S

3 THE LEGACY

In a tremendous philanthropic gesture, Annand Charles P. Manning ’82 establisheddean’s excellence endowments to benefitfour Texas A&M entities after their lifetimes.

4 LETTERS/CORRECTIONS

6 ON CAMPUS

Korean cadets visit Aggieland; StudentRecreation Center undergoes renovations;Texas A&M pledges to increase studyabroad participation.

8 LAB WORK

College of Architecture students designnigerian medical facility; researchers explorethe history of Alcatraz.

10 NEW GIFTS

Physician endows second-ever chair in theDepartment of Statistics; ConocoPhillipscommits $6million toward new EngineeringEducation Complex.

12 ONE VOICE

“Go to hard places and do hard things.”This call to action guides future peacemakersat The Bush School of Government andPublic Service.By Ryan C. Crocker

14 VIEWPOINT

Paint USA delivers an engaging tool tolearn and teach geography with larger-than-life maps of the United States.

42 OPPORTUNITY

Texas A&M’s Institute for Advanced Studyfacilitates pioneering research by bringingworld-renowned scholars to campus.

44 @FOUNDATION

Outstanding student receives $2,500award; Maroon Coats welcome seventhclass; Bermúdez joins trustees.

46 POSTSCRIPT

“From Aggie Jokes to Graduation”By Dunae Crenwelge ’15

47 CONTACT US

E D I TO R

Sondra White ’87

M A n AG I n G E D I TO R

Megan Kasperbauer

A RT D I R E C T I O n & D E S I G n

Geer Design, Inc.

P H O TO G R A P H Y

Aggie International Ambassadors (p. 35, top)John Benson, The Battalion (p. 6)The Bush School of Government & Public

Service (p. 12-13)Ana Escobar (p. 16; 17; 18 and 19, bottom)Mark Everett (p. 8, top)Miles Hargrove (p. 28; 29; 31)Jason Jones (p. 10, bottom)Robb Kendrick (p. 7, top; 11, top)Igor Kraguljac (p. 38; 40)Chanam lee (p. 8, left)Jim lyle (p.14-15; 25; 36-37; 44; 45, left

and top; 46)Mays Business School (p. 43)Brian Sowell (p. 18, top left)Texas A&M College of Architecture (p. 18,

top right; p. 21, bottom right; 22, bottom left; 23)

Texas A&M College of Education and Human Development (p. 10, center)

Texas A&M College of Science (p. 10, bottom)Texas A&M Dwight look College of

Engineering (p. 11, bottom)Texas A&M at Galveston (p.7, bottom)Texas A&M Marketing and Communications

(p. 9, bottom)Zackary Chance Medlin (p. 1, left)

P R I n T I n G

Chas. P. Young Printing

BOA R D O F T RU S T E E S

Van H. Taylor ’71Chairman

George K. Hickox Jr. ’80Chairman-elect

Jorge Bermúdez ’73T. Randall Cain ’82Charles H. Gregory ’64Richard Kardys ’67P. William Toler ’76

E X E C U T I V E S

Ed Davis ’67President

Jim PalincsarSenior Vice President for Development

Doyle ThompsonSenior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

liska luskVice President and General Counsel

Janet Handley ’76Vice President for Investments

Kathy McCoy ’80Assistant Vice President of Marketing

Do you know where your food comes from? Dr.

Aleda Roth, a visiting scholar in the Texas A&M

University Institute for Advanced Study, believes

that U.S. consumers are at a high risk of con-

tamination from food that is imported from

emerging countries. » p.42

C OV E R

John J. McDermott is more than a professor;

he’s a storyteller who instills in his students the

importance of self-discovery. Inspired by the layers

of meaning within McDermott’s lessons, College

Station artist Scott McDermott (no relation)

created this portrait of the philosopher.

TheLegacy

veryone who grows up inTexas knows that at somepoint, there comes a choice:Aggie or longhorn.

“Half my peers went one way, halfthe other, and for some reason I choseAggie,” said Charles Manning ’82, whocame to Texas A&M University in 1978and graduated a year early with a de -gree in finance.

“I remember walking around cam -pus, seeing names on buildings andread ing about former student bene-factors, and I vowed to myself that Iwould join their ranks if circum-stances allowed,” he said.

Flash forward to today, where hispromise is set to be fulfilled. In atremendous philanthropic gesture,Charles and his wife Ann solidified asignificant planned gift through theTexas A&M Foundation to benefit fourTexas A&M entities: Mays BusinessSchool, the College of Agriculture andlife Sciences, the College of Veteri naryMedicine and Biomedical Sciences,and the 12th Man Foundation.

Thoughtful Planning

With hefty retirement accounts andno children, the Mannings wanted toplan for the final distribution of theirestate in a tax-efficient way. Theyworked closely with their attorney,Amy Bloomquist ’83, to create a giv-ing strategy that is now documentedin their estate plan. In addition to a

generous bequest planned in theirliving trust, they have named theTexas A&M Foundation as a benefici-ary of their retirement accounts aftertheir lifetimes.

“Retirement account assets are notvery tax-friendly, so a planned gift wasan easy decision,” said Charles. Withboth gifts, the Mannings will hold,man age, enjoy and continue to buildtheir estate during their lifetimes, andTexas A&M will benefit greatly.

They designed all of their endow -ments to allow college deans maxi-mum flexibility in the use of funds.

“I have no idea what the needsof each college will be in 20, 30 or 40years, but I do trust that the deans willbe good stewards of these funds,” saidCharles, who chose each beneficiarywith care.

Banking Reaps Benefits

Retired now and living in Austin, theMannings enjoyed productive andfruit ful careers. Charles worked inbanking technology, writing softwareused by banks nationwide. Ann re -ceived a juris doctor degree from Ohionorthern University and originallyworked for a law practice.

A Spirit Worth Preserving

Mays Business School Dean JerryStrawser says the Mannings’ gift willimpact students in countless ways.

“With the flexibility they are al -lowing, it can support student schol-arships, study abroad opportunities,student travel competitions and fac-ulty teaching and research activities,”he said.

During a recent conversation,Dean Eleanor Green of the Collegeof Veterinary Medicine and Bio med -ical Sciences told the Mannings thatprivate gifts keep the spirit of TexasA&M a reality.

“She reminded us that culturesmust be nurtured and that givingresources to the right people can gen-erate a culture and spirit worth pre-serving,” said Charles.

—by dunae crenwelge ’15

To discuss how a planned gift to theTexas A&M Foundation might benefit you, your family and the university,contact Glenn Pittsford ’72 in the Officeof Gift Planning at [email protected] (800) 392-3310.

A Promise Made Will Be a Promise Paid

Ann and Charles Manning ’82, who document-ed a generous gift to Texas A&M in their estateplan, snagged a photo with Reveille VIII duringa visit to campus in February.

S P I R I T M A G A Z I N E | S U M M E R 2 0 1 4 3

Letters

TEXAS A&M’S GLOBAL IMPACT

I read with much interest the article inSpirit magazine about the TAMU campusin Qatar. I was one of a small group offaculty and administrators from theCollege Station campus who worked onthe startup of the Qatar and Mexico CityCenter initiatives. My first trips to thosecountries were made with many questionsand reservations. However, as I returned,I realized that these initiatives had thepotential for Texas A&M University to havea global impact and to possibly change theworld through relationships, as well aseducation. In looking back, they also fitnicely with the Vision 2020 imperative todiversify and globalize the Texas A&M

community.There were enormous challenges to

overcome in order to establish an opera-tion in a foreign country: currency andcultural differences, purchasing procedures,hiring faculty and staff, compliance withforeign laws, etc. As difficult as this was, itwould have been much more challengingwithout the help of our former studentswho lived in those countries and who provided great insight into working inthose environments. Aggies really do liveeverywhere and they were excited about aTAMU presence.

I look forward to reading the remain-ing series of articles about Texas A&M’sglobal footprint in Spirit. The world haschanged significantly since I graduated in1966, and I was privileged to witness thechanges in students and opportunitiesduring my 36-year career at Texas A&M. I hope the recent efforts to extend studyabroad opportunities to more Aggies willbe successful as it will provide our gradu-

ates insight into operating in the world ofthe future.

Gig ’em.

—thomas h. taylor ’66Interim Vice President for Administration (2010)Texas A&M Univers i tyCol lege Stat ion, Texas

I just received the latest edition of Spiritand instantly had negative feelings forTexas A&M University, which had a sterlingreputation as one of the few remainingconservative educational institutions inour country. I look to the State of Texasas one of the last bastions of freedom andconservatism left in our poorly led anddeclining country.

The State of Texas maintains its status for me and I have recently thoughtof moving there from Florida. I earned adoctorate in veterinary medicine fromTexas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medi -cine in 1972. I have and will always respectmy classmates and the vet school for offer-ing me a sound education in my field.

I still have hope for our country andstill highly respect the State of Texas, butwill no longer be donating in any way tothe Texas A&M Foundation. Please takemy name off your list of Spirit subscribersand save that money as my issues willpromptly be recycled. The cover of thespring issue has placed a lasting memoryin my nonpolitically correct mind.

—linda wendelken sample ’72Tampa, F lor ida

THANKS FROM SALSA FUSION

On behalf of Salsa Fusion latin DanceCompany, I would like to thank you foryour generous donations to our organiza-


Share Your CommentsWe always enjoy receiving our

readers’ reactions to Spirit. If

any of the magazine’s content

moves you to write, please email

us at [email protected]

or send a note on the postage-paid

form on the inside back cover.

sondra white ’87Edi tor

megan kasperbauerManaging Edi tor

Spring 2014 Spirit magazine


tion, which helped us to represent TexasA&M University and the Hispanic commu-nity at the Houston Salsa Congress.

Salsa Fusion was established in 2008by a handful of friends who wanted toextend their love and appreciation forsalsa and latin culture to the studentbody and the community of theBryan/College Station area. Since then,the organization has grown to more than70 members for the spring 2014 semester.

Using donations that individualsdirected to our group through theFoundation, we were able to travel to theHouston Salsa Congress to perform for acrowd of more than 400. We also learnednew dances to share with the studentsand faculty of Texas A&M, and we net-worked with international dancers andstudents from other colleges.

Thank you again for your support,and on behalf of Salsa Fusion, I wouldlike to extend my sincerest gratitude toyou for your donations.

—joshua rivera ’14Execut ive Direc torSa l sa Fus ion Lat in Dance Company

ONE CLASSY LADY

Kudos to Joanna Raines ’14 on a reallygreat article that provided the history ofour first lady, Reveille, in the fall 2013issue of Spirit magazine. I was moved totears by this wonderful story as it remind-ed me of my first day of orientation inAggieland in 1976, when I got my firstglimpse of her. Oh, to be young again andfull of hope!

I studied zoology at Texas A&M, grad-uating in 1978 and continued my studiesat Corpus Christi State University, whichis now part of the Texas A&M UniversitySystem. little did I know that the politicalclimate of those times would strip nationalfunding for careers in natural sciences. Butsomehow this old tree-hugger ended up inIllinois in a career as a civilian federalemployee with the Department of Defenseand later the Department of the Army.

It can only be the environment ofTexas A&M that could have led me to sucha rewarding life. I am forever indebted to my Aggie brothers and sisters. Witheternal thanks,

—jim mcfarlen ’78Rock Is land, I l l ino i s

“HOWDY MA’AM!”

Reading Spirit letters in the spring issueprompted me to add one more aboutwomen on campus in the 1960s. I beganworking part-time on a doctorate inEnglish language studies in 1966 whileteaching at Sam Houston State TeachingCollege in Huntsville. For five years Ienjoyed the Texas A&M campus, especiallythe cadets who, in passing, always said,“Howdy ma’am!” This was especiallynotable after my student days at a big-cityuniversity where many opted for the ’60s

look and behavior. The clean-cut, whole-some Aggies were a world apart from that.I received the first Ph.D. in English in1971, but memories of my Aggieland experience linger still.

—eleanor rettig mitchell’71Ret i red Professor o f Eng l i shHuntsv i l l e , Texas

Editor’s note: Shortly after we publishedthe fall 2013 issue of Spirit, we receiveda thoughtful letter from Dr. Dean C.Corrigan, who served as dean of TexasA&M’s College of Education from 1980to 1990.

Under his leadership, the collegerevised its degree programs in response tothe educational reform movements of thelate 1980s. In his letter, Corrigan reflectson how the College of Education led theway in integrating the Texas A&M faculty.

Although we could not publish theentire letter in print, we can share thisexcerpt:

“In reflecting on my experience atTexas A&M, the decision that the facultymade to take the lead in seeking minorityfaculty and studentswas the action that Iwill always rememberas the most impor-tant and most satis-fying in my 50 yearsin the field of educa-tion,” Corriganwrites. “As we readthis issue of Spirittoday and feel good about the progressregarding diversity, we need to rememberthe minority faculty and their colleagueswho were out in front at the beginning. It was not easy. That is what makes it sorewarding. It was such a pleasure to workwith people who proudly did what was theright thing to do. As each day goes by,the moments that we shared in this effortbecome more precious.”

To read Corrigan’s letter in its entiretyand other letters that would not fit in thisissue, visit the “Letters” section of Spiritmagazine online at txamfoundation.com/SpiritMagazine.

A group of Texas A&M University faculty and administrators from the College Stationcampus worked closely with former studentswho lived abroad on the startup of the univer-sity’s Qatar and Mexico City Center initiatives.

Donor generosity enabled Salsa Fusion to represent Texas A&M University at the 2014Houston Salsa Congress.

Reveille IV (1975–1984)

Dr. Dean C. Corrigan

OnCampus

Korean Cadets Visit Aggieland

In January, the Corps of Cadets host-ed 35 ROTC cadets from South Koreafor a three-week leadership devel op -ment program offered through theCorps’ Global Initiatives Program.

During their stay in Aggieland, theSouth Korean cadets lived on the Quadwith the Corps, attended classes, andparticipated in leadership activities andROTC military training. They also at -tended Texas A&M baseball and bas ket -ball games and visited several locationsacross Texas, including Fort Hoodnear Killeen, the USS lexington inCorpus Christi and the Johnson SpaceCenter in Houston.

“We are honored to have hostedthese cadets and to have such an ex -citing international program on ourcampus,” said Brig. Gen. Joe E.

Ramirez Jr. ’79, Corps commandant.“This was an amazing learning expe-rience for all of these cadets to worktogether, learn from each other anddevelop relation ships that could lasta lifetime.”

The program is designed to offeropportunities for cadets to be ex posedto countries, cultures and perspectivesfrom around the world. It also givesselect Texas A&M cadets the opportu-nity to travel abroad—this year toTurkey, Chile and India.

Rec Center Grows

To accommodate its growing studentbody, Texas A&M’s Student RecreationCenter is undergoing a $54 millionrenovation and expansion that willcontinue through 2015.

Satterfield & Pontikes Construc -tion Inc. is leading the expan sion andMarmon Mok Architecture is creatingthe design. The facility will remainfully operational throughout the proj -ect, which is being funded without anincrease in students’ recreationalsports fees. (Rev enue bonds support-ed by the existing recre ational sportsfees will fund the project).

The Student Recreation Centerhas operated at capacity since open-ing in 1995. The project will increaseactivity and support space by 25 per-cent, and will provide significantlymore programs and services for Aggies.The expansion will add strength andconditioning space, another gymnasi-


Cristina Palomino ’14 speaks withvisiting Korean cadet Nam Do Whuioutside the Trigon en route to a mili-tary science class. The Corps of Cadetswelcomed 35 South Korean ROTCstudents to Aggieland this spring aspart of its Global Initiatives Program.

um, new multi-purpose activity rooms,a second entrance, an outdoor plaza,an additional pool, a natatorium ren-ovation and lighting retrofit.

More Aggies Will Go Global

Texas A&M University has pledged a100 percent increase over a five-yearperiod in the number of students tak -ing advantage of study abroad oppor-tunities—reaching a level that wouldexceed 4,000. Texas A&M officials saythey believe their pledge represents thelargest increase in Texas and amongthe largest nationally.

Texas A&M officials made thepledge as part of the Institute of Inter -national Education’s “GenerationStudy Abroad” initiative to vastly in -crease the number of American stu-dents who study abroad by 2020. Atleast 156 institutions from 41 U.S.

states have made a commitment, in -clud ing almost 100 public colleges anduniversities. Texas is among the topfive states in terms of institutions thathave pledged to date, and Texas A&M

leads the state in sending studentsabroad for study opportunities.

In 2012-13, Texas A&M had morethan 3,000 students studying or par-ticipating in non-credit programs inmore than 90 locations around theworld with virtually all of its academ-ic units represented.

For more information about the“Generation Study Abroad” initiativeand a complete list of commitmentpartners, visit www.iie.org.

Diving Into STEM Experiences

As a coastal center for ocean-relatedscience, technology, engineering andmath (STEM), Texas A&M University

at Galveston offers students of all agesa unique opportunity to dive intoSTEM experiences.

This year, the university hostednearly 1,000 junior high and highschool students and their teachers atmajor STEM events, including the Dol -phin Challenge, the Galveston CountyScience and Engineering Fair, the Sci -ence Olympiad and the Texas Acade -my of Science Conference.

Sponsored by the Texas A&M SeaGrant, the Dolphin Challenge is thenorth Texas regional competition ofthe national Ocean Science Bowl. Dur -ing the challenge, students demon-strate their knowledge of marine andcoastal science by answering questionsfrom biology, physics, chemistry, geol -ogy, geography, mathematics and thesocial sciences.

The Galveston County Scienceand Engineering Fair encourages stu-dents from seventh to twelfth gradesto engage in STEM education throughcompetitive exhibitions. Fourteenschools and more than 200 studentsparticipated in the fair this year.

The Science Olympiad introducesstudents to practicing scientists andcareer choices. This year’s regionalTexas Science Olympiad tournament,held for the seventh year at the Galve -ston campus, was a rigorous academicinterscholastic competition that con-sisted of a series of team events in bothscience and engineering disciplines.


Students from Riverwood Middle School inKingwood, Texas, participated in team eventslike the rotator egg drop during the TexasScience Olympiad. The event, hosted at TexasA&M University at Galveston, is an inter-scholastic science and engineering competition.

The Student Recreation Center is undergoingmajor renovations to accommodate a growingstudent population. All facilities will remainopen during the renovation, including the pop-ular indoor rock wall.

LabWork

Landscape Architecture Students

Design Nigerian Medical City

In an effort to raise health care stan-dards in nigeria—which ranks seventh-highest in infant mortality among theworld’s nations—Thompson & GraceInvestments, a nigerian oilfield services

company, is building a world-classmedical service and research city inUyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom Statein nigeria, based on a master plan cre -at ed by landscape architecture graduatestudents at Texas A&M University.

Thompson & Grace is launchingthe project to address nigeria’s severe -ly inadequate health services, shortageof qualified health professionals andabsence of a medical research infra-structure.

The master plan for the 100-acrecity, developed by Xue li ’13, Sinan

Zhong ’13 and Wenyan Ji ’13 and ledby Dr. Chanam lee, associate professorof landscape architecture and urbanplanning, includes an 800-bed hospital,200-bed children’s hospital, medicalschool and research institute. Stu dentteams in the Texas A&M Architecture-For-Health studio developed dual-hospital concepts for the project. “Indeveloping their designs, students hadto consider nigeria’s climate and cul-ture, as well as the leading causes ofillness and death in the country includ -ing malaria and HIV/AIDS,” saidGeorge J. Mann, studio director andholder of the Ronald l. Skaggs Pro -fessorship of Health Facilities Design.

Unlocking Secrets of “The Rock”

Texas A&M University Professor MarkEverett is part of a team that recentlyprobed below one of the country’smost infamous sites—Alcatraz Islandin San Francisco Bay. Twelve to 15 feetbeneath the prison’s recreation yard,they explored the remains of a CivilWar-era military fortress.

Everett, a professor of geology andgeophysics, joined colleagues from theDepartments of Architecture and An -thropology, California’s Chico StateUniversity and the national Parks Serv -ice to examine what lies beneath layersof soil and concrete on Alcatraz. At var -ious times, the island has been hometo the oldest operating lighthouse onthe West Coast, a military fortification,a military prison and a federal prison.


Dr. Chanam Lee and three architecturegraduate students traveled to Uyo,Nigeria, last summer to study the sitefor a proposed Nigerian medical facility.The team developed a master plan,which was adopted in February byThompson & Grace Investments andthe Dallas-based architecture firmHKS Inc. Set to open in 2018, the100-acre medical facility will improvestandards for Nigerian health services.

Using ground-penetrating radar,which sends electromagnetic wavesinto the ground that then reflect off ofany structures below, the team scannedthe ground beneath the prison.

The team found evidence of sub-terranean tunnel systems, embank-ments and magazine buildings—sincecovered over for federal prison use—that were part of a military fortificationduring the Civil War. Because of itsloca tion away from the mainland andthe cold waters surrounding it, Alca -traz was used to house Civil War pris-oners as early as 1861, and by 1868 itwas designated a long-term detentionfacility to hold military prisoners.

The most promising potential dis -covery lies at the south end of theisland, beneath the prison’s recreationyard and parade ground. The teambelieves a caponier—a large structurethat juts out into the bay and pro-vides defensive cover—lies below.

Feline Health Tied to Humans

A cat may have only nine lives, but ithas tens of thousands of genes thatdetermine everything from physicaltraits to disease susceptibility.

Expanding upon research thatpro duced a high quality genome of asingle domestic cat, Professor WilliamMurphy and a team of Texas A&M

Uni versity researchers will join othersat several institutions in an initiativeto sequence the 20,000 genes in vari-ous breeds of felines in hopes of find-ing keys to better health in cats andhumans.

According to Murphy, a TexasA&M specialist in mammalian compar -ative genomics and feline genetics, catsand humans share several hundreddisease pathologies.

“Often, mutations in the samegenes in both humans and cats causethe same disease, so if we can find agene in a cat that causes a certain dis-ease, we may be able to find the samein humans,” Murphy said. For in -stance, Murphy says that cats are agood model for diabetes because theyare sedentary and have risk factorssim ilar to those of humans.

As part of the initiative, re -searchers will gather 99 additional catsof diverse breeds from a wide varietyof geographic locations, take DnA sam -ples and work to sequence their ge -nomes. The hope is that bet ter genet-ic tests for cats, as well as infor mationapplicable to human dis ease, may bedeveloped based on the knowledgegained from the sequencing project.

Foreign Intervention May Decrease

Chance of Democracy

The more foreign intervention thereis in a civil war, the less likely the endresult will be democratization, saysTexas A&M Professor Reyko Huang.When applying her findings to theongoing Syrian Civil War, Huang saysthat given the numerous outside play -

ers involved in the conflict, “post-wardemocratization is highly unlikely.”

A professor of international affairsat Texas A&M’s Bush School of Gov -ernment and Public Service, Huangconducts macro studies of civil warsacross the post-1945 period, fo cusingon rebel group dynamics. She findsthat in civil wars in which rebelgroups are politically organized andless dependent on foreign aid, democ -rati zation is more likely to be the out-come.

While some rebel groups are vio-lent toward civilians and interested inloot and profit, others are more disci-plined and organized, often providingthe citizenry with social services suchas schools and health clinics while alsocreating legislatures, laws and court sys -tems.

When Huang applies her argu-ment to the ongoing crisis in Syria,she finds that intervention by othercountries, including the U.S., will onlyserve to lengthen the conflict and todecrease the chance for a Syriandemoc racy by forestalling grassrootsmobilization for change.

Texas A&M professor Reyko Huang studiesthe effect of foreign intervention in civil warsacross the post-1945 period. Huang has foundthat when foreign powers intervene in a civilwar or provide support for rebel groups,democracy is less likely to result—as is the

Dr. Mark Everett and anthropology doctoralstudent Tim De Smet ’11 check undergroundreadings using ground-penetrating radar onAlcatraz Island. Everett is part of a team thatdiscovered the remains of a Civil War militaryfortress beneath the former prison’s recreationyard and parade ground.


NewGifts

Physician Creates Statistics Chair

Florida physician Stuart A. Harlin ’83created an endowed faculty chair inthe Texas A&M University Depart mentof Statistics to advance the use of sta-tistics in medical areas.

The Jill and Stuart A. Harlin ’83Chair in Statistics, established througha combination of current and plan nedgifts to the Texas A&M Foundation,marks only the second faculty chaircreated within the department. TheHarlin Chair is intended to supportthe teaching, research, service and pro -fessional development activities of thefaculty holder, whose academic focusshall be in the field of medical andpublic health statistics.

Harlin, a 1983 zoology graduate,is a board-certified vascular surgeon inthe Pensacola area and the founderof Harlin Consulting, a medical advis -

ing practice specializing in staff train-ing, clinical studies work and researchassistance.

“This is a way to pay things backsince I attended Texas A&M on schol-arships,” Harlin said. “It was impor-tant to me in providing funds that theCollege of Science be able to directthem toward their best use, in this casethe procuring of prestigious facultywithin the Department of Statistics.”

Good Living at Camp LIFE

In support of Texas children with dis-abilities, Mary Ann and GordonGib son ’55 established the GibsonFam ily Camp life Endowment toboost the Camp lIFE program in theCollege of Education and HumanDevelopment.

Founded by the Family Supportnetwork within the college, Camp lIFE

(leader ship, Independence and Friends10 T E X A S A & M F O U N D A T I O N

Gifts to the Texas A&MFoundation Inspire Spirit and Mind

As the inaugural holder of the Jill andStuart A. Harlin ’83 Chair in Statistics,Texas A&M Distinguished Professorof Statistics Dr. Raymond J. Carrollhopes to apply his vast, pioneeringexpertise in many avenues of statisticalresearch to help improve vascular care.

Mary Ann and Gordon Gibson ’55 created an endowment to support Camp LIFE, anadventure camp affiliated with the College ofEducation and Human Development that hasserved more than 600 children with disabilitiesthroughout Texas, including their son Glenn.

through Experiences) provides camp-ing adventures twice a year in Burton,Texas, for children ages 5 to 21 withdisabilities. It has the dual purpose ofproviding an inclusive camp experi-ence for special needs children, whilegiving Texas A&M University pre-service special education students whostaff the camp hands-on experienceswith children who have disabilities.

The Gibsons’ son, Glenn, an adultwith special needs, and their daughterSharon ’86, a College of Educationand Human Development graduatewith a certification in special educa-tion, inspired the couple’s interest insupporting Camp lIFE.

“Glenn is a Special Olympics ath -lete, competing in volleyball, bocceball, soccer and swimming,” Mary Annsaid. “These have been wonderful ac -tiv ities for him, and we wanted tosupport similar opportunities for otherchildren while providing invaluableexperience for future special educationteachers.”

This endowment marks the Gib -sons’ fifth at Texas A&M.

ConocoPhillips Gives

$6 Million to Engineering

A $6million contribution by Conoco -Phillips to the Dwight look Collegeof Engineering at Texas A&M Univer -sity will support construction of anew Engineering Education Complexon Texas A&M’s campus.

The new facility will be dedicatedsolely to undergraduate engineeringeducation and will be built adjacent tothe existing Zachry Engineering Cen -ter, which will be renovatedduring the project. Whencompleted, the two cen terswill feature 600,000 squarefeet of state-of-the-art learn-ing space.

“An educated work-force drives our global eco-nomic future, and we’reproud to continue to sup-port some of the best and

brightest minds through this dona-tion,” said Ryan lance, chair man andCEO of Conoco Phillips. “Texas A&M

consistently de livers top-tier gradu-ates that continually make a substan-

tial impact within our company andaround the world.”

As an innovative learning environ-ment, the complex will feature flexi-ble classrooms, design and fabricationshared-use laboratories, collaborativespace and tutoring services. In recog-nition of the company’s support, thelobby will be designated as the Conoco -Phillips Atrium.

During an event at the company’s Houstonheadquarters on April 11, ConocoPhillipsChairman and CEO Ryan Lance presented a$6 million check to Dr. M. Katherine Banks,Texas A&M vice chancellor and dean of engineering, to support construction of a newEngineering Education Complex.

The William and Susan Ouren Preservation Librarian Endowment will aid the Cushing MemorialLibrary and Archives with maintenance and storage of its hundreds of thousands of rare books,manuscripts, photos and other artifacts.

Couple’s Gift Enhances Library PreservationTexas history has a special place in the hearts of Susan ’74 and Bill ’74 Ouren. So when theKingwood couple had a chance to tour the Cushing Memori al Library and Archives, they recog-nized an opportunity.

“We asked what we could do to make a difference,” said Bill, “and we learned that theyneeded a preservation librarian position as well as funding to expand their ongoing preservationprogram.”

To support the Cushing Library in the maintenance of its hundreds of thousands of rarematerials, the Ourens created an endowment to fund a pre-eminent preservation program and anamed faculty position, the William and Susan Ouren Preserva tion Librarian. The Ourens alsoin clud ed a planned gift in their estate plan that will significantly increase the value of the endow-ment after their lifetimes.

Under the leadership of Julie Mosbo, the inaugural beneficiary of the Ouren’s gift, thepreservation program is undertaking physical restoration, repair, stabilization and digitization ofrare materials.

“This endowment aids our mission by providing resources to build a robust preservation unitthat focuses on both physical and digital collections,” Mosbo said. “The endowment will fundstate-of-the-art equipment in a planned preservation facility as well as support our growing DigitalSer vice Center.”

The Ourens also included gifts in their estate plan that will provide additional funding toendowed schol arships they have established in education, agriculture, engineering and accounting.


OneVoice

Diplomacy, I’ve learned, is a whole lotcheaper in terms of blood and treas-ure than is the use of force.

The concept of going to hardplaces and doing hard things isn’tnovel to any of our students; in fact,it’s the reason most choose to attendthe Bush School. Students enroll witha desire to better our world, and mygreatest satisfaction is that they leavehere two years later fully equipped todo so.

While we are proud to bear thename of a man I tremendously admire,former President George H.W. Bush,we are a nonpartisan training groundfor public servants—not for politicians.Our mission is precise, and we there-fore focus on two programs alone: theMaster’s Program in International Af -fairs (MPIA) and the Master of PublicService and Administration (MPSA)program. For MPIA graduates, going tohard places might involve diplomaticor intelligence efforts in war zones ordeveloping countries, while hard

places for our MPSA graduates couldentail working for nongovernmentalorganizations abroad or staying in theUnited States to tackle challenges ininner-city or impoverished rural areas.

During my Foreign Service career,I was privileged to be involved in anumber of high-stakes diplomacy ef -forts. These days, though, while I’moccasionally called upon for advice, Ileave negotiating to the active diplo-mats.

But while I take a backseat role,our students are being called upon toconduct studies and to present policyoptions that address real-world issues.Through capstone projects, they workin teams to identify ways to approachan issue or to find a solution, usuallyfor a government agency or a non-profit organization. Unlike capstonesat other institutions, however, oursaren’t fabricated: each one is complet-ed for a paying client.

This year, the U.S. Department ofState called upon our students to rec-


Preparing the Peacemakers

the bush school of government and public service

“Go to hard places and do hard things.” Students atThe Bush School of Government and Public Service haveheard my call to action before, and they heard it againat the school’s May commencement ceremony. As for-mer ambassador to six Middle Eastern countries, I’m afirm believer in the power of diplomacy, whether it entailssitting around a table with Iranian diplomats discussingwar and peace or talking with gang members on thestreets of los Angeles. Our graduates can do both.

Dean Ryan Crocker was appointedAmbas sador to Lebanon by formerPresident George H.W. Bush. He subsequently served as ambassador to Kuwait, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq andAfghanistan.


ommend a U.S. policy toward Iran.Joint efforts with other Texas A&M

groups led students to travel to theDemocratic Republic of the Congoand to research health service deliveryin liberia. Internships are likewise re -quired of our students. Such oppor tu -nities range from local nonprofit in -volve ment to studying Arabic in Beirut.

While public service is highly val -ued by the American people, it is notalways financially rewarding. But wemust be able to draw in the most tal-ented students, regardless of theirfinan cial circumstances. PresidentBush feels strongly—as do I—that anystudent who sacrifices financial gainto serve others should not be expect-ed to do the nation’s work under acrushing burden of debt. Each andevery one of our students thereforereceives some level of financial assis-tance. As we grow, however, the gen-

erosity of donors becomes even morecrucial to funding scholarships.

likewise, we must recruit the bestfaculty to teach these promising stu-dents, and to provide critical employ -ment and internship contacts. Someof our faculty members have workedat the world’s most prestigious uni-versities, while others made their markin the U.S. Foreign Service, the CIA orglobally recognized nonprofit agencies.They are constantly recruited by otheruniversities. With the help of donors,we provide endowed chairs, faculty fel -lowships and travel and research fundsneeded to attract and retain them atThe Bush School.

In his 1991 State of the UnionAddress, President George H.W. Bushdelivered the oft-quoted lines: “letfu ture generations understand thebur den and the blessings of freedom.let them say, we stood where duty re -quired us to stand.” He certainly did.I certainly tried. And our graduates—now 1,000 strong—are going forwardthroughout this country and thisworld following in his footsteps.

—by ryan c. crocker dean and executive professorholder of the edward and howard kruse endowed chair

the bush school of government and public service

Ryan C. CrockerThe Bush School of Government

and Public Service:

◊ Dean and executive professor

◊ Edward and Howard Kruse Endowed Chair

Other Universities:

◊ University of Virginia—James Schlesinger Distinguished Visiting Professor

◊ Yale University—Kissinger SeniorFellow

◊ National War College—International affairs advisor

Career:

◊ Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon

◊ First director of governance for the Coalition Provisional Authorityin Baghdad, Iraq

◊ Deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs

◊ 37 years in Foreign Service

Other:

◊ Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient (nation’s highest civilian award)

◊ Career Ambassador—the highest personal rank in the Foreign Service

◊ Honorary Marine—the 75th

civilian so honored in the 238-year history of the corps

◊ The State Department’s Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Expeditionary Diplomacy established in his name

From left to right: Mauricio Cifuentes Soto ’12 ;Melissa LaReau ’11 ; Ryan Crocker, dean ofThe Bush School of Government and PublicService; and David Sutton ’11 .

Dean Ryan Crocker of The Bush School of Government and Public Service

Every semester, Paint USA brings together volunteers who introduce elementary school stu-dents to a wider perspective of the United States. Members from The Bush School of Govern -ment and Public Service, Texas A&MRotaract Club and Rotary Clubs of Bryan and CollegeStation get involved by painting 30-foot maps of the United States at local elementaryschools in hopes of providing youngsters and teachers with an engaging tool to learn andteach geography.

Marlee Kingsley ’07 ’14, Paint USA advisor and a 2014 international affairs graduatefrom the Bush School, started this project in College Station last spring because she wantedto find a way to unite organizations that were committed to public service.

“This project seeks to provide students with a deeper understanding of where they are inrelation to others, helping them to understand the vastness and diversity of our country,”Marlee said. “It’s the first step in helping children see that they are part of something thatextends way beyond their hometown. They are a part of Bryan/College Station, Texas, and theUnited States of America.”

Back (L-R): Bush School students Kevin Allshouse ’14, Cait Stadler ’14, Sky Barlow ’14 andBreanna Irvin ’15; College Station Rotarian Bob Brick; Texas A&M Rotaract Club member AliciaFrink ’14; Bush School students Savannah Collins ’14 and Annette Denton ’14; Texas A&MRotaract Club members Jennifer Jordan ’17, Jamie Duong ’17 and Richard Tran ’15; and BryanRotarian Scott Pool ’93. Front (L-R): Paint USA Advisor Marlee Kingsley ’07 ’14; Kemp-CarverElementary School Principal Bren McCullar; Texas A&M Rotaract Club member Ashley Rogers ’15;and College Station Rotarian Jerry Kingsley.

Editor’s Note: This is the second ina series of features on Texas A&MUniversity’s global footprint.

T E X A S A & M ’ SG L O B A L F O O T P R I N T

The Gothic Quarter is the centerof the old city of Barcelona. Manyof the buildings date from Medievaltimes, some from as far back as theRoman settlement of Barcelona.This neogothic-style bridge atCarrer del Bisbe (Bishop’s Street)was designed by architect JoanRubió and built in . The tinycovered space links the Palau dela Generalitat (Catalan Govern -ment seat) with the Casa delsCanonges (residence of the president).

Christopher Chomer ’ will always have Barcelona. It’s there inhis mind, a spot to return to again and again for inspiration—as he did earlier this school year while working on a design proj -ect for a landscape architecture studio class. When consideringhow he wanted a pedestrian area near a waterfront to look, histhoughts went to La Rambla, the famous, mostly-pedestrianboulevard that winds through the center of Barcelona. He recalledhow the placement of trees and vendors directed people throughthe area, how the linking of small areas with open ones createdinviting spaces to congregate. With these memories, he addedsimilar concepts to his own project.

“I wouldn’t have created a design like that if I hadn’t beento Barcelona and moved around in that space,” said Chomer, whovisited the Spanish city while spending his fall semester in Bonn,Germany, as part of the College of Architecture’s study abroadprogram. “I think it was key that I had real world experience todraw on. I wasn’t just going on Pinterest and looking up ‘land-scape architecture.’ ”

The Col l eg e o f Arch i tec ture’s Semeste r Abroad

Clockwise: Brian Sowell ’ studiedin Barcelona because the programemphasized modern architecture. �Amy Brodeur ’ (right) an environ-mental design major, and GabrielleFernandez ’, a communicationmajor, help remove rocks from anarea students later turned into acommunity garden. � The Basílicade la Sagrada Família is a largeRoman Catholic church de signed by Antoni Gaudí (‒). �CaixaForum Barcelona is an artgallery that was originally completedin as a textile factory.

Barcelona is the capital city of theautonomous community ofCatalonia in Spain and the coun-try’s second largest city, with apopulation of . million.

S P A I NB A R C E L O N A , C A T A L O N I A

Because architecture is a profoundly three-dimensional dis -cipline, it is best understood that way. This is the idea that15 years ago prompted Thomas Regan, then dean of theCol lege of Architecture, to mandate that his students spenda semester away from Texas A&M University—either in aninternship or studying abroad. In the majority of depart-ments in the College of Architecture, students prefer thestudy abroad option if they can afford it. Because the archi-tecture cours es overseas match up with those on campusand are taught by Texas A&M professors or adjunct faculty,students can stay on track with their degree plan while expe -riencing a far different environment. With this requisite,the Col lege of Architecture has a higher percent age of stu -dents studying abroad than any other college at Texas A&M.

“Tom believed it shook students up, that it magnifiedtheir level of learning,” said Elton Abbott, assistant deanfor international programs at the College of Architecture.“It’s one thing to study slides and quite another to walkaround buildings, to touch them and talk about them.Learning is much more effective in the 3-D world. The ex -perience turns ‘C’ students into superstars.”

he College of Architecture has four maininternational options for its students toextend Texas A&M’s global reach. In Italy,the Tuscan town of Castiglion Fiorentino(population 12,000) has been the gorgeous

setting for the college’s oldest study abroad program for25 years. The stone buildings in this walled hilltop enclave,which dates back to the seventh century, have red tile roofsand are rich in character. One of them is a 17th centuryformer con vent that has been converted into the SantaChiara Study Center, where students live and take classesin design, Ital ian arts and civilization.

“Our joke over the semester was that we felt like wewere living at Hogwarts,” said Abbe Emerson ’15, a seniorenvironmental design major who spent the 2013 fall semes -ter with about 35 other Col lege of Architecture studentsat Santa Chiara. (Texas A&M students from other majorsare allowed in the program, but architecture studentsdominate.)

The fantasy element extends beyond housing. Stu -dents make regular visits to nearby cities like Florence—an hour away by train—and longer field trips to study theclassical architecture in Rome and Venice. “In addition tostudying architecture and landscapes,” Emerson said, “Igrew as a stu dent, a person and a worldly citizen.”

Brian Sowell ’14 chose to study in Barcelona during thespring 2013 semester rather than Italy because he wantedan urban experience. The Barcelona program emphasizesmodern architecture, which is fitting since this city of 1.6

million is known for its innovative designs (includingthose by re nowned architect Antoni Gaudi). Students in theBarcelona Architecture Center program live in apartmentsseparate from the study area. After Sowell’s classes and hismidday siesta, he regularly wandered through the city, observ -ing not just eaves and entryways but how people interactedwith each other and the architecture. Over time he beganto re think his design philosophy.

“If a building is private in the United States, you oftenthink only about what’s happening within the property line,”said Sowell, who graduated this spring. In Barcelona, he sawhow buildings related to other structures and encouragedsocial discourse and interaction. “No one wants to hang outat a strip mall,” he commented. “I want to figure out how toelevate design so people are encouraged to interact and con -nect. It’s a concept of giving back to a city.”

His time in Europe—including a field trip to the Nether -lands, a country also known for its modern architecture—had a direct impact on the next step in his career. On grad-uate school applications, he was able to discuss architectureprinciples in more detail. “I don’t think I had the maturitybefore,” he explained. “Barcelona really refined my idea ofwhat I wanted to do in my career.”

Many of the students taking their semester in the thirdlocation option—Bonn, Germany—are studying landscapearchitecture or visualization.Germany excels at integratingenvironmental aspects intobuilding designs and cityplan ning. Students in thispro gram, operated by theAcad emy for InternationalEdu cation, live with hostfam ilies to experience deep-er cultural enrichment.

“In Bonn, we focused alot on conservation, like re -using rainwater,” said ChrisChomer. “My host familyhar vested rainwater and grew their own fruit. I had home-made plum cake about a million times.”

Construction Science majors have the option of com-bining an internship with a study abroad experience in Lon -don. The semester there, called Wingtips, Work Boots &Wigs, focuses primarily on legal and risk management inthe U.S. and other countries. An international bonus forall architecture students is a popular course on innovationand creativity taught every winter break by Dean JorgeVanegas at the Soltis Center for Research and Educationin Costa Rica. (More on the Soltis Center in the next issueof Spirit.)

bout 30 percent of architecture studentsdo not study abroad, choosing instead aone-semester domestic internship (usuallypaid), said Abbott. The hindering factor forthese students is often financial: the cost

for a semester overseas is about double that of a semesterin College Station. Sowell estimated that he spent a totalof $20,000 for his semester in Barcelona—an amount hepatched together through a summer job, a loan and severalscholarships.

Students who can’t afford to study overseas can apply for partial scholarships—up to $3,000 from the College ofArchitecture—or for study abroad scholarships administeredby the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and theStudy Abroad Programs Office. But often it’s not enoughto get students over the financial hurdle. “I had a studenthere the other week who really wanted to go to Italy, but itwas just going to be too hard on her family to do it,” Abbottsaid. “It breaks my heart.” He stressed, however, that no oneis looked down upon or penalized for not going to Europe.

“I wish we had enough money to cover the differencebetween a semester at College Station and a semester abroadfor everyone,” Abbott said. And there are many people whoshare this wish, including Mikeual ’69 and Laura Perritt ’72,both retired architects living in Alexandria, Virginia. Thecou ple made an estate gift to the College of Architecture toprovide scholarships to students who want to explore envi-ronmental design in Bonn (or in China, if the college everestablishes a program there). “One of the things that hashelped us most in our careers is exposure to other cultures,”said Mikeual. “In Germany, you get to see how they takecare of public transportation and how they’re developingsolar and wind energy and sustainable building practices.They’re significantly ahead of most countries.”

The Perritts applaud the College of Architecture’s semes-ter-away policy, but realize they couldn’t have afforded tostudy abroad if it was in place while they were at Texas A&M.Their desire that no student miss out is part of the motiva-tion for their gift. “There are enough former students doingwell,” said Mikeual. “If they could just donate something,it would make studying overseas so much easier for stu-dents.”

But it’s not just the Texas A&M students who benefitfrom these study abroad programs; the host cities gain something as well. Last spring, students at three study centers wentglobal with the Big Event, Texas A&M’s annual day of serviceto give back to the community. In Bonn, Aggies cleaned upgreen spaces at Beethoven Haus, a chamber music hall, andplanted a garden at a retirement home. Aggies in Barcelonajoined Architects Without Borders to plant vegetables andbuild a fence in one of the city’s neighborhoods. In Cas -

I want to figure out how

to elevate design so

people are encouraged

to interact and connect.

It’s a concept of giving

back to a city.”

—Brian Sowell ’

“

Clockwise: The Bonn Minster, aRoman Catholic church noted forits Romanesque architecture, is oneof Germany’s oldest churches. �A large bronze statue of Ludwigvan Beethoven stands on theMünster platz in Bonn, Beethoven’sbirthplace. � Ricardo Montes ’(right) a visualization major, andBranden Nettles ’, a biosciencesmajor, helped plan and build a garden at a retirement home. �Bonn excels at integrating environ-mental aspects into building designsand city planning.

Bonn sits on the banks of theRhine River in the State of NorthRhine-Westphalia, Germany, andis one of the country’s oldest cities.

G E R M A N YB O N N , N O R T H R H I N E - W E S T P H A L I A

Castiglion Fiorentino is a small,walled city in eastern Tuscany,Italy, in the province of Arezzo,between the cities of Arezzo andCortona.

I T A L YC A S T I G L I O N F I O R E N T I N O

tiglion Fiorentino, students helped clean ceramic fragmentsdating back to the Roman Empire and painted a mural ina middle school classroom. “It was a great way to show ourAggie spirit to our global partners,” said Abbott.

The town of Castiglion Fiorentino got a bonus fromthe Texas A&M students there last fall: a novel plan for anew community center. As part of a design competition,Abbe Emerson ’15 and two other Aggies created demon-stration kitchens on top of a much-needed parking garageas a way to help the town promote tourism. Their kitchenconcept won first place in the competition against archi-tectural stu dents from other big U.S. universities at theSanta Chiara Study Center. The team’s idea was for localsand tourists to take cooking classes led by chefs who com -bine the flavors of Tuscany with American and other worldcuisines.

ll of the Aggies who study abroad ac -knowledge the importance and rewardsof bringing cultures together. Throughhis experiences in Spain and Germany,Chris Chomer said his mind was liberat-

ed. “I now think about the envi ron ment a lot more whenI am designing,” said Chomer, who after his graduationthis spring began working at Edminster, Hinshaw, Russ& Associates, a Houston engi neering firm. “Since my studyabroad, I feel so much more creative, and not nearly aslimited. It was truly a life-changing adventure that futureAggies should explore.”

—by jeannie ralston

To help students in the College of Architecture add an interna-

tional dimension to their education, contact:

Larry Zuber

Assistant Vice President for Development

Texas A&M Foundation

(800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-0939

[email protected]

To donate online to study abroad scholarships

in the College of Architecture, visit

give.am/SupportArchAbroad.

To donate online to a scholarship in memory of

Paolo Barucchieri, the late and beloved director

of the Santa Chiara Study Center,

visit give.am/SupportPaolo.

Clockwise: Castiglion Fiorentino isthe setting for the college’s oldeststudy abroad program. � Stu dentsin the spring semester helpedclean ceramic fragments dating backto the Roman Empire at anEtruscan archaeological site. � TheSanta Chiara Study Center is housedin a th century former conventthat has been converted. � RachelGriffith ’, an environmental designmajor, harvested grapes during hersemester abroad. � Many of thestone buildings in this hilltop enclavedate back to the seventh century.

On a Tuesday this April,John J. McDermott greets me from hisseat on a bench outside of Nagle Hall.He is six weeks into his convalescenceafter a quadruple spinal laminectomy.And yet, McDermott, who holds theMelbern G. Glasscock Chair in the Hu -manities and has held the George T.and Gladys H. Abell Professorship inLiberal Arts, is surprisingly not prone;he is already walking around campuswith his plain leather satchel (an an -tique physician’s bag that was a gift fromstudents) and signature fedora. In fact,the 82-year-old University DistinguishedProfessor of philosophy has returned toteaching much ahead of schedule anddespite his doctor’s wishes. This benchis a temporary resting spot, like severalothers along the way to the AcademicBuilding, where he teaches AmericanPhilosophy.

As we enter the Academic Build -ing, the centerpiece of main campus,McDermott laments that he lost a bat-tle with university administrators to pre -serve the building’s original palladiumdoors and windows during a renova-tion in the early 1980s. When he start-ed teaching at Texas A&M at age 45, herecalls that he would take the stairs “twoup, four down.” Now, with nearly fourdecades of surplus wisdom, he choosesto take the elevator.

In the classroom, students hush up -on McDermott’s entrance. Unlike manyother college students, his are not dis-tracted by laptops or cellphones. Penspoised over paper, they are focused,eager to hear what stories he will sharetoday. It would seem anachronistic withany other professor, but with McDermottat the helm, it is fitting. Then, just asthey expect, he calls roll to check atten-

dance, his voice low and gravelly, a NewYork accent still prominent.

McDermott’s class is a tapestry wo -ven of various tales. For the next 90minutes, he regales the group with sto-ries about his children, personal detailsabout American philosophers WilliamJames and John Dewey and advice ontraversing through the journey of life.His lesson is interspersed with sage one-liners—“education is supposed to be afeast, not an obstacle course”—and punc -tuated by his occasional chalkboardscrib blings.

Êhe ˆectar is in the JourneyMcDermott grew up in Depression-eraNew York City, the oldest of eight chil-dren in a lower middle-class Irish Cath -olic family. They had no books, but theywere, as McDermott describes, “rich instories and experiences.”


— FA C U LT Y IM PA C T —

—A former �udentof John McDermott’s recently created a million endowed scholarship at QueensCollege in New York. Don Brown�ein,an alumnus of the college who �udiedunder McDermott in the early s atQueens, named the gift in his honor. “Onegot the sense from Professor McDermottthat being engaged in philosophy and thehumanities was intrinsically valuable,”Brown�ein said in The Magazine ofQueens College. Brown�ein’s gift willfund scholarships for up to human itieshonors �udents each year.

�

For 62 years, the professor has beenat the front of a classroom. He has taughtpreschool children, high schoolers, dis-abled students, prisoners, and, of course,college students. In that time, his beardand wild shock of hair have grayed, buthis teaching philosophy has remainedmostly unchanged.

“I believe that everybody’s educa-ble,” McDermott said of his calling. “Ilive the life that I teach, and I teach thelife that I live.”

Evidence of this mantra can befound in nearly all of McDermott’s writ -ings. The stories he tells are like onions—peel back one layer and another stratumof meaning is revealed.

In one of his tales, McDermott re-calls his time as a 16-year-old volunteerfor the Cath olic Worker Movement inNew York City at a triage ward at theBellevue Hospital. A quadruple ampu -tee requested two Puerto Rican ci gars;no other cigars would suffice. After afrenzied search, McDermott producedthe cigars. Many years later, he wrotethat he finally un derstood the mean-ing of this experience: “I was teachingthe philosophy of Albert Camus, andthe theme was personal authenticity.In a flashback, my Puerto Rican pa -tient taught me of authenticity, theaesthetic moment, and the differencebetween the literal and the symbolic.”

McDermott instills in his studentshis belief that one can grow from everyexperience; and he does so not onlythrough words, but also through deeds.His post-surgery trek across campus isevidence that he practices what hepreaches: By continuing to do what heloves most, undeterred by all obstacles,he is encouraging students to savor theirevery experience, despite discomfort orchallenge.

“I live a service life,” he added.“We’re here to serve the state, nationand the world at large by teaching, re -search and service. Because we are a landgrant university, this is especially so.

“I want my students to come aliveto themselves and buy into the impor-tance of their own experiences. Withthe saturation of modern technology, Ifind my students to be increasingly dis-

connected from their own experiences.The affective is being squashed. Theseexperiences have to be cradled, recon-noitered and reconstructed.”

In a course on the philosophy ofaesthetics, which McDermott has taughtfor 50 years, he requests that studentscreate, perform or build something theyhave never done before and write aboutthe experience. Students have workedwith clay, painted, written poetry, dancedthe tango and even given up certain per -sonal comforts for the duration of theproject. This opportunity, McDermottbelieves, allows them to reflect on theirexperiences in a deeply personal way.

Alex Haitos, McDermott’s researchassistant and a third-year doctoral stu-dent in the Department of Philosophy,believes that this authenticity and unique

teaching style resonates with McDermott’sstudents. “He doesn’t sim ply exposit thetext,” said Haitos. “He wants you to un -der stand ideas by connecting them toyour own life and experiences.”

On a weekly basis, McDermott re -ceives correspondence from former stu -dents thanking him for the contributionshe made to their lives. You don’t need toknow him long to recognize his inspir-ing dedication and selflessness.

Charles Carlson, who received hisdoctorate in philosophy last year and

worked for five years as his research assis -tant, said McDermott’s influence on oth-ers extends far past his students. “Thenumber of people he helps is amazing,”said Carlson. “For him, it’s a way of life.The guy who fixes his boots, the drycleaners, and the people who bag hisgroceries all know him by name and assomeone who cares about them.”

Still, after teaching tens of thou-sands of students, McDermott claims heis the one who has gained the most.“From my students, I can say that I havelearned far more than I have taught.And what did I learn? Life is difficult.”

Âeflection is ˆative and ÇonstantMcDermott doesn’t practice medita-tion—at least, he doesn’t attempt to freehis mind of thought. “You should always

be reflecting,” he explained. “Follow ingJohn Dewey, reflection is native andconstant.”

His constant search for truth andprogress is apparent in his 37-year ten -ure at Texas A&M. He is contemplativeabout his professional journey and theway the university has changed over time:“A&M has a pockmarked and splen dif -erous history,” he said. Furthermore, inhis tireless efforts to give voice to facultyopinions, McDermott is a catalyst forreflection for the university as a whole.



In 1983, he called the first facultymeeting in the history of Texas A&M.That meeting, held in Rudder Theater,was the seed that grew into the FacultySenate. For McDermott, this was “a rev -olution in consciousness” for the uni -versity.

That same year, he became the char -ter speaker of the Faculty Senate andcontinued in that role for three years.Today, the senate is one of the univer-sity’s primary governing bodies, respon -sible for reviewing all policies related tocurricula and instruction, admission,scholarships and faculty hiring.

McDermott’s contributions to TexasA&M continue. In an effort to reconnectretired faculty with the university, hebecame the founding director of theCommunity of Faculty Retirees in 2012.

“In the old Webster’s dictionary—the19th century one that I can’t pick upany more—you look up ‘retirement,’ andone of the meanings is ‘forgotten, aban -doned,’ ” McDermott explained. TheCom munity of Faculty Retirees is hispreemptive strike to prevent faculty fromfading away.

The group hosts speakers of all back -grounds, including a recent presentationby Celia Sandys, the granddaughter ofWinston Churchill, and guest lecturesby former faculty.

“I’m ecstatic about the wonderful re -sponse from retirees and the cooperationfrom the university,” said McDermottabout the events, which typically draw50 to 100 faculty retirees. “There aresmiles upon smiles at every gathering.”

Another marker of McDermott’sfoot hold at Texas A&M is being the thirdperson to receive the title of UniversityDistinguished Professor in 1982 (thereare now more than 120). The honor isreserved for pre-eminent faculty mem-bers who have generated a sea change intheir field. For McDermott, this was giv -ing new life to a “mocked and dismissedarea of philosophy.” His work on the19-volume Harvard critical edition ofThe Works of William James is one waywe “brought American philosophy tothe center of the stage.” Following thecom pletion of that project, McDermotttook on the role of editor, project direc -tor and principal investigator for the12-volume edition of The Correspon -dence of William James. He worked onthe collection for more than a decade;the final volume was published in 2004.

‰at Áour ‰xperiencesIn his book The Drama of Possibility,McDermott wrote, “The most perilousthreat to human life is secondhanded-ness, living out the bequest of our par-ents, siblings, relatives, teachers, andother dispensers of already program medpossibilities.” This idea of “secondhand -edness” fuels McDermott’s personalmotto: “Eat your experiences.”

McDermott’s teachings transcendthe boundary of the classroom. Hislifelong quest is to teach people to betrailblazers, freethinkers and explorersof their passions. As Carlson puts it,“He’s not necessarily preparing philoso -phers, he’s helping people become con -fident in what they’re doing to developand nurture their interests.”

This out-of-the-classroom experienceculminates each year with a reception athis home. McDermott and his wife Patri -cia host all of his students for a celebra -tory gathering at which McDermottlearns more about his students and givesthem the opportunity to explore hisimpressive library.

Indeed, McDermott has taken hisown advice on savoring experiences.Sharing and passion are his way of life.He was the first in his family to go tocollege. He left his home state of NewYork to create new roots in Texas. Hewas a founding member of the Ameri -can Montessori Society and a chartermem ber of the Society for the Advance -ment of American Philosophy. Four aca -demic conferences have been held inhis honor. His 50-plus-page curriculumvitae lists published work, awards andachievements. He has been married toPatricia for 24 years, and he has fivechildren (all, as he describes them, in a“helping pro fession”) and six grand-children.

Çherished ÅpplesAs I tried to encapsulate the depth andbreadth of McDermott’s experiencesinto a mere 2,000 words, the poem“After Apple-Picking” by Robert Frostcame to mind. During our interviews,McDermott would share poems thatinspired him. Knowing his love for thewritten word, I sent him a stanza thatreminded me of the legacy he has cre-ated: “There were ten thousand thou-sand fruit to touch, Cherish in hand,lift down, and not let fall.”

McDermott responded with twosen tences: “I am my stories, their hap -pen ing, their telling and retelling, theiradumbrations and their messaging.Along with Robert Frost and his ‘fall-en apples,’ I believe that the nectar isin the journey and there alone.”

With tobacco still lingering in hispipe, McDermott’s journey is far fromcomplete. There are far too many moreapples to pick before he sleeps.

—by monika blackwell

To learn how you can support faculty and

students in the College of Liberal Arts,

contact:

Larry Walker ’97

Director of Development


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 458-1304

[email protected]

— J OHN J . M CDERMOTT—

MCDERMOTT INSTILLS IN HIS STUDENTS

HIS BELIEF THAT ONE CAN GROW FROM

EVERY EXPERIENCE .

The clock reads 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 23, 1994.

Dr. Thomas Hargrove ’66 is running late for

work at the International Center for Tropical

Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia. He ap -

proaches an intersection, where he must de -

cide which of two routes to take. One involves

a nerve-wracking drive through the heavy

traffic of urban Cali; the other is longer, but

winds through the scenic sugar cane fields of

the Colombian countryside. He remembers

one of the rules for a better life that Ameri -

can author Robert Fulghum used: “Always

take the scenic route.”It was the last deci-

sion he would make for a long time.

Everything Before Then

Hargrove grew up on a red-dirt, dry-land cot -

ton farm in Rotan, Texas. He began attending

Texas A&M University in 1962 and graduated

in 1966 with degrees in agricultural science

and journalism along with a commission as

a second lieutenant in the United States


ST

UD

EN

T

IM

PA

CT


A Memorial Scholarship Honors One of the Green Revolution’s Fine�

In 1969 Dr. Thomas Hargrove ’66 servedas an agricultural advisor in Vietnamwho was responsible for introducingIR8, a newly developed, high-yieldrice, to farmers in the region.

Army. While at Texas A&M, he was a class

officer, a member of Company D-1 (Spider

D) in the Corps of Cadets and editor of The

Agriculturalist, a magazine published by the

College of Agriculture.

A deferment allowed Hargrove to earn

a master’s degree and Ph.D. in agricultural

science from Iowa State University and to

marry the daughter of a pioneer Rotan family,

Susan Sheldon, before going to Vietnam in

1969 as an agricultural advisor to Advisory

Team 73, Military Assistance Command in

Chuong Thien province. Located at the south -

ern tip of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, it was

one of the country’s most war-torn areas.

Traveling mostly by sampan on canals

and rivers, Hargrove was charged with intro -

ducing IR8, a newly developed, high-yield

rice variety, to farmers in the re gion. Nick -

named “the miracle rice” by international

media, the strain revolutionized rice pro-

duction and contributed to the Green Rev -

Patriot andPioneer

olu tion. (IR8 was developed by HenryBeachell, who helped form the TexasRice Improvement Association to sus-tain rice research at Texas A&M andwhose endowed professorship and schol -arships support the Department of Soiland Crop Sciences.) It also sparked Har -grove’s fascination with rice and its rolein the fight against starvation aroundthe world.

Years later, on a return trip to Viet -nam, Hargrove met a former Viet Congofficer who remembered him from thewar years. The offi cer told Hargrove hecould have killed him at any time dur-ing the war. When Hargrove asked whyhe hadn’t, the officer replied, “Becauseyou had the rice seeds.”

Three years after an honorable dis-charge from the army, Hargrove becamea journalist in 1973 with the Interna -tional Rice Research Institute (IRRI) inManila, Philippines. Friends jokinglycalled him a “rice bore,” but his worktranslating com plex crop science intoplain language helped farmers in devel-oping coun tries increase their yields.One of his publications through IRRI,A Farm er’s Primer on Growing Rice, waswritten and distributed in 44 countriesin 29 different languages.

Hargrove relocated to CIAT in 1992as head of its communication program,in charge of publicizing how CIAT im -proved varieties and technology forbeans, cassava and tropical pastures inLatin America and the Caribbean. Two

years into his work with the center, heconfronted the day that would alter hislife for the next 11 months.

Life in Limbo Having decided on the scenic route, Har -grove’s picturesque drive to work endedwhen he approached a roadblock man -ned by Colombian narco-guerrillas ofthe Armed Revolutionary Forces of Co -lombia (FARC), a U.S.-classified terroristorganization. In a matter of minutes, hisbriefcase and $400 were confiscated andhe was taken hostage—presumably be -cause he was a foreigner.

His captors took him to a remotelocation in the Andes Mountains, wherehe lived as a prisoner during the next 11months in harsh conditions, spendingmost of his time in a plastic-covered shedor—for a two-month period—tetheredday and night to his bunk bed with a15-foot chain.

“During those 11 months, we hadno contact with Tom whatsoever, exceptfor a proof-of-life video and one photo-graph. In the video, he was speakingSpan ish, asking for help, for his life. Inthe photograph, he looked so sick Ithought he had lost his mind, and won -dered what we would find if he ever wasreleased,” said Raford Hargrove ’70,Tom’s brother.

Colombia is notorious for kidnap-ping incidents, and FARC is a leadingculprit. Most abductees are held until aransom is negotiated, a task that Tom’swife Susan and his sons, Miles and Ged -die, had to master.

“Susan and the boys were in spo-radic contact with the FARC, usingtwo-way radios and a Spanish-speakinginterpreter. They would hang on to everyword, and then the FARC messengerwould abruptly cut off communicationfor another period of days or weeks,”Raford said.

Negotiations were slow-going andstressful, but culminated in the paymentof two ransom demands and ultimatelyHargrove’s release on Aug. 11, 1995.

“I met him in Houston a coupledays later. We embraced, and I remem-ber feeling a bag of bones in my arms.He pulled off a money belt and showed


Hargrove kept a diary recorded onthe backs of checkbook blanksduring his captivity by Colombianterrorists. He hid these scrapsof paper documenting his experi�ence in a money belt along witha small collection of antibioticpills he had secreted, in casehe got a severe infection.

Tom dedicated hislife to agriculture,communicationsand helping feedpeo ple all over theworld.”

— Leroy Shafer ’

“


me where he had hidden two things: asmall collection of antibiotic pills he hadsecreted, in case he got a severe infection,and little scraps of paper, documentinghis captivity,” Raford said.

When the captors took Hargrove’sbriefcase and money, they returned tohim two checkbooks. On the backs ofFirst National Bank of Rotan checkblanks, he kept a diary that was pub-lished in 1997 as a book, Long March toFreedom: Tom Hargrove’s Own Story ofHis Kidnapping by Colombian Narco-Guerrillas. His captivity also inspiredthe 2000 movie, “Proof of Life,” whichstarred Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe.

Return to Reality Upon his release and return to the U.S.,Tom worked as a kidnapping and anti-terrorism consultant, conducting train -ing courses at the U.S. Joint SpecialOperations University and UnitedStates Air Force Special OperationsSchool, where he was adjunct professorof dynamics of international terrorism.

He later became involved with theHouston Livestock Show and Rodeo™,serving nearly a decade as a pressroomeditor, where he oversaw and mentoredTexas A&M agricultural student in -terns. His last full-time job was as anemployee of the International FertilizerDevel opment Center in Muscle Shoals,Alabama.

Hargrove died of heart failure onJan. 23, 2011, at age 66. He was buriedon the family’s farm, where Aggies fromall over came to sing “The Spirit of Aggie -land” one last time at his grave. His lifeis captured by a simple list on his tomb -stone that reads: “Farmer, Aggie, Sol dier,Scientist, Writer, Survivor, and Masterof the Green Revolution.”

An Innovator and Inspiration“When he passed away, the first thingI thought was, ‘I do not want Tom’stracks to be forgotten,’” said Rev. JimLanning ’64, a lifelong friend. “Tomwas a friend to the world, and I cannotthink of a better way to leave one’s lega -cy than to address the issue of hun ger.He greatly inspired me by showing nofear in the face of danger and by seek-ing out adventure. His desire to servehis fellow man was mixed with his desireto explore new places.”

Lanning helped spearhead theeffort to establish through the TexasA&M Foundation the Dr. Thomas R.Hargrove ’66 Endowed Memorial Schol -arship, funded by friends and family ofHargrove. The scholarship is designatedfor students majoring in agriculturalcommunications and journalism with-in the Department of Agricultural Lead -er ship, Education and Communicationsat Texas A&M, in keeping with Har -grove’s passions and life mission. It givespreference to students with an interest ininter national agriculture, public relationsfor an agricultural entity, or those pur-suing advanced degrees in an agricul-tural discipline.

“When we learned about the plansfor this scholarship, we knew we wantedto be a part of it,” said Leroy Shafer ’67.“Tom dedicated his life to agriculture,communications and helping feed peo -ple all over the world. He accomplishedhis mission through research, commu-nication, implementation by example,and by genuinely caring for the peoplehe assisted.”

Shafer and his wife Nancy are thelead donors for the scholarship. Shaferis vice president and chief operationsofficer for the Houston Livestock Showand Rodeo™, but he knew Hargrove as

more than a professional colleague; thetwo have a dated history. Growing upin West Texas, their family farms wereabout 20 miles apart; both majored inagricultural journalism and were mem-bers of Company D-1 at Texas A&M; andboth served in Vietnam.

“This scholarship will benefit fu turestudents in the field of agricultural com -munications while keeping alive the lega -cy of a tremendous man, humanitarian,educator and communicator,” Shafersaid. “If future students who receiveTom Hargrove scholarships carry on themission that he started, then Tom’s lega -cy will live on and the world will be afar greater place.”

The first recipient of the scholarship,awarded April 11, is Rachel Wales ’15, anagricultural communications and jour -nalism major involved in St. Mary’sCath olic Church Women’s Chorus, Re -lay for Life and Big Event.

“The support of former studentsthrough this scholarship demonstratesto me the vitality of the Aggie familyand proves that Aggies want to helpeach other succeed,” said Wales, whoalso holds an on-campus job at TheAssociation of Former Students and isself-funding her degree.

“We hope that Aggies will be in -spired to know that it is just as impor-tant, if not more important, to spreadthe word of agricultural research ac com -plishments as it is to make those accom -plishments yourself—because if no oneknows about them, they don’t do any-one any good. Tom understood that,”Raford said.


To learn how you can support the

Dr. Thomas R. Hargrove ’66 Endowed

Memorial Scholarship, contact:

Torii Kapavik ’11

Assistant Director of Development


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 862-1247

[email protected]

To contribute online, visit

give.am/HargroveMemorialScholarship.

Tom Hargrove ’66 was kidnapped inColombia by narco-guerrillas andheld for ransom at a remotelocation in the Andes Mountainsfor 11 months.� He was releasedfrom captivity on Aug. 11, 1995.

At Home With the World. For internationalstudents who are new to Texas A&M University, there is much to learn and discoverabout the Aggie and American way of life—namely new customs, traditions, man-ners and norms. Omid Kazemi ’15 has a few questions and luckily he’s in the rightplace for answers on a breezy April afternoon: an end-of-the-year picnic at TexasA&MUniversity’s Spence Park sponsored by the Aggie Inter national Ambassadors.

O N E O F T H E AG G I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L AM BAS SA D O R S’ FAVO R I T E EV E N TS

I S H O L I , A N A N C I E N T H I N D U R E L I G I O US C E L E B R AT I O N K N OW N AS “ T H E

F EST I VA L O F CO LO R S,” I N W H I C H P EO P L E P L AY FU L LY T H R OW CO LO R E D

POWDER ON EACH OTHER TO MARK THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING.

International Student Enrollment Profile

Total percentage of Texas A&M international students(enrolled at all Texas A&M University campuses)

Percentage of doctoral degree candidates who are international students

Percentage of master’s degree candidates who are international students

Percentage of undergraduates who are international students

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S P I R I T I M P A C T:


“How do you rent a car?” asks the 22-year-old Irannative who is earning his master’s degree in constructionmanagement. He needs to travel to Houston for a summerinternship interview. The other students at the picnic tableoffer advice ranging from explaining the requirements ofcar rental companies to suggesting carpool sharing as alter -native transportation.

Then comes a more pressing question: How do youthrow a football? “I could kick it with my foot,” says Kazemi,wearing a red Budweiser T-shirt with headphones wrap pedaround his neck. “But throw it…I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry,” says Kelsey Ffrench ’15, a sophomoreinternational studies major from Houston and the newpresident of the International Ambassadors. “It’s not thathard. I’ll teach you.”

Cultural Liaison on CampusThis kind of teaching is part of the mission of the AggieInternational Ambassadors. Formed in 2002 to bring moreglobal awareness to the Texas A&M campus, the group ismade up of 20 to 30 American and international students.Its members are often service-minded individuals who areinterested in learning more about other cultures; foreign-born students usually join to learn how to better integrateinto their new setting. The ambassadors say the blend ofAmerican and international members benefits both groups.

“In other organizations on campus, the internationalstudents will be mostly with other international students,”said Elani Duzich ’14, a Corpus Christi native who grad-uated in the spring and studied for a year in France. “A lotof people studying abroad tend to stick to people they’recomfortable with. We get them out of their comfort zoneif they’re willing to be part of our group. The campus isbecoming more global, and this is our way of encouragingthat shift.”

The ambassadors see themselves as liaisons betweencultures, sponsoring activities and events that introduceinternational students to American traditions—such as atailgating party during football season, where students get

their faces painted with Texas A&M emblems and learn theinimitable ways of Aggie football. “It’s good [for Texas A&Mstudents] to have our own identity and to have our owncrazy things to do,” said Kazemi, over the clanking andgrinding of construction on nearby Kyle Field. “It bringspeople together.”

Also popular is a fall pumpkin-carving event. “I had toGoogle, ‘pumpkin carving’ beforehand to find out whatwas going to happen,” laughed Johnu George ’14, fromKerala, India, who completed his master’s degree in com-puter sci ence in May and now works at Cisco in Silicon

Number of international students organizations(to see a full list, visit iss.tamu.edu/living/clubs.asp)


Valley. George said the group helped him find friendsbeyond his classes and major and gave him a whole newway to enjoy college—like a native.

Other elements of the ambassadors’ work include sym -posiums via Skype with counterparts at other universities(such as a discussion with students at the University ofKurdistan on whether the Americanization of the worldis a good thing) and celebrating the rich traditions of othercultures. “In the U.S. you have your usual holidays,” saidAlexis Silvestre ’17, a sophomore from Browns ville. “Butif you’re tied into, say, 10 cultures, there are many more

fun events.” The ambassadors point out that they celebrateNew Year’s three times a year, and one of their favoriteevents is Holi, an ancient Hindu religious celebrationknown as “the festival of colors,” in which people playful-ly throw colored powder on each other to mark the arrivalof spring.

Study Abroad Supplement“I didn’t have friends who were interested in internationalevents, so I joined this group,” said Ffrench. “Now if there’ssomething going on—like a prayer vigil for protesters inVenezuela—we can go as a group and it’s not intimidating.”

Ffrench and other ambassadors have studied abroad,and they consider their involvement with the group asupplement to that experience. It could even be an alter-native. “People spend a lot of money to study overseas andthat’s really valuable. You learn that the world is differentthan you think,” she said. “But not everyone can travel andthere are chances to broaden your thinking right here oncampus.”

Later on at the picnic, Kamezi gets instruction on foot -ball passing and plays a pick-up game with other students.Afterward he comes back under the gazebo, sweaty butsmiling. “It was Internationals versus Americans. Guesswho won?” he asks as he grabs a wedge of watermelon. “Butit was fun!”

—by jeannie ralston

For more information about how you

can support the Aggie International

Ambassadors, contact:

Cindy Munson ’99

Director of Development


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 458-1689

[email protected]

AGGIE INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADORS MEMBERS LIKE (L-R) RASHA

A L-A ZZ AW I ’ 14 , C H R I ST I N E N G UY E N ’ 14 , N I N A EW I N G ’ 1 3, N O R A I R

VA RTA N I A N ’ 1 2 A N D H AS SA N A LMOM I N ’ 1 5 A R E R EG U L A R VO LU N -

TEERS AT BRAZOS VALLEY WORLDFEST, A BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION

F E S T I VA L T H AT C E L E B R AT E S I N T E R N AT I O N A L D I V E R S I T Y A N D

P R OMOT ES I N T E R N AT I O N A L AWA R E N ES S BY O F F E R I N G C U LT U R A L

D I S P L AY S , D E M O N S T R AT I O N S , I N T E R N AT I O N A L C U I S I N E , P E R -

FO R M A N C ES , E D U CAT I O N A L COM P ET I T I O N S , C H I L D R E N ’S C R A FTS

A N D M A N Y OT H E R ACT I V I T I ES .

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The Department of Ecosystem Science and Management (ESSM) had a prob -lem: its curriculum had not been updated in a number of years. As the Collegeof Agriculture and Life Science’s leadership emphasized an in creased focuson curriculum outcomes, administrators recognized an oppor tunity to honethe program and to develop innovative new meth ods to prepare work-readygraduates. The solution involved Texas A&M Univer sity’s Center for Teach ingExcellence (CTE).

The Center for Teaching Excellence stepped in tohelp the Department of Ecosystem Science andMan agement overcome a formidable challenge.

*

let’s talk

Teaching*College Impact:

Dr. M. Mort Kothmann ’61 ’68is a professor in the Depart -ment of Ecosystem Scienceand Management at TexasA&M University.

One ecosystem science professorand former CTE client was well-poisedto take the lead on this curriculum-redesign process. Dr. M. Mort Koth -mann ’61 ’68 had attended a CTE-sponsored workshop on syllabusdevelopment, and was so impressedby what he learn ed that he registeredfor the sem inar every time he wasassigned to teach a new course.

“CTE-sponsored events are a greatplace to get ideas,” Kothmann said.“They are focused on helping facultydo a better job of teaching so that wecan do a better job of helping studentslearn.”

As national and state governingbodies began to put pressure on uni-versities to more accurately assess stu -dent learning, the administrators andfaculty of ESSM knew the time wasripe to implement change in theirde partment. The process involvedthoughtful analysis, candid discus-sions and programmatic reorganiza-tion, with a goal to design a bettereducational experience for the de part -ment’s 230 undergraduate studentsand 100 graduate students.

Initially, the redesign efforts in -volved a faculty committee to deter-mine exactly what students needed tolearn—and how to best teach them—so that they could secure good jobsupon graduation. Kothmann workedclosely with CTE Associate DirectorDr. Debra Fowler ’03 to facilitate themulti-year project.

The group collected and analyzeddata from a variety of sources, in clud -ing employers, former students andgraduating seniors. They also studiedthe requirements of accreditation bod-

ies and peer universities to discovereducational and societal trends. Afteridentifying the qualities of an idealgraduate, the faculty agreed uponrel evant content and learning out-comes—knowledge, skills and atti-tudes—for effective graduates.

The faculty then analyzed theESSM cur riculum to identify gaps andto determine the best sequence of

cours es to build oncon cepts that weretaught in lower-levelclasses. During themulti-year process, thecollege had combinedtwo departments(range land ecologymanagement and for-est sciences) into one(ecosystem science andmanagement), which

added an additional challenge.The final steps of the curriculum

r e d e s i g n38 T E X A S A & M F O U N D A T I O N

Before instructing students,teaching assistants partici-pate in CTE-designed train-ing. The CTE also presentswork shops on topics such ascourse design, assess ment,large classes, class roomresponse systems, syllabusconstruction and creationof a teaching portfolio.

“

courses.”—Dr. M. Mort Kothmann ’61 ’68

It changes the way you think,the way you act, the way you build and assess your

| C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 4 0


Current operations and future development of the CTE are sup -

ported by a $25,000 endowment from Dr. Dale G. Konicek ’90

that honors the center’s first director, Dr. Glenn Ross Johnson.

Johnson was the director of the CTE from its opening in 1983

until 1990.During that time, he also maintained a professor-

ship in the College of Education and Human Development,

where he served as a graduate advisor to Konicek while he

was completing a Ph.D. in educational curriculum and in -

struction.

Johnson’s passion for the center and for teaching influ-

enced Konicek to become an advocate for faculty development

activities.

“Providing funding to the CTE is essential to the contin-

uation of this resource to develop faculty and graduate assis-

tants across all departments at Texas A&M, which benefits

students but also has a lasting impact on those who further

their careers elsewhere with the knowledge gained from the

CTE,” said Konicek, who designated the funds from his en dow -

ment to be used to benefit the CTE in areas that need it most.

Gifts from Carlos ’73 and Carolyn ’73 Cotton are also

enhanc ing faculty develop ment. The couple made a $15,000

gift in 2012 to fund CTE faculty teaching workshops for three

years. A second $15,000 gift in 2013 was used in part to help

fund a three-day summer institute for new faculty from all

disciplines, while remaining funds will continue to support

faculty workshops.

As an adjunct professor for the civil engineering depart-

ment at Texas A&M, Carlos teaches a two-week course on

surveying between the spring and summer semesters.

“I think teaching is the primary responsibility of the

university, so anything that can improve a professor’s ability

to impart knowledge is important to support,” Carlos Cotton

said. “If we want to produce well-educated students, we need

exceptional teaching. The more we help teachers with re -

sources like the CTE, the more everyone wins.”

The center has also enjoyed more than 20 years of sup-

port from the Montague family. In 1991 Judy and Kenneth

Montague ’37 funded the Montague-CTE Schol ars Awards,

given annually to a tenure-track faculty member from each

college based on their early ability and interest in teaching.

Awardees receive a $6,500 grant to encourage further devel-

opment of undergraduate teaching excellence, and today there

are more than 150 Montague-CTE Scholars on the Texas A&M

campus.

Their son James Montague ’69 and his wife Vicki have

continued to financially support the CTE and the Montague-

CTE Scholars Program. Most recently, they made a $10,000

donation to directly benefit the curriculum redesign program.

“Our family's interest in the center is all about enhancing

the student learning process at Texas A&M, and curriculum de -

sign touches multiple aspects of teaching that influence stu-

dent learning,” James Montague said. “Texas A&M must con -

stantly review, redesign and update its curriculums to better

serve the changing needs and expectations of employers that

hire our graduates. The university’s willingness to listen to

employers and apply suggested changes to curricula makes

us a great learning institution.”

Konicek, the Montagues and the Cottons are all members

of the CTE Advance ment Council, which seeks to promote the

CTE as a valuable resource for the improvement of teaching

and learning throughout the university.

Financial support from several generous Texas A&Mformer students is making an enduring impact onteaching excellence and improved student learning.

Giving forStudentSuccess

From left: Dr. Dale G.Konicek ’90, Carolyn ’73and Carlos ’73 Cotton, and Vicki and JamesMontague ’69.


involved developing an as sess mentplan, and identifying professional de -velopment and additional resourcesthat faculty would need to accomplishthe redesign.

“This process helped facultymem bers understand that you can’tcover a topic just once in class,” saidDr. Georgianne Moore, ESSM asso-ciate professor. “It needs to show upin an early class so students get thatexposure right away and know whatit is. We can then reinforce the topicin a later class and ask students to ap -ply what they have learned.”

The CTE actively sup ported theESSM faculty as they worked througheach step of the proc ess. “CTE wascru cial in the success of this effort byhelping plan and facilitate the work -shops,” Kothmann said. “They alsorecorded the proceedings and pro-duced documents that we could takeback to work with faculty.”

Curriculum redesign is just one ofmany professional development tools

of fered through theCTE, which is part ofthe Office of the Deanof Faculties and Asso -ciate Provost at TexasA&M. The center alsohosts work shops andother en rich ment op -por tuni ties for facultymem bers on topicssuch as course de sign,

engaging students with tech nolo gies,and work ing with students who havedis abilities. In addition, the centeroffers spe cial programs that sup portnew fac ulty and graduate students.

Kothmann says the process ledto a major shift in faculty thinkingin his department. “It changes theway you think, the way you act, theway you build and assess your cours-es,” he said. “I know it has signifi-cantly changed my teach ing for thebetter.”

—by dorian martin

For more information about how you

can support the Center for Teaching

Excellence, contact:

Carl Jaedicke ’73

Vice President for Principal Gifts


(800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-6551

[email protected]

To learn more about the CTE,

visit cte.tamu.edu.

To contribute online, visit:

give.am/SupportCTE.

This process helped facultymembers understand that youcan’t cover a topic just once

“

in class.”—Dr. Georgianne Moore

The CTE provides a comfort-able setting in which participants can gain newperspectives and strategies.The process encourages andsupports open conversationsabout what works and whatdoesn’t work, both insideand outside the classroom.

Opportunity

Roth is a Burlington Industries Distin -guished Professor at Clemson Uni ver -sity and a member of the first class ofvisiting scholars in the Texas A&M Uni -versity Institute for Advanced Study(TIAS). Her research on the origins ofour nation’s food supply are chroni-cled in a forthcoming book, “SavingBaby Dylan.”

Few food companies report theorigins of ingredients in products theyproduce, so there is no way for con-sumers to know the source. In fact,many of these companies do not knowthe origins of ingredients that theyuse in their own foods. Before endingup in the hands of American distrib-utors or retailers, most food travelsthrough many channels—raw ingre-dients to farms, farms to storage, andthen onward for processing, marketingand distribution. These channels arerarely documented or investigated.

“There is no easy way for a con-sumer to know about ingredientsourc ing,” said Roth. “When I queriedhundreds of branded food companies,few would reveal the source of theiringredients. And when I traced datafrom the U.S. Commerce Department,I discovered that most large compa-

nies were exempt from public scrutinyabout their imported foods.”

Serious contamination of pet foodspurred U.S. regulators to enforcelabel ing of fresh meat, fish, fruits andvegetables with country sources. Butcountry-of-origin labeling is not avail-able for processed food, including babyfoods. Because of exceptions grantedby the U.S. Department of Com merce,many companies selling branded fooditems do not reveal the source of theingredients, and instances of mislead -ing labeling are not hard to find.

About a quarter of all food inAmerica is imported, and much of it,including seafood, vitamins, pharma-ceuticals, and frozen fruits and veg-etables, now comes from China. It iswell-documented that China is a pol-lution haven. Toxic fertilizers and pesti -cides banned in the U.S. are common -ly used in China, and industrial andhuman waste is not treated as it is inthe U.S. Yet, only 2 percent of foodimports are tested, and those that areexamined are screened only for bio-logical contaminants.

“The sheer scale of food importscombined with the opaqueness of glob-al food supply chains has exponentially

Your Food Supply: What You Don’t KnowCan Hurt You


Do you know where your food comes from? If not, youare not alone. Dr. Aleda Roth, who has been investigat-ing food safety for years, says that U.S. consumers are ata high risk of contamination and ill health from foodthat is imported from emerging countries that chargeless but often have lower standards of hygiene, environ-mental standards and quality control processes.

THE SHEER SCAlE OF

FOOD IMPORTS COMBInED

WITH THE OPAQUEnESS

OF GlOBAl FOOD SUPPlY

CHAInS HAS EXPOnEn-

TIAllY InCREASED THE

RISKS OF SUPPlIER

OPPORTUnISM AnD FOOD

COnTAMInATIOn.”

— D R . A l E D A R O T H

“


increased the risks of supplier oppor-tunism and food contamination,”Roth said. “But perhaps more insidi-ous is that there is no routine testingfor heavy metals or non organic toxinsfrom imported foods, and the long-term effects of cumulative amountsof minute levels of such contaminantsremain unknown. I am con cernedabout their effects on our most vul-nerable populations—pregnant wom -en, infants, children and the elderly.”

As a TIAS faculty fellow, Roth isconducting further research into theconsequences of outsourcing our foodsupply. She is collaborating with TexasA&M professors in the Mays BusinessSchool and two graduate students onTIAS fellowships to model securityrisks in food supply chains in regulat-ed industries. The team is estimatingthe impact of environmental pollutionon the hidden costs of our food andon our well-being, as well as investi-gating the extent to which firms’ ac -

tions match their public statementsof corporate responsibility. The ulti-mate objective is to assess how thefood supply can be returned to local,sustainable, agricultural sources.

New Heights of Academic Leadership

Roth’s work is only one example of theimportant research being conducted atTexas A&M in conjunction with TIASFaculty Fellows. TIAS brings some ofthe world’s top scholars to College Sta -tion for up to 12months to collaborateon research with Texas A&M facultyand students. Its goal is to bring toTexas A&M 20 world-renowned schol -ars per year.

This advanced study institute isunique to Texas A&M in that it in -cludes all 11 colleges and the HealthScience Center. The first two TIASclass es are collaborating with TexasA&M researchers on pioneering proj-ects in engineering, energy, quantumphysics, lasers, genomic analysis, genet -ics and geosciences.

“Faculty and students at theworld’s greatest universities must haveaccess to the finest minds that are en -gaged in the groundbreaking research,” said John Junkins, TIAS director and

distinguished professor of aerospaceengineering. “In just two years TIAShas significantly advanced the qualityand reputation of our academic pro-grams. It is a key element intended toset Texas A&M on a course to realizegoals set out in Vision 2020 and toelevate Texas A&M’s status as a worldacademic leader.”

—by dr. clifford fry associate directortexas a&m university institute for advanced study

To watch a video about food safety

featuring Dr. Aleda Roth, visit

give.am/AledaRoth.

Join Our EndeavorTexas A&M faculty and administra-tors have embraced the Institute forAdvanced Study with startup fundingof more than $10 million during thefirst five years, through 2018. TheTexas A&M Foundation is seekingadditional funds for endowments tosupport TIAS faculty and graduatefellowships, as well as sponsors forits annual gala. A substantial giftfrom a signature donor would endowand permanently name the institute.

Thanks to these faculty members,who have contributed estate gifts forthe TIAS endowment:

◊ Janet Bluemel, Department of Chemistry

◊ John Gladysz, Department of Chemistry

◊ John Junkins (with Elouise Junkins),Department of Aerospace Engineering and TIAS founding director

◊ Ozden Ochoa, Department of Mechanical Engineering

For information on how you can sup-port TIAS, contact Don Birkelbach ’70at [email protected] or (800) 392-3310.

Dr. Aleda Roth is the Burlington IndustriesDistinguished Professor at Clemson Universityand a member of the first class of visiting schol-ars in the Texas A&M University Institute forAdvanced Study (TIAS).

@Foundation

Bermúdez Joins Board of Trustees

Jorge Bermúdez, a 1973 Texas A&M

University graduate and former chiefrisk officer for Citigroup Inc., joinedthe Texas A&M Foundation Board ofTrustees on July 1.

Bermúdez, a Cuban native wholives in College Station, holds bache-lor’s and master’s degrees in agricul-tural economics. His career withCitigroup spanned 34 years and equip -ped him with extensive financialexpertise and business managementexperience. Following his 2008 retire-ment, he found ed Byebrook Group,a small College Station firm dedicat-ed to re search and advisory work inthe finan cial services industry.

“I came to Texas A&M on a one-way ticket from Bogotá, Colombia,where my family was living at thetime,” Bermúdez said. “I knew nothingabout Texas, but the first Texans I metwere Aggies. Even though I wasn’tTexan or American, Texas A&M gaveme an education that allowed me tocompete in the business world, and Ihave always felt that I have the obliga-tion to give back financially and withmy time.”

Bermúdez is a generous benefactorto Texas A&M, with a recent $250,000gift to the Mays Business School tosupport scholarships for undergradu-ate business honors students. TheBermúdez Conference Room in theClayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Cen -ter is named in honor of his 2009 gift

to The Association of Former Stu dents,and a wall outside the center featuresa quote from him about integrity.

In 2007 he established throughThe Association of Former Studentsthe Jorge A. Bermúdez ’73 FamilyEndowed Scholarship Fund, whichprovides scholarships to the dependentchild or spouse of a veteran killed ordisabled in a conflict, or to the depen -dent child or spouse of a veteran whoserved in a conflict.

Bermudez is a member of TexasA&M’s International Advisory Board,the development councils for the Col -lege of Agriculture and life Sciencesand Mays Business School, and a for-mer chairman of the board of TheAsso ciation of Former Students.

He received the OutstandingAlum ni Award from the College ofAgriculture in 2009 and was added in2006 to the Tyrus R. Timm HonorRegistry, which recognizes outstandingformer students within the Depar -tment of Agricultural Economics atTexas A&M.

He replaces Texas A&M Founda -tion Trustee John Bethancourt ’74.

Texas A&M Foundation Trustees Award

$2,500 to Outstanding Student

The Texas A&M Foundation Board ofTrustees awarded Mollie lastovica ’14with its second Trustees’ OutstandingStudent Award. The award was createdin 2012 through an endowed gift fromSusanne and Melbern Glasscock ’59


Jorge Bermúdez ’73, former chief riskofficer for Citigroup Inc., joined theTexas A&M Foundation Board ofTrustees on July 1.

of Houston to honor one exception-al student per year with $2,500.

lastovica is a political science andagricultural communications and jour -nalism graduate from Fredericksburg,Texas.

In 2012, as president of the Col -lege of Agriculture and life Sci ence’sStudent Council, lastovica led thecoun cil to endow a $25,000 scholarshipto support students in the college whohave demonstrated leadership abilities,involvement in extracurricular activi-ties and service to the community.

lastovica has also served as a cau -cus leader in student senate and re -ceived the Southerland Aggie leaderScholarship, the Who’s Who AmongStudents in American Universities andColleges Award, the Buck Weirus Spir -it Award, the Gathright Scholar Awardand the Phi Kappa Phi University-WideOutstanding Junior Award.

“The trustees selected lastovicabecause of her inspirational story, ded -ication to academics and drive to suc-

ceed,” said Board of Trustees Chair -man Charles Gregory ’64. “It is aprivilege to honor someone who hastruly demonstrated the Aggie core val-ues in her everyday life.”

During her time at Texas A&M

Uni versity, lastovica worked severalpart-time jobs and completed five in -tern ships, including one with Houston-based FleishmanHillard Global Com -munications Agency, which in Mayhired her as an assistant account exec-utive for its food, beverage and agri -business sector clients.

“The award money will help meoffset the cost of living in Houstonwhile pursuing my passion in the com -munications field,” lastovica said.“Hope fully it can be the foundationto allow me to establish savings so thatI can one day endow a scholarshipthrough the Texas A&M Foundationto ben efit students as I have benefit-ed from scholarship donors.”

Foundation Staff Changes

lydia Godfrey ’90began work as theFoundation’s direc -tor of developmentfor Mays BusinessSchool in Aprilafter working thepast 18 years as asenior sales manager with the HiltonCollege Station and ConferenceCenter.

Andrew Robison ’04 joined theFoundation in April as director of

development forthe College ofMedicine in theTexas A&M HealthScience Center fol-lowing its mergerwith the TexasA&M UniversitySys tem. He joined the Health Sci -ence Center in 2011 after serving sixyears in other development positionsin Ohio and College Station.

Jody Ford ’99joins the Collegeof Education as itsdirector of devel-opment after nineyears in variousposi tions at theFoundation, mostrecently as regional director of majorgifts for the central United States.


Lydia Godfrey ’90

Andrew Robison ’04

Jody Ford ’99

The Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trusteesawarded Mollie Lastovica ’14 with its secondTrustees’ Outstanding Student Award.

Texas A&M Foundation Welcomes New Maroon CoatsThe Texas A&M Foundation on April 4 welcomed 17 new members into the seventh class of itsstudent ambassadors organization, the Maroon Coats. Maroon Coats enhance the impact of theFoundation through stewardship and service. The group consists of Texas A&M student leaderswho are pursuing various educational disciplines. Each member volunteers a minimum of 20 hoursper semester and receives a signature maroon blazer during induction ceremonies.

New members of the 2014-2015 Maroon Coats are (back row, left to right) Drew Williams ’15,DJ Cieply ’15, Daylon Koster ’15, Zach Rozinsky ’15, Shep Klinke ’14, David Trigg ’15,Cameron Blizzard ’16, Michael Powell ’14, Will Nereson ’14, Tyler Moffett ’15 and PatrickMcGinty ’15; and (front row, left to right) Uli Robles ’15, Chet Champion ’15, KelseyHammond ’15, Layeeka Ismail ’16, Morgan Cochran ’15 and Will Tindol ’15.


he first time I came toCollege Station—I wasmaybe six years old—thedriving lanes left an im -

pression. Having come from Freder -icksburg, Texas, where there are stillno double-lane turn lanes, I noticedthat the intersection of Texas Avenueand University Drive had dotted linesto guide turning drivers.

I had been introduced to Aggiejokes around the same time, becausemy sister had accepted her admissionto Texas A&M University and somelonghorn relative gave her the book“The Best of 606 Aggie Jokes.” Sofrom the backseat of my parents’ mini -van, having noticed those white dash-es, I asked my family if “Aggies weretoo dumb to know how to turn andthat’s why they needed lines to showthem?”

You can bet that story has beenretold a time or two.

neither of my parents went to col -lege. My mom Susan worked morethan 30 years for the U.S. Postal Serviceas a highway contract carrier, while myfather Atlee is a rancher. I have threeolder sisters, Colleen ’02, laura ’04 andJaniece ’07. We all finished top of ourclass in high school—a favorite fakeargument of my parents is to debatefrom which side of the family we gotour brains—and we all ended up inAggieland.

One of my favorite Texas A&M

mem ories is from June 2011. The Texas4-H Youth Development Foundation

awarded its annual scholarships thatsummer in Rudder Tower. Halfwaythrough the ceremony, I was called forone of three $16,000 scholarships fromthe Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo (RodeoAustin). If you’ve ever stood up tooquickly and felt the blood rush to yourhead, then you know how I felt at thatmoment. I do not wear heels as a gen -eral safety rule, so the only thought Ihad walking onstage was please don’tfall. It was only a little later that I proc -essed the full magnitude of what I hadbeen given.

I applied for more than 40 schol-arships my senior year of high school,and I received 22. Combined withschol arships I later received in college,I generated a total of nearly $75,000.The Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo schol -arship was the largest, and it helped mesinglehandedly pay for my entire col-lege education.

I’ve been working in the marketingdepartment at the Texas A&M Founda -tion for more than two years, and Ilearned quickly that there are a thou-sand stories like mine. There are thou -sands of Aggies who get a tremendousboost from private scholarships fund-

ed by former students, corporationsand other friends of Texas A&M.

The Aggie record of philanthropyis a strong draw for prospective stu-dents. I applied to only one other col -lege, the University of Texas at Austin,but I received virtually no offers offinancial support, despite being vale-dictorian and an involved student; thatwas a major deterrent. At Texas A&M,not only did I have financial support,but I’ve had many out-of-classroomex periences because of it: studyingabroad in nicosia, Cyprus, interning ata public affairs firm in Washington,D.C., working at the Foundation,work ing as an under graduate assis-tant and serving on staff for the MSC

leland T. and Jessie W. Jordan Insti -tute for International Awareness.

Something else I’ve learned at theFoundation is that $75,000 is almostpocket change to the many millionsthat donors give annually. But to me,it was no joke.


Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Dunae,who received the 2014 Texas A&M On Cam -pus Student Employee of the Year Award!

Dunae Crenwelge ’15 has learned that Aggiegenerosity is no joke.

From Aggie Jokes to Graduation

Contact


Executive StaffEd Davis ’67, PresidentJim Palincsar, Senior Vice President

for DevelopmentDoyle Thompson, Senior Vice President

& Chief Financial Officerliska lusk, Vice President & General CounselJanet Handley ’76, Vice President for InvestmentsKathy McCoy ’80, Director of Marketing

Development StaffCarl Jaedicke ’73Vice President for Principal Gifts [email protected] (979) 845-6551

David Hicks ’75Assistant Vice President for College [email protected](979) 845-2904

Mark Klemm ’81Campaign Director [email protected] (979) 845-6537

College Programs College of Agriculture & Life SciencesSteve Blomstedt ’83Senior Director of [email protected](979) 845-9582

Cara Milligan ’08Director of [email protected](979) 458-2204

Darin PaineDirector of [email protected](979) 458-5725

Patrick Williams ’92Director of [email protected](979) 845-4740

Torii Kapavik ’11Assistant Director of [email protected](979) 862-1247

Jon Rigelsky ’02Assistant Director of [email protected](979) 458-7929

College of Architecturelarry ZuberAssistant Vice President for [email protected](979) 845-0939

Mays Business SchoolBrian Bishop ’91Senior Director of [email protected](979) 862-3615

lydia Godfrey ’90Director of [email protected](979) 862-7247

Caroline Gunn ’10Assistant Director of [email protected](979) 845-2775

College of Education & Human DevelopmentJody Ford ’99Director of [email protected](979) 847-8655

Dwight Look College of EngineeringAndy Acker Senior Director of [email protected](979) 845-5113

Departments of Aerospace, Biomedicaland Nuclear EngineeringReagan Chessher ’97Director of Development [email protected](979) 862-1936

Department of Chemical EngineeringThadd Hargett ’99Director of [email protected](979) 458-1299

Department of Civil EngineeringJay Roberts ’05Director of [email protected](979) 862-8044

Departments of Computer Science &Engineering and Electrical & ComputerEngineeringJeremy QuastDirector of [email protected](979) 845-5113

Departments of Industrial & SystemsEngineering and Engineering Technology& Industrial DistributionDon Fazzino ’84Assistant Director of Development [email protected](979) 458-2354

Department of Mechanical EngineeringAndy Acker Senior Director of [email protected](979) 845-5113

Department of Petroleum EngineeringDerek Dictson ’00Director of [email protected](979) 862-4843

Erin Gage ’02Assistant Director of [email protected](979) 862-1876

Texas A&M University at Galvestonlarry ZuberAssistant Vice President for [email protected](979) 845-0939

College of GeosciencesJack Falks ’85Director of [email protected](979) 862-4944

The George Bush School of Government& Public ServiceJessica McCann ’07Senior Director of [email protected](979) 458-8035

Health Science Center College of MedicineAndrew Robison ’04Director of [email protected](979) 862-6423

Get in touch with theTexas A&M Foundation.

401 George Bush Drive

College Station, Texas 77840-2811

Toll-free: (800) 392-3310

Phone: (979) 845-8161

Fax: (979) 845-3973

txamfoundation.com

[email protected]

txamfoundation.com/SpiritMagazine

facebook.com/TexasAMFoundation

youtube.com/AggieSpiritAndMind

twitter.com/TXAMFoundation

Contact


Texas A&M University School of LawMyke HoltSenior Director of [email protected](817) 212-4061

College of Liberal Artslarry Walker ’97Director of [email protected](979) 458-1304

True Brown ’04Assistant Director of [email protected](979) 845-5192

College of ScienceMichael V. Morelius ’98Director of [email protected](979) 847-9218

College of Veterinary Medicine& Biomedical SciencesO. J. “Bubba” Woytek DVM ’64Assistant Vice President for Development &

Director of Alumni [email protected](979) 845-9043

Chastity CarriganDirector of [email protected](979) 845-9043

Guy Sheppard DVM ’76Director of [email protected](979) 845-9043

Student AffairsCindy Brown Munson ’99Director of [email protected](979) 458-1689

Corps of CadetsJerome Rektorik ’65Director of [email protected](979) 862-4085

Kyle Bryson ’09Assistant Director of [email protected](979) 845-7183

Private Enterprise Research CenterJerome Rektorik ’65Director of [email protected](979) 862-4085

Corporate & Foundation RelationsJim Keller ’63Senior Director of Corporate &

Foundation [email protected](979) 845-6227

Al Pulliam ’87Director of Corporate & Foundation [email protected](979) 845-6023

Office of Gift PlanningGlenn Pittsford ’72Vice President for Gift [email protected](979) 845-5493

William Fusselman ’95Senior Gift Planning [email protected](979) 845-5680

Mark Browning ’88Gift Planning [email protected](979) 845-7594

Mark Matthews ’80Gift Planning [email protected](979) 845-5502

Angela Throne ’03Gift Planning [email protected](979) 845-5638

Gina Jett ’79Gift Planning Stewardship [email protected](979) 845-5458

Real Estate ServicesTim Walton ’90Assistant Vice President for Real Estate [email protected](979) 845-8026

Regional Major GiftsDavid Wilkinson ’87Senior Regional Director of Major Gifts

(Central States and East Coast)[email protected](979) 845-7609

Don Birkelbach ’70Senior Regional Director of Major Gifts (Houston)[email protected](979) 845-7560

Jennifer Hester ’98Regional Director of Major Gifts (north Texas)[email protected](979) 845-7479

Matt Jennings ’95Regional Director of Major Gifts (Western States)Assistant Campaign [email protected](979) 845-7604

Kirk Joseph ’84Regional Director of Major Gifts

(Dallas/Fort Worth)[email protected](979) 845-7453

Scholarship ProgramsMarcy Ullmann ’86Manager of Scholarship [email protected](979) 845-6383

Donor Relationslynn HarrisManager of Donor [email protected](979) 845-5963

Gift ProcessingAnn lovett ’81Manager of Gift [email protected](979) 845-8167

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Attn: Marketing Office

Texas A&MFoundation

1234 TAMU

College Station TX 77843-9988

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Grow the Howdy FarmThe Howdy Farm is a student-run sustainable farmingproject that provides the Brazos Valley community withfresh produce and education about the health benefits andeconomic merits of local agriculture.

Started in 2009 on Texas A&M University’s WestCampus, the Howdy Farm’s current operations consistof two gardens and a planting field. The farm grows avariety of vegetables, greens and herbs for sale at localfarmer’s markets and experiments with sustainable croptechniques.

Texas A&M student farmers are working to raise$45,000 for additional demonstration gardens and tobuild a new center for classes and workshops. ◊ To learn more, visit give.am/HowdyFarm.◊ To watch a video, visit give.am/HowdyFarmVideo. ◊ To donate, visit give.am/SupportHowdyFarm.

In Appreciation of OurPresident’s EndowedScholarship DonorsThe Texas A&M Foundation wouldlike to thank donors who have recent-ly contributed to Texas A&M’s pre mierscholarship program, the Pres i dent’sEndowed Scholarship (PES). Since 1968,the merit-based PES program has beeninspiring high school seniors withstrong academic records and demon-strated student leadership to make TexasA&M University their school of choice.

An individual or group may estab-lish a PES with a one-time gift of$100,000, with a series of payments madeduring a five-year period, or with anestate gift. The endowment establishedby the gift funds a stipend for one stu-dent for four years, plus a bonus for a

study abroad experience. The Founda -tion invests these gifts so that they sup-port students in perpetuity.

A PES may be named in memory orhonor of a person, class or organizationof your choice. This list recognizes PES

donors whose recent gifts were not pre-viously acknowledged in print.

Lillian and James L. Boone Jr. ’44; Given byDr. James L. Boone Jr.

Joy and Glen D. Churchill ’56

Class of 1967

John D. Eliades ’87

Dr. G. William Glezen Jr. ’56 and Sylvia Glezen

Benjamin ’02 and Stephanie ’02 Hilbrich

Georgia and J. R. (Bob) Jones ’69

Sim Lake Jr. ’38; Given in his memory by hiswife, Helen Lake and son, Sim Lake III ’66

Dr. Christopher ’95 and Melissa ’95 Mason

Kimberly Tompkins ’88 and Phillip McDivitt ’87

Martha R. and Eugene P. Neugegauer ’41

Major Soren Alfred Potz-Nielsen II; Given byBob ’85 and Kelly ’86 Jordan

Courtney Anderson Noell M.D. ’91 andDouglas S. Noell ’91

Bowe Davis Rinn and Ralph Elliott Rinn ’33;From the estate of Susan Cay Rinn

Elbert L. “Robbie” Robinson ’21; Given in hismemory by Diane and Joe Bonem

Sallie Sheppard ’65 and Leland Black

Jack Lewis Taylor ’43; Given in his memory byAndrew E. and Diane T. (Taylor) Farkas

Ryan Trantham ’15, Kirsten Fowler ’15, KatieKuch ’15 and Clayton Cromer ’15 are all benefitting from the generosity of PES donors.

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Requests & Comments: Summer 2014

If you have a comment or question, call us at (800) 392-3310,email us at [email protected] or mail this postage-freeform. We encourage you to update your own contact informationonline at txamfoundation.com/update. Thank you!

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Documents

How the legacy of professor John J. McDermott permeates ... · PRESIDENT’S LETTER A Testament to Two Legends here’s an old saying that when you reach a certain age, everyone you