Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
State & Local
Installation party set for Folt
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Oct. 5
UNC is having a party this week to celebrate the installation of Chancellor Carol Folt, and everybody’s invited. Folt is set to be installed as the university’s 11th chancellor at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12 during a ceremony in Polk Place on the steps of the university’s South Building.
Performing artists salute new UNC president; Sacred Music rings out in Raleigh
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Oct. 5
Carolina Performing Arts will present “The World Comes Here: Celebrating the Performing Arts at Carolina” at 8 p.m. Oct. 11 in Memorial Hall on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. …The free 90-minute program is part of a weekend of events planned to celebrate the installation of Chancellor Carol Folt.
New computer eyewear a glimpse of the future
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Oct. 4
The Google Glass is at the front of a growing trend of wearable computers, according to David Ardia, an assistant professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. Ardia, also the school’s co-director of the Center for Media Law and Policy, said he expects widespread adoptions of Internet-connected wearable devices. …
UNC faculty members ask probing questions about athletics
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Oct. 5
This fall, UNC-Chapel Hill enrolled 160 new student athletes, and 14 of them had a predicted grade point average of below a 2.3, or a “C-plus,” placing them at risk for academic trouble. That’s according to Steve Farmer, the undergraduate admissions director, who shared his data with faculty Friday during a wide-ranging discussion of athletics. … “Risk is a spectrum,” Farmer said, describing the university’s effort to gauge who will ultimately succeed. “It’s not a bright line.”
UNC police investigating robberies at residence hall
WRAL-TV
Oct. 4
Police at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are investigating reports of three burglaries that happened Thursday and Friday in Ruffin Residence Hall. A person reportedly entered rooms on the third floor of Ruffin through unlocked doors and took items including wallets, cash, credit and debit cards and keys, officials said.
Issues & Trends
Federal Shutdown Hits the Classroom, Limiting Research and Fieldwork
Chronicle of Higher Education
Oct. 4
After Wednesday's meeting of his research-methods class, Richard A. Williams, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame, told students to light a candle in the university's grotto … for the government shutdown to end soon. His request was in jest, but Mr. Williams said that the inconveniences brought by the government shutdown are affecting faculty members and students alike.
Earnings Gap Narrows, but College Education Still Pays, Report Says
Chronicle of Higher Education
Oct. 7
The earnings gap between young college graduates and their peers with only high-school diplomas has narrowed slightly in recent years, but adults with bachelor's degrees still make significantly more over their careers, according to a report released on Monday by the College Board. …
Misperceptions on electronic health records
The News & Observer (Raleigh; op-ed)
Oct. 5
I greet a new patient whose spouse hands me papers outlining the medical history, saying, “It’s for you. Keep it.” A blessing. …Before electronic health records, patients and families understood that we providers might miss something important. …The adoption of EHRs, however, now gives the patient and family the perception that providers know everything. “I assumed you knew about it. It must be in the computer.” If only it were that simple. Lawrence B. Marks, M.D., is chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UNC-Chapel Hill.