More Colgate News

Below is an archive of the featured stories about members of the Colgate community whose research, experiences, and expertise have been highlighted in the media.

Colgate listed as a "Collaborative Campus" 
University Business Magazine
Ray Nardelli tells the magazine how instructor-inspired mobile apps are promoting interactive learning.

Felipe Calderon speaks at Colgate University  
Syracuse Post-Standard
Coverage of Colgate's keynote speaker for Spring Family weekend, former president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon. 

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg delivered keynote address for Entrepreneur Weekend at Colgate University
Syracuse Post-Standard
Coverage of Colgate's keynote speaker for Entrepreneur Weekend, Facebook COO and feminist author Sheryl Sandberg.

Ranking Colleges by Selectivity
New York Times
The New York Times reports on selectivity of schools. Colgate was ranked as "most competitive." 

The great Hanukkah gift debate
Wall Street Journal
Professor Lesleigh Cushing is called on to talk about Hanukkah for the Wall Street Journal. “As Christmas has grown commercially, Hanukkah has kept stride so Jewish kids don’t feel left out,” says Professor Cushing. 

The Birth Of The Dollar Bill
December 7th, 2012
On the NPR show Planet Money show, they interview Assistant Professor of Economics Matt Jaremski on bank notes.

President Herbst reflects on why Africa was absent from final presidential debate
Examiner.com – Tuesday, October 23 
In this long and detailed interview, Colgate President Jeffrey Herbst talks about Africa and U.S. foreign policy.

President Herbst reflects on why Africa was absent from final presidential debate
Examiner.com – Tuesday, October 23 
In this long and detailed interview, Colgate President Jeffrey Herbst talks about Africa and US foreign policy. "Look," he said, "in an ideal world, of course, as an Africanist I would like Africa discussed" more than it is. There is more than one reason it is not. "The truth is there are not many partisan divisions on Africa," Herbst explained. "One of the areas where President Obama has praised President Bush, for instance, was on PEPFAR [President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief] and the response to HIV/AIDS." 

Africa's Third Liberation: The New Search for Prosperity and Jobs
Cato Institute – Tuesday, October 23 
Featuring the co-author Jeffrey Herbst, President, Colgate University; with comments by Todd Moss, Vice President, Center for Global Development, and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, State Department; moderated by Marian L. Tupy, Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute. Click here for video of the event. 

How to create jobs in Africa
Christian Science Monitor – Oct. 10
In this Op-Ed, Colgate President Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills offer ideas for employment in Africa. "Over the last decade, sub-Saharan Africa has enjoyed its best economic growth since the 1960s, when independence from colonial rule swept the continent. But even this impressive growth rate – 5.4 percent between 2000 and 2010, double the average for the 1970s and 1980s – is not enough to absorb the enormous bulge of unemployed youth. Despite its recent success, the continent needs a free-market makeover."

An eye on Venus
Archaeology Magazine – Nov./Dec. 2012 
Anthony Aveni, an archaeoastronomer at Colgate, believes that the royal residence named the "House of the Governor" was designed with the observation of Venus in mind. Venus symbols decorate its façade and from its central doorway an observer can still see the planet align with monuments across the site that mark the northern and southern extremes of Venus' migration along the horizon throughout the year. 

Baldness is power, says study
HC Online – Oct .10 
Just as older silverback gorillas are "typically the powerful actors in their social groups" in the wild, so it goes in the office, where a bald head may "signal who is in charge and potentially dangerous," Caroline Keating, a Colgate University social psychologist who studies dominance, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal.

Colgate dean of first-years hosts a Reddit AMA
Inside Higher Education – Oct. 3 
Matt Hames, Colgate University's manager of media communications, and Beverly Low,  dean of students at Colgate, share some of their thoughts about social media and the Reddit AMAs that Dean Low has facilitated.

New York City finally embraces taxi apps, come what may
www.capitalnewyork.com – Sept. 19 
Taxi historian Graham Hodges was asked about the implications of taxi apps in New York City. Hodges wonders whether some of the same issues that cropped up back then, like discrimination against black riders and general taxi unavailability, will start to re-emerge.

"Sometimes it’s very hard to get a taxi," he said. "And if they’re all prearranged, then you’re really out of luck."

How Russian trove of asteroid diamonds was created
Space.com - Sept. 18 
According to Richard April, a professor of geology at Colgate University, there are two main explanations for the formation of so-called "impact diamonds," which he says are found in small quantities at meteorite-impact sites around the globe. 

Circumpolar conference looks at Arctic cities
CBC - Aug. 29
Jessica Graybill attended the First International Conference on Urbanization in the Arctic in Nuuk, Greenland. She talked about what happens to women in boom towns. "Older single women work 12 hour days, then stay at home after work." Graybill said many of them grew up in the Soviet era, and are poorly educated. She contrasts those women with a younger generation of educated Russian women, who live more extravagantly, going to clubs and spending money.

Colgate ranked No. 3 among top 10 campuses for tech
Mashable - Aug. 24
College students are more wired than ever before. Today, 98% of college students own a digital device. A majority of undergraduates report owning more than 12 digital devices, including computers, laptops, printers, smart phones, web-cams and digital cameras.

Colgate library ranked in top 20 in the country
Library Journal - Aug. 22
The Princeton Review released its 2013 college rankings in 62 categories, including ‘Best College Library’, and Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology ranked #18 in the country. 

SierraClub cool schools
SierraClub.org - August 
The Sierra Club released its sixth annual Coolest Schools list – the ranking of the most sustainable institutions in the country. Colgate ranked #36. We're working on getting that number lower, but this is the first time on the list. For more information, please see our sustainability section. 

Reddit AMA with Dean Beverly Low
Reddit - Aug. 13
Dean Low agreed to answer any and all questions from Redditors today. Here is one of the comments: 
"I was recently turned onto this page by a fellow Colgate Grad and it makes me so proud to call myself a Colgate grad. The fact that you are willing to both take the time out of your day to answer questions and also put yourself "out there" to receive criticism, inappropriate questions and tough comments is commendable. Thank you for all of the work you do to make my alma mater the best university it can be and it makes me proud to see web pages like this and your Huffington Post article." 

Thoughts for the Class of 2016 as they enter college
Huffington Post - Aug. 8
Summer, for a college-bound student, is squished strategically between the celebration of high school graduation and the excitement that comes with starting the next phase of your education. Emotions are ebbing and flowing with various speed and intensity. You are essentially living in two worlds at one time: the safe and solid foundation of the familiar, and the exciting new adventure of college. Perhaps you feel a noticeable tug between spending time with hometown friends and family, and Skyping with your new roommate and/or connecting with college classmates via Facebook. So many people. So much texting. You want to enjoy your summer, but you are beginning to feel stretched and stressed about fitting everyone and everything into your schedule. 

How to Share Personal Data While Keeping Secrets Safe
Technology Review - Aug. 7
We want to make it possible for Facebook or the U.S. Census Bureau to analyze sensitive data without leaking information about individuals," says Michael Hay, an assistant professor at Colgate University, who created the technique while a research fellow at Cornell, with colleagues Johannes Gehrke, Edward Lui, and Rafael Pass. "We also have this other goal of utility; we want the analyst to learn something."

Time For A New Beginning
The Daily Star - Aug. 7
Navine Murshid wrote an article in the Daily Star on Bangladesh's refusal to allow a fresh influx of refugees. Read the rest of this thoughtful article by clicking the link above.

Campbell Debate: Is Religion Hurting Our Politics?
WRVO Public Media  - Aug. 6
Tim Byrnes, professor of Political Science participated in a debate about religion in politics. Click on the link to listen. 

When It's Good to Be a Liar
Cosmopolitan magazine  - Aug. 2
Scientists from Colgate University have found that lying to yourself can help boost your self-confidence. In one study, they asked women to sketch outlines of their bodies on sheets of brown paper. Then, some were asked to read a story about dating and others were asked to read a story about architecture. 

The Case for Lying to Yourself
Wall Street Journal  - July 30
Carrie Keating, a Colgate psychology professor ran a study that was referenced in this article about lying to yourself. "Young women were asked to stand in front of a sheet of brown paper and sketch outlines of their bodies. Some were then asked to read a story about dating to put them in a romantic mood. Others were asked to read about buildings and architecture."

According the article, "those who read about dating sketched themselves as slimmer, with narrower waists, compared with their earlier drawings, reflecting an effort to "block out any negative information about their bodies" and succeed at the dating game." Read more.

Africa's Third Liberation – an Op-ed by Jeffrey Herbst
The New York Times  - July 29
The first years of this century have produced Africa’s best decade of economic expansion since the end of the colonial era, with many countries showing growth rates of 5 percent or more since the year 2000. Prospects are good that growth will remain at this level for the next few years. 

Nothing 'Orderly and Humane' about this chapter of WWII history
The Seattle Times  - July 29
R.M. Douglas has written a serious book that deserves the serious commitment it takes to read it. "Orderly and Humane: The Expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War" is crammed with details about the policies created to deal with postwar Europe, the circumstances those policies failed to envision and the deprivations that resulted from that failure.

10 College Classes You WISH Your University Offered
Huffington Post  - July 24
7) Food: Finally, a class named after my raison d'être. Students enrolled in this Environmental Studies course at Colgate learn about the environmental impact of food, as well as its cultural significance. But they also get to intern at a local farm and listen to speakers from the local food movement. What are the chances that the final exam involves a taste test?

Patagonia Sur Receives Highest Global Accreditation for Carbon Offsets
NBC.com  - July 16
Patagonia Sur sells its carbon offsets to corporations, universities, and individuals who are looking to voluntarily reduce their carbon footprints. "We chose Patagonia Sur as our source of carbon offsets after evaluating many other options," says John Pumilio, Director of Sustainability at Colgate University, a member of Patagonia Sur's University Conservation Circle (UC2) . "Partnering with Patagonia Sur enables our students, professors, and alumni to experience the reforestation project firsthand, while also engaging in research and adventure in one of the most incredible places on earth."

Colgate raises $480 million in capital campaign
WSJ.com  - July 13
Colgate University says it raised $480 million in a five-year capital campaign, passing its goal by $80 million. Out of the $480 million raised, $141.5 million will go toward financial aid. Read more news. 

Colgate University rings opening bell at NYSE, rings up donations with latest campaign
Charles McChesney, The Post-Standard  - July 13
Colgate University's president and two dozen other members of the university community took part in ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Friday, marking the completion of a fundraising campaign that brought the school nearly half a billion dollars.

David Adjaye Tapped to Design a New Arts Center for Colgate University
Architecture & Design News  - July 11
Colgate University recently announced it selection of architect David Adjaye to design The Colgate University Center for Art and Culture (CAC) in Hamilton, New York. Chosen from a shortlist of four firms, London-based Adjaye Associates will convert a former hardware store building into an arts institution slated to house collections from Colgate’s Picker Art Gallery and Longyear Museum of Anthropology. 

Upstate Schools whose graduates make the most money
bizjournals.com  - June 25
Colgate University offers the biggest payoff (in financial terms) of any college in Upstate New York. 

How an alum was funded during Colgate's E-Weekend 
Forbes.com  - June 2
During the course of the event (Katie Finnegan '05 was a panelist), she was asked to pitch her new business venture to the crowd of hundreds. She was completely unprepared, but her pitch, she says, went something like this:

“Hukkster is a win-win for the shopper and the retailer. Retailers cast a wide net of offers and it’s push, push, push. Hukkster gives shoppers the ability to pull and receive notifications only when the styles they covet go on sale. And retailers can rest assured that the most relevant content is arriving promptly in the hands of their customers.” Read more on Forbes.

The European atrocity you never hear about
Chronicle.com  - June 12
By Colgate's R.M. Douglas: "The screams that rang throughout the darkened cattle car crammed with deportees, as it jolted across the icy Polish countryside five nights before Christmas, were Dr. Loch's only means of locating his patient. The doctor, formerly chief medical officer of a large urban hospital, now found himself clambering over piles of baggage, fellow passengers, and buckets used as toilets, only to find his path blocked by an old woman who ignored his request to move aside. On closer examination, he discovered that she had frozen to death." 

Torchlight makes the NBC Evening News
WKTV.com  - June 9
Colgate University made national news Friday night, literally, as part of NBC Nightly News' annual tribute to college graduates. Each year, the broadcast produces a special segment with video clips from college commencements across the nation, featuring graduates, ceremonies and commencement speakers. Friday night, in the Class of 2012 edition, Nightly News showed a clip from Colgate University's traditional Torchlight ceremony.

Peter Baum proud to be Colgate Lacrosse's first Tewaaraton Award winner 
cnycentral.com  - June 1
Colgate was already coming off a historical season, advancing to the NCAA elite eight for the first time in team history, but now they're celebrating another first. Junior attackman Peter Baum has been named the 2012 Tewaaraton winner, the first ever Tewaaraton award in Colgate and Patriot League history. 

Talking with your hands is innate
MSNBC  - May 15
Good news for those of you who are so self-conscious about gesturing when speaking you issue that “I use my hands when I talk” line: You can stop apologizing. As Spencer Kelly, the co-director of Colgate University’s Center for Language and the Brain will tell The Acoustics 2012 Hong Kong scientific conference later today, gesturing is integral to language. In fact, he argues, it’s “innate.” 

An arresting choice of words
Philippine Daily Inquirer  - May 11
“Many scientists have argued that spoken language evolved from a gestural communication system—using the entire body—in our evolutionary past,” said neuroscientist Spencer Kelly of America’s Colgate University in a statement regarding the work done by researchers from the United States and the Netherlands. Kelly, who coauthored a paper on the topic that was published in April, added that “gestures still have a tight and perhaps special coupling with speech in present-day communication. In this way, gestures are not merely add-ons to language—they may actually be a fundamental part of it.”

Painted Maya Walls Reveal Calendar Writing
New York Times  - May 10
Rest assured, however, that nothing written on those walls foretells the world coming to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, as some have feared through a misinterpretation of the Maya Long Count calendar. That date is simply when one cycle of the Maya calendar ends and a new one begins.

When the State Takes Stock
Elana Shever – Huffington Post - May 4
The Argentine government has seized control of Spanish oil giant Repsol's stake in what was, until its privatization in 1992, Argentina's national oil company. The takeover President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner signed into law on Friday is being celebrated in Argentina and roundly criticized elsewhere as a repudiation of the neoliberal reforms that opened up Argentina's crisis-plagued economy. 

The Amazing Maya
Philly.com - May 3 
While we mark time in weeks, they marked it in periods of 20 days. They gave a name to each day of these 20-day periods, just as we do our days of the week. They revered the number 13, and so they marked a "sacred round" that lasted 13 of these 20 day periods, or 260 days. They also understood the year, which is rooted in astronomy, said Anthony Aveni, a professor of astronomy and anthropology at Colgate University and a speaker at the Penn Museum event.

For Baum and Colgate, a Standout Season
The Quad – NY Times - April 19 
The Colgate men’s lacrosse team boasts the best offense in the nation in terms of goals per game, largely due to the outstanding season junior attackman Peter Baum is having. Baum, a product of Portland, Ore., leads the nation in two major offensive categories -- total goals (48) and points (63). 

Little Known Black History Fact: Manning Marable
Black America Web - April 18 
Manning Marable was a legendary author of the long-awaited biography called, “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.” The historian has now been awarded a Pulitzer Prize in history for his controversial novel. Marable’s 2011 biography of Malcolm X took over a decade to complete.

Virgin Group's Branson to kick off Entrepreneur Weekend at Colgate
Syracuse.com - April 12 
Sir Richard Branson, whose Virgin Group's businesses stretch from mobile phones to records to a planned trip to space, will speak Friday evening at Colgate University, kicking off the college's Entrepreneur Weekend. 

Where you can find the 300 best professors
CBS Money Watch - April 10 
Who are the nation's top college professors? The Princeton Review thinks it knows. It recently released its list of the nation's 300 best professors. In its search to find "professors who have made a lasting impact in the lives of its students," the Princeton Review plucked "inspiring and challenging" professors from a total of 122 colleges. Colgate has 10 Professors in the list.

Top 10 College Women 2012: Maggie Dunne
Glamour Magazine 
Maggie Dunne, 21, majoring in Native American studies at Colgate University. Why she rules: When Dunne was a high school sophomore in a wealthy New York City suburb, she knew very little about Native Americans; her history teacher had skipped over that chapter. But on a volunteer trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, she witnessed what centuries of disenfranchisement had wrought. “I’d never seen poverty like that—and in our own country!” she says. “I vowed to go back every year for the rest of my life.” 

New Borough Taxis to Be Painted Green, Insiders Say
WNYC News – March 8, 2012
In 1970, the city made yellow the official color of the medallion cab. Yellow was the easiest color to differentiate long distance and not a lot of regular cars on the road were painted that color, according to professor Graham Russell Gao Hodges, author of the book Taxi! A Social History of the New York City Cab Driver.

Leap Year 2012: Why We Need February 29
National Geographic – Feb. 29, 2012
The ancient Maya, famed for their elaborate and accurate calendar systems, observed two calendar years, but neither seemed to have bothered with a leap year. "As far as we know, the people of Mesoamerica—the Maya included—didn't care about leap years," said Anthony Aveni, an expert in ancient Mesoamerican astronomy at Colgate University." 

Learning From the Tea Party
Huffington Post – Feb. 28, 2012
What the Tea Party has done with its now well-financed activism is to exert power within the Republican Party. In this, it had important allies. But it was the grassroots activists who according to Skocpol and Williamson "set a national agenda for the election," resulting in their ability to claim the 2010 Republican victories "as vindication for a particular extreme conservative ideology."

Colgate instructor explores aging issues in book, blog
Syracuse.com – Feb, 19, 2012
Author and Colgate University associate professor Meika Loe has taken the lessons featured in her 2011 book, "Aging Our Way: Lessons for Living from 85 and Beyond," (Oxford University Press) and given them new life online, in a blog at agingourway.wordpress.com.

The Ins and Outs of Experiencing India
Chronicle of Higher Education – Feb. 13, 2012
Professor Jenna Reinbold reflects on the impact of her recent trip to India with 10 percent of Colgate's faculty: "I am still trying to reckon with what this means for my location on the insider-outsider spectrum. If there’s any authoritative knowledge I have gained as a result of my time in India, it’s the knowledge that I am in no position to be speaking in the guise of an insider. Yet, I am clearly no longer the same kind of outsider that I was two months ago." 

Studying abroad not just for students
USA TODAY College: Feb. 3, 2012
Colgate University, a private, liberal arts college located in upstate New York, recently sent its faculty members to India in an effort to improve their curriculum.The trip, which took place from Dec. 31 to Jan. 13 and involved 27 faculty members, or 10% of the Colgate staff, was partially paid for by a $100,000 grant from the Andrew W. Melon Foundation.

Douglas A. Hicks named provost, dean of the faculty
Colgate News – Jan. 29, 2012
Colgate University President Jeffrey Herbst announced the selection of Douglas A. Hicks as provost and dean of the faculty, effective July 1, 2012. Hicks also will serve as professor of religion 

End times? Relax, we have plenty of time left
Starpress.com – Jan. 27, 2012 
Dec. 21, 2012, marks the end of the Maya 13th ba'k'tun. The Maya civilization saw the ending of at least eight ba'k'tuns. According to Anthony Aveni, archaeoastronomy professor at Colgate University, these transitions between long cycles were a time for celebration of renewal for the Maya, not unlike our own annual customs at New Year's.

Singing legend Etta James dies at 73
CNN – Jan. 20, 2012
Colgate University professor Michael Coyle, who has written about jazz and R&B and reviews records for Cadence Magazine, said: "James mastered a range of styles -- from R&B and soul to jazz and blues -- but she was always one step behind the popular genre of the day. She never really got her moment in the sun."

How Colgate University Approaches Financial Aid for International Students
The Choice – New York Times, Jan. 19
Katryna A. Swartout Ryan, Colgate University’s associate dean of admissions who oversees the recruitment and selection of international students, answers questions about financing a college education. Although many of the answers focus on international students, particularly those from India, (e.g. “What sort of documentation do international students need to provide about their family’s income?”) some of her advice is universal and useful for students in the United States and other countries as well.

2011 Collegiate Teaching Award Citation
The American Philosophical Association, January, 2012
Colgate University Professor William C. Stull wins the 2011 Citation for his tireless work. His department chair writes: “his tireless efforts at recruiting, training, and fostering the intellectual and personal growth of his students” have led to so marked an increase in enrollments that Classics has been awarded a new tenure-track position.