DCCCD, El Centro receive grants: The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board awarded the Dallas County Community College District and El Centro College a $170,305 grant to support the Nursing Shortage Reduction Program. Sul Ross State University has awarded DCCCD a grant in the amount of $103,720 for the Texas Pre-freshman Engineering Program Collaboration initiative. The Texas Workforce Commission awarded DCCCD and the El Centro College Bill J. Priest Campus a grant in the amount of $492,522 for a Skills Development Fund program in partnership with Frito-Lay Inc.

University of Dallas welcomes new chaplain: The Rev. Anthony M. Densmore will start July 1 as the new chaplain for the University of Dallas and rector of the Church of the Incarnation.

TXU Energy donates trees: TXU Energy donated 100 trees to the University of Texas at Arlington through the college's School of Social Work.

UTD names new engineering dean: The University of Texas at Dallas named Dr. Mark W. Spong, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as the new dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

A&M-Commerce official recognized: Texas A&M University-Commerce President Keith McFarland received a commendation from Gov. Rick Perry for his 39 years of service to the university. Mr. McFarland will retire in July.

UNT names new director: Kimberly D. Reasoner will become the University of North Texas director of external and government relations June 23. She was previously legislative counsel on the staff of U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess.

UNT to offer computer game programming certificate: The University of North Texas' Department of Computer Science and Engineering will offer a certificate in game programming in the fall.

Collin College dancers to visit NYC: The Collin College Dance Department has been invited to perform at the National College Dance Festival, taking place Wednesday through Friday at the Miller Theatre in New York.

Point Foundation hosts benefit: The Point Foundation invites area residents to meet its next generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender leaders at a benefit from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Meadows Museum, 5900 Bishop Blvd., on the Southern Methodist University campus. The Point Foundation supports scholars with funding for college tuition and books.

Free camp readies students: Operation Uplift, a free camp to prepare high school students for the business world, starts Thursday and continues through June 27 at the University of North Texas' Dallas Campus. Students must complete an application, submit a letter of recommendation from a high school counselor/teacher/pastor and write an essay. Call 972-225-1096 or e-mail revscp@highlandhillsumc.org.

Truman Capote program planned: SceneShop at the University of Texas at Arlington will present a free program of readings and insights on the works of Truman Capote at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Stage 143 black box theater, 502 S. Cooper St., and at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the auditorium of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St. E-mail ngaupp@uta.edu.

UNT art conference scheduled: The University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design's communication design program will host "From Power 2 Empowerment: An International Conference on Critical Literacy in Visual Culture" Friday and Saturday at the Universities Center at Dallas, 1901 Main St. Registration costs $25 to $150. Visit www.visualliteracy conference.unt.edu.

Conflict resolution conference set at SMU: "Brain Science of War & Peace," the North Texas Conflict Resolution Conference, will take place 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Southern Methodist University. Visit www.ntcrc.org or call 214-546-3338.

UTA to host art and design program: The University of Texas at Arlington will host a third summer of "Strategies, Events, Episodes + Devices," a program for high school students interested in art, architecture and design, from June 9-20.

SMU to host investing conference: Southern Methodist University's Cox Executive Education, Oil and Gas Investor magazine and EnCap Investments LP, will host an investing conference on the oil and gas industry June 10-11. The conference will close with a site visit to the Barnett Shale drilling operation. Visit www.exed.cox.smu.edu/ei or call 214-768-3329.

TWU plans open house: Texas Woman's University will host an open house for prospective students from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 14 at its Denton campus. Visit www.twu.edu or call 940-898-3014.

Arlington High alumni plan events: The Arlington High School Alumni Association will hold two events June 14. The Alumni Open House will be at 10:30 a.m. in the school cafeteria, 818 W. Park Row. Dedication of a monument marking the site of the original Arlington High School follows at 1 p.m. on the old campus at Cooper and Border streets. All alumni are invited to both events.

Basketball camp planned: The Danny Kaspar Basketball Camp at Stephen F. Austin State University for second- through 12th-grade boys will be June 15-19. Call 936-468-3108 or e-mail karleskidr@sfasu.edu.

•Several students and educators were honored recently by Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert at the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce Golden Oaks Awards. The Golden Oaks $1,000 scholarship recipients were Martin Arista and Erin Evetts from Bishop Dunne High School; Areli Pina from South Oak Cliff High; Alejandro Rodriguez and Brenda Romero from Adamson High; and Cindy Sorto from Sunset High. Special Recognition Golden Oaks $500 scholarships were awarded to Francisco Moreno from Adamson High and Lorena Martinez from Sunset High for continuing their education despite difficult challenges. The Golden Oaks Outstanding Educators $500 awards were given to Kathleen Keeter of Rosemont Elementary and Patrick O'Sullivan at Bishop Dunne High.

Student wins TXU art contest: Benjamin Franklin Middle School eighth-grader Luis Gutierrez won the grand prize in the TXU Energy CityArts

Student Art Contest. Participants made drawings of what it means to be energy efficient. Luis' work will be featured in the 2009 CityArts Calendar, which will be on sale at the annual CityArts Celebration in downtown Dallas June 13-15. Another Benjamin Franklin student, Terrance Osborne, received one of two honorable mentions in the contest.

DISD starts summer schedule: DISD administrative staff will work 10-hour days today through Aug. 14. Offices will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Most administrative offices will be closed the first two weeks of July for summer break (June 30-July 11). Regular work hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will resume Aug. 18.

Summer food services program to start: DISD's Food and Child Nutrition Services Department celebrates the start of its 2008 Summer Food Services Program at 10:30 a.m. June 12 at the Moorland Family YMCA, 907 E. Ledbetter Road. The program, which provides free lunch and snacks to Dallas children and youth ages 1 to 18, will run June 9-Aug. 8, except July 4. Call 214-932-5500. Participating sites are:

•Park South Family YMCA, 2500 Romine Ave.

•YMCA at White Rock, 7301 Gaston Ave.

•Oak Cliff Family YMCA, 6701 S. Hampton Road

•Moorland Family YMCA, 907 E. Ledbetter Road

•Girls Inc. West, 2607 Toronto St.

•Girls Inc. South, 4411 Meadow St

•Turnkey Boys & Girls Club, 6539 Treetop Lane

•Salvation Army - Pleasant Grove, 8341 Elam Road

•Mildred Dunn Recreation Center, 3322 Reed Lane