Villanova’s distinctive academic programs, world-class faculty, cutting-edge research and super-star students place the University in the national media spotlight. Below is a sampling of media highlights from March-April 2018. For media highlights from Villanova’s National Championship run, click here.
The Cosby Verdict: Did the #MeToo Movement Sway the Jury?
New York Times – 04/26/2018
Though the jury took very little time to find Mr. Cosby guilty, Michelle Dempsey, a law professor at Villanova University, cautioned that the verdict should not be regarded as a litmus test for #MeToo, but simply as a jury’s decision in a single case.
A new American phase for Francis
Religion News Service – 04/25/2018
For Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, the Catholic Church in the United States continues to be a particularly challenging part of his flock. At the Villanova conference, prominent clerics and academics — Catholic and non-Catholic — joined in the discussion of Francis. Massimo Faggioli is Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University.
Facebook's Zuckerberg Quietly Drops Another Privacy Bomb - Facial Recognition
Forbes – 04/19/2018
No one asked Mark Zuckerberg about facial recognition when he visited the US Congress on April 10. He offered it as part of his response to questions about privacy when he said Facebook users should give “affirmative consent” when it comes to “technologies like facial recognition.” So why did he mention facial recognition at all?…Steve Andriole is the Thomas G. Labrecque Professor of Business Technology in the Villanova School of Business at Villanova University.
Larissa Boyce, victim of Larry Nassar, refuses to stay silent on culture protecting molesters
Sporting News – 04/18/2018
Larissa Boyce gathered herself once again Friday at Villanova University School of Law, and spoke to yet another large audience about the serial molester who'd assaulted and abused her and hundreds of other female athletes — and the athletic and educational institutions that had failed to protect her. Long-time agents and team executives Andrew Brandt and Jeff Moorad, co-founders of Villanova’s sports law program (Moorad is its namesake), organized and moderated the symposium.
Developing a “catholic” vision of unity
Vatican News – 04/14/2018
The President and Trustees of Villanova University, who are holding their spring meeting in Rome, were received by Pope Francis in a special audience on Saturday. Villanova, located just outside of the American city of Philadelphia, was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842. Recalling the school’s Augustinian heritage, Pope Francis said the University was founded “to preserve and pass on the richness of the Catholic tradition to new generations of students, who like the young Augustine, seek true meaning and value in the true life.”
Why It's Almost Impossible for Fastballs to Get Any Faster
WIRED – 04/12/2018
A wickedly fast fastball isn’t the anomaly it once was. A decade ago, Major League pitchers threw a grand total of just 196 triple-digit fastballs in a single season. Last year, 40 pitchers collectively threw 1,017 … Villanova Engineer Mark Jupina designed a virtual hitting simulator that allows batters to practice identifying and even hitting against any pitch in the MLB’s PITCHf/x database.
How Tax Reform Affects Stock Value
U.S. News & World Report – 04/04/2018
U.S. corporate tax reform is kicking in this year and lowers the marginal corporate tax rate at the federal level from 35 percent to 21 percent. How will the reduced tax rate affect stock values? … Meg Luo has a Ph.D. in finance and is an associate professor of finance at Villanova School of Business, Villanova University.
In the midst of March Madness, Villanova's capital campaign surpasses $750M
Philadelphia Business Journal – 03/29/2018
Villanova is declaring victory. Not in the NCAA March Madness tournament — yet — but with its five-year capital campaign that surpassed the $750 million mark last week, well above the $600 million goal the university set when the campaign began in fall of 2013.
You Know Sister Jean. Meet Father Rob.
The New York Times – 03/26/2018
Move over, Sister Jean. And make some room at the Final Four for Father Rob. Villanova has a beloved team chaplain, too. And while the 98-year-old nun Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt has been getting international attention for her role with Loyola Chicago during its deep run in the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament, the Rev. Rob Hagan also has a spiritual connection to a Final Four team. He has had a hand in Villanova’s success for more than a decade.
Dean Mark Alexander Discusses the 'Constitutional Crisis' in the Trump Administration
MSNBC – 03/25/2018
As Donld Trump’s spirals further out of control, that phrase, ‘constitutional crisis’, is being thrown around more and more. Particularly as Democrats, and even some Republicans, fear that as he continues spiraling, Trump will lash out and find a way to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. … Well, luckily we have a constitutional scholar here to explain. Joining me now, Mark Alexander, Dean of the Law School at Villanova University.
How Do You Make Beer in Space?
Smithsonian Magazine – 03/23/2018
There is no pie in the sky. There’s no beer, either … As it turns out, a group of students at Villanova University have done just that—more or less. A few months back, Edward Guinan had one of his classes experiment to see which terrestrial plants would thrive in the dense, cakey soil of Mars.
Why Fox News will probably not be penalized for airing a Seth Rich conspiracy theory
Washington Post – 03/14/2018
Seth Rich came to D.C. to pursue a career in politics and last worked at the Democratic National Committee. Rich was shot dead on July 10, 2016 … The Rich family would have to demonstrate that Fox News's actions were “outrageous,” which sounds colloquial but is actually a technical term and “a fairly high standard,” according to Doris Brogan, a law professor at Villanova University.
11 Things Nutritionists Eat at the Airport—and 4 They Avoid
TIME – 03/13/2018
Airport terminals are like a giant impulse aisle, full of temptations you may usually resist, whether it’s glossy gossip mags or salty snacks … Be choosy, though, about which container you grab—if you can. Yogurt is often sweetened, points out Libby Mills, RD, with Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing’s MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education.
Fake news spreads significantly faster than the truth - but don't blame Russian bots
International Business Times – 03/13/2018
Fake news is 70% more likely to be shared on Twitter compared with real news stories, a study has revealed … Jason Steinhauer, director for the Lepage Center at Villanova University, told IBTimes that we have been conditioned to "privilege the novel and the new over the predictable and the constant.”
Your NCAA bracket is a reverse Turing test
Salon – 03/13/2018
March Madness has begun. Cue the studies and stories about lost productivity, sports betting and consumerism run amok. But for all of the “sick” days taken, office pools created and revenues generated, March Madness shows us something remarkable — that we are, without a doubt, human … by Brett Frischmann, the Charles Widger Endowed Professor of Law, Business and Economics at Villanova University. His forthcoming book, "Re-Engineering Humanity," co-authored with Evan Selinger, Professor of Philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology, will be released in April.
Trump reopens a seemingly settled video-game debate
Associated Press – 03/07/2018 (Picked up by numerous outlets including U.S. News and Washington Post)
In the wake of the Florida school shooting, President Donald Trump is reviving an old debate over whether violent video games can trigger violent behavior. There's just one problem: Roughly two decades of research has repeatedly failed to uncover any such link. Patrick Markey, a psychology professor at Villanova University who focuses on video games, found in his research that men who commit severe acts of violence actually play violent video games less than the average male.
Washington Post – 03/06/2018
Standing last month beneath a likeness of Abraham Lincoln at the Union League — an institution that was key to Lincoln’s 1864 reelection — Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, named after two men who raised arms against their country in response to Lincoln’s election, received the League’s Lincoln Award … by Judith Giesberg, professor of history at Villanova University, where she specializes in the Civil War era.
Across America with Carol Costello
CNN Headline News – 03/06/2018
Remember Pacman and Pong? Yeah, video games aren’t made like that anymore. Now the videos feel very real and the games can be quite violent … That raises a question that has been around since the 1980s: are violent video games creating new school shooters? Let’s talk about that. With me now is Dr. Jeff Gardere, a clinical psychiatrist, and Patrick Markey, a psychology professor at Villanova University who wrote the book Moral Combat and has extensively studied if there is a link between these violent video games and real violence.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell has had a toxic markets touch, and his job won't get any easier
CNBC – 03/04/2018
On the day Jerome Powell succeeded Janet Yellen as Federal Reserve Chairman, the Dow fell more than a thousand points, its largest point drop in history. In the past week, Powell spoke for the first time on Capitol Hill, twice. Neither day was a good day for stocks. … Victor Li, Villanova University professor of economics.
Team USA's 'Take Charge' Women Represent a Bigger Movement, Experts Say
NBC News – 03/03/2018
It was women who carried the United States when the team was looking weak toward the end of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Of the 23 medals won by the U.S., 12 were won by female athletes and two more were won in mixed events. It’s the highest-ever percentage won by women at the Winter Games when Team USA has won more than 10 medals. Dr. Terri Boyer, director of the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women's Leadership at Villanova University, said that "perhaps more than others, women athletes have often been 'take charge' people."