Now retired in Tuscaloosa, Joab Thomas once held the title of president at UA and Penn State
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 10
…In the 1980s, he was president of the University of Alabama, and in the decade following, he oversaw the multiple campuses of Penn State University…He is the only man to have been president of the two schools that will meet Saturday for a football matchup at Bryant-Denny Stadium — but he’s not telling for which team he’ll be cheering… in 1974, after serving as a professor in the University of Alabama’s School of Biology, the assistant dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, the dean for Student Development and, eventually, vice-president for student affairs, he was offered his first spot as a college president at North Carolina State University. He remained chancellor there until 1981, when he met with a group of trustees from the Capstone who had come to Raleigh, N.C., to seek his advice on a new president for the University of Alabama. “We talked for about an hour,” Thomas said, “and they offered me the job.”…
Copy of Quran only book saved from Union’s 1865 burning of UA
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 10
A copy of the Quran dating from 1853, its spine missing, its pages browning and its front cover almost detached, sits today in a library at the University of Alabama. While Islam’s holy book now appears safe from a Florida pastor’s plan for a bonfire, the Quran at UA had its own dramatic rescue from the flames. It was the only book saved from burning of the university library at the hands of Union troops in 1865. “We don’t know who chose it, why they chose it or how it got back to the university. All we know is that for a long, long time, we’ve had this book,” said Clark Center, W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library curator…According to Center, what happened next has become part of University of Alabama lore. Legend has it that before Union troops set the building on fire, either Johnston, one of his aides, Deloffre or someone else went into the Rotunda to save one book — a copy of “The Koran: Commonly Called The Alcoran Of Mohammed.” The book was an English translation of the Quran and had been published in Philadelphia in 1853. Soon after it was removed from the library, the building, along with much of the rest of campus, was engulfed in flames…The book now sits in the university’s W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library…
Alabama QB McElroy a Rhodes candidate
Philadelphia Daily News – Sept. 10
The sternest test Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy might face this week isn’t likely to come from the Penn State pass rush on Saturday evening, but has already happened. McElroy had an interview session Wednesday with a panel of academics assessing his application to become a Rhodes scholar. “I finished my essay,” said McElroy, a senior from Southlake, Texas. “I actually have my first formal on-campus interview. That’s with the other Rhodes candidates from the University of Alabama. “I’m not sure exactly what to expect, but afterward I should have a better understanding of what the rest of the application process should entail.”
Quad tent helps fan recycle
Crimson White – Sept. 10
To reduce the amount of trash that ends up in a landfill, the University’s department of Logistics and Support Services staffs a tent on the Quad during every home game to promote recycling… “UA employees will hand out recycling bags to individual groups tailgating on the Quad so that cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic cups, food wrappers and other types of plastics, including ice bags, can be recycled,” the newsletter says. The tent is stationed east of Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library and fans are encouraged to deposit their recyclable material during the tent’s operation hours, which run from noon to 5:30 p.m. on game days…Chris Bryant, assistant director of media relations, said in an emailed statement that the University’s recycling efforts extend beyond game day. Bryant said the University will divert more than 1,200 tons of recyclable material in the fiscal year of 2010 as a result of its many recycling projects. “UA’s recycling program was one of five finalists in the 2010 Southern Association of College and University Business Officers Best Practices competition,” Bryant said…
Debate tickets available for students
Crimson White – Sept. 10
Students may request tickets online today for the gubernatorial debate. The tickets will be available on the My Football Tickets tab of the ACTion card website from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m The gubernatorial debate between Republication candidate Dr. Robert Bentley and Democratic candidate Ron Sparks will take place on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Moody Concert Hall…
SGA to fund free exam books
Crimson White – Sept. 10
The Student Government Association will start providing free exam books beginning in about three weeks, Nicole Bohannon, executive vice president of the SGA, said at the Senate meeting Wednesday…
Kansas performs with UA’s Huxford Symphony
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 9
An unusual musical combination joined forces on the University of Alabama campus tonight. The rock band “Kansas” performed with UA’s Huxford Symphony at the Moody Music Building. “Kansas” is known for hits such as “Carry on Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind.”