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Warhawk Weekly 6-18: Alumna head of state; University closed

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AUM alumna in line to become Iceland’s head of state

Since graduating from Auburn University at Montgomery in 1993, Halla Tomasdottir has distinguished herself as an entrepreneur, CEO, investor and climate activist.

a smiling boy wearing a green shirt

Her next major move will come in the political arena in her native country. Earlier this month, the 55-year-old Tomasdottir won Iceland’s presidential election and will begin her four-year term after being sworn in on August 1. She will become the seventh president since the foundation of the island republic in 1944 and the second woman to serve in that capacity.

While the office is largely ceremonial in Iceland, the presidency serves as a uniting figure for a nation of nearly 400,000. Tomasdottir, who does not claim a political party, ran on a platform focused on such issues as the effects of social media on children, the emergence of artificial intelligence and opportunities to strengthen Iceland as a tourism destination.

Tomasdottir came to AUM after graduating from Central High School in Evansville, Indiana, as an exchange student. She studied Human Resource Management in the College of Business and earned Chancellor’s Scholar honors. In an interview with Iceland online newspaper Visir, she fondly recalled her connection to AUM: “I’m very proud to have been there; I was the manager for the [soccer] team and I’m just very proud of that school,” she said. “… I think I moved a few dozen people in there to study and play [soccer] and I’m just very proud of that.”

After graduating from AUM, Tomasdottir co-founded Audur Capital, an investment firm focused on fair financial practices for women, in 2007. She eventually became CEO of The B Team, a global nonprofit co-founded by Richard Branson. In 2016, she participated in a TED Talk that hinted at her own political future.

Read more about Tomasdottir.

University offices will be closed for Juneteenth

All AUM offices will be closed Wednesday in observance of the Juneteenth federal holiday.

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans after the Civil War. AUM will resume its normal operational schedule on Thursday.

AUM Civil Rights & Civic Virtue Society hosts second annual Summer Seminar

a group of people standing in front of a buildingFive visiting professors will speak on civil rights, civic virtue, and character education at the Auburn University at Montgomery Civil Rights & Civic Virtue Society’s (CRCV) second annual Summer Seminar June 24-28.

The CRCV’s summer seminar was created to increase the understanding of civil rights history, deepen the knowledge of civic virtue, and cultivate civic engagement among students, faculty, staff and Montgomery residents. The workshop is held on AUM’s campus located in Montgomery, birthplace of the civil rights movement.

“Through this intensive summer seminar, participants will gain a greater understanding of our local civil rights history and be able to reflect on its importance,” said AUM Department of Philosophy Chair and Professor Aaron D. Cobb, who serves as CRCV’s project director. “We also hope that the AUM community and members of the public will walk away from the workshop with a shared commitment to serve their community.”

The seminar’s keynote speakers are visiting faculty members:

  • Julie Buckner Armstrong, professor of English at the University of South Florida
  • Meena Krishnamurthy, associate professor of philosophy at Queen’s University (Canada)
  • Michael Lamb, F.M. Kirby Foundation Chair of Leadership and Character, executive director of the Program for Leadership and Character, and associate professor of interdisciplinary humanities at Wake Forest University

Two CRCV scholars will also be featured:

  • Daniel Henry, assistant teaching professor in the Department of African American Studies and The Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University
  • Kevin Timpe, William H. Jellema Chair in Christian Philosophy and professor of philosophy at Calvin University

a group of people standing on a sidewalkCRCV Summer Seminar participants will visit important historic sites such as Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church and museums such as the Rosa Parks Museum associated with the civil rights movement in Montgomery and Birmingham. The seminar also will feature structured reflection about these visits and facilitated conversations on readings about the civil rights movement. Participants will also volunteer at Montgomery’s Mercy House/Mission About People.

AUM students and employees have an opportunity to earn scholarships and stipends as part of the CRCV Summer Seminar.

Student participants will receive $500 for their participation, which will be paid as a scholarship on their student account in Fall 2024. Faculty and staff participants will receive a stipend for their participation. The CRCV has selected 24 student, nine faculty, and four staff participants.

The weeklong seminar is supported by a John Templeton Foundation grant, which connects to themes within the framework of “From Civil Rights to Civic Virtue: Forming Character Through Community.”

Learn more about the seminar and speaker presentations with AUM CRCV.

Apply for Provost scholarships

Are you interested in expanding your academic experience and exploring your academic discipline more fully? Would you like to strengthen your written and oral communication, critical thinking, technical skills, and information literacy and build a learning community with faculty and fellow students?

The Office of the Provost is sponsoring one-credit-hour tuition scholarships for students interested in research or teaching fields.

Research scholarship

To encourage undergraduate students to participate in research and internships, a one-credit-hour scholarship is available. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be:

  • Registered for an approved internship or research course.
    • If you are not registered for a course or need help locating one, contact your advisor.
  • Be an undergraduate student
  • Apply by August 26 for the fall semester

The research-based scholarship does not apply to internship and research courses that are required as part of their program requirements.

AUMTeach scholarship

If you want to determine whether a teaching certificate is right for you, the Office of the Provost is sponsoring one-credit-hour scholarship to encourage students to take an AUMTeach course. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be:

  • A junior and senior majoring in a STEM field (College of Education majors are not eligible).

The AUMTeach minor consists of eight classes. The scholarship will pay $750 towards your first two AUMTeach minor classes.

Please note that incorrect or incomplete information in the application can delay the award or exclude you from eligibility. Apply by August 26 for the fall semester.

For more information, email Molly Belew at [email protected] or visit the AUMTeach minor webpage.

Receive safety updates via AUM Alert

students reading the news on a mobile deivceThere’s an easy way to receive time-sensitive updates about public safety matters that may affect students, faculty and staff. Sign up for AUM Alert to receive emergency notifications via text message, email and voice calls.

AUM Alert is utilized in the event of emergencies that pose an imminent threat to individual safety or university operations.

Register now for alerts.

Keep up with 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.

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