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Media Watch (March 12 – 19, 2007)
Posted 3/20/2007
"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.
Former Connecticut Public Safety Commissioner Leonard C. Boyle, a 1980 graduate of the University of Hartford, has been named director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, making him only the second person to hold the position since it was created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. The multi-agency entity maintains the U.S. government's terrorist watch-lists. The center's aim is to make sure that there is appropriate sharing of terrorist information among government agencies. (Hartford Courant, March 16)
Students on the combined team from University High School of Science and Engineering and the American School for the Deaf were featured in a photograph on the front page of the Hartford Courant’s “Connecticut” section. The students were competing in a regional FIRST robotics competition held this past weekend at the Connecticut Convention Center. WTIC Radio also highlighted the team in its news reports on the event. (Hartford Courant, March 18; WTIC-AM, March 17)
The lead item in the Hartford Courant’s “Educational Briefs” noted that Saleh Keshawarz, a native of Afghanistan and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has helped secure a federal grant for the University of Hartford to develop an engineering alliance with Herat University in his native land. With this three-year grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Keshawarz and his colleagues will help revise the undergraduate civil engineering curriculum at Herat University. (Hartford Courant, March 13)
Warren Goldstein, chair of the history department in the College of Arts and Sciences, wrote an opinion piece about how—according to the FBI’s inspector general—the agency engaged in “improper” use of the USA Patriot Act between 2003 and 2005. In three years, Goldstein wrote, the FBI issued 142,000 national security letters. “Considering these numbers for just 60 seconds allows us to see that agents and their superiors relished their new powers to scoop up information whenever and wherever they wanted, once they got rid of that pesky thing called judicial review,” he wrote. Such acts are not new for the FBI, which, according to Goldstein, “has systematically violated the civil liberties of innumerable Americans for nearly a century.” Read Goldstein’s article.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, March 19; Newsday, March 19)
The University of Hartford’s Hillel chapter was mentioned in a Connecticut Jewish Ledger article titled “Million dollar challenge grant aims to keep campus Hillels thriving.” The article focused on the growing organizations that are searching for new resources. Sarah Laub, who heads the Hartford chapter, said, “We are doing a fantastic job programmatically-but, as we grow, we don’t have the sufficient resources to meet our increasing operating budget.” (Connecticut Jewish Ledger, March 16)
University High School of Science and Engineering student Jacob Komar testified before a Connecticut Legislature’s education subcommittee in favor of a bill to support “gifted and talented” students' efforts to take advanced courses. Komar takes a number of computer engineering courses at the University of Hartford. (Connecticut Network, March 14)
Members of the University’s Mail Services Department were saluted by WFSB-TV Channel 3 weatherman Scott Haney during the morning news broadcast on March 14. Haney talked about how organized and well-decorated the Mail Services area is, as he showed a photograph of the space. (WFSB-TV Channel 3, March 14)
Philip Peterson, an opera/music theatre alum of The Hartt School, was one of two young performers now touring with “Cats” who was interviewed by Broadway World.com. “Much of my training has helped me through the years. The transition came rather easy to me,” he said. (Broadway World.com, March 15)
Matthew Russo, a student at The Hartt School, wrote an opinion piece for the (Utica Observer-Dispatch newspaper about the defeat of a plan to upgrade his former high school in New Hartford. He talked about how great the need is to improve facilities for music students, but also for athletics and for science and technology students. (Utica Observer-Dispatch, March 11)
Dennis Price, director of The Hartt School’s Dance Division, was quoted in an article in the February 2007 issue of (Dance Teacher. Titled “A Few Good Men,” the article discusses how to encourage young men to become involved in dance. Price notes that instilling proper discipline is a cornerstone of Hartt’s program. The article also included several photos of Hartt dancers. (Dance Teacher magazine, Feb. ’07 issue)
Hartford Hawks women’s basketball coach Jen Rizzotti was interviewed on WTIC-AM’s “Sports Talk” show and on WDRC-AM’s “Dan Lovallo Show” in advance of the Hawks' first game in the Women’s NIT basketball tournament. (WTIC-AM, March 13; WDRC-AM, March 14)
Hartford Hawks men’s basketball team co-captain Bo Taylor was named to the America East Conference first team. Taylor, a senior forward, started all 29 games and averaged 14.9 points a game. Taylor led the team in scoring 12 times and scored in double figures 24 times this season. (Fairfax Connection, March 14)
Hartford Hawks men’s soccer team member Oswald Adu signed to play for the Toronto Lynx in its debut PDL season. Adu had earned Division II All-American honors at Nyack College before transferring to Hartford for the 2006 season. (Soccer365.com, March 16)
John Hunt, 73, died after a brief illness. Hunt was a retired insurance executive who gave hope to children at the Sanchez Elementary School in Hartford. After his retirement from Travelers, he began volunteered as a tutor. Hunt, his wife, and a benefactor he never would identify started a scholarship fund promising 36 full college scholarships — a dozen each at the University of Connecticut, University of Hartford, and St. Joseph College to Sanchez students who academically qualified. (The Hartford Courant, March 12 and 13; Worcester Telegram & Gazette, March 16)
Other News
University of Connecticut Dean of Students Lee Williams spoke at a memorial gathering for 19-year-old Carlee Wines, who was struck by an SUV in a campus crosswalk in January. When her father, Stephen, stepped up as the last speaker, he gave only a heartfelt thanks to the university community — and the people of the state — for embracing his daughter. Nearly 500 people went to the memorial held at the university's student union theater. (The Hartford Courant, March 19)
Any new construction at the University of Connecticut valued at $5 million or more will have to follow new guidelines for making buildings more energy efficient and environmentally sound. The guidelines, adopted by the university’s board of trustees, would increase the cost of construction by about 1 percent but improve indoor air quality and save on energy costs, officials said. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, they require, among other things, using construction materials made from recycled materials, and paints and adhesives that do not emit gases (The Hartford Courant, March 15)
The University of Connecticut will soon have an advocate who will look out for the 4,000 off-campus students, be a link to the community and teach students how to be good neighbors. The new position is the latest of the steps UConn has taken in recent years to improve town-gown relations, which have been strained by neighbors’ complaints about loud outdoor off-campus parties, unkempt property, and unruly behavior, and students’ complaints about housing conditions and tenant rights. (The Hartford Courant, March 13)
For some University of Bridgeport students, tae kwon do is not an easy elective or physical-education credit. They are national pioneers, pursuing the only bachelor’s degree in martial-arts studies available in the U.S. The program mixes practical lessons in tae kwon do, tai chi and karate with studies of the cultures behind these forms of self-defense and spiritual growth. Since the university launched the major in 2005, interest has steadily increased. (The Hartford Courant, March 18)
About half of U.S. college students binge drink or abuse drugs, and the number who abuse prescription medication such as painkillers is up sharply, according to a report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York. “I think we have, by almost any standard, a serious public health problem on the college campuses. And it’s deteriorating,” said Joseph Califano, who heads the center and served as U.S. health secretary from 1977 to 1979. (CNN.com, March 16)
Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University are working hard, with enticements of scholarships, new academic programs and better facilities, to attract a more diverse student body. Both historically black universities are trying to bring their non-black enrollments to at least 10 percent for three consecutive years to tap into millions more in funds from the settlement of a higher education desegregation lawsuit. Alcorn State University already has reached the 10 percent goal over four consecutive years. (Associated Press, March 15)
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will become, by year’s end, the first U.S. university to offer all of its roughly 1,800 courses free on the Internet. Online students will not be able to earn an MIT degree or have contact with faculty at the university. MIT launched its “OpenCourseWare” program in 2003 and already offers hundreds of courses online. A small number of other U.S. schools are following suit. Stanford put some classes on line last year and Bryn Mawr plans to do so soon. (Reuters, March 13)
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told Congress that overhauls of the nation’s schools and immigration laws are urgently needed to keep jobs from going overseas. “The U.S. cannot maintain its economic leadership unless our work force consists of people who have the knowledge and skills needed to drive innovation,” Gates told the Senate committee that oversees labor and education issues. “As a nation, we should start with this goal: Every child in the United States graduating from high school,” he said. (Associated Press, March 12)
Former Connecticut Public Safety Commissioner Leonard C. Boyle, a 1980 graduate of the University of Hartford, has been named director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, making him only the second person to hold the position since it was created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. The multi-agency entity maintains the U.S. government's terrorist watch-lists. The center's aim is to make sure that there is appropriate sharing of terrorist information among government agencies. (Hartford Courant, March 16)
Students on the combined team from University High School of Science and Engineering and the American School for the Deaf were featured in a photograph on the front page of the Hartford Courant’s “Connecticut” section. The students were competing in a regional FIRST robotics competition held this past weekend at the Connecticut Convention Center. WTIC Radio also highlighted the team in its news reports on the event. (Hartford Courant, March 18; WTIC-AM, March 17)
The lead item in the Hartford Courant’s “Educational Briefs” noted that Saleh Keshawarz, a native of Afghanistan and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has helped secure a federal grant for the University of Hartford to develop an engineering alliance with Herat University in his native land. With this three-year grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Keshawarz and his colleagues will help revise the undergraduate civil engineering curriculum at Herat University. (Hartford Courant, March 13)
Warren Goldstein, chair of the history department in the College of Arts and Sciences, wrote an opinion piece about how—according to the FBI’s inspector general—the agency engaged in “improper” use of the USA Patriot Act between 2003 and 2005. In three years, Goldstein wrote, the FBI issued 142,000 national security letters. “Considering these numbers for just 60 seconds allows us to see that agents and their superiors relished their new powers to scoop up information whenever and wherever they wanted, once they got rid of that pesky thing called judicial review,” he wrote. Such acts are not new for the FBI, which, according to Goldstein, “has systematically violated the civil liberties of innumerable Americans for nearly a century.” Read Goldstein’s article.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, March 19; Newsday, March 19)
The University of Hartford’s Hillel chapter was mentioned in a Connecticut Jewish Ledger article titled “Million dollar challenge grant aims to keep campus Hillels thriving.” The article focused on the growing organizations that are searching for new resources. Sarah Laub, who heads the Hartford chapter, said, “We are doing a fantastic job programmatically-but, as we grow, we don’t have the sufficient resources to meet our increasing operating budget.” (Connecticut Jewish Ledger, March 16)
University High School of Science and Engineering student Jacob Komar testified before a Connecticut Legislature’s education subcommittee in favor of a bill to support “gifted and talented” students' efforts to take advanced courses. Komar takes a number of computer engineering courses at the University of Hartford. (Connecticut Network, March 14)
Members of the University’s Mail Services Department were saluted by WFSB-TV Channel 3 weatherman Scott Haney during the morning news broadcast on March 14. Haney talked about how organized and well-decorated the Mail Services area is, as he showed a photograph of the space. (WFSB-TV Channel 3, March 14)
Philip Peterson, an opera/music theatre alum of The Hartt School, was one of two young performers now touring with “Cats” who was interviewed by Broadway World.com. “Much of my training has helped me through the years. The transition came rather easy to me,” he said. (Broadway World.com, March 15)
Matthew Russo, a student at The Hartt School, wrote an opinion piece for the (Utica Observer-Dispatch newspaper about the defeat of a plan to upgrade his former high school in New Hartford. He talked about how great the need is to improve facilities for music students, but also for athletics and for science and technology students. (Utica Observer-Dispatch, March 11)
Dennis Price, director of The Hartt School’s Dance Division, was quoted in an article in the February 2007 issue of (Dance Teacher. Titled “A Few Good Men,” the article discusses how to encourage young men to become involved in dance. Price notes that instilling proper discipline is a cornerstone of Hartt’s program. The article also included several photos of Hartt dancers. (Dance Teacher magazine, Feb. ’07 issue)
Hartford Hawks women’s basketball coach Jen Rizzotti was interviewed on WTIC-AM’s “Sports Talk” show and on WDRC-AM’s “Dan Lovallo Show” in advance of the Hawks' first game in the Women’s NIT basketball tournament. (WTIC-AM, March 13; WDRC-AM, March 14)
Hartford Hawks men’s basketball team co-captain Bo Taylor was named to the America East Conference first team. Taylor, a senior forward, started all 29 games and averaged 14.9 points a game. Taylor led the team in scoring 12 times and scored in double figures 24 times this season. (Fairfax Connection, March 14)
Hartford Hawks men’s soccer team member Oswald Adu signed to play for the Toronto Lynx in its debut PDL season. Adu had earned Division II All-American honors at Nyack College before transferring to Hartford for the 2006 season. (Soccer365.com, March 16)
John Hunt, 73, died after a brief illness. Hunt was a retired insurance executive who gave hope to children at the Sanchez Elementary School in Hartford. After his retirement from Travelers, he began volunteered as a tutor. Hunt, his wife, and a benefactor he never would identify started a scholarship fund promising 36 full college scholarships — a dozen each at the University of Connecticut, University of Hartford, and St. Joseph College to Sanchez students who academically qualified. (The Hartford Courant, March 12 and 13; Worcester Telegram & Gazette, March 16)
Other News
University of Connecticut Dean of Students Lee Williams spoke at a memorial gathering for 19-year-old Carlee Wines, who was struck by an SUV in a campus crosswalk in January. When her father, Stephen, stepped up as the last speaker, he gave only a heartfelt thanks to the university community — and the people of the state — for embracing his daughter. Nearly 500 people went to the memorial held at the university's student union theater. (The Hartford Courant, March 19)
Any new construction at the University of Connecticut valued at $5 million or more will have to follow new guidelines for making buildings more energy efficient and environmentally sound. The guidelines, adopted by the university’s board of trustees, would increase the cost of construction by about 1 percent but improve indoor air quality and save on energy costs, officials said. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, they require, among other things, using construction materials made from recycled materials, and paints and adhesives that do not emit gases (The Hartford Courant, March 15)
The University of Connecticut will soon have an advocate who will look out for the 4,000 off-campus students, be a link to the community and teach students how to be good neighbors. The new position is the latest of the steps UConn has taken in recent years to improve town-gown relations, which have been strained by neighbors’ complaints about loud outdoor off-campus parties, unkempt property, and unruly behavior, and students’ complaints about housing conditions and tenant rights. (The Hartford Courant, March 13)
For some University of Bridgeport students, tae kwon do is not an easy elective or physical-education credit. They are national pioneers, pursuing the only bachelor’s degree in martial-arts studies available in the U.S. The program mixes practical lessons in tae kwon do, tai chi and karate with studies of the cultures behind these forms of self-defense and spiritual growth. Since the university launched the major in 2005, interest has steadily increased. (The Hartford Courant, March 18)
About half of U.S. college students binge drink or abuse drugs, and the number who abuse prescription medication such as painkillers is up sharply, according to a report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York. “I think we have, by almost any standard, a serious public health problem on the college campuses. And it’s deteriorating,” said Joseph Califano, who heads the center and served as U.S. health secretary from 1977 to 1979. (CNN.com, March 16)
Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University are working hard, with enticements of scholarships, new academic programs and better facilities, to attract a more diverse student body. Both historically black universities are trying to bring their non-black enrollments to at least 10 percent for three consecutive years to tap into millions more in funds from the settlement of a higher education desegregation lawsuit. Alcorn State University already has reached the 10 percent goal over four consecutive years. (Associated Press, March 15)
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will become, by year’s end, the first U.S. university to offer all of its roughly 1,800 courses free on the Internet. Online students will not be able to earn an MIT degree or have contact with faculty at the university. MIT launched its “OpenCourseWare” program in 2003 and already offers hundreds of courses online. A small number of other U.S. schools are following suit. Stanford put some classes on line last year and Bryn Mawr plans to do so soon. (Reuters, March 13)
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told Congress that overhauls of the nation’s schools and immigration laws are urgently needed to keep jobs from going overseas. “The U.S. cannot maintain its economic leadership unless our work force consists of people who have the knowledge and skills needed to drive innovation,” Gates told the Senate committee that oversees labor and education issues. “As a nation, we should start with this goal: Every child in the United States graduating from high school,” he said. (Associated Press, March 12)
