uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Lehman, Venue, Innkeepers, Thornburg, Sbarro: Bankruptcy
Bloomberg Businessweek
...Melissa B. Jacoby, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also favored ending the dominant role of New York and Delaware. Jacoby, a member of the National Bankruptcy Conference, reported that 70 percent of the largest 200 public-company filings since 2005 ended up in New York or Delaware. Jacoby pointed out how the late Lawrence P. King of New York University didn’t support having the state of incorporation as a proper venue.

National Coverage

On Campus, It’s One Big Commercial
The New York Times
It's move-in day here at the University of North Carolina, and Leila Ismail, stuffed animals in tow, is feeling some freshman angst. A few friendly upperclassmen spring into action. But wait: there is something odd, or at least oddly corporate, about this welcome wagon. These UNC students are all wearing identical T-shirts from American Eagle Outfitters.
Related Link:
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/12/branding-campaigns-on-campus/

Will Upgraded Payroll Tax Holiday Translate Into Jobs This Time?
Forbes
President Barack Obama’s latest plan to save the American job market from the wastelands is likely to at least put a few billion dollars into corporations and consumer pockets. Will companies use it to hire? Will consumers go shopping? “It’s hard to know if the last year’s round of payroll tax cuts did any good because we don’t have the counterfactuals,” says Douglas Shackelford, a professor of taxation and accounting at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

On Corp Tax Reform, Small Business Wants In
Forbes
...“If you reform the corporate tax code — which is where the publicly traded companies are — you have to change the overall business tax laws because the the pizza shop owner across the street isn’t going to benefit if you change the corporate tax rate. It’s not going to matter to him at all,” says Douglas Schakelford, professor of taxation and accounting at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. “Most people think that reforming the corporate tax code helps small business. It helps Wal-Mart, and they certainly hire a lot of people. But to argue that it helps small business is a misstatement,” he says.

Are US Companies Paying Too Much Taxes?
Forbes
...“Everyone likes to talk about the tax breaks that General Electric got and the taxes that Google paid last year, but these are outliers. Corporate tax reform needs to happen because marginal rates are too high and that is the rate you use to base your investment decisions on, not the 10% effective rate,” says Douglas Shackelford, a taxation and accounting professor at the University of North Carolina.

A Cross Country Comparison Of Corporate Income Taxes (Blog)
Forbes
...Where does this U.S. rank? Scholars have been comparing multinational corporate tax rates for years. A study published in February by professors Kevin Markle of Dartmouth College and Douglas Shackelford of University of North Carolina, both international tax experts in the MBA programs at their respective colleges, showed that out of the 11,602 publicly traded companies from 82 countries the actual location of a multinational and its subsidiaries substantially affects its worldwide effective tax rate.

Partnership with Under Armour gets attention for U-Md.’s football team
The Washington Post
...The increasingly close relationships between universities and corporate entities bear watching, said Richard Southall, director of College Sport Research Institute at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “I don’t know implicitly that it’s unethical at all but it’s something you simply have to be aware of,” Southall said. The company’s “corporate mission may or may not be in alignment with the mission of the athletic department or the university.”

Making Headway in the Movement to Protect the World’s Sharks
The New York Times
...Many marine biologists support tougher regulation of shark fishing itself. “These bans go part way, but you’re still allowed to fish sharks without a permit,” said John Bruno, a marine ecologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “In North Carolina, there are shark derbies for fun, where they are hung by their tails. We think it’s O.K. to do that with this ocean predator, but we wouldn’t dream of doing it to a terrestrial animal like a bear.”
Related Link:
http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/09/12/taking-shark-fin-soup-off-the-menu/

North Carolina's gay-marriage fight -- and the meaning for Obama (Blog)
The Los Angeles Times
Could the fight against gay marriage in North Carolina affect the broader fight over leadership of the free world? ..."There's no doubt that there would be some advantage in motivating voters for Republican candidates," Ferrel Guillory, director of the Program on Public Life at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told the Associated Press, adding: "We are polarized on this."

Chronic diseases: slow-acting, silent killers?
The Associated Press
..."The timing is difficult with the economy the way it is, but it should not prevent us from setting goals," said Dr. Sidney Smith, who heads the World Heart Federation, a group of more than 200 organizations focused on heart disease. "Many of the things we're proposing cost very little" and some, such as smoking cessation, even save money, said Smith, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "We're not talking about trying to find a new magic bullet. We're just talking about behavior and cost-effective medicines" like aspirin and generic blood pressure drugs that lower the risk of multiple diseases, he said.

Graduate student runs for office to prove residency
USA Today
He is running for the board of education but he doesn’t want any votes. He has no platform, his campaign fund consists of $100 and he admits others are more qualified for the job. Brian Bower, a graduate student in the Biology Department at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, is running for the local board of education as a stunt to prove he deserves in-state tuition.

State and Local Coverage

Still absorbing the shock
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
..."I think 9/11 was kind of a blow to our national confidence that's manifested in a lot of ways," says David H. Schanzer, director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security. "We lost confidence in our physical security, but also in the American ideals of pluralism and tolerance. We came to believe more in the strength of force than in the power of ideas." (David H. Schanzer is the director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security at Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and RTI International.)
Related Link:
http://wunc.org/programs/news/archive/Nli090911_Smith_Sept_11.mp3/view

Our troubled path to greater security (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The counterterrorism initiative launched in response to the horrific attacks on our country 10 years ago continues to this day. On this solemn anniversary, it is appropriate to reflect on how this initiative has fared. Those who were killed in the attacks, the police and firefighters who perished trying to save others, the soldiers and intelligence agents who have died or been injured in foreign lands and all of their families deserve no less than a candid appraisal of how we responded and an informed strategy of how to proceed in the future. (David H. Schanzer is the director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security at Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and RTI International.)

Bowles says federal deficit is a cancer
The Chapel Hill Herald
Erskine Bowles called the federal deficit a cancer likely to “destroy this country from within” in a packed lecture hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Thursday. Bowles is the former president of the University of North Carolina system who co-chaired a bipartisan commission created by President Obama last year to reduce the federal deficit. The commission delivered a plan to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion across 10 years, but Bowles said it didn’t have presidential support.
Related Link:
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2011/09/bowles-nations-deficit-a-cancer.html

Case studies in the right way to make home loans
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...The performance of those loans over the years has been tracked closely by UNC-Chapel Hill's Center for Community Capital. In a new book, "Regaining the Dream," three employees of the center - Roberto Quercia, Allison Freeman and Janneke Ratcliffe - write about what they learned from the information they've collected over the years. The loans purchased by the program have performed much better than the subprime loans that have been at the heart of the country's financial woes.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4695/67/

New UNC Study Could Help Save Thousands
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
A team of UNC medical researchers has found that hospitals could potentially save thousands of lives and billions of dollars by taking a few easy steps to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Dr. Bradford Harris led the study, conducted in the Pediatric ICU at the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.
UNC News:
http://uncmedne.ws/hai

Triangle Universities Studying Soft Matter
WUNC-FM (Chapel Hill)
The Triangle's four major universities are collaborating on a multi-year study of "soft matter." The National Science Foundation awarded a 6-year grant worth nearly 14-million dollars to researchers at Duke, UNC, NC State, and NC Central Universities.

Entrepreneur expects growth for drink manufacturing business
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Entrepreneur Kehinde Olajide launched a startup business in Durham to commercialize a drink that he said is popular in the African country of Nigeria. ...Olajide had launched the business after enrolling in a class at the UNC School of Public Health that focused on public health social entrepreneurship.

Marriage laws and N.C.'s justices (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
With the Tar Heel state ravaged by both natural and economic disaster, this week the General Assembly will launch a singular legislative session - our political equivalent of treatment in the emergency room. There, we will reportedly consider, principally, whether to amend our state constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage. (Gene Nichol is a professor of law at UNC-Chapel Hill and director of the university's Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity.)

Pharmacist models partnership in health care (Tar Heel of the Week)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Tony Civello didn't go into pharmacy to sell candy or count pills. He wanted to be like his neighborhood pharmacist growing up, the guy down the street he went to first when he broke his nose playing football. ...Within a year of taking the reins at Kerr, he formed a partnership with UNC-Chapel Hill in which pharmacy students worked as volunteers at a Kerr-based health center, learning to explain dosages and side effects to patients, keep tabs on those with chronic illnesses, and check blood pressure, bone density and other indicators.

Elected officials face criminal charges, public scrutiny
The Star News (Wilmington)
...If an elected official does not resign, there isn't much their colleagues can do other than wait to see if the public votes them out of office, said Michael Crowell, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Government. “If someone is convicted of a felony, they can be removed from office but just general bad behavior that we don't approve of (means) they are in office until they are voted out,” Crowell said.

Prep work begins for ductbank, Carolina North greenway
The Chapel Hill News
In early October, work crews will begin to remove trees, brush and other vegetation in a narrow corridor from the Horace Williams Airport to Homestead Road. Staff members of UNC will be available to answer questions about the project at a Sept. 13 public information meeting for the Carolina North Annual Report at the Town Hall at 5:15 p.m.
Related Link:
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2011/09/11/66726/new-campus-could-clear-forest.html

UNC Using GPS To "Take A Bike Out Of Crime"
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Every new school year brings a spike in on-campus crime, and few crimes are more common on campus than bicycle theft. But this year, UNC’s Department of Public Safety is employing GPS technology—to “take a bike out of crime.” "We became aware of a program to (create) a bait bicycle," says Public Safety spokesperson Randy Young.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4730/75/

Northside walk Tuesday evening
The Chapel Hill News
The entire community is invited to join in a walk around the Northside neighborhood at a "Neighborhood Night Out and Good Neighbor Initiative Block Party," scheduled for Tuesday. The party is joint effort between the Town of Chapel Hill and UNC.

WakeMed still stalking Rex Hospital
The Triangle Business Journal
Although the University of North Carolina Health Care has rejected an $875 million offer from WakeMed Health & Hospitals to buy Rex Healthcare, WakeMed still wants to reach a deal, saying it can help the state save jobs.

The history stands (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Those who view Silent Sam as a racist symbol or as a "misrepresentation of students and the community" ("Sam is silent; his detractors aren't," Sept. 2) appear to miss the point. They should not presume to know what led UNC-Chapel Hill alumni and students to fight for the Confederacy. North Carolina reluctantly left the Union. A majority of its citizens had no slaves and many did not support slavery. (Fred Hawkins, UNC Class of 1956, Durham)

Issues and Trends

UNC System President said it has been trying year
News 14 Carolina
When legislators passed the current two-year state spending plan, the cuts to the University of North Carolina system were big and anticipated. UNC System President Tom Ross said anticipated or not, the reductions have been difficult to deal with. The UNC Board of Governors has been holding its monthly meeting this week and discussing the fallout from the cuts.
Related Link:
http://triangle.news14.com/content/646576/political-connections
--state-universities-and-the-budget-crunch

UNC low on cash to keep top talent
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In the past five years, the UNC system has nearly exhausted $10 million that was in a fund created to keep star faculty from leaving North Carolina. Now, they want the state legislature to replenish it. The fund is used to make counteroffers when top faculty, typically scientists, are lured elsewhere by fatter salaries, better benefits and high-end lab equipment. UNC leaders say the fund has kept some of the best professors from leaving the state.
Related Links:
http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/09/09/article/fund_to_retain_best_faculty_shrinks

BOG seeks to replenish faculty retention fund
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The UNC System has depleted a special faculty retention fund to keep top-ranked faculty from leaving the university system. When it was established in 2006, the fund had $5 million. And over the course of its existence, $10 million has flowed through it, thanks to timely supplemental appropriations.

UNC cuts hit home for Asheville-area universities
The Citizen-Times (Asheville)
Universities in Western North Carolina eliminated 126 jobs in the wake of statewide budget cuts, administrators said Friday. The 17-campus University of North Carolina system cut 3,032 workers statewide, according to a report filed Thursday with the system’s Board of Governors. About 1,500 vacant positions were eliminated statewide, and 508 positions previously funded with state money are now funded through other methods, such as university receipts.

Square revamp pitched
The Chapel Hill News
The developers of the University Square property on Franklin Street are taking a lesson from one of the Triangle's most successful downtown makeovers: Durham's American Tobacco Campus. At a meeting Thursday, John McColl, executive vice president of development for Cousins Properties, said the company plans a grass quad inside the Chapel Hill site "similar to the American Tobacco interior."
Related Link:
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2011/09/11/66732/saying-all-the-right-things.html