AU REPORT April 10, 2000
Headlines Journalism, Communication may merge West Georgians lose tuition break Grade adjustment policy passes Benefield named Engineering dean

Muse named candidate for UF presidency

AU President William Muse will interview April 25-27 at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he is one of six candidates for the UF presidency.

"I have been asked to be a candidate for the presidency of the University of Florida and have agreed to consider that possibility," said Muse. "The University of Florida is one of the top academic institutions in the nation and I am honored to be considered."

Muse came to Auburn as president in March 1992 from the University of Akron, where he was president for eight years. In late 1996, after he withdrew as a finalist for the presidency of the University of Minnesota, he was awarded a contract to remain as AU's president until 2002.

The Florida Board of Regents is scheduled to select the next president for the 43,000-student institution on May 17. Like Auburn, UF is a land-grant, research institution and a member of the Southeastern Conference in athletics. The Florida institution, with 4,000 faculty, has 23 schools and colleges, including law and medicine, and has about twice Auburn's number of students and campus size. UF's annual operating budget is $1.6 billion.

The other finalists for the UF position are the presidents of Florida Atlantic University, Western Michigan University and George Mason University, the senior vice president and provost of Virginia Tech and the chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Journalism, Communication considered for merger
Updated 4-12-00

Provost William Walker said Friday he will seek advice from a consultant on a proposal from Liberal Arts Dean John Heilman to merge the departments of Journalism and Communication.

In a report to the Board of Trustees, Walker said he will ask deans of the affected colleges and schools to examine all 16 academic departments that were recommended for continuation by the University Senate's Program Review Committee. The deans did not have sufficient time to study the future of those departments before the matter went to committee, he said.

Walker, at right, said he wants the deans to consult with leaders of industries that hire graduates from those departments to assess longterm trends.

The immediate focus is on Journalism and Communication because of the dean's recommendation for merger, he said. Walker said he expects to identify and hire consultants familiar with journalism accreditation standards to resolve questions concerning the impact of a merger on Journalism's accreditation.

The provost said he will present a recommendation at the board's June 5 meeting.

Noting that he and Heilman had been discussing the possibility of a merger of Journalism and Communication for a year and a half, Walker said he sees merit in a merger but would like to resolve the accreditation issue before issuing a recommendation.

Heilman and Jack Simms, interim head of the Journalism Department, issued conflicting assessments of the accreditation issue.

Simms, shown at right, noted that the national accrediting agency for journalism education placed the AU department on provisional accreditation because of uncertainty over the department's future. The department head said he has been warned by the agency that the Journalism Department will lose its accreditation if it is merged Communication.

The university was given one year to clear up questions about the department's status, Simms said. "You are putting accreditation on the line if you merge the departments," he added.

Heilman, at left, said he did not submit his request until he had spoken at length with the dean of the University of North Carolina's journalism school, who headed the accreditation review committee. That conversation convinced him that the departments could be merged without a loss of Journalism's accreditation, he added.

Walker said he would not base his recommendation solely on the accreditation issue. "I don't think an accrediting agency ought to be dictating structure to a university," he said.

Walker, in remarks Tuesday to the University Senate, said he would like to hear from the chairman of the accrediting agency for journalism education and the chairman of the accreditation team that examined AUÕs Journalism Department.

The provost said he wants the deans over all 16 departments to include input from leaders of industries or professions served by those departments in their recommendations to him. He is seeking those recommendations in May for consideration as he develops his own recommendations.

All 16 of the departments under review cited have close ties to industries or professions. Other departments for which reviews are continuing are Biosystems Engineering, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Poultry Science, Industrial Design, Counseling and Counseling Psychology, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Textile Engineering, Communication Disorders, Theatre, Pharmacy Care Systems, Pharmacal Sciences, Pathobiology and Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology. Entomology and Plant Pathology were merged in 1999 but still fell short of the numerical criteria.

Walker said he will consult with faculty in formulating his recommendations but may not have time for another review by the Senate's Academic Review and Assessment Committee. The administration's recommendations have to go to the Board of Trustees on June 5, he stressed. The provost added that over a longer term he would like to see deans, department heads and faculty of all departments with ties to industries or professions meet with leaders of those constituencies. Out of those meetings, he said, should come assessments of the direction of the industry or profession over the next 50 years, changes each department must make to meet the needs of that constituency and changes the department must make to prepare graduates for careers in those industries and professions.

Tutition to go up; West Georgians lose tuition break

Startinging next January, new students from nine Georgia counties within 50 miles of AU will be considered Georgia residents rather than Alabama residents when they pay tuition at Auburn.

A resolution approved by the Board of Trustees on Friday rescinds the out of-state tuition waiver after the 2000 fall semester for new students in a nine-county area of west-central Georgia within 50 miles of Auburn.
Those counties include the cities of Columbus, LaGrange and West Point.

In a related matter, the board approved a 5.3 percent increase in tuition for all students this fall as part of the university's plan to gradually increase tuition to the regional average.

The approximately 350 students now enrolled from the west Georgia counties will continue paying the same in state tuition as Alabama residents until they earn their degrees. Those who have been accepted for fall or applied to AU for January 2001 admission as of April 7 will also be granted the exemption. Those who apply after April 7 will have to pay full out-of-state charges.

Executive Vice President Don Large said Auburn remains popular with out of-state students in spite of stricter residency requirements adopted in 1995. Those requirements made it difficult for out-of-state students to qualify for in-state tuition unless they were Alabama residents for at least a year before starting college.

In addition, Georgia's Hope scholarship program is having less impact on Auburn than was predicted when AU implemented the waivers in 1996. AU granted the waivers under a state law passed that year which enabled institutions near Alabama state lines to grant in-state tuition to residents of neighboring states who live in counties within 50 miles of campus.

With the West Georgia residents paying one-third the tuition of other out of-state residents, Large said the university is losing $2 million a year in badly needed revenue through the tuition waiver.

Out-of-state tuition accounts for more than 44 percent of total tuition revenues at AU, up from 31.5 percent in 1996-97.

Auburn closed its admissions for fall semester on March 1 and is preparing for up to 4,000 freshmen for the start of classes on Aug. 22, when AU starts operating under the semester system.

Tuition for all Auburn students, meanwhile, will go up 5.3 percent this fall under the increases passed on Friday. Alabama residents will pay $1,525 per semester, and out-of-state students will pay $4,575.

In a move to ease the financial adjustment to semesters, students will be permitted to make their tuition payments in two installments a month apart for each semester.

New policy lets students drop some D's, F's

A policy adopted by the AU Board of Trustees on Friday will enable undergraduate students to more easily overcome a bad start or other temporary academic problems that would otherwise make it difficult for students to continue even after the problems have been resolved.

Starting fall semester, the grade adjustment/course repeat policy will help students overcome up to three failing or near-failing grades that, if counted, could make a student susceptible to academic warning or suspension.

Under the policy, AU will record the adjusted grade point average on undergraduate students' academic records. Courses for which grades are dropped will be listed with an asterisk but will not be listed in the GPA.

Undergraduate students in any school or college except Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy may petition their dean for removal of up to three course grades of D, F, FA (failure for excessive absences) or U (Unsatisfactory) from their adjusted grade point average. Students in Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy were excluded because their first degrees are higher than the bachelor's level, said Provost William Walker.

The adjusted grade point average will be used for certification of all academic requirements, including requirements for graduation. Students who delete a grade will not have to repeat the course unless it is part of the core curriculum or part of the requirements for their major.

Low grades may not be deleted if those grades were assigned for academic misconduct.

The new rules, which cover both AU campuses, became a priority of the board after previous proposals for a "forgiveness policy" were defeated in the University Senate. The faculty representatives passed a resolution supporting the changes in March, and the administration submitted an amended version of the senate's proposal to the Board of Trustees for Friday's session.

Aviation management, transportation merger approved

One year after winning a reprieve from termination, Auburn's aviation management program has been merged with another program and elevated to department status.

The AU Board of Trustees on Friday approved the creation of the Department of Aviation Management and Logistics in the College of Business. The new department combines aviation management with the logistics and transportation program, formerly in the Department of Marketing and Transportation.

The board transferred the aviation management program to the College of Business from Engineering in April 1999, after the program was marked for termination by the College of Engineering as part of a universitywide effort to terminate low-priority programs. The program was placed on the endangered list because of its status as the only non-engineering program in the College of Engineering, but it found a better fit in the College of Business.

"The faculty have found a fit that shows great promise," said Provost William Walker.

College of Business Dean Wayne Alderman said the faculty in both programs have worked well together over the past year and seem enthusiastic about joining forces in a new department.

The merger will be in force by the start of the 2000-01 academic year. The Department of Aviation Management and Logistics will start with 156 majors in aviation management and 43 in transportation/logistics.

Saigo resigns as chancellor of AUM

AU President William Muse has accepted the resignation of Roy Saigo, chancellor of Auburn University at Montgomery for the past five and a half years.

Guin Nance was appointed acting chancellor in January, when Saigo began an extended family medical leave to care for his ill mother in California. Nance will continue as acting chancellor during the search for a permanent successor to Saigo.

"During Roy's tenure as chancellor, AUM has made major advances in community relations, strategic planning and efficiency of operations," Muse said in commending Saigo's leadership. "I know that Roy has had to deal with a number of difficult personal issues over the past several months and I wish him the best in whatever new assignments he undertakes."

In his letter of resignation, effective April 1, Saigo noted his appointment by Gov. Don Siegelman as special assistant to the governor for Alabama Asian affairs. "I have decided that I would like to engage in other opportunities, some of which may continue my relationship with AUM and others which may not."

"When I was hired," Saigo wrote in his resignation letter, "I was asked to help AUM reconnect with the Montgomery community, increase external funding, implement an effective strategic planning process, increase diversity in the student body, increase technology on campus, improve internal campus communication and, overall, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our operation."

His annual accomplishment reports, he wrote, "indicate how rapidly AUM responded to the assigned priorities, even under the duress of stringent, unanticipated budget cutbacks and limitations. I believe they also demonstrate an impressive magnitude of results in these and other areas."

Celebrating career
Bettye Burkhalter receives congratulations from Student Affairs staff member Van Muse at a reception honoring her retirement as associate provost and vice president for Student Affairs. Staff, colleagues and friends celebrated her 22 years as a faculty member and administrator at AU. Burkhalter was given emerita status in recognition of her work in Student Affairs.

Fletcher named interim vp for Student Affairs

John Fletcher has been named interim associate provost and vice president for Student Affairs at Auburn.

Fletcher, who had been registrar and interim assistant vice president for enrollment management services, will fill the post vacated by the retirement of Bettye Burkhalter. He will serve until a permanent replacement is named.

Provost William Walker said Fletcher was the natural choice for the interim post. "Dr. Fletcher is the senior administrator in Student Affairs and I'm confident he will do a good job," Walker said. "He will be focusing on our enrollment management program that we hope to have in place by fall 2001, something with which he's already very familiar."

Fletcher came to Auburn as associate registrar in 1988 from the University of Tennessee, where he was assistant director of the computer-assisted registration systems office. Since then he has served as registrar and twice as interim assistant vice president for enrollment management.

Fletcher received a bachelor's degree in secondary education and a master's in higher education from the University of Tennessee. He received his Ed.D. in higher education administration from Auburn in 1998.

Benefield appointed dean of College of Engineering

Larry Benefield, who has been interim dean of the AU College of Engineering since September 1998, has been promoted to dean.

Benefield succeeds William Walker, who was earlier appointed provost and vice president for academic affairs at AU. The appointment was announced by Walker.

"We invited five candidates in and the committee made a recommendation to me and I selected Dr. Benefield from the list of acceptable candidates," said Walker. "He is a highly qualified individual who has proven himself under fire over the course of the last year and a half. I'm very pleased that he has agreed to serve."

An AU faculty member since 1979, Benefield was associate dean for academics in the College of Engineering when he was elevated to interim dean. He was an Alumni Professor from 1984-89 and Feagan Professor from 1989-92.

"The College of Engineering has become nationally recognized on the strength of its faculty, its tradition of teaching engineering fundamentals through cutting-edge instructional and laboratory techniques, and its wide-ranging research program," Benefield said.

"We plan to build and expand on this base, and bring Auburn engineering to the next level of engineering education -- one that anticipates the needs and challenges of the new century. It will represent a continuation of the efforts that began under the leadership of William Walker, who led the college through the past decade."

Benefield earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Auburn and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. A civil engineering officer in the Air Force from 1967-71, he taught at Virginia Tech, Mississippi State and the University of Colorado before joining the Auburn faculty.

Nationally recognized for his work on biological wastewater treatment, Benefield has taught a variety of advanced courses in civil engineering and is the author of more than 100 publications and articles in his field.

Survey seeks to assess summer school plans

Auburn students are being invited to participate in an on-line survey to provide feedback about the university's summer programs.
The five-question survey, commissioned by the Office of the Provost, was designed and is being administrated by the Office of Planning and Analysis.

"The objective of the survey is to obtain information to help us ensure that we maintain a strong summer program, particularly after we make the transition to the semester system," said Christine Curtis, coordinator of AU's semester transition.

The survey is transmitted to students through an e-mail that contains a link taking the student directly to the web-based survey form, says Dan Rosenthal, associate director of the Office of Planning and Analysis. "We're asking all students, including seniors, to respond," Rosenthal said. "It's important that we obtain information from students at all class levels."

Historically, summer terms at semester institutions are not as dynamic as the fall and spring semesters, said Curtis. Auburn, however, has traditionally provided a robust summer program and is striving to continue that tradition under the semester system.

"A strong summer term is academically important and vital among many degree programs and for Auburn's co-op program," Curtis said. "This also is an important time for many faculty, who either teach or use the term to conduct research. A strong summer program also is an attractive faculty recruiting tool."

The brief survey asks students for information about credit hour loads, features that are attractive and unattractive about the summer term, class level, program of study and previous summer attendance.

"We are seeking to obtain information about our summer term under the quarter system as well as our semester summer term," Curtis added. "Consequently, this type of summer term survey probably will become a staple among the mechanisms that we use at Auburn to enhance our summer programs."

Students should receive the e-mail announcement about the survey during April and May.

Getting in shape
With spring renewing interest in getting in shape for summer clothing, Robin Kurtz, foreground, leads a class of faculty and staff through aerobics steps on a recent afternoon. Kurtz is one of three certified instructors for the class, which meets from 5-6 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Thursday in Student Activities Building Room 207. To sign up for the free class, contact Albert Snipes or Judy Edwards at Human Resources in Langdon Hall, telephone 844-4145.

Readers sought for May 11 marathon

The English Club and the Kappa Theta chapter of English honor society Sigma Tau Delta are planning Auburn's fifth annual Reading Marathon for May 11.

The two groups are seeking people interested in reading in 10-minute intervals around the clock. April 26 is the deadline for contacting English Club Advisor Timothy Dykstal, an associate professor in the Department of English.

This year's theme for the marathon is "I Wish I'd Said That."

The club uses money raised at the marathon to finance the event and to make donations to charity. Part of the proceeds in past years have gone to the Lee County Literacy Coalition, Lee County AIDS Outreach and the building fund for the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art.

"Our overriding goal has always been to increase the appreciation of literature on and off the university campus," said Dykstal. "What we're looking for this year are major statements -- poems or prose that reflect on where we are as a society, or as individuals, here at the beginning of the 21st century."

To participate, submit a copy -- or at least the author and title -- of your major statement; a short explanation (no more than a paragraph) of why it strikes you as important; and your time preference. Mail your submission before April 26 to Dykstal at the Department of English in 9030 Haley Center. Contact Dykstal by phone at 844-9092 or e-mail him the information to: dykstti@auburn.edu.

The organizers ask that people restrict their selections to something that can be read in 10 minutes or less. Readers will receive a letter or e-mail message confirming their participation and the time that they are to read.

Vandal-resistant lighting
Dave Anderson, left, of the Chicago Housing Authority, holds up the prototype light fixture designed by AU students and faculty as Clark Lundell, right, professor and head of the Department of Industrial Design, gets ready to use a bat on the fixture to prove its tamper resistance. The department worked for more than a year with the CHA and the Department of Energy to develop the design. CHA officials have been so impressed they have ordered 200 more lights from the manufacturer and want to establish other projects with AU.

Professor develops technology to ward off bacteria, viruses

An Auburn researcher has developed a biocidal technology with the potential for far-reaching impacts in rubber materials used in the medical field and such items as condoms, baby-bottle nipples and pacifiers.

The work of S.D. Worley, right, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, has led to a substance -- 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.

Worley unveiled the new technology in San Francisco in a March 27 presentation to a meeting of the American Chemical Society.
N-halamines are organic ring-type compounds that contain nitrogen atoms bonded to chlorine or bromine, said Worley. The chlorine in the compounds kills the microbials. "This technology can work with any rubber that contains styrene blocks," he said.

Worley said the new technology could be used in surgical gloves and other medical materials made from rubber to fight the spread of hospital infections such as what is commonly known as staph infection (Staphylococcus aureus).

Although the technology has not been tested with the HIV virus, he says it would kill the virus on contact as it does others, making possible beneficial applications in the manufacture of condoms.

And Worley said the technology could be used in the rubber for pacifiers and baby-bottle nipples.

AU news goes around U.S., world

Recent work by Auburn faculty and students attracted international attention as newspapers worldwide and dozens of television stations across the U.S. featured news accounts of lighting fixtures developed by AU Industrial Design students and S.D. Worley's development of biocidal rubber technology for disease- and infection-prevention.

Both news events were given prominent play by newspapers and television stations in major U.S. cities. In addition, CNN carried news of Industrial Design's lighting fixtures to television viewers worldwide, and Reuters carried news about Worley's discovery to newspaper readers around the world. News about both achievements was distributed to hundreds of newspapers cross the U.S. by the Associated Press. Also, the television spots were run by two or more stations in several cities and repeated on several stations.

AU Industrial Design print and broadcast coverage
Newspapers: Chicago Tribune, Montgomery Advertiser, Mobile Register, Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, Associated Press.
Television: CNN Headline News; Denver; Albuquerque, N.M.; Chicago; Columbus, Ga.; Montgomery;Chicago; Birmingham.

AU Chemistry print and broadcast coverage
Newspapers: San Francisco Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman, Pittsburgh Press, Miami Herald, Birmingham News, Mobile Register, Associated Press, Reuters.
Television: Houston; Montgomery; Columbus, Ga.; San Francisco/Oakland; Hartford/New Haven, Conn.; Cincinnati; San Diego; Sacramento, Calif.; Los Angeles; Boston; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; New Orleans; Bakersfield, Calif.; Charlotte; Birmingham; Austin, Texas; Detroit; Cleveland; Chicago; Springfield/Holyoke, Mass.; Baltimore.

Flynt honored for latest book

Distinguished University Professor Wayne Flynt has been awarded the top nonfiction prize by the Alabama Library Association for his book, Alabama Baptists: Southern Baptists in the Heart of Dixie.

The award was announced as part of the association's Alabama Author Award winners for 2000 and Flynt was among three authors who were honored at an April 6 annual meeting in Birmingham. Other recipients included William Cobb of Montevallo for his collection of short stories in the fiction category and Charles Ghigna of Birmingham for juvenile literature.

Flynt, a native of Alabama, graduated magna cum laude from Samford University where he was a history and theology student. He received the master and doctoral degrees from Florida State University specializing in Southern political history.

Of his 10 books, three deal with poverty and two with evangelical religion. Two of his books have been nominated for Pulitzer prizes and in 1990, his book Poor But Proud: Alabama's Poor Whites, won the Southern Regional Council's Lillian Smith Award for nonfiction.

Flynt has taught history at AU since 1977, and for eight years was head of the Department of History

Barth's new book examines financial regulation

James Barth, the Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance at Auburn, has co-edited a new book, Restructuring Regulation and Financial Institutions, published by Los Angeles-based Milken Institute Press.

The book -- Barth's fifth -- addresses the issue of how the United States regulates its capital markets, what regulations should change and what effect the regulations have on the economy.

"More and more, the world is looking to the United States for help in deciding how to restructure financial markets," said Barth. "So, it's important that we understand how the U.S. regulates its markets and what it can do differently to ensure efficient capital markets around the world."

Barth, a senior fellow at the Milken Institute, was chief economist for the federal Office of Thrift Supervision and the federal Home Loan Bank Board before coming to Auburn in 1989. He is the author of The Great Savings and Loan Debacle.

Other co-editors on his latest book are Dan Brumbaugh Jr., Senior Fellow at the Milken Institute; and Glenn Yago, director of capital studies at the Milken Institute. The book is available through Amazon.com.

Changing classes
One of the busiest thoroughfares in Auburn is not a street. It is the walkway between Parker Hall and Haley Center, which is packed with students during class changes.

Vet Medicine to hold open house

Hennigan's Spinning Frisbee K9s will return April 15 to Auburn as part of the College of Veterinary Medicine's 23rd annual open house.

"We had a great turnout for their performance last year, and many people have said they would like to see them again," said Assistant Dean Gary Beard. "These dogs are coming from California and have appeared on national television. We'll have an arena set up in front of Greene Hall and it will be a very entertaining show."

The dogs will be one of several entertainment and scientific exhibits at the Wire Road campus from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Montgomery veterinarian Bill Van Hooser, better known as the pet vet on WSFA's "Today in Alabama" television show, will serve as grand marshal and cut the ribbon to start the open house. He is a 1982 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine and operates Carriage Hills Animal Hospital in Montgomery.

Junior and senior high school students, as well as college students, can talk with on-site counselors, who can suggest courses for a career in veterinary medicine. Scientific exhibits will include anatomy, ultrasound, small animal surgeries, large animal exhibits, endoscopy and other veterinary disciplines.

More than 5,000 people are expected to attend the event which is coordinated by veterinary students. For information, call the College of Veterinary Medicine at 334/844-3699.

Faculty present papers at chemistry meeting

Four Auburn professors and one postdoctoral fellow have co-authored papers that were presented at the 219th meeting of the American Chemical Society on March 31 in San Francisco.

Leonard Bell, associate professor of nutrition and food science, presented a paper he co-authored on an improved analytical method for measuring the methylxanthine content of chocolate products.

Thomas Elder, professor of forestry and wildlife sciences, presented a paper he co-authored on the electrochemical bleaching of pulp.

Vincenzo Cammarata, associate professor of chemistry, presented a paper he co-authored on electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance studies of the growth of perylene-containing films.

David Stanbury, professor of chemistry, and Basudeb Saha, a postdoctoral fellow in the AU chemistry department, presented a paper they co authored on kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of [Ru(NH3)5ISN](BF4)2 by hypochlorous acid in aqueous acidic medium.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit, scientific and educational organization and the largest scientific society in the world. Chartered by Congress, the ACS is a world leader in fostering chemical education and research. Its membership of nearly 159,000 chemists and chemical engineers is international.

Professors edit finance volumn

Two professors in the AU Department of Finance have been selected to edit the finance volume of the second edition of the International Encyclopedia of Business and Management.

John Jahera, Colonial Bank Professor and head of the Finance Department and James Barth, the Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance, were chosen for the project by the publisher, London-based Business Press.

The multi-volume International Encyclopedia of Business and Management covers nation-specific topics, biographies and management concepts, issues and challenges and is a leading reference source for business professionals internationally.

In a scene unique to Auburn, spring flowers amid the tranquility of Samford Park offer a break from classes.

Entries sought for national teaching award

Think you know a great professor at AU -- other than yourself -- who goes out of his or her way to ensure that undergraduate students are doing their best? We know there are many, but we want you to tell us who you think is tops.

The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education has announced its 2000 Call for Entries for the U.S. Professors of the Year Program, and AU's Office of University Relations wants to help recognize an Auburn faculty member for their dedication. The annual program recognizes extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching.

The goal of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching U.S. Professors of the Year program, administered by the CASE, is to increase awareness of the importance of undergraduate instruction at all types of higher education institutions.

Judging criteria includes: a demonstrated excellence in the impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; a scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contributions to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and current and former undergraduate students.

To nominate someone, send an e-mail with a short, detailed description of why you think this faculty member deserves recognition to: mccoyjl@auburn.edu, or mail to Janet McCoy in the AU News Bureau at 23 Samford Hall. Deadline for nominations is Monday, April 17.

Last year's winner in Alabama was Barry S. Spieler, assistant professor of mathematics at Birmingham-Southern College. At the national level, Stephen Fisher, a professor of political science at Emory & Henry College was named the Outstanding Baccalaureate College Professor of the Year.

Alumni Teaching Awards
Recipients of the Auburn Alumni Association's Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Awards for 1999-2000 are shown with Alumni Association President Bill Porter, standing at left, and AU President William Muse, standing at right. The recipients are from left, seated, Robert Keith, Nutrition and Food Science; Judith Lechner, Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology; Jim Bradley, Biological Sciences; standing, Timothy Kramer, Civil Engineering; and Dale Coleman, Animal and Dairy Sciences. Not pictured is Donna Bohanan of History.

University Club to have open house

The University Club will have an open house in its lounge off the War Eagle Food Court from 10 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-5 p.m Wednesday, April 12.

Founded in 1947, the University Club is a social organization for faculty, administrative/professional staff and AU alumni. Others may join under sponsorship of a member.

The University Club sponsors dances and special events throughout the year, and members meet for lunch on class days in the club's lounge. The club also sponsors dance and bridge lessons for members. The organization's activities strengthen the sense of community among members campuswide, said club president Betty Higginbotham of the Department of Consumer Affairs.

"The University Club gives its members a much broader involvement in the university community than they are likely to get otherwise ," she said. "It brings together members who might not otherwise get to know people outside their own department or school."

A popular feature of membership, she added, is the private dining area in Foy Union where members gather each class day for lunch. Members may also reserve the room for coffees, teas, parties and wedding receptions.
Membership is $25 per year. Brochures containing membership applications and describing the club's benefits are available in the University Club lounge. For additional information contact Lee Cannon at 821-3613 or Higginbotham at 844-1384.

New Alumni Professors
Faculty members awarded Alumni Professorships sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association are from left, seated, Ron Barrett, Aerospace Engineering; Donna Sollie, Human Development and Family Studies; standing, Theodore Becker, Political Science; Sabit Adaur of Textile Engineering; and, not pictured, Troy Best, Zoology.

Writer to discuss Capote's boyhood in Alabama

Alabama writer and researcher Marianne Moates will provide a glimpse into the boyhood years of one of Alabama's most significant and eccentric writers during a lecture at Auburn on April 26.

Moates, who lived in Truman Capote's hometown of Monroeville in the 1960s, will talk about "Inspiration for Genius: Truman Capote's Life in Alabama" at 3 p.m. in the Special Collections Department of Draughon Library.

Through discussion of numerous interviews with Capote's relatives and neighbors, Moates will examine the place and time that helped to shape Capote's literary genius. She will also discuss Capote's childhood neighbor Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, and relatives -- the Faulks and Carters -- who raised him when his mother left for New York to pursue a career.

Moates is the author of A Bridge of Childhood: Truman Capote's Southern Years , which was later reprinted as Truman Capote's Southern Years: Stories from a Monroeville Cousin.

These humble, small town beginnings where Capote played and learned are in stark contrast to the international jet-set lifestyle for which he was later known.

Moates will discuss how Capote's relationships with relatives and friends in Monroeville inspired such works as "The Thanksgiving Visitor," "A Christmas Memory" and The Grass Harp.

It was while living in Monroeville herself that Moates became friends with Capote's relatives and she followed the famed writer's career until he died in the mid 1980s.

Moates now writes book reviews for The Daily Home in Talladega and The Birmingham News. She is a member of the Sylacauga Arts Council and on the committee for Writing Today sponsored by Birmingham-Southern College.

AU's Special Collections Department is home to a significant collection of works by Capote. The collection features 81 books, including 31 first editions; some rare sheet music written by Capote; five uncorrected publisher's proofs; and two limited edition books. Also included are a number of books from Capote's personal collection.

The program is presented in cooperation with the speakers' bureau of the Alabama Humanities Foundation as well as AU Libraries. A reception will follow the lecture.

Spirit of Excellence
Each month AU presents Spirit of Excellence awards to four staff and professional employees for exceptional performance. Recipients for March were, from left, Walter Tolbert of Human Sciences, Denise Bashaw of ACES, Comer Mask of Facilities Division and Leslie Simonton of the College of Engineering.

Powell appointed to statewide ACES post

Arlie Powell has been appointed state program leader for agriculture for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and associate dean for Extension in AU's College of Agriculture.

As state program leader, Powell will be responsible for all agricultural outreach programs provided through the system's 67 county offices and various other Extension centers and area offices throughout the state.

As associate dean for Extension, he will serve as a liaison between the Extension director and the dean of the College of Agriculture and also work to ensure Extension-related agricultural programs remain closely coordinated with college-related programs.

"Dr. Powell brings a tremendous depth of experience and passion for Extension's outreach mission," said Extension Director Stephen Jones. "His appointment drew wide support from faculty, Extension agents, university administrators and agricultural producers throughout the state."

Powell began his career in 1963 as a county Extension agent for the Florida Cooperative Extension Service. After completing his doctoral work in 1968, he served as an Extension horticulturist for Texas A&M University until 1975. Later that year, he was hired as an Extension horticulturist at the University of Georgia.

From 1978-99, Powell served as an Extension horticulturist for ACES, responsible for outreach programs aimed at commercial fruit production throughout the state.

Pharmacy services
Nancy Kickliter, right, director of the pharmacy at the AU Medical Clinic, explains how the automated dispensing machine works to Alexis Collins, a student employee at the pharmacy. The AU Pharmacy accepts AU employee insurance, including Blue Cross/Blue Shield, will deliver prescriptions to employees' offices and offers extensive counseling on medications.

Not too late to mail census forms

It's not too late to mail in your census form, according to the local office of the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2000 census count began April 1, and local canvasses have started in some parts of the nation, but the Census Bureau is still encouraging Auburn-Opelika residents to return the forms by mail.

Census workers say that by getting the form to the Census Bureau this week, before the canvass reaches your neighborhood, you will help ensure an accurate local count and avoid a personal visit from a census taker.

The survey every 10 years is used in congressional redistricting and allocation of federal funds. Local officials also cite the need to ensure the classification of Auburn-Opelika as a metropolitan area, which would qualify the cities for federal funding to help those areas finance needed infrastructure improvements.

Campus Roundup

Humorist featured for Secretaries Day
AU will celebrate Professional Secretaries Day on April 26 with a luncheon program at Dixon Conference Center featuring the AU Singers and humorist Carl E. Hurley. A prominent speaker nationwide, Hurley has appeared on the Nashville Network and Public Television. Seating is limited, and early registration is recommended. For registration information, contact Albert Snipes at Human Resources, Langdon Hall, telephone 844-4145.

Speech and hearing screenings offered
The AU Speech and Hearing Clinic will have free screenings from 1:30-4 p.m. May 3, at the clinic's facilities, Haley Center 1199. No appointment is necessary. All children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Children's summer program offered
The Department of Curriculum and Teaching and the Auburn City Schools Early Education Center will offer an Early Childhood Summer Enrichment Program from June 26-Aug. 1. The program for children aged 4 to 8 will be 8 a.m-noon, Monday through Thursday of each week, except for the holidays of July 3-4. The theme for this year's program will be "The Art Center." The fee is $20 per child per week, except for weeks 2 and 6, which will be $10 each. Children may be enrolled for one to six weeks. For registration information, contact Kim Odum or Rita Farver at 844 6747.

Child Study Center enrolling students
The Child Study Center is a half day preschool for children ages 2 1/2 to 6. Classes are now forming for the 2000-01 school year. Contact Margaret Vollenweider at 844-4696 or stop by the CSC across the concourse from Haley Center for enrollment information.

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

String quartet to perform at Goodwin
The Auburn Chamber Music Society presents the Chester String Quartet at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, in Goodwin Recital Hall. The concert will feature selections from Schubert, Verdi and Harbison. Tickets will be available at the door and are free for students.

Vendor Exhibit set for June 9
AU's 2000 Vendor Exhibit will be from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 9 at the Dixon Conference Center. Exhibitors will present their latest lines of office equipment, computers, cellular phones, audio-visual equipment, applications, services and supplies. For more information contact the Purchasing Department at 844-4625.

Writer to speak at Pebble Hill
Taxi driver-turned-writer Vincent Czyz, whose fiction has been called "powerfully lyrical" and "darkly evocative," will speak at Pebble Hill at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 13. The New Jersey writer's first collection of short stories, Adrift in a Vanishing City, will be available for sale and signing by the author.

Sigma Xi Research Society seeks nominations
The AU Chapter of Sigma Xi scientific research society is calling for membership nominations. Application forms may be printed from the national Sigma Xi web site (sigmaxi.org/membership/nominationform.htm) and sent to the chapter president, Edward J. Parish, Department of Chemistry, for consideration. Deadline is April 15. The chapter is also calling for nominations for awards. Additional information and nomination forms is at the web site auburn.edu/academic/societies/sigma_xi/au_sigmaxi.html

Maya Angelou to speak Tuesday at AU
Maya Angelou, the renowned poet and civil rights activist, will speak at Auburn University's Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 11. Angelou gained notoriety when she recited her poem "The Pulse of Morning" at President Clinton's 1993 inauguration.

Campus Views: AU's mergers don't make business sense

"The trouble with Komer was that he thought the managerial razzle dazzle he had learned at Harvard Business School had some magical efficacy in itself. He did not realize that its limits would be determined by the worthiness or lack of worthiness of what he was managing."--
Neil Sheehan in A Bright Shining Lie, on Robert Komer, co-creator of the ill-fated Phoenix program in Vietnam

The trustees' hankering to close, merge and cut arises, I think, from a rather laudable desire to impose "business discipline" on the running of Auburn University. Business discipline is great. The problem is -- I don't think we have business discipline with all these cuts and mergers. "Business discipline" refers to saving money, cutting expenses. My belief is that the Muse administration has achieved the appearance of business discipline without really achieving any business discipline.

There are smoke and mirrors at work here. Let's say you terminate the master's degree in political science (as was actually done). A businessman thinking of the university as a "widget and veeblefetzer" production company might assume that this elimination of a certain product would surely result in a corresponding reduction of production expenses.

But these things don't necessarily work that way in universities. Has the elimination of the master's degree in political science actually brought about a reduction in production expense? Or, will it eventually? If not, then we have lost a perfectly good degree program for no reason. The Board of Trustees is often criticized for "micro-managing." In these matters, I fear that their management is not sufficiently micro.

The performance of the administration and of the Board of Trustees in the academic restructuring of Auburn University does not, so far, inspire confidence. In fact, one might hazard the opinion that these people really do not know what they are doing. Trustees, you may have heard that American Education is in crisis, badly in need of the capitalistic creativity that you can provide. Trustees, American higher education is not in crisis. The universities of America are the envy of the world. And Auburn University was, prior to your intervention, somewhere in the top 100 American universities, by a number of different objective criteria and by some subjective quality assessments.

The comment on Robert Komer that preceded this essay does not serve to describe the restructuring that we have seen under President Muse. Komer failed to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, despite razzle-dazzle management. Muse, by razzle-dazzle management, has set us on a course to make a sow's ear from a silk purse.

Since the purpose of the academic restructuring is to achieve business discipline, to cut expenses, one wonders about the proliferation of the administration. Is it not the case that there are a whole bunch of administration jobs that did not exist five years ago? Assessment Officer? If we need an assessment officer now, how did we get along without one before?

And despite the alarming increase in the thickness of the administrative layers of the university, it seems that the administration cannot function without a regular stream of outside consultants, whose advice (in the cases I know about) is either just good common sense that could have been obtained for free on the premises, or is ignored, or both.

The administration is increasingly costly. If we are getting good value from the administration, then fine, let us bear the cost, but I don't think we are. Trustees, this is truly your university, to do with as you think best. You want to serve the trust that has been vested in you by imposing business discipline on the university? Then, for goodness' sake, impose it! But do the homework necessary to do the job right! That means looking at costs and consequences. And it might mean hiring an administration that knows more about universities like Auburn than this one appears to.

Unsung Hero:Glory Torbert, ACES program office associate

This week's Unsung Hero is Glory Torbert, an Extension program office associate with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. She has been at Auburn for 27 years.

She was asked:

What do you do in your current job? "I assist the editors with getting out information to various media outlets, and perform the administrative duties for the News and Public Affairs division of Extension Communications."

What is the most rewarding part of your job? "My job is most rewarding when there are several projects going on at the same time and I am able to complete everything and meet the deadlines. "

What is the most challenging part of your job? "The most challenging part of my job is learning the new HRS online."

What was your first impression of Auburn University? "I thought the campus was very large and open."

How has that impression changed? "It doesn't seem as large any more and with the addition of new buildings everything seems more congested."

What words best describe Auburn as a work environment, learning environment or just a place to be? "I enjoy working here, and the people I work with make it a nice place to be."

What do you like to do when not at work? "I like reading, gardening and cooking."

What person or persons do you most admire and why? "My mother because she had enormous faith, strength and determination. No matter what she was going through in life, she could always find something to be thankful for."

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.' "

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, April 11
* University Senate: 3:10 p.m., Broun Hall.
* Concert: Auburn Chamber Music Society presents the Chester String Quartet, 8 p.m., Goodwin Recital Hall.
Thursday, April 13
* Reading: "Adrift in a Vanishing City" by author Vincent Czyz, 4 p.m., Pebble Hill.
Monday, April 24
* Next issue: AU Report
* Littleton-Franklin Lecture: Veteran White House journalist Helen Thomas, 4 p.m., Dixon Conference Center auditorium.
Wednesday, April 26
* Lecture: Marianne Moates, "Inspiration for Genius: Truman Capote's Life in Alabama," 3 p.m., Special Collections Department, Draughon Library.
* Deadline for submitting information to participate in the English Club's Fifth Annual Reading Marathon, set for May 11. Contact Tim Dykstal at 844-9092 or dykstti@auburn.edu
Friday, April 28
* Mid-quarter. Last day for students to drop classes without permission of their dean.

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