Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
Post-Katrina report recommends stronger levees, raising more homes to make New Orleans safer
The Associated Press
New Orleans should increase the strength of new levees being built to protect against catastrophic hurricanes, elevate more houses and abandon neighborhoods that rest below sea level, an independent research panel said Friday. …Instead, New Orleans should be protected by a "500-year or maybe 1,000-year protection," the type of engineering standards used in earthquake zones or along major rivers, said Richard Luettich Jr., the director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina and a member of the committee.
Sharing the Pain: Cutting Faculty Salaries Across the Board
The Chronicle of Higher Education
…Some colleges, slammed by the nationwide recession, have begun to eliminate specific programs and departments. But those cost savings often take time to materialize. Greensboro and other colleges instead turned to across-the-board measures that could be put in place quickly and have an immediate effect on the bottom line. Pay cuts often fit the bill. …At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, senior administrators must cut programs, operations, and staffing by 5 percent by the end of this month.
Regional Coverage
Report promotes new heat policies
The News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla.)
A report by a leading athletic trainers' group suggests ending two-a-day practices for high school football teams during the first week of August, as well as other precautions that should be taken to prevent heat-related illnesses. Southwest Florida prep coaches, however, say they are already cautious with their players. …Since 1995, at least 39 football players across all levels have died from heat-related causes and most of those cases happened in early August, said Dr. Frederick Mueller, director of the National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research at the University of North Carolina.
No quick cures for health care
The Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Joseph Antos has done extensive research on the economics of health policy, including Medicare reform, health insurance regulation and uninsured Americans. He is the Wilson H. Taylor Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute and serves as a commissioner of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission. He also serves as a health adviser to the Congressional Budget Office and is an adjunct professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We talked by phone Monday as President Obama pitched health care reform at a meeting of the American Medical Association.
Paper debate: Why a new $95 million office in Naples when newspapers are struggling?
The Naples Daily News (Florida)
Are newspapers going the way of the dinosaur? …The Naples Daily News is about to move into a new multimillion-dollar headquarters with a state-of-the-art printing press that will be one of the fastest running in the newspaper industry in the U.S. today. The timing of the project catches some by surprise. “How did you do it?” asked Philip Meyer, a former Knight Chairman in Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “It’s probably unusual,” he said of the new building.
Vital experience (Editorial)
The Lawrence Journal-World (Kansas)
…As an administrator at the University of North Carolina, KU’s incoming chancellor, Bernadette Gray-Little, reportedly was successful in boosting study abroad opportunities for UNC students. Hopefully that also will be a priority for her as she begins her work at KU.
Related Link:
http://www.cjonline.com/news/state/2009-06-21/at_the_helm_bernadette_gray_little
State and Local Coverage
Vinroots pledge $1M to UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
Richard and Judy Vinroot of Charlotte have pledged $1 million to UNC in honor of Richard's friend and mentor, Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. The pledge will support faculty and students in UNC's School of Government and is the largest-ever commitment by an individual to the school. "Judy and Richard Vinroot have shown extraordinary generosity and thoughtfulness in creating this new professorship and fellowship," said Mike Smith, dean of the School of Government.
Related Links:
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1173275.cfm
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1578238.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2649/70/
Clock ticks on Carolina North vote
The Chapel Hill News
Last Monday, after Town Council member Laurin Easthom suggested requiring UNC to upgrade nearby streets before occupying buildings at Carolina North, colleague Matt Czajkowski wondered aloud whether the council had enough time on its calendar to consider such details before a scheduled vote tomorrow. …After months of negotiation, the council aims to vote on the Carolina North development agreement Monday at its last meeting before summer break. The agreement will govern how the university develops the 937-acre Horace Williams tract over the next 20 years and restricts development on some parts of the tract for 50 years and even beyond.
Related Link:
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/opinion/story/50626.html
Business interns after the new green
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Lindsay McCombs has a summer internship that shows a different face of capitalism. Instead of taking the usual route — corporate finance, investment banking, or marketing — the UNC-Chapel Hill business student will spend her summer as an energy conservation consultant for Grubb Properties, a real estate management firm in Raleigh. She's one of 26 MBA students nationwide, including three in the Triangle, who are advising businesses for 10-week stints on how to cut costs by cutting energy waste. The Climate Corps summer internship program was created by the Environmental Defense Fund and is in its second year, attracting students who want to have energy expertise on their résumés.
'Green Plus' businesses recognized
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC's Institute for Sustainable Development has recognized two Research Triangle region businesses as Certified Green Plus: Bland Landscaping of Apex and Zemo Trevathan & Associates of Chapel Hill. …The overall business plan for Green Plus was commissioned by UNC Chapel Hill Vice Chancellor Tony Waldrop in 2007. The Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC's Kenan-Flagler School of Business developed the plan, and a partnership of UNC, Duke, and chambers of commerce built and tested the program with small businesses in North Carolina and Ohio in 2008.
Sixth OneMBA class graduates
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School has graduated its sixth class of OneMBA, the global executive MBA program. …The UNC executives came from California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C., to study in both metro Washington and Chapel Hill for the "local" portion of the program. The class of 38 represents the largest UNC contingent in the OneMBA class since the program was established in 2002. "They have completed an exciting journey and are uniquely prepared for the rigors of global management," said Peter Brews, associate dean of OneMBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2650/67/
Ad slump hits broadcasters
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
By month's end, Capitol Broadcasting, a statewide media and real estate empire, will likely be smaller. …The reason for the cuts: the advertising slump that has plagued newspapers has caught up with broadcasters. …"It matters hugely because these media organizations are the only ones that have the power to hold other large institutions accountable," said Ryan Thornburg, an assistant professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's journalism school. "If that goes away, it's going to take a long time for other news organizations to build up the audience and the trust and the heft that's needed to hold powerful institutions accountable."
UNC-CH appeals to alumni (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill is asking alumni to open their wallets to help ease state budget cuts. In an e-mail message, the Carolina Annual Fund asks supporters to make a donation before midnight June 29, "to help Carolina flourish during these challenging times." The message points out that state appropriations make up nearly one-quarter of the university's total budget. "We had to cut 7 percent — about $36million — already this academic year and we anticipate a permanent cut of at least another 7 percent for academic year 2009-2010."
Council wants to boost area education
The Rocky Mount Telegram
The Rocky Mount City Council said it wants to influence the quality of education in the Twin Counties, as its below-par status is affecting economic development. …The city of Rocky Mount does have a financial stake in the Edgecombe’s school district, funding about $1 million a year from electric revenues, City Manager Steve Raper pointed out at the retreat at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Institute of Government.
UNC Children's Hospital Is Award Winning
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
North Carolina Children’s Hospital ranked as one of the best in the nation… again. Dr. Terry Noah Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology says the selection was based on a combination of factors. The U.S News Media Group’s 2009 edition of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals recognized the N.C. Children’s Hospital as eleventh in the nation among those caring for children with respiratory disorders.
UNC Release:
http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2009/June/usnews
Hospital could be economic catalyst
The Chapel Hill Herald
Aside from the obvious medical benefits of the 68-bed hospital and emergency room proposed by UNC Health Care in Hillsborough would be the potential for spinoff economic development. "The opportunity to have easy access to medical care is exciting," Orange County Commissioner Mike Nelson said. But the hospital also could be a catalyst for the clustering of restaurants, medical clinics and other businesses that would cater to a hospital population, he said.
Obstacles stand in way of hospital approval
The Chapel Hill Herald
While attention has been fixed on state health regulators' review of UNC Health Care's application for a certificate of need to open a hospital in Hillsborough, the system also needs to obtain a variety of approvals from the town of Hillsborough, and there are no guarantees there. "They're on a time frame where they could, theoretically, if everything goes smoothly and tightly, be under construction" with the hospital next spring, Hillsborough Planning Director Margaret Hauth said of UNC's timeline.
Peeling the Orange
The Chapel Hill Herald
William Roper, CEO of UNC Health Care System, recognizes he may need to do a little old-fashioned horse trading in order to get a hospital built in Hillsborough. At a meeting of the Board of Orange County Commissioners, Vice Chairman Mike Nelson noted that the tax-exempt hospital will be built on 83 acres originally planned for taxable retail business. He suggested UNC Health Care may want to pony up some cash "to mitigate that loss," to which Roper responded, "When we met with the mayor, not surprisingly, he said the same thing."
Linking viruses, cancer – A key to developing new treatments?
WRAL.com
In a series of recently-published articles, a research team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has uncovered clues to the development of cancers in AIDS patients. …This work was supported by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation, the University Cancer Research Fund, the AIDS Malignancies Clinical Trials Consortium and the National Institutes of Health.
UNC Release:
http://unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2009/June/dittmer/
Massive burns require lots of care
The Chapel Hill Herald
A 65 percent burn such as that suffered by Holly Baltar of Greenville is always a serious injury, said Bruce Cairns, associate professor of surgery and medical director of the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals. Such massive burning requires three elements of care: resuscitation, removing the burns and doing skin grafts, and rehabilitation to regain function and strength as all the critical care aspects are resolved.
Related Link:
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1173274.cfm
UNC Release:
http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2009/June/hollystory
Better health means tackling costs (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Personal calamities touch our hearts and bring out the better, or best, angels of our nature as we respond to the needs of people we may not even know. But when it comes to paying for essential medical care, the kind of care that spells the difference between life and death, why should any among us have to be dependent on the kindness of strangers? …Now comes the struggle to pay for his care at the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill. Perhaps the center makes accommodations in a case like this, but a fundraising event to help Leffer and his wife, Amalia — the couple has a young son — is in the works.
Parents' citizenship is son's joy
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Ronald Bilbao will remember his 21st birthday not for gifts that he received, but for one that he gave. This year on his birthday, Bilbao, a rising senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, sponsored his parents for legal residency in the United States — 25 years after they left their native Venezuela for Miami. …Because he was born in Florida, the U.S. immigration system gave Ronald Bilbao all the rights of a U.S. citizen and allowed him to get a full scholarship to UNC-CH. …Now, he is the leader of a group he founded at UNC-CH, the Coalition for College Access, which advocates allowing illegal immigrants to attend the state's universities and colleges.
North Carolina's priority gap (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Frank Graham wrote over a half century ago, "all the historic shibboleths about equality of opportunity are tested in their sincerity not on the Fourth of July but when we come to make the budget of the commonwealth." Of course, this year it's possible we'll produce both our shibboleths and our budget in the first week of July. But there's little doubt that Dr. Frank's wisdom, and his warning, echo in our ears. (Gene Nichol is a professor of law and director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Humane is key (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In the May 27 article "Researchers team up to study cancer," it was heartening that Dr. Kristy Richards, from UNC-Chapel Hill's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC), criticized cancer researchers' traditional reliance on experiments using mice, which are routinely injected with laboratory-engineered tumors at the LCCC. (Beth Levine, Raleigh)
Turtles workshop at Totten Center
The Chapel Hill Herald
"Scenes from the Secret Life of Turtles: Spotted Turtles and Diamondback Terrapins" is a family oriented workshop to be held from 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Totten Center at the N.C. Botanical Garden.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2628/68/
'What is the good life?' explored
The Chapel Hill Herald
"What is the Good Life? Searching for Success from Plato to Prozac" is the title of this seminar, to be held at 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday at the Center for School Leadership Development on the UNC campus.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2628/68/
Skywatching at Jordan Lake
The Chapel Hill Herald
Skywatching will be offered from 9 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Jordan Lake's Ebenezer Church Recreation Area, Little River Regional Park. Join UNC's Morehead Planetarium educators and amateur astronomers to view sky objects through telescopes.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2628/68/
Kids' program focuses on art
The Chapel Hill Herald
Visual artists often use images to help us see and understand the world in new ways. In "Seeing Your World," a week-long summer program for 9- to 12-year-olds to be held from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday at the Ackland Art Museum, participants will explore the ways different artists depict the world around them in their work.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2628/68/
Family Fun Tour at Ackland
The Chapel Hill Herald
A Family Fun Tour will be held at 1:15 p.m. Sunday at the Ackland Art Museum. Share your interest in art with a child in these interactive gallery tours designed for 6- to 12-year-olds and their families.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2628/68/
Music in the Galleries today
The Chapel Hill Herald
Music in the Galleries will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. today at the Ackland Art Museum. Enjoy free music in the Ackland Art Museum galleries. This month features violinist Richard Luby performing Bach selections.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2628/68/
Issues and Trends
Diet and cognition: Youngsters part of the discovery process
The Salisbury Post
Little Payton Zerkle didn't know she was the subject of a scientific experiment at the N.C. Research Campus. The curious 16-month-old with a blond topknot just thought she was playing with neat toys and making new friends. "It was fun for her," mother Robyn Warren said. Scientists with the University of North Carolina's Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis will follow Payton and other babies for four months to determine if adding omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil to their diet will make them smarter. It's the first nutrition study at the Research Campus to recruit local participants.
The Online 'Attrition Puzzle': New Study Revisits Dropout Debate
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Online students are much more likely to drop out of courses than their campus-based peers, according to a new study that confirms earlier research on what has been a longstanding concern in the distance-education industry. …Growth of the University of North Carolina system’s online programs is “in peril” because of state budget cuts, reports The Triangle Business Journal. The North Carolina situation is the latest case of budget troubles in the public online-education sector.