University of Mobile Kicks off New Year with Ram Rush Events

Two new performing arts programs, a women’s volleyball team, construction projects, a mid-week chapel program, and a scholarship banquet are just a few of the highlights for the 2005-06 academic year at the University of Mobile.

Faculty return to campus on Aug. 15 and students will move into residence halls on Aug. 20. Academic advisement and registration will be held Aug. 22-23 and classes begin Aug. 24. For information about enrolling at the University of Mobile, call the Office of Admissions at 442-2273.

Ram Rush, the university’s orientation program, begins Aug. 20 when students move to campus and continues through Aug. 23. A variety of events including cookouts, a game show, a concert by Monk and Neagle, lunch at faculty members’ homes, and a day-long service project are aimed at helping new students make friends and become familiar with university life.

Among the key events during Ram Rush are Project UM and The Walk. Project UM will take place Monday, Aug. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students will travel by bus to 10 work sites in Mobile for community service projects ranging from painting and yardwork to binding Bibles and sorting food donations. Sites include Mobile Botanical Gardens, East European Harvest, Home of Grace, Mobile AIDS Support Services, Bay Area Food Bank, Dream Center, Prichard Infracare, Habitat for Humanity, Shiloh Baptist Church and The United Methodist Inner City Mission.

Ram Rush activities culminate Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 6:30 p.m. with The Walk as freshmen and transfer students gather at the residence halls and walk together across campus to a candlelighting ceremony in Weaver Auditorium. The event will feature an address by UM President Dr. Mark Foley and several upperclassmen. A reception will follow in Martin Hall.

One change during this academic year that will impact all students is a new academic schedule that leaves one hour each Wednesday free of classes. During that time, a 30-minute chapel program, “Mid-Week,” will be offered for students, faculty, staff and the public. This reshaping of the traditional chapel program will focus on practical Christian leadership, with speakers from a variety of professions discussing the challenges they face in their lives and how they as Christians approach those issues. Mid-Week will be held beginning Aug. 31 at 11 a.m. with an address by Foley. Mike Blaylock, vice president for campus affairs, will discuss his battle with cancer and dealing with obstacles on Sept. 7. On Sept. 14, Gary Palmer, president of the Alabama Policy Institute, will speak to highlight Constitution Day.

As part of an emphasis on developing Christian leaders in all academic disciplines, the university will offer bi-monthly leadership development training sessions for students interested in developing leadership skills.

A focus during the academic year will be the university-wide process of developing a three-year strategic plan. The process, launched by the UM Board of Trustees in April, will involve faculty, staff and students in envisioning the future of the 44-year-old institution.

The Center for Performing Arts is launching a new instrumental strings program and a new vocal ensemble, the Chamber Singers, as the CPA continues to grow under the leadership of Roger Breland, former director of the award-winning contemporary Christian group TRUTH. The 16-member Chamber Singers will concentrate on the choral classics under the direction of Assistant Professor of Music Duane Plash. Recording artist Alicia Williamson Garcia continues as artist-in-residence. UM graduate Steven V. Taylor, an award-winning Nashville producer and Christian music composer, will work with students in the Voices of Mobile vocal ensemble during a Labor Day weekend retreat at Shocco Springs. Internationally known drum and bugle corps clinician Jeff Queen will consult with UM’s RamCorps drum and bugle corps in August.

Students in UM’s many performing groups continue to receive practical experiences, with performances aboard a cruise ship, at the Southern Baptist National Church Music Conference, accompanying Alicia Williamson Garcia at worship events throughout the region, at Christian music conferences, in operatic performances for the community, as well as at UM’s popular “Christmas Spectacular” and “StarLight” music festivals. RamCorps and University Singers will depart in May 2006 for a 10-day mission tour in Germany to work with Southern Baptist missionaries and perform at U.S. military bases, concert halls and churches. During winter semester 2006, Voices of Mobile will be featured at the Alabama Baptist Evangelism Conference in Mobile.

The university is reaching out to non-traditional adult students by offering many of its popular degree programs at times convenient for working adults, to join the bachelor’s degree in organizational administration and leadership offered through the School of Leadership Development. The School of Education, which recently received an “A” on the annual Alabama Department of Education report card on teacher education programs, now offers night courses leading to a bachelor of science in elementary education. The School of Nursing’s new “Friday Program” is designed to complement the working schedules of registered nurses and offers courses leading to a bachelor of science in nursing. The School of Business offers night courses leading to bachelor’s degrees in accounting and in computer information systems with a concentration in information security.

On the athletic front, UM is expanding its championship NAIA athletic program by starting a women’s volleyball program this fall. Overall, the university was awarded the 2005 Thomas Howell Cup, making this the 15th time the school has won the award for the most outstanding program in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.

New Technology
In keeping with an increasing emphasis on new technology, freshmen who participated in Compass, UM’s summer orientation, received USB flash drives with the university’s catalog stored in them. Technology capability continues to increase, with wireless internet access available throughout campus and a new computer-integrated telephone system in offices.

New Construction
The look of the campus is continually changing. Just a few hundred yards from Samford Hall, a residence hall which opened in August 2004, is a new and larger 150-bed residence hall under construction which will be completed in Spring 2006.

A new front entrance for Weaver Hall, funded by a $50,000 grant from The Crampton Trust as well as in-kind donations from friends of UM, will expand the front entrance and lobby of the university’s oldest building. The glass doors and walls that currently make up the front façade are being removed and the covered area which now serves as a front porch will be enclosed with new beveled glass doors topped with curved transoms and surrounded by beveled glass windows. Extending the entrance by 14 feet and adding approximately 400 square feet to the area will provide an area for receptions and event registration.

Also, tennis courts damaged by Hurricane Ivan have been repaired and all courts in the Dr. Gerald L. Wallace Tennis Complex have been updated. Campus Affairs offices have been renovated in Weaver Hall and new offices for faculty in the Center for Performing Arts in Martin Hall have been constructed.

Scholarship Banquet
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, will be the keynote speaker at UM’s first UM Scholarship Banquet.

The event will be held Thursday, Oct. 13, at the Mobile Convention Center. The gala will feature special performances by students in the Center for Performing Arts. Banquet tables of eight and sponsorships are still available starting at $2,500, and individual tickets are $125 per person. For reservations, contact the UM Development Office at (251) 442-2226. Information about the UM Scholarship Banquet is available on at www.umobile.edu.

The university’s goal is to raise $200,000 to fund academic scholarships. The university’s merit-based awards provide students with scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 annually for tuition, room and board.

New Faculty
Faculty members joining UM include Cindy Lober, associate professor of nursing; Dr. Nancy Gautier, professor of mathematics and computer information systems, Dr. John Gwin, visiting professor in marketing, and Eric Imsand, assistant professor of computer information systems.