
Category: Academic News


ACU’s Teacher Education department celebrates 100th year
Abilene Christian University has been educating educators for a century, and the College of Education and Human Services will celebrate the anniversary of the department at a Homecoming event. This year also marks the 65th year for the Department of Communications Disorders, and both departments will be honored jointly Thursday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m. … Continued

James Webb Telescope scientist to speak at ACU Oct. 13
Dr. Scott Acton, a 1984 graduate of Abilene Christian University who has spent nearly 24 years working on the James Webb Space Telescope, will speak on campus Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Boone Family Theatre. The event is free and open to the public. Acton, a wavefront sensing and controls scientist with Ball Aerospace, … Continued

ACU’s chapter of Sigma Delta Pi receives national award
For the seventh year in its history, Abilene Christian University’s Omega Gamma Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, has been named an Honor Chapter for its outstanding activities in 2021-22. ACU is one of only 10-15 Honor Chapters out of 629 across the country. Every summer, the 629 chapters are … Continued

Lessons from janitor father inspired Joseph Manga to earn doctorate, join ACU faculty
Growing up in Cameroon as the oldest child in a family of five, Dr. Joseph Manga never imagined where his life would take him. Four different universities for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral work, as well as tutoring and teaching experience, have all been part of the experience. And this past summer, it led him to … Continued

ACU named top 50 nationally in Undergraduate Teaching and Undergraduate Research by U.S. News & World Report
Abilene Christian University emerged with a strong showing in its first year as a National University in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2022-23 rankings. ACU was one of only 19 U.S. institutions ranked in the top 50 nationally in both Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects and Undergraduate Teaching, alongside Carnegie Mellon, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, … Continued

ACU’s NEXT Lab awarded infrastructure grant from Department of Energy for second year in a row
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) announced a grant of $292,770 to be used for infrastructure at ACU’s Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Lab, the second consecutive year for ACU to receive the grant. The funding will expand the radioactive materials characterization capability in the NEXT Lab. Specifically, it provides the instrumentation … Continued

ACU’s NEXT Lab submits construction application with NRC to build research reactor sponsored by Natura Resources
In yet another significant step toward the goal of building a molten salt research reactor, Abilene Christian University’s Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Lab submitted an application for a construction permit with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday. The application is the first for a new research reactor in more than 30 years and the … Continued

ACU faculty selected for inaugural ATE Inquiry Initiative exploring opportunity gaps in education
Two Abilene Christian University faculty members have been selected to participate in the inaugural Inquiry Initiative sponsored by the Association of Teacher Educators. Dr. Dana Mayhall, assistant professor of teacher education, and Dr. Amy Spiker, associate professor of teacher education, are two of just 80 university- and school-based teacher educators and education scholars from around … Continued

ACU NEXT Lab partners with Teledyne Brown to design molten salt research reactor
Abilene Christian University’s Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Laboratory has contracted Teledyne Brown Engineering to perform front-end engineering and design work to produce the first university-based molten salt research reactor (MSRR). “We received interest in working on this first-of-a-kind project from over a dozen top engineering companies,” said Dr. Rusty Towell, director of NEXT Lab and … Continued