Warhawk Weekly 6-1: Faculty Service Award; Basketball Summer Camps

Nominate outstanding faculty for the 2021 Faculty Service Award

Faculty members elevate our university and play an important role in helping our students succeed. Every year, the AUM Alumni Association’s Faculty Service Award honors outstanding faculty for their service to the university.

To be eligible for the honor, faculty members must have five or more years of full-time service at AUM. Nominations can be made by AUM faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends.

The honor will be awarded during the fall semester and the recipient will receive a $1,000 check from the AUM Alumni Association.

Nominations for the 2021 Faculty Service Award must be postmarked by September 3, 2021 and include a nomination letter. Nomination letters should be no more than two pages in length and should emphasize teaching excellence as well as a strong record of service to the university and community. A vita may be attached, if available.

Send nomination letters to: Awards Committee, Auburn Montgomery Alumni Association, P.O. Box 244023, Montgomery, AL 36124-4023, or email them to [email protected].

Questions? Contact the AUM Alumni Association at 334-244-3369 or [email protected].

Coach Cheaney’s Basketball Academy announces summer camps

AUM’s Head Basketball Coach Michael Cheaney has announced dates for the men’s basketball program’s Summer 2021 camps.

Coach Cheaney’s Basketball Academy Camps are held at the AUM Athletic Complex and led by Cheaney and his Academy staff. Upcoming camp dates and fees are:

Elite Camp
Date: June 5, 2021
Price: $50.00
Grades: 9-12 (Grade as of Fall 2021)

Kids Camp
Dates: June 7-June 10, 2021
Price: $125
Grades: 5-11 (Grade as of Fall 2021)

Register online or learn more about the camps.

Warhawk coaches named NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of The Year

After a historic 2021 season, including a Gulf South Conference title and a trip to the NCAA tournament, AUM coaches Eric Newell and Scottie Wilkes have won the NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of The Year award.

This is the third time that Newell and Wilkes have won an NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of The Year award. The duo won the same award twice as a member of the NAIA in 2015 and 2016.

The Warhawks finished the 2021 season with a 40-7 record, their most wins in a single season since the 2019 season. AUM went 25-5 in regular-season conference play this year, earning a share of the conference title with Valdosta State.

After earning the top seed in the Gulf South Conference tournament in Hoover, Ala., AUM went a perfect 4-0 in the postseason to claim the team’s first-ever GSC championship. The title was also the school’s first GSC championship.

The Warhawks, fresh off a GSC title, earned the top seed in the NCAA South Regional. The trip to the NCAA tournament was the first time in school history that the team made an NCAA berth. AUM recorded their first NCAA tournament win over Alabama Huntsville.

Learn more from AUM Athletics.

Summer Call for Proposals for Undergraduate Research, Creative Activity

Auburn University at Montgomery’s Undergraduate Research Committee is accepting summer proposals for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity grants.

In March, the Office of the Provost allocated $50,000 for undergraduate research or creative activity at AUM. Grant funding is awarded to faculty members whose research involves undergraduate students. Six proposals have been funded so far to the following faculty members:

• Greg Ciesielski, assistant professor of chemistry, was awarded $6,000 for his research project titled: “The role of molecular chaperone Tid1 in the prevention of deletions in human mitochondrial DNA.” ( 2 proposals)
• Duk (Daniel) Kim, department chair and professor of chemistry, was awarded $3,000 for his research project titled: “Investigation on the suppression of ROS by beverages.”
• Ann Marie O’Neill, assistant professor of biology and environmental science, was awarded $3,000 for her research project titled: “Development of a cancer macrophage fusion hybrid model.”
• Claudia Stein, assistant professor of biology, was awarded $2,747 for her research project titled: “Screening plant and soil microbial communities in native prairie ecosystems.”
• Erin Reilly, professor of kinesiology, was awarded $2,385 for her research project titled: “The Effect of Neuromotor Exercise on Cognition and Physical Ability in Pre-school-aged Children.”

The Undergraduate Research Committee will continue to review and fund research projects on a rolling basis throughout the summer until the funds are disbursed. The committee anticipates another call in September for funding in the next fiscal year.

AUM’s Experiential Education and Engagement Center and the University Honors Program share the mission of encouraging undergraduate research and creativity and administering funding for undergraduate research and creativity. To apply, please email Lynn Stallings at [email protected] for the guidelines.

Tennis teams complete seasons nationally ranked

AUM’s men’s and women’s tennis teams each ended the 2021 season ranked by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The men’s team earned a No. 16 national ranking in the final ITA poll after going 12-7 and earning its first-ever win in the Gulf South Conference championships. The Warhawks finished seventh in the South Region and were one of five GSC teams ranked in the regional poll. Muhamad Bedwan earned a No. 19 singles ranking in the South Region, while GSC Freshman of the Year David Rieme was 20^th.

The women’s team earned a No. 27 overall national ranking while finishing seventh in the South Region, joining three other GSC teams. The Warhawks went 31-16 in doubles play, including a 19-8 mark in the conference.

Three AUM student athletes earn postseason honors

AUM softball players Molly Cobb and Allie Miller have been named to the NCAA Division II National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s second and third all-American teams for their performances during the 2021 season.

AUM baseball player Hunter Viets has been named to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All South-Region Second Team.

Miller earned second-team honors after being selected to the south region’s first team in May. The Vandiver, Ala., native hit .394 this season, slugging two home runs against national-ranked Alabama Huntsville, and led the Warhawks in stolen bases with 31 steals.

Cobb, a sophomore from Trussville, Ala., led the Warhawks in hitting this season and finds herself on the NFCA’s third team. She hit .426 in 2021 while smacking 10 home runs and driving in 45. She had 20 extra-base hits and had an OPS of 1.277.

The Warhawks finished the season with a 40-7 record. AUM won their first-ever Gulf South Conference championship and made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Viets led the Warhawk pitching staff in 2021 with an earned run average of 3.35, a mark that also ranked sixth-best among qualified GSC pitchers. The Pensacola, Fla. Native additionally led AUM and ranked in the top 10 in the conference in innings pitched (83.1) and batters struck out (78) while holding opposing batters to just a .259 average.

The sophomore righty tossed six or more innings in eight of his 13 starts this season and allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven starts. Viets tossed a season-high 10 innings of work on April 18 against Mississippi College, a game in which he also struck out a season-best 10 batters.

Viets’s selection marks for the baseball program’s first all-south region honoree recognized by the D2CCA.

AUM Volleyball hosts summer skills camp

If you have a volleyball player in your family, sign them up for Nike Volleyball Camp hosted by Auburn University at Montgomery head coach Flavia Siqueira.

The camps are open to girls ages 10-18 and include all skills, intermediate/advanced, position specialty clinic and serving and passing clinic options.

Options include:
June 14-17: All-Skills-Half Day
June 18: Serving/Passing Clinic-Half-Day
July 12-15: Intermediate/Advanced
July 16: Position Specialty

The registration deadline is June 30 for the July camps.

Pricing & Registration can be found at US Sports Camps.

Build your resume as an AUM Athletics intern

Need an internship?

AUM Athletics needs talented, hard-working students to fill paid internships.

Build your resume by working in gameday operations, social media, marketing and content production. Email [email protected] with the subject line “AUM Athletics-Employment” for more details.

Campus Services modifies operations

With the Spring 2021 semester ending, Campus Services will implement the following operational changes:

Dining: The AUM Café will be closed until June 1. Deli and salad offerings will be available in the AUM Bookstore. The AUMazing Bean will be open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Bookstore: Beginning June 1, the AUM Bookstore will no longer accept cash as payment. Apple and Google Pay, along with credit and debit cards, will be accepted. Summer hours will be Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Wellness Center: The AUM Wellness Center’s summer hours are Monday-Friday, 5 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

Get event updates from Curtiss

Stay in-the-know about can’t-miss campus events via text message. 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 happenings.