WT news includes new arts dean, national wins, sports gift

Here's the latest news and developments from West Texas A&M University from over the past week.

New dean named for WT’s Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities

CANYON — The former dean of an Oregon university has been named dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities at West Texas A&M University. Dr. Dan Peterson, previously the dean of the College of Health, Arts and Sciences at Oregon Institute of Technology, began his duties June 20 at WT.

“Fine arts and humanities should be right at a university’s core, and I see so many opportunities here,” Peterson said. “The nurturing of high-demand skills in creativity, innovation, and interaction for all WT students through this college is tremendous.”

Peterson, who earned a Ph.D. in interpersonal communication from Ohio University and his bachelor’s and master’s in communications from Brigham Young University, has spent the bulk of his career at Oregon Institute of Technology, working his way up from professor to dean. He previously taught at Missouri State University. As dean in Oregon, he led nine departments with 20 undergraduate degree programs and three graduate degree programs.

At WT, he will oversee four departments — the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance; the Department of Communication; the Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages; and the Department of History — as well as the School of Music and the Office of General Majors. Peterson and wife Cathy will live in Canyon with their son, who will be a high school junior; the couple also has three adult daughters.

WT Meat Science Team takes top two ranks in national competition

CANYON — The West Texas A&M University Meat Science Quiz Bowl team recently swept its national competition, taking first and second place for the first time in University history. The team’s two squads faced off in the finals June 16 at the 2024 American Meat Science Association Reciprocal Meats Conference in Oklahoma City.

Since the contest began in 2002, a single university has secured both positions in the final round only four times. WT won its first national championship in 2020.

“This team has been working and studying for this competition all spring,” said coach Megan Eckhardt, a doctoral graduate student from New Braunfels. “Our motto is that, regardless of who was marked on the first or second teams, we were one team with one purpose.”

In the quiz bowl, teams of four compete in a double-elimination bracket. Each round features 20 head-to-head questions and 20 toss-up questions; teams that are quickest to answer correctly are awarded points.

Team members are Ryan Heitschmidt, a senior animal science major from Nazareth; Helene Keiser, a junior animal science major from Gothenburg, Nebraska; Kade Lawrence, a freshman animal science major from Canyon; Jacob McMillan, a May graduate in animal science from Throckmorton; Cole Petit, a May graduate in animal science from Seymour; Josie Petit, a sophomore agricultural media and communications major from Seymour; Daniel Raab, a senior animal science major from Fredericksburg; Clayton Stevenson, a junior animal science major from Earth; Cole Verret, a senior animal science major from Grapeland; and Spencer Walahoski, a sophomore animal science major from Overton, Nebraska.

WT alumni make major gift to support women’s golf, volleyball teams

CANYON — Self-described super-fans of West Texas A&M University women’s athletics have established two new endowments that will provide both support and scholarship dollars for two teams. Rick and Carole Couch have made a gift of $50,000 and a planned gift of $175,000 to establish the Rick and Carole Couch Lady Buff Golf Program Fund, which will enhance player development and help finance trips to tournaments.

An additional $175,000 planned gift will create the Couch Volleyball Scholarship Endowment, which provide a minimum $1,000 annual scholarship.

Though the gift will support two of WT’s acclaimed women’s sports, the golf team in particular is closest to the Couchs’ heart. “I enjoy golfing myself, and it’s even more fun to watch those young women who can really iht the golf ball,” Rick Couch said. “They hit it a lot better than I do.”

Couch, a 1968 WT graduate, met Meredith Jameson, who earned WT degrees in 2005 and 2009, shortly after she began coaching the team, when he came to Canyon from the Dallas area to play in a Buffalo Club golf tournament.

“For years and years, Rick has been our biggest fan for WT women’s golf,” Jameson said. “He means so much to us. And this gift means so much because he’s an alum and I’m an alum. We both bleed maroon. This gift really shows what WT means to both him and Carole.”

The women’s golf team recently advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 for a third consecutive year and won the NCAA West Regional Championship in May.

Administrative assistant named WT Employee of the Year

CANYON — An administrative assistant with “a heart for others” was named West Texas A&M University Employee of the Year during a special celebration. Amy Newton, a five-year WT veteran and senior administrative associate in the Department of Agricultural Sciences in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, won a cash prize, free parking for a year and more during WT’s All-Staff Service Awards, held June 25 in Legacy Hall inside Jack B. Kelley Student Center on the Canyon campus.

“I’m very humbled,” Newton said. “It’s such an honor to be recognized for my work and for caring about my department.”

Newton was voted Employee of the Year by faculty and fellow staff members amid a field of 11 other employees of the month.

Also recognized at the luncheon were all employees who have worked at WT for significant numbers of years:

• 35 years: Christie Spring, Department of Art, Theatre and Dance; and Kheuangkham Madsourivong, SSC;

• 30 years: Sidnye Johnson, Cornette Library; Sharon Murdock, Recreational Sports; and Steve Sellars, Career and Professional Development;

• 25 years: Rebekah Bachman, Agricultural Sciences; Jarvis Hampton, Institutional Research and Effectiveness; Kimberly Dudley, Athletics; Victoria Salas, McNair Scholars; and Randy Rikel, vice president of business and finance;

• 20 years: Chad Webb, athletics; Kyle Hawbaker, University Police; Lisa Caid, Information Technology; Buster Ratliff, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Dayna Schertler, Student Health and Wellness;

• 15 years: Kimberly Cornelsen, Rogers LEAD WT; Verna Hodge, Advising Services; Michelle Howington, WT Enterprise Center; Deanna Moore, Cornette Library; Alyson Ries, Advising Services; Gwynne Walker, Attebury Honors; Gina Woodward, America’s SBDC at WTAMU; Kent Johnson, Athletics, Matthew Vanderburg, Athletics; Sherri Shipman, SSC; Linda Sweetgall, University Post Office; Kirk Moore, Information Technology; Darcy Lively, Communication and Marketing; and Mark Scroggins, Recreational Sports;

• 10 years: Stephanie Loya, Panhandle AEHC; Tom Brown, Athletics; Chris Gove, Athletics; Don Adams, Accounting and Business; Justin McBride, University Police; Todd McNeill, Accounting and Business; Kyler Estes, Admissions; Meghan Williams, Education Credit Union Buff $mart Program; Matthew Lauterbach, Information Technology; Eyoel Mengesha, Information Technology; Veronica Arias, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Heather Friemel, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Steve McLean, Sponsored Research; Angela Allen, Engaged Citizenship; Brenda Keith, College Access and Academic Enrichment Programs;

• Five years: Dane Glenn, Communication; Gretchen Henley, Advising Services; Amy Newton, Agricultural Sciences; John Bassett, Accounting and Business; Tyler Burch, University Police, Cortney Carter, University Bookstore; Courtney Leal, Accounting and Business; Virginia Leathers, Admissions; April Locke, Scholarship Services; Heather Salinger, International Students; Stefanie West, Admissions; Dwanya James, Communication and Marketing; Dr. Todd Rasberry, Philanthropy and External Relations; Cailyn Nymeyer, Graduate School; Fabiola Hernandez, College Assistance Migrant Program.

The 59 employees honored for their service years represent 820 years of combined employment at WT.

Staff members who retired in 2024 also were recognized: Carla Banks, University Police, Patrick Bolwahn, Buff Gold Card; Brandi Clark, Registrar’s office; Teresa Clemons, Sponsored Research; Kristine Combs, International Students; Pam Denney, Bookstore; Darla Jenkins, Kids Kollege; Herschel Neal, Advising Services; and Gonda Stayton, Cornette Library.

Also celebrated were outgoing and incoming members of the WT Staff Council, as were employees who completed degrees in the past year: April Locke, Scholarship Services; Chelsea Kuehler, Cornette Library; Beth Mowry, Career and Professional Services; Genifer Schuster, Academic and Research Environmental Health and Safety; and Eliana Flores, Cornette Library.

Average debt of WT graduates drops 23% over 7-year period

CANYON — The average debt for West Texas A&M University graduates has dropped 23% over the past seven years, according to a new study. The debt load also is significantly lower than national and statewide averages.

The average debt load for 2023 graduates was $20,655 among students who took out loans, according to data compiled by WT’s Office of Student Financial Services for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Accountability System. That’s down significantly from an average of $26,908 for 2016 graduates.

According to Forbes, the average student loan debt is $28,950 nationwide and $32,295 in Texas.

WT’s efforts include expanding scholarship opportunities, offering personalized financial literacy offerings, and enhancing career support services. These measures have contributed to the significant reduction in student debt, underscoring the University’s dedication to financial responsibility and student success.

WT's targeted financial initiatives include the Education Credit Union Buff $mart program, which offers financial literacy education; a no-cost-to-students textbook plan that will provide texts and ancillary materials in core curriculum classes for students beginning in fall 2024; the WT Office of Career and Professional Development, which supports both students and alumni; and more.

The university’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World, is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: West Texas A&M news includes sports, fine arts and humanities, more