Student finds fame in filmmaking
Crimson White – Jan. 22
Walking down the streets of France, Alex Beatty found himself in the same bustle as an Alabama football game day as the small city was crammed with people. Yet the chatter was not about rivalries or predicting which team would take home the victory. Beatty, a senior majoring in telecommunicaton and film, had found himself in France for the Cannes Film Festival for the second year in a row. “Being there for two and a half weeks was a great learning experience that inspired me to continue and want to do bigger projects,” Beatty said. The Cannes festival is an acclaimed film festival that places blockbuster directors, amateur filmmakers and aspiring beginners elbow to elbow. Beatty’s film, “Rise,” was selected last year for the festival. While there, he went to workshops, saw early screenings of films and networked. “It was a once in a lifetime experience I never thought I’d have again,” Beatty said.
UA ranks No. 17 in happiness
Crimson White – Jan. 22
The University of Alabama was ranked No. 17 among the “20 Happiest Colleges” by The Daily Beast. The article included ratings of different sub-categories including freshman retention rate, best student health center, best student experience and “Would Do It All Over Again.” The survey was released by the website in October 2013. The University of Alabama’s full-time freshman retention rate of 86 percent can be partially attributed to the First Year Experience Program. Sara Hartley, executive director of First Year Experience and Parent Programs, said the success of FYE is the result of successful program design. “With various programs and support resources devoted specifically to our first-year students and their success at UA, I can see why they made the list,” Hartley said. “We have designed programs such as Freshman Forum, Camp 1831 and Ignite UA to assist with the transition to college which helps our students feel more connected and engaged on campus.” Hartley said students who are involved on campus tend to have a more positive experience at the University. “The research shows that students who are involved and engaged are both happier and more likely to be retained,” she said. Mark Nelson, vice president for student affairs, said he was not surprised by a 9.7 in the best overall student experience category. “I am not surprised that UA is among the happiest schools because we recruit outstanding students from all across the globe,” Nelson said. “Our faculty and staff are dedicated to the overall student experience, which contributes to positive relationships, academic enrichment and personal growth”
Performance-Based Revenue Task Force meeting
Iowa State Daily – Jan. 22
Access, affordability and accountability across higher education all come into play in performance-based funding. The Iowa Board of Regents appointed the Performance-Based Revenue Model Task Force to look into performance-based funding for the regent institutions. … Janice Friedel, associate professor in education, and Zoe Mercedes Thornton, doctoral candidate in higher education, traveled to the board office in Urbandale to give a presentation on performance-based funding on a national landscape. The two were part of an in-depth study of performance-based funding with the University of Alabama Education Center.
Festival showcases student film
Crimson White – Jan. 22
With Alabama’s hopes of a football national championship dead and buried, this semester UA students have their sights set on a new competition: Campus MovieFest. The program, which started at Emory University 13 years ago, launched Tuesday at The University of Alabama for its seventh consecutive year. Campus MovieFest provides students with all the equipment and support they need to make a short film. There are only two rules: The film must be under five minutes long, and it has to be shot in just one week. This may seem like a challenging prospect, but in this competition, Alabama students are proving to be rising stars. Cayce Savage, a senior majoring in psychology and interdisciplinary arts, won Campus Best Picture last year for ‘Person-Able,’ the film she co-produced with her roommate. Savage and her team have taken part in Campus MovieFest for the past three years and plan to enter again this year.
New Location for Edge Public Works Project
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 21
A new location has been decided for Tuscaloosa’s Edge public works project. The partnership is between the city of Tuscaloosa, the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, and the University of Alabama. The new 24,000 square foot location will be located on 10th Avenue. The facility will provide training and learning opportunities for local businesses as well as UA students.
Part-time students must balance school, work
Crimson White – Jan. 22
With tuition costs rising every year, it is no surprise the percentage of students attending school part-time is rising as well. At The University of Alabama, 15 percent of the 2013 student population was part-time. In 2011, it was just 11 percent. USA Today published an article in December stating part-time students are less likely to graduate within six years, according to a a study from the National Student Clearinghouse. Balancing a heavy workload of classes can be hard for any student, but working a full, or even part-time, job can make it even more difficult. Wendy McMillan, director of advising in the College of Arts and Sciences, said when she advises students she takes into account what they are doing outside of school, whether that’s caring for a family, working a full-time job or other responsibilities. “We want to talk about how to balance those responsibilities and what classes they should take during each semester,” she said. “Taking two biologies in one semester can be very different than taking one plus a less demanding class.”