Awards and Recognition

Trinity University faculty, staff, and students know how to shine. Here are some accomplishments we’d like to share:

Sophomore Ashley Mayle, who plans to double major in political science and business administration, in February was named Miss Fiesta San Antonio for 2008. “I will represent San Antonio, but I will also represent Trinity,” she says, adding that she genuinely wants to serve the community by visiting schools, nursing homes, and anywhere she is invited. When she returned to campus after the pageant, her residence hall room was filled with 10 bouquets of pink flowers, pink streamers, and cards. “Students on campus have been wonderful. It’s all over Facebook, and people I don’t even know have come up to me and given me a hug. Everyone has been so supportive.” That includes 27 of her sorority sisters from Sigma Theta Tau who cheered for her at the pageant at the Charline McCombs Empire Theater. 

In January, Trinity debaters Brendon Bankey and Michael Hart won first place in the junior varsity division of the Naval Academy Debate Tournament. “This is the third time in Trinity Debate history that we have won this tournament and the debaters are very excited,” reports Jarrod Atchison, assistant professor of speech and drama and director of Trinity’s newly reinvigorated debate team. In addition, several Trinity alumni attended the tournament to celebrate retired professor Frank Harrison's career and help coach the debaters.

Arturo Madrid, the Murchison Distinguished Professor of the Humanities in the department of modern languages and literatures, has been named to the national board of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The appointment was made in January by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, who previously tapped Dr. Madrid to serve on a panel that examined a wide range of issues facing higher education officials. In his new capacity, he will advise a number of officials in the U.S. Education Department on priorities for the improvement of postsecondary education. Dr. Madrid served previously on the same board, heading it from 1980-81.  

Bob King, director of athletics, has been appointed to a four-year term to the NCAA Division III Championships Committee. He is one of nine committee members who will supervise qualification and selection procedures for all D-3 championships and oversee administrative issues related to the events. Under his 15 years as Trinity’s athletic director, Trinity has twice finished fourth of 421 Division III schools in the prestigious Directors’ Cup standings, based on NCAA postseason competition. Tiger teams also have captured 11 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference President’s Trophies as the best overall program in the conference. 

Lisa Heitmann Ryno, a senior majoring in chemistry, was a finalist for the Frank and Sarah McKnight Prize in Undergraduate Chemistry. Lisa won a Goldwater Scholarship in 2007 for her research. She plans to seek a doctorate in chemistry to develop pharmaceuticals to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s. More than 70 undergraduates representing 62 universities and colleges from 30 states competed for the McKnight Prize. Ten finalists – including students from Brown, Harvard, and Duke universities – traveled to New Braunfels last fall to give poster presentations during a retreat of the University of Texas Southwestern Department of Biochemistry.

Trinity has joined the Peace Corps’ Top 25 list of small schools that produce the most Peace Corps volunteers. At present, 14 Trinity alumni are serving in the agency. Since the inception of the Peace Corps in 1961, a total of 147 Trinity alumni have joined, making Trinity the No. 288 producer of volunteers. “This is a positive reflection on Trinity students who continue to be interested in the ‘world beyond,’” says Brian Hirsch, Trinity’s director of Career Services. “It is also a positive reflection on the faculty and staff who encourage and nurture our students and graduates to explore these types of experiences.”