The Chronicle T h e i n d e p e n d e n t d a i ly at D u k e U n i v e r s i t y
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2011
Admins give more details on Global MMS
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 86
www.dukechronicle.com
Obama emphasizes innovation, cooperation between parties by Samantha Brooks THE CHRONICLE
by Lauren Carroll THE CHRONICLE
Administrators are actively planning for the recently-announced Global MMS program, which the Fuqua School of Business hopes will prepare students around the world with the skills needed for success in the 21st century. Fuqua hopes to offer the Global Masters of Management Studies program in several countries including China, India, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates, Fuqua Dean Blair Sheppard announced at Academic Council last week. In an interview with The Chronicle he provided further details about the program, including that it will have a curriculum almost identical to its Durham counterpart but with varying region-specific concentrations. The program, which will likely first be offered in China, is expected to begin in August 2012—coinciding with the opening of the Duke campus in China’s Kunshan Province. Students will be required to take eight core courses in basic business disciplines and four thematic courses in a chosen area of concentration, such as public policy. For example, a Global MMS student in See mms on page 12
caroline Rodriguez/The Chronicle
Students watch from the Old Trinity Room as President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address, which focused on innovation and the importance of American economic advancement.
President Barack Obama began his address to the American people Tuesday night with an eye on progress. “The first step in winning the future is encouraging American innovation,” he said. Obama largely focused his State of the Union speech on the theme of American jobs and global economic competition, from which he laid out his strategy for tackling issues such as education, environmental advancement, immigration reform and deficit reduction. He called for American citizens to embrace creativity and imagination in order to further innovation, which he said could define an ever unpredictable economy. In an attempt to convey bipartisan civility in light of the recent shooting in Tucson, Ariz., many congressmen wore black and white ribbons and sat side-by-side with members of opposing parties. In the speech, the president called for future commitment to bipartisan cooperation, stating that the tragedy should remind the “American family” that progress can only be made through political synergy. “We will move forward together, or not at all—for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics,” Obama said. “At stake right now is not who wins the next election—after all, we just had an election. At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country or somewhere else.” From there, Obama stressed the importance of regaining the country’s economic See obama on page 5
College students focus on socializing over studying, report says by Chinmayi Sharma THE CHRONICLE
photo illustration by addison corriher
A recent study has shown that college students in the United States today spend 75 percent of their time sleeping or socializing.
In an ongoing debate about the value of the undergraduate experience, a recent report suggested that at many colleges, a prevalent social scene comes at the cost of education. Recent publications have said this generation’s college students prioritize socializing over studying in the academic spectrum—spending 75 percent of their time sleeping or socializing and only 16 percent in class or studying. Students spend their remaining time eating and participating in extracurricular activities, the study reported. With the price of a college education constantly rising, many wonder whether the gains of an undergraduate education are worth the cost. For many Dukies, however, the college experience is not as black and white as the study portrays. “It seems that many people are coming to college for the sake of spending four years doing something they think they’re supposed to do,” said freshman Michael Oliver. “Education does not mean taking classes for the sake of taking classes or joining a career track because it’s easier than taking risks with your future career.... And we defi-
ONTHERECORD
“When I read his e-mail, I realized that he was right and the rest of my education had been wrong.”
—Fourth-year med student Alex Fanaroff in “Dr. Price’s Duke.” See column page 11
Read what students have to say on Obama’s speech, Page 5
nitely shouldn’t live from frat party to frat party.” The findings about typical college schedules were featured in a book that was published this month titled “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses,” which interviewed more than 3,000 full-time college students from 29 campuses nationwide. Throughout their four years in college, the participants of the study took a learning assessment test, a standardized exam that gauged students’ critical thinking, analytical reasoning and writing skills. The study reports that 45 percent of students showed no significant gains in learning after their first two years, and that 36 percent showed little change after the full four years. The authors, Richard Arum and Josipa Roska, concluded that the trend is due to a collective shift in attention from educational pursuits to social endeavors. “Compared to past generations, the education system seems to have become much more ends-oriented, and partially due to cultural self-confidence we no longer feel the academic urgency our parents did to compete globally,” said freshman Andy Chu. See learning on page 12
Nadine Fahoum strives for coexistence, Page 7