Editor: Roy Summerford. Contributing editors: Bob Lowry, Janet McCoy and David Granger.
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
Note: Observant readers of the hardcopy version of the AU Report will catch an error in copy accompanying the How AU Stacks Up column on page 1. Due to a mental "typo," definitions for mean (average) and median (midpoint) were incorrectly transposed.
As readers of the web version, you are spared that mistake.
A major part of the AU administration's longrange plan to improve the university's competitive position was called into question Friday by members of the Board of Trustees.
A plan to raise tuition to the regional average for doctoral-granting institutions in the Southeast was put on hold Friday by the AU Board of Trustees.
Meeting in Montgomery, the board tabled further consideration of the proposed 7.6
pecent tuition increase until its April 3 session after members questioned the size of the proposed increase. Members also tied their support for tuition increases to cuts in programs.
Under the proposed increase, starting fall quarter, in-state students would pay $920 for 10 to 15 credit hours, an increase of $65. Out-of-state students would pay $2,760, an increase of $195.
The proposal also called for other fees for graduate and undergraduate students at the Auburn campus will to go up 7.6 percent.
Under the proposal, tuition and fees for Auburn University-Montgomery undergraduate students would go up 6.68 percent, and AUM's graduate students would pay 5 percent more.
The board delayed consideration of the proposed tuition and fee increases after members Lowell Barron of Fyffe, Bobby Lowder of Montgomery and Jimmy Samford of Opelika questioned the policy behind the proposals.
AU President William Muse said the administration was following a longrange plan endorsed by the board last summer. The plan was based on recommendations of the 21st Century Commission, he noted.
"We are simply acting on a longterm plan that we thought we had in place," Muse said.
Part of the plan calls for tuition to increase annually until it reaches the regional average for doctoral institutions. Tuition is now at 88 percent of the average.
AU students paid the regional average for tuition in the early 1980s, but tuition since then has increased less at Auburn than at the majority of major Southern universities.
The increases were proposed as part of the plan to improve the university's financial and competitive position through annual increases in tuition and state financial support and through debt reduction, program reviews and operating efficiencies.
Barron, a state senator from DeKalb County, said he is concerned that Auburn could become too expensive for students from low- and middle-income families. He said the average income for Alabamians is projected to increase by 4.5 percent this year, which would be less than the proposed rate of the tuition increase.
"I would like to see us be sensitive to the students and parents who have to pay these increases," Barron said.
If the increase is approved at the April 3 session, tuition at Auburn is expected to remain at least 10 percent below the regional average, as other institutions raise tuition to offset higher operating costs.
In an attempt to move closer to the regional average, the proposed AU increase is higher than the 6.1 percent projected for the region by the Southern Regional Education Board.
The SREB numbers compare Auburn to the one or two largest public universities in each state across the South. Auburn competes against those institutions for students, faculty, research dollars and national academic standing.
Among those institutions, Auburn is in the bottom third in terms of tuition as a percentage of median family income for their states.
Board members Lowder and Samford urged the administration to focus on program cuts rather than tuition increases to improve the university's financial picture. Muse noted that the program review committee is scheduled to make its report in mid-March.
In other action, the board:
€ Authorized the administration to seek proposals for replacement of the football team's indoor practice facility. The $1.5 million structure will replace the inflated "Bubble" that was destroyed in a winter storm in 1993.
€ Approved rate increases averaging 2.5 percent for university housing, effective next fall. Increases will range from $15 to $35 per quarter. Rates will not go up, however, for those paying the family occupancy rate in Carolyn Draughon Village, nor for residents in CDV Extension apartments and in unrenovated quadrangle dorms.
€ Authorized renovation of quadrangle residence halls 7 and 8, Lane and Lupton halls. The renovation will be the fourth of five phases since 1994 in efforts to upgrade the 10 women's dormitories. The quadrangle dormitories, which are near the center
of campus, date from the 1930s and '40s.
Renovation of Lane and Lupton halls near the south end of the quadrangle is slated for completion by August 1999.
€ Approved a licensing agreement with the University Club Group for use of the university's name in connection with a privately financed golf course to be built two miles north of campus off Donahue Drive. The AU golf team will use the course as its training facility. The developers cleared a hurdle that had delayed previous action by agreeing to share with the university income collected from sale of lots surrounding the course.
Program designated AU Honors College
Auburn will be the first university in Alabama with its own honors college, following action Friday by the AU Board of Trustees.
"This program is a major factor in attracting top-flight students to the university," said AU President William Muse.
Although the proposal to designate Auburn's honors program as the AU Honors College was submitted for later consideration, board members said they liked the idea enough to proceed immediately with the designation.
Bill Gwin, director of the honors program, says redesignating the program as the AU Honors College will give honors studies at Auburn greater visibility, aid student recruitment and help attract private funding sources .
"The change to an honors college is an easy way to give Auburn a significant distinction among Alabama colleges and universities," Gwin said. "This is an effective, easy and inexpensive way to differentiate Auburn from other institutions in the state and it is something we can do now without having to wait for additional resources. Auburn can set the pace, rather than follow, by being the first to have an honors college in the state and gain the benefits."
Approximately 560 students are enrolled in the AU Honors College, which has existed under other names since 1979. Eligibility for the AU program requires an ACT score of 29 or higher or an SAT score of 1280 or more, a 3.5 high school GPA and some demonstr ation of leadership in high school.
The requirements for admission into the AU honors program are on a par with most schools in the region. But the percentage of AU honors students on scholarship pales in comparison to those same schools. The University of Georgia has 1,700 students in thei r honors program -- all on scholarship.
All of the 850 honors students at the University of South Carolina and the 270 at the University of Mississippi, both of which have honors colleges, are on scholarship. At Auburn, only 55 percent of the students enrolled in the honors program are on schol arship.
"The Auburn University Honors College will complete the design and gain us even more advantages -- greater prestige, more visibility and probably more external support -- and, again, at no cost. If we can add other advantages such as computers, inexpensiv e Internet connections and more scholarships and classes, we can establish a significant recruiting edge for the 21st century," said Gwin.
Board rejects plan to put museum on hillside near Draughon Library
Planners for an art museum at Auburn went back to the drawing board following the AU Board of Trustees rejection Friday of a proposal to place the museum near the library.
The board turned down a recommendation by the architect and art museum building committee to place the $3.5 million-$5 million facility on a wooded hillside at the corner of College Street and Roosevelt Avenue.
The rejected site, south of Draughon Library is between the library parking deck and the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house.
The committee recommended the site near the library after consulting with the project's architects, Gresham, Smith & Partners. The board in 1996 originally approved a site across campus at the southwest corner of Wire Road and Samford Avenue, but the boa
rd reopened the site selection process after questions arose about the remoteness of the Wire Road site from other academic facilities.
Taylor Littleton, co-chair of the building committee, said the College Street site would have provided convenient and highly visible access for visitors by foot or auto. Sites away from the central campus would discourage patrons from visiting the museum , he said.
Littleton said the College Street site, besides encouraging walk-in visits by students and faculty, would provide ample parking for alumni and other visitors at the Alumni Center and the AU Hotel and Conference Center.
Responding to questions about encroachment on the library's "green space,"
Littleton said the relatively small scale of the building, an attractive design and careful landscaping could make the area even more attractive than at present.
The art museum will be financed through private gifts from alumni and friends of the university, including the Fuller E. Callaway Foundation, which has contributed $1 million toward the project.
Once a site is found and construction proceeds, the facility will house AU's historic collection of modern art that was purchased for less than $2,000 from the U.S. Department of State in 1947, and is now valued at several million dollars.
The collection includes works by such internationally noted artists as Georgia O'Keefe, Ben Shahn and Jacob Lawrence. Those works are now on loan to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
The new museum's gallery will also house Auburn's rare collection of Audubon prints and a collection of valuable works painted by the late nationally prominent AU artist Maltby Sykes.
The museum will also showcase traveling displays of artworks that now bypass the university.
Budget may gain focus this week
AU's governmental affairs director says state funding for AU next year could start coming into focus this week in the Alabama Legislature.
The House Ways and Means Committee postponed until Wednesday consideration of the state education budget to give Gov. Fob James a second chance to submit a balanced budget for 1998-99. Those numbers will form a starting point for the Legislature's alloc ation of funds for next year, noted AU Governmental Affairs Director Buddy Mitchell.
"We should by now have at least some idea about the budget numbers, but the governor's first budget left things so confused, Ways and Means didn't even want to touch it," Mitchell said.
The Legislature is expected to produce its own spending plan, but the governor's budget usually provides a starting point, Mitchell noted. James withdrew his budget after Retirement Systems of Alabama administrators challenged his attempt to reduce the s tate's contribution to retirement accounts to a level they said would endanger the retirement system.
In his state-of-the-state address James proposed a 3 percent increase in spending for higher education and an 8.5 percent increase for employees. AU is seeking an 8 percent increase in funding, with employee pay raises as the top priority, although the a mount of raises will depend on funds allocated.
The university is also seeking to retain an as-yet undetermined share of funds normally paid into the state teachers retirement system. The RSA, through a change in accounting, will reduce its collections by about $250 million per year for approximately five years, but authorities are still trying to assess the impact and limitations of the windfall.
Officials at AU and other state institutions are trying to clarify what happens to funding commitments for pay raises once the windfall is gone.
After three years of funding cuts and level funding, many legislators have pledged to work for better funding for higher education this year. But Mitchell said the budget picture is more muddled this year than in any year in recent history.
Brinker to head AU School of Forestry
Extension Forestry Specialist Richard W. Brinker has been named dean of the AU School of Forestry, effective April 1.
Brinker has 15 years experience in forestry education and extension, preceded by 11 years professional experience in the forestry industry. He succeeds Emmett Thompson, who is retiring after 14 years as the only dean in the history of the AU School of Fo restry.
In announcing the appointment, AU Provost Paul Parks cited Brinker's record of accomplishment with the School of Forestry and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and widespread support from within the forestry industry.
"Dr. Brinker is a great teacher and a very effective leader of Extension programs in forestry," Parks said. "We have also been very impressed with the strong support he has with forestry leaders in the region and state and the close working relationship s he has with the industry.
"Given his record and the contributions he has made to the School of Forestry, we think he is the best qualified candidate to lead the school as it continues to develop into one of the country's finest forestry schools," said Parks.
Brinker joined the AU and ACES faculty in 1988, after earning a Ph.D. in forestry from Louisiana State University, from which he earned a bachelor's degree in forestry in 1970.
He also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi. He was a research assistant at LSU for five years before coming to Auburn.
The Auburn faculty member was named Extension Forester of the Year for the Southeastern U.S. in 1997 by the Forest Landowners Association.
Brinker was instrumental in developing and teaching an award-winning course on business management practices to more than 1,400 professional loggers in Alabama.
He also teaches courses in forestry to undergraduate and graduate students as part of the school's curriculum and has participated with other AU faculty in research on management of natural resources and other studies under sponsorship of the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies.
A colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Brinker served with the Army in the Middle East during the Gulf War in 1990-91.
A committee headed by June Henton, dean of AU's School of Human Sciences, conducted the search which led to the selection of Brinker.
Parks said one priority was to build upon a reputation for strong forestry programs established under Thompson, who has been dean since 1984, when the School of Forestry was established. Previously, forestry programs had been a part of the College of Agr iculture for several decades.
"Dean Thompson has brought the school to the point where it is already a very fine program, and Dr. Brinker has shown that he can provide the leadership to continue the progress," said Parks.
In recent years, the school has attracted increased support from industry with added emphasis on environmentally sensitive natural resources management and conservation practices in its education of professional foresters and forest engineers.
Brinker said he sees good prospects for the future of forestry education at Auburn.
"This is a relatively new and small school but it has a big impact on the education of professional foresters," he said. "We have a vibrant, active faculty and a lot of support from the forest industry."
News anchor heads list of speakers, activities for Black History Month
An address by Ed Gordon, anchor for the Saturday edition of "Internight," a one hour talk and interview program on MSNBC, will highlight Auburn's celebration of Black History Month in February.
Gordon, who is daytime anchor for MSNBC and is a contributing correspondent for "Dateline NBC" and "Today," will speak about "Images in the News Media" Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in the AU Conference Center Auditorium. A reception will follow in Ballroom B.
"Mr. Gordon will speak to students about the opportunities they have for advancing in today's society," said Daryl Hale, assistant director for minority advancement.
Several other events will take place in AU's celebration of Black History Month including:
€ An appearance by baseball legend Hank Aaron Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Student Activity Building. Aaron, whose appearance will be sponsored by the University Program Council, will talk about behind-the-scenes baseball management and his journey from
prejudice to honor, said Shannon Magers of the UPC.
€ Sickle Cell Awareness Week, sponsored by the National Panhellenic Council and the Black Student Union, Feb. 2-6. Pamphlets and other information on the disease will be available on the Haley Center Concourse, where donations may be made to the Sic
kle Cell Foundation, said Kelly Taylor, president of NPHC.
The council will host a dinner, open to the public, at Niffer's Place on Feb. 3. The restaurant will donate 5 percent of its net sales from that day to the Sickle Cell Foundation, Taylor said.
€ Author Velma Maia Thomas, will sign copies of her book, Lest We Forget the Passage From Africa to Slavery and Emancipation, Feb. 23 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the AU Bookstore. Thomas created the book from a Black Holocaust Exhibit she put together
from slavery-related records, papers and memoirs.
€ AU Bookstore will also have its annual book display every February weekday from 7:45 a.m.- 4:45 p.m.
The display is expected to include books and other materials about black history and civil rights by Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, Toni Morrison, Iyanla Vanzant, Angela Davis, Cornel West and E. Lynn Harris and others, said Margaret Hendricks, the boo
kstore's trade book manager.
€ Kevin Powell, the first black man on MTV's the "Real World," will speak Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Foy Union Ballroom. Powell's appearance will be sponsored by the Black Student Union.
€ Also in connection with the month's activities, the BSU will sponsor a talent show Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Foy Union Ballroom.
AU's Hansen receives grant to write history for NASA
James Hansen of the AU Department of History has received a two-year contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to prepare a history of American aerodynamics.
The $260,000 contract will allow Hansen to collect more than 150 key documents, to date unpublished, from libraries, government repositories, industry archives and other private and public records centers to chronicle the development of aerodynamics in th e United States from the Wright brothers to the present.
AU Provost Paul Parks said the contract "acknowledges the national and indeed the international reputation of Auburn's aerospace history studies. It also recognizes the quality of Auburn's faculty."
After the material is collected, Hansen will write essays to introduce and explain the documents. "The book will tell a story through the documents," he said.
"I'll help it along by making sure the readers know what the documents are and what they signify.
"We will comb through archives from the West coast to the East," said Hansen, who researches the history of technology and the impact of technology on society.
The contract has allowed Hansen to hire three AU doctoral students who are completing dissertations on related topics.
"NASA was pleased that it was also helping three graduate students finish their educations so they themselves can become contributors to the study of aerospace history," said Hansen.
Hansen and members of the team have started collecting data, with members of the research team traveling to the California Institute of Technology, Washington D.C., the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery and several NASA facilities.
Hansen, an Alumni Professor of History at AU, has stepped down as chair of the Department of History to accept the contract.
"I did not think I could do both well, and felt it was important for Auburn to be a part of this project," he said.
"Moreover, the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers flight is coming up in just a few years (2003) and I am really getting ready to participate in the celebration."
The contract does not release Hansen from his teaching duties, although it does pay a summer salary.
For seven years, Hansen spent summers at the NASA Langley Research Center's history office working on a history of that Center.
His book Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center From Sputnik to Apollo won the Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award for 1996, which recognizes the outstanding book each year serving public understanding about the impact of astronaut ics upon society and its potential.
GM vice president to address classes in College of Business
Ronald Zarella, vice president in charge of General Motors' North American vehicle sales, service and marketing, will be the Lowder Visiting Executive in the Auburn University College of Business on Feb. 4-5.
Zarella, who is credited with helping GM regain its competitive position in the auto industry, will participate in a roundtable discussion with marketing students in a case study of GM on Feb. 4.
On Feb. 5, Zarella will speak to students in two graduate classes -- History of Economic Thought and Economics of Regulation. Following a reception with faculty, staff and students, he will give a general address to business students at 11 a.m., in Room 1 13 of the Lowder Business Building.
After a luncheon hosted by Wayne Alderman, dean of the College of Business, Zarella will conclude his visit with a roundtable discussion with faculty and graduate students.
During his two-day visit, GM will demonstrate an electric car as part of a "ride and drive experience" for AU faculty, staff and students.
Zarella earned a B.S. degree in engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1971 and a master's degree in business administration from New York University in 1978.
He began his career with Bristol Meyers Co., in 1971 and later became president, chief operation officer and a member of the board of directors of Bausch & Lomb. He joined GM in December 1994.
Under Zarella's guidance, GM now boasts $5 billion in profit on revenue of more than $164 billion. The company spent $6 billion in 1997 to launch a fleet of 16 new vehicles.
GM brands include Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Saturn. The international operations also carry the nameplates of Opel, Vauxhall, Holden, Isuzu and Saab. Other GM enterprises include GMAC Financial Services, Allison Transmission , GM Service Parts Operations and GM Locomotive Group.
GM employs more than 647,000 people worldwide.
The Robert and Charlotte Lowder Visiting Executive-in-Residence program provides students and faculty with an opportunity to interact with prominent executives for an open exchange of views on current issues and to gain insight into the business world.
The program is made possible through an endowment by Robert and Charlotte Lowder of Montgomery. Lowder, a graduate of the AU College of Business and a member of the AU Board of Trustees, is chief executive officer of Colonial BancGroup.
Ad campaign, athletic brochure win awards
AU has won an award of excellence and an award of merit from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, District III, for promotional efforts in 1997.
CASE District III is the primary professional association for alumni, development and public relations staff members at educational institutions in the Southeast from Virginia to Louisiana.
The awards, which will be presented at the District III annual conference in Orlando, Fla., in February, recognize the university's statewide institutional advertising program with an award of excellence and the "Tigers Unlimited" brochure for athletic de velopment with an award of merit. The Office of Alumni, Development and University Relations played a pivotal role in both activities.
AU president William Muse launched the advertising campaign last spring as part of a larger effort to communicate the university's impact on the average Alabamian. The campaign came as the governor and legislature were preparing a third consecutive year of funding cuts and level funding for higher education.
Lewis Advertising of Birmingham developed the campaign, with coordination and assistance from the Office of University Relations. The campaign featured television and newspaper advertisements in selected Alabama cities and billboards on interstates leadin g into Montgomery.
The Auburn Alumni Association and the Auburn University Foundation financed most of the campaign.
The "Tigers Unlimited" brochure was produced by Development Office staff members Dara Kloss, Kimberly Hassett and Alicia Hunter of Athletic Development, with design by Art Department faculty member Ross Heck and photography by Hassett and Jeff Etheridge o f AU Photo Services.The brochure was used by the Athletic Development unit to promote the Tigers Unlimited athletic ticket priority program with supporters of AU athletics.
Co-op director predicts semesters will boost students' prospects
The change to a semester system in fall 2000 should benefit Auburn's cooperative education program by making it more compatible with employers' hiring schedules, says co-op director Kim Durbin.
"Switching to semesters is going to put us more in line with the large number of institutions that are already using it," he said. "The word that we are getting from employers is that it will also be more compatible with their hiring schedules."
Students on a co-op program alternate between school terms of attending class and working. Under the quarter system, students work during winter and summer, and attend class during fall and spring, or vice versa.
"What we are hoping to achieve with the semester system is to have students alternating, one academic term at school and one academic term at work," Durbin said.
"Students generally prefer to work in the summer, but under the semester system, students actually will end up working a summer, a spring and a fall semester. This will facilitate a more balanced program."
Durbin said other advantages the semester system will bring to the co-op program are:
€ All administrative events such as mailings, student interviews and employer recruiting will take place three times per year instead of four;
€ Students will move fewer times on the semester system. Students move a minimum of eight times under the quarter system. On semesters, they will move a minimum of six times.
€ Longer work periods as a result of the longer semester term could result in more challenging and rewarding work assignments for students.
€ There will be more time between the busy enrollment and employee-student interviewing periods, thus enabling more efficient program planning.
The co-op program can function successfully on either the quarter or semester system, said Durbin, but employers cannot mix quarter and semester students effectively.
"The rest of the world is moving to the semester system," he added. "If Auburn doesn't change, we will be out of sync with the rest of the world, and Auburn students will not be the ones getting the jobs."
NSO to perform work by Robert Greenleaf during Alabama tour
When the National Symphony Orchestra tours Alabama next month during its 1998 American Residency program, it will perform a composition written by Auburn University music professor Robert Greenleaf.
During its 10-day tour, the symphony selected to perform Celebration, written by Greenleaf and originally performed last fall by the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
During the tour, the symphony will perform about 150 events, from entire orchestral events to one-person programs at elementary schools, civic halls and universities.
On Friday, Feb. 13, the orchestra will perform at the Opelika Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, Feb. 15, a 10-member group will present a Chamber music performance at Auburn University's Goodwin Hall, also at 8 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Auburn Chamber Music Society.
The tour will also stop in Mobile, Dothan, Birmingham, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Gadsden and Decatur.
The National Symphony Orchestra American Residency program is a project of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts supported by the U.S. Department of Education, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts, with additional support for Alabama org anizations by Bell South.
Since its inception in 1992, six states have been visited as part of the American Residency program.
Greenleaf was commissioned by a Birmingham couple to write Celebration to commemorate the rebirth of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
"Celebration is a work modeled on a traditional symphonic framework in which themes are presented, developed and restated," he said. "I attempted to feature all of the sections in the orchestra and at the same time have them compliment one another.
"The spirit of the piece is upbeat and happy in keeping with the celebratory and joyful nature of this most special occasion."
AU Center co-sponsors literary series
Alabama Voices III, a statewide series bringing Alabama writers and scholars to communities for public readings and discussions on literature, begins a new series this year in eight Alabama cities.
Alabama Voices III is sponsored by AU's Center for the Arts and Humanities, the Alabama Writers' Forum and the Alabama African-American Arts Alliance. It is funded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts.
The programs will be in Montgomery, Mobile, Florence, Hoover, Opelika and Bay Minette. Meetings earlier this month were in Homewood and Haleyville.
Funded by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the programs feature eight noted writers in conversations with literature scholars and public audiences, said Jay Lamar, assistant director of the Center for the Arts and Humanities.
"During the past two years of the series, Alabama Voices showed us that people in the state appreciate a chance to gather together and talk directly with writers, scholars and other readers about literature," she said.
"The combination of scholars and writers and citizens allows everyone to learn as they explore together the complexity of the human condition and the artist's impulse to represent it."
Programs in East-Central Alabama include:
€ Montgomery, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Howard Auditorium. The program will feature John Henrik Clarke, who has edited or written more than 20 books, including Marcus Garvey and the Vision of Africa, Malcol
m X: The Man and His Times and American Negro Short Stories.
Clarke is the author of more than 50 short stories and numerous articles on American history, politics and culture. He is the co-founder of Harlem Quarterly. His lecture is co-sponsored by the Alabama African-American Arts Alliance, the city of Union Spr
ings and the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
€ Opelika, April 14, at 4 p.m. at the Thomas Cooper Memorial Library, with children's book author and poet Charles Ghinga. His children's books include Tickle Day: Poems from Father Goose, Riddle Rhymes and Good Cats Bad Cats, Good Dogs Bad Dogs. His talk is co-sponsored by the Thomas Cooper Memorial Library.
Airline donates training device to AU program
Auburn's Aviation Management students will soon get "hands-on" experience in aircraft cockpit procedures, a vital part of their training, through a training unit donated to the university by American Airlines.
The trainer, which was used by American Airlines to train its DC-10 pilots, came to Auburn from American's flight academy in Fort Worth, Texas. Roland Desjardins, American's director of commercial flight operations, was instrumental in making the donation possible.
"I'm familiar with Auburn since I've been a trustee of the University Aviation Association, which is headquartered there," Desjardins said. "I'm familiar with the school's reputation in the industry and so when this unit became available for donation, I contacted the people at Auburn to begin the process."
"Having this unit will greatly enhance our ability to teach the students about jet aircraft power plants and systems," said Bob Ripley, an AU associate professor of Aerospace Engineering. "Using the CPT will allow students to gain some hands-on experienc e in various procedures necessary to operate these types of aircraft."
Retirement planning expert warns against scare tactics
Consumers are often being misled with current retirement planning advice furnished by industry experts, says an Auburn University financial counselor.
Fred Waddell, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, says he's becoming "increasingly alarmed" by the misinformation being offered by financial magazines and by the financial services industry.
"This industry is spending millions of dollars every year spreading the myth that people will need at least a million dollars for a financially secure retirement," said Waddell, a money management specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.< P> "The financial planning industry has a vested interest in making people believe that they will need more money than they actually will," he said. "They are engaging in fear selling."
Waddell says many people in the industry are using "false figures and assumptions to scare or motivate people into saving more money. But the opposite effect is happening. It's frightening people away and they say, 'Why bother?'"
He said the most recent information being offered is that people need 70 percent of their pre-retirement income to live comfortably after retirement.
"That's just nonsense," Waddell says. "I know people living quite well on 50 to 60 percent of their pre-retirement income."
He contends many expenses for retirees -- mortgage, transportation, clothing, entertainment and even savings -- actually decrease.
"The only major expenses that will increase for retired persons are medical expenses, but even this does not normally offset the significantly reduced expenses," said Waddell, who is the author of Money Mastery In Just Minutes A Day.
"Another distortion fostered by the industry is to base savings and investment plans on inflation projections ranging from 4 percent to 6 percent," he said.
"Since 1990, inflation has averaged less than 3 percent, and both the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget predict inflation to continue at about 3 percent or less through the year 2002."
"Even if a plan bases retirement income on 4 percent inflation, and inflation continues at 3 percent, the plan overestimates by one-third the amount of money that will be needed in retirement," Waddell said.
What's the best advice to give someone about saving: Start early.
"The amount of money a person should save isn't nearly as important as when to begin," he said. "It's very important to start early, as early as your 20s, even if you are only saving a tiny amount."
Durroh recognized by national organization
Latisha Durroh, marketing coordinator for Auburn's Graduate Outreach Office, has been named an Outstanding Young Woman of America.
The award -- presented by McLean, Va.-based Outstanding Young Americans -- recognizes professional achievement, leadership ability and service in the community.
Originally from Kennedy, Ala., Durroh has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Auburn. She has worked for the Graduate Outreach Office since April 1996.
Durroh has been engineering chairperson for the United Way and is an advisor for the Dunkin' Darlings, the hostesses for the Auburn basketball team.
Unsung Hero: Judy Edwards, Personnel Services
This week's Unsung Hero is Judy A. Edwards, executive secretary to AU Personnel Director Darwin Liverance. She has been with University Personnel Services for 10 years. She was asked:
I get the greatest satisfaction when... "I have been able to help an AU employee get the service that he or she is looking for from my department. Sometimes it is important just to listen to an individual's problem and then refer the employee to the nec essary resource. It is a pleasure and reward for me to work with the AU Employee Recognition program. One of the greatest opportunities to come my way has been to meet so many wonderful and diverse people who I call my friends as well as my co-workers."
In my job area, quality is measured by... "communications, organization, task completion, and benefit to the employee."
If I could change one thing about Auburn (or my job), it would be... "to ensure through continuous communications throughout the campus community that the needs of faculty and staff are met and issues resolved as they occur."
I've always wondered why... "no, where all the toilet paper comes from that ends up on Toomer's Corner after every Tiger win, but especially after the BIG wins. War Eagle!"
When people come to this campus, I want them to... "appreciate the total beauty of and feel a part of the Auburn Spirit."
In my spare time, I like to... "spend time with my family, especially my grandchildren, and my friends. I also like to travel, since we have family in several states. We are currently planning a trip to Izmir, Turkey, where our son is soon to be statio ned with the Air Force. It is exciting learning about different cultures and background.
Campus Roundup
Training Sessions for Libraries AUBIECat Set
AU Libraries will offering additional training sessions Jan. 27-30 for faculty and staff interested in learning the new software system AUBIECat. AUBIECat, which will allow users to access the libraries' on-line catalog files directly from the World Wide
Web, replaced LUIS. Sessions will be in the instruction laboratory on the second floor of Draughon Library at 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and at 3 p.m. on Friday. No registration is necessary. For more information or questions, call or e-mail Marcia Boosinger
at 844-1740 or boosiml@lib.auburn.edu.
University Computing updates available
University Computing offers the following updates: The latest version of WS_FTP (4.50 97.05.17) is available via the AU Install utility as part of the AUnet suite of network applications. For more information on AU Install see http://auinst.duc.auburn.
edu. A CD version of AU Install will be available soon. SYSM, the e-mail package on the IBM mainframe, will be removed from service December 1998. If you are an administrative user, DUC recommends switching to the GroupWise e-mail package. For personn
el wishing to convert from SYSM to GroupWise, the minimum requirements for an IBM compatible PC are: 486 Processor, 8 MB of RAM, Windows 3.X/95/NT. The minimum requirements for a Macintosh are:68040 or PPC Processor, 16 MB of RAM. For SYSM users unable t
o convert to GroupWise, DUC recommends the Pine e-mail package on the DUC Sun Network. For more information on establishing accounts for GroupWise or Pine please contact the DUC Accounts Administrator at 844-4512 or account@mail.auburn.edu.
CampusMCI Upgrades Access Speed
CampusMCI has announced that it will update its entire Internet platform to the X2 protocol nationwide this February. This upgrade will allow subscribers to have higher speed access to the Internet. For more information on dialup communication with Camp
usMCI contact Customer Service at 1-800-268-5571.
Research project seeks children, parents as volunteers
The Child Development Study Program in the Department of Psychology seeks volunteers for a study involving children, ages 6-12, and their parents. Participating parents will complete questionnaires, and the children will take part in one lab procedure.
Participants will be compensated up to $70 for their time and effort. Contact Mona El-Sheikh or graduate assistants at 844-6905.
Check Web for recycling trailer schedule
The recycling trailer schedule is now on the World Wide Web at http://www.auburn.edu/administration/iss/admin_services/facilities/trailer.html
Marriage & Family Therapy Center offers help
If you or your family are having marital, child, family or related problems, AU's Marriage and Family Therapy Center can help. Call 844-4478.
Spirit of Excellence
Spirit of Excellence winners for December were Elizabeth McCormick, manager, Payroll and Benefits; Scott Manley, facilities technician, Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum; Trelle Cavallaro, secretary, Russell County Extension System office; and John Manning, c
omputer maintenance supervisor, Digital Repair.