Current issue of Hillviews now available online

The new issue of Hillviews is now available in print and digital format. The digital issue is available at https://www.hillviews.txstate.edu.

The spring issue of the magazine was days away from going to press when COVID-19 changed everything. The decision was made to hold the magazine and to include some stories about how the university responded to coronavirus, meeting the challenges of this global crisis. 

“The Big Ideas” are high-impact research initiatives shaping the future of Texas State University and the Texas economy. Chosen last year from dozens of faculty-submitted proposals, the Big Ideas include materials with intelligence, training with augmented and virtual reality, translating research from academia to practice, using big data to solve world problems, and expanding and investing in innovation and entrepreneurship. The vision for Big Ideas at Texas State will continue to expand to include creative expressions, humanities and the arts. 

Also, the McCoy College of Business marks its golden anniversary with a story and timeline saluting “50 years of Excellence: Celebrating the Past, Present and Future.” 

Two new programs launched last year are featured: the MSN-Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program at the Round Rock Campus, and the Bachelor of Science in civil engineering at the Ingram School of Engineering.   

Bobcat football player Bryan London II -- who recently signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams – is profiled in “He’s got game.”  Cyril Adkins played for the Bobcats in the 1990s and today he is the athletic director of Smithville ISD and coach for the Smithville Tigers. Adkins talks his journey as a player and coach in Texas. 

Other Texas State alumni featured inside include married Fine Arts graduates Matt Ford and Laurie Merkle, whose Magic Lantern Creations is one of the most respected lighting companies in the entertainment industry;  Sonja Simmons’ whose journey to Ethiopia to adopt led her to establish a school for orphans; and Matt Nolan, a director with the Texas Health Resources system, who was inspired to earn a degree in respiratory care following his lengthy hospital stay as a teenager. 

The printed version of Hillviews is now published two times a year. The digital edition is available for free to everyone.