University of Alabama Higher Education program

Five Questions With...

2012-01-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

Dr. Tommy Taylor.

Dr. Taylor is Dean of Students at Shelton State Community College and has been working in higher education administration for over twenty years. He is currently teaching Higher Education and Business Affairs in the Executive EdD Program. Dr. Taylor holds a BS in Criminal Justice, a MA in Counseling, and an EdD in Higher Education Administration, all of which he earned at UA. Before working in higher education, he served in the US Army and local law enforcement.

1. What led you to pursue a degree in higher education administration?

I wanted to be a dean and possibly a college president.

2. If you could take a class on any topic related to higher education, what would it be?

Higher Ed Law or Higher Ed Finance.

3. Where is your favorite place to visit?

Southern Chile.

4. What's your favorite quote?

Robert Ruarke (author): “Anyone could see that I had a fine time as a boy” from “The Old Man and the Boy."

5. What/who is your greatest motivator?

My daughter Madison…she is 16 and a six year cancer survivor.

Writing Center hours

2012-01-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

The UA Writing Center (322 Lloyd; writingcenter.ua.edu) is now open for the Spring semester. Hours: Monday-Thursday 9-6; Friday, 9-3; Sunday, 1-5. Drop-in consulting is also available from 6-8 p.m., Monday-Tuesday, in the Ferg Starbucks; and 8-10 p.m., Monday-Tuesday, at Java City in the Gorgas Library.

Appointments are recommended and can be made at writingcenter.ua.edu. Walk-ins are accommodated as staffing and scheduling permit.

Alumna receives award

2012-01-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

Terry named NCMPR District II Communicator of the Year

October 28, 2011

Sherry Terry, Director of External and Public Relations at Bevill State Community College, has been named the National Council of Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District II Communicator of the Year. She was recently recognized at the NCMPR regional conference held in Atlanta, GA.

The Communicator of the Year Award honors a two-year college marketing professional who has demonstrated special leadership or ability in college communications. It is awarded annually in each of NCMPR's seven districts. District recipients automatically become a nominee for the national award, which is presented at the national conference.

“I am honored to have received this award and to represent District II in the national competition,” said Terry. “I am fortunate to be in a career that I truly enjoy because I believe in the mission of community colleges. As a community college graduate, and the only college graduate in my family, I understand how our schools truly make a difference in people’s lives.”

Terry began working at Bevill State Community College in 1994. As a new employee in an educational institution, she advanced her own education by earning an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from Bevill State and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Stillman College. In 2007, she completed a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama. and was selected to present “Artistic Quality Beyond Broadway, the Boston Symphony and the National Gallery: Rural Community College Cultural Arts Programs as Community Outreach and Development” at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting. The presentation was later cited in the fifth edition of Cohen and Brawer’s, “The American Community College.”

Over the past 17 years, Terry has been responsible for coordinating media relations, overseeing college publications and promotional pieces, organizing marketing and advertising strategies, managing the college’s website and social media sites and serving as a liaison to the BSCC Foundation. In addition, the Bevill State Public Relations department has been the recipient of numerous design, electronic media and writing awards including several bronze medallion awards at the 2011 NCMPR regional conference and annual awards from the Alabama Community College System Public Relations (ACCSPRA) Pyramid Awards competition. In 2011, Terry received ACCSPRA’s highest honor when she was named its Communicator of the Year.

“It is such an honor to have the Communicator of the Year employed at our College,” said Dr. Anne McNutt, Bevill State President. “During my tenure at Bevill State, Sherry has truly demonstrated a special level of leadership, ability, and innovation. We are very proud of Sherry’s accomplishments.”

http://www.bscc.edu/news/news_detail.php?ID=520

International trip opportunity

2012-01-19T17:50:00.001-08:00

The higher education program will be offering an international trip (for academic credit) this summer. The dates will be June 2-June 9, 2012, and the trip will include visits to multiple universities in Western Europe. The tour cost is $1000. Students are responsible for their own airfare.

A more detailed outline of the trip is attached. Please contact Karri Holley (kholley@bamaed.ua.edu) or Katy Galloway (kgalloway@bamaed.ua.edu) if you have any questions. The trip is open to all higher education students, although we need a commitment by January 31, 2012.

Campus events

2012-01-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

The Graduate Student Services will be hosting two events next week. Friday’s @ 5 will be next Friday January 27th from 5-7pm followed by The PhD Movie showing at the Ferguson Center Theater. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Women’s Dissertation and Thesis Support Group has begun its regular Tuesday afternoon from 4-5pm meetings at the WRC. Please come by and see what its all about! For more information call 348-3863 or 348-5040.

Thesis and Dissertation Seminar

2012-01-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

If you missed the Thesis and Dissertation Seminar hosted by the Graduate School during the fall semester they are offering two additional times for the seminar. The first session will be Wednesday January 25th from 9-10:15am in room 340 Bidgood and then again on Thursday January 26th from 3:30-4:45pm also in Bidgood.

http://graduate.ua.edu/events/seminar_td.html

Fellowship opportunity

2012-01-16T03:24:00.000-08:00

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Invites Applications for Dissertation Fellowships in Education

Deadline is February 3, 2012

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation works to help high-achieving, low-income students — from middle school to graduate school — reach their full potential through education.

The foundation created its dissertation fellowship program in 2010 to advance its understanding of the factors and contexts that help low-income students overcome personal adversity and challenging socioeconomic circumstances to excel academically. The foundation plans to use this knowledge to design programs and interventions that help more low-income students identified as high-achieving in their primary and secondary school years to sustain their achievement levels through college and beyond.

The fellowships are intended to support doctoral students for work done after the successful defense of their dissertation proposals. Although applicants must be candidates for a doctoral degree at a graduate school in the United States, they need not be U.S. citizens. Applications are encouraged from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to education, sociology, economics, psychology, statistics, and psychometrics.

The fellowship is a one-time award of up to $25,000, which may be used for a period of not less than nine months and up to eighteen months. Four fellowships will be awarded.

Complete program information and the application form are available at the Cooke Foundation Web site.

http://www.jkcf.org/

Campus activities spring 2012

2012-01-12T19:51:00.001-08:00

Don’t forget! You have the opportunity to earn 20 hours of FREE babysitting services this Spring 2012 semester! The Sitters for Service program utilizes undergraduate students to provide free babysitting to UA student parents in exchange for community service hours. All Student-Parents at UA are eligible for this FREE program. All you have to do is go to gps.ua.edu and select the "sitters" tab in the top right corner for more information. Specifically, you will find information about the program's operation, have the opportunity to browse a FAQ section, and will be provided with access to an online application to the program. Sitters for Service applications are due no later than Wednesday, February 1, 2012. If you were in the Fall 2011 Sitters for Service program YOU MUST REAPPLY for the Spring 2012 semester!

Women’s Dissertation and Thesis Support Group

The Women’s Resource Center and Counseling Center will be continuing their Dissertation and Thesis Support Group into the spring semester. The group will pick back up meeting every Tuesday at 4pm at the Women’s Resource Center starting Tuesday January 17th. The group features several guest speakers that provide valuable information and resources while students prepare or continue through their thesis/dissertation. Along with guest speakers the group provides an additional arm of support for any woman going through this stressful time in their academic career. New faces are always welcome so please mark your calendars for the first meeting on January 17th!

Information about job interviews for master's students at NASPA

2012-01-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.theplacementexchange.org/event/

Early-bird ends tomorrow, so it’s time to make your travel plans for The Placement Exchange 2012. Why join all your closet student affairs friends in Phoenix? Put simply, with The Placement Exchange you have the best chance of finding the job you want…and we have the data to prove it. Since everyone in higher education is talking about making decisions from assessment information here are real numbers to help guide your choice.

The TOP THREE (data-driven) reasons to come to TPE

3) You want a job! TPE is where the jobs are. Check out these amazing numbers:

• Over 220 available positions (141 postings) for TPE Phoenix;

• Over 11,000 interviews took place at TPE Philly;

• Over 1,200 hiring employers were in attendance;

• Over 500 job postings at TPE Philly, representing hundreds more actual positions;

• Even though most student affairs entry jobs are housing, over 25% of postings at TPE are non-reslife positions, thanks to our uniqueprofessional association co-sponsorships.

2) TPE TAKES CARE OF YOU — Job searching isn’t easy yet over 94% of candidates recommend TPE for other candidates. Even with all the excitement, TPE maintains a focus on you the candidate with features (like quiet spaces, smaller interview areas, and wireless just to name a few) that maintain an intimate feel and keep the experience from being overwhelming.

And the surprising number one reason you should come to Phoenix?

1) A remarkable 98% of attending employers recommend TPE. By treating universities right, they pick TPE year after year. Position postings for the 2012 conference already on par with last year’s event so don’t miss out!

Over 150 signed up for the TPE webinar on “Beginning Your Job Search” and you can check that out right now (not to mention the complimentary resume review once you sign up). At just $89 to register, TPE is, to quote several assessment responses, “the best bang for the buck!” If you have questions we are more than happy to help. Contact us!

See you in Phoenix,

Matthew Trainum

Chair, The Placement Exchange 2012

P.S. Quick Travel Tips: Book early! Check airlines not on the big search pages cheaper deals (still under $299 roundtrip on Southwest and Jetblue and American) and use our roommate matcher to split the hotel.

P.S.S. Average temperature in March is 77 degrees. Pack the shades and come on down!

*all survey data directly from the TPE 2011 post-event assessment and TPE 2011 attendance data

Save the date

2012-01-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Julie C. Laible Lecture

Anti-Racist Scholarship, Education and Social Activism

Thursday, Feb. 16th

TIME: 6pm

GRAVES HALL AUDITORIUM

Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings

Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Presentation opportunity

2012-01-11T08:28:00.001-08:00

Hello graduate students,

My name is Jon Handy and I along with the other leaders of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) are preparing an event for graduate students to partner with the Alabama Natural History Museum and share our talents with children across the community. February 18th will mark the first annual Grad Student Exhibition: A Hands-on Night at the Museum. It will be a night where children across the community get to come to the museum for free, get to interact with graduate students, and see some of the more interesting work we do. Refreshments will be provided. We will have an auditorium-like classroom set up for those departments who would like to put on demonstrations and will be providing tables and chairs for people to set up displays or exhibits that do not need as much room. The main event will be us - so we are asking for your help. A great way for you to get involved with the community and stir an excitement for learning is to host a table or offer to volunteer with the event. We are open to all ideas, but please note that this will be indoors and likely geared at younger children and all exhibits should in some way or form be interactive. Please contact jfhandy@crimson.ua.edu for more information.

Position Announcement - Doctoral Internship

2012-01-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

The Southern Education Foundation (SEF), located in Atlanta, GA seeks an outstanding doctoral student intern for the summer of 2012. Students pursuing doctoral degrees in higher education or related fields are invited to apply. This opportunity is intended to expose promising graduate students to career opportunities in the non-profit higher education sector while gaining experience that compliments a program of study.

For more than 145 years SEF has made outsized contributions to improving education at all levels, from pre-kindergarten through higher education. SEF works to improve equity, excellence, and opportunity in education nationally. Research, policy analysis, advocacy, and programs are the primary means through which SEF pursues its mission.

The doctoral intern will work to assist the development of SEF's higher education programs and related research projects. Primary areas of focus for this summer include the capacity of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) as degree providers, systematic assessments of student learning in postsecondary education, and academic program innovation at MSIs. Students interested in this opportunity should have working knowledge and genuine interest in Minority-Serving Institutions and the students most likely to attend them.

The internship begins May 28, 2012 and ends August 3, 2012. SEF will offer a stipend of $4,500 and a reimbursement for travel to Atlanta.

Prospective students must be enrolled in a graduate program having completed at least 24 credit hours and submit: 1) a letter of interest describing professional goals; 2) two letters of recommendation from program faculty and; 3) a copy of all postsecondary transcripts. Materials and inquiries should be addressed to:

Dr. James T. Minor, Director of Higher Education Programs; Southern Education Foundation, 135 Auburn Avenue; Second Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303. Materials may be sent electronically to Ms. Chandra Halstead (chalstead@southerneducation.org). Deadline for receipt of application materials is March 9, 2012.

Chi Sigma Alpha applications

2012-01-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

We appreciate your interest in Chi Sigma Alpha, an international student affairs academic and professional honor society. The organization began in 2002 at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and is comprised of graduate students, alumni, faculty members, and student affairs professionals committed to excellence in academics, research, and service to the profession. The purpose of Chi Sigma Alpha is for its membership to maintain the highest standard of excellence in the professions of student affairs.

The UA chapter of Chi Sigma Alpha was created in 2009 through the efforts of founding members Matthew DeMonbrun, Alison Leach, and Catherine Sale, with help from advisors Sara Hartley and Dr. Jennifer Jones. Since its inception at UA, our chapter has created opportunities for student affairs professionals, graduate students, and faculty to network and learn more about pertinent issues in higher education.

Benefits

Chi Sigma Alpha’s goal is to serve as a resource for graduate students and professionals in student affairs. We have liaised with offices across the campus and across the country in an effort to properly equip our members with the best the field has to offer. From hosting luncheons with experts in student affairs to helping plan events with innovative keynote speakers, we are actively committed to providing our members with the tools to excel in Chi Sigma Alpha’s three pillars: research, academics, and service.

Expectations of Membership

Becoming a member of Chi Sigma Alpha means that you agree to follow the organization’s constitution and by-laws. Accepting membership also means that each semester, you will attend at least half of the group’s scheduled meetings and at least one Chi Sigma Alpha event.

Contact Chi Sigma Alpha via email at chisigmaalpha@ua.edu to receive the application materials. The deadline for submission of materials is January 27, 2012. You will be notified of our membership decision the week following January 27, 2012. Thank you again for your interest, and please contact us at the aforementioned email address if you have any questions about Chi Sigma Alpha or the application materials.

Happy holidays!

2011-12-14T04:37:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays! We will resume our posts in January.

Congratulations to our winter 2011 graduates

2011-12-14T04:35:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to the Winter 2011 graduates!

Ed.D.

B.J. Guenther

Susan O’Rear

MA

Christopher Kohl

Valerie Jones

Spring 2012 course schedule

2011-12-11T13:34:00.001-08:00

Spring 2012 schedule

AHE 500: Perspectives in Higher Education
Dr. King, Gadsden
Weekend

AHE 521: Student Affairs
Dr. King, Tuscaloosa
T, 6-8:50

AHE 540: Organization and Governance
Dr. Holley, Tuscaloosa
M, 6-8:50

AHE 550: Finance in Higher Education
Tuscaloosa
W, 6-8:50

AHE 592: Internship in Higher Education
Dr. King

AHE 602: Economics in Higher Education (special topics)
Dr. Katsinas, Tuscaloosa
M, 6-8:50

AHE 602: Interdisciplinarity in Higher Education (special topics)
Dr. Holley, Tuscaloosa
W, 6-8:50

AHE 603: College and University Teaching
Dr. Major, Tuscaloosa
M, 3:00-5:50

AHE 640: Organizational Change
Dr. Harris, Gadsden
Weekend class

BEF 553: History of US Higher Education
Dr. Harris, Tuscaloosa
T, 2-4:50

BEF 654: Philosophy and Higher Education
Dr. Urban, Tuscaloosa

Information regarding winter commencement ceremonies

2011-12-11T13:21:00.001-08:00

The University of Alabama will hold its winter commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 17 in Coleman Coliseum on the UA campus. Two University-wide commencement ceremonies will be held this year, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., to award degrees.

At the 9 a.m. ceremony, the colleges of Commerce and Business Administration, Communication and Information Sciences, Engineering and Nursing will award their degrees. At 2 p.m., degrees will be conferred in the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, Human Environmental Sciences and the School of Social Work. Doctoral recipients, education specialists and master’s degree candidates participate with their respective divisions.
The Dec.17 ceremonies will be broadcast live over the Internet. The webcast will be archived on UA’s Web site, www.ua.edu/commencement, and it will be available for viewing through February 2012.

UA Education Policy Center releases annual report

2011-12-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

This report assesses college degree completion issues from the unique perspective of state community college directors responsible for coordination, supervision, and management of community colleges. Since 2003, The University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center has documented these issues in our Access and Funding in
Public Higher Education report series.

The report concludes that making significant progress in expanding college degree and certificate completion--a major agenda of the Lumina and Gates Foundations, and the Obama Administration--will be problemmatic, given the continuing state budget cuts. Respondents from all fifty states responded. Of these, just 4 indicate that a long-term plan to finance the operating budgets, and just 3 that a long-term plan to finance the capital budgets needed to expand college degree and certificate completion exists in their states. Given the continuing cuts in operating budgets in the majority states, it's not surprising that state officials believe making progress in expanding degree completion will be difficult.

Alumna named Associate VP at Webster University

2011-12-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

http://www.webster.edu/news/releases/anne_edmunds_vp_enrollment_111237.shtml

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 21, 2011 – Webster University Senior Vice President and Provost Dr. Julian Z. Schuster today announced the appointment of Dr. Anne Edmunds to the position of Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management. Edmunds, who will join Webster on Dec. 5, currently serves as Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

At Webster, Edmunds will be responsible for constructing an enrollment management program that employs both traditional and non-traditional means to attract, select, enroll and retain a highly diverse and talented group of students. She will be involved in enrollment management activities for the University’s national and multi-national undergraduate and graduate student populations, at Webster campuses around the United States and the world. Edmunds will report through the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, working closely with the President, Provost and other members of Webster’s senior administration.

As Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Belmont University, a position she has held since 2008, Edmunds led the day-to-day operations of the undergraduate admissions office. She instituted changes in recruiting efforts that helped increase Belmont’s freshman class enrollment by 250 percent. Prior to 2008, Edmunds served both as Belmont’s Associate and Assistant Director of Admissions, and as Enrollment Services Counselor. From 1994 to 1998, Edmunds served as Recruiting Coordinator at Vanderbilt University’s Career Center.

Edmunds holds a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in college student personnel services from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. She also studied advanced level mathematics and physics at Clifton College in Bristol, England.

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network of international residential campuses. Founded in 1915, Webster University’s campus network today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional residential campuses in Asia, Europe and North America. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.

Upcoming community events

2011-12-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

The West Alabama Christmas Parade is on Monday, December 5th, starting at 5:15pm in downtown Tuscaloosa. The parade will feature Santa Claus, more than 150 decorated floats, vehicles, bands, and performers from the area. The parade starts at 5:15pm and ends with a tree lighting at the steps of the courthouse at 6:30pm. The parade starts at 11th Street and Greensboro Avenue, traveling north on Greensboro and turning east on to University Blvd. It ends on 19th Avenue, one block before Queen City Avenue. Free parking is available in the city's Intermodal Facility, and around the parade route.

Dickens Downtown is on Tuesday, December 6th and it is a fun 19th-century Victorian Christmas celebration for the whole family. It runs from 5-8 p.m. in and around downtown Northport's Main Street, with live music, a snow machine, decorated streets and performers, open houses from merchants and restaurants, artists and craftspeople selling and demonstrating work, and a horse-drawn carriage bringing in Queen Victoria, who will pose for photos. This event is FREE and family-friendly, call 205-758-1257 for more info.

Bama Bounder’s December Parents' Night Out is on Fri, December 9th, from 6pm – 10pm. Drop your kids off and let them enjoy a fun night of gymnastics, games, contests, pizza and lots of fun! The cost is $20 per child ages 3 and up. Children must be potty trained. Call 205-722-2436. wwwthebamabounders.com.

Bama Bounders is also offering a Holiday Shopping Camp on Sat, December 17th, from 9am – 4pm. You can drop your kids off for a fun filled day of gymnastics, games, movies, arts and crafts and lots of fun while you get your last minute Christmas shopping done (or just recover from the busy semester!) For more info call (205) 722-2436 or visit www.thebamabounders.com

The Paul Bryant Museum is having a FREE Open House and Holiday Celebration on Tuesday, December 13th from 5-7pm. Bring the family and enjoy meeting former Alabama football players, visit with Big Al, enjoy Christmas snacks, let the kids enjoy a fun activity center just for them, enter to win door prizes, and do some holiday shopping. Call 348-4668 for more info.

Good bye Dr. Jones

2011-12-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

Best wishes to Dr. Jennifer Jones!

Faculty publication

2011-12-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

Integration of qualitative evidence: towards construction of academic knowledge in social science and professional fields

Claire Howell Major
The University of Alabama, USA

Maggi Savin-Baden
Coventry University, UK

Qualitative Research (2011)

In this article, we present an overview of the growing field of the integration of qualitative evidence. Based on an analysis of 177 syntheses published in a variety of professional and social science fields, they introduce a way of categorizing the various approaches that synthesists use to combine evidence derived from primary qualitative studies. Finally, they argue for the place of a constructionist approach when synthesizing findings from primary qualitative research.

Faculty publication

2011-12-04T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Challenges of Designing and Implementing a Doctoral Student Mentoring Program

Karri A. Holley and Mary Lee Caldwell

Forthcoming in Innovative Higher Education

The relationship between doctoral students and faculty members has been identified as a key component of a successful graduate school experience. In this article, we consider the challenges inherent in designing and implementing a formal doctoral student mentoring program. By bringing together students, peer mentors, and faculty mentors, the program sought to introduce a team-based platform to facilitate student success. We specifically consider how program components might be scaled up across the institution, providing both a personal and supportive relationship for participants as well as an information resource for the broader student population.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/w0226731735h121p/

Alumni publishes book chapter

2011-12-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

Barrett Taylor, a MA graduate of the higher education program and a doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia, recently published a book chapter with Christopher Morphew entitled "Markets in the US Higher Education System: Imperfect Competition for Undergraduates." The chapter was included as part of the volume Higher Education and the Markets, edited by Roger Brown and published by Routledge.

Alumna and longtime UA administrator retires

2011-12-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

http://cw.ua.edu/2011/11/30/retirement-not-the-end-of-helping-ua-for-veteran-administrator/

Pam Parker first graduated from The University of Alabama in 1980, but she never really left. She began working for the National Alumni Association in 1986 and, over the past 25 years, has risen to become one of the University’s highest-ranking administrators. Serving as the Vice President for Advancement since 2006, Parker has been responsible for leading the University’s development efforts and serving as its chief fundraiser. Now, she is making plans for continued involvement at the Capstone after she officially retires this week.

Guest speaker on Friday, December 2

2011-12-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

The Higher Education program is hosting Dr. KB Melear Friday, December 2 at 1pm in 118 Graves Hall. Dr. Melear will be speaking about "The First Amendment and Employee Speech Rights in Higher Education: Administrator and Faculty Perspectives."

Dr. Melear is Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Mississippi. His areas of expertise include college and university legal, financial, and public policy concerns, and he actively publishes and presents in those areas. He teaches courses in higher education law, finance, human resources, and international higher education. Please join us and please share with anyone interested.

Alumni news and updates

2011-11-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.montevallo.edu/BOT/

Alumna Jeanetta Corbett Keller will be finishing her term on the Board of Trustees for the University of Montevallo in 2011. Keller serves on the Executive Committee, the Trustees Committee and the Audit and Finance Committee. She holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Alabama, where she also earned her master’s degree. A recently retired executive vice president and editorial director of Southern Progress Corporation, she has returned to the workforce as chief administrative officer at UAB Health System.

http://viewfromventress.org/newsletter/summer-2011-newsletter/development-efforts-under-new-leadership/

John Festervand is the major gifts officer for the University of Mississippi Meek School of Journalism and New Media and also focuses on building private support for liberal arts. Festervand holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations with minors in business and speech from Middle Tennessee State University. He earned a master’s degree in sports management and higher education administration from the University of Alabama.

Alumni news and updates

2011-11-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

Alumna named provost at Virginia Commonwealth University

http://www.news.vcu.edu/news/Beverly_Warren_Appointed_Provost_and_Vice_President_for_Academic

Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao today announced the appointment of Beverly Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., to the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs. Warren’s appointment as VCU’s chief academic officer follows a national search and is effective April 20, 2011. Warren has served as interim provost since April 2010. Warren holds a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from Auburn University and an Ed.D. in administration of higher education from the University of Alabama.

Alumni and longtime VP at University of Southern Mississippi honored

http://www.usm.edu/about/administration/vice-president-student-affairs

Joseph Paul Student Affairs Award

The Joseph Paul Student Affairs Award was established in 2010 by the faculty in the Department of Educational Studies and Research to recognize a master’s student enrolled in one of the department’s programs who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to diversity, community building, and social justice. This award is given once per year and is presented at the College of Education and Psychology Awards Day.

Dr. Joseph S. Paul has served more than 30 years as a Southern Miss Student Affairs administrator.

Before becoming vice president for Student Affairs in February 1993, he held a variety of positions, including assistant director of student activities, assistant vice president and dean of student development. Paul holds a Ph.D. in administration of higher education from the University of Alabama and was named the university's Most Outstanding Doctoral Student in the field in 1985.

Five Questions With...

2011-11-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

Nathan B. Copeland.

Nathan is a member of Cohort 6 in the Executive EdD program. He serves as the Assistant to the President at Harding University in Searcy, AR.

1. What led you to pursue a degree in higher education administration?

My desire to make a difference in the lives of students led me to pursue the EdD in higher education administration. I also have a strong desire to obtain a cabinet level position at a university. The knowledge and achievement this degree brings will help reach that goal.

2. If you weren't pursing a job related to higher education administration, what would you do?

Graduating with a BBA, my goal was to one day become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I honestly had no desire to work in higher education. I can’t say with any certainty that I would be a CEO, but I would like to think I would be some level of executive for a Fortune 500 company.

3. What do you like to do in your free time?

Free time? What’s that? Golf has been a hobby and passion of mine for several years. Before I started the program at Alabama, I enjoyed playing a few times a week. During the summer I played most mornings. Now I enjoy spending any bit of free time with my family. They really are my biggest support group.

4. What's the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?

A well-respected colleague of mine once told me to never stop learning. He is almost 90 years old and still reads books and journals to discover new things. I never really enjoyed reading until I finished my undergraduate work. I honestly had zero desire to crack a book every again. Through his example I have a newfound desire to obtain knowledge.

5. What's your favorite quote?
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." –Socrates

This quote pushes me to never give up. I’m not sure that excellence is always attainable, but I want to come as close as possible. This thought from Socrates gives everyone a level playing field. You must work hard enough at something in order to conquer it.

New faculty publication

2011-11-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_higher_education/summary/v082/82.6.harris.html

Witch-Hunting at Crucible University: The Power and Peril of Competing Organizational Ideologies

Michael S. Harris, Matthew Hartley

The Journal of Higher Education, Volume 82, Number 6, November/December 2011, pp. 691-719

The literature on organizational culture underscores the benefits of a strong culture—its capacity to draw people together through shared values and norms. Yet, the formation of a powerful ideology also has the capacity to promote divisiveness and to alienate those who fail to conform. This study employs Frank W. Lutz’s witch-hunting framework in order to examine an institutional crisis at a small private faith-based institution. The case provides a rich illustration of the potential dangers of divisive ideologies on campus.

Fellowship opportunity

2011-11-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.jkcf.org/scholarships/graduate-scholarships/jack-kent-cooke-dissertation-fellowship-award/

The Jack Kent Cooke Dissertation Fellowship Award supports advanced doctoral students who are completing dissertations that further the understanding of the educational pathways and experiences of high-achieving, low-income students.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, through its scholarship and grantmaking programs, helps exceptionally promising, low-income students, from middle school to graduate school, reach their full potential through education. Our work allows us to see first-hand how high-achieving, low-income students overcome obstacles and excel academically. Our research, however, has shown that many high-potential, low-income students are unable to successfully navigate these obstacles. In The Achievement Trap (2007), we found that there is a significant drop off in the number of low-income students who are identified as high-achieving throughout the primary and secondary education system. These student experiences raise important questions about the factors and contexts that help some low-income students overcome personal adversity, limited educational opportunties, and challenging socioeconomic circumstances to excel academically, and how a deeper understanding of such matters can be used to design programs and interventions that will help more low-income students identified as high achieving early in their primary and secondary school years to sustain their academic achievement levels through college and beyond.

In response to this gap in knowledge, the Foundation has created the Cooke Dissertation Fellowship for advanced doctoral students who are completing dissertations that further the understanding of the educational pathways and experiences of high-achieving, low-income students. The fellowship is intended to focus more scholarly attention on the population of students the Foundation serves in order to enable parents, policymakers, and practitioners to better support such students in achieving their full potential.

Dissertation fellowships are intended to support the doctoral student for work done after the student’s dissertation proposal has been successfully defended. Applications are encouraged from a variety of disciplines such as, but not limited to, education, sociology, economics, psychology, statistics, and psychometrics.

The fellowship is a one-time award of up to $25,000, which may be used for a period of not less than nine months and up to 18 months, beginning in May 2012 when the award decisions are announced. We are offering four this year, with plans to increase the number in the coming years.

Upcoming screening of American Teacher

2011-11-09T12:47:00.001-08:00

The College of Education will screen the movie American Teacher on Tuesday, November 15th at 7pm in Graves Hall Auditorium. This event is free.

Dr. Tony Thacker, education administrator for the ALSDE who participated in the movie, will open the movie and be available for comments.

Tony Thacker is an Education Administrator with the Alabama Department of Education. He is currently the Coordinator of the Commission on Quality Teaching. Prior to his current position, Dr. Thacker was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Alabama Leadership Academy, the leadership training arm of the Alabama Department of Education.

Dr. Thacker is a former science teacher, principal, At-Risk Coordinator, Title IV Coordinator, and national trainer for the University of Alabama’s Integrated Science program. He has been a middle school Teacher of the Year and as a consultant for the Southern Regional Education Board has presented nationally on a range of subjects including Leading School Change, Data Driven School Improvement, Organizing Resources to Optimize Achievement, and Driving School Improvement by Revitalizing the School Mission, Vision, and Goals. He is a co-author of three recently published books entitled From At-Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do, Creating School Cultures That Embrace Learning and Schools Where Teachers Lead.

Alumni news

2011-11-09T12:46:00.001-08:00

Alum Receives Missouri Governor’s Excellence Award

Dr. Devin Stephenson received the Governor’s E3 (for Excellence in Education, Economic Development and Employment) Award recently at an economic development conference in Missouri.

The award was distributed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to Stephenson in order to recognize his work as President of Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., specifically in building partnerships with businesses and organizations in the region.

"I really appreciate the way Dr. Stephenson and the community college system of our state embraces worker training, career training, and makes those things a focus of their mission each and every day," said Gov. Jay Nixon in his award address.

Stephenson is a graduate of The University of Alabama College of Education, where he received his master’s in health education and Ed.D. in higher education administration.

Before becoming president of Three Rivers Community College, Stephenson worked at Bevill State Community College.

Upcoming presentations at ASHE

2011-11-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

Association for the Study of Higher Education (http://www.ashe.ws/)

Race, Power, and Privilege in the Classroom
Research and/or Scholarly Papers
Chair: Jamey Rorison/University of Pennsylvania
Discussant: David Hardy/University of Alabama

Stimulating Interdisciplinarity Research: An Analysis of the National Science Foundation Investment in the Recovery Act
Karri Holley/University of Alabama
Michael Harris/University of Alabama

Challenges and Solutions for Community Colleges and their Students
Research and/or Scholarly Papers
Chair: Carol Frances/Claremont Graduate University
Discussant: Steve Katsinas/University of Alabama

The Influence Theory: Factors which Influence the Transfer Advising Process
Alan Webb/University of Alabama
David Hardy/University of Alabama
John Dantzler/University of Alabama at Birmingham
Steve Katsinas/University of Alabama
Jennifer Jones/University of Alabama

Considering the Role of Ethnicity in Emergent Professional Identities: An Analysis of a Healthcare Pipeline Program for Minority Student Physicians
Karri Holley/University of Alabama

Recruiting Strategies of Nonresident Students and the Privatization of Public Universities
Michael Harris/University of Alabama
Mary E. Smith/University of Alabama

PRESIDENTIAL SESSION
How do Community Colleges Measure Success?
Steve Katsinas/University of Alabama
Brent Cejda/University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Michael T. Miller/University of Arkansas
Derrick Manns/Louisiana Community and Technical College System

Alternative Perspectives on STEM Education
Research and/or Scholarly Papers
Chair: David Hardy/University of Alabama
Discussant: Rebecca Ropers-Huilman/University of Minnesota

Codes of Conduct for Critical Role Positions in Higher Education
Symposium
John Braxton/Vanderbilt University
Eve Proper/LIM College
Nathaniel Bray/University of Alabama
Yunkyung Min/Vanderbilt University
Dawn Lyken-Segosebe/Vanderbilt University

What Should I Take: Course Enrollment and Student Outcomes
Chair: Kay Dennis/Park University
Discussant: Nathaniel Bray/University of Alabama

Interdisciplinary Curricula and the Integration of Threshold Concepts: Understanding the Impact for Doctoral Education
Karri Holley/University of Alabama

Teaching Qualitative Methods: Examples from the Field
Symposium
Zoe Corwin/University of Southern California
Randall Clemens/University of Southern California
Julia Colyar/University at Buffalo, SUNY
Karri Holley/University of Alabama
Penny Pasque/University of Oklahoma
Ronald Hallett/University of the Pacific

Five Questions With...

2011-11-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

Leslie Mann.

Leslie is a member of Cohort 5 in the Executive EdD Program and serves as the Graduate Studies Coordinator in the School of Education at Samford University.

1. If you could take a class on any topic related to higher education, what would it be?

Presidential leadership.

2. What are your plans after you graduate the program?

Move to New Rochelle, NY to take a job as executive assistant to the vice president and provost at a private catholic college in New Rochelle.

3. What are your research interests?

Higher education senior administrators (example: president, VP, provost, etc.) and their relationship with their executive assistant, personality type in the higher education workplace, emotional intelligence among higher education senior administrators, higher education prison programs.

4. What/who is your greatest motivator?
My mentor and friend, Dr. Mark Bateman.

5. What's your favorite quote?

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. E. E. Cummings

New faculty publication

2011-11-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.nasfaa.org/research/Journal/Journal_of_Student_Financial_Aid_-_Current_Issue.aspx

Branding Access Through the Carolina Covenant: Fostering Institutional Image and Brand

Michael S. Harris and Bradley Barnes

Journal of Student Financial Aid (Fall 2011)

This study analyzes the potential of major financial aid initiatives to serve as key elements of an institutional branding strategy. Concepts of branding and marketing serve as guiding frameworks for the analysis and interpretation of the findings. Using a case study approach, data were collected through interviews and document analysis at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The findings demonstrate the ability of financial aid to serve as a key component of institutional image and improve a university’s competitive position while also ensuring the access benefits inherent in supporting low-income students. The implications of this work provide an additional rationale for increasing financial aid budgets and substantiate proof of the market’s ability to improve access.

Upcoming campus events

2011-11-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

The Women’s Resource Center, Office of Health Promotion & Wellness, & Department of Health Promotion & Wellness will be hosting their 1st Annual Chocolate Festival Wednesday November 16th from 4pm-6pm at the UA Recreation Center in the Student Activity Room. The festival will be geared toward promoting women’s health with information concerning the prevention, early detection, and treatment of health concerns related to women’s lives. Tickets are available at the Women’s Resource Center or online at http://uaferguson.tix.com. Tickets are $7 for 5 pieces or at the door $8 for 5 pieces.

Don’t’ forget! Grad Night @ The Rec is coming up! Join our fellow graduate students for another evening of fun, activity, door prizes and entertainment. Grad Night @ the Rec is an annual event designed to emphasize healthy living among graduate students and their families. The event will be November 11th starting at 7pm. Your entire family is more than welcome! There will be special activities for everyone!

Cross Cultural Perspectives Symposium sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences will be held on November 14th at the Bryant Conference Center from 8-5:30 with lunch provided. It is free to students, faculty, and staff. Key topics will be communication skills, multicultural environments, as well as strategies and practices to help produce more positive and productive interactions in such a diverse environment. To register please visit: http:// training.ua.edu/cross-cultural-perspectives-symposium/ccps-register.html

Five Questions With...

2011-10-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Misty Haynes Cobb.

Misty is in the Higher Education Administration (Ed.D) program and will finish course work in the Spring 2012 term. Misty is a Solutions Engineer for North American Higher Education, Blackboard Learn, at Blackboard, Inc. Misty has both an MBA (2007) and BS in Computer Science (2001) from Jacksonville State University.

1. What led you to pursue a degree in higher education administration?

I have always enjoyed learning and helping others learn. After I completed my master's degree, I said I was finished with formal education. However, I found myself still wanting to learn more. I had previously taught business/computer science courses for grades 9-12 and then moved to higher education where I worked as an instructional designer at Jacksonville State University. I enjoyed being able to experience the differences in how K-12 and higher education function. After two years of working with faculty, mainly those who taught online courses, I was promoted to the Director of Distance Education. At that point in time, I began to learn more about higher education administration and I felt like I needed a terminal degree to continue to advance in higher education. I also thought the program would help me to be a better administrator and equip me to help advance the distance learning program at JSU. I choose the University of Alabama's higher education administration program and enrolled in my first class during the Spring 2010.

I must also share that I am a wife and mother. My husband of ten years, David, and I have a three-year-old son, Nathan. David was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when he was four weeks old. Although his parents were told he would not live to be a teenager, we will celebrate David's 35th birthday in November. Even though he is doing quite well now (his lung function higher than it has ever been in his entire life), we realize that at some future point I will need to be in a position where I can provide full financial support for our family.

2. What is your favorite piece of scholarship regarding higher education?

I would have to pick two: What the Best College Teachers Do, by Ken Bain and Scholarship Reconsidered, by Ernest Boyer. Although both texts are a little dated (Boyer more so that Bain), I think everyone enrolled in a higher education program should read both. Both are easy reads and practical for improving what we do as administrators and educators in higher education.

3. What are your research interests?

I am very interested in faculty experiences in online education. I would like to possibly explore what makes a great faculty development/training program for online teaching and learning. I am also interested in the administration and impact of technology (such as learning management systems and other educational technology tools) on faculty course design and management (do the tools determine the design and management of the course or vice versa).

4. What did you want to be when you were little?

When I was little I wanted to go to the University of Alabama to earn a bachelor's degree in engineering and then attend Notre Dame for a master's degree in engineering (I think because I had watched the movie Rudy and thought Notre Dame was cool...however, the idea of attending Notre Dame was not popular with my father who is the biggest Alabama fan I know). I recall that my ultimate goal was to work for NASA. Although this never happened, it is cool that my current title is now Solutions Engineer. :)

5. What's your favorite quote?

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Faculty featured in Inside Higher Ed

2011-10-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/10/21/ohio-chancellor-wants-end-remedial-education-public-universities

The leader of the University System of Ohio, Jim Petro, believes remedial education does not belong at the university level, and is pushing for the state’s four-year universities to phase out their remedial programs over the next six years.

Ohio spends $130 million a year on remedial education, according to Kim Norris, a spokeswoman for Ohio’s Board of Regents -- money, she said, that is aimed at academic inadequacies that should have been addressed in high school. She also said students can get discouraged and fail to graduate when they place into remedial courses.

However, critics say there are several downsides to shifting developmental education (the preferred term in some higher education circles) away from public universities. They say it could restrict access for deserving students, particularly among lower-income and minority groups. And community colleges, which would carry more of the remedial load in Ohio, do not have a good track record with remediation, some experts said.

Stephen G. Katsinas, director of the University of Alabama's education policy center, said the Ohio plan and others like it are bad ideas and “top-down approaches” that typically materialize around recessions. But other states are watching Ohio, he said.

“These policies are rearing their heads again,” Katsinas said. “Every Republican governor in the country will look at this.”

Five Questions With...

2011-10-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

L.J. Moore

L.J. graduated with his Master's in 2011 and now serves as the Assistant Coordinator for Student Conduct Services at Texas A&M University.

1. How have your experiences in the higher ed program prepared you for new job?

You know, I think the whole process of having to balance an assistantship with classwork and assignments is not far from what I experience in the working world now. There are the set projects that you know are due at certain times. Sometimes multiple projects or reports are due at the same time, and you have to juggle them around and prioritize to get them all done on time. I still learn something every day too. Our office just recently did some training using an investigation as a case study. So, using those creative and critical thinking skills just like in graduate work still applies to what I am doing now. I would definitely say that all of the student affairs focused classes were my favorite and have been quite useful in my work. I work with students every day and having those helper skills and understanding the importance of out-of-class interactions helps me to help my students. Also, having a good understanding of the basic organization of institutions is important. Institutions are governed and structured differently but having a good foundation to understand the overall roles of leadership within the institution is important to know how to maneuver within the institution to accomplish goals.

2. Do you have an advice for students graduating this year and applying for administrative positions?

The first bit of advice is to apply for jobs that fit your criteria, whether that is location, type of job, type of institution, etc. There may be some sacrifices you have to make, but if you are not limiting yourself geographically, apply for any and all positions that you feel like you will enjoy (and of course that you are qualified to apply for). Also, remember to network. The seven degrees of separation applies to higher education, especially within student affairs. You never know if a professional you meet today will know someone or have some type of ties to an institution or job that may fit your interests. I actually saw my current supervisor present at a conference two years ago. I made sure to mention that in my interview and actually talked about what I got from her presentation and how I applied some of the concepts she talked about to research and presentations I was working on at that time. I would also say to be patient. In the beginning it will seem like no one is calling or maybe your resume was thrown to the bottom of the pile. Once the closing dates hit, you will start getting calls for sure. When it comes time for the interview, just remember they called for a reason—they saw something in your resume or heard you say something in a phone interview that really sparked their interest. Know that you are equipped with the right tools to get the job, but you still have to sell yourself (that was probably the hardest for me to get a grasp on; realizing that I was fully capable to get any job that I got an interview for). You will be awarded a higher education degree for a reason, so just realize it and get the job!

3. What areas of higher educations are you most interested in?

I am definitely interested in student conduct (surprise, surprise huh?). I like the whole idea of helping students turn something negative into a positive, educational experience. Sometimes students are at their lowest point when they go through the conduct process. So, being able to have meaningful one-on-one conversations and those teachable moments to encourage them and also educate them is very rewarding to me. I am also interested in leadership development. I feel that many students see leadership in this microcosm and that leadership only applies when they are in their student organizations. I sometimes have talks with students on how leadership does not just happen within a student organization but those skills are (or at least should be) transferrable to other areas of life as well. In addition, I am also interested in multicultural affairs. Specifically, I am interested in studying enrollment trends and retention rates of minority students at PWIs. I am also interested in leadership development within the African-American student population.

4. What are three words that describe you?

Deliberative, Relator, Harmony. Ok, ok...I stole these from StrengthsQuest. I chose these three because I actually took StrengthsQuest pre-graduate school and just recently took it a few weeks ago. These three words are the ones that stayed in my top 5 themes from pre-graduate school to post-graduate school, so I thought it was appropriate. I really like the idea behind StrengthsQuest and feel that it could be a really useful tool if really utilized.

5. What's your favorite thing do to in your spare time?

I have begun to start reading for leisure now, which is something I really never set aside time for the past six years (hmmm…wonder why?). There is a great half-priced book store here in College Station, so I stop by every now and then to see if anything new is in. I just recently bought The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. I also like to travel. So, it has been good to be able to do a little bit since I moved to Texas. Being in College Station, the major cities in Texas are not terribly far away, so that is a nice perk! I have already been to Houston several times and also went to the State Fair in Dallas recently.

Five Questions With...

2011-10-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

E.J. Waldron.

E.J. is a first year PhD student taking classes full-time on the main campus.

1. What led you to pursue a degree in higher education administration?
I had somewhat of an epiphany as to what I was supposed to do in life. I enjoyed seeing how institutions work and yet I wanted to help
individuals and be part of something that helped them expand their
mind. I didn’t want to be a constantly stuck in some office, beating
away at a plastic box with a glass screen on top of it. I wanted to
engage people. In my last years of college and into my master’s, I
encountered the Dean of Students and Provost at my undergraduate
institution, and began to see through student leadership positions
that Higher Education really was a compression of everything I enjoyed
- philosophy, politics, service to others, debate/rhetoric, critical
thinking, etc. and I began to think greatly about the university as an
ongoing institution, its perpetuity going beyond myself in both scope
and time, and how important that genuinely is. The Dean of Students
called me in one day and asked me what I thought of Higher Education,
gave me the opportunity to speak on it to a group at the University,
and I leapt at the chance. I’ve never looked back.

2. What are your research interests?

I am thoroughly fascinated to no end on how public policy relates to
students’ everyday dealings with higher education. Policy is formed by
people yes, but is impacted by individuals - and we err towards
forgetting that many times. To what do extent do we owe the condition
of higher education in Alabama today, to the policymakers, or certain
individuals? Where does out trajectory lead us, do we have a vision
for higher education in this state? What is our personal
responsibility towards higher ed as Alabamians and as students? How
does religion impact this - or does it impact it at all? More
importantly, what does our higher ed policy mean for the rural,
black-belt student?

3. Where is your favorite place to visit?

I would love to fly Lufthansa on an A340 across the Alps in Winter
(business class of course), land in Munich, catch the train (or rent a
VW GTI) and spend Christmas week in the mountains around
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, or Ettal, Germany or Heiligenblut, Austria, at
a Gasthof while snowmobiling or skiing. (I’ve put no thought into this
as you can plainly see.) However, I’ve never been there so I’d have to
say, my Grandmother’s house on Mobile Bay in summer - with a crab trap
in the bay, a throwing net in hand, and one pot of boiling water and
one of oil going on the beach and having a crab boil and fish fry.
That or going up the rivers and along the coast on a seadoo anywhere
along Gulf, Franklin, or Wakulla counties in Florida. (Not the glitz
and glam of Destin - thankfully.)

4. What three words describe you best?

I would hope the four would be - dependable, purposed, tenacious and
passionate.

5. What's something we don't know about you?

Well, I really enjoy anything German (I minored in it in college, and
put my Master’s degree towards German Economic policy from
1871-present, and study theology, much of which is written in German)
- but hang around me for 5 minutes and you’ll probably find that out.
One thing you might not realize is that i like to put on my L.L. Bean
boots, and go off-roading, especially if its to a great fly-fishing
spot or skeet shooting place!

Serving in the Graduate Student Association Assembly

2011-10-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

The GSA Assembly works closely with the GSA Executive Board and is the representative portion of the graduate student body. We are now seeking representatives from the following departments:

* Engineering

* Business

* Education

The GSA Assembly acts sort of like a faculty senate, in that they provide recommendations to the GSA Executive Board on priority actions. In addition, this body serves as graduate student representation on a variety of university committees, and is your VOICE from your department on issues of concern to grad students.

Some of the priorities of the group this year include bringing the popular PhD Comics Movie,
discussing parking concerns of the graduate student population, and lobbying for the creation of a Grad student gift to the University.

If you are interested, email the GSA Assembly Speaker at jfhandy@crimson.ua.edu.

Five Questions With...

2011-10-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

Christopher Kohl

Chris is a second-year Master's student and the graduate assistant for the Office of Admissions and Scholarships.

1. What are you plans after graduating the Master's program in the spring?

I hope to find a job in either student affairs or academic affairs. It would be nice to work at a smaller college where there is a sense of community on campus. I did an internship at Birmingham Southern College and really enjoyed my time there. I also would prefer to have a position in an area where I can work with students on a daily basis.

2. How did you become interested in higher education administration?

Both of my parents are teachers so I grew up around the field of education. My father is an American history professor here at Alabama and my mother teaches American history, along with sociology and psychology, at Tuscaloosa Academy. I saw how important education is from my parents. Working at a college tends to be a much more positive and youthful atmosphere compared with other job areas. After working for a non-profit organization for a year or so, I decided I wanted to get into higher education. The field was comfortable to me and a place where I felt I could make a difference.

3. What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time I like to watch television (my favorite show is Big Bang Theory), go to the movies, go out to eat with friends, watch college football, and travel when I have time.

4. What's your favorite quote?

My favorite quote would have to be from the movie Gladiator where the main character Maximus says “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

5. What's something we don't know about you?

I got my Bachelor’s degree in German and did the Alabama in Austria program during the summer of my sophomore year. There was a girl in the southern Austrian town of Klagenfurt we visited that was going to be coming to Alabama that fall and the German department wanted me to meet her to answer any questions she had about Alabama. I got to meet her family and go to her sheep farm in the mountains of southern Austria. It was a great experience overall.

Lecture by Katsinas discussed

2011-10-09T18:24:00.001-07:00

http://news.siu.edu/2011/09/092911par11184.html

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The educational vision of Delyte W. Morris and the non-traditional academic profile that he used to transform Southern Illinois University Carbondale from a small teacher’s college into the state’s second-largest public university is the focus of a discussion next week.
Stephen G. Katsinas will present “Delyte W. Morris: An Educational Visionary,” a look at how Morris set about building the University during a luncheon lecture at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 4, in Student Center Ballroom B. Katsinas is a visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Master's alum profiled

2011-10-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

http://features.clemson.edu/creative-services/staff/2011/jennifer-shurley-shares-her-passion-for-service-with-students/

From Mexico to the Appalachian Mountains, Jennifer Shurley spent a lot of time throughout high school, college and beyond helping a variety of people. Now, as Clemson’s associate director of civic engagement, she’s providing resources to students so they can have the same life-changing experiences.

Shurley, who grew up in the Greenville area, first got involved in community service through her church youth group. She traveled with the group on mission trips to places like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, and it was these trips that would lead to a lifelong passion for community service.

“Those trips were pivotal experiences for me,” Shurley said. “I was able to see some abject poverty and an entirely different culture, which taught me about a whole other side of life.”

After high school, Shurley went to Presbyterian College where she earned a bachelor’s in elementary education in 1992. During college, she participated in a variety of service activities, including working with children at the Thornwell Children’s Home in Clinton, tutoring adult basic literacy and helping with Special Olympics. Her sophomore year, she spent the summer in Mexico, coordinating youth mission trips for Presbyterian Church USA in the border town of Nuevo Laredo. In the next two years, she held similar jobs in small towns in the Appalachian Mountains through the Appalachian Service Project. She and other college student volunteers worked with youth groups who would come to do service work, such as construction and home repair.

“Working in Appalachia was very similar to being in Mexico, minus the language barrier,” Shurley said. “Poverty that looks so ‘third-world’ is right here in our backyard. It’s shameful to think that we have that level of poverty in one of the richest countries in the world. Those college experiences were a wake-up call for me that we all need to do our part to alleviate suffering and fight for justice for those whose voices are often unheard.”

Native American Festival at the Moundville Archaeological Park

2011-10-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Looking for something fun and educational to do this weekend with your family? Consider going to the Native American Festival at the Moundville Archaeological Park. Repeatedly named one of Alabama’s Top 20 Tourism Events, the award winning Moundville Native American Festival is this Wed-Sat, Oct 5-8. Located at The University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park, performers, artists, craftspeople, and tradition bearers entertain and educate visitors about the rich culture and heritage that makes Southeastern Indians unique. The entire family can enjoy arts and crafts, children's area, knapper's corner, living history camp, and a stage featuring music, storytelling and dancers. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Check out http://moundville.ua.edu/?page_id=230 for more info about this great local event.

Hispanic Heritage Month

2011-10-04T15:00:00.001-07:00

This month is Hispanic Heritage Month! Our Crossroads Community Center is hosting several event throughout the semester to educate our community on Hispanic culture. For more information about Crossroads Community Center please visit crossroad.ua.edu.

Five Questions With...

2011-09-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Valerie Jones

Valerie is a second-year Master's student and works full time as the Tutor Coordinator at the University of Alabama-Huntsville.

1. Why did you pursue a degree in higher education administration?

My interest in higher education started while I was working on my undergraduate degree. I worked for the Office of Advancement all four years at the University of North Alabama. In that position I was very fortunate to be blessed with some amazing mentors. One in particular was finishing her doctoral degree through the University of Alabama, and she encouraged me when I showed interest in pursuing a similar path. I thoroughly enjoy working in the university setting and the possible career options with a degree in higher education administration are numerous.

2. You were hired into a full-time position after completing a year of your Master's. What has that transition been like?

I will not say that it has all been easy, because I am still taking full time graduate classes while working a full time position. Time management is definitely the key; however, at this point I already realize the program has helped to prepare me. Every day is full of numerous opportunities for me to pull from my knowledge base I have built in class and through my student worker experience in undergraduate and graduate school.

3. What's the best piece of career advice you've ever been given?

It may sound cliche, but honestly it was to do what you enjoy. Higher Education was not my original intent when I started college. I wanted to teach in the secondary classroom, and I think I would have been satisfied but no where near as happy as I am now.

4. If you could give a new higher education administration student one piece of advice, what would it be?

I would say don't be afraid to explore. My initial thoughts coming in to the program were that I wanted to seek a job with a study abroad program. Currently my position is no where near that, but I love it. I chose to have some varied experiences by branching out in my graduate assistant position and my internship, and both have served me well.

5. What do you like to do in your spare time?

I will admit spare time is at a minimum right now. Next spring I am getting married, so much of my time is spent planning for the wedding and house hunting. Both are a fun release from work and school. My fiance and I love the outdoors so when we get the opportunity we are often in a boat fishing. Being that it is the fall we spend most Saturdays watching, of course, Alabama football.

Alumni named college president

2011-09-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.salina.com/news/story/A2-Colby-president-reception-9-16-11evt--9-27

COLBY -- A public reception is planned at 4 p.m. Sept. 27 for Stephen Vacik, who took over April 18 as president of Colby Community College (Kansas).

The reception, in Room 108 of Robert Burnett Memorial Student Union, will be hosted by the college's Board of Trustees.

Vacik was vice president of academic affairs at East Mississippi Community College in Mayhew, Miss., for three years before taking the Colby job. He was responsible for all college credit instructional programs, both academic and career-technical, adult basic education, distance learning counseling centers and libraries at the college's three campuses.

Vacik was dean of academics at the Golden Triangle Campus of East Mississippi Community College from 2004-08 and associate dean of allied technology at Bevill State Community College at Fayette, Ala., from 2003-04.
He received his bachelor's degree in English with a minor in history from the University of Alabama in 1991. He received his master's degree in history from the University of Alabama in 1995 and his doctoral degree in higher education administration from the University of Alabama in 1997.

Tuscaloosa events during September and October

2011-09-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Do you know what's going on around Tuscaloosa for the month of September and October? The Graduate School has a webpage designated to the Tuscaloosa Area Resources. Visit http://graduate.ua.edu/resources/tuscaloosa.html to find several links to area attractions and resources.

Favorite sites for information:

www.tcvb.org - check out their Calendar of Events page. Note: October is a month chalk full of festivals. Moundville Native American Festival will be held Wednesday October 5th - Saturday October 8th. Moundville Archeological Park provides both nature and history with beautiful walking trails and a state of the art Archaeological Museum that received a $5 million renovation in 2010. Kentuck Art Association will hold their 40th Annual Kentuck Festival of the Arts on Saturday October 15th - Sunday October 16th. Kentuck Arts Festival is one of the largest festivals in the southeast.

http://www.tuscarts.org/- Did you know that Tuscaloosa has its own Arts Council. The Arts Council serves as the umbrella organization for 40 plus member organizations with the goal of promoting the arts within the county. Their website will provide information on all events from the Bama Theatre, exhibitions, festivals, to lessons.

Thanks to Tide Together for this information!
http://graduate.ua.edu/students/tidetogether.html

Five Questions With...

2011-09-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Anna-Margaret Yarbrough

Anna-Margaret is a first year Master's student and works as the GA for Graduate Student Services.

1. How did you first become interested in higher education administration?

I worked for a non-profit in Montana that collaborated with school districts, non-profit organizations, and higher education institutions. I was able to get experience in the non-profit and K-12 sector and wanted to learn more about the higher ed component. I am interested in higher education and community partnerships.

2. What is your favorite book/movie/band?

This question always stresses me out. I love too many books, movies, and bands. It’s so hard to pick a favorite, but I’ll go with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

3. If you could visit anywhere, where would you go and why?

Morocco is at the top of my list. I’ve done some travelling in Portugal and Spain and I’ve always regretted not making the boat trip to Morocco. Tanzania and Turkey are a close second and third.

4. What's your favorite thing to do in Tuscaloosa?

I’ve fallen in love with the river walk. I love that it’s so close to campus.

5. What class(es) would you like to see taught in the higher education administration program?

I was really excited to see that Diversity in Higher Education was offered. I would be interested in a class on civic engagement, service learning, and community partnerships in higher education.

Comprehensive exam review session

2011-09-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

A review session for students taking comprehensive exams will be offered in Tuscaloosa on September 30. The session will be from 3-4 pm in Graves Hall 109.

A separate session will be offered in Gadsden at a date and time to be announced later.

All students who are taking exams this semester (or those anticipating taking the exam in future semesters) are encouraged to attend.

Policy Center releases report

2011-09-16T19:44:00.001-07:00

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/09/university_of_alabama_report_i.html

Budgets for community colleges and public universities are likely to continue shrinking in the next year and tuition will probably go up, according to a report released Wednesday by the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama.
The report, produced by UA professor Stephen Katsinas and two other researchers, predicts rising enrollment and shrinking budgets at schools, plus flat or declining scholarships and state and federal aid.

"All of our nation's public access institutions -- that's the flagship universities, regional universities and community colleges -- are really hurting right now," Katsinas said. "Until the state revenue picture improves, we're looking at increased demands juxtaposed with decreased resources."
The report is based on a survey Katsinas' team conducts each year of leaders of community colleges from around the country. They polled 51 members of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges between July 5 and August 24.

Five Questions With...

2011-09-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

Brandi Baker Stacey

Brandi is a second year Master's student and serves as the graduate assistant for the College of Education's Office of Research and Service.

1. What led you to pursue a degree in Higher Education Administration?

During my senior year here at UA, I became dissatsified with the job prospects of my major, marketing. Through talking with teachers and those working in sales or for "Corporate America", I found that this was not the direction I ultimately wanted to take. I began researching graduate programs and I stumbled across UA's Higher Education Administration program. Before I began my graduate school research, I was definitely intrigued by the possibility of working for a college or university. Imagine my surprise and excitement as I discovered that one could obtain a Master of Arts degree in this field! This one definitely one of my wisest life choices.

2. What are your goals/plans after graduation?

I am on schedule to graduate in May 2012, and, given the state of the economy, I really hope to find a job. My research interests lie primarily in the community college realm, and I would love to work with admissions or student affairs at a community college. Eventually, I would like to pursue a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration, but I want to gain more work experience in higher education before doing so.

3. What do you see as the greatest issue facing higher education today?

I find it difficult to specify one single issue in higher education that is greater than other issues. However, if I had to select one issue, it would be the access/consumerism dichotomy. More students are participating in postsecondary education now than ever before, and access to higher education for all people has become a "buzz topic" for politicians, administrators, and philanthropic organizations alike. However, admissions offices across the country attempt to fill campuses with students whose families can pay the most, sometimes at the expense of admissions strategies that could be focused to recruit the best and brightest students from across the socioeconomic spectrum. With state support for higher education dwindling, colleges and universities must rely on other sources of financial security. Nevertheless, these institutions should make these difficult decisions with greater underlying moral and ethical questions in mind.

4. What is your "life theme song"?

My life theme song would have to be "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I have jokingly instructed my husband that if he out-lives me, he is to play this at my funeral.

5. What three words describe you best?

Tender-hearted, clumsy, and dreamer.

Graduate School Preview Day

2011-09-11T08:38:00.001-07:00

http://graduate.ua.edu/events/previewday.html

September 15, 3 pm, at the Ferguson Center

Upcoming family event on campus

2011-09-11T08:36:00.001-07:00

Family Weekend Story Time

The McLure Education Library will host Story Time on Friday, September 16, 2011, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. as part of UA's annual Family Weekend. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors who have or work with children are invited to attend. Adults will learn helpful hints on reading and telling stories while children of all ages will enjoy listening. The theme for this year's Family Weekend is "Weathering the Storms." The theme will focus on families surviving through times of disaster.

Mildred L. Jackson, Ph.D., associate dean for research & instruction, UA Libraries, will be this year's featured storyteller. Student volunteers from the College of Education and School of Library & Information Studies will also share stories and lead children in an arts and crafts activity.

Please join us for an afternoon of storytelling, crafts and refreshments. No registration is necessary and everyone is welcome. For more information, please contact Helga Visscher at hvissche@ua.edu or 205-348-1507.

Thesis and Dissertation Seminar

2011-09-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

The Graduate School is sponsoring a seminar on writing a thesis or dissertation at UA. We’ll discuss things such as setting a realistic timetable for completion, taking advantage of the Graduate School’s research and travel fund, avoiding common problems that slow down the process, and submitting the thesis or dissertation electronically.

The seminar will be on Wednesday, September 14, from 9:00-9:50 in Room 310 Bidgood. It will be repeated on Thursday, September 15, from 3:00-3:50, also in Room 310 Bidgood.

For more information please visit:

http://graduate.ua.edu/events/seminar_td.html

Faculty publishes op-ed

2011-09-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2011/07/viewpoints_we_must_face_danger.html

By Michael S. Harris

On a cold April night in 1912, the technological masterpiece of the planet sailed through the north Atlantic. Designed by the best engineers and informed by the best research, the HMS Titanic embodied the knowledge and excesses of society at the time. We know how that story ends.

Although a well-worn metaphor, the story of the Titanic nevertheless mirrors the current state of how we pay for higher education. The average university graduate in Alabama leaves school with a student loan debt of $24,000. This increased in just four years by nearly 24 percent. Student loan defaults increased 587 percent from 2006 to 2010. While a truly shocking number, defaults represent only the tip of the iceberg of debt that our next generation faces.

During the 1980s, federal financial aid spending transitioned from focusing primarily on grants, which do not require repayment, to student loans. The 1990s saw an increase in student borrowing and tax credits. Today, federal grants make up about one-fourth of federal student aid with loans about half.

As a faculty member at the University of Alabama, I study the issue of student debt and am concerned by what I have found. Research shows that students from low-income families avoid student debt even if that means not attending college. Students that in the past might consider employment in the public sector or nonprofits no longer can afford to do so. Every commencement, as I sit in the audience at Coleman Coliseum, I see proud parents, excited graduates and more than $45 million of debt.

New faculty publications

2011-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Status of Journals in the Field of Higher Education
Nathaniel J. Bray; Claire H. Major
The Journal of Higher Education - Volume 82, Number 4, July/August 2011, pp. 479-503

The Impact of Registration Timing on Student Performance
Hale, Jacqueline; Bray, Nathaniel
Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Volume 35, Number 7, July 2011 , pp. 556-573

The Proper Place of Theory in Educational History
Wayne Urban
History of Education Quarterly, 51(2), pp. 229-238

The Experiences of Gay Male Undergraduate Students at a Women's College
Christopher Holland; Karri Holley
Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 48 (2), 179-194.

Chi Sigma Alpha Brown Bag, Sept. 7th

2011-08-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

Chi Sigma Alpha, the higher education academic and professional honor society, will host its first "Brown Bag" event on Wednesday, September 7th in Graves 326 at 12:00pm. This session's theme will be "APA Research and Citation" and is open to all new and returning higher education students and faculty. Pizza and drinks will be provided. Please RSVP to chisigmaalpha@ua.edu by Monday, September 5th.

August 2011 Graduate School newsletter

2011-08-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

http://graduate.ua.edu/news/newsletter_201108.html

It has been barely 100 days since Tuscaloosa was bisected by the devastating EF-4 tornado, and many in Tuscaloosa and surrounding areas are still trying to cope with their losses and will continue to do so for a long time. But with the combined May/August 2011 Graduate Commencement and Memorial Service held on Friday Aug 5th, we can now begin looking forward, maybe even more than in typical years, to the start of Fall 2011 classes. In this issue, you’ll learn about the many graduate students who stepped up and made a difference in the days, weeks, and months after the storm (and are still doing so) by working to restore our community. And what a year 2011-12 promises to be! Despite the tornado, UA was able to resume operations within days after the storm, and summer 2011 represented another record year for graduate enrollment, with over 2,400 students registered, a 10% increase over last year’s record. We anticipate another record Fall graduate student enrollment (somewhere between 4,700 and 4,800, compared with 4,546 last fall). And best of all, we continued to extend the record string of graduate degrees awarded, with 249 doctoral degrees and 1728 total graduate degrees awarded in December 2010, May 2011, and August 2011--up more than 200 from last year and nearly 300 above two years ago.

Derek DeBruin, recent HEA graduate, and his wife honored for their act of heroism following the April 27 tornado

2011-08-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

TUSCALOOSA In the days since the April 27 tornado, Tuscaloosa has seen acts of kindness and heroism fall into place, one by one.

To mirror that chain of events, hundreds of students, faculty and staff at the University of Alabama gathered Sunday night to light luminaries, one by one, around Palmer Lake in a service that honored those who died in the storm as well as all those who sacrificed to help Tuscaloosa rebuild.

“From the first hour after the tornado to this very day, literally thousands of University of Alabama students, faculty and staff have committed hundreds of thousands of service hours to help our community and our campus,” said UA President Robert Witt.

Witt said the April 27 tornado would likely go down as the worst tragedy in the university's history, but he added, thanks to the post-storm response of so many in the UA family, “it will also go down as one of the finest moments in our university's history.”

After Witt spoke, the University Singers sang a powerful rendition of “I've Been In the Storm So Long.” Mark Nelson, vice president for student affairs, then read the names of the six UA students who died in the storm along with some of their interests and aspirations.

The six students who died were Scott Atterton, Danielle Downs, Melanie Nicole Mixon, Ashley Harrison, Morgan Sigler and Marcus Smith.

UA men's basketball coach Anthony Grant presented the first Capstone Heroes Awards to five individuals and groups from both the community and the university who displayed the “generosity and compassion typical of the UA spirit” and have “made a significant difference in the lives of others” in the wake of the storm.

The six award winners were:

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox

Charlie Stinson, a member of the UA Air Force ROTC and a medic in the Air Force Reserves who went out into the disaster area and DCH Regional Medical Center in the aftermath of the tornado to give medical attention to victims sometimes using his own clothing as bandages.

Amanda Phillips, a UA student who after returning home to Dallas, Texas, on April 29 organized a relief drive that donated thousands of dollars in supplies to Temporary Emergency Services in June.

Derek and Susan DeBruin, a couple who rushed from their Charleston Square apartment on 27th Street to give medical aid and assist neighbors in the minutes after the storm.

UA Greek Relief Fund, an organization composed of students from several Greek fraternities and sororities that registered more than 600 volunteers who cooked more than 50,000 hot meals, distributed hundreds of thousands of pounds of canned goods, clothes and hygiene products and have raised more than $180,000 for tornado relief efforts.

To close out the ceremony, UA head football coach Nick Saban spoke, encouraging those in attendance to not only learn from the lives of those who died in the storm, but also from the heroes who have given so much to help rebuild Tuscaloosa.

“And I think this should be a lesson to us all. That we should help others. We should not need a tragedy to inspire us to try to help others. We should serve other people all the time. You cannot be a leader and affect other people if you're not willing to serve other people,” Saban said.

Saban said his team is looking forward to the upcoming season not only to give those affected by the storm something to look forward to and root for, but to also serve as a constant reminder to the rest of the country that the rebuilding in Tuscaloosa is not over.

“We will wear a ribbon on our helmets in every game to honor all those that we memorialize as well as all those who have been affected and devastated by this storm as well as all those who have supported the community to try to rebuild that community,” he said. “... We appreciate what you do to support us and hopefully we'll be able to do something to continue to support this community that will be of significance and help everybody's spirit in a positive way.”

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110829/NEWS/110829692/1007?Title=UA-honors-those-who-helped-remembers-tornado-victims

Alumni updates

2011-08-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

http://muw.edu/publicaffairs/2011_prnews/031811_exec_announcements_.html

Mississippi University for Women announced two key leadership positions following recent approval by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. Dr. Jennifer Miles, who currently serves as assistant professor and master’s degree program coordinator in the higher education program at the University of Arkansas, will start May 9 as MUW’s new vice president for student services. Miles earned her doctor of education and master of arts in higher education administration from the University of Alabama and bachelor of science from Florida State University.

http://www.hvpress.net/news/129/ARTICLE/10221/2011-08-17.html

With a list of accomplishments that would rival those of any college president, Nick Speranza, Chair of the SUNY Sullivan Board of Trustees, announced that Dr. Mamie Howard-Golladay, whose tenure as president of SUNY Sullivan was to come to a close in 2012, will be retiring as of August 31. Dr. Golladay was named president of SUNY Sullivan in 1998. Dr. Golladay received her Ph.D. in administration in higher education from the University of Alabama.

http://www.mdc.edu/main/news/articles/2011/02/mdc_homestead_campus_president_to_be_hon.asp

Miami Dade College Homestead Campus President Dr. Jeanne Jacobs has received numerous awards during her career - including several from South Florida organizations over the years. Now, she is due to accept another honor from Temple Hatikvah Homestead Jewish Center during its gala reception on March 5, 2011 at its headquarters in South Miami-Dade. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Administration of Higher Education from the University of Alabama.

Welcome Back!

2011-08-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another, or a first, year in the Higher Education Program. A few programmatic updates. First, a hearty thank you to Dr. Katsinas for his efforts as Program Coordinator over the past year. I am pleased to step into that role for the upcoming few years, so as you have questions, suggestions, or insights about the program, feel free to contact me with them.

Now, with that out of the way, there are a couple of quick notes. First, a reminder that Drs. Katsinas and Harris are on sabbatical this term, so if you need to contact them do not expect a quick reply or to just run into them on campus. They both have extensive projects on which they are working during this time and will be off campus and out of contact almost exclusively. I look forward to the results of each.

Second, a final reminder that orientation for new students is this Friday, starting at 9am in Graves 102. We look forward to seeing new faces there, and many of our current students meeting with our newest additions in the afternoon to provide the best advice you can get - from those who have gone before!

Remember also that intent to graduate and filing for comps forms are due early in the semester. If you plan to graduate or take comps (date to be finalized soon), be sure to not only file your forms appropriately, but double check your transcript and program of study is updated and that your transcript is accurate, reflects all transfer credits, etc. By the same token, if you are closing in on your seven year timeline, be sure to check that you and the Graduate School have the same end date in mind. Don't run into a late, unexpected surprise!

On a personal note, my office in Graves has moved down the hall to 315E, as noted below, so if you are coming for a meeting take that into account. As always, I hope you are all keeping well!

Nathaniel

Nathaniel J. Bray, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Higher Education
Coordinator, Higher Education Program
315-E Graves Hall; Box 870302
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
(205)-348-1159

HEA graduate, Dr. Amy Brabham, named new ACCS Director of Workforce Development

2011-08-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

MONTGOMERY - Dr. Freida Hill, chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, has appointed Dr. Amy Brabham as director of Workforce Development.

Hill announced the appointment Monday at a State Board of Education work session. Brabham replaces Dr. Matthew Hughes who had served in that position since July 2007. Hughes resigned last month to accept a position at Enterprise State Community College as dean of instruction.

Hill said Brabham's appointment was the logical one for the system. "Dr. Brabham has done an outstanding job in her previous position, and she already knows our colleges and the state's workforce development needs. I am very pleased to make this announcement."

Previously Brabham served as the associate director for Business and Education Services in the Governor's Office of Workforce Development, and was responsible for statewide functions for the Training for Existing Business and Industry (TEBI) program, Ready to Work, Regional Councils, Industry Partnerships and evaluation/planning.

"I am excited to have this opportunity to continue moving our state's workforce initiatives forward," said Dr. Brabham, "and I want to thank Dr. Hill for her confidence and support. I look forward to working closely with the business community as we continue to build a comprehensive workforce development system that is business-driven and customer-oriented. Our regional approach to workforce development has opened the doors to a better understanding of a business's training needs."

Prior to her move to the Governor's Office of Workforce Development, Amy was director of the Alabama Technology Network Eufaula Center where she was responsible for daily operations, marketing, sales, and southeast regional training efforts for ATN.

Brabham began her workforce development career at Wallace Community College in Dothan where she was the director of workforce development for 12 years, with offices in Eufaula and Dothan. Brabham holds a doctorate in education from the University of Alabama, a master's degree from Troy University and a bachelor's degree in education from Auburn University.

Congratulations Spring and Summer 2011 graduates

2011-08-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our Spring 2011 and Summer 2011 Graduates

Ph.D.:
Delphine Harris
Bryan Oliver
Rebecca Reamey
Delynne Wilcox

Ed.D.:
Amanda Hackler
Robin Jones
Kristie Ramsey
Lindsay Seaborn
Alan Webb

M.A.:
Brittney Bahlmam
Derek DeBruin
Natalie Bates
Jonathon Hurt
Shannon Langan
Stephanie Lowe
William Mills
LJ Moore
Mallory Perkins
Nicole Schrimsher
Allison Verhine

Higher Education Graduation Celebration

2011-07-13T08:54:00.001-07:00

To honor our May and August graduates, the Higher Education program is hosting a graduation celebration Friday, August 5 from 2:30pm-4:00pm in 311 Carmichael Hall.

We encourage current students, graduates and friends of the program to attend. Please rsvp to Katy Galloway, (kgalloway@ua.edu or 348-3828) by August 1.

We hope to see you there!

Summer 2011 commencement ceremonies

2011-07-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

http://registrar.ua.edu/degrees/commencement/general-information/comm-events/

Friday, August 5, 2011

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Commencement Reception For May Graduates

Graduates and their families are invited to attend.

President's Mansion

3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Commencement Reception For August Graduates

Graduates and their families are invited to attend.

President's Mansion

6:00 p.m. Graduation Ceremony - Graduate Students

All students receiving graduate level degrees will participate in this ceremony.

Coleman Coliseum

8:30 p.m. Candlelight Remembrance on the Steps of Gorgas Library

A candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the storms that passed through Alabama on April 27, 2011.

Gorgas Library on the Quad

Saturday, August 6, 2011

9:00 a.m. Graduation Ceremony - Undergraduate Students

Coleman Coliseum

EdD Students travel to Europe!

2011-06-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Recently, students from the EdD Executive cohort program traveled to Europe in order to learn more about higher education outside of the United States. Led by Dr. Jennifer Jones and tour director Ingeborg Lameire, Cohort 5 spent time in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium and visited four universities, including the University of Groningen, RWTH Aachen University, University of Ghent, and the University of Leiden.

Over the course of the trip, the group met with students and administrators to discuss differences and similarities between American and European institutions of higher learning. Additionally, students participated in round tables on a variety of subjects related to higher education, including finance, governance, student affairs, and international exchange programs. The goal of the trip was to increase intercultural competency and expand students’ knowledge about European higher education.

University of Groningen: http://www.rug.nl/corporate/index?lang=en

RTWH Aachen University: http://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bdz/

University of Ghent: http://www.ugent.be/en

Leiden University: http://www.leiden.edu/

Fall 2011 courses

2011-06-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

AHE 500: Perspectives on Higher Education, King, Mon 6-9
AHE 507: Student Dev Theory I, Thurs 6-9
AHE 592: Internship in Higher Education
AHE 601: Professional Seminar (Doctoral Students), Bray, Mon 6-9
AHE 601: Professional Seminar (Doctoral Students), Bray, Gadsden
AHE 602: Popular Culture and Higher Education, Major, Wed 2-5
AHE 602: Diversity in Higher Education, Davis, Tues 6-9
AHE 640: Organizational Change in Higher Education, Holley, Wed 6-9
AHE 644: Academic Program Development and Evaluation, Hardy, Gadsden

New and returning student information

2011-06-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

New student orientation:

http://gradservices.sa.ua.edu/registration.cfm

Saturday, July 16 or Saturday, August 20
11 am-5 pm
Ferguson Center

Summer and Fall 2011 enrollment:

http://registrar.ua.edu/services/mystudent/registration-and-advising/

Funding opportunities

2011-06-14T15:06:00.001-07:00

The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition invites proposals for the 2011-2012 Paul P. Fidler Research Grant. With a comprehensive award package that includes a $5,000 stipend, travel to two national conferences, a presentation at a national conference, and priority consideration for publication, the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant will promote the development and dissemination of original research with the potential to have a national impact on college student success. The Center invites applicants to submit proposals addressing a variety of topics, including underrepresented students, community colleges, advising, transfer and articulation, the impact of educational practices, and other issues related to college student transitions.

The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant will be awarded in October 2011 at the 18th National Conference on Students in Transition in St. Louis, Missouri. Proposals are due by July 1, 2011. More information about the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant, including application procedures, can be found at www.sc.edu/fye/research/grant.

If you have any questions about the grant, please do not hesitate to contact Ryan Padgett, Assistant Director of Research, Grants, and Assessment at the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition ( rpadgett@mailbox.sc.edu).

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics is requesting proposals for grants to support research on intercollegiate athletics policy. The program is intended to enhance the Commission’s long-standing legacy of recommending policy changes to improve the management and integrity of big-time college athletics by bringing new voices into the conversation about how to ensure that athletics programs provide value both to individual athletes and to the colleges and universities that support them.

Proposals will be judged on their originality, feasibility, clarity and, most significantly, their relevance to policy and practice in the areas of concern outlined in the Commission’s reports, to wit:

•Academic integrity and valuable educational experiences for college athletes

◦Institutional and organizational (e.g., NCAA, conferences) accountability for academic integrity and responsible management

◦Treating athletes as students first, not as professional athletes

◦Strengthening the principles of amateurism to prevent the commercial exploitation of athletes

◦Rewarding practices that make academic values a priority

•Fiscal integrity of athletics programs

◦Greater transparency of finances, including better measures to compare athletics and academic spending

◦De-escalation of the “arms race” in spending on athletics

◦Promoting the financial sustainability of college athletics and an appropriate balance between athletics and academic spending

•Presidential and academic authority over the operations of intercollegiate athletics

The Commission will award grants for the 2011-12 academic year (including the summer of 2012) for researchers to conduct studies in these areas. The Commission will host a public meeting in 2012 for researchers to present their work to the media as well as leaders in academe and intercollegiate athletics.

To be successful, proposals will need to demonstrate a high level of understanding of the history, structure, politics, and economics of college athletics. The format for proposals may include original scholarship suitable for peer review, policy papers to spur discussion among leaders, or an in-depth journalistic study in print, online, or digital media. Any of these formats will be assessed on an equivalent basis for quality, sophistication, and potential to achieve the identified goals.

Two tiers of grants will be considered. One tier will be considered for funding up to $25,000, based on the quality of the proposal and the justifications in the proposed budgets. The second tier will receive awards up to $5,000 based on the same criteria.

Principal investigators may be affiliated with educational or nonprofit institutions, but proposals from publications and other private organizations will be considered. Multi-organizational and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged.

The deadline for proposals will be August 5, 2011, and winners will be announced October 24. Final reports will be due on August 1, 2012.

For a copy of the full Request for Proposals, please click here. For more information on the Knight Commission, visit www.knightcommission.org. Questions may be directed by email to research@knightcommission.org.

Remembering my advisor

2011-06-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a nice summer and will indulge me as I take a moment for a point of personal privilege here on the blog. Doug Toma who was my dissertation chair, mentor, and friend passed away last month after living for eight months with melanoma. Without a doubt, I would not be at Alabama right now or even a faculty member without his influence on me. Doug was a professor at the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia where he moved after leaving Penn. Welch Suggs wrote a great piece that appeared in the Chronicle last month (http://chronicle.com/article/J-Douglas-Toma/127414/) that described Doug as a person and scholar and I want to add my own reflections to his.

The first conversation that I ever had with Doug was a phone interview for a graduate assistantship working for the new Executive Doctorate program at Penn. The entire conversation consisted of talking about North Carolina basketball and I immediately knew that we’d work well together. On my first day, we went to lunch over a slice of pizza (the first of many such meals) and he started talking to me about my long-term goals. Doug was the kind of mentor who could throw out a crazy idea and yet by the end of the conversation you’d find it perfectly realistic. He fundamentally believed in the ability of his students and as a result he got more from them. He didn’t believe in finishing ABD and would do anything in his power to get his dissertation students to graduate with remarkable success.

Doug was also smart—scary smart. My colleague Christy and I used to constantly sit back in amazement with the research that Doug could spit out even at the last minute. Maybe especially at the last minute. If you research intercollegiate athletics, it won’t take you long to run across Doug’s work and how he looked at the positive aspects of athletics unlike most. This optimism about athletics and higher education in general permeated Doug’s writing and view of higher education.

Even with a terrible prognosis, Doug was in great spirits and remained extraordinarily active this spring. A clinical trial provided a number of good months and he felt privileged to be on the cutting edge of science and research. Fitting for someone who believed so strongly in the power of higher education. As I travel to Athens this weekend to remember and celebrate with his family, friends, and colleagues, I hope to channel his believe and optimism regarding higher education. Doug had an almost childlike wonder with the collegiate ideal and in this day and age, nothing else seems like a more fitting tribute.

Tide Together Mentoring Program

2011-05-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

The Graduate School is currently accepting applications for the Tide Together Mentoring program. . Please consider sharing this information with your departments, student organizations, and fellow students who meet the eligibility criteria: (i.e., be from an under-represented group in graduate education OR be a female in the STEM disciplines OR be a first-generation college student). If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or Dr. Natalie Adams at:

Nadia Richardson
Tide Together Coordinator
TideTogether@gmail.com

Natalie Adams, PhD
Assistant Dean of the Graduate School
The University of Alabama
102 Rose Administration Building
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0118
205-348-8283

Alumni updates

2011-05-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

http://www2.eufaulatribune.com/news/2011/may/03/historic-chattahoochee-commission-board-taps-bunn--ar-1798068/

Mike Bunn, Curator of History at The Columbus Museum in Columbus, will assume duties as executive director of the Historic Chattahoochee Commission (HCC) on May 23. Bunn received a graduate certificate in public history from the University of West Georgia in 2007; master of arts in higher education administration from the University of Alabama in 2000; master of arts in history in 1998; and a bachelor of science in history from Faulkner University in 1995.

Faculty publications and news

2011-05-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

An Early History of the Rural Community College Initiative: Reflections on the Past and Implications for the Future
Community College Journal of Research and Practice
Volume 35, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 234 - 251
Authors: Mike Kennamer; Stephen G. Katsinas

A Cultural Repertoire of Practices in Doctoral Education
International Journal of Doctoral Studies
Volume 6, Pages 79-94
Author: Karri Holley

Wayne Urban recently received the 2011 Career Achievement Award from the Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology.

Spring 2011 graduation celebration

2011-04-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

To honor our May graduates, the higher ed program is hosting a graduation celebration next Friday, May 6 from 5-6:30pm in the Carmichael Rotunda (311 Carmichael Hall). We want to encourage all current students, graduates, and friends of the program to come celebrate and wish our graduates well. Please RSVP to Katy Galloway (kgalloway@ua.edu or 348-3828) by May 2. Hope to see everyone there!

Five Questions with...

2011-04-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Dr. Wayne Urban

Dr. Urban is a professor within the Higher Education program, and he serves as the Bryant Professor of Education and the Associate Director of the Education Policy Center.

What would you be doing if you were not working in higher education?
Probably teaching and coaching football.

What are your favorite higher education books or articles?
Gone with the Ivy: A Biography of Vanderbilt University by Paul K. Conkin and Academia's Golden Age: Universities in Massachusetts, 1945-1970 by Richard M. Freeland

What is your theme song for life?
Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, The Eroica

What are you favorite TV shows, movies and books?
TV: The West Wing
Movie: Big Red
Books: Spy novels by Alan Furst

What would you like for your tombstone to say?"He Tried"

Since You've Been Gone... Dr. Cathy Randall

2011-04-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Dr. Cathy Randall is the Chairman of the Board of Pettus Randall Holdings, LLC, and is the former Chairman of the Board of Randall Publishing Company and the former Director of the University Honors Program at the University of Alabama. She has earned two Ph.D. degrees from the University of Alabama (one of which was from our Higher Education program) and has been named one of the top 31 women graduates of the century. Chairman of the Alabama Academy of Honor (the Top 100 living Alabamians), Dr. Randall has served as the National President of Mortar Board, Inc., president of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame, Director of Alabama Girls State, and a member of the board of directors of Mercedes Benz USI, the American Village, the National Collegiate Honors Council, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Alabama Law Festival, the Alabama Archives and History Foundation, the Alabama Center of Civic Life, and the Tuscaloosa City Schools Education Foundation. She has been honored with Tuscaloosa's 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award for Women of Distinction and with the 2002 E. Roger Sayers Award as the outstanding University of Alabama faculty/staff member.

She is the widow of H. Pettus Randal, III, and the mother of Jaynie Rogers Randall, A.B. Princeton 1999, M.B.A. Harvard Business School 2003, Yale Law 2006; Kate Randall, B.A. Vanderbilt 2001, M. Phil. University of Cambridge 2002, Harvard Business 2008; and H. Pettus Randall, IV, A.B. Princeton 2004, M. St. University of Oxford 2005, and Stanford Business School 2011 (candidate).

Last Lecture to be presented by Dr. Bebe Barefoot

2011-04-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the 2011 recipient of the Last Lecture Award: Dr. Bebe Barefoot

We hope you will join us on Monday April 25, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. in Room
38 Lloyd Hall to hear Dr. Bebe Barefoot’s lecture: Stepping “Outside Self-Evident Limitedness” OR How Get Over Yourself and Join The Circus

A reception will follow the lecture
Students, faculty, alumni, staff, and community members are cordially invited to attend

New CSA officers

2011-04-13T11:12:00.001-07:00

President: Marybeth Smith

Vice President: Kevin Thornthwaite

Director of Correspondence: Mary Alice Porter

Five Questions with...

2011-04-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Allison Verhine

Allison is a second year master's student in the Higher Education program. Allison attended the University of Alabama as an undergraduate and is currently the Associate Coordinator of Recruitment for the the University's Honors College.

What are your research interests?
Recruitment and Retention

What has been your favorite class?
Student Affairs with Dr. King

What is your theme song for life?
Don't Stop Believing- Journey

What is your favorite movie/tv show/book of all time?
Movie: My Girl
Book: Tuesday's with Morrie
TV Show: The Amazing Race

What three words would your best friend use to describe you?
Friendly, compassionate, and easy-going

Since You've Been Gone... Alison Leach

2011-04-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

Since I finished my degree at The University of Alabama, I…

spent the summer finishing out my assistantship with Parent Programs at the Capstone, working with Parent Orientation and 23 amazing Parent Ambassadors. I definitely learned a lot and made a ton of lasting memories and friendships.

After my “summer vacation,” I began my journey to Fayetteville, Arkansas to begin my new job/life as the Assistant Director of Parent & Family Programs at the University of Arkansas. I spend my days planning events like Family Weekend and Parent & Family Orientation, working on parent publications and e-newsletters, representing the parent/family population at different campus meetings and communicating with parents about how they can support their student. I am also involved with the National Orientation Directors Association as the State Coordinator for the state of Arkansas. I guess you could say that I’m pretty lucky!

News for graduate student parents

2011-04-06T18:39:00.001-07:00

Graduate Parent Support's Summer Camp Expo!

Graduate Parent Support is hosting a Summer Camp Expo at the softball fields and tennis courts on April 29 for students who are parents and for families in the Tuscaloosa community. Students who are part of GPS can watch a softball game and have a free picnic after the expo. More information: Contact Cori Perdue at gps@ua.edu.

Faculty and student presentations

2011-04-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

The 2011 SHOES (Southern History of Education Society) meeting was held at the College of Charleston on Friday & Saturday, March 11 & 12, 2011.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Deans of Men and The Shaping of Modern College Culture by Bob Schwartz
Wayne Urban, University of Alabama
Philo Hutcheson, Georgia State University

Saturday, March 12, 2011

“Decades of Dishonesty: The Cheating Scandal of 1960 and the Creation of the Academic Honor Code at the University of Alabama,” Dave Aurich, University of Alabama

Stephanie Dupaul, HEA alumnus, promoted to VP for Enrollment Management!

2011-04-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

DALLAS (SMU) -- Stephanie Dupaul will become Southern Methodist University’s associate vice president for Enrollment Management in the Office of the Provost on June 1. In this newly created position, she will provide strategy and leadership for the University’s ongoing commitment to increasing the number and quality of applicants for admission.

Dupaul has served as SMU’s interim dean of admissions since August 2010. She previously served as director of undergraduate admissions in the SMU Cox School of Business, where she achieved dramatic improvement in the academic profile of students entering the Business Administration (B.B.A.) program. The University will now begin a search for a dean of admissions, who will report to Dupaul.

“Dr. Dupaul was the choice of the committee after a very strong field of candidates visited SMU following our national search,” said Paul Ludden, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are excited about the energy and enthusiasm that she brings to this position, along with her keen understanding of the national admissions landscape.”

“I am honored and excited to help contribute to the University’s growth, and grateful for the support of the faculty, staff, students and alumni,” Dupaul said. “SMU was at the forefront of the enrollment management movement when our Division of Enrollment Management was formed over a decade ago; this position will strengthen the connections in the division as we work together to support the University’s mission and goals.”

SMU’s director of financial aid, registrar, bursar and dean of admissions all will report to Dupaul in her new role. She will chair the Strategic Enrollment Management Group and will direct the University’s relationships with admissions-related consultants.

SMU is seeing dramatic growth in applications and a steady rise in the SAT scores of students who seek admission. Applications for SMU’s fall entering class increased by more than 30 percent for Fall 2011 and SAT scores have risen nearly 100 points in the last decade.

Dupaul served as Cox associate director for B.B.A. advising and student records from 1996-2002. Before joining SMU, she was associate director of M.B.A. admissions at the University of Dallas and academic adviser for Brookhaven College. Dupaul holds an Ed.D. degree in higher education administration and leadership from the University of Alabama, a master's degree in English from SMU and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin.

Five Questions with...

2011-04-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Shannon Langan

What are your research interests?

My research interests are student development and higher education marketing. I am fascinated by how various higher education departments combine aspects of student devlopment theory, vocational theory and academic/career advising. I am also fascinated by how media outlets such as US News have a lock on the admissions marketing game with the mass population, while we inside the instutiions are more skeptical. How do they have as much sway as they do?

What has been your favorite class?

My favorite class has been all of my current classes (grades have yet to be finalized). All kidding aside, I have enjoyed those that were more counseling based and student affairs oriented. I appreciate learning different ways to help student one on one. Student Affairs and the Seminar in Counseling class were amazing, but I loved Case Studies too because it helped me think like a practitioner. Those scenarios were not far off from the interview questions I have gotten since starting my search.

If you were not in higher education, what would you be doing?

Journalism, hands down. I miss the converstaional style of writing that it allowed to do when I was interning at magazines. It also came with a lot of perks like meeting interesting people and comped meals. I was getting paid to talk to people!

What is your theme song for life?

Ain't Nothing Wrong With That by Robert Randolph and the Family Band

What is your favorite movie/tv show/book of all time?

Movie - (tie) Good Will Hunting, A Good Woman and Pride and Prejudice (BBC). TV show - Gilmore Girls. Book - Eat, Pray, Love

Chronicle of Higher Education

2011-04-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

Program Coordinator, Dr. Stephen Katsinas, and UA graduate, J. Clint Kinkead, were recently cited in a Chronicle of Higher Education article:

http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/researchers-call-for-new-carnegie-subcategories-for-public-masters-colleges/31834

Since You've Been Gone... Carly Fletcher

2011-04-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Since I finished my degree at The University of Alabama, I…

moved to Charlotte, NC to be closer to family, and shortly thereafter accepted a position as Academic Advisor in the Belk College of Business at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. This position has been a great blend of both student and academic affairs, and has allowed me to utilize the higher education theory I learned while at UA. As an advisor, I assist undergraduate business students in a variety of capacities, including; developing an academic plan consistent with their interests and abilities, locating internship opportunities, evaluating study abroad course equivalencies, assisting those on probation or suspension, and serving as a resource for all students. In addition to advising on academics, I’ve become involved in my sororities local alumnae chapter and serve as the faculty advisor to UNC Charlotte’s Sigma Kappa Sorority Collegiate Chapter. Of course, my biggest challenge is surviving as an SEC football fan in ACC basketball country!

Doctoral students visit with state officials

2011-04-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

On Friday, April 1, students in the executive Ed.D. program traveled to Montgomery. They visited with Chancellor Freida Hill of the Alabama Community College System as well as Greg Fitch of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Students presented policy briefs on various issues impacting higher education in the state.

Students with course instructor Dr. Karri Holley, Chancellor Freida Hill, and other staff:

Students in front of the RSA Building in downtown Montgomery:

Talking about the Alabama community college system with Chancellor Hill:

Visiting with Greg Fitch at ACHE:

Chi Sigma Alpha - Brown Bag Luncheon

2011-03-31T09:26:00.001-07:00

Mark your calendars! The Department of Higher Education and Chi Sigma Alpha honor society will sponsor a Brown Bag next Tuesday, April 5th at 12 noon. The location is Graves 327 and pizza and soda will be provided.

The topic of discussion will be job placement conferences, interviewing, and on-campus visits--what they are, how to prepare, and more. The Brown Bag will be facilitated by four 2nd year Masters students (Brittney Bahlman, Jonathan Hurt, Shannon Langan, and William Mills) who are currently going through the job search process and have recently attended student affairs job placement conferences (NASPA's "The Placement Exchange" and ACPA's "Career Central at Convention"). So, bring your comments, and questions with you - we will provide the lunch! If you plan to attend, please RSVP to babahlman@crimson.ua.edu so we can plan appropriately for food. If you have any questions or concerns, just let us know and we hope to see you on Tuesday!

CV Workshop

2011-03-29T12:37:00.001-07:00

CV Workshop
Friday, April 1, 2011 / Time: 12:00pm/ Carmichael Hall (Room 211)

Please join us as for this informative workshop on creating a strategic and effective curriculum vitae (CV). Our presenter will be Dr. Vivan Wright, Associate Professor of Instructional Technology in the Department of Curriculm and Instruction. Please feel free to bring your lunch to this event.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP by emailing Nadia Richardson at TideTogether@gmail.com.

For more information on Dr. Wright, please visit http://education.ua.edu/faculty-staff/vivian-wright/ or http://gobama.ua.edu/podcast/vw4.html.

For directions to Carmichael Hall, please visit http://tour.ua.edu/tourstops/carmichael.html.

Five Questions with...

2011-03-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Michael Harris

Michael has been on the higher education faculty since 2004 and was promoted to associate professor in 2010. He previously served as the director of the Executive Ed.D. cohort. Prior to joining the faculty, he completed his Doctor of Education degree at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina.

What are your research interests?

My research focuses on the policy and organizational implications of market forces on higher education. I'm particularly interested in how market forces impact students and institutions. How do higher education institutions attempt to compete within the marketplace? How does this competition impact public institutions? These questions are only becoming more important as we face today's economic and political realities.

What has been your favorite class to teach?

I have two favorites- history and case studies. History was my first course I taught at UA and reminds me of my history roots as an undergrad. The class also allows you to get into a variety of higher education topics in interesting ways. Case studies is a class that I started here and is a fun way to put to into "practice" all of the theories and ideas we talk about in the program.

What is your favorite movie/tv show/book of all time?

I am a bigger TV than movie fan. My current favorites are Modern Family, The Office, and How I Met Your Mother. I also used to love the West Wing, Ed, and SportsNight.

What is your favorite word? Least favorite?

My favorite: Daddy. My least favorite: is, was, were, have, has, it. Hope my students in class read this.

What three words would your best friend use to describe you?

Organized, stoic, sarcastic.

Since You've Been Gone... Rob Stienmetz

2011-03-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Since I graduation from the University of Alabama, I have truly been able to take some important next steps professionally and personally. Within 6 months of the completion of my doctorate I applied for and was successfully hired into the role of Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. HACC is a 24,000 student multi-campus college with a long history of success at educating the population in central Pennsylvania. I have no doubt that the doctorate is what gave me the edge at getting this job. I am fairly young to be in such a role and believe the experience (and crazy pressure!) at UA really prepared me for this role.

I probably complained about the dissertation process more than anyone as I was going through it. It was certainly a struggle and I assumed that I would never really refer to it once it was completed. I have to say that it gave me a foundation in retention theory and research that I would have never been able to have otherwise. (Shocking I know!) It gave me confidence to speak on the topic, and I have been able to more effectively create change to improve student success at HACC.

Personally, I didn't read a book of any kind for about 8 months after I finished at UA! It was certainly an overwhelming experience. But once I had a chance to recuperate, I realized how much I truly grew and learned from the courses, dissertation, and fellow students. I have honestly never been happier, love my job, and am living in a city that I enjoy. Oh...and I'm reading again! Right now it's a book called "The Help." It's a fascinating fictional story about Mississippi African-American women hired to work in white homes during the 60s.

I will always cherish my time at UA. It really challenged me to become a better researcher, administrator, and critical thinker.

Curtis Lecture: What Hope and Well-Being Tell Us About American Students

2011-03-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

Katsinas to Receive Senior Scholar Award

2011-03-25T03:44:00.001-07:00

Steve Katsinas has been selected to receive the 2011 Senior Scholar Award from the Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC). The Senior Scholar Award recognizes a scholar for outstanding theoretical and/or applied research publication(s) that contribute to the national body of knowledge about community colleges.

Alumni News

2011-03-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

Recent Higher Education graduate Kristie Rankin was featured in a recent story in Inside Higher Ed. This story profiles an innovative program Rankin works with at Lawson State Community College that combines a local career fair with health care information.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/23/community_college_hosts_combined_career_and_wellness_fair

Recent faculty publications

2011-03-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

“Those invisible barriers are real”: The Progression of First-Generation Students Through Doctoral Education
Authors: Gardner, Susan; Holley, Karri
Equity & Excellence in Education, Volume 44, Number 1, January 2011 , pp. 77-92(16)

An Early History of the Rural Community College Initiative: Reflections on the Past and Implications for the Future
Authors: Kennamer, Mike; Katsinas, Stephen
Source: Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Volume 35, Number 3, March 2011 , pp. 234-251(18)

Since You've Been Gone... Lana K.Shoultz

2011-03-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

Since I finished my degree at The University of Alabama...

I moved back to Birmingham, my hometown, got married, got a job, a house and a dog. I guess you could say I'm living the "American dream."

I have, however, taken a path in my career that is pretty much completely unexpected. Despite having received my Master’s in Higher Education Administration, I do not currently work in the higher ed industry. But before you start judging me, here me out. Given the economic crisis that really hit hard in 2008, I started searching for a jobs in markets outside of higher ed – wanting to keep my options open. I have a BS in Public Relations and Business and given my previous work with UA in recruitment, admissions and event planning, a career in marketing was something I was willing to consider. So in August 2009, I accepted a position in the Marketing & Education department of BioHorizons, Inc. BioHorizons is a global medical device company headquartered in Birmingham, AL and in over 80 markets worldwide that specializes in oral reconstructive devices – designing, manufacturing and distributing dental implants, bone and tissue regenerative products and computer guided surgery software.

I support our marketing efforts through various continuing education (CE) outlets – ultimately helping dental professionals fulfill their accreditation requirements but with the underlying motive to educate them on our exceptional products backed by university based research. We support over 500 CE courses a year, which needless to say keeps me very busy, and I have had the opportunity to travel in the US and internationally to represent BioHorizons at these events. My most unique experience so far has been traveling to Bogota, Colombia in April 2010 to help with one of our Global Symposiums. You could not enter the hotel without being sniffed by a dog handled by a machine-gun clad security guard. It was quite the experience! While I have steered away from being directly in higher education, I have the opportunity to work with institutions across the US daily by coordinating learning programs for dental school residents, discussing clinical research and implications with professors/researchers and educating clinicians on the most current technologies in dentistry through continuing education (CE) courses. In August 2010, I coordinated a conference in Dallas, TX for university and hospital program directors and deans with workshops given by a number of the most celebrated key opinion leaders in our field.

Another fun experience I recently had was being stranded in Columbus, OH due to an unexpected snow storm while traveling with an associate dean and professor at UAB for a course he was speaking at that I attended. So, while I am technically not in higher education, I work with higher education professionals daily and my enthusiasm for education and research has truly been magnified. On any given day, you could find me speaking with a biomedical engineer on clinical testing related to our products, having a beer with someone in the dental industry whose equivalent in higher education would be Pascarella or Terenzini, or be helping train a dentist on implant dentistry by having them surgically place a dental implant into a block of wood for practice. I have worked for BioHorizons for going on three years now and was recently promoted to Senior Marketing and Education Specialist. I truly love my job and am fortunate to have found a such a great first job out of college where I am constantly learning and growing. It is such a good feeling to be proud of what you do, and I owe a lot of my success to my time in the Higher Education program. I learned valuable communication and critical thinking skills that translate to any industry. And I am grateful to my former advisor, Dr. Michael Harris, who is still giving me much appreciated guidance and support even after three years of me being out of the program. You can’t get rid of me that easy!

On a more personal note, I got married in May 2009 to Wesley Shoultz, who I met during my time at UA. The way to my heart is apparently through my stomach – Wes is a chef here in Birmingham. We spend most of our free time with our 2-year old dog Bailey, a collie/husky mix that we rescued, and also enjoy playing golf and traveling. Who knows where the future will take me, but for now my career in "corporate America" with ties to Higher Ed is certainly a good start. Roll Tide.

May 2011 commencement information

2011-03-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

The University of Alabama will hold its May 2011 commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 7 at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in Coleman Coliseum.

The A.M. ceremony will include undergraduate and graduate candidates in College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Human Environmental Sciences and the School of Social Work.

The P.M. ceremony will include undergraduate and graduate candidates in the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, College of Communication and Information Sciences, College of Engineering and Capstone College of Nursing.