Jan. 12, 2006

Carolina in the News

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:

International Coverage

Adulthood may be bad for your health
United Press International
U.S. researchers say becoming an adult may be hazardous to your health. A study of leading health indicators shows serious health declines as adolescents become adults. In a survey of 14,000 young people, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carolina Population Center found diet, inactivity, obesity, health-care access, substance use and reproductive health worsen with age, the university said.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan06/adolescents011006.htm

HealthWrap: Less threatening bird flu?
United Press International
Talk about good news and bad news: While more cases of avian flu are identified in both birds and humans in Turkey, the first possible signs emerged that the virus itself might not be as lethal as feared. ... A study by researchers at the University of North Carolina showed people get heavier and less active and eat poorly as they move into adulthood. "The transition to adulthood is a time when people begin to solidify their health practices and, therefore, an important time for health improvement efforts," said Penny Gordon-Larsen, an assistant nutrition professor at UNC and a fellow at the Carolina Population Center.

National Coverage

Supreme court nominee
C-SPAN
Michael Gerhardt, a law professor of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, was featured on C-SPAN discussing his upcoming testimony on what's at stake in the confirmation hearing of Alito. Pres. Bush has nominated Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The Senate Judiciary Committee is now holding a week of confirmation hearings on his nomination.
UNC News Tip: http://www.unc.edu/news/newstips/2005/supremetip103105.html

MBAs Who Double Up
Business Week
After spending several years working at a large corporate bank, Trey Crabb, currently a managing director of investment banking for Avondale Partners in Nashville, Tenn., decided it was time for a change -- and he knew just what he wanted to do. He outlined his ideal career path in a 1998 application to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, and his prediction was realized after three years in the school's MBA/MHA (Master's of Health Administration) dual-degree program.

State & Local Coverage

UNC prof to testify at today's Alito hearing
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A University of North Carolina law professor has been invited by the Democratic Party to testify today before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Samuel Alito hearings. "He's going to be given awesome power. In the Supreme Court, he serves for life," UNC's Michael Gerhardt said of Alito. "The future of the Supreme Court is currently at stake."
UNC News Tip: http://www.unc.edu/news/newstips/2005/supremetip103105.html

But hardly UNCheap (Editorial)
The Wilminton Star-News
Many of North Carolina’s public universities are very good values, according to a financial advice magazine that evaluates schools based on academic quality, price and financial aid. That’s gratifying, and in line with the state’s wise tradition of holding down the price of higher education. ...But at UNC-Chapel Hill, ranked the country’s top value since 1998, the difference is just $976. Savings that size are dwarfed by the other costs of college – room and board, books, computers, transportation, clothes, gadgets and entertainment.

UNC gives bigger bang for buck
The Daily Tar Heel
For the fifth straight time Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has named UNC the best value among U.S. public colleges and universities. ...“What really pleases me … is it really recognized the quality, excellence of the University along with the cost,” Chancellor James Moeser said of the article.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan06/kiplingers010906.htm

Study raises alarm over youth health
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Despite efforts to drum good health habits into young American adults early, they still make harmful choices. ...A large study led by UNC-Chapel Hill researchers, the first of its kind, aims to answer those questions. But findings released Wednesday are already turning heads among public health experts. "It's stunning," said UNC-Chapel Hill researcher Kathleen Mullan Harris. "We looked at 20 areas, and 16 out of the 20 showed declines in health indicators."
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan06/adolescents011006.htm

Duke vs. UNC marathon shoots for record while helping local kids
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Duke students will meet UNC students on the basketball court this weekend, but for once, no one will guess at the final score. "It's going to be a lot of points," UNC junior Greg Richmond said. ...The project was sparked when Richmond, who is the effort's UNC director, heard about a record-setting softball marathon on the radio.

UNC chancellor upbeat about pay raises
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC Chancellor James Moeser told university employees Wednesday that 2006 could be the year they receive more hefty raises. "The good news is the economy of the state is good," Moeser said. "I'm optimistic that we'll see decent salary increases for state employees."

Admissions essays 101
The Greensboro News & Record
In the first admissions essay Greg Zaiser read this school year, a student used the dents in her truck as a metaphor for her life. ..."No one expects students to be prematurely middle aged," said Stephen Farmer, the director of admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill. "In fact, we don't like it when they are. It's fine to be 17 years old."

Muslims seek role in King celebration planning
The Fayetteville Observer
Thirteen years ago, a small group met at the Four Flames restaurant one chilly January morning to prayerfully celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. ...“All sorts of groups try to claim leaders as their own,” said Laurie Maffly-Kipp, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She specializes in interfaith communications. “Martin Luther King has been ‘claimed’ by a wide variety of black communities over the last four decades. And in this matter, there are prayer breakfasts and there are prayer breakfasts.

UNC foundation could lose tax status
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A report by the state auditor has found that UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Education Foundation has operated without a board of directors for a decade. The finding, released Wednesday by State Auditor Les Merritt, said the foundation had operated without the financial oversight of a board since 1995, in violation of state law and the foundation's by-laws.

New Manager Could Mean End To Delays At Carolina North
NBC-17
A decade after plans for Carolina North were first unveiled, a new manager has been put in charge of the University of North Carolina expansion project, which could mean an end to repeated delays in construction. Ken Brown, a former Chapel Hill mayor and UNC law professor, said he wants to make progress on developing the 900-plus acres, which includes Horace Williams Airport and is slated as a campus addition to UNC.

Stroke of luck
The Hickory Daily Record
David Ingram is one year removed from a series of strokes that threatened to end his life. Ingram is back at work now, thanks to Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Stroke Team. ...The program was fueled by a grant from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2002, CVMC assembled the team of neurologists and experts in the fields of emergency medicine, critical care and rehabilitation.

Issues & Trends

Bowles starts with bow
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The honeymoon is on. UNC President Erskine Bowles clearly said things legislators wanted to hear when he made his first appearance this week before the joint legislative education oversight committee.

General Assembly gives Bowles a warm welcome
The Winston-Salem Journal
Erskine Bowles went to the General Assembly yesterday for the first time as president of the UNC system. As it turned out, legislators were happy to go to him.

Produced by News Services, Carolina in the News is an e-mail sampling of current news media coverage about Carolina people and programs, as well as issues and trends that affect the university. Stories usually will be online and available free for a limited time - often one to two weeks. Expiration dates before stories move to archives vary by media outlet. Some outlets require free user registration or a subscription.

Carolina in the News is also posted daily to the News Services Web page, http://www.unc.edu/news/clips/index.shtml.

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