University of Alabama strategic plan coming in 2016
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 20
University of Alabama President Stuart Bell hopes to release the latest strategic plan for the university by spring. “We are a national flagship university and we will continue to move forward in a manner that reflects the strengths positions and responsibilities that we hold as a national flagship,” Bell said. Bell offered a quick overview of his first months in office, additions to his cabinet and the strategic planning process during the annual fall faculty and staff meeting at the university on Tuesday. Bell, who became president in July, previously identified the new strategic plan as a top priority and, working with interim Provost Kevin Whitaker, has already begun conversations with members of the campus community. Bell told the gathering he hoped to be able to release the new plan by the annual spring faculty and staff meeting, which is usually in April.
University of Alabama trainers’ collapsible tent preserves privacy at games
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 20
You may have noticed a little something different on the University of Alabama football sideline this season. It’s crimson and white, and it’s making evaluations and privacy much easier for head trainer Jeff Allen and for the players under his care. It’s the player privacy tent, which allows Allen and his fellow trainers to evaluate players in private without the distraction of a game, fans and other players disrupting the diagnosis. Allen, who you see every week at the game even if you don’t know who he is, is the first one on the field when an Alabama player suffers an injury. He walks them back to the sideline and gives an initial diagnosis. Now he’s able to do so much more efficiently. Before he may have had to walk a player into the locker room to do what he’s now able to do inside the tent … With attention to player safety issues at an all-time high, Allen began brainstorming for a way to streamline the evaluation process. With approval from UA football coach Nick Saban, Allen approached Charles Karr, UA dean of engineering, in May about an idea he had kicked around and wanted to turn into reality. Karr assigned the task to a group of mechanical engineering students as their senior project. Jared Cassity, Christian Parris, Jared Porteous and Patrick Powell worked 25 to 30 hours a week for nearly two months and went through two prototypes to complete the project.
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Anniston Star – Oct. 20
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Heart Touch program offers elementary students chance to learn about Chinese culture
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 20
To her surprise, University of Alabama graduate student Fan Yang didn’t speak English as well as she first thought when she arrived a few years ago. The realization was a spark for Heart Touch, a program she founded two years ago that pairs international students with elementary school students to share American and Chinese cultures. Yang, a doctoral student in social work specializing in at-risk children, wrote a grant proposal and secured funding through UA’s Community Affairs Division. “I really felt there is a strong need,” she said. It’s a valuable opportunity for international students to interact and experience American culture, she said. “And the elementary students can learn how big the world can be,” Yang said. The children, who receive referrals, are participants in Tuscaloosa’s One Place after-school program.
Tuscaloosa News (gallery) – Oct. 20
Beat Auburn Beat Hunger to host bingo event
Crimson White – Oct. 21
Beat Auburn Beat Bingo (BABB) is a Beat Auburn Beat Hunger (BABH) event that will be taking place on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. in Lloyd 131. BABH is an annual competition between the Tigers and the Crimson Tide to see who can collect more food for their regional food bank. Alabama’s efforts will support the West Alabama Food Bank. Participants in BABB will receive one Bingo card (as supplies last) for every one canned good they bring to the event. There will be seven rounds of 5-across bingo and one round of blackout bingo. Before each round, prizes (such as UA insignia merchandise) will be announced. While there is no explicit goal for how many canned goods are collected at this event, the goal for attendance is 30 people. “As a result of the Beat Auburn Beat Bingo event, students will have an opportunity to give back to their community and interact with other members of the Capstone,” said Bonnika Ashley, Academic Graduate Assistant for University Programs.
Carolyn Turner Recognized as Alabama’s “ State Star ” for Contribution to Small Business Community
Made in Alabama – Oct. 21
Carolyn Turner, an International Trade Specialist with the Alabama International Trade Center at the University of Alabama, has been selected as the 2015 Alabama State Star for the Alabama SBDC Network. State Stars are exemplary performers who have made a significant contribution to the SBDC program and have demonstrated a strong commitment to small business. Small businesses in Alabama are adding to their bottom line through export sales, thanks in part to the extraordinary efforts of Carolyn Q. Turner, an International Trade Specialist at the Alabama International Trade Center. Carolyn was recently recognized as the 2015 Alabama State Star, based on her significant contribution to Alabama’s small business community, and to the success of the Alabama SBDC program. Carolyn was the top performer in the state, counseling 194 entrepreneurs & small business owners that are growing their businesses through international trade. She is part of a team that serves as the greatest source of international trade counseling in the state last year, with over 2,800 hours of one-on-one assistance and research.
It’s kind of a funny story: Seasoned comedian Taylor Mason to perform at Bryant Conference Center
Crimson White – Oct. 21
For most students, the college party scene is a way to escape from the stress of work and school, but for Taylor Mason, that’s where work began. Mason was at a party for his fraternity at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign one night cracking jokes when his talent for comedy was discovered. “I was just goofing around,” Mason said. “But a kid from another fraternity came up to me and said he would pay me to perform at his fraternity the next week.” From that moment on, Mason began to be famous for his stand-up comedy acts across campus and has spent the last 30 years supporting himself and his family as a professional comedian. “I’ve never really had another job,” Mason said. “I’ve been thankful to have been able to stay in such a tough business so long.” Mason auditioned for the premier theater and comedy school, The Second City, in Chicago after college. He wasn’t really expecting much, as auditions were competitive, but The Second City ended up being the launching point for his career. “While I was there, a woman asked if anyone could play piano and read music,” Mason said. “She told me to play. I got hired and became the musical director on the spot for two years.”
Homegrown Alabama to host annual Fall Festival
Crimson White – Oct. 21
University students team up with local vendors each Thursday at the Canterbury Episcopal Chapel in Tuscaloosa for the Homegrown Alabama farmer’s market. Starting in April and ending in November, the weekly event takes place between the hours of 3-6 p.m. Homegrown Alabama provides fresh and affordable produce and goods, said Mary Clay Kline, University of Alabama student and market manager. “There is a genuine glow about the farmer’s market; you can see it in the faces of the famers and the customers,” Kline said. Each Thursday, student volunteers help set up tents and tables for the vendors and prepare market activities, said Kline. “My favorite part of Homegrown is listening to the beautiful acoustic music played by local artists while watching people gather weekly produce,” she said. “Produce that is grown just a few miles down the road.”
Get to know an organization: American Association of University Women empowers students through advocacy
Crimson White – Oct. 21
The American Association of University Women is an organization that empowers women and gives them a voice through advocacy, public policy and STEM education, research and leadership opportunities in college campuses across the country. Brielle Appelbaum, a graduate of the University of Alabama, saw the potential impact this organization could make at the University and started a chapter in 2014 during her senior year. “Every woman needs a positive role model to inspire her to achieve her full potential,” Appelbaum said. “By founding the AAUW chapter, I wanted to establish a network where women in every discipline could develop valuable skills in leadership, cultivate and apply successful business strategies and learn how to be competitive in the job market.” Members instantly gain a new, diverse network of women who are all passionate about supporting one another to achieve their goals on campus, in the workplace and beyond.
Alabama College Application Campaign
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 20
The Alabama College Application Campaign made its way to Tuscaloosa County today to Sipsey Valley High School. Representatives from The University of Alabama, University of West Alabama, Shelton State, the Mercedes Tech program, the Alabama Department of Corrections and the Army National Guard were all available today to answer students’ questions.