Buzzcuts

NEW CHANCELLOR NAMED. R.D. (Dan) Burck was appointed the eighth chancellor of the University of Texas System in December. Burck had served as interim chancellor for business affairs and was named executive vice chancellor for business affairs in 1992. Prior to joining U.T. System, he spent 33 years in private industry.

PERFECT PASS. One hundred percent of the students who graduated from UTA's Nurse Practitioner Program between September 1998 and August 1999 passed the National Certification Exam on their first attempt. The national pass rate typically varies from 70 percent to 85 percent, based on the area of specialization.

TOP OF THE HEAP. A UTA Army ROTC team won first place last fall in the Ranger Challenge, a 27-hour competition designed to test physical fitness, military skills, mental endurance, teamwork and leadership. Held at Fort Hood in Killeen, the competition featured 29 teams from 22 universities in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

ONLINE EDUCATION.UTA's online English as a Second Language Endorsement Program has won the Excellence for a Credit Program award in the University Continuing Education Association Region III. The program allows Texas teachers to complete graduate course work in reading and English as a second language. Offered via the UT TeleCampus, the program is a joint effort of the School of Education and the Center for Distance Education.

BUILDING WITH SCIENCE. UTA plans to seek funding during the 77th legislative session for a $43.1 million science facility to replace Science Hall. If approved and constructed as planned, the 150,000-square-foot structure will be built just south of Carlisle and Ransom halls and be ready for classes in fall 2004. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the UT System Board of Regents also must approve the project.

LONE STAR GREATNESS. The Fort Worth Business Press has named nursing Dean Elizabeth Poster one of five Great Women of Texas for 1999-2000. Dr. Poster was honored for her achievements in health care and higher education and for her efforts to build and maintain community relationships for the School of Nursing and UTA.

MOVIN' ON UP. Jim Hayes, head coach of the Movin' Mavs wheelchair basketball team, was named Man of the Year by the Arlington nonprofit agency, Helping Restore Ability. Hayes, former director of the UTA Office for Students with Disabilities, has led the Movin' Mavs to five national championships.

MAKING ITS MARK. The Shorthorn, UTA's campus newspaper, was one of 18 college newspapers to receive the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award for 2000. The award recognized a series of articles that traced the history of UTA football and explored its possible reinstatement. The Shorthorn and The University of Texas at Austin student newspaper were the only Texas winners of the award.

MEDAL WINNER. President Emeritus W.H. Nedderman recently received the Anston Marston Medal, the highest award given by the Iowa State College of Engineering. Criteria include a minimum of 30 years of outstanding achievement and contributions to engineering. Dr. Nedderman received his bachelor's degree and Ph.D. from Iowa State.

ROAD TO SUCCESS. Inroads/Dallas-Fort Worth has named its highest honor after Zeb Strong, assistant dean of students and director of multicultural services at UTA. Inroads awarded its MVP Award to Strong in August for his dedication to the organization, which selects minority students for Fortune 500 company internships. At the awards ceremony, the organization announced it was renaming the honor the Zeb Strong MVP Award.

NEW MONEY. UTA has received the second highest allocation of library, equipment, repair and rehabilitation (LERR) funding for 2000-2001 among the nine academic institutions in the UT System. The LERR funds total more than $3.2 million and will be used for projects that include upgrading 11 engineering instructional labs and developing eight new ones.

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