University of Mobile homecoming queen, king named; trustees meet

University of Mobile (UM) students Leah Howell and Joshua Weatherford, both of Mobile, were recently crowned homecoming queen and king.
   
UM’s board of trustees also met recently and approved a strategic plan to guide the school during the next three years. The plan includes construction of a 100,000-square-foot university center, which will serve as a hub for student activities on the campus.
   
Meeting Oct. 25, the board also approved the creation of The Center for Christian Worldview, Public Policy, and the Law; Ram Kids mentoring program; and tuition increases for 2006.
   
During the trustee meeting, UM President Mark Foley said, “Our strategic plan, called ‘Enhance the Experience,’ is focused on continuing to enrich the entire college experience for our students, from academics to student activities.” The plan includes goals of increasing enrollment from 1,804 to 2,100 students within three years and increasing campus housing from its current capacity of 500 to 700. Currently 489 students live on campus and a new residence hall with a capacity of 151 will open in fall 2006.
   
A key component in enhancing campus life is construction of a $16 million university center by fall 2008, Foley said. 
   
Plans include a 600-seat lecture hall that could expand to 1,000 seats, a fitness center and gym, a large atrium and food court, open patio, bookstore, post office, coffee shop, classroom space, meeting rooms, computer lab and a 50-bed residential floor. Foley said the university is actively pursing funding for the facility. 
   
The Ram Kids mentoring and intervention program for at-risk youth from the local Prichard community will be housed in the university center. Foley said funding is being sought to implement the program.
   
The Center for Christian Worldview, Public Policy, and the Law is the result of a partnership between UM and the Alabama Policy Institute, a nonprofit research and educational institute. 
   
The purpose of the new center is to explore and communicate the impact of a Christian worldview among current and future leaders with regard to the formation of public policy and the interpretation of the law, according to Foley.
   
The board of trustees approved tuition increases designed to move the university more in line with the cost of attending similar private schools in the region.
   
The university charges a flat tuition rate for full-time undergraduate students taking 12 to 17 hours per semester. The board approved a 17.3 percent increase in undergraduate tuition for 12 to 17 hours from $5,115 per semester to $6,000 per semester. Graduate tuition rose 23.7 percent from $275 per hour to $340 per hour.
   
Housing charges will increase from 7.9 percent to 8.4 percent, depending upon residence halls. Board charges increased 4 percent from $1,340 to $1,395 per semester. Fees remained unchanged except for the addition of a $125 testing fee for several upper-level computer, communication and business courses.
   
The newly crowned homecoming queen and king were presented during halftime of the UM homecoming soccer game Oct. 8. Other members of the homecoming court included:
   
Senior Court — Kristen Albert, Christi Florida, Allison Lawhorn, Savannah Windle, Travis Agee, Jonathan Hart, Randy Jordan, Jason Pate. Junior Court — Rebecca Goodwin, Jenny Green, Neesha Roberts. Sophomore Court — Amanda Barnes, Kourtney Campbell, Monica Zabala. Freshman Court — Kristy Barker, Katie Culpepper, Hannah Horton. (UM)