Alumni To Award Class Rings to Two Seniors

Two Women Win Annual Competition at U. T. Dallas

RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 17, 2003) -- The University of Texas at Dallas' Alumni Association will award class rings to two outstanding UTD students in special ceremonies on April 15.

The two - Erin Dougherty, a senior in the School of Arts and Humanities, and Jennifer Dunn, a senior in the School of General Studies - were selected for the UTD Class Ring Award from among 18 candidates by a review team composed of UTD alumni, faculty, staff and past ring award recipients. The criteria for consideration were academic achievement and community service. Each candidate was required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, to present three letters of reference and to write a 250-word essay on the topic "What the UTD Ring Means to Me."

Dougherty, a graduate of Plano Senior High School, has been an active member of the UTD Student Ambassadors, the Student Union and Activities Advisory Board, Habitat for Humanity and Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity. She also co-chaired the Homecoming 2002 steering committee and was the inspiration behind the newest tradition introduced at UTD - "Oozeball." This semester, she is in Washington, D.C., as an Archer Fellow.

Dunn, a graduate of Arlington High School, is a four-year member of the nationally ranked UTD women's soccer team. She has been an American Southwest Conference All-Academic award winner every year of her eligibility, and this year she became the first UTD student-athlete to become an NCAA Academic All-American. Dunn was named to the UTD Team Leadership Group this year.

"A class ring would symbolize to me the diligence I have invested in my education, and also the incredible rewards I have and will reap from it," Dunn wrote in her essay.

"Erin and Jennifer are both outstanding young women who have been great assets to our university," said Pat Yandell of UTD's alumni relations office.

The UTD Class Ring Award is sponsored by the UTD Alumni Association's Ring Committee, chaired by Kathy Meyer, and is funded by private contributions to the Alumni Ring Endowment Fund.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.