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 From Page 1A 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."