McMurry Faculty/Staff News
LATEST REVISION APRIL 8, 2011 - ABILENE, TX

• The McMurry Chapter of the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) has been nominated for ATPE Local Unit of the Year. Nicole Thomas and Barbara Busbee are President and Vice-President of the local chapter. The awards will be given in July at the state convention in Austin, Texas. University sponsors are Dr. Perry K. Haley Brown and Mrs. Gae Lynn McInroe.

• Dr. Perry K. Haley Brown, Dean of the McMurry School of Education, has been named the chair of the Cisco College Child Development/Early Childhood Advisory Committee. She has served on the committee for the last eight years. Dr. Emily Dean, Chairperson of Curriculum and Instruction will join the Cisco College Advisory Committee as a new member for 2011. The committee reviews and comments on course content and materials that are used in the Cisco College Child Development/Early Childhood Program. They also recommend changes for upgrading and improving the childcare program and monitor the program to make sure that all course content is within the state guidelines.

• Starting Sunday, Feb 27, McMurry University Religion Professor Dr. Bryan Stewart will be doing a seven-part teaching series at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Breckenridge, TX on "Cyril of Jerusalem’s Lenten Lectures" to correspond with the upcoming Lenten season.

• McMurry University Professor Dr. Joel G. Brant, was honored at this year’s Texas Society of Mammologists (TSM) meeting through his election as President-Elect. Dr. Brant will serve as President-Elect from February 2011 through February 2012. He will then take the reins as President of TSM from February 2012 through February 2013. Dr. Brant is the second McMurry Faculty member to be so honored, Dr. Robert E. Martin (emeritus) served in these roles from 1998-2000.

• Dori Oiler, McMurry University adjunct instructor of art, was the guest speaker on Monday, January 24, 2011 to over 35 Artists members of the Center for Contemporary Art in Abilene. She spoke on "Family Issues into Art" and showed examples her work, her children’s art and her husband’s art (Brad Oiler, McMurry associate professor of art) as they have dealt with their son David’s Asperger’s Disease. Brad Oiler currently is one of the two featured artists in the main gallery at the CCA until March 2011. Kathie Walker-Millar, McMurry professor of art, is co-president of the CCA organization with Linda Fawcett, Hardin-Simmons professor of art.

• Dr. Jerry W. Hollingsworth, associate professor of sociology at McMurry University, was invited by the University of Arkansas to be the guest speaker at their annual Alpha Kappa Delta meeting on April 22nd. He will present a paper entitled, "Globalization and the Social Problems of Children in Developing Countries," and will also discuss his book, "Children of the Sun: An Ethnographic Study of the Street Children of Latin America."

• McMurry University student Heather Whitehead presented a poster on her research at the Undergraduate Research Day at the Texas Capitol on February 14, 2011. The District 71 representative, Mrs. Susan King, stopped by to quiz Heather on her research.

There were 81 posters from 53 schools at the event. Heather’s poster, entitled Potential Anticancer Agents targeting Arginine Biosynthesis, was one of three from Abilene Universities. This research targets cancer, the second most common cause of death for Americans. An estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the US during 2010. One of the most promising areas for the development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics is arginine biosynthesis. The results of Heather’s research demonstrate that AHPA is a potent ODC inhibitor against cancer. Heather will continue to synthesize new ornithine analogs with various functional groups. Biological activities with different cancer cells will be investigated further. Dr. Hyunshun Shin, a faculty member in the McMurry Department of Chemistry, supervises the research. Dr. Spencer at San Francisco University has also contributed to this research.

• Dr. Perry K. Haley Brown, Dean of the School of Education, has been named the Chair of the Cisco College Child Development/Early Childhood Advisory Committee. She has served on the committee for the last 8 years. Dr. Emily Dean, Chairperson of Curriculum and Instruction will join the Cisco College Advisory Committee as a new member for 2011. The committee reviews and comments on course content and materials that are used in the Cisco College Child Development/Early Childhood Program. They also recommend changes for upgrading and improving the childcare program and monitor the program to make sure that all course content is within the state guidelines.

• McMurry University Professor Bill Libby participated with chaplains and others in the Dyess Air Force Base National Prayer Lunch on Feb. 17. Libby is the only retired military Chaplain living in Abilene and works with the chaplains on the Base as part of the Military Advisory Committee of the Chamber of Commerce. Libby also will present a program on Art and expressions of faith as part of the current exhibit by Mary McCleary at the Grace Museum in downtown Abilene on Feb. 24. McCleary emphasizes faith questions and issues in her work, and several of her works on display use biblical stories or subjects. She was named the 2011 Texas Artist of the Year by the Art League Houston.

• McMurry University Religion Professor Dr. Philip LeMasters was an invited participant at an international theological conference in Saidnaya, Syria, on October 18-22. He presented a paper entitled "Developing the Principles of Just Peace: Reflections from the Experience of the Orthodox Church in North America" and served as an editor of the conference’s final statement. The meeting was co-sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Institute for Theology and Peace, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, and the Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity.

• McMurry University Physics Professors Drs. Wayne Keith and Timothy Renfro and students Michael Herriage, Austin Wegner, and Tylar Murray attended the Region 13 American Physical Society (APS), SPS, and American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) joint conference at UT San Antonio on behalf of the McMurry SPS chapter this past weekend. Students who participated were able to attend presentations given by undergraduates, graduates, and post-graduates over a wide range of research topics. Austin Wegner comments, "I feel like I gained valuable insight on how to give a presentation." Students were also able to tour the Southwest Research Institute where they learned about the institute’s role in several NASA missions and explored some of the facilities where space instrumentation is designed and tested.

• McMurry University English Instructor Nancy Patrick was among the 16 poets who read original poems that will broadcast this fall during the Poet’s Corner segment of KACU’s programming.

• McMurry University Head Football Coach Hal Mumme spoke to the United Methodist Men at St. Paul United Methodist Church. A number of former McMurry students and staff were in attendance to meet Coach Mumme.

• McMurry University Professor Reverend Bill Libby spoke to the Key City Kiwanis luncheon on the traditions and history of the 101st Airborne Division.

• McMurry University Professor Dr. José L. Gómez participated as a presenter in the Texas Foreign Language Association Professional Development Conference at the Omni San Antonio Hotel October 7-9, 2010. The topic was "How to Engage Language Students using interactive activities to make learning fun." The objective was to learn how interactive activities using visual and auditory components help students learn vocabulary and improve their grades. Participants viewed a completed course created in Moodle, which showed different assessments and assignments used to engaged the students in learning. These activities can also enhance students’ learning in other subjects. 

• McMurry University joined Aldersgate United Methodist Church on Sunday, September 19th, to dedicate the new Allen/Moller organ. The Chanters are directed by Dr. David Wallis and now are in their 81st year. The Chanters, along with Dr. Wes Gomer on organ, and trumpet players Dr. Mark Wilcox and senior Kira Good, all collaborated with members of the Aldersgate music program to present a varied musical program. Works by John Rutter, Johann Sebastian Bach, George F. Handel, Jane Marshall and Leopold Mozart featured McMurry talent as many capabilities of the new organ were demonstrated. Aldersgate organist Van Hayes also presented several works for solo organ to showcase the organ’s potential.

• Dr. Don Frazier of the McMurry History Department spoke to the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Fort Worth September 20. He also received a book prize form the American Association for State and Local History in Oklahoma City on September 24 and spoke to the North Side Rotary Club on September 27. His future activities include assisting with a Strategic Planning workshop for the Texas Historical Foundation in Houston on October 18, speaking at the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Houston, Oct. 20 and speaking at a conference marking the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War in early December in Gilmer, Texas.

• Dr. Paul Smith, Professor of Kinesiology, at McMurry University, has received recognition from the American College of Sports Medicine for 25 years of continuous membership and service to ACSM.

• Dr. Ed Donnay of the McMurry Chemistry Department conducted an experiment for the 5th grade McMurry Math/Science Magnet class to show how damaging freezing water can be. Dr. Donnay prepared and capped several pipes–metal, a metal elbow joint, and a PVC section–filled with water. The pipes were submerged in liquid nitrogen in order to freeze the water inside. The pipes will split down the side or along a seam with a loud report. The experiment concluded by the class predicting and then experimenting to find out how freezing with liquid nitrogen affects other items, like a racquetball or oyster crackers.

• Dr. Jeffery Kinlaw, Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at McMurry University, gave an invited paper at the meeting of the North American Fichte Society in Lisbon, Portugal.  The meeting included 25 presenters from eight different countries. 

• McMurry University Religion Professor Dr. John Miller served in the procession as the representative of Princeton Theological Seminary, his alma mater, at the inauguration of Abilene Christian University’s new president Dr. Phil Schubert on Monday, August 23.

• The McMurry chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta, a national honor society for freshmen,  has received a 2010 Delta Gold award from the national Council of ALD for having a 77% increase in membership from 2008-’09 to ‘2009-’10.  Membership in ALD is offered to freshmen who earn a GPA of at least 3.5 during the first semester of college. Dr. Phil LeMasters, director of the McMurry University Honors Program, is the faculty sponsor for the organization.

• More than 220 high school and middle school age students participated in McMurry University's thriving Summer Band Camp this summer.  A separate marching percussion camp was added, which brought in 29 students.  Drum major and color guard specialty areas were also offered, along with a wide variety of music electives. The camp was directed by Keith Lloyd, Staci Spring, Mark Wilcox, featured guest conductor David Holsinger, and 30 faculty and student staff.

• Dr. Pug Parris, professor of kinesiology at McMurry University, directed seven staff development training workshops for Texas Physical Educators during the summer.  Her travels took her to Waco, Frisco, Amarillo, Del Rio, Sonora, Brownwood, and San Angelo.