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Media Watch (Nov. 12 – 19, 2007)
Posted 11/20/2007
"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.
President Walter Harrison was featured in the Hartford Business Journal for his high-profile work championing tougher academic standards for student-athletes. Harrison, who is chairman of the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance and former chair of the association’s executive committee, was recently cited by the Chronicle of Higher Education as “One of the 10 Most Powerful People in College Sports.” Harrison’s committee developed the Academic Progress Rate (APR), which tracks student-athletes’ academic performance during each semester of each year. Beginning this year, universities will receive sanctions, most notably limiting the number of scholarships that colleges may award for sports where its athletes are not performing to NCAA-mandated standards. “Somebody has to be the sheriff and I’m okay if that’s me,” Harrison said. “I believe our cause is a very important one and I feel it’s very important to stand up for these student-athletes.” (Hartford Business Journal, Nov. 19)
Harrison’s love of athletics was evident in a feature in Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, in which college presidents were asked what they would be if they were not college presidents. “Commissioner of Major League Baseball (in my dreams, at least),” Harrison responded. (Diverse, Nov. 15)
George Michael Evica, associate professor emeritus of English and longtime host of “Assassination Journal” on WWUH radio (91.3 FM), died on Saturday, Nov. 10, following a courageous battle with lung and brain cancer. He was 79. Evica was known internationally as the grandfather of all John F. Kennedy assassination researchers. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 12, 14)
Peter Diffley, dean of graduate studies and author of Paying for Graduate School Without Going Broke, was quoted in a CNNMoney.com article. The article focused on the financial difficulties adults face when leaving their successful careers to go back to school. “If you are a full-time student in an academic subject, you have a better chance of getting financial support,” said Diffley. (CNNMoney.com, Nov.15)
Michael Crosbie, professor of architecture and chair of the department, CETA, had an opinion piece published in the Hartford Courant. The piece was about the strengths and weaknesses of the new Blue Back Square development in West Hartford. Crosbie also identified some of the possible improvements to this area that might give it more of an urban feel. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 18)
WFSB-TV, Channel 3, covered a science fair on “The Wonders of the Human Body,” sponsored by the University’s Educational Main Street program and the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP). About 400 Hartford Public School fourth graders attended the fair, where they critiqued and judged a number of interactive exhibits designed by ENHP students. Educational Main Street Director Mary Christensen was interviewed for the story. (WFSB-TV, Channel 3, Nov. 15)
Trinity-On-Main in New Britain hosted the Macbride family’s “This World Is Our Home” on Sat,. Nov. 10. David Macbride, composer and professor of composition and theory at The Hartt School; his wife, Lisa Macbride, a painter; their son, Jimmy Macbride, drummer and composer; and daughter Alma Macbride, artist and performer, used their talents and cultural experiences to provide a night filled with art and music. (New Britain Herald, Nov. 4)
Elliot Ginsberg, CEO of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), mentioned the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium, which is based at the University of Hartford, as one of the resources that CCAT uses to help prepare the workforce of the future by creating programs that will promote science and technology at every education level. (East Hartford Gazette, Nov. 16)
Hartt School alumnus Joseph D’Eugenio celebrated his 10th anniversary as artistic director and conductor of The Greater Middletown Chorale. The chorale also celebrated its 31st season. “One of the greatest beauties and joys of being with the same singers for as long as I’ve been with the group is, in a sense it becomes a family centered in trust,” D’Eugenio said. “We get to always explore and get outside our comfort zones, and that’s what’s needed to get to the next level.” (Middletown Press, Nov. 17)
Tom Condon of the Hartford Courant wrote that development of the Westbrook Village housing project offers the potential to create a “college-town” community tied in to the neighboring University of Hartford. Robert Orr, the highly regarded New Haven architect and planner, gave a class to graduate architecture students at the University of Hartford, and as one of the class assignments, the students were to design hypothetical development plans for the Westbrook Village site. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 4)
Roger Desmond, professor of communication, was quoted in an article about Rabbi Stephen Fuchs’ mission of trying to eliminate violence from the media. Last semester, Fuchs spoke to a “Media and Society” class taught by Desmond. “He offered me a great opportunity for students to see how the media work and operate and maybe how a pressure group can have an impact,” said Desmond. (Hartford Courant, Nov.18)
Other News
The Connecticut State University System is joining universities from across the nation in launching Access to Success, a program to help low-income and minority students graduate from college. The project aims to increase student success in remedial courses and large introductory courses; manage costs; work more closely with K-12 educators to improve preparation of students; and increase financial aid for low-income students. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 13)
UConn recently tested its new system by sending a text message to the 16,000 students, staff, parents and others who had signed up to get an alert on their cell phones. In some cases, the message was sent instantaneously, but in others, it took two or three hours, maybe more, for the message to reach some phones, with some not receiving the message at all. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 13)
Students from the state's 12 community colleges who earn at least a B average and an associate's degree will be guaranteed admission to UConn's six campuses under an agreement between the university and the state's community college system. The Guaranteed Admissions Program clears a jungle of red tape that these students have faced trying to transfer to UConn and gives them counseling and advice to make sure they are picking the right courses for a seamless transition. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 15)
Of Wesleyan's roughly 2,900 students, perhaps two have military backgrounds, according to a university spokesman. Two alumni have endowed scholarships for up to 10 former service members, beginning with students entering next fall. The amount of the gift by Frank Sica, a 1973 graduate of the university, and Jonathan Soros, son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros and a 1992 Wesleyan graduate, was not disclosed, though it was described in a university press release as "substantial." (Hartford Courant, Nov. 18)
Gallaudet University, the nation's only liberal arts college for the deaf, has been taken off probation by its accrediting agency after a review of its enrollment and academic standards. Linda Suskie, an official with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, confirmed the group had voted to take Gallaudet off probation and give it a warning — an interim step while the school works toward re-accreditation. (USA Today, Nov.17)
Many community college students begin slipping through the cracks at school almost as soon as they first set foot on campus, a report says. The report, released by the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, urges colleges to be "deliberate and aggressively create opportunities to involve students" in their studies, beginning with a student's first interaction on campus. The report is based on annual student surveys conducted in the past three years. This year's survey was completed by about 310,000 students from more than 500 colleges nationwide. (USA Today, Nov. 13)
President Walter Harrison was featured in the Hartford Business Journal for his high-profile work championing tougher academic standards for student-athletes. Harrison, who is chairman of the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance and former chair of the association’s executive committee, was recently cited by the Chronicle of Higher Education as “One of the 10 Most Powerful People in College Sports.” Harrison’s committee developed the Academic Progress Rate (APR), which tracks student-athletes’ academic performance during each semester of each year. Beginning this year, universities will receive sanctions, most notably limiting the number of scholarships that colleges may award for sports where its athletes are not performing to NCAA-mandated standards. “Somebody has to be the sheriff and I’m okay if that’s me,” Harrison said. “I believe our cause is a very important one and I feel it’s very important to stand up for these student-athletes.” (Hartford Business Journal, Nov. 19)
Harrison’s love of athletics was evident in a feature in Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, in which college presidents were asked what they would be if they were not college presidents. “Commissioner of Major League Baseball (in my dreams, at least),” Harrison responded. (Diverse, Nov. 15)
George Michael Evica, associate professor emeritus of English and longtime host of “Assassination Journal” on WWUH radio (91.3 FM), died on Saturday, Nov. 10, following a courageous battle with lung and brain cancer. He was 79. Evica was known internationally as the grandfather of all John F. Kennedy assassination researchers. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 12, 14)
Peter Diffley, dean of graduate studies and author of Paying for Graduate School Without Going Broke, was quoted in a CNNMoney.com article. The article focused on the financial difficulties adults face when leaving their successful careers to go back to school. “If you are a full-time student in an academic subject, you have a better chance of getting financial support,” said Diffley. (CNNMoney.com, Nov.15)
Michael Crosbie, professor of architecture and chair of the department, CETA, had an opinion piece published in the Hartford Courant. The piece was about the strengths and weaknesses of the new Blue Back Square development in West Hartford. Crosbie also identified some of the possible improvements to this area that might give it more of an urban feel. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 18)
WFSB-TV, Channel 3, covered a science fair on “The Wonders of the Human Body,” sponsored by the University’s Educational Main Street program and the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP). About 400 Hartford Public School fourth graders attended the fair, where they critiqued and judged a number of interactive exhibits designed by ENHP students. Educational Main Street Director Mary Christensen was interviewed for the story. (WFSB-TV, Channel 3, Nov. 15)
Trinity-On-Main in New Britain hosted the Macbride family’s “This World Is Our Home” on Sat,. Nov. 10. David Macbride, composer and professor of composition and theory at The Hartt School; his wife, Lisa Macbride, a painter; their son, Jimmy Macbride, drummer and composer; and daughter Alma Macbride, artist and performer, used their talents and cultural experiences to provide a night filled with art and music. (New Britain Herald, Nov. 4)
Elliot Ginsberg, CEO of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), mentioned the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium, which is based at the University of Hartford, as one of the resources that CCAT uses to help prepare the workforce of the future by creating programs that will promote science and technology at every education level. (East Hartford Gazette, Nov. 16)
Hartt School alumnus Joseph D’Eugenio celebrated his 10th anniversary as artistic director and conductor of The Greater Middletown Chorale. The chorale also celebrated its 31st season. “One of the greatest beauties and joys of being with the same singers for as long as I’ve been with the group is, in a sense it becomes a family centered in trust,” D’Eugenio said. “We get to always explore and get outside our comfort zones, and that’s what’s needed to get to the next level.” (Middletown Press, Nov. 17)
Tom Condon of the Hartford Courant wrote that development of the Westbrook Village housing project offers the potential to create a “college-town” community tied in to the neighboring University of Hartford. Robert Orr, the highly regarded New Haven architect and planner, gave a class to graduate architecture students at the University of Hartford, and as one of the class assignments, the students were to design hypothetical development plans for the Westbrook Village site. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 4)
Roger Desmond, professor of communication, was quoted in an article about Rabbi Stephen Fuchs’ mission of trying to eliminate violence from the media. Last semester, Fuchs spoke to a “Media and Society” class taught by Desmond. “He offered me a great opportunity for students to see how the media work and operate and maybe how a pressure group can have an impact,” said Desmond. (Hartford Courant, Nov.18)
Other News
The Connecticut State University System is joining universities from across the nation in launching Access to Success, a program to help low-income and minority students graduate from college. The project aims to increase student success in remedial courses and large introductory courses; manage costs; work more closely with K-12 educators to improve preparation of students; and increase financial aid for low-income students. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 13)
UConn recently tested its new system by sending a text message to the 16,000 students, staff, parents and others who had signed up to get an alert on their cell phones. In some cases, the message was sent instantaneously, but in others, it took two or three hours, maybe more, for the message to reach some phones, with some not receiving the message at all. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 13)
Students from the state's 12 community colleges who earn at least a B average and an associate's degree will be guaranteed admission to UConn's six campuses under an agreement between the university and the state's community college system. The Guaranteed Admissions Program clears a jungle of red tape that these students have faced trying to transfer to UConn and gives them counseling and advice to make sure they are picking the right courses for a seamless transition. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 15)
Of Wesleyan's roughly 2,900 students, perhaps two have military backgrounds, according to a university spokesman. Two alumni have endowed scholarships for up to 10 former service members, beginning with students entering next fall. The amount of the gift by Frank Sica, a 1973 graduate of the university, and Jonathan Soros, son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros and a 1992 Wesleyan graduate, was not disclosed, though it was described in a university press release as "substantial." (Hartford Courant, Nov. 18)
Gallaudet University, the nation's only liberal arts college for the deaf, has been taken off probation by its accrediting agency after a review of its enrollment and academic standards. Linda Suskie, an official with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, confirmed the group had voted to take Gallaudet off probation and give it a warning — an interim step while the school works toward re-accreditation. (USA Today, Nov.17)
Many community college students begin slipping through the cracks at school almost as soon as they first set foot on campus, a report says. The report, released by the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, urges colleges to be "deliberate and aggressively create opportunities to involve students" in their studies, beginning with a student's first interaction on campus. The report is based on annual student surveys conducted in the past three years. This year's survey was completed by about 310,000 students from more than 500 colleges nationwide. (USA Today, Nov. 13)
