AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of October 22 - 26

College career report
This week, the Washington Business Journal asked experts, "How successful do you think the region's career colleges are in producing skilled workers?" Richard Durand, dean at American University's Kogod School of Business responded, “The market reacts to well-trained, bright, articulate individuals, regardless of what institutions they come from. We tout the D.C. area as the knowledge community. We are attracting more and more top students from around the country. I am on the Greater Washington Initiative board and I can tell you, with countless meetings we've had with the business community and with the academic community, that there is a good relationship between these two groups. The business community is really hiring a lot of our product, at undergrad and graduate level. ” (10/23/07)

Framing science
Matthew Nisbet, Assistant Professor in the School of Communication, was a guest on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show, where he discussed the tensions between scientists and elected officials in crafting science-related public policies. (10/22/07)

Billions more for war
According to the Baltimore Sun, President Bush’s request for an additional $46 billion to go toward war expenses in the Middle East would make the conflicts the most expensive since World War II, and raise overall national security spending to more than $600 billion for the current fiscal year. “Ronald Reagan, in his wildest dreams, would find this simply staggering,” said Gordon Adams, professor of international relations at American University and former White House defense budget director in the Clinton administration. “This is a strategic reach that is almost incomprehensible.” (10/23/07)

A learning experience from Hurricane Katrina
With the California wildfires being the biggest disaster challenge since Hurricane Katrina, it was logical for President Bush to provide a swift response to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s request for military assistance and a declaration of a state of emergency, the New York Times reports. “He’s trying to be proactive on something that he can be proactive on,” said James Thurber, director of the Center for the Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. '”He can’t be proactive on Social Security reform or Medicare funding, but this is one of the areas where he can. I think it’s part of a larger picture of how weak he is, especially domestically.” (10/24/07)

Film director challenges see no color
In a recent feature story on the state of black film by Boxoffice.com, Russell Williams II, a professor at the American University's School of Communication took a sobering and colorblind perspective on the issue. New directors, both black and white, face many challenges, as most studios do not wish to gamble with beginners. “People tend to forget that in Hollywood it's show business, as in the business of show,” said Williams, a two-time Oscar winner for sound work on Glory and Dances with Wolves. Williams added that the studio system rarely takes a risk on unproven talent, noting that film production is a part of a much “larger realm, with political protocol and a basic economic equation.”(10/26/07)

Higher for hire
Whenever companies are faced with expansion and organization is a hassle, an HR consultant is necessary, reports U.S. News and World Report. Entrepreneurs should considering hiring HR consultants if they face a problem that exceeds their own expertise, says Mark Clark, associate professor of management at American University. Clarked added that companies should also decide whether an overall strategy or assistance with a specific functions, such as benefits, are needed.(10/25/07)

Cowardly decisions
Although the United Nations declared recently that the death rate in Darfur has declined, the genocide is far from over. In an opinion piece for the National Law Journal, Paul Williams, professor of law and international relations at American University Washington College of Law, wrote, “Genocide ends only when murders, torture and destruction of food, water and shelter ends,” he wrote. “Declaring a premature end to the genocide ignores the international community's moral and legal obligations, rewards the Sudanese government and hinders efforts to stop this 4 1/2-year-long tragedy.”(10/20/07)

Media shapes politicians
When it comes to presidential campaigns, lack of coverage helps to ensure that some go nowhere, Dotty Lynch, executive in residence at the School of Communication of American University, suggests in an opinion piece for America Magazine. “How the media approach a campaign also serves to shape it. In the early part of 2007, for example, the media spent a lot of time asking: Can a woman, a black person or a Mormon be elected president? The typical answer was a definite maybe. But the question itself increased the recognition of the female, black and Mormon candidates. For the first time ever, the white Catholic and mainline Protestant men had to go nuclear to compete.” (10/22/07)

Higher-Speed Internet
With the invention of Internet2, more and more people can surf the mainstream Web and achieve results much quicker than a decade ago, and the need has increased, the Washington Times reports. According to Dave Swartz, chief information officer with American University, Internet2’s capacity to send information increased to become almost 10,000 times faster than the average home computer’s connection.
(10/25/07)

Alcohol Awareness
To recognize National College Alcohol Awareness Week (NCAAW), WJLA-ABC7 came to American University – a dry campus – to speak with students and experts about drinking on college campuses. A participant in this year’s National College Alcohol Awareness Week, American University is working to educate students on alcohol abuse with a number of initiatives. “Alcohol and drug cases consist of about 70 percent of our judicial and discipline load on campus,” said Sara Waldron, associate dean of students. NCAAW keynote speaker Ross Szabo, an AU alum, was interviewed by VOA Television on how alcohol abuse effects mental health. (10/26/07)

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