Media Watch (Oct. 24-31, 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 20th anniversary of the university's Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies was the cover story of the Oct. 28 issue of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger. The article features quotes from Arnold C. Greenberg, a university regent who established the Greenberg Center in honor of his late father; Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, who was president of the University of Hartford when the Greenberg Center was founded and is now president of George Washington University; and current University of Hartford President Walter Harrison, as well as Greenberg Center director, Richard Freund, and his predecessor, Jonathan Rosenbaum. The story also featured two accompanying articles on the programs being offered this fall and this coming spring by the Greenberg Center. (Connecticut Jewish Ledger, Oct. 28)

Warren Goldstein, professor and chairman of the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences, wrote an opinion article about Rosa Parks and her mostly unknown history as a long-time civil rights activist. “Rosa Parks deserves to be remembered along with Jefferson and Adams as a courageous woman who helped launch a revolution in the face of long odds and an immensely powerful opponent,” Goldstein wrote. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 30)

In previews of the Greater Hartford Jewish Community Center's annual book festival, it was noted that Richard Freund, university professor and director of the Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, will be talking about archaeological excavations in Israel as described in his book, Bethsaida: A City by the North Shore of the Sea of Galilee, on Nov. 3. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 27; Connecticut Jewish Ledger, Oct. 28)

Demetrios Giannaros, professor of economics at the Barney School of Business, was a guest on the “Brad Davis Show” on WDRC-AM on Oct. 26. Giannaros discussed the nomination of Benjamin Bernancke to succeed Alan Greenspan as head of the Federal Reserve system. (WDRC-AM, Oct. 26)

Jilda Aliotta, chair of the Department of Politics and Government in the College of Arts and Sciences, was interviewed about the issues that President Bush has been facing in his second term and how, historically, other presidents have fared in their second terms. (Metro Radio Networks, Oct. 27)

Darryl McMiller, an assistant professor of political science at the university’s Hillyer College, was quoted in a Hartford Courant story about the plea agreement reached between federal prosecutors and defendants Peter Ellef, former Gov. John G. Rowland’s co-chief of staff, and contractor William Tomasso. He commented on the political impact that avoiding a trial would have on current Gov. Jodi Rell’s campaign efforts. (Associated Press, Oct. 25; Hartford Courant, Oct. 26)

Darius Mehri, a Hillyer College alum who returned to the university to receive a Distinguished Alumnus award and to speak about his new book, Notes from Toyota-Land: An American Engineer in Japan, was a guest on the WTIC-AM “Morning Show with Ray Dunaway and Diane Smith” on Oct. 25. Mehri was also interviewed that day by Connecticut Public Radio’s Ray Hardman for a piece aired on Oct. 31. (WTIC-AM, Oct. 25; WNPR-FM, Oct. 31; News-Times, Danbury, Oct. 9)

President Walter Harrison, who chairs both the NCAA Executive Committee and the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance (CAP), was featured in a story about a recommendation from CAP that the NCAA establish a $10 million annual incentive fund that will pay schools with teams that consistently excel or demonstrate significant improvement in the classroom. CAP’s efforts were praised in a commentary by WTIC-AM’s Scott Gray. (Associated Press, Oct. 28; Hartford Courant, Oct. 28; Newsday Oct. 28; WTIC-AM, Oct. 28)

William Cianci, executive director of the Construction Institute at the University of Hartford, was quoted in a New Haven Register story about the rising cost of public construction projects. (New Haven Register, Oct. 30)

David Desplaces, director of entrepreneurial studies at the university’s Barney School of Business, was quoted in a Waterbury Republican-American article about ways to improve the business marketplace in Connecticut for companies that engineer medical devices. (Waterbury Republican-American, Oct. 26)

The lead item in the “Jazz Notes” column in the Hartford Courant’s “Cal” section was a preview of a benefit concert being put on by University of Hartford students and faculty to help raise money for the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. The Wynton Marsalis Quintet is headlining the Nov. 3 show, which is being held at the Artists Collective, 1200 Albany Ave., Hartford. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 27)

Kathy Behrens, a 1985 graduate of the university, was the subject of a major profile in the Oct. 24 issue of Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal. Behrens is senior vice president of community and player programs for the National Basketball Association (NBA), and her role gives her much clout in helping shape the league’s public image. (Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, Oct. 24)

A glowing review of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny’s concert, as part of the Lincoln Financial MUSIC for a CHANGE benefit concert series, was featured in the Hartford Courant. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 26)

Lori Hollins, 21, a freshman at the University of Hartford, was quoted in a Hartford Courant story about the types of costumes that young women wear for Halloween. "Guys will go for laughs with their costumes, but women will always go for sexpot,” she said. “It’s your only opportunity to dress like that, and people can’t judge you because it’s Halloween,” said Hollins, who added that she and her roommate plan on going to a campus party as cowgirls. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 27)

Members of the Albany Avenue community in Hartford, along with University of Hartford students, filled public planters along Albany Avenue for the fall season. The project was done in cooperation with the Upper Albany Main Street organization, the Knox Parks Foundation, Hartford Proud & Beautiful and the University of Hartford. (NBC 30, Oct. 21; WFSB-TV 3)

New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart, a University of Hartford alumnus, was profiled in the Hartford Courant as he seeks a second term as a Republican mayor in a heavily Democratic city. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 29)

An article profiling the college careers of some of the top stars in Major League Baseball included comments about former Hartford Hawks star Jeff Bagwell. “Which brings us to the question, did Jeff Bagwell really star at the University of Hartford? He did and apparently someone was paying attention because Bags’ .413 average was recorded as the highest career average by a Division I New England college player,” noted the article. (Sports Illustrated.com, Oct. 26)

Ted Simon, a University of Hartford alumnus (’67, College of Arts and Sciences) and a West Hartford resident, was profiled in the Hartford Courant after winning five gold medals in the recent Pan-American Senior Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Simon, who is 83 years old, came in first in each of his five swimming events—the 50-, 100- and 200-meter breast stroke, and the 50-meter butterfly and backstroke. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 27)

Other News

Environmental activists called for the state to form a committee to investigate the University of Connecticut’s environmental practices, similar to the governor-appointed commission that looked into the Uconn 2000 construction program. But Uconn officials said such a panel is unnecessary and that the university has taken steps to address the water supply issue. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 27)

John Bjorge, 23, and Babajide Oseni, 22, who hatched an elaborate plan to steal more than $60,000 in electronics at the University of Connecticut, pleaded guilty and will serve prison terms. On the night of the break-in, Nov. 24, 2004, they disabled a dozen motion detectors in the Gentry Building with plastic domes fitted with aluminum foil. Two janitorial employees saw the men, interrupting their plan to steal two large plasma screen televisions, computer systems and electronics. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 27)

University of Connecticut basketball players Marcus Williams, a junior, will miss 11 games and return Jan. 3 at Marquette; and A.J. Price, a freshman in eligibility, is barred from all basketball-related activities until April 28, 2006, and has returned home to Amityville, N.Y. Williams and Price were arrested in August on felony larceny charges in connection with the theft of four laptop computers from a Uconn dormitory. Price was also charged with making a false statement to police. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 29)

Yale University says it will limit tailgating to the first half during the historic Harvard-Yale football game next month, and will ban students from hosting parties on campus with more than 20 guests before the game. Most students say the rules are unfair. (WTNH-TV, Oct. 29)

The rate of return on the money spent to earn a bachelor’s degree is 12 percent per year, compared with the long run average annual return on stocks of 7 percent, according to an Arizona State University study, “The Value of Higher Education: Individual and Societal Benefits.” Over the course of a lifetime, those with a college education make $1 million more than people with a high school education. (United Press International, Oct. 31)

A downtown party near the University of Wisconsin-Madison resulted in more than 400 arrests, and police used bursts of pepper spray on Oct. 30 to break up crowds of revelers. The university had taken steps to control the chaos this year, prohibiting visitors from dormitories and warning Big 10 and other Midwest schools that students shouldn’t come. City officials and the university have said most of the problems are caused by out-of-town visitors. (Associated Press, Oct. 31)

College presidents are more preoccupied with financial issues than educational ones, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The presidents told the Chronicle that they believed they were judged slightly more on whether they had a balanced budget than for the quality of educational programs. Five of the six top concerns they cited related to money: rising health care costs, rising tuition, financial aid, technology costs and inadequate faculty salaries. The sixth was retaining students. (New York Times, Oct. 31)