UAH

Noted philosopher David Hildebrand to lead annual UAH Philosophy Forum

Noted philosopher David L. Hildebrand will be the keynote speaker for the Annual Philosophy Forum at UAH on Friday, April 4.

His talk "Pragmatism and Objectivity: Habits for Democratic Life," will begin at 7 p.m., in the Union Grove Gallery (adjacent to the University Center). The forum is sponsored by the UAH Philosophy Department and is free and open to the public.

Hildebrand is professor and chair of the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). Before completing his graduate studies in philosophy, he was director of Education and Public Relations at a non-profit arts organization in Washington, D.C.

Prior to his arrival at UCD he taught at Rice University, The University of Memphis, and the University of Houston.

In addition to teaching and advising students, Dr. Hildebrand is an active researcher and presenter in philosophy, and holds memberships in several academic societies, and is very active in the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy and the Southwestern Philosophical Society. He is also responsible for creating and maintaining a number of philosophy websites including UCD's Philosophy Department website and his own, davidhildebrand.org.

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UAH once again tops the list for return on investment among Alabama schools

UAH once again tops the list of all colleges and universities in the state with the best return on investment (ROI), according to PayScales's just released 2014 College ROI Report.

It is also the only school in the top ten with back-to-back rankings for both its in-state and out-of-state ROI, which is based on the total cost of education and alumni earnings over a 20-year period following graduation.

"The success of our students is of paramount importance to the faculty and staff of UAH, and PayScale's ranking gives us confirmation that we are providing the necessary education to give our graduates an advantage when they enter the workforce," says UAH President Robert Altenkirch.

Of course, this most recent standing atop the ROI list is nothing new for UAH, whose graduates earn an average starting salary of $49,600 according to the report. The university was ranked number one for ROI by both Affordable Colleges Online and the College Database last year.

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Colloquium contextualizes thermodynamics for UAH honors students

Any thermodynamics class worth its salt will include a lecture on the second law of thermodynamics. But what about the man behind the second law, Nicholas Carnot? Few may know that this son of a prominent French politician actually spent much of his life in the military before being interned in an asylum and dying of cholera at the age of 36.

But that is exactly the kind of fascinating backstory that Dr. Daniel Armentrout hopes to impart to the students in his Honors Thermodynamics Colloquium at UAH. Offered by the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the course runs concurrently with – and builds upon – the traditional Thermodynamics lecture.

"The more you learn about the people who made monumental contributions to science, the more you are confronted with their humanity and recognize that discovery is obtainable," says Dr. Armentrout. "So all of the students in the colloquium get exposure to the historical and personal context that led to significant discoveries in thermodynamics."

This semester, those students are Victoria Cain, Ryan Gott, Moriah Morehouse, and Kareem Omar. All are undergraduates in UAH's Honors College, and all say that the colloquium allows them to explore thermodynamics in a more meaningful way than the course's lecture-style counterpart.

"We learn about what people in the past did with significantly less technology, which gives me the confidence that I will be able to solve problems and make new discoveries," says Gott. Adds Omar, "this is what university is all about – a professor knowledgeable about a topic entertaining discussion with students who have the same interests."

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UAH Honor’s Convocation recognizes distinguished undergraduate students

UAH will recognize outstanding undergraduate students for their distinguished academic achievements during Honors Convocation on Tuesday, April 1, on the university's campus.

The UAH Undergraduate Academic Honors Convocation is an important tradition, allowing the university to honor our students and to recognize their successes. This year, the event will be held at 9 a.m., in the Chan Auditorium. A reception will follow the ceremony.

Each college within the university will also hold separate honorary programs, and schedules are listed below:

• College of Nursing — Chan Auditorium at 1 p.m.
• College of Liberal Arts — Roberts Recital Hall at 2 p.m.
• College of Business Administration — Chan Auditorium at 3 p.m.
• College of Engineering — Charger Union Theater at 3 p.m.
• College of Science — McDonnell Douglas Auditorium at 4 p.m.

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Fifty-three UAH students initiated into Phi Kappa Phi honor society

Fifty-three students from UAH were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at a ceremony held March 14 in UAH's Shelby Center. The occasion marked the 41^st Initiation Ceremony for the UAH chapter of the nation's oldest and largest honor society.

"In speaking with a number of the initiates after the ceremony, I sensed a commonality, that is, of a drive, a passion even, to learn all they could about their field of study," says UAH nursing professor Dr. Peggy Hays, who also serves at the chapter's vice president. "I heard nothing of 'doing only enough to just get by.'"

The ceremony's keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Christine Curtis, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. In her remarks, Dr. Curtis spoke to the honor society's dual mission of excelling in one's own academic endeavors while at the same time being of service to others.

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UAH celebrates Greek Week with "edutaining" presentation on social media dangers

The dangers of irresponsible social media use and the destructive repercussions will be examined during a presentation by Rob Hackenson, Jr., on Monday, April 7, at UAH.

Hackenson's edutaining lecture is at 7 p.m., in the Charger Union Theater. The event is free and open to the public. His visit to the UAH campus is sponsored by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Since 2004, Hackenson has traveled across the United States, and Canada speaking and giving keynote addresses to schools, colleges, organizations and companies, delivering highly interactive presentations on "Bullying Prevention," "Social Media Dangers and Cyber Safety," "Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Awareness (Sobering Thoughts)."

He specializes in educational entertainment that engages and educates. Hackenson's use of skits, hypnosis, mind magic, illusions, videos, and true stories will have the audience on the edge of their seats, laughing hysterically, or sitting in silence thinking about the important lessons of responsible posting.

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UAH’s College of Business Administration to host Spring Entrepreneurs Roundtable

The College of Business Administration at UAH will host its annual Spring Entrepreneurs Roundtable at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the Chan Auditorium with a reception to follow.

With a theme of "Tomorrow's IT," this semester's roundtable will focus on entrepreneurial leadership in the field of information and communications technology and will feature three panelists from the Huntsville business community:

• Michael Comperda, CTO of CURSE, an on-line game portal and network of gaming sites
• Matt Fowler, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Solid Earth, a B2B provider of innovative technology to the real estate industry
• Mark Spencer, Founder and CTO of Digium, a communications hardware and telephony software company

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Chargers for Sustainability to co-host sustainability debate

Chargers for Sustainability, a student-run organization at UAH, is partnering with UAB's Young Americans for Liberty to offer "Sustaining Liberty: Free Markets and the Environment," a spirited debate about the roles of state and federal government in the areas of food security, property rights, clean air and water, and sustainability.

The event, which will take place in UAB's Blazer Hall on Tuesday, April 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., will feature panelists Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico and 2012 presidential candidate; Stacie Propst, Executive Director of GASP; Cole Walker, Chairman of EDT Energy; and a representative from Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow. Chargers for Sustainability's Haley Hix will serve as moderator.

"Not only does this further establish UAH as a leader in sustainable initiatives in the state," says Hix of the debate, "but we also hope it will encourage students to think more deeply about these topics to identify problems and formulate solutions for our university and our community."

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UAH adopts “financially advantageous” block tuition structure beginning fall 2014

This past week, UAH announced its decision to transition to block tuition beginning in the fall of 2014. The new structure, which will be rolled out over a three-year period for undergraduates, allows students to pay a flat rate per semester up to a limited number of hours instead of paying by the credit hour.

"We have devised a plan to restructure our tuition pricing that will be financially advantageous for students to carry an increased class load," said UAH President Robert Altenkirch in a recent statement to AL.com. "The result can be a faster path to graduate, reduced costs, and an improved graduation rate for UAH students."

During the course of the rollout, the per-credit-hour tuition rate between 12 and 18 hours will decrease for two years, ultimately reaching zero in the third year. For graduate students, the block structure will be implemented in its entirety this fall, making the per-credit-hour tuition rate between 9 and 15 hours zero and credit hours beyond 15 charged at a per-credit-hour rate.

"From a recruitment standpoint, this is brilliant," says Nandish Dayal, president of UAH's Student Government Association (SGA). "If you're making plans for your future college education and you want to go to a tier one research institute with a Carnegie classification – and you want to do it affordably – then block tuition is perfect for you."

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Internationally renowned educator, Harry Wong to lead UAH workshop for K-12 teachers

Harry K. Wong, considered the "rockstar" of education training, will lead a free workshop for North Alabama K-12 teachers, Wednesday, May 7, on the campus of UAH. Also presenting at the workshop will be Wong's wife, Dr. Rosemary Wong, and former Bob Jones High School teacher, and UAH alumna, Chelonnda Seroyer (English 2002).

The workshop "Effectively Managing Your Classroom," is sponsored by the UAH Office of Diversity, in conjunction with the Department of Education. About 350 educators from North Alabama will be able to attend the seminar from 8:30 a.m., until 2 p.m., in the Chan Auditorium (located in the UAH College of Business Administration). The workshop (includes lunch) is free, but due to limited seating and the issuance of Continuing Education Units (CEU's) registration is required. A $20 fee per person will be charged for 0.5 CEUs. Register today online at: PCS.uah.edu/ClassroomManagement; or by telephone 256.824.6010 or 800.448.4031.

Dr. Harry K. Wong is the most sought after speaker in education today. He and his wife, Rosemary are teacher advocates and are consistently booked two to four years in advance. Harry Wong has given thousands of presentations to over a million people. He has served as the general session speaker at numerous major educational meetings, and his lectures have taken him to every state in America, the Canada, Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

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