TO CLIPS INDEX - Clips for April 11, 2008

Editorial: A foolhardy move
The Arizona Republic - April 11, 2008 12:00 AM
When you're facing turbulent, uncertain times, don't make a permanent commitment. What's
true for romance, the career world and pets is true for Arizona. The county equalization rate,
which amounts to a state property tax, is suspended for three years - through fiscal 2009. Yet
the Legislature rushed through a bill to eliminate the tax permanently. This is a hasty,
unnecessary move when the economy is bumpier than a dirt road after monsoon season.
Gov. Janet Napolitano should veto it.

Editorial: That sinking feeling
The Arizona Republic - April 11, 2008 12:00 AM
What happens at Arizona's first medical school is not just Tucson's business. The health and
well-being of the College of Medicine on the University of Arizona campus is important to the
entire state. The reputation of the state's first medical school will help attract and retain top-
notch students and faculty at the expanded program in Phoenix. But Tucson's medical school
has problems that a recent report says "could destroy the fabric of the college." The tension is
blamed for faculty dissatisfaction and a decline in federal research funding.

Ignoring the Voter Protection Act
The Arizona Republic - April 11, 2008 12:00 AM
To continue with his theme of clichés, E.J. Montini hit the proverbial nail on the head in discussing
the love-hate relationship many legislators have in dealing with the will of voters ("State lawmakers
don't want to lie in the bed they made," Valley & State, Sunday).They love us when they want to be
elected to office, but aren't as sanguine when it comes to other parts of the ballot. As residents of
Arizona, we have passed numerous initiatives to protect and promote our interests in areas such
as schools and health care. We did so knowing that these were expensive propositions, but ones
we considered an investment in our state and our future.

State grants reward high schoolers for getting diplomas early
The Arizona Republic - April 10, 2008 - 11:31PM
While other 16-year-olds were hanging out at the mall and updating their MySpace pages after
class, Gilbert student Marie Manning was studying math and science and racking up credits to
finish high school ahead of her peers. Manning's hard work will pay off - literally - when she
receives a check from the state under a program rewarding students graduating early from high
school. She and four others were honored Tuesday on the floor of the House of Representatives,
standing with a ceremonial $1.8 million check symbolizing money available this year from the
state's Early Graduation Scholarship Grant fund.

Pro-life student group appeals case against ASU
East Valley Tribune - April 11, 2008 - 12:10PM
A Scottsdale-based group that defends religious liberty filed a federal appeal this week on behalf
of an Arizona State University pro-life student organization. The Alliance Defense Fund filed the
appeal Tuesday in the 9th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The alliance lost
its original lawsuit, filed in July 2006 on behalf of ASU Students for Life. Students in the group allege
 that university officials discriminated against them and made it difficult for them to express their
views against abortion. The students said they were forced to jump through bureaucratic hoops
that were not in written policy in order to reserve space on campus to display a pro-life exhibit. The
exhibit was designed by a nonprofit anti-abortion group called Justice for All.

500 UMC visitors exposed to measles?
Tucson Citizen - April 11, 2008
Up to 500 visitors at University Medical Center from April 3-8 could have been exposed to measles,
health officials said Thursday. A 2-year-old boy who visited UMC's Emergency Department April 3
and was admitted has become the 10th confirmed case of measles in Pima County since Feb. 12.
The last measles outbreak in Pima County - six cases - was in 1991. Pima County Health
Department staff specifically want to talk to patients and families who were at the hospital's ER
between 7 p.m. April 3 and 4 a.m. April 4.

Crow suggests Dubai partnership
ASU Web Devil - April 11, 2008
Investors, ASU president plan May meeting on technology deal
ASU may soon cultivate a partnership with an unlikely international ally — the Middle Eastern city
of Dubai.ASU President Michael Crow said he is planning to meet in May with potential investors
in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which he called, "a portal to parts of the world that have intense
focus on desert regions."On the table is a several-hundred-million dollar proposal to fund ASU
technological developments. In exchange for the funding, investors would receive earnings
should any developed technology be patented and sold, Crow said.Nothing has been agreed
upon just yet, though, he added.

ASU offers scholarships to D.C. interns
ASU Web Devil - April 11, 2008
Students who have always dreamed of working in Washington, D.C., but couldn't foot the bill can
now get a little help from ASU. The University is offering scholarship opportunities for students
who have been accepted to internship programs at the Washington Center in D.C. The
Washington Center, a nationwide program, is the largest provider of academic internships,
according to its Web site. The center allows students who are at least sophomores to participate
in a variety of semester-long internships. Students can intern in fields including business,
communications and politics.

NAU-Yuma leader announces resignation
Inside NAU - April 11, 2008
Krista Rodin, associate vice president and campus executive officer at NAU-Yuma, announced
her resignation as of the end of the semester to pursue teaching and other administrative
opportunities as a tenured professor at Northern Arizona University. Rodin has been in her
current position since January 2007. Prior to coming to NAU, Rodin served as vice provost for
University Outreach at the University of Connecticut. In addition to her administrative and academic
experience, Rodin also has a diverse background in teaching and in operatic direction and
production.

Survey shows time not right for four-year campus in Lake Havasu City
Inside NAU - April 11, 2008
A market study on the potential for a four-year campus in Lake Havasu City reveals there is not
sufficient demand or funding currently available to establish a full-fledged, residential college
campus. Northern Arizona University contracted with the Chicago-based marketing and
communications firm Lipman Hearne to conduct the market demand survey. The study follows
discussions between NAU and the city of Lake Havasu about NAU establishing a four-year
campus in the Colorado River community.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University plans tech park
Phoenix Business Journal - April 11, 2008
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott is planning to develop nearly two-thirds of its
vast tract of vacant land into a technology and business park, which could mean construction
opportunities for Valley contractors. Norval Pohl, chancellor of the private university, said Embry-
Riddle is using only 150 acres of the 539-acre parcel it owns. He is planning a development
that would span 250 acres adjacent to the aeronautical university. It would include a recreational
complex and space for light industrial, campus living and commercial/retail. It also would
incorporate a 50-acre solar plant to power the project, which could help make it the first LEED-
certified business park in the nation.

Plummeting home values won't affect school funds
Phoenix Business Journal - April 11, 2008
The subprime mortgage fiasco is having a significant impact on more than just the real estate
market. Even Arizona's public schools are feeling the pinch. With foreclosure signs dotting the
Valley's neighborhoods, home values are dropping. This causes many to worry that property
taxes will decline, resulting in less money for schools. Education leaders say the wave of fore-
closures is causing families to move out of certain districts, shrinking enrollment in public
schools there. In response, administrators are looking for ways to market their schools to
parents.

ASU Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering improves national ranking to No. 45
Phoenix Business Journal - April 11, 2008
The Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University advanced in the national rankings
reported in the 2009 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools," compiled by U.S. News & World
Report. From among almost 200 engineering schools surveyed for the rankings, released in late
March, the Fulton School ranks 45th overall, up five places. It also placed 25th among engineering
schools at public universities, up two places from last year. It remains the only engineering school
in Arizona ranked in the top 50. The University of Arizona College of Engineering ranked 52nd.

Exit of College Lenders Sets Off Scramble To Fill Breach
Washington Post - April 10, 2008
Nearly 50 student lenders, including some of the industry's biggest names, have stopped issuing
federally guaranteed loans in recent weeks because of paralysis in the credit markets, confronting
students with higher borrowing costs just as they are starting to apply for financial assistance for
the coming school year. These companies represented 12 percent of the market before they left,
and analysts say this is just the beginning of an exodus. That is because virtually all student lenders
have been shut out of their traditional funding sources on the debt markets. Dozens of other lenders
that offer private loans, which have no federal backing, have also dropped out.