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I'll also add that Sen. Shelby is helping bring in some important projects in T-town, such as :

* Federal money toward a $79-million "Shelby 2" science/engineering complex

* Campus bus system & intermodal facility

* New Federal courthouse (will begin construction next year to open in 2009 & will

anchor a downtown revitalization district that will involve approximately $100 million in

public funds over a 5-year period, and will add a 2-acre "urban" park in the center of downtown)

* Relocation of the Army Corps of Engineers facility (city negotiating to buy this riverfront/near-downtown

parcel for "Tuscaloosa Landing," an area that might include a public boat dock and new convention and visitors bureau HQ)

* Annette Shelby Park (SE corner of downtown) will open later this year.

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UAB has finally gotten the last piece of property they need for the UAB Women's and Infant's Health Center that going to 600,000 square feet covering nearly 4 block area in between 6th and 5th Avenues South. The Siegal family has been fighting the university over the land they have owned since 1920's. The family claimed that the university underappraised the value of the property at $1.7 million, which was lower value from which they had the land appraised at $2.4 millon themselves. The settlement was made at $2 million with interest over the last year and 2 months. The breaking ground on the health center is to begin immediately.

UAB land deal clears way for hospital

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Anyone like BBQ?? :thumbsup:

This year's contest between UAB and Memphis will begin a new tradition, "The Battle for the Bones". UAB and Memphis will be playing for a new trophy - a 100-pound bronzed rack of ribs that will be given to the winning school each year. The theme of the trophy comes from the tradition of fine barbeque in both Birmingham and Memphis, which has become a part of each city's culture.

There will also be BBQ contests for both professionals and amateurs. Some of the professional teams expected to be present include: Dreamland (Birmingham), Full Moon (Birmingham), Two Brothers (Birmingham), etc. Hope to see you all there this Saturday (Oct. 7th). Should be a good game and some good eating.

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Much of UAB wants independence from the UA System after they blocked UAB from hiring (or even interviewing) LSU OC Jimbo Fisher b/c it wasn't "fiscally responsible." Now they hire Saban for an insane sum and are discussing hiring Fisher as OC at UAT. Some Birmingham legislators are just as sick as the rest of the UAB fan base and they want independence.
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Much of UAB wants independence from the UA System after they blocked UAB from hiring (or even interviewing) LSU OC Jimbo Fisher b/c it wasn't "fiscally responsible." Now they hire Saban for an insane sum and are discussing hiring Fisher as OC at UAT. Some Birmingham legislators are just as sick as the rest of the UAB fan base and they want independence.
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UAB brings in well over half of the revenue to the University of Alabama System. That means Alabama and UAH together combine for less than half. UAB is in a league all of its own compared to the two. Alabama athletics generate around $70M... granted, that's substantially more than UAB athletics. BUT, $70M is just a drop in the bucket compared to the overall economic windfall of UAB.

Here's an argument for you: Alabama says they shouldnt give UAB more money for a good coach because UAB football isn't making money. Well, if they want to use that argument, Alabama should not be given ANY additional funding for research or any related fields since UAB generates about 8 times the amount of research dollars as Alabama does.

It's simple really. You get what you pay for. If they really cared a great deal about getting UAB to the point where it WOULD make money, they'd pay for a good coach. You can't get blood from a turnip. If they get UAB the cheapest coach possible, they're going to get a cheap product on the field.

Personally, above all, I'd like the chance to choose our own fate. I don't want a bunch of wealthy good ole boys trying to run the Southside campus like their personal playground to do with as they choose. As for the medical school and hospital, no one in their right mind even thinks of them as "University of Alabama" entities. They are known commonly as the UAB School of Medicine and UAB Hospital. If they want the official names back, that's fine. No one knows of them by that anyway.

Independence may be several years off yet, but UAB's influence is growing and the traditionalists in the state hate it. What do I say? Get over it... things are changing. UAB will someday be both the academic and athletic flagship in this state. All the ingredients are there. UAB's independence will come in time.

As Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

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Just for the sake of argument, if UAB did have a separate board of trustees,

would that board necessarily feel one bit more "generous" toward the football program

than the current board does ?

In other words, how is the UAB athletic program viewed within UAB's own academic community ?

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Just for the sake of argument, if UAB did have a separate board of trustees,

would that board necessarily feel one bit more "generous" toward the football program

than the current board does ?

In other words, how is the UAB athletic program viewed within UAB's own academic community ?

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I tend to agree it would be good for UAB to be independent. I assume that if you ask the powers-that-be at South Alabama in Mobile, they would say that their independence from the UA system has been good for them. On the other hand, I have always suspected that the calculation made by UAB leaders must be that they gain more influence in the Legislature by being part of the UA system than they would be if they were on their own. In other words, by staying in the system, they get the benefit of support from all those members of the legislature who are UA grads or fans. If they separate -- they would lose that connection. I wonder if that might be part of the calculation for keeping things as they are?

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cm111, I think that is the reason.

The USA (where my brother used to teach) comparison is interesting, considering that university

was formed after the UA system closed its branch in Mobile. USA has certainly grown and done well

as an independent entity, but UAB has grown much more and fared much better financially under the supposedly "evil UAT BOT" during the same time frame. For instance, would Richard Shelby have procured the funding for UAB's state-of-the-art biomedical complex if UAB had broken from the UA System ?

I'm not saying that it is necessarily better or worse for UAB to be independent --- only that it isn't

quite as clear-cut as it might appear on the surface.

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cm111, I think that is the reason.

The USA (where my brother used to teach) comparison is interesting, considering that university

was formed after the UA system closed its branch in Mobile. USA has certainly grown and done well

as an independent entity, but UAB has grown much more and fared much better financially under the supposedly "evil UAT BOT" during the same time frame. For instance, would Richard Shelby have procured the funding for UAB's state-of-the-art biomedical complex if UAB had broken from the UA System ?

I'm not saying that it is necessarily better or worse for UAB to be independent --- only that it isn't

quite as clear-cut as it might appear on the surface.

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Just treatment and independence should be considered separately. The Board of Trustees should not be interfering in the business of university athletic departments other than to consider their budgetary requests. Membership on the board should reflect the entire community of stakeholders in their decisions. These changes do not necessarily point to splitting UA and UAH from UAB. As a result of the talk about creating a split, the board's actual misbehaviour tends to be tacitly forgiven as an inevitability.

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A few points and/or questions...

First off, if the budgets are separate as you suggest, what business is it that the BOT be involved in our coaching search whatsoever? If it's our budget and our responsibility to operate our own budget, why would they/should they have any influence over such decisions.

Again, UAB's medical industry grew out of the steel industry collapsing. Birmingham was a major city and it had something to hold on to in the medical industry. BTW, I'll remind you that there are MANY outstanding hospitals in this city besides UAB... UAB just happens to be the largest and most prominent. USA is a great medical school itself, but it is not of UAB's stature because the names did not follow to Mobile. UAB (the institution) grew because great scientists and doctors (such as Dr. John Kirklin and others) congregated at UAB Hospital.

Most of these new campus projects are only happening now... but still there is no student union building or even talk of one. Why has it taken so long to even get these wheels in motion? Did UAB become a university just 5 years ago? No... UAB has been autonomous for over 3 decades. The UA System has been FAR from cooperative in regards to this. The recent signs of progress on campus represent reason for hope. But not when they continue to interfere in UAB athletics. This is not the first time... nor do I believe it will be the last.

As far as lowering standards, they have to be. As it stands, Alabama has an enrollment of just over 20,000. Over the next several years, the plan is to increase enrollment to around 28,000. There's really only one way that happens, and it's by admitting more and more of the lesser qualified students.... that is, unless they all of a sudden get a huge influx of top notch Harvard-quality students. UAB, however, is increasing the average ACT up to 24 (would be highest of instate public schools) and cutting enrollment down to 16,000 or so from the 18,000 or so that it currently is.

Very simply put. The UA System approves and supports what it wants to. They complain about UAB not having fan support. First of all, UAB's attendance and fan base is growing and has been growing. Despite a 3-9 record this last year, UAB had record attendance in football. You get what you pay for... and when the system forbids UAB from paying a competitive salary for a good coach, well then don't be surprised to get the product that you see on the field. Hiring and maintaining someone like Watson Brown is the biggest joke I've heard of in my life. You realize the man is the 2nd-losingest coach in NCAA history?? And yet they threaten to shut down UAB's football program for "lack of support"... hmm... I wonder why. I don't think Alabama's football program would be supported terribly well either if they had to deal with 12 years of the nation's 2nd-losingest football coach. Even so, UAB's attendance has grown from around 3,000-4,000 per game all the way up to 22,000-23,000 per game in just over a decade of football.

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but isn't Califoria's system divided up into seperate tiers? The UC system (Berkeley,UCLA,UC-Davis,UC-Irvine,etc) the state system(San Diego State,San Francisco State,Cal State Long Beach,etc) and community colleges? Then of course you have the private colleges like USC and Stanford. This seems to be an efficient model.
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