McMurry student honoree has, for years, been intent on becoming a teacher

From the Abilene Reporter-News

Photo by Joy Lewis

Meagan Ake isn’t one of those college students who spent her first two years deciding on a major. Rather, she knew long before she enrolled at McMurry University that she was going to be an elementary school teacher.

“I knew from the time I was in first or second grade that’s what I was going to do,” said Ake, who is McMurry’s recipient of the Education Deans of Independent College and Universities in Texas (EDICUT) Student of the Year.

“It was kind of overwhelming,” said Ake about receiving the award from the McMurry School of Education.

Ake and the other 52 recipients from Texas will be entered in a state competition in the fall.

Perry Kay Haley-Brown, dean of the School of Education, said Ake, a 2008 graduate of Jim Ned High School, set herself apart by her self-starting attitude.

“I don’t have to go find her,” Haley-Brown said. “She’s one of those students who come into your office with ideas. She gives me ideas, and it’s usually the faculty that’s giving the ideas. She’s pretty much self-motivated.”

Ake said her teachers in Tuscola inspired her to become an educator.

“I think they must have encouraged me so much that I wanted to teach,” she said. “I always had a passion to teach kids.”

Ake currently is teaching at Wylie Intermediate School, where her aunt, Heather Ake, also is a teacher.

“I love it over there,” she said, admitting that not every student she has is a little angel. “But it’s good to have all of them.”

Ake, who will graduate in May, will move to Fort Worth, where her fiancé will enter medical school.

“She won’t have a problem finding a job,” Haley-Brown said. “With the ESL (English as a Second Language) endorsement, that’s a real foot in the door.”

McMurry in the News

McMurry University History Professor Dr. Don Frazier visits with the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram about the 50th anniversary of  Texas Historical Markers and their effect on his life.  The story is at:

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/19/3746021/texas-historical-markers-offer.html

 

Women’s History Month Exhibit 100 Women, 100 Words at McMurry University Has Taken On a New Meaning for West Texas Women

ABILENE, Texas –100 Women, 100 Words is a mixed media exhibit featuring the art and words of West Texas women (artists and non-artists). This exhibit is bringing together a group of West Texas women from all backgrounds and ages that probably would never have come together any other way.

      100 Women, 100 Words will be on display from March 5 through March 31 in the Ryan Fine Arts Building on McMurry University’s campus. Participants in the show include some well-known community leaders like State Representative Susan King, as well as area high school students, local professors, community leaders, military leaders, ministers, moms, nonprofit executives, artists and others.

100 Women, 100 Words started as an idea for a Women’s History Month exhibit at McMurry University, however; since its inception it has grown into much more. Many women in the Abilene area seem to be jumping at the chance to tell their story through their own words and art. The interesting thing is most of the participants are NOT formally trained artists or writers.

“We thought this project would be difficult to accomplish. We thought many women would say “no” to us when they looked at the 6”X 6” canvas and set of instructions we provided. We were wrong. Women, no matter what their background or training seem to be accepting our challenge to share their experiences with us – to tell their story,” said Dr. Christina Wilson, Dean of the School of Arts and Letters at McMurry. “What we will have when the project is completed is a unique historical snapshot of West Texas women’s stories about women and womanhood – a testament to Women’s History Month we will be celebrating. “

However, this is not the entire story. “During our journey to identify and attract women to our project we uncovered much more than we expected. Women immediately began talking about their ideas for their project to us and to each other. Fifteen minute appointments with prospective participants turned into forty-five minute appointments. Women we did not know began asking us if we needed additional participants. Immediately we began to hear about these women’s lives,” said Dr. Wilson.

For more information on 100 Women, 100 Words, please contact Dr. Christina Wilson at 325-793-4607 or by email at wilson.christina@mcm.edu.

 

McMurry in the News

McMurry student Matt Bell visits with the Abilene Reporter-News about his trip to Israel.

 

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/feb/16/college-students-learn-from-interfaith/

McMurry University Faculty, Student, Alumni News

ABILENE, Texas – Attached are news items of interest from McMurry University faculty, staff and students.

• McMurry University alumnus Rick Nason has been invited to TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) talk in Halifax, Nova Scocia on March 11.  TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate “ideas worth spreading”. TED was founded in 1984 as a one-off event and the conference was held annually from 1990 in Monterey, California. TED’s early emphasis was largely technology and design, consistent with a Silicon Valley center of gravity. They now address an increasingly wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture. The speakers are given a maximum of 18 minutes to present their ideas in the most innovative and engaging ways they can.

• McMurry University religion and pre-ministerial student Ricky Harrison has a paper, “Christian Ethics in African Colonization,” on the program of the Great Plains Regional Honors Council conference near Kansas City at the end of the March.

• Dr. John-Eric Swenson and Dr. Philip LeMasters will kick off this semester’s McMurry School of Social Science and Religion Faculty Colloquium Series on Thursday, February 23, at 11 a.m. in Carleton Chapel.  They will present a paper they co-wrote entitled, “St. Symeon, Fool for Christ and Exemplar of Humility.” It examines both the general type of the saintly fool in Eastern Christianity and the life of this particular sixth-century saint.

 

• McMurry Music Professor Mark Wilcox was a guest artist at the 5th annual International Trumpet Festival in Westchester, Pennsylvania February 17-20.  He was a featured soloist with the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Band and will presented a Master Class.

• McMurry University English professor Nancy Patrick has been chosen to serve on the community board for the Abilene Reporter-News. The seven-person editorial and advisory board is made up of five community members, Publisher David Hedge and Editor Barton Cromeens. It will shape the editorial stance (official position) taken by the newspaper on any number of issues — from the possible expenditure of taxpayer money to the endorsement of candidates for public office. Its members will also give the newspaper insight into how the online and print publications are serving the community and what kind of changes might be warranted — whether that involves daily coverage, editorial opinion, etc.

Noted Eastern Orthodox Christian Speaker to visit McMurry

ABILENE, Texas –Frederica Mathewes-Green, a nationally prominent Eastern Orthodox writer and lecturer, will be speaking at the McMurry University Chapel service at 11 a.m. Tuesday February 21, as part of a four-day visit to Abilene.

Mathewes-Green is the author of nine books on a variety of topics in Christian spirituality and cultural engagement.   She has spoken at colleges throughout the nation and been published in Christianity Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Sojourners.

The talk is part of a four-day visit to Abilene which will include talks at ACU and Hardin-Simmons. She will give three talks on “The Jesus Prayer” as part of a pre-Lenten retreat at St. Luke Orthodox Church, 501 Sunset Drive on Feb 18-19.  They are scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday.

McMurry students competing for Miss Frontier Texas

McMurry University students Katie Ruth Hinton and Kirsten Marie Mauritsen will be competing in several contests to become Miss Frontier Texas in the next few weeks.

They will be participating in a frontier skills educational class on Feb. 21 at Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap and a saddle and shoot competition March 3 at Fort Phantom Hill Historic Site. They will also compete in three events at the Frontier Texas parade grounds —an overnight challenge March 23, and a frontier obstacle course and a cooking challenge for the six finalists, both on March 24.

The crowning of Miss Frontier Texas will be 6 p.m. March 24.

McMurry in the News

The Abilene Reporter-News visited with two South Korean teachers who spent two weeks in Abilene learning and teaching as part of the Fulbright Teachers Program.  The story is at: http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/feb/15/shorter-lunch-school-year-among-differences-by/.

 

 

McMurry to Admit Military Members & Families to Basketball Games Free on Saturday

ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Athletics has announced that it will be admitting members of the Military – and their families -  free to Saturday’s regular season basketball finale versus Sul Ross State at Kimbrell Arena. Tip-off for McM’s “Military Appreciation Day” will be at 1 p.m. for the women and 3 p.m. for the men.

The games are also “Senior Day” for both of the War Hawks’ teams. A total of six players will be taking the court for the final time in a regular season game at McMurry on Saturday.

To gain complimentary admission, military members and their families need only show a Department of Defense identification at the door on the day of the game.

“This is just a very small but heartfelt way that all of us in the McMurry University family can try to say ‘thank you’ to our military members and their families for all the sacrifices they make,” McM Director of Athletics Ron Holmes said.  “It’s our hope that we will have many of our military friends join us on Saturday for some exciting basketball and a fun day of interacting with our fans and teams.”

McMurry University Announces Open Auditions for 2012 Summer Dinner Theatre Season

ABILENE, Texas – The McMurry University Theatre Department will be having auditions for their upcoming 2012 Summer Dinner Theatre season that are open to everyone.

Auditions for The Good Doctor, a hilarious comedy by Neil Simon directed by David Ainsworth will be held on Sunday, March 4, at 3:30 p.m. in the Amy Graves Ryan Fine Arts Building Recital Hall on the McMurry campus.  The play will use 5-7 men and 4-6 women.

Auditions for Legally Blonde–The Musical directed by Teri Wilkerson will be held on Sunday, March 4,  at 2:30 p.m. in Ryan Little Theatre.  The musical will use 10-12 men and 12-15 women.  All of those auditioning for the musical need to bring a prepared song and clothes suitable for dance movement.  A piano accompanist and a CD player (for accompaniment tracks) will be available or people may sing unaccompanied.

Anyone who cannot audition on Sunday may audition at the beginning of callbacks on Monday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m.  Call 793-3840 for additional information.