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King cake, live music and Louisiana classics filled ������Ƶ University this week as the campus hosted its annual “LAMARdi Gras” celebration, a series of events leading up to Fat Tuesday.

������Ƶ University is now accepting applications for its Student Ambassador program.

The ������Ƶ University Department of Theatre and Dance will open its spring season with “Middletown,” with performances scheduled for Feb. 19–21 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.

������Ƶ University hosted a naming ceremony event on Thursday, Feb. 12 to honor Former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Dade Phelan, for his transformative contributions to the university during his tenure as a member of the Texas House. The Dade Phelan Building, formerly known as the Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, establishes the building as a landmark of significance on the ������Ƶ University campus.

������Ƶ University has named William Hammers, a psychology senior, as its February first-generation Student of the Month.

������Ƶ University’s fully online MBA program has been recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best, underscoring the College of Business’s commitment to flexible, AACSB-accredited graduate education for working professionals.

The ������Ƶ University Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at the prestigious 2026 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention, marking its 12th appearance at the event and celebrating the ensemble’s excellence with a free local preview concert ahead of the statewide performance.

The ������Ƶ University Association of Rocketry has entered its first year in the International Rocket Engineering Competition, joining more than 100 student teams worldwide while gaining hands-on engineering experience as it prepares to design, build and launch a high-powered rocket this summer.

������Ƶ University has announced the students who earned recognition on the President’s List and Dean’s List for the Fall 2025 semester.

������Ƶ University strengthened its support for first-generation students by hosting an on-campus workshop led by FirstGen Forward’s Wendy Beesley, bringing faculty and staff together to develop targeted goals aimed at improving engagement, belonging and student success.

������Ƶ University President Dr. Jaime Taylor represented the university at a national higher education symposium in Washington, D.C., highlighting ������Ƶ’s commitment to student access, success and community impact in Southeast Texas.

������Ƶ University has named its Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering in honor of longtime faculty member Dr. Victor A. Zaloom, recognizing more than 40 years of leadership, mentorship and philanthropic impact.

As student loan debt continues to impact Texas graduates, ������Ƶ University leaders say the university’s emphasis on scholarships, grants, and early, individualized financial advising has helped it rank first in the state for lowest average student debt among public four-year institutions.

������Ƶ University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present three spring productions—a scripted play, a student works series, and a dance concert—showcasing faculty-directed theatre, original student work, and a range of dance styles throughout the semester.

������Ƶ University physics professor Rafael de la Madrid has received the 2024–2025 David J. Beck Teaching Excellence Award in recognition of his innovative, active-learning teaching approach and exceptional mentorship of undergraduate researchers.

������Ƶ University has named senior history major Brittni Silva as its January First Generation Student of the Month, recognizing her perseverance, academic achievement and commitment to becoming an educator as a first-generation college student.

������Ƶ University strengthened its role in statewide higher education leadership when CIO Patrick Stewart was unanimously elected to the LEARN Executive Committee, giving the university a voice in shaping Texas’s advanced education and research network services.

������Ƶ University assistant biology professor Dr. Kole Kubicek, a comparative anatomist and fish biologist, studies the development and evolution of fishes while mentoring students in both field and laboratory research, exploring how skeletal structures emerge and vary across species.

������Ƶ University has received a $678,003 grant to launch FLOWS, a three-year program engaging Southeast Texas middle and high school students in hands-on flood education, rain garden projects, and community resilience initiatives.

������Ƶ University has launched the College of Nursing and Health Professions to consolidate existing health programs and expand academic offerings in response to regional and statewide healthcare workforce needs.