Influencing the Longhorn Life Staff Newsletter
Published: Feb. 4, 2025
Congrats to the honorees at our Division-wide Meeting Staff Appreciation Awards Ceremony! Read the stories linked below.
- Texas Parents Staff Merit Awards: James Buckley (University Unions), Bridget Jones (Recreational Sports) and Rebekah Williams (Disability and Access)
- Exemplary Service Awards: Caleb King (Recreational Sports), Katie Meade (New Student Services), Dana Phillips (Office of the Dean of Students) and Debra Steinman (Counseling and Mental Health Center, Longhorn Wellness Center, University Health Services)
The 2025 Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Conference and Events Seminar took place at UT Austin. Kayleigh Damphousse (New Student Services) was a featured guest speaker sharing expertise on planning student events, and Associate Vice President for Strategy and New Student Support Celena Mondie-Milner presented “Customer Service Expectations & Experiences.”
Melissa Eshelman, Trisha Miller and Aly Ramirez (Counseling and Mental Health Center) presented “Managing Care of Hospitalized Students” at the Southwest College Health Association Annual Meeting.
Disability and Access recognized Ross Rodriguez (Recreational Sports) as an Accessibility Champion for his support of the Disability Cultural Center's Adapted Sports Night at Whitaker Courts. Rodriguez oversees the annual event and weekly adapted/wheelchair tennis and pickleball nights at the courts for students, faculty and staff with disabilities.
Emily Shryock (Disability and Access) presented “Creating Accessible Events” for the International Live Events Association Austin Chapter as part of their 2025 Day of Education.
Thea Woodruff (Longhorn Wellness Center) served as a panelist on the Hogg Foundation's Into the Folds podcast, presenting "Burnt Orange Resilience: Campus Mental Health in 2025," in celebration of Hi, How Are You Day.
Several Division of Student Affairs staff members represented UT Austin at the NASPA Strategies Conference that addresses collegiate alcohol and drug misuse prevention, mental health, sexual violence prevention and response, peer education, and overall well-being through a range of comprehensive and integrative approaches.
- AJ Inglis (SHIFT) and Delandra Robinson (College of Pharmacy): “Partnership to Save Lives: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Opioid Overdose Prevention on Campus”
- Katy Redd (Longhorn Wellness Center): “Money, Money, Money: Fundraising, Grant Writing and Sponsorships”
- Thea Woodruff (Longhorn Wellness Center): “Integrating Well-being Initiatives into College Learning Environments"