InsideTSU - May 12, 2023

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May 12, 2023

TSU to graduate 926 students at Spring Commencement

Texas Southern University graduates will cross the stage during Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 13, 2023. The ceremony will recognize and celebrate students who have persevered through portions of an academic journey impacted by COVID-19 and who will matriculate with bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees.

The commencement speaker will be Dietra Trent, Ph.D, executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs.

The 926 graduates include 562 with undergraduate degrees, 177 with graduate degrees, 59 with Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, and 128 with Juris Doctor degrees from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law.

Spring commencement takes place on Saturday, May 13, in the Health & Physical Education Building. There will only be one ceremony. It will begin at 9:30 a.m.

For more information about Commencement, visit http://commencement.tsu.edu/. A livestream of the ceremony can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq9NL8dnGm4

Link to the Thurgood Marshall School of Law Livestream of the Hooding Ceremony by clicking here.

TEXAS SOUTHERN STUDENT-ATHLETE DUO NAMED 2023 UNIVERSITY VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN

The Texas Southern Department of Athletics made history as a pair of student-athletes were named the TSU Spring 2023 Baccalaureate Degree Class Valedictorian and Salutatorian in softball’s Nora Rodriguez and men’s golf Devansh Chadha. Additionally, Rodriguez and Chadha are Freeman Scholars in the the Thomas F. Freeman Honors College.

This marks the first time ever both the TSU Valedictorian and Salutatorian are student-athletes and the second time in four years a student-athlete has captured the award as men’s basketball former student-athlete Divonte Lumpkin was named Salutatorian in Spring 2019.

Read the full story, click here.

First Graduates of the College of Transdisciplinary Studies to Cross Stage

The first graduates of Texas Southern University's historic College of Transdisciplinary Studies will cross the stage during spring commencement.

The University launched the COTS in 2022 to create a pathway for people who started college but did not complete their degree program.

Among the graduates are Crystal Parish and Jason Sattiewhite.

Crystal Parish, who is from Houston, was previously enrolled at TSU twice. After she gave birth to her second child in 2022, she promised herself she would go back to college to finish when that daughter turned five. While figuring out where to begin the process, she met a TSU administrator who told her about the COTS. She is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Transdisciplinary Human and Health Sciences.

Jason Sattiewhite, who is from San Antonio, attended TSU in the early 2000s to study Health and Kinesiology. He was forced to disenroll when he exhausted his financial aid and later completed two associate degrees from Houston Community College. He heard about the COTS from his brother and sister-in-law, who are both alumni. With his degree complete, he hopes to transition into the education field.

TSU Celebrates 2023 Commencement with

Mother, Daughter Duo Graduating Together

A mother-daughter duo are creating another special bond as they graduate together at the 2023 Texas Southern University Commencement with a Doctor of Pharmacy degrees. Still, they can now boast being the first- and second-generation college graduates respectively in their family paving the way for other members to imagine big and strive toward realizing their own dreams.

Houstonians Shirley Taylor, mother, and Asya Fields, daughter, are walking together during the ceremony on Saturday, May 13 to receive their degrees to show their unyielding love and support of each other. They are triumphantly accomplishing the feat after completing four years of what they both confirm was a rigorous journey through the professional program.

It is so rare to see two generations in the same family achieve such a milestone together and complete their educational journey at the same time,” said Dr. Rashid Mosavin, dean and professor in the Joan M. Lafleur College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “The TSU family is so proud of both Shirley and Asya.”

Fields, 27, began the program prior to her mother as an undergraduate but convinced Taylor, 49, to join her upon acceptance into the pharmacy program. Both had completed the required pre-requisites, and Taylor ventured to take the Pharmacy College Admissions Test on a whim and passed.

“I will always tell people that we were in this together. We laughed together, we studied together, and we cried together,” said Taylor. “Now I know this was one of those experiences that you don’t truly understand until you’re in it. In school, sometimes people struggle to find someone who relates to their situation, so for that person to be my daughter was extremely helpful.”

During their studies, Fields maintained a job as a pharmacy tech to hone her knowledge and skills with a national retail corporation while Taylor continued to enjoy a long career as a sales representative for libations and spirits. Now both will go on separate career paths following graduation. Fields has already accepted offer to advance to a pharmacy position with the chain. Taylor, on the other hand, plans to transfer her professional acumen in business into pharmaceutical sales. The mother and daughter are both excited that they are together as they face the next chapter of their careers and continue to pursue their dreams

University Museum Hosts Senior Art Exhibition

Texas Southern University Announces

Milton Carroll Scholarship Fund

Texas Southern University today announced it has established a new scholarship program, The Milton Carroll Scholarship Fund presented by CenterPoint Energy, in recognition of former CenterPoint Energy Board chairman and former TSU Board of Regents chairman, Milton Carroll. The program, which includes a $500,000 endowed scholarship and $150,000 in general scholarships for immediate student needs, will be awarded beginning in the fall 2024 and 2025 academic years, respectively.

Find the rest of the story by clicking here.

TSU and Rice University Announce Partnership to Capitalize on Shared Values to Build Stronger Institutions, Communities

Rice University and Texas Southern University (TSU) are excited to announce a partnership to share resources, expertise and best practices to build stronger bridges between our institutions and communities. We believe this collaboration will foster meaningful dialogue; seed new research partnerships; create additional opportunities for students, faculty and staff at both universities; and be a boon to the great city of Houston that is home to these two remarkable institutions.

Read more of the story by clicking here.

TSU Cohosts International TRACER/ACPC Meeting Exploring Innovations in Climate Science

The annual workshop of the Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Climate (ACPC) Working Group will be held on May 17-19, 2023 at Texas Southern University. The ACPC workshop will be preceded by a TRACER Science Workshop on May 16, 2023.

ACPC aims at a better scientific understanding of the interactions between aerosols, clouds, precipitation, and climate at a fundamental level. The goal is to identify, disentangle, and quantify signals of impacts of aerosol perturbations on clouds, precipitation, and radiation, considering adjustments and feedback processes by synergistically exploiting observations and models across scales.

The Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement facility chose the Houston region for the TRacking Aerosol Convection interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER) because it offers a unique environment where isolated convective systems are common and experience a spectrum of polluted aerosol conditions from urban and industrial areas. In addition, surrounding areas also show significantly lower background aerosol concentrations.

Partnership Yields State Legislation Supporting Safe and Healthy Students

The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) announced the release of the Model School Response to Drugs and Drug-Related Incidents Act (Act). Drafted in collaboration with the Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, the purpose of this Act is to establish a consistent and positive response for public schools to best support students who have drug or drug-related incidents on school premises or at a school-related function.

Click here to read the full report.

"TSU in the News" snapshot:

TSU and Rice University announce partnership to create more opportunities for students, promote research (May 9)

TSU valedictorian is a softball standout

who's headed to medical school (May 11)

Houston airports to build $5M training facility

for Texas Southern aviation students (May 6)

Texas Southern University receives funding from Truist Bank to address diversity needs in banking industry (May 9)

TSU: The last one standing (May 10)

State lawmakers, Huston-Tillotson students

launch Texas HBCU Legislative Caucus (May 5)

New Mister and Miss TSU Crowned (May 8)

TSU's Jesse H. Jones School of Business Future Bankers Leadership Program Gains Partnership with Truist Bank

On Monday, May 8, TSU and Truist Bank announced the beginning of a new partnership. The two held a signing ceremony and check presentation at Truist's Old Spanish Trail branch.

The $750,000 gift will support TSU's Future Bankers Leadership Program (FBLP), which is housed in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business. The FBLP began in 2021 to provide TSU business students direct exposure to commercial banking and introduces them to the industry through a formal curriculum, interaction with executives and industry mentors, and commercial banking internships.

TSU Students Excel in Smithsonian HBCU

History and Culture Access Consortium Partnership

Texas Southern University students and faculty attended the HBCU History & Culture Access Consortium Student Leadership Convening in Destin, Florida, recently as part of the University Museum's ongoing participation in the Smithsonian HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium. The met and participated with fellow consortium attendees, met museum and preservation industry leaders, gain new technological skills, and learned more about being effective leaders.

“I am extremely proud and excited about the participation of our students in the Smithsonian HBCU HCAC initiative,” said Dr. Alvia Wardlaw, professor and director/curator of the University Museum. “The work that they are doing to catalog and digitize our collection is timely and critical. It allows us to now connect with the global audiences who will experience the cultural treasures of Texas Southern University.”

In the photograph from left to right are Ben Schachter, digital humanities program manager, Analisa Esther, graduate fellow and master's student in history, Kaylene McCoy-Mosley, undergraduate intern majoring in art and museum studies and Rita Reyes, undergraduate intern majoring in art and museum studies.

TSU Welcomes Bengal Burger –

Sodexo’s New Dining Concept

With the end of another academic year in sight, and summer near, Sodexo at Texas Southern University (TSU) is launching a new dining concept and menu at Bengal Burger. This new menu will offer a wider variety of food selections beyond the standard Sodexo brand set menu choices.

Chick-fil-A will be closed during the summer to undergo construction and renovations. It will return in the fall, bigger and better. Additionally, the Tiger Lair, the faculty and staff dining room on the fourth floor of the Sterling Student Life Center will close on Friday, May 12 and reopen for regular operations on Monday, August 28.

Bengal Burger is located on the 2nd floor of the Sterling Student Center, operating Monday – Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The first day of service is Monday, May 15. Note the restaurant will be closed the week of May 23 – 27 for a mandatory system upgrade and return to full operation following Memorial Day on Tuesday, May 30.

TSU Hosts Third Annual Clinical Research and Engagement Conference

The Community Engagement Core (CEC) of the NIH funded Texas Southern University’s Research Centers for Minority Institutions (RCMI) Center for Biomedical and Minority Health Research (CBMHR) recently hosted its 3^rd annual Clinical Research and Engagement Conference (CREC).

This conference, convened by CEC Director Dr. Veronica Ajewole, aimed at increasing awareness of community members about clinical research and building trust about clinical trial participation successfully engaged over 300 attendees of multilevel stakeholders of community members, community health workers, students, faculty, staff, healthcare providers, industry partners, and elected officials.

The conference featured discussions on clinical research ethics, panel sessions with clinical trial participants from minority population, speaker sessions on health disparities among African American, Latinx, Hispanic, and LGBTQ population. This event is a springboard to many initiatives that will advance health equity among the minority population.

The recording of this impactful conference is now on posted and can be access via link on YouTube.

Walmart Names TSU Alumna Chief Belonging Officer

Walmart has appointed TSU alumna Denise Malloy its new Chief Belonging Officer, a role previously named Chief Diversity Officer. In her new role, one of Malloy's responsibilities is establishing the strategy to ensure Walmart is a place where everyone feels they are welcome and that they belong.