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IU News Round-up

April 25, 2011

My Office: McRobbie relishes the glory of old IU
The Indianapolis Star, April 24 -- Outside Michael McRobbie's office are the Sample Gates, the main entrance to Indiana University's Bloomington campus. Every IU president since Herman B Wells has occupied the office in Bryan Hall. The office is where then-President Myles Brand offered McRobbie the position of vice president of information technology. McRobbie was named the university's 18th president in 2007.On his desk is a picture of Winston Churchill. McRobbie has read most, if not all, of the biographies written about Churchill."His career was extraordinary," he said. Other than personal photos and mementos, McRobbie has kept his office much the same as his predecessors. His favorite items are pictures with his wife. Full story.

My View: Cook leaves legacy of better teachers
The Indianapolis Star, April 24 -- Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of the Department of Education at Indiana University-Bloomington, shares his thoughts concerning Bill Cook's legacy. Full story.

Autism researcher named distinguished professor
Indiana Daily Student, April 25 -- Director of IU's Indiana Resource Center for Autism, Dr. Cathy Pratt, has been honored with a recent appointment to distinguished professor in her field of autism study with the receipt of the Mark R. Shibles Distinguished Visiting Professor Award from the University of Maine. A distinguished professorship is the most prestigious academic rank at IU. Full story.

First Patient Enrolled in Gore Early TIPS for Ascites Study at Indiana University Hospital
Genengnews.com, April 25 -- W. L. Gore & Associates today reported the first patient enrolled in the Gore Early TIPS for Ascites Study. The patient was treated at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind. The objective of this prospective, randomized, multi-center clinical study is to evaluate whether the TIPS procedure with the GORE® VIATORR® TIPS Endoprosthesis improves transplant-free survival when compared to large volume paracentesis (LVP) in patients with cirrhosis of the liver and difficult to treat ascites. At Indiana University Hospital the study is being led by Raj Vuppalanchi, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology / Hepatology and David Agarwal, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology in the Department of Radiology. Full story.

Kelley School to Offer 'Art of Business' Program
InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report, April 25 -- Indiana University's Kelley School of Business plans to launch a new "Art of Business" program this summer. The courses are designed for undergrads attending liberal arts colleges who are looking to enhance their career-building skills. The Kelley School hopes to enroll more than 200 students within the next five years. Full story.

IU class takes stroll into our industrial past
The Bloomington Herald-Times, April 23 -- This spring semester is the inaugural session for the IU class, designed by archeologist April Sievert, whose interest until recently focused on the much more distant past, including pre-European North and Central America. The course examines how we lived and made things, not 10,000 years ago, but within the past 200 years of industrial America, and how those methods have left their imprint on our landscape. "... How we had changed the environment through industry," Sievert said during a recent interview at her IU office. Full story.

NSF grants $297,929 to virtual worlds researchers
Hypergrid Business, April 22 -- The National Science Foundation has awarded $297,929 to a multi-disciplinary team from Indiana University and Arizona State University. The award supports on-going research concerned with the use of computer-generated 3D virtual environments by business and educational enterprises. Full story.

State leading economic index stays flat, says Indiana Business Research Center
The Bloomington Herald-Times, April 22 -- The Leading Index for Indiana dropped a "micro-click," from 97.3 in February to 97.2 in March, according to a report released Thursday by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. Full story.

Commentary
Taliefero gets IU's Hudson award for contributions to the arts
The Bloomington Herald-Times, April 24 -- In the mid-1980s, when Crystal Taliefero was singing, dancing and playing a variety of instruments in the hot local funk band Kilo, people invariably said, "That girl is going places," and it really didn't take a genius to make that observation. It wasn't long until she joined the talented John Mellencamp band. The Indiana University alumna from Gary came through town last week to receive a much-deserved honor, the African American Arts Institute's Herman C. Hudson Award. The award has been given annually since 2005 to former student ensemble or staff members who have made outstanding contributions to the arts. Full story.

Managing Leadership Succession
Human Resource Executive, April 22 -- There's mounting evidence that promoting CEOs from within an organization makes better business sense than acquiring one from the outside, especially in today's haphazard -- some might say, traumatized -- economy. The latest testament to this theory is a just-released study by Chicago-based A.T. Kearney and Indiana University's Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis that followed 36 companies -- all of which exclusively promoted CEOs from within their own ranks. Full story.

Business school rises by going global
Korea JoongAng Daily (Korea), April 22 -- Getting an MBA entails long, grueling hours of studying and classes in finance, accounting and various other areas of business. This is what students who attend the executive MBA (EMBA) and MBA program at the Graduate School of Business at Sungkyunkwan University experience each week. The school's EMBA program is a collaborative program run by Sungkyunkwan and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in the United States. Full story.

Much unknown about new Cook Group CEO
Indianapolis Business Journal, April 22 -- The new leader of one of Indiana's largest private companies, Cook Group Inc. in Bloomington, is somewhat of a mystery in the business community. Dan Dalton, former dean of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Bloomington and founder of the Institute for Corporate Governance, said he's never met Carl Cook. That's not surprising, though, given Cook Group's high level of privacy, he said. "Because of that, most of us who study these things never had much of an opportunity to get a close look because they don't have the reporting obligations that a public company has," Dalton said. "For all we know, this succession has been planned for a long time." Full story.

Are College Business Majors Slackers?
Bloomberg Business Week, April 20 -- Over the weekend, The New York Times and The Chronicle of Higher Education published a joint project that gave the undergraduate business major a serious thrashing. To hear to the two publications tell it, undergraduate business majors are not the most studious individuals you're likely to find on a college campus. There's a vigorous debate going on at the Times web site about the findings.with deans from three business schools writing essays defending their discipline. Dan Smith, of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business (Kelley Undergraduate Business Profile), says business school is frequently a destination for "high-ability and highly motivated" students, adding that it's "hardly a default option." Full story.

IU made right call with suspension
The Bloomington Herald-Times, April 24 -- Even without knowing all the facts, I think maybe they got this one right. Indiana University's decision to suspend sophomore tailback Darius Willis for one game this fall in the wake of a protective order issued against him in December seems an appropriate, measured response. Full story.

The Real Cost of Play Money
Smart Money, April 12 -- While some Americans are concerned about the strength of the dollar and others are watching the international currency markets, a growing number are preoccupied with new currencies like Smufberries, Monopoly Gold, and Farm Cash. These and other kinds of "play money" are used in online games, but as some of the estimated 50 million players are discovering, it can pack an off-line wallop. Why not just charge in dollars? Having a unique system of credits, coins or other currency keeps players in the game, says Rodney Nelsestuen, a senior research director with Tower Group -- not unlike the loyalty inspired by airline miles or credit card points. Also, spending five gems to speed up the baking time for your virtual chocolate tarts in Bakery Story may be more palatable than spending the real-world $1 equivalent. "It seems like play money," says Edward Castronova, a professor of telecommunications at Indiana University. Full story.

Trends

Need extra aid? Don't wait -- ask
The Indianapolis Star, April 25 -- Many Hoosier students and families are facing similar economic challenges this spring as they come to terms with changes in their household incomes because of a death, the loss of a job or a drastic reduction in salary. Colleges and universities are struggling to help them overcome the hurdles and stay in school. But experts say many families are unaware that they can help themselves by filing an official appeal for more financial aid. Such appeals are necessary because the FAFSA student aid application -- upon which financial aid decisions are based -- uses the income from the previous year. Full story.

From the Chronicle

National Writing Project Is Innocent Victim in War on Earmarks, Educators Say
The loss of federal funds for a national project that seeks to improve how writing is taught could damage the quality of students' writing on college cam¬puses and in elementary and secondary schools, say faculty members who are now urging lawmakers to reconsider. And the cut, which Congress and President Obama made last month as part of their war on earmarks, comes amid growing concerns about the state of students' writing. Full story.

Budget Standoff Frays Nerves at a Regional Public University
A tough job is only going to get tougher from here: A financial storm is bearing down on the university, the faculty, and her administration. In the past three years, North Carolina at Greensboro has lost tens of millions in state dollars and will very likely see a new cut of at least $26-million, or 15 percent of its state support, by midsummer. Full story.
After the Deluge
Disaster might hasten change at Japan's universities
Like most institutions in the northeast or in Tokyo, Ishinomaki Senshu University has been forced to postpone the start of its academic year by over a month, till May 20. When classes begin, homeless people sleeping in lecture rooms inside the main teaching building will have to be evacuated, the tents taken down. Then begins the long climb back to normality, amid the fear of electricity cuts as engineers in the neighboring prefecture of Fukushima battle to save a crippled nuclear power plant. At least Ishinomaki Senshu is far enough away -- 125 miles, well outside the evacuation zone around the plant -- that radiation is not a concern. 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.