IU News Round-up
October 25, 2010
Recession To Recovery
Higher education faces the challenge of cutting costs
The Bloomington Herald-Times, Oct. 24 -- State funding cuts at a time of increasing enrollments have put a strain on Indiana public higher education, says Teresa Lubbers, Indiana commissioner for higher education. At the same time, nearly two-thirds of all new jobs today require education and training beyond high school -- and Indiana will need to produce at least 10,000 more college degrees each year through 2025 to meet work force needs, she said. In addition, the research campuses -- Indiana University-Bloomington, Purdue-West Lafayette and IUPUI-- have a key role to play in economic development and job creation, Lubbers said. Full story.
Recession to Recovery
Despite cuts, health care jobs still in demand
The Bloomington Herald-Times, Oct. 25 -- The economic woes that first slammed the state's manufacturing towns trickled down to their hospitals. Workers who lost jobs also lost their health insurance. In many cases, extended coverage from COBRA ran out. All that means some patients are delaying nonemergency care, such as joint replacements, until they feel more financially secure. Full stories.
IU Kokomo Installs New Chancellor
InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report, Oct. 24 -- Indiana University Kokomo Chancellor Michael Harris was installed today as the sixth chancellor of the campus by IU President Michael McRobbie during a ceremony at Havens Auditorium. More than 500 guests attended the event, which also celebrated the growth and success of business, industry, and higher education in north central Indiana. Full story.
IU exhibit chronicles long history of the universe
Chicagotribune.com, The Indianapolis Star, Oct. 25 -- A new exhibit on Indiana University's campus is tackling the huge task of charting the history of the universe, starting with its explosive origins. The Bloomington Herald-Times reports that the exhibit is small by museum standards, with about 300 items. But its scope is huge, describing scientific findings and ideas that span from the beginning of time to the present day. Full story. Full story 2.
Experts to present Economic outlook for 2011
Nwi.com, Oct. 23 -- Indiana University Kelley School of Business Presents its 2011 Economic Outlook at the Lake County Advancement Committee monthly meeting at 11 a.m. Nov. 12 at Teibel's Restaurant at the corner of U.S. 30 and 41. Full story.
There are many reasons to oppose school referendum
This guest column is by Charles Trzcinka, Cozad Professor of Finance, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.
The Bloomington Herald-Times, Oct. 25 -- The Bloomington City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO and The Bloomington Herald-Times have all come out in favor of the referendum to raise your property taxes. If all these community leaders believe that increasing taxes will increase the quality of education, who is against it? Let's start with Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education in the Obama administration. He has repeatedly stated that more money is not primarily the solution to better education. Money can help, but it has to be matched with better practices that relate the outcomes of education, such as test scores, to the distribution of money to teachers, often through merit pay. Full story.
Letter of the Month: Focus, civil tone prompt letter selection
Pal-item.com, Oct. 24 -- Mark Ottoni-Wilhelm did not expect when he brought his family to Richmond from Pennsylvania 10 years ago that he would be immersed in a local fight over extending the city's Human Rights Commission. But Ottoni-Wilhelm, who teaches economics at and commutes to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, felt the splintered effort by the Richmond Common Council to defund the agency made no sense. Full story.
Our opinion: Harvey Phillips spread smiles with his tuba
The Bloomington Herald-Times, Oct. 23 -- The death of Harvey Phillips this week robbed Bloomington of one its most unique figures. He was a man of creativity and unbridled energy. He channeled those assets and his skills in performance and teaching to turn an underappreciated musical instrument into a lifetime of success. Who knew the tuba could soar to such heights? Phillips, a member of the IU Jacobs School of Music faculty from 1971-1994, lived on the Tuba Ranch in Monroe County and started such traditions as the TubaSantas. Full story.
Bad neighborhood can lead to bad health
UPI.com, Oct. 23 -- Living in a deprived urban neighborhood puts diabetics at a significantly higher risk of losing mobility, a study of African-Americans with the disease found. Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis said residing in a neighborhood with low air quality, loud traffic/industrial noise or poorly maintained streets and yards makes it more likely African-Americans with diabetes will develop problems walking. Full story.
Petition opposes IU's Health Engagement questionnaire
The Bloomington Herald-Times, Oct. 23 -- An online petition is being circulated through the Indiana University community asking President Michael A. McRobbie to suspend implementation of the IU Health Engagement Program for 2011. Full story.
Letter: Flagpole needed
The Bloomington Herald-Times, Oct. 25 -- The renovation of Memorial Stadium has been outstanding. However, with all the renovations there is no dedicated flag pole for the American flag inside the stadium. With the active veterans organizations in Bloomington, you would think one or all of them would step forward to team with IU to have a dedicated flag pole for the American flag in Memorial Stadium. Full story.
IU voices in the news
Fresno neighborhood revitalization gets nat'l attention
Abclocal.go.com, Oct. 24 -- This weekend, Fresno State hosted a conference to educate other cities about the importance of universities teaming up with city government to improve urban areas. A chartered bus slowly made its way through Downtown Fresno's Lowell neighborhood Sunday. Inside the bus were dozens of city and academic officials from around the country. Some we spoke to say they're impressed by the close relationship Fresno State has with the city, in their efforts to clean up what has historically been a run-down area. "It was very impressive to go through the neighborhood and see the different stages of revitalization," Mary Fisher of Indiana University-Purdue said. Full story.
Obama Excitement Wanes as Young Voters Tune Out U.S. Election
Bloomberg.com, Oct. 25 -- Indiana University professor Gerald Wright opened his class on congressional elections by asking students if they saw the previous night's school-sponsored U.S. House candidate debate a few blocks from campus. Among almost 60 students, three hands went up. Students "have really full lives" with classes, jobs and other activities, said political science professor Wright. "To try to carve out much more time for politics really takes something special, and it happened in 2008 for a lot of them." Full story.
From the Chronicle
Program Cuts Loom at 4 Public Universities
Financially strapped public colleges and universities are living in the shadow of the ax this semester, enduring a renewed stream of announcements of potential or actual faculty layoffs and program closures. The situation is not likely to improve anytime soon. Federal stimulus money, which propped up many budgets over the past two years, is drying up. And states are in no position to help. Full story.
Fulbright Puts Money Where Problems Are
The new Fulbright Nexus Program is one of several projects encouraged by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as they seek to adapt the program to changing needs. "The administration and the secretary see that there are global issues, and the solutions to these global issues, whether it's health or energy or climate change or food security, require creative collaboration and partnerships," says Alina L. Romanowski, deputy assistant secretary for academic programs at the department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Full story.
For Colleges, California Governor's Race May Be Moot
Jerry Brown is an unorthodox, journeyman Democrat who says he will draw on his experience as a two-term governor to turn California around. Meg Whitman is a tightly scripted Republican newcomer who promises to tap her experience running eBay to slash government spending. But as the race for California governor goes down to the wire, does it really matter for higher education who wins? Full story.
IU News Round-up is distributed to faculty and staff at IU, and it contains a short review of media coverage relating to IU administrative and student news, federal and state legislative policy, and trends and issues in higher education. Prepared by the IU Office of, University Communications, the Daily IU News Round-up is not an all-inclusive gathering of news featuring IU faculty and staff. To subscribe to the Daily IU News Round-up list or to have your name removed, please contact Susan Williams, Office of University Communications, sulwilli@indiana.edu.
