UA president praises faculty, staff for hard work
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 13
It’s not uncommon that faculty from the University of Alabama faculty who see success in their field of study will praise UA President Robert Witt. Since he arrived in 2003, Witt has successfully guided UA through a turbulent economy and has increased the campus enrollment to 31,747 students. In his first year, enrollment was below 20,000.But during his address at the end of UA’s fall faculty and staff meeting Wednesday, Witt redirected the praise. “If you envision a university as a chain, that university, our university, can be no stronger than its weakest link,” Witt said. “If you envision the links that make up a university, they are the people, its programs, its facilities and its financial resources.” Witt said UA’s faculty and staff have all contributed to forming the “strongest of links.” Witt went through a long list of positives for UA on Wednesday afternoon, and said that list is the result of a lot of hard work from those in attendance at the Bryant Conference Center…Witt began with the 22,000 students who applied to UA this fall and the more than 5,700 who were accepted and enrolled…Witt said more than 1,600 UA freshmen finished high school with 4.0 averages, while 182 were National Merit Scholars. He said UA ranked sixth nationally last year, with 125, in the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled among 600 colleges and universities. Witt said he expects that ranking to rise this year. “Next year, the class will be even bigger and even more able,” he said…But the student body isn’t the only group growing at UA. Witt said in addition to replacing those faculty members who retired or resigned in the last year, 40 additional full-time faculty were hired, bringing the total to 240 hired in the last four years…Witt said more than 200 staff members also have been hired in the past year and that their work has been integral in the university’s success…Witt said all of UA’s colleges and programs are “stronger today than they were last year.”
Crimson White – Oct. 13
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 13
McNair Scholars showcase research
Crimson White – Oct. 13
Today at 5:30 p.m., in Room 328 of Lloyd Hall, the University of Alabama McNair Scholars will present their research projects in the 12th annual University of Alabama McNair Scholars Research Conference…
Student plans food summit
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 13
Matthew Lawrence is a self-professed foodie…But Lawrence, a second-year master of business administration student at the University of Alabama, also sees the destructive side of food, and more specifically, the modern agriculture system…Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control, Lawrence said more than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Moreover, the CDC projects one in two black or Asian-Americans born in the year 2000 or later, and one in four American children overall, will get diabetes…But opinions differ on the cause of these outcomes and the appropriate actions Americans should take to counteract them, and Lawrence hopes to foster that discussion during the first Tuscaloosa Food Summit. The summit will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday at Canterbury Chapel Episcopal Church at 812 Fifth Ave. on the UA campus. Lunch will be provided to the first 100 attendees. The summit will feature panels and discussions on topics like the socio-economic cost of food, food banks, sustainable farming and the role of churches in a healthier food system, Lawrence said.
Moore has been part of UA family for more than 50 years
Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa Magazine) – Oct. 13
Mal Moore, whose ties with the University of Alabama go back to the Bear Bryant era, is a man who rarely has a moment to himself. Since becoming UA’s athletic director in 1999, he’s weathered storms and basked in the glow of accomplishments. He travels extensively, to games, alumni gatherings and meetings. He’s the face of UA sports for the many fans who live and die with the Tide…