Media Watch (May 2-9, 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.

Demetrios Giannaros, professor of economics in the Barney School of Business and a state representative from Farmington, was quoted in a story about how a rise in state revenues was helping to ease a budget dispute between state Democrats and Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell. The story noted that Giannaros, a Democrat, had forecast in December that the surplus would be far higher than many had predicted because Connecticut’s economy had not reached its peak in the latest economic cycle. Giannaros, who specializes in economic forecasting, said “We won’t have to do as much on the tax side, which is the best news for the taxpayers.” (Hartford Courant, May 6)

Giannaros was also quoted about proposed legislation that would keep work in Connecticut that is tied to state government and keep jobs from being exported. He was cited as one of the critics who allege that the bill is flawed and would ultimately hurt, not help, the state’s taxpayers. “The problem is that everything is intertwined in the global economy,” he said. (Hartford Courant, May 3)

James Fairfield-Sonn’s appointment as dean of the university’s Barney School of Business, and his accomplishments as interim dean and as a member of the Barney faculty, was featured in the “Business” section of the Hartford Courant and in the Hartford Business Journal. (Hartford Courant, May 6; Hartford Business Journal, May 9)

President Walter Harrison, chair of the NCAA Committee on Academic Performance, noted that it is likely that before the NCAA calculates its next Academic Progress Rate (APR) report, changes will be made to the controversial process of reviewing retention rates, especially in the high-profile sports of football, basketball and baseball. The committee will meet in July to look at how the issue of student-athletes leaving school early to pursue pro careers is calculated in the APR. Harrison was also quoted in a story on this subject that appeared in the May/June issue of CollegeBound Teen magazine (Hartford Courant, May 9; Associated Press, May 8)

The senior thesis exhibition by Hartford Art School student artist Kate Ten Eyck, who is a master of fine arts candidate, was highlighted in the Hartford Advocate. Eyck’s exhibition uses printmaking to explore the anatomical beauty of parasites and their human hosts. (Hartford Advocate, May 6; Hartford Courant, May 6)

In a story on the value of internships to local businesses and to students, the University of Hartford’s architecture program and students were cited for the quality of their work. (Business New Haven, May 3)

The San Jose Mercury-News published a story that originally appeared in the Hartford Courant, which profiled some of the young people in the Farmington Valley Transition Academy, a unique collaboration between Farmington and Simsbury schools and the university. The six-year-old academy provides life skills training, education and social activities for mentally challenged young people between the ages of 17 and 21. The program was also cited in a Connecticut Post story about such transitional programs. (San Jose Mercury News, May 4; Connecticut Post, May 4)

The CD review column in the Hartford Courant’s “Cal” section featured a review of the new CD by Ellis Paul and a notice that Paul was scheduled to perform at the university on May 6 as part of the MUSIC for a CHANGE benefit concert series. (Hartford Courant, May 5)

Mary Zaleski, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford in 1990 and this past week earned her doctorate at the University of Connecticut, all while she continued to work full-time, was profiled. (Hartford Courant, May 6)

Tim Petrovic’s victory in the Zurich Classic golf tournament continued to make news. He was highlighted in the “Who’s Hot” section of the May 9 issue of Sports Illustrated. A feature story in the Hartford Courant focused on how his wife, two children and brother (who caddied for Tim because his regular caddie had a back injury) were able to share the victory with him as it happened. (Sports Illustrated, May 9; Hartford Courant, May 5)

Other News

Five University of Connecticut football players have been arrested for an incident in which the window of a motor vehicle was shot out in a Willimantic parking lot. The five were arrested Sunday after police responded to criminal mischief complaint at a Main St. convenience store, police said. All are scheduled to appear in Danielson Superior Court May 23. (Associated Press, May 9; Newsday, May 9)

The University of Connecticut handed out more than 3,000 degrees during two undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 8. The university held a graduation ceremony in the morning and the afternoon to accommodate the 3,251 graduates and their families. A graduate commencement ceremony was held on Saturday, May 7. (Newsday, May 8)

Norwalk Community College is preparing for a potential loss of $1 million in state revenue by expanding online courses, condensing courses from 15 weeks to 13 weeks and offering more weekend courses. The revenue loss would result from Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s plan to freeze tuition at state colleges and universities under her proposed state budget. (Stamford Advocate, May 9)

Young A. Douglas, 23, of Bridgeport, was arrested after 25 packets of crack cocaine were reportedly seized during a raid on his University of Bridgeport dormitory room. He was charged with possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of public housing and operating a drug factory as well as three counts of both sale of narcotics and sale of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school. (Connecticut Post, May 6)

In her inaugural address, MIT’s first female president Susan Hockfield, challenged students and staff to maintain the university’s high standards of academics and innovation, all while encouraging diversity by “building a powerful pipeline of young women and under-represented minority students, eager to pursue advanced degrees and academic careers.” (Boston Herald, May 7)

Louis Leithold, 80, who wrote “The Calculus,” one of the most widely used calculus textbooks that helped change the way the subject is taught, has died of natural causes. The book, first published in 1968, is widely used in high schools and universities and is in its seventh printing. (CNN, May 9)

The total cost at a number of colleges and universities has already broken the $40,000 barrier, according to Thomson Peterson’s most recent data. However, at many of these schools, few students will ever pay that price. “The published price bears so little relationship to the price you're going to pay,” said Sandy Baum, senior policy analyst for the College Board and professor of economics at Skidmore College. “The schools that have the highest prices often have the most financial aid available.” In fact, some schools inflate their prices in order to raise their cache and attract more students. (CNN/Money, May 4, )

The City of Boston paid $5.1 million on May 2 to the parents of a college student who was killed by a pepper-spray pellet fired by police trying to quell rioters after the Boston Red Sox won the pennant last fall. Victoria Snelgrove, a 21-year-old Emerson College senior, died hours after she was hit in the eye socket with the projectile outside Fenway Park on Oct. 21. The crowd was celebrating Boston’s victory over the New York Yankees. (Associated Press, May 2)