For the third consecutive year, The University of Texas at Dallas has received the Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Gold Award from the Texas Veterans Commission.
The award recognizes public colleges and universities that provide excellence in education and related services that contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students. It promotes best practices by awarding gold-, silver- and bronze-level status to those offering such services. The Texas Legislature established the program in 2018.
Marijke Gray, director of the UT Dallas Military and Veteran Center, said receiving the award is a validation of the valuable assistance the University provides to veterans.
“The award helps showcase the University’s commitment to support and recognize the achievements of student veterans,” she said. “UTD consistently demonstrates its appreciation and gratitude for the contributions made by veterans in their pursuit of education.”
The Military and Veteran Center offers a wide range of resources and support, including organizing events, social activities and support groups for student veterans at UTD. The center also provides peer support, staff and faculty training, networking and referrals, and other support.
Gray noted that the center provides a welcoming space for anyone who has served in the military or is currently serving, as well as for military dependents and spouses.
“We must remember those who served, those who continue to serve, and those who support our servicemen and servicewomen,” she said.
Comet Achieves Chess Grandmaster Rating
University of Texas at Dallas chess team member Brian Escalante Ramirez is a grandmaster-elect after his performance at the 2023 U.S. Masters tournament in November in Charlotte, N.C.
Escalante joins David Brodsky, Rahul Srivasthav Peddi and Ivan Schitco as current UT Dallas players who crossed the 2500-rating barrier to achieve the highest title in the game while at the University. Balaji Daggupati and Koustav Chatterjee arrived at UTD as grandmasters.
“A homegrown grandmaster [GM] is very rare in college chess,” said James Stallings, director of the chess program. “Most young players already have the GM title when they are recruited. It is not trivial to go to college full time and do the work required to become a grandmaster.”
Escalante, who will be certified officially as a grandmaster at an International Chess Federation meeting in early 2024, said that extensive planning enabled him to address his studies while continuing to improve his game.
Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship
UT Dallas will compete for a spot in the President’s Cup, the “Final Four of College Chess.”
When: Jan. 4-7, 2024
Where: McAllen Convention Center, McAllen, Texas
Website: https://southtxchess.org/2024panams
“Each semester when I choose my classes, I balance my schedule so that I still have time for chess,” he said. “I look at every class syllabus and mark all the important dates, and based on that, I decide which tournaments I will play during the semester.”
Escalante, from Tarapoto, Peru, came to the U.S. in 2019 and transferred to UT Dallas from Webster University in 2020. He is pursuing a master’s degree in information technology and management in the Naveen Jindal School of Management.
When he finishes his degree, Escalante hopes to work either as a data analyst or human resource manager. His chess goals are more short term: “I would like to help my team take first place in the Pan-American championships in January and go on and win the Final Four.”
Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of The University of Texas at Dallas faculty, students and staff. To submit items for consideration, contact your school’s communications manager.