Temple's Commencement Exercises in the media
Temple's 127th Commencement Exercises were featured prominently in the media on graduation day and the following week. TV crews and photographers captured the joy of the Class of 2014—the second largest in Temple history—and their families at the Liacouras Center. "I'm so excited. I can't believe this day has come. Four years flies by so fast," said graduating senior Brianna Casey. Much of the media attention focused on alumna Jill Scott, one of three honorary degree recipients. "My heart is overwhelmed with love for Temple University," the singer, actor and activist told the gathered graduates. (For coverage of the "TU Grad Shoes" project, see below.)
6ABC, CBS3, Fox29, Philadelphia Inquirer, Metro, VH1, The Root, many more | May 15-27, 2014

Inquirer front page: Temple to name School of Medicine after Lewis Katz
Temple announced that the university's School of Medicine will be named after alumnus and trustee Lewis Katz, who pledged $25 million to Temple in November—the biggest single commitment in the university's history. The funds will be used to enhance research and faculty support at the School of Medicine. "Any time I've gone to Lewis for an ask, he not only embraces the ask but he gets it done," said Patrick O'Connor, chairman of the Board of Trustees. "I love my school," Katz said, "and it's beyond my comprehension that I could be so lucky and privileged to have the university and my fellow colleagues on the board of trustees honor me in this way. My story is a 'Temple Made' story. By getting [a] scholarship, someone made it possible for me to go to college."
Philadelphia Inquirer | May 15, 2014

Tyler alums team up for Temple Contemporary exhibit and mentorship program
"For the Love of Gene Davis," a new exhibit at Temple Contemporary at Temple's Tyler School of Art, is a collaboration by internationally known Tyler alumna Polly Apfelbaum and 2010 Tyler graduate Dan Cole. It's also the result of a new program at Tyler designed to pair recent grads with mentors from the school's accomplished alumni base. The project celebrates the work of the late Gene Davis and his color-field paintings. Robert Blackson, executive director of Temple Contemporary, sees the partnership as a success for the mentorship program. "In this job market, a lot of our graduates and their parents are looking for the next step, and what are the ways this can move forward into a viable career," he said.
Philadelphia Inquirer, artblog, more | May 25, 2014

Ali Watkins: from national reporter to Temple's No. 5 seat at Dad Vail
It's hard enough balancing the demands of school with the demands of intercollegiate athletics. But graduating journalism major Ali Watkins, a member of Temple's women's rowing team, also had to cope with the demands of being a national reporter. "There were a lot of days I didn't know how I was still standing," said Watkins, who spent the year working in the Washington bureau of McClatchy newspapers. Her story on possible CIA monitoring of computers used by Senate aides got the attention of the Oval Office. "She has all the tools to be a great journalist," said Temple School of Media and Communication Dean David Boardman.
Philadelphia Inquirer | May 10, 2014

Temple researchers find diet beverages aid in weight loss
A study involving researchers from Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education has found that dieters who consumed diet beverages as part of a weight loss program fared better than those who drank just water. "While both groups lost weight at the end of the 12-week follow-up period, we found that the diet beverage group lost more weight," said Sharon Herring, an assistant professor of medicine and public health. Those is the diet beverage group lost on average 13 pounds while those in the water group lost an average of 9 pounds. She said those participants in the diet beverage group also reported less hunger than those in the water group.
CNN, NBC's "Today Show," CBS News, Los Angeles Times, Men's Fitness, Toronto Sun, 6ABC, CBS3, more | May 27, 2014

Biologist Cordes takes listeners along on Gulf of Mexico research dive
Temple scientists led by biologist Erik Cordes recently went on a three-week research cruise into the Gulf of Mexico to look at how carbon dioxide is impacting organisms such as deepwater coral reefs on the ocean floor. Before the trip, Cordes spoke with Maiken Scott of "The Pulse," and then checked in with her again from a submersible. "This is a three-year project funded by the National Science Foundation to look at the effects of ocean acidification," Cordes said. "We are specifically looking at ocean acidification and its effects in the deep sea, which is something that's really been understudied."
WHYY/NewsWorks | April 24 and May 8, 2014

Temple program brings gives local high school students a voice
Over the last few years, Philadelphia high school students have produced television news segments as part of POPPYN (Presenting Our Perspective on Philly Youth News), a program designed to give city youth a voice. "One of the things we face all the time is the disproportionate coverage by mainstream media of young black males as thugs," said Temple political scientist Barbara Ferman, executive director of the University Community Collaborative, which runs POPPYN and other youth programs. "There are a lot of young people doing really positive things in the community, and we never see that in mainstream media."
Philadelphia Inquirer | May 12, 2014

New York Times: Temple's Henkin on multigenerational work
The secret behind the success of some ventures: bringing together leaders from different generations. According to Nancy Henkin, director of Temple's Intergenerational Center, this kind of working and thinking can be applied in ways that go beyond a specific venture or project. "How do you build communities that are welcoming for people of all ages, and how do you engage people of all ages in a collective effort to make the community a good place for growing up and growing older?" she said. "Instead of a senior and a youth center, why not a vibrant community center where people come together and intentionally foster trust, empathy and interaction?"
New York Times | May 16, 2014

Inquirer features Temple photographer's "TU Grad Shoes" project
Just before Temple's Class of 2014 walked across the Liacouras Center stage, Betsy Manning shot stills of their shoes. No pump was turned away, because Manning's work has little to do with Blahnik or Louboutin and everything to do with documenting the seniors' final show of self-expression as college students. "In the last five years, shoes worn at graduation have gotten so much more radical," said Manning, who has worked as a Temple photographer for a decade. But it was Temple pride that was really on display. Red reared its haute head on patent leather Mary Janes and glittery platforms—even a pair of custom Toms tricked out with the Temple Owl.
Philadelphia Inquirer | May 21, 2014

Can Maya Rudolph revive the TV variety show?
Comedian Maya Rudolph has proved that she can sing and make people laugh. But can she breathe new life into a TV staple once thought part of the cultural flotsam of the 1970s? "The Maya Rudolph Show" is being billed by NBC as a means of "revisiting the classic variety show format." The genre is "rooted in the mass appeal broad-strokes radio-to-prime-time family entertainment that marked TV's early years," said Jim McKairnes of Temple's School of Media and Communication. But TV soon turned into "one giant variety show of its own," McKairnes said. "No need for a specific show—just spin the dial."
Variety | May 17, 2014

With student loan interest rates set to rise, advice from Temple Student Financial Services
Interest rates for student loans are set to rise about one percent this fall—driven up by higher bond rates. Temple's Associate Director Student Financial Services Kimberly Benns says this means students have to borrow smarter. "Borrowing only what you need—tuition and fees, for example. But, the smartphone, where you live, whether you live on campus, off campus or deciding to stay home with your parents and commute. These are all options that help offset the cost. Think about the way we borrow for a home or a car. We make our selections based on what we can afford understanding that the funds are not going to fall from the sky."
KYW News Radio | May 9, 2014

Temple faculty member on Nintendo's same-sex ban: It's no game
Nintendo recently announced it would not give in to pressure from members of the gaming community urging it to allow characters on "Tomodachi Life" to engage in romantic activities with characters of the same sex. The omission of gays and lesbians is especially glaring in life-simulation games. "Regardless of what type of representation, life-simulation games are where people notice exclusion the most," said Adrienne Shaw, an assistant professor at Temple's Department of Media Studies and co-chair of the International Communication Association's GLBT Studies Special Interest Group. "In games where there are not relationships, people don't notice it as much."
Salon | May 8, 2014

What Pfizer's interest in AstraZeneca means
Last month, news broke that Pfizer wanted to take over AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca, which has a big footprint in Delaware, has been fighting those advances. George Chressanthis of Temple's Fox School of Business says major changes in big pharma have been driving waves of mergers and downsizing. "Pfizer's bid is really an epitome of what's going on in the industry," he said. Pfizer has a history of buying companies for the products and laying off much of the workforce, says Albert Wertheimer, a pharmacy economics professor at Temple. When Pfizer struck a deal to buy Wyeth in 2009, its announced plans to lay off nearly 20,000 workers.
Baltimore Sun, WHYY/NewsWorks | May 18-19, 2014

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