Media Watch (Aug. 21 – 28, 2006)

"Media Watch" is a round-up of recent stories in the media about the University of Hartford, as well as significant stories about other local and peer institutions and news about trends and issues in higher education.

University President Walter Harrison was a guest on “Connecticut Newsmakers,” NBC 30’s Sunday morning news show, hosted by reporter Tom Monahan. President Harrison talked about the growth and activity at the University during the past year and about plans for the University’s future. The show was rebroadcast later in the day on Connecticut Network (CT-N). (NBC 30, Aug. 27; CT-N, Aug. 27)

Jilda Aliotta, chair of the department of politics and government in the College of Arts and Sciences, was interviewed by NBC 30 chief political reporter Tom Monahan for a story on the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut. (NBC 30, Aug. 23)

A talk by Professor Donald Ellis, scheduled for Sept. 6 in Wilde Auditorium, in connection with the publication of his new book Transforming Conflict: Communication and Ethnopolitical Conflict, was previewed in the Connecticut Jewish Ledger. Ellis’ talk will focus on how Israel is communicating with the world during the current conflict in southern Lebanon. (Connecticut Jewish Ledger, Aug. 25)

Bill Poutre, adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at the University’s Barney School of Business and head coach of the Hartford Hawks men’s golf team, was part of a presentation at the University of Notre Dame on Aug. 21 for the Playbook for Life program of The Hartford Financial Services Group. The program aims to give student-athletes in college a head-start on building a solid financial future. (Finanzen.net, Germany, Aug. 21)

The Sound Off Summer Music Festival, held on Aug. 26 at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows and sponsored by WTIC-AM radio personality Jim Vicevich and the University of Hartford’s MUSIC for a CHANGE benefit concert series, was highlighted in the “Cal” section of the Hartford Courant. (Hartford Courant, Aug. 24)

The “Cal” section of the Hartford Courant also highlighted the 101st concert in Celtic Airs presented by WWUH Radio. The Aug. 26 concert in the Irish music series featured Martin Hayes on the Irish fiddle and guitar accompanist Dennis Cahill. (Hartford Courant, Aug. 24)

In its “Education Briefs” section, Business New Haven magazine noted that the Entrepreneurship HelpDesk, a consulting entity created by the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development at the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business, was honored with a 2006 silver Innovation Prize by the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award. (Business New Haven, Aug. 7)

Marjorie Rafal, of West Hartford, who formerly worked as head librarian of the media library at the University of Hartford, was profiled for her years of creating crossword puzzles for various publications, including the Sunday New York Times, the Crossword Club of America, the children’s magazine “Highlights,” and the Wellesley College alumnae magazine. (Hartford Courant, Aug. 28)

Susan Krongold, who studied violin at The Hartt School and performed with several orchestras, was featured for her efforts to start a female jazz singing group in the Lewiston, Maine, area. (Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Aug. 21)

Bradley University has named former University of Hartford tennis coach Mark Dolan as its head coach. From 1997-2002, Dolan was Hartford’s head men's coach. He was named America East coach of the year in 2002 when the Hawks were undefeated in conference play and earned an NCAA tournament bid. He also coached the Hawks women’s team in 1999-2000. (Peoria Journal Star, Peoria, Ill., Aug. 25)

Other News

The son of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair is bound for New Haven this fall, to study for a master’s degree in international relations. Evan Blair turned down Harvard and Princeton after Yale University offered him a $92,000, full-tuition scholarship, the British press has reported. Yale also has had the honor of educating four generations of the Bush family. (Hartford Courant, Aug. 22)

The average combined SAT scores of the freshman class entering the University of Connecticut this fall are up 82 points, and there are more than twice as many valedictorians and salutatorians in the freshman class than there were a decade ago, noted UConn officials (Hartford Courant, Aug. 27)

An editorial in the Hartford Courant said that “it is heartening to note that the University of Connecticut’s troubles with code violations and building mistakes have not chased applicants away.” About 20,000 applied for spots in the 3,250-member freshman class in Storrs, interest that has doubled since the upgrading of campuses began a decade ago. (Hartford Courant, Aug. 27)

Three young men suffered minor stab wounds in an altercation outside the Carriage House Apartments complex near the University of Connecticut’s campus at Storrs, state police said. Neither police nor UConn officials were able to confirm whether the three men were UConn students. (Hartford Courant, Aug. 27)

15. Eastern Connecticut State University’s Habitat for Humanity chapter has donated $5,000 to a Windham Habitat affiliate using money students raised through various events, including a “Shack-athon” in November in which students collect pledges to live outside in cardboard boxes for 24 hours and the “Skip-A-Meal” program in which students pledge not to eat a meal and donate part of the meal's cost to Habitat. (Hartford Courant, Aug. 24)

Higher education is so expensive that the rising cost could lead to a decline in the nation’s birthrate, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said. And if the federal government doesn’t address the problem, the United States will be unable to compete in the global marketplace, he said. Daley’s apparently off-the-cuff remarks came at a news conference announcing which Chicago public schools have made the most progress in improving student attendance. (Chicago Tribune, Aug. 25)

The search for a new Harvard president has attracted the attention of bookmakers in Costa Rica. On the Internet gambling website Bodog.com, Elena Kagan, the popular Harvard Law School dean, is the favorite at 3 to 1. She’s followed by another Harvard insider, Provost Steven E. Hyman, at 7 to 2, and then by Stanford’s provost, John Etchemendy, at 4 to 1. (Boston Globe, Aug. 25)

In an age when colleges live and die by their rankings, a new focus for campus assessment is emerging: gay-friendliness. The Advocate, the national newsmagazine for gays and lesbians, published a 389-page book this month listing the 100 schools that it says offer the best discrimination protection, most friendly climate, and most extensive campus services for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students. Sixteen of the schools are in New England. (Boston Globe, Aug. 25)

With state revenues on an upswing, public college and university students in the United States saw an average tuition and fee increase of 7.1 percent during the 2005-06 academic year, a College Board survey showed. This was an improvement over the double-digit increases in the recent past, but still faster than the rate of inflation. (Stateline.org, Aug. 22)

Upcoming

Lou Manzione, dean of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), will have an opinion article published in the October issue of Connecticut Business Magazine. Manzione’s article is about Connecticut’s needs to address its energy issues and the role that the University’s new Clean Energy Institute could play in that effort.

Michael Robinson, assistant professor of history in Hillyer College, will speak to the Explorers Club in New York City on Sept. 6 about The Mystery of the Open Polar Sea and his new book, The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture. Robinson was also interviewed for an upcoming article in the Maine Times-Record.