AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of October 1 - 5

Washington's Most Powerful
In its October Issue, Washingtonian named the 150 most influential people in business, culture, real estate, religion, education, law and more. Four individuals affilated with American University were honored including WAMU's Diane Rehm and Kojo Nnamdi; Board of Trustee Chair and AU alum Gary Abramson, partner, The Towers Companies; and AU Alum Joy Zinoman, artistic director at Studio Theatre.

Good programs need good mentors
More and more colleges and universities are providing an increase in internship and mentoring programs for their students in order to provide a better experience, and it is paying off, reports the Hollywood Reporter. “Rarely do you have an experience that just sets your life track into place, but those programs really did,” said American University alumni Lindsay Webster, who had the opportunity to work for “Bones” executive producer Barry Josephson and received guidance from Showtime’s VP of Original Programming Danielle Gerber. “Basically, the internship was a hands-on experience of how to work in a production office and handle that first job, that assistant desk job. I got to fill in for Barry's real assistant, handle phones, roll calls, keep phone sheets and expenses and pretty much get to understand the pace of how everything happens. These are things you don't learn in school.” (10/02/07)

First Rate Film School
With tuition rates increasing at film schools, many, however, are providing quality programs worth the amount, according to the Hollywood Reporter. At American University’s School of Communication, Film & Media Arts Department, students get to experience documentary studies, access to network news organizations, and a blended filmmaking, journalism and public communication curriculum. (10/04/07)

AU Honors Government Executives
AU honored John Potter, the postmaster general, and MaryAnn Musumeci, a medical center director for the Veterans Affairs Department, with the 2007 Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership, reports The Washington Post. The award, which is in its 30th year and is presented by American University's School of Public Affairs, recognizes public servants who have improved the effectiveness of their organizations. (10/03/07)

Clinton Official joins AU
Gordon Adams has been appointed to American University's School of International Service as a professor of international relations, the Washington Examiner reports. Adams, who served as the director of national security and international affairs at the Office of Budget and Management under President Clinton, was also a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and served as an international affairs professor at George Washington University. (10/02/07)

Freedom to speak louder
Interim President Ral Castro has publicly called for open criticism as a means to fix the country’s problems, The Miami Herald reports. “People were very excited about it,” said American University professor William LeoGrande, a longtime Cuba-watcher. “'They clearly thought they were in a moment in which change was in the offing.'” (10/02/07)

More anti-war opinions, less protesting
Although more and more Americans have turned against the war in Iraq, antiwar rallies in Washington have decreased as a result of organizer disagreements and the skepticism over the effectiveness of the protests, Reuters reports. “When you have demonstrations in which the turnout is not terribly impressive, that gives politicians the sense that people may oppose the war but nobody's really going to pay a price,” said Peter Kuznik, an American University history professor and antiwar protester. (10/03/07)

Sputnik launches history
When Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, was launched by the Soviets and circled the globe 50 years ago on Oct. 4, it not only gave birth to the Space Age, but forced the U.S. government to scramble and increase the money spent on science, education and research, reports The Associated Press. “The civilization we live in today is as different from the one that we lived in the mid-1950s as the mid-1950s were from the American revolution,” said Howard McCurdy, an American University public policy professor. “It's hard to imagine these things happening without space. I guess I could have a computer, but I wouldn't be able to get on the Internet.” This AP article appeared in more than 90 news outlets. (10/03/07)

Working off College Debt
Through new loan forgiveness programs, which cancel all or part of educational debt, students are being encouraged to work in high-needs public service positions, such as in social work, education, law, and health care, WIS-TV reports. In order to benefit from the school's debt relief availability graduates of American University Washington College of Law must maintain an income of no more than $40,000. (10/03/07)

2009
Mar	6	13	20	27
Feb	6	13	20	27
Jan	4	9	16	23	30
2008
Dec	5	12	19
Nov	7	14	21
Oct	3	10	17	24	31
Sept	5	12	19	26
Aug	1	8	15	29
July	4	11	18	25
June	6	13	20	27
May	2	9	16	23
Apr	4	11	18	25
Mar	7	21	28
Feb	1	8	15	22	29
Jan	4	11	18	25
2007
Dec	7	14	21
Nov	2	9	16		30
Oct	5	12	19	26
Sept	7	14	21	28
Aug	3	10	17	24	31
July	31
June	30
Feb	2	9
Jan	5	12	19	26