February 3, 2003
Samford renewal affects other buildings
Panel begins search for provost
Transit system changes policies
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February 3, 2003 |
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| Headlines Samford renewal affects other buildings Panel begins search for provost Transit system changes policies |
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Looking at Langdon
The Board of Trustees may be asked Friday to look at Langdon Hall, viewed here through the central window arch in Ingram Hall, as prospective temporary quarters for offices now in Samford Hall.
Samford renewal to have domino effect
The AU Board of Trustees on Friday, Feb. 7, is scheduled to consider the domino effect on occupants of campus buildings during building restoration or renovation.
The board is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. at Auburn University-Montgomery's Library Tower. Committee meetings, also in the Library Tower, are scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, adjourn in late afternoon and resume at 8 a.m. Friday. All agenda items are subject to change before the start of the meeting.
Restoration of Samford Hall in 2004-06 will displace the building's occupants, including the president, provost and vice presidents, for two years. The board is scheduled on Friday to consider a plan to renovate Langdon Hall and Langdon Annex and build a "surge" office building outside the main campus before starting the Samford renovation.
The plan, developed by the renovation project building committee, suggests moving the Samford Hall occupants into those buildings before starting the Samford reconstruction. Some Samford occupants would also move across the street to O.D. Smith Hall.
The "surge" building would be constructed first and could house Langdon's current occupants, the Office of Human Resources, during renovation of that building. The auditorium classroom on the main floor of Langdon would be converted into office space along with the remainder of the building.
Under the committee's proposal, Langdon would remain as an office building when the Samford renovation is complete. The panel noted that Samford will have less space for offices after it is restored to its 19th century appearance.
Also, "surge" space will be needed for occupants of other old buildings during restoration or renovation of those buildings. For instance, another item on the board's agenda would authorize a program plan and pre-design budget for renovation of Ross Hall, which was built in 1930.
Panel organized to seek provost
A search committee for provost at AU expects to submit a list of finalists to President William Walker by the end of spring semester, says Vice President for Research Michael Moriarty, co-chair of the committee.
The provost is AU's chief academic officer and carries the additional title of vice president for Academic Affairs. John Pritchett has served as interim provost since the Board of Trustees named Walker as interim president in February 2001.
Following his appointment as president last summer, Walker said the university would conduct a nationwide search to fill his previous position. The AU president named Moriarty and Chris Rodger, a professor of discrete and statistical science in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, as co-chairs of the 23-member committee.
The panel began its work near the end of fall semester with a goal of having a provost in office by the start of the 2003-04 academic year next August. The committee is early in the search process, but Moriarty said he is optimistic the panel will have a list of finalists in late spring for the AU president to evaluate during the summer.
The committee is seeking nominations through advertisements in national journals for educators, including the Chronicle of Higher Education and Black Issues in Higher Education, and has hired the executive search firm Korn-Ferry of Alexandria, Va., to assist in the search.
Moriarty said the committee will follow a standard procedure of universities in searches for top-level academic leaders, keeping the names of candidates private until finalists are selected. Three to five finalists, whose names will then be revealed, will be brought to campus in early summer for public interviews and meetings with the president.
Faculty representatives include Byron Blagburn of Pathobiology, Keith Campagna of Pharmacy, Mark Fischman of Health and Human Performance, Anne-Katrin Gramberg of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Garnetta Lovett of Art, and Graeme Lockaby of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
Other faculty representatives are D.K. Ruth of Architecture, Marilyn E. Strutchen of Curriculum and Teaching; David Weaver of Agronomy and Soils, Lenda Jo Connell of Consumer Affairs and ACES, Norman Godwin of Accounting, Jeffrey Suhling of Mechanical Engineering, Barbara Wilder of Nursing and Lynn Williams of AU Libraries.
Other committee members are Jack Miller of the Board of Trustees; Stewart Schneller, dean of Sciences and Mathematics; Wes Williams, vice president for Student Affairs; David Wilson, vice president for University Outreach; Richard Burnett, executive director of Information Technology; Nancy Joseph, a graduate research assistant in Poultry Science; and Heath Henderson, president of the Student Government Association.
Bus riding just got easier, quicker
Tiger Transit is changing some of its bus routes, schedules and procedures to enable faculty, staff and students to get around campus more easily.
The changes, effective immediately, are intended to ease the pressure on the parking areas in the central campus by making outlying areas more accessible, says Christine Curtis, associate vice president for Facilities.
Three new bus routes will offer continuous service intended to move passengers across campus or directly to parking areas with projected average run times of six minutes per trip. Color-codes on those buses will help riders identify which buses to take to parking areas or around campus. Five other bus routes will remain unchanged for now.
The changes coincide with the closing of Roosevelt Drive between Mell Street and Duncan Drive for construction of the Science Laboratories Center on sites now occupied by the east end of Saunders Hall and Extension Cottage. The central campus loses 131 parking spaces along Roosevelt and adjacent areas.
When the laboratories complex is completed in two years, the street may reopen or remain closed as part of a program approved by the Board of Trustees last year. That plan would channel traffic and parking to the campus perimeter, limiting the interior to pedestrians and a transit system.
Curtis said the changes in the transit system will address most of the reasons that persons now give for seeking parking close to the core of campus. As a result, outlying parking areas are frequently empty.
Clearly defined bus routes will help riders know which bus to take to reach parking or other destinations. The routes will be publicized, and buses will run continuous routes with brief stops for loading and unloading at clearly designated bus stops.
In the past, buses idled at stops while waiting for passengers to arrive and board. Now, the buses will adhere to schedules to provide timely and dependable service to riders, Curtis said.
The buses are available for faculty and staff, with ID cards, as well as students, she added.
The blue-line buses will offer "park-and-ride" service to carry passengers from distant parking areas such as the Intramural Fields to Haley Center and back. The orange-line buses will make a continuous circle through campus, and green-line buses will have continuous loops around the western perimeter of campus.
Nominations go to Senate in March
Nominations of new members for the AU Board of Trustees will go to the State Senate during the 2003 session of the Alabama Legislature, which begins on March 4. The Senate's Committee on Confirmations will be the clearinghouse for nominations to the governing boards of public universities in the state, including three nominations to the Auburn board.
AU's new Trustee Selection Committee on Jan. 17 chose recently retired Alabama Power Co. CEO Elmer Harris and Guntersville physician Neil Christopher for two of the three vacancies on the AU Board. The third nomination remained vacant, pending a search for minority and female nominees.
The Trustee Selection Committee headed by Logan selected Harris to succeed Rep. Jack Venable of Tallassee and Christopher to succeed Sen. Lowell Barron of Fyffe, who is also president pro tem of the Senate. The terms of Venable and Barron on the AU Board ended Jan. 1 but they can hold their seats for up to 12 months until the Senate approves the nominations of their successors. If no appointments are confirmed by Jan. 1, 2004, the seats will remain vacant until the Senate confirms nominees to the board.
A third expired seat on the AU Board was held by Charles Glover, 70, of Cullman, who cannot succeed himself because of a provision in the Alabama Constitution requiring AU trustees to be below age 70 when their terms begin. The selection committee delayed appointing a replacement for Glover and announced that it will seek a minority candidate or woman or both for the seat.
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London-bound student did her homework
Katie Blackmar's educational journey has taken her down the road less-traveled -- from her home across the Georgia line, first to Auburn, and soon to London. Blackmar, who will graduate from Auburn in May with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, has been named one of this year's 40 recipients of the Marshall Scholarship, second only in prestige to the Rhodes Scholarship.
Unlike the vast majority of recipients of such prestigious scholarships, Blackmar attended junior high and high school at home. Fredrick and Debby Blackmar -- Katie's parents, both AU graduates -- made the decision to school their children at their home north of Columbus when Katie was in the seventh grade.
"Katie was not enjoying the school where she was and socially it was not a good situation," said Debby Blackmar. "I was spending a lot of time at home after school with one subject and we started to think about the idea. We decided we could do school in the morning and our kids could have their afternoons back. We brought them home and we have never regretted the decision. All three of our children are confident and independent learners."
The move to homeschooling also allowed Katie to pursue her interest in the space program. That interest led to a major in aerospace engineering at Auburn, and high entrance exam scores qualified her for Auburn's Honors College.
Through the Honors College she learned of the Prestigious Scholarship Program, which encourages qualified students to apply for such scholarships as the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright and Goldwater.
Katie chose the Marshall because it would allow her to go back to the United Kingdom to study. She attended King's College in London in the fall semester of 2001 as part of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering's Birdsong Study Abroad Program.
Katie studied epistemology, metaphysics, New Testament Greek and Old Testament Hebrew. Her "fantastic" experience allowed her to live in the heart of London with students from all over the world.
The Marshall will allow Katie to return to London and study at Imperial College for her master of philosophy in aeronautical engineering. The fellowship is research-based, and the student pursues a specific research topic with a faculty mentor.
Hansen writing biography of "Man on the Moon"
Astronaut Neil Armstrong, who in 1969 became the first man to set foot on the moon, has selected History Professor James R. Hansen of Auburn to record that millennial event from Armstrong's perspective.
Hansen, a prominent writer on the history of the U.S. space program, says he hopes to complete his research for the authorized biography by this summer and have it published within two years. "I feel incredibly lucky," Hansen said. "It is the opportunity of a lifetime -- kind of my own moon landing."
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Hansen said he contacted Armstrong three years ago to seek his permission for the biography, but Armstrong politely declined. Following months of correspondence, however, the two became better acquainted and, in the summer of 2001, Armstrong gave his approval.
Armstrong said he wanted someone who is an academic -- someone who has scholarship first and foremost in mind, Hansen recalled. "I think landing the task was a combination of the nature of my own work in the history of science and technology, plus catching him at the right time."
Hansen has published four books and more than two dozen articles and book chapters on the history of science and technology and its impact on society. He has seven books currently in press. Much of his work involves NASA and aerospace history.
"Any number of people had approached him, but he always said he was too busy to get involved," said Hansen. "I wasn't sure he was interested in doing it, but I wasn't discouraged. I sent him a copy of all my books. He did eventually invite me to his home in Cincinnati, and I think that went well."
Hansen does not yet have a publisher lined up, but he has already been in talks with major trade press publishers. Several Hollywood film producers have also shown interest.
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Barth helps China upgrade its financial system
James R. Barth, Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance in the College of Business, is assisting banking officials in China as that nation continues to move into the global financial market.
Barth spent two weeks in Beijing during December consulting with the Chinese on how to improve Peoples' Bank of China's legal and regulatory environment within the government's financial sector.
"The broad goal of the project is to facilitate the future integration of the People's Republic of China financial sector into the global financial market, and enhance the role of the PRC financial sector in supporting the transition to a market economy," said Barth.
He said the goals are to assist the bank in strengthening the legal and regulatory framework for the banking system, identify legislation that is in conflict with the development of the financial sector and to propose legislation that is consistent with the China's World Trade Organization commitments.
ADC honors Freeman, Gorrie
The College of Architecture, Design and Construction in a recent ceremony recognized Mack Freeman and Jim Gorrie, both of Birmingham, for distinguished service to the college.
The college honored the two for sharing their expertise with the college, supporting programs financially and advancing the architecture and building professions.
The Department of Building Science cited Gorrie of the Brasfield & Gorrie construction firm for his commitment to improving the program and his service to the industry. Freeman, an architect with McCauley Associates, Inc., was cited for his support of the School of Architecture and its students.
AU's Habitat project wins HUD award
The DESIGNhabitat project, a collaboration among the AU School of Architecture, Habitat for Humanity and Design Alabama, has received a Silver Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The award was part of HUD Secretary Mel Martinez's Award for Excellence division of the Best in American Living Awards competition. The awards program was sponsored by HUD, the National Association of Home Builders and Professional Builder magazine.
"The department was very pleased by both the number of entries and the high quality of affordable housing represented by these projects," said Martinez. "And we would like to congratulate Auburn University's College of Architecture on their selection as a Silver Award recipient."
"This recognition is a tribute to our students' talent and hard work, and to the partnership we have established with Habitat and Design Alabama," said David Hinson, state project director and a professor in the School of Architecture. "We look forward to working with Habitat and to seeing many more DESIGNHabitat homes built by Habitat affiliates across the state. This award should be a real boost to that effort."
Bruce Lindsey, head of the School of Architecture, said the work of Hinson and his students with DESIGNhabitat "is an example of new collaborative educational and professional structures that allow us to tackle difficult problems in ways that empower citizens and students through design."
"When design becomes an advocate for a community as well as an individual and becomes a collective activity instead of a lonely one, magic happens," he added.
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Gallery shows African American quilts
An exhibit of quilts by members of the Women of Color Quilters network is on display in the art gallery of Biggin Hall through Monday, Feb. 10.
The display is the latest in a series of exhibitions organized by the Department of Art and is the first guest exhibit in the newly renovated Biggin Hall. Gallery Hours are 8:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Monday-Friday.
On display are six quilts each by Peggie L. Hartwell and Carolyn Mazloomi and one by Myrah B. Green. The women created the vibrantly colored and patterned quilts in a variety of materials, primarily using hand and machine applique techniques.
The quilts represent various interpretations of the African American experience. Hartwell, who lives in South Carolina, traces the inspiration for her designs to a family storytelling tradition that goes back several generations. Her narrative works carry on this tradition through pictorial quilts.
Green, from New York, learned to sew from her mother and started making quilts after completing her visual arts education at the Pratt Institute.
azloomi is a quilt artist, exhibition curator and author who lives in Ohio. Educated as an engineer, she initially designed quilts that followed traditional patterns. As her work developed she created more narrative and expressive images. She has curated exhibitions of quilts for numerous museums and galleries throughout the United States, including the Smithsonian Institution.
The subject of the award-winning PBS documentary "Uncommon Beauty," Mazloomi is also the author of "Spirits of the Cloth -- Contemporary African American Quilts."
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