HEADLINE NEWS ARCHIVES

Monday, Jan. 30, 2006

UNIVERSITY IN THE NEWS

COMMONWEALTH CONSENSUS: RESEARCH INITIATIVES DESERVE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
By George Allen and Mark Warner for the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Later this morning, at a news conference in Richmond, we'll join together to build a strong consensus in support of a powerful, time-tested idea -- namely, that wise investments in university-based research and development here in Virginia and around the country will help secure a future of more opportunity and innovation, and improve the quality of life for our citizens.... Despite the best effort of Governors and legislators from both political parties, research and development in Virginia must step up the pace. According to National Science Foundation figures for 2003 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), the Commonwealth's largest research institutions Virginia Tech and the UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ranked 55th and 67th respectively among all the nation's colleges and universities for total research and development expenditures. Our closest competitors scored markedly higher. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked 29th, the University of Maryland at College Park ranked 35th, and North Carolina State University was 45th. We must begin to turn these rankings around if the Commonwealth is to retain its competitive edge.

UVA WANTS SCIENCE TO LURE BUSINESSES
By Melanie Mayhew of the (Charlottesville) Daily Progress / Jan. 28
State economic developers met with UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA officials Friday as part of an initiative to woo companies to Central Virginia. They hope their efforts to lure businesses to the area will dovetail with a $126 million UVa venture to enhance scientific research at the university, including a $60 million commitment for recruiting faculty, funding salaries and building new research space. University officials are also awaiting approval of UVa's share of a proposed $255 million state investment in university research and development. Developers from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership toured UVa research facilities to observe research underway in the university's labs and to begin linking UVa researchers to businesses interested in relocating to Virginia. "We're trying to spotlight what we're doing at UVa," said Deborah van Eersel, research parks marketing manager for the UVa Foundation. "[The project managers] are getting educated about what we're doing here." One UVa scientist who spoke to the group emphasized the need to provide industry partners for local startup companies. Such partnerships would boost university research and encourage economic growth in the Charlottesville area.

ARENA TO HAVE BROAD APPEAL / U.VA.'S MULTIPURPOSE FACILITY EXPECTED TO BE ECONOMIC ENGINE
By Carlos Santos of the Richmond Times-Dispatch / Jan. 29
You won't have to be a basketball fan to visit the massive John Paul Jones Arena at the University of Virginia.  The arena will of course be home to U.Va.'s Cavaliers, but also look for monster trucks, circus elephants and rock'n' roll at the $130 million facility, scheduled to open this summer.  "We'll have a variety of family shows, concerts, motor sports, wrestling and speakers series," said Larry Wilson, the general manager of the arena. "I have some major -- and I mean major -- concerts that will be announced in the coming months."  The 15,000-seat, horseshoe-shaped building is expected to be an economic engine for Charlottesville, bringing in an estimated 1.5 million visitors over the next three years -- an annual number that is well more than double the amount drawn each year by University Hall's basketball program alone.

UVA STUDENTS TO PUT DANCING SHOES ON FOR CHARITY
By Christi Wampler for the (Charlottesville) Daily Progress
On Feb. 10, University of Virginia students will be donning their dancing shoes for 24 hours of twisting, shaking and grooving to the music all in the name of philanthropy. For those who haven't graced the inside of a classroom in a while, a dinner and silent auction will give non-students the chance to join in the fundraising, too. Dance Marathon will take place from 7 p.m. Feb. 10 to 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at Memorial Gymnasium. This student-run event is part of a nationwide campaign to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network, said Monti Lawson, a UVa student. The University of Virginia Children's Hospital is part of the network.

LOCAL ID THEFT SCAM DISCOVERED
By Kate Andrews and Megan Rowe of the (Charlottesville) Daily Progress
The e-mail message appears to be doing the recipient a favor: "The purpose of this verification is to ensure that your bank account has not been fraudulently used." But if you do "verify" your personal information - by sending your account information and Social Security number into cyberspace - you are vulnerable to identity theft. Phishing, pharming and spoofing scams, in which thieves pose as financial institutions and ask for account information, are the latest online swindle. And lately, the scammers have hit close to home, affecting local computer users and area banks. One of the latest victims is the University of Virginia Community Credit Union. UVa and Piedmont Virginia Community College employees have been receiving fraudulent e-mail requests, with subject lines including "Security Notification!!!" or "Internet Banking Server Problem."

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH IN THE NEWS

CAPITAL WASN'T SO PARTISAN IN REAGAN ERA
By David S. Broder of The Washington Post / Jan. 29
The stench of partisanship is so strong in Washington these days that it is difficult to remember that it was not always the case that Republicans and Democrats were at each other's throats. But, in truth, there was a time when friendship and simple human compassion were far more powerful than any political differences. A wonderful reminder of that fact can be found among the oral histories compiled by two dozen of Ronald Reagan's main associates that are being released today by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. The transcripts are available at www.millercenter.org.

BIG EYES
By Richard Morin for the Washington Post / Jan. 29
On April 17, 1953, Hall of Fame slugger Mickey Mantle hit a 565-foot home run to left-center field in the District's Griffith Stadium, and the New York Yankees went on to win 7-3 over the perennially hapless Washington Senators. It was the longest home run ever hit in the old park. "I just saw the ball as big as a grapefruit," Mantle told reporters after the game. The Mick was on to something, according to two University of Virginia psychology researchers, who say they have found that hot hitters do perceive the ball to be bigger than it actually is, while those mired in a batting slump say that it's smaller.

'ER' CAST TO USE CHARLOTTESVILLE TECHNOLOGY
By Daily Progress staff reports
Technology created by Charlottesville's Eye Response Technologies will be featured in Thursdays episode of "ER" on NBC. Eye-gaze Response Interface Computer Aid or ERICA, gives people the opportunity to control a computer and communicate solely by using their eyes. The ERICA system technology was developed in 1985 at the University of Virginia School of Engineering.
(Not found online.)

FACULTY OP-EDs

R.K. RAMAZANI
Ramazani, the Edward R. Stettinius Jr. Professor Emeritus of Politics and author of "The United States and Iran: The Patterns of Influence" wrote a commentary for Wednesday's (Charlottesville) Daily Progress headlined:
CARRYING A BIG STICK WON'T WORK WITH IRAN, BUT TALKING SOFTLY MIGHT
By R.K. Ramazani for the (Charlottesville) Daily Progress / Jan. 25

FACULTY/STAFF/ADMINISTRATORS IN THE NEWS

EDWARD L. AYERS
Ayers, history professor and Dean of Arts and Sciences, was featured Saturday in Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star review headlined:
HISTORIAN TACKLES THE BIG QUESTION: EDWARD L. AYERS, AUTHOR OF 'WHAT CAUSED THE CIVIL WAR?'
By Michael Aubrecht for the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star / Jan. 28

WILLIAM HARVEY
Harvey, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, was interviewed about his first months at U.Va. on Sunday by Jay James of WINA 1070-AM radio.
(Not found online)

BRIAN NOSEK
Nosek, assistant professor of psychology, was quoted today in a Washington Post article headlined:
STUDY TIES POLITICAL LEANINGS TO HIDDEN BIASES
By Shankar Vedantam of the Washington Post

MEGAN RAYMOND
Raymond, associate director of University outreach, was cited Sunday in a Concord Monitor article headlined:
CHRISTA'S LEGACY / MANY OF MCAULIFFE'S STUDENTS HAVE GONE ON TO TEACH
By Sarah Liebowitz of the Concord Monitor / Jan. 29

GEORGE RUTHERGLEN
Rutherglen, a civil rights professor at the School of Law, was cited Saturday in a Columbus Dispatch article headlined:
COLLEGE SURVEY / VIEWPOINTS VARY WIDELY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT
By Kristy Eckert of The Columbus Dispatch / Jan. 28

LARRY J. SABATO
Sabato, politics professor and director of the Center for Politics, was cited Friday in a Voice of America article headlined:
BUSH TO DELIVER STATE OF THE UNION AMID PARTISAN DIVISION
By Jim Malone of the Voice of America / Jan. 27

LEADING THE DEMS' CHARGE / AS HEADS OF THEIR PARTY'S CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES, CHUCK SCHUMER AND RAHM EMANUEL ARE DIRECT AND DEMANDING
By Perry Bacon Jr. for Time Magazine / Jan. 27

W.VA. LEADER PRAISED FOR ACTION/ RESPONSE TO MINE DEATHS IMPRESSES
By Vicki Smith of The Associated Press / Jan. 29

JAMES D. SAVAGE
Savage, a professor of government who wrote a book on pork-barrel politics, "Funding Science in America," was cited Sunday in a Los Angeles Times article headlined:
EARMARKING -- A WIN-WIN FOR LOBBYISTS AND POLITICIANS
By Janet Hook and Richard Simon or the Los Angeles Times / Jan. 29

ROBERT F. TURNER
Turner, professor of law, was quoted Saturday in a New York Times article headlined:
BUSH PRESSES ON IN LEGAL DEFENSE FOR WIRETAPPING
By Eric Lichtblau and Adam Liptak of The New York Times / Jan. 28

W. BRADFORD WILCOX
Wilcox, assistant professor of sociology and resident fellow at the Institute for American Values, was cited Sunday in a San Antonio Express News article headlined:
MORE SINGLE WOMEN ARE TURNING TO INTERNET SPERM BANKS TO ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS OF MOTHERHOOD
By Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje of the San Antonio Express-News / Jan. 29

JESSICA WITT & DENNIS PROFFITT
Witt and Proffitt, whose study of ball-size perception appeared in the December issue of Psychological Science, were cited in Sunday's Washington Post in an article headlined:
BIG EYES
By Richard Morin for The Washington Post / Jan. 29

ALUMNI IN THE NEWS

ROBERT TATA
Tata, eighth in seniority in the Virginia House of Delegates, was featured in a profile in the (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot headlined:
DELEGATE SAYS HE IS NEARING THE END OF HIS PUBLIC LIFE
By Harry Minium of the (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot

DARIUS JOHNSON
Johnson, recently promoted to senior vice president and chief lending officer of Consolidated Bank and Trust Co., was profiled in a Richmond Times-Dispatch article headlined:
DECISION MAKERS: DARIUS JOHNSON
By The Richmond Times-Dispatch

UVA TOP NEWS DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PROFESSOR STUART WOLF'S RESEARCH PROMISES TO PUT A NEW SPIN ON ELECTRONICS

WELDON COOPER CENTER RELEASES VIRGINIA'S 2005 POPULATION ESTIMATES

OFF GROUNDS GALLERY TO SHOWCASE WORKS OF LOCAL ARTIST CAESAR MORTON STARTING THIS WEEK

This weeks' featured publication is CURRY.

HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS -- VIRGINIA

COLLEGE DOORS TO CLOSE FOR SOME? / SEVERAL BILLS FOCUS ON WHETHER TO DENY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN VA. ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
By Gary Robertson of the Richmond Times-Dispatch / Jan. 28
[...] Virginia, like many states, has wrestled with whether to allow undocumented immigrants to attend public colleges.  In this session of the General Assembly, a number of bills have been introduced to bar illegal immigrants from entering public colleges or receiving in-state tuition, or both...In 2002, Republican Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, who recently lost the governor's race, wrote a memo saying illegal immigrants should be denied entry to the state's public colleges. The memo also emphasized that college officials should notify federal authorities about any such students who already are known to be on their campuses...In 2003, Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner vetoed Republican-backed legislation that would have denied in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants at state colleges. In blunt language, Warner said the bill's only intent was to score a political victory against illegal immigrants and divide people.

EARLIEST SCHOOL IN CITY WAS PRIVATE ACADEMY
By Sylvia Costen of the Richmond Times-Dispatch / Jan. 28
Richmond's private schools have a much longer history than its public schools.  The Richmond Academy was founded in 1803 almost a half a century before public schools were begun. [In Virginius Dabney's "Richmond: The Story of a City," she] writes about a novel approach to girls' education that was begun by Lee Powell in 1850. His advertisement for the Southern Female Institute announced his aim "to elevate the standard of female education" by modeling it "after the University of Virginia and Virginia Military Institute."

HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS — U.S.

THE TRUE GENIUS OF AMERICA AT RISK'
By Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed
Public universities in the United States may be at a turning point, write Katharine C. Lyall and Kathleen R. Sell in The True Genius of America at Risk: Are We Losing Our Public Universities to De Facto Privatization? (Praeger). The new book comes at a time that many leading public universities are conducting billion-dollar fund raising campaigns while finding it difficult to match their states' ambitions with legislative appropriations. Lyall, president emeritus of the University of Wisconsin System, and Sell, a senior lecturer in the Integrated Liberal Studies Program at Wisconsin's Madison campus, recently responded to questions about the themes of their book. ... Q: Which states and public universities are doing the best job of responding to these challenges? A: Some states have recognized these trends and addressed them boldly; others are still waiting for the good old days to return. VIRGINIA's new tiered charter system enables public universities to select various levels of self-financing/autonomy to fit their mission and circumstances and agrees on explicit six-year public performance goals for each institution. Colorado has moved from funding institutions to funding individuals via higher ed vouchers and provides autonomy to any university receiving less than 10 percent public funding.

PROMOTING LIBERAL EDUCATION
By Scott Jaschik and David Epstein of Inside Higher Ed
Redefining liberal education and building stronger public support for its concepts is no easy task. So when the Association of American Colleges and Universities a year ago announced a campaign to do those things, it was perceived as requiring a 10-year campaign. One year in, hundreds of academic leaders active in the association gathered in Washington to talk about - among other topics - progress on the campaign. Some of the key areas for consideration were a set of principles that the association hopes to draft to define liberal education, and data that suggest some notable gaps between student perceptions of the quality of their general education and their actual knowledge base. On Friday, participants discussed a draft set of principles, likely to be revised before they are issued next fall at the earliest. The draft talks about how changes in the global economy make it more vital than ever to provide students with an "empowering liberal education." Rather than recommending specific courses, the report outlines themes, or "learning outcomes," from the very generally academic - quantitative literacy and knowledge in the sciences and humanities - to those that also relate to ethics and society broadly, such as civic knowledge and engagement.

NIH WILL PROVIDE NEW 'INDEPENDENCE' AWARDS TO HELP POSTDOCS LAND FACULTY JOBS
By Jeffrey Brainard of The Chronicle of Higher Education
The National Institutes of Health unveiled on Friday a new kind of grant to help more biomedical postdoctoral researchers establish independent scientific careers. The agency expects to make up to 200 awards annually to assist young scientists with the boldest and best research ideas in making the transition to becoming faculty members who can win research awards on their own. The NIH's director, Elias A. Zerhouni, said the new program is meant to help solve a problem that he and others fear could damage the pace and vigor of scientific progress: the growing length of time that researchers spend in graduate training and postdoctoral work before they establish independent careers. In 2002 the median age at which Ph.D. researchers received their first NIH research grant was 42, up from 37 in 1980. In part, that's because more people have entered biomedical research than there are available faculty slots. Experts worry that the trend delays the best minds from contributing their original ideas to science rather than just working on their mentors'.

UNC TARGETS SIX-YEAR DEGREE
By Matt Dees of the Raleigh News and Observer / Jan. 28
" College: The best five or six years of your life." The tacky T-shirt slogan is funny because it's true. About 14 percent of students who enrolled in UNC-Chapel Hill in 1997 took five or six years to earn their degree. That's not how it was in Nelson Schwab III's day. "We've allowed a culture to exist that says it's OK to graduate in six years," said Schwab, chairman of the UNC-CH board of trustees, at a meeting Thursday. Schwab and many of his colleagues want to see more done to get students to graduate in four years, as Chancellor James Moeser begins pushing strategies to improve the graduation rate.

'STANFORD ON iTUNES' IS FOR EVERYBODY
By Kate DuBose Tomassi of Forbes.com / Jan. 24
In an unprecedented move, Stanford University is collaborating with Apple Computer to allow public access a wide range of lectures, speeches, debates and other university content through iTunes. No need to pay the $31,200 tuition. No need to live on campus. No need even to be a student. The nearly 500 tracks that constitute “Stanford on iTunes” are available to anyone willing to spend the few minutes it takes to download them from the Internet.

INTERACTIVE RESOURCES

RSS feeds: http://www.virginia.edu/rss.html
Podcasts and Webcasts: http://www.virginia.edu/uvapodcast
Today's Calendar: https://etg07.itc.virginia.edu/eventcal/event/day