Capital campaign on track to reach goal early
Crimson White – April 25
About $483 million of the $500 million goal for the University’s Our Students, Our Future. capitol campaign has been pledged, putting it on track to meet the goal nearly a year earlier than expected, UA officials said. Pam Parker, vice president of University Advancement, said though the overall goal is within reach, money designated for student scholarships is still needed and the campaign will continue until next June. The campaign aimed to raise $250 million for student scholarships, Parker said, and $160 million has been raised so far. Parker said she thinks the remaining $80 million can be raised within the next year…UA President Robert Witt said he is confident the campaign will exceed the $500 million goal by a “substantial amount.” “The campaign’s progress and success are a tribute to Pam Parker and her outstanding team of development officers, as well as to the generous support of dedicated alumni, friends, corporations and foundations,” Witt said…
UA researchers win HudsonAlpha innovation prize
Huntsville Times – April 25
Two researchers from the University of Alabama are the first winners of the $20,000 HudsonAlpha Prize for Outstanding Innovation in Life Sciences. Husband and wife Guy and Kim Caldwell were recognized for their work on nervous system diseases, particularly Parkinson’s disease, the prize committee said. The award was presented Thursday in connection with the dedication ceremony for the HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology…
Social work conference to focus on men
Tuscaloosa News – April 25
“Caring, Sharing and Preparing to Serve: The First Conference on Social Work With and For Men,” will be Monday and Tuesday at the Bryant Conference Center…and will include topics such as parenting, post-traumatic stress in veterans, access to health care, grandfathers as caregivers, male widowhood and ethnic issues…“Although many researchers have focused on women’s issues, we found a lack of research and recognition of unique and common needs that men face,” said Dr. Jordan Kosberg, a conference co-chairman and professor at the University of Alabama School of Social Work, which is sponsoring the event…
Alabama contends for new VW plant
Tuscaloosa News – April 25
…Jim Cashman, a professor of management and marketing at the University of Alabama, said Alabama has several locations that could prove attractive to Volkswagen. ‘Volkswagen has to be in the U.S., because that’s where they’re trying to sell more cars, and the dollar is so weak they have to get out of Germany,’ he said…Among some likely sites in Alabama, Cashman said, would be the Tuscaloosa or Mobile areas because of the proximity of other German manufacturing plants…
Education Briefs
Birmingham News – April 25
The University of Alabama’s College of Engineering Does Amateur Radical Theatre will host “Welcome to Bedside Manor,” a dessert and show, this Friday-Sunday at 7 p.m. in UA’s 126 H.M. Comer. Tickets are $8 and the event is open to the public. Student cast members include Zach Burnett, Kerri Hay Carr, David Dozier, Frances Green, Victoria Grefer, Jill Hoover, Elizabeth Junkin, Jon Lauer, Mary Kathryn Sewell and Samantha Smyth.
Up, up and away
Crimson White – April 25
…Superheroes like Superman stand for more than people would expect, said Sean Hoade, who teaches of the UA honors course “Superheroes: Power and Responsibility.”…What makes people so attracted to the idea of a superhero? Why is something that doesn’t exist so popular? Why was something seen as a good thing for young people now so demonized in the 1950s? Hoade’s class explores the answers to these questions. The 15 students who meet once a week define the role of the fictional world in which they live. They look at a superhero’s role in the real world and the purpose superheroes serve in our culture…
Colleges come together for Unity Day
Crimson White – April 25
On Saturday, students and faculty members from the Capstone, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College will celebrate the second annual Unity Day on Woods Quad. “We’re bringing students together for healthy dialog and to exchange ideas,” said outgoing SGA Deputy Chief of Staff and Unity Day Director Candace Portis. “This event is all about the students.”…
Family and Friends Remember Victor Ellis
WRCB (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – April 25
Family and friends will gather to remember Victor Ellis. Ellis lost his seven month battle with cancer last month. He was a standout football player and student at Red Bank High School and the University of Alabama. He also worked as a recruiter for Bama until he became sick…