Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Hungarian News Coverage of Texas Tech and SPICE


Polgár Zsuzsa sakkintézetet alapított Texasban

dunatv.hu/MTI, 2007. május 26. 17:09
Utolsó frissítés: 17:09

A lubbocki Texas Tech Egyetemen megalakult Polgár Zsuzsa korábbi sakkvilágbajnok intézete.

Az egyetem honlapja szerint az ötszörös sakkolimpiai győztes az igazgatója lesz a programnak, míg a 11-szeres országos bajnok Paul Truong lesz a másodedző és az üzleti igazgató."Azt tervezzük, hogy felépítjük a világ egyik legjobb ilyen jellegű intézetét" - jegyezte meg Polgár Zsuzsa.

http://www.dunatv.hu/cikk.html?id=72082
http://www.hirado.hu/cikk.php?id=208203

http://index.hu/sport/shirek/?main:2007.05.26&313875
http://www.boon.hu/hirek/im:all:sport-chess/cikk/polgar-zsuzsa-sakkintezete-texasban/cn/haon-news-FCUWeb-20070526-0455052999
http://www.metro.hu/sport/tenisz/cikk/94983
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

SPICE at Texas Tech


The SPICE (Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence) Mission

• To promote chess as vehicle for enriching education
• To serve as the global center for chess research, education and development
• To support and promote competitive chess at the college level
• To recruit outstanding undergraduate and graduate students


Through SPICE, Texas Tech has focused the resources of a major university and Big 12 Conference member on providing scholarships for players, conducting research into various aspects of the game, championing scholastic, college and women’s chess and housing an outreach program bringing chess to enthusiasts of all ages.

About Texas Tech University

With nearly 29,000 students sipping coffee in the Student Union Building, working out at the Rec Center or merely walking to class, Texas Tech’s campus buzzes with activity once the semester begins.Despite its size, though, the campus is known for its cozy feeling.

Lubbock is the same way. It’s a city big enough to boast popular stores and restaurants, yet you’ll never encounter a traffic jam. Get the benefits of a major research institution without getting lost in the crowd.

Academic programs:

Not satisfied with 31 flavors? Neither are we. That’s why we offer more than 150 degree programs through ten colleges. Plus take advantage of our top-ranked School of Law, a Graduate School, and a Health Sciences Center that leads the country in areas such as aging and border health. They’re all located on the same campus.

Colleges and schools:

The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources offers students the foundation for supplying the world’s food and fibers. But don’t stop there. Learn to manage natural resources, landscape golf courses and protect food from E coli.

The College of Architecture excels in teaching design theory and preparing students to enter the practice. Document structures such as the Statue of Liberty through the historic preservation program.

The College of Arts & Sciences, with 18 departments and half of Texas Tech’s faculty, is the largest college on campus. Biology, English, math, history, political science and physics are among your choices.

The Rawls College of Business has five study areas: accounting, finance, information systems and quantitative sciences, management and marketing. Or take a dual program with architecture, agriculture, foreign languages, law, medicine, or environmental toxicology.

The College of Education prepares students to open young minds. Pursue a degree in education, obtain educator certification or focus in education research.

The College of Engineering has eight departments spanning fields including civil, mechanical, industrial, and petroleum engineering. Design tomorrow’s office suites, highways, computers or nano-scale devices.

The Honors College provides the educational experience of a cozy liberal arts college with all the advantages of a major research institution. Courses are perfect for those who want a challenge.

The College of Human Sciences focuses on improving the human condition. Study early childhood development, family therapy, interior design or personal financial planning, to name a few.

The College of Mass Communications prepares students for careers in advertising, public relations, journalism, electronic media and photocommunications.

The College of Visual and Performing Arts prepares tomorrow’s artists, musicians, theatre performers and dancers. Give your natural talents a boost with the college’s emphasis on performance, teaching, research, and artistic and creative vision.

The Graduate School offers more than 170 different masters and doctoral degree programs. These are complemented by interdisciplinary programs from 50 specialized centers and institutes.

The School of Law shares a campus with a major university and medical school, which means that students can pursue joint degree programs in areas such as business administration, public administration, biotechnology and personal financial planning. An average 90 percent of graduates have passed the State Bar Exam over the last 12 years.
Posted by Picasa

Changing the unfair stereotype


Polgar could help put city on the map

DURING THE May 12 Texas Tech commencement ceremony, speaker Susan Polgar surprised many in attendance with an announcement - she will be working with Texas Tech in developing a chess program, the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE).

Ms. Polgar, of course, is more than qualified to run this program. She is the top women's chess player throughout the US and ranked second in the world in 2005.

When people think of Lubbock, they do not immediately equate it with a "chess town." Unfortunately, Lubbock isn't seen as a very sophisticated town in the eyes of many. There are no city chess teams, clubs, or tournaments in Lubbock.

Ms. Polgar hopes to change this perception with her program and the Tech team. Other plans are to research the correspondence between chess and academics, as well as develop new software and hopefully form a winning chess team for Tech.

She saw past the unfair stereotype Lubbock has received and decided this was a city worth taking a chance on.

"Chess is the purest form of strategy out there, period. It does wonders for developing analytical skills and cognitive abilities." said Mad Hatter, owner of Mad Hatter's House of Games. And, yes, for those of you who may not know, that's his name.

"As a former United States Chess Federation (USCF) player I welcome any attempt to promote chess here locally in Lubbock. But, Lubbock in general should be enthusiastic about this endeavor because it will help develop the mental skills required for a successful life amongst Lubbock's youth."

Both Tech and Ms. Polgar have expressed interest in drawing different kinds of students with a chess program, even by offering chess scholarships. Tech recognizes that the kinds of students that will be coming to play chess are exactly the kind of students they want at their school.

Tech is well known for its traditional sports teams, but now we expect they will be among the colleges with a strong chess team as well. This will attract the additional media attention Tech has been vying for as well as draw younger kids to the game of chess.

Ms. Polgar is also known for her work with girls' chess education, and is sure to continue her work with younger generations as well as with Tech students. This program will have more ramifications than Ms. Polgar or Tech has imagined, and will influence the city for the better. The city should thank her for all the opportunities that will be brought our way.

Source: LubbockOnline.com
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, May 27, 2007

SPICE in the news


Lubbock Avalanche Journal - www.lubbockonline.com (May 27)

Back to front page

New York Times

May 25, 2007, 6:04 pm
An Opening Gambit With an Odd Acronym
By Dylan McClain

When the legendary basketball coach Bobby Knight was pushed out of Indiana University, Texas Tech University in Lubbock jumped to welcome him, in hopes of raising the school’s national profile. Perhaps that move did not reap enough public attention (or maybe it was not the right kind), because the school is now trying another visibility-building leap in a different kind of competitive endeavor: Chess.

Texas Tech announced with some fanfare on May 12, the day of its graduation exericises, that it had hired this year’s commencement speaker — Susan Polgar, the former women’s world champion — to head something called the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, or (wait for it) Spice....

Jim Brink, Texas Tech’s senior vice provost for academic affairs, said that Spice will receive more than $250,000 a year from a combination of private donations and university financing. What will the institute do? “All sorts of things,” he said.

Among them: Help recruit and train a “world-class” chess team; organize and promote tournaments; do community outreach in local schools to promote chess; and work with departments around the university on the use of chess as a research tool, particularly in the development of artificial intelligence.

...Mr. Brink said that the university hoped to attract better students through chess. “There is a strict correlation between excellence in chess and excellence in the classroom,” Mr. Brink said.

Source: NY Times

Friday, May 18, 2007

Commencement Speeches & Pres. Clinton


ON AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES on C-SPAN

Commencement Speeches & Pres. Clinton

Hear commencement speeches by Oprah Winfrey, fmr. Director of the Peace Corps Gaddi Vasquez, Duke Univ. President Richard Brodhead, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus, Chess champion Susan Polgar & NAACP Chairman Julian Bond. Then, fmr. President Bill Clinton speaks to high school students about leadership and responsibility.

SATURDAY, MAY 19 AT 8PM ET
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, May 17, 2007

A surprise from Dean Santos


When I was in Lubbock recently, Dean Sheryl Santos (College of Education) invited my husband and I to visit her home. When we got there, she surprised us with this delicious welcoming cake.

Dean Santos has been one of the biggest supporters of SPICE and chess and education. She is also a very warm and thoughtful person. She made me feel so welcome during this big transition.

Thank you Dean Santos for being such a wonderful friend!
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

CSPAN Coverage of Commencement Speech


C-SPAN will air my commencement speech at Texas Tech University during their American Perspectives block on Saturday (May 19) at 7 p.m. and again at 10 p.m.
Posted by Picasa

Video of my commencement speech


Full coverage of my commencement speech

Click here to see the entire video of my second commencement speech at Texas Tech University. Click here to read the coverage of this magnificent event.
Posted by Picasa

A Humbling Experience


As I finished my first commencement speech, I was completely unaware of what about to take place next. It was quite a humbling experience being on stage with Texas Tech Chancellor Hance, Regent Miller and President Whitmore receiving my Honorary Doctorate degree. This is even more meaningful because Texas Tech does not give out this honor too often, not even to some of the biggest names who have given the commencement speeches before me at this University.

The most special part to me is Texas Tech recognizes the importance of Academic Excellence Through Chess and this will open the doors for countless students in the future. I view that this honor is not just for me. It is for the entire chess community and I am very excited about the future of chess and education and college chess.
Posted by Picasa

Incredible Computer Technology


Visiting the High Performance Computing Center of Texas Tech. On my right is Dr. Phil Smith, Director of High Performance Computing Center, and on my left is Dr. Hal Karlsson, the man who is responsible for making SPICE happen.
Posted by Picasa

SPICE Community Outreach


One of the first projects for SPICE is to reach out and help the community. It is a part of our outreach program. This morning, I was signing a bunch of the SPICE Tech posters, Commencement Program Books and Chess Boards for auction to help raise money for the Children's Miracle Network.
Posted by Picasa

Education, education and education


The motto of SPICE is to promote Academic Excellence Through Chess and Texas Tech is very serious to show the world its wonderful academic strength. I have been relentlessly promoting chess and education for the past many years and I am very proud to be a part of the Texas Tech family. I am also not the only one who believes in the importance of education. Here is a piece about coach Bob Knight when he was honored at the state capitol today:

COACH KNIGHT

Texas Tech basketball Coach Bob Knight was honored at the Capitol on Monday, and he urged lawmakers to do all they can for education."I think there's just something very, very special about Texas, the independence that Texas people have about themselves, about their state, their loyalty," Knight said. "You can have unbelievable pride in what your state does, and yet a great responsibility."In asking the Senate to keep education in mind for the state's young people, he said legislators should remember the goal of "well-educated big Texans."

Source: KSWO.com
Posted by Picasa

A chess gambit in West Texas


Excellent move: Grandmaster coming to Tech to start chess program
BY elliott blackburn

Deep in the land of Frito pie and high school football, a grandmaster will launch her latest gambit.

Susan Polgar announced during a Saturday commencement speech at Texas Tech the creation of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence, or SPICE, at the university.Officials related to the project believe it is unique among programs in the world, sporting an ambitious array of research programs and headed by a world champion player.

From her base at Texas Tech, the chess celebrity hopes to research the ties between scholastic chess and academic achievement, develop new software and build, of course, an elite collegiate team.

She leaves an established metropolitan chess community to do this, choosing a city where schoolchildren dominate the game. There is no centralized chess club in Lubbock and no city tournament.

But Lubbock has no attitudes on the game to change, Polgar said. And the university hopes chess will help find and entice strong students from around the world as supporters believe the number of young U.S. players will soon swell."

Huh? You're moving off to where?" her husband Paul Truong, said, laughing while trying to predict the reaction from the rest of the chess community."

And that will be a good thing, because it will create curiosity," he said. "They will know that if Susan agrees and committed to do this, there must be something there."

But while quick to note the academic strengths of their current student athletes, Tech administrators liked the ring of a chess team. Tech has been a football school and a basketball school - a chess school separates the university from the rest of the country's established sports programs in a game evocative of scholarly strength.

"Obviously, universities are looking for students that have the kind of skills that chess players have," said Jerry Nash, scholastic director for the U.S. Chess Federation and its liaison to the sport's international organization.

"They're saying, 'Yes, gosh, we can have teams that can compete, but in addition to that, we're getting the kinds of students that we need."

Tech offers Polgar a chance to build a program from the ground up, focused on her priorities - chess and education, chess and computers, girls in chess - all of which administrators believe will attract widespread attention to Tech.

There have been early discussions with high-speed computing and programming faculty about building competitive chess software or tools that could link schools together for chess instruction, faculty said. The university was in late April bidding to host elite collegiate tournaments that would bring top players from around the country to Lubbock.

Polgar will be the face of Tech at myriad high school tournaments filled with high-achieving prospective students and will assist in the university's fundraising efforts.

And then there are the benefits for the home team. Tech will have an expert chess player for its students to study under and one that will attract other younger masters who will seek out her instruction.

Source: LubbockOnline
Posted by Picasa

Speech time


This is the first time that I gave a speech to somewhere around 25,000 people! Prior to this, the largest I have ever done was about 5,000. It was quite an experience!
Posted by Picasa

Special moment

Posted by Picasa

It's official - SPICE


Dr. William Marcy, the Provost of Texas Tech, just introduced me as the first ever Executive Director of SPICE (Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence) and Head Coach of the Knight Raiders. This center will be a part of Texas Tech University.This institute, in addition to chess excellence, will focus on many other areas such as chess and education, research, technology, psychology, and much more. Now students from around the world can come to Texas Tech to enjoy many additional benefits. This is the first center of its kind in the world and Texas Tech is fully committed to give Susan and SPICE all the necessary support to achieve the highest level of success.

I have to add that NONE of this would have happened without UTD. Dr. Redman was the first to introduce and inspire me to be more involved with college chess. Then Jim Stallings continued to carry on that tradition. It is a much easier task to emulate the best. I hope to be able to help other Universities and Colleges with data and research info from SPICE. It is the hope that with a strong College Chess program, we can help keep many more young players in chess and eventually cross over to adult chess. Thank you UTD, Dr. Redman and Jim Stallings.

Big thanks to Texas Tech for an incredible amount of support!
Posted by Picasa

From Texas Tech University


After my first commencement speech on May 12 at the United Spirit Arena, President Whitmore, Chancellor Hance and Regent Miller presented me with the honorary doctorate degree and the Texas Tech University medal. The entire event is covered by CSPAN. There will be a major announcement and press conference between the two ceremonies.
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Welcome!


Texas Tech Hires Chess World Champion, Establishes Excellence Institute
Life News (Education)
Released: Sat 12-May-2007, 14:00 ET

Texas Tech University announced Saturday (May 12) that it will establish the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) and hire chess powerhouses Susan Polgar and Paul Truong to head the program.

Newswise — Texas Tech University, known athletically as the home of Bobby Knight and the Air Raid football offense, could soon be equally feared for its wicked endgame.The university announced Saturday (May 12) that it will establish the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) and hire chess powerhouses Susan Polgar and Paul Truong to head the program.

Polgar, four-time women’s world chess champion and five-time Olympic chess champion, has been hired as director of SPICE and coach of the Knight Raiders chess team. Truong, 11-time national champion, is the institute’s business manager and assistant coach.

“We are obviously very excited about SPICE and the opportunities it will provide,” said Polgar.

“We plan to build one of the world’s premier centers for chess research and outreach while solidifying Texas Tech as a national chess contender.”

The institute will include academic and outreach components and provide an almost unprecedented forum for academic research on the game.

Situated under the Office of the Provost, SPICE will allow researchers across disciplines to study chess from angles as diverse as artificial intelligence, cognition, and women’s studies. Research could probe the influence of chess on learning, for example, or tap the university’s High Performance Computing Center to create sophisticated computer programs.

Institute developers also intend to use SPICE as a way to promote and support collegiate-level competitive chess and to promote chess outreach to players of all ages. Recruiting chess champions will benefit the university academically, said Jim Brink, senior vice provost for academic affairs, noting that chess requires a combination of intellect, spatial thinking and other skills that often translate into classroom success.

“Smart people play chess,” he said. “There is a very close correlation between chess excellence and academic capability.”

Texas Tech has established itself as an emerging chess presence in just a few short years. The Knight Raiders club, established in 2003, now claims more than 100 members. This includes an international slate of star talent wooed to checkmate for Texas Tech. In 2006, the university was named Chess College of the Year by the United States Chess Federation – the U.S. governing body – for its scholarship program and emphasis on female recruitment.

Creating an institute devoted to chess and hiring two of the game’s top personalities will increase Tech’s profile in the chess scene, said Haraldur Karlsson, the current team coach and mentor who helped found the Knight Raiders and was a key player in building Texas Tech’s relationship with Polgar and Truong.

“This is a seismic event in the chess world,” Karlsson said. “This institute is a unique opportunity to apply the resources of a major research university to promoting and understanding chess.”

Polgar has visited Lubbock in the past to meet with Texas Tech officials and the Ramirez Charter School Rooks chess team, an outreach program of the Knight Raiders. She spoke at Texas Tech’s undergraduate commencement ceremonies Saturday, where the institute was announced.

Polgar has a lengthy list of credentials, including being the only person – male or female – to win chess’ Triple Crown, comprised of Rapid, Blitz and Classical world championships. She currently is the top-ranked woman player in the United States and, at the age of 21, was the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title. Truong is an eleven-time national champion in Vietnam and was the captain and business manager of the 2004 U.S. Women's Olympiad Team.