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- Clips for April 25, 2008
Campus-upgrade plan gains key supporters
The Arizona Republic - April 25, 2008 12:00 AM
A $1.4 billion construction proposal pushed by Arizona's three state
universities as an economic-
stimulus plan is
gathering support from the governor and business groups, but it remains to be
seen whether the plan will get much
traction in the state Legislature. The plan to fix up the university
campuses
would need approval from the Legislature
and governor because the universities are
asking the state to pick up 80 percent
of the cost. On Thursday, a group of
Tucson businesses and
the three university presidents held a press conference to
tout the plan. Members of the
Arizona
Board of Regents, who oversee the state universities, also voted to
endorse the proposal Thursday.
Sun Devils women's tennis scores an academic honor
The Arizona Republic - April 25, 2008 12:00 AM
Arizona State women's tennis is the only in-state team out of 712 nationally on
the NCAA list of
high performers for
Academic Progress Rate scores. High performing teams are those with APR
scores from 965 to a perfect 1,000. Yale
had the most teams recognized, with 28. Stanford led the
Pac-10 with 10 teams,
followed by Southern California with three. APR scores for all Division I teams
along with penalties for
low-performing teams will be announced May 6.
Regents seek $1.4B for campus construction
East Valley Tribune - Arizona Daily Star - April 25, 2008 - 1:20AM
Local business leaders joined the Arizona Board of Regents on Thursday in
calling on the
Legislature to pour $1.4
billion into campus construction they say would lay the groundwork for
future
innovation and jump-start the state's
sagging construction industry. The regents threw
their formal support behind the
plan, which would create new science
buildings at University of
Arizona, expand the Phoenix bio-medical campus and
fund repairs to several buildings, during
a meeting held at UA.
State Senate OKs eased concealed weapons measure
East Valley Tribune - April 24, 2008 - 11:12PM
The decision whether to reduce the penalty for carrying a concealed weapon
illegally is now up to
the governor. Without
comment, the state Senate voted 17-10 Wednesday to make it only a petty
offense for someone without a state permit
to carry a gun that is not plainly visible. That carries a
maximum fine of $300.
Under current law, offenders can be jailed
for up to six months and fined
up to $2,500. The measure, which already has
gained House approval, now goes to Gov.
Janet
Napolitano. She is expected to be lobbied heavily by the police agencies
who urged lawmakers,
unsuccessfully,
to kill HB2630.
Regents lobby for capital project money
Arizona Daily Sun - April 25, 2008
TUCSON (AP) -- Arizona's higher-education chiefs and business development
leaders Thursday
pushed a $1.4 billion
bond proposal for the state's public universities, promoting it as both a
short-
term economic stimulus and a building
block for the future. Arizona Board of Regents members
and university presidents said the proposal is critical to
making and keeping the state competitive.
"It's time to mount up, time to get on
our horses and get into the game,"
Arizona State President
Michael Crow said. The proposal enjoys the backing of
Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano but
is
no sure-thing at the Republican-led Legislature in Phoenix.
UA sheds light on bacterial infections
Arizona Daily Star - April 25, 2008
Scientists at the University of Arizona have discovered that some bacteria can
use bundles of the
minute filaments on
their surface to pull on a nearby cell or other surroundings with a force equal
to 100,000 times their own weight. And this
force lulls a human cell into allowing infection by the
bacteria. The findings
could affect both the medical and biophysics
fields, those involved said, and
may even lead to preventing or limiting certain
infectious diseases. The research also
may have
commercial applications, researchers said. "This is just the tip of the
iceberg," said Dustin Higashi,
a senior
research specialist with the UA's Bio5 Institute.
Butts hires recruiting coordinator; regents approve her contract and
Busch's
Arizona Daily Star - April 25, 2008
Arizona women's basketball coach Niya Butts has hired her first assistant,
naming former Central
Florida assistant
Brandy Manning as her recruiting coordinator. He began the job Thursday. In one
season at Central Florida, Manning
recruited Tia Lewis, the 2008 Conference USA Freshman of the
Year who ranked fifth in the nation in rebounds per
game. He also worked with the team's guards
and recruited eight players in less
than two months after taking the job in
April 2007. Central Florida
finished the season 10-20.
Regents support stimulus plan
Tucson Citizen - April 25, 2008
State's 3 universities want $1.4B package for buildings, repairs
The Arizona Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to approve a resolution
supporting the
$1.4 billion
economic stimulus plan proposed by the presidents of the three state
universities. The
resolution will be sent to the
Legislature to encourage politicians to support the plan, which is being
promoted as both a short-term economic
stimulus and a building block for the future. Officials at the
University of
Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern
Arizona University want the state to
commit to about $81 million-a-year for 25
years. It would cover bond financing,
including interest, for
campus upgrades. The universities would cover up to
about $21 million annually for the life of the
bonds.
More Union funding OKed
ASU Web Devil - April 25, 2008
Regents back economic plan, delay vote on ASU acquiring Alpha Drive fraternity
houses
TUCSON — The Arizona Board of Regents unanimously supported the Arizona Stimulus
Plan for
Economic and
Education Development — a $1.4 billion proposal for University construction — at
a
meeting held at UA on Thursday.
Regents also approved an extra $13 million for Memorial Union
fire renovations
and discussed several ASU land
deals. The deals dominated the Thursday
meeting's discussions, but one proposal
was met with objection. The board's
Capital Committee
put forth a motion authorizing ASU to acquire eight
fraternity-owned properties along Alpha Drive,
possibly via eminent domain.
Experts: Grads should keep hope in bleak economic times
ASU Web Devil - April 25, 2008
When he graduates next month, aerospace engineering senior Blaine Stolpestad
hopes to be flying
high, even though
the economy is in a downward spiral. Stolpestad is one of thousands of
graduating
seniors who will face declining job
and housing markets and a deficient economy. The possibility of
heading into a
recession has many students nervous
about what they will do after they toss their caps
into the sky this May.
After decade on the job, Patricia White to step down
ASU Web Devil - April 25, 2008
After serving 10 years as the dean of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law,
Patricia White will
end her term on July
1. Though White will leave her spot as dean, she will not leave the school
altogether. Next year she plans to return to
teaching. Because of White's contributions to the law
school, there will be a
scholarship in her name funded by the Law
Society of ASU. Faculty at the
law school said they would miss White most for
her leadership and the accessibility she
provided
them. "She had a very successful deanship and lots of good things
happened since she's been
here," said
Andrew Askland, director of the Center for the Study of Law Science and
Technology.
Editorial: Pass/Fail
UA Daily Wildcat Online - April 25, 2008
See if these ideas make the grade
As the Daily Wildcat reported yesterday, Kanye West's much-hyped "Glow in the
Dark" appearance in
McKale Center
could leave UA's student government in the red. Combined expenses for the
blowout
concert total nearly half a million
dollars, but ticket sales for the sold-out show are expected to reach
a mere
$350,000. Although the UA will get a cut of
the money from concessions and merchandising,
it's likely that those revenues
won't make up the difference for
Kanye's pricey performance. .....Strained
logic on stimulus ....As the state of
Arizona tightens its belt in anticipation of a
$2 billion budget deficit,
officials at Arizona's public universities are still
hoping for a handout to renovate their ivory
towers.
This week, the Arizona Board of Regents, meeting here at the UA, will consider the future of a $1.4
billion
construction package proposed by Arizona's universities as an "economic
stimulus" plan.
Regents push to boost jobs, students
UA Daily Wildcat Online - April 25, 2008
The Arizona Board of Regents unanimously passed an economic stimulus proposal
that calls for
$1.4 billion to bolster
the state's slumping construction industry, fund construction projects at the
three universities and increase college
graduates statewide. It could find resistance, however, in
the state
Legislature, as at least one legislator does not
expect it to pass. "It's a dilemma for me.
The plan's long-term goals will have
an enormous value to the state, but $1.4
billion during a $1.8
billion budget shortfall is problematic," said Rep. Phil Lopes, D-Tucson.
LenSense was the only university team named a finalist in Nokia mobile
technology competition
UA News - April 24, 2008
A team of University of Arizona student entrepreneurs more than held its own in
a competition among
the mobile phone
industry’s leading innovators. LenSense, a student-run company established
through the UA’s McGuire Center for
Entrepreneurship, was the only university team among the 12
finalists in Nokia’s “Mobile Rules!” Challenge – the
world’s leading annual competition for business
plans, applications and technology innovation in the business
environment. The cornerstone of
LenSense is a compact, voltage-controlled, zoom
lens module that would be
integrated into cell
phone cameras – directly addressing problems with camera
phones currently on the market,
including limited resolution and no optical zoom.
Business Leaders Back Universities' Economic Stimulus Plan
UA News - April 24, 2008
Arizona business leaders voiced their support on Thursday of the new $1.4
billion economic stimulus
package recently
proposed by The University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern
Arizona
University. The plan will improve
and expand facilities at the universities and help boost the state's
economy.
Members of the Arizona Board of Regents
and representatives from the three universities
and the Arizona business
community discussed the Stimulus Plan for
Economic and Educational
Development at the UA on Thursday, highlighting the
plan's potential benefits. "We see this
s a very unique opportunity to create jobs, to jumpstart our economy, to invest
in our public universities
and, therefore,
in Arizona's future," said ABOR President Fred Boice.
New Regents' Professors Appointed
UA News - April 24, 2008
The Arizona Board of Regents approved the designation of three new Regents'
Professors at The
University of
Arizona, the highest honor awarded by the University to its faculty members.
Professors
Howard Ochman, Elizabeth
Vierling and Richard Wilkinson have received the prestigious title because
their
academic achievements have
garnered them national and international recognition. Regents'
Professor is an
honor awarded only to full professors.
Valley's fledgling gaming industry gets boost with launch of TimeFly
Studios
Phoenix Business Journal - April 25, 2008
Video game development isn't huge business in the Valley, but a startup is
hoping to change that
-- at least a little.
TimeFly Studios opened this month at Arizona State University's SkySong
innovation
center in Scottsdale. Its goal is to
create the next big game for consoles such as Nintendo's Wii, Sony's
PlayStation
3 and PSP, and Microsoft's Xbox
360. Four former Rainbow Studios employees are leading
the new company: Dennis
Booth, president; Glenn
O'Bannon and Brad Ruminer, executive vice
presidents; and Jay Gawronek, chief
technology officer. The company is
licensed to start pitching ideas
for the consoles, but is waiting on its first
break.
University regents lobby for capital project money
KVOA News 4 - April 24, 2008 1:54 PM ET
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Backers of a proposal to pump $1.4 billion into the state's
public universities
brought their pitch
to Tucson Thursday. Before a meeting of the Arizona Board of Regents, Regents
President Fred Boice spoke with
presidents of the state's three public universities about the needs
and benefits
of the plan. Boice calls the plan a unique
opportunity to create jobs, jump-start the
economy and invest in public
universities and in Arizona's future.
Life of Leisure
New York Post - April 25, 2008
REMEMBER Aaron Brown , the CNN anchor dumped for Anderson Cooper? The
bespectacled broad-
caster has a
new gig lecturing at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State
University.
Brown, who was recruited by
Uncle Walter himself, is not bitter about his CNN firing. "They made a
business
decision," he tells Westchester
magazine. Brown, who loves the academic life and golf,
bragged, "And I never
have to say another thing about Anna
Nicole Smith."
Editorial: That Book Costs How Much?
New York Times - April 25, 2008
College students and their families are rightly outraged about the bankrupting
costs of textbooks that
have nearly tripled
since the 1980s, mainly because of marginally useful CD-ROMs and other
supplements. A bill pending in Congress
would require publishers to sell “unbundled” versions of the
books — minus the
pricey add-ons. Even more important, it
would require publishers to reveal book
prices in marketing material so that
professors could choose less-expensive
titles. The bill is a good
first step. But colleges and universities will need
to embrace new methods of textbook
development
and distribution if they want to rein in runaway costs. That means
using digital textbooks, which can
often
be presented online free of charge or in hard copies for as little as one-fifth
the cost of traditional
books. The digital
books can also be easily customized and updated.