Bama’s APR brings a smile to Saban
Tuscaloosa News – May 8
…The NCAA released national APR data on Wednesday. Alabama improved its score to a 955, a score that placed Alabama among the 80th percentile – i.e., the top 20 to 30 percent – of college football teams. “It’s our goal, a standard that we set for ourselves,” Saban said. “We want to have a high retention rate of players making good academic progress. Even more than that, we want to have a high graduation rate. That was higher this year, too, and it will be even better next year.” Alabama has six players scheduled to graduate at UA ceremonies Saturday. Saban said that as many as 15 of next season’s 20 seniors could graduate in December as well…”I get a grade report every week,” Saban said. “We also have a system of checks and balances designed to develop good habits. I think our (Bryant Hall) facility is a real advantage. People don’t realize how important it is to have a central facility where the players can eat meals and study.” Saban also said that the strong football showing in the APR was part of a campus-wide emphasis on academics. “If we didn’t get feedback from the professors, it would be hard to maintain standards,” Saban said. “We get tremendous feedback and that has been a real positive for us.”…
Education Briefs
Birmingham News – May 8
The University of Alabama will hold its spring commencement ceremonies Saturday in Coleman Coliseum. Two university-wide commencement ceremonies will be held this year, at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.. At the 9 a.m. ceremony the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Human Environmental Sciences and the School of Social Work will award their degrees. At 1:30 p.m., degrees will be conferred in the Colleges of Education, Nursing, Communication and Information Sciences, and Commerce and Business Administration. The School of Law will have its ceremonies at 5:30 p.m. — Hundreds of civil engineering students will trek to the University of Alabama June 11-13 for their chance at the “America’s Cup of Civil Engineering,” the American Society of Civil Engineers’ National Concrete Canoe Competition…
Staying Well at UA
Tuscaloosa News (Dateline Alabama) – May 7 (Online only)
…While there is no sure-fire way to not get sick this winter, one staff physician at UA’s Student Health Center suggests a few things that may help. So, if you have a class that you cannot miss, you might want to take the extra few seconds to ensure that you’re doing everything possible to stay well…David Maxwell with the UA Student Health Center…recommends not sharing anything that could be exposed to respiratory secretions such as coughing, sneezing, or a runny nose…Also, being clean and having a clean living situation absolutely help students stay healthy, Maxwell said…