University of Alabama summer commencement (with photos)
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 8
The University of Alabama awarded some 1,400 degrees during summer commencement Saturday, on campus. With this graduating class, UA will have awarded more than 215,000 degrees since its founding in 1831 as the state’s first public university. Students listed as candidates to receive degrees include…
Alabama news links: Jacksonville, Alabama and Auburn universities to hold summer graduation; Troy University to welcome fall students
Birmingham News – Aug. 7
Alabama colleges and universities are preparing for a new school year with three schools conducting summer graduation ceremonies between today and Monday…The University of Alabama holds its summer graduation at 9 a.m. Saturday in Coleman Coliseum. The school will award 1,400 degrees [See the list]. The university will offer a webcast of the event which will offered for archival viewing for 30 days…
Tide supporters enjoy the ‘Fan Day experience’
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 9
Driving two-and-a-half hours to spend the night on the concrete outside Bryant-Denny Stadium was nothing new for Brock Brown and Bobby Hunter of Florence. In fact, it was the second year the men, their wives and their infant children made the trek to Tuscaloosa to stand in line, all in hopes for an autograph from coach Nick Saban and his football team during the Crimson Tide’s Fan Day. Like last year, the families were first in line for Sunday’s event, which included a football practice open to the public and an autograph session…While some fans camped out overnight, many others arrived early on Sunday morning and stood in line for 6 hours or more. By early afternoon, the line snaked from the northern end zone around the eastern side of the stadium toward the new south end zone…Although the gates opened at 1:30 p.m., those in line missed the public practice and continued to stand until they could run onto the football field for autographs around 5:00 p.m. Only 45 minutes were allotted for autographs, so not everyone in line was able to get a signature. About 5,000 fans watched the practice from the stands during Sunday’s event. About 2,000 stood in line in the near 100-degree heat. “It’s amazing, you never know how many fans are going to come out,” said Doug Walker, associate athletic director for media relations. “You know it’s going to be big, but you never underestimate the enthusiasm of the fan base. I just wish it was 20 degrees cooler.”
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Aug. 8
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Aug. 8
WKRG (Mobile) – Aug. 8
Stadium market to allow public access year-round
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 8
…Tucked under an archway of the $65 million expansion, the South End Zone Market will allow visitors to walk a path under the bleachers to the goalposts and see the stadium from the inside. University of Alabama administrators plan to use the area as a launchpad for stadium tours and tours of the campus given to prospective students and parents by admissions staff. Also, two eateries — Zoe’s Kitchen and Yogurt Lab — will set up shop this fall in the marketplace and be open year-round. “The stadium won’t be unlocked or open, but it’ll be an area where people can come in and look inside,” said Mal Moore, UA athletics director. “Mainly, it’s to be a service to people who come on campus and students who walk by it. It’s a perfect place to do it.”…Tours of campus that now begin at the admissions office in the Student Services Center on the north side of campus will start under Bryant-Denny, said Debbie Lane, UA spokeswoman. “The new welcome center will be easily accessible and easy to find for prospective students and families when they arrive on campus,” she said…Currently, tours of the stadium are by appointment, although visitors — sometimes as many as 60 in a day — often knock on the door to athletic offices on the north side of the stadium requesting one, said Thad Turnipseed, UA’s director of athletic facilities. “We have to scramble to find someone to take the tour (groups), so now we are getting more organized,” Moore said. “It’s amazing the people who will look at the stadium.”…Zoe’s and Yogurt Lab signed leases last week to move into the space on the ground floor of the south end zone and will open later this fall…
‘Nick Saban: Gamechanger’ documentary set for theaters
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 7
…Producers Grant Guffin and Trey Reynolds, the co-founders of Collierville, Tenn.-based Flashlight Media Group, explained that the purpose behind “Nick Saban: Gamechanger” was to give the rare look of the man — the human — behind the widely-respected coach. “I think people will get a better understanding of what his process is and why he’s as focused as he is and not so tolerant of distractions, and maybe a bit standoffish when he’s doing his job,” Guffin said. “But when he’s away from the field and he’s away from the office, and it’s time to interact with the public or be a family man …, he’s a really nice guy. He’s compassionate. He’s got a great sense of humor.” Earlier this year, the filmmakers spent several weeks with Saban and recorded everything from meetings with the University of Alabama football coaching staff to his getaways at his retreat at Lake Burton in northeast Georgia. The documentary-style film is set to premier Aug. 24 at the Carmike Summit 16 in Birmingham. It will be released in a limited number of theaters — including Tuscaloosa’s Cobb Hollywood 16 Cinemas — three days later.
Temple holds dedication ceremony for UA location
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 9
Temple Emanu-El, whose history dates back to the 1880s, held a dedication ceremony for its new synagogue on the University of Alabama campus Sunday. It is the temple’s third move from its original location on Broad Street, now University Boulevard, in 1912; to Paul W. Bryant Drive in 1958; and then to Skyland Boulevard in 1971. In search of a more manageable location with increased visibility, Temple Emanu-El found its solution on the UA campus. “I think the relocation closer to campus presents the Jewish community with an opportunity to be more integrated into the life of the university,” said Steven Jacobs, Temple Emanu-El’s rabbi…According to Temple Emanu-El’s Men’s Club President Stephen Schwab, the new temple brings new programs and attracts more college students. New programs include community outreach and ties to UA Jewish fraternities and sororities…Sunday’s dedication ceremony included remarks from Rabbi Jacobs, Temple Emanu-El President Joel Whitman, UA President Robert Witt, Tuscaloosa City Council President Harrison Taylor, congregation members and others.
Opinion: LARRY CLAYTON Pastors or politicians: Who is right and who is right with history?
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 8
…At the core of the debate are the principles and doctrines by which we govern ourselves. The “Founding Fathers” did not invent the morality or laws which went into our Constitution. Some seem to think so, crediting Thomas Jefferson, or George Washington, or Benjamin Franklin with this or that: freedom of religion; separation of church and state; basic liberties (first ten amendments to the Constitution) such as free speech and the right to bear arms. But these are just expressions, manifestations, of deeper law and traditions which came to us through —granted — some pretty profound thinkers like John Locke and Thomas Hobbes in the English-speaking tradition… Larry Clayton is a professor of history at the University of Alabama.
Alabama feels the high cost of distracted driving
Birmingham News – Aug. 8
More than 1,400 wrecks involving drivers distracted by cell phones and other electronic devices have been reported in Alabama in the past 13 months. Those numbers, collected by the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety, are the first glimpse into the statewide effects of distracted driving — a problem that has been called the drunk driving of the 21st century. Drivers can be distracted by anything from eating behind the wheel or arguing with a passenger to changing the radio station or sending a text message…At the end of June, that system had recorded 88,741 crashes reported statewide by the Alabama Department of Public Safety, said Dave Brown, deputy director of the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety…
WAKA (Montgomery) – Aug. 8
UTCA Wraps Up 3 Year Study on School Bus Seat Belts
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Aug. 6
While bus drivers are getting cranked up for school next week. The recent bus crash in Missouri is a remnder of the importance of safety, researchers with the University of Alabama “transportation study center” are wrapping-up a 3-year study on whether seat belts on buses will make students even safer. The study, sponsored by the state, got underway after the deadly Huntsville bus crash in 2006. The findings have not been released, but researchers say the large seats on buses give plenty of protection.
Restaurant scene changing in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 8
…Kristy Reynolds, a professor of marketing at the University of Alabama, agreed that a restaurant’s success usually depends on a desirable location that should be convenient for customers. “If not, you need to give customers a reason to seek you out and go out of their way to dine with you,” she said. Restaurants are dependent on loyal customers who return and spread a positive word of mouth about their experiences. And restaurants have to serve what they promise. “When you say you are serving a certain type of cuisine, it must be authentic,” she said. “Consumers are smart and can see through lack of authenticity.” One or more of these reasons are probably to blame when a restaurant fails. “In addition, poor financial management might also be a factor. Throw in the recession and you have a perfect storm,” she said.
College News
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 9
Xi Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi at the University of Alabama inducted Cassandra L. Hardy, wife of Matthew Hardy III, and Jessica Marie Richardson, wife of David Andrew Richardson, on July 27. Individuals are invited to membership in the largest education honor society on the basis of high academic achievement, worthy ideals and evidence of leadership attributes.
Early Move-In Coincides with Tax Free Holiday
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Aug. 9
Tuscaloosa is one of more than 250 cities that lifted their local sales tax to help give parents a break as they get ready to send the kids back to school. This is tax free holiday weekend across the state. And with today being dorm move-in day for the University of Alabama, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Parents moving their daughters into Tutwiler this morning told CBS 42 that the university gets an “A-plus” for timing the move-in day with the tax holiday. They saved a lot of cash!
Clothing designer moves business to Nashville
WKRN (Nashville, Tenn.) – Aug. 6
A contemporary clothing designer is now calling Nashville home. Lauren Leonard started her clothing line, Leona, three years ago after graduating from University of Alabama. Leonard said, “Within two months, I thought I was moving to New York to work for someone else, and decided to start my own company.” Born with an eye for fashion, she always dreamed this would happen, but she never had any idea it would happen at such a young age. Leonard started the business in Atlanta, but moved it to Nashville in May.