Infomaniacs: September 29, 2010 (2of6)

Texas A&M announces its next dean of the college of architecture and three finalists for vice president of student affairs (VPSA). The new dean comes from the University of Florida. Dr. Lingqian (Ivy) Hu currently serves as chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and associate director of Florida’s school of landscape architecture and planning. She starts at A&M July 1. The VPSA finalists includes two who have worked in the division and have degrees from A&M. They are the president at the College of Southern Nevada Bill Kibler and Texas State’s v-p of student success Cynthia Hernandez. The third finalist is the University of British Columbia vice president of students Ainsley Carry. Each of the finalists will be on campus to meet with students and employees and be interviewed by the university’s executive leadership team, student leaders, and the division’s leadership and staff. Click HERE to be directed to the A&M website with additional information about the VPSA finalists, their resumes, and when they will visit the A&M campus. Texas A&M news release on the naming of the new dean of the college of architecture: Texas A&M University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lingqian (Ivy) Hu as the next dean of the College of Architecture, effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Hu currently serves as chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and associate director of the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning at the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning. She joined UF in 2022 as a professor in Urban and Regional Planning and brings with her a distinguished career in research, teaching and academic leadership. An expert in the intersection of transportation and land use, Hu’s research has significantly advanced the understanding of how planning and policy can promote economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and public health. She has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in leading urban planning and transportation journals and has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on research projects totaling over $5.2 million in funding, supported by the National Science Foundation and other major agencies. Hu serves as co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Planning Education and Research and associate editor of Transportation Research Part D. Prior to her tenure at the University of Florida, she held the position of professor and chair of the Urban Planning Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Hu holds a Ph.D. in Policy, Planning and Development and a master’s in planning from the University of Southern California, as well as a bachelor’s degree in planning from Nanjing University. She also brings valuable practical experience from her previous roles as a planner with the Southern California Association of Governments and the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design. Texas A&M University welcomes Hu to the Aggie community and congratulates her on her appointment. Her visionary leadership and commitment to excellence are poised to elevate the College of Architecture during a time of tremendous opportunity and growth.

The federal government has pulled its financial support of the proposed bullet train between Houston and Dallas with a stop east of Bryan/College Station. A news release from the U.S. department of transportation says the project cost is now believed to be over $40 billion dollars, making construction unrealistic and a risky venture for taxpayers. Not giving Amtrak almost $64 million dollars for the Texas Central Railway project, according to the news release, allows Amtrak to focus on necessary improvements on current routes. The news release quotes that the federal transportation secretary and Amtrak are in agreement that “underwriting this project is a waste of taxpayer funds and a distraction from Amtrak’s core mission of improving its existing subpar services.” Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said “if the private sector believes this project is feasible, they should carry the pre-construction work forward, rather than relying on Amtrak and the American taxpayer to bail them out.”

Restrooms at College Station High School (CSHS) are equipped with sensors to detect vaping. That was disclosed in the arrest report of a Brazos County sheriff’s deputy who last Friday (April 11) arrested a student for the second time in three months for possessing a THC vaping device. The deputy says a CSHS administrator saw 17 year old Pharoh Clark in the restroom at the time the sensor was activated. The deputy tested the vape device and determined it contained THC. At the time of last Friday’s arrest, Clark was out on an $8,000 dollar bond following a February 5th arrest on the same charge. Clark was released from the jail on the new charge the day after he was arrested after posting a $16,000 dollar bond. A College Station ISD spokesman tells WTAW News that federal privacy laws prevents the district from saying if Clark has been allowed to return to classes.   Mumford ISD has not issued a statement on its website or Facebook page about the arrest last Friday (April 11) of a student for threatening to blow up the school last Thursday. The arrest that was shared on the Robertson County sheriff’s office Facebook page also said officials learned of the threat last Wednesday but school was held the rest of the week. The sheriff’s office did not release the name or the age of the student. Reaction to the Robertson County sheriff’s office news release included a parent saying they were not notified until two days after the threat was reported, and a Mumford ISD employee saying there was a deputy in each building and they thought the district did a great job of not putting employees and students in a panic.