On March 31st, the MHA Program welcomed Steve Love, President and CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council came and visited with the students and faculty. Mr. Love spoke on the initiatives the DFW Hospital Council is taking to improve patient care in a large metropolitan statistical area. Mr. Love also spoke on how healthcare reform will impact hospitals in Texas. The MHA Program is also excited to announce that Mr. Love will be joining our advisory committee. Twelve of our students attended the annual ACHE-Congress in March. Nine of our students were awarded Program Assistant positions. They are Emily Allen, Javier Bonilla, Camille Casey, Katy Chavet, Keli Dean, Beth Elder, Robert Farias, Jamie-Crystal Lee, and Kaley Meadows. From the ACHE website, “Program assistants are a critical part of a successful Congress. Program assistants must select a total of eight hours of specific activities with the responsibility of ensuring smooth logistical functioning of those activities.” Two of our students, Jerrica George and Christina Holch were awarded the ACHE-SETC Congress Scholarship which promotes Congress attendance. April 6 – 9, 2011 Emily Allen, Beth Elder, Jamie-Crystal Lee, Micah Granger, and Matthew Wylie attended the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals conference, “Making Dollars and Sense Out of Change”. The students had a chance to attend sessions over changes in federal policies and how those changes will affect rural communities. Matthew Wylie was awarded the John F. Boff scholarship. On April 15, 2011 eight members of the spring graduating class joined Upsilon Phi Delta. To be eligible for membership in Upsilon Phi Delta, graduate members must be Master of Health Administration students, have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and have made substantial contributions to service activities within the School of Rural Public Health and the community. Congratulations to these eight students for their outstanding achievements. Thursday April 21, 2011 Michael C. Waters, LFACHE former CEO of Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, TX, came to speak to the MHA students. Mr. Waters served as the inaugural speaker of the ACHE Visiting Lecture Series hosted by AFHL. Mr. Waters offered the students advice with the "Ten Recommendations to be a Successful Healthcare Leader in the Future." Additionally, he discussed the importance of ACHE in student careers and the need to pay back the work given on our behalf. April 26, 2011 the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) Texas Gulf Coast chapter came to present to the department of Health Policy and Management. The group spoke on the benefits of HFMA, Linked In as a networking tool, and their mentorship program. Tom Konitzer spoke on resume writing, job search, and interviewing techniques. Congratulations to Jerrica George who was awarded the HFMA scholarship of $1,000.