UA event was part of second annual Week of Welcome
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 18
More than 2,000 students mingled among booths and lounged around the Ferguson Center Plaza Sunday night, listening to music and eating barbecue. The event, UA Plaza Live!, was part of the University of Alabama’s second annual Week of Welcome to greet students returning to campus…It is the first time UA hosted the event as part of the welcome week, said Kelli Knox-Hall, assistant director for the Ferguson Center. It is part of Week of Welcome events that range from academic open houses to a movie on the Quad to a late-night pool party at the University Recreation Center…Bama Blast, which welcomes new students to campus, will be held today. A Capstone Convocation will be held Tuesday to mark the beginning of the freshman class’ college career…
Dr. Witt Meets Students as They Move In
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 15
Some of the students had a pretty high-profile member of the UA community there to greet them at their new home away from home. UA president Dr. Robert Witt was at the Lakeside dorm to greet…
Alabama’s jobless rate rises, but remains better than those of neighboring states
Birmingham News – Aug. 16
…Ahmad Ijaz, a researcher for the University of Alabama’s Center for Economic Research, projects that the state job market could falter even more in coming months if consumer spending and the housing market remain weak. “We will see more job losses in manufacturing, retailing, construction and some service-related industries which are highly dependent on consumer spending, such as hotels and lodging industry, restaurants, food services and temporary help services.”…
U.S., state personal income gap narrows
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 17
…Sam Addy, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, attributes the shrinking income gap to the state’s economic boom over the past decade. ‘Our economy has outperformed the national economy, and it is reflected in income growth,’ he said. Addy said the state can continue its gains in income through economic development but that the Legislature should consider fundamental tax changes to support more workplace education, adult education, job placement and retraining, transportation and public safety. ‘All that is supported by tax revenues so, in essence, clearly if we don’t address tax policy in the state, I don’t think we’ll be able to sustain the kind of economic growth we want,’ he said. Annette Watters, director of the Alabama State Data Center at UA, said the state’s poorer counties share certain characteristics — they’re likely to be rural and located in the traditional Black Belt across south-central Alabama, are home to residents both older and younger than the average and are home to more citizens who have less education.’A huge percentage of them did not finish high school,’ she said. ‘Forty percent of the adults in Wilcox County do not have a high school education. Another thing in common is dependency ratios with a lot of people at each end of the age spectrum.’….
Florence Time-Daily – Aug. 17
Gadsden Times – Aug. 17
Hot hybrids flying off local lots
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 17
…Increased competition and the fact it will take so many years of savings on gas to pay off the difference between the cost of hybrids and other vehicles should reduce the waiting lists fairly quickly, according to Clark Midkiff, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama. People largely purchased the models in fear of even higher gas prices, he said. “It was a form of hedging against higher energy prices,” he said. He said competing companies should have hybrid models on their lots soon, and that will reduce the demand for some models…
Archaeologists discuss prehistoric site in Colbert County
Florence Times-Daily – Aug. 18
…The artifacts were left by Paleo-Indians. They have been studied and recorded by the University of Alabama and the Alabama Archaeological Society.They are stored at the Moundville Archaeological Museum…
Bear’s ’58 team reunites, recalls Tide’s turning point to success
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 17
…This weekend, about 50 former players who were on Bryant’s first team returned to the Capstone for the 50th reunion of the 1958 squad…
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Aug. 16
College Honors
Mobile Register – Aug. 17
Lauren E. Lambuth and Kathleen E. McNamara, both of Daphne, made the President’s List at the University of Alabama…Meredith L. Julian of Fairhope has become a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda, a national leadership and honors organization at the University of Alabama.