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The Community Affairs Board of Advisors (BOA) wrapped up its fall 2017 meeting with a breakfast on Tuesday, September 12, following two days of intensive committee meetings and reports. Several offices of the organization assumed overall leadership roles as board president Katie Boyd Britt was unable to attend the September 10–12 meeting.

The highlight of the gathering came on Monday, September 11, on the 16th anniversary of the Twin Towers disaster in New York City (9/11/2001). The evening featured recollections of and memorials to the event, along with a keynote speech by Gadsden native and UA and Harvard University graduate John Johns, executive chairman of Protective Life Corporation in Birmingham. More than 100 board members and their families, University administrators, faculty and staff and their families and other guests attended the Monday night event.

Johns’ talk, entitled “Effective Leadership: The Good Life and the Duality of the Southern Thing,” gave insights into Alabama culture and its historic struggles to “occasionally get good things done.”  He reminded his audience that the lessons of the power of the human spirit over the past decades are somehow more magnified in Alabama than most places, citing the absurdity of “the rabble trying to settle its differences by blowing up a church that killed six children,” a reference to the September 15, 1963 bombing of the 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

Appealing to his young audience, he cited popular songs by Lynard Skynard (“Sweet Home Alabama”) and Neil Young and Drive-By Truckers to illustrate “the duality of the Southern thing,” which Johns said means that although we Southerners do some things right, “we then mess it up by doing something horribly wrong, bringing us back to square one.”

Johns gave a haunting/poignant, yet still somehow optimistic picture of our state’s potential, while still acknowledging that “our aim is off; we keep shooting ourselves in the foot over and over again.” He said although there are pockets of successes, of which he counted The University of Alabama one, we have never put enough effort or provided enough funding for education, which he said affects the “number and nature of our police reports.”

Johns urged the alumni group and other members of the audience to recall the hopeful messages of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who, according to Johns, “appealed to the good side of the duality of the Southern thing.”

Vice President Joseph Bryant opened the Sunday lunch meeting by telling the group, “We are diverse in every way you can imagine.” He said the BOA is committed to coming up with ways to enhance the University “on the national stage and the international level as well.” Bryant serves as director of communication for the Birmingham Housing Authority.

Three committees shared their accomplishments at this session. Victoria Javine, chair of the Academic Success and Student Retention Committee, introduced two main initiatives, a mentorship program and recruitment initiative. Javine is a clinical professor in the Department of Economics, Finance and Legal Studies in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce.

Nicholas Beadle, co-chair of the Entrepreneurship and Innovative Initiatives Committee, said the committee has raised approximately $17,000. The committee’s focus is on funding student initiatives by partnering with other programs on campus and by finding ways to collaborate with the School of Law and the Culverhouse College of Business and Administration to create new tools for students through counseling for small businesses. Beadle is a special assistant in the Office of Apprenticeship of the U.S. Department of Labor, in Washington, D.C.

Global and Community Leadership Committee Chair Rashmee Sharif said the committee has $5,000 to fund Study Abroad and Domestic scholarships. The committee plans to discuss how to market scholarships, scholarship requirements, and also discuss how to contribute time and other resources for UA students. Sharif, who works from Birmingham, is change manager with Cigna’s operating effectiveness team.

At the Sunday meeting Tyrell F. Jordan was recognized for the successful TFJ Law Firm Endowed Scholarship Fund created in 2016. Jordan is a civil litigation attorney in Birmingham.

On Monday, Dr. G. Christine Taylor, the newly named vice president and associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion spoke to the BOA on UA’s diversity goals. Acknowledging that reaching them will take time and hard work, she summarized them, including increasing diversity within the faculty and student body while maintaining high standards and developing a thriving environment for all students, faculty and staff.

Following her talk and referring to the audience, Community Affairs Vice President Dr. Samory T. Pruitt said, “This group represents some of the best in terms of leadership and diversity this University has produced. The future is bright for this campus, because our efforts are collective. Leadership is not just about identifying problems; it’s also about identifying solutions and committing to being part of those solutions. You can count on that commitment from this group.”

Following Taylor’s address, different committees spent the rest of the day with guest experts who facilitated discussion for the initiatives each committee is pursuing.

The specialists were Dr. Peter Johnson, professor of accounting in the Culverhouse School of Accountancy, who outlined a three-pronged approach to minority recruiting; Dr. George Daniels, assistant dean in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, who discussed the GEAR UP project; and Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne, executive director of the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute, which is housed at the EDGE Center in downtown Tuscaloosa.

The Global and Community Leadership Committee discussed plans for two $2,500 scholarships they have created. The scholarship will be named the Board of Advisors Study Abroad Scholarship. One will be awarded for global study abroad and the other for local or domestic pursuit for students focusing on community engagement projects.

Student Government Association President Jared Hunter spoke during the second half of the committee meeting, sharing his plans for more minorities in the assembly.

The next meeting of the Board of Advisors will be on the UA campus in April 2018.

By Kirsten J. Barnes
CCBP Graduate Assistant

The Division of Community Affairs’ two-day Board of Advisors meeting culminated in a dinner April 3 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, with an inspirational endorsement of their work by former UA Director of Athletics Bill Battle.

The 52 members of the board all earned UA degrees since 2000 and have worked for the past year on a three-pronged mission of increasing student success and retention, promoting student involvement in entrepreneurship and innovative initiatives, and supporting the development of effective leaders in the United States and abroad.

“This group represents our best and brightest younger alumni and I appreciate their work and commitment to this effort,” said Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs. “All of the group’s members are very busy, but they each made time and agreed to participate. I also appreciate how the leadership on our campus has embraced and supported their efforts.”

The group came together around the theme “Coming Back, Giving Back,” which epitomizes the purpose of their work.

“I think every one of us is here because Dr. Pruitt made an impact on our life,” said Katie Boyd Britt, who graduated from UA in 2004 and 2013. “We saw his vision for the campus and his vision to move the campus and community forward and there is not one of us that didn’t want to be a part of that again.”

Britt said that after they formed the group, there was so much interest that they had to turn away some prospective members. Summarizing commitments, Britt said some $25,000 had been contributed or pledged by the group toward fulfilling its mission.

“At this point in our lives, there are not a lot of opportunities to reconnect with campus and to meet other alumni,” said Britt, who serves as president of the BOA executive committee. “This has allowed us to have the opportunity to continue to move things forward and effect change and create a more positive atmosphere on the campus, while at the same time taking and sharing what we have learned with current students.”

Battle, now a special assistant to UA President Stuart R. Bell, walked away from retirement to return to UA in 2013 as director of athletics after experiencing huge success in the licensing of school athletic items popular with university fan bases. He told the assembly: “Leadership is getting someone else to do what you want them to do, as long as it is good for them as well.” He cautioned that success can be a moving target and how you define success depends on where you are in life.

“The American dream to me,” he said, “is to be successful in whatever you do, while leaving the world a better place than you found it. Any organization that you touch, if you can leave it a better place than you found it, then that is the hallmark of success.”

Battle talked about his lengthy sports career as a player, coach and president of an athletic licensing company, before returning to his alma mater. “I’m proud that I hold two records in SEC sports today. I was the youngest head football coach ever named and the oldest athletic director,” said Battle, who was 28 years old when named head football coach at the University of Tennessee and returned to UA as director of athletics after he had retired to succeed Mal Moore.

Battle thanked the group for their contributions to the UA community and challenged them to stay involved. “Thank you for your leadership and what you’re doing,” Battle said. “Give back with your presence … with your prayers. Pray for the University leaders. Ultimately, if you have the means and feel like you can give back financially, it is a great thing to do. Be here with your presence and help us keep our young people in school and help us keep them engaged when they leave.”

“Most of the money that has been raised came from their pockets,” Pruitt said of the group. “I am very proud of these young people and their commitment to helping make UA an even better place.”

Formed in early 2016, the UA Community Affairs Board of Advisors is comprised of young alumni who were campus leaders during their time as students at The University of Alabama. The board members possess a commitment to community engagement and student success, as well as a common desire to serve and a clear understanding of the importance of giving back.

By Taylor Armer
CCBP Graduate Assistant

Scholarships and grants were announced at the wrap-up session prior to the closing dinner of the second annual Community Affairs Board of Advisors meeting Monday, April 3. Along with ideas to expand The University of Alabama’s reach to more prospective students, the board members convened in their respective subcommittees at the Ferguson Center with hopes of finalizing their goals from last fall’s meeting.

The Student Entrepreneurship and Innovative Initiatives committee obtained multiple commitments toward funding scholarships and grants. Led by co-chairs Nicholas Beadle and Reginald Miller, the committee laid out the groundwork for creating and sustaining a scholarship and grant program that would reward a cohort of innovative students during fall and spring semesters.

Beadle’s subcommittee proposed to grant up to $500 in seed funds to an initial cohort of 20 students from The EDGE Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for its business pitch competition in the fall. EDGE is a local business incubator that houses the student-focused Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute and provides students with the necessary tools to foster an emerging business. Based on the committee’s predetermined criteria, the committee will select from the group three winners for grants — one $5,000 and two $2,500 awards — in the spring.

These grants would support innovative projects like the one to develop never-freeze water bottles for harsh arctic temperatures. Beadle and Miller called this and several other ideas they heard from student entrepreneurs “phenomenal.”

“Meeting with those students showed me that there is a need for more funding, and a need for more involvement,” Beadle said. “And I’m happy we could make that investment.”

The Global and Community Leadership subcommittee will invest in student travel opportunities. Its two $2,500 Board of Advisors Study Away Scholarships will be available in the fall for university students to use during spring and summer semesters. The travel scholarships will be awarded through Community Affairs and the Capstone International Center.

In addition to finalizing how they would raise funds for the scholarships and who would implement the award program, committee members discussed how to increase intermingling among various student groups with representatives from the International Students Association, Interfraternity Council and Student Government Association.

“They appreciated our interest as much as we appreciated their answers, which is always beneficial,” said Stephen McNair, co-chair of the committee. “Quite a few of them said, ‘when you come back next time, let us know so we can continue this discussion,’ which is extremely encouraging.”

Members of the Academic Success and Student Retention committee expressed similar feelings after speaking with UA Admissions representatives on ways they could be a part of the student recruitment of underserved student populations. Co-chair Holly Luther said that meeting with University staff and actual students who put a face to the committee’s goals was helpful in thinking of ways “to achieve better success” in retention and mentoring.

To ensure success in the latter, all committee members pledged to contact their area recruiter by the end of April. Elliot Knight, who conceived the idea, said that his fellow members would provide alumni support to the recruiters and encouraged other members of the Board of Advisors to do the same.

“This is a way of telling them that if there’s ever a way we can help, please let us know and we will be glad to do that,” he said.

He urged members interested in contacting their local admissions representative to visit gobama.ua.edu and key in their state. The website provides the recruiter’s phone number and email address.

The next official gathering of the Board of Advisors will take place during the fall 2017 semester.