Media Report - December 2012 / Early January 2013
The media report provides examples of coordinated placements and pitches versus news that
U.Va. handles in a reactive or defensive posture.
This compilation includes only those pitches that have produced results in December. Current
efforts include pitches regarding Rotunda/Academical Village restoration, Coursera launches,
our MLK celebration involvement, the U.Va. cemetery, STEM efforts, the fiscal cliff and more.
UVA Today Web Metrics – December 2012
 UVA Today traffic up + 41.19% vs. December 2011. (152,296 page views vs. 107,864)
 For December 2012, UVA Today has 72,480 new page visitors.
 UVA Today Daily Report has 16,861 e-mail addresses as of December 21.
Top 10 UVA Today articles for December 2012:
 U.Va. Community Mourns Loss of Fourth-Year Student Casey Schulman // 23,810
 Seven Society Calls on University to Take Action; Reinforces Critical Message of Need To
Be A More Caring Community // 19,226
 UVA Today // 8,746
 ‘Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus’// 2,250
 News Releases // 2,284
 Flash Seminar Explores What It Means To Live The Good Life // 1,771
 U.Va. Faculty Members, Alumnus Have Hand in Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ // 1,497
 Kiplinger’s Honors Quality, Value of U.Va. Education // 1,357
 SACS Issues Warning to University //1,349
 Undergraduate Continues to Collect Tons of Food for the Hungry // 1,301
Kiplinger’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges”
U.Va. climbed from No. 3 to No. 2 on this year’s list, which became public Dec. 27. Our push of
this story resulted in next-day coverage from the Daily Progress with an above-fold, A-1 story.
Headline: “UVa ranked second in value.” Local TV stations also produced reports. This coverage
clearly reflects our strategic goal of emphasizing the quality and value of the education
provided here.
http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/article_162bb346-509a-11e2-8cde-0019bb30f31a.html
School violence/Sandy Hook shootings
Curry professor Dewey Cornell was frequently quoted as an expert on school violence
prevention in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings. Media relations edited and distributed a
news release produced by Cornell and several of his colleagues across the country. Cornell
appeared on PBS Newshour and was quoted in news coverage by the New York Times, AP,
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Washington Post, CNN and local media. U.Va. psychologist Peter Sheras also appeared in local
and regional media on this issue.
The Times-Dispatch published an op-ed from U.Va. psychology professor Joe Allen on Dec. 22.
The piece argued against adopting a “barricade mentality” as a reaction to the school
shootings.
The White House sent a request to the Association of American Universities seeking faculty
experts on gun safety, mental illness and youth violence. Given the volume of the request, AAU
asked member institutions to provide names of a few prominent experts. U.Va. provided AAU
contact information for Dewey Cornell, a Curry School of Education psychologist and director of
the Virginia Youth Violence Project, and Richard Bonnie, who leads the Institute of Law,
Psychiatry and Public Policy.
Congressman Bobby Scott quoted Mr. Cornell about preventing school shootings on CNN
interview. It is at 9:20 mark in the video here.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44258842/ns/msnbc-politicsnation/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/social_issues/july-dec12/shootingpsych_12-14.html
http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/their-opinion/allen-living-beyond-thebarricades/article_9c7d873b-9134-57f3-8258-45c74228b9ec.html
Transportation
Media relations distributed a news tip sheet of U.Va. transportation-issues experts in December
and will continue to position our experts as the General Assembly session convenes.
U.Va. engineers Gary Koening and Brian Smith were guests on an hour-long WMRA radio show
to discuss the future of transportation. Virginia transportation secretary Sean Connaughton also
participated on the show, Virginia Insight.
http://www.wmra.org/post/future-highways
International affairs
The Presidential Precinct project (involving U.Va., William & Mary, the U.S. State Department,
Monticello and others) received strong local coverage. Larry Sabato was among presenters to
the group of activists visiting the United States to learn about how to better foster emerging
democracies in their homelands. Sorensen Institute Director Bob Gibson published an op-ed on
the success of the program in the Daily Progress commentary section.
Commentary: Presidential Precinct a beacon for democracy
December 16, 2012 | Charlottesville Daily Progress
UVA Hosts Foreign Diplomats to Discuss Democracy
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20317310/uva-hosts-foreign-diplomats-to-discuss-democracy
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International activists in town to learn about democracy
December 12, 2012 | Charlottesville Daily Progress
W&M, U.Va. Partner in 'Presidential Precinct'
Williamsburg Yorktown Daily
Les Miserables
Professor Marva Barnett wrote an op-ed about “Les Miserables,” which focused on Marva’s
teaching of the novel and her recent phone conversation with Hugh Jackman, who plays the
star role in the movie version that opened on Christmas Day. Both the Times-Dispatch and Daily
Progress published her op-ed, and WVPT public radio produced a feature about Marva’s
involvement.
Hugh Jackman read the novel — you should, too
Additional successes, news and feature stories published and/or aired in December:
Our research story on a fruit fly larva vision study story made Futurity’s top 10 most-shared and
most-read stories of 2012
http://us2.campaignarchive1.com/?u=b1df201c31ea39d3c487294a4&id=9aa2108618&e=9a42d9777e
Media Relations has been a subscriber to Futurity since April 2012. From then to December
2012, MR has submitted 37 U.Va. stories, 34 of which have been published on Futurity’s
website. Futurity is a news outlet for research findings from its subscribers – top universities in
the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia. From April to Dec. 2012, U.Va. had two earth &
environment stories, nine society & culture stories, 10 health & medicine stories and nine
science & technology stories. Seven stories were lead stories on Futurity's daily enewsletter.
VOA’s second video about the Chinese student experience at UVa was posted just before the
holidays. Below are links, one to VOA’s website and the other to YouKu, China’s version of
YouTube. The YouKu link shows the number of views, which is more than 12,000 currently, as
well as numerous comments, several of which are quite positive. There is a translate button
one can use to read the comments in somewhat broken English.
http://www.voachinese.com/media/all/latest.html?z=2421
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDg1MDIxNzM2.html
Harpist Takes Talents to UVA Medical Center
December 21, 2012 | NBC29
UVa Students Design New Method of Disease Detection
December 19, 2012 | Newsplex
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Identities of those buried in forgotten cemetery near UVa hard to discern
Dec. 3, 2012 | Charlottesville Daily Progress
UVa's Atkins and his twin brother shine on different stages
December 26, 2012 | Charlottesville Daily Progress
Guerrilla gardening grows at UVa
December 22, 2012 | Charlottesville Daily Progress
Commentary: Why Middle-Class Marriages Need the Church
December 20, 2012 | Family Scholars
Middle Americans disparage marriage
World Magazine - Dec 20, 2012
Children Born to Single Parent Households Becoming 'New Normal,' Says Study
December 19, 2012 | The Christian Post
Out-of-Wedlock Births Society's 'New Normal'
Christian Broadcasting Network-Dec 18, 2012
Marriage culture called key to stable middle class
December 17, 2012 | The Washington Times
Is the Soul Mate Myth Harming Us?
December 17, 2012 | Psychology Today "Repairing Relationships" blog
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Media Report - January 2013
January saw strong interest in pitches for the Coursera course launches and the Rotunda
restoration project, in particular. The Rotunda project is U.Va.’s top capital projects priority,
while Coursera plays a key role in the experimentation with online learning, as well as
enhancement of the residential learning experience.
Metrics for January 2013:
 UVA Today page views increased by 3.9 percent vs. January 2012 (137,172 page views
vs. 132,035)
 For January 2013, UVA Today has 49,705 new page visitors
 UVA Today Daily Report has 16,954 e-mail subscribers as of Jan. 31
Top UVA Today articles for January 2013 (by page view):
 Nutritional Supplement May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s, U.Va. Research Suggests // 4,062
 Teachers Get Ready for Tens of Thousands of Students in Online Courses // 2,937
 University of Virginia Statement on Appointment of William Goodwin to Board of
Visitors // 1,817
 New Funding Supports College Students Chasing Their Dreams in Unpaid Internships //
1,816
 Art History Scholar, Administrator Maurie McInnis Named Vice Provost for Academic
Affairs // 1,784
 Early Action: First Deposits Rolling in for U.Va.’s Class of 2017 // 1,742
 Webb – Senator, Veteran, Writer and Filmmaker – To Be U.Va. Finals Speaker //1,678
 Kiplinger’s Honors Quality, Value of U.Va. Education // 1,632
Media Successes for January 2013
Rotunda preservation
The Times-Dispatch published an in-depth piece with photos on Jan. 21. The article was also
published by newspapers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Hampton Roads. Local TV also
produced Rotunda reports.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/u-va-at-work-repairing-the-rotunda/article_dccf9bc39804-5313-8e74-55421a583de5.html
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/repair-work-continues-uvas-rotunda
http://www.newsplex.com/news/schools/headlines/Crews-Start-to-Reveal-RotundaRenovation-185713302.html
The Daily Progress also published a slideshow online of repair work:
http://www.dailyprogress.com/collection_cdf873c6-6a47-11e2-901b-001a4bcf6878.html
Coursera Experiment
U.Va.’s initial courses offered via Coursera launched in January. Media Relations capitalized on
high media interest in the subject to secure positive coverage focused on the value of this
experiment to our online education as well as its role in improving on-Grounds coursework.
Coverage included a segment on national network news, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.
The report focused on Philip Zelikow's Coursera class here.
Massive open online courses raise questions about future of education | Jan. 31, 2013
http://dailynightly.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/31/16795195-massive-open-online-classesraise-questions-about-future-of-education?lite
U.Va. set to launch global classrooms | Jan. 12, 2013
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/education/college/u-va-set-to-launch-globalclassrooms/article_53fbd2b8-8bb1-58ff-8928-1eaca612a103.html
U. Va. branching out with online classes | Jan. 14, 2013
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/u-va-branching-out-online-classes
UVa Classes Go Global with New Online Courses | Jan. 14, 2013
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/UVa-Classes-Go-Global-with-New-Online-Courses186869602.html
UVA Launches Series of Free Online Classes | Jan. 14, 2013
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20585511/uva-launches-series-of-free-online-classes
UVA Faculty Members, Teaching Assistants Attend Workshop | Jan. 11, 2013
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20567118/uva-faculty-members-teaching-assistants-attendworkshop
Land grabbing study
Our press release and accompanying pitch effort on a study published in the Proceedings of the
National Academies of Sciences attracted widespread coverage. A U.Va. professor was one of
the authors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/26/chinese-firms-and-gulfsheiks-are-grabbing-farmland-worldwide-why/
http://southwestfarmpress.com/management/corporations-buying-land-globally-coulddeplete-resources-corner-food-market
http://www.rwlwater.com/global-water-grabbing-phenomenon/
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/sustainability/global-land-water-grabbing
http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/land-and-water-grabbing-increasing-worldwide
http://www.chs-sachetan.org/?p=2019
http://peakwater.org/2013/01/first-global-assessment-of-land-and-water%E2%80%98grabbing%E2%80%99/
http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/First_Global_Assessment_of_Land_and_Water_Grabbing_
999.html
Below are other articles and reports in January that resulted directly from Media Relations
activities and efforts:
Cost savings initiative
UVA Website Urges Employees to Submit Cost-Cutting Ideas
Jan. 24, 2013 | NBC29
Cooper Center statistics on population growth
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/rapid-growth-drives-frequent-boundary-changes-innorthern-virginia-schools/2013/01/26/29383524-60d8-11e2-99406fc488f3fecd_story.html?hpid=z4
Committing a mentally ill adult is complex
USA Today
State civil commitment laws can make it difficult or impossible to hospitalize adults
involuntarily, even when their families or caregivers feel threatened and patients appear
extremely sick, says Dewey Cornell, a Curry School psychologist and director of the Virginia
Youth Violence Project.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/07/mental-illness-civilcommitment/1814301/
Deaths increase, misery mounts as flu sweeps nation | Jan. 11, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/10/flu-nation-sick-elderly-flu-deathsworkplace/1823425/
DNA profiling on Futurity:
http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/dna-profiling-catches-repeat-criminals/
UVa strategic-planning forums restart this week | Jan. 14, 2013
http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/article_ee133f5a-5dc8-11e2-b4f0001a4bcf6878.html
Charlottesville Kicks Off Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations
WVIR NBC-29 (Charlottesville)
Charlottesville and the University of Virginia are kicking off a month of events to honor the life
of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The 28th Annual MLK Community Celebration was held Sunday
night - full of music, prayer, and motivational words to honor the life and achievements of the
late civil rights leader.
UVa Receives a New Beckman Scholars Award
January 11, 2013 | Charlottesville Newsplex
The University of Virginia is one of 10 institutions of higher education to receive a the 2013
Beckman Scholars Award from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, which will help
further undergraduate research in the sciences.
Business School, Behind Bars
January 11, 2013 | Bloomberg Businessweek
MBA students from the Darden School of Business are advising prison inmates on how to start
small businesses as a way to reduce the recidivism rate in Virginia.
Teen robot builders battle for 'FIRST' place
January 12, 2013 | Charlottesville Daily Progress
They came wearing capes, goggles and wings. They came in the hundreds. They came to
compete. Roughly 300 middle and high schoolers descended on U.Va.'s Slaughter Recreation
Center on Saturday for an all-day battle for robot bragging rights, and a spot at the statewide
tournament in Richmond.
'Mapping Virginia' preserves a lifelong passion for the contours of home
January 13, 2013 | Charlottesville Daily Progress
William C. Wooldridge compiled one of the most significant collections of historic Virginia maps
ever assembled. More than 300 of the "most important and influential" maps dating from the
16th century to just prior to the dawn of the 20th century are contained in his new book,
"Mapping Virginia from the Age of Exploration to the Civil War," published by the University of
Virginia Press.
UVA Professor Does Study on DNA in Solving Crime
January 11, 2013 | WVIR-NBC-29 (Charlottesville)
For the first time, a University of Virginia professor is taking a closer look at the power of DNA
profiling. What Jennifer Doleac's study found may shed new light on just how useful DNA
databases may be.
DNA and individual freedom v crime prevention
BBC News
Will the British government's Protection of Freedoms Act lead to an increase in murders, rapes
and other serious crimes? New research from the United States suggests it might. Last month
Jennifer Doleac, assistant professor of public policy and economics at the University of Virginia,
published a study that suggested that size matters: "larger DNA databases reduce crime rates."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21198259
Mfume speaks, Gaston honored at MLK ceremony
January 13, 2013 | Charlottesville Daily Progress
Kweisi Mfume stood in front of a crowd at Mount Zion First AfricanBaptist Church on Sunday
and said four words. "We have a problem," he told the congregation at the church's 28th
Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. At the ceremony, retired University of Virginia history
professor Paul Gaston received the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Award.
January 16, 2013 | WVTF Public Radio/RADIO IQ
The American Family
http://www.wvtf.org/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D2730
%3Athe-american-family%26catid%3D48%3Awvtf-news%26Itemid%3D119
Much has been said about America’s political divide – about red, blue and purple states. Now,
social scientists at the University of Virginia have identified four different kinds of families.
UVA Professor Does Study on DNA in Solving Crime
January 11, 2013 | WVIR-NBC-29
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20568704/uva-professor-does-study-on-dna-in-solving-crime
For the first time, a University of Virginia professor is taking a closer look at the power of DNA
profiling. What Jennifer Doleac's study found may shed new light on just how useful DNA
databases may be.
Charlottesville Kicks Off Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20576795/charlottesville-kicks-off-martin-luther-king-jrcelebrations
WCAV/Newsplex
Local Church Celebrates Life, Achievements of MLK
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Local-Church-Celebrates-Life-Achievements-ofMLK-186718261.html
Student success
Jan. 21 print edition of Forbes Magazine will have story on “12 insider tricks to pay for college.”
It features U.Va. Jefferson Scholar and Rhodes Scholar Joe Riley. The article was published
online on Jan. 2, and was noted in local media this week. Here are links to Forbes and WVIR-TV
29 sites:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/baldwin/2013/01/02/12-insider-tricks-to-pay-for-college/
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20596575/uva-student-featured-in-forbes-magazine
STEM
NPR program With Good Reason featuring Curry School’s Robert Tai in premiere of “Why
STEM?” series, the wk of 1/26. Audio files of the full program and its companion news feature
will be posted the week of the show here: http://withgoodreasonradio.org/2013/01/why-stem/
School of Architecture Rivanna River Project:
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20635565/uva-architecture-students-have-big-ideas-for-rivannariver
http://www.nbc29.com/story/20626938/uva-architecture-students-to-present-plans-forrivanna-river
http://www.cvilletomorrow.org/news/article/13914-slideshow--rivanna-river-vortex/
http://www.cvilletomorrow.org/news/article/13915-river-competition-winners/
http://www.cvilletomorrow.org/news/article/13858-river-competition-begins/
Doctors With Borders: How Licensing Cartels Stifle Immigrant Health Care Professionals
January 24, 2013 | Slate "Money Box" blog
A very neat new paper from U.Va. researchers Brendan Peterson, Sonal Pandya, and David
Leblang shows that in some American states rent-seeking cartels use the licensing process to
prevent the inflow of skilled immigrant health care professionals, thereby driving up prices and
their own earnings.
From the WVTF Newsroom
January 22, 2013 | WVTF Public Radio/RADIO IQ (Roanoke)
Sandy Hausman talks with Carl Bowman, a social scientist at the University of Virginia, about his
"Family Report."
NBC29 covered the event honoring Julian Bond held January 30 at the Paramount. Video may
be found at http://www.nbc29.com/category/175568/video-landingpage?clipId=8295241&topVideoCatNo=82958&autoStart=true
Charlottesville Newsplex coverage of Julian Bond event at Paramount:
http://www.newsplex.com/news/headlines/Community-Honors-Civil-Rights-Leader189202791.html
Washington Business Journal
Virginia population growth outpacing nation
Virginia Business Magazine
Virginia's population rose 2.3 percent in the past two years
NBC 29
Population Research Shows Substantial Growth in VA
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Population growth continues in Charlottesville-Albemarle
WTVR
Virginia's population growth outpacing nation
Symposium to Consider Next Steps in Women in Combat Debate was picked up by the following media
outlets:
Brnow
Q&A: The case against women in combat
Alaska Dispatch
US military: Will the move to place women in combat units help ...
Waterbury Republican American
Widespread praise, but some doubt, over women in combat
Minnesota Public Radio
How will women in combat change the military?
Irish Times
Pentagon lifts ban on women in combat
NBCNews.com (blog)
Not so fast: Women on frontlines 'distracting,' say critics
OPB News
Lawsuit Questioned Constitutionality Of Ban On Women In Combat
Red Alert Politics
Department of Defense acknowledges women were already serving ...
Alaska Dispatch
Will women in combat make battlefields less safe for men?
Constitutional daily (blog)
Do women have a constitutional right to serve in military combat?
Yahoo News (blog)
Women in combat: Will they have to register for the draft?
NBC 29
Department of Defense Lifts Ban on Women in Combat
January 31, 2013
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA RECEIVES CRYSTAL AWARD FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Utility Products
"This is an acknowledgment that the University of Virginia is a good steward of its
environment," said Nina Morris, energy and utilities sustainability outreach ...
http://www.utilityproducts.com/news/2013/01/31/university-of-virginia-receives-crystalaward-for-sustainability.html
UVA, Tom Tom Festival to Unveil Innovation Lab Expansion
January 31, 2013 | NBC29
The University of Virginia is teaming up with an area festival to unveil an improved innovation
lab.
The Darden School of Business is working with the Tom Tom Founders Festival to convene a
community $10,000 pitch night as part of a celebration of the expansion of the Innovation
Laboratory.
UVA Hosting Conference on Public Policy Journals
January 25, 2013 | WVIR-NBC-29 (Charlottesville) / Associated Press
The University of Virginia's student-run journal of public policy is hosting a national conference
for similar journals from universities around the country.
UVA Group Aiming to Educate Students About National Debt
January 27, 2013 | WVIR-NBC-29 (Charlottesville)
The University of Virginia is one of 10 colleges across the country creating campaigns to
educate the younger generation about the nation's fiscal debate. UVA students are leading the
"Up to Us" initiative.