Former Supreme Court justice to speak
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 4
Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens will speak Nov. 16 at the University of Alabama, partly to promote his memoir. Stevens, who retired in 2010, will be the 10th U.S. justice to speak at the UA School of Law since 1996. His visit is being paid for through the Albritton Fund, established as part of the Law School Foundation in 1973. The fund commemorates the contributions to the legal profession of several generations of the Albritton family of Andalusia. It is meant to pay only for the lectures of Supreme Court justices from the U.S. and other countries.
AL.com – Nov. 3
Editorial: Eyes of nation return to town on Saturday
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 3
Six months ago the nation’s eyes were on Tuscaloosa. It was not a good moment in history as large parts of the city lay in ruins and people mourned for lost loved ones. . . . Saturday, the nation’s eyes will again be on Tuscaloosa for an entirely different reason. Alabama’s gridiron contest with LSU is being hyped as the “game of the century.” It is being compared to such epic struggles at the 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma game and the 2005 Southern California-Texas tilt.
ESPN crew gives game ‘Super Bowl treatment’
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 4
The matchup between Alabama and LSU is still a day away, but ESPN College GameDay arrived in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday to begin setting up for the network’s iconic weekly production. With more than 70 staff members, trucks and trailers leading the way, GameDay analysts Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and more began broadcasting College Football Live in the shadow of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Thursday afternoon, a day sooner than their normal schedule.
BCS analyst predicts Crimson Tide win
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 4
As a University of Alabama alumnus, ESPN’s BCS analyst Brad Edwards usually praises the Crimson Tide less to avoid being labeled a “homer.” So when he told a group of listeners Thursday night in the Ferguson Center that he believes Alabama will win Saturday, he says his prediction isn’t based on bias; in his expert opinion, he really believes it…Edwards graduated from Alabama in 1994 as a broadcast journalism major and wanted to work in public relations for an NFL team. However, that job market didn’t have many openings, so he stayed at Alabama in media relations and helped with the football team. He managed the players’ news conferences, along with team publicity, such as compiling game notes and stats. For him, getting the chance to work around the team and learn more about football than what he knew from playing in high school gave him the ability to talk more authoritatively about the sport. “The Alabama experience was everything as far as getting me where I am now, not only in getting my foot in the door as far as getting to work with ESPN, meeting people from ESPN,” he said.
Big game a huge deal in twister-battered city
CBS News – Nov. 4
One of the most eagerly-awaited college football games in years is set for Saturday night, with top-ranked Louisiana State University facing No. 2 the University of Alabama. But for Tuscaloosa, Ala., a city still recovering from a massive April tornado, the game means much more than a shot at the national title, reports Cynthia Bowers. The banners are up and the excitement is building outside the stadium where nearly 100,000 fans will watch what some are calling the game of the century. But in Tuscaloosa, a special bond has formed this year between the University of Alabama and residents of the town after the killer storm that blew through the region.
Griffith to be honored by University of Alabama
Gadsden Times – Nov. 4
Gadsden native Lt. Gen. Clark Griffith is one of four members of the armed forces that will be recognized by the University of Alabama prior to the Alabama-LSU football game Saturday. Griffith entered the Air Force in September 1963 as a distinguished graduate of the University of Alabama Reserve Officer Training Corps program…
UA president to receive Marine’s flag
Fox 10 (Mobile) – Nov. 3
A Marine from Mobile who attended the University of Alabama and has been deployed three times will play a part in the Alabama versus LSU game on Saturday. Sgt. Robert McNeil will take center stage during the halftime show for a big presentation. There’s no question Sgt. Robert McNeil is a big Alabama fan. Pictures of the decorated Marine from the battlefield show him sporting an Alabama cap and holding a University of Alabama flag. . . . Saturday, the Marine Sgt. will hand over the flag to University of Alabama president Dr. Robert Witt…
Our Roll to Recovery
Birmingham Weekly – Nov. 3
Just last week, for 24 student-athletes and four administrators at the University of Notre Dame, fall break was a chance to come to Tuscaloosa to help with tornado relief and cleanup as part of their Fight for Tide service trip. The student-athletes were mainly working in Alberta last week, helping clear out residential areas so that homes and lives can start to be rebuilt. The Fight for Tide service trip is being done in collaboration with Project Team Up, a redevelopment initiative of Nick’s Kids and University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban and his wife, Terry. Project Team Up was created after the April 27 storms with the goal of leading the way in the redevelopment of some of Alabama’s hardest hit communities. The Saban’s both are Kent State graduates, and earlier this football season, the Kent State University football team came to help with clean up in Tuscaloosa also.
Campus IT Spotlight: UA Ramps Up WiFi
Campus Technology – Nov. 3
The need for wireless connectivity on college campuses is growing and is forcing IT departments to take hard looks at their current setups and figure out how–in this era of tight budgets and frugal spending–to improve them without breaking the bank. The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa is one school that’s had to get up to speed with wireless connectivity. Up until recently, UA’s WiFi setup covered just 15 percent of the buildings on campus. “It was pretty limited,” said Scott Montgomery, deputy CIO. “Things were changing in terms of the way technology was being used and delivered on campus, and we needed to get up to speed–and quickly.”