BEST BETS
IN-STATE INCREASE, ‘ALABAMA EXPERIENCE’ DRIVE UA’S RECORD ENROLLMENT — An increase in the number of in-state students highlights The University of Alabama’s record-breaking fall 2023 total student headcount, which approaches the 40,000 mark. The record-breaking enrollment of 39,623 includes 3,184 freshmen from Alabama, representing every county in the state. This marks UA’s fifth consecutive year with an in-state increase and the largest number of in-state freshmen since 2010. For more information, contact Alex House, UA Strategic Communications, at alex.house@ua.edu.
UA WELCOMES INAUGURAL CLASS OF RURAL DENTAL SCHOLARS — The UA College of Community Health Sciences welcomed four rural Alabama students aspiring to practice dentistry in the state’s rural communities to the inaugural class of the Rural Dental Scholars Program. The class of Rural Dental Scholars includes Catherine Hill, of Grant; Landon McCardle, of Dothan; Joshua Perry, of Guntersville; and Aubrey Stewart, of Dothan. The new program is a separate admissions pathway to The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry specifically for students from rural Alabama. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
NEW DIRECTOR TO OVERSEE WATER RESEARCH — An innovator and proven leader at the forefront of weather- and water-related data science with extensive experience in federal programs has been named the new executive director of the Alabama Water Institute. Matthew Womble joined The University of Alabama earlier this month to lead AWI in fulfilling UA’s commitment to be a premier research and education institution around water-related issues. He is charged with steering AWI to become a world-class interdisciplinary water research institute that develops pathbreaking, holistic and environmentally friendly solutions to ensure people and ecological systems have access to clean water and are resilient to extreme weather events. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at adam.jones@ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
UAW STRIKE STRATEGIES KEEP AUTO INDUSTRY ON EDGE — “UAW members — whether on strike, laid off because of strike related interruptions, or still working — see the union tiered escalation policy as one that keeps the strike in the news while keeping carmakers and their suppliers on edge wondering if they are next. The strategy of expanding to parts manufacturers means that dealers are going to be affected much sooner than expected, meaning that the vast network of car dealers are going to turn up the heat on the big three to negotiate a settlement as soon as possible,” said Dr. Michael Innis-Jimenez, a professor in the department of American studies. “By not adding any Ford locations to the strike, the union gains an upper hand in creating an appearance that one company is seriously negotiating while the others are not. It doesn’t really matter if that is the case or not. Creating the appearance is all you need to start a rift between the companies.” To schedule an interview, contact Innis-Jimenez at ij@ua.edu.
WOMEN TAKE ON INVISIBLE FAMILY LOAD — While there are noticeable tasks of running a household like cleaning, doing laundry and cooking, researchers at UA have investigated another area identified as the invisible family load. The invisible family load includes the managerial, cognitive and emotional tasks involved in keeping a family running such as scheduling play dates and staying on top of school updates. According to the research, women shoulder the lion’s share of the invisible family load in addition to most of the housework and childcare. The data found that the emotional labor of presiding over a home can be psychologically draining, with significant negative effects on things like family-to-work conflict, sleep problems, family and job exhaustion, and lower life and family satisfaction. To schedule an interview, contact Dr. Maura Mills at mjmills@culverhouse.ua.edu.
EVENTS
AN EVENING WITH MORGAN PARKER — The UA English department’s Creative Writing Program will host celebrated writer Morgan Parker, who will read a selection of her work and answer audience questions Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center. She is a poet, essayist and novelist. Parker is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, winner of a Pushcart Prize, and has been hailed by The New York Times as “a dynamic craftsperson” of “considerable consequence to American poetry.” The public is invited to arrive early for refreshments and mingling.
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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.