Guy Bailey era begins at University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 4
Expanding faculty research opportunities and maintaining the University of Alabama as an institution of choice are top priorities for the Capstone’s new president. Addressing the media on Tuesday morning, his first day on the job, two-time UA graduate Guy Bailey emphasized his pleasure at coming home. “I spent six years on campus here, six of the best years of my life, and I can’t tell you how exciting it is to come back,” he said. “It’s exciting not only because it’s home, but because of what has happened at the university in the last decade or so.”Encouraged by the “terrific facilities” and “quality of the people” Bailey acknowledged the work that still needed to be done, specifically regarding faculty research capabilities. His plans for doing so include expanding the size of the faculty, allowing time for faculty to conduct research and providing additional resources by enhancing the graduate student population…Bailey is the 37th president at UA, replacing Robert Witt, who was named chancellor of the UA system in March. Before coming to UA, Bailey served as president of Texas Tech University from 2008 to 2012 and chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2005-2008. This administrative experience, which includes helping expand growth in enrollment and research expenditures, is what Bailey will draw upon as UA’s president. Bailey said his knowledge of finance is also a strength, adding that he left both campuses in good positions for future growth. Bailey said he is also looking forward to being a part of the campus. Residing on the third floor of the president’s mansion, he loves being right in the middle of everything, seeing the students walking to class and having a front-row seat to all of the action. He said he prides himself on his relationship with students and he hopes to continue that student-centered campus concept at UA.
Birmingham News – Sept. 4
Crimson White – Sept. 4
Bonner returning to previous role of provost
Crimson White – Sept. 4
Guy Bailey will take hold of The University of Alabama presidency this week, permanently replacing Robert Witt, who vacated the post in March to become chancellor of The University of Alabama System. But as Bailey introduces himself to the UA community, he will have a familiar face at his side. Judy Bonner, who became the first female acting president of UA in history six months ago, will return to her position as UA provost, the same post she held throughout Witt’s historic tenure. The provost is the University’s second-highest ranking administrator, responsible for overseeing all of its academic programs. “It’s going to be difficult to talk about Dr. Witt and not talk about Dr. Bonner,” said Tom Davis, a former administrator in the UA Office of Undergraduate Admissions and a friend of Bonner. “Because within ten days after he got here, she was provost and has been with him every step of the way.” Witt named Bonner provost after he arrived at the Capstone in March 2003, and she has since been an instrumental figure in growing the University’s enrollment from 19,000 students to nearly 32,000.
Survey: 75% of Homeless Youth Use at Least One Social Network
The Atlantic – Aug. 30
In a small but intriguing study, social scientists found that 75 percent of the homeless youth they surveyed use social networks and that their usage patterns were remarkably similar to college students. Led by the University of Alabama’s Rosanna Guadagno, they surveyed 237 college kids and 65 homeless youth, both with an average age of a little over 19 years old. While a greater percentage of the students were on social networks (over 90 percent), both groups of users reported spending more than an hour per day using Facebook, Twitter, and the like. Guadagno argues that the results should lead us to rethink the concept of the digital divide of Internet haves and have nots. “To the extent that our findings show a ‘digital divide’ between undergraduates at a four-year university and age-matched participants in a program for homeless young adults, it is mainly in types of Internet use and not access to the Internet, and that divide is relatively minor,” we read. “Since it is clear that the proportions of undergraduates and homeless young adults accessing social networking sites are similar, we assert that the term digital divide is not descriptive of the young adult population.”
Gizmodo (UK) – Aug. 30
Impact Lab – Aug. 31
Half a million EC dollars in bonds for James; to be appointed Tourism Ambassador
Guyana Chronicle – Sept. 2
Prime Minister Tillman Thomas Saturday night announced that EC half a million dollars in Government bonds will be given to Kirani James for winning Grenada’s first Olympic gold medal. Prime Minister Thomas also revealed that James will be appointed a tourism Ambassador, an athletic stadium to be built by China will be named after him, and commemorative stamps will be published in his honour. The Grenadian leader told thousands who attended a rally at the national stadium that a museum, and a resource and fitness centre will be built in Gouyave, Kirani’s hometown. “Cabinet will appoint a national project team which will be mandated to go to every parish and to give guidance to all important interest groups sporting associations businesses and the church community” said Prime Minister Thomas. “The results of the work will reflect the wishes of all the people as to the kind of legacy we dedicate to the honour of our national hero. In doing these things we recognized that we may never be able to repay you for what you have done for our island”. James, both world and Olympic 400 metre champion who turned 20 Saturday, also received a quantity of jewelry including a necklace, bracelet, a ring and a watch from Columbian emeralds and EC100,000 dollars from Republic Bank. His parents were also presented with his and hers gift hampers from Duty free Caribbean…James is due to leave the island today to continue his under graduate studies in Business at the University of Alabama.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 2
UA Paralympians continue to excel
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 4
Monday was a big day for University of Alabama athletes at Paralympic Games. The U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball, with UA men’s head coach Miles Thompson serving as an assistant, defeated China 68-65 in overtime. The German women’s team defeated Mexico 68-28. UA senior Annika Zeyen had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Canada defeated Great Britian 67-50. Canadians and UA seniors Cindy Ouellet and Katie Harnock had excellent games. Harnock led all scorers with 20 points and added six rebounds and two assists. Ouellet had 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Canada’s men’s team defeated Colombia 68-42. UA graduate student Bo Hedges had 10 points, six assists and two rebounds. UA senior Mackenzie Soldan, competing for the U.S., lost her tennis singles match in two sets against world No. 5 Marjolein Buis of the Netherlands. Soldan also lost her doubles match against Germany in three sets.
Former Army cadet captures Paralympic silver medal
Department of Defense – Sept. 3
Many Paralympic athletes participating in the 2012 Paralympic Games here have overcome diseases, injuries or other afflictions. But not many have suffered through a combination of all of those factors and still rose above them to experience success in their chosen sports the way Jennifer Schuble, a former cadet and three-letter varsity athlete at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., has been able to. The former Army cadet suffered a traumatic brain injury during hand-to-hand combat training at the academy. She later was involved in a car accident in which her right arm was crushed and her TBI was exacerbated. In a final challenging blow, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004. Schuble, now a two-time Paralympian, spoke to American Forces Network here yesterday about the thrill of winning her second medal Sept. 1 at the Olympic Park’s Velodrome and the electrifying crowd…Along with her resilience in overcoming her disabilities to be a successful Paralympic athlete, Schuble has applied her drive to academics as well. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a master’s degree in production operation research, and she works full-time as an engineer for Mercedes-Benz Corp. Although she didn’t defend her gold here, Schuble said, she is satisfied with her performance after training for the last four years. “I didn’t get my Paralympic gold medal in the 500, but I got a silver, and I rode a personal best,” she noted. “So, I mean, to get two medals so far in the [2012] Paralympic Games, and I still have two more events, I can’t be more happy.”
Communication is key for success in college
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 3
College can be a scary place, not only for first-year students, but also for their parents. They worry about their child’s safety, living arrangements, class schedule, homesickness, overall success and more — which is completely normal. How a parent chooses to handle those concerns may shape their child’s success in college. The move from high school to college is a transition for the student and parent, and many education officials believe the key to making it through that transition is maintaining a good relationship through proper communication levels, support and involvement. “Parents are partners in their student’s success,” said Sara Hartley, executive director of First Year Experience and Parent Programs at the University of Alabama. “Research shows that students are more successful in college when parents are involved at a proper level. It’s all about finding that balance, and that’s different for every relationship.” It is natural for parents to have concerns and ask questions, and those questions will change as the year progresses. Worry over meal plans and living arrangements soon shift to questions about available academic resources and expectations for trips home. “We don’t see as many helicopter parents as people think. Most parents are really just looking out for their student,” Hartley said. “With every conversation we have with parents, we encourage them to empower their student, help them become independent adults.”
College freshmen must choose to succeed
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 3
Every college freshman has the ability to succeed. The choice to do so is up to them. That is one point Margaret Garner consistently stresses to students and parents, and she should know. As a University of Alabama faculty member for more than 30 years and a mother of five, all of whom completed college, she has seen her share of success stories as well as heartbreaking ones. “Success is a choice. Some of the decisions you make early on can set a pattern that propels you to success or propels you to disappointment,” said Garner, assistant dean of health education and outreach and director of the Department of Health and Wellness at UA. “Research shows the patterns developed in the first two months of college can predict how successful students are going to be. When you dig a hole academically, it’s a hard climb out.” The road to college success is not necessarily a difficult one. The strategies and tips passed down from older students, faculty and staff are mostly common-sense suggestions, like getting enough sleep, eating healthy and exercising. But oftentimes younger students have forgotten these basic “rules” for surviving their first year of college.
Two-year colleges help meet employers’ growing needs
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 4
Community colleges are often seen as economic engines, producing a workforce necessary to keep business and industry going. With continued cuts to education funding, that goal is becoming increasingly more difficult, and that could mean serious ramifications for local communities and the state. “It is in the best interests of Tuscaloosa and the state that our local community colleges have the capacity to prepare the high-skilled workforce that Mercedes and other companies need,” said Dr. Stephen Katsinas, director of the University of Alabama Education Policy Center and co-author of “Workforce Training in a Recovering Economy.” “If we can’t do that, major employers will go out of state to bring in workers. Over time, that could have a negative impact in our ability to attract additional high-wage employers to our area.” The manufacturing industry has struggled to fill positions for years. Even at the height of the recession, 32 percent of U.S. manufacturers reported they had jobs unfilled because they could not find workers with the right skills, according to a 2010 report by the National Association of Manufacturers. With an estimated 2.7 million manufacturing employees who are 55 years and older likely to retire during the next 10 years, the demand for technically trained workers will continue to grow. The question now is whether community colleges can attract students to these technical programs and whether they have the capacity to train those students.
Huffington Post – Sept. 4
Lincoln saw emancipation as path to win
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Va.) – Sept. 2
Like a fugitive slave slipping silently through the night toward freedom, the prospect of emancipation was secretly moving toward reality after Union failure at Richmond 150 years ago. Gen. George B. McClellan had retreated at the beginning of July. Militarily, the Civil War was a stalemate. Something more had to be done. The key to victory was emancipation, President Abraham Lincoln decided…During the Peninsula Campaign approach to Richmond in 1862, Union soldiers and Northern newspaper correspondents reported seeing black Confederate soldiers, said Glenn David Brasher, a former seasonal ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park who is a history instructor at the University of Alabama and author of “The Peninsula Campaign & the Necessity of Emancipation.” “I take these accounts seriously,” Brasher said. “It was usually a situation where African-Americans were forced, sometimes at gunpoint, to load and fire cannon because it was too dangerous for white soldiers to expose themselves to Union sharpshooters to load the cannons. “Union soldiers see them, so they’re writing diary entries and doing interviews with Northern correspondents saying, ‘They’re using blacks to fight us. I saw it with my own eyes.’ “It started with a grain of truth and then was conflated by Union soldiers, newspapers and abolitionists. It turned into a major reason why we should free the slaves.”
Unions losing political clout
Florence Times-Daily – Sept. 3
As union membership declines across the country, so does the political clout once wielded by the men and women of organized labor. That holds true in Alabama, as well…“The unions won’t have much clout in the election,” said Bill Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama. “We’re going to be a red state come hell or high water. Union membership is voting red,” he said. “Economically, they are mostly liberal, but socially conservative. They may feel that immigrants are taking jobs Americans should have, or maybe they are against abortion or gay marriage. And when those around you are voting Republican, you tend to, too. You are influenced by your environment.” Stewart describes northwest Alabama as the “last bastion of white Democrats in Alabama,” but it might not last too many more years, he said, in part because labor unions are not as politically influential as they once were. For some union leaders, economics and health care are moral issues on which Republicans can’t pass muster.
Big Brothers Big Sisters seeks volunteer mentors
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 4
Big Brothers Big Sisters of West Alabama is looking for adult volunteers to mentor children ages 6 to 18 in the Tuscaloosa area, and alleviate their 84-child-long waiting list…One of those positive influences is Carlton McHargh. McHargh, 51, is an advisor at the College of Education at the University of Alabama and has been mentoring 11-year-old Shamarcause Hanks for three years. Together, they’ve done everything from participating in the UA homecoming parade to meeting former UA football star Mark Ingram, but their favorite activity is playing chess. Although McHargh began mentoring through his church and job at the university, he said giving back to the community through BBBS takes a special kind of commitment. “You need to have a sense of community and responsibility, not just for your family, but for others in the community around you,” McHargh said. “You don’t need any special skills or talents either. You just need to want to help someone along.”
Rick Bragg to speak in BG KY at the library
Tennessean – Sept. 1
Pulitzer Prize winning author Rick Bragg will speak at Warren County Public Library at 1225 State Street on Tuesday, September 4 at 6:00 p.m. Bragg is the critically acclaimed author of best-selling Southern nonfiction, including All Over but the Shoutin’, Ava’s Man, The Prince of Frogtown, and The Most They Ever Had. He writes a column for Southern Living and has written for Sports Illustrated, Food and Wine, and many other publications…Bragg lives in Tuscaloosa where he is Professor of Writing at the University of Alabama.
UAB gets $2.3 million to support its “Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research”
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Aug. 31
UAB will be getting just over $2 million to support its “Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research.” The center focuses on problems of elderly African Americans, primarily in rural areas. The center is a partnership between UAB, the University of Alabama, Tuskegee and Morehouse.
Alabama alums gather for fundraiser for Ashley Harrison Memorial Scholarship Fund
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 2
A big win against Michigan wasn’t the only victory for some Tide fans in Dallas this weekend. On a serious note, Alabama alums gathered Friday night for the second annual fundraiser for the Ashley Harrison Memorial Scholarship Fund. Harrison was a native of Dallas but a student at the University of Alabama when she was killed in the April 27th tornado.
African-American student groups hold block party
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 3
The University of Alabama has welcomed thousands to campus this fall, but how are the new students adjusting? A few campus organizers are interacting with freshmen in a very unique way, through a block party. Black Student Union and the National Pan-Hellenic council hosted “Onyx.” This works to connect freshmen with faculty and staff and introduce them to ways to get involved.
UA campus ministry helps students grow spiritually
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Sept. 2
This weekend ‘Bama students rooted for the Tide, on the football field. At the same time, a campus ministry at the University of Alabama is rooting for every student, praying and working to make them feel at home …Nate Young, a missionary: “Our goal is to be a safe place when they come when they are wounded.” But the Baptist Campus Ministry is not just a place to come in a crisis – ping pong, fun and games, food and worship are all a part of it too. Damien Christian was a student who got fed spiritually and physically here, now he is a worship leader and lives at the Baptist Campus Ministry. “We have worship Bible study lunch. What I love here is community I was looking for a place to grow my Christian walk … a college campus can be a lonely place,” Christian said.