Board to consider AU finances
Concerns raised about tailgating
Development, Alumni offices separated
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AU REPORT |
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| Headlines Board to consider AU finances Concerns raised about tailgating Development, Alumni offices separated |
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Auburn's fall semester enrollment is its highest ever and features a new freshman class marked by a significant increase in African-Americans.
Enrollment numbers released Wednesday showed an AU enrollment of 22,469, surpassing the previous record of 22,122 set in the fall of 1995 and up 600 from last fall's total of 21,860. AU's new freshman class of 3,746 was down slightly from the record 3,864 in 2000.
Student Affairs administrators said one of the most encouraging signs was a jump in AU's African-American enrollment, both overall and in the new freshman class. Overall, AU's African-American student population jumped approximately 8.2 percent from 1,493 to 1,616. African-American students now make up 7.2 percent of the AU student population.
The numbers for new freshmen were even more encouraging. Despite the freshman class being smaller overall, the African-American population of the class jumped 24 percent from 273 last year to 337. Nine percent of AU's new freshmen are African-Americans, up from 7.1 percent last year.
"We've done quite a bit in the way of efforts to increase our ability to attract strong African-American students," said Doyle Bickers, AU's director of admissions. "We've got staff members who work specifically toward that goal. But the bottom line is that Auburn University sells itself."
Bickers said the increase in African-American enrollment is especially encouraging because Auburn competes for those students with colleges and universities available to offer far more in the way of scholarships to qualified minority students.
"Some of the packages that are offered to the same African-American students that we target are absolutely staggering," Bickers said. "For us to be able to really compete with them will require some significant beefing up of our scholarship packages. Still, to show this kind of increase despite that disadvantage speaks loudly of Auburn's value as an institution of higher learning."
Auburn's increased minority enrollment runs counter to the most recent numbers at peer institutions in neighboring states. At the University of Florida, the percentage of African-American students among new freshmen fell from 11.1 percent last year to 7.2 this fall. The University of Georgia also experienced a slight decrease in African-American freshmen this fall.
Board to consider AU finances at Oct. 5 session
The AU Board of Trustees is scheduled to consider final action on the university's operating budget for 2001-02 at its 1 p.m. meeting Friday, Oct. 5, in Foy Student Union Ballroom.
A series of board committee meetings Friday will start at 9 a.m. in Foy 213. Two committees will meet Thursday: The Property and Facilities Committee is scheduled to meet at 12:30 p.m. in the Rane Room of the Athletic Complex, and the Athletics Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. at the same location.
With the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, the university is operating this week
under a temporary resolution approved in August by the trustees.
Administration budget planners told trustees in planning sessions this
summer that the university can anticipate little additional funding above
AU's 2000-01 budget of $494.3 million.
AU's primary sources of funding are state appropriations, tuition, contracts and grants, auxiliary enterprises and federal appropriations.
The $201 million state appropriation for operations and maintenance, the largest component of the AU budget, is similar to the amount received in 2000-01. However, that amount is less than was appropriated last year, before proration.
State officials are warning that the legislative appropriation could be reduced for a second straight year if sales tax collections continue to fall below expectations. However, as in recent years, the proposed AU budget sets aside a reserve to offset the impact of a cut in state funding during the fiscal year.
Faced with the likelihood of little growth in AU income, the board's budget committee this summer approved guidelines that would provide some increased benefits for employees rather than across-the-board pay increases. Board members, however, have continued to express interest in seeking funds for either pay raises or bonuses for employees.
The proposal receiving most widespread support among faculty, staff, administrators and trustees in this year's budget planning has been a proposal from the Staff Council for the university to assume a greater share of health insurance premiums for employees earning $30,000 per year or below. Employees earning $20,000 or below would receive still more assistance under that proposal.
With health insurance premiums rising faster than pay, the Staff Council warned that many of its members will be unable to afford increases expected next January without assistance from the university. Another proposal would increase the university's match for tax-deferred annuities, which are supplemental retirement options for faculty and staff. Another proposal would enable the university to offer partial tuition relief for spouses and dependents of faculty and staff.
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Auburn administrators are taking a new look at tailgating on campus after damages to buildings and grounds were reported following the first two 2001 football games.
University officials have put together a list of damage on campus, ranging from fires in dumpsters to breaking into and ransacking campus buildings.
"We recognize that tailgating is a very important part of the Auburn University culture," said Jim Ferguson, vice president for Administrative Services at AU. "It's a special time for alumni, students and friends of Auburn to come together on campus and enjoy fellowship.
"We don't want to put a damper on that, but it would be helpful for everyone to know the problems we experience on campus that cost the university -- and ultimately the taxpayers' money," he added.
Christine Curtis, associate provost for Facilities, oversees a staff of approximately 500 who are responsible for building and grounds maintenance. Curtis said most fans don't consider the cost of grounds preparation and cleanup, which can conservatively cost as much as $200,000 a season.
The university pays a crew of about 20 employees to work overtime on Sundays picking up trash left by tailgaters on campus at a cost of about $1,500 to $1,800 per cleanup after each home game. That cost is in addition to what the university pays Waste Management to remove trash from dumpsters on campus.
A second cost is staffing university Building Service employees to work overtime in the buildings open on game days for restroom use. While the university is not responsible for staffing athletic buildings, whose staff is paid by the athletic department, it is responsible for the majority of buildings.
A third cost likely unseen by the average taxpayer is the cost of cleaning up Toomer's Corner after a victory, when the downtown intersection of College Street and Magnolia Avenue becomes a sea of white toilet paper. The university contracts the cost of that cleanup to a private service which owns necessary equipment and charges about $3,700 per victory for cleanup.
While the financial costs may be high, the more significant issue is the safety of students and visitors on campus, Ferguson said.
The most persistent hazard is the use of stakes and ropes to mark off tailgate spots days before the game. The stakes -- ranging from sharp pieces of wood, metal, coat hangers to actual tent stakes -- are left in the ground all over campus and become obstacles for pedestrians.
In addition, Facilities employees can't perform regular maintenance duties like mowing unless they first stop work to clean up the grounds.
"In some cases, it takes three people to do what one person should do because of all the stakes, ropes and string," Curtis said. "Then you have two people not getting their assigned work done because they are having to help someone else."
Charles Ray, director of AU's Office of Safety and Environmental Health, said his office has received several complaints this fall about the stakes and continually survey campus to remove the most dangerous.
"We've had complaints from pedestrians and bicyclists. They can be a real hazard. Someone could trip on one and impale himself." In the first two games, Ray says his office staff have probably picked up about 50 nine- to 12-inch metal tent stakes and more than 100 stakes made from short lengths of steel reinforcing rods.
"The problem is that people put up others as soon as we take them down," Ray said. "I don't think they understand the potential danger."
As far as some of the more egregious acts of vandalism on campus, Curtis said Dudley Hall, which houses the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, is now locked on game days after it was trashed following the Ball State game.
"That building is an open building in that student work as well as classes and computer labs are open, but people went in and did damage to all four floors," she said.
"It is unfortunate that we are being forced to close Dudley Hall to tailgaters on football weekends," said Dan Bennett, dean of the College of Architecture, Design and Construction. "However, we were given no choice in that during the Saturday afternoon of the Ball State football game, people damaged expensive computer equipment and destroyed the academic work of our students.
"Also, soda and other carbonated drinks were sprayed on the walls, floors and ceilings throughout the four floors of the building.
"I am sure that the individuals responsible represent only a very small percentage of the fans who normally use the restroom facilities in the building. However, closing the building is our only option in order to ensure that valuable state property and the work of our students is protected."
Another campus building, M.W. Smith Hall, which is normally closed on
game days, was broken into and trashed on the day of the Ole Miss game.
In addition, three fires were reported on campus during the Ole Miss game
where people did not properly dispose of hot charcoal, in one case causing
damage to an oak tree near Duncan Hall and in others starting fires in
dumpsters. In another case, a recreational vehicle dumped its waste tanks
on campus, causing a biochemical hazard.
AU separates Alumni, Development offices
AU's Office of Alumni and Development will be split into separate offices, each with its own vice president, under a decision announced Sept. 17 by Interim President William F. Walker.
The reorganization, effective Oct.1, expands the role of Alumni Affairs to cover all alumni related functions of schools and colleges while spinning off the development functions as a prelude to a major expansion of private fundraising efforts on behalf of the university.
Walker outlined the restructuring in a written statement from his office. The statement is posted on the web at www.univrel.auburn.edu/alumniorganization.html.
Betty DeMent, formerly vice president for alumni and development, will now be vice president for alumni affairs. Wil Miller, formerly assistant vice president for development, will be acting vice president for development.
DeMent will continue to serve as liaison between the university and the Auburn Alumni Association, and Miller will serve in that role with the Auburn University Foundation, which assists the university in fundraising.
A national search will begin immediately to fill the vice president for development position on a permanent basis.
Walker said the creation of separate vice presidencies reporting to the president will enable the university to expand the development office to meet much larger goals for fundraising and the alumni affairs office to intensify its recruitment of AU alumni who are not reached by current programs. The alumni affairs office will also assume new responsibilities for coordinating alumni activities of colleges and schools, he added.
The reorganization was recommended in April by the higher education consulting arm of the Arthur Andersen accounting firm. Walker noted that he did not accept some of the consultants' recommendations, most notably creation of the position of vice president for advancement. The advancement position could evolve over time, but it would be premature to establish such a position at present, Walker said.
Walker cited the progress of Alumni and Development in generating new members and and programs that earned national acclaim. But, he added, "It is also important to understand that, at the beginning of the 21st century, the university faces challenges that differ both quantitatively and qualitatively from anything we have had to deal with before.
"We have grown to a point at which our annual operating budget is $550 million," Walker noted. "Also, we have learned that we must enhance our private funding dramatically if we are to retain the quality and national recognition that mean so much to us."
In alumni and development, as well as in other areas, Walker said Auburn must move quickly to adjust its organizational structure to meet the university's goals in a difficult environment for higher education.
"To maintain and enhance our quality, we will need to adjust our existing goals upward by an order of magnitude," Walker said. "In order to achieve these goals, we will need a correspondingly more robust administrative structure. The steps I have decided upon are directed to meeting this need. The structure of Alumni and Development had the added disadvantage of lack of clear lines of authority and responsibility, he said.
"With respect to the second problem, it is apparent that lines of authority within our alumni and development operations have become confused," Walker said. "This confusion is evident both in the arrangements by which the activities of alumni and development are funded, and in the work assignments and reporting lines of some of the staff.
"It is also apparent with respect to the governance of our alumni and development operations. Overall, there is a blurring of accountability, with uncertainty about whether these offices ultimately report to the university administration or to their respective boards."
Walker said the university's functions for both alumni and development had grown in size and complexity to the point that each area needed to be headed by a vice president.
He directed Executive Vice President Don Large to oversee the distribution of accounting procedures between the two units to provide clear reporting lines. In addition to being the university's chief financial officer, Large is treasurer to both the Auburn Alumni Association and the Auburn University Foundation.
Walker said Large will also work with the development office and relevant stakeholders to develop a recommendation by Dec. 15 on how best to place oversight of the AU endowment and the AU Foundation endowment under a single committee. Previously, both the university and the foundation managed the endowments separately.
The information management system formerly in Alumni and Development will become more of a university-wide asset, accessible to dens and other constituencies, Walker said.
An oversight committee, similar to the OASIS management team information management in student and academic areas, will be created resolve any disputes between the units over information management systems. The committee will also be charged with ensuring that security and access issues are addressed, he said.
SACS review team's AU visit postponed
A visit to Auburn by a review team of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has been postponed during the early stage of a lawsuit against SACS by the university.
The SACS review team's visit had previously been moved from Oct. 1 to early November. SACS attorneys agreed to the further delay to permit a newly assigned judge from the U.S. District Court in Atlanta to consider preliminary issues in the case.
SACS had announced that it would send an inspection team to Auburn to investigate complaints over governance brought by the University Senate and other groups. The AU administration then filed suit, asking the court to require the accrediting agency to conduct the investigation in a manner consistent with SACS procedures and meet other legal standards.
As of late last week, a new date had not been set for the visit. Interim AU President William Walker said all parties have agreed that the visit will be early enough to permit the SACS Commission on Colleges to review the matter at its biannual meeting in June 2002.
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Auburn's connection to the next generation of the Internet with its high speed, large-capacity information pipeline is opening a new world of potential for both research and instruction, say the system's advocates.
"Most of the buildings on campus are already wired for Internet2 connectivity," said John Helms, assistant director of AU Telecommunications. "Faculty and staff may not know it, but some of their work -- such as e-mail -- already is being routed on the Internet2 pipeline."
Internet2 is comprised of a consortium of more than 180 research universities and institutions, and government and industrial partners, explained Stephen McFarland, interim dean of AU's Graduate School. Its purpose is to develop and facilitate network applications that involve extremely large work files and the need for high-speed transmission.
"Internet2 offers high-speed networking capability for the national research community, and it opens up capabilities that are not possible through the regular Internet for collaborative research and instruction," McFarland said.
Because most of the AU buildings are already wired for Internet2 connectivity, no special arrangements are necessary should researchers or instructors want to utilize the high-speed technology. Large capacity transmissions are automatically routed by a switching station through the Internet2 network.
McFarland notes that in the first year of Internet2 connectivity, the bulk
of its use has been for applications such as video conferencing.
"We don't think that Auburn's research community is aware of the
capabilities available through the Internet2 connection," McFarland said.
In addition to high-speed transmission and extremely broad bandwidth, there also are special funding opportunities available for research utilizing Internet2, McFarland added.
United Way campaign starts on campus
AU's United Way campaign for 2001 has a goal of $115,000 to assist 35 charities and human service agencies in East Alabama.
Under the leadership this year of John Fletcher, AU's interim assistant vice president for enrollment management services, the campus campaign is part of the Lee County campaign, which has a goal of $825,000.
Since campuswide pay raises are not anticipated for AU faculty and staff, the campus goal remains the same as last year, Fletcher noted.
The theme for the 2001 United Way campaign is "Choose to Care." Fletcher said the slogan calls attention to the need for the campus and broader community to recognize the good that local service agencies perform in Lee County.
"All these worthy organizations have banded together for one large campaign rather than 35 separate fundraising activities," he noted. By supporting their work, we are helping to make this a better community for everyone."
Fletcher works with a leadership team of 23 faculty and staff in directing the campus campaign. United Way volunteers have distributed pledge cards to faculty and staff across campus. Campaign leaders urge employees either to make donations immediately, donate through payroll deductions or have United Way bill them at designated times of the year.
Of the money raised locally through the campaign, 92 percent remains in Lee County for services and financial assistance to the needy, the disabled, youth groups, sick or injured persons and others with special needs in Lee and neighboring counties.
United Way agencies, which are listed in brochures distributed to AU faculty and staff, range from the Achievement Center for training persons with disabilities to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
Fellowships to support training of special ed teachers
An AU program will receive a $1.2 million federal grant over the next five years to train specialists who help young children overcome developmental delays and disabilities.
The grant from the U.S. Department of Education will provide about 90 fellowships in the AU College of Education's Department of Rehabilitation and Special Education.
A key feature of the program is its preparation of personnel to help children from infancy through age 8 and their parents reduce the effect of developmental delays and disabilities on their education and lives, said the program's director, Samera Baird.
The federal grant is effective through September 2006 and will support AU's work with the Alabama Department of Education's Early Childhood Low Incidence Personnel Preparation System. The state's Project ECLIPPS seeks to increase the number and quality of personnel to serve young children with low-incidence forms of disabilities and their families, especially in rural areas.
Baird, an associate professor in the College of Education, said the AU program was developed in response to needs identified through several avenues, including the Alabama Department of Education, parents and teachers.
"There is a major need to produce more people who can identify the problems of special-needs children at an early age and teach these children how to prevent some problems and overcome others," Baird said.
The fellowships will support students in three types of training: Master's level, distance education and on-campus skills improvement for specialists in the field. For additional information, contact Baird by e mail at bairdsa@auburn.edu or telephone at 844-5943.
Magazine ranks College of Business in top 50 in nation
Auburn's College of Business for the first time has cracked the top 50 among the nation's business schools -- public and private -- as evaluated by U.S. News & World Report.
AU's business college was ranked No. 49, up eight spots from No. 57 a year ago. It was one of only 16 schools whose rankings improved annually over the past three years. And Auburn was ranked No. 30 nationally among public business schools in providing the "Best Undergraduate Business Programs" by U.S. News.
The nation's top-ranked business school is the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. Among Southeastern Conference-member institutions, only the University of Florida, ranked No. 23; and the University of Georgia, ranked No. 37, were ahead of Auburn. The University of Alabama moved up one spot from 50th to No. 49 to tie Auburn.
"We are very pleased with the continued recognition of the College of Business as one of the leading providers of business education today," said John Jahera, interim dean. "It is a tribute to the hard work of our students, faculty, staff and alumni and friends that we have earned the top 50 ranking.
"To be ranked 49th overall and 30th among public universities for undergraduate business attests to our efforts to provide the highest quality programs that provide outstanding graduates to assume leading positions in business and industry," Jahera said.
The College of Business is Auburn's largest college, enrolling more than 4,500 undergraduates and more than 500 graduate students.
Committee members sign pledge against racism
A commission charged with promoting diversity at Auburn recently endorsed the Birmingham Pledge, a personal commitment to eliminate racism in the world.
Joining AU's Multicultural Diversity Commission in signing the pledge, AU Interim President William F. Walker said, "Maybe we need to sign one of these every day if we could be assured that the world would become a better place."
The signing took place one week after the New York City, Pentagon and Pennsylvania tragedies. Walker added that the world is facing a future "almost too frightening to contemplate" and told the group of mostly faculty, "Now is the time for us to do what we're prepared to do, which is teach and provide some leadership for our young people."
The Birmingham Pledge was developed in 1998 and grew out of Birmingham's efforts to improve race relations within the city, which was the site of one of the most famous hate crimes in our country's history -- the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church.
"This pledge came about as a way to help Birmingham move past the events that occurred there in 1963, in a church, when three little girls there to worship suddenly became victims of terror, not unlike the victims of what we saw happen in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania last week," said Nancy McDaniel, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and chairman of the committee.
The committee will distribute and advocate the pledge throughout the university community. Faculty, staff and students will be provided the opportunity to sign the pledge, McDaniel said.
Athletics sponsors academic graduate assistants
The AU Athletics Department is sponsoring three teaching assistantships at Auburn this fall for graduate students to help freshmen and sophomores in introductory accounting, sociology and world history courses.
The graduate assistants lead study groups and counsel students through the Supplemental Instruction Advantage program, also known as SI Advantage. The university offers similar assistance in other classes through the SI program in Student Affairs, but the assistance in those classes is provided by advanced undergraduate students.
Classes in which graduate assistants lead the study sessions are History 1010, Sociology 1000 and the Accounting 2110-2210 sequence. The sessions are open to all students in those classes. The world history and sociology classes are part of the university's core curriculum, and the accounting classes are core requirements in the College of Business.
Virgil Starks, associate athletic director for student services, said the Athletics Department provides financial support to the academic units for the graduate assistants and requires student athletes in those classes to participate in the study sessions. All other matters are under the control of the academic departments, he said.
"We liked the approach that Student Affairs was taking with the SI program, and we wanted to help academic departments in ways that help all students, not just student athletes," said Starks. "One thing we wanted to do was support academic activities that bring student athletes and other students together in a learning environment."
Approximately 80 student athletes are in the classes along with a much larger number of other students. The graduate assistants work for the professors in those classes and conduct the study sessions between class sessions.
The graduate students were trained for the additional duties by Student Affairs personnel using the techniques developed for the SI program, said Kathryn Jarvis, director of the SI program in Student Affairs.
"We've had success with study sessions led by advanced undergraduates who had taken the courses and excelled," said Jarvis. "I expect that graduate students leading the study sessions will be a real asset for students in those classes."
Starks said study sessions with a group of students offer advantages over tutoring. Tutoring provides less opportunity for the student to learn study skills and build a conceptual framework for more advanced classes, he said.
Besides financial support, the graduate students gain valuable instructional experience under the supervision of their professors, Starks said.
"Naturally, it is an advantage to the undergraduates to have a graduate
student providing supplemental instruction outside of class," he said.
"But an even greater advantage for all these students, whether they are
athletes or not, is that they are learning study skills and examining the
conceptual foundations of the subject matter.
"These are things that most students need before they move on to more advanced subjects," Starks said. "Some students have these advantages before they get to Auburn, but others, including some athletes and other students,as well, have to develop these skills after they get here. Group study sessions are a good way to help them do so, especially when led by graduate students."
Student athletes face additional burdens when they miss classes to travel to athletic competitions, he said. By learning study skills and gaining an understanding of the concepts behind the subject matter in the study sessions, they are better able to keep up with the class than if they try to catch up alone or with a tutor, he added.
Bruce Matthews, an academic counselor in the Athletics Department, is coordinating the SI Advantage program for the department. Matthews said early reports from participants are good but it is too soon to assess the students' progress.
Stephen McFarland, interim dean of the Graduate School, said the program has the potential to build closer ties between academic departments and the Athletics Department. "The SI Advantage program is an example of how athletics and academics can work together for mutual benefit. Undergraduate students in those classes benefit from the supplemental instruction whether they are athletes or not. The graduate students benefit through financial assistance, and the faculty have the benefit of these graduate assistants working for them," he said.
Tutoring of athletes will not be abandoned, but Starks said the progress of student athletes in the study sessions will be monitored. If the program proves successful, it could be expanded into other academic areas in the future, he said.
Baird, Jacobs advance in Athletics Department
Athletics Director David Housel has named Hal Baird as senior associate athletics director responsible for many day-to-day operations of the Athletics Department and appointed Jay Jacobs to oversee athletic development efforts. The appointments are effective Oct. 1.
Baird moved into athletics administration in November 2000 as an associate director after 16 seasons as AU's baseball coach. Jacobs, an associate director for the past five years, has been a member of the AU Athletics Department staff since 1985.
"Jay will oversee the athletic development and Hal will assume many of Jay's responsibilities and assume greater responsibilities with the day to-day operations of the athletic department,'" said Housel.
"We have spent the major portion of the last eight years ensuring that our athletic department is competitive in terms of staffing, salaries and support components. I think we have achieved that goal, and we need to look to our next big challenges," he added. "In the future, one of our main points of emphasis will be development.
"In order to continue to be competitive, we need to continue to grow, which requires private support for additional building projects and other enhancements. We will spearhead our growth efforts through aggressive fundraising and I believe Jay will be the right person to lead this charge."
Jacobs, who previously was responsible for a variety of operations, will direct Tigers Unlimited, Auburn's athletic fundraising arm. Tigers Unlimited is responsible for cultivating and soliciting private financial support from individuals and corporations for additional revenue streams for the Athletic Department.
In his new role, Baird will oversee all men's sports and handle many day to-day operations of the department. Previously, as an associate athletic director, Baird oversaw the administration of Auburn's track and field, baseball, men's tennis and men's basketball programs. That role followed a successful career as Auburn's baseball coach.
AU increases security at stadium
Auburn has implemented additional security procedures for Jordan-Hare Stadium for the remaining home football games on the 2001 schedule. The additional measures will begin Saturday, Oct. 6, for the Auburn Mississippi State game.
In accordance with other professional and collegiate stadiums, Auburn has added security procedures to help ensure the continued safety of spectators, officials said. Auburn developed the policies in conjunction with the AU Department of Public Safety, the Auburn and Opelika police departments, Lee County Sheriff's Department, Lee County Emergency Management Agency and the Alabama Department of Public Safety.
All event staff and spectators will be subject to lawful search before entering the stadium. Spectators will be permitted to bring in small purses or equivalent handbags as well as binoculars, cell phones and pagers. All other items, including cameras, video cameras, seat cushions and backpacks will be prohibited. Those bringing in prohibited items will be asked to return them to their vehicles. Any exceptions will be handled at Gate 12 in the northwest corner of the stadium.
Early Learning Center prepares for 75th birthday
Auburn's Early Learning Center -- formerly the Child Study Center -- is searching for alumni as it prepares to celebrate its 75th birthday next spring.
The Early Learning Center, which is housed in a newly renovated building east of Haley Center, is among the oldest pre-school programs at any land-grant university in the South. Over its 75 years, more than three generations of children from the Auburn-Opelika area have received their start in education at the center.
Forty children between the ages of three and six are enrolled at the center. These children also serve as participants in teacher training programs and research projects for the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in AU's College of Human Sciences.
"We would like to locate as many of our alumni as possible," said center director Linda Silvern. "Alumni include those who attended the center when they were children, those who worked in the center as AU students and those faculty who were affiliated with the center as teachers and researchers."
Silvern has requested that alumni send information to her by e-mail at silveli@auburn.edu or by mail to her at Early Learning Center, Glanton House, Auburn University, AL 36849. She requests that each message provide name, address, how and when the person participated in the center and any memories the alumnus would like to share.
Journal survey ranks department in Human Sciences 25th
The College of Human Sciences' Department of Human Development and Family Studies has been ranked 25th in a ranking of doctoral degree graduates in higher education academic programs by the refereed journal, Developmental Review.
Gregg Pettit, a professor in the department, was ranked in the top 5 percent of developmental science researchers in the nation. The survey covered psychology and related programs, as well as similar HDFS programs around the country.
The survey, "Evaluating Doctoral Programs in the Developmental Sciences," sought to present a comprehensive, data-based analysis of North American doctoral programs in the developmental sciences, including developmental psychology and human development.
Ninety-seven doctoral programs were evaluated with respect to four areas of quality: the productivity of their faculty, grants received by their faculty, the editorial responsibilities of their faculty, and placement of graduates.
Oct. 5 deadline looms for pre-proposals for biogrants
research
A request for preproposals for the Biogrants Program competition has been issued by the Office of Vice President for Research to all Auburn faculty involved in the biological sciences.
The Biogrants Program, funded by the Office of the Vice President for Research, is designed to facilitate AU faculty in making significant advances and increasing regional and national competitiveness in the biological sciences. Approximately $85,000 is available to fund up to four proposals.
"For the purposes of this competition, we have defined 'biological science' in the broadest possible terms," said Michael Moriarty, associate provost and vice president for research. "We encourage all interested faculty conducting research in the biological sciences, to compete for these awards."
Pre-proposals must be received by the OVPR, at Samford 202 by the close of business on Friday, Oct. 5. Instructions for preparing pre-proposals were mailed along with the RFP, and will be posted on the OVPR web site: www.auburn.edu/research/au_research.html. For additional information, contact Jean O'Donnell at odonndj@auburn.edu, or by phone at 844-4784.
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Freshmen experience Auburn Experience
Since its inception in 1991, the Auburn Experience, U1000, has helped more than 8,800 freshmen make the transition to university life. This semester 680 students are enrolled in the class and another 350 are attending U1050, Academic Success Strategies.
The class began in fall quarter 1991. From a start with only 29 students that first year, the class has enrolled as many as 1,430 students. When AU switched last year to the semester system, the program was expanded into two sections. More than 1,000 students are enrolled in the two classes this fall.
Goals for Auburn Experience include: Promote academic performance and success; provide an introduction to Auburn University and its resources; promote critical thinking and communication skills; and promote the total development of the student.
Worley named Scharnagel Professor in COSAM
S.D. Worley, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, has been named AU's first Scharnagel Professor of Physical Sciences. His Scharnagel professorship extends through 2004.
An AU faculty member since 1974, Worley counts among his many research achievements his development of a substance called N-halamine that binds to rubbers containing styrene. It kills bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi and other dangerous microbials -- including human immunodeficiency virus or HIV -- on contact. This technology has potential for use in rubber materials for the medical field and consumer items such as condoms, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers.
Worley, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas, earned the title of professor of chemistry at Auburn in 1986. His research has been funded by grants totaling more than $3 million from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and various industrial firms and product support organizations.
In the past, Worley has been honored as the AU Alumni Professor and the Alpha Epsilon Delta professor of the year. He has also served on the University's athletic and patent committees and the Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee.
Marguerite Scharnagel graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute as one of four women in the class of 1920. She earned a degree in science and literature and taught at Birmingham Phillips High School before retiring to Texas with her husband.
Scharnagel died in 1997 at the age of 99. She left nearly $1 million to Auburn University, part of which has endowed three professorships in the College of Science and Mathematics.
Past recipients of Sharnagel professorships include John Henderson, who in 2000 was named the first Scharnagel Professor of Mathematical Sciences, and Marie Wooten, who in 1999 was named the first Scharnagel Professor of Biological Sciences.
Pep rally, concert to celebrate AU's high-flying icon
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Performances by the Beach Boys and two other sets of musicians will highlight the evening, with proceeds going to AU's Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center, where War Eagle VI, nicknamed "Tiger," is housed by permission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"It will help raise funds for the raptor center which treats hundreds of birds of prey each year," said Gary Beard, assistant dean at the College of Veterinary Medicine. "Tiger is a magnificent golden eagle and has helped increase awareness of these special birds and wildlife conservation over the past year. The center's mission is education, conservation and rehabilitation."
The pep rally will be hosted by longtime AU announcer Jim Fyffe and will feature Tiger soaring above the crowd, followed by an environmental message presented by Joe Shelnutt, director of the raptor center.
After the crowd exits the pep rally, gates will reopen at 6 p.m. for the benefit concert, which will feature the Beach Boys followed by the groups Tonic and Pat McGhee. Ticket prices are $24 general admission; $12 for AU students; and ages 6 and under are admitted free. Tickets went on sale Sept. 27 through the University Program Council at 844-2444, and through ticketmaster.com.
Former head of Metrolitan Museum of Art to speak
Thomas Hoving, former director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, will present the first of AU's 2001-02 Littleton-Franklin Lectures in the Sciences and Humanities on Oct. 11.
The lecture is also sponsored by the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art.
Hoving's lecture, based on his latest book, Greatest Works of Arts of
Western Civilization, will be at 4 p.m. in Dixon Conference Center
auditorium.
Hoving became one of the most controversial figures in the history of art museums in America when he assumed the directorship of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1967.
During his 10-year tenure, Hoving doubled the size of the museum, redesigned its entrance facade, added five wings and renovated more than 50 galleries. He also strengthened all areas of the Metropolitan's permanent collection by acquiring more than 25,000 works of art.
In a further attempt to popularize the museum with the general public, Hoving conceived the first "blockbuster" exhibition, designing the 1976 King Tut show, which continues to rank as one of the most popular museum exhibits of all time.
The success of the King Tut exhibition and other high-profile exhibits made Hoving one of the most influential people on the business side of American art museums. Hoving is the author of 12 nonfiction and fiction books since 1979, including two best sellers, The Untold Story, King Tutankhamun and Making the Mummies Dance.
Wireless computers available in library
Patrons in Draughon Library will no longer be tied down to fixed terminals when conducting computer searches for books and materials.
Library users may now borrow notebook computers from the libary's circulation on the first floor desk and take the remote devices to tables, carels or elsewhere in the building in their search for materials.
The library has 13 new Dell notebook computers, which are available for two hours at a time and renewable for two more hours. Users must have a valid library card and a valid Mallard account and password from the Office of Information Technology.
The two-hour limit is necessary to ensure that batteries remain charged, said Robert McDonald, a librarian who set up the wireless program.
Each laptop has Windows 98 SE, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, Powerpoint and other software.
AURA seeks new members among soon-to-retire
The Auburn University Retiree Association is seeking new members among recently retired AU employees and those who are planning to retire in the near future.
"While AURA will always work for the advancement of Auburn University, the very origins of the association make it clear that we must first and foremost respond to needs of AU retirees by protecting and enhancing their retirement and health benefits," said AURA President and former AU Provost Paul Parks.
"Auburn University retirees who have served the university and state so faithfully and well need an effective voice. AURA is providing that voice," said Parks.
For information about AURA, contact Parks by phone at 887-8628 or by e mail at pfparks1@aol.com. For membership information, contact Ed Kern at 887-3419 or kernedward@home.com.
Heath named acting associate dean in AU Graduate School
Mathematics Professor Jo W. Heath, a former chair of the University Senate, has been named acting associate dean in the AU Graduate School, effective Sept. 16.
Heath, who has been a member of the AU faculty since 1969, was named by interim Graduate School Dean Stephen McFarland, the former associate dean. She will continue to serve on the Mathematics faculty during her appointment.
Miller play "The Crucible" starts this week at Peet
Theatre
Auburn's Department of Theatre opens its 2001-02 season with Arthur
Miller's "The Crucible," Oct. 3-5 and 10-12, in Telfair Peet Theatre.
One of the best-known American plays of the 20th century, "The Crucible"
is a fictionalized account of the infamous New England witch trials of the
17th century.
Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m.. Tickets are $10 for students, $12 for seniors and AU faculty/staff and $14 for the general public. For reservations or more information call 844-4154.
"The Crucible" originally opened on Broadway in January 1953. Critics and audiences immediately drew parallels between the panic in Salem and the early 1950s nationwide hunt for communists. That hunt was characterized by congressional hearings led by U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
McCarthy and his political allies pressed many people in government and
entertainment industry to expose colleagues and coworkers suspected of
communist sympathies. As a result, many lives and careers were ruined.
Miller himself was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities
Committee, but refused to give any information.
Scott Phillips directs Auburn's production of "The Crucible." An assistant professor of theatre, Phillips holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. An actor, director and theatre historian, he is an alumnus of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York, a former theatre critic for The Columbus Dispatch, and coauthor of the textbook Introducing Theatre.
Discussions on issues center around plays
The AU Department of Theatre will conduct pre- and post-show discussion groups at its Thursday night theatre performances throughout the 2001 02 season.
Dubbed the "Front to Back" Symposia by department chair Worth Gardner, the 6 p.m. pre-show discussion will feature members of the Auburn faculty from a wide variety of academic disciplines.
Following the performance, the audience will have the opportunity to interact with the director and cast members.
"The Crucible" begins the season with pre-show discussions Oct. 4 and 11 moderated by Scott Phillips, a faculty member in the Department of Theatre who is directing the production.
The pre-show session will feature the perspectives of Larry Gerber of History, Barry Burkhart of Psychology, Carole Schuyler of English and Caleb Clark of Political Science.
The performance on Oct. 4 will be followed by a "talk-back" session between the audience, the director and members of the cast. The Oct. 11 performance will be followed by a public response conducted by a representative from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
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AU Report
Editor: Roy Summerford. Contributing editors: Bob Lowry, Janet McCoy, David Granger and Roy Roberson. The AU Report is the faculty/staff newsletter of Auburn University and is published by the Office of University Relations at Auburn University. Direct correspondence to AU Report, 23 Samford Hall, Auburn University, Ala. 36849-5109. Telephone 334/844-9999. Electronic mail: summero@auburn.edu |