Bonner: University of Alabama plan paying dividends
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 3
The University of Alabama’s efforts in recruiting the brightest young people and emphasizing the importance of graduating are paying off, the college’s top administrator shared Friday. This year’s freshman class is the largest and most academically talented in the college’s history, Judy Bonner told the UA board of trustees in her first official presentation as the school’s new president. This is a trend she expects will continue in the future. Less than three months into the recruiting cycle for next year, Bonner said the school’s admissions team has so far received applications from 16,000 students seeking a seat in next year’s freshman class. Just as important as enrolling students, however, is ensuring those students graduate, she said. “The most important thing our university can do for the employers in our state is to produce college graduates in the areas that are needed,” Bonner said. “We are attracting academically talented students, and we simply cannot let them leave without earning the degrees that they came to the university for.” Over the last five years, UA has granted 43 percent more baccalaureate degrees and 26 percent more graduate degrees. The 13 public universities in Alabama have granted 20 percent, or 2,715, more total degrees over the last five years. UA accounts for nearly half of that total, or 1,332 degrees.
Crimson White – Nov. 5
EDITORIAL: Bonner good choice to lead university
Tuscaloosa News –Nov. 4
When Guy Bailey was appointed president of the University of Alabama earlier this year, we said he was a good fit. He had implemented a successful growth strategy as president of Texas Tech University, similar to the blueprint followed by former UA President Robert Witt, and while his two degrees from UA were not a necessary qualification for the job, they certainly gave him familiarity with the campus. That’s why Bailey’s surprising resignation last week — only two months into his tenure at the Capstone — was unfortunate. However, we respect his desire to put the health and well-being of his family first. Undoubtedly, these are difficult times for them, and we wish them well. Yet, as well-suited as Bailey was to lead the university, the UA board of trustees was fortunate to have another person at hand, Judy Bonner, who is equally prepared for the task. We applaud the board’s decision Thursday to appoint Bonner as UA’s next president, making her the first woman to hold the post on a permanent basis. During her 31-year career at the Capstone, Bonner, who also has two degrees from UA, has ably demonstrated the leadership skills needed to run a large university.
Huffington Post – Nov. 3
Students react to Dr. Bonner’s appointment as president
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Nov. 5
There have been history-making changes at the top at the University of Alabama, and students are thrilled. Thursday, the board of trustees named Dr. Judy Bonner the 38th president and first woman to hold the job. Bonner has worked in various positions at the university for the past 30 years. Students feel comfortable that she is qualified and capable of taking the school in the right direction.
University of Alabama waging war
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 4
Three planes flew over Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945. Positioned in the third one, a young man from Hale County waited for the moment he would help make history. His mission: photograph the world’s first atomic bomb explosion. Army Air Force Capt. James Strudwick, a 1936 University of Alabama graduate, was one of an estimated 10,000 men and women with university ties who served in the military during World War II. His story, along with more than 100 others, is featured in a new book, “All of Us Fought the War. The University of Alabama and its Men and Women in World War II,” which will be available at the Paul W. Bryant Museum beginning Monday. Written by Delbert Reed and published by the Paul W. Bryant Museum, the almost 400-page book shares the stories of 112 men and women, including 11 who served with the rank of general during the war. The book highlights not only their war experiences and the tragedies they witnessed, but also their triumphs and accomplishments after the war.
War hero gets Purple Heart at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Crimson White – Nov. 5
Staff Sgt. John L. Hooks, a Tuscaloosa resident, was presented the Purple Heart last Thursday in Bryant-Denny Stadium for a wound he received in Vietnam 43 years ago. Hooks enlisted in the United States Air Force in March 1957 and was honorably discharged from service in February 1972. Hooks served three tours with the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam, one of which was served after receiving a gunshot wound in his left arm. “It is truly an honor and privilege to be with you today to present what is a very long overdue Purple Heart to a distinguished American airman and genuine war hero,” said Lt. Gen. David S. Fadok, the commander and president of the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base. Hooks winked at his family in attendance as Fadok handed the war hero the oldest known United States Decoration still in use, the Purple Heart. “He is one of the quietest, sweet, kind-spirited men you will ever meet. He is so humble and kind, you would have never known he was a war hero,” Jared Patterson, Hooks’ nephew, said.
UA to host Alabama Girls State next year
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 5
The University of Alabama will welcome more than 300 of the state’s top high school students to campus to attend Alabama Girls State next year. Girls State delegates will spend a week in June at UA working together as self-governing citizens…Since 1937, Girls State has taught young women responsible citizenship and given more than a million young people the opportunity to learn how their state and local governments work. Applications for Girls State will be available starting in March 2013. Girls State is a program sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary.
Students participate in film pitch
Crimson White – Nov. 5
Two University of Alabama students were invited to compete in the Perfect Pitch Competition at the New Orleans Film Festival in October and tested their skills pitching film ideas to a panel. John Avent, a senior majoring in media production, competed in the festival after he pitched his idea to his TV Production class, and Jazzmine Franklin, a senior majoring in telecommunication and film, won an honorable mention for her documentary idea, which included a $250 cash prize. Both contestants were required to submit a one-page proposal to the telecommunication and film faculty members, who then approved each proposal and selected the students to move forward with the competition. While in New Orleans, La., both Avent and Franklin were required to pitch their proposal verbally to judges. “We only had five minutes to talk about our idea, and that’s not very long when you’re trying to give someone the full picture-setting, characters, plot, theme,” Avent said.
Camp 1831 created to orient future freshmen
Crimson White – Nov. 5
Preparation for entering college will take on new elements this August as incoming freshmen and transfer students of The University of Alabama will have the opportunity to attend Camp 1831, a three-day event that will incorporate features of both traditional orientation and summer camp. Named after the University’s founding in 1831, the camp will be held at Camp McDowell in the Bankhead National Forest near Nauvoo, Ala. The First Year Experience division of the Office of Student Affairs is planning the program to host two different sessions in August for the first year, each serving about 150 students. The program will focus on four main themes: adventure, tradition, service and leadership. Sara Hartley, the director of First Year Experience, said the program should easily mold students into the lifestyle at the University. “By introducing these students to the history, traditions, resources, opportunities and people at UA, we hope to ease their academic and social transition to the institution,” Hartley said. David Wilson, a senior majoring in economics, sits on the advisory committee for the planning of Camp 1831.
‘Messy’ statewide amendment goes for vote Tuesday
Crimson White – Nov. 5
When voters go to the polls on Tuesday, they will have the opportunity to vote on Amendment 4, an amendment that one side claims will remove racist language from the State Constitution, while the other side believes it will threaten Alabamians’ right to public education. The amendment has been met with controversy and unlikely opponents: the Black Caucus and the Alabama Education Association, among others…Martha Morgan, emeritus professor at the University of Alabama School of Law…teaches constitutional law and was an attorney for the plaintiff in one of the cases challenging amendment 111 in the 1990s. Morgan said Amendment 111 removing the guarantee to public education was struck down in 1991. After a confusing mess of more than a decade, the Alabama Supreme Court vacated the case – except to say that the denial of public education as a right was unconstitutional. “There are good people on all sides of [the controversy],” Morgan said. “I think it’s a mess that we’ve gotten into it. Given that we’re in it, I know what side I have to be on.”
Renowned engineer, author to speak at UA
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 3
A leading expert on engineering failures throughout history will give a public lecture at the University of Alabama on Nov. 7. Henry Petroski is the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University, a registered professional engineer and expert in failure analysis. His latest book, “To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure,” was published earlier this year and reviewed and discussed in the national media. The work continues a theme from other books he’s published, such as “Success through Failure: The Paradox of Design” in 2006 and “To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design” in 1992. He also has a secondary appointment as a professor of history at Duke, and he has also written and researched the nature of invention and in the history of technology. His lecture, titled “Success and Failure in Engineering: A Paradoxical Relationship,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Theater.
Campus Veterans Association holds Victory 5K
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 4
Veterans Day is Monday, Nov. 12, but students at the University of Alabama put their best foot forward to recognize veterans today. At the Campus Veterans Association, “Victory” 5k runners tied up their shoe laces to raise awareness about the number of veterans in school, and help them better connect with the community. Money raised today will benefit veterans with scholarships and emergency funds.
ARDT fall concert showcases faculty’s choreography
Crimson White – Nov. 5
The Alabama Repertory Dance Theater fall concert, a faculty choreographed showcase of technical ability and storytelling performed by University of Alabama dance majors, will host the season’s first performance Tuesday, Nov. 6. The ARDT fall concert showcases faculty-choreographed pieces and differs from “Dance Alabama!,” which showcases student choreography. “The company is performing truly challenging work at the highest level,” Cornelius Carter, director of the dance program and artistic director of ARDT, said. Carter said the caliber of talent in the dance program is so high this year that when representatives came from the Broadway Dance Center in New York to watch “Dance Alabama!” performances, they ended up awarding six scholarships to students in the dance program. Rita Snyder, associate professor of dance, staged one piece for ARDT and choreographed a second. Snyder’s first piece is traditional choreography staged after Marius Petipa’s choreography. Snyder said this is a piece of classical ballet repertoire, and she staged it with the assistance of her husband. “This is a piece traditionally performed by principles of major companies, so it’s a good piece for students to perform,” Snyder said.
Alabama and LSU fans gather to play golf for scholarships
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – Nov. 2
Fans from both teams came together for a good cause today … We’re here at the Pelican Point golf club community, about 20 miles from Baton Rouge. Here, a different kind of battle between Alabama and LSU – but it’s all for a good cause. There was no cat fight between LSU fans like Danney Spencer, and the head of the Baton Rouge chapter of the University of Alabama Alumni Association Glenyss Naro. Both along with their friends came together to play a round of golf at Pelican Point, all in the name of raising money – cash that will help a Baton Rouge area high school student attend the University of Alabama after graduation.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Nov. 2
’100 Lenses’ changes students’ idea of home
Crimson White – Nov. 5
Football Saturdays at The University of Alabama always begin on Friday afternoon. Tents go up, vendors set up, and visitors prowl the campus eagerly. Elliot Knight, a professor in the Honors College and the Department of Art and Art History, sits at his desk in Nott Hall, ignoring the nearby ruckus on the Quad. It isn’t football on his mind – it’s photography. Knight grew up in Opelika, Ala. and came to the University in 2003 to major in the New College. He studied a mixture of photojournalism, fine arts photography and filmmaking, which laid the foundation for his future work with “Black Belt 100 Lenses.” In 2006, Knight was working for The Crimson White when he found himself at the Ferguson Center’s new Crossroads Community Center. Initially there to take a portrait of the new director, Bettina Byrd-Giles, Knight found himself with the seed that was soon to blossom into “100 Lenses.” “She and I got to talking about photography, and she told me about a project she had done at a conference,” Knight said. Byrd-Giles’s project involved getting into groups and photographing the surrounding areas. The two began thinking of how this could translate to the University’s campus. “We came up with a project we called ‘100 Lenses,’ and it was because we had 100 cameras we gave out to different students,” Knight said. “After they had taken their photos, they picked their favorite three, and we built a mural.”
UA public relations students help the Autism Society of Alabama
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 2
Autism is becoming more and more prevalent in our country. One in 88 people suffer from some sort of autism spectrum disorder. And the Autism Society of Alabama is trying to help. Margaret Bishop is here from ASA. And Christi Rich is a University of Alabama student. They’re here to tell me more about it … the autism drive is Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Ferguson Center on the UA campus. The fun starts at 2 p.m. You can find out more online at Autism-alabama.org.
Learn to make paper, celebrate Bogalusa’s heritage at Paper Mill Classroom
Bogalusa Daily News (La.) – Nov. 5
Papermaking is responsible for the birth, growth and sustenance of Bogalusa…Now thanks to the Museums of Cassidy Park, the mystery of both industrial and personal papermaking is about to be uncovered. The History of Paper Making exhibit…has been expanded and refined, and now the educational opportunity is going to get hands-on and creative. The grand opening of the new Paper Mill Classroom in the Pioneer Museum will be celebrated with demonstration classes, which are open to the public, at 1 p.m. Saturday and continuing from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Sonja Rossow, an instructor of Handmade Paper in the Bookarts Master’s Program at the University of Alabama, will lead the workshop. She has visited the Pioneer Museum three times recently to assist in planning for the program, according to MCP Director Millicent Canter. A special exhibit of Rossow’s work, plus an exhibit of handmade paper art, lent by paper artists from around the country, will accompany the grand opening and remain on site through Dec. 10.