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MONDAY, MAY 22 – SUNDAY, MAY 28 

BEST BETS

UNIVERSITY FELLOWS EXPERIENCE IN PERRY COUNTY — UA’s University Fellows are working during May in Marion as part of the annual Black Belt Experience. The program, in its ninth year, is part of the UA Honors College’s 57 Miles Partnership with Perry County. The projects run through Friday, May 26. The group consists of 32 students, eight student leaders and five staff members, who are working on 14 projects. The students will work on a collaborative project around the Perry County Courthouse and a local baseball field from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 24. For coverage details, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, at richard.lecomte@ua.edu or 205/348-3782  or, via cell, 205/394-3040.

ALABAMA TICKS 101 – Tick season is in full swing in Southern states like Alabama, and Dr. John Abbott, director of museum research & collections at UA’s Alabama Museum of Natural History, has the low-down on what types are prevalent in Alabama, what they are, what they do, the danger they pose, how to avoid them and what to do if bitten by one. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, UA media relations, at jamon.smith@ua.edu or 205/348-4956.

KANTER TO DISCUSS AMERICA’S COLLEGE PROMISE – One of the country’s most visible proponents of improving college access will discuss America’s College Promise, a nonpartisan initiative to fund two years of community college, in a lecture at UA, Tuesday, May 23. Dr. Martha J. Kanter, a former community college president and chancellor, is executive director of America’s College Promise, an initiative started by President Barack Obama’s administration in 2015. The discussion will begin at 10 a.m. in the Rast Room of Bryant Conference Center and is free and open to the public. More than 200 College Promise Programs have been started in communities and states. Kanter will discuss what works and why in College Promise programs, and the possibility of creating such programs in the Deep South. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu.

HERE A CAMP, THERE A CAMP– From accounting to music, UA offers a variety of summer camps for people of all ages. Click here for examples. For assistance, contact UA media relations at 205/348-5320.

APR’s ‘BOOKMARK’ HOST NAMED WINNER OF THE GOVERNOR’S ARTS AWARD Dr. Don Noble has spent nearly 30 years promoting Alabama writers on public radio and TV. Alabama authors such as Winston Groom, Rick Bragg and Fannie Flagg know him well. But, now it’s the retired UA English professor’s time to be honored and promoted. On Wednesday, May 24, the Alabama State Council on the Arts will honor Noble with the Governor’s Art Award at the “Celebration of the Arts” awards ceremony at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery at 7:30 p.m. Noble will be one of eight outstanding Alabamians honored at the ceremony, which is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, UA media relations, at jamon.smith@ua.edu or 205/348-4956.

LOOKING AHEAD

SUMMER WRITING CAMP — UA invites local high school students — freshmen through seniors — to sign up for the summer 2017 Creative Writing Camp. The camp will meet from 1 to 4 p.m. each Monday-Friday June 5-16 in 301 Morgan Hall. No previous creative writing experience is required. The instructors will be graduate students in UA’s Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program. The emphasis is on having fun while exploring what language can do. Tuition is free for students. To register for the summer 2017 Creative Writing Camp, students may follow the instructions on the camp website at https://uacreativewritingclub.wordpress.com/. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, at richard.lecomte@ua.edu, 205/348-3782.

MEDIA CAMP FOR LOCAL GIRLS —  UA’s New College is hosting its first Druid City Girls Media Camp for underserved girls in the Tuscaloosa area. The summer day camp, which takes place June 26-30 on the UA campus, is for girls who are interested in learning media production. Dr. Barbara Jane Brickman, an assistant professor of media and gender studies in New College, said the purpose of the camp is to empower young women to craft stories that are instrumental to expressing themselves and finding their voice at a pivotal age. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, UA media relations, at jamon.smith@ua.edu or 205/348-4956.