Spring 2008: Of Note
Perfect Pitch
Emory in the news
- Rich Resource: Emory’s acquisition of author Alice Walker’s archives received widespread coverage, including in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post, and International Herald Tribune. During a recent appearance at Emory, Walker told the sold-out audience that she is shifting her focus from writing to travel, meditation, and fighting child hunger.
- Off the Hook: The hotly contested primary season has kept phones ringing in Emory’s political science department, especially for professors Merle Black, Alan Abramowitz, and Andra Gillespie. Their sought-after expertise has been included in campaign coverage on a near-daily basis, including in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Politico.com, Associated Press, and other media outlets around the world.
- The Youth Vote: “If we were electing someone on the basis of their ability to give great speeches, then Obama would be a great choice,” Emory senior Jonathan Beam 08C told Time magazine in a February cover article. “But Hillary Clinton outshines the rest of the field with her experience. . . .” CNN also took note of the burgeoning youth vote and interviewed several students, including Emory sophomore Steve Golden 10C, who organized Emory’s Students for Barack Obama chapter, and Emory junior Benjamin van der Horst, founder of the bipartisan Collegiate Society of America.
- Preach It: ABC’s Good Morning America interviewed Candler’s Bandy Professor of Preaching Tom Long about the role of churches in personal finances. He said finance ministries “trivialize the scriptures by turning them into a how-to guide.”
- Dumb and Dumber: Emory English Professor Mark Bauerlein was interviewed by USA Today and CBS Evening News about his forthcoming book, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future. He told CBS that today’s teenagers are too distracted by computers and social networking to really care about reading and learning.
- Trendsetter: Georgia Trend magazine tapped President James Wagner as one of the 100 most influential Georgians, noting that under his leadership, “Emory has strengthened its role as an education destination in the past year, especially when it comes to faculty: Novelist Salman Rushdie began serving as distinguished writer in residence; His Holiness the Dalai Lama became a presidential distinguished professor; and Natasha Trethewey . . . won the Pulitzer Prize.”