Dateline Rice for Aug. 8, 2014

FEATURED ITEMS

Power 5 conferences receive greater authority within NCAA
Rice University President David Leebron, who is a member of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, comments on the governance restructure and the potential benefits to student-athletes.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of the Sports section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1q0N6LS
NCAA board hands 5 biggest conferences, including Pac-12, more power
CBS Los Angeles (Similar Associated Press articles also appeared in Miami Herald and 149 other media outlets.)
http://cbsloc.al/1lHpTgH
KRIV-TV
http://bit.ly/1sEVBkO
ESPN
http://bit.ly/1opQrYD

OpenStax initiative receives $9 million to expand catalog
Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and founding director of Rice’s OpenStax College, is mentioned in an editorial on the benefit of personalized textbooks and the future of education.
Philanthropy News Digest
http://bit.ly/1nzpBbs
OpenStax developing textbooks that deliver personalized lessons
University Business
http://bit.ly/V3Uw8Z

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Mexico oil fields are boon for energy companies as frontiers teeter
Tony Payan, the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and director of the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center, is quoted about energy reform and the dangers faced by illegal immigrants along the Texas border.
Financial Post (This article also appeared in World Oil, La Repubblica and Hellenic Shipping News.)
http://bit.ly/1sF5YEb

Assemblies of God highlights value of diversity for 100-year anniversary
Michael Emerson, the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology, discusses the diversity of the Assemblies of God denomination.
Huffington Post
http://huff.to/1kOqF0C
‘Segregation and division among races was not ever God’s plan’
Deseret News
http://bit.ly/1kOlBcE

HOUSTON/TEXAS

New Davis ad accuses Abbott of ‘siding with a corporation over a rape victim’
Mark Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor and chair of political science and fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is quoted about Sen. Wendy Davis’ new campaign ad and the potential for Mexico’s energy production rate to increase and create more jobs.
Houston Chronicle (This appeared on the front of the City/State section. Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1u5Q08T
Mexico solving immigration problems though oil and gas
My Fox Houston
http://bit.ly/1r0dtIr

Rice University’s Kinder Institute names new director
William “Bill” Fulton will be the new director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Sociology professors Stephen Klineberg and Michael Emerson, who have served as co-directors of the institute, are mentioned.
Houston Business Journal (This article also appeared in AZCentral.com.)
http://bit.ly/1u5HMO9

Intern blog: ISIS doesn’t have to prevail — securing a political solution for Iraq
Alumnus Ben Lynch ’14 authored a blog post about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Houston Chronicle
http://bit.ly/1oLY772

The upcoming opera season
Rice’s Shepherd School Opera presents “The Return of Ulysses” by Claudio Monteverdi Nov. 5.
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1sEZXsb

The season in classical music
Singers from Rice’s Shepherd School of Music will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Abduction From the Seraglio.”
Houston Chronicle (Subscription required.)
http://bit.ly/1u6fva6

Marijuana apparently unpopular in Texas
William Martin, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, comments on marijuana legalization in Texas.
KWBU.org Texas Public Radio
http://bit.ly/1r0fbtl

Texas A&M ranks 1st among Texas public universities by Money Magazine and fares well nationally
Rice is No. 20 on Time magazine’s list of best colleges for your money.
Tomball Potpourri (This article also appeared in Magnolia Potpourri.)
http://bit.ly/1ooZOYF

Texas’ gulf coast, still battered from Ike, not ready for next storm
Jim Blackburn, professor in the practice of environmental law in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, is quoted.
Killeen Daily Herald (This article also appeared in KTSM and San Marcos Mercury, KDBC-TV and Emergency Management.)
http://bit.ly/1sETHjT

Bird identification expert to speak at Sugar Land Garden Club Aug. 26 meeting
Glenn Olsen, instructor at the Glasscock School for Continuing Studies, will present “Attracting Wildlife to Your Yard” at the Sugar Land Branch Library.
Fort Bend Sun
http://bit.ly/1A07mVd

BROADCAST

Douglas Brinkley on the Nixon tapes, 40 years after Watergate
Douglas Brinkley, professor of history and fellow in history at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, discusses his discoveries from Nixon’s voice-activated recordings.
BBC News
http://bbc.in/1skg5AE

TRADE/PROFESSIONAL

Why conservatives and liberals see the world differently
John Alford, associate professor of political science, is featured for his collaborative research on political bias.
Tech Times
http://bit.ly/XMC5r1

Stock prices of companies that use the same underwriter tend to move together
Gustavo Grullon, professor of finance, and James Weston, professor of finance, co-authored an academic article published in the July edition of Journal of Financial Economics titled “Co-movement and Investment Banking Networks.”
Science Blog
http://bit.ly/1r6fIFu

Nanoröhrchenzucht nach dem Reinheitsgebot
Rice’s silicon oxide technology can now be used to fabricate devices with conventional production methods, which brings it a step closer to mass production. James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering, is quoted.
Spektrum.de (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1sktk4a

Wer will noch Öl, wer hat noch nicht?
Rice’s Baker Institute’s study about employee earnings at oil companies is cited.
NWZ Online (An English translation is not available.)
http://bit.ly/1r6xAjy

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Saint Arnold Brewing Co. reflects on 1st 20 years
Rice alumnus Brock Wagner ’87 is featured in an article about the 20th anniversary of Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
Sys-Con Media (This article also appeared in On Top of Politics.)
http://bit.ly/1pGmx1l

Former postmaster blasts USPS stamp choices
Former United States Postmaster General Benjamin F. Bailar, the Joe Nelson III Professor Emeritus of Administration and a former dean of the Jones Graduate School, is quoted.
DailyNewsEn.com
http://bit.ly/XN7MRd

Study: African-American homeownership increasingly less stable, more risky
Sociologists at Rice and Cornell University found that African-Americans are 45 percent more likely than whites to switch from owning their home to renting it. Gregory Sharp, a postdoctoral fellow in Rice’s Department of Sociology, is quoted.
The Charlotte Post
http://bit.ly/XMqXKW

SPORTS

Men’s college hoops: Rice announces C-USA schedule
Rice men’s basketball will play 18 Conference USA contests in 2014-15.
Atascocita Observer
http://bit.ly/1kqW3BH

KHOU-TV
The Rice football team is featured in preparation for the upcoming season. Head football coach David Bailiff and quarterback Driphus Jackson are quoted.
http://bit.ly/X6Blgg
College football today – National and local scope
CBS Houston
http://cbsloc.al/1B0x8Kt

Pivot-point games: Matchups that will shape the 2014 football season
Rice football will play Notre Dame Aug. 30.
Sports Illustrated (Similar articles appeared in Chicago Tribune and 10 other media outlets.)
http://bit.ly/1kOtTB4
WBND-TV (South Bend, Ind.)
http://bit.ly/1ssGmcE