Moulton fills three top posts at USA:
Fulford agrees to return as lobbyist; nursing, alumni affairs
jobs also filled
By RONNI PATRIQUIN CLARK, Staff Reporter, Mobile Register, Aug. 8, 1998.
Section 1B, 4B
Gordon Moulton, the University of South Alabama's
interim
president, filled three top posts Friday that had been vacant
since
last year.
Moulton, who took over running the university
last week, announced
that William James Happy'' Fulford is returning to USA next week
as executive director of governmental and alumni affairs. Fulford
is a longtime university lobbyist who left last year for a similar
job at a higher salary with the University of Alabama System.
When Fulford left last year, he was being paid
$89,856, according to Wayne
Davis, the university's chief financial officer. Upon his return, Fulford's
annual salary will be $120,000, Davis said.
Moulton also named Debra C. Davis to lead the
College of Nursing and
Carol Kittrell as director of alumni affairs. Both women are already at the
university, where they essentially have been performing the jobs they've now
been given officially.
Moulton said he also is hoping within the next
few weeks to fill
the university's top medical school posts vice president for medical
affairs and dean. The positions have been vacant for 18 months.
We're arranging right now to get the three finalists
back
in here for one more interview, and then we'll offer the job
to one
of them,'' Moulton said. We need to get our medical positions
filled just as soon as we possibly can.''
The three finalists are:
Dr. Kenneth L. Brigham, director of lung research
and of the division of
allergy, pulmonary and critical-care medicine at the Vanderbilt University
School of Medicine.
Dr. Charles E. Putnam, senior vice president
for research administration
and policy at Duke University.
Dr. A. Byron Young, chief of the division of
neurosurgery at
the University of Kentucky School of Medicine.
As dean of nursing, Ms. Davis will be paid $115,500,
Moulton
said. The salary for Mrs. Kittrell wife of USA baseball
Coach Steve
Kittrell is still being negotiated, he said.
Under the new structure in the governmental affairs
and alumni
department, Fulford primarily will be responsible for dealing
with local, state and national public officials and lobbying the
Legislature. Mrs. Kittrell will be in charge of USA's alumni operations,
Moulton said.
The university's involvement with elected officials
is
critical to our political success, and Mr. Fulford has a proven
track record in this area,'' Moulton said. Mrs. Kittrell brings
experience and dedication to the office of alumni affairs.''
As for Ms. Davis, he said, she was the overwhelming
choice
of the entire College of Nursing and others in the university
administration.'' Ms. Davis, who received
her Ph.D. in nursing from the
University of Alabama at Birmingham, told a room packed with reporters and
university employees that she wants the nursing school to become more
involved in the community.
Nursing is a very challenging and a very rewarding
career
for anyone who cares about people,'' she said. Part of our
mission
is to serve the needs of the community.''
Mrs. Kittrell said that she has plans to attract
USA's 50,000
alumni back to campus and to make them a very strong support arm
for this university.''
President Robert Bennett of the National Alumni
Association,
who is also a professor in the USA School of Business, said
the alumni
board members were thrilled with the news that they would continue
to work with Mrs. Kittrell and again will be working with Fulford.
Both Fulford and Mrs. Kittrell are USA graduates
and are dedicated
to working with their fellow alumni to build strong financial support
for the university, Bennett said.
Happy is a fireball, and he really keeps us motivated
as alumni,
and Carol brings with her 15 years of commitment,'' Bennett said.
We are getting ready for the millennium.''
Fulford was not at the news conference because
of a previous
commitment to the University of Alabama System, but he sent
word
that he that he would hit the campus running next Wednesday.''
This article reproduced with special permission
from the Mobile Register.
