Editor: Roy Summerford. Contributing editors: Bob Lowry, Janet McCoy, Mitch Emmons and Richarde Talbot. Photography by Jeff Etheridge, AU Photo Services.

The AU Report is published by the Office of University Relations at Auburn University. Issues appear every two weeks during academic quarters.

Official distribution by campus mail includes full-time faculty and staff at campus offices. Copies also are mailed to trustees and officials at AU at Montgomery.

Deadline for receiving items is noon on Tuesday before publication. Direct inquiries, suggestions and items to 23 SAmford Hall, Auburn University, Ala. 36849-5109. Telephone 334/844-9999. Electronic mail: summero@mail.auburn.edu.

During his State of the State address on the opening day of the Legislature's 1997 session, James offered two proposals to centralize control over four-year colleges and universities in Alabama.

Following James' presentation, AU President William Muse, University of Alabama at Huntsville President Frank Franz, Alabama State University President William Harris and Troy State Chancellor Jack Hawkins told reporters that the governor's plans could s everely damage higher education.

Franz said James' proposals would deny college opportunities to 25,000 students and economically harm the state.

Muse, meanwhile, released copies of his Jan. 31 letter asking the governor to give the presidents more time to consider changes in governance.

The presidents issued a statement proposing development of a "short list" of improvements upon which consensus could be reached. Their statement did not specify changes but stated: "We believe the opportunities are there, and we are ready to work as partn ers with all involved to realize them."

The governor's proposals surfaced in January in meetings with college presidents. One proposal would combine all four-year institutions into two systems headed by Auburn and the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, with the presidents of the two instituti ons being in charge of the respective systems.

Earlier discussion of that proposal drew instant criticism during last month's pre session hearings by the joint legislative budget committee.

The other proposal would create a statewide board of regents. Muse in late January circulated the governor's proposal among presidents of the four-year institutions, who then met in Montgomery and were unable to agree on the proposal for central governanc e.

The presidents, however, recommended to James that any new governance structure should include two-year colleges as well as their institutions.
James then took his proposals to the Legislature, excluding community colleges from the governance proposals. "I would leave governance of two-year colleges under the State Board of Education because grades 13 and 14, whether liberal arts or technical, a re a continuation of K-12," he told the legislators.

He used his opening day address to the Legislature to call for further pruning of higher education beyond the cuts of the past two years.

His budget proposal calls for virtually level funding for higher education for next year. Colleges and universities last year saw their state funding cut by 7.5 percent, and held to level-funding this year.

In his state-of-the-state address, James volunteered to prune higher education for the Legislature. He stressed that he is not hostile to colleges and universities and does not consider pruning to be harmful.

"Please do not read my insistence on pruning as hostility," James said. "Pruning will enhance the overall quality of postsecond-ary education in its entirety, as we build on our strengths and eliminate our weaknesses."

Alabama's colleges and universities could be cut 10 percent and emerge stronger, the governor said. He indicated that one of the first tasks for a board of regents or comprehensive UA and AU systems would be to consider closing campuses.

James said Alabama cannot afford to continue maintaining 15 four-year college campuses. He did not identify any for closing.

In the university presidents' response, Franz, the UAH president, challenged James' proposition that the state could save $100 million through tighter controls on colleges and use the money to provide scholarships similar to the Hope Scholarships in Georg ia.

"The only way to achieve the savings claimed by the administration is to close colleges and deny access to thousands of students currently enrolled in our institutions," Franz said. "More than 25,000 students currently enrolled would be denied higher educ ation."

Muse said closings are unlikely. Any campuses faced with closing would rally their constituencies to prevent the closure, he said.

Judge James Gullage ruled that neither Bobby Lowder and James Tatum nor Gov. Fob James' appointees, Phil Richardson and Albert McDonald, meet requirements of the Alabama Constitution to sit on the AU Board of Trustees.

Both sides announced plans to appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.

The governor, who is also ex-officio chairman of the board, appointed Richardson and McDonald to the posts in September 1995 to succeed Lowder and Tatum. But the Alabama Senate did not vote on the nominations during the 1996 legislative session, and Jam es, citing an attorney general's opinion, seated Richardson and McDonald on the board in June.

Board members are appointed for 12-year terms.

Lowder and Tatum sued on the grounds that the state constitution authorizes members to remain on the board until their successors have been confirmed by the Senate.

Gullage ruled that the governor's appointees could not fill seats on the board until they are confirmed by the Senate. He also ruled that Lowder and Tatum, who were appointed in 1983, should not regain the seats because their terms have expired.
Lowder and Richardson are from Montgomery, and Tatum and McDonald are from Huntsville.

The positions will remain vacant until the Senate confirms appointments by the governor or the circuit court's decision is overturned on appeal.

Board member Paul Spina of Birmingham was the governor's third appointment, but his appointment was not challenged. Spina was appointed to fill the seat vacated by R.C. "Red" Bamberg, who died before his term ended in 1995.

Following a debate over its identity, the AU Administrative and Professional Assembly last week voted to support administration efforts to produce a single manual of rules governing all staff employees.

Some members of the assembly called for development of two policies and procedures manuals; one would be for administrative and professional and another would be for support staff.

That proposal was defeated when the assembly voted 13-6 for Jack Lawton's motion to support the development of one manual.

The AU Personnel Services Department had asked for input from vice presidents, some directors, the A&P Assembly and the Staff Council, which represents support staff.

Personnel Services is reviewing and documenting staff policies and procedures and will assemble them in a manual for review by Jim Ferguson, vice president for Administrative Services, and President William Muse.

The manual will replace the collection of policies and procedures that was assembled in 1989 to cover the university's personnel policies and procedures.

Personnel Services Director Darwin Liverance said the current rules need to be brought up to date and reorganized as a guide to managers and employees.

Personnel Services is not making new rules but is trying to identify and document existing policies and procedures, Liverance said.

At the A&P Assembly meeting, some members called for establishment of a manual for administrative and professional staff apart from one for support staff. They argued that separate manuals would help establish an identity for administrative and professio nal staff, who were formally recognized as a separate group in 1995.

Others argued that most workplace policies and procedures are the same for both groups. They argued that a push for separate manuals might drive a wedge between the two types of staff members.

In accepting the motion to support development of a single policy manual for all university staff, the assembly also voted to appoint a committee to identify personnel policies that apply only to administrative and professional staff.

A&P Assembly President Shawn Asmuth noted that this was the first time the assembly, which is less than two years old, faced an issue on which there were major differences of opinion. She said the compromise showed that assembly members could resolve dif ferences constructively.

Minnie Bryant, president of the Staff Council said she was glad to see the A&P Assembly support the concept of a single set of policies and procedures for all staff. "Basically, we are all in this together, and we have to stick together," she said.

Although one set of policies and procedures will be produced, Liverance said he will then work with the leadership of the two staff representative groups to develop handbooks describing the policies and procedures that apply to each.

A committee of the AU Board of Trustees has asked the board to reconsider its site selection for a university art museum.

The site on the southwest corner of Wire Road and Samford Avenue drew renewed questions from the board's Property and Facilities Committee in December during examination of the university's land-use master plan.

The hillside location is between the Facilities headquarters to the west and athletic fields and facilities. Committee members questioned the separation of the site from academic areas and agreed to take the matter back to the board for reconsideration.

The board delayed reconsideration of the site on Jan. 30 due to the illness of architect Paul Rudolph. The board's next meeting is March 20.

The museum will provide a home for AU's collection of rare Audubon prints and historic pieces of modern art purchased from the State Department's "Advancing American Art" collection in 1947.

AT&T operators have temporarily halted giving out telephone numbers for individual units at Auburn. Instead, the operators are providing information seekers with the main campus phone number, 334/844-4000.

Robert Cloud, AU's assistant director of telecommunications, said the change eliminated calls to wrong numbers because of information from AT&T operators in January. He said AT&T has indicated that some if not all numbers will be relisted this week.

Cloud said the problem was attributed to a computer system crash that affected directory information for much of the United States. He said the incorrect listings for campus were discovered in January, when the College of Pharmacy reported receiving call s intended for Admissions.

Other directory services are not affected by the problem, Cloud said. The routing of calls through the main switchboard has not resulted in a significant increase in calls to the switchboard, he added.

A program of students helping students is looking for a little help from the faculty.

The AU Study Partners program -- in its 26th year -- offers free tutoring to students in a variety of courses ranging from core English and history classes to some specialized microbiology and engineering classes.

Students who are skilled in a subject are paid to help those who may be on the verge of foundering in a course or are just a little bewildered by one part of a course.

Faculty assist by referring to the program both prospective student tutors and those in need of assistance, says Bonnie Voit, associate director for testing services.

"Many students recognize when they are having problems and come on their own, but faculty also play a role by spotting students who need help and referring them to the Study Partners program," said Voit, the program's coordinator.

"We also look to faculty to refer academically superior students to the program as tutors," she added.

The program helps students, especially freshmen, who refuse to be defeated by a tough course, she said, and response has been heavy at times. "We had over 1,000 students who took advantage of the program fall quarter," Voit said.

Although Testing Services does not keep a record of students' progress, Voit said research comparing students studying with partners and students studying without partners shows a higher percentage of A's and B's and only half as many C's among the partne rs group.

"We feel like it is a very viable program and very productive," Voit said.

An added benefit, she said, is that junior, senior and graduate student tutors are more prepared when it comes to their own classes and the Graduate Record Examination because they are constantly reviewing course material.

Since the Study Partners program began in 1971, the number of tutors has grown from three to 30, Voit said.

Tutors are paid minimum wage for a maximum 20 hour work week.

Voit said some tutors are hired after being referred by faculty, and others with good academic records and references come directly to the program.

Students seeking help can come by the Study Partners study center in the basement of Haley Center without an appointment. Assistance is available from 3 p.m.-10 p.m., Sunday-Thursday.

AU's Philpott-Goodwin Eminent Scholar David E. Harrell gave several lectures during his week-long trip to Bangladesh, speaking on America's diversity of religion and freedom of speech, something unknown to most Islamic countries.

Harrell presented a keynote address at the American Studies Conference on "Religion in the United States."

The conference, co-sponsored by the Bangladesh Association for American Studies and the U.S. Information Agency, was attended by 60 scholars from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"The U.S. respects Islam as one of the world's great religions, but because we oppose violence and extremism, most Islamics believe the U.S. is not a religious country," he said.

Harrell, who spent two years as director of the American Studies Research Center in Hyderabad, India, spoke about religious diversity, religious history, toleration and religious freedom in the United States.

"There is nothing in American policy or thought that opposes religious belief," he says. "But many Islamic countries believe the U.S. wants to wipe religion out."
Harrell also gave a keynote speech at a seminar on "The Status of Religion in the United States," which was organized by a think-tank for Islamic scholars in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

In addition, Harrell lectured at Chittagong University to the Bangladesh Association for American Studies-Chittagong.

By President William V. Muse

Over the past two years, Gov. Fob James has asserted that higher education in Alabama is overfunded. At the same time, many university presidents say their institutions are underfunded. Who is right?

Both are. The governor bases his claim on the per capita dollars spent on higher education, while the presidents cite dollars appropriated per student to support their position.

When measured on a per capita basis, Alabama spends more on higher education than any other state in the South, except Mississippi. Dividing Alabama's 1996 appropriation for higher education ($962 million) by the 1996 population (4.2 million), the per cap ita expenditure is $226. Comparative figures are $181 in Georgia and $248 in Mississippi.

But when measured on a per student basis, Alabama's higher education appropriation does not compare as well with our sister states. For example, in 1995 96, Auburn received $4,900 per student in state funds. In the same year, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech both were appropriated $7,800 per student by their legislature.

The dollar amount spent on each student has a direct effect on a university's ability to attract and retain quality professors; to acquire and maintain modern equipment, facilities and laboratories; and, therefore, to maintain the overall quality and exce llence of the universities.

Based on their different perspectives and data, the governor and the presidents are pursuing different goals for funding in 1997. Gov. James wants to maintain the status quo in higher education funding, while university presidents believe there must be an increased appropriation to offset devastating cuts in 1995 and level funding in 1996.

Why does Alabama have a higher per capita expenditure for higher education?
There are three good reasons:

More Alabamians stay in Alabama to go to college than do residents of other Southern states. Of our state's residents who are enrolled in college, 91 percent attend an Alabama institution. This compares with 84 percent for Georgia, 83 percent for Tennesse e and 81 percent for Florida. Simply, we educate a higher percentage of our residents who attend college.

Alabama provides expensive higher education programs that are available from private schools in other states. For example, Alabama has two public medical schools. Georgia has one, plus a private medical school at Emory. The same is true in Tennessee, with the private school at Vanderbilt.

When Alabama moved to expand access to higher education in the 1960s and 1970s, there was a proliferation of colleges and universities and duplicative programs of study throughout the state. This has improved the access to higher education in Alabama, but it is expensive to maintain these colleges, universities and junior colleges. Alabama has a higher ratio of colleges per capita than any other southern state.

The problem of funding higher education in this state also is worsened because Alabama's property tax rates are the lowest in the nation. The result is that local governments lack sufficient tax revenues to adequately support their public schools.
A Southern Regional Education Board study shows that Alabama local
governments contribute an average of $800 per student compared with an average of $2,400 per student in other Southeastern states. That puts increased pressure on the Alabama Legislature to provide more state funds for our K-12 public schools.
Since all funding for education comes from the Alabama Special Education Trust Fund, an increase in K-12 funding causes a decrease in funding for higher education.

Increasing state taxes is not a viable option, although higher ad valorem taxes at the local level would be a very positive step toward stronger local schools and less pressure on the state to take funds away from higher education.

Closing institutions is not a viable option. Almost no state has been able to do that and the probability of doing so in a politically charged state like Alabama is highly remote. Closing programs with low enrollments that duplicate those offered elsewher e could, however, lower costs.

Raising tuition to make up the difference in funding is not a viable option.
Although this alternative should be part of the solution, the gap in funding per student is too great to close in this manner.

An important solution is funding a better system of governing higher education.
The duplication of campuses, facilities and educational services has caused needless conflicts among institutions and segments within higher education. Because higher education issues have become politicized, it has created an environment that is potentia lly damaging to all of education in Alabama.

The first step in such an approach would be to remove the funding of higher education from the political arena and place it in a managerial context. Funding of colleges and universities should be determined by objective measures, with all institutions -- two-year and four-year -- under the same governing structure. Some system that would permit institutional boards to have appropriate powers to manage their institutions at the local level, while providing governance for all institutions, is needed.

The only way to restore order to our higher education system and make it work effectively and efficiently for the people of Alabama is to carefully select and establish a governance structure which makes that possible.

When William Muse became AU president in 1992, the chapter initiated discussions with him about getting Auburn off AAUP censure, which originated with a tenure case three administrations back and extended through the Charles Curran tenure issue in the lat e 1980s.

Muse soon made a commitment to do what was necessary to remove the censure.
With the chapter's active support, he instituted the changes that led to Auburn's removal from the censure list in 1993.

One key to censure removal was the chapter leadership's active involvement in a major revision of the Faculty Handbook to bring the Auburn handbook into full compliance with AAUP standards. In 1994, the Board of Trustees gave final approval to a new hand book that was in conformity with all major AAUP policy statements.

The chapter leadership have remained active in university governance, and the chapter has pursued a number of other measures that contributed to the increase in membership. These include an active Committee A, which assists faculty with grievances.

One of most important ways that the Auburn chapter has maintained a visible presence on campus is with Auburn Academe, its campus newsletter published regularly three times a year for the last seven years. The chapter also sponsors a reception for faculty members each fall and recently established a membership committee.

The Auburn AAUP chapter maintains a World Wide Web site at: http://www.duc.auburn.edu/~aaup .

Competitive grants for teaching are available from the Daniel F. Breeden Endowment for Faculty Enhancement, AU's Office of the Provost has announced.

All proposals for the grants will be reviewed by the Teaching Effectiveness Committee, says Carol F. Daron, assistant provost for undergraduate studies.

The deadline for submitting proposals is end of the day Monday, Feb. 23. Winners will be notified by April 1, and funds will be available May 1.

"Although the awards for this year will be smaller than those for last year and there will be fewer or them, the Breeden Endowment is a permanent means of enhancing teaching," Daron said.

Awards will be made for up to $1,000 for one-year projects beginning this summer
or fall quarter. Funds may be used to enhance courses or programs, enrich the core curriculum, provide field experience or hands-on experience for students, pay for travel for research or presentations on teaching, purchase books, develop workshops or und erwrite almost any activity germane to teaching.

Teaching faculty from all disciplines with appointments through the 1997-98 academic year are eligible, and although graduate students may be hired to work on the projects, funds may not be used to support the writing of dissertations or theses.

Specific information and application forms are available on disk from each dean's office, from the undergraduate studies web site, located under academics on the AU Home Page, or from Daron's office.

The AU Board of Trustees has approved a request to change the name of the Department of Family and Child Development to the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

The change, which was requested by department head Marilyn Bradbard, will be effective fall quarter.

Bradbard said the new name best reflects the academic focus of the department's teaching programs, research and outreach efforts.

"In addition, the change will make Auburn University consistent with a national trend among peer institutions and departments, many of which have already adopted this title," she said.

The department's instructional programs cover individual and family development across the lifespan, rather than simply child development and/or family development, said Bradbard.

"However, our current title does not reflect our lifespan focus," she said.
Other institutions that have adopted the title include Cornell University, Colorado
State University, the University of Missouri and the University of Wisconsin.

The new name will be reflected in the 1997-98 Auburn Bulletin.

Auburn Magazine has been recognized as one of the top four college and university magazines in the Southeast with its recent receipt of an Award of Excellence in the 1997 Council for the Advancement and Support of Education Awards Competition.

The award was made on the basis of overall excellence in both content and design.
UAB Magazine received the top award, and the publications of Auburn, Georgia Tech and the University of Miami rounded out the top four award-winners in the competition.

The magazine and research units of the Office of Alumni & Development also received an Award of Special Merit from CASE in the general publications category for a series of four Campaign Auburn advertisements developed for the magazine in conjunction wit h Ellis-Harper Advertising of Auburn.

This year's recognition marks the eighth and ninth awards Auburn Magazine has received in its three years of publication.

The Department of Theatre will present its production of "The ThreePenny Opera" Feb. 20-22 and Feb. 26-28 at Telfair Peet Theatre. The Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill play is directed by Will York, professor of theatre. Music direction will be by Howard Goldst ein, an assistant professor of music.

All performances -- except for a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 22 -- will be at 8 p.m. Individual tickets are $8. Tickets can be purchased by calling the theatre Ticket Office at 844-4154.

"The ThreePenny Opera" was originally produced in Berlin in 1928 and brought the first major success as a playwright to Brecht. The script, based on an 18th century work by John Gay titled "The Beggar's Opera," was updated to London in the 19th century.

"'The ThreePenny Opera' was a thinly veiled attempt by Brecht to expose the problems of corruption and poverty that existed in Germany as the Nazi Party was establishing political control," York said. "Brecht's experimentation with style in
'The ThreePenny Opera' is radical. He strove to break the conventions of realism as the established theatrical norms of the early 20th century."

A controversial author on the benefits of population growth will present his views during a Feb. 19 public lecture at AU.

Julian Simon of the University of Maryland will speak at 1:30 p.m. at the AU Conference Center as part of the Weaver Lecture Series in Forestry.

Simon, author of The Ultimate Resource, and professor of business administration at Maryland, argues that as population growth increases, the world's food supply is improving, pollution in the developed countries is decreasing and overall human welfare is improving.

His view runs counter to that of most environmentalists.

In 1980, Simon challenged environmentalist Paul Ehrlich to a bet to test his claims. Simon bet that after 10 years, the price of any selected natural resource valued at $1,000 would fall. In October 1991, Ehrlich paid up. The prices of five minerals -- c opper, chrome, nickel, tin and tungsten -- had dropped substantially (in 1980 dollars).

Ehrlich was unwilling to renew the bet, but Simon continues to support his claims. He says he is willing to bet a week's or a month's salary that nearly any quantifiable trend pertaining to material human welfare will improve, not worsen.

Simon states that as populations and incomes increase, the increased demand for natural resources temporarily increases prices. The increased prices in turn trigger the search for new supplies, and eventually new sources and substitutes are found.
These discoveries leave humanity better off than if the shortages had not occurred, says Simon.

The Weaver Lecture Series in Forestry was established through the Earl H. and Sandra H. Weaver Endowment.

John C. Polkinghorne, president of Queen's College, Cambridge University, will present a 1996-97 Franklin Lecture at Auburn on Monday, Feb. 17.

Polkinghorne, whose career has integrated the worlds of science, theology and university, will speak on "Cosmology and Creation" at 4 p.m. in the AU Conference Center auditorium.

Polkinghorne, a Cambridge graduate, is an authority on theoretical elementary particle physics. In addition to posts at Trinity College, Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh, he is University Professor of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge.

During the past 10 years, Polkinghorne has been as chair of the UK committees and task forces on such subjects as the guidance on research uses of fetuses and fetal material, the food use of organisms from transgenic breeding programs and the review of se rvices for drug misusers.

His books, published by academic and theological presses in the United Kingdom and the United States include Models of High Energy Processes, The Quantum World, Science and Creation, Science and Christian Belief (published by Princeton as The Faith of a Physicist) and Quarks, Chaos and Christianity.

The Franklin Lecture Series in Science and Humanities was begun in 1967 and is sponsored by the John and Mary Franklin Foundation of Atlanta.

Upcoming lectures in the 1996-97 series include Ken Burns, creator of Public Broadcasting Service's famed histories of The Civil War and Baseball; and Doris Kearns Goodwin, PBS political analyst.

Emory University scholar Dan Carter, author of several books on the life of former Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace, will discuss the former political leader Thursday, Feb. 20, in a public lecture at Auburn.

Carter will speak at 7 p.m. in the Lowder Business Building auditorium, Room 005.

The lecture is sponsored by AU's Department of History and the AU Center for the Arts and Humanities.

Carter's lecture is funded in part by the AU Special Lectures Committee.

He has authored, among others, The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of
the New Conservatism, and the Transformation of American Politics and From George Wallace to Newt Gingrich: Race in the Conservative Counterrevolution.
Carter's work in 20th century Southern political and social history has garnered him several honors and recognition, including the Lillian Smith Award, the Jules Landry Prize and the Robert K. Kennedy Book prize for The Politics of Rage, among many others .

A new marketing textbook co-written by an AU faculty member takes a real world approach to the business world to prepare college students for their careers.

Marketing, Real People, Real Choices, published by Prentice Hall, was written by Michael Solomon, a professor of consumer behavior in Department of Consumer Affairs in the School of Human Sciences, and E. W. Stuart, a professor of marketing at Winthrop University.

The book takes a unique approach to marketing by providing a three-part vignette in each chapter, spotlighting decision makers from well-known organizations. Business executives such as Rhonda Lieberman of the Sierra Club and Peter Einstein, a decision m aker at MTV Europe are featured in the book.

"We present marketing dilemmas faced by real professionals, along with three possible solutions," Solomon says. "Students assume the role of the marketing executive, determining the course of action they can take and discussing the reasons why they made t hat decision."

In addition to the book, videos are also available for classroom use, says Solomon.
The book targets the most important trends in business, including relationship marketing and interactive technology, while fostering a decision-making focus, says Solomon.

The Human Sciences professor recently returned from Portugal where he was one of three U.S. professors to serve as a Fulbright Scholar.

Solomon's primary research interests include consumer behavior and lifestyle
issues, the symbolic aspects of products, the psychology of fashion and image and services marketing.

"He knows the state, and has a working familiarity with the Auburn campus as well," said Engineering Dean William Walker. "He is committed to a continuous quality improvement approach to the college's overall mission, as well as the personal goals he has set for himself as director of the minority engineering program. His blend of university and corporate experience should serve him well in this new capacity."

A native of Brighton, Weatherby came to Auburn from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he was assistant professor of water quality in the International Center for Water Resources Management since 1994.

Weatherby graduated from CSU in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and earned a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton

Weatherby is working on the recruitment, retention and enhancement of minority students in the College of Engineering, who currently comprise about 6 percent of enrollment.

For the past six years Weatherby was the primary recruiter, advisor and counselor for students in the environmental program at CSU, which is a historically black university near Dayton. During that time, the program experienced a more than 400 percent gr owth in student enrollment with a retention level of better than 80 percent.

Jalie A. Tucker, Alumni Professor of Psychology, was invited to speak at a recent conference in Rockville, Md., on readiness for drug abuse treatment. The National Institute on Drug Abuse conference focused on factors influencing entry and engagement in drug abuse treatment and was attended by NIDA research staff and by an interdisciplinary group of scientists representing the fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology and social work. Tucker's paper, "Help-Seeking for Problems Related to Substance A buse: Contributions from Behavioral Economics," was written with Rudy Vuchinich of Psychology.

February 10
€ Recital of Music by African American Composers, 8 p.m., Goodwin Hall.
February 11
€ Brown Bag Luncheon Lecture Series, Sharon Oswald and Mary Kirchoff, "The Impact of Gender and Disability on Employment Selection," noon (bring your own lunch), Foy 202.
February 12
€ Employee Assistance Program Seminars, "The Challenge of Young Children: Why Don't They Listen -- The Toddler Identity Crisis." Conference Center, 9 a.m., Call 844-1617 for registration information.
February 13
€ Black Alabama Heritage Film Series: "Horace: King of Bridge Builders," 7 p.m., Comer Hall Auditorium.
February 14
€ Seminar: Advanced topics in Biochemistry, L. Lauerman, "Diagnostic PCR." Time TBA, Greene Hall Physiology Conference Room.
February 17
€ Franklin Lecture: John C. Polkinghorne, president of Queen's College, Cambridge University, "Cosmology and Creation," 4 p.m., Conference Center auditorium.
February 19
€ Weaver Lecture: Julian Simon, author and professor, "Benefits of Population Growth," 1:30 p.m., Conference Center.
February 20
€ Theatre: "The ThreePenny Opera," 8 p.m., Telfair-Peet Theatre. For tickets, call 844-4154.
€ Lecture: Emory University scholar Dan Carter, a respected authority on the life of former Ala. Gov. George Wallace, will speak at 7 p.m. in the Lowder Business Building auditorium, Room 005.
February 21
€ Seminar: Advanced topics in Biochemistry. Ling Xiang Ye, "Enzymology of Thermo-Stable Polymerases from Different Thermophilic Bacterial Species." Time TBA, Greene Hall Physiology Conference Room.
€ Theatre: "The ThreePenny Opera," 8 p.m., Telfair-Peet Theatre. For tickets, call 844-4154.
February 22
€ Theatre: "The ThreePenny Opera," 8 p.m., Telfair-Peet Theatre. For tickets, call 844-4154.
February 24
€ Black History Month Lecture: State Sen. Vivian Figures, "A Vision for Leadership in Alabama" 5 p.m., Haley Center Eagle's Nest South.