Alumni in the News

05.23.2018

Gregory Rose MPA’92 poses with Public and Nonprofit Management faculty members and Dallas County Commissioner Dr. Theresa Daniel MPA’96 and 2016 Alumna of the Year recipient (to Rose’s left).

EPPS Alumnus Earns Award

Gregory Rose MPA’92, city manager of University City, Missouri, received the Alumnus of the Year award during the UTD’s third annual Public Affairs Alumni Conference.

Rose said the Master of Public Affairs program gave him critical management and financial tools that helped during his career.

“In today’s society we have an increase in demand for services and a decrease in revenue to address issues,” Rose said. “As a result of the information I’ve learned here, I’m able to deal with complex budget issues. That’s had a tremendous impact on my career because no matter what service you’re providing, it has to get funded.”

The Public and Nonprofit Management program in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences hosted the April 20 alumni conference. Held at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center, the event drew dozens of graduates who serve in leadership roles in government, nonprofit agencies and business enterprises throughout North Texas.

The program featured panel discussions such as “#MeToo – Creating Organizational Cultures with Respect and Dignity for All” and “Emergency Management – Latest Trends and Topics.”

–Kim Horner

Comets land on Richland College Wall of Honor

Before Fabian Castro, Jewell Love MS’13 and Temesgen Zerom became Comets, they were Thunderducks. In honor of their achievements, Richland College recently added the students to its Wall of Honor.

At an April 12 ceremony conducted by the Dallas Community College District, four of the five awardees – including Castro, Love and Zerom – had UT Dallas ties:

• Castro was honored for his work as a student lab assistant in Richland’s chemistry lab prep area. At UTD, he is a chemistry major with plans to follow summer graduation with enrollment in the University’s master’s program. He said his goal is to “improve the quality and efficacy of drugs currently used to treat cancer.”
• Love, a UTD sociology graduate student who graduated with a master’s degree in May, mentored homeless teens and conducted research on how lack of diversity in the medical field affects people of color. Love said she has developed a passion for teaching and is aiming for a PhD in her field.
• Zerom is a mechanical engineering senior and 2017 Terry Transfer Scholar who mentored middle and high school students while at Richland. Zerom plans to graduate in 2019 and to pursue a master’s degree at UT Dallas.
• Dr. Behrang H. Hamadani BS’01 is project leader in the Heat Transfer and Alternative Energy Systems Group of the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Pictured above, from left, are Castro, Love, Tito Salas and Zerom.

–Kim Horner

Video Game Creators Find the Upside of Teamwork

The team of alumni who comprise PolyKnight Games have found a tailwind beneath their wings after the success of their first game, “InnerSpace.”

Check out their story in News Center.

UTD Hosts Taiwan Symposium

Dennis Lu-Chung Weng MA’11 PhD’14 of Sam Houston State University was part of a panel on public attitude toward alliances and presidential approval in Taiwan.

Dr. Dennis Lu-Chung Weng began his academic career at UTD while earning his masters and PhD in political science. And recently, Weng MA’11, PhD’14 was back on campus, this time presenting his research at the Taiwan Democracy Symposium.

Weng, now an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University, discussed his research on public attitudes toward Taiwan’s foreign policy at the event organized by the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.

“I always feel good to be back at UT Dallas because the professors and staff here remind me of all the great memories I had in the doctoral program,” Weng said.

Among the 100 attendees were two other political science alumni: Dr. Walt Borges PhD’08, who teaches at the University of North Texas at Dallas; and Dr. John Connolly, PhD’13.

The event featured discussions on a range of topics including U.S.-China-Taiwan relations, foreign policy, trade and public opinion two years after historic elections that led to a victory for the state’s pro-independence party.

“Taiwan plays a pivotal role in the region, as a western-style democracy at China’s doorstep,” said Dr. Karl Ho, clinical associate professor of political science, public policy and political economy. “The Taiwan Democracy Symposium provided a platform for researchers and public opinion leaders to address Taiwan’s role in fostering peace in the region and how public opinion will guide the young democracy’s foreign policy.”

Dr. Thomas Scotto, head of school, School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, delivered the keynote speech on “American and British Attitudes Toward China in the Age of Trump and Brexit.” The event also included a dinner and speech with guest U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas.

Ho, associate program director of Social Data Analytics and Research, and Dr. Harold Clarke, Ashbel Smith Professor, have co-published research on voter attitudes in Taiwan, including a 2015 study published in the journal Electoral Studies that found significant generational differences in citizen political attitudes and behavior in that nation.

Clarke and Ho also co-authored a book chapter titled “A Comparative Study of the China Factor in Taiwan and Hong Kong Elections” in the forthcoming Palgrave McMillan book titled Taiwan’s Political Re-Alignment and Diplomatic Challenges (editor Wei-chin Lee).

–Kim Horner