Page 8
NEWS
Wednesday, November!,!.
i
THE BATTALION
Standing guard
STUART VILLANUEVA/I hh Battalion
Corps members from Company K2 spent Tuesday guarding the
empty boots of their fallen classmate Jayson Clubb in front of
the Sul Ross statue. Clubb was killed in a car accident while re
turning from Baylor after the football game on Oct. 14.
Graduate studies helping Vision
By Bryan Blanton
The Battalion
John R. Giardino was appointed
Texas A&M’s first dean of graduate
studies, a position created in collab
oration with Texas A&M’s Vision
2020. The position was created to
help expand and enhance the gradu
ate studies programs at A&M and
help A&M become a top 10 public
university by 2020.
Giardino served as the executive
director of A&M's Office of Grad
uate Studies (OGS) from 1998, un
til his appointment as dean Sept. 1.
Giardino, a geology, geophysics
and geography professor, has taught
at A&M since 1984. He earned his un
dergraduate degree at the University
of Southern Colorado in 1969, his
master’s of science at Arizona State
University in 1971 and his doctorate
at the University of Nebraska in 1979.
Giardino is a fellow of the Geological
Society of America and a fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society.
Prior to 1987, A&M had a grad
uate college. However, the Univer
sity decided to eliminate it because
graduate students were able to pur
sue their graduate studies through
the different A&M colleges.
The trend around the United
States at the time was creating
more executive director positions.
A shift occurred, and the whole
process became decentralized.
A&M became one of the few
schools within the A&M System
and the nation that did not have a
dean of graduate studies.
“A graduate program is only as
good as a university’s reputation,”
Giardino said. “A&M is known for
how well we conduct research, and
with the new position, we hope to
bring a strong emphasis to the grad
uate program.”
A&M had 467 more graduate
students this fall, bringing the total
graduate enrollment to a record
7,328. Figures for newly enrolled
minority graduate students showed
significant increases for both His-
panics and African-Americans.
The OGS oversees the quality of
the graduate studies program. It
works closely with the different col
leges throughout A&M. The OGS
does a lot of paperwork that deals
with the students. It coordinates with
the state and makes sure students are
taking the classes they need to com
plete their graduate studies at A&M.
It also offers a thesis clerk who is
available to help students with their
dissertations.
“One of our main goals is to help
recruit students into the graduate
studies department,” Giardino said.
“Students come to A&M because
of the reputation of our faculty and
programs, so recruiting is relatively
easy because our faculty is the main
recruiters,” he said.
Every year, the A&M graduate
program becomes stronger, Giardi
no said.
“The message we are trying to
send to the outside [world] is that
A&M is serious about education,”
he said. “The resources here are un
believable to graduate students.”
Giardino said he is a strong be
liever that thp Vision 2020 program
will benefit the University.
Giardino said he has settled into
the position of dean and isi
take on the challenges thefuij
may bring and vault the gradi
studies program to a new level.]
Professors named Fulbright Scholar
Dr. John R. Giardino is ther
dean of Graduate Studies.
By Richard Bray
The Battalion
News in Brief
Houston approves new basketball arena
HOUSTON (AP) — The pro
posed downtown sports arena
was a slam dunk for Harris Coun
ty. residents, who voted over
whelmingly Tuesday to build it, us-
irjg tax money a year after
rejecting a similar referendum.
With 43 percent of precincts
reporting, the arena issue was
passing 64 percent to 36 per
cent, ensuring Houston would
keep its pro basketball team and
boosting efforts to draw major
league hockey.
Eight Texas A&M professors, more than from
any other university, were named Fulbright
Scholars by the Council for International Ex
change of Scholars (CIES). <
“It’s a very prestigious program,” said Rhon
da Snider-Collins, director of the International
Center at A&M. “It’s open to U.S. faculty and
some professional programs that the average busi
nessperson could apply to, but the majority of the
scholarships are for faculty members.”
CIES, under a cooperative agreement with
the U.S. State Department, administers the Ful
bright Scholar Program for faculty and profes
sionals. The Fulbright Scholar Program pro
vides U.S. faculty and professionals with
opportunities for lecturing, research and semi
nar participation in 130 countries around the
world. The program provides the same oppor
tunities for foreign scholars in the United States.
The Fulbright Scholar Program was established
in 1946 and was developed to increase cultural un
derstanding between nations. Since its inception,
more than 144,000 Fulbright scholars have come
to the United States, while 86,000 American Ful
bright scholars have traveled abroad.
A&M faculty members selected this year are
Charles Futrell, a marketing professor; Carol L.
Patitu, an associate professor of educational ad
ministration; David Szymanski, an associate
professor of marketing; Clyde Munster, an as
sociate professor of agriculture; Gilbert Rowe,
a professor of oceanography; Benigno Aguirre,
a professor of sociology; Frederick Davies Jr.,
a professor of horticultural sciences; and Ann
Kellett, a former director of the Office of Inter
national Coordination.
Snider-Collins said A&M has programs to en
courage faculty to apply for Fulbright scholar
ships and other international programs.
“For many years, the International Programs
Office has tried to encourage faculty to have in
ternational experiences, and one way of doing that
is the Fulbright program,” she said. “We have an
annual workshop that informs faculty how to ap
ply for this program and how to fill out thegf
information.” 4 ftxasA&
Snider-Collins said the high number of A1W-77 ex
Fulbright Scholars shows that A&M hascomeol
step closer to becoming a world-class instituti
“The fact that the number of A&M faculty!
have received Fulbrights has been going up i
past decade is a sign that Texas A&M is beco/i
a much more international university,” she said!
think it is also a reflection that our faculty arc, Bv Bl(11 ,
interested in broadening their opportunities:-
providing a global perspective to their student ■ Je att ‘
themselves having an international experience ^
Rowe, who lectured and conducted reseatc strea ' < 011
Chile this summer as a I ulbright Scholar. saifA&M vol
experience helped him understand the worlfl .,^'- 1 Nel
side the United States. Roll
“The best thing about being a FulbrightSck J The 1
ar is the opportunity to get an in-depth lookatli perfect 2.
other people really live, and in particular,fc are 15-0 i
other universities operate,” he said. “It makes for third p
really appreciate our University and thesuppodKansas S
we are given for what we do.” ; ; record an
“We’r
ON NOVEMBER 10TH f 2000
THE ASSOCIATION HAS PLANNED
A PARTY IN YOUR HONOR!
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO TO JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION:
Come pick up a numbered ticket anytime after 8:00 a.m.
Return to the building around 2:00 p.m. to enjoy the festivities
we’ll have food, drinks, and games set up for your enjoyment.
Then at 3:00 p.m. we will start delivering rings!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!
WE'LL SEE YOU ON NOV. 10TH
AT THE CLAYTON W. WILLIAMS, JR. ALUMNI CENTER!
SPONSORED BY
The Association
OF FORMER STUDENTS
\A/& a/[&Tlt& Aqqte Netuuo’tk’f
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The Tradition and 103.9 the X invite you
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