The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, September 25, 2009 - 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, September 25, 2009 - 7A
RESEARCH REPORT
From Page 1A
the ratings carry great weight and
the report's findings have moti-
vated re-evaluation of programs at
many colleges in the past.
"If a program you thought was
great turned out to be 15th or 20th,
you often changed the leadership,"
he said. "But, generally, Michigan
has not aligned itself with these
(ratings), because we've been high
on the food chain."
On the steering committee for
the Division on Policy and Global
Affairs of the NRC, Duderstadt
said the forthcoming rankings will
be more objective than they have
been in the past. The NRC is fore-
going a reputation-based assess-
ment of departments in favor of
hard data.
While many have applauded
this more numerical approach,
it does have the potential to yield
surprising results, he said, hence
the anxiety currently being felt by
administrators everywhere.
"Institutions that were highly
ranked in the old way may find
themselves ranked much differ-
ently now," Duderstadt said.
The effect of the rankings on a
research institution's hiring prac-
tices, funding and departmental
evaluations has forced the NRC
to become more transparent with
its methodology, Duderstadt said.
But allowing survey participants
to become acclimated with the
new system has come at the cost of
a four-year delay in the release of
the rankings, he said.
Duderstadt said the increasing
anxiety surrounding the immi-
nent release of the rankings is jus-
tified given the current economic
climate. Institutions that lack sig-
nificant financial backing will be
forced to trim their departmental
costs and may look to the rankings
for guidance, he said. Moreover,
key donors are likely to be swayed
by the NRC's departmental assess-
ments.
"If it had come out two years
ago, it would have been treated
in the normal course of things,"
Duderstadt said. "But now it will
probably feed into some very diffi-
cult decisions that institutions are
forced to make."
Having seen three other releas-
DEAN
From Page 1A
portive and open rapport with
colleagues, faculty and alumni,"
Ulrich said.
Zernicke holds a honorary doc-
torate of science degree from the
University of Waterloo, Ontario
in 2008 and a Distinguished
Teaching Award from UCLA.
"He represents the whole
package," said Ken Warner, dean
of the School of Public Health, in
a press release, "Zernicke was
by far the best candidate. He's a
respected researcher with a most
impressive publication record."
Warner also said that Zernicke
"comes equipped with loads of
relevant experience."
With his new appointment,
Zernicke said his major goals will
include developing a strategic
PROMISE
From Page 1A
Agema said he disagrees with
House Democrats' proposals to use
tax hikes to pay for the program.
"Before you ask any body to
pay anymore taxes in the state
of Michigan, be efficient with
what you have," Agema said. "The
answer isn't always just to raise
taxes, the answer is where are
we spending money where we
shouldn't, prioritize the spending
and spend it that way."
Democratic Gov. Jennifer
Granholm has proposed raising
$680 million in revenue through
increasing certain taxes and
reducing business tax credits.
Megan Brown, a spokeswoman
for Granholn, said the governor
stands by her decision to support
funding for the Michigan Promise
Scholarship despite challenges to
the budget.
"The governor continues to
support the Michigan Promise
Scholarship because it is our first
universal scholarship and as such,
supports the belief that everyone
should continue their education
beyond high school," Brown said.
"As far as today, we're pleased
they have reinstated it, but it's
just one step."
In an e-mail interview, Cynthia
INCIDENT
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Though she could not con-
firm what treatment the subject
received at the hospital, Brown
said University Police did not take
physical action that would have
es of the NRC rankings during his
time at the University, Duderstadt
also said there were merits to the
reputation-based approach that
the survey data alone will not
provide, such as considerations of
esteemed professors and research
projects.
"I don't know that this is going
to be successful," he said. "It's
going to have an impact, but they
may decide, after looking at the
reaction, to go back to the earlier
model."
University Spokeswoman Kelly
Cunningham said the ratings are
an important tool for graduate
students looking for a particular
assessment of their department of
interest. But she said that the NRC
rankings are only one part of a big-
ger picture.
"(The rating) is one of the ele-
ments of choosing a graduate
school, but, more important is
choosing the right graduate school
for the right person," she said.
Cunningham said compatibility
with departmental faculty, poten-
tial colleagues and research proj-
ects - all things that would also
factor into a pre-doctoral student's
school choice - is outside the
scope of the rankings. The same,
she said, is true of the University's
overall approach to education and
research.
"Interdisciplinary teaching
is huge for us, and I don't think
that is covered in the ratings," she
said.
The large number of institu-
tions that subscribe to the NRC
ratings has caused some universi-
ties to re-evaluate their research
activity and to set an explicit goal
of improving their ranking.
As a result, changes have been
made in the hiring practices, ten-
ure and overall evaluation of facul-
ty research, according to one paper
written by Florida State University
Professor Randall Holcombe.
But Cunningham said the rank-
ings, although important, do not
significantly influence the Univer-
sity's research aims.
"We don't change how we oper-
ate the academic enterprise based
on the ratings," Cunningham said.
"They provide us with valuable
information that we can use to
assess the quality of our programs,
but they are just one measure of
success."
plan for the school and recruit-
ing more quality faculty and
students. Zernieke said he also
has plans to make the School of
Kinesiology more visible nation-
ally and internationally.
"The University of Michigan
has both the breadth and depth to
be outstanding in many different
areas, particularly in the School
of Kinesiology. I'm excited toube a
part of it," Zernicke said. "There
is a tremendous resource there
and I don't think the full message
is getting out."
Sullivan said she is confident
these goals will be met under
Zernicke's leadership.
"We are confident that he will
strengthen the school's interna-
tional reputation of excellence
in providing innovative educa-
tion for the next generation of
movement science profession-
als," she said.
Wilbanks, vice president for gov-
ernment relations at the University,
said she is optimistic the governor
and state legislators will find away
to fund the program despite the
challenges of the state budget.
"The action today by the
House Appropriations Commit-
tee to restore, at least in part, the
Michigan Promise Scholarships
is encouraging, but there is lots of
work to be done to identify fund-
ing for the program," Wilbanks
wrote.
The House and Senate are
slated to vote on the final budget
proposals brought forth by the
conference committees the legis-
lature's Oct. 1 deadline to finalize
a budget.
Both Bauer and Agema said
state legislators will come to an
agreement before the cut-off
date.
"I'm fairly confident that the
government will not shut down
and we will have an agreement
by the deadline," Bauer said.
"I'm doing all I can, but a lot of
it is going to depend if people in
the legislature are willing to vote
for some increases in revenue
in order to fund it. That's really
what it's going to come down to at
this point."
- Daily News Editor Kyle
Swanson contributed to this report.
injured the man.
Brown did confirm that the man
was discharged from the hospital
and would be released from police
custody after being processed.
Brown said the man has had
previous run-ins with University
Police for trespassing on campus
property.
Protesters carry signs and posters at the "Stand for Freedom in Iran" rally against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad near the United Nations headquarters in New
York City, yesterday.
U.S.-Russia sanCtions could
put pressure on Ahmadinejad
Russian president
opens door to
agreement after U.S.
missile shield deal
NEW YORK (AP) - A unified
U.S.-Russian stance on sanctions
against Iran would put added pres-
sure on Iranian President Mah-
moud Ahmadinejad to yield some
ground on his nation's nuclear
program.
Russian President Dmitry Med-
vedev opened the door Wednes-
day to backing potential sanctions
as a reward for President Barack
Obama's decision to scale back
a U.S. missile shield in Eastern
Europe.
While U.S. and Russian offi-
cials denied a flat-out quid pro quo,
Medvedev told the U.N. General
Assembly that Obama's pivot on a
missile defense plan long loathed
by Moscow "deserves a positive
response." Obama himself has
said his missile decision may have
spurred Russian good will as a
"bonus."
"We believe we need to help Iran
to take a right decision," Medvedev
said after the two leaders met on
the sidelines of the U.N. assembly.
Ahmadinejad has taken a softer
tone on many matters since arriv-
ing in New York for the U.N. meet-
ings, emphasizing his interest in
improving relations with the Unit-
ed States and expressing an open-
ness to include nuclear matters on
the negotiations agenda.
He has given no sign, however,
that his country is willing to bar-
gain away its nuclear program,
which he insists is for peaceful
purposes only. In an interview
Wednesday with The Washing-
ton Post and Newsweek, he said
he would be willing to have Ira-
nian nuclear scientists meet with
experts from the U.S. and other
countries.
In his speech to the General
Assembly on Wednesday night,
Ahmadinejad made no explicit ref-
erence to nuclear matters or pro-
spective sanctions.
Obama's chief Russia adviser,
Mike McFaul, told reporters after
the meeting with Medvedev that
there was no deal with Moscow on
missile defense and Iran. Pressed
further, he said: "Is it the case that
it changes the climate? That's true,
of course. But it's not cause-and-
effect."
A member of the Russian del-
egation, speaking on condition of
anonymity under ground rules set
by the Russians, said Moscow's
final position on the question of
imposing further sanctions would
be determined, to alarge extent, by
Medvedev's consultations here.
The U.S. and Russia are among
six countries that will hold talks
in Europe next week with Iran
over its nuclear ambitions. Obama
wants to reserve the possibility
of pursuing tougher sanctions if
those meetings lead to no restraint
by Iran in the weeks ahead. Rus-
sia, which has strongeconomicties
with Tehran, has stood in the way
of stronger action against Iran in
the past.
In remarks to reporters with
Medvedev at his side, Obama said
both agree that negotiations with
Iran are still the best approach.
"We also both agree that if Iran
does not respond to serious nego-
tiations and resolve this issue in a
way that assures the international
community that it's meeting its
commitments, and is not develop-
ing nuclear weapons, then we will
have to take additional actions and
that sanctions, serious additional
sanctions, remain a possibility,"
Obama said.
Medvedev told reporters that
the intent is to move Iran in the
right direction and to ensure that it
does not obtain nuclear weapons.
"Sanctions rarely lead to pro-
ductive results but in some cases
are inevitable," he said through an
interpreter.
Medvedev also mentioned that
his government welcomed Obama's
decision last week to scrap a Bush
administration plan for a mis-
sile defense system to be based in
Poland and the Czech Republic. He
gave no indication that his remark
about the sanctions on Iran was a
diplomatic payoff for Obama's mis-
sile defense move.
In his address to the U.N. Gen-
eral Assembly earlier Wednesday,
Obama stuck to his two-pronged
approach to Iran - acknowledg-
ing its right to the peaceful use of
nuclear energy while warning of
unspecified penalties if it veers
onto the weapons path.
"We must insist that the future
not belong to fear," he said.
Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg
hospitalized after feeling ill at work
Justice remained in
hospital overnight
as precaution
WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme
Court Justice Ruth Bader Gins-
burg was hospitalized yesterday
after becoming ill in her office at
the court following treatment for
an iron deficiency.
The 76-year-old justice, who
underwent surgery for pancreatic
cancer in February, was taken to
Washington Hospital Center at
7:45 p.m. EDT as a precaution, a
statement from the court said.
The court said Ginsburg would
remain the hospital overnight,
again as a precaution.
Earlier in the day, Ginsburg had
received an iron sucrose infusion
to treat an iron deficiency anemia
that had been discovered in July.
About an hour later, she "devel-
oped lightheadedness and fatigue,"
the statement said. She was found
to have a slightly low blood pres-
sure, which the court said can
occur after the type of treatment
TAILGATE
From Page 1A
Kirk Lutz, the senior manager
of events for the Alumni Associa-
tion and the event organizer for
the zero waste tailgate, said the
current environmental movement
makes events like this successful.
"It's the right time to do this
because of the greening of the
globe on everyone's mind - mind-
ful of recycling events across the
universe and around the world,"
he said.
Lutz said although there is an
increased cost associated with
using these environmentally
she received.
Although an examination found
her to be in stable health, she was
given fluids and taken to the hospi-
tal as a precaution, the court said.
The July evaluation found
"that she was in completely nor-
mal health with the exception of
a low red blood cell count caused
by deficiency of iron. Intravenous
iron therapy was administered in a
standard fashion," the court state-
ment said.
Doctors on Feb. 5 removed a
small, malignant growth from
Ginsburg's pancreas. Doctors
found no spread of it elsewhere, the
court said at the time. Her spleen
also was removed.
She returned to work quickly
and hasn't missed a day of work
since. In March she said the opera-
tion had been "a complete, success-
ful, surgical removal" ofthe cancer.
However, she also said she was to
undergo chemotherapy treatment.
A common side effect of chemo-
therapy for pancreatic cancer is
anemia.
Two months after her surgery,
Ginsburg told law students at a
friendly products as opposed to
plastic- and petroleum-based
products, the Alumni Association
knows it was worth the additional
financial resources.
LSA senior Matt Gacioch, one of
four board members of the SSI, said
the group wanted to create avisible
project so people can see that steps
are actually being taken to create a
more sustainable campus.
Gacioch said he hopes to create
as little waste as possible at this
weekend's tailgate.
"It's a zero waste tailgate event,"
he said. "All the packaging, uten-
sils and everything being used are
either compostable or recyclable.
The intent is to send nothing to the
KEVIN WOLF/AP
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was rushed to the hospital yesterday after falling ill at work.
symposium at Ohio State Univer-
sity that serving on the Supreme
Court was "the best and the hard-
est job I've ever had." She said at
the time that she wanted to match
the tenure of Justice Louis Bran-
landfill."
Student volunteers from SSI
will be at all trash, recycling and
composting stations to help those
attending recycle properly.
Alumni Association President
Steve Grafton said he is conscious
of maintaining a healthy environ-
ment.
"By working to reduce waste at
our annual tailgate event, this is
one day that we are encouraging
alumni to 'go blue' and 'go green',"
he said.
Gacioch said although this tail-
gate is the first of its kind at the
University, he hopes the initiative
will continue in the future.
"We hope it is so successful
deis, who served for more than two
decades and retired at age 82.
Ginsburg spent part of this past
summer the way she usually does,
teaching in Europe. This year's
class was in Rome.
that we can take it next year and
make one whole football game
zero waste," said Gacioch. "Then
hopefully in the future continue
the initiative to eventually make
the entire game day experience
zero waste for the entire football
season."
Lutz said he is confident that
this program will continue in the
coming years.
"I think like anything it has to
become something that people just
automatically think of, rather than
some special activity," he said.
"Times are tight, budgets are tight
and we need to be mindful of that,
but there's a smart road to it. It
starts with awareness."