Her blueprint for a degree: ‘Never give up’
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 12
LaDonna Harris walked by the University of Alabama every day on her way to and from elementary school. She would watch as the students made their way to class or lounged around, studying. As a young girl, she would imagine what it would be like to be one of those students. “I was a young black girl from the projects,” said the 40-year-old single mother of two. “I never thought I’d be able to actually study at a place like that.” But study she did, and now, more than 30 years later, Harris will soon become a University of Alabama alumna. She is one of more than 2,100 undergraduate, graduate and law students being awarded degrees Saturday at the 2012 University of Alabama fall commencement. Her journey to higher education has been one of struggles, sorrow and numerous lessons learned. Her goal: to share those lessons with others in an effort to help them in their educational endeavors.
UA student to earn doctoral degree after living in poverty
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 12
The University of Alabama will produce a new crop of graduates this weekend, and one of those soon to be grads has a story like no one else…Bwarenaba Kautu’s feat some have called unimaginable, considering his poor orphan background on a small island in the Pacific…with no home, and did what he had to do just to survive. “Basically we use natural skills, exceptional skills to be able to survive on an island.”…He will be the first person from his homeland to receive a doctoral degree from the United States. He has already accepted a post-doctoral position at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he plans to work on cancer research.
UA to graduate more than 2,100 on Saturday
Al.com – Dec. 11
The University of Alabama will award more than 2,100 undergraduate, graduate and law degrees during its winter commencement exercise set for Saturday, the university has announced. That’s up from the university’s 2011 winter commencement, when 1,668 degrees were awarded and 2010, when 1,666 degrees were awarded. According to the university, commencement exercises for undergraduates and graduates will be split between two ceremonies. Students from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Environmental Sciences, the Capstone College of Nursing, and the School of law will graduate in a ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. at the Coleman Coliseum on the UA campus. Students from the College of Commerce and Business Administration, the College of Communication and Information Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the School of Social Work will graduate in a ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the same location. The university will broadcast the ceremonies live via the Internet here. The webcast will be available for viewing through December.
Alabama grad student earns Miss Alabama title
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 12
The third time’s a charm for University of Alabama graduate student Mary Margaret McCord. McCord was crowned Miss Alabama USA 2013 Dec. 8 and will represent the state in the upcoming Miss USA pageant. McCord, 22, a Gadsden native, was one of 33 young women competing for the crown at the 61st annual pageant, held at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre. “I am so excited,” McCord said Monday of winning. “I can’t believe it’s actually happened. I woke up this morning and I looked around my room to make sure my crown and sash were still there — to make sure it wasn’t a dream. “This is my third year to do it, so I’ve put a lot of time and effort into making sure I was 100 percent there in competing, and I can’t believe it’s actually happened,” she said. “I’m so exited to be given this opportunity.” McCord was first runner-up in the Miss Alabama USA 2012 pageant and third runner-up in Miss Alabama USA 2011. She graduated in 2012 from the University of Alabama with a degree in public relations, minoring in both entrepreneurship and communication studies. She now is working on a master of science degree in marketing at the university.
Competition rewards new entrepreneurs in Alabama
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 12
Registration starts today for the seventh annual Alabama Launchpad Start-up competition. The competition will award grants to entrepreneurs with the best business plans for high-growth, innovative business ventures that have the potential to grow and thrive in Alabama. The Launchpad competition is open to new, independent ventures in startup or early-growth stages and for the expansion of an existing business into a new high-growth market. In the 2012 competition, four start-up companies affiliated with state universities shared in grant awards. Among them was MicroGreen Technologies from the University of Alabama, which received a $30,000 grant as seed money for its start-up. MicroGreen Technologies is developing a cost-effective, environmentally sustainable agricultural crop fertilizer that delivers phosphate to plant roots through plant’s beneficial microbes. Its product reduces phosphate requirements and offers cost savings for farmers, environmentally friendly and sustainable crop fertilization and decreased reliance on foreign phosphate sources, according to a summary of its plan.
Nearly 5,000 Alabama college students lost Pell grants due to new federal regulations, study says
University Business – Dec. 12
Nearly 5,000 Alabama college students lost Pell grant funding in the fall of 2012 due to new restrictions on the federal student-assistance program, a study says. The study, conducted by the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama and commissioned by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, shows 4,731 students lost their grants due to a new lifetime-eligibility restriction approved by Congress in June. “Many of these students registered for classes in the spring 2012 term and at the same time applied for Pell, and instead of receiving notice that the federal aid would be there, received bills for tuition and fees,” the study says. Another 12,057 students are within two semesters of losing Pell eligibility due to the restriction, which limits students to 12 full-time semesters of aid in their lifetime, according to the study.
Arts grants awarded in Pike County
Troy Messenger – Dec. 11
The Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) announced Tuesday the awarding of 119 grants totaling $288,260 to art organizations around the state…Six of those grants totaling $15,650 were awarded to organizations in Pike County. The Troy-Pike Cultural Arts Center in Troy received two grants of $3,000 each, one for the 2013 African American Art Exhibit and the other for “Celebrating Contemporary Art in Alabama.” “We were thrilled with the results of the grant funding,” said Morgan Drinkard, arts center director. “With the recent cuts in funding due to hard economic times, we are so appreciative of the support that we still get from ASCA.” Drinkard said the African American Art Exhibit will be on loan to the Johnson Center from the Paul R. Jones Collection at the University of Alabama. “The grant funds will be used to help with transporting the exhibit and for insuring a collection of this value,” Drinkard said. “The grant funds will also help fund the programming to go along with the exhibit.”
‘Snacks with Santa’ set for Saturday at Hardin Center
Gadsden Times – Dec. 12
Children will have a chance to visit with Santa and enjoy cookies and milk at the third annual “Snacks with Santa” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Hardin Center. The free event will be held in the center’s first-floor lobby. It is sponsored by Downtown Gadsden Inc. and the University of Alabama Gadsden Center.