BEST BETS
UA EARLY COLLEGE TO OFFER FIRST COURSE FOR FREE — High school students admitted to The University of Alabama Early College will be able to take their first college course for free beginning in fall 2022. After Aug. 1, all high school students who apply and are admitted into UA Early College will no longer pay to take UAEC 200, a five-week readiness course that ensures students are prepared for the rigors of college-level studies. For more information, contact Katie Neidhart, UA Early College, at katie.neidhart@ua.edu.
UA TO TRAIN NEEDED WORKFORCE FOR WATER OPERATIONS AND FORECASTING — The University of Alabama has been awarded $3 million from the National Science Foundation to establish a unique hydrologic science research and training program for graduate students. The NSF Research Traineeship award, or NRT, will bring together master’s and doctoral students from a variety of water disciplines. UA’s new project, called Water-R2O, will start them on a career path that will meet the research-to-operations needs of hydrologic researchers, forecasters and decision-makers in government, private and academic sectors. For more information, watch for a news release or contact Shane Dorrill, UA Strategic Communications, at shane.dorrill@ua.edu.
UA LAUNCHES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR LOCAL SWORN OFFICERS, CHILDREN — In recognition of the valiant efforts of sworn officers who provide duties on and adjacent to The University of Alabama campus benefitting faculty, staff, students and visitors, the University has created the Sworn Officer Scholarship Program for Tuscaloosa area officers and their children. The program will offer scholarships of up to $2,500 each academic year to selected students who are sworn officers or the children of sworn officers of the Tuscaloosa Police Department, Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue, Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Northport Police Department and Northport Fire Rescue beginning with incoming freshmen in fall 2023. For more information, contact Deidre Stalnaker, UA Strategic Communications, at deidre.stalnaker@ua.edu.
UA SELECTED FOR FIRST GANDHI-KING SCHOLARLY EXCHANGE INITIATIVE — UA has received an award to implement the first ever Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, partnering with Alabama A&M University in the new program. The Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative aims to inspire and develop a group of 20 aspiring young civic leaders from India and the United States to work together to advance civil rights, social justice and inclusion locally, nationally and internationally by exploring the histories and legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The program is part of the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act, championed by the late Congressman John Lewis and passed by Congress in 2020. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
UA MOUNDVILLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK ADDS AUTOMATED GATE, MOUNDVILLE RESIDENTS PASS — The UA Moundville Archaeological Park has added a new automated gate at the park’s entrance to help improve the safety and security of patrons. In addition, the park will introduce the Moundville Residents Pass that includes free admission to the park, excluding certain events, and a unique code to use at the automated gate when entering the park. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
INTEREST RATE HIKES BY FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD MEAN LIKELY RECESSION — To tame rising costs, the Federal Reserve Board is willing to risk a recession to check inflation and inflation expectation, said Ahmad Ijaz, economist and executive director of the UA Center for Business and Economic Research. Aggressive interest rate hikes are the only option left to the feds, he said. “It generally takes about a year for interest rates to affect the real economy, so if there is going to be a recession, it will be in 2023 and hopefully a mild one as some commodity prices have already begun to edge lower gradually,” Ijaz said. To schedule an interview, contact Ijaz at aijaz@cba.ua.edu.
EVENTS
MOUNDVILLE HOSTS SATURDAY IN THE PARK — The UA Moundville Archaeological Park will host Saturday in the Park, a series of demonstrations and presentations related to Native Americans, archaeology, natural history, sustainable gardening and more, throughout the summer. The July 23 event will feature ancient tools and weapons with Bill Skinner. Saturday in the Park activities are free with paid admission to the park. For more information, contact Lindsey Gordon, UA Moundville Archaeological Park, at fgordon@aalan.ua.edu.
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The University of Alabama strives to remain neutral on public policy issues. Strategic Communications may facilitate interviews or share opinions expressed by faculty, staff, students, or other individuals regarding policy matters. However, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the University or its leadership, and do not constitute a statement on behalf of the University unless explicitly designated.