Category: Spotlight

Chinese New Year Celebration Draws More Than 400 Participants


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By Jianlong Yang
CCBP Student Assistant

A Chinese New Year party to celebrate the Year of the Rooster at the UA Ferguson Center on January 29 drew more than 400 attendees from Chinese and local families and University faculty and staff.

The event was co-sponsored by the Chinese Sisterhood of Tuscaloosa, the UA Division of Community Affairs and two of its affiliated units, the Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP) and Crossroads Community Center. The Sisterhood is composed of both UA students and members of the Tuscaloosa area Chinese community.

“Chinese Sisterhood Tuscaloosa is a 501c-3 nonprofit organization with the mission of promoting heritage, education and community in ways that enable groups from different backgrounds to learn and understand the culture of others,” said Yun Fu, CCBP program coordinator and one of the event organizers.

Sisterhood president Qiaoli Lang, a UA staff member in the chemistry department, said, “We decided to make it bigger and more inclusive this year.”

Guests, who were greeted by signs reading “Happy Spring Festival” in Chinese characters, were served with many traditional homemade Chinese foods of the kind not usually found in commercial Chinese restaurants.

The celebration included a Chinese Dragon Dance, directed by Yan Wang; Kids Fashion Show, directed by Xiao Tong; Thai Chi, directed by Yun Fu; Qipao Fashion Walk, directed by Fu and Qiaoli Liang; Chinese Qipao Dance, directed by Fu; a skit entitled “Beautiful Roster,” directed by Shan Jiang; Kids Musical, directed by Yibing Liu; Chinese Radio Aerobics and a session called Zumba Workout.

Performers and many attendees were dressed in Qipao (traditional women’s attire), Tangzhuang (traditional jacket), and many other traditional Chinese costumes.

Chinese New Year, also known in China as the Spring Festival, is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, a type of calendar whose dates indicate both the moon phase and the time of the solar year.

Every 12 years there is a Rooster year, always after a Monkey year and before a Dog year. The official Chinese New Year began January 28 and will last until February 15, 2018.

The purpose of the celebration is expressed in the traditional phrase “good health, good luck, and much happiness throughout the year.”

Liang said the events provide a way to help Chinese children in the community connect with their culture. The Sisterhood’s Chinese school helps with language courses, because learning a new language is especially difficult as you age.

A special service of CCBP is its Language Partners Program in which University students work with foreign students to teach them English one on one. The program pairs volunteers — most of whom are students working in CCBP — with visiting faculty members and international students who want to improve their English speaking and writing skills, learn more about American culture and become better oriented to the University and Tuscaloosa.

Fu is the program’s coordinator and is currently seeking volunteers. She may be reached at 205-348-7392 or at yun.fu@ua.edu.

UA Alumna Wins National Dialogue Award

Breanna Swims, right, UA alumna and recipient of a Sustained Dialogue Institute National Dialogue Award for 2016, poses with mentor and nominator Lane McLelland, director of the Crossroads Community Center at UA and a former National Dialogue Award winner, at the 3rd Annual National Dialogue Awards ceremony, which was held Nov. 17 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Breanna Swims, right, UA alumna and recipient of a Sustained Dialogue Institute National Dialogue Award for 2016, poses with mentor and nominator Lane McLelland, director of the Crossroads Community Center at UA and a former National Dialogue Award winner, at the 3rd Annual National Dialogue Awards ceremony, which was held Nov. 17 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.



November 23, 2016

Breanna Swims was recently recognized as one of three Sustained Dialogue Institute National Dialogue Award Network Winners for 2016. Swims, an alumna of The University of Alabama, was honored Thursday, Nov. 17, at the 3rd Annual National Dialogue Awards, which were held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The awards are presented annually by the Sustained Dialogue Institute (SDI), an organization that works to improve community capacity to engage differences as strengths, while helping people move from dialogue to action. They define dialogue as “listening deeply enough to be changed by what you learn,” and utilize dialogue to help people transform conflictual relationships and design change processes around the world.

Swims, a Woodstock, Georgia native who serves as a scheduler and office manager for U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with minors in women’s studies and Italian in 2013, as well as a master of arts degree in gender and race studies in 2015, both from UA.

She first became interested in Sustained Dialogue (SD) after being introduced to the program as a college freshman. She quickly took on a leadership role as a moderator, and during her second year of moderation led her group to action by hosting the Mental Health Monologues, a student-performed presentation designed to reduce the stigma surrounding discussion and treatment of mental illness.

Following the completion of her undergraduate degree, Swims accepted a position with UA’s Crossroads Community Center, where she transformed the sustained dialogue process to a classroom model that remains in use today. Throughout a period of two years, she taught hundreds of students how to effectively communicate across the lines of difference on a large, diverse campus. She also spent five weeks in Maun, Botswana as a graduate fellow with the nonprofit Leadership Exchange, facilitating dialogues with high school students regarding cultural differences and barriers.

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Lane McLelland, director of the Crossroads Community Center at UA and a former National Dialogue Award winner, in her nomination of Swims for this award, spoke of Swims’ strong questions, deep listening skills and take-action spirit as driving factors that allowed her SD group to be able to move from identifying issues affecting those who suffer with mental illness on campus to the action step of hosting the Mental Health Monologues, which were so successful that the UA chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the UA Counseling Center have taken up the charge and co-sponsored them each spring since.

“Bre Swims is an extraordinary human being and was an amazing student advocate for Sustained Dialogue throughout all six years of her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University,” said McLelland. “Because of Bre’s leadership, her small SD group was able to have a sustainable impact. At UA, Bre was always a motivating force and respected mentor for students just getting introduced to SD. Her insights and talents for engaging students were foundational for making Sustained Dialogue synonymous with positive social change at The University of Alabama.”

Following completion of her master’s degree, Swims relocated to Washington, D.C., where she serves in her current position. She continues to utilize the skills she learned in Sustained Dialogue, navigating the political climate in a way that is patient, inclusive and understanding.

“Now more than ever, we need passionate leaders who desire a better tomorrow,” said Swims. “The relationship between The University of Alabama and Sustained Dialogue signifies an openness to the myriad of perspectives that young leaders must have if they want to foster true change, understanding and compassion.

“I cannot express how honored I am to receive this award from an organization that I deeply respect, the Sustained Dialogue Institute,” said Swims. “I am grateful for their global contribution to diplomacy and cooperation, and I am humbled that I could play even a small part in their efforts.”

In addition to her professional position, Swims is involved with the Women’s Information Network, a networking group in the D.C. area. She also serves as an outreach and engagement associate for Spark Point Fundraising. She hopes to pursue a PhD in feminist philosophy and open a foundation.

“I would like to thank Lane McLelland for her professional guidance, as well as Dr. Pruitt [Samory T. Pruitt, UA vice president for Community Affairs] and the Division of Community Affairs for always supporting the needs of Crossroads Community Center, which is a valuable resource at The University of Alabama,” said Swims.

“We are very fortunate to have had an individual like Bre at the University and in a pivotal role in Crossroads,” said Dr. Pruitt. “Her efforts made a tremendous impact on our campus and her outstanding acceptance speech left no doubt with anyone in the audience that she will continue to be a driving force behind peace, reconciliation and understanding in our society and around the world.”

The awards administered by SDI recognize the work of those whose lives embody the principles and values of true dialogue, reconciliation and peace. This event serves to honor the awardees and celebrate the role of dialogue in transforming national and global conflicts.

Additional award recipients for 2016 include St. Olaf College student Don J. Williams and Keynote Award Winner, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

To learn more about SDI and the SDI process, visit http://sustaineddialogue.org


The University of Alabama, the state’s oldest and largest public institution of higher education, is a student-centered research university that draws the best and brightest to an academic community committed to providing a premier undergraduate and graduate education. UA is dedicated to achieving excellence in scholarship, collaboration and intellectual engagement; providing public outreach and service to the state of Alabama and the nation; and nurturing a campus environment that fosters collegiality, respect and inclusivity.

UA Aims for Record Goal in 2016 United Way Campaign


Photos by Jianlong Yang
CCBP Student

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Members of the University community joined the College of Continuing Studies (CCS), host of the 2016 United Way campaign, on Thursday, Oct. 6 for a Campaign Kickoff event at the Ferguson Center Plaza on campus. This year’s goal is a record $365,000 — a $20,000 increase from the 2015 goal — with an additional emphasis on increasing the percentage of employees participating in the campaign.

The tailgate-themed event brought beautiful, unseasonably warm weather as UA campaign administrators, partner-agency representatives and leadership-level donors gathered to launch the annual effort.

“The theme for this year’s campaign, UA CARES: UNITED WE THRIVE, represents the spirit of the faculty, staff and students as demonstrated through our service and generosity toward those on our campus as well as those in our surrounding communities,” said Dr. Stuart R. Bell, UA president, in a letter to the campus community. “Our partnership with the United Way of West Alabama plays a vitally important role in our efforts to improve the quality of life for individuals in West Alabama.”

UA is consistently the largest institutional contributor to the United Way of West Alabama campaign, holding the distinction of being the No. 1 employee campaign in total dollars pledged since 2001. Additionally, the University is the current SEC leader in percentage of employees contributing to local United Way campaigns.

CCS Dean Craig Edelbrock, in welcoming those in attendance, took a playful swipe at the “orange and blue” institution “down the road” for using UA’s United Way success as motivation to increase its participation … “and they moved up from fifth to second. What a great competition between two universities in Alabama!”

Bell spoke of the importance of the campaign and how it knits together organizations that help the community. “Thank you for what you all do, every day,” he said, acknowledging partner-agency representatives at the event.

Jackie Wuska, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of West Alabama, thanked the University community for its support, recognizing the service leadership attitude at UA. “We are the envy of everyone in the SEC,” she said. Then, in reference to that school down the road mentioned earlier, she good-naturedly encouraged UA to “crush the Lee County spirit.”

Campaign co-chairs from CCS are Bill Elrod, director, business development and college relations; Dixie MacNeil, director, academic outreach; and Dr. Robert Prescott, director of corporate engagement. The campus coordinating committee supporting them includes representatives from the Division of Community Affairs, UA Printing, Auxiliary Services, Financial Affairs and Facilities, as well as the Faculty Senate, the Professional Staff Assembly, the Student Government Association, The SOURCE, The University of Alabama Retirees Association and a host of committee members and department-level coordinators.

United Way of West Alabama has 26 partner agencies and covers Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties. These agencies provide a variety of education, income-related, health and emergency-response programs to citizens throughout West Alabama. For more information about United Way of West Alabama, visit uwwa.org.


Get weekly updates on the campaign progress.

The University of Alabama, the state’s oldest and largest public institution of higher education, is a student-centered research university that draws the best and brightest to an academic community committed to providing a premier undergraduate and graduate education. UA is dedicated to achieving excellence in scholarship, collaboration and intellectual engagement; providing public outreach and service to the state of Alabama and the nation; and nurturing a campus environment that fosters collegiality, respect and inclusivity.

UA Recognized as a Top Producing Institution in Student Fulbright Awards Competition

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TopProducer_FulbrightLogoUA Recognized as a Top Producing Institution in Student Fulbright Awards Competition

TUSCALOOSA – The University of Alabama has been recognized as a top producing institution for student Fulbright awards, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Eleven of 30 UA applicants received the award during 2015–2016, one of the highest success ratios in the nation.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers grants for independent study and research projects and for English teaching assistantships overseas. The highly competitive program makes approximately 1,500 awards each year.

“Our success in placing students in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program demonstrates the far-reaching international scope of our excellent academic programs and the high value of a University of Alabama education,” said Dr. Kevin Whitaker, UA interim provost. “We continue to take pride in the many excellent and promising young people who choose UA for their academic studies.”

Ten UA graduates won awards as teaching assistants and one UA graduate received a Fulbright research award for the 2015–2016 academic year.

“It is an honor for UA to be listed as a top producer in the U.S. Student Fulbright competition,” said Dr. Teresa Wise, associate provost for international education and global outreach. “The Fulbright Program provides life-changing opportunities and experiences for our students.”

University of Alabama graduates serving abroad on Fulbright Awards are Brianna Adams (Czech Republic), Lisa Bochey (Peru), Nichole Camille Corbett (Turkey), Kathryn Crenshaw (Brazil), Scott Leary (Spain), Conner Nix (Spain), Charles Henry Pratt (Brazil), Jenna Reynolds (Spain), Hailah Saeed (Malaysia), Erin Smith (Turkey) and Russell Willoughby (France).

The Capstone International Center and the Global Café Program in the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, an initiative of the Division of Community Affairs, are partners in the UA Fulbright advising initiative, and their work together has resulted in the increased number of UA students who have won Fulbrights, said Dr. Beverly Hawk, UA Fulbright program adviser.

Students interested in applying for next year’s Fulbright program can learn more atinternational.ua.edu/fulbright/ and us.fulbrightonline.org, or by sending an email tobeverly.hawk@ua.edu.

A Fulbright informational event will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, at Global Café in Capital Hall, 270 Kilgore Lane, on the former Bryce Hospital campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Other top producers this year include Harvard (31), Michigan (29), Northwestern and Yale (26), UNC-Chapel Hill (15), Texas-Austin and UVA (14), Duke and Ohio State (12), Florida State, Tufts, Maryland and Alabama (11). For the full list of top student Fulbright program producers, see http://chronicle.com/article/Top-Producers-of-US/235384?cid=rclink.

SOURCE: Dr. Beverly Hawk, Director of Program Services, bhawk@ua.edu, 205/348-7392

Three UA Fulbright Award winners are serving in Spain this year. From left, Scott Leary, Conner Nix and Jenna Reynolds celebrate the beginning of their Fulbright grants to Spain as guests at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Madrid.

Heart Touch Program, Chemistry Grad Student Collaboration Designed to Eliminate Career Stereotypes and Spread Cultural Diversity

By Peter Mullins
CCBP Student Assistant

Two university graduate students have begun a collaboration designed to change the stereotype of science and engineering as a career for white males only. While doing so, they also seek to educate the community about different cultures.

Fan Yang, a native of China, is a graduate student working in UA’s Crossroads Community Center. She is also a doctoral student in Social Work, who, along with Pandora White, an African-American graduate student in biochemistry, seeks to promote career opportunities in science regardless of race, sex and country of origin. Their efforts are part of Heart Touch, a program begun and directed by Yang for the past two years to enhance cultural competency and create greater understanding and knowledge between and among different ethnic groups.

Their most recent effort, on Oct. 12 in Shelby Hall on the UA campus, was entitled “#welooklikeresearchers.” Attendees were treated to dinner and a talk by White on career opportunities in science open to both men and women and to all racial and ethnic groups. White’s principal interest is in diabetes research.

“If people are rarely exposed to female or minority scientists,” she said, “they tend to think all scientists are male, white Americans. There are far too few female professors involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) research at the university. Our collaboration is designed to address that image.”

White got the idea for the collaboration at a conference she recently attended where conferees were using the “#Ilooklikeanengineer” Twitter hashtag to raise awareness of white male domination in the sciences and engineering.

To emphasize the diversity of looks and interest within the science field, White reported on her trip abroad in Taiwan, where she was conductng research, and her subsequent trip couch surfing in Japan.

Following White’s talk, the audience was treated to a Tai Chi performance led by local instructor Ping Shi and her students.

Yang said future programs that address stereotypes and enhance cultural competency across race, gender and nationality are being planned.

Photos by Jianlong Yang

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Fan Yang, originator of the Heart Touch Program, prepares the next event designed to overcome stereotypes in career opportunities.
Pandora White tells of her personal experiences during a symposium overcoming stereotypes in career opportunities.
Pandora White tells of her personal experiences during a symposium overcoming stereotypes in career opportunities.
Local instructor Ping Shi demostrates the art of Tai Chi to the students attending Heart Touch program.
Local instructor Ping Shi demostrates the art of Tai Chi to the students attending Heart Touch program.

Crossroads Community Center’s Lane McLelland honored with National Dialogue Award

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Crossroad Community Center’s Lane McLelland was honored at the Second Annual National Dialogue Awards on October 9th, 2015  at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Presented by the Sustained Dialogue Institute, the National Dialogue Awards honors those whose lives have been powerfully marked by the principles and values of the organization. The mission of the Sustained Dialogue Institute is to help people to transform conflictual relationships and design change processes around the world.

Attorney Bryan Stevenson Chosen as 2015–2016 Realizing the Dream Distinguished Lecturer

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Attorney Bryan Stevenson Chosen as 2015–2016 Realizing the Dream Distinguished Lecturer
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TUSCALOOSA — Attorney and author Bryan Stevenson will deliver the 2015-2016 Realizing the Dream Distinguished Lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the Embassy Suites Hotel. This year’s program, which is hosted by Stillman College and begins at 7 p.m., is open to the public.Stevenson, a native of Milton, Delaware, is founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery and also professor of law at New York University. The lecture series is jointly sponsored by the Tuscaloosa Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Shelton State Community College, Stillman College and the University of Alabama.
This year’s theme is “Realizing the Dream Through the Inherent Worth and Dignity of Every Person.” Stevenson’s lecture is the first in a series of events held each year in connection with the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Beginning in 1990, the celebration has grown to include a concert, a legacy banquet and performing arts and other events, all open to the public.

The title of Stevenson’s address is “American Injustice: Mercy, Humanity and Making a Difference.” The goal of the Equal Justice Initiative is to defend the poor in America’s criminal justice system. His book, “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption,” tells of his experiences with the justice system and includes this poignant observation: “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”

“The Distinguished Lecture Series is an integral part of the Realizing the Dream committee’s efforts to raise awareness for equality, education and social justice,” said Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president of UA’s Division of Community Affairs. “Stevenson’s work serves as an example of what Dr. King stood for and of the work we aim to highlight every year in our Realizing the Dream programming.”

Dr. Joseph F. Scrivner, committee member and faculty member at Stillman, said of Stevenson: “For more than 25 years, Bryan Stevenson and his staff at the Equal Justice Initiative have fought against bias and injustice in our legal system. They have won reversals, relief or release for over 100 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row. His cases before the Supreme Court include a winning a decision that outlawed mandatory lifetime sentences for juveniles convicted of murder. He is simply one of the most important advocates for social justice in our time.”

For more information, contact the Division of Community Affairs at 205-348-8376 or visit www.communityaffairs.ua.edu.