St. Edward鈥檚 Faculty and Staff in the News: 2024-2025 Academic Year Highlights
Local and national news organizations are seeking the academic expertise, analysis and commentary of our highly regarded media experts at St. Edward鈥檚.
From discussing data on how severe weather impacts plant life in Austin to spotlighting state-of-the-art technology that鈥檚 preparing our nursing students for successful careers in healthcare, we invite you to discover more about our experts who made headlines over the past year.
President Montserrat Fuentes
To mark the beginning of a new academic year, 顶级国产视频 President Montserrat Fuentes spoke with The Austin American Statesman about the institution鈥檚 commitment to fostering a community of academic excellence and belonging among students, faculty and staff.
School of Health Sciences
Donna Beuk
This year, St. Edward鈥檚 celebrated a historic milestone: the grand opening of the School of Health Sciences. Donna Beuk, dean of the School of Health Sciences and founding director of Nursing, spoke with Community Impact about how the school is providing top-tier training for nursing students through the experience of real-life scenarios in clinical patient care.
Katy Allen
As the nationwide nursing shortage continues, Assistant Professor of Nursing Katy Allen spoke with The Austin American Statesman and KXAN News about how the nursing program under the School of Health Sciences is addressing the demand for healthcare workers in communities throughout Texas and beyond. Allen also demonstrated the technologies students and faculty are utilizing to enhance their skills as compassionate leaders in health sciences.
School of Natural Sciences
Dustin Joubert
Whether you鈥檙e training for a marathon or joining a running group, the shoes you choose can influence your performance. Fortunately, St. Edward鈥檚 has its own shoe guru! Dustin Joubert, professor of Kinesiology, spoke with Esquire and Runner鈥檚 World about his research on 鈥渟uper shoes鈥 and the impact they may have on runners.
The Bill Munday School of Business
Arie Brish
Arie Brish, adjunct professor of Management, was quoted in CIO magazine for his perspective on the topic of investing in artificial intelligence (AI) and who exactly pays for the implementation of the evolving technology.
School of Arts and Humanities
Kelley Coblentz Bautch
In the fall of 2024, members of the State Board of Education heard public comments regarding whether or not biblical stories should be taught to elementary school students in Texas. Kelley Coblentz Bautch, professor of Religious and Theological Studies and department chair, shared her expertise with The Austin American Statesman on how world religions are taught in schools.
Lance Bennett
Lance Bennett, adjunct professor of Communication, shared his perspective on how societal forces are impacting the current higher education landscape in the Forbes magazine article "The Stakes Are High: What College Faculty Are Thinking Now."
Jena Heath
In the spring of 2025, The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had issued cuts impacting funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Jena Heath, professor of Journalism and Digital Media, published an opinion piece in The Austin American Statesman about how the DOGE cuts toward the NEH impacted her grant-funded project at St. Edward鈥檚.
School of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Brian Smith
When it comes to Texas and U.S. politics, Brian Smith, vice provost for Academic Policies and Student Success, is a renowned political science expert among local, regional and national media entities. Throughout the year, Smith shared his expertise and commentary with The Austin American Statesman, CBS Austin, Fox 7 Austin and Spectrum News 1 Texas (to name a few) on topics such as border security, school vouchers and voting.
Carsten Andresen
In the realm of coverage on criminal behavior in Austin and throughout the state, journalists sought the insights of Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Carsten Andresen. Andresen spoke with The Conversation, KVUE News, KXAN News and Fox 7 Austin about various hard-hitting news topics; a surge in United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agreements with local police aim to increase deportations; deadly road rage incidents; and a spike in vehicle thefts for certain car brands in Texas.
St. Edward's Staff
Jim Morris
In the fall of 2024, the university partnered with H-E-B鈥檚 Trees for Texans program to plant more than a dozen trees at the St. Edward's bus stop on Congress Avenue. Jim Morris, vice president of University Operations, spoke with KXAN News about the impact of the initiative and how the trees will provide shade for students and Austinites in the area who rely on public transportation, especially during the summer. Additionally, Morris discussed how the Climate Resiliency (CLI-RES) Living Laboratory is using innovative ePlant monitoring devices to determine how weather impacts the health and growth of trees
Richard Bautch
To honor the legacy of the late Pope Francis, Richard Bautch, the executive director of the Holy Cross Institute, spoke with KXAN News about the influence he had on the Catholic community at St. Edward鈥檚 and around the world.
