Recent Study Encourages Diversification Of Faculty In University STEM Programs
Utah Public Radio – April 18
A professor at the University of Utah recently co-authored a study exploring challenges faced by black male doctoral students. The six-year study followed 21 students earning doctorate degrees in engineering. It showed these students felt they were at the bottom of the hierarchy when it came to receiving resources from faculty members … William Smith is the chair for the Department of Education, Culture and Society at the University of Utah. He worked on this research project with a professor from Iowa State University and one from the University of Alabama.
The Right Tax Refund Can Alter These Low-Income Families’ Financial Futures
Slate – April 17
Since 2010, Bradford has filed her taxes at no cost with SaveFirst, a nonprofit initiative that recruits college students and recent graduates to operate volunteer income tax assistance, or VITA, sites across the Southeast. With her tax refund this year, Bradford is headed back to the occupational therapy aide program, and she is finally moving her family into an apartment of their own. Her children are excited, and she has hope for what is to come. “It feels good, to know that I’ll actually be in my own home,” she said, “We can just relax.” Her kids will have “their own beds, their own rooms, and the simple stuff that normal people would be used to—flicking on the light and turning on the TV. They’ll enjoy that.” . . . VITA programs address an unmet community need, ensuring that low-income taxpayers access their full refund. SaveFirst takes the program a step further, attempting sustainable reform through an intentionally designed service-learning initiative. According to Stephen Black, founder of Impact America and director of the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at the University of Alabama, this is a primary goal of the initiative, not a secondary effect. “In terms of creating a stronger sense of connection from this generation of college graduates to the majority of American families, I can’t think of a more powerful experience.”
Why a lack of GOP enthusiasm could benefit Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s campaign
AL.com – April 18
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s absence from the Republican debate stage ahead of the June 5 primaries is occurring the same time national polls suggest a widening enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections. . . . Said Richard Fording, a political science professor at the University of Alabama: “This race is going to go under-the-radar. Low turnout. And people go with the incumbent, because it’s the safe thing to do.”
Alabama needs to choose fiscal sanity
Lagniappe Mobile – April 17
There is an oft-quoted saying that goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Though I’m sure such an explanation or definition of insanity cannot be found within the pages of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, it is a very useful phrase for describing behaviors or attitudes we sometimes engage in or hold that constantly yield fruitless, pointless or counterproductive results … If you’re a frequent traveler of Alabama’s highways and interstates, you probably have no problem believing The University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety statement that Alabama is short 700 state troopers.
Progress can be seen at industrial sites in Roanoke
Randolph Leader – April 18
Bob Siverson, chairman of the Randolph County Economic Development Authority, said they had sold 6.27 acres of land to Aaron Moody of MecTech LLC for $1,500 an acre. It was noted they are giving him an incentivized price. RCEDA executive director Marilyn Lott said from 15 to 25 jobs will be created, such as pipe fitters and welders … Lott is going to the Applied Economic Development Honors Program at the University of Alabama. Anything new in economic development will be discussed. It is a small group and she said she was pleased to be invited.
Statue of ‘father of gynecology,’ who experimented on enslaved women, removed from Central Park
Standard Examiner (Ogden, Utah) – April 18
The first patient to endure James Marion Sims’ experimental surgery in 1845 was named Lucy. Lucy, an enslaved black woman in Alabama, remained on her hands and knees on top of a table for more than an hour as Sims sought to repair a hole between her bladder and vagina without giving her any anesthesia, which was not widely used then … “Dr. Sims, ‘the father of gynaecology,‘ was the first doctor to perfect a successful technique for the cure of vesico-vaginal fistula,” a social work professor at the University of Alabama wrote in one 1993 paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics, “yet despite his accolades, in his quest for fame and recognition, he manipulated the social institution of slavery to perform human experimentations, which by any standard is unacceptable.”
San Francisco Gate – April 18
Washington Post – April 18
Rick Bragg, Alabama author, to have signing for new book at Books-A-Million in Huntsville
Birmingham Now – April 17
Join Books-A-Million in Huntsville, Saturday, April 28 at 2pm for a book signing to celebrate beloved Alabama author Rick Bragg’s newest book: “The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma’s Table” … Along with book signings and speaking engagements around the southeast, Rick currently works as a writing professor at the University of Alabama’s Journalism program in its College of Communication and Information Sciences.
Women celebrate 125th year at the University
Crimson White – April 17
The University of Alabama was founded in 1831, but it was 62 years later in 1893 that the first women were allowed to enroll. 2018 marks the 125th anniversary of female enrollment at the University. To commemorate the anniversary, a committee was formed to recognize the accomplishments of women throughout their time at the Capstone and celebrate the female legends of the University.
Female-Led Companies More Likely To Be Targeted By Activist Investors, MU Research Finds
Public – April 17
Women are underrepresented in leadership positions in the U.S., making up only about 5 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs. Previous research has suggested that beyond the ‘glass ceiling,’ which makes moving up in a company more difficult for women, a ‘glass cliff ‘ exists that represents increased challenges for women who attain leadership roles … Turban and his colleagues, led by Vishal Gupta of the University of Alabama, found that firms with female CEOs were more likely to be targeted by activist investors and by multiple activist investors simultaneously. Researchers controlled for firm performance to exclude investors who were simply targeting badly performing companies.
Today in History: April 18
Manning Live (South Carolina) – April 17
796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The patrician Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days … 1831 – The University of Alabama is founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Big Al to be featured on new UA action card
Crimson White – April 17
A new action card has been in the works, and it has been determined that it will feature Denny Chimes, as it currently does, with the addition of Big Al in the foreground. Before the new design was decided on, students, faculty and the public took to social media to vote on it.