Welcome Dustdevils!

Dear University Community

• Thanks to all members of our University community: students, faculty, and staff who joined us to meet TAMIU’s new President, Dr. Christopher Maynard for an informal Meet and Greet last Thursday in the Student Center Ballroom. We’re happy to welcome Dr. Maynard as TAMIU’s seventh President and we’re looking forward to his arrival on campus next month.
• This Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. don’t miss an opportunity to enjoy the free and live performance of in the CFPA Recital Hall of the Palmetto Saxophone Quartet Recital.
• There are two events on the horizon you’ll want to add to your calendar, and share with family and friends:
• Monday, Oct. 6 – A special opportunity to hear from former City Manager of San Antonio Sheryl Sculley who will share her thoughts on urban growth, civic leadership and fiscal responsibility with her presentation "From Challenges to Change: Redefining Growth for Our City." This is part of a new TAMIU Community Engagement Lecture Series that is free and open to the public. In addition to her broad experience in public administration, Sculley is the author of "Greedy Bastards: One City’s Texas-Size Struggle to Avoid a Financial Crisis," a book on her city management experience in San Antonio. Here’s more.
• Wednesday, Oct. 8 -- A world-renowned authority on particle physics, Dr. Timothy R. Andeen, associate professor of particle physics at the University of Texas at Austin, will present his free lecture “The Search for Dark Matter: Collision Course – Particle Physics on the Energy Frontier.” Dr. Andeen will explore the new surprises that Texas researchers are uncovering looking at the smallest building blocks of the universe. This event is open to the public.
• Did you know that our City of Laredo Tennis Complex at TAMIU, in addition to being recognized as one of the nation’s Outstanding Facilities by the U.S. Tennis Association, is now hosting College Night every Tuesday from 7 – 8:45 p.m. for enrolled students, free of charge. You can practice and socialize at the same time!

At this point in the semester, as you find your stride, I hope you’re experiencing for yourselves what American journalist Sydney J. Harris once said:

"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."

Let’s Go Dustdevils!

- Juan J. Castillo, interim president

Regents Vote to Appoint Dr. Christopher Maynard President of Texas A&M International University

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents voted to appoint Dr. Christopher Maynard as President of Texas A&M International University in Laredo.

Dr. Maynard currently serves as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Houston–Clear Lake, which enrolls more than 8,000 students. He previously served in academic leadership roles at Sam Houston State University and the University of North Alabama and is a past president of the Texas Council of Chief Academic Officers. At UH–Clear Lake, he led successful accreditation reaffirmation, helped more than double sponsored-research funding and launched collaborations such as the Houston Spaceport Consortium for Research, Education and Workforce.

A tenured professor of history, Dr. Maynard holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Louisiana State University and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Lee University. His book, Out of the Shadow: George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War, was published by Texas A&M University Press.