ASU: An Inside View
In case you missed our first installment at the end of June, this monthly column supplements the roughly 180 news releases distributed by Angelo State University’s Office of Communications and Marketing each year to local and area news media, ranging from headline news to announcements of upcoming campus events.
The primary purpose of this column is to offer an inside look of some of the other programs, student and faculty activities, and campus events that aren’t necessarily headline news, but are still vital to providing ASU students with a first-class education and total college experience.
However, this month we have also included a couple of ASU headline news stories that had the unfortunate timing of happening in mid-July, when media coverage was dominated by the recovery efforts in the aftermath of one of the worst local natural disasters in recent memory.
We have also provided links for readers who would like to see more details and photos.
ASU Aviation Announces Exclusive Training Designation
Just three months after announcing the new Air Traffic Operations degree track in its commercial aviation program, Angelo State University has been designated an Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) institution by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Angelo State is just the 26th institution in the U.S. to attain the AT-CTI designation and the only one in Texas. As a result, ASU students who earn a Bachelor of Commercial Aviation (B.C.A.) degree through the Air Traffic Operations track will be eligible to bypass the Air Traffic Basics Course, which is the first five weeks of air traffic controller qualification training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City.
Achieving the AT-CTI designation was a multi-step process that began in October 2024 with the goal of earning the designation by the fall of 2026, which has been exceeded by over a year.
Commercial Aviation Program Earns Prestigious FAA Designation
Student Opera Vocalists Study In Austria
Two Angelo State University music students are currently in Graz, Austria, to participate in the leading summer music program in Europe through the prestigious American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS).
Michael Breaux of Killeen and Jon Dirk Ross of San Angelo are both vocal performance majors at Angelo State. They will spend about six weeks in Austria in July and August, taking part in intensive vocal training to hone every aspect of their craft, studying opera and lieder repertoire, and performing with renowned European musicians and conductors.
Breaux and Ross were two of the first students to join the ASU Opera Program that was recently revived by Dr. Mark Covey of the music faculty, and both have been performing in their schools and communities from a young age. In the most recent productions by the ASU Opera Program, “The Magic Flute” by W.A. Mozart, Ross performed the role of Papageno the first night, and Breaux took on that role for the second night.
Both Breaux and Ross were selected for the AIMS program from thousands of nationwide applicants, and both received scholarships to attend.
Music Students Selected for Prestigious Institute in Austria
Over 300 Artifacts from American Campaigns in Student Showcase
A team of seven Angelo State University history students recently created a new exhibit for San Angelo’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1815 that honors local veterans and their military service.
The “VFW Warrior Gallery” showcases more than 300 artifacts and memorabilia items related to veterans’ service in various military conflicts, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. It is now a permanent feature at the local VFW Post located at 125 S. Browning St.
The ASU students who participated in the five-month project are Daisy Herr (team leader), Thomas Duerstine and Heather Eubanks of San Angelo, Jose Gutierrez of Sonora, Seth Hubbell of Fort Worth, Hannah Muschinske of San Antonio and Mark Ornelas of Odessa.
History Students Complete ‘VFW Warrior Gallery’ Project
ASU Profs Present New Book to Human Rights Committee
Dr. Bruce Bechtol Jr. and Dr. Anthony Celso of the Angelo State University global security studies faculty recently published their first collaborative book, titled “Rogue Allies: The Strategic Partnership Between Iran and North Korea,” through the University Press of Kentucky.
“Rogue Allies” examines the influence of the two rogue states whose defiance of the U.S. and U.S.-backed countries has serious consequences for international relations.
Bechtol and Celso uncover the origins of this decades-long alliance, consider elements that these two nation-states have in common, and explain how their relationship undermines neighboring regions, disrupts peace efforts in the Middle East and East Asia.
Bechtol is a professor of political science and has published seven previous books on North Korean military and political issues. Celso is a professor of security studies and has published three previous books on terrorism in the Middle East and Africa. Their new book is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, University Press of Kentucky and other online booksellers.
Security Studies Profs Publish New Book on Iran/North Korea Alliance
— From Tom Nurre Jr., ASU Office of Marketing and Communications
