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 June 2019.
At Villanova, a record-setting year for producing Fulbright winners
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Stephen Gironda can’t believe his fortune. … Gironda won a coveted nine-month Fulbright award that will carry him to Rome to research how diet, exercise, and other factors affect susceptibility to addiction. He’ll be working under a distinguished researcher in that field whose work he closely followed while getting his master’s at Villanova University.
Bitcoin Is Back Above $10,000 and Investors Say This Rally Is Different
The Wall Street Journal
Bitcoin rose over $10,000 for the first time in over a year, riding a new wave of optimism about the value and future of digital currencies. … “There are more reasons to believe in bitcoin now than there were the last time [bitcoin was at $10,000,] though I’m still not convinced that the price is sustainable,” said John Sedunov, an assistant professor of finance at Villanova University who published an academic paper in December analyzing whether bitcoin was more than just a speculative asset.
Bishops in Amazon Region to Debate Whether Married Men Might Join Priesthood
NPR
Catholic Bishops from the Amazon region will debate a proposal to allow the ordination of married men in limited circumstances in October. … Massimo Faggioli, a theologian at Villanova University, notes that priest shortages are developing in other places as well: “Which means that every church in the world can request this - in Europe, in North America, in Africa, Asia. So that could be the beginning of a general overhaul of the Catholic Church's dealing with celibacy of the priesthood.”
US Scientists Try to Figure Out Why Some Don’t Flee Tornadoes
Voice of America
Following a severe tornado earlier this year in Alabama that killed 23 people, scientists interviewed residents in the area to find out why the storm was so deadly and made an important finding: almost everyone had heard the warnings about the impending storm and had enough time to seek shelter, but some chose not to. … “From a national standpoint, a media standpoint, forecasters did a great job” predicting the March storm in eastern Alabama, Stephen Strader, an atmospheric scientist at Villanova University, said.
Fired Black Law Professor May Sue D.C. Law School
Bloomberg Law
University of the District of Columbia trustees must face race bias and breach-of-contract claims by a black law professor who was denied tenure and fired. A federal appeals court found that academic institutions shouldn’t receive special treatment under anti-discrimination laws. … “This decision, at the simplest level, says universities should be treated the same as other employers,” Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law professor Ann Juliano said in an email.
Stanford Coach Avoids Prison in Admissions Scandal. Have Colleges Avoided Blame?
New York Times
A former Stanford sailing coach who on Wednesday became the first person to be sentenced in the nation’s largest-ever college admissions fraud prosecution has avoided prison time, receiving a far lighter punishment than prosecutors had sought. … Rick Eckstein, a professor of sociology and criminology at Villanova University who has written extensively on college sports, said that universities had enabled the scheme by giving athletes preferential treatment in admissions.
Why the nation's two largest religious groups are talking about sex abuse this week
CNN
When leaders of the country's two largest religious groups -- the Catholic Church and Southern Baptist Convention -- hold meetings this week, the separate conferences will have a common agenda: clergy sexual abuse. … "It is very hard to see how the conference can continue this way, with a president who is even worse than a lame duck," said Massimo Faggioli, a church historian at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
Failure Is An Option -- If We Learn From It
Forbes
Remember in the movie Apollo 13 the Commander at the NASA mission control center said: “Failure is not an option?” Well, we often think exactly that when at work or in school. We portray an image of how we have it all together and are always succeeding. …Joyce E.A. Russell is dean of the Villanova University School of Business.
Will she flip? Deputies urge woman to say she was trafficked
Associated Press
“Unless you have an adult victim saying what would rise legally to force, fraud or coercion, you don’t have a case even though there is circumstantial evidence” of trafficking, like women living inside the spas, said Shea Rhodes, a former prosecutor and director of the Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
Trump says there's a "good chance" of reaching deal with Mexico
CBS News
Michelle Casario, an assistant professor of economics at Villanova University, told CBS News this week that if even the first-tier 5% tariff is levied on imports from Mexico, American "consumers could expect to see higher prices from avocados to tomatoes, beer to tequila, phones to computers to televisions, and even higher prices at the gas pump," due to how intertwined the neighboring nations' economies have become during 25 years of free trade.
Microsoft Will Be Bigger Than Apple, Amazon & Google (But Not Walmart)
Forbes
Here’s where things stood at the end of 2018 in the technology revenue race: 1. Apple; 2. Amazon; 3. Alphabet; 4. Microsoft; 5. IBM. … Steve Andriole is the Thomas G. Labrecque Professor of Business Technology in the School of Business at Villanova University where he teaches strategic technology, innovation and entrepreneurialism.
IRS proposes update to Form W-4 to increase accuracy
Associated Press (picked up by more than 150 outlets nationwide)
The IRS has proposed an update to the Form W-4 that it says will increase its accuracy, reduce its complexity and help avoid surprises at tax time. … However, some people felt it didn’t go far enough, such as Christine Speidel, director of the federal tax clinic and an assistant professor at Villanova University’s law school.