ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, October 4, 2013
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G ROOVIN ’ N ’MOVIN
CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT
New science building to be constructed Sources say biology programs will get a new home By SAM GRINGLAS Daily Staff Reporter
TRACY KO/Daily
LSA junior Vinny Sheu, Engineering freshman Kenna Gebissa, LSA sophomore Katalina Faraon and LSA sophomore Sameer Bhagavatula practice for GROOVE, a percussion performance group, near the Cube Thursday.
ACADEMICS
‘U’ climbs in ed. rankings Strength of research citations contribute to strong position By K.C. WASSMAN and PETER SHAHIN Daily News Editors
The University has once again placed in the Times Higher Education World Uni-
versity Rankings, moving up two spots from last year to number 18 in the world. The California Institute of Technology was ranked as the best institution for the second year in a row, followed by a tie at second place between Harvard University and University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The University’s overall score was a 79.2 out of 100, which is lower than past years despite the higher ranking.
Within its ranking, the University scored highest in academic citations, which reflects research influence. “The University of Michigan’s rise up the rankings is particularly impressive, demonstrating strength right across the board on a wide range of metrics,” Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education Rankings, said in a statement. The rankings are determined using 13 performance indicators grouped into five areas
including teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook. The University ranks 28th in the “National University” category of the 2013 U.S. News and World Report rankings, but dropped in the QS World Rankings from 17 last year to 22 this year. College rankings have been criticized for a perceived lack of validity, reliance on peer reviews and even anchorSee RANKINGS, Page 3A
Biologists, hold on to your lab coats. Plans for a brand new biology building on Central Campus are underway and will likely come before the Board of Regents for approval sometime this fall. The project — first reported by the Ann Arbor News — will provide a new facility for the University’s programs in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, sources close to the planning process said. These programs are currently housed in in the aging Kraus Natural Science Building adjacent to the Diag and Ruthven Museums Building on North University Avenue, which currently hosts the Natural History Museum. Prof. Robert Denver, associate chair of research and facilities for the Department Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, confirmed the project in an interview on Thursday. He said the University began seeking input from faculty in town-hall-style meetings over the summer.
Next president must be a strong fundraiser
ADMINISTRATION
School of Information expands to old Borders
Upcoming leader to inherit ‘Victors for Michigan’ campaign
opment, reported that 129,000 donors had made gifts to the University during the 2013 financial year. Gifts totaled $357 million — a number that has, on average, increased over recent years. By TUI RADEMAKER Emphasizing the growing Daily Staff Reporter importance of giving, May said attracting donations remains an As the Presidential Search important goal of the University. Advisory Committee continues “(Fundraising is) huge at a its hunt for the University’s next school like Michigan, because a leader, one of their foremost con- school like Michigan has to both cerns will be finding an adminis- be a public university in terms of trator capable of planning for and its philosophy and a private unimeeting the future needs of the versity in terms of its fundraisinstitution. To do that, an expe- ing,” May said. rienced, proven fundraiser will Jennifer Delaney, an educabe critical. tion professor at the University With state appropriations of Illinois Urbana-Champaign declining by more than and expert in higher 26 percent over a 10 year education funding, period — dropping from said decreasing state $416 million in 2002 to funding has forced $308 million in 2012 universities to look for according to the Unialternative sources of versity’s 2012 financial revenue, which often report — the Univer- Filling Fleming come in the form of sity’s Board of Regents charitable donations. has said that any future president To conveniently match this will be expected to maintain and need, she said philanthropists build relationships with donors. are increasingly viewing higher During the September 2013 education as an attractive option. University Board of Regents Delaney notes this heightened meeting, Jerry May, the Uni- focus on development has creversity’s vice president of develSee FUNDRAISER, Page 3A
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 80 LO: 61
After an initial informationgathering period, the University has started meeting with architects to discuss more concrete plans for the project. Denver said the plan would likely call for open-concept lab spaces. Though open-bench layouts are typically used for biomedical research labs, Denver said the concept would likely serve the diverse faculty of the department well. “The current building is a very old building,” Denver said. “We’ve been in it for 98 years and haven’t really received any significant renovations in that time. Things are falling apart. It’s very difficult to do modern, life-science research in this building.” Former LSA Dean Terrence McDonald, who first initiated discussion on a new biology facility during his deanship, said the University has been considering the project conceptually for the past few years. McDonald added that the project was important because the two biology departments train a significant number of students in LSA and the current facility was hindering the recruitment of toptier faculty. “They wanted a facility that encouraged interdisciplinary research, that was able to house cutting-edge equipment and See SCIENCE, Page 3A
Staff pleased that new location is close to main office in North Quad By MOLLY BLOCK
TRACY KO/Daily
Daily Staff Reporter
Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko speaks about nationalism at Rackham Thursday.
Fmr. Ukranian president speaks on country’s future Yushchenko says Ukraine needs stronger national identity By TYLER GRINN For the Daily
Viktor Yushchenko, former Ukrainian president who held office from 2005 to 2010, spoke Thursday in the Rackham Amphitheatre about his vision of the future of Ukraine.
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Yushchenko spoke as a part of the fifth-anniversary celebration of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies. Ronald and Eileen Weiser, who founded the center with a $10 million donation in 2008, were in attendance. The title of Yushchenko’s speech was “Shades of Orange: A Decade of Ukrainian Democracy,” a reference to the Orange Revolution that occurred after the 2004 presidential campaign and election. “In my personal opinion, our biggest problem and chal-
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INDEX
lenge is that we are not united, we do not stand as one, we are not integrated internally” Yushchenko said through a translator. He added that Ukraine’s multiple languages, religious variations and differing history textbooks contribute to the country’s fragmentation, and that he’s working to build a more united Ukraine. Yushchenko blames the lack of nationalism on the country’s breakup into sections controlled by different See DEMOCRACY, Page 3A
Vol. CXXIV, No. 5 ©2013 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
After being housed in three separate University buildings since its creation in 1996, the School of Information will now make use of 4,000 square feet of office space in the former Borders building on East Liberty Street. About 12 to 15 staff members in the marketing and communications office, the finance team, human resources and the information-technology group will officially move into the new second-floor office space Friday. The search for more space began early in fall of 2012 and the five-year lease of the new building was signed in June out of necessity, Information School Dean Jeffrey MacKie-Mason said in June. “We moved into North Quad in See INFORMATION, Page 3A
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