Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
And the Best Executive M.B.A. Programs Are…
The Wall Street Journal
Executive M.B.A. programs make a big promise: They'll turn up-and-coming managers into full-fledged leaders, showing them how to think strategically, inspire their staff and expand the business. …In a few cases, like that of the No. 1 school in the student ranking, the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School, a school's student score was strong enough that the school made the top five. In all, we surveyed 4,060 students and recent grads from 72 executive M.B.A. programs at 53 business schools in nine countries on how well their program enhanced leadership and management skills; 62% responded. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School was ranked 5 overall, number 3 in leadership and management skills, and had a student rank of number 1.)
Related Links:
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/st_EMBARank_20080929.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122211565894064157.html?mod=article-outset-box
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/EMBATOPPROFESSORS08.html
Are They Worth It?
The Wall Street Journal
Corporations are increasingly satisfied with executive M.B.A. programs their managers are attending. This is one of the key findings in The Wall Street Journal's survey of corporate human-resources and executive-development executives. Some 47% said that E.M.B.A. programs have improved in the past five years. (According to the graph located at the bottom of the article, the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School was ranked 4th in a survey of students for the top business school programs preparing graduates to have a good running start in the job market after graduation.)
An Executive M.B.A. With a Global Flavor
The Wall Street Journal
…One MBA, an alliance of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Brazil's Fundação Getulio Vargas, RSM Erasmus University in the Netherlands, Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, turned into a network of five partner schools to "ensure that a significant portion of the class would not be dominated by a single or a few cultures," says Peter Brews, the program's associate dean. Students say the mix of international locations and a diverse student body make global E.M.B.A.s unique.
Help Wanted
The Wall Street Journal
Once Becky Smith started her executive M.B.A. program, she realized she wasn't just looking to boost her business acumen and management skills — she also needed career help. …It was the E.M.B.A program run by her business school — the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School — that stepped in to help, organizing one-hour career seminars before class and contracting with executive coaches who were available at flexible hours to meet with students.
And Now, Something Completely Different
The Wall Street Journal
For executives going back to school, case studies and roundtable discussions are only part of the curriculum. There are also treasure hunts, Nascar-style challenges and other unusual programs. Here's a sample of the offbeat offerings. …Treasure Hunt…Where: University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School. What: Students form several groups to find a treasure. Each team must decipher clues written on puzzle pieces leading them from one location to the next to ultimately piece together a puzzle and get a key to the treasure. But as the teams earn their keys, they realize all the groups must join together to solve an even larger puzzle. What they learn: The value of joining forces. The hunt isn't about solving the puzzle first, because no one team can finish without the help of the other teams.
Crisis of Care on the Front Line of Health
The New York Times
…Even some salaried academic physicians like Dr. Douglas A. Drossman, who runs a respected clinic where patients are treated regardless of ability to pay, often have to scramble for grants from foundations and industry to support their work with patients. Dr. Drossman, co-director of the Center for Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders at the University of North Carolina, said the salaries he and his colleagues receive do not cover the program’s costs.
Combining Words and Physicality to Explore Religion and Homosexuality
The New York Times
Lloyd Newson first became recognized as a choreographer who boldly blurs the boundaries between dance and theater when his British company, DV8 Physical Theater, arrived on the scene in 1986. …In addition to its appearances at Dartmouth College and Montclair, the company will perform at the University of North Carolina.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/arts/arts-to-foster-dialogue-on-gender-identity.html
A Crack in the Dominance of the LSAT?
Inside Higher Ed
While more and more colleges are questioning the use of the SAT, the use of standardized tests for law and medical school admissions is much more widely accepted. …Michigan’s law school is unusual among public law schools in its relatively low proportion of in-state residents — 22 percent. (By comparison 70 percent of students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill law school are from the state…)
Regional Coverage
Students take a crash course in Trayless Dining 101
The Star-Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.)
…Aramark provides dining services at more than 400 colleges and universities across the country. Of those, more than half are expected to ditch trays this school year. Among the schools that are now tray-free are the University of North Carolina, University of Florida and the University of Connecticut.
State and Local Coverage
Thorp embarks on statewide tour
The Chapel Hill Herald
A visit from Holden Thorp on Monday afternoon turned out to be a mutual learning experience for both the UNC chancellor and the group of Chapel Hill High School seniors he came to see. Thorp kicked off a weeklong tour of seven North Carolina cities and towns with a stop at Tom Herndon's honors research methodology class. The chancellor's tour of the state is intended to drum up interest in UNC, of course, but Thorp is also using the opportunity to get to know the state better and promote higher education.
Related Link:
http://dailytarheel.com/news/city/back_to_school
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/chancellortour.html
Thorp goes back to school (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp kicked off a weeklong tour of the state today by hanging out with some students in an honors science research class at Chapel Hill High School. …Thorp fielded a few questions from students. One asked what motivates him. "Our institution is the one that created public higher education," he responded. "You know those bumper stickers that say 'Think globally, act locally'? We've been doing that for 219 years.
UNC Media Advisory:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/chancellor-thorp-to-kick-off-state-tour-
at-home-in-a-chapel-hill-high-school-research-class.html
Dental clinic to be offered
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The UNC Chapel Hill School of Dentistry will sponsor a free two-day clinic in Hillsborough Oct. 10-11 that could provide dental care for several hundred patients. …Students and faculty members from the School of Dentistry and other practitioners will provide patient care, with assistance from school staff members as well.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/school-of-dentistry-partners-
with-mom-program-for-free-dental-clinic.html
EU recognizes UNC efforts
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
UNC Chapel Hill has been named one of 11 European Union Centers of Excellence by the Delegation of the European Commission in Washington, D.C. UNC's Center for European Studies will receive a $650,000 grant to fund activities over the next three years.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/humanities-and-social-sciences/unc-receives-european-
union-center-of-excellence-award.html
Fatalities spark call for certified athletic trainers
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
In his four decades working for the N.C. High School Athletic Association, Charlie Adams can’t remember even one instance of a concussion-related death in this state. …Concussion-related deaths may be a new to North Carolina, but they come as no surprise to Kevin Guskiewicz, who chairs the Department of Exercise and Sports Science at UNC. In order to prevent future cases, he believes stronger measures must be taken.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1237576.html
'Wal-Mart style banking'
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
One local watcher of the financial services industry said Monday that the acquisitions of Wachovia and other banks by a few giants — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup — means there could be a Wal-Mart-like approach to banking in the future. …"I wouldn't worry about that so much," said Gregory Brown, chairman of Finance at UNC Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School.
UNC study examines students' mental health
The Chapel Hill Herald
Nationally, an estimated 15 percent of students experience some form of mental illness such as major depression while in college. …But a new UNC study could close this gap by encouraging students to consider their needs and treatment options well in advance.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/unc-project-helps-students-with-mental-illnesses
-support-services-prepare-for-what-if-scenarios.html
Drug access focus of talk
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
An international health expert at the forefront of efforts to ensure the world's poorest citizens have access to essential and appropriate drugs will speak on the subject at UNC Chapel Hill this week. Hans Hogerzeil, director of essential medicines and pharmaceutical policies at the World Health Organization, is this year's recipient of the UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy Award for Public Service.
UNC News Brief:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/world-health-organization-expert
-to-speak-receive-unc-award.html
Election issues topic of talk
The Chapel Hill Herald
George Rabinowitz, Burton College Distinguished Professor of Political Science at UNC, will present "Winning Votes, Winning Elections," at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center on the UNC Chapel Hill campus. Rabinowitz, an experienced researcher of election politics, will lead a discussion about the issues that affect voters' decisions and how these individual choices can affect the outcome of an election.
UNC News Brief:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/government-and-law/morehead-planetarium-presentation
-to-probe-the-science-of-elections.html
'Alive at 25' driving program aimed at Johnston teens
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Officials presented plans Monday for a drivers' safety program aimed at Johnston County teens. …Between 2005 and 2007, only Buncombe County had more teen vehicle fatalities than Johnston County in the state, according to the UNC Highway Safety Research Center.
Taking cigarettes out of the mental health equation (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Reports of violence, abuse and blatant neglect in North Carolina mental health treatment facilities demand appropriate responses. However, government leaders, mental health providers and citizens may be overlooking a more subtle but significant instance of neglect. (Katie Patsakham is program associate with the UNC Nicotine Dependence Program in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Soup — quick, cheap, healthy (Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
As we ease into fall, it's time to make the next seasonal diet move: Soup. Make it a mealtime staple now through winter. Why? Because it's low in calories and high in water content. It fills you up before you fill out. (Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical assistant professor in the department of health policy and administration in the school of public health at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Issues and Trends
Justice gone missing (Editorial)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The Mirriam-Webster dictionary defines "abscond" as "to depart secretly and hide oneself." …And criminals who disappear can reemerge in horrible ways. Laurence Lovette Jr., charged in the murders of both UNC student body president Eve Carson and Duke graduate student Abhijit Mahato, was on probation. So was Demario Atwater, also charged in Carson's murder.