PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
Starting a New School Year

CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT
Study Abroad: Not Just for Second Language Speakers

CAMPUS NEWS
Career Services News for Parents
The Megaphone: The Official Student Newspaper of Southwestern
Health Services Provides Flu Care to Campus Community
Student Activities Abound at Southwestern
Fall Enrollment Tops 1,300 Students
Pirate Athletics Starts Fall Competition

UPCOMING EVENTS
Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 2009
The Sarofim School of Fine Arts Fall Calendar
Tobias Wolff to Serve as the 2009 Writer’s Voice Speaker

AROUND GEORGETOWN
Taste of Georgetown Culinary Festival
“You Can’t Do That Dan Moody!”

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Fall Break – Oct. 9-13
Homecoming and Reunion Weekend – Nov. 6-8
Writer’s Voice Event – Nov. 10
Thanksgiving Holiday (University Closed) – Nov. 24-29
Candlelight Service – Dec. 3
Final Exams – Dec. 7-11
Winter Break (Students) – Dec. 12, 2009 - Jan. 10, 2010
Winter Break (University Closed) – Dec. 24, 2009 - Jan. 3, 2010
Spring Term Begins – Jan. 11, 2010
For a full calendar of events, visit the University Calendar.

 
PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
Starting a New School Year
Partnering for Success will focus on common issues that students face during the various phases of the academic cycle, and how parents can assist their students during these times.

Issues Students May Currently Face

• Making new friends or reacquainting themselves with college life.
• Adjusting to a new living situation.
• Managing time within a new schedule.

Advice for Parents

• Remind your student to seek assistance from an academic advisor, peer mentor or professor to manage his or her first round of major exams and papers.
• Be prepared to hear a mix of emotions, especially from first-year students.
• Encourage students to stay on campus for weekends. Students will feel more connected and engaged if they take part in various extracurricular activities on campus during the weekends.
• Establish a communication routine with your student (phone, e-mail, etc.).
• Ask your student how they are becoming involved in student activities and organizations. The beginning of the school year presents many opportunities for all students to become involved in new activities.

 
CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT
Study Abroad: Not Just for Second Language Speakers
Although it seems the semester at Southwestern just began, students are already finalizing plans for Spring 2010 study abroad! Numerous opportunities are available all over the world for students to add a unique and transformative educational experience to their degree programs. For example, currently students are engaged in programs ranging from theater performance workshops in London to economics internships in Shanghai to coursework examining sustainability in India. Many students study abroad to enhance second language fluency, but it is important to note that a multitude of opportunities exist for study in English, including sites where English is not the native language. Second language fluency is not necessarily a prerequisite for study abroad! Many opportunities exist which allow students to complete internships or other community involvement projects. Together with traditional classroom learning, these “hands on” experiences give students first-hand engagement with another culture, allowing for deeper and more personal learning. If your student is interested in study abroad, please encourage her or him to make an appointment soon! The deadline for Spring 2010 applications is October 1, 2009. Or, begin planning now for Fall 2010 study abroad (that deadline is March 1, 2010). Making an appointment is simple: students may simply call ext. 1857 or e-mail studyabroad@southwestern.edu. The Office of Intercultural Learning will guide your student through the process from there.

The deadline for all summer programs, including Southwestern programs in Mexico, Argentina, and Jamaica will be in early February. Information about summer programs will be available soon, but if you wish to read information from last year’s programs you may visit our Web page at www.southwestern.edu/offices/international/summer.php.  Informational meetings for all these programs will be held in October and November, at which time brochures will be available.

For information regarding financing for study abroad, visit www.southwestern.edu/offices/international/aid.php to read through policies and procedures for the use of financial aid. Since these matters can be overwhelming at times, the Intercultural Learning staff is committed to making the financing of study abroad as transparent as possible. They work in close partnership with the financial aid office to be sure that students have access to all possible aid sources for study abroad.

For those of you with students abroad this semester, the University hopes you are hearing interesting and positive reports. Remember that there will always be up and down days, but if you ever feel concerned about your student, do not hesitate to contact Sue Mennicke, director of intercultural learning, to discuss any questions or concerns.

The Office of Intercultural Learning
Sue Mennicke
512-863-1857
mennicks@southwestern.edu  

 
CAMPUS NEWS
Career Services News for Parents
What special events are Career Services offering for students this fall?  And how can you make use of Career Services’ resources for your own career development?  Click here for more information.

The Megaphone: The Official Student Newspaper of Southwestern
The best place to find out the buzz around campus is The Megaphone. It is published every Thursday during the school year. To read The Megaphone online, click here.

Health Services Provides Flu Care to Campus Community
Seasonal flu shots (not H1N1) are available through Health Services. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To obtain a flu shot from Health Services, students should go to the Business Office in the Cullen Building first and pay the $12 fee. Then they should take their receipt to Health Services.

Vaccines for H1N1 (swine) flu are expected to be available in October. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended July 29 that all people aged 24 and under be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.

Students with any symptoms of flu are encouraged to visit Health Services for testing.
For the latest information regarding Influenza, visit www.southwestern.edu/flu.

Student Activities Abound at Southwestern
Are you looking for ways to help your son or daughter get involved on campus and stay connected? The Office of Student Activities facilitates learning experiences through leadership opportunities, student organizations and social activities that promote personal growth and the empowerment of all students. 

The Office of Student Activities sponsors late night and weekend programming which includes weekly Friday Night Live events, The Cove Concert Series every Wednesday and blockbuster movie screenings as part of Cinematic Saturdays. For students who want to get involved with campus activities Student Activities oversees more than 100 student organizations on campus with interests ranging from campus government to Greek life and religious groups to honorary societies. They also offer various leadership programs throughout the year to help all students enhance their potential as leaders in their communities. 

As a parent you are encouraged to support your son or daughter as he or she explores new interests at Southwestern, especially during the fall semester. If you would like to learn more about these programs please visit the Student Activities Web site or call them directly.   

The Office of Student Activities
3rd Floor McCombs Campus Center, Suite 340
512-863-1345
www.southwestern.edu/offices/studentactivities/

Fall Enrollment Tops 1,300 Students
The official enrollment numbers for the fall semester are in, and Southwestern has a student body of more than 1,300 for the first time since the fall of 2005 – 1,301 to be exact. That number includes 375 new first-year students, which is one of the largest first-year classes the university has ever had. These students were selected from the largest applicant pool ever – nearly 30 percent over the previous year. Forty percent of students in the first-year class graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class. Both overall SAT and ACT scores are up from last year. Out-of-state students account for nearly 12 percent of the incoming class and nearly 24 percent are students from underrepresented ethnic populations.

The first-year class also includes students from Australia, England, Northern Ireland, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda and Vietnam.

“We were extremely fortunate to meet our enrollment goal in this difficult economy,” said President Jake B. Schrum. Schrum cited several reasons for this, including faculty members who wrote personal notes to prospective students and alumni who encouraged prospective students to attend.

Pirate Athletics Starts Fall Competition
The women’s soccer team opened their season with a home match Sept. 1 against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Pirates scored one goal 11 minutes into the game and then two quick goals at the start of the second half to take the 3-1 victory. The team is now 3-0 on the season.

The men’s soccer team opened at Texas Lutheran University and did so in style with a 4-0 shutout over the Bulldogs. The men have gained victories in the following two games and are ranked 20th in the nation.

The volleyball team is currently ranked 8th in the nation and opened with a home match against University of Dallas where the Pirates won decisively in three straight sets. The women played hard at a major tournament during the first weekend in September but were narrowly beat.

Men’s and women’s cross country began the season at the Twilight Opener at Berry Springs Park and Preserve in Georgetown against Concordia University. The Pirates performed excellently with the women taking four of the top five spots and the men capturing the top seven slots.

Women’s golf will start the season 4th in the nation in the latest NGCA poll.

Men’s golf hits the links in their first fall tournament at the John Bohmann Invitational Sept. 14-15.

For the latest scores, news and photos, visit www.southwesternpirates.com.

 
UPCOMING EVENTS
Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 2009
Southwestern University will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its first Homecoming in 1909 this year. Homecoming and Reunion Weekend will be held Nov. 6-8, 2009. The weekend will feature a musical performance by The Bob Schneider Band, a panoramic photo of all participants, the Homecoming Picnic, and special worship service and much more. Parents are invited to attend these events along with our students, staff, faculty and alumni. Click here for a full schedule of activities.

The Sarofim School of Fine Arts Fall Calendar
Highlights for the fall include an art exhibit, “Off the Plate/Under the Sheets: paintings, prints, and ceramics by Holly Hughes,” to run Sept. 10 – Oct. 9, 2009 in the Fine Arts Gallery, and the Southwestern University Theatre Department opens its season with the delightful, hilarious Shakespearean farce “Good Night, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet)” Sept. 30 – Oct. 4. For theatre tickets, show-times and a full calendar of events visit The Sarofim School of Fine Arts Web site.

Tobias Wolff to Serve as the 2009 Writer’s Voice Speaker
Fiction writer and memoirist Tobias Wolff will be the 2009 visiting author in the Writer’s Voice Series sponsored by the A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center. Wolff’s public lecture will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009, in The Alma Thomas Theater. Tobias Wolff’s books include the memoirs This Boy’s Life and In Pharaoh’s Army; the short novel The Barracks Thief; and four collections of stories, including in 2008 Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories. He also has published a novel, Old School, and has edited several anthologies. Tickets will be offered first to the campus community. Any remaining tickets will be offered to the public. More information is available at the library’s Web site at www.southwestern.edu/library/writers-voice/Tobias_Wolff/index.html.

AROUND GEORGETOWN
Taste of Georgetown Culinary Festival
Mark your calendar for the 2009 Taste of Georgetown Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Individuals ages 21 and over will be able to purchase tickets by calling the Georgetown Visitor Center at 800-436-8696. Only 400 tickets will be available for this exclusive food and wine tasting in the historic Williamson County Courthouse. A dozen Georgetown restaurants and numerous local wineries will be featured during the evening. During the day Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18 over 200 vendors will be selling fine art, jewelry and other great gifts at Art on the Square.

“You Can’t Do That Dan Moody!”
This historical re-enactment, presented by the Palace Theater, will be showing Sept. 4 – Oct. 11, each Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and each Sunday at 2 p.m. The play, based on Ken Anderson’s book of the same title, was adapted by Tom Swift ’73 and Ken Anderson and is directed by Tom Swift. The play has been seen by over 12,000 viewers since its first performance in 1998! “You Can’t Do That Dan Moody!” is performed in the Williamson County Courthouse in the very courtroom in which the famous trial took place in 1923. Dan Moody, the District Attorney of Williamson County, tried and convicted members of the Ku Klux Klan for the first time ever in the United States.
Tickets are available through the Palace Theater Web site, www.georgetownpalace.com, or by calling 512-869-7469 or 512-869-5081.
Read a review by Austin Live Theater here.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Fall Break – Oct. 9-13
Homecoming and Reunion Weekend – Nov. 6-8
Writer’s Voice Event – Nov. 10
Thanksgiving Holiday (University Closed) – Nov. 24-29
Candlelight Service – Dec. 3
Final Exams – Dec. 7-11
Winter Break (Students) – Dec. 12, 2009 - Jan. 10, 2010
Winter Break (University Closed) – Dec. 24, 2009 - Jan. 3, 2010
Spring Term Begins – Jan. 11, 2010
For a full calendar of events, visit the University Calendar.