AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of November 22 - December 5

This week's top story...

Remembering victims of Mumbai attacks
A memorial service for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, hosted by AU's School of International Service, was featured on WTTG-TV, WJLA-TV, and WTOP. The memorial service included comments from SIS dean Louis Goodman, representatives of the Indian and Israeli communities, and a statement of solidarity from members of the local Indian community. “These terrorists had only 10 people, but the decent people of the world have billions of people,” said Rabbi Levi Shemtov, director of the Washington office of American Friends of Lubavitch in the first statement of the ceremony. (12/4/08)

With the presidential transition underway, AU's politically-active community was part of the national discussion:

The First Lady legacy
Karen O'Connor, director of the Women & Politics Institute, was quoted in a Sunday New York Times story about the benefits of Michelle Obama’s future role first lady in the White House. “Let’s face it: If he serves one or two terms, when she leaves the White House, she’s going to be made a partner at any law firm in the country,” she said. “It’s not like the normal woman who gives up her career to follow her husband someplace. In this situation, every year in for Michelle Obama is another $100,000. This is almost an investment.” (11/23/08)

Preventive measures
James Thurber was quoted in an Agence France-Presse story about President-elect Barack Obama’s historic win and the fear for his safety in light of the 45th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. "It's not only JFK. It's Robert Kennedy, it's Martin Luther King. We have had a history of violence against inspirational leaders in the US,” he said. "I do remember the time and it is very similar except that Obama is even more inspirational than Kennedy in terms of turning people on and bringing people in from the Republican Party to vote for a Democrat. It's more historic in some way in the sense that Obama is African-American." This story appeared in 15 news outlets. (11/23/08)

Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, public sector academy?
Robert Tobias, director of public sector executive programs, was quoted in a Government Executive story about the likelihood of a public service academy launching under the Obama administration. "Fixing the financial system and health care are going to be ahead of the public service academy," he said. "At the same time, I think that President Obama will be focused on a renewal of public service at every level." (11/21/08)

The First Family
Allan Lichtman, a professor of history, appeared on a WTTG-TV news segment about the image of the future first family in comparison to the Kennedys in the 1960s. “Kennedy’s theme was ‘a new generation has taken over from that old, tired Eisenhower administration,’” he said, “and his young and beautiful family was very much part of the image that John Kennedy was cultivating.” (11/24/08)

The financial crisis remains in the media spotlight, and our experts were on the money shedding light on the problem:

Citigroup bailout
Leigh Riddick, a professor of finance, appeared in a WTTG-TV news segment about the recent bailout of Citigroup in what appears to be a slight to the automobile crisis in Michigan. “They’re looking at this as a portfolio, and when you have a portfolio of businesses that need help, which one should we invest in to help the American economy the most,” she said. “If they go down, we’ll lose student loans, we’ll lose housing loans, we’ll lose lines of credit, it’ll be all kinds of ramifications beyond the insured money and the savings deposit or checking account.” (11/24/08)

The new economic team
George Guess, director of the SPA's new Center for Public Finance Research, offered WTTG-TV his analysis of President-elect Barack Obama selecting his economic team, including Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve, as treasury secretary. “Obama chose the best of the best,” he said. “You absolutely want someone like that there in the trenches doing this kind of work.” (11/24/08)

The economic recession effect on immigration
Alan Kraut, a specialist in immigration history, was quoted in a Washington Examiner story about the decrease in immigrants after a crackdown in Virginia’s Prince William County. “Immigrants are practical people,” he said. “When they see a economy that’s floundering, they tend to back off. Migration is always a calculated choice.”(12/4/08)

And when we're not talking business or politics, we make news in other ways...

Young journalists
Jimm Phillips, editor-in-chief of the Eagle, was a guest on " Close-up on C-SPAN," which aired on C-SPAN2, to discuss youth writers in the media, and offered insight to young, aspiring journalists. “You should prepare yourself for a lot more challenges,” he said. “If you already know a lot about journalism, it’s helpful. Just be open to new ideas, be curious about the things going on around you.” (11/20/08)

Young infidelity
Barry McCarthy, a professor of psychology, was quoted in a Wall Street Journal story about rising infidelity in young married couples. “The most common way that dating couples end a relationship is by starting another,” he said, also adding that habits formed in premarital relationships are likely to affect a marriage.( 11/27/08)

The journey goes to Hawaii
Akbar Ahmed was featured in a Honolulu Weekly Magazine story about his experiences in Hawaii, including celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with Muslims from many cultures, as part of his Journey into America project. The project, created to explore what it means to be American--and Muslim-American--in the U.S. today, includes visits to 30 American cities and towns in six months. “I think non-Muslims have been very conditioned–and by the way even here, some people we talked to did not know there were Muslims in Hawaii, had not met any, and they had a very negative idea of Muslims from the media,” Ahmed said. “All I ask is that non-Muslims who do not know any Muslims should read a book and be better informed and not completely trust the mainstream media. Yes, the news is very grim from the Muslim world, but it’s equally grim from other parts of the world. It’s not just the Muslim world.” Follow their journey at www.journeyintoamerica.wordpress.com (12/3/08)

Films entertain, not necessarily educate
Allan Lichtman, a professor of history, was quoted in an MSNBC.com story about the legitimacy of factual information in films based on true events. “My view is, if you get your history from movies, you get what you deserve,” he said. “You go to movies not to learn about history but to be entertained, frightened, thrilled. That’s all great. But there’s no reason that an episode of history has to be done with a certain degree of accuracy, because that’s not the objective of a movie.” (12/2/08)

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