Ryan Ellison

This past summer, Dr. Amy Bell, Asso-ciate professor of Spanish, took a group to explore the country of Costa Rica.

The trip gave students an opportu-nity to study abroad for two weeks at The Universidad Latina de Costa Rica (ULatina) and interactively learn the language, traditions, and culture of the natives.

Rosy Perez, mass communications major, participated in the study abroad and had a great time.

“Costa Rica was beautiful and I want to return”, Perez said.

“I enjoyed myself so much that I didn’t want be distracted!”

ULatina, located in Heredia, Costa Rica, was founded in 1986 with a fo-cus on Business Administration and is a private university fully accredited by the Costa Rican government. Today the university has a full range of degrees for students from across Central America and other parts of the world.

Spanish courses taught at the uni-versity follow curriculum guidelines established by the Common European Framework. The ULatina is known for its first-rate academics and beautiful lo-cale, making it ideal to study abroad.

Students who participate in the study abroad have the opportunity to learn

with fellow learners in a beginner’s Spanish class, or—for more advanced students—join a class with about 15-30 locals and immerse in the language at a

faster pace. For more information on the study

abroad program, please visit www.txwes.edu.

The View from Poly HeightsVol. 1 / Issue 1

Fall 2013

Costa Rica Summer Trip

Courtesy of Rosy PerezCosta Rican forest where the students got to explore while studying abroad.

Arts & Letters 2 School of Arts & Letters

Mustang Million features Professor Kit HallCourtesy of The Rambler

On Sept. 21 someone became $200,000 richer and has a new Dodge truck after competing at the Mustang Million.

The Mustang Million competition started Sept. 16 and continued until the Sept. 21 in Fort Worth. Various rid-ers who adopted wild horses in May showed what the horses have learned during the four-month period under their trainers and with art and donation assistance from Texas Wesleyan Profes-sor Kit Hall.

“It’s been a great life experience to have the horse,” said Kathryn (Kit) Hall, a professor of Art, “and it just kind of grounds you.”

Hall has been teaching Art at Wesley-an since 1994. For the past three years she has participated in the Mustang Mil-lion by selling her artwork.

This year she wanted to donate her painting “Heritage” for the prestigious Will Rogers Heritage Gallery perma-nent collection, but it was up for auction to raise money for the Million.

“This is a huge deal for an artist to be able to do this,” she said, “and so after that they are going to make prints of it and have a limited edition signed prints that will also be for sale. That’s been just an unexpected benefit from being here.”

An author who wants her to make a book cover for him also approached her. People never know whom they will meet at these events or what future ac-tions may come from participation in the Mustang Million.

When looking at Kit Hall’s, many will notice the current drawings she is craft-

ing. If you bring a picture of a horse, she will draw it for you and have it done be-fore you leave.

Some of the other vendors at Will Rodgers included Kay Reese.

“I was at a rodeo in Waco about 15 years ago and discovered this product [leather conditioner] and started selling it,” said Reese who was impressed with Hall’s artwork.

Michael Phillips, a worker at Will Rogers Coliseum where the competition was held, said:” I like talking to people from the foreign countries. You know get a chance to talk to them about some of their cultures. I really enjoy that.”

During her time at Will Rogers, Hall came into contact with a man who had been incarcerated and who began to clean out the horses’ stalls after his re-lease.

Hall said the man once woke up in the morgue (after having his arm cut) and gave his testimony about God. He also told her that the horses had saved him because no one would hire him because of his background.

“Horses don’t judge you,” he said. “They take you as you are.”

While being around horses Hall ex-plained: “The slower I walk out to the barn, the better day I’m going to have, and so I take that to where ever I am go-ing.”

She also had the privilege of knowing her original painting sold at auction for $3,300 last week to assist with Mustang Million charitable projects.

Please access The Rambler.org and Texas Wesleyan Rambler Facebook for more information about Kit Hall and the Mustang Million.

Courtesy of The RamblerKit Hall’s painting “Heritage” was sold at Mustang Million to raise money.

Arts & Letters 3School of Arts & Letters

Professor Peter Colley

Ryan Ellison

Eclectic work, abstract pieces, and geometrically based art was the point of focus at an exhibit held at Tarrant Coun-ty College-Trinity River Campus during the spring 2013 semester. The art show-cased was that of Texas Wesleyan’s own Mr. Peter Colley, professor of humani-ties and art.

Organized by Professor Angel Fer-nandez, a former student of Colley’s, the exhibition features work from years of production. The level of success for Col-ley has been refreshing.

“I didn’t come to art until I was about 39 or 40.” Colley said.

“I came to art after I got tired of busi-ness and the rest is history!”

Growing up in California, Colley al-ways had a creative mind. He spent his childhood building forts in the sand, and in time, he learned to appreciate what he considers small luxuries, such as watch-ing cars go by while he drank tea on the side of the road.

It was only until after Colley received two business degrees that he realized his passion for art—precisely ceramics.

Colley’s work explores a philosophical blending of his cultural experiences as well as his time spent in Thailand while

participating in a Texas Wesleyan faculty trip.

According to his auto biography lo-cated on his personal website, Colley’s work “reflects his interests in how the disparate parts of life keep recombining in unexpected and sometimes serendipi-tous ways.”

“Meanings in the work continue to re-flect an abstracted appreciation of how

complicated and nuanced modern life can be.” Colley wrote.

At the exhibit, expect to see a mix of philosophic, figurative, organic, and geometric works.

For more information on Professor Colley, or to view his arsenal of work, please visit his website at www.http://faculty.txwes.edu/pcolley.

Courtesy of Meisa KeivaniLeft: Professor Colley working on one of the pieces.

Bottom: Professor Colley teaching students to think outside the box in terms of creating art and creating an outward expression of an inward emotion.

Sara Popovic

Faye Goostree Symposium was estab-lished in 1981. Every year it takes place to celebrate the success of critically ac-claimed woman. The focus of the sym-posium is to provide stimulating discus-sions.

On March 19th the focus was all turned to an award-winning novelist Reyna Grande. She focused the conver-sation on her own hardships of Mexican immigration. She has written three nov-els on this particular topic. At the event Reyna opened up about all the hard times and pain writing these books in-flicted on her. Some parts are still hard for her to talk about due to the emotions in brings out.

The symposium is an event that some call inspiring and informational. It is held annually at Texas Wesleyan University and it is a place of pure knowledge that the students as well as the community can take advantage off. Grande wanted to inform young people on the importance of working hard and not giving up. “My memoir portrays the good and the bad that comes from im-migrating to the U.S. and I wanted to inspire young people who might be fac-ing difficulties in their lives. I wanted to show them how important it is to con-tinue to work hard and fight for their dreams. The beauty of this country is that there is a possibility of hope. And yes, the American Dream still exists for anyone willing to work hard!” said Grande.

Arts & Letters 4 School of Arts & Letters

Faye Goostree Symposium

Courtesy of Marketing and CommunicationsReyna Grande talking to Texas Wesleyan students about the hardships being an Mexican im-migrant.

Courtesy of Marketing and CommunicationsRight: Grande sharing her story with the Texas Wesleyan students.

Arts & Letters 5School of Arts & Letters

Teachapaloozal! 2013 Conference

Belma Humic

Teachapalooza is a three day event billed as an opportunity to catch up, power up, and reignite your passion for teaching. Dr. Kay Colley associate professor of mass communications, Dr. Carol Johnson- Gerendas, assistant professor of communi-cation and Terri Cummings, associate professor of arts are all using social media to expand their classroom and engage their students. Dr. Johnson- Gerendas used twitter to build com-munity and enable students to do research. Dr. Colley worked

on LinkedIn so it can help them network and help with job search for her upper-level mass communication classes. Cummings used Flickr for her photography students so her students can think critically with the Flickr community and engage with others. Johnson-Gerandas and Cummings were interviewed by Poynter and featured in a video produced by the institute, and were able to share that clip and their learning from Teachapalooza with other faculty members at the CETL kickoff prior to the start of the semester.

Courtesy of Kay ColleyDr. Kay Colley, Dr. Carol Johnson- Gerendas and Professor Terri Cummings (left to right) enjoying the 2013 Teachapalooza

Arts & Letters 6 School of Arts & Letters

National Intercollegiate Band

Sara Popovic

Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, honorary band frater-nity and sorority sponsor national Intercollegiate Band. Two students from Texas Wesleyan University Max Mucino and Adam Pratt were the students who auditioned for the band last summer. Mucino played on trumpet while Pratt played the cello. Pratt also performed a solo written by John Mackey one of the composers National Intercollegiate offers.

National Intercollegiate Band offers students all over the country a chance to audition and work with great composers in order to master their skills and advance to the next level.

The auditions are held over the summer that way students are out of school and can focus on putting their best work to the test. “This experience allowed me to take my love for music to the next level,” said Mucino.

National Intercollegiate Band is a program that began over half of a century ago. This organization continues offering a great deal of contribution to the advancement of collegiate band. This program is open to all qualified musicians, whether or not they are members. The National Intercollegiate Band brings members face to face with some of the most stimulat-ing composers and respected conductors in the United States.

Courtesy of Adam PrattAdam Pratt presents Junior Recital at Texas Wesleyan University.

Arts & Letters 7School of Arts & Letters

Texas Wesleyan’s Quality Enhancement Plan

Texas Wesleyan students produced and implemented the marketing plan for Wesleyan’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which aided in Wesleyan’s reaccreditation approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. SACSCOC visited Wesleyan’s in Spring 2013 after Texas Wesleyan students implemented the marketing plan for Wesleyan’s QEP, “ Think On! Think Critically.”

The QEP is designed to improve critical thinking by devel-oping student’s ability to investigate, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information.

Students designed the integrated marketing plan in MCO 4346 Public Relations Campaigns class in Spring 2012 as part of a class project. Students worked with top administration to create and implement the plan. Ram Integrated Media Group implemented the campaign in Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 in preparation for the SACSCOC visit to campus April 15-17.

The SACSCOC team also visited with students who created the campaign during their April visit.

Courtesy of Kay ColleyRight: Wesleyan focused on the Think On campaign to gain reaccredi-tation approval.Bottom: The QEP team held a ‘SACS’ lunch to gain student body awareness.

Arts & Letters 8 School of Arts & Letters

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