News » Archives » January 2011
Student conference to explore human development and the common good
• Date: January 31, 2011 • Categories: Academics and International
The third annual Human Development Conference at the University of Notre Dame will once again bring together hundreds of students and guests from Notre Dame and universities as far away as Uganda to share their research experiences in the developing world and discuss the meaning of authentic human development from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
Organized by students for students, the conference will be held Feb. 11 and 12 (Friday and Saturday) in the Hesburgh Center for International Studies on the Notre Dame campus.
Notre Dame to evacuate students from Egypt
• Date: January 30, 2011 • Categories: Academics and International
Due to increasingly violent anti-government protests in Egypt, the University of Notre Dame is responding to a U.S. State Department recommendation and working to evacuate the 12 students participating this semester in the University’s study abroad program at the American University of Cairo (AUC).
Marketing professor’s American Girl article honored by retailing journal
• Date: January 28, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Research
University of Notre Dame Marketing Professor John F. Sherry Jr. ’s article on how toymaker Mattel fostered a lifestyle around its high-end American Girl dolls has won the 2011 William R. Davidson Honorable Mention Award from the Journal of Retailing, in which the article appeared in 2009.
Sherry, chair of the Department of Marketing in the Mendoza College of Business, and five research colleagues spent more than three years observing and interviewing shoppers at the flagship American Girl Place showroom in Chicago
Notre Dame biologists call for regulation of rare plant sales
• Date: January 27, 2011 • Categories: Research
People are increasingly obtaining endangered or threatened plants, often illegally, and moving them outside their native range, according to an article published this week in the journal Nature by Patrick Shirey and Gary Lamberti in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame.
According to their research last year, nearly 10 percent of the 753 plants listed as threatened and endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act are being sold — or, at least, advertised — online.
New book examines religious violence in American South
• Date: January 27, 2011 • Categories: Academics
It’s an unsettling truth, but sometimes it takes a common enemy to reconcile two warring parties. This was the case after the U.S. Civil War, when virulent anti-Mormonism helped unify a divided nation, says Patrick Mason, a research associate professor at Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
His new book, “The Mormon Menace: Violence and Anti-Mormonism in the Postbellum South” (Oxford University Press), shows how anti-Mormonism was an important vehicle for reconciliation between North and South.
In Memoriam: Sydney Kelsey, professor emeritus of civil engineering
• Date: January 27, 2011 • Categories: Campus and Community
Sydney Kelsey, professor emeritus of civil engineering at the University of Notre Dame, died Sunday (Jan. 23) in Our Lady of Peace Rehab Center in Mishawaka. He was 85 years old.
A native of Yorkshire, England, and a 1946 graduate of the University of Leeds, Kelsey taught at Imperial College in London before joining Notre Dame’s civil engineering faculty in 1967.
Notre Dame continues record success in NEH fellowships
• Date: January 26, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Research
Two University of Notre Dame professors—historian Thomas F.X. Noble and theologian Eugene Ulrich been awarded National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowships for 2011-12.
Notre Dame has been awarded 44 NEH fellowships between 1999 and 2011—more than any other university in the country. The University of Michigan has been second to Notre Dame with 35 NEH fellowships during that 12-year period, followed by Harvard University at 26, Princeton University at 22, and the University of California, Berkeley, at 19.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates selected as 2011 Commencement speaker
• Date: January 26, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Campus and Community
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates will be the principal speaker and recipient of an honorary degree at the University of Notre Dame’s 166th University Commencement Ceremony on May 22 (Sunday) at Notre Dame Stadium.
“The contributions Dr. Gates has made in service to our nation and to higher education are many and significant,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president. “I am so pleased that he has accepted our invitation and look forward to welcoming him to our campus. I am sure his perspectives on our nation and world will be of considerable interest to Notre Dame’s graduating Class of 2011.”
Notre Dame psychologist drives change in diagnosis of personality disorders
• Date: January 25, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Research
University of Notre Dame psychologist Lee Anna Clark recently began work on a five-year study that will contribute to revolutionizing the way personality disorders are diagnosed and further cement Clark’s standing as one of the world’s preeminent research psychologists.
Speaker: Work shouldn’t mean checking your values at the door
• Date: January 24, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Campus and Community
On Jan. 28 (Friday), Mark Albion will discuss the role of personal fulfillment in career development during his presentation, “Leadership for the Greater Good,” at the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business. His talk will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Jordan Auditorium.
ND Expert: Leaked Palestinian Papers mark negotiators’ first official willingness to leave communities under Israeli rule
• Date: January 24, 2011 • Categories: Academics, International, and Research
The recent leak of Palestinian documents pertaining to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations adds to the wave of other leaks of documents that have captured exaggerated attention, according to Asher Kaufman, associate professor of history and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. “However, this may mark the first time Palestinian leadership was officially willing to reconcile with leaving certain communities under Israeli rule.”
The documents indicate that Palestinian negotiators were willing to allow most Jewish settlements/neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, including the Jewish Quarter in the Old City, to remain under Israeli control in a future peace deal that would divide Jerusalem between Israel and Palestine.
“This leak does not tell us much more than what the interested observer of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would already know,” Kaufman says. “In practice, it is clear that this Palestinian concession would only be expected by Israel as a precondition for any successful conclusion of a peace deal.”
ND Expert: Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution
• Date: January 24, 2011 • Categories: Academics, International, and Research
Of the world’s 22 Arab countries, Tunisia seemed to be the least likely to witness a popular revolution that would force an autocratic president to flee the country, says Emad Shahin, Henry R. Luce Associate Professor of Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame.
“For decades, Tunisia was a showcase for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund—a success story of economic reform and structural adjustment,” Shahin says. “Yet, revolution came despite a brutal police state, positive growth rates and decades-long Western support of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s corrupt regime.”
Called The Jasmine Revolution by Tunisians, Shahin says it may send shock waves to other autocratic Arab regimes and to their western backers.
Institute for Educational Initiatives supporting recovery of schooling in Haiti
• Date: January 21, 2011 • Categories: Campus and Community and International
The University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) and Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) are making major contributions to support Haiti’s recovery from the earthquake of Jan. 12, 2010. One initiative to rebuild educational infrastructure is placing shovels in the ground this week.
That work is underway at the Basil Moreau School, a distinguished primary and secondary school complex in Port-au-Prince that was hit hard by the earthquake. At the school, administered by the Congregation of Holy Cross and serving an impoverished community, the secondary education section was destroyed and the primary school suffered major structural damage.
Study results: Students benefit from iPads in the classroom
• Date: January 21, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Research
Perhaps the most surprising findings from the first phase of the University of Notre Dame’s year-long study of eReaders are what didn’t take place in last fall’s paperless pilot Project Management course.
“The iPads certainly were not disruptive to the learning environment,” said Corey Angst, assistant professor of management. “In fact, I never felt the students were more focused on the devices than on what I was teaching them. Tech support wasn’t overwhelmed by the class, and the devices weren’t lost or broken.”
Father Jenkins receives Champion of Diversity Award
• Date: January 20, 2011 • Categories: Campus and Community
Indiana Minority Business Magazine (IMBM) has honored Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, with a 2011 Champion of Diversity Award. Father Jenkins was one of 14 individuals, institutions and companies recognized by the magazine at a ceremony Jan. 14 in Indianapolis.
Father Jenkins and the other award recipients were cited as “leaders in their respective fields, not only because they excel at what they do, but also because they are inclusive,” according to Shannon Williams, president and general manager of IMBM.
Notre Dame partners with area teachers to promote STEM education
• Date: January 20, 2011 • Categories: Academics, Campus and Community, and Research
The University of Notre Dame extended Research Community (NDeRC) will host the fourth annual Collaborating for Education and Research Forum on Saturday (Jan. 22) from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Jordan Hall of Science.
The forum brings together K-12 teachers and administrators, university faculty, graduate students and staff to consider ways to collaborate in building a vibrant science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) community.
Experts consider social, environmental impact of business in the next decade
• Date: January 20, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Campus and Community
In the last decade, globalization has made business more powerful than ever, with the combined economic impact of the top corporations outstripping many nation-states.
In the coming decade, how will this power impact poverty, education, energy, sustainability and other societal issues in the global community?
That question is the central focus of the 2011 Ten Years Hence Speaker Series sponsored by the Mendoza College of Business at the University of the Notre Dame.
ND Expert: Steve Jobs’ leave is dangerous for Apple
• Date: January 20, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Research
Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently announced he was taking another leave of absence to focus on his health – a situation that raises some interesting leadership questions and highlights some of the dangers of executive arrogance, according to Mike Mannor, assistant professor of management at the University of Notre Dame.
“Steve Jobs is putting Apple in a very dangerous position,” Mannor says. “Uncertainty around executive leadership is always difficult for large public firms, but is particularly precarious for an innovation-driven company in a highly chaotic consumer market. Apple faces highly tumultuous markets with nearly all of its products. Research has shown that temporary changes in leadership lead to inhibited stewardship-type behaviors in which the interim leader is less likely to enact significant changes as they lack the credibility and power to carry out any real change. Given the importance of fast action in the markets where Apple competes, this could be a real threat to the company. Depending on the length of the absence, constrained leadership could lead to innovation stagnation, which could also seriously hurt the Apple brand.”
Increase in number of working women due to appliance ownership, Notre Dame study shows
• Date: January 19, 2011 • Categories: Research
Even in the decade before the term “women’s lib” was a common phrase, the number of married women entering the workforce increased dramatically – thanks largely to washers, dryers and freezers, according to research from the University of Notre Dame.
But “liberating” women from housework and propelling them into the workforce may not be the whole story, according to Steven Lugauer, a Notre Dame economist whose research was published recently in Labour Economics.
Ten Notre Dame faculty members named AAAS fellows
• Date: January 19, 2011 • Categories: Academics, Campus and Community, and Research
Ten University of Notre Dame faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in honor of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.
AAAS, founded in 1848 as a nonprofit association, is the world’s largest scientific society and publisher of the prestigious journal Science.
IEI enters local collaboration for student writing skills
• Date: January 18, 2011 • Categories: Academics
The Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) at the University of Notre Dame has entered a collaboration aimed at helping public and parochial school students in neighboring communities to improve their writing skills. The endeavor will be supported by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, which awarded this project nearly $200,000 as part of an Improving Teacher Quality Partnership Program grant.
In memoriam: John M. Regan Jr., Notre Dame trustee emeritus
• Date: January 17, 2011 • Categories: Campus and Community
John M. Regan Jr., University of Notre Dame trustee emeritus and former chairman and chief executive officer of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., died Jan. 10 in Westerly Hospital, Westerly, R.I. He was 89 years old.
Regan was elected to Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees in 1975 and served for 16 years on its student affairs, investment, and academic and faculty affairs committees before becoming a trustee emeritus in 1992. His many gifts to the University include the endowment of the directorship of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
Documentarian Danielle Beverly heads to Sundance Film Festival
• Date: January 14, 2011 • Categories: Academics
Danielle Beverly, a visiting assistant professor of filmmaking at the University of Notre Dame, is headed to the Sundance Film Festival next week for the world premiere of the documentary “Rebirth.”
Beverly, who began teaching in the University’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) this fall, spent the last nine years working as the movie’s field producer.
Notre Dame MBA launches Deep-Dive microsite; Coffee challenge offers chance at $10,000 MBA fellowship
• Date: January 13, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Campus and Community
Do you have a great idea for a social responsibility plan for a global coffee company? One that is good enough to catch the attention of company executives and to compete with other MBA prospective students for a $10,000 Notre Dame MBA fellowship plus hundreds in additional prizes?
The University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business is hosting a virtual case competition where individual participants can analyze a real-life business challenge offered by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and submit their own one-page proposal for judging by company executives. The Notre Dame MBA Mini Deep-Dive Challenge launches online here with registration opening Jan. 17 and a deadline for entries of Feb. 4.
ND Expert: Violent behavior/psychosis tied to children’s developmental neglect
• Date: January 13, 2011 • Categories: Research
Though isolated acts of violence rarely can be attributed to a single cause, there is one trait common to many perpetrators, according to a University of Notre Dame psychologist: as children, often they were neglected or exposed to traumatic violence, both of which raise the risk for the development of schizophrenia or other psychotic symptoms later in life.
“We have many people in our country – and studies suggest the number is increasing – whose development has been neglected, which negatively affects their moral functioning,” says University of Notre Dame Psychology Professor Darcia Narvaez, who specializes in early life experience and moral brain development.
Martin Luther King to be honored by Notre Dame events
• Date: January 13, 2011 • Categories: Campus and Community
Martin Luther King Day will be observed at the University of Notre Dame with a prayer service Monday (Jan. 17) at 11:30 a.m. in the Main Building rotunda.
Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., will lead the “Prayer Service to Honor the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” Other participants will include Rev. Hugh Page, dean of Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies and associate professor of theology and Africana studies, and community leaders from the Michiana area. Music will be provided by Notre Dame’s Celebration Choir and members of the Notre Dame Folk Choir. A reception will follow the event, which is open to the public.
ND Expert: New bidders in J. Crew deal face uphill battle due to MBO controversies
• Date: January 12, 2011 • Categories: Academics and Research
More than a month after agreeing to sell itself to TPG Capital and Leonard Green for $3 billion, clothing retailer J. Crew may be entertaining bids from several other companies, including Sears Holdings and Urban Outfitters, but these bidders face an uphill battle, according to Matthew Cain, assistant professor of finance in the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, because he says the proposed deal is the epitome of a controversial management buyout (MBO).
“A primary proponent of this transaction, J. Crew’s CEO and Chairman Millard Drexler, negotiated with TPG and Leonard Green for more a month before mentioning it to the rest of the board of directors,” Cain says. “Shareholders also are concerned that Drexler stands to receive a cash-out near $300 million. He will roll over about $100 million of that into the private company of J. Crew, but he’ll still receive a net cash-out of $200 million. Very few bidders are willing to take on management in a potential bidding war.”
Notre Dame receives Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement
• Date: January 10, 2011 • Categories: Campus and Community
The University of Notre Dame has been selected as one of 115 institutions in higher education to receive the 2010 Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement.
The classification, designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, recognizes “the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.”
Fans attending Notre Dame men’s basketball game urged to use extreme caution
• Date: January 08, 2011 • Categories: Athletics and Campus and Community
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball game against St. John’s University at 8 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 8) at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center will be played as scheduled.
Fans are encouraged to use extreme caution before deciding whether to attend and should adhere to all weather and travel warnings issued by the City of South Bend and other local authorities.
Fans attending women’s basketball game urged to use caution
• Date: January 08, 2011 • Categories: Athletics and Campus and Community
The University of Notre Dame-University of Connecticut women’s basketball game, scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 8) at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, will be played as scheduled.
Fans who plan to attend are encouraged to take every precaution and adhere to all warnings issued by the City of South Bend and other local authorities.
