Around the State: DBU event benefits international students

Dallas Baptist University welcomed a record number of international students from more than 50 countries this fall and helped ease their arrival to a new country with a special event Aug. 25. The university made it easier for international students to set up housekeeping by providing them an assortment of new and gently used items donated by DBU staff, members of the Women’s Auxiliary board, DBU international alumni and other friends of the university. Donated items included furniture including couches, dressers and futons, as well as 24 eight-foot tables covered with household items such as dishes, cookware and towels. “Over 80 students were blessed by these donations and now have new household items that will help them navigate life a little more easily here in the U.S.,” said Susie Cassel, director of international student services. A similar event will be scheduled in the spring semester.

As part of its inaugural graduate residency day, the McLane College of Business at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor recognized Joey Longoria as the first recipient of a graduate program certificate. Longoria completed a concentration in data analytics as part of his Master of Science in Information Systems degree, while also serving as a graduate assistant coach for Cru football. He now is employed by NASA as a recon specialist. The graduate residency day also featured a presentation by Dave Malenfant, executive vice president for the Biotech Supply Management Alliance. He also serves as director and oversees the advisory board for the Center for Supply Chain Innovation at Texas Christian University. The next McLane College of Business graduate residency day is scheduled Oct. 22.

Howard Payne University will combine homecoming, Yellow Jacket Preview and family weekend during Stinger Spectacular on Oct.14-15. The annual alumni banquet is scheduled at 5:45 p.m. on Friday in the Mabee University Center’s Beadel Dining Hall. Cobbler on the Campus will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the Muse Mall and Plaza. Saturday’s festivities will begin with a breakfast for alumni and families at 8 a.m. in Beadel Dining Hall. The Stinger Spectacular Parade will begin at Brownwood Coliseum at 10 a.m., traveling through downtown Brownwood on Center Avenue and on to Fisk Street, where it will pass through the HPU campus. The HPU Family Picnic will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Muse Mall and Plaza on campus. The HPU Yellow Jacket football team will play Southwestern University at 2 p.m. at Gordon Wood Stadium, with the homecoming court to be announced at halftime. The HPU women’s and men’s soccer teams also have games scheduled at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively at Citizens National Bank Soccer Field against McMurry University. Yellow Jacket Preview will provide prospective students an opportunity to meet faculty and staff, tour the campus and participate in HPU life. Family weekend will allow parents and families of current HPU students to experience a weekend at HPU. For more information about Stinger Spectacular and to register for events, click here. Prospective students interested in attending Yellow Jacket Preview can register here.

Houston Baptist University will observe the grand opening of the Morris Family Center for Law & Liberty on the HBU campus at 10 a.m. on Sept. 15. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade will be keynote speaker. “This beautiful building represents a powerful addition to the campus of HBU,” President Robert Sloan said. Lead donor Stewart Morris Sr. and the Joella and Stewart Morris Foundation will be recognized for their contributions to the complex. “It declares our commitment to teaching the founding principles of American democracy, and it stands as a visible symbol of the inextricable connection between law and liberty. The equality of all under the rule of law provides stability for a civil society and promotes the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans, freedoms that people the world over long for.”

East Texas Baptist University marked its highest recorded student enrollment in the university’s 110-year history with 1,771 total students. For three consecutive fall terms, ETBU’s total enrollment has exceeded 1,688, with two of the three years exceeding 1,700 students. The university has experienced steady growth over the last decade, with this year’s enrollment marking a 36 percent increase since 2014. Part of the growth in the past year can be attributed to an increased focus on the retention of undergraduate students with enhanced academic success services, and the expansion of graduate degree program offerings. ETBU holds an 84 percent undergraduate retention rate. “As we prayed for our enrollment for fall 2022, we worked earnestly to bring the students called by the Lord to study here on the Hill,” ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn said. “Throughout the pandemic, we prayed for God’s provision for physical, financial and spiritual health, and God was gracious to us. We have been showered by his faithfulness and blessed by the diligence of our campus community. East Texas Baptist’s faculty and staff have remained faithful to the Lord’s call on their lives to serve our students and one another, each displaying what it means to live as committed followers of Christ.”

The engineering accreditation commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accredited University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s bachelor’s degree program in engineering. “ABET accreditation assures that UMHB’s engineering program meets the quality standards of the engineering profession and is a key milestone in the continued growth of our program,” said Paul Griesemer, UMHB associate professor and engineering department chair. “We are excited about the opportunities our accreditation will open up for our students.” ABET accreditation reviews examine program curricula, faculty, facilities and institutional support. It currently accredits 4,361 programs at 850 colleges and universities in 41 countries and areas.

Anniversary

175th for First Baptist Church in Honey Grove on Nov. 6. A “meet and greet” reception with Pastor Casey Rogers is scheduled at 10 a.m., followed by worship at 11 a.m. and a barbecue lunch at 12 noon. For more information or to make a lunch reservation, call (903) 378-2768 or email fbchoneygrove@gmail.com.