Media Watch (April 18-25, 2005)

"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.

The April 20 groundbreaking ceremony for the university’s $10 million Home Field Advantage project was covered by a number of media outlets. The first phase of the project, which is now under way, will include the renovation of Al-Marzook Field, the relocation and construction of a softball field, and the construction of a baseball field. The second phase will consist of the construction of a track surrounding an all-purpose playing field. (Fox 61, April 20; Meriden Record-Journal, April 20; Hartford Courant, April 21)

In the “Keys to the City” feature in its “Commentary” section, the Hartford Courant cited the groundbreaking for the university’s athletics fields project and the upcoming groundbreaking for the performing arts center project. (Hartford Courant, April 24)

University of Hartford senior Chinyere Shani was recognized with a 2005 Higher Education Community Service Award at a ceremony sponsored by the state Department of Higher Education and the Connecticut Commission on Community Service. She was cited for tutoring students and helping mothers needing child care and job search assistance. Shani has coordinated the university’s Brothers and Sisters United Diversity Conference and co-founded the campus’s NAACP chapter. In addition, DeLois Traynum Lindsey, assistant vice president for student development, and Brothers and Sisters United; Men of Color Alliance (MOCA); and the Barney School of Business’s Micro Business Incubator program were all recognized by the Connecticut Department of Higher Education for their commitment to community service. (Hartford Courant, April 21)

In a story and accompanying chart that looked at the salaries earned by the chief executives of Greater Hartford’s nonprofit organizations, it was noted that University President Walter Harrison earns about $322,000 in total compensation. This is 0.20 percent of the university’s budget. (Hartford Courant, April 24)

Sharon Shepela, a professor of psychology in Hillyer College, was a guest on “Good Morning, America” discussing the selection of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new pope of the Catholic Church. Shepela was speaking as a representative of Call to Action, an organization dedicated to equality and justice in the church and in society. (“Good Morning America,” ABC, April 20)

Steven Congden, assistant professor of strategic management in the Barney School of Business, was quoted in a front-page story in the Hartford Business Journal that examined what happens to promises made by acquiring companies (such as Met Life’s acquisition of Travelers Life and Annuity) after the merger is no longer in the media spotlight. (Hartford Business Journal, April 25)

Donn Weinholtz, professor of educational leadership and former dean of the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, and Joseph Olzacki, a university alumnus, co-authored an article for Inside HigherEd.com that examined the role that modern college or university presidents play in the transition to performance-based education. (Inside HigherEd.com, April 20)

Saleh Keshawarz, an associate engineering professor in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture, gave Middletown Rotarians a first-person perspective on some of the Afghanistan culture touched upon in the book, “The Kite Runner,” which was the chosen selection for the Rotary Club-sponsored "One Book, One Middletown" program. (Middletown Press, April 20)

A team of students from the university won the graduate-level category in the 8th Annual Connecticut Business Plan Competition, sponsored by the Connecticut Venture Group, in partnership with the state Department of Economic and Community Development. More than 100 teams took part in the competition. The University of Hartford team, led by Nikki Segal, won for its “Two Pigs Brewery” concept. (Connecticut Post, April 23)

The $250,000 gift from United Technologies to the university’s ISET project, along with other donations made by UTC to the community, was highlighted in the “Accolades” section of the Hartford Business Journal. (Hartford Business Journal, April 25)

Porto, a band made up of University of Hartford students, had its CD “Nemesis” reviewed in the Hartford Advocate. The review notes that “singer Stacey Dyer gets serious props for her lyrics” and that “[her] writing is a cut above.” The review also notes that Dyer designed all of the album’s artwork. (Hartford Advocate, April 22)

Ron Berger, a university alumnus who has become a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker, was interviewed about the release of his latest documentary, “Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story,” a Sundance Film Festival selection that debuted commercial-free on the USA Network on April 20. (Hartford Courant, April 19)

Other News

New measures designed to control rowdy and illegal behavior during the University of Connecticut’s Spring Weekend party seemed to be succeeding. Police made 58 arrests Thursday through Sunday morning, 14 more than last year. Students were charged with possession of alcohol by a minor, drunken driving and breach of peace charges. Eight of those arrested were not Uconn students. (Hartford Courant, April 23, April 24; Associated Press, April 24; Newsday, April 24)

The University of Connecticut has banned all employees from giving or selling tickets to sports events for anything of value. The new policy comes on the heels of a state Ethics Commission investigation into Uconn Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway’s agreement with a Glastonbury car dealer. Hathaway has acknowledged that his contracts with the dealership were a means to trade his personal tickets to Uconn events for the use of two cars, but did not disclose the ticket swap in an agreement initially reviewed by the Ethics Commission. (Hartford Courant, April 22)

Northwest Connecticut Community College installed Barbara Douglass as its fifth president in an inauguration ceremony Friday. Keynote speaker Conrad L. Mallett, president emeritus Capital Community College, spoke about Douglass and the role of community colleges in American society. (Torrington Register-Citizen, April 23)

During the sentencing phase of trial involving a former Fairfield University student, a senior assistant state’s attorney blasted the school’s Public Safety officers for illegally confiscating small amounts of drugs and not notifying the proper authorities. As a result, any amount of drugs now found at the university must be given to the Fairfield Police, who may then press charges against the student. (Fairfield Mirror, April 14)

In parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, community colleges are taking important roles in the renewal of downtown areas. In New Haven, the state of Connecticut announced a $230 million development in June 2004 to relocate both the Long Wharf Theater and Gateway Community College to a long-struggling part of the city’s downtown. (New York Times, April 20)

College age drivers and teenagers, who may only work part-time jobs because they attend school and rely on their pocket change more than any other age group, say the price of gas has become too taxing. An Associated Press-America Online poll found 51 percent of those surveyed said that if gas prices remain high for the next six months, it will cause a financial hardship for them. (Hartford Courant, April 24)

Harvard University President Lawrence Summers has released a transcript of remarks at a conference on American Indians that, like his remarks on women in science, offended some audience members. The Harvard Crimson quoted several attendees who said they were bothered by Summers’ description of the “dependency” of Indian communities and a comment that most of Indians’ suffering as European immigrants settled the country was caused by disease. (CNN, April 21)

A recent study by a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found that the number of executives at Fortune 100 companies holding Ivy League MBAs is on the decline. From 1980 to 2001, the number of executives with Ivy diplomas had dropped 14 percent, while the number holding MBAs from state university programs had risen 8 percent over the same period. (BusinessWeek, April 22)

Incoming college students seem to have developed an allergy to computer science during the past four years – with women particularly being uninterested in the field, according to a report from Computing Research Association (CRA), a group made up of academic departments, research centers and professional societies. (CNET News.com, April 22)

The Department of Education is proposing a database of detailed information about every college student in the country, arguing it is necessary to monitor the performance of colleges, according to a report on “All Things Considered.” But some universities are expressing concerns about how the database might be used. (National Public Radio, April 22,)

Bates College, where tuition, room and board costs roughly $40,000 a year, has been ranked by The Princeton Review as the nation’s “best value” college. (Associated Press, April 18)