USC in the News 10/24 to 10/26/2009

The Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted Jerry Lucido, USC vice provost for Enrollment Management and Policy, in a story on how colleges are organizing their efforts to improve retention. Lucido spoke about this topic at a session of the College Board Forum last week, presenting data from a survey conducted by USC's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice in partnership with the College Board Study on Student Retention and the Project on Academic Success at Indiana University at Bloomington. The survey found that while nearly three-quarters of colleges had a designated retention coordinator, that responsibility worked out to an average of about a third of one full-time job. Scott Schulz, program director of the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice, said that having a person designated as the retention coordinator whose full-time job is not to organize retention efforts may be a way for colleges to say they are paying attention to the problem without actually doing much. Lucido said that USC's retention committee has no budget, but does have a written plan, which is "a free thing to do that's very powerful."

The Wall Street Journal ran an excerpt of an op-ed by Daniel Lynch of the USC College about China's economy. "China's wealthy have easy access to all the new credit, and some of them use the money to speculate on stocks and property," Lynch wrote. "The middle classes and the poor can't play this game because they cannot get credit. The very poor are barely treading water, given that 20 million to 40 million migrant workers (and surely many others) lost their jobs last winter. These people are unavoidably spending far less this year than last, while the well-off can only consume so much additional food and clothing. Consequently, prices stay steady or decline, and Chinese retailers report consistently disappointing revenues and profits."

The Wall Street Journal cited a USC study in an article on executive pay. The study found that the median CEO compensation is $1.5 million in companies not using executive compensation consultants, $3 million in companies that purchase general survey data from such consultants but don't directly retain them, and $4.2 million in companies that retain consultants. The study also found that the more consultants a company hires, the more it pays its top executives.

Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by Abraham Lowenthal of the USC College about Honduras becoming a sore point in U.S. foreign policy. "No Washington analyst predicted that Honduras would pose a defining challenge to President Obama's Latin America policy, but perhaps that it has is not so surprising," Lowenthal wrote. "What brings Honduras, and Central America more generally, back again and again to center stage in Washington debates on Latin America is not the strategic, security or economic importance of the region to the United States. On the contrary, it is precisely the minimal tangible significance of Central America to the United States in economic, political and military terms that allows U.S. policymakers of conflicting tendencies to indulge in grandstanding in framing policies toward that nearby and vulnerable region."

Los Angeles Times highlighted Wei Lee of the Keck School of USC in a story about treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Lee is a supporter of the approach of using radical lifestyle and diet changes to get insulin-dependent patients off of insulin, or to avoid using insulin in the first place. "I wish more doctors and patients would not assume insulin injections are their only option," Lee said. "I don't see why more don't give lifestyle a try. It's better for the patient, costs less than medications or surgery, and is better for the country." A second Los Angeles Times story reported that Lee has used incretin hormone therapy with some success in reducing blood sugar levels without adding weight.

Los Angeles Times highlighted the Keck School of USC's Diabetes Mellitus Reversal Registry, which aims to document and validate methods patients have used to reverse their diabetes and share which methods have worked.

Los Angeles Times reported there has been an increase in patients at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, due partly to an increase in H1N1 flu patients and the economic downturn. The hospital is negotiating to transfer patients to more hospitals, the story stated. "Hospitals in this area have been working together to plan for this type of pandemic for years," said County-USC CEO Pete Delgado. "We feel we're pretty ready." A second Los Angeles Times story also covered the news.

CBS News' "MoneyWatch" featured USC in a story about the cost of attending college. USC ranked 34th on a list of America's most expensive colleges, the story reported. However, 60 percent of USC students receive need-based financial aid, and many others have earned merit scholarships, the story stated. USC has a greater percentage of low-income students -- as measured by the number of federal Pell Grant recipients -- than any private school except Columbia University, the story reported. The story also cited Bruce Grier, USC associate director in the Office of Admission, who recently spoke to a high school class about college admissions.

CNN included a USC student in a report about the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which has received support from President Obama.

Inside Higher Ed reported that Adrianna Kezar of the USC Rossier School spoke at a conference on the National Survey of Student Engagement. Kezar said that the idea that undergraduate students are living on campus or interacting with peers and professors outside of class, experiences the survey asks about, are no longer valid assumptions; nor is the idea that students take classes at only one institution. Kezar also said that social media sites like Facebook should be taken into consideration as forms of engagement and interaction.

Chicago Tribune quoted Kelvin Davies of the USC Davis School about senior citizens exercising. "All of the studies done so far indicate that it's never too late to start exercising, and any amount of exercise is beneficial," Davies said. "We do lose strength and capacity as we age. But by and large, the biggest losses are those that you see from people being inactive."

The San Diego Union-Tribune highlighted USC Hospitality in a story about college dining going gourmet. USC Hospitality has consulted with celebrity chefs Tyler Florence and Bradley Ogden about future culinary endeavors, the story reported. USC opened three restaurants in the past year, including gastropub The Lab, and will open a new campus center with a food court, market and fast-casual eatery, as well as a higher-end restaurant still in the planning stages, the article stated. "Students these days are eating out a lot more and are much more in tune with food," said Kristian Klinger, director of USC Hospitality. "They watch the cooking channel and 'Iron Chef,' and the popularity of Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay have improved the palates of our younger population," Klinger added. "We're a revenue-generating unit, so if we can bring in additional revenues to help the university, it's advantageous to us."

Los Angeles Times quoted Steven Chen of the USC School of Pharmacy about the types of drugs used to treat diabetes. Chen said the majority of patients start with metformin, then move on to a second drug to achieve glucose control, which is usually sulfonylureas. "Once you get to that point -- a maximum dose of metformin and sulfonylurea -- now you have this whole laundry list of drugs you can choose from. But what you don't have are clinical trials showing long-term safety and efficacy," Chen said.

Los Angeles Times mentioned the USC School of Cinematic Arts in an article on the American Film Institute, reporting that some consider the AFI conservatory to no longer be in the same league as similar M.F.A. programs at USC and UCLA.

Los Angeles Times mentioned the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in a story about the cancer fundraising efforts of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. The team's store will sell player-autographed hockey sticks to benefit the Michael O'Donnell Memorial Fund at USC/Norris, the story noted.

Los Angeles Daily News quoted David Carter of the USC Marshall School in an article on the breakup of Los Angeles Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt. "The question is will the Dodgers emerge financially stable and have the ability to put a compelling team on the field," Carter said. "Until then, people will be watching this like a pileup on the 405. They can't bear to watch, but they can't turn away."

The Sacramento Bee quoted Dan Schnur of the USC College about Meg Whitman, the former eBay CEO who is running for governor of California as a Republican, despite having endorsed Democrat Barbara Boxer in the past. State Republicans view Boxer with particular hostility because of her liberal politics and what is seen as her confrontational style, Schnur said.