December, 2007 (Vol. 7, No. 2)
This Month's Top Stories . . .
Two UVM Alumnae Among Wall Street Journal's "50 Women to Watch" (up^)
Two University of Vermont alumnae are featured in the annual "50 Women to Watch" feature published by The Wall Street Journal in the November 19 edition. Charlene Begley '88 and Diane Greene '76 are among the top women executives that the Journal says make up "a new generation of women leaders who grew up watching pioneering women break into the executive suite (and) has moved into the corner offices of some of the world's largest companies." Charlene Begley is senior vice president of General Electric Co. and heads up its Enterprise Solutions unit, having previously been chief executive and president of GE Plastics. She is one of only seven business leaders at GE who report directly to Chairman and Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt. Diane Greene is founder and CEO of VMware, which has grown from its start-up in 1998 to become one of the largest software companies in the U.S. The company's first product was software that made it possible to run Microsoft Windows and its free rival, Linux, at the same time. It has since developed software that enables Mac users to run Windows and has become a major player in the market for "virtualization" software that helps multiple linked servers to operate more efficiently together. Read their profiles at http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119517314579995043.html?mod=2_1332_2.
UVM Eco-Reps Featured in USA Today (up^)
The University of Vermont was featured in a recent USA Today story on the growing number of student-to-student education programs on college campuses designed to spur ecological living practices. "Eco-Reps" from UVM appeared in the photograph that accompanied the story, and Christina Erickson, director of UVM's program, and Eco-Rep Meg Rice were quoted. "It's really easy for us to approach other students," Rice says. Students aren't as defensive as they would be, she adds, "if an administrator or an older adult came and knocked on your door and said, 'Hey, can I have your light bulbs?'" Read the full story online at USA Today.
MBA Program Garners National Attention (up^)
UVM's MBA program ranked among the nation's best for integrating social and environmental issues in the Aspen Institute's top 100 list and also was named by The Princeton Review as one of the top 10 for opportunities for women. The Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue, ranked UVM 78th among its "Global Top 100 Schools" list in the 2007-2008 edition of "Beyond Grey Pinstripes," a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools. The university was cited for demonstrating significant leadership in integrating social and environmental issues into its MBA program. The Princeton Review, a New York-based education services company, ranked UVM No. 6 in its "Greatest Opportunity for Women" category in the 2008 edition of Best 290 Business Schools. The ranking is based on the representation of female students and faculty within the program and students' own assessments of the supportive climate for female students. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=2540.
Harry Belafonte to speak at Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration (up^)
Internationally acclaimed artist and humanitarian Harry Belafonte will speak on social justice and equity at the university's Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration January 22 at 4 p.m. in Ira Allen Chapel. Belafonte, who has dedicated much of his life to supporting the worldwide human right struggle, has also excelled in the entertainment world as a recording artist, concert performer, television, film and Broadway actor, and producer. Tickets to the event, which focuses on the themes of social justice and equity, are free and distributed on a first come first serve basis at the Hoffman Information Desk on the first floor of the Dudley H. Davis Student Center from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Faculty, staff and students of the UVM community can pick up tickets on January 14-17 (one ticket per UVM ID). Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=11424.
Trustees Approve Debt Limit, Capital Projects, Resolution on President's Performance (up^)
University of Vermont trustees approved an adjustment of the university's debt burden ratio from five to six percent at their November 29-December 1 meetings and reported on the results of a comprehensive review of President Daniel Mark Fogel's first five years in office. The increase in the debt limit — the percentage of annual operating expenses that can be used to service debts —allowed trustees to green light $52 million in long-planned projects and renovations including considerable deferred maintenance and campus upkeep and made as much as $257 million available for capital investment over the next nine years. Fogel said taking on a higher relative level of debt posed some risks, but the risks were prudent and necessary "in order to exploit strategic opportunities, and, conversely, to avoid any erosion of our competitive position." In their five-year comprehensive review of the president's performance, trustees passed a resolution citing the university's "extraordinary success across a broad spectrum of academic, educational, research, programmatic, resource, campus life, and academic endeavors" under Fogel's "outstanding leadership." The resolution noted that the university's "shared achievements, goals, and values have coalesced" during Fogel's watch. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=2555.
Student Essayist Wins $5,000 for Sudan Nonprofit (up^)
Student Emma Vick is passionate about her involvement with the New Sudan Education Initiative (NESEI), a national, non-profit organization with a chapter at UVM. NESEI is devoted to helping to rebuild the war-torn nation and to fostering peace through education. Vick, who serves as vice president of the UVM group, wrote about her commitment to NESEI's mission in an essay she submitted to Teen Vogue for a "Sweet Charity" contest the magazine was sponsoring, offering a $5000 prize to the winner. Much to her surprise and excitement, she was informed that her essay had been selected as the winning entry. The prize money, she says, will be used to seed a micro-lending program aimed at women in the communities where NESEI is building schools. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=2557.
Med Students Focus on Health Care for LGBTQ Youth (up^)
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals are less likely to access health care and have an increased risk for certain cancers, poor nutrition and mental health issues. Thoughts of suicide are reported at a rate six times greater than the overall teen population among LGBTQ adolescents, and statistics from the 2005 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed an increase in risky behaviors for LGBTQ youth despite the fact that there was a decline in these behaviors among adolescents overall. Taking better care of this often invisible at-risk population is at the root of a 2007 Albert Schweitzer Fellowship project led by second-year medical students David Longstroth and Greta Spottswood. Spottswood and Longstroth were two of seven UVM medical students chosen as 2007-08 Schweitzer Fellows to work with a community agency on a health-related community service project of at least 200 hours. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=11423.
UVM Receives America East Academic Cup (up^)
America East Commissioner Patrick Nero presented the University of Vermont with the America East Academic Cup during halftime at the women's basketball game vs. Louisville December 12 at Patrick Gymnasium. The cup is given annually to the institution whose student-athletes produce the highest grade point average among the league's nine teams In addition to the awards ceremony, fans were treated to a much-anticipated contest against the highly touted Lady Cardinals and their star player Angel McCoughtry, who leads the nation in scoring. Louisville won the game 87-52, with McCoughtry scoring a game-high 19 points. Winning the America East Academic Cup makes UVM, whose student-athletes maintained a 3.07 grade-point average, the first institution to win the award four times (1996, 2005, 2006, 2007) including a current streak of three straight. More at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=11492.
Catamounts Are America East Men's Soccer Champs (up^)
The UVM Catamounts are the 2007 America East Men's Soccer Champions, defeating the #1 seeded Binghamton 1-0 in the championship game November 17 at the Bearcats Sports Complex. The conference title is the fourth for the Catamounts and their first since 2000. The win gave the team a 9-2-2 record and earned them an appearance in the national tournament, the 2007 NCAA College Cup, where they defeated Dartmouth in the first round and went on the face the nation's #3-seeded University of Connecticut Huskies, only the second time in team history the Catamounts have advanced to the second round in the NCAAs. Their 2-0 defeat against Connecticut put an end to a remarkable eight-game unbeaten streak that included seven straight shutouts prior to the NCAA tourney. "I am extremely proud of this team especially the way they fought back this year," said coach Jesse Cormier. "The journey they took persevering and battling adversity the way they did is something these guys will take with them the rest of their lives." More on UVM Athletics at http://www.uvm.edu/athletics.
Campus Kudos (up^)
Ken Bauer, assistant professor of community development and applied economics, was selected as the winner of the Junior Scholar Award by the American Anthropological Association's Anthropology and Environment section for his paper, "Common Property and Power: Insights from a Spatial Analysis of Historical and Contemporary Pasture Boundaries among Pastoralists in Central Tibet."
Kevin C. H. Chiang, associate professor of business administration, co-authored an article with Thomas (Xiyu) Zhou published in the September/October 2007 issue of Corporate Finance Review. The article is titled "Motivations Behind the Acquisition of Mutual Funds."
Sue Dinitz, UVM Writing Center coordinator and senior lecturer of English, has won the 2007 Ron Maxwell Award for Distinguished Leadership in Promoting the Collaborative Learning Practices of Peer Tutors in Writing. She received the award October 20 at the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing.
Dr. Melinda Estes, clinical professor of pathology and president and CEO of Fletcher Allen Health Care, received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Sam Houston State University at a gala event held October 19 during the university's homecoming weekend. The award recognizes graduates who have brought pride to the university through their contributions to business, humanitarian efforts, the medical profession, and public service.
Masha Ivanova, research assistant professor of psychiatry, and Thomas M. Achenbach, professor of psychiatry and psychology, co-authored six peer-reviewed articles that report comparisons of the level and patterning of behavioral and emotional problems reported by parents, teachers and children in dozens of societies around the world. They include "Testing the 8-syndrome structure of the Child Behavior Checklist in 30 societies" in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology; "Testing the Teacher's Report Form syndromes in 20 societies" in the School Psychology Review; "The generalizability of the Youth Self-Report syndrome structure in 23 societies" in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology; "Behavioral and emotional problems reported by parents of children ages 6 to 16 in 31 societies" in the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders; "Consistency of teacher-reported problems for students in 21 countries" in the School Psychology Review; and "Epidemiological comparisons of problems and positive qualities reported by adolescents in 24 countries" in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
Richard Kast, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry, co-authored a paper in the April 19, 2007 New England Journal of Medicine titled "Dopamine agonists and valvular heart disease." Kast was also a co-author of "Using blood brain barrier disruption by methamphetamine for drug delivery" in the October 2007 Journal of Neurooncology and "How lithium treatment generates neutrophilia by enhancing phosphorylation of GSK-3, increasing HIF-1 levels and how this path is important during engraftment" in the October 2007 Bone Marrow Transplantation.
Robert J. Kelm, Jr., assistant professor of medicine and biochemistry, Anna M. Knapp and Jon E. Ramsey, pre-doctoral fellows in biochemistry, and Shu-Xia Wang, laboratory research technician in biochemistry, co-authored an article, "Structure-Function Analysis of Mouse Pur B II: Conformation Altering Mutations Disrupt Single-Stranded DNA and Protein Interactions Crucial to Smooth Muscle a-Actin Gene Repression" in the December 7 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Amanda Kissell won first place in the undergraduate student original research paper competition at the recent joint meetings of the American Dairy Science Association and Animal Science Association in San Antonio, Texas, for her presentation, "Short-interval unilateral frequent milking during early lactation of dairy cows results in acute and persistent increases in milk yield," co-authored with Dr. Thomas McFadden, associate professor, and graduate student Emma Wall.
Stephanie McConaughy, research professor of psychiatry, psychology and education, was appointed associate editor of the School Psychology Review, one of the leading journals in the field of school psychology. Her new book, Collaborating with Parents for Early School Success: The Achieving-Behaving-Caring Program, was released in October by Guildford Publications.
Fourth-year medical student Alex Mroszczyk-McDonald was the top male amateur, finished 29th overall out of a field of 1,787 and won his age group in the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship held in Kona, Hawaii on October 13. The event consisted of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run.
Garrison Nelson, professor of political science, wrote an op-ed article Nelson titled "Border Wars in Fight for the Presidency" that appeared in the Boston Globe on November 3. An abbreviated version of his professional paper "Middlemen No More: Emergent Patterns in Congressional Leadership Selection" will be published in 2008 in P.S.: Political Science and Politics, a journal of the American Political Science Association.
Betty Rambur, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Barbara McIntosh, professor of business administration, and MaryVal Palumbo, director of the Office of Nursing Workforce, were honored in November at the 2007 International Awards in Nursing Excellence by Sigma Tau International nursing honor society for the best publication in the profession and society category. The article "Educational Preparation as a Determinant of Career Retention and Job Satisfaction Among American Registered Nurses" was published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship.
Joel Shapiro, director of the Employee Assistance and Lifetime Wellness Programs, was elected president of the International Association of Employee Assistance Programs in Education (IAEAPE).
Tom Simone, associate professor of English, published his translation of Dante's Inferno with commentary for students and the general reader.
A study co-authored by Kathleen Trybus and Susan Lowey, professors of molecular physiology and biophysics, titled "The R403Q Myosin Mutation Implicated in Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Causes Disorder at the Actomyosin Interface" appeared in the November 12 issue of PLoS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access, online publication published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS), a nonprofit organization.
Rick Vanden Bergh, associate professor of business administration, co-authored an article in Business & Politics with Guy Holburn of the University of Western Ontario titled "Targeting Corporate Political Strategy: Theory and Evidence from the U.S. Accounting Industry."
Dateline UVM Would Like to Hear from You: (up^)
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