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2016 Poster Session
Record Number of Research Posters Submitted for 2016 Awards Program.
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Dr. David Francko, dean of the Graduate School and associate provost, was among those honored at the University of Alabama’s Center for Community-Based Partnerships’ (CCBP) 10th annual Excellence in Community Engagement luncheon Friday, April 29.
Award recipients, UA leaders, community partners, alumni, faculty, staff and students all gathered in Sellers Auditorium of the Bryant Conference Center to attend the program’s largest awards luncheon to date.
Vice President for Community Affairs Dr. Samory Pruitt surprised Dean Francko when he called him to the stage to receive the 2016 Distinguished Special Achievement in Community Engagement award, the organization’s highest award.
“We tried to keep it a secret,” Pruitt said. “There’s no one more deserving of this award. His name is synonymous with our work at CCBP.”
The award commemorated Francko’s dedicated service as the inaugural chair of the CCBP executive committee, a group that enabled Pruitt to decentralize many of the CCBP program activities.
“Working with CCBP and serving on the executive committee has been one of the highlights of my career,” Francko said. “It has been a pleasure.”
Special guests for the occasion were more than 30 members of the newly selected Community Affairs Board of Advisors, meeting in Tuscaloosa for the first time. The group consists of high-achieving UA graduates who will advise Community Affairs on campus-wide initiatives that increase student success and retention and facilitate student involvement in entrepreneurship, innovation and development of global and community leaders by mentoring current students and assisting in the recruitment of outstanding future leaders.
Tera “Cee Cee” Johnson, a CCBP student employee, received the Zachary David Dodson Memorial Endowed Scholarship for her work with many of the CCBP programs. Johnson’s character and loyalty to the Center reflected key attributes of the late Zach Dodson, the CCBP work-study student for whom the scholarship is named.
Calia Torres, Johnson’s co-chair on the Center’s Student Involvement and Support Committee, received the student Distinguished Community-Engaged Scholar award. Her graduate fellowship with SCOPE (Students for Community Outreach, Partnership, and Engagement) and community partnership with Whatley Health Services were listed among her many contributions to the community.
Dr. Beverly Thorn, professor in the department of psychology, received the faculty Distinguished Community Scholar award, in part for her work with Federally Health Qualified Centers, including Whatley. A nominator remarked Dr. Thorn “truly cares about the people with whom she works,” making “her an effective and trustworthy researcher and leader (in forging) collaborative relationships and partnerships.”
One of Thorn’s community partnerships has been with Ms. Deborah Tucker, chief executive officer of Whatley Health Services, who received the community partner Distinguished Engaged Scholar for her outstanding health services leadership across the state.
Dr. George Daniels, chair of the Excellence in Community Engagement Awards Committee, presented awards in seven categories. They are as follows:
· Dr. Beverly Thorn, professor of psychology, Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholarship/Faculty.
· Dr. Rebecca S. Allen, professor of psychology — Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholarship/Faculty.
· Ms. Teri Henley, advertising and public relations instructor — Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholarship/Faculty.
· Dr. Teresa Wise, associate provost for International Education and Global Outreach — Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholarship/Faculty.
· Ms. Fan Yang, social work doctoral student — Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholarship/Student.
· Ms. Alberta McCrory, mayor of Hobson City, Ala. — Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholarship/Community Partner.
· Mr. Buddy Kirk, Ms. Patti Presley-Fuller, and Mr. Alan Harper — Pickens County Friends of the Hospital, Outstanding Community-Engaged Scholarship/Community Partner.
Daniels also recognized seed fund recipients Dr. Natasha Dimova and Dr. Yuehan Lu, assistant professors of geological sciences. Dr. Dimova’s project, “Establishing Alabama GeoKids Initiative,” will develop a curriculum for teaching Earth Science to minorities and underrepresented student groups in the Tuscaloosa area. Dr. Lu’s project, “Determining Sources and Quality of Inorganic and Organic Nutrients Exported from Agricultural Watersheds,” will work to identify non-point sources of organic and inorganic nutrients in the state’s agricultural watersheds.
Dr. Rebecca Allen, chair of the Faculty Teaching and Research Support Committee, recognized graduate fellowship recipients for work promoting community engagement. They are Ms. Andrea Newman, psychology doctoral student; Ms. Megan Briggs, geography master’s student; and Ms. Jessica M. Bertram, social work doctoral student.
Dr. Jen Nickelson, chair of the academic conference and presentation support committee, recognized Ms. Lindsay Turner, executive director of the Druid City Garden Project as the 2015-16 travel fund award winner. Turner will present her research “Longitudinal Effects of an Elementary School Garden Program on Children’s Health, Food Choices, School Engagement, and Learning” at the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, June 2-4, in Madison, Wisc.
Dr. Nickelson also recognized the 21 research poster presentations, the most ever accepted, that were displayed before, during and after the awards luncheon.
In wrapping up the awards ceremony, Dr. Pruitt underscored the success of community engagement at the University over the past 10 years. After thanking program master of ceremonies Dr. Ed Mullins, CCBP director of communication and research, for his years of service to the awards program, Dr. Pruitt congratulated all of those recognized for their accomplishments.
“To change the world, you first have to change your part of the world,” Pruitt said. “What you’ve seen and heard in the projects and recognitions today represents our efforts at changing our part of the world.”
The final meeting of the semester of the Council on Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP) will partially overlap with the annual SCOPE Student Showcase program on Wednesday, April 13, enabling attendees to attend both events. Here is the schedule:
• 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — Student Engagement Scholarship Showcase. This annual event, sponsored by SCOPE (Students for Community Outreach, Partnership, and Engagement), will take place in the Heritage Room of the Ferguson Center. All UA faculty and students are invited to attend. Dr. James E. McLean, CCBP executive director, oversees SCOPE activities.
• 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. — CCBP meets for lunch and final meeting of spring semester, also in the Ferguson Center’s Heritage Room. A five-student panel presentation will take place during the last 45 minutes of the Council meeting, beginning at 12:15 p.m. The panel will report on the international successes of the CCBP Global Café program and the Fulbright Advising Initiative.
Tera Johnson, an undergraduate student in psychology, and Sarah Saeed, a graduate student in Social Work, will represent Global Café.
Speaking about their Fulbright experiences will be: Jilisa Milton, a social work graduate now working on a combined graduate degree in law and social work, who received a Fulbright English Teaching Award to Indonesia for 2014–15; Brandon Hooks, an international studies major, who is a Fulbright Teaching Award finalist to Spain for 2016–17; and Pandora White, a doctoral student in biochemistry, who is a Fulbright Research Award finalist to Poland for 2016–17.
Cameryn Blackmore, a doctoral student in political science, will moderate the SCOPE poster session, which is available for viewing during the Showcase and immediately before and after the Council meeting. Presenters and their poster titles are as follows: Antonio Gardner, Georgiana Logan, Rebecca Keating, Theresa Mince and Shawn Verberten, “Engaging Students in the LIVE Program”; Calia Torres, “Predictors of Patient Engagement in a Group Intervention for Chronic Pain: An Evaluation of Common Factors”; and Emma Sophia Kay, “Expanding HIV/AIDS Outreach Services to the Latino Community.”
Those wishing to attend lunch should email community.affairs@ua.edu to make a reservation.
UA Recognized as a Top Producing Institution for Student Fulbright Awards
TUSCALOOSA, Feb 29, 2016 – The University of Alabama has been recognized as a top producing institution for student Fulbright awards, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Eleven of 30 UA applicants received the award during 2015–2016, one of the highest success ratios in the nation.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers grants for independent study and research projects and for English teaching assistantships overseas. The highly competitive program makes approximately 1,500 awards each year.
“Our success in placing students in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program demonstrates the far-reaching international scope of our excellent academic programs and the high value of a University of Alabama education,” said Dr. Kevin Whitaker, UA interim provost. “We continue to take pride in the many excellent and promising young people who choose UA for their academic studies.”
Ten UA graduates won awards as teaching assistants and one UA graduate received a Fulbright research award for the 2015–2016 academic year.
“It is an honor for UA to be listed as a top producer in the U.S. Student Fulbright competition,” said Dr. Teresa Wise, associate provost for international education and global outreach. “The Fulbright Program provides life-changing opportunities and experiences for our students.”
University of Alabama graduates serving abroad on Fulbright Awards are Brianna Adams (Czech Republic), Lisa Bochey (Peru), Nichole Camille Corbett (Turkey), Kathryn Crenshaw (Brazil), Scott Leary (Spain), Conner Nix (Spain), Charles Henry Pratt (Brazil), Jenna Reynolds (Spain), Hailah Saeed (Malaysia), Erin Smith (Turkey) and Russell Willoughby (France).
The Capstone International Center and the Global Café Program in the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, an initiative of the Division of Community Affairs, are partners in the UA Fulbright advising initiative, and their work together has resulted in the increased number of UA students who have won Fulbrights, said Dr. Beverly Hawk, UA Fulbright program adviser.
Students interested in applying for next year’s Fulbright program can learn more at international.ua.edu/fulbright/ and us.fulbrightonline.org, or by sending an email to beverly.hawk@ua.edu.
Other top producers this year include Harvard (31), Michigan (29), Northwestern and Yale (26), UNC-Chapel Hill (15), Texas-Austin and UVA (14), Duke and Ohio State (12), Florida State, Tufts, Maryland and Alabama (11). For the full list of top student Fulbright program producers, see http://chronicle.com/article/Top-Producers-of-US/235384?cid=rclink.
The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is experiencing significant growth in both enrollment and academic quality. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state’s economy, is in keeping with UA’s vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state’s flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.
Representatives of the national Fulbright office will be visiting The University of Alabama on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, to meet with Faculty, Students, and Administrators who are considering application for Fulbright Awards. You are invited to come and meet them, hear their presentations on what’s new this year, and ask your questions directly to the managers of the program. The schedule of the day’s activities is available at http://international.ua.edu/.
By Taylor Armer, CCBP Graduate Assistant
Photos by Peter Mullins, CCBP Student Assistant
Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president for the Division of Community Affairs, announced changes in the Executive Committee of the Council on Community-Based Partnerships at the February 11, 2016 meeting in Capital Hall.
Dr. Peter S. Hlebowitsh, dean of the College of Education, will replace Dr. David Francko, dean of the Graduate School, as chair of CCBP Executive Committee effective June 1. Dean Francko is stepping down as associate vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the Graduate School, but will continue representing the University in Ohio doing recruiting and other assignments.
“Dean Francko has been a tremendous asset to the leadership in the field of engagement scholarship on our campus,” said Pruitt in announcing the changes. “As dean of the Graduate School and as inaugural chair of the Executive Committee of the CCBP Council, Dean Francko has solidified engagement scholarship as a legitimate field in which scholars can map out their tenure and promotion plans with assurance their work will be recognized. We are a more balanced institution because of Dean Francko’s leadership.”
“And now we are pleased to welcome his successor, Dean Peter Hlebowitsh of the College of Education, beginning June 1,” Pruitt said.
Hlebowitsh has been education dean since 2013, succeeding Dr. James E. McLean, who in retirement is executive director of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships. “We expect the same progress in this exciting field under Dean Hlebowitsch as we experienced under Dean Francko,” Pruitt said.
In succeeding Francko as chair of the CCBP Executive Committee, Hlebowitsch acknowledged he had a tough act to follow, but expressed optimism about the future of the engagement scholarship movement on our campus, saying that “the Community-Based Partnership group offers the prospect of merging good research with public engagement and of bringing important resources and insights to the task of helping communities and families. It is a socially empowered group with an exciting agenda and I very much look forward to working with them.”
In other changes:
Remaining on the Executive Committee are Dr. Laurie Bonnici, associate professor in the School of Library and Information Studies, chair of the Proposal and Seed Funding Support Committee; Dr. George Daniels, associate professor of journalism and assistant dean in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, chair of the Excellence in Community Engagement Recognition Committee; and Dr. Jen Nickelson, associate professor in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, chair of the Academic Conference and Presentation Committee.
The purpose of the Council on Community-Based Partnerships is to provide faculty, student, and community leadership and direction for all engagement scholarship activities under the auspices of the Division of Community Affairs.
Click on the photos below to view ID.
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Date: Tuesday, March 01, 2016
Time: 05:00 PM – 07:00 PM
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Cost: free
Local Fulbright Award Winners will recount their experiences, answer questions, and encourage those who are interested in this program. The Fulbright Program is the flagship academic exchange program of the United States of America. Students and faculty who have served on Fulbright grants, or wish to apply, are encouraged to attend this panel and meet campus Fulbright Program Advisors. We invite everyone with an interest in international travel, research, study, and service to gather and share their experiences. This event is free and open to the public.
The reception begins at 5pm, and the program begins at 5:30 pm. We will have time for questions and conversation 6-7 pm. Free parking 5-7 pm.
Directions to Capital Hall on the UA campus. Drive down Campus Drive East (near the Rec Center). When you get to the four-way stop, that is Bryce Lawn Drive (that goes into the Bryce property which used to be the state mental health facility but now belongs to The University of Alabama). Turn into the Bryce Property. (Ignore the detour signs and the road closed ahead sign.) Drive up the main road toward the historic all-white building, and make a right at the stop sign. We are in the modern building to the right of the historic building.
Contact Info: Beverly Hawk, beverly.hawk@ua.edu, 205-348-7392, Website
