USC in the News 10/15/2009

The Washington Post, in a column, stated that if there were a Nobel Prize for leadership, USC President Steven B. Sample would be a candidate for one. The story recognized Sample "for showing that truly inspired academic leadership can turn around even large and moribund academic institutions."

The New York Times cited Richard Green of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate about U.S. foreclosure filings, which climbed to a record high in the third quarter as lenders seized more properties from delinquent borrowers. "The problem is prime loans going into foreclosure and people being underwater and losing their jobs," Green said in a Bloomberg News story. "It's a really bad number."

Forbes included Warren Bennis of the USC Marshall School as No. 36 on its list "The Thinkers 50," a ranking of leaders in global management thought. Bennis was listed together with industry leaders like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Richard Branson. A second Forbes story highlighted the list.

Los Angeles Times reported that USC football player Stafon Johnson, who was injured in a weightlifting accident, was released from the hospital yesterday. Agence France-Presse, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Sacramento Bee and the Daily Breeze also covered the story.

Los Angeles Times cited research by Hugh Hurt, USC professor emeritus of Safety Science, who produced the Hurt Report, a seminal study on motorcycle crashes and safety. The article reported that a new major study of motorcycle crashes will attempt to find out why resultant fatalities have soared over the last decade, despite the fact that motorcycles account for less than 1 percent of vehicle miles traveled. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation draws heavily on findings from the 1981 Hurt study, the story reported. Stillwater NewsPress stated that the Hurt Report prompted changes that saved thousands of lives.

Shanghai Daily (China) featured Midori Goto of the USC Thornton School in conjunction with her upcoming debut performance in Shanghai. Goto holds the Jascha Heifetz Chair in Violin and chairs the Thornton School's strings department, the story noted. "Playing together with young musicians is always a refreshing experience, particularly in the exchange of ideas and perspectives," Goto said. "Consistency and quality are two essential elements of a student's early and continued exposure to music. I try not to give general advice, but it is my hope that young musicians always remember the simple, pure delights of music."

Associated Press featured research by Nathanael Fast of the USC Marshall School and colleagues which found that bosses who don't feel like they can handle their jobs are more likely to bully their subordinates. "If people feel incompetent and they happen to be in a high-powered position, that's when the aggression kicks in," Fast told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Power has its downsides. It elevates the standards by which people are judged and can make them less secure to the degree they feel inadequate." New Scientist, The Times of India (India) and Sacramento Business Journal also featured the research.

U.S. News & World Report, in a HealthDay News story, quoted Gerald Loeb of the USC Viterbi School about new research on improving connections between prosthetic hands and the brain. Loeb said that the new approach could be an advance, but questions remain about how many signals can be transmitted between brain and hand.

National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" highlighted research by Caleb Finch and Eileen Crimmins of the USC Davis School and colleagues, on the effects of the 1918 Spanish flu. The study found that people who were exposed to the flu while in the womb more likely to have cardiovascular problems and be shorter later in life.

The National (United Arab Emirates) noted that the USC Annenberg School helped establish the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication at the American University of Dubai.

University World News (U.K.) highlighted a seminar led by Manuel Castells of the USC Annenberg School on strengthening doctoral scholarship in the social sciences in South Africa. Castells said that universities are faced with a contradiction between the need to strengthen the quality of Ph.D.s and the need to increase the number of doctoral graduates. He added that the scholarly rigor required by a Ph.D. must not be compromised if it is to be internationally credible. University World News (U.K.) ran a second story highlighting Castells' participation in the seminar.

Today (Singapore) quoted Victor Merina and Robert Suro of the USC Annenberg School in an article about the integration of different ethnic groups, comparing patterns in Los Angeles and Singapore. Merina described his experience in the 1992 riots. Suro said that he expected a greater fallout among L.A.'s diverse population due to the recession, but was proven wrong. The story cited a USC study on immigrant integration which indicated that Los Angeles County appears to be insulated from the ongoing fiery national debate over the influx of immigrants. The findings credited the assimilation to developments that allowed immigrants and their offspring, to move up the economic ladder and own homes.

The Christian Science Monitor quoted Dan Schnur of the USC College about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's low rating in a new opinion poll. The poll expresses the sort of voter angst that is "bigger than one politician or one party," Schnur said.

L.A. Observed ran an op-ed by Robert Saltzman of the USC Gould School about the Los Angeles Police Department's Explorer program, which mentors teenagers and provides alternatives to gang involvement. The program is administered by a city contractor that in turn subcontracts with the Boy Scouts, which doesn't adhere to city non-discrimination laws, the article reported. "We often hear about the 'new LAPD.' I welcome the LAPD's many significant and substantive changes and improvements in recent years," Domanick wrote. "It is time to bring these valuable youth programs into full compliance with the City's non-discrimination laws, so that these youth programs can take their rightful place in the 'new LAPD.'"

Voice of America featured a USC U.S.-China Institute event, the U.S.-China Legal Exchange. Simon Wilkie of the USC College discussed China's new patent law and changes in the country's telecommunications industry. Wilkie said that China's challenges differ in important ways from those of the U.S., where myriad local governments regulate the cable industry.

Jewish Journal cited Joe Domanick of the USC Annenberg School regarding Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, who announced his resignation in August. "He came to Los Angeles with a set of goals and really accomplished those goals," Domanick has said. "First and foremost, he brought adult supervision to the LAPD. What he did by making the LAPD another department that was responsive to the public and the political establishment was very important. He also was the first chief -- not the two African American chiefs who preceded him -- to stop the decades-long war between the LAPD and the African American community."

Los Angeles Times reported that KUSC-FM will air the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's season in 10 broadcasts. The series, airing on Sunday afternoons, will include commentary by musicians and guest artists.

Los Angeles Times quoted Richard Green of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate about the Southern California housing market, which last month in some areas showed an increase in median home sale prices for the first time since 2007. "I think prices are fundamentally at a bottom," Green said. "There could be some weakness in the next year that brings things back down a little bit. I wouldn't be jumping for joy yet, but these numbers are not bad."

Long Beach Press-Telegram cited research by Michael Cousineau of the Keck School of USC. The study, a collaboration between USC's Center for Community Health Studies and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, found that L.A. taxpayers would save $20,000 a year in public services for every homeless person moved off the streets and into permanent housing. Heather Lander of the Keck School said that the study wasn't meant as a quantitative analysis of homelessness, but rather a more personalized look at the experiences and costs of a few formerly homeless people before and after they were placed into permanent housing.

The Journal News featured T.C. Boyle of the USC College in conjunction with an upcoming reading he will give in Peekskill, N.Y. "I had never thought of myself as a teacher," Boyle said. "I didn't really know anything about it; I didn't really have a calling. I was only 21 when I started, but it became a love," he added. "One of the reasons I trot around the world so much, doing readings is just to wake them up, to remind them that literature is fun, just like going to the theater or a movie or a concert. It should turn you on; it should be a thing of joy, not an intellectual duty."

Daily Breeze highlighted USC's participation in the statewide Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill, which took place today at 10:15 a.m. The story noted that a large-scale drill was held at the USC Health Sciences Campus.

La Opinion highlighted a health fair co-sponsored by USC. The fair at the East Los Angeles Occupational Center will provide free services, such as body fat analyses, dental exams, eye exams, diabetes care assistance and influenza vaccines.

La Opinion cited research by Michael Cousineau of the Keck School of USC in an article on how Los Angeles should expand the availability of affordable housing and medical care to its residents. Cousineau said that approximately 50,000 residents have lost or are about to lose their health coverage.

Pasadena Star-News highlighted three upcoming USC events: the Friends of the USC Libraries' Literary Luncheon at which Lisa See will discuss her new novel "Shanghai Girls," and two concerts by The Steve Miller Band to benefit the USC Thornton School in honor of its 125th anniversary.

L.A. Weekly reported that a student-sponsored discussion between pastor Craig Gross and pornography actor Ron Jeremy took place at USC's Bovard Auditorium.

The Mercury-News quoted Dan Schnur of the USC College about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calling for three special sessions to resolve unfinished state business. "In an ideal world, there'd be enough time to deal with these issues in an in-depth manner" during regular legislative sessions, Schnur said. "But since that isn't happening, a special session is probably the best way to make sure that these challenges do get addressed."

The Sun quoted CarolAnn Peterson of the USC School of Social Work on how Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had cut $16.3 million in state funding for domestic violence shelters. A bill passed by the state Senate on Wednesday could restore that funding if Schwarzenegger signs it, which his spokesman said he is expected to do, the story reported. Peterson said that battered women might risk returning to abusive homes if they can't get the services they need from domestic violence shelters. She deemed Schwarzenegger's July cut a "death warrant for battered women."

Ashland Daily Tidings ran an op-ed by Susan Estrich of the USC Gould School about the war in Afghanistan. "The lesson of Iraq is that you fight violence and terrorism by working with the people to bring security and stability. The lesson of Iraq is that doing so is an enormous commitment, of men and women and resources," Estrich wrote. "The question for the president is whether to make that commitment to Afghanistan. When a president has no good choices, the one he makes is that much more revealing, as this one will be."