Warhawk Weekly 10-24: Learn in the field; Community Engagement Recognition
AUM Army ROTC cadets take classroom learning to the field
A strip of greenspace behind the AUM Library Tower will become the landing zone for a Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter to touch down for about 30 Army ROTC cadets traveling to Fort Moore, Georgia, for field training exercises in November.
The group of Army ROTC Mustang Battalion cadets will begin loading the helicopter at 8 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, to make their way to Fort Moore, where they will engage in three days of rigorous training exercises to prepare them for combat conditions. The Mustang Battalion includes cadets from AUM, Alabama State University, Faulkner University, Huntingdon College and Troy University.
Community members are invited to watch the helicopter’s landing and cadet send-off on the AUM campus. The landing zone will be behind the university’s Library Tower.
AUM creates Community Engagement Recognition program
Citizenship and community engagement are core values at AUM.
AUM’s Experiential Education & Engagement Center (EEEC) has established a Community Engagement Recognition program to honor community-engaged students, faculty and staff during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Community-engaged students, faculty, and staff who meet certain criteria will be eligible for recognition for their community-engaged work at AUM and in communities throughout the River Region.
The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024.
In April 2024, AUM will host a recognition ceremony to celebrate community-engaged students, faculty and staff. During the event, students will be honored as Community Engaged Learners and Community Engaged Leaders while faculty and staff will receive recognition as Community Engaged Faculty and Community Engaged Staff.
AUM is seeking the prestigious Carnegie classification for community engagement, which recognizes colleges and universities that institutionalize community engagement through initiatives and programs such as the EEEC’s Community Engagement Recognition program.
Honoring Mark Benson for his excellence
A retirement reception will be held for longtime Department of Fine Arts faculty member Mark Benson on Friday, Oct. 27, at noon, in Taylor Center 230. Attendees are asked to submit an RSVP in advance.
An AUM faculty member for more than three decades, Benson’s areas of focus included music theory and music history. Benson co-wrote AUM’s fight song, established a pep band and worked with students in AUMcapella.
Trick-or-treat with the Early Learning Center
Join the AUM Early Learning Center for its Halloween Costume Parade on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 10:45 a.m. on The Quad.
ELC pre-schoolers (ages 3-5) will walk The Quad in costume for a trick-or-treat with AUM students, faculty and staff.
If you would like to make their Halloween a happy one, stand along the sidewalk near the Education building, Clement or Goodwyn Hall to distribute candy, stickers, pencils, notepads or balloons.
Exploring poverty reduction policymaking
AUM’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration will host a talk exploring polices designed to reduce poverty in the U.S. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, from 6-7 p.m. in Goodwyn Hall 110.
The event, Poverty & Policy Talk, will feature guest speaker Richard Fording, the Marilyn Williams Elmore and John Durr Elmore endowed professor of political science at The University of Alabama. Fording will present his current research on the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and discuss how the SNAP program has been expanded through the years despite Americans’ negative perceptions towards “welfare.”
“We hope the audience will leave this event with a better understanding of policies designed to reduce poverty in general and how public opinion impacts these policies,” said Pia Knigge, assistant professor of political science and the event’s organizer.
Fording is co-author of the book “Disciplining the Poor: Neoliberalism and the Persistent Power of Race” and the recent winner of the Aaron Wildavsky Enduring Contribution Award from the Public Policy Section of the American Political Science Association. The award recognizes scholarship that continues to influence the field many years after its publication. His research interests include public policy, race, ethnicity and politics, state politics, and social movements.
Cross country teams earn fifth-place finishes
AUM’s men’s and women’s cross country teams each earned fifth-place finishes at last weekend’s Gulf South Conference Championships in Huntsville.
Basil Koech led the men, finishing with the third-fastest 8K time in school history (24:54.20) and earning GSC Freshman of the Year honors. Led by sophomore Kenlie Nelson (22nd overall, 18:50.1 in 5K), the Warhawk women finished with their fastest team time in program history.
Both teams will now prepare for the NCAA South Regional Championships hosted by Montevallo on Saturday, Nov. 4.
In other action, the AUM men’s and women’s soccer team will host Senior Day matches on Friday, Oct. 27, against Delta State. The women will kick off at 5 p.m., with the men to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Central advisors offer impromptu advising
Join the Spring 2024 Advising Fair on the Quad October 31 and November 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for impromptu advising with Central Advising.
Artist Talk features Birmingham sculptor
Learn more about the work of Birmingham-based sculptor Lauren Evans on Thursday, Oct. 25, during an Artist Talk event at 11:30 a.m. in Taylor Center 221-223.
Evans’ exhibit, “Alchemical Imagination,” is on display at AUM’s Cason McDermott Art Gallery through Thursday, Oct. 26. Her work frequently explores the human body “as a site of irresistible paradox.”
Located in Goodwyn Hall, the gallery is free and open to the public, Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Funding opportunities available for graduate students
AUM’s Graduate Student Research Advisory Committee invites graduate students to apply for funding in support of research projects.
Continual Submissions for Funding should meet the following criterial
- Projects must provide the graduate student with meaningful experience in research
- Applications should be submitted by faculty who will supervise the project
- Projects should be completed within two years
- Budget limit is $5,000 per proposal
- Funding may be used for student salaries, supplies for conducting the research, computer software, student travel to conduct research
For more information, contact Dr. Glen E. Ray (334-244-3690) or Debra Tomlin (334-244-3250).
Get updates on campus events
There’s an easy way to keep up with all of the fun events offered on our campus. Enroll in AUM365 and get the 4-1-1 from Curtiss The Warhawk himself. Text curti$$ to 334-398-6025 to receive reminders about upcoming happening.
