Austin College

Austin College Roo Bound

Area children are invited to participate in Austin College Roo Bound program Saturday, February 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free Saturday morning program is an opportunity for children in kindergarten through 5th grade to spend fun, learning time with members of the Austin College community. This month’s program is titled, “Mission: A Hunt for Red ’Roos” and will focus on learning about the campus and extracurricular activities available. Children and hosts will walk around campus to discover different fun locations. Students will have lunch in the Austin College dining hall in Wright Campus Center, courtesy of the Service Station and Aramark Food Service. Additional sessions are scheduled for March 19 and April 23.

The day of the program, students should arrive between 10:45 and 11 a.m.at the Wright Campus Center entrance off Brockett Street.

Advance registration is requested so that sufficient volunteers and materials will be available and only 50 slots are available. To register or for more information, contact the Austin College Service Station at 903.813.2333 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays or email servicestation@austincollege.edu. To register by email, include the child’s name and grade level, along with the parents’ phone number.

In addition to the special learning opportunity for children, ’Roo Bound, coordinated by the Austin College Service Station but involving many students across campus, is designed to expose children to the idea of college in a safe, fun environment. The organizers hope that the program makes college attendance seem accessible to children, particularly those who might be the first in their families to consider college.

The Austin College Service Station is a student-run organization that connects Austin College students available for service with local agencies and groups needing volunteers. Many students do individual service projects in the community; campus organizations often do group projects; others take part in projects such as ’Roo Bound or the College’s annual Great Day of Service, when several hundred students volunteer at more than 40 agencies in the north Texas region.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.

Public Invited to View Night Sky through Austin College Observatory

Members of the local community soon will have the opportunity to see the wonders of the night sky, weather permitting. The public is invited to an Austin College Star Party on Thursday, February 18, to observe stars through Adams Observatory and other telescopes on the roof of the College’s IDEA Center. The event is free, and visitors may come and go from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. To help Austin College staff plan for the event, members of the community who wish to attend are asked to register/RSVP online at www.austincollege.edu/adams-observatory-events. Should weather conditions require cancellation of the event, that news will be posted on the Austin College website after3 p.m. on the day of the event.

The IDEA Center is located at 1108 E. Richards Street, and parking is available. Visitors should meet in the IDEA Center’s first-floor Page Atrium to begin their star tour. The largest research telescope in North Texas will open the night sky to viewers. Austin College students also will set up small telescopes to allow visitors to explore craters on the Moon, distant star clusters, and the beautiful Orion Nebula.

Dr. David Baker, chair of the Austin College Physics Department and director of Adams Observatory, will coordinate the event. “When someone looks through the telescope and sees some of these objects in space, there’s a real sense of amazement,” said Dr. Baker. “This is a unique opportunity to look through a telescope of this size and see things in outer space one wouldn’t normally be able to see.”

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.