Media Watch (Sept. 5-11, 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.

Susan Coleman, a finance professor in the University’s Barney School of Business, spoke at a recent Connecticut Business & Industry Association conference. “What is the outlook for our state? Like the nation, our economy will slow in the coming months,” Coleman told CBIA members. Connecticut should see new jobs in business and leisure services, education and health. Coleman doesn’t see the housing market crashing in the state, but she says the slowdown already is causing a decline in construction and real estate jobs nationally. She also had a quote featured on page one of the Sept. 8 issue of the Hartford Courant. (Hartford Courant, Sept. 8)

Jean Blake-Jackson, director of the University’s Entrepreneurial Center (which is part of the Center for Professional Development on the Asylum Avenue campus), was quoted in a Hartford Courant story about the support available to people starting their own businesses who run into difficulties. She noted the Entrepreneurial Center is “designed for anyone in business who needs immediate assistance. We don’t charge; we are taxpayer dollars. We could get a team around him to look at his immediate needs,” she said. (Hartford Courant, Sept. 8)

Assistant Professor David Desplaces, director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development at the University’s Barney School of Business, was featured in a news column about the value of studying entrepreneurship and how to choose a good entrepreneurship program. The column was distributed by the Scripps Howard News Service to hundreds of newspapers in North America. (Record-Searchlight, Redding, Calif., Sept. 6; Scripps Howard News Service, Sept. 5)

Ellen Carey, Hartford Art School associate professor of photography, earned accolades from her neighbors, Hartford Advocate restaurant reviewers “Steve and Edie” for her recommendation of Wings restaurant at the Hartford-Brainard Airport. The columnists also noted that after dinner, Carey earned the title of “pool shark.” (Hartford Advocate, Sept. 7

Power Boothe, dean of the Hartford Art School, was the juror for the 15th annual Juried Student Exhibition at the Silvermine School of Art. There was more than 315 pieces submitted for the exhibition, and Booth selected those to be awarded prizes in each medium in adult and youth categories (Stamford Times, Sept. 6)

Doug Lyons is skipping school, but it’s not getting him in trouble — in fact, it might be furthering his career, noted a story in the New Haven Register. He is taking time off from his junior year at The Hartt School to tour with a national company of “Rent,” the multiple Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical. “This is the biggest opportunity of my career so far,” he said. Lyons will “swing” — fill in when the leads are ill or injured — for the roles of Steve and Paul, and understudy for Benny and Tom. (New Haven Register,Sept. 5)

Tom Condon, editor of the “Place” section in the Sunday Hartford Courant’s “Commentary” section, wrote a column suggesting that the University of Hartford should be a co-developer of the redevelopment project being talked about for the Bowles Park and Westbrook Village housing complexes. The project represents a “once-in-a-lifetime chance to redefine the University of Hartford campus and the northwest corner of the city,” Condon wrote. “The area could be developed with the University of Hartford into a mixed-use, mixed-income university village, something along the lines of the Storrs Center project planned near the University of Connecticut,” he added. (Hartford Courant, Sept. 10)

More than 70 researchers, including applicants from the University of Hartford, are in the running for state stem-cell research funds, according to the Connecticut State Department of Health, and the money from the $20 million pot could start flowing as soon as the first of the year. (Business New Haven, Sept. 4)

In its “Cal” section, the Hartford Courant highlighted the performance by violinist Sarah Chang at the Bushnell and noted that a pre-concert showcase was being held, featuring students from the Hartt School Community Division of the University of Hartford. (Hartford Courant, Sept. 7)

Judge Robert Killian, Jr., a Regent of the University of Hartford and a probate court judge in Hartford, wrote an opinion article for the “Commentary” section of the Sunday Hartford Courant in conjunction with the national observance of Grandparents Day. He suggested that the state is not doing enough to support grandparents who have been given custody of, and are trying to raise, their grandchildren. “We must do better by grandparents. In doing better by them, we do better by their grandchildren. These are kids who face all the tribulations of other young people plus the trauma of having parents who can’t or won’t be part of their lives,” he wrote. (Hartford Courant, Sept. 10)

Lauren Zaccaro, a recent graduate of the University’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture, was profiled in the Norwich Bulletin, and talked about how she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) while a junior at the University and about her efforts to battle the disease, including taking part in the MS Bike Tour, a 150-mile bike ride to raise funds for research in the fight against MS. Zaccaro, who grew up in Ledyard and now lives in Colchester, is a systems engineer with Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems. (Norwich Bulletin, Sept. 10)

Mark Mercier, who holds a bachelor of music from The Hartt School, where he majored in liturgical music and studied organ under Edward Clark, was recently named permanent director of music ministries at the First Church of Christ in Simsbury. Mercier was profiled in a story in the Windsor Journal. (Windsor Journal, Sept. 7)

A profile of the Fred Hersch Trio included information on drummer Eric McPherson. “After attending the famed LaGuardia High School for the Arts, McPherson earned a full scholarship to The Hartt School’s Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford. He ended up joining McLean for a 15-year mentorship, earning the nickname ‘E-Mac,” noted the article. (Jazz Police magazine, Sept. 8)

Warren Goldstein, chair of the history department of the College of Arts and Sciences, had his opinion article about the recent conflict between Israeli and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon published in Christian Century magazine. In the article, Goldstein reflected on his anguish between his beliefs as an American Jew and his disappointment with Israel’s actions in this conflict. (Christian Century, Aug. 22)

Other News

The University of Connecticut has launched a 24-hour hot line through which employees and the public can anonymously report unethical activity or request guidance in sorting out ethics issues. The “University of Connecticut Reportline” is designed to help promote compliance and report potential problems. (Hartford Courant, Sept. 11)

Users of the online hangout site Facebook revolted and won as the site agreed on Sept. 8 to let users turn off a new feature that drew privacy complaints because it lets others easily see changes made to their personal profile pages. '”We really messed this one up,” admitted Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, said in an open letter to users. (Associated Press, Sept. 11)

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has reinstated a massive fraud lawsuit against the for-profit University of Phoenix. The suit was filed under the federal False Claims Act by two former employees who alleged that school officials violated federal rules barring incentive payments to employees who recruit students to enroll in the college. (Los Angeles Times, Sept. 6)

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni has suggested that a formal review of University of New Hampshire Professor William Woodward’s teaching is necessary, including his views that government officials orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Woodward belongs to Scholars for 9/11 Truth, whose members believe that Bush administration officials either planned the attacks or knew about them to get public opinion behind their policies. (Associated Press, Sept. 6)

Brigham Young University placed physics professor Steven Jones on paid leave while it reviews his involvement in the so-called “9/11 truth movement” that accuses unnamed government agencies of orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. (Deseret Morning News, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 8)

Budget cuts have forced Rutgers University to slash 451 courses and hand out pink slips to 185 workers from all three of its campuses. The Rutgers Board of Governors adopted a budget in July that called for eliminating up to 800 classes and 750 jobs over the next year. Layoffs are ongoing, however, no full-time professors have been given layoff notices. (Associated Press, Sept. 6)

In Morningside Heights N.Y., Barnard College recently built what is believed to be one of the first multi-use college dormitories in the country, where faculty members will not only live in the same building with 90 students but occupy the same floors and share laundry facilities and common space. (New York Times, Sept. 6)

Dennis C. Spellmann, 70, who in 17 years helped transform the 800-student Lindenwood College into the 15,000-student Lindenwood University, died of cancer on Sept. 6 at his home on campus. Spellmann took over in 1989, when the university was on the verge of closing, with declining enrollment and an endowment of less than $1 million. (New York Times, Sept. 7)

Trumpeting "academic reform from which you cannot run and hide," NCAA President Myles Brand announced his goal for raising the graduate success rate among Division I schools during a speech at Elon University. For the first time in public, Brand set an 80 percent average graduation success rate as the target number for all Division I male and female student-athletes. With current NCAA forms in place, he said, that goal could be achieved within the next seven years. (The Herald- Sun, Durham, N.C., Sept. 8)

A new digital initiative will give away thousands of magazine subscriptions to college students, but the magazines will be delivered via e-mail, not in print. The Magazine Publishers of America is hoping to convert more students into magazine readers through a digital edition, reached by a link within the e-mail message, which is a replica of the magazine, including text, photos and advertising. (New York Times, Sept. 11)

Upcoming

Humphrey Tonkin, president emeritus and University Professor of Humanities, and Jennifer Brown, assistant professor of English, will be guests on WNPR-FM’s “Where We Live” show, from 9 to 10 a.m., on Sept. 14. They will be discussing the evolution of language in our culture in advance of their participation in a University Libraries’ sponsored panel discussion on “Defining Moments–Samuel Johnson & Noah Webster: Dictionaries, Words, Language, and Culture,” being held on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 4:30 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium

Lou Manzione, dean of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture, 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.