Robertsdale native Tim Cook among those inducted into Alabama Academy of Honor (UA’s Bonner, Saban also honored)
Gulf Coast News Today – Oct. 27
The Alabama Academy of Honor welcomed eight new members in ceremonies at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 27, in the old House Chambers of the State Capitol in Montgomery. With membership limited to 100 distinguished citizens of the state, the Academy bestows honor and recognition upon living Alabamians for their outstanding accomplishments and services. It was created by the State Legislature on Oct. 29, 1965. This year’s inductees comprise a blue-ribbon group of leaders in both the public and private sectors. According to Catherine J. Randall, chairman of the Academy, this year’s honorees are: UA President Judy Bonner; Apple CEO Tim Cook; Big Oak Ranch founder John Croyle; HudsonAlpha co-founder Jim Hudson; civic leader Margaret Porter; Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban; U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions; and business executive Edgar Welden.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Oct. 27
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 27
WPMI-NBC (Mobile) – Oct. 27
WJTC-Fox (Mobile) – Oct. 27
WHNT-CBS (Huntsville) – Oct. 27
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Oct. 27
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – Oct. 27
WIS-NBC (Columbia, SC) – Oct. 27
WAKA-CBS (Montgomery) – Oct. 27
WKRG-CBS (Mobile) – Oct. 27
WERC-FM Radio (Birmingham) – Oct. 27
Former Coca-Cola CFO gifts $1.5 million to University of Alabama accounting program
Al.com – Oct. 28
Former Coca-Cola chief financial officer and University of Alabama alumnus Gary Fayard has gifted $1.5 million to the college’s School of Accountancy, according to a UA release. Fayard and his wife Nancy made the gift to establish the Fayard Endowed Chair in Accounting, a new faculty position. The release states the search to fill the chair will begin soon. According to UA, Hugh Culverhouse Jr. will match the Fayards’ donation with a $1.5 million gift to Culverhouse scholarships. Culverhouse and his wife, Eliza, have contributed $2 million over the past year in an effort to defray student debt. Fayard retired from Coca-Cola in May 2014, two decades after joining the company. He previously worked as a partner at Ernst & Young. He is a 1975 graduate of the Culverhouse College of Commerce, and Nancy Fayard is a 1975 graduate of UA’s College of Education.
Commission approves relocation of defunct cemetery
Daily Home (Talladega) – Oct. 28
The Talladega County Commission unanimously approved a request by an Imerys representative to relocate a defunct cemetery in an extinct town during a commission meeting Monday evening. Attorney Barry Vaughn, speaking on behalf of Imerys operating officer Craig Stickly, introduced an application for petition for grave removal at a historic cemetery near Gantts Quarry. “It’s on the edge of the quarry, and rocks are coming down on top of it,” Vaughn said. “It’s an old, old, old cemetery.” According to Vaughn, Imerys has hired the University of Alabama’s Office of Archaeological Research to aid in the excavating, mapping and removal of the skeletal remains, coffins, vaults, coffin hardware and other related materials. “In their opinion, there are 15-25 gravesites there — maybe even more,” Vaughn said. … Stickly touted the University of Alabama’s experience in similar gravesite removal endeavors, citing an example where the university had conducted similar operations in Calera.
Another Alabama Sorority Row Trick or Treat sees large turnout, great costumes; see the photos
Al.com – Oct. 27
The University of Alabama’s Panhellenic Association hosted its annual Sorority Row Trick-or-Treat from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, with a large turnout thanks to pleasant weather. Children from the Tuscaloosa area ages 12 and younger were invited to dress up in Halloween costumes and visit the lawns of the campus sorority houses on Magnolia and Colonial drives for candy and activities. Campus was especially safe with so many Captain Americas, Spider-men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more, although there were some Jasons, zombies, skeletons and other creatures lurking about. UA sorority members from the Alabama Panhellenic Association along with members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Interfraternity Council and United Greek Council also dressed in costumes and provided candy to children who racked up wandering from house to house.
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 27
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 27
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Oct. 27
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Oct. 27
UA Athletics holds Halloween Extravaganza
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 27
Local trick or treaters also got the chance of a lifetime tonight: the University of Alabama athletic department held its annual Halloween extravaganza. Your favorite ‘Bama athletes, like current quarterback Blake Sims, along with swimmers, basketball players, and gymnasts, hosted stations to meet and greet with fans and have a little fun at the same time. Children and their parents participated in activities like sack races and learning to golf.
Museum of Natural History to host A Haunting at the Museum
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 27
Halloween isn’t Halloween without a little spooky fun or a ghost story or two. Both of those can be found tomorrow night at the University of Alabama’s Museum of Natural History. The event includes haunted tours, scavenger hunts, activities for kids, and spooky stories … A haunting at the museum is free admission for all ages and is taking place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Alabama Museum of Natural History.
Department of Criminal Justice to host community forum
Crimson White – Oct. 27
The Department of Criminal Justice will host “From the Station to the Sidewalks: An Informed Discussion of Police and Community Relations in Light of Ferguson” on Monday. The forum will be held from 6 to 7p.m. in Room 120 of Farrah Hall. Lesley Reid, chair of the UA department of criminal justice, said the event came about as an answer to the need for the “right type of forum to engage the campus broadly.” “Ferguson will have a long-term impact on law enforcement,” Reid said. “We wanted to get different perspectives on how we think we’ll train officers and how community and police relations will change.” The forum will consist of a panel of local, community and state leaders and law enforcement to discuss the issue of law enforcement in today’s ever-changing political and social landscape. The discussion will include a special emphasis on the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer and the handling of the protests and unrest that followed the incident.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 27
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Oct. 27
Without an Opponent, Jeff Sessions Still Spends
At The Race – Oct. 27
How does a senator running unopposed for re-election in a red state during a good year for Republicans manage to spend nearly $1 million? It adds up fast. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., has nothing to worry about next Tuesday. Still, his campaign logged $996,988 in spending from January 2013 through September 2014, including more than $7,000 on Christmas cards. Phyllis Spurlock, finance director of the Friends of Sessions Senate Committee, said some of the funds from Sessions’ campaign committee have gone to help the state, local and national parties, but that the Alabama Republican basically runs as if he has an opponent. … George Hawley, assistant professor in the political science department of the University of Alabama, noted that Republicans in Alabama are so predominant they can rake in cash from traditionally Democratic donors such as trial lawyers. Another unopposed Republican in Alabama, Rep. Robert B. Aderholt, spent $868,729 over the same period. The bulk of that was on operating expenses.
Credit Unions Forced to Close Marijuana Accounts
Credit Union Times – Oct. 24
It’s been eight months since the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued banking guidelines for state-licensed marijuana businesses, which some heralded as a way to usher the budding industry into the mainstream. But since then, some credit unions have closed accounts belonging to cannabis companies due to concerns about federal repercussions, according to industry insiders. … “Even if a financial institution felt confident that it could rely on Department of Justice and FinCEN guidance and that it could implement a robust (but economic) compliance program, the FDIC, NCUA, or Federal Reserve might determine that the institution was not effectively managing its risk and take civil enforcement action,” Julie Andersen Hill, an associate professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, wrote in a paper on “Banks, Marijuana and Federalism” that was published in a national law review.
The Race for Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District
WBHM-FM (Birmingham) – Oct. 27
As Alabama voters pick their members of Congress at the polls next week, only residents of the sixth congressional district will be guaranteed to have new representation. Long-time Congressman Spencer Bachus is retiring from the district that covers suburban Birmingham. The fight for Alabama’s only open seat is heating up. Earlier this year Republican Gary Palmer surprised many by rising above a crowded primary field and capturing the GOP nomination … Retired University of Alabama Political Scientist William Stewart says Palmer has had longer to campaign and he’s raised more money. As of October 15th, Palmer’s raised 13 times more. But Stewart says no matter what, going from a 22-year veteran in Spencer Bachus to a freshman congressman, the district will lose clout. “Whether you have Palmer or Lester going to Washington that person is going to start out as the low man on the totem pole in term of his committee assignments,” said Stewart.
What do fit women want? Strong or skinny?
TwinCities.com – Oct. 27
When Kristin Rance joined a CrossFit gym in Washington about a year ago, she had one vision: muscle. The 30-year-old mother of two wanted to look in the mirror and see someone “who looks like she works out — without flexing,” Rance says. How she didn’t want to look? Skinny. Over the past few years, women like Rance have been embracing the message that “strong is the new skinny” — that a body of muscle is better than a body of bones. … At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, for example, not only did American female athletes outnumber their male counterparts for the first time, but media coverage of them also reflected that: For the first time, women landed more screen time and on-air mentions than men, according to a study in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly led by Andrew Billings of the University of Alabama.
UA goes global through social media
Crimson White – Oct. 28
Before 2007, The University of Alabama had not yet ventured into the realm of social media. Today, the University has over half a million followers across various social media platforms. The University began interacting on social media platforms with the creation of a YouTube account in 2007. Andy Rainey, director of web communications for the University, said the school expanded to other social media channels shortly afterwards, including Facebook in 2008, Twitter in 2009, Flickr in 2010 and Vimeo in 2013. “Social media has been an excellent complementary tool for our communications efforts,” Rainey said. “The real benefit of using social media is that we get to communicate with those who care about the University on platforms that are already so closely integrated into their daily lives.” Rainey said the University has taken advantage of the ubiquity of social media. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have millions, if not billions, of users, all of whom equate to potential page views. “The key advantage of utilizing popular social media channels to communicate is that our potential audience is virtually limitless, constrained only by the popularity of each respective channel globally,” Rainey said.
Students notice Florey’s caring heart
Crimson White – Oct. 28
Betty Finklea Florey, a former UA student, has spent the last 25 years serving students as a teacher, mentor and writer throughout her career as a professor for both the English department and the Honors College. Florey boasts a full resume of accomplishments, which include being inducted into The XXXI, being selected as one of 10 faculty members at the Capstone to be an honorary Fellow in Service Learning in 2010, advising the Anderson Society and working with Matt Wolf, British critic for London’s Independent magazine. In 2009, she wrote a book titled “In Africa’s Forest and Jungle: Six Years Among the Yorubas,” which is housed in the libraries of universities such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge. Florey said her greatest achievement of all is being able to write letters of recommendation for promising students who are about to go out into the world and move forward in their chosen careers. “The students are everything,” she said. “I live to go in the classroom because my students are committed, polite, inventive and serious, although they know how to break loose and have a lot of fun, too.”
Business professor sees university as ‘investment’
Crimson White – Oct. 28
Lonnie Strickland kicks off the 8 a.m. section of his strategic management class with an unusual question: “Is anyone in in here engaged to be married?” The topic for the day was the numerous avenues to purchase fine jewelry and the business models of each avenue. Strickland continued to ask students questions about the assigned reading, and he expected them to know the answer right away. If not, he deducted points as he kept track of participation on his iPad. Strickland has been teaching at the University for 46 years. In that time he has seen more than 20,000 students come through his classroom. Ron Dulek, a professor in the College of Commerce and Business Administration, has known Strickland for over 30 years. He said Strickland’s skills are part of the culture of teaching at Alabama. “He literally has set a standard that teaching is important and that we will do a good job of it,” Dulek said.
Student writes game scores
Crimson White – Oct. 28
Some students face the video game screen with a controller in hand, intently focused on hitting just the right buttons in just the right sequence. Instead of facing the screen, Thomas Wilson is on the other side, concerned with the choice and sequence of each music note heard in the game. Wilson, a first-year masters student in music composition, currently works with Headless Chicken Games, where he composes music for the independent games studio. The studio, based in Costa Rica, is currently working on “Pause Play Stop,” a music-influenced video game scheduled to debut in 2015. Wilson graduated from the University with a degree in music composition last May, and over the summer he sought a solid and stable project that could use his composition skills. He was introduced to Headless Chicken Games by another alumnus of the University, and the concept of the game piqued his interest and experience with music for games and film, Wilson said.