Blackburn Institute

Reception for Fellow Classes of 1995-1998

February 1, 2008

It is hard to believe that what started as a gathering of UA student leaders at Twin Pines camp in 1995 has transformed into one of the most well respected leadership development organizations in the nation. As the Blackburn Institute’s programming has expanded so has the loyalty of our alumni fellows – even so, there are many from the Institute’s early years who have yet to experience what Blackburn has become and find out what it can offer their personal lives.

We are holding a special reception for our earliest (and perhaps wisest) Blackburn alumni fellows following this year’s Jim Wilson III Winter Symposium. Fellows from 1995 through 1998 are encouraged to attend so that they may meet up with old friends and learn more about the Institute’s remarkable growth. The reception will be held on the evening of Saturday, February 23, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. in room Riverchase B of Birmingham’s Wynfrey Hotel. The reception will be a relaxed affair with socializing as the main objective – trust us, you will not be solicited for donations or the like; we merely want you to learn more about the Institute as we are confident that you will want to be more involved in the future after the experience.

While we would love you to join us for the full Winter Symposium, attendance at the event is not necessary to come by the reception. We realize that many of you might need to learn more about us before you commit to a full weekend of Blackburn activities.

If you are interested in attending, please send a RSVP to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). If you have any questions about the reception, please feel free to contact the reception chair, Melissa Tucker Medlin (a 1995 fellow) at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or the Institute’s director, Marc Shook, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)@sa.ua.edu.

If this looks interesting but you are not able to attend, we would still love to hear from you. Find the biography we have posted for you on our Website by running a “search” at http://www.blackburninstitute.org and let us know if you would like us to update that information. Also, please let us know your current contact information so that we can be sure to keep you informed of all the Institute’s upcoming activities. Biography and contact updates can be sent to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

2008 Burt Jones Rural Travel Experience: Mount Vernon and Citronelle

January 22, 2008

by Martha Griffith and Joan Reichwein, 2007-2008 Blackburn Fellows

Click here to see pictures of the travel experience.

The 2008 Burt Jones Rural Travel Experience saw first year fellows traveling to North Mobile County, specifically Mount Vernon and Citronelle. The purpose of the trip, the first for the 2007-2008 fellows, was to interact with the local officials and experience a new culture and community within our state while learning more about the problems and opportunities this community has. Mount Vernon was our primary place of study and was chosen because of our 2007-2008 theme, workforce development. ThyssenKrupp Steel Company is coming to the area and is the largest economic development project in the United States. Using North Mobile County as a case study, we could see a community before the industry came and study the planning and preparation going into a project of this size. We hope that in five years we can return to further observe what happened and compare it to the strategies and ideas we learned about on this trip. While in the area, we learned about the Native American population there, the issues and challenges that face the community, education in the area, and economic development with specific emphasis on ThyssenKrupp. This trip helped show both old and new fellows a rural perspective on issues facing communities within the state.

Our group of over 40 student fellows, alumni fellows, and advisory board members began our experience with a church service at the Simple House of Praise, a local nondenominational predominately American Indian church. The reverend spoke about the importance of having unyielding faith. After the service, many church members joined us for a traditional southern dinner at the Iron Skillet. During lunch the church and community leaders discussed issues facing their community, county, and way of life. Meeting with these individuals revealed the importance of the church as an educator, an economic entity, and also as a hub of social advocacy within Alabama’s Native American communities.

That evening, young professionals met with us at the Whispering Pines cafeteria for a panel discussion on living and working in North Mobile County. State representatives Marc Keahey and Chad Fincher discussed their efforts to improve Mobile County along with the surrounding counties while preparing for the arrival of ThyssenKrupp. Stephanie Weaver, a Citronelle High School teacher, discussed recent improvements to education in Citronelle as well as the areas that desperately need assistance. Randall Reed, 2007 James Madison Fellow, future teacher, and MOWA tribal member, discussed the expected impact of ThyssenKrupp on the small town way of life that many residents enjoy. After the panel discussion, Cleon Bolden, mayor of Mount Vernon, discussed the recent developments made to his town as well as the need for improved infrastructure particularly in regards to sewage systems. The mayor discussed how the lack of proper sewage systems prevents business from moving into the area. Their stories revealed many problems that the area is facing as well as the current lack of preparation for the arrival of ThyssenKrupp. We concluded Sunday with a late night discussion at Whispering Pines Lodge.

The next morning, we traveled to Citronelle High School where we met with Ken Meginson, Mobile County School Board Commissioner for District 1, Alex Crane, Citronelle High School Principal, and three student leaders from the high school including the SGA president. In this panel we discussed educational partnerships for student success and learned how the potential increase in students due to ThyssenKrupp’s arrival will affect the high school.

Next we met at the MOWA Culture Complex to learn more about North Mobile County’s American Indian community in a panel led by Chief Longhair Taylor, chief of the MOWA band of Choctaw Indians. In addition to the panel, we also toured their museum to learn more about the history of the MOWA band. We had lunch at the Mount Vernon Community Center while hearing from Michael Waltman, mayor of Citronelle, discussing how Citronelle is preparing for the arrival of ThyssenKrupp. Then we heard from a panel on economic development. Mayor Waltman moderated the group consisting of Congressman Jo Bonner of US Congressional District 1, Mobile County Commission District 1 President Merceria Ludgood, Mobile Division Area Manager of Alabama Power Sam Covert, and Project Manager for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Claudia Zimmerman. Questions were posed regarding ThyssenKrupp’s arrival to the area and the effect it would have on the community, steps that have already implemented or potential action that could take place to prepare for ThyssenKrupp, and general community concerns for the future.

When our first travel experience came to an end, we briefly reflected on our time spent in North Mobile County. As we met with community members and heard about many aspects of life in this rural community, we learned more about the challenges and opportunities they will have in the future. This knowledge provided us with valuable skills to evaluate other rural communities throughout the state. Though it is impossible to completely gauge the impact ThyssenKrupp will have, the small communities of North Mobile County are working hard to prepare for the future, making it a valuable area of the state and a pleasant place to live for its citizens.

Martha Griffith is a junior from Spanish Fort majoring in History and Public Relations and minoring in Computing Technology and Blount Undergraduate Initiative Liberal Arts. Joan Reichwein is a senior from Cullman majoring in Metallurgical Engineering.

Pulitzer Prize recipient David Shribman to lecture

January 7, 2008

The Blackburn Institute and the Department of Political Science present Pulitzer Prize recipient David Shribman for a public lecture. Shribman’s public lecture titled “The New Architecture of Journalism” will discuss the future of newspapers with an emphasis on how newspapers will respond to the competition from weblogs and other sources of alternative media. The event will be held on Tuesday, January 29 in Gorgas Library Room 205 from 6:00-7:00 pm. Please call 205-348-3277 with further questions.

Shribman became executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Feb. 3, 2003. He came to Pittsburgh from The Boston Globe where he was assistant managing editor, columnist and Washington bureau chief.

Shribman was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in journalism in 1995 for his coverage of Washington and the American political scene.

A regular panelist on the PBS show “Washington Week in Review,” Shribman is also a frequent analyst for BBC radio. His “I Remember My Teacher,” a tribute to the nation’s great educators, was published in April 2002. He has lectured at universities and colleges around the country.

Shribman joined The Boston Globe after serving as national political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Prior to that, he covered Congress and national politics for The New York Times and was a member of the national staff of The Washington Star. A native of Salem, Massachusetts, he began his career at The Buffalo Evening News, where he worked on the city staff before being assigned to the paper’s Washington bureau.

Graduating summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1976, Shribman was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He did graduate work at Cambridge University, England, as a James Reynolds Scholar.

Shribman is an emeritus member of the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College and of the Board of Visitors of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for the Social Sciences at Dartmouth.

Born in 1954, Shribman has been married to Cindy Skrzycki, a Washington Post financial columnist, for 25 years. They live in Pittsburgh with their two daughters, Elizabeth and Natalie.

Student Fellow Crowned Miss UA

December 12, 2007

On the night of December 8th, Meri-Glenn Freeman, a 2007-2008 Blackburn Fellow, was crowned Miss University of Alabama 2008. Freeman, a junior from Vestavia Hills, is majoring in political science and public relations. Freeman’s future plans include attending law school and working with public policy within Alabama.

“Target Tutoring” is Freeman’s Miss America community service platform. “Target Tutoring” is an after school mentoring program for at-risk children. She works through the University Honors Program and has been with the program and these children for six semesters. Freeman serves as a student intern. She plans, coordinates, and runs the after school programs in three elementary schools in Tuscaloosa: Cottondale, Matthews, and Holt. Freeman said, “The program has netted remarkable results by helping to not only improve these children’s academics, but also help them set higher ambitions and goals for their own lives.” Freeman will continue to promote her platform in Tuscaloosa County, as well as in other schools across the state.

Freeman says that the Blackburn Institute has helped to fuel her own passion for the state of Alabama, especially her passion for the need for improvement in Alabama’s education system. Freeman said, “I have learned in depth about the troubles and obstacles facing our school systems, especially in poverty stricken areas.” She feels that the events, networks, and opportunities provided by the Blackburn Institute have truly helped her to serve her campus, community, and state better.

Freeman will receive a full tuition scholarship for her year of service as Miss University of Alabama, as well as book scholarships and numerous gifts. In June, she will go on to represent UA at the Miss Alabama Pageant in Birmingham, a Miss America preliminary program.

Travel Experience: Northport

November 1, 2007

Click here to see pictures of the travel experience.

by Megan Courington, 2007-2008 Student Fellow

The Northport travel experience really helped me, as a Blackburn Fellow, to understand what the Blackburn Institute is all about. I had always heard about these travel experiences, and I could not wait for my turn to go. This one adventure was beneficial to me in so many ways.

This particular travel experience was a local, or mini-travel, experience, if you will. The day began by Fellows loading on a bus and driving to have lunch in Northport at the Front Porch Restaurant. We enjoyed our delicious country fixins and then headed to Northport City Hall. The Mayor of Northport, Harvey Fretwell, members of the Northport City Council, and the Northport Police Chief, Robert Green greeted us when we arrived. Each of our distinguished guests spoke to us about their job and impact on the city. The panel discussed with us the changes that the future holds for downtown Northport. Mayor Fretwell and the City Council are looking to bringing new development to downtown Northport. We, as Fellows, were extremely interested in this concept of new development since Northport is so close to campus. This panel was great informative though we left not knowing the real issues in Northport. Mayor Fretwell was determined to make us believe that everything in Northport was perfect. We left City Hall anxious to ask the next panel questions about all that the mayor said.

Our next stop our on travel experience was to the Kentuck Art Museum where Sara Anne Gibson shared the history of downtown Northport and the locally owned businesses. The area was very quaint and interesting to see. The museum itself had many interesting pieces of art some of which we could pick up and play with ourselves. Because of the cold weather moving in we did not take a walk through the city streets but we could tell how close the community was from the citizens passing by the courtyard where Sara Anne spoke. In our questioning of Sara Anne and other business leaders, they shied away from answering the questions, even saying at one point that she had worked really hard to get the relationship with the city council and she did not want to say anything that would jeopardize that relationship.

The group left Northport heading to Camp Tuscoba for the late night discussion not knowing the complete story about Northport but it was a mini-travel experience. The best part of the trip was learning what the Blackburn Institute was really about. I have read the material and have heard the message but when we were shown what Blackburn was in Northport, I really understood the vision. It also prepared us for what was to come on the Burt Jones Rural Travel Experience to Mt. Vernon; seeing the old fellow in action while asking tough questions was a huge help in preparing for all of our events.