What does a championship mean to the University of Alabama?
Birmingham News – Jan. 10
…The University of Alabama’s take-home winnings from the BCS National Championship: about $3.8 million. Licensing: roughly $1 million, depending on how much merchandise people buy. National exposure for winning the game: Priceless…”It’s all positive, a win like that,” said Roger Sayers, who was president of UA in 1992, when the team won its last championship. “Probably even more so now because of instant communication. It certainly creates attention for the university and gives it national exposure; it helps in recruiting students as well as student-athletes. And certainly it’s a factor in terms of our pride in the state.”…UA’s recent years of success have brought boosts. For example, overall athletics profits went from $10.5 million for the 2006-07 school year to more than $22 million last year. There are 15,000 names on the waiting list for priority seats at Bryant-Denny Stadium, more than 10 times the number four years ago. Student applications have more than doubled since 2003, and the freshman class size has gone from 3,075 to 5,207 in the same period. And although university officials say they have no idea what the latest win will bring, they know it has value. “The BCS game provides outstanding national visibility and an excellent opportunity to communicate the educational opportunities and academic excellence that UA offers,” said Deborah Lane, assistant vice president of university relations for UA…
Fans weather harsh cold to welcome home Tide
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 9
Friday night, several thousand Alabama fans gathered in the bitter 20-degree cold at the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport to welcome home Ingram and the rest of their beloved Tide… “It’s good to be back,” Ingram said. “We knew it was going to be crazy because (the fans are) so supportive and they have a lot to do with the success we’ve had all season, so it’s good to see that they’re out here supporting us.” UA athletics director Mal Moore said he was thankful for the great support the fans have shown all season…The team’s plane landed about 7:25 p.m. Friday night, but fans began showing up three hours before that, hoping to get a glimpse of the team and head coach Nick Saban.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 8
NBC13 (Birmingham) – Jan. 8
CBS-42 (Birmingham) – Jan. 8
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Jan. 8
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 8
WHNT (Huntsville) – Jan. 8
UA researcher to lead tinnitus treatment trial
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 11
A University of Alabama researcher is leading a $3.2 million clinical study of a treatment of severe tinnitus, or ringing in the ear. “There’s been a lot of attempts to come up with treatments, but nothing has been very successful,” said Craig Formby, a UA graduate research professor in audiology…The new method, called tinnitus retraining therapy, will combine current methods of counseling with a hearing aid like device that will pipe a sound into the ear that blends with the ringing, Formby said. Patients are encouraged to use the device all day in an effort to help them cope with the ringing. They are asked to try to live a normal day and forget the devices are in, he said. Previous work has shown about 80 percent of people who undergo the treatment and use the device consistently report diminished influence of tinnitus, Formby said. Formby didn’t invent the treatment, but he and his UA team will lead the trial, paid for by a $3.2 million award from the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. If successful, the treatment will likely be accepted as standard…
UA astronomers speak at conference
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 9
Two University of Alabama professors were picked from more than 3,000 astronomers to present research to the media this past week in Washington, D.C., at the American Astronomical Society meeting. Out of 3,200 attendees at the annual gathering of astronomers, 2,200 displayed research, but only about 50 were chosen to address the media. UA professors Gene Byrd and Jimmy Irwin gave press briefings…Byrd was part of an international team of astronomers that discovered that a dominant force in the universe, dark energy, also exists closer to home…Until the research co-authored by Byrd was published in the European journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, dark energy had not been proved to be at work in our local cluster of galaxies…Byrd’s colleague, Irwin, also found something in the sky that should help astronomers’ understanding of the universe. He led the team that got results from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Magellan telescopes showing a mid-sized black hole ripping apart a star. It would be the first time a black hole has been caught on camera, so to speak, in any part of the process of sucking in a star…
Tide’s undefeated season means millions for many local and statewide retailers
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 10
…UA’s athletic department, which licenses UA products, will reap additional royalties paid on the extra merchandise that manufacturers continue to roll into stores…Merchants with the pre-orders generally had agreements to return the items to their vendors had Alabama lost. “I would imagine that Academy Sports negotiated these terms before agreeing to buy the merchandise. In today’s world, large retailers have a great deal of power,” said Kristy Reynolds, an associate professor in marketing and retailing at the University of Alabama. For state retailers, Crimson Tide items have been one of the season’s hottest sellers. “Sales of UA merchandise have been fairly recession-resistant,” Reynolds said. “The winning season this year has boosted sales. That said, a national championship for UA is likely to have a nice impact on retailers who sell related merchandise. I would imagine this impact would be quite substantial.”…UA athletic department officials who license UA products could not be reached last week for comment. UA’s trademark licensing program generally calls for UA to get an 8 percent royalty payment on approved merchandise bearing UA registered trademarks, according to its Web site. It has been 17 years since Alabama last won a national championship, and that has built up consumer demand even further for commemorative items, Reynolds said. She noted the university also could benefit further as the Tide’s gridiron victories and positive media coverage attract more enrollments, and she said local governments and the state will benefit from increased sales tax revenue…
What to do after the big freeze
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 11
…The good news is that snow and ice are actually pretty good insulators and may have helped plants survive the cold snap. It is a good practice not to wash frost or ice off plants after a freeze as this increases the chance of damage due to rapid thawing…Mary Jo Modica is horticulturist at The University of Alabama Arboretum.
Efforts to raise 401(k) participation hit snags
USA Today – Jan.10
… Target-date funds are supposed to shift investments over time to become more conservative. Plan participants also can inadvertently defeat the purpose of a target-date fund. “Research has suggested that a number of people put some of their money into target-date funds, but not all of it,” says Norman Stein, professor at the University of Alabama School of Law and a retirement expert. “And they are upsetting the balance that they may be paying extra fees for.”…