President's Report Masthead
June 30, 2012

Media relations efforts highlights faculty research/University issues

The media relations arm of Communications and Marketing highlights the following coverage of University faculty and issues:

J. David Hacker, associate professor of history, has been making the media rounds with his findings regarding the Civil War’s death toll. Hacker, who says the total figure of war dead is actually much higher than previously thought, was interviewed by All Things Considered on National Public Radio.
Listen to the NPR interview here

Hacker’s findings also made the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.
See the NBC news coverage here

Hacker’s research has also been covered in a number of newspapers and publications, including The New York Times, the Albany Times-Union, the Arizona Daily Star and the Boston Globe.
Read The New York Times coverage here

Michael Sharp, professor of English and crossword puzzle fanatic, was interviewed for a segment on the CBS Evening News. His alter ego, Rex Parker, a solver of crossword puzzles, took on reporter Tony Guida in a battle of words….crosswords, that is.
See the CBS news coverage here

Linda Spear, distinguished professor of psychology, was quoted in the June issue of Prevention magazine in an article about the teenage brain. In the article, “Why Teenagers Act Weird,” Spear discussed how the brain works during this period of growth, feverishly reshaping itself, “pruning neural connections at the rate of 30,000 per second,” and “producing leaner, meaner brains,” she said.
Read more from Prevention here

David Sloan Wilson, distinguished professor of biological sciences and anthropology, was quoted in an article about human kindness and altruism in the June 4 issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The piece explores the dispute over the evolution of niceness with extensive insight from Wilson, who indicates how personal attitudes come into play. He explains how those who value individualism may gravitate toward the theory of kin selection, while those who have a more communitarian attitude may be more open to an idea known as group selection, also called multilevel selection.
Read more from The Philadelphia Inquirer here

Students in Binghamton University’s philanthropy class gave away $10,000 to three charities this spring, thanks to the generous support of the Learning by Giving Foundation. The class, which allows students to work directly with agencies, provides hands-on opportunities to learn about community needs, non-profit organizations and philanthropy.
Read more from local news coverage here

Lloyd Howe, then dean of students, was interviewed by The New York Times for an article related to hazing. Howe used the interview as an opportunity to explain why Binghamton had decided to halt all fraternity and sorority pledging this spring, noting that concern for the safety of students was the primary factor. “For us, any hazing is of concern, even if it seems to be at the low end of the range, because that can often escalate into a situation that becomes more dangerous,” he said.
Read more from The New York Times here