This fall, all tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-earning College of Arts and Sciences faculty were invited to submit proposals for a new grant titled, “Building a Multicultural Curriculum.” The goal of these awards is to support faculty in developing new courses or revising existing classes in order to expand the College’s offerings that will support students’ diversity awareness and build their multicultural competence.

Congratulations to the winning proposals for the 2020-2021 academic year.

• Dr. Erin Borry, Department of Political Science and Public Administration: “Isms in Public Administration”
• Dr. Olivio J. Clay, Department of Psychology: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Research and the Workplace”
• Prof. Michele Forman, Department of History: “Our Histories: Documentary Film and Public History in Birmingham”
• Dr. Reginald Jackson, Department of Music: “African American Music from 1619-Present”
• Dr. Dione Moultrie King, Department of Social Work: “The Health and Well-being of Black Americans: A Social Work Approach”
• Dr. Angela Lewis-Maddox, Department of Political Science and Public Administration: “Social Justice and Pop Culture”
• Dr. Samiksha Raut, Department of Biology: “Building a Multicultural Curriculum”
• Prof. Ana Maria Santiago, Department of English: “Themes in Lit with a Latina-o-x American Identity Focus”

The 2020 UAB Excellence in Business Top 25 event was a little different this year, but the celebration, held via Zoom on Thursday, June 25, was just as meaningful as previous award ceremonies. Nine College of Arts and Sciences alumni were honored as members of the 2020 class—we are very proud of their achievements.

These deserving graduates were among 25 UAB alumni recognized for their success at a company they founded, owned, or managed. The UAB National Alumni Society has ranked and verified the nominated companies based on the annual growth rate for the three most recent reporting periods.

Companies being considered for an Excellence in Business Award must meet the following criteria:

1. The company must be owned, managed or founded by a UAB graduate (or group of graduates) who meets one of the following:
   • Owned 50 percent or more of the company during the most recent eligible period.
   • Served on the most senior/division leadership team (chairman, CEO, president, partner, vice president, broker, etc.) during the eligible period.
2. The company has been in operation for a minimum of three years prior to December 31, 2019.
3. The company has verifiable revenues of at least $150,000 for its most recent 12-month reporting period.

Congratulations to our deserving graduates!

Andrew S. Baer, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of History, has published a new book entitled, “Beyond the Usual Beating: The Jon Burge Police Torture Scandal and Social Movements for Police Accountability in Chicago,” (University of Chicago Press).

Baer studied the Civil Rights Movement early in his career, but over time he began to focus on cities in the northern United States, including Chicago.

“My research interests lie on the intersection of race, policing, and social movements,” Baer says. “While this book focuses on Chicago from the 1970s to the present, these issues are timeless, and I hope my arguments are transportable to other contexts. I decided to study police torture in Chicago and social movements for police accountability because I wanted to join scholars who have pushed research on the Civil Rights Movement into new directions, namely by focusing on the period after 1970, on issues other than voting rights and desegregation, and locations beyond the South.”

Baer says the book is applicable beyond a specific city or time frame. “The Chicago police torture cases remain relevant for both abstract and concrete reasons. On an abstract level, many of the general themes of my work—racial disparities in law enforcement, police violence, and grassroots resistance—remain prevalent in cities across America today. Activists and policymakers might draw lessons from this history to improve policing and ensure accountability in the present day. On a more concrete level, the survivors of police torture in Chicago continue to suffer the effects of their abuse.”

Baer is now working on his second book, “Black and Missing,” which explores the intersection of race, law enforcement, and missing persons.

Left to Right: Adam Aldrich, Brady McLaughlin, Julie McDonald, Kristen Greenwood, John Boone, David Brasfield, Carol Trull Pittman, Dustin Welborn, and Jennifer Smith (not pictured: John Burdett)On June 20, ten alumni in the College of Arts and Sciences were honored by the UAB National Alumni Society as members of the UAB Excellence in Business Top 25 class of 2019. The dinner and awards ceremony took place at the UAB National Alumni Society House.

The annual Excellence in Business Top 25 program is designed to identify, recognize, and celebrate the success of the top 25 UAB alumni-owned or UAB alumni-managed businesses. In addition to our ten honorees, two alumni won top honors in Fastest Growing Companies Under $10 Million: John Boone of Orchestra Partners, 2198% growth; and David Brasfield of NXTsoft, 317% growth.

Congratulations to our deserving graduates!

• Adam Aldrich, president and co-founder of Airship, graduated in 2008 with a B.S. in Computer and Information Sciences.
• John Boone, principal of Orchestra Partners, graduated in 2010 with an M.A. in History.
• David Brasfield, CEO of NXTsoft, graduated in 1984 with a B.S. in Computer and Information Sciences.
• John Burdett, CEO of Fast Slow Motion, graduated in 2000 with a B.S. in Computer and Information Sciences.
• Kristen Greenwood, executive director of GirlSpring, graduated with a B.A. and an M.A. in Art History in 1999 and 2006, respectively.
• Julie McDonald, Ph.D., co-founder of McDonald Graham LLC, graduated with an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1993 and 1995, respectively.
• Brady McLaughlin, CEO of Trio Safety CPR+AED, graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies in 2009.
• Carol Trull Pittman, founder and CEO of RedKnot Resource Group, graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies in 2001.
• Jennifer Smith, director of operations of Down In Front Productions LLC, graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies in 2016.
• Dustin Welborn, president of Down In Front Productions LLC, graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies in 2013.