Front Page News at Indiana University

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IU opens Evansville engagement office to enhance economic development in southwest Indiana
IU selects seasoned leader to direct new Evansville engagement office
Brenda Johnson named Ruth Lilly Dean of Indiana University Libraries
New study on retail discounting: What works for some products might be a bust for others
IU Bloomington task force issues recommendations on traffic safety
Indiana Geological Survey to play key role in search for renewable geothermal energy
WFIU Radio to feature interview with former IU Foundation president Curtis R. Simic
IU Jacobs School of Music and Bloomington Area Arts Council collaborate on program
IU Distinguished Professor Menahem Pressler honored by hometown
'Above and Beyond' the theme for A Potpourri of the Arts in the African American Tradition
IU Bloomington Scoreboard

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IU opens Evansville engagement office to enhance economic development in southwest Indiana -- Indiana University has announced the opening of its newly created Office of Engagement in Evansville. The new office will provide southwest Indiana with a 'front door' to IU, directly connecting the region to the university. By serving as a gateway for the community to access IU's resources, the office will enable the university to play a greater role in contributing to economic development in that region. IU established the Office of the Vice President for Engagement in 2007. Led by William B. Stephan, vice president, the IU office focuses on building partnerships with local business and community leaders to provide support and assistance for economic development. Bringing IU's resources to bear in Indiana communities is a priority for the Office of Engagement. Read the complete story.

IU selects seasoned leader to direct new Evansville engagement office -- Indiana University has named David Sobotka as director of engagement for Evansville and southwest Indiana. Currently the director of Purdue University's Technical Assistance Program (TAP) offices in Jasper and Evansville, Sobotka will now serve as the face of both IU and Purdue for economic development in Evansville and southwest Indiana. This is the second combined engagement representation agreement between the two universities in recent years, the other being Fort Wayne/Northeast Indiana. Sobotka, who has enjoyed long-standing relationships in the southwest Indiana and Evansville business communities through his role at Purdue's TAP, will now represent both IU and Purdue at community and business events while facilitating linkages with workforce development opportunities. Read the complete story.

Brenda Johnson named Ruth Lilly Dean of Indiana University Libraries -- Brenda Johnson, who currently serves as University Librarian at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has been named Ruth Lilly Dean of the Indiana University Libraries, Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson announced Nov. 18. "The Indiana University Libraries are critical to the institution's mission," said Hanson. "I am confident that our libraries will continue to flourish under Brenda's leadership. Her experience as a director of a member library of the Association of Research Libraries and her engaging style will serve her -- and the entire IU community -- well." Read the complete story.

New study on retail discounting: What works for some products might be a bust for others -- Retailers beware. Some tried-and-true discounting tactics for pepping up holiday season sales can be a boon for some products -- but a bust for others. First-of-its kind research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business confirms that certain kinds of point-of-purchase discounts can effectively attract more buyers in the short-term but for some products can tarnish sales and brand equity over time. Researchers invited study participants -- more than 100 university students -- into an imaginary local grocery store where they were asked to shop "as they do in real life." The researchers manipulated discount prices of common items and interviewed participants to determine how this might have influenced purchases. They found that for some products, placing discount messages in close proximity to discounted items was the most effective way to build sales. Read the complete story.

IU Bloomington task force issues recommendations on traffic safety -- An Indiana University Bloomington task force on traffic safety has recommended an extensive education campaign and the phased installation of a more effective type of pedestrian crosswalk as key steps to improving vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle safety on campus. The Bloomington Campus Traffic Safety Task Force report, released Nov. 18, also calls for coordinating the locations of campus and city bus stops, and establishing an IU Bloomington standing committee with ongoing oversight of issues related to campus traffic safety. Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson created the task force on Sept. 18, 2009, charging it to study traffic safety issues, examine factors that had led to recent accidents and recommend measures to improve safety throughout campus. Read the complete story.

Indiana Geological Survey to play key role in search for renewable geothermal energy -- The Indiana Geological Survey, a research institute of Indiana University, is a member of a large, new U.S. Department of Energy project to assess the geothermal potential of most American states. Also known as the IGS, the Survey is participating in a comprehensive nationwide inventory of geothermal data to help identify and assess new geothermal resources for potential development. The IGS, along with 40 other state geological surveys, has formed a coalition to populate a new National Geothermal Data System with relevant, state-specific geothermal data. Over the three-year life of the project, the Geothermal Data Consortium will receive $17.79 million from the DOE with the IGS receiving $300,000. Read the complete story.

WFIU Radio to feature interview with former IU Foundation president Curtis R. Simic -- WFIU Public Radio will air a special "Profiles" interview with Curtis R. Simic, president emeritus of the Indiana University Foundation, on Nov. 29 (Sunday) at 7 p.m. In the interview, conducted by Executive Director of Radio and Television Services Perry Metz, Simic will discuss his experiences fundraising at institutions across the nation -- including University of California-Berkeley and Yale University -- and his longtime dream to return to IU. "You have dreams, and sometimes they don't come true as you hope they do," said Simic, who became president of the IU Foundation in 1988, retiring in 2008. "This one came true." Read the complete story.

IU Jacobs School of Music and Bloomington Area Arts Council collaborate on program -- The Bloomington Area Arts Council (BAAC) and the Jacobs School of Music announce "Opera Tease," a collaborative, two-day educational program for middle school and high school students, with a focus on musical and production aspects of opera. Opera Tease is the brainchild of BAAC employee Bernie Oakley. A former opera singer who debuted at the Detroit Opera Theatre and performed a European tour of Porgy and Bess, her motivation behind the program was to involve high school students and others in opera. The first day of Opera Tease will outline the various elements that are required to create a successful opera. Read the complete story.

IU Distinguished Professor Menahem Pressler honored by hometown -- IU Distinguished Professor Menahem Pressler will receive an honorary citizenship Nov. 22 (Sunday) from his hometown of Magdeburg, Germany, which he fled to escape the Nazis in 1939. "In life, it is very seldom that one has an opportunity to make something good that happened many years ago," said Pressler. "That is what's happening here. This is like an act of reconciliation." Pressler, a legendary pianist and pedagogue on the Jacobs School of Music faculty, will accept the honor from Mayor Lutz Trümper during a concert Pressler will perform at the Magdeburg Opera House. Read the complete story.

'Above and Beyond' the theme for A Potpourri of the Arts in the African American Tradition -- "Above and Beyond" is the theme for the 16th annual A Potpourri of the Arts in the African American Tradition, presented by Indiana University's African American Arts Institute. Dance, melody and rhythm only begin to describe the compilation of talent featured from the three ensembles -- the IU Soul Revue, the African American Dance Company and the African American Choral Ensemble. The concert will be held on Dec. 5 (Saturday) at 8 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. Read the complete story.
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Indiana University Bloomington Scoreboard

Results from Tuesday, Nov. 17:
Wrestling: For the third consecutive season, IU Wrestling opened their dual match schedule with a shutout on the road at Wabash College. The Hoosiers blanked Wabash, 45-0. Read the match notes.

Results from Wednesday, Nov. 18:
Women's Basketball: Indiana women's basketball team defeated Cincinnati, 64-57. Read the game notes.

Results from Thursday, Nov. 19:
Men's Basketball: Indiana started off strong, but Ole Miss was able to use a 30-5 run to create a cushion as the Rebels defeated the Hoosiers, 89-71, in the first round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tipoff. Read the game notes.
Men's Soccer: The Hoosiers defeated Louisville, 2-0, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. Read the match notes.

Schedule for Friday, Nov. 20:
Men's Basketball: Boston University, 6 p.m., San Juan, Puerto Rico
Women's Volleyball: Ohio State, 7 p.m., Bloomington, Ind.
Men's and Women's Swimming: Hoosierland Invitational, Bloomington, Ind.

Schedule for Saturday, Nov. 21:
Football: Purdue, 3:30 p.m., Bloomington, Ind.
Women's Volleyball: Penn State, 7 p.m., Bloomington, Ind.
Women's Rowing: Fall Intra-Squad Class Race Classic, Bloomington, Ind.
Men's and Women's Swimming: Hoosierland Invitational, Bloomington, Ind

Schedule for Sunday, Nov. 22:
Women's Basketball: Missouri, 2 p.m., Bloomington, Ind.
Men's Soccer: Butler, 2 p.m., Bloomington, Ind.
Men's Basketball: TBA, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Men's and Women's Swimming: Hoosierland Invitational, Bloomington, Ind

Schedule for Monday, Nov. 23:
Men's and Women's Cross Country: NCAA Championships, Terre Haute, Ind.

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IU in the news

Indiana jobless rate rises to 9.8 percent
Indianapolis Star, Nov. 20 -- Indiana's preliminary seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate showed little change in October, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported today. Indiana's preliminary rate of 9.8 percent marked an increase of 0.1 of a percentage point from a revised September rate of 9.7 percent. Indiana's month-to-month change was considered statistically insignificant. The national unemployment rate increased in October by 0.4 of a percentage point to 10.2 percent. Teresa Voors, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, was encouraged by the added jobs but said, "It's still too early to say we have turned the corner." Matt Kinghorn, economic research analyst with Indiana University's Indiana Business Research Center, agreed. "It's really encouraging news in seeing Indiana make improvements and (in some sectors) really dramatic improvements . . . It's still too early to say that Indiana is out of the woods." Full story.

Some are skipping the vaccine out of distrust
Indianapolis Star, Nov. 19 -- Thousands of Hoosiers are lining up at clinics offering the H1N1 vaccine, yet distrust -- in various forms -- has spurred many others to forgo the vaccine for themselves and their children. "This is all a first-round shot, and I don't feel safe," said Kelly Floyd, a Warren Township mother of four, ages 8 to 16. "I just feel that I don't want my kids to be guinea pigs." Public health officials repeatedly have urged parents to have their children -- considered in the high-risk group -- vaccinated, but it's clear that they have more work to do to convince Floyd and other skeptics like her. The speed with which the vaccine was produced, experts say, left little time for convincing those with doubts that vaccination is the safest course. "I think we did the best we could under the circumstances," said Dr. Herb Cushing, a professor in the infectious disease section at the Indiana University School of Medicine, who has not yet had the vaccine himself. Full story.

Prevention Effort Targets Pre-Diabetics
Wall Street Journal, Nov. 18 -- Ed Chandler used to think he could stay trim as long as he got plenty of exercise -- spending four hours a week at the YMCA running, biking, lifting weights and playing basketball. Then, three years ago, as Mr. Chandler's weight crept up to 240 pounds on his six-foot frame, a blood test showed he was heading toward Type 2 diabetes, a result, he later learned, of his poor eating habits. The 55-year-old commercial banker from Indianapolis signed up for a 16-week program at his local YMCA designed especially for pre-diabetics. Today Mr. Chandler says he shuns red meat, eats broccoli, and reaches for an apple instead of cookies, and he mostly keeps his weight about 35 pounds below its peak. David Marrero, a diabetes expert at Indiana University who led the effort to adapt the NIH study for the YMCA program, says the key is to get people to understand, and control, their food intake. "Nobody knows what they eat," says Dr. Marrero, who is director of the university's Diabetes Translational Research Center. "We are teaching people how to think through and reconstitute their eating habits." Dr. Marrero says most participants in the YMCA program know people with diabetes. That's a motivator in itself, he says. "They've seen the dark side of" the disease, Dr. Marrero says. Full story.

Female Sexual Dysfunction: Myth or Malady?
TIME, Nov. 18 -- There was a time when Wendy and her husband had sex three times a week. But for the past six years, the purple negligee that Wendy used to entice her husband has been stuffed in the back of a drawer. And now, instead of getting hot and bothered by her husband's advances, Wendy is simply bothered. "All of a sudden I didn't have any desire. There's just nothing there anymore," says Wendy, who requested that her last name not be published. For about a decade, roughly since the FDA approved Viagra for sexual dysfunction in men, drug companies have been searching for the female version of the little blue pill, a drug to cure what ails women like Wendy in bed. But what ails them -- a psychiatric condition known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), defined as a distressing lack of sexual desire, absent other medical conditions -- has been notoriously difficult to pin down. Debby Herbenick, a sex educator and researcher at Indiana University's Kinsey Institute, does not deny that there is a biological cause of low libido. But she raises another kind of concern about drugs like flibanserin: What if they work? "[The problem] is far more complex than not desiring sex. What we really have is a group of women who wonder why they don't desire their long-term partner the way they used to," Herbenick points out. "What happens if you suddenly do have desire, but it's not for the person you hoped?" Full story.

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