ROBBY MARSHALL

News

Leaders detail initiative to spur graduation rates

By ROBBY MARSHALL | November 17

UNC is ready to show some tough love to students who are struggling to make the grade. Madeline Levine, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, rolled out a new initiative that seeks to improve four- and six-year graduation rates at the Thursday Board of Trustees meeting. Among the changes are increasing academic eligibility standards, establishing academic probation, expanding the Summer Bridge Program and hiring a full-time retention coordinator. But she said students should not fret.

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Voter charges deceit at poll

By ROBBY MARSHALL | October 31

When Bob Epting strolled over to the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center to cast an early vote Monday morning, he said he was approached by a pleasant, college-aged girl. The girl, who was part of a group, asked Epting if he was a registered Democrat as he passed by. Epting said he stopped and replied with an affirmative. He said the young woman handed him a flier to bring into the voting booth, saying, "Good, here's a list of the candidates we support." What Epting didn't know at the time was that the flier listed a slate of conservative judicial candidates.

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UNC awarded top dollar in health grants

By ROBBY MARSHALL | September 15

The University raked in a record-setting amount in health grants for the 2005 fiscal year, standing atop all public universities in the South. The National Institutes of Health awarded about $297 million to the UNC-CH Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Nursing, collectively. The total is about $7 million more than last year's sum. This is a large portion of last year's $593 million in external funding that UNC reaped as a whole - also a record.

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College access conference draws to close

By ROBBY MARSHALL | September 14

About 150 of the nation's most prominent higher education leaders traded ideas for the past four days at a politics of inclusion conference at UNC. The event concluded Wednesday with a four-and-a-half hour practicum aimed at tackling the event's overarching question: How can college be more accessible and more affordable to students? Seventeen panelists from different universities discussed low-income-based student aid to an audience of about 80 administrators and media representatives.

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Academic leaders examine race trends

By ROBBY MARSHALL | September 12

In a ballroom filled with more than 150 leaders from universities across the country, diversity was an appropriate theme for the first panel discussion of a four-day conference. Four panelists addressed those assembled Monday morning in the Carolina Inn about patterns of diversity within U.S. colleges. The panelists sought to answer the questions asked by moderator Henry Frierson, a UNC professor of educational psychology: "Who are the 18-year-olds of the next decade?" he asked. "Will they be college-ready? And will college be ready for them?"

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Graduate students span the spectrum

By ROBBY MARSHALL | August 30

It's termed the critical one-third by Linda Dykstra, dean of the graduate school. That's roughly 8,000 graduate students on campus who account for a soft-spoken 30 percent of the total student pie. Each is handpicked. And each decides, for one reason or another, that committing to more years of research, learning and possibly debt at UNC is worth it. The College of Arts and Sciences alone hosts about 1,000 teaching assistants, more than 400 research assistants and more than 300 fellow recipients, according to Dykstra.

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Dining director to exit post

By ROBBY MARSHALL | August 28

The latest administrator to exit UNC hopes to leave the University with a good taste in its mouth. Ira Simon, director of University food and vending services, submitted his resignation Aug. 14. "I really enjoyed working here, and it was a great opportunity," Simon said of his six years at UNC. Sept. 1 will be Simon's last day before departing for Western Washington University, where he will direct campus food services. Simon said the move is only partly motivated by finances, choosing to keep the exact dollar figures undisclosed.

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Poverty center gift keeps effort going

By ROBBY MARSHALL | August 25

UNC's fight against poverty is here to stay. After a $2 million donation, officials said UNC's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity now has the funds to sustain its current and future operations. "It means the center will be a permanent part of UNC," said Laura Hogshead, associate director of the center, which is run through the University's School of Law. The gift was the largest given to the young center to date.

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UNC Hospitals draws ire for business focus

By ROBBY MARSHALL | August 23

UNC Hospitals has come under attack by critics who say leaders are putting business before medicine. A petition presented to UNC-system President Erskine Bowles Thursday was signed by about 1,100 community members who are unhappy with health care policies. Those who signed the petition said the hospitals are overlooking their mission of serving the state by turning away those who can't afford medical care. UNC leaders counter that more affordable care is being provided now than in years past.

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Counseling, wellness head to oversee major changes

By ROBBY MARSHALL | August 23

Kathy Hotelling's office is still filled with boxes. The new leader of Counseling and Wellness Services said she's been bogged down with acquainting herself with her colleagues and information technology systems. Hotelling, who assumed her post Aug. 1, is charged with overseeing the integration of Counseling and Psychological Services and the Center for Healthy Student Behavior - now known as Campus Wellness Services.