Program helps expand curriculums
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 21
Teachers in West Alabama must expand their efforts to instruct students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and the University of Alabama is helping. The new Alabama College and Career Ready Initiative put into place in Alabama recently is leading to class curricula changing. “The goal of the new course of study is to go deeper,” said Will Jarrett, an eighth-grade Algebra I teacher at Brookwood Middle School. “They keep saying a mile wide and an inch deep is what we used to do. Now, it’s supposed to be deeper into each topic but maybe fewer topics.” Jarrett is one of seven eighth-grade math teachers going through the professional development program IMPACT through UA’s In-Service Center. The In-Service Center provides professional learning opportunities for kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers and administrators. The center serves nine West Alabama counties and 12 school districts, including Tuscaloosa City Schools and Tuscaloosa County Schools. IMPACT, which stands for Improving Mathematical Practices for Alabama Classroom Teachers, is funded through a grant program from the Alabama State Department of Education.
Plan to untangle Detroit debt to get test in bankruptcy court
Detroit News – Sept. 23
The first big brawl in Detroit’s bankruptcy case will play out this week when the city’s lawyers try to persuade the judge that two Wall Street banks deserve to cut in front of pensioners and bondholders in the debt payment line. Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr’s bid to untangle a complicated debt transaction blamed as one of the underpinnings of Detroit’s plunge into bankruptcy could set the stage for the rest of his plan to rescue the city from crippling debt…Robert Brooks, a professor of finance at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, said Detroit is among many municipalities that made bad bets on interest rates. “They bought the story line in ’06 that rates were at an all-time low and they should lock this in with a swap,” Brooks said. “…They were making the bet that rates were going to go up.”
Tuscaloosa’s jobless rate down, but Alabama’s rises
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 20
A mixed employment picture emerged across the country and in Alabama on Friday as states released their August unemployment figures. Alabama reported a slight rise in unemployment in August, while Tuscaloosa County showed a bigger decrease in its jobless rate. Tuscaloosa County’s unemployment rate was 6 percent, down from 6.5 percent in July. Alabama’s unemployment rate was 6.3 percent, up from 6.2 percent in July. Ahmad Ijaz, an economist with the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, said a survey of state households found about 14,000 jobs being lost in August, but a state survey of workplace establishments found about 3,400 jobs being added. The combination of those results would be reflected in the rise seen in the state unemployment rate, he said.
How to keep your tailgate safe
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 20
Food and football go hand in hand, but one thing you don’t want to catch this football season is a food bourn illness. Health experts say if you’re planning a tailgate this weekend, there are some important things to remember to make sure everyone has a happy and healthy tailgate experience…Grilling out and preparing food are staples when it comes to tailgating in college towns…But before you do, University of Alabama human nutrition and hospitality management instructor, Diane Bridgewater says there are a few things to keep in mind. You want to make sure you watch time, temperature and cross contamination. Bridgewater says it’s important to keep cold foods cold, and hot foods hot. “We tend to spend a good time planning our hot foods we know that we need to cook things to certain temperatures but maybe we need to spend a little bit more time watching the cold foods.”
States experiment with performance-based funding
Community College Times – Sept. 20
A new report from the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama identifies several “lessons learned” based on a review of states’ experiences with performance-based funding (PBF) in higher education. PBF programs are most likely to be effective if: Key stakeholders are involved in designing the system; The PBF system is aligned with the state’s goals and agenda for higher education and with the state’s workforce and economic development priorities; The system takes into account the distinct mission and goals of community colleges, as well other types of institutions; The PBF formula is weighted for marginalized populations, such as by providing more incentives for progress by at-risk students; There is a stable, significant funding stream.
Mississippi community college enrollment dips for third year
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) – Sept. 21
Enrollment has fallen at Mississippi’s 15 community colleges for the third year in a row, according to preliminary figures reported by the Community College Board. The new data shows that the number of students enrolled at the state’s two-year schools fell 4.3 percent this fall to 77,661…Mississippi officials also believe restrictions on federal Pell Grants, which aid needy students, are cutting into enrollment. For example, people without a high school diploma or GED no longer get aid. A study earlier this year by University of Alabama Professor Stephen Katsinas estimated that thousands of students statewide aren’t enrolled in community colleges because of the stricter rules.
Beaumont Enterprise (Texas) – Sept. 21
Mississippi Business Journal – Sept. 21
University of Alabama choir brings a melodious message
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 20
The Afro-American Gospel Choir at the University of Alabama is comprised of college students with different backgrounds, all with a common goal: the desire to share their faith through song. “We want to show the campus and the community that, though we are all in college, we have not lost sight of our religious values, and also that we want to continue to grow in our faith alongside others who go through the same trials and hardships as college students,” said Raven Austin, president of the choir. The organization began in 1971 with 12 members. The choir has grown to 50-plus members today. The choir performs at various community events, such as its back-to-school concert at the Ferguson Center on Sept. 8 on the UA campus.
University of West Alabama named to Military Friendly Schools list
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 20
The University of West Alabama has been named to the Military Friendly Schools list published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned company catering to the military community…The University of Alabama was also among the 32 universities and community colleges to make the list in Alabama.
GUEST COLUMN: What is the lifespan of a wrong?
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 21
How long are you responsible for a wrong? Recently, the CIA released a new report on Operation Trajax. The document — “The Battle for Iran” — revealed a few new facts on the removal by the United States of a prime minister in 1953 skirting too close to the edges of communism. This was, after all, the Cold War. He was replaced by the Shah, who was in turn replaced by a fundamentalist Islamic revolution in 1979. Today, the Iranian fundamentalists hold the U.S. responsible for these intrusions into the sovereignty and independence of Iran. They want an apology and some other acknowledgment that the U.S. was responsible for what happened half a century ago…So how long is an individual or nation responsible for the sins of the past? Or, to be even more precise, how far back does accountability go? One generation, two generations, 400 years, more? (Larry Clayton is a retired professor of history at the University of Alabama.)
GUEST COLUMN: The world’s most brutal sport — golf
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 21
Thankfully, another season of the world’s most brutal sport is almost over. This year, as in previous years, its participants have suffered major injuries. Sore wrists and aching backs top the list. You might think that mixed martial arts or bear wrestling is the most dangerous game. But it is neither of those. It’s much worse. It’s golf. At least, that’s what TV commentators think. A study of the words they use has found that the most common one is “brutal.” In fact, if you want to enlarge your vocabulary, just watch golf on TV. You’ll learn at least a dozen synonyms for “brutal.” Golf looks so innocent on the surface. As the players walk around manicured courses on beautiful summer days, surrounded by trees, azaleas, streams of water and beds of flowers, a spectator would never guess just how perilous the game is. If you don’t believe it, listen to the commentators. (David Sloan is a retired professor of journalism at the University of Alabama. Readers can email him at wmdsloan@bellsouth.net.)
Hall of Famer: ‘What I was doing was just a part of my everyday job’
Northwest Florida Daily News – Sept. 23
Margaret Pierson has led a life of excitement, challenges and adversity. But if you ask the 95-year-old woman she would tell you she was just doing her job all those years. Pierson, a native of Alabama who lives at Westwood Retirement Resort, was inducted into the Alabama Social Work Hall of Fame last week for her more than 50 years of service and innovation in the field … She served as an Alabama delegate for the 1960 White House Conference on Children and Youth and helped establish the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama.
Jorgensen is 1st female Alaska Army Guard general
Army Times – Sept. 21
Cathy Jorgensen received the biggest promotion of her career Sept. 13. It was a pretty big deal for the Alaska Army National Guard, too. Jorgensen, of Eagle River, became the first female to make the rank of general in Alaska Guard history…Jorgensen received her commission in 1985 after becoming a distinguished military graduate from the reserve officer training program at the University of Alabama.
Juneau Empire – Sept. 22