Campus News and Events

“We only have one life to live, so make it a great life – or not. The choice is yours.” These words are what Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi outstanding graduate Jesse Dolin lives by. Dolin, who will graduate on Dec. 15 alongside 832 other Islanders, will receive a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

The Islander Army ROTC program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi develops a dutiful culture centered on molding cadets through a basic Army training regimen while also providing students with a solid future, civilian or military, built upon strong character, respect, and leadership skills to excel in any facet of their lives.

To help students struggling with literacy, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s College of Education and Human Development has partnered with John F. Kennedy Elementary School in West Oso ISD for an initiative called Islanders Helping the Early Acceleration of Readers Together (iHeart).

In a moving demonstration of how we’re all connected, Islanders gathered to spread a paper chain across campus. Faculty, staff, and students christened each link with words of encouragement displaying their caring for each member of the University.

A sculpture professor in her third semester at the Island University, Midwest native Leticia Bajuyo’s work is already popping up around Corpus Christi and beyond. 

The College of Liberal Arts and the Department of English at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi hosted the inaugural Corpus Christi Word Fest on Nov. 7.

The Island University is currently hosting two international instructors to teach critical language courses in Arabic and Chinese. The partnership allows Islander students to gain exposure to two important and sometimes misunderstood cultures while the instructors receive professional career development and an immersive United States experience.

Set up in celebration of International Games Week, the escape room challenged the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi community – students, faculty, and staff – to team up and test their minds in a competition to see who can most quickly navigate the puzzle-filled room.

Students in the senior-level course Business Intelligence and Analytics, which is taught by Dr. Mohan Rao, formed eight service-learning project teams to provide descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics in the form of dashboards to clients. On Nov. 29, the teams presented their projects in an open forum presentation.

An inaugural class of students are enjoying some of the best programs offered by the Texas A&M University System universities at the RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s College of Business has several professors based at the campus teaching accounting, finance, management, and marketing courses – allowing students to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree.

Christopher Potter, senior business major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, is the epitome of Islander pride. Led by a fascination with the University’s origins and a desire to share that information with others, Potter created a documentary detailing the entire history of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Shakas up” to Gino Montalvo `12, who earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The former radio host, turned real estate agent, is starring in a new HGTV pilot called “Shoring the House,” which is set in Corpus Christi.

A total of 29 new members will be inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing on Thursday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

A group 15 faculty members and students representing the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi gave a total of seven presentations at the 44th Annual Transcultural Nursing Society Conference, which was held Oct. 18-20 in San Antonio.

In a moving demonstration of how we’re all connected, Islanders gathered to spread a paper chain across campus. Faculty, staff, and students christened each link with words of encouragement displaying their caring for each member of the University.

On Aug. 2, a total of 35 undergraduates, four graduates, one doctoral student, and one community nurse leader were inducted into the Eta Omicron chapter of Sigma Theta Tau in front of their friends and family.

More than 200 Islander faculty, staff, students, and local dignitaries joined together on Dec. 7 for the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Dedication Ceremony of the Dr. Robert R. Furgason Engineering Building. President Emeritus Furgason joined the Island University in 1990 as its ninth president, serving the institution with dedication and leadership for 14 years.

Dr. Celil Ekici, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi assistant professor of mathematics, received the Max. E. Lundquest Rising Star STEM Educator Award at the International STEM Education Association’s 2018 conference in Branson, Missouri in October.

For decades, the Earth’s environment has been changing rapidly as a result of human activities such as urbanization, pollution, and habitat destruction. However, our knowledge of how our species affect biodiversity and natural resources is limited due to a lack of long-term studies that span from before humans began to influence our environment to today.

Three Island University students competed in the Fourth Students International Olympiad on Mechanism and Machine Science in Peru.

For decades, the Earth’s environment has been changing rapidly as a result of human activities such as urbanization, pollution, and habitat destruction. However, our knowledge of how our species affect biodiversity and natural resources is limited due to a lack of long-term studies that span from before humans began to influence our environment to today.

It’s not every day that a college student has the chance to participate in a national conference, let alone attend one in their own backyard. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi students were excited to have this unique opportunity in mid-November as the Texas Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) held its biannual meeting on campus for the first time. Students and faculty from across the state of Texas came to the Island University to engage in thoughtful discussion and idea sharing.

Bacteria are a natural part of life and can be found everywhere. However, while unavoidable, bacteria are not something to be afraid of, according to Nicole Elledge, a Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Ph.D. student in the marine biology program who received a $9,000 Eugene and Millicent Goldschmidt Graduate Student Award last year. The funds helped her to kick-start her research on tracking bacteria that indicate fecal contamination in Corpus Christi Bay. While it may be a gross study, it’s one that’s important.

While prime-time TV shows would have us believing it only takes one hour to solve a crime, Dr. Wendi Pollock, associate professor of criminal justice at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, knows that’s not the case and has made it her mission to prepare the next generation of real-life criminal justice heroes.

While foster care students in Texas are already eligible for tuition and fee waivers at public universities, Island Harbor, which was created in partnership with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, provides waivers for on-campus housing and a meal plan as well as other support services.

More than 200 Islander faculty, staff, students, and local dignitaries joined together on Dec. 7 for the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Dedication Ceremony of the Dr. Robert R. Furgason Engineering Building. President Emeritus Furgason joined the Island University in 1990 as its ninth president, serving the institution with dedication and leadership for 14 years.

The Island University is painting the town! Students, faculty, staff, local residents, and tourists driving to campus are now greeted with Islander Pride at the corner of Ennis Joslin and SPID with the addition of Islander blue and green to the once-grey underpass columns.

A total of 29 new members will be inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing on Thursday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

The College of Liberal Arts and the Department of English at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi hosted the inaugural Corpus Christi Word Fest on Nov. 7.

Preparations are underway at the Island University for Homecoming Week 2019, set to take place Sunday, Feb. 3, through Saturday, Feb. 9. For details on Homecoming 2019 events, visit IslanderHoco.com.

The Joan Aleshire and LeRoy Arthur Ufkes Excellence Fund in Spanish was established by Dr. Frances M. Ufkes `15, Islander alumna, in memory of her parents. Although she had a successful career first as a geography professor at Dartmouth College and then as a hospital administrator in Iowa, Ufkes discovered a new passion while working with Spanish speaking patients at a clinic in the Rio Grande Valley. Ufkes created this annual scholarship and other special awards to inspire other Islanders to discover the wonders of Spanish and to help the Spanish-speaking community of South Texas.

From a relaxing boat ride to the Laguna Madre Field Station to a feast of savory Cajun-style shrimp, Islander alumni, faculty, and staff enjoyed an idyllic afternoon of science, food, and sunshine as part of the 2018 Alumni Shrimp Boil, hosted by the College of Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on Oct. 27.

While foster care students in Texas are already eligible for tuition and fee waivers at public universities, Island Harbor, which was created in partnership with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, provides waivers for on-campus housing and a meal plan as well as other support services.

“We only have one life to live, so make it a great life – or not. The choice is yours.” These words are what Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi outstanding graduate Jesse Dolin lives by. Dolin, who will graduate on Dec. 15 alongside 832 other Islanders, will receive a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

More than 200 Islander faculty, staff, students, and local dignitaries joined together on Dec. 7 for the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Dedication Ceremony of the Dr. Robert R. Furgason Engineering Building. President Emeritus Furgason joined the Island University in 1990 as its ninth president, serving the institution with dedication and leadership for 14 years.

Dr. Celil Ekici, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi assistant professor of mathematics, received the Max. E. Lundquest Rising Star STEM Educator Award at the International STEM Education Association’s 2018 conference in Branson, Missouri in October.

The Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi attended a forum hosted by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) Academic Network from July 30 to Aug. 3.

The public now has online access to these historical and legally significant documents, the earliest of which are the Blucher Family Papers, thanks to a partnership between Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Special Collections and Archives Department at the Mary and Jeff Bell Library and the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science.

Dr. Tianxing Chu, assistant research scientist at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science, and researchers from Wuhan University, China, created an app to improve smartphone limitations when it comes to GPS.

Dr. Michael Starek, associate professor of geospatial systems engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, received a $41,084 grant from the National Academies of Sciences' Gulf Research Program Scientific Research Disaster Recovery Grants.

Nestled on the second floor of the Mary & Jeff Bell Library, Graduate Resource and Opportunity Workplace, better known as GROW, facilitates the unique needs of graduate students. The space is a comprehensive resource at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi that illustrates commitment to service excellence for more than 2,200 currently enrolled graduate students.

An information session about Study in America will be held Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the University Center, room 310. All interested students are invited to attend.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi doctoral student Kevin Nelson spent eight weeks at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center conducting proprietary research on the development of new algorithms used to identify extreme precipitation events as well as examine their spatiotemporal and physical characteristics.

VANTAGE, which stands for Vocational Awareness and Team-Based Girls Empowerment, challenged the young ladies to explore career opportunities, gain leadership skills and establish meaningful relationships with high-achieving women in the community.