Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
Job report day (Blog)
The Washington Post
The payroll report was even worse than expected. The economy looks to have added 54,000 jobs in May. As always, these are estimates that will be revised in coming months and years. Nonetheless, they are among our best real-time snapshot of the economy. (Karl Smith is an assistant professor of economics and government at the University of North Carolina School of Government.)
Opposing view: Credit reports data show few errors (Opinion-Editorial Column)
USA Today
…The end result of PERC's study is that conjecture and opinions about accuracy have been replaced by empirical data. This is the only independent third-party study ever undertaken. In drafting its study, PERC sought the peer review input of professors at Duke, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. One peer reviewer said, "Overall, this study establishes the baseline against which all future studies on the accuracy of consumer credit reports in the United States can be measured."
Should a Medical Education Be Free? (Letter to the Editor)
The New York Times
Despite Drs. Peter B. Bach and Robert Kocher’s premise that huge medical school debts “are why so many doctors shun primary care,” I think that this is open for debate. I interact with medical students nearly every day, and while this proposal may affect the choice of some of them as to what specialty to pursue, I think the deeper issues in medical practice are a larger part of what drives medical students away from primary care: increasing bureaucracy, lack of autonomy, increased demands on time and a medical culture that values documentation of everything, no matter how inconsequential, over actual patient care. (Michael O. Meyers, Chapel Hill, N.C. The writer is an associate professor of surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine.)
Another Sad Chapter In Edwards' Fall From Grace
National Public Radio
…Not surprisingly, former campaign staffers and big donors won't comment on the indictment or any other aspect of the case. "I do think there's a strong feeling around that they just wish it would go away," said Ferrell Guillory, who teaches journalism and public policy at the University of North Carolina.
John Edwards’s potential left unfulfilled
The Washington Post
…“I have never seen a lawyer handle a jury better than John did,” says Kenneth Broun, a University of North Carolina law professor and former mayor of Chapel Hill.
Regional Coverage
Mission: Aerotropolis
The Hartford Business Journal (Connecticut)
Officials from the towns surrounding Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks want an aerotropolis in their future. The term aerotropolis, popularized by University of North Carolina business professor John Kasarda, envisions major cities with airports at their center.
State and Local Coverage
'There is still so much to learn'
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The top-notch education earned at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics is just the beginning, Joseph DeSimone emphasized to the Class of 2011. …"You need to accelerate what you have started here," said the UNC Chapel Hill and N.C. State University chemistry and chemical engineering professor. "Our state and our nation need your help."
UNC Students Enhance Work Environment For The Disabled
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
A senior design project by two UNC students placed third in the National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) Ability One Network Design Challenge. For the past seven years, the Student Design Competition has been under the supervision of Richard Goldberg, an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Curriculum in Applied Sciences and Engineering.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4566/75/
Phillips Ambassadors selected
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
An Orange County resident and two Durham County residents are among 18 UNC students selected as Phillips Ambassadors for 2011 study abroad programs in Asia. They will study in China, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam. Kristen Brews of Chapel Hill will study through the Council on International Educational Exchange Shanghai Summer Program. She is majoring in business administration and information science and minoring in Hispanic studies. Zachary MacHardy of Durham, a computer science major, will study in the UNC Summer in Japan Program. Kavya Sekar of Durham, a biology and anthropology major, will study in Vietnam through a UNC Burch Field Research Seminar.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4560/75/
Burn Victim Pays It Forward
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Burn survivor Kim Anderson was treated by the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center a little more than a year ago. He’s decided it’s time to give back and raise awareness about the institution that saved his life. …Anderson is hosting “Healing with a Feeling; A Night of Burnin’ Love” and all proceeds from the benefit will go towards the purchase of sun protected clothing for burn victims.
Clash of the (theater) titans, then a fateful collaboration
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Theater directors Joseph Haj and Dan Rothenberg met in public, and like boxers in high-profile fight, immediately started sparring. Verbally, that is. It was 2007, and both had been asked to speak on a panel about the future of American drama at a national gathering of theater professionals. Haj, now artistic director at PlayMakers Repertory Company
, argued in favor of traditional theatrical development: Choose a play, hire a cast and crew, put on a show.
Teachers feel pressure over job security
The Gaston Gazette
…The teaching shortage of the past has been postponed but will return once the economy rebounds, said Bill McDiarmid, UNC Chapel Hill Dean of the School of Education. “In fact there should be increased demand as the boomers retire,” McDiarmid said. The state needs 12,000 more teachers than the number of teachers who currently graduate from colleges in the state, he said.
College costs may climb for N.C. students
The Charlotte Post
Earning – and paying for – a college degree may become more difficult for North Carolina students. Rising tuition costs of 4.3 percent in the last two years are already being felt by students like UNC-Chapel Hill senior Laurel Ashton, who says she has had to borrow more money every year. The situation for students could become more difficult, if proposals to balance the state budget are successful. The budget the legislature is putting together cuts need-based grants and scholarships by 20 percent.
Drifting, by choice, toward separate schools (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Recently I participated in a panel discussion following a showing of the film "Waiting for Superman." The film is deeply moving. Only a heart of granite would remain unmoved by the plight of the children and caretakers as they learned they would not get into their schools of choice. In the discussion, Jim Johnson, a UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School professor and founder of the Union Independent School in Durham, made a crucial observation. (Bill McDiarmid, a Hoke County native, is dean of the School of Education at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Tax cuts, jobs and the truth (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
…During the budget debate last week, Republicans said the tax cuts would result in the creation of 17,000 private-sector jobs. That is based on an economic impact study conducted in April at the legislature's request by the University of North Carolina's Center for Competitive Economies. The UNC study analyzed the GOP plan to let expire "temporary" tax increases – a 1 cent sales tax and a personal and corporate income tax surcharge. (The corporate tax cuts were not part of the final package.)
Author discusses book's message
The Charlotte Observer
Myers Park Clubhouse ballroom was filled recently with UNC Chapel Hill graduates, students and fans of the memoir, "It Happened on the Way to War." The book was written by Charlotte resident Rye Barcott. Barcott, 32, has recently finished a 40-city tour, talking chiefly to high school and college students about his book, which was released in late March.
Building with hope
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
…Interest also is being piqued now that construction has gotten under way for a UNC physicians building in the Waterstone development just south of Oakdale Village, Sprouse said. The medical building is the first phase of a UNC satellite hospital in Waterstone. "With the UNC hospital opening up there . . . it will be a very attractive spot" to have a business at Oakdale Village to serve the influx of hospital employees, Sprouse said.
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/13772026/article-New-housing-project-in-works?
Road work to improve traffic flow
The Chapel Hill News
Wondering what's up with Weaver Dairy Road? …Why is the project happening? Weaver Dairy Road is a major artery to Carolina North, UNC's future satellite campus. The road's changing traffic lanes are confusing, and the parts closest to MLK Boulevard operate at an unacceptable level at rush hour. Plus, the Town Council really wanted those bike lanes and sidewalks.
Political scandal hits close to home
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
…UNC officials had no comment about Edwards, and no one from the UNC Law School, where John Edwards once led the UNC Poverty Center, could be located to comment on the indictment, according to the law school's communication director.
UNC mum on Internet report on NCAA probe
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
University of North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour said Saturday that he would not respond to an Internet report citing unnamed sources that said the NCAA has informed school officials that a notice of allegation regarding the school's football program will arrive on or around June 10.
Issues and Trends
State budget passes; Perdue must decide on veto
The Associated Press
A $19.7 billion spending plan that Democrats blasted as leading to thousands of layoffs for public employees landed on Gov. Bev Perdue's desk after the North Carolina House voted 73-45 early Saturday to pass the budget. Action hours later in the Senate left the Democratic governor with a decision on whether to veto the spending plan.
Related Link:
http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article/178215/57/Perdue-Prepared-To-Veto-State-Budget
House approves budget with vote that's veto-proof
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The N.C. House tentatively passed a $19.7 billion budget Friday with enough support to override a possibleveto by Gov. Bev Perdue. Democrats said the budget will harm education, the UNC system, health care for the poor and other public services. Havoc will be wreaked "more than you can imagine in this state," said Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat.
Democrats break away on budget
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In a historic legislative session where the new Republican majority has pushed aggressively to reshape government,
five Democrats ended up wielding considerable power over the session's most important document: the state budget. Early Saturday morning, those five conservative Democrats broke with Gov. Bev Perdue and voted with Republicans to pass the $19.7 billion budget with a veto-proof majority.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/06/05/1246335/bottoming-out.html#storylink=misearch
What’s Next for Wisconsin?
Inside Higher Ed
…Fiscal realities have motivated other flagships to try to pull away from their larger state systems of higher education — and they generally do not succeed, said Richard Novak, vice president for programs and research for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. He said that, in the past, similar ideas had been floated on behalf of such flagships as the University of Maryland at College Park and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Neither proved successful.