Phillip Tutor: 42 years later, Joe Willie walking
Anniston Star -- Dec. 14
Way to go, Joe. You played for the Bear, won a national championship, made All-American, shocked the world in the '69 Super Bowl, had your own TV show, went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and hosted (briefly) Monday Night Football. . . . And now, with much ado, you're graduating from college. You deserve applause. So, three cheers for Joe.

Joe Namath to Graduate
MSNBC National, Morning Joe Show -- Dec. 14
Forty-two years since Joe Namath left the University of Alabama. On Saturday, Broadway Joe receives his college degree. He left school 15 credits short of graduating.

Six football players graduate Saturday
Tuscaloosa News -- Dec. 14
The University of Alabama football team will be well represented at the Capstone’s graduation ceremonies Saturday, when six Crimson Tide players will be presented with diplomas in Coleman Coliseum. Wallace Gilberry, Eric Gray, Darren Mustin, Nikita Stover, Foress Rayford and Matt Collins have all completed their graduation requirements at Alabama.
WCBI-CBS, Columbus, Miss. -- Dec. 13.

Gore's PR for the Planet: The global warming campaign will really begin in 2008
Plenty Magazine -- Dec. 13
The Alliance for Climate Protection might sound like the innocuous, forgettable title of yet another environmental group, but it’s about to become a household name. In the New Year, the ACP has plans—and the means—to inundate the public with its call to fight global warming. . . . . Mass media campaigns when well funded and multi-faceted can significantly impact the public’s behavior, according to Jennings Bryant, professor of mass communications at the University of Alabama.

Stirring up chocolate: From white chocolate to peppers, cocoa comes in many varieties
Tuscaloosa News -- Dec. 13
As Americans pay more for flavored bottled water, offbeat wines and exotic cheeses, so, too, does our love for varieties of hot chocolate grow, from truffle hot chocolate to Mexican spiced cocoa. . . . Suzanne Henson, assistant professor and director with the Coordinated Program in Dietetics at the University of Alabama, said hot chocolate or cocoa can be made with less calories and fat, but still maintain a creamy texture and flavor. She said low-fat hot chocolate can be made using sugar free Quick or other chocolate drink mixes.

Heinrich approved as Shelton president
Tuscaloosa News -- Dec. 14
The state Board of Education on Thursday unanimously approved the appointment of Carson-Newman College dean Mark Heinrich as president of Shelton State. . . . Heinrich also has other ties to Alabama. He was a tennis coach at the University of Alabama from 1978 to 1980 and earned a doctorate degree in counseling. While at UA, he was also an athletic academic counselor who reported to head football coach Paul W. Bryant, a fact that state school board member Sandra Ray called a great side-story.