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Institute of Government Foundation elects new board members

The Institute of Government Foundation recently elected Lucy Taylor Allen, James E. Holshouser Jr., Jeffrey S. Koeze and Thomas W. Ross to membership on its board of directors.

Allen is mayor of the Town of Louisburg and serves as second vice president of the N.C. League of Municipalities. She is a member of the N.C. Local Government Partnership Council and the Louisburg College Board of Trustees. Allen has served on a wide range of public committees and has received awards from various organizations for outstanding citizenship.

Holshouser served four terms in the N.C. House of Representatives and was governor from 1973 to 1977. A partner in Sanford-Holshouser law firm of Raleigh and Pinehurst, he currently serves as Moore County Attorney and holds a seat on the UNC Board of Governors.

Koeze is president and chief executive officer of Koeze Co., located in Grand Rapids, Mich. Before joining the company, Koeze was an associate professor of public law and government at the Institute of Government in the areas of health care law, finance and policy.

Ross is a superior court judge for the state’s 18th Judicial District in Greensboro. Following his appointment as chair of the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission in 1990, he led the state's adoption of innovative sentencing guidelines and community corrections legislation. These new guidelines have been called a "model for the nation" by the American Bar Association.

The foundation was established in 1996 to strengthen the private support necessary to conduct the Institute's statewide programs, projects and operations. Besides annual city and county membership dues, the foundation may accept gifts of cash, securities, real estate, equipment and other items from individuals, businesses, foundations and associations throughout North Carolina.

The Institute of Government provides state and local government leaders, citizens and nonprofit organizations with a broad array of services related to North Carolina government. It was established as a private organization in 1931 and became part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1942. For more information, contact Ann Simpson, associate director for development, at 919-966-9780 or simpson.iog@mhs.unc.edu or visit the Institute's Web site at http://ncinfo.iog.unc.edu.

Mary Beth Hernandez recently was named director of program advancement for UNC-CH’s new Carolina Environmental Program.

She formerly was manager of corporate communications at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and assistant director of development at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The mission of the Carolina Environmental Program is to coordinate the resources on the UNC-CH campus in the areas of environmental education, research and public service to North Carolina and the nation. It will offer innovative ways of teaching the environmental sciences to undergraduate and graduate students with the goal of assisting the state, nation and world in promoting and preserving a healthy, sustainable society.

For more information about CEP, call the program office at 919-966-9922 or visit its Web site at www.cep.unc.edu/.

The MEASURE Evaluation Project, based at UNC-CH’s Carolina Population Center, recently hosted a workshop designed to improve the international community’s ability to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of HIV prevention efforts.

Twenty officials from 14 developing countries attended the "Towards Better Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV Prevention, AIDS Care and STD Control Programs: Review of Country Experiences" workshop, held Aug. 3-7. The program was sponsored by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and was the first serious effort to identify the direct causes of behavioral changes that lead to declines in HIV prevalence, according to Dr. Bernard Schwartlander, an epidemiologist at UNAIDS in Geneva.

Directed by Dr. Amy O. Tsui, professor in the department of maternal and fetal medicine and child health at the UNC-CH School of Public Health, the MEASURE Evaluation Project conducts research in Tanzania, Uganda, Guatemala, Malawi and Zambia. For more information, contact Amy Cunningham at 919-966-7482 or amy_cunningham@unc.edu

A self-help course for people suffering from arthritis will be offered Wednesdays, beginning Sept. 2 and continuing through Oct. 7, from 2:30-4:40 p.m. at the Chapel Hill Senior Center at 400 S. Elliott Road.

The course, which costs $30 per participant, is being sponsored by UNC-CH’s Thurston Arthritis Research Center and the Arthritis Foundation. The classes will cover topics such as strategies for decreasing pain, ways to relax and cope with stress and depression, good nutritional habits and problem-solving techniques.

Checks should be made payable to Thurston Arthritis Research Center and brought to the first class Sept. 2. The class size is limited to 15 people. To register, call Deb MacDonald at 919-966-9954.

Dr. Howard E. Aldrich, distinguished professor of sociology and chairman of industrial relations at UNC-CH, is among five researchers awarded a joint $179,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the influence of the founder’s gender in business start-ups.

The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., is sponsoring the study. The researchers will look at what factors affect women’s participation in the entrepreneurial process by focusing on the earliest stages of new venture creation.

Jan Gottschalk recently was appointed director of the N.C. Civic Education Consortium. The consortium, based at the UNC-CH Institute of Government, is a statewide partnership of more than 80 nonprofit organizations, public schools and state and local government agencies.

The consortium's mission is to introduce first-hand experience to the teaching of civics in elementary, middle and secondary schools by bringing local community leaders into classrooms and involving students in projects which explore issues in their communities.

Gottschalk, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, previously taught government and history in the Duke School for Children Middle School.

As director, Gottschalk will build partnerships with businesses and nonprofit organizations, and direct teachers to existing resources for teaching civics. She also will oversee the development of experiential educational opportunities for elementary and secondary students.

Membership in the consortium is open to any private or public organization in North Carolina addressing civic education for children and youth. For more information, contact Whitaker, at 919-962-0427 or e-mail whitaker.iog@mhs.unc.edu or Ann Simpson, associate director for development, at 919-966-9780 or e-mail simpson.iog@mhs.unc.edu.

The Institute of Government provides state and local government leaders, citizens and nonprofit organizations with a broad array of services related to the operation of North Carolina government. The Institute was established as a private organization in 1931 and became part of UNC-CH in 1942.

Members of the UNC-CH Navy ROTC battalion recently gathered for the first lab period of the Fall 1998 semester at the Naval Armory, and were presented awards to recognize outstanding academic performance and physical fitness for the Spring 1998 semester.

Academic awards were given to students with a grade point average of 3.2 or higher. Students earning this honor receive a ribbon and star to wear on the uniform this semester.

The Academic Excellence Awards went to: Midshipman First Class Scott Benfield of Hudson; Midshipman First Class Andrew Bennington of Hillsborough; Midshipman First Class Steven Bowden of Chapel Hill; Midshipman First Class Joel Sgro of London, England; Officer Candidate Scott Mitchell of Durham; Midshipman First Class Matt Hawkins of Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.; Midshipman First Class Melissa Crawford of Olney, Md.; Midshipman First Class Robbie Hoover of Durham; Midshipman First Class Josh Martin of Little River, S.C.; Midshipman First Class Benjamin Nelson of Chapel Hill; Midshipman First Class Christopher Blum of Neptune Beach, Fla.; Midshipman Second Class Christine Monahan of Alpharetta, Ga.; Midshipman Second Class Diana Gonzalez of Roxboro; Midshipman Second Class Michael Hays of Murphy; Midshipman Second Class Erin Van Airsdale of Neenah, Wis.; Midshipman Second Class Esposito of Lutz, Fla.; Officer Candidate Michael Urton of Chapel Hill; Midshipman Third Class Rye Barcott of Greenwich, RI.; Midshipman Third Class Robert Ross of Nashville, Tenn.; Midshipman Third Class Matthew Love of Webster, N.Y.; Midshipman Third Class Sara Martin of Raleigh; Midshipman Third Class Hunter Fritz of Nags Head; Sgt. Eric Gray of Chapel Hill; Midshipman Third Class Heidi Cregar of Bloomington, Minn.; Midshipman Third Class Jennifer Wilde of Rochester, N.Y.; Midshipman Third Class Katherine Hahn of Jacksonville; Midshipman Third Class Jason Ladd of Newport, RI; Midshipman Third Class Jessica Moore of Jacksonville.

The physical fitness award is given to midshipmen for outstanding performance on the Navy and Marine Corps physical fitness tests. These tests measure an athlete's ability in distance running, upper body strength and endurance. They are awarded the Physical Readiness Test or Physical Fitness Test ribbon to wear this semester.

The Physical Fitness Excellence awards went to: Midshipman First Class Steven Bowden of Chapel Hill; Midshipman First Class Andrew Bennington of Hillsborough; Midshipman First Class Melissa Crawford of Olney, Md.; Midshipman Second Class Diana Gonzalez of Roxboro; Midshipman Second Class Kenneth Rahn of Hampstead; Midshipman Second Class Katherine Wilson of Nags Head; Midshipman Second Class Chris Esposito of Lutz, Fla.; Midshipman Second Class Jaime Jackson of Trinity; Midshipman Second Class Christine Monahan of Alpharetta, Ga.; Midshipman Third Class Rye Barcott of Greenwich, RI; Midshipman Third Class Justin Johnson of Fayetteville; Midshipman Third Class Jacob Caldwell of Black Mountain; Midshipman Third Class Jon Caldwell of Black Mountain; Midshipman Third Class Jason Ladd of Newport, RI; Sgt Kevin Bicking of Chapel Hill; Midshipman Third Class Burton Walkup of Charlotte; Midshipman Third Class Matt Cox of Wilson; Midshipman Third Class Sarita Perrin of Houston; Midshipman Third Class Jennifer Wilde of Rochester, N.Y.; Midshipman Third Class Heidi Cregar of Bloomington, Minn.; Midshipman Third Class Jessica Moore of Jacksonville; Midshipman Third Class Emily Norton of Roswell, Ga.

For more information, call Midshipman Second Class Erin Van Airsdale at the Navy ROTC office at 919-962-1198.

For the third year in a row, the Division of Business and Finance at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its annual financial report.

The award is presented by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, a nonprofit professional association with offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C., serving 12,625 government finance professionals.

"This certificate is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management," Stephen Gauthier, the association’s technical services center director, recently wrote to Wayne Jones, who has retired as UNC-CH treasurer.

An impartial panel judged financial reports "to meet . . . high standards . . . including demonstrating a constructive spirit of full disclosure to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the (report.)"

UNC-CH was the first campus in the 16-campus UNC system to earn the association honor.

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News Services contact: Karen Stinneford, 919-962-8415, Mike McFarland, 919-962-8593