Students and faculty recognized during Honors Week
Crimson White – April 5
Award ceremonies, banquets and receptions will be held this week as Honors Week kicks off to recognize achievements by students and faculty at the University. There will be events throughout the week for honor students, but the main day for awards and receptions will be on Friday, when classes have also been dismissed…
University of Alabama to honor its first black students by adding plaza, clock tower during Foster Auditorium renovation
Birmingham News – April 5
…with Foster Auditorium under renovation, university officials plan to build a plaza and a clock tower out front to commemorate the events that led to the integration of UA. The proposal for the Malone Hood Plaza — named for Vivian Malone and James Hood, the two black students whom then-Gov. Wallace tried unsuccessfully to block from entering Foster to register for classes — will go before the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees for approval this week…University officials said the plans, which include stone-topped brick seating walls and a Web site with historical information, have been revised with help from the community. “It will be a landmark on campus and a place that people will be able to visit,” said Dan Wolfe, university planner for UA. …The University hosted a series of public forums and posted plaza plans online for comments. Wolfe said hundreds of people participated. Thanks to those suggestions, planners added the Autherine Lucy Memorial Clock Tower, named for the first black student to enroll…
University of Alabama scientists study climate clues that could come from old shells
Birmingham News – April 5
…University of Alabama geology professor Fred Andrus and colleagues at the University of Arizona and the University of Maine share a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation funding the study of Peruvian mummies and the goods buried. They hope to learn more about the historical patterns of El Nino, how it has changed over time and what we might expect in the future…According to Andrus, evidence indicates that El Nino cycles, which now happen every two to seven years, are happening more often. “More than 5,000 years ago it happened much less frequently, and 7,000 years ago, much less frequently than that, and so on, at least back to the last Ice Age,” he said…
Professor collaborates to produce French dictionary
Crimson White – April 5
…Michael Picone, professor of French and linguistics at the University, estimates that there are currently around 200,000 French speakers in the boot-shaped state…Picone has done extensive research on the dialect of Louisiana French and recently worked to co-edit “Dictionary of Louisiana French as Spoken in Cajun, Creole, and American Indian Communities.” The 900-page reference book is designed to be a resource for French speakers who want to overcome word and usage disparities inflicted by differences in dialects. “There are quite a few differences in pronunciation between conventional French and Louisiana French. However, one common misconception is that French is more ‘traditional’ in France than in Louisiana,” Picone said. “Just as the English language has evolved in both American and Britain, so has the French language. Languages are not older in Europe, as people sometimes believe.”…
Longtime UA administrator dies Friday
Tuscaloosa News – April 3
Douglas E. Jones, University of Alabama professor emeritus of geological sciences and curator of invertebrate paleontology at the Alabama Museum of Natural History, died Friday after a brief illness. He was 79. Jones, a 1952 UA alumnus and Tuscaloosa native, spent his entire 38-year professional career at the university. He began teaching in the department of geology-geography in 1958, and was later named head of the department. Jones served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1969-1984); director of UA Museums (1984-1997); dean of University Libraries (1984-1986); and acting vice president for academic affairs (1988-1990). Jones retired from UA in 1996 but maintained close ties with the university. In recent years, he had been reorganizing and cataloging the Museum of Natural History’s invertebrate collection of more than 10,000 specimens and had been active with the UA department of geological science’s advisory board as well as Moundville Archaeological Park…
Metro area adds nearly 64,000 people in last decade, tops 400,000 for first time
Huntsville Times – April 4
…Huntsville’s MSA includes both Limestone and Madison counties. Retailers also use population numbers to make decisions on locating new stores and franchises. “That’s huge,” said Annette Watters, manager of the Alabama State Data Center at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa…Soon after infrastructure issues, people notice a need for more goods and services. That means more stores and groceries, more doctors and dentists, more plumbers and roofers, Watters said. The needs create “challenges and opportunities,” Watters said. New niches open that can be exploited by nimble entrepreneurs, but existing businesses can find themselves bypassed if, for example, traffic patterns change. Growth at this rate strains public services, Watters noted…If the official census bears out the numbers, changes will be come on the political map, too. Watters said the 5th Congressional District will be redrawn, and the population increase should mean more representation in Montgomery, as well…
Universities making sure students get counted in 2010 census
Montgomery Advertiser – April 4
…Many college students think they are supposed to be counted at their parents’ houses, Alabama State Data Center manager Annette Watters said, but that’s not true. Students need to be counted where they live because federal money is allotted to those areas based on the census results…Universities across the state are trying to get the word out by targeting three different areas — on-campus students, off-campus students and parents — said Watters. At the University of Alabama, fliers have been placed throughout campus and bulletin boards are geared to Census 2010, Watters said…
Christians celebrate Easter in a variety of ways around the globe
Tuscaloosa News – April 4
…’While a certain religion may be quite prominent in a culture, you will always find various regional ways of celebrating religion within that culture,’ said University of Alabama religious studies instructor Christopher Johnson…
Government of the steeple? Alexandria latest setting for our national debate over roles of church, state
Anniston Star – April 4
… “The court explicitly supports students’ ability to engage in voluntary prayer … the court only said that when a government official offers prayer (at school) it violates the Establishment Clause,” said Bryan Fair, a professor of law at The University of Alabama. “I think the court believes it was a step forward in protecting religious liberty.”…
UA Political Scientist Calls Opposing Shelby “Political Suicide”
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – April 2
WTOK (Meridian, Miss.) – April 2
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 3
…A University of Alabama political science professor calls it a suicide mission to run against a popular politician, with a 16-million dollar campaign fund…
Mobile area business confidence still below break-even
Mobile Press-Register – April 3
…Analysis from the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research, which conducted the survey of 202 people, suggested that Northrop Grumman Corp.’s withdrawal from the race to build an aerial refueling tanker may have dented confidence in the Mobile area “at least in the short run.” It also suggested that unemployment, which is above the state average here, may be making business executives pessimistic…
Regions responsible for 2,500 jobs in central Alabama, study finds
Montgomery Advertiser – April 3
Regions Financial is responsible for almost 2,500 jobs in central Alabama, according to a study by the University of Alabama that the bank commissioned. Regions asked the Center for Business and Economic Research to look at the bank’s financial impact on Alabama and on different regions within the state. Sam Addy, an economist at the school, directed the study…
Cafe’s flavored tobacco, pipes draw attention
Tuscaloosa News – April 3
…Alan Blum, director for the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society at the University of Alabama, said that while hookahs aren’t as harmful as cigarettes, he believes they still encourage people to take up smoking. “The risk of second-hand smoke is less in a hookah cafe. While it probably has slightly less exposure, it’s still burning tobacco. I see it really for the U.S. market as a gimmick,” Blum said. Blum said he views hookahs as “another thing to do with tobacco,” and criticizes the flavored tobacco as a mask for the harmful effects of tobacco. “It’s not as harmful as smoking, but that’s like jumping off a 50th story instead of the 100th story,” he said…
AT LARGE: E.O. Wilson publishes his first novel to explain ant’s point of view
Tuscaloosa News – April 4
…Tomorrow, ‘Anthill,’ the novel by Wilson, an Alabama native and biology professor at Harvard for 40 years, will be officially released by W.W. Norton and Company. Wilson is already on a nationwide book tour that began here at his alma mater, the University of Alabama. I got my hands on an advance copy a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of Wilson’s return last week to the Capstone, where he delivered a formal speech and participated in a colloquium on his extensive work — most notably his all-but-single-handed establishment of ‘sociobiology,’ a rich and controversial field of study he launched in 1975 with the publication of ‘Sociobiology: The New Synthesis,’ which expanded evolutionary theory into the realm of human nature…
Granger to present Curtis Lecture
Crimson White – April 5
The leader of a private foundation will focus on education reform when he presents the 20th Annual James P. Curtis Endowed Lecture this week. The lecture will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Woodis-McDonald Auditorium in Graves Hall…Robert Granger…has been president of the William T. Grant Foundation since 2003. The primary goal of the foundation is to understand human behavior through research. The foundation is a private grant-making institution and currently funds high-quality empirical research, ultimately aiming to improve the lives of youth ages 8-25 in the United States…The James P. Curtis Distinguished Lecture Series was created by the board of directors of the Capstone Education Society. Their goal in creating the lecture series was to bring an educator or public figure of renown to the campus each year to lecture about contemporary education issues. The series was named in honor of James Curtis, a faculty member in the college of education for 23 years. Curtis served the University as professor of administration and educational leadership and assistant dean of the Bureau of Educational Services and Research. “Curtis influenced the lives and careers of countless students who have become prominent educators throughout Alabama,” Ballard said.
University of Alabama news links
Mobile Press-Register – April 3
The University of Alabama’s collegiate license plate program raised $3.1 million to pay for more than 1,400 student scholarships during the 2009 fiscal year…UA students are teaching chess to sixth graders at the Tuscaloosa City School’s magnet school through a new initiative called Every Move Counts: A Chess in Education Project. The initiative includes a service-learning course and a partnership between the UA Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility and Freedom Chess Academy, a local nonprofit group… silent art auction is being put on by a UA marketing class and Habitat for Humanity intended to raise money toward the $65,000 required to build a Habitat house…The CW’s Web site also notes the public relations program at the University has been ranked second in the nation and first in undergraduate programs by PRWeek Magazine. And on YouTube, this video is dedicated to the spring break trip that UA’s College Young Life took to Seattle, Wash. While there, students worked with refugees from around the world helping to teach them English and getting them acclimated to life in the United States…
Verizon talks up a safer campus
Huntsville Times – April 5
…the Verizon Wireless “Know It Forward” campaign. The event is part of April’s “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” in which Verizon representatives visit the colleges to encourage students to learn about the prevalence of sexual assault on campuses. The campaign is at A&M next Monday. The other dates are: April 19, University of Alabama at Birmingham; April 20, University of Alabama; and April 26, Alabama State University. On April 21-22, Verizon will be part of Auburn University’s “Take Back the Night” program.
Opinion: King opponents openly bashed our current AG
Tuscaloosa News – April 5
…Participating in the forum, part of the University of Alabama Honors College Lecture Series and co-sponsored by the UA School of Law and the Blackburn Institute, were Republican Luther Strange and Democrats Giles Perkins and James Anderson. Republican King and Democrat Michel Nicrosi were the only candidates in the race who did not attend. Organizers said King cited a busy work schedule and Nicrosi a scheduling conflict for their no-shows…
Plant sale at UA Arboretum features hard-to-find veggies, herbs and flowers
Tuscaloosa News – April 5
Do you like your peppers hot or sweet? Would you prefer your eggplant white or with pink stripes? The choice is yours at Sunday’s annual plant sale at the University of Alabama Arboretum…
College News
Tuscaloosa News – April 5
The University of Alabama was named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement…In the 2008-09 academic year, about 17,270 UA students completed more than 685,800 hours of community service with more than 120 community partners. Additionally, 120 UA faculty members offered service-learning courses, and an estimated 8,030 students participated in those service-learning courses…The Honor Roll is overseen in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education…Last Wednesday at the Campaign for Life Gala in Washington, D.C., UA senior Laura Peters from Gadsden, was recognized by the Susan B. Anthony List as one of their five “Young Outstanding Pro-Life Leaders.” Peters has been involved with the pro-life movement in her youth and has been very active in campus and state pro-life groups since she arrived at UA in the fall of 2008. Peters coordinated Alabama’s first ever statewide collegiate pro-life conference in April, 2009, and she assisted in the coordination of Tuscaloosa’s first 40 Days for Life campaign. Last summer, Laura participated in Students for Life of America’s “Missionaries for Life” summer internship program.
UA Enjoys Strong Sales of Licensed Merchandise
NBC13 (Birmingham) – April 4
Despite the down economy, the University of Alabama is enjoying its strongest year ever when it comes to sales of licensed merchandise…According to the firm that licenses merchandise for scores of universities, the University of Alabama is second in the nation in total sales this fiscal year…
UA to Unveil Statue of Saban
WKRG (Mobile) – April 2
WSFA (Montgomery) – April 2
The University of Alabama says it will unveil in August a bronze statue of Nick Saban, the coach who led the Crimson Tide to the National championship last season. The bronze statue will stand in the walk of champions plaza at Bryant-Denny stadium. An exact date has not been set for the unveiling.
Local organizations to host benefit for DCH
Crimson White – April 5
…In collaboration with the DCH Foundation, the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa will be sponsoring “Music for Marrow,” a benefit concert for the DCH Cancer Center on Wednesday. A portion of the expenses will help defray the expenses for a bone marrow transplant for Anna Gordon, a 2009 UA alumna who has been battling leukemia for the past year, according to the event’s Facebook page. Pam Penick, executive director of the Arts Council and a music administration adjunct professor at the University, said the Arts Council got involved with “Music for Marrow” for several reasons. She said the concert is the senior project of two music administration majors, Stephen Hill and Jud Babcock, and she has been a piano duo partner with Anna Gordon’s mother, Pam…