Trustee Scholarship program launched
U.S.News & World Report ranks AU 42nd in U.S.
What do ice cream, paint have in common?
Pharmacy Building named for W.W. Walker Jr.
Muse: Land-grant charge remains central
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Initial signs good for Tisdales
Office of Information Technology staff members Connie and Scott Tisdale were reported undergoing rapid recovery late last week, following the Sept. 6 surgery in which Connie donated a kidney to her husband Scott.
Following a telephone conversation with Connie from her recovery room at
the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham, OIT colleague Ellyn Hix
said doctors reported being pleased with the progress of both patients.
Connie was expected to be released from the hospital within a few days,
and Scott's new kidney was already functioning with no initial signs of
rejection. Scott will soon begin a period of therapy to help ensure
longterm acceptance of the kidney.
Shuttle service starts for football games
Auburn is initiating shuttle-bus service to and from Jordan-Hare Stadium for the remainder of the 2000 football season beginning with the Louisiana State game on Sept. 16.
Tiger Transit buses will run continuously for four hours before and two hours after each home game, picking up and dropping fans off at the Colonial Mall Auburn-Opelika parking lot north of J.C. Penney, the AU Facilities Division parking lot on West Samford Avenue and on Biggio Drive between the Athletics Complex and Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.
For details about the shuttle-bus service, call AU Transportation Services at 334/844-5937.
AU President inducted into Alabama Academy of Honor
Evoking the memory of Alabamians from Harper Lee to Bear Bryant to Helen Keller, AU President William Muse paid tribute to the state's human resources as he was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in Montgomery on Aug. 28.
Muse represented the other three inductees at the ceremony in the old House chamber of the state Capitol. The audience included three former Alabama governors and other current and former state leaders of government, education and industry.
The Alabama Academy of Honor, established by the Legislature in 1965,
provides "honor and recognition upon living Alabamians for
accomplishments or service greatly benefitting or reflecting credit on the
state." Membership is limited to 100, with the addition of governors.
The other inductees for 2000 are civil rights leader Rosa Louise Parks;
Sandral Hullett, executive director of Family HealthCare of Alabama; and
John J. McMahon Jr., chairman of Ligon Industries and executive committee
chairman of McWane, Inc.
AU President Emeritus Harry Philpott, a member of the Hall of Honor, nominated Muse.
A citation read by former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice C.C. Torbert Jr. credited Muse for his leadership of Auburn "through critical state budget issues, a major reorganization and a successful fund raising campaign." Torbert added, "His efforts to position the university for the challenges of the 21st Century have attracted national attention to his leadership and broad support from across America."
In his response, Muse addressed the long list of leaders Alabama has produced. "Perhaps tranquility and calm do not incubate leaders so readily as stress, disadvantage and challenge. Or perhaps a people renowned for their sense of kinship and community produce leaders deeply rooted to their ancestors and place, leaders who are determined to leave Alabama better than they found it."
In drawing upon the example of fellow inductee Rosa Parks who refused to
go to the back of the bus, Muse said Alabama's leaders need to refuse to
stay in the back of the bus, that is, refuse to let the state remain behind
in education, social and economic attainment.
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More than 1,000 students are attending Auburn this fall with the aid of a new scholarship program created by the Board of Trustees. The board recently established a continuing $1 million scholarship fund for young people from Alabama who are good students but may lack the financial resources to attend Auburn or find it financially difficult to continue their studies.
Auburn is awarding Board of Trustees Scholarships this year to 289 entering freshmen and 751 other students to help offset the cost of their studies. The scholarships cover about half the total basic cost of in-state tuition for one term and are often combined with other financial aid to cover even more of the students' college costs.
For many students, the scholarships supplement federal Pell Grant awards, bringing the total amount of assistance to the Pell Grant maximum of $3,300 per year.
Approximately $780,000 will be dispensed through the Trustees Scholarship program this year. The remaining funds will be carried over to supplement the program next year, when it is expected to grow, said John Fletcher, interim vice president for Student Affairs.
Supported by all members of the board, the scholarship program was recommended by Trustees Sen. Lowell Barron of Fyffe and Rep. Jack Venable of Tallassee as a way to ensure that an Auburn education remains affordable to sons and daughters of Alabama working families.
"The Board of Trustees is committed to keeping Auburn affordable to all Alabama families," said Barron, chairman of the board's Scholarship Committee.
To qualify for the scholarship, a student must be an Alabama resident, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, and demonstrate financial need. The scholarships are administered by AU's Scholarship Office.
AU takes lead in meeting program size standards
Auburn has outpaced other public universities in Alabama in bringing its academic programs in line with the state's requirements for program size.
In a report to the Board of Trustees on Aug. 31, John Pritchett, associate vice president for academic affairs, said Auburn has reduced from 68 to three the number of programs whose graduation rates fall below levels established by state law in 1996.
Those three are bachelor's degrees in German and foreign language education and the doctorate in aerospace engineering. Even in those, the number of graduates came within a fraction of the viability requirement. The programs in both German and aerospace engineering would have made the cut if they had produced one more graduate each during the three years. The foreign language education program averaged 1.2 graduates a year below the requirement.
The program viability law designated as nonviable all academic programs at state institutions which during the academic years 1991-92 through 1995-96 did not meet the following annual averages for graduates: Bachelor's, 7.5; master's, 3.75; specialist, 3; doctoral programs, 2.25.
The law authorized the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to monitor the nonviable programs over a three-year period, which ended this July, and terminate or grant waivers for cause to programs still not meeting the minimums.
Over the past three years, Auburn has undergone a comprehensive review of its academic programs based on both the state's program viability standards and the university's own priority ranking. The ranking was based on AU's mission, goals and resources.
AU brought 21 originally nonviable programs above the viability level and merged or eliminated 44 other nonviable programs. The latter were part of a net reduction of 93 academic programs at Auburn to 226 since 1995.
While Auburn reduced its nonviable programs to three and barely missed the cut on those, AU trustees noted that many other institutions in the state have yet to take action. For example, during the first two of three monitoring years, the University of Alabama removed only three of 66 programs from the nonviable list.
The AU programs that still fall below the viability minimums will be examined by the Academic Program Review Committee of the University Senate for a recommendation to the AU provost and president on whether to phase them out or seek a waiver, said Pritchett.
Any waiver requests will go to ACHE, for which a committee was meeting late last week to set procedures and a timetable for consideration of waivers.
U.S. News ranks AU 42nd in nation
U.S. News and World Report magazine has ranked Auburn 42nd overall among the nation's top 50 public universities in its annual quality rankings for 2000-2001.
Auburn is the only college or university in Alabama listed among the magazine's overall top 50 public universities for 2000-2001; this is the eighth consecutive year AU has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Last year, AU was ranked 38th.
The University of California at Berkeley was ranked No. 1 nationally for the second year.
"The ranking is indicative of the significance each member of the Auburn University family places on providing the best education possible for our students," AU President William Muse said. "The faculty, administration, Board of Trustees, employees and our alumni and friends make a commitment every day to our students through their demonstrated support of Auburn. This is a validation that Auburn is a superb university with many distinguished people and programs."
The magazine reviewed more than 1,400 accredited U.S. colleges and universities before selecting its top 50 based on quality.
The only Southeastern Conference-member universities ranked ahead of Auburn in the top 50 are the University of Florida and the University of Georgia.
In addition, Auburn's College of Business was rated No. 57, up three slots from 1999-2000, while the University of Alabama's business program slipped five slots from last year to be ranked at No. 50.
Auburn's undergraduate engineering program was rated No. 59, up three positions from last year, in the country. Only the engineering programs at the University of Florida and Vanderbilt University ranked ahead of Auburn among SEC-member institutions, and the University of Alabama made the list at No. 95.
The U.S. News rankings will appear in a special section of the magazine and in its "America's Best Colleges" guidebook on financing college.
U.S. News said it rates colleges and universities to "help you make one of the most important decisions of your life. Your investment in a college education could profoundly affect your career opportunities, financial well-being, and quality of life.
"A college education is one of the most important -- and one of the most costly -- investments that prospective students will ever make. For this reason, the editors of U.S. News believe that students and their families should have as much information as possible about the comparative merits of the educational programs at America's colleges and universities.
"The data we gather on America's colleges -- and the rankings of the schools that arise from this data -- serve as an objective guide by which students and their parents can compare the academic quality of schools."
The method that U.S. News uses to rank colleges and universities consists of three basic steps. The colleges are categorized by mission and region, and magazine editors gather data from each on up to 16 indicators of academic excellence. Each factor is assigned a weight that reflects the magazine's judgment about how much each measure matters. Finally, the colleges in each category are ranked against their peers, based on their composite weighted score. U. S. News publishes the ranks of the top schools; the others are grouped into tiers.
The indicators the magazine used to capture academic quality fall into seven categories: academic reputation, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and, for national universities and liberal arts colleges, graduation rate performance -- the difference between the proportion of students expected to graduate and the proportion who actually do. The indicators include "input" measures that reflect a school's student body, its faculty, and its financial resources, and outcome measures that signal how well the institution does its job of educating students.
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Guin Nance named chancellor of AUM
Guin Nance, who served as acting chancellor of Auburn University at Montgomery since January, was appointed to the position of chancellor by the AU Board of Trustees Aug. 31.
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Nance's appointment came after her third term as acting chancellor. She served in February and March of1991 and again from June 1993 to June 1994.
Nance joined the AUM faculty in 1971 after earning her doctorate at the University of Virginia. By the end of her first year at AUM, she was named coordinator of the English program and a year later became the first chair of AUM's Division of Liberal Arts. In 1975, she was named the first dean of the School of Liberal Arts.
By 1981 Nance had become the vice chancellor for academic affairs and director of graduate studies. She left that position after 14 years to return to teaching in the Department of English and Philosophy.
The native Texan's accomplishments include extensive publication of research in the field of 19th- and 20th-century literature, service as an adviser to the Fulbright Program, and being the first woman selected for membership in the Montgomery Rotary Club. She has been honored with numerous fellowships and awards, including AUM's Faculty Service Award.
In her new role, Nance has stated that her goals are to improve student retention, increase enrollment, raise more money for scholarships and continue to increase the use of educational technology.
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Home of School of Pharmacy |
Pharmacy Building renamed for industry leader
Auburn's Pharmacy Building was renamed the W.W. Walker Jr. Building by the AU Board of Trustees on Aug. 31 in honor of the patriarch of the one of the most prominent families in the pharmaceutical industry. School of Pharmacy since 1975, the building was named for the Birmingham businessman who, along with other family members, built Walker Drug Co. into one of the nation's largest independent drug wholesalers prior to its sale in 1997.
Walker was closely identified with the family business from 1930, when he joined his father in the business, until his death in 1987. His son, James O. Walker Sr., who succeeded him as president of Walker Drug Co., and daughter, Catherine Walker Lester, are both Auburn graduates. Members of the family are longtime benefactors of the university.
The board's resolution cited Walker for decades of service to the pharmacy industry, both within Alabama and nationally, and his longtime support for the School of Pharmacy.
AU Pharmacy Dean Lee Evans stated, "It is very gratifying to have the professional home of pharmacy faculty and students named after one of Alabama's most outstanding pharmacy leaders. Practitioners in Alabama will always be indebted to the Walker family for their numerous contributions."
Warren establishes scholarships
Conner Warren, a Birmingham aviation executive and 1967 Auburn
University graduate in aviation management, has established scholarships
in the AU College of
Engineering and the
Department of Aviation Management and Logistics.
The R. Conner Warren Endowment for Scholarships will cover roughly the cost of in-state tuition and fees for selected students in the College of Engineering and the aviation management students in the College of Business.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must demonstrate academic excellence and be U.S. citizens. Preference will be given to those who are residents of Alabama.
Students must remain enrolled in the College of Engineering and maintain a 3.0 grade-point average to retain the scholarship, which will run for four academic years. Candidates for the aviation management and logistics scholarship must meet the same criteria in the College of Business.
"I believe strongly in education as the path to personal advancement and productivity," said Warren, executive vice president of Birmingham-based Citation Corp. "It is my hope that these scholarships will assist students in climbing the ladder of opportunity and becoming valuable members of society."
Warren, a native of Evergreen, was a flight instructor and graduate assistant in aviation management while at Auburn. He also was a charter pilot for AU, providing air transportation for athletic department personnel and other university staff.
After graduation, Warren attended Air Force pilot training and flew the RF-4C Phantom for the Alabama Air National Guard. He accumulated nearly 6,000 hours of flying time in several aircraft. Warren cites his aviation training, skills and experience for his business success and opportunities.
"Conner has been a strong advocate for our College," said Larry Benefield, dean of the College of Engineering. "Through his dedication and support, we have been able to create a permanent source of opportunity for generations of Auburn students."
United Way goal of $115,000 set for AU
AU has kicked off its United Way campaign for 2000 with a goal of $115,000.The target is part of an $820,000 goal for the United Way of Lee County to benefit children, teenagers and adults served by 36 local human service agencies.
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For the second consecutive year, Jim Ferguson, AU vice president for administrative services, is Lee County Coordinator, and Susie Hall, executive assistant in AU Administrative Services, is campus coordinator.
The slogan for the 2000 campaign is "Caring into the 21st Century." A leadership team of 23 faculty and staff across campus will coordinate the fund drive in their areas of campus. The AU goal is $5,000 above last year's goal and $4,000 above the amount contributed on campus in 1999, Hall noted.
Money raised locally through the campaign remains in Lee County to assist local agencies that provide relief and services to the needy, the disabled, youth groups, sick or injured persons and others in need of assistance. United Way agencies, which are listed in brochures distributed to all AU employees, range from the Achievement Center for training persons with disabilities to the Alabama Easter Seal Society, American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
For the AU part of the campaign, volunteers are distributing pledge cards to faculty and staff, who may choose to make donations immediately, through payroll deductions or through United Way billing at designated times of the year.
This year's United Way campus leaders are: Melissa Morris, Business &
Finance and Facilities Division; Liz Peel, Alumni & Development; Pat
Chiroux, Forestry & Wildlife Sciences; Cindy Thomas, Nursing; Sandra
Harris, Education; Laurie Faison, Pharmacy; Doyle Bickers, Student
Affairs; Giovana Brannan, Research; Jeanine Salvas, Architecture, Design
& Construction; Donna Kelly, Engineering; Jeanne Amling, Library; Thina
Biblis, Outreach; Fred Harshbarger, Veterinary Medicine; Peggy Mason,
Agriculture/AAES; Phyllis Harris, Human Sciences; Dot Hill, Athletics;
Margaret Manley, Provost's Office; Stewart Schneller, Sciences &
Mathematics; Serlester Williams, Liberal Arts; Dianne Townsend, College
of Business; Anne Davis, President's Office; Bob Ritenbaugh,
Administrative Services; Tasha Worden, ACES.
Burnett named interim Information Technology head
Richard Burnett, an administrator in University Computing since 1985, has been named interim director of the Office of Information Technology, following the retirement on Aug. 31 of James Stone.
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In announcing the appointment, Provost William Walker said Burnett was given certain goals in connection with the changing nature of the university's technology needs. "The first and foremost order of business is to develop a customer orientation and centralize the operations of the Office of Information Technology," he said.
As interim director of the Office of Information Technology, Burnett will serve as chief information officer of the university during the search for a permanent CIO. In that position, he oversees all operations of University Computing, Telecommunications and Educational Television. As director of technical support for the past 14 years, he was responsible for systems support, network support, operational support, public access computing site support and new technology units.
Before joining the AU professional staff as data base administrator in 1985, Burnett was systems development manager for the Missouri State Highway Patrol from 1972-85 and an adjunct member of the computer science faculty at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., from 1978-85. He has also worked as a programmer for Truman State University and the Missouri Department of Education.
He holds a B.S. degree in mathematics from Truman State University and has received professional training in technical and management areas over the past 30 years.
"I am looking forward to the challenges of leading the Office of Information Technology during this period of transition," said Burnett. "The university has spent nearly a year studying information technology management and governance issues, and we are ready to set in motion new management techniques aimed at creating a culture of customer service and a real spirit of cooperation between the Office of Information Technology and distributed technology service providers," he said.
"Under the leadership of Jim Stone, the Office of Information Technology has built a solid infrastructure for providing technology to the campus," Burnett added. "Jim will certainly be missed as he was nearly an institution here at Auburn, spending over 30 years working in telecommunications and computing."
Smith named interim head of Department of Music
Thomas R. Smith, professor of music and director of choral activities at
Auburn, has been named interim head of the
Department of Music. John Heilman, dean of the College of
Liberal Arts, made the appointment following the death of Joseph
Stephenson on Aug. 21.
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"The energy and vision he has invested in our students have brought worldwide recognition to Auburn through the lasting and very positive impressions our choral groups have made across the United States and overseas as well. "
For the past 28 years, Smith has directed choral activities at AU and has traveled extensively with the AU Singers, AU Concert Choir, Men's Chorus and Women's Chorus. Smith has had his own works published and has frequently served as a choral festival adjudicator, guest conductor and choral clinician.
He received the bachelor of music in church music from Samford
University and the master of arts degree in music theory from the
University of Iowa. He received the doctor of musical arts in choral
conducting and literature from the University of Colorado.
Page named interim head of Department of Finance
Daniel E. Page, a member of the AU faculty since 1984, has been named interim head of the Department of Finance, replacing John Jahera who was named interim dean of the College of Business.
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Promoted to full professor at Auburn in 1997, Page teaches corporate finance, investments, real estate and health care financial management.
During 1993-1995, Page led a $2.5 million study for the state that dealt with attaching interest arrearages on delinquent child support payments. Page's staff, which included the largest number of research assistants in AU's history, compiled data on 40,000 delinquent child support cases and received interest judgments of more than $50 million for the clients of the state Department of Human Resources.
Page earned his doctorate from the University of Georgia in 1981. Before
coming to Auburn, he was on the faculty at Virginia Tech and the
University of Central Florida.
Henderson named to Scharnagel Professorship
Johnny Henderson has been selected by the College of Sciences and Mathematics as the first Marguerite Scharnagel Professor of Mathematical Sciences.
Henderson, an AU faculty member since 1984 and a full professor since 1990, is the second Sciences and Mathematics faculty member to be honored with a Scharnagel professorship. Last year, Marie Wooten was chosen as the Scharnagel Professor of Biological Sciences.
Henderson's Scharnagel professorship extends through 2003. Wooten's extends through 2002.
"Professor Henderson has distinguished himself through his stimulating and enthusiastic instructional style, his thorough resolution of mathematical problems and his untiring service to the mathematical profession and Auburn University," said Stewart Schneller, dean of the college. "I am delighted with his selection and the honor it brings to the college and university and to the Scharnagel family."
Henderson said he owes the honor to the students and faculty members he has worked with in his tenure at Auburn.
Henderson, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska, is internationally recognized for his pioneering studies in higher order ordinary and functional differential equations. He has authored or co authored more than 160 scholarly papers.
Marguerite Eberhardt Scharnagel graduated from Auburn as one of four women in the class of 1920. For most of her career, she taught at Birmingham's Phillips High School.
Scharnagel died in 1997 at the age of 99. She left nearly $1 million to Auburn, part of which will endow three professorships in the College of Sciences and Mathematics.
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AU logo showing up in new, unusual places
As Auburn's licensing administrator, Susan Smith sees plenty of Tiger gear and apparel cross her desk for approval. It ranges from the routine T-shirts and caps to dancing toy gorillas adorned with an AU.
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How about "Aubie Flakes" cereal, "Tiger Swirl" ice cream or officially licensed burnt orange and navy paint that goes for about $25 a gallon. "Those are the most fun things going on," says Smith, who oversees Auburn's licensing program.
Annual royalties from the sale of hundreds of different types of merchandise displaying AU-licensed trademarks generate about $700,000 a year. The money is divided equally between academic and athletic scholarships. Most of the products that Smith scrutinizes are apparel items, collectibles, toys, etc. That's why the breakfast flakes, ice cream and the paint have spiced up her fall.
PLB Sports is producing "Aubie Flakes," a frosted flakes breakfast product that is also being made for 10 other schools. Edy's Grand Ice Cream is making the limited edition Tiger Swirl, which is described as "chocolate and caramel ice creams and swirls of caramel with caramel-filled chocolaty footballs." Both food products are expected to be on the market by mid-September, says Smith.
The burnt orange and navy paint in satin and semigloss -- produced by Atlanta-based Castle Sports -- will soon be available exclusively at Home Depot stores. Castle Sports also produces upscale apparel for women and children.
Smith says non-apparel items are keeping licensing revenues up this year. "Snow globes -- I've got three of them -- are really hot this year," she said. "It's those kinds of things that are hot. Collegiate apparel is just not hot like it has been because we're competing so heavily with Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Gap, FUBU -- the brand names."
Book examines world role of U.S. agriculture
Curtis Jolly, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, is co-editor of the newly published book Competition in Agriculture: The United States in the World Market.
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The book was edited in collaboration with Dale Colyer, Lynn Kennedy, William Amponsah and Stanley Fletcher, all of whom are agricultural economists from Southern land-grant universities and members of the Southern Regional Agricultural Trade Research group.
This book is a synthesis of research carried out under successive Southern Regional Research Committees on international trade in agricultural commodities and by other research economists at land-grant universities in the United States. Jolly coordinated the sections on the pork, food processing industries and miscellaneous crops, and together with Professor Dale Colyer from West Virginia University he wrote the last chapter on Findings and Implications. The book was published by the Food Products Press of the Haworth Press.
Bilgili honored for service to poultry science
Sacit F. Bilgili, Extension poultry scientist and a professor in AU's Department of Poultry Science, received two awards in August at the joint meeting of the Poultry Science Association and the 21st World's Poultry Congress in Montreal, Canada.
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Bilgili, a member of the Auburn faculty since 1985, received the Poultry Science Association's Extension Award, sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health, in recognition of distinguished service to the U.S. poultry industry. He also received the World's Poultry Science Association's Education Award, sponsored by the WPSA Netherands branch, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the poultry industry.
Bigili was one of 10 AU faculty and five graduate students attending the meetings. The Auburn delegation was headed by Poultry Science Professor Ed Moran, president of the Poultry Science Association for 2000.
LaTour, Ball honored by their alma maters
Michael LaTour, a faculty member in AU's College of Business, has received a Distinguished Alumni Award for 2000 from Boise State University, and Don Ball, AU Alumni Professor of agronomy and Alabama Cooperative Extension System agronomist, will be inducted into Western Kentucky University's Hall of Distinguished Alumni in October.
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LaTour received a marketing degree from Boise State in 1978 and an MBA in 1981. He later earned his Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi. Torchmark Professor of Marketing at AU, LaTour is one of the top 12 researchers nationally in the field of advertising , according to a recent study. Also, in 1998, LaTour received the Alabama Association for Higher Education in Business Award for Excellence and Professional Contributions, an award given to only one business faculty from the four-year institutions in Alabama.
LaTour was among the three leaders in business, government and academe honored by Boise State with the university Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award. The program has honored 39 Boise State alumni since it began in 1988.
Ball, who holds a master's degree and a doctorate in agronomy from Auburn, has been an Extension agronomist for ACES since 1976 and has statewide responsibility for Extension educational programs concerning forage crops. His work with forage crops is recognized both nationally and internationally.
Ball's first book, Southern Forages, is used in coursework at more than 50 colleges and universities. It has been translated into Polish and Chinese, and plans are under way to translate it into Spanish. He is the author of more than 400 magazine and trade-journal articles and more than 200 Extension information articles.
Auburn authors Atkins, Dorsey returning to campus
Auburn alumni Ace Atkins and Tim Dorsey will be on campus this month to sign copies of their latest books.
Atkins, a former AU football player, will be in the AU Bookstore in Haley Center on Saturday, Sept. 16, before Auburn's football game with Louisiana State University. Atkins will sign copies of his latest book, Leavin' Trunk Blues: A Nick Travers Mystery, from 1-5 p.m.
On Sept. 20, former Auburn Plainsman editor Tim Dorsey will return to campus to discuss and sign copies of his latest novel, Hammerhead Ranch Motel. Dorsey will be in the AU Bookstore from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Visits by both authors are sponsored by the AU Bookstore and AU's Center for the Arts and Humanities.
Biologist to discuss her battle with cancer
Biologist Sandra Steingraber, who has used her personal battle against cancer to expose environmental contamination, will on Sept. 18 inaugurate the 2000-2001 Littleton Franklin Lectures in Science and Humanities at Auburn University.
Steingraber will speak at 4 p.m. in the Dixon Conference Center auditorium. She will also speak to AU classes on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
Following her diagnosis with bladder cancer at the age of 20 and influenced by her many relatives' battles with cancer, Steingraber has spent her life working in the area of environmental biology and writing.
With a doctoral degree in biological sciences and a master's degree in English and creative writing, she researched and wrote the widely acclaimed book, Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment.
York lecturer to examine issues in foods research
C. S. Prakash, director of the Center for Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University, will discuss issues related to foods research as the featured speaker of the E.T. York Distinguished Lecture Series on Sept. 20.
Prakash will speak at 7:30 p.m. at the Dixon Conference Center auditorium.
A professor in plant molecular genetics at Tuskegee, Prakash oversees research on food crops of importance to developing countries and the training of scientists and students in plant biotechnology. His work is aimed at enhancing societal acceptance of biotechnology in food and agriculture around the world.
Moran to present reading on Sept. 18
Pat Moran, a faculty member at Oregon State University, will discuss her book on the transformational power of death on Sept. 18 at AU's Center for the Arts and Humanities. Moran will read from her book, Perfectly Still: A Journey Through the Heart of Loss to Love, at 4 p.m. at Pebble Hill.
AUALL celebrates 10th anniversary
The AU Academy for Lifelong Learners will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a community open house at the Dixon Conference Center on Wednesday, Sept. 13.
AUALL organizes study groups and other learning opportunities for retirees and other interested participants of all ages. Study groups meet weekly during academic terms and have special programs in the summer. Members also participate in study/travel opportunities and special lectures.
The open house begins with coffee and exhibits at 8:30 a.m. A 10 a.m. general meeting includes a pictorial presentation on AUALL's first 10 years and a panel discussion on the program's future.
Logue to speak on life at Southern Living
Retired Southern Living magazine executive John Logue will give a behind-the scenes look at the publishing industry when he visits Auburn on Sept 26 to discuss his new book.
Logue, an Auburn graduate who for nearly 25 years directed the Southern
lifestyles magazine and its book division, Oxmoor House, will speak at 4
p.m. at Pebble Hill, the home of the AU Center for the Arts and Humanities.
His book, Life at Southern Living: A Sort of Memoir, is written with
retired editor Gary McCalla, gives an inside look at the popular magazine.
Campus Roundup
Aerobics classes combine
The aerobics class for faculty and staff has been combined with the
students' class. The combined sessions will be in the Student Activities
Building from 5-6 p.m. each Monday-Thursday. Participants are reminded
to bring a towel and ID card.
"Cottage Architecture" on display
The best design projects of a caretaker's cottage by more than 80 student
architects is on display in Biggin Gallery through Sept. 15. The work
featured the development of a caretaker's cottage for the Black
Freedmen's Living Historical Farm for Children in rural Wilcox County.
BC/BS representative on campus
AU's Blue Cross/Blue Shield representative will be on campus in Ingram
212 from 10 a.m.-noon, Sept. 12, to meet with faculty and staff who have
questions or need assistance concerning their BC/BS insurance coverage.
No appointment is necessary.
Test scoring/scanning service relocated
The Office of Information Technology's Test Scoring/Scanning Service in
Tichenor Hall, Room 120, will be relocated to Parker 145, on Sept. 18.
This relocation will enable OIT to provide 24-hour drop off/pickup for
Test Scoring/Scanning. The normal business hours for the
Testing/Scoring Service will remain the same. To contact the Test
Scoring Service, phone 844-4512.
Campus Views: Land-grant mission remains central to AU
By Auburn University President William Muse
"Owing much to the past, Auburn's mission makes it debt ever to the future."
Those words are emblazoned on an Alabama Historical Association marker on the Auburn campus, and, in my view, capture the essence of the university's land-grant mission in the new millennium.
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When I became president of Auburn eight years ago, I noted in my inaugural address that Auburn had remained true to the land-grant mission first established in the United States by the Morrill Act in 1862. It is with that mission in mind that AU has been restructuring its programs and resources to more fully respond to the needs of the State of Alabama.
One of the programs that emerged in this process is called our "Peaks of Excellence."
Our Board of Trustees' approval and the university's implementation of that program, however, has been misinterpreted by some to mean that Auburn's future focus will be too narrow.
That is not the case. The candidate programs for Peaks of Excellence were
judged on two key criteria:
* The programs had to be of sufficient strength and quality to achieve
national and international recognition.
* The programs had to match emerging state and national needs,
especially those that would have significant impact on the quality of life
and economic development in our state and region.
With those guidelines, the administration, trustees and faculty agreed that we should proceed to grant additional funding to Peaks of Excellence in aquaculture, poultry science, biological sciences, detection and food safety, transportation, information technology, and forestry. Other areas also are being considered as additional "Peaks."
The rationale for the Peaks of Excellence approach is relatively straightforward and it has been employed by most universities that now rank among the best in our nation. To be seen as a university of national stature academically, a university has to have some programs that rank among the very best in their particular discipline.
That ranking, we know, is highly influenced by the quantity and quality of research conducted and by the reputation of its graduate programs. Even a few programs with a high ranking will raise the overall stature of the university. Obviously, the more programs that are nationally ranked, the stronger the reputation becomes.
If we are successful in this effort, all of us at Auburn will benefit. Not only will the faculty both in and outside the Peaks of Excellence programs benefit, but our current and future students will profit by having degrees from a university with an enhanced academic reputation.
Certainly, Auburn is not now nor does it plan to impose limits on its operations by a narrow definition of the land-grant mission through the Peaks of Excellence initiative. Auburn should have strong professional schools, with the programs it offers being largely determined by the state's needs and demands for each profession. It is important to recognize that a land-grant university must have a strong liberal arts program because it provides the foundation upon which entry into virtually every professional school is based. The original land-grant legislation called for universities with both a liberal and a practical focus.
Most land-grant universities are comprehensive universities, with the breadth of their program offerings being largely determined by the needs of the constituencies they serve and the resources that are available. And so it is with Auburn in the year 2000.
If it remains true to its mission, Auburn can be an important partner in
the future development of our state.
Unsung Hero: Regina McGinty, Sciences and Mathematics
This week's Unsung Hero is Regina W. McGinty, administrative office associate in the dean's office of the College of Sciences and Mathematics. She has been at AU for 13 years and in her current job for four years. She was asked:
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What do you do in your current job? "My current job is to oversee the Department of Student Services in the Dean's Office."
What is the most rewarding part of your job? "The most rewarding part of my job is the satisfaction of having an organized and smoothly run student services department and meeting the needs of students, staff and faculty. I also love the diversity of students and I've made some wonderful friends."
What is the most challenging part of your job? "The most challenging part of my job is keeping on top of the changes in university policy."
If you were not doing this job, what would you most like to do? "I would love to work with international students in some aspect of university life."
What makes Auburn special? "I have grown up around Auburn so it's almost like my hometown and Auburn University has come a long way as an academic institution."
What was your first impression of Auburn University? "Auburn University is SO BIG!
How has that impression changed? "It's big, but after working here for 13 years, I feel more comfortable with its size."
What words best describe Auburn as a work environment, learning environment or just a place to be? "Exciting and never a dull moment!"
What do you like to do when not at work? "Listen to music, play the piano and enjoy my family."
What person or persons do you most admire and why? "I most admire the people I work with at COSAM. They are wonderful, Christian people who genuinely care about the students at Auburn. They have taught me a lot about discipline and dedication at work and in life."
What is your favorite line from the Auburn Creed and why? "'I believe in my country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home and that I can best serve that country by doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with my God.' That is my favorite line because I know there is a lot wrong with this country, but this country IS still my home and based on that Bible Scripture, God can make a difference in my country and in me!"
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AU Report
Editor: Roy Summerford. Contributing editors: Bob Lowry, Janet McCoy and
David Granger. |