Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
A levelling of the field
Financial Times (United Kingdom)
…The global credit crisis has taken a heavy toll on graduate business education. But, while the recession has forced public business schools, faced with dwindling state support, to tighten their belts, most have not had to cut as deeply as their private counterparts. …The endowment at the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School is worth about $120m and 5 per cent of that is used to run its day-to-day operations.
National Coverage
Why Investors Bet on Bankrupt Companies
The New York Times
Since General Motors declared bankruptcy early this month, its common stock has traded for as much as $1.59 a share; it closed on Friday at $1.16. Those aren’t great prices, unless you consider that the company has warned investors that “even under the most optimistic of scenarios,” those shares are likely to be worthless. …One possible answer is that bankruptcy courts don’t always follow the absolute priority ranking, according to Adam V. Reed, a finance professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In fact, Professor Reed said in an interview, some studies have found that such departures were common in the past.
Does Marriage Make You Fat?
"The Early Show" CBS News
According to new research, within a few short years of getting hitched, married individuals are twice as likely to become obese than single people who are dating. CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton discussed the study from University of North Carolina and the article published in Time magazine, which looks at how romantic relationships affect the waistlines and health of couples.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2629/71/
Marriage Stands Up for Itself
The New York Times
…Despite strong social riptides working against it — the liberalization of divorce laws, the vanishing stigma of divorce, the continual online temptations of social sites like MySpace or Facebook — the marriage bond is far stronger in 21st-century America than many may assume. …In another study, psychologists at the University of Washington and the University of North Carolina reported that married men and women who called their relationship with their spouse “pretty happy” were twice as likely to cheat as those who said their relationship was “very happy.” But perhaps the strongest risk factor for infidelity, researchers have found, exists not inside the marriage but outside: opportunity.
4 Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System
Reader's Digest
What multiplies as fast as a flu virus? Claims about immune boosters, most of which just boost a few bucks from your wallet. But a few study-backed moves really can help you fight infection. …But many people don't get enough vitamin E, a proven immune enhancer, says Patricia Sheridan, PhD, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You need at least 15 mg of E daily, she says, which you can get in a generous handful of almonds (7 mg of E per ounce).
Regional Coverage
Enforcement funds pay off, research finds
The Houston Chronicle (Texas)
Researchers followed the money to better understand the effectiveness of states’ efforts to clean the air. …Researcher Victor Flatt, a University of North Carolina professor of environmental law, said that while the findings may seem obvious, some states prefer to give industries more leeway to police themselves rather than spend more on regulatory efforts.
State and Local Coverage
Celebrating Carolina North (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Last week was a momentous week for UNC and the Town of Chapel Hill. On Monday, the Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously approved a new zone and development agreement to allow the university to build the Carolina North campus, an agreement that was ratified later in the week by Carolina's Board of Trustees. …So I congratulate the town and its leaders on being bold enough to take a chance on a process new to them that will make it possible to build Carolina North in the integrated way it was envisioned. Their willingness to meet us at the negotiating table has helped us take that critical first step in achieving a vision worthy of a great town and a great university. (Holden Thorp is chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)
Chancellor Thorp Proud Of Chapel Hill
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
In an exclusive interview with WCHL’s Jim Heavner, Thorp reflected on his first year as Chancellor, emphasizing the cooperation between the town and university. Earlier this week, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved the development agreement for Chapel Hill North. Yesterday The Board of Trustees held a special meeting to formally approve the agreement.
Thorp Says Budget Is His Biggest Concern
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The budget is a major concern everywhere, and it comprises the main concern for UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp as he concludes his first year in office. …Thorp made his comments on a special four-part interview with WCHL’s Jim Heavner discussing his first year as chancellor. You can hear the interview this week at 8:40 am and 5:40 p.m. here on WCHL.
Survivor helps young friend with cancer (Tar Heel of the Week)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
When Chase Jones was diagnosed with a brain tumor his freshman year at the University of North Carolina, his teammates on the Tar Heels baseball team "completely wrapped their arms around me," he says. … So now, as the Tar Heels' bullpen catcher and community outreach liaison, he's making sure fellow survivors have a team of their own. Jones, 21, works with Friends of Jaclyn, a nonprofit organization that matches children who have brain tumors with a local college or high school sports team.
Carolina North hits milestone (Editorial)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
When the idea of Carolina North began to take root, many of today's university students hadn't started kindergarten. So it is safe to say that approval of a development agreement between Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina last week was a significant milestone on a lengthy journey. …A new major campus that attracts cutting-edge research and development will help to assure the continued growth and prosperity of a region already anchored by top-tier universities and one of the nation's most successful research parks. Last week's approvals by the Town Council and the UNC Board of Trustees have now launched the truly heavy lifting to execute the expansive vision for that campus. It should be exciting to watch it unfold.
UNC researchers find link between BMI, genes
The Chapel Hill Herald
People who are overweight or obese sometimes joke about their bodies, saying that the waist size of their "jeans" is influenced by the "genes" they inherited from their parents. New research from UNC, however, suggests that this play on words has some basis in reality. …"Because central abdominal fat has been shown to be a strong risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease — a major health concern around the world — we looked for genes that might predispose people to a larger waist circumference," said Kari North, associate professor of epidemiology at UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health and a senior author of the study.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2664/107/
Vacation just another chance to view e-mail
The Charlotte Observer
For John Wheeless, a project manager for a Charlotte security company, going on vacation doesn't mean getting away from work. He takes his cell phone and laptop with him on family vacations so his employer, SFI Electronics, can reach him. …“Once people know you're behaving this way, businesses expect you to be at their beck and call, so vacations become hard,” said Gary Marchionini of UNC Chapel Hill's school of information and library science.
Officials ready to hit the water against drunken boaters
News 14 Carolina
North Carolina will be targeting boaters under the influence this weekend as part of Operation Dry Water. It’s a nationwide program to find drunken boaters and get them off the water. …In a study by UNC, researchers say passengers are just as likely to die at the driver. This is because many accidents usually involve a person falling overboard and drowning.
Headhunter who found Thorp will find UNC-CH a provost
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill is turning once again to an outside consultant for help finding a top administrator. William Funk, whose Dallas-based search firm was paid more than $100,000 to lead last year's chancellor search that resulted in the hiring of home-grown Holden Thorp, will earn $72,800 plus expenses to find the university's next provost. The university will pay Funk with private money, not state funds.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/unc-
once-again-taps-search-consultant
If there's a mountain, climb it
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Many people try to start businesses. And there are those who try to climb mountains. The few who are good at both say that learning the skills to do one can help with the other. Randy Myer was a successful entrepreneur and climber when he decided nine years ago to return to his alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, to share his experience. His key lessons on marketing, business plan analysis and more are built on a very solid and rugged foundation from his love of mountain climbing.
Public radio has cash woes
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Like many local organizations, WUNC 91.5 FM is feeling the crunch during this economic climate. WUNC, which does not receive funding from the state or from UNC Chapel Hill, relies mainly on listener and corporate contributions. Although the number of donors has actually increased this year, from 25,000 to 28,000, general manager Connie Walker says that the station will still be down by $370,000 at the end of the fiscal year.
For all the lithium in Bolivia (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Some economists have called lithium the next big thing in investing. Let me cut through the hype with a little geology and tell you why Bolivia is important to our future prosperity. Lithium is our best hope to reduce the hundreds of billions of dollars we send abroad each year to import oil. (John J.W. Rogers is retired as the William R. Kenan Jr. professor of geology at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
James Joyce exhibit closing
The Chapel Hill Herald
The James Joyce Book Exhibit "Joycean Generosity, Joycean Books" at UNC's Wilson Library closes on Tuesday. The free exhibit features books by the 20th-century Irish writer and poet, plus works by poets Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney and James Dickey.
Hapa photos at campus display
The Chapel Hill Herald
The "Part Asian, 100% Hapa" photo exhibit opens Wednesday and runs through Oct. 31 at the FedEx Global Education Center on the UNC campus. For this exhibit of portraits, Kip Fulbeck traveled the country photographing Hapa (Hawaiian word for "half" or mixed race) of all ages and walks of life.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2666/107/
Students to document water program
The Chapel Hill Herald
Five UNC students are traveling to the other side of the world July 2-31 to document on film the impacts of the work of WaterPartners, a nonprofit organization with its roots in North Carolina that empowers people in developing countries to gain access to clean water.
UNC student climbs mountains for the cure
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
When it comes to helping with cancer research, some people donate money. Some people even participate in walks. Trey Newsome climbs mountains. Newsome, a rising senior at UNC Chapel Hill, is the founder of Climb for the Cure, an annual fundraiser for cancer research and treatment.
Peeling the Orange
The Chapel Hill Herald
Another UNC student is about to seek the television spotlight on a reality show. Sophie Pyle, who is studying journalism at UNC, will be one of three young women whose lives will be followed on a show called, "Blonde Charity Mafia." …On Wednesday, the show held a preview party in Los Angeles. Pyle's escort to the party was fellow Tar Heel and American Idol star Anoop Desai.
Issues and Trends
State university tuition exemption gets budget spotlight
The Associated Press
Whether to give discounts to groups that pay tuition for University of North Carolina system students who excel on the field or in the classroom still isn't settled four years after the practice began. Arguments over giving in-state rates to out-of-state athletes and scholars on UNC system campuses have returned to the final budget negotiations at the General Assembly, because the House spending plan would repeal the 2005 exemption, at a savings of $13.9 million annually.