This Week @ AU

An informational session about Teach For America will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, in 2225 Student Center. Teach For America has more than 14,000 individuals of all academic backgrounds and professional ambitions who have impacted the lives of nearly 3 million students across the country. The application deadline is Feb. 19. No previous education experience or coursework necessary. Students of all majors are welcome. To learn more, visit this link or contact Davey Richerson at Davey.Richerson@teachforamerica.org.

The humanities in today’s world will be the topic of a panel discussion on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 3 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. “Beyond the Rhetoric of Crisis – Strategies for Future Success in the Humanities” will be presented by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University. The presentation will feature Gregg Lambert, founding director of the Syracuse University Humanities Center, and Corri Zoli, a humanities research and grants consultant at Syracuse. It will address current challenges as well as changes in the historical humanities and the traditional disciplines. The panel discussion is open to the public and is the first in a series of presentations leading up to a campus- and community-wide focus on the arts and humanities in the fall of 2010. For more information contact Jay Lamar, director, Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities, at lamarja@auburn.edu or  844-4946. Read the complete story at this link.

Brian Selmeski, a scholar at the Air Force Culture and Language Center at Air University Maxwell Air Force Base, will be giving a presentation, "Cross-Cultural Competence and U.S. Air Force Education," at the monthly meeting of the China India Interest Group at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, in 1103 Shelby Center for Engineering Technology. The Air Force Culture and Language Center is an interdisciplinary academic unit responsible for cross-cultural competency educational, training and research at Air University. This group prepares military and nonmilitary individuals and organizations for international exchanges and collaborations through negotiation, building relationships and communicating across cultural differences and tailoring these general knowledge and skills to particular geographical or regional contexts. The China India Interest Group includes members of the Auburn campus interested in connecting Auburn University with communities and educational institutions in China and India and developing research, instructional and enterprise collaborations in these regions. If interested in joining the group, contact swamipm@auburn.edu or barthjr@auburn.edu

Book artist Steve Miller will present "The Alabama-Cuba Connection: Collaboration in the Art of the Book" on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 4 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Miller teaches letterpress printing and hand papermaking at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Although, his primary focus is the teaching of traditional bookmaking, he is also the proprietor of Red Hydra Press. His current work revolves largely around ongoing collaborative book projects with Cuban print and papermakers. This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Colleen Bourdeau at  cbourdeau@auburn.edu or 844-7075.

Students are invited to join the Auburn Alumni Association and AESU Alumni World Travel Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 5 p.m.  in the Auburn Alumni Center for free pizza and a visual presentation on Auburn's Classic Europe Graduation Tour in May. For a detailed itinerary or more information see this link or this link. The Auburn Alumni Center is located at 317 S. College St. Please RSVP by e-mail to wareagletravelers@auburn.edu and bring a friend.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University, OLLI at Auburn, will host a brown bag lunch meeting featuring Mary Carol Moran, who will discuss her new book,  "Equivocal Blessing," on Tuesday, Jan. 26, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Lexington Hotel, 1577 S. College St.  Moran is also a poet, an instructor for OLLI at Auburn and a certified yoga instructor and therapist. All interested people are invited to bring a lunch and attend the talk. For more information, contact Linda Shook, OLLI at Auburn coordinator, at 844-5100 or olli@auburn.edu, or visit the OLLI at Auburn Web site.

The Graduate Student Council is presenting a competition for graduate students to submit research in several categories. Poster presentation categories are design, science and engineering.  Oral presentation categories are design, science, engineering and humanities. Proposals for poster and oral presentations can be submitted online at this link.  Submissions are due by Feb. 12. Monetary awards will be given in each category and presented at the Graduate School Forum Saturday, March 6, at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.

The annual Springer Yellow Sale of math books at the Auburn University Bookstore in Haley Center is ending. From Monday, Jan. 25, to Friday, Feb. 5, the remaining books will be reduced 30 percent less than the sticker price.  For more information contact Margaret Hendricks at 844-1365.

The first Green Lunch of 2010 will be on Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in room 2218 in the Student Center. The guest speaker is John  Ackerman, assistant professor of national and international security studies, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base. Ackerman's talk is titled "Climate Change, National Security and the Quadrennial Defense Review: Avoiding the Perfect Storm." By examining how changes to the Earth's climate and natural environment pose a serious threat to America's national security, Ackerman will then discuss responses that the Department of Defense could develop, integrating sustainability and the democratic peace theory, to avoid the worst outcomes. This event is open to students, faculty, staff and the community. Participants should bring a lunch. For more information, e-mail sustain@auburn.edu or visit this Web site

The Community Involvement Workshop Series has changed. On Thursday, Jan. 28, Sid James and Jeff McNeill will co-teach a two-hour course on fund raising and volunteer management. On Thursday, Feb. 4, Roberta Jackel and Shiela Eckman will co-teach a two-hour course on community organizing. Please register at this link.  The fee is $20 each or $30 for both. Both classes are in 328 O.D. Smith Hall from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Students can now print PDF or TXT files on the networked printers in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library from anywhere on campus. Log in and select the desired printer (black-and-white or color) from the drop-down menu. Standard printing fees will be applied to your eBill account: Black-and-white printing is 6 cents per page and color printing is 50 cents per page. The printers are located in the Learning Commons on the second floor and in the Office of Information Technology computer lab on the third floor. Go to www.auburn.edu/tigerprint to start printing or for more details.

Wylin Wilson will present a talk titled "Christian Identity and Economic Justice in the Rural South" on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 3 p.m. in the Special Collections and Archives Department of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library as part of the Discover Auburn series. Wilson is a scholar-in-residence at Dunstans Episcopal Church at Auburn University. The lecture will focus on the gap in theological and ethical discourse regarding serious consideration of marginalized populations such as rural Southern, persistently impoverished African Americans in the Black Belt. Discover Auburn is a yearlong series that features programs on research, history and other topics of interest by Auburn faculty, staff and graduates. The series will continue on Feb. 18 with a talk by James Brown titled "Growing Vegetables Organically." This lecture is cosponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts, Auburn University Libraries and the Access and Community Initiatives, Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. For more information on the program and the series, contact the Center at 844-4946 or visit this Web site.

The Auburn University chamber choir, a premier vocal ensemble in the Department of Music, will sing for the Alabama Music Educators Association state conference in Tuscaloosa on Friday, Jan. 22. The 30-member choral group is the newest choir in the music department under the direction of William Powell, director of choral activities. The highly selective ensemble consists of mostly music majors and minors, and upperclassmen. The group received the prestigious invitation after a detailed audition process, and it is one of only three college choirs in the state that will sing at the convention. The chamber choir will perform a 30-minute program which will include published works by Eric William Barnum, Eric Whitacre, Jack Halloran, Darmon Meader, and Auburn professor Rosephanye Dunn Powell. The performance is Friday, Jan. 22, at 4 p.m. in the Moody Concert Hall at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. For more information, contact William Powell at 844-3166 or powelwc@auburn.edu.

The January edition of the International News e-newsletter is now available. It includes stories about study abroad scholarships, faculty grant opportunities, new international scholars and more. To read the complete articles or to submit an international news item, go to this link.

Auburn University will be participating again for 10 weeks in the statewide weight-loss program, Scale Back Alabama. The goal is to get each individual on a team to lose one pound per week for a total of 10 pounds during the contest. For each individual who completes the 10-week contest and loses at least 10 pounds, his or her name will be placed in a drawing for one of 50 statewide prizes of $100 each. For the team that maintains all of its original team members throughout the contest with each team member losing at least 10 pounds, the team name will be placed in a drawing for one of three grand prizes: The first team drawn will win $250 per team member; second team drawn, $500 per team member; and third team drawn, $1,000 per team member. To participate, go to one of these locations between Jan. 25-29: 204 Student Activities Center, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Auburn University Pharmaceutical Care Center, 9 a.m. to noon; or Auburn University Medical Clinic, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Each person's beginning and ending weights will be kept confidential, as well as the weight of each team. Classes on nutrition, exercise and healthy habits will be offered during the 10 weeks and will be announced later. For more information, contact Jenny Swaim at 844-9142 or swaimje@auburn.edu. For information on the statewide contest, along with weight-loss tips and other resources, go to this link.

The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring crew leaders, crew leader assistants and enumerators to assist with the 2010 census. Starting pay is $12 per hour plus mileage. Two testing sessions will be held on campus for Auburn University students and others on campus who would like to apply. Applicants must attend one of the following testing sessions: Jan. 25, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., or Jan. 28, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.; both sessions will be held in 176 RBD Library on the ground floor. To register for a session, send an e-mail to cdsserv@auburn.edu. Additional questions should be directed to Career Development Services at 844-4744.

The Miller Writing Center provides tutoring services for students enrolled in university-required core courses. It will open on Tuesday, Jan. 19, in two locations. The hours of the first location, 3183 Haley Center, are 9 a.m. until 5 p. m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. until noon on Friday; the hours of the second location, the RBD Library Learning Commons on the second floor, are 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Sunday. Students can either walk-in or make appointments through the Web site.

Auburn University more than doubled its number of newly enrolled National Merit Scholars this year, ranking 34th nationally, according to a new National Merit Scholarship Corporation Annual Report. Auburn enrolled 64 new scholars last summer and fall, which is an increase of 106 percent over the previous year’s number of 31. The 2009-2010 figure places Auburn fourth in the Southeastern Conference, up from ninth last year, according to the report. Nationally, the university advanced to 34th from 56th. National Merit Finalists at Auburn receive full tuition for four years; a $1,500 technology allowance the first fall semester; the Auburn Academic Guarantee, which includes automatic admission to the Honors College and an enrichment experience stipend valued at $4,000 one semester after the second year; and an on-campus housing allowance for four years.

The Outreach Program Office is presenting a series of three Community Involvement Workshops. The first one, Fund Raising, will be held Thursday, Jan. 21,  7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with Vice President of Development Jeff McNeill providing a step-by-step approach to successful fund raising for any size organization. The second, Volunteer Management, Jan. 28 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., will feature Sid James, director of the Women's Philanthropy Board, who will discuss recruiting and managing volunteers for a community organization. The third, Community Organizing, is set for Feb. 4 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with Roberta Jackel, former city council member, who will lead a panel discussion on strategies for community organizing. The workshops will be held in 103 O.D. Smith Hall, 135 S. College St. The fee is $20 per session or $50 for the series. For more information, visit this link and select the courses under Community Involvement Workshops or call 844-5100.

Designed by you, for you and funded by EBSCO Industries, the Learning Commons is now open on the second floor of Ralph Brown Draughon Library. After gathering student input over the last three years, the Learning Commons features an additional 300 power outlets, 10 group study areas, movable whiteboards and 415 new seats all conveniently arranged in one space with the Miller Writing Center, Study Partners, an Office of Information Technology HelpDesk and library reference services from RBD subject specialists.

To learn the most up-to-date information regarding employers visiting campus, job search strategies and other Career Development Services-related events and services, students may follow CDS on Twitter at "AUCDS" and become a fan on Facebook at "AU Career Development Services." Also, you may follow this link to learn about the latest trends in job search strategies.