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Villanova in the Media

Media Highlights from September - December 2023

 

Villanova’s distinctive academic programs, world-class faculty, leading research and scholarship, and high-achieving students place the University in the national media spotlight. Below is a sampling of media highlights from September - December 2023.


Leadership Faces the ‘Good Kind’ of Identity Crisis  
U.S. News & World Report

Leadership is in the midst of an identity crisis - but it's a good kind. Terri Boyer, the founding director of the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women's Leadership at Villanova University said, “I think we're really beginning to rethink all of these things, like, What does it mean to lead? Who is a leader? What does a leader look like?”

Is AI Better Than Your Board? 60 Seconds Can Prove It.  
Forbes

As artificial intelligence co-piloting supplants standard workflows, boardrooms are not immune. In fact, such simplistic, albeit imperfect algorithms, if cleverly deployed, can inform and elevate human engagement and eradicate stewardship slack... Noah Barsky is a professor in executive and graduate business programs at the Villanova University School of Business

Against Decluttering  
The Washington Post

Through years of excitable media coverage, we’ve convinced ourselves that decluttering can solve all kinds of problems, from bad sleep to poor mental health to relationship conflict... Christiane Lang Hearlson, a religion professor at Villanova University, argues that decluttering is in line with spiritual practices dating back millennia, like repentance, detachment from worldly things and purgation.

Fed Leaves Interest Rates Unchanged While Acknowledging a Stronger Economy

U.S. News & World Report

On inflation, the Federal Reserve raised its projection as measured by the personal consumption price expenditures index... to 3.3% next year from 3.2%... "The 4.3% annualized increase in core CPI... fell from 4.7% in the previous month, and the average annualized core CPI for the past six months is 3.8%, down from 4.2%," said Victor Li, professor of economics at Villanova University. "These indicators suggest that the disinflationary trend is still intact."

'A Very Unique Battle': How Geography Could Shape Israel's Expected Ground Offensive in Gaza  
CNBC

Israel is expected to launch a major ground offensive into Gaza in the coming days against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Due to the condensed nature of Gaza, Francis Galgano, an associate professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at Villanova University, says "Any kind of ground offensive from Israel’s military would be a highly dangerous 'cat and mouse game' of urban warfare, one with a particularly unique subterranean element.

Credit Card Debt has Reached a Record High. Here's What it Means for the Economy.  
ABC News

Credit card debt climbed to a record high in the third quarter of 2023, surging nearly 5% from the previous quarter and leaving a growing share of borrowers late on payments, a Federal Reserve report last week showed..."After blowing through savings to buy essentials, they do what's next: Find sources to borrow," said John Sedunov, a finance professor at Villanova University’s School of Business.

Student School Board Members Want More Meaningful Roles. Here’s How They’re Working for Them.
Education Week

Too often, students feel "tokenized" by adults, but they don’t always feel supported to speak up during tough conversations about issues like COVID precautions and student mental health... Research from Villanova University professor Jerusha O. Conner and Andrew Brennen, who co-founded the Kentucky Student Voice team, supports this assertion.

Biden's Plan to Remove Lead Water Lines May Benefit These States the Most  
ABC News

The Biden administration recently announced a proposal that would require all lead water service pipes to be replaced in the United States... "For children, we see developmental delays and behavior problems related to lead exposure, because it is a very potent neurotoxin," Dr. Ruth McDemott-Levy, professor and co-director of the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment, at Villanova University, told ABC News.

Where Does Shohei Ohtani's Deal Rank Among the 10 Biggest Pro Sports Contracts Ever?  
CBS News

Shohei Ohtani signed the largest contract in Major League Baseball history, a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Andrew Brandt, director of the Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law at Villanova University said Ohtani "had extraordinary leverage with many teams interested and bidding the price up."

U.S. Tensions With China Are Fraying Long-Cultivated Academic Ties. Will the Chill Hurt U.S. Interests?
Associated Press

U.S.-Chinese research collaboration is shrinking. Academics are shying away from potential China projects over fears that seemingly minor missteps could end their careers... "That’s been really harmful to U.S. science," said Deborah Seligsohn, a former U.S. diplomat in Beijing and now a political scientist at Villanova University. "We are producing less science because of this falloff."