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Information dean, wife to give $2.5M Couple bequeaths largest-ever donation from dean to college By CHRISTY SONG and WILL GREENBERG Daily Staff Reporters
VICKY LIU/Daily
Ju’won Harris, a health educator at the Detroit-based Institute for Population Health, answers students’ questions about the Teach for America program with first-year medical student Kimi Warlaumnot at the Ford School of Public Policy Thursday.
TFA alumni discuss STEM Panelists say lowincome schools lack science, math programming By YARDAIN AMRON Daily Staff Writer
A panel of four Teach For America alumni and one current fellow sat before a small audience of students Thursday night to discuss the “crisis” in
science, technology, engineering and math education — with the hope of luring more University students with science and mathematics backgrounds into the fellowship program. STEM subjects are often neglected in low-income schools, the panelists said, yet they’re considered crucial toward students’ success in both college and workforce. Improving the United States’s competitiveness in these fields has been a priority of the Obama administration, which
committed billions over the last several federal budgets toward improving STEM education. “This year, there’s a huge need in the communities and school districts in which we place core members for science and math teachers at all grade levels,” Emily Pendergraft, regional TFA recruitment manager, said. Teach for America is a non-profit organization that recruits and trains recent college graduates to teach full-time for two years in low-
income public schools. Sixtyseven recent graduates from the University began teaching for TFA this semester. The program has been praised for bringing young professionals into contact with students and also criticized for inadequately preparing fellows for the challenges of lowincome schools, many of which are in urban areas. At the panel, held at the Public Policy school, members discussed their personal expeSee TFA, Page 3A
In an announcement early Thursday, School of Information dean Jeffrey MacKie-Mason and his wife Janet Netz committed to donating $2.5 million for an endowed professorship — one of the largest amounts a dean at the University has ever donated to his or her own school or college. The donation will create the Jeffrey MacKie-Mason Professor of Information, which will be a tenured faculty position in that school. MacKie-Mason and Netz are both University alumni. MacKie-Mason said in an interview Thursday that he and his wife feel a strong sense of compassion toward the values of the School of Information, which serves 441 undergraduate and graduate students. “My wife and I both believe deeply in the value of public
ACADEMICS
BUSINESS
Kinesiology adds major in health, fitness Inaugural class of new concentration has 15 students By AARON GUGGENHEIM Daily News Editor
After two years of planning, the School of Kinesiology has rolled out a new concentration to meet the growing demand for educators and consultants in physical fitness and wellness. The Health and Fitness major is built around a core 49 credits that teach the fundamentals of wellness and physical training and then branches out to two distinct tracks: physical education and health and fitness leadership. The physical education track prepares students for a teaching certification in physical education, while the research-based health and fitness leadership track prepares students for jobs in which they will promote individual and community health. With rising health-care costs, many companies are looking
for individuals with similar backgrounds to lead wellness programs that reduce medical expenditures. Both tracks prepare students for national certification tests for personal trainers and other fitness professionals, and both guarantee an internship to get real-world experience and practice skills learned in the classroom. Kinesiology Dean Ron Zernicke said the concentration was developed for three reasons: to reorient the school’s priorities to focus on health, wellness and physical activity and to latch on to the wide variety of work being done throughout the University regarding physical inactivity. “What we tried to do was to figure what were the resources we have within the school and then how do we collaborate across schools to give students within our school, and others, the best opportunities,” Zernicke said, adding that alumni have encouraged the school to add health and fitness elements to the See KINESIOLOGY, Page 3A
universities,” MacKie-Mason said. “We just couldn’t be more excited about (the University’s) future, but it needs the support of people who believe in it.” This contribution is the latest in a series of high-profile donations meant to kick-start the University’s upcoming fundraising campaign, Victors for Michigan, which is set to launch Nov. 8. In September, University alum Stephen Ross, namesake of the Ross School of Business, donated $200 million for further improvements to the athletic campus and the Business School. At her annual leadership breakfast in early October, University President Mary Sue Colemanannounced that she and her husband, political scientist Kenneth Coleman, would be donating $1 million toward study-abroad initiatives. MacKie-Mason said the surge in donations comes at an important time, as state and federal funding for the University has been insufficient in recent years. In a Thursday press release, MacKie-Mason said his contribution is a great way to repay the opportunities provided to him by the University. “Faculty and staff across the See INFORMATION, Page 3A
Business is good for high-school partners Ann Arbor locals successful selling sunglasses on game days By CAROLYN GEARIG For the Daily
TRACY KO/Daily
Jann N. Sarkaria, a radiation oncologist at the Mayo Clinic, delivers his talk “The impact of the blood-brain barrier on limiting therapeutic efficacy in GBM” at the Taubman Institute Thursday.
Visiting doctor lectures on brain tumor clinical trial Mayo Clinic oncologist talks research, treatment By ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
Jann Sarkaria, a renowned radiation oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, lectured Thursday about his cur-
rent research on glioblastoma, a cancerous tumor. Glioblastomas are highly malignant brain tumors that arise from the supportive brain tissue. Sarkaria’s research aims to find drugs that would work in tandem with radiation treatment to advance treatment of the disease. He is currently developing novel radio-wave-based treatments and monitoring drug
efficacy through repeated imaging of the malignancies. Sakaria’s work also focuses on identifying which types of patients benefit most from the cutting-edge treatment. During his lecture, Sakaria outlined his methods for investigating treatments for glioblastomas, which starts by taking tumor cells from patients and putting them into See BRAIN, Page 3A
When Josh Carn-Saferstein and Noah Hirschl, both Ann Arbor high school seniors, decided to design and sell Michigan-themed sunglasses before University football games last fall, they didn’t expect much. But after selling out of 500 pairs within three games, they saw potential for their business, Spirit Specs, to grow. “We’ve lived in Ann Arbor our whole lives, and we’re both devoted Michigan fans,” Hirschl said. “Having 110,000 people in one place where you can just hold up a product and have tens of thousands of people walk by (is) the easiest form of marketing.” Hirschl and Carn-Saferstein See HIGH-SCHOOL, Page 3A
The Big Move Insight into the transition of Funchess from tight end to wide receiver.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 13 ©2013 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A ARTS........................... 5A
SUDOKU..................... 3A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A F O OT B A L L S AT U R DAY. . . 1 B