MONDAY, SEPT. 19 – SUNDAY, SEPT. 25, 2016
BEST BETS
SOCIAL WORK TO HOST VETERANS SUMMIT – National and international military advocates, researchers and a Pulitzer Prize winning military correspondent highlight the lineup of keynote speakers for the Service Member to Civilian International Summit 2016, a three-day assembly of researchers, military officials and activists that begins Sept. 21 at the Hyatt Regency in Birmingham. The summit’s aim is to present research, form agendas and expand the leadership role of higher education institutions to aid in military veterans and their families’ transitions from active duty to civilian life. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
UA LEADS EFFORT TO SPARK MINORITY PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY – UA was awarded a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to head the Alabama Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, or ALSAMP, a national effort to increase the number of students from underrepresented minority groups in STEM fields. A kick-off meeting will be held Monday, Sept. 19, beginning at 9 a.m. in the North Engineering Research Center. For more information, contact Adam Jones, engineering communications, 205/348-6444, acjones12@eng.ua.edu.
HOMECOMING: UA’s annual Homecoming celebration runs from Sunday, Sept. 25, to Saturday, Oct 1. This year’s theme is “A Legendary Legacy: Honor. Build. Live.” The Homecoming Parade will take place before the Alabama-Kentucky football game Oct. 1. Parade lineup and start times are to be announced and depend on the starting time of the game. The traditional pep rally and bonfire will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, on the Quad. For details on Homecoming events, registration and tickets, go to https://homecoming.sa.ua.edu/. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
LAW SCHOOLS TAKING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO TEACHING, RESEARCH SHOWS — Research authored by Pamela Bucy Pierson, Bainbridge-Mims Professor of Law, UA School of Law, recently published in the “Journal of Legal Education” shows almost three-fourths of law schools teach or plan to teach students about economic trends in the legal profession, almost half of the schools teach or plan to teach emotional intelligence and less than half of the nation’s law schools report teaching personal financial management relevant to a law career. Pierson gathered data in 2014 and 2015 in a survey of all U.S. accredited law schools to determine how law schools are covering subjects. These data are exciting,” Pierson writes in her article, “Economics, EQ, and Finance: The Next Frontier in Legal Education.” “They show a rich, diverse, and innovative range of approaches law schools are taking to bring these tools to law students. It also shows more needs to be done.” For more information, contact Monique Fields, UA Law, manager of communications, 205/348-5195, mfields@law.ua.edu, or contact Pierson directly at 205/348-1139 or ppierson@law.ua.edu.
EVENTS
BROADWAY, SILVER SCREEN HIT ‘DOUBT’ COMES TO UA – UA Theatre & Dance opens its 2016-17 season with the box office hit “Doubt.” This Broadway and silver screen success is about a nun’s investigation and accusation of a priest’s questionable behavior and actions. The conversations, the secrets and the discoveries will leave the audience in doubt of what is or is not the truth. The play will be presented in the Allen Bales Theatre, Sept. 19-23 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 25 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. “Doubt” is a thought-provoking tale that highlights graduate student Tom Alsip making his UA directorial debut, and he is excited about the process. For more information contact Jamon Smith, communications specialist, 205/348-4956, jamon.smith@ua.edu
LOOKING AHEAD
WORLD PREMIERE OPERA ABOUT UA DURING THE CIVIL WAR COMES SEPT. 29 – Five days before the American Civil War ended, Union troops marched on UA and burned down most of the campus. One of the few buildings saved was the president’s mansion thanks to Louisa Frances Garland, the wife of then-UA president Landon Garland. This world premiere opera was created by Paul Houghtaling, director of Opera Theatre, Dr. Robin Behn, librettist, and Dr. Amir Zaheri, composer. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, communications specialist, 205/348-4956, jamon.smith@ua.edu
ALABAMA WRITERS HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2016 – Nine distinguished Alabama authors past and present will be inducted into the 2016 Alabama Writers Hall of Fame Sept. 29 at the Bryant Conference Center. The authors are Edward O. Wilson, Fannie Flagg, Rodney Jones, Rebecca Gilman, Truman Capote, T.S. Stribling, Margaret Walker, Mary Ward Brown and Sequoyah. A reception will be held at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, communications specialist, 205/348-4956, jamon.smith@ua.edu
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY TO HOST DESEGREGATION SYMPOSIUM – Dr. Carl Clark, the first African-American graduate student in the UA department of psychology, and former faculty members Drs. Stan Brodsky and Howard Miller are among the panelists for the department’s desegregation symposium, which will be held Sept. 30 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 208 of Gordon Palmer Hall. The event will have refreshments and is free and open to the public. The event’s theme is “the effects of discrimination on psychological well-being.” The department of psychology was influential in the desegregation of UA; faculty members led sit-ins and participated in protest marches, said Dr. Sheila Black, faculty member and symposium organizer. Faculty members invited minority students to live with them during the more turbulent periods of the Civil Rights Movement. Brodsky, Miller and Clark will participate in one of two panel discussions in which the audience will be able to discuss different aspects of desegregation at UA. There will also be a student panel. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
UA to HOST ANALYTICS FORUM –– The 2016 Business Analytics Symposium Oct. 13 and 14 will feature speakers including James Spann from ABC 33/40, Pete Keating from ESPN the Magazine, and Filippo Passerini, former Procter & Gamble chief information officer. The Institute of Business Analytics in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce hosts the annual event that kicks off Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8 a.m. at the Bryant Conference Center. The symposium concludes at noon Friday, Oct. 14. The $275 early bird registration deadline is Sept. 30; afterward, the price increases to $300. Registration and details on the conference are available at http://mycba.ua.edu/basymposium/. Media Contact: Edith Parten, 205-348-8318, eparten@culverhouse.ua.edu.