Skyline News - Community Forums on new name at noon and 5 p.m.

A Publication of UHD Public Affairs

April 27, 2010

Submit news items to skylinenews@uhd.edu.

Two more UHD Community Forums on new name scheduled at noon and 5 p.m.

Cheerleading clinic at 7 p.m. for students interested in trying out.

Provost and senior vice president candidate visiting UHD.

Shuttle buses available for those attending UHD Northwest Open House.

UHD Dance Marathon plans Comedy Night here April 29.

Cheerleading clinic this evening for students interested in May 1 tryouts

Tryouts for UHD's Cheerleading Squad are coming up May 1 and to help interested students prepare a clinic is scheduled for 7 p.m. this evening in the Student Life Center.

To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours in the fall of 2010, must be in good academic standing with a GPA of at least 2.0, must attend team practices and games, must have a positive attitude and be a team player and be responsible for appropriate team fees upon making the team.

Preregister here or email Coach Kayce Hall at hallk@uhd.edu. A flier is available here.

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Professor will speak in Rockdale on George Sessions Perry

History professor Garna Christian will speak on "George Sessions Perry and Hollywood" on May 5 at the 100th anniversary of the Texas writer's birth in Rockdale, Texas.

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Two more UHD Community Forums today: Choosing a New Name

Please join us for open forums of UHD community members - students, faculty, staff and administrators - today through Thursday, April 29, as we discuss the choices for renaming the university.

The meetings will be:

Noon - 1 p.m. and 5 - 6 p.m. Today, C-100, Commerce Street,
5 - 6 p.m.; Wednesday, April 28, N-1099, One Main, and
Noon - 1 p.m., Thursday, April 29, C-100, Commerce Street

Come express your own perspective and hear the perspectives of others in a dialogue designed to help us find common ground when making this important decision. The discussion is sponsored by the Center for Public Deliberation and the Office of Public Affairs. For information, contact Sue Davis, executive director of Public Affairs, at daviss@uhd.edu.

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Provost and Senior Vice President candidate to visit UHD for open meeting with faculty and staff April 28

An open meeting for staff and faculty with provost and senior vice president candidate Kyle Perkins is set for 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, in Room A-405.

Perkins serves in Florida International University's College of Education as a professor of teaching and learning and was vice provost of Program Review and Assessment there from 2004 to 2009.

Before moving to FIU in 2003 as the vice provost for Budget and Operations, Perkins enjoyed a 27-year career at Southern Illinois University. There he was associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts (1985 to 1991), led planning and budget functions for academic affairs under various titles from 1992 to 2002, and took a lead role as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor (2002.)

He holds a bachelor's degree in English from Union College (Barbourville, Ky.), a master's degree in linguistics from SIUC and a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Michigan.

UHD's Provost Search Committee has been working to identify finalists for the position since longtime Provost Molly Woods announced she'll be stepping down.

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Math final exam reviews scheduled for May 4 and 5

Students can get an early start on a great final exam score with review sessions for Math 0300, Math 1300 and Math 1301 on May 4 and 5.

Students can take a short practice test and bring a copy of the Final Exam Review with them to the review session. Final reviews can be downloaded from http://cms.uhd.edu/qep/algebra or purchased from the Copy Center in the Bookstore.

MATH 1301
Tuesday, May 4
Day: 9 am - Noon - Room A-436
Evening: 5 - 8 pm - Room A-405

MATH 1300
Wednesday, May 5
Day: 9 am - Noon - Room A-436
Evening: 5 - 8 pm - Room A-436

MATH 0300
Wednesday, May 5
Day: 9 am - Noon - Room A-405
Evening: 5 - 8 pm - Room A-405

A flier is available here.

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IBA hosts international business speaker on importing and exporting

The International Business Association will host Joe Ringer, Senior Business Development Officer for Export-Import Bank of the United States, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, in Room B-113 in the Shea Street Building, for a program on "Importing and Exporting."

Ringer graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in International Relations/Chinese Language. He received a graduate degree from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Foreign Trade. He has extensive international banking experience in credit administration and marketing, He lived and worked six years in Asia (Hong Kong, Philippines and Singapore) with Bank of America.

The event is open to all and free, but people interested in attended should sign up with Kimberly Gonzales at babs_bunnie@hotmail.com.

For More information: contact IBA President Steven Crimi at stevencrimi@yahoo.comor IBA faculty advisor Anisul Islam, professor in the College of Business, at islama@uhd.eduor 713-221-8914.

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Final movie in UHD's Hispanic film series movies will play April 29

The seventh and final movie in this semester's Hispanic Film Series will run from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in A-405. "Amores perros" is free and open to the public.

This final movie is a drama thriller about love, betrayal and death. For details, see the following link.

The Spanish division, through the support of the Department of Humanities, is hosting the seven-movie Hispanic Film Series to commemorate 200 years of independence for Mexico and 100 years since the Revolution. For a list of the movies includes in the series, click here.

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Annual One Main Event for student organizations is set for April 30

The One Main Event, UHD's annual gala to recognize outstanding members of the University's student organizations, is planned for 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 30, at the Hilton Americas, 1600 Lamar St., Houston.

All 350 tickets to the event have been sold. For information about the event, contact Liza Alonzo at 713-221-8682 or AlonzoL@uhd.edu.

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Stories from previous Skylines

UHD Alum is keynote speaker for 2010 UHD Student Research Conference April 30

The UHD Community is invited to the daylong 2010 UHD Student Research Conference (SRC) from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, in the Wilhelmina Cullen Robertson Auditorium.

Students from across the disciplines will present research in the form of talks and research posters. Registration and refreshments will be offered between 8 a.m. 9 a.m. and UHD President Bill Flores' 9 a.m. welcoming remarks will be followed by keynote speaker Vedangi Sample, a UHD alumna who is now a pre-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. She will speak on "In Living Color: Real-Time Tracking of Nuclear PKA Activity Dynamics."

A flier on the 2010 SRC is available here.

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Shuttles available for UHD Northwest Open House on Thursday, April 29

UHD will provide bus service for faculty, staff and students who want to attend the UHD Northwest Open House scheduled from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at the Lone Star College-University Park campus at State Highway 249 and Louetta.

Visitors can tour the campus and see UHD's remodeled space, which includes 1 1/2 floors of the University Center Building.

Two buses, each with a 23-passenger seating capacity, will run from 2 to 9 p.m. April 29 to accommodate students, faculty and staff. The schedules follow:

Bus 1 - Leaves UHD for Lone Star at 2, 3:30 and 5 p.m.
Leaves Lone Star for return trip to UHD at 6 and 8 p.m.
Bus 2 - Leaves UHD for Lone Star at 2, 4 and 6 p.m.
Leaves Lone Star for return trip to UHD at 7 and 9 p.m.

UHD's International Business Association tours Port of Houston

Members of UHD's International Business Association (IBA) and the University community toured the Port of Houston with Anisul Islam, professor of finance, accounting and computer information systems, and port officials April 16. The visit included a management presentation and a catered lunch aboard the MV Sam Houston, which ferried the group along the Houston Ship Channel where participants could view international trade activities first hand.

Business students

UHD Dance Marathon hosts Comedy Night on campus April 29

The UHD Dance Marathon group plans a Comedy Night at UHD at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in the Wilhelmina Cullen Robertson Auditorium.

Entry is $5 per person for this event, one of several the Dance Marathon group has been hosting to raise money for the Texas Children's Hospital Children's Miracles Network. Three comedians will perform for an hour and a half. A flier is available here.

Those interested in helping UHD Dance Marathon raise funds can sign up here.

UHD joins Federal Direct Student Loan Program in Fall 2010

Starting with the fall 2010 semester, UHD is joining thousands of other U.S. higher education institutions in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, meaning students with federal Stafford, Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS loans will borrow their funds from the federal government instead of from multiple private banks and credit unions.

UHD's participation in the Federal Program will have little visible impact on students and their families. However, having one lender - the U.S. Department of Education - will make the process much more efficient for schools and borrowers.

The change necessitates only minimal action on the part of students (and parents who wish to borrow through the PLUS program), who need only to sign a new Master Promissory Note (MPN) and complete Loan Entrance Counseling if they haven't done so already. Students can visit www.studentloans.gov to complete the MPN and Loan Entrance Counseling process.

As part of direct lending, the Stafford direct loan is exactly the same in terms and conditions, interest rates and loan fees as the FFEL (Federal Family Education Loan). The Grad PLUS loans and Parent PLUS loans will benefit from a lower interest rate of 7.9 percent, as compared to 8.5 percent in the FFEL program.

Federal direct loans offer other advantages, such as more flexible repayment plans, easier tracking and a greater possibility of loan forgiveness for students who perform public service after graduation.

Most loans will remain with their current service provider. However, due to the sale of loans to the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Student Financial Aid highly encourages students and families to pay very close attention to mailings from their loan provider. Letters with repayment information were sent to those who were affected by the sale.

Borrowers can also track their federal loans online through the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Visit Direct Loans FAQ for more information.

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Earth Day celebrated recycling, human power and free hugs

UHD's Cycling Club was one of many groups on campus to host information and demonstration booths during Thursday's Earth Day celebration. From cycling and other human powered sources of energy to musical entertainment and food, Earth Day combined entertainment with lessons on how to better nurture planet Earth.

Music Earth Day

Musical entertainment on a sunny South Deck provided a perfect setting for Earth Day 2010.

Free Hugs Earth Day

Earth Day information tables were as varied as their creators' imaginations. One enterprising Earth Day presenter figured free hugs were a great example of human powered energy and a globe-saving philosophy.

Academic Assessment hosts AIM Reviewer Training session April 28

The Office of Academic Assessment will host an Assessment Information Management (AIM) Reviewer Training session from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, in Room A-717.

Academic Assessment will offer four additional workshops and seminars from now until the end of the Spring 2010 semester. These sessions are open to faculty, department assessment coordinators, deans and department chairs. Register for assessment training at the links below. For questions or to schedule individual sessions, please call 713-226-5594. Upcoming sessions include:

AIM Reviewer Training
3 to 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 28. Register here.
Closing the Loop
3 to 4 p.m., Thursday, April 29, A-711
3 to 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 4, N-1099
9 to 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 18, N-1099. Register here.

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First Aid, CPR certifications will be offered in two-day sessions

This semester's final CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and first aid certification courses will be offered in the next two weeks, starting with first aid classes April 29-30 and CPR classes May 6-7.

Register now through UHD Sports & Fitness for these American Red Cross Training classes, which provide certification for one year. UHD students, faculty and staff pay $5 for the training, and classes are limited to the first 15 people who pre-pay. For more information on these sessions, click here.

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Admission information sessions set for ACP/MAT students in Urban Ed