College Highlights

Archer College of Health and Human Services

The Department of Nursing has received a two-year, $197,942 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to develop and implement an innovative new recruiting strategy with the goal of increasing enrollment in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree program. Shannon Medical Center will serve as the clinical partner for the project.

Dr. Drew Curtis of the psychology faculty has published his fourth book, “Big Liars: What Psychological Science Tells Us About Lying and How You Can Avoid Being Duped.” The book investigates the science behind “big liars” – those rare people who use lies as their principal way of navigating life.

The Department of Nursing added several new computerized mannequins in the High-Fidelity Simulation Lab. Purchased from Gaumard, the mannequins can mimic virtually any human symptom or condition, including childbirth. They supplement the students’ clinical education and provide additional hands-on experience to prepare our future nurses to start their careers.

College of Arts and Humanities

The ASU Chorale and Dr. Eric Posada, director of choral activities, have been invited by Manhattan Concert Productions to perform at the storied Carnegie Hall in New York City this spring. Posada will direct the New York City Chamber Orchestra and a Festival Choir for their 2024 Masterwork Series Concert on March 11, and the ASU Chorale will sing a Spotlight Performance during the concert.

ASU political science students Hanne Campbell of Boise, Idaho, and Isabela Casillas of San Angelo both won top individual awards at the 27th annual Eugene Scassa Mock Organization of American States Collegiate Summit of the Americas Conference at Baylor University. Campbell won the Recognized Crisis Response Head of State Address Award, and Casillas won a Distinguished Delegate Award.

Dr. Laurence Musgrove, a professor of English, has published his fourth book, a collection of poems titled “A Stranger’s Heart.” It contains 67 poems written by Musgrove between 2015-22, including “Fiat Lux,” which he wrote for ASU’s annual Ram Remembrance Ceremony.

The ASU Ram Band marched and performed in the Rome New Year’s Parade in Italy. It was also the University Band that performed at the UIL Texas State Marching Competition in October in San Antonio. It also hosted nearly 400 area high school musicians for the annual Ram Band Experience program in November.

The Department of Security Studies and Criminal Justice continued its collaboration with Goodfellow AFB and ASU’s ROTC Detachment 847 for the 2023 installment of the Doolittle Speaker Series in October. They hosted Dr. Joseph Bassi, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, for a presentation on U.S. space policy and the creation of the Space Force.

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts has its largest-ever number of music majors (98) for the 2023-24 academic year, and the ASU Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

College of Education

Dr. Tia Agan, chair of the Department of Teacher Education, has been elected president of the Texas Association of Teacher Educators (TxATE) and will serve a one-year term that runs through June 2024. TxATE is a state organization for college and university faculty in teacher preparation programs.

ASU’s Mu Gamma chapter of the Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) international honor society for education has received a 2023 Achieving Chapter Excellence (ACE) Award from the KDP national organization for chapter activities during 2021-23. Awarded every two years, the ACE Award is the highest honor a KDP chapter can earn. Only nine of the more than 670 KDP chapters won 2023 ACE Awards.

Dr. Scarlet Clouse, dean of the College of Education, received the 2023 Ted Booker Memorial Award for outstanding contributions in the field of teacher education at the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education (CSOTTE) Annual Conference. Established in 1972, the Booker Award honors educators for consistent distinguished service.

College of Science and Engineering

The Department of Physics and Geosciences hosted hundreds of students, faculty, staff and community members for a day of activities surrounding the viewing of the annular solar eclipse in October. Free eclipse glasses and several alternative viewing methods were provided, and other activities included free shows in the ASU Planetarium and a College and Community Fair outside the Vincent Building.

The college hosted the joint national meeting of the Texas Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Society of Physics Students, and the Texas Section of the American Physical Society in October. Hundreds of physics students, teachers and professionals attended the two-day event on campus.

The college co-hosted over 500 Junior ROTC cadets from area high schools and over 50 fifth graders from the Starbase Goodfellow program for an Air Force Global Strike Command – Project Tuskegee day-long event in October. The students split their time between viewing various static aircraft at Mathis Field Airport and attending a STEM Fest on the ASU campus.

All of the departments in the college hosted Fall Lab Night in November. It brought nearly 150 K-12 students and more than 250 other visitors to campus for an evening of STEM activities in the Vincent Building and Hunter Strain Engineering Labs.

Norris-Vincent College of Business

Dr. Jamal Husein, professor of economics, has been selected to hold the Norris Family Chair in Business for a second consecutive five-year term. An endowed chair is the most prestigious academic appointment available for university faculty and includes funding to supplement the holder’s scholarly research and public service activities. Husein joined the ASU faculty in 2002.

The NVCOB began offering its Excellence in Banking program this fall, including a new Certificate in Banking. Jim Raymond has been hired to direct the program, which is designed to provide graduates with the skills needed to be successful commercial bankers.

Undergraduate enrollment in the NVCOB has reached an all-time high for 2023-24 with 1,077 students. Contributing factors include the college earning AACSB International accreditation and the popularity of its commercial aviation degree program, which now enrolls over 130 students.

The Department of Management and Marketing has added a new master’s degree, the Master of Science in hospital and healthcare facilities administration. It combines MBA healthcare classes with a one-year, paid, on-site residency.