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 September-October 2020.
The Tinder-Bumble Feud: Dating Apps Fight Over Who Owns The Swipe
National Public Radio
Michael Risch, a professor at Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law, has a few concerns. He agrees that many bad, overly broad patents have been thrown out under the Supreme Court decision called Alice. But good ones could be blocked too, he says.
Pope Francis Appoints First African-American Cardinal
The New York Times
For centuries, Black Catholics were excluded from seminaries and religious orders, and when they were included, they were often given positions with little power and were not allowed to lead African-American parishes, said Shannen Dee Williams, assistant professor of history at Villanova University.
Many Americans are weary of polling data, but here’s what can be trusted from the latest numbers
CNBC
“Sample sizes of racial and ethnic minorities in these polls are not large, and the cross-sections are small, said Camille Burge, a political science professor at Villanova University.
Villanova’s Rev. Peter Donohue on leadership during the pandemic
The Business Journals (Feature appeared in the 44 Business Journal markets across the U.S.)
Despite having about 5,000 students living on campus this semester, Rev. Peter Donohue says Villanova University is disquietingly ... quiet. “As the president of the university, you create the vision for the university. You're the face of the university. Now I think I've become the cheerleader for the university. It’s about really trying to inspire people to move forward. Do the right thing. Live the right way. Follow the protocols. Be concerned about each other's health and safety.”
Nasdaq
Villanova University’s College of Engineering is sending a private Ethereum blockchain into space to test whether distributed ledger technology (DLT) can help satellites exchange data. Working in collaboration with the non-profit Teachers in Space, Villanova’s engineering school secured a flight for its blockchain on a Firefly Aerospace rocket.
Great Leaders Are Self-Aware And Manage Their Risk Factors
Forbes
They have to realize that their risk areas can cause problems for their leadership success, their organization, and their relationships with others. By Joyce E. A. Russell, Dean of the Villanova School of Business.
Next-Gen Gaming Is an Environmental Nightmare
WIRED
“You can think of the data center as a factory: Electricity and water go in, and data and heat go out,” says Aaron Wemhoff, director of Villanova University’s Center for Energy-Smart Electronic Systems. “While adding IT equipment adds to electricity consumption, the focus on energy efficiency is to minimize the extra electricity required to make up for cooling systems and electrical power losses.”
What You Can Do With a Nursing Degree
U.S. News & World Report
Many health care employers will not consider hiring a nurse unless he or she has either a bachelor's degree or a higher-level degree in nursing, says Donna Havens, Connelly endowed dean and professor at Villanova University's M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing in Pennsylvania.
Yelp will flag businesses where customers and employees report racism
Marketplace
Aronte Bennett, a business professor at Villanova University, said there will still be a lot of blind spots. “[In] places like small towns where these kinds of incidents might not make the news or get any coverage … the Yelp team can’t verify that kind of misbehavior.
More than 600 million people traveled in China during ‘Golden Week’
CNBC
“The bund is a reflection of Shanghai’s Western concession and also the starting point of the modern city of Shanghai,” said Dr. Jie Xu, an associate professor at Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Most Asylum Seekers Have No Legal Counsel. This Villanova Program Trains Non-Lawyers to Step In.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
After a successful pilot that ended in May, she started a program this fall to certify students to become legal advocates for migrants and refugees. “Villanova Interdisciplinary Immigration Studies Training for Advocates,” offered through the university’s College of Professional Studies, is described as the first university-based, fully online program to train immigrant advocates.
The Growing Importance Of The Home For Young Consumers
Forbes
A new report by youth marketing experts YPulse titled “No Place Like Home” provides significant new insights on how the Covid pandemic has changed how Gen-Z and Millennials view the homes. By Charles Taylor, a professor of marketing at the Villanova School of Business.
Rebuffed by Vatican, Pompeo Assails China and Aligns With Pope’s Critics
The New York Times
“It’s to an appeal to an electorate that is bigger than the Catholic vote, it’s also the evangelical vote,” said Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, who is supportive of Francis.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Gifts Roundup
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Villanova University: Robin and Court Lorenzini gave $5 million through their Lorenzini Family Foundation to establish the Intergroup Dialogue Center, which will be dedicated to help students and faculty learn how to build better communication and understanding between people of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.
Stars Without Planets Are More Numerous Than You Might Think
Forbes
Even if massive stars did manage to form planets in their wide habitable zones, there would be no time for the planet for develop life before the star became a supergiant and enveloped the planet, Edward Guinan, an astronomer at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, told me.
The Washington Post
“Judge Barrett has proven herself a highly capable legal scholar and jurist committed to the Constitution and the rule of law, and all Americans — including but especially Catholics — should recoil at the suggestion that her faith and personal life would prescribe otherwise,” Michael P. Moreland, a professor of law and religion at Villanova University, wrote in the National Review on Friday.
Supreme Court Pick Draws Attention to Religious Group
CNN
What kind of relationship does she have between that covenant in her group and the fundamental values of the Constitution? … Massimo Faggioli is a professor of theology at Villanova University.
Will the US presidential debates change the course of the election?
BBC World Service
On the 29th September the two US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden will take part in the first of three 90-minute live televised debates ahead of the presidential election in November. Tanya Beckett asks can the debates affect the outcome of the election? Mark Alexander is Dean of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Dean Alexander’s segment begins at the 13:15 mark.
Migrating Tornadoes Bring Heightened Danger to the Southeast
Scientific American
“You have a pretty similar tornado risk for each region, but the Southeast has greater population density mixed with all those vulnerabilities,” said Stephen Strader, an atmospheric scientist at Villanova University.
Truth is, NFL thriving while players take action on social injustice
USA Today
“There was a lot of negative talk coming from politics the last couple of years with the protests, and probably some out there wished there’d be a downturn like they hoped,” said Andrew Brandt, an agent and former Green Bay Packers executive who is now the executive director of the Moorad Center for Sports Law at Villanova.