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$2 million gift creates first eminent scholar chair in the College of Sciences and Mathematics
A $2 million gift from John and Rosemary Brown, both 1957 graduates, has created the first eminent scholar chair in the College of Sciences and Mathematics.
The Browns established the endowed chair in the college's Department of Mathematics and Statistics to help recruit and recognize a top scholar in any of the department's foundational areas of mathematics, including algebra, differential equations, geometry and analysis.
The new chair holder will be known as the Rosemary Kopel Brown Chair in Mathematics. Rosemary Brown graduated from Auburn with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and received her master of education from Rutgers University. Her 30-year career as a math teacher ultimately led the Browns to make this commitment.
The gift is part of the Browns' historic $57 million philanthropic investment—the largest gift in university history—made in support of Because This is Auburn—A Campaign for Auburn University.
"As a retired math teacher, one of my greatest joys is hearing from my former students about how education has made a difference in their professional careers. I am honored we are able to create this endowment to support an outstanding math faculty member who will affect the lives of countless Auburn students during the course of their math education," said Rosemary Brown.
Eminent scholar chairs help enhance faculty salaries and provide crucial additional support for such things as research costs, laboratory equipment and assistance from graduate students.
Nick Giordano, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, said the Browns' gift will allow the college to bring a new distinguished scholar to Auburn who will help engage and retain additional accomplished faculty members and talented graduate students.
"This chair will enable us to offer new opportunities in the way of courses and research to our undergraduates and expose them to extraordinary faculty in their classes," he said. "The ability to hire and recognize exceptional faculty will help us take the mathematics program to the next level and gain recognition nationally and internationally."
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Auburn University among first-time recipients of National Science Foundation’s new INCLUDES program awards
The National Science Foundation, or NSF, issued its first-ever awards for the NSF INCLUDES program, and among the award recipients is Auburn University’s Overtoun Jenda, assistant provost for special projects and initiatives and professor of mathematics. Jenda received $298,424 for his project titled, “South East Alliance for Persons with Disabilities in STEM.”
NSF INCLUDES, or Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science, is a comprehensive initiative designed to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering by broadening participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The program aims to improve access to STEM, or Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, education and career pathways at the national scale, making them more widely inclusive to underserved populations.
The initial recipients comprise 37 Design and Development Launch Pilots, funded through two-year grants aimed at supporting projects with the potential to deliver prototypes for bold, new models that broaden participation in STEM. Jenda’s project represents a collaborative effort with multiple people from institutions around the Southeast, including Carl Pettis, associate dean and associate professor of mathematics at Alabama State University, Mohammed Qazi, professor of mathematics at Tuskegee University, and Maithilee Kunda, assistant professor of computer engineering and computer science at Vanderbilt University.
Click here to read the full story...
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Norrell named Spirit of Excellence recipient
Paula Norrell, office supervisor in the Department of Biological Sciences, was named a Spirit of Excellence award winner for August 2016.
Spirit of Excellence is a monthly award from Human Resources given to employees in the areas of service/maintenance, secretarial/clerical, technical and administrative/professional. The award recognizes employees who perform above the requirements of their position to improve service, quality and the department’s image; exemplify professionalism and dedication to excellent service by putting forth extra effort; provide outstanding contributions of significance to the university or department’s mission; achieve accomplishments that exceed normal expectations; or have outstanding business contributions of significance. Monthly winners are eligible to receive the Employee of the Year Award, announced at the annual Employee Recognition Award ceremony in the spring.
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COSAM alumnus named president of Birmingham Rotary Club
Fred McCallum, chemistry ’79, has been named president of the Birmingham Rotary Club.
Established in 1913, the Birmingham Rotary Club is the second largest chapter of the international organization, which boasts more than one million members in 164 countries. The Birmingham Rotary Club brings together civic leaders to learn, exchange ideas and take action to solve critical community problems in Birmingham and beyond.
“We dream big dreams and make them come true,” said McCallum. “From the gift of the Rotary Trail to the Birmingham community, to improving the educational opportunities for our children across the city, to detecting and curing cancer halfway across the world in Sri Lanka, we are proud to serve as a shining example of ‘Service above Self’ as we look forward to a bright and impactful future serving others in our community and around the world.”
A native of Florence, McCallum went on to earn his law degree from the University of Alabama. In 1987, he joined South Central Bell, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in the wireline and wireless business units before being appointed president of AT&T Alabama in 2008. He currently serves on the board of directors for numerous organizations in the state, including the Business Council of Alabama, the Birmingham Business Alliance, the Birmingham Education Foundation, the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Foundation, and PARCA. In 2014, he served as chairman of the Business Council of Alabama and president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama Board. He has previously served as founding chairman of the board for the Birmingham Education Foundation, and chairman of the board of the Birmingham Business Alliance.
McCallum has been recognized with numerous awards for his dedication to community service, including: the 2014 A.G. Gaston Award by the A.G. Gaston Conference; the Significant Sig award for 2014, which recognizes Sigma Chi fraternity alumni members whose achievements in their fields have brought honor and prestige to the fraternity; the Brotherhood and Sisterhood Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice; and the 2015 Governor Bob Riley’s Building a Better Alabama award from the Business Council of Alabama.
McCallum and his wife, Connie, education ’80, have two sons, Will and Grant, industrial engineering ’12.
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