In Brief: December 2025

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Early Childhood Education Discipline Lead Professor Ann Butler was selected as the 2025 Texas Association for the Education of Young Children Advocate of the Year, a recognition of her efforts to advance early childhood education in Texas through policy, public awareness, and community action.

Plano Campus Speech Communication Professor Caylin Blockley successfully defended his dissertation titled “Job Satisfaction of Advancement Professionals in Higher Education” at Texas Tech University.

Frisco Campus Psychology Professor Tracy Meyer successfully defended her dissertation titled “Emerging Adult Women’s Experiences of and Reactions to Sexual Harassment and Gender Microaggressions in Online Gaming” at Capella University.

McKinney Campus Polysomnographic Technology Professor Karen Peterson successfully defended her dissertation titled “The Effects of a Self-Determination-Based Sleep Hygiene Intervention on College Students’ Sleep Quality: A Quantitative Quasi-Experimental Study” from the American College of Education.

Accessibility Services Advisor Brenda Avilés successfully defended her dissertation titled “(Re) Framing Accessibility as a Shared Responsibility Across Campus” from the University of North Texas.

Associate Vice President-Controller Shandin Havens completed her master’s degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Director of Accounting Services Krystal Fair completed her master’s degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Plano Campus Philosophy Professor Dr. John Macready finished a 280,000-word manuscript for “The Bloomsbury Critical Sources on Hannah Arendt,” which is an edited collection of 113 documents from archives in the U.S. and Europe related to the published work of Hannah Arendt.

Communication Studies Professor Jenny Warren was chosen to be a research reviewer for the International Association for Communication and Sport annual convention. She will serve as chair and lead a discussion panel titled, “CrossFit, doTERRA, and Wellness Influencers: The power of persuasive language in followership.”

Plano Campus Speech Professor Dr. Kerry Loinette was elected to serve as president for the Eastern Communication Association, the oldest communication association in the U.S.

Plano Campus Music Professor Casey Carter was elected vice president for auditions for the National Association of Teachers of Singing 2026-28. 

Farmersville Campus Executive Dean Dr. Kyle Bellue was the keynote speaker at the Farmersville High School and Junior High School Veterans Day program. Eighteen local veterans and their families were honored during the ceremony. [photo attached]

Phi Theta Kappa member Audrey Grizzaffi will have her work titled “Elysium Unachieved” published in the 31st edition of Phi Theta Kappa’s Nota Bene Literary and Visual Arts Honors Anthology. Grizzaffi’s work was selected after the review of 3,200 submissions by a national panel of judges.

iCollin Virtual Campus Economics Professor Dr. Meena Beri helped organize the fifth annual Appreciative Education Week, including three celebratory events across the district. Approximately 120 students attended these events, engaging in thoughtful discussions about the importance of maintaining a positive mindset for personal and academic growth.

Working in wet, soggy conditions, more than 80 participants removed about 475 pounds of bagged trash for this year’s Jean’s Creek Clean Up event in partnership with Collin College, the city of McKinney’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, and Volunteer McKinney.

 

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