TO CLIPS INDEX Clips for March 14, 15, & 16, 2009

Educators seek answers beyond AIMS
The Arizona Republic 3/15/09
Arizona educators face a tough choice. They can
make the high-school AIMS exam harder to better
prepare graduates but risk a failure rate that
sparks the wrath of parents and politicians and
jeopardizes federal money under the No Child
Left Behind Act. Or they can make the test easy
and ensure political peace and federal cash but
risk graduating too many students who aren't
ready for college or to compete for jobs. States
have spent much of the past decade between
 this rock and hard place. They may be finding
a way out. In Arizona, a study group will suggest
lawmakers keep the AIMS test, despite annual
calls that it be scrapped, but will begin ratcheting
up its difficulty. They also are likely to suggest
joining a national trend to require that all high-
school juniors take a college entrance-level
exam, even if they don't intend to apply to
college.

Keeping up with technology is a must for U.S.
The Arizona Republic 3/15/09
Steve Sanghi, chief executive officer at Microchip
Technology Inc., offers practical help for your
business challenges. Question: The United
States is seeing a continuous decline in the
interest in science and technology among high-
school students. How can we get young people
more involved in science and technology? What
is your take on competitions in science and
engineering? - Marcos, Phoenix Answer:
Enrollment for undergraduate and graduate
engineering majors is dropping precipitously.
As a direct result, the country stands to lose its
technological superiority in the next decade or two.
Enter an organization called For Inspiration and
Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST).
It hopes that, one day, scientists and engineers
will be as revered as sports figures and Holly-
wood stars. FIRST (www.usfirst.org) wants to
inspire students, teachers, schools, parents
and communities to appreciate science and
technology

Classes give Deer Valley students a jump
on college
The Arizona Republic 3/14/09 7:00 AM
Deer Valley Unified School District students are
looking at Advanced Placement courses as a
way to get ahead in college. AP courses are
comprehensive college-level classes that
students can take to earn college credit for $86
compared with the average cost per credit hour
of $386 at Arizona State University. However, to
earn the college credit is a challenge in itself.
Students must earn a 3 or above on a 1 to 5
grading scale. Some schools require a score
of 4 or 5 to receive college credit. At ASU, it's
required to score a 4 or higher to receive credit
equivalent to taking two semesters of English.
A score of 3 on the AP calculus test is
equivalent to earning one semester of higher-
level math, while scoring anything higher
is equivalent to two semesters. Sharon Matt,
director of curriculum for the Deer Valley district,
said students who take AP courses have a
definite advantage in not only earning college
credit while in high school but in college
preparation.

City Hall Insider: Lobbying for cash
The Arizona Republic 3/14/09 7:00 AM
Call it Phoenix East. With billions of economic-
stimulus dollars still up for grabs, Phoenix
leaders have been spending more and more
time in the nation's capital lobbying for federal
cash. Perhaps more time than in Phoenix.
Phoenix Vice Mayor Tom Simplot spent the
better part of the week in Washington, where
he caught up with a top Housing and Urban
Development Department official and U.S.
Rep. Ed Pastor, who represents Phoenix.
Simplot also joined Mayor Phil Gordon and
Arizona State University President Michael
Crow in a meeting with Minnesota Democrat
Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Trans-
portation and Infrastructure Committee. The
Gordon-Crow duo later presented Energy
Secretary Steven Chu with a plan that would
make Phoenix the greenest city in the country.

Ariz. regents vote to keep AIMS scholarships
going
Associated Press/The Arizona Republic
3/13/09 2:44 PM
Keep the AIMS scholarship program intact at
Arizona's three state universities, the Arizona
Board of Regents said Friday. In an unanimous
vote at its meeting at Arizona State University in
Tempe, the board voted to retain the program,
which provides tuition waivers for high school
students who surpass standards on the 10th
grade test, Arizona's Instrument to Measure
Standards, or AIMS. Currently, 5,785 freshmen
through juniors at ASU, the University of Arizona
and Northern Arizona University hold the high
honors tuition scholarships. Those scholar-
ships have a value of $25.5 million, according
to figures from the regents and the state
Department of Education. Regents turned
down proposals initiated earlier this year by
ASU President Michael Crow and subsequently
joined in by the other two universities to
eliminate the scholarships after 2009 to save
the financially strapped institutions money.

ASU Poly students produce literary e-magazine
East Valley Tribune 3/14/09 5:24PM
Just as the Superstition Mountains are a Valley
landmark, an online literary journal that’s taken
the craggy range’s name is poised to become
a notable figure on the map of modern literature.
“Superstition Review,” an online literary magazine
produced by students at ASU Polytechnic in Mesa,
releases its third issue next month, and a free
reading to herald the release is 7:30 p.m. Monday
at the campus’ Cooley Ballroom. “It’s the only
online national literary magazine produced by
undergraduate students. It doesn’t exist anywhere
else; we’re the only ones doing what we do,” says
Patricia Colleen Murphy, managing editor of the
journal. The year-old review is already landing
short stories, essays and poems from some of
the literary world’s heavyweights: Brian Doyle,
Dara Weir, Floyd Skloot, Jim Daniels, Joan
Connor, Judith Cofer Ortiz, Mark Irwin, Rigoberto
Gonzalez, Samuel Pickering, Stuart Dybek, Lee
Gutkind. The next issue, out April 20, will feature
work by Sherman Alexie, Dick Allen and Mary
Sojourner, and interviews with T.C. Boyle and
Stella Pope Duarte.

Jim Ripley, Commentary: Time to reconsider
MCC as four-year school
East Valley Tribune 3/13/09 7:25PM
Several years ago this newspaper called on the
state to allow Mesa Community College to offer
four-year degrees. Tuition costs at MCC were
lower, the campus more accessible to many
East Valley residents, and expanding public
education choice seemed the right thing to
do at a time when Arizona led the country in
establishing the K-12 charter school choice.
Let the free market extend to higher education,
we reasoned. But Arizona State University
President Michael Crow was at the height of
his popularity as a new and innovative leader
on the Arizona higher education scene. His
opposition to expanding MCC’s role was
vigorous as was his defense of the
established three-university state system.
His promises of an expanded university
with tentacles throughout the metropolitan
area were enticing.

Regents decide to continue AIMS scholarships
East Valley Tribune 3/13/09 7:53PM
The Arizona Board of Regents protected a popular
financial aid program Friday, voting unanimously
to continue funding the AIMS High Honors Tuition
Scholarships. Even in the current economic crisis,
the regents found eliminating merit-based financial
aid unpalatable, at least right now. “We have a
contract, in a sense, and there is no fine print for
financial emergencies,” regent Robert Bulla said
of Arizona high school students’ reliance on the
AIMS scholarships.

Regents keep tuition waivers
Associated Press/Arizona Daily Sun
3/14/09
TUCSON -- Keep the AIMS scholarship program
intact at Arizona's three state universities, the
Arizona Board of Regents said Friday. In a
unanimous vote at its meeting at Arizona State
University in Tempe, the board voted to retain
the program, which provides tuition waivers for
high school students who surpass standards
on the 10th grade test, Arizona's Instrument to
Measure Standards, or AIMS. Currently, 5,785
freshmen through juniors at ASU, the University
of Arizona and Northern Arizona University hold
the high honors tuition scholarships. Those
scholarships have a value of $25.5 million,
according to figures from the regents and the
state Department of Education. Regents turned
down proposals initiated earlier this year by ASU
President Michael Crow and subsequently joined
in by the other two universities to eliminate the
scholarships after 2009 to save the financially
strapped institutions money.

Editorial: State must play whole deck to balance
budget
Arizona Daily Star 3/16/09
Tucson, Arizona - All of the cards in the state's
budget-balancing deck are on the table. The
strategies of how — or if — they will be played
are yet to be shown. Gov. Jan Brewer, Senate
President Bob Burns, R-Peoria, and House
Speaker Kirk Adams, R-Mesa, said in separate
discussions Friday with the Star's editorial
board that everything — program cuts, federal
stimulus funds, fund sweeps, borrowing and
selling assets — would be considered to
balance the state's projected $3 billion short-
fall for the next fiscal year. Tax increases have
a place at the end of the table — as a last
resort. This is a shift from the early make-
cuts-only swagger of many conservative
Republicans among the majority of the
Legislature, which convened in January.

Editorial: Readers favor tax increase to
balance budget
Arizona Daily Star 3/16/09
Tucson, Arizona - The majority of readers who
responded to last week's online poll support
some form of tax hike to help resolve Arizona's
estimated $3 billion budget shortfall: More than
half of the approximately 550 respondents said
taxes should be raised to balance the state bud-
get. Likewise, half of respondents said that the
state equalization property tax, suspended in
2006, should go back into effect permanently.
Another quarter said that tax should be allowed
to return, but be repealed when the economy
recovers. There was support for an increase
in state income taxes — especially for those
those making $150,000 or more. One-fifth
oppose any income tax increase.

Demand for nurses fades slightly
Arizona Daily Star 3/16/09
Tucson, Arizona - Though it has long been
considered a secure career with an over-
supply of jobs, the nursing profession is
now feeling the economy's pinch. A regular
career fair that takes place each semester
at the University of Arizona's College of
Nursing was canceled this spring due to
a lack of interest from hospitals, said
Vickie Radoye, who is the college's
assistant dean for student affairs. And
the college will be admitting 48 fewer
students this year because of cuts to a
14-month accelerated partnership pro-
gram with local hospitals, where the
hospital subsidizes the tuition-free pro-
gram in exchange for a three-year work
commitment from students once they
graduate. Tucson Medical Center this
year will fund only half the number of
students it has in the past — eight now,
rather than 16. The Carondelet Health
Network is cutting all 40 student spots
it previously funded. University Medical
Center and Northwest Medical Center
are continuing their support at existing
levels.

UA gives 'God particle' hunt more than a prayer
Arizona Daily Star 3/14/09
Tucson, Arizona - The hunt for a mysterious sub-
atomic fragment nicknamed the "God particle" is
heating up, due in part to the work of a UA
scientist. Physicists say finding the theoretical
particle — called the Higgs boson — is a critical
step toward understanding nothing short of how
matter exists in the universe. Scientists know
atoms make up the shape and size of things all
around us, but just what gives the building blocks
of atoms mass themselves is still shrouded in
uncertainty. They think the Higgs boson could
lead to the answer, including a better under-
standing of the big bang, when all matter burst
forth from virtually nothing.

AIMS scholarship is safe, for now
Arizona Daily Star 3/14/09
PHOENIX — A scholarship program that rewards
Arizona high school students who perform highly
on the AIMS test by giving them in-state tuition
waivers is off the chopping block for now. While
the Arizona Board of Regents unanimously
rejected a proposal to end the program during
a meeting Friday, members left open the
possibility that the scholarship could be cut in
future years or reduced in value because of
growing financial concerns. Arizona State
University leaders proposed eliminating the
program in 2010, with University of Arizona
officials later adding their support. While board
materials indicated that Northern Arizona
University also supported ending the scholar-
ship, NAU officials at the meeting said they
were more interested in modifying it rather
than eliminating the program entirely.

AIMS scholarships still alive
Arizona Daily Star 3/13/09
PHOENIX — The Arizona Board of Regents
voted unanimously this morning to continue
funding scholarships for high school students
who exceed standards on the state-mandated
AIMS test. The board rejected proposals by the
three state universities to end the AIMS scholar-
ship beginning in 2010. The scholarship
provides tuition waivers to in-state high school
students who exceed standards on the test,
known formally as Arizona's Instrument to
Measure Standards. However, the discussion
of axing the program isn't entirely dead. The
universities next month will present options
for modifying or eliminating the scholarship
program. The universities had said the change
would free up financial aid dollars. They
stressed that students wouldn't suffer
because they'd still be eligible for other
aid sources.

Editorial: Our Opinion: AZ teens' unmet
expectations
Tucson Citizen 3/16/09
As the Arizona Legislature struggles to meet
critical state needs with dwindling dollars,
young people are among the hardest hit.
Education at all levels, already underfunded
compared with other states, has been forced
to absorb heavy cuts - with more cuts looming.
Budget cuts have led the presidents of the
three state universities to propose higher fees,
elimination of some majors and other moves
to cut spending - moves that would make it
more difficult to earn a college degree in a
reasonable time at a reasonable cost. It may
be defensible, but it is regrettable. For the
sake of short-term savings, we are under-
cutting the future of the next generation.

Regents deny universities' plea to halt AIMS
scholarships
Tucson Citizen 3/14/09
TEMPE - The Arizona Board of Regents voted
unanimously Friday against a proposal to
eliminate the AIMS scholarship program,
which provides tuition waivers to high school
students who exceed standards on the test.
The board rarely denies requests from
university presidents, but it did so by voting
against the proposal. University of Arizona
President Robert N. Shelton and Arizona
State University President Michael Crow
sought to discontinue the scholarship
beginning in 2010 because of tighter bud-
gets resulting from state cuts to the university
system. ASU, UA and Northern Arizona
University spent more than $27.5 million
total in 2008 on the scholarships for 5,544
students, according to regents' figures.
University leaders have said the vast
majority of those students would qualify
for other scholarships.

UA research may lead to advances in
forensic work
Tucson Citizen 3/13/09 8:54 pm
The connection between diabetes and eye
color is not so far fetched. A team of
researchers at the University of Arizona is
trying to find a few specific changes in a
person's DNA blueprint that will explain the
majority of variation in hair, skin and eye
color. These blueprints, or genes, are
letters that describe their individuality. The
blueprints can tell us a person's likelihood
of developing heart disease, diabetes and
cancer, for instance. The human genome
has about 4 billion nucleotides. These
nucleotides are the pieces that make up
a person's genetics. Murray Brilliant, a
professor in the College of Medicine, leads
the team of researchers. The team looked
at the blueprints of 1,000 UA students.
Participants were given $20 for participating
in the research.

AIMS Scholarships To Continue
KPHO New 5 3/13/09 12:29 pm MST
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona Board of Regents
has voted unanimously in Tempe to retain the
AIMS scholarship program at the state's three
universities. The program provides tuition
waivers for high school students who surpass
standards on the 10th grade test, Arizona's
Instrument to Measure Standards, or AIMS.
Arizona State University initiated a proposal
to eliminate the scholarships but all three
universities now want them cut as of 2010
to save money since the state doesn't fund
them. Regents turned their proposals down
Friday.

Student victory
KYMA News 11 3/14/09
AIMS Scholarships remain intact. Chalk this one
up as a victory for high school students across
the state of Arizona. The Arizona Board of Regents
voted unanimously on Friday to retain a crucial
scholarship program. The AIMS Scholarships are
designed to provide tuition waivers to students
who surpass standards on the 10th grade AIMS
test. The judicial decision countered a proposal
from state university presidents who had wanted
to eliminate the scholarships. The presidents of
Arizona State University, the University of Arizona
and Northern Arizona University had argued their
objective was to save money since the state
doesn't fund them. More than 5,500 students
in Arizona currently benefit from the program.

University Tested by Budget Realities
New York Times 3/16/09
TEMPE, Ariz. — When Michael Crow became
president of Arizona State University seven
years ago, he promised to make it “The New
American University,” with 100,000 students
by 2020. It would break down the musty old
boundaries between disciplines, encourage
cutting-edge research and entrepreneurship
to drive the new economy, and draw in
students from under-served sectors of the
state. He quickly made a name for himself,
increasing enrollment by nearly a third to
67,000 students, luring big-name professors
and starting interdisciplinary schools in areas
like sustainability, projects with partners like
the Mayo Clinic and Sichuan University in
China, and dozens of new degree programs
But this year, Mr. Crow’s plans have crashed
into new budget realities, raising questions
about how many public research universities
the nation needs and whether universities like
Arizona State, in their drive to become
prominent research institutions, have lost focus
on their public mission to provide solid under-
graduate education for state residents. These
days, the headlines about Arizona State
describe its enormous cuts

Quick Takes
Inside Higher Ed 3/16/09
Arizona Regents -- Over Objections -- Keep
Scholarships  -  The Arizona Board of Regents
has voted to maintain a popular scholarship
program for students who achieve certain
testing scores, despite a request from
university presidents to eliminate it, The
Tucson Citizen reported. The presidents of
Arizona State University and the University
of Arizona had argued that the funds ($27.5
 million) would be better spent elsewhere
and that the students who earn the scholar-
ships have access to other sources of
financial support. But in a rare snub of a
public request by presidents, the regents
voted to keep the awards.

Plans being finalized for faith-based dorm
ASU Web Devil 3/16/09
Plans are being finalized for new ministry facilities
and a 20-story residence hall for the All-Saints
Catholic Newman Center, which will create a faith-
based living community for students. The project
gives the center the opportunity to live out its
mission to help students to be more successful
at the University through a community of faith,
Newman Center officials said.

Certificate teaches tribal finance
ASU Web Devil 3/16/09
The American Indian Policy Institute at ASU has
partnered with two major American-Indian
organizations to better prepare staff and elected
officials of tribal governments on the intricacies
of financial management within their governments.
The Tribal Financial Manager Certificate, an online
professional certification program developed with
UA’s Native Nations Institute and the Native
American Finance Officers Association, intends
to provide a basic understanding of federal Indian
law and accounting procedures to tribal
professionals. Tribes have a different dynamic
in terms of governmental accounting and
management, and there is a gap in teaching
these unique operating and legal issues, said
Corrine Wilson, coordinator of the Tribal Financial
Manager Certificate program.

Size, mission of Latino studies department
attract students
ASU Web Devil 3/16/09
Within one of the largest universities in the country,
the Department of Transborder Chicano/a and
Latino/a Studies at ASU stands out as a tight-knit
but growing community. In the last four years,
enrollment has increased five times over, bringing
the department to 85 majors, 15 minors and 13
faculty members. Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez, the
department’s chair, said he has a vested interest
in every student. “We see our students as the next
generation of shakers and movers,” Vélez-Ibáñez
said. “That’s what we’re training them for.” Sitting
in his office surrounded by student artwork, he
can name nearly every student within the major,
their cultural background and even their GPA.

AIMS scholarship to go on indefinitely
ASU Web Devil 3/16/09
The Regents High Honors Endorsement Scholarship,
also known as the AIMS scholarship, will not be dis-
continued at Arizona’s universities — at least for now.
The Arizona Board of Regents voted unanimously on
Friday to reaffirm its commitment to the scholarship,
which covers the cost of tuition at any Arizona university
for all qualified in-state high-school graduates. But
regents made sure the vote did not keep them from
reconsidering the scholarship at any point in the future.
“I’m not guaranteeing it forever,” said Regent Dennis
DeConcini, who proposed the action. “I understand the
commitment … [but] this is a different game.” The
financial situation is too uncertain right now to say
whether the universities will always be able to fund
the scholarship, he said, though he thinks they can
support it at this time.

Regents keep scholarship, add fine print for
faculty
UA Daily Wildcat 3/13/09
TEMPE - During the second half of its March
meeting Friday, the Arizona Board of Regents
voted against a proposal to halt the AIMS
scholarship, but approved a policy to release
faculty within 90 days notice. The Regents High
Honors Endorsement Scholarship, or AIMS
scholarship, is awarded to in-state students
who meet certain academic criteria in high
school, and covers tuition set at the amount
of the student's first year. The scholarship
covers the same amount in tuition for the
student's remaining three years of college.
"The discussion of abolishing (AIMS) has to
stop and has to stop now," said Regents Vice
President Ernest Calderón. Due to the budget
crisis, the scholarship was under consideration
to be discontinued by UA President Robert
Shelton and Arizona State University President
Michael Crow, but the regents unanimously
passed a motion to keep it exactly as is.

Campus police say U of A student sexually abused
UA Daily Wildcat 3/15/09
Young women are being warned after a University
of Arizona student was sexually abused. Campus
police say the female victim got into the elevator
early last Saturday morning at the Sky View
Residence Hall. Investigators say a man also
went into the elevator and inappropriately
touched her. She pushed him and he took off.
The suspect is described as a white man with
a thin build and brown, straight hair.

U of Arizona official named to Smithsonian post
The Associated Press/examiner.com
3/16/09 18:57:50
WASHINGTON - The Smithsonian Institution has
named a top official from the University of Arizona
to serve as the new chief lawyer for the world's
largest museum and research complex.
Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough announced
Monday that Judith E. Leonard will take over as
general counsel on June 1. Leonard succeeds
John Huerta, who retired in September. The
general counsel's office, consisting of 17 lawyers
and support staff, manages outside counsel and
coordinates litigation with the Department of Justice.
Leonard previously served as staff attorney at the
U.S. Department of Education and as associate
counsel at the University of North Carolina. The
salary for the Smithsonian's general counsel
position is being reduced under compensation
reforms to align with the government pay scale.