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Monday, January 8, 2007

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Total Clips: 5

	Date	Outlet
State trying to rebound from tough 2006	01/08/2007	Clanton Advertiser
Avian Flu Vaccine Developed For Poultry	01/08/2007	Apples for Health.com
Lee County schools hoping to recruit international teachers	01/07/2007	Opelika-Auburn News
Post-tenure review: Auburn University tries a dry run	01/07/2007	Opelika-Auburn News
Katrina Victims Find a Solution: Modular House	01/06/2007	New York Times


State trying to rebound from tough 2006 01/08/2007 Clanton Advertiser Brent Maze		Return to Top
This story mentions alternative fuels research at AU. Agriculture is one of the biggest parts of the state's economy. It is one of the largest producers of jobs in the state. It has an impact each year of about $5.5 billion in tax revenue and $40 billion in money to the state. Yet, Alabama had a difficult year in 2006 for agriculture. State Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks said that Alabama lost about 90 percent of its corn crop last year, which is now affecting the 1.5 million herd of cattle in the state today. "Right now, we are trying to find ways to feed all the cattle during the winter months," Sparks said during yesterday's Clanton Lion's Club meeting. One of the hardest hit areas for cattle this winter was North Alabama, which traditionally has tougher winters that Central and South Alabama. There are at least 10,000 cattle in the northern part of the state that are being affected. Sparks said the state is working on buying feed from other areas of the country to get the state through the winter. Looking to the future, Sparks wants the state to become a leader in alternative fuels. "I want Alabama to become a one-stop shop for alternative fuels in providing them and also showing others how to produce them," Sparks said. Alabama used about 2.5 billion gallons of gasoline in a year. For 10 percent of the state to use ethanol, the state will need a supply of about 250 million gallons of ethanol. That means the state would need about five ethanol plants to create that much of a supply. "By creating new alternative fuels, that will help create more jobs, bring more money to the state and decrease our dependence on foreign oil," Sparks said. Sparks added he would like the state to start forming ways to use wood chips and other byproducts to make alternative fuels. An Auburn university professor is even trying to develop a fuel out of algae. "We want to lead the way in producing alternative fuels here and around the world," Sparks said. He said the Department of Agriculture is continuing to be diligent in keeping animals free of disease. In particular, poultry has been one area that they have been concentrating on. It brings in about $60 million to the economy. "If we had a disease infect the chickens here in the state, that would hurt our overall economy," Sparks said. The state continues to have a good relationship with many countries around the world, but the state docks will not allow certain things into the state because of its possibility of being contaminated. Sparks added they are also monitoring imports to make sure buyers are getting what they pay for. A DNA scanner has been installed at the ports to test and ensure that each fish or animal is what the label says it is. "We just want to make sure that we protect the quality of what everyone is buying here in the state," Sparks said.
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Avian Flu Vaccine Developed For Poultry 01/08/2007 Apples for Health.com United Press International		Return to Top
Coverage continues on this story about a vaccine for avian flu developed at AU. U.S. scientists say they've developed the first egg-injected vaccine to protect chickens against the avian influenza virus. An Auburn University veterinary professor, Haroldo Toro, and researchers at Vaxin Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., say the vaccine would provide 100 percent protection once an outbreak's specific viral strain is identified. "We have proven the principle, which is the major step in leading to commercially produced vaccine that could be vital to the poultry industry," Toro said. "When an outbreak occurs, we would determine the strain and quickly create a vaccine within three months specifically for it." The researchers inserted a gene from a low pathogenic avian flu virus strain (H5N9) into a non-replicating human virus, a Vaxin proprietary technology, which was then injected into developing chicken embryos still in the egg. When protection induced by the vaccine was tested against two highly pathogenic avian flu viruses -- a Vietam H5N1 strain and a Mexican H5N2 strain -- the results showed 68 percent and 100 percent protection, in that order. "Our results indicate that we can provide effective protection against any strain after incorporating the gene of the field strain into our vaccine construct," said Toro.
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Lee County schools hoping to recruit international teachers 01/07/2007 Opelika-Auburn News Beverly Harvey		Return to Top
This story also appeared in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Gadsden Times, TimesDaily and and was broadcast on WPMI-TV, WAFF-TV and WALA-TV. A number of school districts across the country have become quite inventive in the search for solutions to the ongoing teacher shortage - including traveling to other countries to hire new teachers. Locally, Lee County Schools Superintendent John Painter is currently in the brainstorming stages of trying to figure out how to recruit teachers at the international level. 'Were exploring a combination of international recruiting and workforce development among students,' said Painter, who has discussed the concept with Nick Conrad, a self-employed global education consultant in Auburn. Initially, Painter said he would like to establish a global education initiative that would provide students with curriculum and culturally based programs to teach the languages and cultures of other countries. Such knowledge could create employment opportunities and advantages for students with area overseas-based businesses such as Hyundai in Montgomery and the upcoming KIA plant in West Point, Ga., Painter said. In addition, the county school system could also open the lines of communication with those same international companies to generate leads for new teacher candidates, particularly in math and science, he said. Painter has also enlisted the help of Auburn Training Connection Executive Director Cary Cox, who is also the ATC director of workforce development, for ideas and assistance in establishing the LCS global education initiative. Ideally, Painter would like to create study aboard programs for students as well as opportunities for teacher recruiting through partnerships with Auburn University and Tuskegee University. Internationally, Conrad said the county school system needs to begin by approaching certain overseas countries in the search for new teachers. 'We need to be looking at countries that have a significant English-speaking population first,' Conrad said, listing the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Hong Kong as examples. In recent years, Lee County Schools has played host to 80 teachers from the United Kingdom and hired three teachers from other countries to teach foreign language, math and science, Painter said. Now, Painter wants to find a way to hire even more teachers from abroad. The next hurdle, however, is finding a way to get internationally hired teachers certified to teach in this country on a permanent, full-time basis. 'Since we wanted to provide global education opportunities for our young people - how do we do it?' asked Conrad, who also works as a global education consultant for the AU College of Engineering. 'How are we going to do it within the constraints of the current certification process?' School officials from both Auburn City Schools and Opelika City Schools have not had a need to search for new teachers overseas. The two city school systems have been able to fill teaching positions by heavily recruiting throughout the southeastern portion of the country. bharvey@oanow.com \| 737-2546
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Post-tenure review: Auburn University tries a dry run 01/07/2007 Opelika-Auburn News Amy Weaver		Return to Top
Despite an internal strife between the administration and faculty, Auburn University is preparing to join the ranks of other national universities and implement a post-tenure review policy. It will be tested during the second semester of the 2006-07 school year, which starts Monday, with full execution in the 2007-08 school year. AU officials are pleased to take such a large step towards improved accountability of its faculty. President Ed Richardson and Provost John Heilman believe PTR will provide Auburn with a method to improve faculty development and preserve academic freedom, factors that will improve the standard of teaching at Auburn. Faculty adamantly disagree. After dozens of professors expressed concern and outrage at an October meeting of the University Faculty, a resolution to support the concept of PTR failed 11-89. Heilman explained the proposed policy at the November University Senate meeting, only to be subjected to countless concerns from Professor Rich Penaskovic, chair of the University Faculty and University Senate, and several others. Last month, Dr. Bill Trimble, president of the AU chapter of American Association of University Professors, sent Richardson and Heilman a detailed list of 13 "shortcomings" the chapter has with the current policy, plus an alternative policy which gives more control and protection to professors than the AU version. It was drafted by Penaskovic about two years ago. Nonetheless, the AU version is what is going to be tested this semester. Truth and consequences If there is one thing the administration and faculty at Auburn agree on in the debate over PTR, it's what tenure is. "It is not a guarantee of lifetime job security. That is not what it is intended to be," explained Trimble. "It is intended to be a guarantee of academic freedom. Tenure and academic freedom go hand-in-hand. They are inseparable." Heilman said PTR will protect that freedom by creating an environment to recognize outstanding faculty and provide support for research, outreach and instruction. Trimble believes PTR at AU could work that way, but it also could have some serious negative repercussions. "I feel it's a foot in the door, or a step towards, erosion of tenure at Auburn and other universities," he said. Compiling a report on your research, outreach, professional service and teaching from the past six years can be deemed cumbersome and could convince long-time professors to retire sooner than expected, which could be good or bad, Trimble said, as well as hinder recruitment and retention of faculty. Heilman stressed that PTR is not a dismissal policy. However, the policy states that professors who score unsatisfactory in the review process and fail to show improvement in a year will be referred to the university’s dismissal procedures. "It is a very useful mechanism to reward quality performance and research," he said. Trimble and many other professors say the one-year improvement period is unrealistic because it can take years to get a paper or book published. Additionally, the policy puts a considerable weight on student evaluations, which is problematic since there are numerous variables that make the practice unreliable, he said. The version drafted by Penaskovic adds an appeal process, which doesn’t exist in the AU version, and another year to the development process. Timing The administration is pushing to start the process now, while faculty don't see the hurry, especially as academic problems continue to plague Auburn. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools only released Auburn from academic probation two years ago and this year an internal investigation uncovered the misconduct of two tenured professors. This year also marked the start of a nationwide search for a new president. Heilman said the administration wants to run the field test now so there are results available for the next president to review when he/she takes office this year. "The timing, to tell you the truth, couldn't be better," he said. Plus, there has been a national push for more than two decades by universities, including 19 of 24 peer institutions, to increase accountability, Heilman said. For about two years, Auburn has been talking about PTR and looking at practices at schools like Georgia, Clemson, Florida, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Mississippi State. All that is well and good, but Trimble feels Auburn shouldn't do it just because it looks like everyone else is. Based on a recent study by the American Council on Education, he says most public universities don't have PTR. Of the 192 institutions surveyed, 46 percent have it, but only 25 percent of the 192 were public universities. According to a 2002 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education on PTR, public universities in 37 states require some kind of performance review of tenured professors. Alabama does not. Consequently, the University of Alabama doesn't have PTR, Trimble said, and the University of Tennessee tried it, and it didn't work for them. He insists one size does not fit all. Trimble doesn't see the need to rush into PTR either. He would much rather see AU wait until a new president is hired and let him/her decide if they want it or not. Besides, if there is to be a policy at Auburn, he'd rather see the one developed by Penaskovic. It remains a measure of accountability like the proposed policy, but it offers more "safeguards" to give professors adequate time and support to improve in areas deemed unsatisfactory twice in six years. It makes PTR a "triggered" response rather than a universal requirement, he said. That's how Tennessee does it. Also, no one can be dismissed under Penaskovic's policy. "(The AU policy) just adds to the distrust between faculty and administration," he said. "(The new president) comes in and immediately has to mend fences with the faculty." Current practice Annual reviews are supposed to be conducted in every department, but Trimble said they're not and that is the problem. Such reviews will be required with PTR, but he would rather see the provost or president make each department do reviews annually instead. When done, the reviews hold professors responsible for their performance, he said. It is the sole means of determining pay raises as there are no cost of living adjustments made for professors at Auburn. Although reviews are to be completed annually, Trimble said raises don't always accompany a positive review, but only when departments have the funding. Heilman says the current practice works because it provides an analysis to determine if salary increases are warranted, however it is a "snapshot" of one year. "It's good at telling us what our faculty are doing at present, but not at showing us the past or future," he said. "For long-term faculty development, we need something else." He says, "post-tenure review is an assessment and appreciation over a longer period of several years. It will promote an environment that helps faculty fully develop professionally." Trimble, who had served as the history department chair for six years, knows how time consuming the current process is for all involved. Before the end of the spring semester, each faculty must write a summary of their performance in the areas of instruction, scholarship/research, outreach and university/professional service and rate their performance in each area. The department head then reviews each report. For Trimble, that was about 25 reports to read and meet over. Then Trimble drafts a summary report for each. This may require another meeting, he said. Ratings in the summary report are used to determine merit raises. With post-tenure reviews occurring every six years under the new policy, there will be years when professors go through an annual review as well as PTR. "It's really not necessary," Trimble said. University officials strongly disagree. Not only does PTR provide a method to encourage and recognize outstanding performance and offer development opportunities for those who need it, Heilman said, but it will benefit students as well because professors will offer a higher level of classroom instruction, which will improve the university as a whole. What's next? Thirty-eight faculty members, selected at random, as well as Heilman, will go through the review process this semester. Materials will be compiled this month and reviewed in February. Because some faculty members have expressed concern about participating in the test to the Senate leadership, Penaskovic and others have developed a letter faculty can submit with review materials. He says it isn't required, but it may be of use to those who are "apprehensive" about PTR. It is intended to protect faculty rights. Once completed, Heilman said officials will "very thoroughly look at what improvements should be made" to the review process, including considering recommendations made by Trimble, Penaskovic and others.
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Katrina Victims Find a Solution: Modular House 01/06/2007 New York Times Leslie Eaton		Return to Top
David W. Hinson, a professor of architecture at AU, is quoted in this story. The story also appeared in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the Lexington Dispatch, Tuscaloosa News, Gainesville Sun, Southwest Florida Herald Tribune, Gadsden Time, Banton County Daily Record and the Amherst Times. PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. — Of the hundreds of houses swept away by Hurricane Katrina in this small Gulf Coast town, only a fraction have been replaced. The price of building materials has skyrocketed, and the services of even mediocre contractors can be hard to come by. But on East North Street recently, a swarm of workmen put the final touches on Gwen and Rudy Cardreon's new home, a tan ranch house that sprang up, on 11-foot piling, in a matter of days. Constructed in three pieces in a factory hundreds of miles away, the house came equipped with carpets, curtains, even ceiling fans, but looks as if it were custom built in the Cardreons' yard. "Isn't it gorgeous?" Mrs. Cardreon exclaimed, standing in her new kitchen as construction workers hammered on the wooden staircase outside. Before the August 2005 hurricane, so-called modular houses like the Cardreons' were almost unknown in Mississippi, where houses tended to be the traditional "stick built" on site or mobile homes. Modulars have been popular until now mainly in Northern states with short building seasons and high labor costs. But since the storm, modular houses, which range from simple shotgun-style cottages to fancy minimansions, are starting to appear across the Gulf Coast, as public officials and private citizens search for ways to speed the slow pace of recovery and begin experimenting with new forms of shelter. Modular houses have a number of advantages over conventionally built houses, their advocates said. For example, once they are delivered, modular homes can sometimes be completed in days, rather than months. They are relatively easy to perch up on stilts to comply with flood zone rules. They require less local labor in a region where there is more than enough construction work to go around. Some are less expensive than conventional houses — they range from $50,000 to $500,000 — and manufacturers say some can withstand 160-mile-an-hour winds. The number of modular houses on the Gulf Coast is still small; perhaps 400 have been installed in Mississippi in the last year, said Fred C. Hallahan, a consultant in Baltimore who tracks the modular business. But Mr. Hallahan and other experts expect the trickle of modular housing to grow rapidly this year, and perhaps lead to even bigger changes. "Really, if we look back 20 years from now, we could see a dramatic shift in the way houses get built," said David W. Hinson, a professor of architecture at Auburn University in Alabama. In Mississippi, Hurricane Katrina destroyed 70,000 houses and apartments, according to state estimates; more than 30,000 families in the state still live in the small trailers supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Though Mississippi is widely considered to be far ahead of Louisiana in terms of recovery, only 2,480 building permits had been issued by the end of November for new home construction in the hardest-hit counties along the coast, according to the governor’s office. Officials cite many reasons for the slow going, including insurance issues, wetlands regulations, permit backlogs and infrastructure problems. And, of course, money: many people are still fighting with their insurance companies, and over the summer, Mississippi's grant program to help homeowners rebuild ran into some of the same bottlenecks that still plague Louisiana’s Road Home program. But after several adjustments, the Mississippi program has distributed more than $500 million to more than 8,000 homeowners, said Donna Sanford, who supervises the program for the Mississippi Development Authority. Last month, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development approved a second phase of the program, to help low-income applicants and those who lived in the flood zones. With the prospect of money finally starting to flow to housing, experiments are going on across the Gulf Coast as people look for ways to build more quickly, more cheaply and with more resistance to hurricanes. Builders are exploring houses made of steel or concrete, and are considering putting housing above stores, as they do in concentrated urban areas like New York City. Volunteer groups have been ordering house-in-a-box kits from New Hope Construction, a nonprofit supplier in Tennessee that often works closely with churches. Lowe's, the big building supply chain, says it will be selling everything necessary to build a Katrina Cottage, designed as a low-cost, high-quality alternative to trailers. [Directed by Congress, even FEMA has gotten into the act, awarding about $400 million on Dec. 22 to various state-sponsored pilot programs to replace its travel trailers with roomier and sturdier housing.] But the big push seems to be modular housing, which is being used not just by private developers, but also by Habitat for Humanity and Catholic Charities in New Orleans. "It's the only answer, it is simply the only answer in Mississippi," said Fred Carl Jr., the founder of the Viking Range Corporation, who served as the Hurricane Katrina housing coordinator for Gov. Haley Barbour. Mr. Carl said he was trying to lure a major modular manufacturer to the state. "We need nine or ten thousand houses a year," he said. There is already one home-grown modular builder in Mississippi, Safeway Homes, which Buddy Jenkins and his brother started in 2005. "We're really a stick-built house moved in component parts," Mr. Jenkins said of his tidy houses, which are rated to withstand high winds. At the company's spotless plant in Lexington, a small town north of the state capital, Jackson, Joel E. Smith walks a visitor through the 16 stations where the houses are framed and insulated by about 100 workers. The ducts and plumbing are installed, fixtures added, doors and windows placed, and each half of a house is tightly screwed and glued. Once they are delivered, a crane will lower the halves onto a foundation, where they will be joined, and a roof, also built at the plant, will be attached. The basic house costs about $58,000, company officials said, but the final cost will depend on the land, the foundation, the developer and whether the owner has chosen any extras like arched windows. Safeway Homes has built about 250 houses, Mr. Smith said, and could make as many as three a day. But there are hurdles. Some are regulatory; building inspectors are often unfamiliar with modular housing, and customers must buy through a developer rather than from manufacturers. And some consumers still equate modular houses with mobile homes, in part because they are sold by many of the same manufacturers. That image problem is being tackled by Victor Planetta, a developer based in Louisiana who, with his son, Victor Jr., has started putting modular houses in their Mississippi developments. Their showplace, on the main highway into Bay St. Louis, near Pass Christian, is a bright yellow, two-story house on pillars with a fountain burbling out front and a big motorboat named Beyond Belief out back in the canal. The house, which was trucked in several pieces from a Genesis Homes plant in Lake City, Fla., and assembled on the site, has crown moldings, granite, silk flowers and tassels; there is even an elevator. More than 1,000 people have visited the house, which will sell for about $425,000, the Planettas said. Here in the Pass, as the devastated town is known, about three dozen simple modular houses, including Gwen and Rudy Cardreon's, have been installed though a program called Home Again. Phil Eide, who runs the program for ECD/Hope, a community development organization, said that modular housing had been harder to deal with than he had first hoped. For example, it takes 41 steps to get a permit, he said, and some suppliers make promises they do not keep. But the program has attracted backing from James L. Barksdale, the former Internet executive and investor who served as chairman of Mississippi's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal, who just bought about 35 modular houses that Home Again will place in communities. Mr. Barksdale said he had become frustrated with the lack of progress in returning affordable housing to the Gulf Coast. "My goal," he said, "is to prove to people that we can do this, and then let it become a lot bigger program."
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