Amarillo area business news and developments for April 16, 2023

WT recognizes year’s top student employees

CANYON — An information technology employee who arranged for continual campus tech support during a school shutdown and a graduate assistant who makes sure students get their diplomas from one of the University’s largest Colleges are West Texas A&M University’s Student Employees of the Year for 2022-23.

Christopher Bland, a senior computer information systems major from Fritch, and Emma Deer, a graduate agriculture science student from Canyon, were recognized by WT’s Office of Career and Professional Development at an April 10 reception in Legacy Hall inside the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus.

“Student employment offers students career-enhancing opportunities that allow them to ultimately pursue and articulate personal, professional and career goals,” said Beth Mowry, senior career services coordinator. “On our campus and throughout communities, student employees perform invaluable services.”

The celebration was part of National Student Employee Week. In all, 26 undergraduate and graduate students were nominated by their supervisors. The full nominee slate included:

Krista Bishop, a sophomore marketing major from Sherman; Christopher Brandon, a junior social work major from Canyon; Bianca Campos, a graduate student in sports and exercise sciences from Petersburg; Amelia Casasanta, a senior biology major from Amarillo; Lezley Cummings, a junior nursing major from Amarillo; Anna Estrada, a senior health sciences major from Borger; Tucker Gattis, a graduate student in public administration from Pottsboro; David Hardin, a senior psychology major from Clyde; Abby Kate Hays, a senior sports and exercise sciences major from Boyd; Kylee Henneberry, a junior agribusiness and economics major from Hartford, Wisconsin; Baiyleigh Higgs, a junior communication disorders major from Tulia; Alyssa Higgs, a senior accounting major from Claude; Makenzie Jones, a sophomore sports and exercise sciences major from Peaster; Makenzie Knipe, a senior agriculture major from Canyon Lake; Lexi Metz, a senior plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Monte Vista, Colorado; Jacob Mills, a senior business major from Midland; Amber Page, a senior engineering technology major from Canyon; Adriana Rademacher, a graduate environmental science major from Canyon; Rylie Schlessman, a senior accounting major from Beaver, Oklahoma; Vanessa Vidana, a senior interdisciplinary studies major from Tulia; Cara Walker, a junior wildlife biology major from Canyon; Kyler Wilhelm, a junior management major from Canyon; Macy Willis, a graduate student in counseling from Canon City, Colorado; and Gaston Yobol, a senior business major from Canyon.

WT’s Paul & Virginia Engler College of Business earns international accolade

CANYON — AACSB International has reaffirmed its accreditation of the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business at West Texas A&M University. AACSB accreditation is the most rigorous global standard for business schools and recognizes institutions that meet the highest standards of quality and continuous improvement, said Dr. Amjad Abdullat, dean of the Engler College of Business.

Accredited institutions undergo a review process every five years, including internal assessment, engagement with an AACSB-assigned mentor and a comprehensive evaluation of a business school’s mission, faculty qualifications and contributions, curriculum, and student learning outcomes.

“Only a select group of the world’s leading business schools are accredited by AACSB, and Engler College of Business is proud to be among them,” Abdullat said.

WT is one of 36 business schools that have extended their global accreditation this year. A total of 981 institutions across 60 countries and territories have earned AACSB accreditation in business. The rigorous process of reaffirmation also included interviews with faculty, staff, students and alumni to gather feedback on the College’s performance.

ObjectiveHealth announces 30th Research Center of Excellence opens in Amarillo

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — ObjectiveHealth, a Nashville-based integrated research and technology platform company, today announced the opening of its 30th research site, Amarillo Premier Research, in Amarillo.

Since establishing its first research center in Nashville in 2018, ObjectiveHealth has expanded to 30 cities across 16 states, providing clinical research focused in the therapeutic areas of gastroenterology, dermatology, urology, oncology, biomarkers and metabolism disorders. Over 70 percent of its centers are located in smaller cities or rural communities, enabling it to reach the most diverse population possible.

Working in partnership with ObjectiveHealth, physicians are able to stay focused on patient care without becoming enmeshed in issues unrelated to their clinical practice. Through the addition of clinical research as a care option, physicians are able to grow and differentiate their practices from others in their region.

“Clinical research will help lead us to answers for some of the most urgent healthcare challenges we face in our society,” said Colleen Hoke, co-founder and chief executive officer of ObjectiveHealth. “Reaching this milestone of 30 sites supports one of our key goals of expanding our reach: offering the opportunity to participate in research to an ever-broader patient population.”

With the addition of Amarillo Premier Research, ObjectiveHealth now has four partnered research sites in Texas. Its other research sites in Texas are GMA Health Research in Graham, Digestive Research of Central Texas in Waco and Digestive Health Research of North Texas in Wichita Falls. To learn more, visit www.objective.health.

United Family pharmacies remind guests free COVID-19 test kits remain available for limited time

LUBBOCK — As part of the national emergency and public health emergency declarations, guests of United Family pharmacies can still secure FlowFlex COVID-19 Antigen Home Test Kits through most insurance plans with no out of-pocket expense through the end of April. Many insurances may stop fully covering the tests when provisions of the emergency declarations end in May.

The FlowFlex at-home test kits contain an easy-to-use nasal swab that shows results in 15 minutes. They are also approved for use with children as young as 2-years-old. With a shelf life of approximately 16 months, guests won’t have to worry about the FlowFlex test kits expiring as they keep them on hand for any situation.

“The FlowFlex COVID-19 Antigen Home Tests have been a quick and easy resource for our guests,” said Tim Purser, director of pharmacy for The United Family. “With most insurance providers stopping full coverage of tests in May, we encourage our guests to take advantage of the benefit while they still can.”

These tests allow guests to test at home prior to potentially spreading the virus to anyone else. They are also perfect for self-testing before a vacation, large gathering or work-related travel. Guests can stop by any nited Supermarkets, Market Street, Albertsons Market or Amigos that has a pharmacy and ask about the Flowflex tests and other tests like them.

Scholarship program helps cover tuition, fees for undergraduate Texas residents

A UT-system school offers a grant program that covers undergraduate tuition and fees for any Texas residents with a household income of $100,000 or less.

The University of Texas Permian Basin’s scholarship program – Falcon Free – helps cover tuition and fees for undergraduate Texas residents, removing critical financial obstacles to earning a degree.

Relocating to Midland is not necessary to earn a degree - Texas residents can attend UTPB from the comfort of their homes via the online degree program. What makes this grant program different from other scholarship programs? This is one of the largest tuition assistance programs in the state with the one of the largest family income thresholds – more than 70% of families fall within the family income threshold. Additional details about Falcon Free include:

• Covers tuition and fees for undergrad students with a family adjusted gross income that does not exceed $100,000

• Must be Texas resident enrolled full time

• Over 70% of families will qualify for free tuition and fees at UTPB

• Funded by Promise Plus endowment established by UT System

Dunkin' offers spring rewards

AMARILLO — This spring, Dunkin' Rewards Members can sip into the season with a variety of offers this April, including a Free Medium Iced Coffee with any purchase. Members can also take advantage of Mobile-Order Mondays, where 100 bonus points will be added to member’s accounts when they order ahead through the app.

Members earn 10 points per $1 spent on qualifying purchases in-store or when they order ahead in the app. When members visit 12 times in a calendar month, they'll unlock Boosted Status to earn 12 points per $1 spent for 3 months.

Dunkin’ Rewards members can unlock a variety of deals now through April 30. The following offers are available exclusively through the Dunkin’ Rewards app:

• FREE Medium Iced Coffee with any purchase

• $2 Medium Any Refresher (featuring the Mango Pineapple Refresher)

• $3 Medium Hot or Iced Signature Latte

• $3 Medium Cold Brew (including the new Caramel Chocolate Cold Brew with Chocolate Cold Foam) once daily for offer period

• (Limit 1 per member. Exclusions, additional charges and terms may apply. Participation may vary. Limited time offer.)

Guests who aren’t Dunkin’ Rewards members yet can join by creating a free account on the Dunkin’ app or visiting dunkinrewards.com. By doing so, they get access to Member Exclusives and can start earning points towards free food and drinks.

To learn more about Dunkin’, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or subscribe to the Dunkin’ blog to receive notifications at https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area business news and developments for April 16, 2023