MavWire 2016 Archive » MavWire — Wednesday, June 8, 2016

EPA-UTA agreement: EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry, left, shakes hands with UTA President Vistasp Karbhari at the signing of an understanding to support EPA education and outreach programs.

UTA, EPA agree to enhance workforce in key areas of national need

The Environmental Protection Agency and UTA are partnering to strengthen collaboration aimed at meeting the national need for highly trained and skilled personnel in areas of environmental engineering and science, policy, and research.

UTA President Vistasp Karbhari has signed a memorandum of understanding with EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry formalizing the relationship.

UTA will continue to support EPA education and outreach programs through the University’s Environmental Training Institute and its Occupational Safety and Health Administration Education Center, while strengthing areas of mutual interest and increasing opportunities for student mentorship and internships.

Read more.

Dr. David LaFevor

Researcher to digitize history of slaves, other endangered documents in Cuba

David LaFevor, an assistant professor of Latin American history and digital humanities, will scour the oldest seven cities in Cuba to digitize parish registers that detail the lives of millions of African and Afro-Cuban slaves. The research is funded, in part, by a $50,000 grant from the British Library Endangered Archives Programme.

Dr. LaFevor is leading the two-year project with a $50,000 grant from the British Library Endangered Archives Programme.

Read more.

Fair dealings: Students in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs recently finished a study on Fair Park that proposed pathways to encourage visitors to spend more time near the most popular attractions.

Institute of Urban Studies’ students propose changes for Dallas’ Fair Park

Dallas’ Fair Park should be reconfigured to connect major corridors with adjacent neighborhoods and to create pathways that encourage visitors to spend more time near the most popular attractions, according to a new study by College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs students. 

The study envisions Fair Park as a vibrant, people-friendly amenity that would serve surrounding neighborhoods and the entire city year-round by removing fencing, adding parks, connecting with specific public transportation routes, and more.

The recommendations are detailed in the proposal "Fair Park: The Reinvigoration of a National Treasure," the result of a five-month study by graduate students affiliated with CAPPA’s Institute of Urban Studies.

Read more.

Candidate forums for dean of College of Education begin Thursday

The first candidate for dean of the College of Education will have a session open to the University community at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, June 9, in Room 100 of Science Hall.

Teresa Taber Doughty is associate dean for learning at Purdue University where she is a professor of educational studies and head of academic services in College of Education. An inductee of the Purdue Book of Great Teachers, Center for Instructional Excellence, Dr. Doughty earned a bachelor’s degree at Auburn University and master's and doctoral degrees at Georgia State University. The online survey for Dr. Doughty ends at noon Friday, June 10.

Other candidates are scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday, June 13, and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, both in Room 204 of the Architecture Building. The candidate's name will be released 24 hours in advance of his or her campus visit.

Visit the Senior Leadership Searches webpage to learn more about the dean search for the College of Education as details become available.

Mav Milestones Read the latest entries in Mav Milestones on what President Vistasp Karbhari says about Commencement, the retirees' dinner, and a presentation with Mansfield schools.

Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability signs first international city

UTA's Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability has its first international city member.

The city of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, a city of more than three million residents, has signed a five-year $375,000 commitment. Many consider the city as Ethiopia’s commercial and cultural hub.

Civil engineering Professor Sahadat Hossain, the institute's director, started the SWIS to provide leadership and expertise to countries and cities around the globe in how to make waste management and landfills more efficient and sustainable. Locally, the cities of Denton and Irving are charter members of SWIS. They signed on for a five-year, $250,000 commitment.

UTA Flow changes improve hiring processes

On Monday, June 13, UTA Flow forms to create, modify, and add new assignments will have new functions to expedite faculty hiring.

New options include:

• A push-back button to request changes without canceling or rejecting the form
• Returned forms sent to requestor in draft mode to be resubmitted at a later time
• Reminder notifications on the third, fifth, and seventh day after the submission date
• A warning message that a push back option is available for corrective actions

For details, visit the Business Affairs Training website. For questions, contact Ana Millan at ana.millan@uta.edu or Maria Martinez-Cosio at mcosio@uta.edu or call 2-3302.

Need bookcases? Facilities has them

The Office of Facilities Management has several nice bookcases in different sizes, colors, and styles in storage.

Call Kenny Jefferson at 2-0567 if interested.

Pathways between Carlisle, Preston, Ransom halls temporarily closed

To facilitate a construction project at Carlisle Hall, fencing and scaffolding has been installed around the perimeter of the building and the current pedestrian pathways have been closed between Carlisle Hall, Preston Hall, and Ransom Hall for 30-60 days.

Signs will be placed around the area to identify the modified pathways.

For questions or concerns, contact Nick Myers at nmyers@uta.edu or Don Lange at donlange@uta.edu.

IT maintenance scheduled Saturday

The Office of Information Technology will perform maintenance midnight-4 a.m. Saturday, June 11, for equipment required for outside local and long-distance telephone service. Outside telephone service may be affected.

Service disruption is not anticipated, but if it does happen, go to the system status page for updates. For questions, contact the Help Desk at 2-2208 or helpdesk@uta.edu.

Dr. Anne Bavier

Vote for Bavier as influential in health care

Cast your vote for Anne Bavier, dean for the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, as one of the 100 most influential people in health care.

Modern Healthcare magazine has placed a list of 300 people, including Dr. Bavier, on an online ballot.

Voting takes only a few seconds. Go to the Modern Healthcare site, scroll down to Anne Bavier (names are listed alphabetically by last name), and vote. Then continue scrolling to the bottom, click Next, and scroll to the bottom of the second page and click Next. On the last page, click Done.

Anyone can vote through Friday, June 24, so encourage your family and friends to participate.

Campus police, UTA Libraries want your feedback

The UTA Police Department seeks your opinion regarding its performance in serving the community. Take the survey to give your input to enhance UTA PD's professionalism and the services provided to faculty, staff, students, and visitors. The survey ends Thursday, June 30.

Share your opinions with UTA Libraries in a simple, anonymous, and confidential survey. Complete the survey. Questions or comments? Email utalibqual@listserv.uta.edu.

Get Texas Rangers discount tickets

To claim discounted tickets for select Texas Rangers' home games, visit texasrangers.com/grouptickets, click on the University of Texas at Arlington, and use the password GOMAVS.

Learn what's up for 2016-17 at Benefits Fair

Mark your calendar for the UTA Benefits Fair 9 a.m.-noon Monday, July 25, in the second floor lounge at the Maverick Activities Center. Benefit highlights for the new 2016-2017 benefit year will be discussed. Insurance and financial vendors and representatives from the Office of Employee Benefits in Austin will be there to answer questions. Door prizes will be awarded. For questions, contact the Office of Human Resources at benefits@uta.edu or 2-5554.

Annual Enrollment for benefits begins July 15

Watch for an Annual Enrollment newsletter via email by Wednesday, July 6. The retiree edition print version should arrive by mail by July 15. Annual Enrollment runs Friday, July 15-Sunday, July 31.

Employment information

Check out employment opportunities at uta.edu/jobs. Have questions? Call Human Resources/Employment Services at 2-3461 or TDD 2-8139, or email employment@uta.edu. The University of Texas at Arlington is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Thursday, June 9

UTA Flow Training Session Learn new functions available for UTA Flow HR forms. 2-3 p.m., College of Science and 3:30-4:30 p.m., College of Business, both in Room 609, Business Building. Also, Friday, June 10, 10:30-11:30 a.m., College of Engineering, Room 132, Engineering Research Building, and 2-3 p.m., College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, College of Education, College of Nursing, and School of Social Work, Room 211, Pickard Hall. Business Affairs.

Procard Register online. 8:30-10:30 a.m., Room E200C, Continuing Education Building. Business Affairs.

Advanced Supervisory Skills Register online. 2-4 p.m., Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Tuesday, June 14

Timekeeper Register online. 8:30-10:30 a.m., Room E200C, Continuing Education Building. Business Affairs.

Wednesday, June 15

Timekeeper Lab Register online. 2:30-4:30 p.m., Room E200C, Continuing Education Building. Business Affairs.

Leading Career Development Discussions Register online. 2-4 p.m., Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Friday, June 24

UTARI Lunch and Learn Robert Taylor, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, "Physics-First Design for Advanced Manufacture of Structural Components." Register online. Shuttle available. Lunch provided. Noon, UTA Research Institute, 7300 Jack Newell Blvd. S., Fort Worth. UTA Research Institute.

Coming Up

Business Affairs Training Register online. Travel and Expenses, 1:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16; Financial Statements and the Reconciliation Process, 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, June 21; and Position and Workforce Management, 8:30-10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 23. All in Room E200C, Continuing Education Building. Business Affairs.

Human Resources Training Register online. Leading My Career Forward, 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, June 22; Partnering with Your Boss, 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, June 28; Professional Telephone Techniques, 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, June 29; Team Building for Supervisors, 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, July 13; Leadership Skills for Supervisors, 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, July 19; Managing Stress in the Workplace, 2-4 p.m. Thursday, July 21; Motivating Your Employees, 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, July 26; Fundamental Skills for Supervisors and Managers, 9-11 p.m. Thursday, July 28; Dealing with Difficult Employees and People, 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2; Effective Delegation, 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9; and Coaching Skills for Supervisors, 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10. All in Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

(For an expanded list of events, see the Events Calendar.)

Intramural deadline for softball

Upcoming intramural sport deadlines are softball, June 15; sand volleyball and racquetball, June 22; billiards, June 30; badminton, July 12; basketball, July 13; poker, July 21; and MavStrong, Aug. 11.

See the intramural sports schedule. Pick up entry forms at the Services and Information Desk of the Maverick Activities Center. For questions, call 2-3277 or email imsports@uta.edu.

(For more sports news, go to utamavs.com, uta.edu/movinmavs, or uta.edu/campusrec.)

Free outdoor movies return Bring a chair or a blanket, a picnic, and friends for outdoor movies each Thursday on the west lawn behind the Maverick Activities Center. Enjoy free popcorn courtesy of EXCEL Campus Activities. Showtime is 9 p.m. Thursdays through July. Movies scheduled are: June 9, Zootopia (PG) June 16, Finding Nemo (G) June 23, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (PG-13) June 30, Barbershop: The Next Cut (PG-13) July 14, Space Jam (PG) July 21, The Boss (R) July 28, The Jungle Book (PG)

Wednesday, June 8

Dallas Wings Dallas Wings vs. Washington Mystics. Tickets $15-$50. 7:30 p.m., College Park Center. Also, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11, vs. Los Angeles Sparks; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16, vs. Seattle Storm; 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, vs. Phoenix Mercury; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23, vs. San Antonio Stars; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 25, vs. Indiana Fever; and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 2, vs. Connecticut Sun. All at College Park Center.

Ongoing

Visual Resources Gallery: 'Ritual and Animism: Visual Investigations of the Soul and Supernatural in African Art and Artifacts' See how animals are part of life and the afterlife in artwork and artifacts from the Campbell-Dowdey and Brodie African Art collections. Gallery hours 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Through Aug. 26. Visual Resources Gallery, Suite 2109, Fine Arts Building. Art and Art History.

Planetarium The summer schedule includes Dynamic Earth; One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure; Pink Floyd; Secret of the Cardboard Rocket; Spacepark 360: Infinity; Texas Stargazing; and We Are Astronomers. Through Aug. 28. Planetarium.

UTA Libraries: 'Academic Evolution: The University of Texas at Arlington' An exhibition of UTA's academic history. Through Aug. 31. Sixth floor, Central Library. UTA Libraries.

CAPPA Gallery: 'End of Year Show' A selection of student works from the architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design programs. Gallery hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Second floor gallery. Through Aug. 31. Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.

UTA Libraries: 'Building a Barrier-Free Campus' Explore how UTA began to become a model accessible campus for students with disabilities. Sixth floor parlor, Central Library. Through Sept. 16. UTA Libraries, History, College of Liberal Arts’ Festival of Global Ideas, Office for Students with Disabilities.

(For an expanded list of events, see the Events Calendar.)