Indiana University

Skip to:

  1. Search
  2. Breadcrumb Navigation
  3. Content
  4. Browse by Topic
  5. Services & Resources
  6. Additional Resources
  7. Multimedia News

Front Page News at Indiana University

May 4, 2007

Front Page News at IU delivers top headlines of the day from the campuses of Indiana University. It comes to you courtesy of IU University Communications in the Office of University Relations.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transformation of the Maidee H. and Jackson A. Seward Organ in Auer Hall to begin; C. B. Fisk, Inc., to build one of Midwest's finest musical instruments
"Tremendous gap" opening in math and science teaching capacity; As need for math and science skills increases, so does need for teachers
Chinese government selects IUPUI for Confucius Institute
Tavis Smiley receives highest honor from IU SPEA
Indiana University takes life sciences expertise to Boston for BIO 2007
IU Bloomington Scoreboard

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transformation of the Maidee H. and Jackson A. Seward Organ in Auer Hall to begin; C. B. Fisk, Inc., to build one of Midwest's finest musical instruments -- The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced today (May 4) that it is in the final stages of negotiations with C. B. Fisk, Inc., of Gloucester, Mass., to build its pipe organ in Auer Concert Hall. With almost 4,000 pipes, the instrument -- originally conceived by organ builder Manuel Rosales -- will be transformed into a Fisk organ, Opus 135, and is expected to debut in the fall of 2010, the year the school turns 100. Read the full story.

"Tremendous gap" opening in math and science teaching capacity; As need for math and science skills increases, so does need for teachers -- Just when the state of Indiana is ramping up efforts to attract life sciences jobs, the number of teachers key to developing the necessary skills in Indiana students is shrinking. Charles Barman, professor of science and environmental education in the Indiana University School of Education, cited federal numbers that indicate more than 30 percent of math teachers and 30 percent of science teachers in the state could retire in the next five years. While he said more employers cite science and technology skills as important for high school graduates, there aren't enough certified teachers to fill the gap when the older instructors retire. "The three areas that are the most in need right now, and will continue to be the most in need, are special education, science and mathematics," Barman said. "In science, there are certain areas that are more desperate than others. Physics is tremendously desperate in terms of need." Read the full story.

Chinese government selects IUPUI for Confucius Institute -- The Chinese government will place a prestigious institute at IUPUI, providing, among other things, short term training opportunities for central Indiana companies who wish to do business in China or expand their operations there. The Office of the China Language Council International in Beijing and the Chinese Consulate in Chicago announced that IUPUI was successful in its bid for a Confucius Institute. IUPUI is among a select group of universities that includes Oxford University in England that will partner with Sun Yat-Sen University in China in hosting Confucius Institutes. The Confucius Institute at IUPUI will be a major resource for the promotion of Chinese language and culture and developing networks with China. It is part of a major new initiative by the Chinese government to establish such institutes in key areas around the world. The institute will receive substantial funding from the Chinese government as well as visiting language instructors from China. Read the full story.

Tavis Smiley receives highest honor from IU SPEA -- While Tavis Smiley is in town delivering Indiana University Bloomington's commencement address, he's also enjoying the highest honor granted by his alma mater, IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Smiley, a renowned radio personality, television contributor and best-selling author, today received the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from the school. Read the full story.

Indiana University takes life sciences expertise to Boston for BIO 2007 -- Indiana University's commitment to life sciences will be on display Sunday through Wednesday (May 6-9) in Boston, Mass., when IU participates in BIO 2007, the leading international conference for the biotechnology industry in the United States. Several of IU's leading entrepreneurial researchers will be on hand to spread the word about the life sciences resources and expertise at the university. Nearly 20,000 biotechnology professionals from around the world are expected to attend BIO 2007. Read the full story.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indiana University Bloomington Scoreboard

Results from Thursday, May 3: No varsity teams in action

Schedule for Friday-Sunday, May 4-6:

Baseball -- After splitting last weekend's series with third-place PennState, Indiana heads west for a four-game set with fifth-place Iowa. The first game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, with follow ups on Saturday and Sunday. The Hoosiers sit at 6-14, currently three games out of the playoffs, as sixth-place Illinois is 8-10 in conference action. Read series notes.

Softball -- The Indiana wraps up its season this weekend against Purdue, with a game in West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday, May 5, and a game in Bloomington on Sunday, May 6. Both contests start at 1 p.m.

Track and field (men's and women's) -- The Indiana track and field teams will host the Billy Hayes Invitational on Friday, May 4, on the Billy Hayes Track at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex in Bloomington. Friday's field events begin at 4 p.m. ET with the javelin and long jump competitions, while running events open at 4:20 p.m. with the 4x100-meter relay. Read men's meet notes. Read women's meet notes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IU in the News

Tearful Farewell; President Herbert accepted the University Medal at his Farewell Tribute Wednesday
Indiana Daily Student, May 4 -- IU President Adam Herbert was given a hero's farewell during a public ceremony Wednesday, being awarded the University's highest non-academic award - invoking tears from the congenial leader. Herbert, who will depart July 1 after four years of University service, accepted the University Medal during festivities meant to commemorate achievements during his tenure. He is the 5th person to receive the honor since its creation in 1982. Read the complete story.

Call him Professor Joshua Bell
San Francisco Chronicle (Associated Press), May 3 -- Joshua Bell, who began studying violin at the Indiana University School of Music at age 8, will return to his alma mater as a senior lecturer in the school's string department. One of the world's leading violinists, Bell received an artist diploma from Indiana in 1989. He will begin teaching in the fall of 2008, performing and working with students individually and in groups. "I can think of no greater place ... to accept a faculty position," Bell said in a statement released Thursday by the university. "This continues an association that began ... when I first became a student of the legendary Josef Gingold, who had a profound impact on me as a musician and as a human being. I would only hope that I can impart even a fraction of his love of music and his wisdom to the students with whom I come in contact." Read the complete story.

Smiley looks forward to 'homecoming of sorts' at IU; Talk show host calls invitation to give IU's commencement address 'one of the highest honors' he has received
Bloomington Herald-Times, May 4 -- Tavis Smiley never tires of telling how he arrived at Indiana University with nothing but a suitcase, a few dollars in his pocket and a letter saying he had been admitted to the institution. Thanks to helpful officials and staff, he not only survived but thrived in Bloomington. And now, he's adding a new chapter to the story, returning to campus give this year's IU commencement address. "It is a homecoming of sorts," he said in a telephone interview this week. "And I think, of all the things I've been asked to do at this point in my career, it is one of the highest honors." Read the complete story.

Political blogging growing like a vine: Blogs keep the young plugged in, but do they bring in votes?
Chicago Sun-Times, May 4 -- Blogging is being embraced by most of the Democratic and Republican candidates in their attempt to catch the attention of the young. According to a study by Kristin Hanks, a graduate student at Indiana University School of Informatics, only 2 percent of campaign Web sites had blogs or "visitors' comments" in 2002. Today, it's 74 percent. Read the complete story.

Sweet Jesus I love Bill O'Reilly!; Why I owe my gig as an L.A. Times columnist to the name-calling cable and radio personality.
L.A. Times, May 4 -- Three IU scholars just released a "content analysis" of O'Reilly's trademark "Talking Points Memo," the brief commentary with which he opens his daily Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor." The authors begin by informing us, with some consternation, that four in 10 Americans actually think O'Reilly is "a journalist." But after many charts and numbers, they conclude that he's really just a big right-wing bully. Read the full editorial.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Traveling to Bloomington? Check the weather in the vicinity by calling Weatherline at 812-334-1515. Or, go to the Bloomington Herald-Times' weather page at: https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/weather/.

For more information on Bloomington, Indiana, where to stay, where to eat and what to do, go to: https://www.visitbloomington.com/.

For more information on Indiana University, to arrange a tour or get a map, go to: https://www.indiana.edu/~iuvis/.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get more news from IU at the following frequently-visited university Web sites:

-- For all news releases from University Communications, go to: https://newsinfo.iu.edu/.

-- Find the Indiana University Gateway page with links to all IU campuses at: https://www.indiana.edu/.

-- To subscribe or unsubscribe to e-newsletters from IU, go to: https://newsinfo.iu.edu/subscribe/.

-- To subscribe to University Communications RSS news feeds, go to: https://newsinfo.iu.edu/web/page/normal/2106.html.

-- For IU Bloomington athletics news, go to: https://iuhoosiers.collegesports.com/.

-- For IUPUI athletics news, go to: https://www.iupuijags.com/.

-- For audio and video clips of IU events, go to: https://broadcast.iu.edu/.

-- For an IU Calendar of Events, go to: https://events.iu.edu/.

-- For faculty and staff news at IU, go to: https://www.homepages.indiana.edu.

-- Find people and e-mail addresses at any IU campus at: https://www.iub.edu/people/address.shtml.