uncnews.unc.edu

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:

International Coverage

Moral high ground exists: Height tied to helpfulness
The Times of India
...The link between height and morality may sound unlikely, but researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that the association affects how people behave when they become physically or mentally elevated. In the first of a series of bizarre experiments, the researchers led by Lawrence Sanna found that commuters gave more money to a charity collector at the top of an escalator than one at the bottom.

National Coverage

What Being Religious Really Means To Young People (Column)
The Huffington Post
Are you religious? What criteria come to mind in answering that question? When evaluating how "religious" someone is, social scientists and the general public tend to rely on the frequency of religious activities, strength or type of religious beliefs, relative importance of religion in one's life, or some average of these aspects of religious life. (Lisa D. Pearce is an associate professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Melinda Lundquist Denton is an assistant professor of sociology at Clemson University.)

State and Local Coverage

When chancellor plays, Tar Heels usually win
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
When No. 11 North Carolina faces N.C. State in women's basketball at Carmichael Arena tonight, the Tar Heels will have an extra player on their side. For the seventh time since 2008, UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp will man the keyboard at a university athletic event to perform the pregame national anthem. He will accompany vocalist Terri Houston, the school's interim executive director of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/holden-thorp-carolinas-6th-man

Former UNC Official Speaks At Tucson Memorial
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
A former UNC official served as the master of ceremonies at the memorial service for the victims of the Tucson, Arizona shooting. Dr. Robert Shelton, who served as UNC’s Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost for five years, is now the President of the University of Arizona. He spoke near the beginning of Wednesday’s night’s service to a group of thousands of attendees and millions of television viewers.

Troubleshooter: Tar Heel fan booted from seat at UVA
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Greg Demery proudly wore his team's colors - Carolina blue coat, T-shirt and hat - when he headed to Charlottesville, Va., Saturday to watch UNC-Chapel Hill take on the University of Virginia in basketball. But his attire didn't suit Virginia athletic officials, who removed him from his ticketed seat behind the Cavalier team. Demery had a question for Triangle Troubleshooter: Can the home team legally do this?

Former major leaguer Scott Bankhead to speak at UNC baseball dinner
The Chapel Hill Herald
Scott Bankhead, a two-time All-America pitcher at UNC who spent 10 seasons with six MLB teams, is the featured speaker for the Diamond Heels' First Pitch Dinner this year. ...Also in attendance will be Tar Heel All-America and 2009 First Round Selection Alex White will be in attendance at the First Pitch Dinner, scheduled for Feb. 5 at the Carolina Club on the UNC campus.

Pierce to be honored at PlayMakers Ball
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Television, theater and film star David Hyde Pierce will receive this year's PlayMakers Distinguished Achievement Award Feb. 12 at the 23rd annual PlayMakers Ball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The ball, held at the historic Carolina Inn, is the annual fundraising gala for PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4215/107/

Old Museum Space To Host Art Exhibition
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
...Elin O’Hara-Slavick is the curator for an art exhibition at 523 East Franklin Street entitled “Local Histories: The Ground We Walk On.” She says the collaboration will showcase works from a variety of mediums. O’hara-Slavick is also a distinguished term professor of studio art at UNC. She and her art historian colleague Carol Magee selected the artworks for the show.

Issues and Trends

The House's New Higher Ed Leader
Inside Higher Ed
...The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Minnesota's John Kline, announced in December that he had asked Representative Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican, to head the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness, which deals with postsecondary issues of all sorts, including financial aid, work force development, and the like. Foxx, a House member since 2005, spent much of her pre-Congress career in higher education, starting as a secretary at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaching and administrating at Caldwell Community College and Appalachian State University, and ultimately serving several years as president of North Carolina's Maryland Community College.

UNC president wants to streamline academics
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Under Erskine Bowles, the UNC system focused largely on making the administrative side of the university more efficient. Now, new President Tom Ross wants to attack the academic side. Ross announced his desire this morning to look for ways to streamline the university's academics by looking for "unnecessary duplication."
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/uncs-ross-streamline-academics

Cost of higher education could go up for N.C. colleges
WNCT-TV (CBS/Greenville)
Higher education costs could go up in North Carolina, but by how much? On Thursday, the UNC Board of Governors met to discuss what tuition increases the schools in the system are recommending. All schools in the UNC system, which includes East Carolina University, have asked for tuition increases in light of possible budget cuts.
Related Links:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/11007187/article-State-budget-cuts-may-hit-UNC-system-
hard?instance=main_article
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/13/1978034/higher-tuition-less-aid-pinch.html
http://wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=17129

A look at possible budget cuts in UNC system
The Winston-Salem Journal
The possibility of a 15 percent budget cut in the 2011-12 fiscal year has chancellors in the 17-member UNC system scrambling for ways to slash expenses. Administrators won't know for at least several weeks how much they will be asked to trim from next year's budget, but they expect it will be steep, as the state looks for ways to cover an expected budget shortfall of $3.7 billion.

UNC estimates more job losses
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A 5 percent cut to the UNC system budget - which officials say is a reasonable expectation - could result in the loss of 900 jobs across the state. Of those, 400 would like be faculty cuts, according to data being presented this morning to the UNC system's Board of Governors. After several years of budget cuts, the system appears ready to reduce its budget again, doing its part to help the state patch a hole in its budget estimated now at more than $3.5 billion.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/unc-estimates-more-job-losses

Despite cuts, colleges in sound fiscal shape
The Triangle Business Journal
They may have tightened their belts, but area public universities have gotten bigger in the 12 months that ended June 30. Audits by North Carolina State Auditor Beth Wood’s office show that UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and East Carolina University all increased net assets in fiscal 2010, with UNC growing its assets line the most, to $3.7 billion, up by $240 million, or 7.2 percent, over the prior year.