AU REPORT March 6, 2000
Headlines Hundreds rally in Montgomery for higher ed University Faculty elect new officers Former trustee honored posthumously

Hundreds rally for higher education

A strong contingent of AU students, faculty, staff and administration was among an estimated crowd of 1,200 on the steps of the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery Feb. 29 to show their support for higher education in Alabama.

The group heard an array of state legislators and educators talk about the ills of higher education funding in Alabama and plug plans to cure those ills at the third annual Higher Education Day, sponsored by the Higher Education Partnership and the Business Council of Alabama.

The main focus of the rally was to support a split of education funding by the Legislature of one-third of the total for higher education and two thirds for K-12.

Jack Hawkins, president of the state's Council of University Presidents and chancellor of the Troy State University system, spelled out one of the most significant problems caused by a lack of funding for higher education in the state -- the loss of talented faculty to states where universities offer more lucrative salaries.

Hawkins sounded the council's call for any increase in higher education funding to be earmarked for salary increases for faculty and staff.
"For faculty at Alabama's colleges and universities, it's not such a wonderful life," he said. "They are vastly underpaid and the reason is that over the past 10 years $600 million has been moved from higher education to K-12 to fund teachers' salaries."

Sen. Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, an Auburn trustee, praised Gov. Don Siegelman's proposed budget. "(Higher education is) in the best shape we've been in the legislative process in six years and the budget that came from the governor's office put us there," Barron said.

Barron lauded Siegelman's efforts on behalf of higher education, comparing the 5.5 percent increase in funding in Siegelman's first year to the 7.6 percent cut in the first year of former Gov. Fob James' administration.

"There's a lot of competition for dollars in the budget," Barron said, adding that college faculty and staff should be considered along with K-12 teachers when the Legislature allocates education funds.

Gordon Stone, director of the Higher Education Partnership, termed the rally a tremendous success and said it marked one of the early stages of a relationship with the Business Council of Alabama that should reap dividends for higher education and all Alabamians.

University Faculty elect new officers

(Editor's Note, 3-16-00: AU faculty elected Jim Bradley of Biological Sciences as chair-elect and Isabelle Thompson of English as secretary-elect of the University Faculty and University Senate for 2000-01.)

Auburn faculty will choose a chair-elect and a secretary-elect on March 14. Officers elected at the 3:10 p.m. session in Broun Hall auditorium will assist the chair and secretary of the University Faculty and its representative body, the University Senate, for a year and rise to those posts in March 2001.

Candidates for University Faculty chair-elect for 2000-01 are Alexander Dunlop and Jim Bradley. Candidates for secretary-elect are Isabelle Thompson and Carole Corsby. Statements by the candidates are posted elsewhere on this page.

Although nominations were solicited campuswide by the University Senate's nominations committee without respect to departments, the four candidates are from two departments. Dunlop and Thompson are from the Department of English, and Bradley and Corsby are from the Department of Biological Sciences.

Following the vote, 1999-2000 University Faculty Chair Jo Heath of Mathematics, and Secretary Marcia Boosinger of AU Libraries, will turn their offices over to the new chair, Bruce Gladden of Health and Human Performance, and secretary, Mary Boudreaux of Pathobiology. Gladden and Boudreaux have served this year as chair-elect and secretary-elect, respectively.

Also at the meeting, Heath will present her closing address as University Faculty chair, and AU President William Muse will present his state of the university address.

Both the spring meeting and the fall meeting of the University Faculty were moved up a month as the university prepares to convert its academic calendar from quarters to semesters on Aug. 22. The fall meeting, normally in October, will be on Sept. 12.

Former AU trustee to receive posthumous honorary degree

Auburn University will award an honorary Doctor of Laws degree posthumously on Saturday, March 18, in memory of former AU Trustee James T. Tatum Jr., who died in September 1999. Dana Lee Tatum will accept the degree for her late husband during the 2 p.m. ceremony in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. AU will also present diplomas to 1,055 new graduates.

A prominent Huntsville attorney for more than three decades, Tatum was appointed to the AU Board of Trustees by Gov. George Wallace in 1983 and served until January 1999, when he resigned for health reasons.

The Board of Trustees voted in June 1999 to bestow an honorary degree on the AU engineering alumnus, and the university proceeded with plans to present the degree posthumously following his death.

Tatum was cited at the time by Board President Pro Tempore W. James Samford Jr. and AU President William Muse for leadership and dedicated service to the university.

"Jim Tatum was an excellent trustee and a good friend," said Muse. "He loved Auburn and always did what was best for the university."

Samford added: "Jim Tatum championed many noteworthy and enduring university achievements, including academic program improvement, physical facilities and campus appearance, faculty and staff recognition and compensation, fiscal stability, student services, Board bylaws and policy statements and Auburn University at Montgomery development."

A Birmingham native and Decatur High School graduate, Tatum earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn in 1953, and held engineering positions at Redstone Arsenal and with the Army Corps of Engineers during the 1950s.

In 1962, he earned a degree from the University of Alabama School of Law and was admitted to the Alabama Bar. While at UA, Tatum was president of the law school's student body and served as a part-time instructor in UA's Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 1974-75, he returned to UA as a part-time lecturer in real estate law.

In Huntsville, he was a member of the firm of Berry, Ables, Tatum, Little and Baxter and held several posts with the Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association, including president in 1985-86.

Tatum was president of the board of directors of the Kiwanis Club in Huntsville in 1971 and 1972, chairman of the Huntsville Young Life Committee in 1973-74 and on the boards of directors of the Madison County Auburn Alumni Club, Huntsville Young Men's Association, Drug Awareness Inc., Huntsville Youth Orchestra Board, Huntsville Emergency Line Program, and the Family Counseling Association. He also held posts with the Homebuilders Association of Huntsville, the Huntsville City Schools Delinquency Prevention Center and the Citizens Advisory Board on Drug Abuse.

He was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Huntsville.

Former secretary wanted college degree, leaves with doctorate

Eight years ago, after two decades in various secretarial jobs at Auburn, Deborah Little determined that she would earn a college degree. On March 18, Little, now a subcontract specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, will receive a Doctor of Education degree in educational leadership from Auburn. Along the way, the Arab native attended Southern Union Community College and earned a bachelor of science degree in human resources from Faulkner University and a master's degree in educational leadership from AU.

"Once I started learning, I really loved it," said Little, who earned all the degrees in night classes while working fulltime. "I could have stopped anywhere along the line, but I was determined not to do so."

Her role model, she recalls, was Lynne Hammond, who returned to college as an adult, earned a master's degree and is now executive assistant to the AU president. "I was encouraged by the way that she had gone back to school and succeeded. It gave me the courage to try."

Having dropped out of Auburn as a freshman in the early 1970s to help her husband through college, she spent the next two decades at secretarial jobs to supplement the family income. After several secretarial jobs at AU and two years running her own typing service, she joined the Extension System as an administrative clerk in 1982 and moved to the ACES budget office in the late 1980s.

Newly divorced in the early 1990s, she took stock of her life and determined that the only way to open doors to a more challenging, better paying career was to get a college degree. Even so, the challenge seemed too great until a friend made the unintentionally cutting remark: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."

"That hurt, but I knew it was true," she recalled. "I decided that if I ever was going to get a degree, I had to get started."

Starting in 1992 and moving quickly through Southern Union, she entered the accelerated learning program at Faulkner and received her bachelor's degree in 1994. She then immediately began taking evening courses toward a master's degree in AU's College of Education.

A working mother, she was joined at AU by her two sons, Trey, who graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering, and Jason, now a senior in business administration. With all three in college at the same time, mother and sons shared many of the same time and financial constraints.

Taking things one quarter at a time, she never looked ahead to the final result. "You have to have the mindset that the class you are studying for or the report you are working on is the most important thing you have to do at that time," she said. "Only family emergencies could take priority, and both my sons were a big help by encouraging me to keep going."

While taking evening classes at each institution, she continued to work fulltime. She also served as housemother at an AU fraternity, Theta Xi, for three years while taking classes and working for ACES.

Afraid of failure, she did not mention her classroom activities to her co workers for several months. "I didn't want anyone to know because I didn't know if I could do it," she recalled, "but I found out that I liked everything about my courses. I got excited about learning and then I started talking about it."

"I could have stopped with the bachelor's degree or the master's, but I was getting a lot of encouragement to go for the terminal degree in educational leadership, and I knew if I applied myself, I could do it," she said.

Little's major advisor in the AU College of Education, Frances Kochan, said she had no doubt that the doctoral student would succeed. "Dr. Little was hardworking at everything she did, and she had a passion for learning," recalled Kochan, an associate professor and director of AU's Truman Pierce Institute, an education research and outreach center.

"I always got the sense that everything she learned and everything she did toward her degree, she applied in some way to the Extension System," Kochan added.

Little said meeting the challenge was easier than she had expected because of support from superiors at ACES. "When your supervisor and others above you offer encouragement, you are able to overcome any obstacles that come up, so that you can keep moving forward," she said.

Stephen Jones, director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said Little's experience proves a point that ACES stresses to its clients and its employees. "The Cooperative Extension System embraces the idea of helping people empower themselves through education, and that is exactly what Dr. Little has done," said Jones.

"She is a role model for others," he added, "both within Extension ranks and for our constituents."

Students encouraged by Montgomery rally

AU students who attended last week's Higher Education Day rally in Montgomery left encouraged about the future of higher education in Alabama, but waiting to see what happens next in the Legislature.

Approximately 45 Auburn students made the trip to the Statehouse to hear several state lawmakers express concerns about Alabama's public colleges and universities and offer plans for easing those concerns.

But even amid the boom of the bands and the enthusiasm of the crowd at the peprally-style event, the AU students said they realize the game has yet to be played.

"I'm encouraged," said Andrew Nix, president of AU's Student Government Association. "I love to hear all the concern and the ideas, but I'll be glad when we can see the solutions. But, from what I heard today, we've got a much more encouraging scenario here in Montgomery than we've had in a long time."

Adam Ellis, the SGA's legislative liaison, echoed Nix. "You have to be encouraged when you see some of the most powerful men in state politics like Sen. (Lowell) Barron and Lt. Gov. (Steve) Windom get up and make statements in support of your cause," he said.
Some of the students who attended the rally have experienced one of the effects of inadequate funding of higher education -- the loss of faculty to higher paying positions in other states.

"We have to keep our best professors at Auburn and it's going to take more money for faculty salaries to do that," said Lindsey Boney, a senior from Mobile.

Search under way for new assistant provost

Internal applications are being accepted for the position of assistant provost for academic affairs at AU, a slot that has been filled on an interim basis since July 1997.

Provost William Walker appointed a seven-member search committee in December, chaired by Rebekah Pindzola, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts.

Pindzola said the search is being conducted internally because "knowledge of academic affairs on campus is integral to the position. The assistant provost for academic affairs will assist the provost with policy development and planning for undergraduate academic programs."

Nominations and self-applications will be accepted, and minimum qualifications include: a strong academic research with tenure and rank at the professor or advanced associate professor level; a record of teaching excellence at the undergraduate level; administrative experience overseeing academic programs; and experience in designing curricula or serving on curriculum committees.

Applications should be sent to Pindzola in the College of Liberal Arts, 2046 Haley Center, and should include a current curriculum vitae, three to five letters of recommendation and a written statement to address the following: administrative philosophy, curriculum development within the context of a large university with a core curriculum and teaching enhancement activities.

Applications will be reviewed beginning March 25 and will continue until the position is filled, Pindzola said.

Hall of Fame for Fishermen
Tom Sparrow, center, AU's director of athletic facilities, has been elected to the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. He was presented an award in recognition of the achievement on March 1 during halftime of the Auburn-LSU basketball game by Ray Scott, left, founder of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, and Larry Columbo, a hall of fame governor and member of the awards committee.

Faculty, staff, students asked to complete, return census forms

AU students, faculty and staff will receive forms in the mail at home or apartment in mid-March as part of the 2000 U.S. Census.

Yolanda Fears, a specialist with the local office of the U.S. Census Bureau says all residents are asked to return the forms by April 1. Residents who do not complete and return their forms by April 8 will receive a personal visit by census takers.

While the local address and home address are the same for most faculty and staff, students should count their address at college as their residence, she said. "Everyone should count as their residence for the census the place they reside on April 1."

With the census conducted only every 10 years, Fears said all residents are encouraged to complete and return the forms for their households to ensure an accurate count.

Census results are used in the allocation of funds for federal projects, in congressional redistricting and to assist local governments in economic development decisions.

As it prepares for the national census, the Census Bureau is offering temporary part-time jobs paying $7.50 to $11 per hour to students and others to assist with the collection and handling of data. For information, on jobs, call 1-888-325-7733. For other information about the census, call 745-4707.

Muse receives award from foundation

The All American Football Foundation has presented its Outstanding College President's Award for 2000 to AU President William Muse.

Muse received the award on Feb. 28 at the foundation's Banquet of Champions XXIII in Biloxi. President of Auburn since 1992, Muse also served eight years as president of the University of Akron before coming to Auburn.

Among several other awards presented by the Jackson, Miss.-based group is the Johnny Vaught Lifetime Achievement Award for Head Coaches. That award went to former UCLA Coach Dick Vermeil, who this year guided the NFL's St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl championship.

Jolly serves as delegate to African American Summit
Curtis Jolly, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, was selected as a delegate for Alabama to the African American Summit in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 16-20.

The theme for the summit was "Africa Matters," and the purpose was to develop an action plan to guide new and favorable policies for Africa. Among the dignitaries who participated were President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Jolly, who has worked on AU-related projects in several African countries, participated in the deliberative process in the "Sustainable Development, Quality of Life, and the Environment" topic area. He also represented Auburn at the African American Summit in Ghana, in 1999.

Candidates for faculty chair-elect issue statements

Alexander Dunlop, Professor, Department of English

"The University Senate is the central cohesive institution of Auburn's academic community. Through its 19 standing committees the senate monitors the operations of the university and recommends goals, policies and procedures. The senate chair oversees this process of self governance, and also represents the interests of those engaged in teaching, research and academic service to those entrusted with planning and administration.

"Chief among those interests, I believe, is a commitment to the ideal of Auburn as a comprehensive research university. While the prioritization of the research efforts of some programs may be an effective and necessary management strategy, it is fundamentally important that our mission remain comprehensive in all academic units, i.e. that the university support faculty research at meaningful levels across campus. Failure to do so would compromise the quality of an Auburn education.

"The crucial principle in dealing with the frequently occurring issues related to academic interests is communication. Our Board of Trustees has been criticized for what some have seen as unwarranted intervention in academic matters. I think that an energetic board can be a positive force if it works in collaboration with the teachers and scholars who carry out the essential business of the university. The inefficiencies and difficulties that can result from insufficient or ineffective collaboration should be apparent. Two conditions on the academic side that can facilitate a productive collaboration are (1) the effective functioning of the senate as a forum to formulate coherent goals and policies within the academic community, and (2) the timely and cogent communication of academic perspectives to our administrators and trustees. I would hope, if chosen chair-elect, to continue in these ways the effective leadership we have enjoyed in recent years."

Jim Bradley, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, and, Director, Human Odyssey Program

"I believe that the most important issue facing Auburn University at this time is recovery from the resource reallocation process of 1998-1999. Although this difficult, cannibalistic process became a boon for a few 'Peaks of Excellence,' it left other disciplines and programs that are essential for an institution to call itself a university bereft of funds and, even more destructively, of spirit. When AU is deserving of its name, poets, painters, dramatist, musicians, historians, mathematicians, economists, geologists, psychologists, molecular biologists, philosophers, engineers and agricultural scientists will feel equally valued here. If that time ever comes, Auburn will possess a spirit that resonates far deeper and wider than does that avian cry on game day that is general confused with Auburn spirit. Fully resolving this issue may be beyond the financial or creative resources of one or more parties (state, board and university) whose cooperative efforts are required for a solution; however, that possibility does not negate the benefits to be gained from each of us doing whatever she/he can toward constructing a healthy university at Auburn.

"Other important issues that I see for the university include protecting and strengthening our research library, finding creative ways to maintain excellence in classroom teaching within a semester system that brings larger class sizes and heavier teaching loads and responding appropriately and constructively (for the university) to the management style of a Board of Trustees prone to setting unreasonably short deadlines for decision making processes that critically affect academic programs and policies.

"Why did I agree to be a candidate for this position? Well, that is a good question! I had severe reservations because of the time involved and also because I have rarely enjoyed committee meetings. In addition, when I was asked whether I would accept a nomination for the position, I knew that there already was a very good candidate for the position, one for whom I planned to vote. Somehow, while considering the invitation overnight before making my decision, I was caught by the prospect of adventure embedded in the possible opportunity to do something entirely different for a period with a definite endpoint. I feel that I can get along with almost anybody, which must certainly be an asset in this position. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know faculty members from diverse disciplines across campus through the Human Odyssey Program, and I have found my interactions with university administrators in the past on university committees and as (1993-94) secretary for the University Senate always interesting and often stimulating. Although the thought of chairing senate meetings is a bit unsettling right now, I have been assured by others that the one-year period as chair-elect will provide confidence in this area. These considerations along with the belief that the activities of past senate chairs have resulted in tangible good for the university resulted in my agreeing to be a candidate."

Candidates for secretary-elect issue statements
Isabelle Thompson, Associate Professor, Department of English, and Coordinator, English Center

"I am an optimist about the future of Auburn University -- in spite of our budget shortages and low salaries and in spite of our difficulties with governance, including micromanagement by the Board of Trustees. My optimism comes from service on University Senate committees, particularly the Teaching Effectiveness Committee, where I have seen faculty members working together to bring about changes that can improve the conditions of teaching and learning for everyone at Auburn. I have also seen an openness, even an enthusiasm, for change from the administrators I have worked with.

"I believe that the secretary-elect plays a crucial role in balancing the important functions of the University Senate. On the one hand, she represents the needs of individual members of a diverse community, and, hence, she is concerned with effective communication and collaboration. On the other hand, she is responsible for keeping accurate records of senate meetings, and, hence, she is concerned with the efficient management of a large organization. Therefore, the secretary-elect must be committed to collaboration in personal and professional relationships and at the same time to efficiency in management.

"My academic and professional interests have prepared me to honor both commitments. As the coordinator of the English Center, a tutoring facility primarily for students enrolled in undergraduate core courses, and as a long-time teacher of technical communication, I have had opportunities to work with students and faculty from most disciplines on campus. As an experienced technical writer and editor in the workplace, I have learned the importance of effective communication and efficient management. I find collaboration with faculty members and students from across campus to be particularly fulfilling and gain satisfaction from preparing well-written, representative documents."

Carole A. Corsby, Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Department of Biological Sciences

"When I agreed to become a candidate for secretary-elect, I did so with the understanding that this position is one of service to the members of the University Senate and, thus, to all members of the university community. Hard work and service have been the cornerstones of my professional career. For 24 years I have dedicated my time and effort to providing and maintaining a high-quality laboratory experience for the thousands of Auburn undergraduate students who take first-year biology courses each year. In addition, for four of those years I served the College of Sciences and Mathematics as the director of the Regional Science Olympiad. I have served on numerous committees at the departmental, college and university levels and have chaired several of these. My community service has been as a volunteer listener and trainer with the Crisis Center of East Alabama, as a volunteer for the Rape Counselors of East Alabama and as a member and officer of the board of directors for the Village School.

"I believe that the real power and strength of Auburn University should reside in its faculty. Along with this power is vested the tremendous responsibility of assessing the needs of Auburn students and the citizens of Alabama, designing and/or determining how best Auburn can meet these needs and conveying this information to the senators, the University Senate and the administration. Does such a system currently exist at Auburn? No, it does not. Can such a system function at Auburn? I really do not know. This seems to be a period in which the only certainty at Auburn is that we are going through many changes. I do know that, for the sake of our students and our mission, we must attempt to re-establish some logical, rational organization and wisdom to the decisions which are made about the future direction of this university. We must reaffirm our respect for the contributions of all members of our university and work together to strengthen our dedication to the future educational development of our students. We must replace competition, selfishness and greed with cooperation and altruism if Auburn University is to realize its full potential."

Campus Roundup

Wal-Mart goes off BC/BS plan
Wal-Mart Pharmacy has withdrawn from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Participating Pharmacy and Preferred Care Services national network, effective March 1. The AU Payroll and Benefits Office reminds Auburn employees with AU's Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama-administered health insurance program that the health coverage does not provide payment to nonparticipating pharmacies within the state.

BC/BS representative on campus
AU's Blue Cross/Blue Shield representative will be in Ingram 212 from 10 a.m.-noon on March 14, April 11 and May 9 -- the second Tuesday of each of these months -- to meet with faculty and staff who have questions or need assistance concerning their BC/BS insurance coverage. No appointment is necessary.

Scanning final exams
Test Scoring Services in Tichenor 120 will provide computer scoring of scan sheets for faculty use in grading final exams. The service will be available from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 11, and 7:45-11:45 a.m. and 12:45-4:45 p.m. Monday-Thursday, March 13-16. A mail slot is available for afterhours dropoff. Scan sheets should be placed in an envelope with the name and telephone number of the person to contact for pickup. Expected turnaround time will be two to three hours. For information, call 844-9904.

Unsung Hero: Kenny Hill
This week's Unsung Hero is Kenny Hill, press and bindery operator at the University Printing Service for the past 17 years. He was asked:

What do you do in your current job? "Set up and operate machines such as the Harris and glue binder, saddle-stitcher and more -- a jack of all trades."

What is the most rewarding part of your job? "A satisfied customer."

What is the most challenging part of your job? "To have a rush job come through completed and delivered on time."

If you were not doing this job, what would you most like to do? "Open or own a seafood restaurant in downtown Auburn."

What makes Auburn special? "To see so many people from all over the world in one place."

What was your first impression of Auburn University? "Thinking that it would be a struggle moving around on campus with so many people and different buildings."

How has that impression changed? "Once you learn the campus, it's not a struggle at all."

What words best describe Auburn as a work environment, learning environment or just a place to be? "Teamwork, and lots of opportunity."

What do you like to do when not at work? "Go fishing and spend quality time with my family."

What person or persons do you most admire and why? "God, and my mother. Without God, none of us would be here. Without my mother's guidance, I might have made the wrong choices in life."

What is your favorite line from the Auburn Creed and why? "I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow man."

AU Report Editor: Roy Summerford. Contributing editors: Bob Lowry, Janet McCoy and David Granger. University Relations Executive Director: Pete Pepinsky. 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@mail.auburn.edu