UD in the News, June 27, 2008

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11:40 a.m., June 27, 2008--A roundup of recent news items about UD, its faculty, students, staff and alumni.

Leslie Goldstein, Judge Hugh M. Morris Professor of Political Science and International Relations, was quoted in a June 27 News Journal story concerning the Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment right to bear arms. “This is a very big decision, because by implication it affects state constitutional amendments that protect the right to bear arms. My sense is this group of five will apply this to state level regulation on guns,” Goldstein said.

Charles Elson, Edgar S. Woolard Jr. Chair and director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, was quoted in a June 26 Washington Post story about a New York ruling in a compensation suit involving Dick Grasso, former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. "This is historic. It's pretty hard, judicially, to cap executive pay. It always has been," Elson told the Post. "Our legal regime is not designed to limit pay. The most effective way to limit pay is to hold accountable those who set pay, a la, the directors." Elson also was quoted in a June 26 Financial Times story about the role of board members in the current financial crisis.

Lynn Snyder-Mackler, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Physical Therapy, was quoted in June 26 Ivanhoe Newswire and June 23 Los Angeles Times stories about knee replacement surgery and recovery.

Eleanor Craig, associate professor and associate chairperson of the Department of Economics, wrote a Delaware Voice opinion piece in the June 25 News Journal about the need to trim state spending, not increase taxes, in light of the budget shortfall.

Jeremy Firestone, associate professor of marine and earth studies, was quoted in a June 24 News Journal story about an offshore wind power agreement reached by Delmarva Power and Bluewater Wind.

Joe Farrell, of the UD Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service, was quoted in a June 24 Bethany Wave story about stingray injuries at the Delaware beaches.

James Butkiewicz, professor and associate chairperson of the Department of Ecoomics, was quoted in a June 24 CNBC story about job losses and the sagging economy. Butkiewicz was also co-author, with William Latham, associate professor of economics, and William R. Eadington of the University of Nevada Reno, of a June 23 Delaware Voice opinion piece in the News Journal in opposition to a proposal to legalize sports gambling in the state.

Ed Whereat, UD marine scientist, and Timothy Targett, professor of marine and earth studies, were quoted in a June 23 Cape Gazette story about low oxygen levels and fish kills in Delaware waters.

Janis Tomlinson, director of University Museums, was quoted in a June 22 New York Times story about Spanish master painter Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes and the city of Madrid. She also was featured as narrator of a multimedia presentation posted by the newspaper.

Zoubeida Dagher, professor of education, was featured in a story in the June 22 Gulf Times in Qatar after delivering the keynote address at a conference on the improvement of schools through action research. Dagher is serving as the deputy dean and visiting scholar in the College of Education at Qatar University.

Lesa Griffiths, director of UD's Center for International Studies, was quoted in a June 20 Chronicle of Higher Education story about the requirement by Goucher College that students study abroad. She discussed the need for programs to be carefully structured and to be based on a strong academic foundation.

Joe Flacco, quarterback for the Fightin' Blue Hens the last two seasons, was featured in a June 19 Washington Post story about rookie camp with the Baltimore Ravens.

Ashley Hlebinsky, a sophomore, was featured in a June 19 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story about her interest in ballroom dancing.

George Luther, Maxwell P. and Mildred H. Harrington Professor of Oceanography, was quoted in a June 19 Innovations Report story about research on kelp beds and the production of iodine.

Richard Wool, professor of chemical engineering, was featured in a June 17 story about green composite materials that aired on the Sundance Channel program Big Ideas for a Small Planet.

Larry Purnell, professor of nursing, was featured in a June 16 Nurse.com story about cultural competence in health care.

David Plouffe, who attended UD and is now campaign manager for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, was featured in a June 16 Bloomberg News story.

Ben Yagoda, professor of English, was cited in a June 15 Washington Post story about the demise of orderly writing in the face of Internet language. Yagoda said most young people are reading prose in blogs, text messages and instant messages that is unedited. “The things that suffer most are spelling and punctuation,” he told the newspaper.

Galen Giaccone, a junior, was featured in a June 15 News Journal story after being crowned Miss Delaware. She will compete in the Miss America pageant.

Bill Pfaff, manager at the UD Small Business Development Center in Georgetown, was quoted in a June 14 News Journal story about an SBDC program designed to assist Latino business owners.