Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
U. of Florida's Support for First-Generation Students: Helpful, but Pricey
The Chronicle of Higher Education
… At public institutions, in particular, state policy affects the ability to create and sustain such a program. Some public colleges with many needy students and limited state aid simply can't afford them, says Shirley A. Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and one of the architects of the Carolina Covenant.
Oil Predicted To Hit Florida's Atlantic Coast, Not Gulf
National Public Radio
…At a meeting on Capitol Hill earlier this week, oceanographer Rick Luettich from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill said these storms will change the flow of oil in the Gulf. They set up huge counterclockwise wind patterns. Professor Rick Luettich (Oceanography, University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill): As you make that counterclockwise rotation around the Gulf, you push things to the western Louisiana, you push things to Texas, areas that haven't seen them, but you also push them up against the Mississippi Delta.
Regional Coverage
Purdue names new vice president for student affairs
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, Ind.)
Purdue University named its new vice president for student affairs this morning. Melissa E. Exum, dean of students and associate vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named to replace Tom Robinson who retired last week, according to a university statement. The appointment, which is subject to approval by Purdue's Board of Trustees, is effective Aug. 2.
State and Local Coverage
What if drilling goes really wrong? (Opinion-Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
As the Deepwater Horizon disaster enters its third month, we are finding out more about what went wrong. It appears that corners were cut, and that none of the drilling operations had realistic plans for what would happen if a blowout occurred and backup systems failed. We also know that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) did not demand realistic assessments of what could go wrong pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review procedure.
Victor B. Flatt is the Taft distinguished professor of environmental law and director of the Center for Law, Environment, Adaptation and Resources at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law. He is also a member scholar of the Center for Progressive Reform.
Another path to nuclear energy
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The ongoing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico emphasizes our need to develop other forms of energy. That need is particularly acute in North Carolina, where we have to import all of the oil and nearly all of the coal (from other states) that we use. We can learn a lot from India about the solution to these problems.
John J.W. Rogers is retired as the William R. Kenan Jr. professor of geology at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Positive feelings improve entrepreneurs
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Hoyle Koontz is having a blast. As the co-founder of Frogman Interactive, the Winston-Salem entrepreneur helps clients tell their stories through sophisticated websites heavy on videos, images and graphic design. … His positive nature likely fuels his entrepreneurial success, according to the pioneering work of Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. Fredrickson's book "Positivity," released last year by Crown, highlights 20 years of her research on positive emotions. The bottom line, according to her: People who think positively are more self-aware, innovative and strategic.
Decision-making needn't suffer with age, NCSU study finds
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
When it comes to decision-making among seniors, this may be the best advice: Keep it simple. Older people make better decisions using their intuition – their "gut" reactions – than using analysis, particularly when forced to plow through an array of information where the right choice isn't obvious, N.C. State researchers report. … "Age is not the only factor at play," agreed Dr. Daniel Kaufer, a neurology professor at UNC-Chapel Hill who was not involved in the study. "Educational level, individual personality differences, and the complexity of the decision all may influence the ultimate choice."
William Friday Celebrates 90 Years
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
It’s 90 years for Bill Friday. UNC’s alumni association will host a birthday party next week for one of North Carolina’s most famous personalities. Friday was the UNC-System president for 30 years. His 90th birthday next Tuesday will be one more milestone in a historic life. But the champion of higher education says it’ll be just another day.
UNC Release: http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3736/68/
Chapel Hill Garden Teaches Sustainable Gardening
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Sustainable gardening is the focus of three workshops at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill this summer. Laura Cotterman, who writes the garden’s publications, says these workshops offer something different for local gardeners. The three workshops cover several sustainable gardening topics. The first, taught by garden volunteer Greta Lee, focuses on permaculture, a sustainable approach to all aspects of design intended to mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies.
Scientist to focus on personalized nutrition
The Salisbury Post
Dr. Martin Kohlmeier has joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis to advance personalized nutrition. Kohlmeier will relocate to Kannapolis to serve as faculty and primary investigator in the NRI Nutrigenetics Laboratory. UNC-Chapel Hill is one of eight universities studying health, nutrition and agriculture at the Research Campus. Kohlmeier will maintain his appointment as a research professor with the Department of Nutrition at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine and School of Public Health.
Tar Heel connection (Letter to the Editor)
The Chapel Hill News
This Independence Day weekend marks the 147th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Less than a mile from the actual battleground site, thousands of reenactors from the East Coast and Midwest have assembled for the annual battle reenactments, with thousands more in attendance to watch various battles over the three-day weekend. … Of course General Pettigrew is no stranger to the UNC community. Pettigrew Hall on campus is named in his honor and an elegant 1866 portrait hangs in the Southern Historical Collection in Wilson Library.
Issues and Trends
Public cash fills private need
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
… "Is it realistic to think that all of those students would have gone to a University of North Carolina school?" said Hannah Gage, chairwoman of the UNC system's Board of Governors. "You can't say one way or another." Before the state budget's adoption, Gage suggested legislators reduce private college funding, since public universities were expected to take a big budget hit. The UNC system took a $70 million cut in the final state budget.
Town studies business climate
The Chapel Hill News
A recent study shows Chapel Hill faces challenges to improve its business climate. The "Barriers to Small Business Development" study found Chapel Hill is hampered by a high cost of doing business, an overly restrictive sign ordinance, parking issues and complicated approval processes. Issues specific to downtown businesses included high rent, a lack of retail diversity and density, problems with parking availability and costs, and the presence of homeless people and panhandlers. … The study was prepared by graduate student Heather Schroeder from UNC's City and Regional Planning Department.
Related Link: http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/8393150/article-Town-Council-reviews-barriers-to-business?
Chapel Hill Transit shifts service, routes
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
During recent budget deliberations, the Town Councileliminated some routes and tweaked to the town's transit system, designed to save more than $340,000 over the next fiscal year. The plan calls for eliminating the system's weekday feeder service on Aug. 20. The shuttle service, offered to residents who live at least a quarter mile from a bus stop, has primarily been used by Morgan Creek residents. Because there are no convenient bus stops along the route, Morgan Creek riders, many of whom work at UNC, were often driven to campus by shuttle.
Chapel Hill Museum to Close Due to Financial Woes
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The treasurer of the Chapel Hill Museum says it’s closing, even though the Town of Chapel Hill pledged more than $70,000 in support over the next year. Museum treasurer Stephen Rich says the staff of the museum felt they couldn’t operate with the amount offered by the town. The Museum had requested $49,000 annually and a five-year renewal of the lease on the building, but the budget crunch meant that they didn’t get as much as they had hoped. The Chapel Hill Town Council approved $20,250 for an operating budget and as much as $50,000 for building maintenance, but museum board members felt that it didn’t get the job done.