Communitas

University of Dallas biology students have an experience unlike most undergraduates at peer institutions: They conduct significant research. This August, students will see equipment updates and a major lab renovation that will only add to their post-graduation success.

Following its long-time support of UD’s chemistry department and student research programs, the Welch Foundation awarded a grant to purchase a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). This new instrument will add quantitative and qualitative analysis to the existing instrumentation suite and will broaden the scope of the student experience.

Thanks to several key donors, biology lab room 108 is also undergoing a state-of-the-art, high-quality renovation that will equip the facility for virtual simulation, augmented reality and 3D imaging. The newly designed lab will position students to apply academic knowledge to real-world scenarios, better preparing future healthcare professionals for careers in medicine, nursing and allied health professions. The lab will feature glass walls to provide real-time observation opportunities that will bolster student interest in the sciences and allow future UD students to see the potential of a UD degree.  

Please join us during Alumni & Family Weekend (Sept. 27 - 29) and see firsthand how this new space and equipment will transform lives and the future medical community.

With Gratitude, 

 

 

The month of May is one of transition and progression. The academic year ends, graduates become alumni, students return home or to summer plans, faculty prepare to research and rejuvenate, and the campus prepares for students to return in August. 

The Class of 2024 share a special bond, having started college life in the middle of the pandemic. At Convocation, where departments confer awards, the senior class also selects one faculty member to give an address. Beloved Professor of Physics Richard Olenick, PhD, advised the class to “Look Up” and reminded them that UD is a place where minds meet and make beautiful things happen. 

On Sunday, May 12, the Toyota Music Factory was full of proud families, faculty members and students to celebrate the 65th Commencement ceremony. Nancy Cain Marcus Robertson, MA ’00 PhD ’03, painted a beautiful literary picture of UD’s founding, building and expansion, and of the graduate’s ultimate educational inheritance. 

Meanwhile, the university is initiating several exciting projects this summer to enhance and beautify our campus. In June, UD will start an overhaul of retail dining on the first floor of Haggar University Center. This will include some modest upgrades to the infrastructure of the Cap Bar — but don't worry; the location, aesthetic and prices will not change — and a more substantial renovation of the former bookstore and UDPD site to support expanded community and dining opportunities. A few new retail dining and grab/go stations will be set up, in addition to expanded seating around the Cap Bar, and a private dining room for events will be created.

Thanks to generous support during the 2024 Cor Challenge, UD will also add a large Italian pizza oven to the Rathskeller patio, similar to what you would see in a Roman trattoria. The Due Santi and Irving campuses will now have another connection insofar as students on both campuses will be able to rent out the forno and enjoy homemade pizza together. Lastly, we are upgrading some of the grounds around the Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, including adding some trees and shrubs to create a more secluded spot for prayer, beautifying the flowers and landscaping, and adding a low wall around Our Lady.

In spring, we see growth of all kinds, from plants, to ideas, to adventures, to dreams. To echo a quote from Dr. Robertson’s commencement address taken from John 18:37: “Whoever seeks the truth, hears my voice.” May we be reminded of this as we enter this new season.

With Gratitude, 

 

Research opens our eyes to possibilities. It stretches us, encourages us to learn, experience, test and hope for improvements for mankind. 

On Monday, April 8, 2024, more than 2,000 attendees — including alumni, students, faculty, staff and their families — shared a once in a generation experience together on our Irving campus. Led by Professor of Physics Richard Olenick, UD’s Eclipse Celebration: Out of the Darkness and Into the Light brought the campus together to enjoy the eclipse and even gave attendees the chance to observe it through specialized telescopes.
 
Our esteemed faculty, sometimes employing the help of students, made the eclipse a true intellectual experience. Neighboring high school students visited campus and measured UVA and UVB levels leading up to totality. Professors from several departments gave presentations that approached the eclipse from their various disciplines, with topics that included indigenous American experiences of eclipses, the science and superstition of eclipses in the ancient classical world, and plant behavior during eclipses, to name a few. Visiting physicists Dr. Michele Montgomery and Dr. Robert Haaser, BS ’95, shared their research to allow guests to best understand the significance of the day. A longtime retired member of the Braniff library described the day as a “majestic, celestial phenomenon of a lifetime.”

Soon, University of Dallas undergraduates will share their own research and scholarly investigations at the fourth annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 19, 2024. This interdisciplinary showcase is an example of the fruitful and personal relationship that our students and faculty share. Opportunities like this lead to exceptional placement success in postgraduate programs. As of today, 35 oral and poster presentations are planned, spanning the role of mathematics in human intellectual life to coral restoration methods. More than 15 alumni judges have agreed to lend their expertise and time. 

Thank you for joining us as we endeavor to analyze, explore, inquire and investigate what it means to renew culture. 

With Gratitude, 

 

 

"The University of Dallas is the university of no compromises."

So stated Dr. Jonathan J. Sanford during an interview with Catholic Answers this past January, and I couldn’t agree more. You can also listen to similar interviews with JSerra Catholic High School and The Heights School from this past month. Dr. Sanford is sharing with a larger audience what we all know about our beloved school: UD is a place that doesn’t compromise on its Catholic identity, the rigor of its Core Curriculum, or the excellence it pursues and demands of itself. 

This university is a place where you don’t have to choose between an excellent education and a nurturing, faithful environment. You don’t need to put your highest ideals aside to get ahead in class or be accepted among friends. In fact, you don’t even have to compromise between pursuing a major you love and one that will “get you a job.” Prospective employers personally contact the university to ask for majors of all disciplines to intern for them. They want to hire people who can think clearly and creatively, write persuasively and explain complex concepts to others. UD does not only give students tools for their next step, but also helps them pursue a life of excellence unweakened by compromise. 

The university’s upcoming Cor Challenge fundraiser, March 19 - 23, is a great opportunity to be involved in our striving to never compromise. As alumni and friends give to the campaign throughout the week, there will be various goals along the way that will unlock sponsorships for much-needed campus improvement projects. We are very excited to provide this feature that doesn’t restrict our donors to choose between multiple needs but instead allows them to support the university with even greater impact. There will even be a challenge for 68 alumni to commit to a monthly gift of $50 or more in honor of UD’s 68 years of teaching. I encourage you to be on the lookout for our emails inviting you to take part in the Cor Challenge, and I thank you in advance for supporting our call to magnanimity. 

At the “university of no compromises”, students can become the person God meant them to be: well-formed, well-educated and ready to lean into the challenge of renewing our culture. Our church and our country need more of what UD offers. The wisdom, truth and virtue of UD need to reach and teach more people. Thank you for helping us spread the word.

With Gratitude,