Campus to close July 2 & 3 for Independence Day

The UM President’s Office announced that all non-critical offices will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, July 2 and 3, 2018, in recognition of the July 4 holiday.  Certain personnel in critical areas may be notified of the need to work on these days.  The University will reopen at 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 5, 2018.
 

IS&T Offers List of Summer Updates

According to Chief Information Officer Craig Gray, several special IS&T projects are set to be completed or worked on by the end of the summer. These include:

• beta mode FalconNet, now available in downtown Montevallo.
• campus computer refreshes, with 95 percent already complete.
• the University’s new fiber Wi-Fi backbone, which has started.
• campus-wide migration from Microsoft Exchange email to Outlook 365 and Windows 7 to Windows 10.
• new leadership for the Technology Advisory Council, which advises the CIO by setting an effective framework for the use of technology. UM Registrar Amanda Fox and Program Coordinator of Technology & Leadership Programs Dr. Jennifer Alexiou-Ray will co-chair the committee.

Sigma Delta Pi Seeking Donations for Guatemala

Sigma Delta Pi, UM’s Spanish honor society, is collecting donations of $1 or more for affected communities in Guatemala after a massive volcanic eruption earlier this month. If you would like to donate, please drop-off your donation to Penny Allen in the Office of Foreign Languages (Comer Hall 101). If the office is closed, use the mail-slot to the left of the door. Deadline for all donations is Thursday, June 14.
 

UM Fishing Team Within Top 10 of Cabela’s School of the Year Standings

As of May 30, UM’s fishing team has landed Montevallo as one of 10 schools of the year by Cabela’s. Fishing team members Justin Barnes and Adam Carroll recently finished at 16th in Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing’s National Championship in Florence, Alabama.
 

Nominations Open for Retired Faculty and Staff Award

The Retired Faculty and Staff Award is presented by University Advancement in the fall to honor a retired faculty or staff member for excellence in service and loyalty to UM

To be eligible, a nominee must have retired from UM before July 1, 2013. Retired faculty and staff that have returned to UM in a full-time or part-time capacity are not eligible.

Nominations are accepted throughout the year with a deadline of July 1 prior to the award presentation at the annual Retired Faculty and Staff Luncheon in September. The nomination form may be submitted electronically or in print form and is available online. Call 205-665-6219 for more information.

Faculty/Staff Highlights

Dr. Roderick George, professor of music, will spend part of this summer in St. Louis, Missouri, as a principal artist for Union Avenue Opera’s 2018 Festival Season. He will perform the role of the Leader in Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars, a musical tragedy based on Alan Paton’s novel “Cry, the Beloved Country.” This marks George’s fourth season with the company, having last been heard in the role of Gérald in “Lakmé.”
 
Dr. Cathlena Martin, associate professor of game studies & design and director of the Honors Program, wrote the article “Role Playing in Children’s Literature: Zilpha Keatley Snyder and The Egypt Game,” which was published in the “American Journal of Play” Vol. 10, No.2.

April H. Mixon, UM’s affirmative action and training coordinator in Human Resources, has written her first book, “7 Ways to Win with People.” The book gives detailed, yet practical ways to build rapport with people and obtain the tools and tips necessary to getting people to like you.

Dr. Eun-Hee Park presented a solo recital featuring works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Claude Debussy for the Birmingham Music Teachers Association on May 9. In addition, she served as a panelist discussing “My Favorite Chamber Music Pieces to Teach” at the 66th Annual Conference of Alabama Music Teachers Association on June 1 at Auburn University. 
 
Brook Pruitt, assistant professor of mass communication, has been accepted into an international film festival in Israel for his documentary “Essie,” which examines the extraordinary woodworking talents of Essie Ebrahimi, who, along with his wife Pat, are retired from UM after many years of service.

Scott Stephens, professor of art and chair of the art department, has a print included in “Our People, Our Places, Our Collection,” an exhibition organized in recognition of the state of Alabama’s bicentennial by the Mobile Museum of Art. Stephens will present a lecture on Alabama printmakers represented in this exhibition on June 14 at the museum, as well as a hands-on workshop in drypoint-on-copper intaglio printing on June 15.