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Points of Pride for May 13-27, 2015

A&M-SA presents another record-breaking graduation

Texas A&M-San Antonio continues to break records as over 770 graduates crossed the stage during the Spring Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 15 at the Freeman Coliseum. This graduating class was the University's largest to date, and the Coliseum was full of families and friends celebrating this momentous occasion.

Photo of graduates

Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson greets graduating students back stage before the Commencement Ceremony.

To commemorate her first graduation as president, Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson was invited to serve as keynote speaker for the event, where she shared her personal story and encouraged all Jaguars to "Be Audacious." The Texas A&M University System was represented by Ray Bonilla, General Counsel for the A&M System, who authorized the conferral of the degrees.

graduation caps photo

Students got creative and inspirational with their graduation caps.

Matson and student photo

"I am honored to share my story with the Class of 2015, the faculty, staff and our guests. I want them to know that I have preciously clung to the ideal that my parents shared with me when I was 8 years old-education is the foundation for a better life. And wherever the road takes them, graduating from A&M-San Antonio will be an outstanding pillar in their success," said Dr. Matson.

photo of graduation

The Freeman Coliseum was packed with graduating students, their families and friends. For more pictures from the event, click on the photo above.

Click here to view photos from the event, gallery 1 and gallery 2. For the graduation video, view part one and part two.


Graduating veterans take the spotlight in presigous ceremony

The inaugural Patriot Cords Ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 13, honoring the graduating military community students with red, white and blue "Patriot" commencement cords for their contributions to the country. Cords were presented by Ret. MG (USA) Dr. Charles Rodriguez, chief of staff and vice president of Strategic Initiatives and Military Community Development, and Ret. Col (USAF) Dr. Edward B. Westermann, associate professor of history and director of International Education.

Patriot Cords ceremony photo

Graduating military community students wear their Patriot Cords following the end of the ceremony. Click on the picture above for the full album from the event.

Business students honored at hooding ceremony

The Delta Mu Delta Honor Society in Business Administration honored upcoming graduates with a Hooding Ceremony on Tuesday, May 12. The Academic Hood indicates the type of degree and the colors represent both Texas A&M-San Antonio and the college from which the student is graduating. The Delta Mu Delta Honor Society Hooding Ceremony honored 38 MBA and MPA graduate students who were in the top 20% of their class, bestowing upon them the academic hood which they wore as they crossed the stage on Friday.

Delta Mu Delta Honor Society photo
Click on the picture for the full album from the Hooding Ceremony and the Delta Mu Delta Induction Ceremony

A&M-SA participates in National College Signing Day

National College Signing Day photo

On May 1, the A&M-SA recruitment team, along with General the Jaguar, attended a National College Signing Day event hosted by Destination College at Trinity University. The first College Signing Day in San Antonio was held in 2011 as a way to celebrate the day high school seniors choose where they will continue their education after high school.

This year, four graduating high school seniors from Travis Early College and two from Judson Early College Academy committed to attending A&M-San Antonio this fall. The recruitment team was excited to be part of such an important milestone for these high school seniors, and look forward to many more students choosing to attend A&M-SA at future College Signing Day events.


A&M-SA staff presents to international audience

Patricia "Trish" Hayes, director of Business Services, co-presented a session at the Ellucian Live Conference on April 14, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her session on "Detail Code Naming As Easy as ABC" was targeted at institutions implementing Banner Student Accounts Receivable. The Ellucian Live Conference, held April 12-15, offered several hundred sessions to Banner users and had more than 8,200 attendees from over 1,400 higher education institutions around the world.

Trish Hayes photo


Business student selected for prestigious internship

Accounting major Alicia Stevens was selected to participate in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's (OCC) Financial/Assistant National Bank Examiner Internship program this summer. She was chosen as the lone candidate from the San Antonio market after her successful on-campus interview with the OCC. She will be based in the OCC's Fort Worth Field Office where she will complete a 640-hour internship. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is an independent bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury. Congratulations Alicia!


A&M-SA history award goes to middle school student

On May 12, history faculty members Dr. William Bush and Dr. Francis Galan presented the Texas A&M University-San Antonio Award for Best Entry in Local History to Devyn Moore, a middle school student at the Young Women's Leadership Academy (SAISD). Devyn won this award for her documentary film entry, "Willie Velazquez: Su voto es su voz," which portrays an important figure in the history of Latino voting rights in South Texas and beyond. She will be competing in the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland-College Park on June 14-18, 2015.

A&M-SA history award goes to middle school student photo


Spanish courses with Instituto Cervantes begin June 1

Texas A&M-San Antonio is excited to announce that Spanish classes prepared and taught by Instituto Cervantes are now being offered in San Antonio! Go to www.tamusa.edu/cervantes for a complete list of class dates, times and locations! Please feel free to share with your membership as appropriate. Classes start June 1, 2015.

Spanish courses image


College of Arts & Sciences selected for USDA E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship Program

Congratulations to Dr. Jose Valdez Barillas, assistant professor of Biology for the College of Arts & Sciences, as being selected to participate in the 2015 USA E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship program. As a fellow, he will be part of a dynamic network of leaders from academic and government that work to advance the excellence of education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

In the news...

Texas A&M-San Antonio's Automatic Acceptance days for eligible students was covered by Alamo Colleges' The Ranger.

Last week's Spring Commencement was featured in La Prensa on Thursday, May 14.

House Bill 100, which would authorize $3 billion in construction bonds guaranteed by tuition and/or student fee revenue, was approved by the Texas House this week. The Express-News covers how this bill could affect A&M-SA's future expansion plans.


Events at the ECAC

Image of Humanscape exhibition

Humanscape: An Exhibition in Tribute to Mel Casas is the next exciting art exhibition that will come to A&M-SA's Centro de Artes (Educational & Cultural Arts Center). The exhibit will begin June 11.

The Centro de Artes is open from Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on Monday. For more information about current and upcoming exhibitions, visit the ECAC website.