Fall 2014: See what’s new this semester

PHOTO: Ranger staff members hit the 2014 Club Fair.

We did it. We made it through the first two weeks of classes. Parking wasn’t so bad, classes haven’t seemed too stressful and there have been tons of events on campus to keep us busy between them.

This weekend, we’ll start production on the semester’s first print edition of The Ranger. We’re excited to hear what you think and share all of the new things going on around campus. Besides the new buildings and a slew of new classes on each campus, there have been some changes made to the academic organization here at Amarillo College. We’ll get into the details in next week’s paper, but we thought we’d give you a peek at what’s coming and who’s been appointed to new positions.

In case you haven’t heard Dr. Paul Matney, the 13th AC president, retired this summer after 35 years at AC. Last week, Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, who was the Vice President of Academic Affairs, was named the new AC president by the board of regents. We’ll bring you a closer look at Lowery-Hart and what he plans for the college.

Another major change is that Arts & Sciences is no longer a division. Instead, it has been split into two new divisions: STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Math) and Liberal Arts.

Jerry Moller, who was the dean of the Arts & Sciences division, will be acting Vice President of Academic Affairs. Moller will continue in this position until a search is completed and a new vice president is appointed.

Dr. Daniel Ferguson has been appointed dean of Liberal Arts and Dr. Kathy Wetzel has been appointed dean of STEM. We also received word today that Dr. Richard Pullen has been named dean of the Nursing Program.

These are just a few of the many changes at AC this semester. We’ll have a full list of all the new department chairs in the paper, along with anything else we learn before them. Be sure to pick up a copy from one of the stands around campus or catch us at Morning Buzz between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. in front of the Clock Tower on Thursday.

Have a great weekend!