The sign is on the door and things are ready to roll 🙂
The SPICE 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 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 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 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.
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 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.
This is fantastic! Good luck with this program. I’m sure you’ll put Lubbock on the map.
I’m very happy to see Texas Tech make this move. It’s great for chess, Texas Tech and Texas. Well done!
What exactly does this mean? “conducting research into various aspects of the game”
Can you elaborate a bit on this? What kind of research?
Maybe it can work for the Red Raiders in chess, because they do not compete well with the Big 12’s best teams in major sports.
Hey, the University of Washington is still gonnna beat the pants off of Texas Tech!
OK, well, with Susan at the helm; maybe not for too long…
Seriously though; good job!
Gregory
Susan,
It appears SPICE may have an overlapping mission and program structure to that of the USCF. How do you plan to differentiate the SPICE mission and programs from that of the USCF? Congratulations on becoming the first ever Executive Director of SPICE.
Regards,
Wayne Praeder
Wayne,
Thank you. There is absolutely no conflict of interest between SPICE and the USCF.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
How can there be any conflict of interest? SPICE is designed to help chess and the USCF is designed to help Bill Goichberg and CCA.
To add to the research aspects of SPICE (I accidentally submitted the comment before I could finish it).
In essence, SPICE will work with various colleges and departments on campus (and even outside invesitgators). SPICE staff will supply the chess expertize while the investigators will provide their expertize and insight. This will work in one of two ways. Either the SPICE Group has a project in mind and seeks out the appropriate research elements within Tech or Tech researchers approach SPICE with an idea. This will therefore be the best of both worlds.
Research projects will be funded through grants from government and private foundations. It will be a collaborative effort between SPICE and our primary investigators (PI) or Co-PIs. Obviously we cannot reveal any details while we are in the process of writing or submitting grants. This is quite normal in higher education where the competition can often be quite fearce.
Hopefully, at some point SPICE can also be the source of funding for research on chess – not only at Tech but at other institutions or performed by qualified individuals outside the university. This of course would require that SPICE has substantial endowements in place.
Sincerely,
Dr. H. R. Karlsson
Associate Professor of Geosciences, TTU
Member of the SPICE Group.
To add to the research aspects of SPICE
In essence, SPICE will work with various colleges and departments on campus (and even outside invesitgators). SPICE staff will supply the chess expertize while the investigators will provide their expertize and insight. This will work in one of two ways. Either the SPICE Group has a project in mind and seeks out the appropriate research elements within Tech or Tech researchers approach SPICE with an idea. This will therefore be the best of both worlds.
Research projects will be funded through grants from government and private foundations. It will be a collaborative effort between SPICE and our primary investigators (PI) or Co-PIs. Obviously we cannot reveal any details while we are in the process of writing or submitting grants. This is quite normal in higher education where the competition can often be quite fearce.
Hopefully, at some point SPICE can also be the source of funding for research on chess – not only at Tech but at other institutions or performed by qualified individuals outside the university. This of course would require that SPICE has substantial endowements in place.
Sincerely,
Dr. H. R. Karlsson
Associate Professor of Geosciences, TTU
Member of the SPICE Group.
Susan,
I very much appreciate your response. Many corporations have similar or overlapping missions and programs. I’m sorry if my question was not clear as it was intended to be a corporate marketing and business differentiation question. Perhaps Dr. Karlsson already sufficiently answered the question on your behalf. If not could you please share your plans to differentiate the SPICE mission and programs from that of the USCF? Thank you again and best wishes on your future chess activities.
Regards,
Wayne Praeder
Dear Wayne,
SPICE will not compete with USCF but rather complement it. We intend to have a good working relationship with the USCF just like other chess programs such as those of UTD, UMBC and UTB/SC.
Universities offer a unique opportunity to promote chess at the grass-roots level. They often have access to large populations of students, staff and faculty. This is an excellent resource for scholastic chess. Universities also provide a certain acknowledgement to chess as an intellectual activity. Parents of young children often notice that. There is no higher recognition of chess as an academic tool than to award scholarship other than perhaps what we have done: namely set up a institute within a university on par with regular academic centers and institutes.
Univerisites also offer venues for tournaments, chess camps, lectures, and housing at an affordable rate.
I think the role of universities in promoting chess is particularly important in smaller cities where community clubs may be small or weak.
Sincerely,
Dr. H. R. Karlsson
Member of the USCF College Chess Committee
Member of the SPICE Group
Dr. Karlsson,
Thank you for answering my question. The type of differentiation I was inquiring about was not one of competitive advantage but one that allows organizations to supplement each other. Complementariness is difficult if both organizations are the same.
From your answer I understand that SPICE does not differentiate from the USCF so much in mission and programs but rather in focus and location – particularly serving the local university community. Thus a partnership or affiliation with the USCF would be considered to be a beneficial relationship.
In your endeavors as a member of the SPICE Group, I wish you nothing but success.
Regards,
Wayne Praeder