New "Prism" Magazine Brings University to Light

The lives and hearts touched by Texas A&M International University will be celebrated twice a year within the pages of the University's new magazine, Prism, introduced at a press conference Thursday in the Great Room of the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library.

The 24-page full-color magazine is intended to serve as a bridge between the University and the communities it serves, said University president Dr. Charles Jennett.

"This truly is an historic undertaking for our University. Prism represents a long-cherished dream to be able to provide the University"s many friends and alumni with an opportunity to reconnect with the University, to learn of its change and growth and to peek into its ever brighter future," he explained.

Produced by the University's Office of Institutional Advancement, Prism hopes to bring the University's message home to its friends including its over 8000 alumni around the world, local and regional leaders, current students and advancement partners.

Dr. Jennett said that in addition to keeping recipients in touch with news about the University, its programs, faculty and students, Prism hopes to celebrate the accomplishments of its graduates and partners.

"While many of our alumni call the Laredo area home, some now enjoy careers all over the world. Wherever they are, we know they're making a difference in their corner of the world. Through the pages of Prism, we hope to celebrate their lives and accomplishments," he said.

He pointed to the premiere magazine's cover story on Maria Dolores Perez, the University's first Masters graduate in Spanish.

"Her life brought her around the world to Laredo and this University. She triumphed over a series of adversities to secure her graduate degree and is now making a difference in the lives of her family and her fellow Laredoans," he said.

Jennett said Prism also affords readers an opportunity to pause and recall the University's 30-year history.

"Along the way, we hope to be able to pause and recall the growth of the University from a study carrel at Laredo Community College to a 300 acre campus that now offers over 53 undergraduate or graduate degrees," he noted.

Jennett said that the magazine's name, Prism, reflects the many facets of a diverse and growing University.

"Through a prism, we can see light cast anew, just as higher education at A&M International has helped to cast dreams and lives in new light for almost 30 years," he explained, "We feel a prism is an appropriate metaphor for the power of higher education and its diverse facets at A&M International."

Among features in the premier edition of Prism are updates on the University's $49.5 million Phase III expansion, stories on University programs that make a difference in the community, partnerships that are supporting student scholarships, annual reports from each of the University's four colleges and a touching look back at the University by long-time faculty member and professor of history, Dr. Stan Green.

The next edition of the Magazine will highlight the University's celebration of its 30th Anniversary of service to higher education in South Texas.

Copies of the magazine will be distributed by the University and are available by contacting the Office of Institutional Advancement at 956.326.2175.

University office hours are from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu