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Media Relations

Bloomington Herald-Times articles

Nov. 28, 2006

Surgeon general to speak at IU; Kenneth Moritsugu will address university's role in public health as HPER school celebrates 60th anniversary
November 28, 2006

Kenneth Moritsugu, the acting surgeon general of the United States, will be at Indiana University today and Wednesday talking about IU's role in improving public health.

He will give a public lecture at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Indiana Memorial Union's Whittenberger Auditorium.

The talk is part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. It can be seen live on the Web at www.broadcast.iu.edu.

Moritsugu also will talk with students, faculty and administrators about how universities can work with state government, local health departments and nonprofit groups to improve public health.

A physician and a career officer in the Public Health Service, the Hawaii native was named acting surgeon general in July. He is a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, the Royal Society of Health and the Royal Society of Medicine.

Mohammad Torabi, chairman of IU's applied health science department, and Judith Monroe, the Indiana state health commissioner, invited him to talk about how IU can help address Hoosiers' health needs. Torabi said the visit is a "wonderful opportunity" to showcase the importance of public health in preventing death and suffering.

State's high school graduation rate about 75%
Associated Press
November 28, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS — About three-quarters of Indiana students graduate from high school, but minority and poor students continue to trail their peers, according to new numbers released Monday by the Department of Education.

The calculations, based on a new formula designed to more accurately reflect the number of students dropping out, show about 74 percent of students graduate within four years, and an additional 1.8 percent graduate after four years.

The department said that 12 percent of students are either dropouts or of undetermined status, which could mean they moved out of state or dropped out without formally withdrawing from school.

The rate is based on a new formula that follows each student. Previous estimates using less accurate formulas have been at about 90 percent, but education officials have known for years that the rate was too high.

Most formulas have put Indiana's rate between 70 percent and 75 percent — numbers in line with the new Department of Education estimate.

The new data also shows that black students, Hispanic students and those from low-income families are nearly half as likely to graduate as their peers, the department said.

"The graduation data further confirms that the achievement gap is a complex mix of culture, family circumstance and student expectations, issues that cannot be overcome by schools alone," said Suellen Reed, state superintendent of public instruction.

Reed said the new, more accurate graduation rate is a baseline to grow on.

"We now have a clear picture of high school graduation in Indiana, and with it comes a better understanding of our state's dropout crisis," she said.

Graduation rates for individual schools are scheduled to be released in December.

Married doctoral students on faster degree track than single candidates
Scripps Howard News Service
November 28, 2006

Doctoral students who are married — especially men — can also say "I do" to a quicker degree, a new study shows.

The study found that married men pursuing Ph.D.s are 75 percent more likely than their single peers to finish their degrees in four years.

The research also shows that tying the knot helps women in doctoral programs, but not as significantly. Married women were 25 percent more likely than single women to graduate in four years, according to the study done by Joseph Price, a Cornell University graduate student in economics who is married with three children.

"I was married when I started graduate school three years ago," Price said in an e-mail. "Many classmates commented that it must be really hard to balance school and family life, and I was curious if that was the case in general for graduate students."

Price used data gathered on 11,000 graduate students over two decades. The students came from 100 different academic departments.

The results also show that married students are more likely to publish during graduate school and have more publications. For men, marriage is also tied to a higher probability of a tenure-track position within six months of graduating.

His research helps debunk the myth that getting hitched is a hindrance on students pursuing advanced degrees.

Laurren Kanner, who works for Boulder, Colo.-based Ball Aerospace, is a full-time aerospace engineering student who got engaged in October.

"I know a lot of students, when they get engaged or get married, think it's going to be hard to keep up with school when you're trying to plan a wedding and when your significant other wants to see more of you," she said.

But Kanner doesn't seem concerned. She and her fiance, who met as University of Colorado undergraduates in a dorm cafeteria, are planning a wedding that is 18 months down the road.

Ben Kadlec, a CU student working toward a doctoral degree in computer science, proposed to his girlfriend last month. The timing, he said, is good because they are both in graduate school in the same state. His fiancee, Sara Werner, is studying biological sciences at CU's Health Sciences Center in Aurora.

Kadlec, 24, is in his second year of a doctoral track that typically takes five years. After this semester, Kadlec said he will be working on thesis credits and his self-motivation will largely affect how quickly he reaches the Ph.D. finish line.

"I think there's motivation that comes with being in a relationship or being married," he said. "The 'busyness' of having someone else in your life helps keep people on track."

Kadlec said there are also perks to being engaged to a fellow graduate student: She can complain about long laboratory hours and the agony of tests, and be understanding when out-of-town research conferences come up.

Lisa Phillips, 23, got engaged in May, before starting her master's studies this fall in music performance at CU.

"I didn't want to get married while I was in school," Phillips said. "I made that clear from the beginning. I want to be more established and have more credentials before we get married."

She and her fiance, a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, set a 2008 date and reserved the Belhurst Castle, which sits on a lake in upstate New York.

Weismiller resigns as IU volleyball coach; 14-year veteran steps down after Hoosiers finish 2006 with 19 consecutive losses
November 28, 2006

Katie Weismiller will not return next season as Indiana's volleyball coach.

The IU athletic department announced Tuesday that Weismiller will not seek renewal of her contact, saying it was a mutual decision between her and IU's administration.

Weismiller's contract expires on Dec. 31.

"I am incredibly thankful to Indiana University, the athletic department, administration, students, parents and the Bloomington community for the opportunity to serve IU for the past 14 years," Weismiller said in an IU news release.

"It has been an honor to represent Indiana University as the head volleyball coach. I look forward to my new role as a loyal fan, spectator and Bloomington-based Hoosier."

Indiana's volleyball team finished this season with a 10-22 record, including 19 straight losses to close the season.

Weismiller has led the Hoosiers to four NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 12 years, but her squads went 27-68 (.284) over the last three seasons.

She finished with a career record of 198-240. More than 50 school records were broken under Weismiller's leadership. Her student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors on 38 occasions over the past five seasons.

"We appreciate Coach Weismiller's many years of hard work and service," Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said. "Her program has always done a good job of representing Indiana University. We wish Katie and her family nothing but the best in their future endeavors."

Indiana will conduct a national search for a new head coach that will begin immediately. No timetable has been established to name a replacement.

Editorial: Winning off the court
November 28, 2006

The resignation of Indiana University volleyball coach Katie Weismiller, which was announced Monday, represents a loss for the university's athletic program.

The on-court victories had been increasingly difficult to come by in the last few years for the Hoosiers, who struggled to match dominating national programs such as Penn State and Minnesota, as well as recent Top 25 regulars Purdue, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Recruiting became tougher as the gap in facilities grew. The result: IU finished last in the conference the past two seasons.

Still, Weismiller resigned as the winningest coach in IU history, and led the Hoosiers to their only four NCAA tournament appearances.

Perhaps more important were two other factors: She encouraged her players to get involved in the community as role models for young girls and women; and she stressed academics to the point that her team always was among the G.P.A. leaders for IU's athletic teams, often approaching 3.5 — an A-minus — as a teamwide average.

The next coach might be able to improve on the winning percentage, but it's hard to imagine a better coach for molding student-athletes.

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