The end of the semester was a bit a a relief to everyone. Not only did HSU confer the most degrees in it's history, but the athletic department sent all teams to post season play. I think everyone needed a good pool party. So Dr. Craig Turner, university president, gathered the vice presidents together, heated up the grill, and served faculty and staff at the second annual Burger Bash on May 18th. Here Mr. Wayne Roy, special assistant to the president, serves a hot dog to Samantha McMillan, daughter of Forrest and Leianne McMillan.

The HSU Concert Band received good news. They were selected among all universities of similar size in a six state region to perform at the annual College Band Directors National Association regional convention next February. This was the first time HSU's band has ever been accorded what Dr. Wayne Dorothy, director, notes is "the most prestigious invitation a university band can receive." A total of 8 bands were selected, but those schools are three to 12 times the size of Hardin Simmons. HSU will present the opening concert of the convention followed by: Texas State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Arkansas, University of Missouri, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Washburn University, and Truman State University.

Visitors to the HSU Dyess Welcome Center can now tour the campus in style with the addition of the official welcome wagon.

Prospective student Chad Gray and his parents try out the new cart as they visit the campus as guests of HSU golf coach David Sherman. The cart will be used during inclement weather and to assist visitor with mobility challenges. The Gray family is chauffered by HSU's Megan Segars.

The 2007 edition of the Abilene Summer Music Festival gets underway June 10th as top junior high and high school musicians take performance to a higher level on the Hardin-Simmons University campus. The festival is dedicated to enriching the lives of West Texans by bringing quality chamber and orchestra concerts to the Abilene community, while providing educational opportunities to young musicians through advanced instruction in a supportive environment.

A premiere regional summer music program now in its seventh year, the 2007 festival spotlights students from South Dakota, Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin, and Midland, as well as many talented performers from Abilene. The curriculum features three symphony orchestras, chamber music, composition, conducting, world music ensemble, music history, music theory, technique class, performance class, master class, camper mixer, recreation, and a grand finale concert at the Abilene Civic Center.

Abilene Mayor Norm Archibald treats campers and the Grand Finale audience to a guest performance as narrator for Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” which incorporates fragments of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The concert includes excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Bizet’s Carmen Suite No.1 under the direction of internationally acclaimed conductor, Jason Lim.

The Grand Finale, scheduled for 3:00, Jun 16, is one of four performance opportunities open to Abilene residents. The music begins with a faculty concert June 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the Woodward-Dellis Recital Hall on the HSU campus, and continues with the ArtWalk Student Concert at the Civic Center June 14th at 6:00. The Student Chamber Music Recital follows on June 15th at 7:00 p.m. in Woodward-Dellis. There is no charge to the public for any of the performances.

There's a lot going on musically at the University it seems. The University Chorale is preparing for a European Tour. They were invited to the Switzerland Choral Festivale July 2, and will continue to Austria where they will perform the restored Mozart Fragment recently restored and performed as a world premiere in Abilene. The group will perform the piece in the same church
the original piece would have been performed in had the work been completed.

It's going to be a great summer as camps kick off and as students head for the far corners of the world. We'll try to keep you abreast of their stories as they unfold.

Posted by Dave Coffield · May 31, 2007 4:18 PM · Comments (0)

A very resourceful Abilene High senior earned a huge financial head start to college when she learned her submission for the Hardin-Simmons University/KRBC, “Free Ride” scholarship competition was chosen as the winning entry. Kathryn Holland, a future violin performance major, beat out over 25 extremely creative entries from as far away as Colorado.

A scene from Kathryn Holland's "Free Ride" video

The judges, representing HSU’s Enrollment Services and Marketing departments, announced the selection live on a remote KRBC broadcast Wednesday, May 23, on the HSU lawn. Holland receives a one-year full-ride scholarship to HSU valued at $16,050 for her inspired production. “When contacted after the announcement, Holland said, “I just can’t believe it! I really had no idea I could actually win.”

Graduating high school seniors were given the challenge to craft a 60-second video with the theme, “Why I’m Right for HSU.” “Kathryn’s video integrated everything we were hoping for from the entries for this contest,” said Leland Harden, HSU’s vice president for Institutional Advancement and one of the judges, “She was able to weave a persuasive presentation very effectively into the context of the theme while displaying creativity, high production value, wit, and planning.”

Holland already has a good feel for HSU; she’s the private student of Dr. Peter Isaacson, assistant professor of Violin at HSU, “I’m thrilled for her, she’s talented, bright, and a very hard worker.”
Her Abilene High School (AHS) orchestra instructor, HSU alumna Darcy Radcliffe, is delighted, “Kathryn is an incredibly talented and creative student who really blossoms when she does something outside the box like this. It’s so gratifying, as a teacher, to see her acknowledged in such a spectacular way.”
Holland is the third chair violin in the AHS Orchestra, a member of the All-Region Orchestra, and performs with the AHS fiddle group, “Revolution, which recently cut a CD and performed on National Public Radio.

The contest was a win-win situation says Amanda Etter, HSU marketing director, “This is a great service by KRBC, and an awesome opportunity for high school students to contribute to the energetic atmosphere of our campus. Prospective students can begin to feel connected, be a part of the creative environment that makes our University unique, and now one has won a full tuition scholarship for a year. We wanted students to show us why they are ready to be a part of the “Forty Acres,” and that they are more than just a name on an application.”

You can view Kathryn’s winning video at: http://reporternews.com/news/2007/may/23/ahs-senior-wins-hsu-free-ride-contest/ Just copy and paste the address into your browswer window and enjoy.

Posted by Dave Coffield · May 24, 2007 9:43 AM · Comments (0)

Four Hardin-Simmons University degree candidates were singled out for exceptional accomplishment at commencement exercises on Saturday, May 12th. In a bow to the exceptional academic record of the HSU athletic program, student athletes received all of the undergraduate honors this Spring.

Virginia Aguilar receives the Olsen Medal

Virginia Aguilar, of Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii, a Business Administration in Computer Science major, was named the recipient of the Julius Nelson Olsen Medal. Named to the President’s List eight semesters, Aguilar demonstrated academic excellence while achieving a cumulative grade point average of 4.0, the Outstanding Computer Science Award, the Kelley-Tucker Honor Medal, and being named a Kelley-Tucker endowed Business Scholar. She is a member of Delta Mu Delta business honor society, Kappa Mu Epsilon mathematics honor society, and gamma Beta Phi national honor society.
She is a member of Epsilon Pi Alpha service sorority, Students in Free Enterprise, and served as President of the student chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals.

Aguilar played varsity volleyball for four years, is an Academic All-American 1st Team, American Southwest Conference Player of the Year, and was voted Most Valuable Player by her teammates. She is the daughter of Victor and Priscilla Aguilar.

Established in 1914, the Olsen Medal is awarded annually at Spring Commencement to the graduate who has the highest grade average, exemplifies the highest in scholarly achievement, and has completed 90 semester hours of residence credit at HSU.

Lauren Williams Schaub receives the Minnie L. Anderson Award

Lauren Williams Schaub was named the recipient of the Minnie L. Anderson Award. A Biology major, with a double minor in biochemistry and psychology, she was named to the President’s List for eight consecutive semesters, earning a cumulative 4.0 grade point average. A member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, an officer in Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society, and recipient of a Holland Scholarship, Schaub worked in the Richardson Library, and was a lab assistant and tutor for the Biology Department.

Active at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, she is a volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Meals on Wheels, Mission Abilene, and Love and Care Ministries. She is the daughter of Kirk and Cindy Williams of Lubbock, and is married to Paul Schaub. Schaub was a member of the varsity golf team for two years, was a varsity cheerleader, and a was active in numerous intramural sports.

The award is presented to a senior woman who excels in character, personal development, service to the university, and completes three or more years of residence credit at HSU.


Roy Lehman receives the George Skiles Anderson Award

Roy Lehman, of Vernon, Texas, a Biology major an Biochemistry minor, is the recipient of the George Skiles Anderson Award. Named to the Presidents List 8 consecutive semesters, he has a cumulative grade point average of 4.0. Lehman is a member of Gamma Beta Phi service fraternity, a Who’s Who Among American College Students, won the HSU Board of Young Associates Tomorrow’s Leaders Today award, and the Holland Medal as the top Biology student graduating in 2007. He received the Holland Scholarship in Biology, has been named to the National Dean’s List for 3 years, is a member of Beta Beta Beta Biological honor Society, Alpha Chi National honor Society, and the national Scholar’s Honor Society. Active in the pre-health club, he also served as vice president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee at HSU.

The award is presented to a senior man who excels in character, personal development, service to the university, and completes three or more years in-residence at HSU.

Lehman has volunteered with Meals on wheels, big Brothers/Big Sisters, participated I a mission trip to Acuna, Mexico, worked with Broadway Baptist Church’s children’s ministry, operated a free tennis clinic in Vernon, Texas, volunteers at Abilene Children’s Medical Center, worked as a student researcher on the Chemistry department’s Welch Foundation grant, and shadowed several physicians in Abilene, Lubbock, Dallas, and Houston.

Lehman played varsity tennis for four years at HSU, serving as team captain throughout that time. He was the American Southwest Conference freshman of the year in tennis, nated to the Conference All Academic team from 2004-2006, named Academic All-American, all conference first team, and he and his partner won the conference doubles crown in 2005.

He is a violinist, an F.A.A. certified private pilot, and a tutor for Biology and Chemistry. The son of Mark and Deana begins medical school in the fall at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Adam Poynor receives the Hemphill Graduate Honor Award

Adam Poynor, an Abilene, Texas, native and candidate for the master of Music in Choral Conducting, was named the recipient of the Hemphill Graduate Honor Award.

The Hemphill Award is presented each May by the Graduate School to the student who excels in academic studies, possesses character and behavior consistent with the university’s purpose, and exhibits potential for significant contribution to his or her chosen field. Endowed by Dr. Lee Hemphill and Mrs. Lunelle Hemphill, the award is presented each year at the May commencement and includes a plaque and cash award.

A 2005 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University and 2004 Presser Award winner, Poynor
maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average during his graduate studies. He is a member of the music honor society, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the Abilene First Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir. He taught with the Abilene Performing Arts Center, provided instruction in German and French Diction as a graduate assistant, conducted the Albany Community Chorus, and was musical director and conductor for HSU’s spring production of Mozart’s opera “The Impresario.” He is the son of Kenneth and Dolores Poynor.

Posted by Dave Coffield · May 14, 2007 11:15 AM · Comments (0)

Hardin-Simmons University held its Spring Commencement Saturday, May 12, in Behrens Chapel on the HSU campus. University President, Dr. Craig Turner, conferred 215 bachelors, and 47 masters degrees. With December’s largest ever graduation, and Saturday’s only 1 graduate short of the Spring record, the 2006 academic year produced the most graduates ever for HSU, with 537 degrees conferred.

One grad, visiting the Alumni Wall, seems astonished that she actually made it through.

At the 10:00 a.m. ceremony, candidates from the Cynthia Ann Parker College of Liberal Arts, the Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics, the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing and the Logsdon School of Theology received degrees.

Retiring Senior Professor of theology Dr. Ron Smith delivered the morning commencement address and challenged graduates to understand that the possession of a degree does not mean that the possessor is thereby qualified to join the ranks of the truly educated. His charge, “Footprints,” inspired by the poem, “Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, invited them to consider what might characterize a truly educated person, how one might become such a person, and why doing so is important not only to the graduates themselves, but also to those who will follow them.

The 2:00 p.m. commencement conferred degrees for candidates from the Kelly College of Business, the Irvin School of Education, and the School of Music.

Dr. Mary Christopher, associate professor of Education, delivered the afternoon address, and used characters and the plot of The Wizard of Oz as a metaphor of life ahead for the graduates. She spoke of how Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion all represent aspects of each student’s character that will guide them through life’s journey. As the cyclone takes each graduate from Kansas (HSU), what do they rely on to find the way in a new world? The search for wisdom, a heart (place of service), courage (a need to take necessary risks to reach a goal), and difficulties along the way teach the very object of the search and reveals that the journey itself completes each person; although it is not a wizard that will confront them with this awareness, but God Himself.

Graduating senior Natalie Talty, student of Dr. Jaynne Middleton, performed special music during the morning exercises, and Shawn Rausch, student of Dr. William Mouat performed during the afternoon ceremony.

Posted by Dave Coffield · May 14, 2007 10:49 AM · Comments (0)

High school seniors set to graduate in May 2007 will soon have a unique incentive to put their creative skills to work. Together with KRBC, Abilene’s NBC affiliate, Hardin-Simmons University announces an original and stimulating contest whose winner will receive a one-year, full-ride scholarship to HSU.

Resourceful students can submit a 60-second video themed “Why I’m Right for HSU,” which if selected, will be aired on the 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. KRBC newscasts from April 27 through May 23. Only 40 videos will be aired, with an absolute cut-off date of midnight on May 21, so contestants are encouraged to submit entries early.

Entries may be submitted in one of four ways:

• They can be mailed to Hardin-Simmons University, Attn: Amanda Etter, Director of Marketing, HSU Box 16100, Abilene, TX 79698 or,

• They can be brought to the Dyess Welcome Center on the HSU campus, or to the KRBC Studios in care of Karen Yarbrough or Maxanne Little at 4510 S. 14th St., Abilene, TX, 79605 or,

• Emailed to freeride@hsutx.edu or,

• Posted on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/group/HSUfreeride or on the applicant’s MySpace page with the link forwarded to freeride@hsutx.edu. Submissions posted online must be titled “Why I’m Right for Hardin-Simmons University.”

The contest is not limited to the KRBC viewing area; however, contestants must meet all admissions requirements to Hardin-Simmons University and be accepted for admission to win the scholarship. Video’s must be submitted with the student’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, high school name, and graduation date. A complete list of the contest rules and regulations can be found at: http://www.hsutx.edu/lcfr/rulesregs.html .

A panel of judges will select a winner based on content, presentation, originality, and an appreciation of the values and mission of HSU. The winner receives a one-year full ride scholarship (based on 30 credit hours) valued at $16,050. The contest coincides with a full month of HSU stories and features to be aired by the NBC affiliate. You’ve probably already seen the KRBC “teasers” with the cap and gown, and graduation music, so stay tuned for the opening segment this Friday.

It’s a win-win situation says Amanda Etter, HSU marketing director, “This is a great service by KRBC, and an awesome opportunity for high school students to contribute to the energetic atmosphere of our campus. Prospective students can begin to feel connected, be a part of the creative environment that makes our University unique, and one will win a full tuition scholarship for one year. We want students to show us why they are ready to be a part of the “Forty Acres,” and we want them to know that they are more than just a name on an application.”

Posted by Dave Coffield · May 9, 2007 9:11 AM · Comments (0)

We haven't done a lot of sports on this blog, but this amazing accomplishment by the HSU athletics teams just can't go by without notice.

When the dust settled on the 2005-2006 HSU athletic season, many thought HSU had seen its best year ever. Ten post season appearances by HSU teams in the American Southwest Conference and the women’s basketball team’s Cinderella journey to the NCAA Division III Final Four were an accomplishment that would be hard to surpass; certainly in consecutive seasons.

There’s something about Hardin-Simmons University’s heart, commitment, coaching, and player talent that just doesn’t settle for a one great year. So the HSU athletic teams did something during the 2006-2007 year that has never been done before in the American Southwest Conference (ASC). HSU became the first university in ASC history to send all of its teams into post-season play. Yes, that’s six league titles and 7 bids to NCAA postseason play. Not only did HSU student athletes charge farther into the record books than ever before, but they did it while soaring just as high in academics; this is the eighth consecutive semester HSU athletes have kept a cumulative grade point average over 3.0.

The Cowgirl soccer team advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. The men’s soccer, football, and volleyball teams all played in NCAA Championships in the fall, making HSU the only school in the nation to have all four of those teams advance to post season action this year.

In basketball, the Cowboys advanced to the ASC Championship game and the Cowgirls went to the ASC semifinals.

HSU’s spring sports teams continued the success with men’s and women’s golf teams each placing fourth in the league and the baseball team advancing to the ASC postseason.

The tennis teams extended their long ASC winning streaks. The women won their seventh straight title and extended their ASC winning streak to 67 straight matches. The men won their sixth straight title and have now won 60 consecutive contests. The women claimed their third trip to the NCAA Championship and the men earned their inaugural bid.

HSU’s softball team won its second straight ASC title and will go to the NCAA regional in May.

Individually, HSU had the league most valuable offensive player in men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball, football, and men’s basketball. Spring standouts are still being selected, but Tracy Henington was named the ASC most valuable player for the second straight year, and Shane Williford was named coach of the year in tennis. Baseball centerfielder, Michael Simpson, was named the ASC Co-West Division Player of the year by head coaches in the league.

Posted by Dave Coffield · May 2, 2007 11:46 AM · Comments (0)