New UA dorm nearly ready
Tuscaloosa News – July 28
…Ridgecrest South is one of the largest projects ever built on the UA campus. Including site work and a new road to service it, the project cost is about $104 million, and the building stands 96 feet tall, one of the tallest on campus…Ridgecrest South has two wings of dorms connected in the middle with common areas for meeting and recreation space. Altogether, the dorms will house 968 beds, which, based on design, is the largest dorm on campus. However, Tutwiler Hall routinely exceeds capacity using overflow rooms to house 1,058 beds. Construction on the project didn’t hit any unforeseen snags, but the biggest challenge was finishing the building on time, since construction started two years ago, Leopard said. All 968 beds are reserved for the fall, said David Jones, executive director of housing and residential communities…It is the last in a series of residential communities built under President Robert Witt’s tenure that has radically changed the north end of campus. Including Ridgecrest South, about 3,100 beds have been added to campus since fall 2005. Ridgecrest South’s dorms, costing about $73 million, are technically owned by the 1831 Foundation, a non-profit attached to UA. Rental income will pay for construction.
Crimson Choice Program Helps With Off Campus Housing
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 27
The University of Alabama Crimson Choice Program helps parents and students make better educated choices about off campus housing…UA is hosting a green building service lecture on July 30th…
UA promotes Gilbert to associate AD
Tuscaloosa News – July 28
The University of Alabama has promoted Jon Gilbert to associate athletic director for external operations. Gilbert is a member of the athletic department’s senior executive staff who has been with the department since 1995. The promotion was announced Monday. Gilbert will oversee the ticket, Tide Pride and marketing departments and serve as a liaison with Crimson Tide Sports Marketing.
He had been director of major gifts for the Tide’s development office.
Galaxy Zoo Hunters Help Astronomers Discover Rare ‘Green Pea’ Galaxies
Science Daily – July 28
…The Galaxy Zoo project was launched in 2007 by a team of astronomers in the U.K and U.S….To date, 230,000 volunteers from all over the world have helped classify one million images of galaxies taken by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Galaxy Zoo 2, which launched in February 2009, lets users more fully analyze 250,000 of the brightest galaxies. Other authors of the paper include…William Keel (University of Alabama)…
Gadsden’s economy mirrors state’s
Gadsden Times – July 27
Gadsden, the state and the nation probably won’t see a return to a pre-recession economy until 2012 or 2013, an economic forecast from the University of Alabama said. The Center for Business and Economic Research in mid-year and third-quarter economic reports said Alabama’s recovery may start slowly in the last fiscal quarter of the year. CBER Director Sam Addy said Monday the economy will continue to decline in the third quarter that ends Sept. 30, but the decline will be slower than the declines of the last nine months. “I’m convinced the worst is behind us,” Addy said. “There are signs that things are getting better, or at least they are not getting as
New MBAs vow accountability
Christian Science Monitor – July 27
…an “MBA oath.” They would pledge to “act with utmost integrity” and to “strive to create sustainable economic, social, and environmental prosperity worldwide.”
The oath took off…By late July the total had since risen to 1,427 students and alumni from scores of business schools, ranging from the University of Alabama to Singapore Management University. In the wake of the financial meltdown, the MBA degree has lost its swagger. But these students hope to rescue its reputation and quell the public’s wrath. Their efforts are part of a broader effort to professionalize management by setting higher standards, akin to those agreed upon by doctors and lawyers…
Northport names 2 new members to board
Tuscaloosa News – July 28
The Northport civil service board grew from three to five members Monday night to comply with new state legislation. The Northport City Council appointed two new members, Jon Garner and Dr. John Hinton, and reappointed a third member, board chairman Paul Hubbard…Garner, a human resources administrator at the University of Alabama system office, has worked in the field for 15 years…