UAH alumni return to share personal, professional accomplishments with students

Three alumni of UAH will return to campus next month to talk about their career paths, as well as to give professional advice to current students. All events are free and open to the public.

Mark Wiggins ('90 BA Communications, Psychology)

Wednesday, March 9

On Wednesday, March 9, UAH alumnus Mark Wiggins ('90 BA Communications, Psychology) will talk about his 20 plus years of experience as an entrepreneur, author, coach and motivational speaker. His session "Lunch and Learn with Mark," will begin at noon in room 214 of the UAH Louis Salmon Library. Wiggins' visit is sponsored by the Louis Salmon Library Distinguished Speaker Series. His talk will address topics such as motivation, education, leadership, and achieving your goals at school and beyond. There is no cost to attend the luncheon session. At 3 p.m., Wiggins will give the student presentation "Motivation for Rising Scholars," in the Student Success Center Conference Room (Louis Salmon Library, first floor north wing). Students will get tips on achieving academic goals, classroom success, and staying motivated while stressed. And, at 5:30 p.m., in room 111 of the library Wiggins will give the author talk Permission to Succeed based on his newly published motivational book. He will talk about his time as a writer, what it takes to be a motivational speaker, and how his life has shaped his current path.

Wiggins is the CEO of Xtreme Effort Speaking and Director of Programs at Mooving4ward Programs in Washington D.C. He is a former owner of a Cookies by Design franchise, and served as President of the Franchisee Owners Advertising Association. At UAH, Wiggins was an honors student, homecoming king, and named to the Charger Hall of Honor for his contributions basketball) to the university's athletic program.

Dr. Curtis Bridgeman ('96, BA Philosophy)

Thursday, March 10

On Thursday, March 10, Dr. Curtis Bridgeman ('96, BA Philosophy) will visit with students in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHS) and offer some sage advise for students interested in going to law school. Bridgeman will also conduct a Mock Law School class with students from 2:30 p.m., to 4:30 p.m., in Morton Hall room 337. His visit is sponsored by the UAH Department of Philosophy.

Since 2013, Bridgeman has served as Dean and Professor of Law at The Willamette University College of Law (Salem, OR) and is considered a leading scholar in the field of contracts and commercial law. Bridgeman has published numerous journal articles in leading law reviews, and has been an invited speaker at law schools around the globe. Bridgeman clerked for Judge Gilbert Merritt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Nashville, TN. A native of Scottsboro, Bridgeman initially intended to major in Business at UAH. But all it took was one required Philosophy class to make him "fall in love" with CAHS. In 2015 he was honored with the UAH Alumni of Achievement Award.

Bridgeman earned M.A., Ph.D. (Philosophy), and J.D., degrees from Vanderbilt University. For more information about Bridgeman, please visit: willamette.edu/.

Dr. Travis Taylor, center ('94 MS, '99 PhD, '01 MSE, '12 PhD).

Wednesday, March 16

On Wednesday, March 16, Dr. Travis Taylor ('MS'94, PhD. '99, MSE '01, Ph.D. '12), will give an Alumni Author Spotlight Talk at 5:30 p.m., in the Louis Salmon Library room 111. His visit to campus is sponsored by the library, UAH Alumni Association and the UAH Bookstore. Taylor will read an excerpt from one of his books and talk about his journey as an author and engineer. Immediately after Taylor's talk he will answer questions from the audience. Refreshments will be served. Taylor is the star of the Rocket City Redneck series (National Geographic Channel), author of the Warp Speed series, the Tau Ceti Agenda series and Extraction Point. Taylor has worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for nearly 20 years. He is currently working on several advanced propulsion concepts, space telescopes, and space-based beamed energy systems.

For more information about the Louis Salmon Library Distinguished Speakers Series, please call 256.824.6529.