In The News

Richard Bonnie Professor of Medicine and Law, and Professor of Psychiatric Medicine Mental Health reform WMRA -- Virginia Insight / to air Feb. 3 at 3 p.m. Robert Fatton Jr., Haiti expert and professor Hillary Clinton presses Haiti's René Préval to break election stalemate The Christian Science Monitor / Jan. 31 Frederick Hayden, Professor of Medicine and Pathology Frederick Hayden on Influenza Antivirals Watching the Watchers / Feb. 1 William Quandt, professor of politics White House keeps wary eye on Egyptian turbulence USA Today / Jan. 31 Mitchell Rosner, pathologist H...

As the wait for a decision on the Google Book Settlement approaches the one-year mark, PW talks with the author of the forthcoming book, The Googlization of Everything, about the Internet giant's expanding dominance. The book’s author, is Siva Vaidhyanathan, professor of media studies.

While college costs continue to rise, a new U.Va. study calls into question whether students are learning enough - or much of anything in certain areas.

Not long ago and fairly far away one of a leading university’s best students told me that he and his peers got good grades without actually reading the books assigned for the course. I’ve been around a while, but I retain my ability to be shocked. Meanwhile, his observation was reinforced by the publication of a new book, Academically Adrift: Limiting Learning on College Campuses, by NYU’s Richard Arum and U.Va.’s Josipa Roksa, a book that should rock the academic world, but probably won’t.

As a parent who recently borrowed a shocking amount of money to pay for our son's first year at a state university, I couldn't believe what I was reading: Forty-five percent of college undergraduates fail to improve in critical thinking, reasoning and writing abilities during their first two years. These grim statistics come from a new book, "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses" by Richard Arum, of NYU and Josipa Roksa, of U.Va.

Preparations are underway at the University of Virginia to hold a formal inauguration ceremony for new President, Teresa A. Sullivan.

Curry School of Education Dean Robert Pianta shares his thoughts on a new study by the University of Virginia, which highlights the importance of teacher interaction on a child’s classroom experience.

Correspondent Lynn O’Shaughnessy compiled a list of the 25 public colleges and universities with the best graduation rates. The service academies do extremely well and Virginia schools shine. Four Virginia institutions - University of Virginia, College of William and Mary, University of Mary Washington and James Madison University- make the top 10; U.Va. at number two nationally.

With 71 U.Va. students joining the Peace Corps, U.Va. is number two among medium-sized colleges and universities sending student volunteers to the organization.

Last week, an Associated Press article by Eric Gorski reported: "A study of more than 2,300 undergraduates found 45 percent of students show no significant improvement in the key measures of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing by the end of their sophomore years." Gorski's article reported on findings of a new book by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa titled Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses.

Each spring, a number of high school students in Northern Virginia with near-perfect grade-point averages, top-notch SAT scores and a long list of extracurricular activities receive disappointing news. They're shut out of Virginia's premier schools - particularly the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary - losing slots to out-of-state students who pay triple the cost of those in-state and subsidize the state's cash-strapped schools.

The University of Virginia Health System says it plans to pay hundreds of employees several millions of dollars in overtime pay after it violated federal labor laws. Officials say they're still trying to determine the exact cost. The employees most affected by the change include registered nurses.

The University of Virginia  Hospital Auxiliary is making a difference for cancer patients in Charlottesville one wig, scarf and undergarment at a time. They're making sure everyone has what they need regardless of how much is in their wallet. When the new Emily Couric Cancer Center opens at the UVa  Medical Center, patients will be able to get more than just treatment. Thanks to the hospital auxiliary they'll also have access to the new “Positive Image Boutique."

Spillane holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Systems Engineering from U.Va.’s School of Engineering and Applied Science

While University of Virginia graduate student Amira Barakat studies in Charlottesville, she can't help but think of her family in Egypt. Barakat was born in Egypt and spent much of her life in the country now home to protests and an uprising against its own government.

A.E. Dick Howard professor of law Opinion bad news for charities in Va. The Washington Post / Jan. 29 Larry Sabato director of the Center for Politics In the Senate, Blumenthal starts from the bottom Connecticut Post / Jan. 29 Dr. Mark R. Sochor emergency physician and associate professor and research director at the University of Virginia Department of Emergency Medicine Highway safety advocates warn crashes also bust state budgets Chester County News / Jan. 30 Kathy Thornton professor of engineering Challenger was turning point for NASA Richmond Times-Dispatch / Jan. 30

Some members of Washington's higher-education community are skeptical — and at times dismissive — of a new report that claims students don't learn enough in college. The study, published Jan. 18 along with a book titled "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses," by NYU’s Richard Arum and U.Va.’s Josipa Roksa, focused on a performance task within the CLA that asks students to respond to a writing prompt involving a "real-world" scenario.

Middle America is falling out of love with marriage, according to a recent study by a University of Virginia sociology professor. W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at U.Va., said the new data show a shift in attitudes toward marriage and more people having children outside of wedlock.

Researchers from Boston College (BC), MIT, Clemson University and the University of Virginia have used nanotechnology to achieve a 60-90% increase in the thermoelectric figure of merit of p-type half-Heusler, a common bulk semiconductor compound, the team reported in the journal Nano Letters.

Students at University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, are trying to prove that sustainability and profitability in business go hand in hand. The group, Net Impact, is hosting a conference Monday night through Wednesday, which will feature seven panels and three keynote speakers.