Villanova in the Media

Media Highlights from July - October 2024

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 July-October 2024.

Where Does Inflation Stand in the Swing-State Cities that Could Decide the Election?
ABC News
The prices for nonalcoholic beverages in Philadelphia have climbed more than six times faster than the national average over the past year. Erasmus Kersting, a professor of economics at Villanova University, said the sharp increase in prices for some food items may be owed to a lack of competition among grocery stores in Philadelphia. In the absence of fierce competition, grocery stores retain the latitude to raise prices without fear of a rival offering a better deal on comparable products, Kersting explained.

At the Center of Florida's Tornado Damage, a Retirement Community Picks up the Pieces
The Washington Post
A tornado spawned from Hurricane Milton struck Florida's St. Lucie County precisely among some of those most vulnerable to natural disasters — elderly people and those who live in manufactured housing. Manufactured homes make up about 6 to 7 percent of the housing stock nationally, but they account for more than half of tornado deaths, according to Stephen Strader, associate professor of geography and the environment at Villanova University.

Astronomers Prepare for Once-in-a-Lifetime Event: A 'New Star' in the Night Sky
Space.com
The stellar remnant, a white dwarf called T Coronae Borealis that's feasting on material from a nearby red giant star, has revealed a tell-tale dip in brightness that "is right on top" of the one that preceded its previous outburst in 1946. Astronomers don't yet know for sure what's causing the dip, but they say it's just a matter of time before the nova satiates its hunger and explodes into a spectacular nova. "We know it's going to go off — it's very obvious," Edward Sion, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, told Space.com.

Tupperware (the Brand) May Fail. Tupperware (the Word) Will Survive.
The New York Times
No matter what happens to Tupperware after filing for bankruptcy protection, the name will never go away. Successful companies have strategies to protect their trademarks and fend off the creep of genericization says Charles R. Taylor, a professor of marketing and business law at Villanova University’s School of Business. Many, for example, avoid using the brand name as a noun, choosing instead to use it as an adjective in their marketing materials: Kleenex facial tissues, Q-tips cotton swabs, Velcro brand fasteners.

What to Know About the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Indictment on Sex Trafficking, Racketeering Charges
The Washington Post
After nearly a year of being sued for sexual assault and other crimes, renowned music producer and impresario Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday by federal agents on multiple charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking. “The way that he operated this business is textbook,” said Shea Rhodes, director of Villanova University’s Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

Water Shortages are Likely Brewing Future Wars — With Several Flashpoints Across the Globe
CNBC
The diminishing availability of water resources across the globe should be considered one of the most pressing environmental security challenges of the century. Francis Galgano, an associate professor at the department of geography and the environment at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, said poor governance in acutely vulnerable areas — especially in transboundary river basins — and the deepening climate crisis were two major concerns.

When Emily Dickinson Mailed It In
The New Yorker
“The nearly seven decades of scholarship that have followed Thomas H. Johnson’s pronouncement of Emily Dickinson’s reclusiveness... helps us to see... the countervailing tendency behind Dickinson’s epistolary practice: again and again, she set her thoughts to paper and then sent those sheets of paper out into the world, where they found the hands of someone else”... Kamran Javadizadeh is an associate professor of English at Villanova University.

Pope Francis Begins Grueling Asia Tour
The New York Times
Pope Francis left Monday on an 11-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region, the longest and among the most complicated of his tenure. The trip will include more than 43 hours of air travel and meetings with local faithful, clergy and politicians in cities with tropical climates or high levels of pollution on the other side of the world from Rome. “It’s a physical test,” said Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology at Villanova University, “and a sign that this pontificate is far from being over.”

AI is Learning to Predict the Weather
The Wall Street Journal
Using AI to predict weather has evolved over the past five years from an academic notion to operational tests. Graduate students in Stephen Strader’s lab at Villanova University trained an AI program to identify the size and shape of storms—an important indicator of their strength and whether they might produce tornadoes or hail, for example.

A Popular Trading Strategy Just Blew up in Investors’ Faces
CNN
A carry trade is when you borrow money in a place where interest rates are low and use it to invest elsewhere in assets that generate some kind of return. It’s been a popular strategy in the U.S. in recent years, especially borrowing Japanese yen. “It’s pretty good arbitrage, but it’s not really arbitrage because it’s not risk-free,” said John Sedunov, a finance professor at the Villanova School of Business. “You need to have the exchange rate work in your favor.”

Packers' Jordan Love, Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa Capitalize on Timing and Marketplace
Sports Illustrated
"Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa received strong player contracts. And the Cowboys' Dak Prescott will receive an even stronger one. Timing and marketplace are more important to leverage than 'how good' players are. Remember that"... Andrew Brandt is executive director of the Jeffrey S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law at Villanova University.

Will the Seine be Clean Enough by the Olympics? Not Even the Experts Know Yet
Associated Press
With the Paris Olympics around the corner, a question hangs over the Games: Will the Seine River be clean enough for athletes to swim in? “It really is a complicated and very costly problem," said Metin Duran, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Villanova University who has researched stormwater management.