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Tuesday, December 19, 2006

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Total Clips: 4

	Date	Outlet
Fillmer named to lead AU's Institute of Natural Resources	12/19/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
ARS Cool-water wash for eggs can help prevent microbial contamination	12/19/2006	AgProfessional
State's failing grade can't be dismissed	12/19/2006	Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn a target after news stories?	12/19/2006	Gadsden Times


Fillmer named to lead AU's Institute of Natural Resources 12/19/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Staff Report		Return to Top
Auburn University President Ed Richardson has named Larry Fillmer executive director of the newly created Institute of Natural Resources at AU. A senior executive and CEO with more than 35 years experience in organizational management, Fillmer has worked at AU since 2005 as a development director for major gifts and corporate relations. Before that, he served as president and CEO of the I-85 Corridor Alliance and for several corporations in the technology field. The search for a new vice president at Auburn began this summer when Richardson called for the formation of a new agricultural initiative. The name was changed to the Institute of Natural Resources because Richardson felt the concept needed to be inclusive of other vital issues at Auburn. "(Fillmer's) experience in managing change is extensive and allows us to focus on bringing together the most critical areas connected to agriculture and natural resources to positively impact the university and the state," Richardson said. In addition to leading the institute, Fillmer will direct two new research centers at AU: the Center for Alternative Energy and the Alabama Water Resources Center. Richardson earlier this year committed $3 million to Auburn's alternative energy initiative, capitalizing on the university's research expertise in forestry, engineering and agriculture and positioning AU as a national leader in converting natural resources into fuels. Similarly, the Alabama Water Resources Center, which will be established on the AU campus, will serve as the primary organization with responsibility for addressing water issues in Alabama including those related to research, policy and outreach. Richardson said the new institute and the leadership Fillmer brings mark a turning point at Auburn and provide an opportunity to build on the progress made in the past and effectively position the university for the years to come. "There is indeed a bright future for the broad area of natural resources, and Auburn University has and will continue to contribute to it," he said. "I have been greatly encouraged by those working in the natural resources arena. Their report will serve as a template for our initial steps." Richardson anticipates a comprehensive progress report by next April that will show the institute's value and provide Auburn's next president with the opportunity to assess the institute and plan for further improvements. Fillmer earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Auburn and also holds a master's degree in industrial management from the University of Alabama. He is a distinguished military graduate of the U.S. Air Force and a recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal, First Oak Leaf Cluster, and Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
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ARS Cool-water wash for eggs can help prevent microbial contamination 12/19/2006 AgProfessional		Return to Top
AU's A. Brooke Caudill and Patricia A. Curtis are mentioned in this story. Using cooler water to wash shell eggs during a second washing can help cool them quicker. This reduces the potential of foodborne pathogen growth both inside the eggs and on the eggshell surface, according to scientists with the Agricultural Research Service. ARS food technologists Deana Jones and Michael Musgrove in the agency's Egg Safety and Quality Research Unit at Athens, Ga. -- working with Auburn University colleagues A. Brooke Caudill and Patricia A. Curtis -- looked at the frequency of Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and other bacteria in eggs commercially washed in cool water. Their findings have been reported in the Journal of Food Safety. Currently, processors who choose to produce eggs that qualify for the USDA quality shield are required to wash them in water that is at least 90 degrees F, or 20 degrees warmer than the warmest egg entering the processing line. Furthermore, these eggs are required to be sprayed with a sanitizing rinse at least as warm as the wash-water temperature. To prevent the growth of potential foodborne pathogens associated with eggs, these warm eggs must then be cooled quickly for storage. To ensure the eggs are safe for human consumption, USDA requires that all shell eggs be stored at 45 degrees F or lower after processing. That's because Salmonella -- the organism most often associated with foodborne disease and eggs -- and other bacteria don't grow well at refrigerated temperatures. Getting to the target temperature quickly can make a big difference. The researchers tested three water-temperature schemes in commercial dual-washer systems water at 120 degrees F for both washers; water at 120 degrees F for the first wash and 75 degrees F for the second; and both washers at 75 degrees F. They found that using a warm temperature in the first washer, followed by a cool temperature in the second one, could provide the greatest benefit in terms of both reduced egg temperature and acceptable microbial levels. While Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria were all detected in shell emulsion and wash-water samples from cool-water washing treatments, none were detected in the egg contents throughout the storage period of eight weeks. SOURCE USDA news release.
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State's failing grade can't be dismissed 12/19/2006 Montgomery Advertiser Editorial		Return to Top
AU is mentioned in this editorial on tuition for higher education in Alabama. Surely no one would dispute that a better educated populace, with more people in the workforce holding college degrees, would be an asset for Alabama. In light of that, the failing grade the state got in a recent report on college affordability cannot be dismissed as just some academic study with little real-world application. The Alabama Commission on Higher Education report cites the steady and sizable increases in college tuition rates in recent years. Double-digit percentage jumps have not been uncommon. In just the past two years, tuition rates at the state's largest institutions, Auburn University and the University of Alabama, have risen by more than $1,000 annually. In a relatively poor state, that makes a huge difference. "Alabama has lost considerable ground in making higher education affordable," said Elizabeth French, ACHE's director of institutional effectiveness and planning, in a Huntsville Times report on the study. No one should be surprised. A run of tuition increases significantly above the rate of inflation has taken its toll on college affordability. Again not surprisingly, the report finds that for low- and middle-income students, college costs represent a greater percentage of family income than in states with a greater public investment in colleges and universities. The problem is hardly unique to Alabama. Earlier this year, a report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave 43 states failing grades in affordability. At the core of the issue is the degree of public investment in higher education. When that is inadequate to start with, then flattens or fails to match inflation even if increases do occur, institutions are pinched. Raising tuition is one way to address the problem, but it carries a lot of cost in itself, most notably in the risk of pricing a college education out of the reach of many families. This is a report to be taken seriously by taxpayers as well as policymakers.
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Auburn a target after news stories? 12/19/2006 Gadsden Times Letters to the editor		Return to Top
Talk about looking down the barrels of a doubled-barreled shotgun is exactly what Auburn University is doing at this time. According to some New York Times' articles Auburn had 18 players on its 2004 undefeated team who had grades given to them so they could play football. This is not mentioned by Auburn in its internal audit which the president of the NCAA has demanded to see a copy of. Auburn only mentions one athlete and won't release the name or sport he plays. Will the NCAA do their own investigation or take Auburn's word on the findings of the university's side of this story? Usually where there is smoke there is fire but, we won't know unless the NCAA does its job and has an in-depth investigation. I don't think The New York Times has lied about any of this as they could be sued for liable by Auburn University, so there is more truth to their stories than we are hearing from Auburn or the media in this state. The second barrel of this shotgun Auburn faces is SACs. If AU loses its accredidation as a college they cannot have Division I sports programs which makes the NCAA actions a moot point anyway. Billy E. Price Ashville
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