Concordia names Dr. Christian as CEO after retirement of Dr. Cedel
After a nationwide search process, the 17-person board of regents of Concordia University Texas announced its unanimous decision to name Dr. Donald Christian the institution’s next leader, effective August 1. Announced today, Christian will follow Dr. Thomas Cedel, who is retiring after more than a decade of leading Concordia, one of the region’s fastest-growing universities.
Dr. Donald Christian to be Concordia University Texas’ CEO starting August 1.
“We are extraordinarily grateful for Tom’s leadership over the last 12 years,” said Keith Weiser, immediate past chairman of the Concordia board. “Further, we are fortunate to have someone with Don Christian’s strong capability and leadership skills to take the helm of the university and build upon the remarkable momentum we have going.”
During Cedel’s tenure, Concordia moved in 2008 after 82 years on a 23-acre campus in Central Austin to its current home, a 389-acre property in Four Points.
Additionally, Concordia experienced tremendous gains in undergraduate and graduate-level admissions, growing from 1,073 students in 2002 to nearly 2,600 students in 2013; increased fundraising; saw programmatic growth, including the additions of a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing program in 2008 and Masters of Business Administration program in 2010, among others; enjoyed ever-increasing prominence of faculty members; and saw unprecedented athletic success.
LISD restructures fine arts, class sizes for fall, No teachers to lose employment with changes
By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News
Due to public education cuts made by the Texas Legislature in 2011, Leander ISD is now having to make some restructuring changes, which will go into effect in the fall. Changes will include some revisions to elementary school fine arts curriculums and middle school student/teacher ratios.
Leander ISD Superintendent Bret Champion during a presentation last fall. Photo by Scott W. Coleman
“You probably remember that in the spring of 2011, Leander ISD, along with the majority of Texas public school districts, discussed at great length how the Texas Legislature significantly reduced our budgets,” Champion wrote in a February district update. “In LISD, we faced about $22 million in cuts (and were restored only about $5 million in the last legislative session). That spring, the district gathered feedback where we could reduce our expenses.”
One element of the restructuring will be the combining of music and theater arts curriculums for elementary school students. Up until now, elementary schools have had three fine arts strands – visual arts, music and theater arts. Beginning in the fall, the music and theater arts curriculums will be combined into one strand.
For example, Steiner Ranch Elementary music teacher Laura Elorreaga will be going into a grade level classroom to teach.
Veronica Sopher, Leander ISD executive director of school/community relations.
“The community of fine arts teachers will be working with our fine arts director to write curriculum to combine the two together using the same model that almost every other district in the state of Texas utilizes,” said LISD district spokesperson Veronica Sopher.
“We’re looking at how to embed all those TEKS that are required by the state to ensure kids are not only getting those but able to complement each other in those skill sets. It will include instruction and opportunities for appreciation and performance in both music and theater,” Sopher said.
NRP building 302 units in Steiner, First phase done by early 2015
By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
NRP Group LLC is building 302 apartment units, in 18 three-story buildings at 4800 Steiner Ranch Blvd. with the first units to be available by early next year.
“(The project) does not have a name yet. We are conducting market surveys and going through a branding effort to come up with something that fits within Steiner community and greater northwest Austin,” said Mark Jensen, vice president of development and based in the San Antonio offices of NRP Group.
Jensen has been working on the project a little over a year now. NRP closed on the property in February.
NRP rendering of the pool area.
City of Austin clarifies that turning right on the red arrow is legal at RM 620 and RM 2222
By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News
Turning right when the arrows are red at RM 620 and RM 2222 is legal.
Since being installed by the Texas Department of Transportation several months ago, the red right-turn arrows at the intersection of RM 620 and RM 2222 have created confusion for drivers, who were first told it was illegal to turn right when the arrows were red. A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety has now confirmed that initial understanding was incorrect, since there is not a posted sign specifically stating that a right turn on red is prohibited.
“It is not illegal to turn right on a red arrow unless there is a posted sign,” said Lisa Cortinas, public information officer for Austin Police Department.
Because the traffic signal is now under the city of Austin’s jurisdiction, it is the city’s decision whether to put up a “no turn on red sign” at the light; however, Cheyenne Krause, a spokesperson for the City of Austin’s Transportation Department said the city does not have any plans to do so.
RM 620 and RM 2222 at the dual-turn lane.
“Usually, you restrict right on red movement when there are high pedestrian volumes or limited line of sight; this area doesn’t have either of these two conditions,” Krause said. “Currently, the city has no plans to put in a ‘no right turn on red’ sign at that intersection.”
She said the city has not received any complaints about the red arrows at that intersection and its engineers have visited the area and reviewed traffic data including incident reports.
Residents were confused about the rules of the intersection once the dual right-turn lane was finished. In February, Long Canyon resident Michelle Michel emailed TxDOT regarding the rules, asking if making a right turn when the signal is a red, right arrow is legal.