UB in the News

An article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about whether Republicans or Democrats are more effective at managing the economy when in the White House looks at a paper presented by James E. Campbell, professor and chair of political science, which says there is no significant difference in the economic records of the two parties since World War II.

President John B. Simpson announced the creation of the "UB 2020 Opportunities Advisory Council" Thursday. The Buffalo News reports that the advisory council will help make sure WNY has a qualified and diverse pool of workers needed for jobs created by any future expansion of the university. Business First, WBFO-FM, WIVB-TV, WGRZ-TV and YNN also covered the announcement. In addition, an article in The Buzz, the business news blog of the Albany Times Union, reports on the council's creation.

An article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and on RocNow.com on a proposed five-year trial period for mayoral control of the Rochester School District quotes James Gardner, vice dean of the Law School and constitutional law expert. "Somewhere there is a line where the Legislature can't sort of devolve its own authority onto the people," said Gardner.

An article in Science magazine about rebuilding Haiti interviews Pierre Fouche, a Haitian citizen studying earthquake engineering at UB, about the types of construction used in the Caribbean island nation and the lack of building standards.

An editorial in the Buffalo News commends the NFTA for considering ways to simplify life for bus and train commuters, and for considering expanding Metro Rail in the future to accommodate the UB 2020 plan's expectations of significant growth in the number of students and faculty moving between campuses.

An editorial in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle calls on the state legislature to approve Gov. David Paterson's higher education tuition proposals giving SUNY and CUNY trustees the power to set tuition within mandated perimeters, with the increases going directly to higher education.

An article in Newsweek on the differences between the situation in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and post-earthquake Haiti quotes Andre Filiatrault, professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering, who said, "Katrina was different because [many aid workers] were from outside and had no emotional ties to the community." He also is quoted in an article in the Los Angeles Times about disaster researchers who rush to the scene of a disaster like the Haitian earthquake to study what happened in an effort to alleviate further catastrophes.

A Q&A on CTV News looks at the experimental Liberation Treatment for multiple sclerosis, and reports that in 2003, UB researcher Rohit Bakshi and colleagues suggested that iron deposits deep in the brain might cause MS.

An article in the Prospectus section of Sunday's Buffalo News reports that for several years now, the Buffalo Niagara region has rallied around the idea that a bigger, stronger UB may be the best way to revitalize the Western New York economy.

Jerry Newman, a compensation expert and SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Organizations and Human Resources, is quoted in an article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about Xerox cutting its severance benefits to U.S. workers in anticipation of the elimination of 2,500 jobs worldwide this year. The new severance terms, he said, bring the company more in line with the business world overall.