Articles

IU launches new energy research center

IU has launched another energy research center, this time the Center for Research in Energy, administered by the School of
Public and Environmental Affairs, in Bloomington.

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DePauw, Ball State, Purdue buildings among top AIA design winners

Three university projects, two of which contain green-building elements, dominated the most recent design awards presented
by the American Institute of Architects Indiana chapter. Of the four award winners, three involved college buildings: the
Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University, the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering at Purdue University, and
the Straw Bale Eco Center at Ball State University.

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Commentary: Gray is the new blonde-not!

Photos of four area university presidents graced the cover of The Indianapolis Star’s Sunday arts and entertainment section back in March. They were all female. My first reaction was, “Isn’t it cool that women are reaching the highest echelon of higher ed?” My second reaction was, “Why don’t any of them have gray hair?” Well, surely some of them do, since at that time their ages ranged from 59-66. It just doesn’t show. I was surprised. If there is a…

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Martin professor’s ouster sparks student protests

Martin University students upset over the firing of a popular professor are staging protests over the direction the school has taken under new President Algeania Freeman. Freeman in January replaced the Rev. Boniface Hardin, a Benedictine monk who founded the inner-city school 30 years ago. She since has roiled many faculty members and students by letting go employees-many times without reason, they contend-as part of a strategy to cut costs. IBJ reported their concerns in July. But the Oct. 20…

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RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Web conferences have come a long way, baby

I can change my mind. It’s painful, like yanking off my right arm for a slightly upgraded replacement. But it happens. For a long time, I resisted holding Web conferences. As the name implies, Web conferences are held over the Web, rather than in person. For years, most of the ones I’d been in were videoconferences with grainy, slowly updated images of talking heads where it was difficult even to know who was speaking. I didn’t like the document-centric online…

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SPORTS: Tony Dungy is much more than a football coach

Of this, that and the other: It was my pleasure to co-moderate (with IBJ’s Anthony Schoettle) last week’s IBJ “Power Breakfast” featuring Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy. This was the third year I’d shared the stage with Dungy, the Super Bowl-winning coach who most of us know by now is also a best-selling author, a man of deep faith, and a committed social activist, the latter best exemplified by his involvement with his mentoring program, All-Pro Dads. A Westin Hotel…

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IU seeking funding to help alleviate doctor shortage: Medical school wants extra $5 million from Legislature to tackle projected shortfall of 1,300 physicians by 2025

An acute physician shortage in Indiana is driving a request for an additional $5 million in annual funding to expand enrollment at the state’s only medical school. The Indiana University School of Medicine’s Physician Workforce Task Force conducted a study in 2006 that found the state already had 3,500 fewer physicians than it should. Indiana had 12,534 doctors in 2005-a number that remains relatively flat because the medical school churns out the same number of graduates each year. Over the…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Worksite wellness encourages steps to healthier firm

Over the past several years, employers have seen a movement from traditional PPO health plans to consumer-driven health plans, by implementing qualified high-deductible plans such as health savings accounts. This shift has been viewed by most to have initially lowered overall employer and employee cost, but more importantly, it has gotten the employee more involved in their health care choices. Fortunately, consumer-driven health care plans are not the only answer in reducing employer costs. According to the Towers Perrin 2008…

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NOTIONS: The perils and pitfalls of pulling the party lever

My sister-in-law is a deputy county prosecutor in Michigan. By all accounts, she’s good at her job. But that may not matter. You see, my sisterin-law’s boss is up for re-election next month. And because his job is on the line, so is hers. So in addition to her day job, my sister-in-law has been working nights and weekends on the campaign. My sister-in-law is passionate about putting away bad guys. She’d like to keep doing it. But it’s not…

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IP law illuminates growing field for women: Increase mirrors rising number of Internet companies and inventions

But more than a century later, women are protecting more than their own assets-they’re increasingly looking out for the intellectual property of business owners large and small. One of the hottest practice groups within law firms today, intellectual property law falls into four basic areas: copyrights, trademarks, patents and publicity rights. With the exception of patent law, which requires a background in science or engineering, no specialized undergraduate degree is required. Gary Roberts, dean and the Gerald L. Bepko professor…

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