Has the Oil Spill Affected Our Real Estate Values?
LagniappeMobile.com – Aug. 11
…According to The Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, the confidence level of Mobile area business leaders in the third quarter of this year is up. Mobile executives had a slightly larger jump in confidence over last quarter’s survey regarding the local economy than did business leaders statewide. According to The Center, 39 percent of Mobile executives think sales in their industry will increase, while 15.2 percent forecast a decrease.
Wiregrass fares better than many in income loss
Dothan Eagle – Aug. 11
…”Considering that 2009 was certainly the worst year of this recession for Alabama in terms of both jobs and income, the Dothan area did not fall as far, posting a modest increase in total personal income and a moderate drop in per capita income,” said Carolyn Trent, socioeconomic analyst for the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama…
Featured Article On Mobile Learning
TMCnet.com – Aug. 10
When customers compete for a small number of available items, how does a company fairly select the customers to receive the highly coveted items? Such was the case at the University of Alabama, and Blackboard, maker of mobile learning services and other educational products, had a solution. Football tickets are the most coveted item on campus and 28,000 students compete for 15,000 reserved seats in the student section of the stadium. The university wanted to be sure they could not only serve students promptly and fairly, they also wanted to reduce lines and wait times…To address these issues, the University of Alabama sought to create a program that students would easily adopt and turned to Blackboard and its Transact system…As a result of the integration of the Blackboard Transact and Connect platforms, the game day process is much more efficient. More students attend games and are happier with the process. Since the 2008 implementation, there have been more than 308,000 system hits and 18,000 tickets donated to other students electronically. Even with the new system in place, the university still needed a way to contact students who could receive a donated ticket. Administrators integrated the use of existing Blackboard Connect services to facilitate outreach regarding available tickets. Lucky students not only receive e-mail, they also get a phone call. “With My Football Ticket—and the Blackboard platforms— we’ve met student expectations, streamlined processes, enhanced self-service options, and the Connect product allows us to reach so many more people,” said Jeanine Brooks, director, Action Card, University of Alabama.
Georgia governor primary: Has Sarah Palin left GOP in disarray?
Christian Science Monitor – Aug. 11
…”Where I think Palin’s effect is phenomenal is on the status of women in politics,” says Janis Edwards, a University of Alabama communications professor who contributed an essay on Palin to the recently published book, “Identity Politics.” [People] have to pay attention to this and acknowledge the extent to which women’s progress in politics has been tied to the liberal feminist view, and where Palin’s impact is now on capturing and appropriating feminist arguments … that skews the view of women in politics in a different direction.”…
UA grad student finalist in Ghirardelli contest
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 11
Michele Henderson is one of five finalists in a Ghirardelli Chocolate contest to develop a new dark chocolate candy bar. A graduate student at the University of Alabama, Henderson was surfing the Web when she saw an advertisement for the contest. She and 14,000 other Web surfers entered…A native of Wisconsin, Henderson moved to Tuscaloosa when her husband, a graduate of the University of Alabama, landed a graphic artist position at The Tuscaloosa News. Henderson was in graduate school in Wisconsin at the time, and she transferred to UA to complete her own master’s degree in communication.