College-Bound Student Turns Down All 8 Ivy Leagues for University of Ala.
The Root – May 19
Ronald Nelson is book-smart but also money-smart, with an eye for long-term thinking, it seems. The high school senior was accepted to all eight Ivy League schools but opted to turn them all down, as well as other prestigious schools like Stanford and Johns Hopkins, to accept a full scholarship at the University of Alabama, Business Insider reports. Nelson said it took a lot of “soul-searching,” but ultimately he decided it was for the best. The brilliant senior had a GPA of 4.58 and scored 2260 out of 2400 on the SAT, as well as a 34 out of 36 on his ACT. He also completed 15 Advanced Placement courses, so naturally he wasn’t short on college acceptances. However, none of the Ivy League or other prestigious schools offered him any merit-based scholarships, and Nelson didn’t see them as being worth the financial strain, especially considering that he has plans to attend medical school afterward.
University Herald – May 19
New Orleans Times-Picayune – May 19
UA honor students work in Marion
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – May 19
A group of students from The University of Alabama is in Marion working on service projects to help strengthen that community. The students are renovating the basketball courts at the historic Lincoln School. They want to create a centrally located green space for that community. These students are also renovating the concession stand at the Marion Rodeo Arena. The honor students will be in Marion for three weeks working on more than a dozen service projects.
Harper Lee prize: Finalists named for best legal fiction
Wisconsin Gazette – May 19
Three books have been named as finalists for the 2015 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The trio was announced earlier this month by the University of Alabama School of Law and the American Bar Association’s magazine ABA Journal. The prize annually recognizes a work of fiction focused on lawyers’ role in society. It was created five years ago to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The finalists are: :Terminal City” by Linda Fairstein, “My Sister’s Grave” by Robert Dugoni and “The Secret of Magic” by Deborah Johnson. The winner will receive their award at a ceremony on Sept. 3 in conjunction with the Library of Congress National Book Festival. Four judges and a public vote through the ABA Journal website will determine the winner.
University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban closes out League of Municipalities convention
Tuscaloosa News – May 19
University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban knows about the demands of leadership and the challenges of sustained success. In a coaching career spanning more than four decades, he’s learned the pitfalls of complacency and the rewards of dedication. And on Monday, he shared some of these lessons with the elected leaders from almost 400 municipalities at the closing session of this year’s convention of the Alabama League of Municipalities held in Tuscaloosa. “You have to be somebody that somebody else wants to emulate,” Saban said. He was making the point that, to be a leader, it requires the ability to influence someone for their benefit. To do so for one’s own benefit is manipulation and, by its nature, unfair, he said.
University of Alabama Criminal Justice – Q&A with Stephen Cantley
Value Penguin – May 20
Stephen Cantley has a degree in Criminal Justice with a double minor in English and Computer Technology & Applications from the University of Alabama. He graduated in May 2014 and is currently a Masters Student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville pursuing an MS in Cyber Security. He will be graduating from that program in the spring of 2016. What has your experience in criminology been like at the University of Alabama? What stuck out during my tenure at Alabama was the experience of the professors. I had one teacher who specialized in Human Trafficking and had worked with the FBI, I had another teacher who focused on Cyber and how to better attack Child Porn. There was not a lot of fluff, it was a straight to the point type of degree. Another strength that the Criminal Justice program at Alabama had was to bring outside teachers. … As far as other programs, no I had always had my heart set on Alabama.
University of Alabama Criminal Justice – Q&A with Katie Lansford
Value Penguin – May 20
Katie Lansford is a recent graduate of the University of Alabama. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Information Sciences with a double minor in Political Science and Criminal Justice in May of 2015. What has your experience in criminology been like at the University of Alabama? My experience in criminology at the University of Alabama was very positive. The professors in the Criminal Justice department at UA have real-world experience in what they teach, which makes the material that much more valuable to the student. My favorite classes in the Criminal Justice Department were Tomorrow’s Crime taught by Jim Simon and Terrorism taught by Adam Lankford. Both professors are experts in their field, and apply what they know to today’s criminal landscape. Jim Simon is a former CIA officer and was the founding director of the Microsoft Institute in 2004, among many other professional accomplishments. Adam Lankford is the author of the book, The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers.