April 2, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Talented youth from New York City to Lima play their way for a chance to perform with professionals," notes a report on Lima, Ohio NBC affiliate WLIO-TV.  "The Lima Symphony Orchestra in conjunction with Friends of the Symphony are hosting the Young Artists Competition" this weekend, and the competitors included DePauw University sophomore Erika Matson," who is featured in the report.

A saxophonist, "Matson is a music education major at DePauw University in Indiana," reports Demi Heiks. " A push from a professor gave her to the courage to try out. Erika Matson's love of performing could win her up to $600 in scholarships and the chance to play with the Lima Symphony Orchestra. Being a part of such a prominent competition is what attracts the young musicians, and they also know it could provide them with opportunities in their future."

The competition, now in its 51st year, took place at Ohio State University - Lima. "The top two winners from each category will play with the Lima Symphony Orchestra tonight," the station notes. "Their concert starts at 7:30 pm at Reed Hall on the OSU - Lima Campus.  It is free and open to the public."

Access video of the television report by clicking here.

April 3, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — For Javair Gillett, stength and conditioning director for the Detroit Tigers and 2001 graduate of DePauw University, his "career epiphany happened when he was in college and playing baseball at DePauw. He earned a Winter Term internship at Penn State's athletic department where he saw the sophisticated programs being crafted for the athletes."

"I kind of got locked in, Gillett tells the Detroit News. "I came back and began working at my school (DePauw) with the football players."

Gillett "was a strength-and-conditioning intern in the Tigers minor leagues in 2002 and '03 and named the farm system's coordinator in 2004," reports Lynn Henning.  He "has been the Tigers' essential body-building man since 2005. He supervises all the facets of health and conditioning, from exercise drills, to nutrition, to customized off-season programs for each player."

The most gratifying part of Gillett's job is "to see the development of a player and watch him grow over time," he tells the newspaper. "To see them develop into better athletes, or to see a Sean Casey (former Tigers first baseman), a guy who was always going to be slow, be able to move just a little better because of things we were able to do with his technique. And what we tell these players is it's not just about baseball — it (training regimen) really is about life and creating a healthier person who can enjoy his kids and family for a long, long time."

Read more at the News' website.

April 3, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Employees who show up for work when they are obviously sick may feel as though they are proving their dedication to the job, but could be putting everyone they work with at risk," begins an article in today's Pittsbugh Post-Gazette which quotes Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University.

"Employees engage their colleagues in a 'how sick were you at work' contest," says Langerud, who has helped more than 15,000 people with workplace issues. "We all love being a champion. Even if it is only in being the one who can claim to have worked through the worst illness. But we are less quick to claim the number of colleagues, clients or customers we infected along the way."

Tim Grant reports, "Seventy-six percent of employees in a survey conducted by Accountemps admitted to at least somewhat frequently coming to work when under the weather. Another 34 percent of workers said that when a colleague comes in sick, they worry most about being exposed to his or her illness; and only 8 percent are impressed by their co-worker's dedication ... Langerud said it was up to supervisors to model good sick behavior. If supervisors stay home when they are sick, so will employees."

"The bottom line is that being sick at work hurts the bottom line," Langerud tells the newspaper. "When you are not well, you are not as productive; you don't recover; you miss more time after becoming really ill; and worse of all, you infect other workers who repeat the cycle. My advice: If you are sick, stay home -- period."

You'll find the complete text at the Post-Gazette's website.

Also: Tim Solso '69 to Deliver Principal Address; Pre-Order Commencement DVD

April 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Three distinguished individuals will receive honorary doctoral degrees at the University's 172nd annual commencement in May. A Doctor of Music degree will be presented to Cassel Grubb, professor emeritus of music at DePauw and former director of the DePauw University School of Music; Ian Morris, Jean and Rebecca Willard Professor of Classics and professor of history at Stanford University, will receive a Doctor of Letters degree; and Theodore M. "Tim" Solso, chairman and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc. and 1969 graduate of DePauw, will be awarded a Doctor of Business Administration degree.

As announced in January, Solso will provide the principal address to graduates at the ceremony, which will take place on Sunday, May 22, at 1 p.m. (EDT) in Holton Memorial Quadrangle. 

Cassel Grubb was a professor of cello at DePauw from 1949 until his retirement forty years later. He was appointed director of the School of Music in 1978 and held that post until his retirement in 1989. The recipient of bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Grubb also served as a member of the cello faculty and director of the National Music Camp  at Interlochen, Michigan.  Prior to joining the DePauw faculty, Grubb was a member of the Eastman Rochester Symphony Orchestra and professor of cello at Del Mar College.

In 1988, Professor Grubb was the inaugural recipient of the Mr. and Mrs. Fred C. Tucker Jr. Distinguished Career Award, which is presented to an outstanding senior member of the DePauw faculty.  In 1999, the Grubb University Professorship was established by the Board of Trustees in accordance with a generous gift from Gary P. Drew ’61 and Sandra Aldrich Drew ’62.

"What has remained the same throughout the years in the School of Music is the emphasis on performance," Professor Grubb said in September 2009, as the School of Music began the celebration of its 125th season. "Regardless of a student’s major, performance is the center of his or her studies. They not only study an instrument but also participate in ensembles."

The current research of Ian Morris uses ancient Mediterranean history to try to help answer the big questions in history. His latest book, Why the West Rules—For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal about the Future, compares eastern and western history since the end of the Ice Age and asks where the long-term trends will take us in the 21st century. He is now working on a new book called War! What is it Good For? and next plans work on a book tentatively titled The Ancient World: A New History, examining the period 10,000 B.C.E.–600 C.E. across the entire globe.

Dr. Morris has published ten previous books, including The Dynamics of Ancient Empires: State Power from Assyria to Byzantium and The Greeks: History, Culture, and Society.

In 2008 he concluded a multi-year project directing the excavation of Monte Polizzo, a sixth-century B.C. indigenous Sicilian town, examining cultural interaction, state formation, and economic growth.

Tim Solso joined Cummins in 1971 after earning an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1971. He has served as the company's chairman and chief executive officer since January 2000. Prior to his current role, he was president and chief operating officer from 1995-2000 and served as vice president – engine business from 1988-1995. He also serves as chairman of Cummins Foundation, one of the oldest corporate foundations in the country and is a past member of DePauw's Board of Trustees.

President Barack Obama recently called upon Solso to serve as a member of the President's Management Advisory Board. He is also the U.S. chairman of the U.S. – Brazil CEO Forum and serves on a number of boards.

Learn more about Tim Solso here.

For a tenth consecutive year, DePauw will produce a limited edition commemorative DVD, which is available for pre-order.  The disc, which is professionally replicated, will include footage of each graduate receiving their DePauw diploma as well as a range of bonus materials. Orders are now being accepted at $19.95 for the first disc; additional DVDs sent to the same address will be $8 each (7% sales tax will be added to Indiana orders). An online order form is available here; you can learn more about the disc in this article.

For more information on DePauw's 172nd commencement, click here.

April 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Edward M. Garnes Jr., a 1999 graduate of DePauw University, is the 2011 receipient of the Chozen Award for "Motivator of the Year."  Created in 2008 by Chozen Media, an Atlanta-based multimedia company, the Chozen Awards are designed to inspire, impact and empower the Greater Atlanta community in honor of the city's unsung heroes. Nominees are selected in 15 categories in the areas of business, entertainment, health, hospitality and the arts and are voted on by the public. (photo: Garnes is seen accepting the award at the March 30 ceremony)

Garnes is the founder of From Afros to Shelltoes, a grass roots community-based organization focused on cultural productions that bridge generation gaps between youth, elders, and the hip hop community. It focuses on using art as a tool of empowerment.

Learn more here, or in this previous story.

April 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — DePauw University's men's golf team wonthis weekend's Rose-Hulman Invitational in Terre Haute with a two-round team score of 643, seven strokes better than Mount St. Joseph, and "Ryan Berra of DePauw [pictured] won the individual tournament by two strokes," reports today's Terre Haute Tribune-Star.

Access the item at the newspaper's website.

The Tigers return to action on Thursday, April 7, at the Big Four Classic at Crooked Stick in Carmel.

Get the latest information at the official online home of the men's golf team.

April 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Saturday marks the third annual Dancing with the Putnam County Stars fundraiser," reports Greencastle's Banner Graphic, and the eleven contestants will include Brad Hayes, principal of Fillmore Elementary School and the recipient of a master's degree in elementary education from DePauw University in 1987; and Charlene Shrewsbury, a police officer with DePauw University Public Safety. The event, which benefits the Putnam County Youth Development Commission (PCYDC), will take place at DePauw's indoor tennis and track center.

Hayes tells the newspaper that his dancing experience is "very limited," but it is an oppportunity to aid a key organization. "As a former board member and president of the Putnam County Youth Development Commission, I felt this was a way that I could continue to help out."

Shrewsbury notes, "It's a really good cause and a wonderful opportunity to give back to my community," Shrewsbury said. "I hope to meet new people and develop long lasting friendships."

PCYDC's mission is to prevent delinquency by re-directing vulnerable children and youth toward productive behavior and away from entering the juvenile justice system; to provide information and referral by maintaining a wide spectrum of resources on the needs of and services for children and families; to provide community education by increasing the understanding of the significance of delinquency, its causes and remedies, so the community can create and sustain effective alternatives; and, to provide child advocacy to children who have had incidents of substantiated abuse or neglect.

Learn more at the newspaper's website.

April 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Philip Auslander, professor in the School of Literature, Communication, and Culture at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will come to DePauw University on Thursday, April 7, to provide the keynote address at the 37th Annual Undergraduate Honors Conference. In the 8 p.m. speech in the ballroom of the Memorial Student Union, Dr. Auslander will discuss his new work, discussing his new piece, "Sound and Vision: The Audio-Visual Economy of Musical Performance." The presentation is free and open to the public.

The professor's study illustrates the ways of thinking about the relationship between the visual and auditory aspects of musical performance. Auslander's primary research interest is in performance, focusing more specifically on performance in music, media and technology. He has written on aesthetic and cultural performances as diverse as theatre, performance art, music, stand-up comedy, robotic performance, and courtroom procedures and is the author of five books, including  Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music (2006) and the second edition of Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture (2008).

"Philip Auslander goes head to head with the heavyweight critics in the discipline," says Steve Timm, professor of communication and theatre and chair of the department. "In this age of technology, he calls into question the primacy of 'liveness' in performance."

The case study focuses on the psychedelic light show in both rock and classical music, as well as touching on other types of music. Using video and sound clips, images, and other sources to exemplify his findings, Auslander makes this a very accessible talk to all audiences.

For 37 years, the DePauw National Undergraduate Honors Conference for Communication Arts and Sciences has gathered top undergraduate students and exemplary scholars in communication studies together for an intensive weekend of scholarly dialogue. For more information, click here.

April 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Kye T. Hawkins, a 2006 graduate of DePauw University, has been selected to receive a Education Pioneers Graduate School Fellowship. Hawkins, who is an M.Ed. candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was among more than 2,000 graduate students who applied or the award.  She was one of approximately 300 to receive a fellowship position. which includes rigorous leadership training within K-12 public education.
 
Education Pioneers, a national non-profit, is a national network of leaders and entrepreneurs committed to improving leadership within public education, but outside the classroom. The fellowship provides top graduate students and career professionals with an opportunity to embark upon a career in K-12 education. To be eligible, applicants were also required to have two years of work experience.

Hawkins and the other fellows will participate in a 10-week summer program, which will provide them high-impact work experience as a project consultant for a leading education organization, professional development workshops that examine complex urban education issues and deepen fellows' understanding of reform, and access to a robust, nationwide network of industry experts and alumni.

Learn more here.

April 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "The news that Katie Couric may leave her anchor post at CBS Evening News when her contract expires in June -- only five years after becoming the first woman to solo helm a network TV evening newscast -- is generating heated speculation over where she would head and who would replace her," notes the Christian Science Monitor.  A story by Daniel B. Wood and Gloria Goodale gets perspective from several observers, including Jeffrey M. McCall, professor of communication at DePauw University.

"People wonder why Couric could have been so successful in the morning at the Today Show but couldn't generate ratings in the evening," Dr. McCall tells the publication. "The main reason is that different audiences are involved. Her chattiness in the morning worked fine with that audience, but evening news viewers want a solid news agenda from somebody who is credible and perceived as a solid journalist. It was hard for Couric to make that transition after years of morning features and dressing up in Halloween costumes, and so forth."

The Monitor adds, "McCall says a lesson for the journalistic community to learn here is that you can’t make network news shows personality-driven. 'That can work well on cable television prime time, as evidenced by shows like The O'Reilly Factor,' he says, 'but network flagship newscasts need seasoned reporters and a seriousness that Couric couldn't deliver.'"

You'll find the complete article at the newspaper's website.

Jeff McCall is a 1976 graduate of DePauw and is frequently called upon by major media outlets to discuss media matters. He recently spoke with Indianapolis Business Journal about federal funding of public broadcasting and discussed the Academy Awards telecast with the Los Angeles Times. Dr. McCall authored the book, Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Influences.

April 5, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Todd J. Schmid, a 2009 graduate of DePauw University and currently a student at the University of Illinois College of Law, is the recipient of a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship.  The award will allow Schmid to study Arabic in the 2011-12 academic year through the University of Illinois Center for Global Studies.

The FLAS Fellowships program provides allocations of academic year and summer fellowships to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to assist meritorious undergraduate students and graduate students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related area or international studies. Eligible students apply for fellowships directly to an institution that has received an allocation of fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education.

Learn more here.

A philosophy and Spanish double major ar DePauw, Schmid is also a managing partner of Fields & Schmid LLP, a design consultancy with a niche in the life sciences and technology start-ups. He spent the 2009-10 academic year conducting research in Paraguay as a result of receiving an international graduate study and research grant through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition. Details can be found in this previous article.

April 5, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Edward L. Galligan, a member of the DePauw University faculty from 1949 to 1958, died March 29 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  He was 85 years old. (at left: Prof. Galligan from the 1950 Mirage; below: a more recent photo)

Galligan was born in Taunton, Massachusetts on January 14, 1926. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 and served in the submarine service. In 1948, he graduated from Swarthmore College, and went on to earn a master's degree from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania.

He came to DePauw in 1949 as an instructor in the English department and five years later was made an assistant professor of English. In 1958, DePauw's senior class selected Professor Galligan to speak at their May 23 dinner, approximately two weeks before commencement.

In a 2002 visit to campus, Gene Brewer, author of K-PAX and 1959 graduate of DePauw, stated, "I came to DePauw on a Rector Scholarship. When I got here, one of the people who encouraged me was Ed Galligan. He was an English professor, and he put the writing bug in me." (Brewer also cited Galligan in a 2001 interview)

In the Fall of 1958, Dr. Galligan became an English professor at Western Michigan University, where he served for 30 years and retired as department chair.

He remained highly active as a literary critic after leaving the teaching professor. Over his career, Galligan wrote three books of literary criticism, edited a book of H.L. Mencken pieces, and wrote many essays and book reviews. He was a regular contributor to the Sewanee Review.

There will be no service for Professor Galligan. A memorial banquet and blues and jazz festival will be held in his honor at a future date.

Access his obituary by clicking here.

April 5, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — John Tyler "JT" Benton, a 2003 graduate of DePauw University, has -- along with his partners -- launched a new company, MobileLeads, a marketing communications firm. It "offers a new, Cost-per-Lead (CPL) format through which advertisers and publishers can buy and sell live inquiries via the mobile web," according to an announcement today.

“There are over 100 million web-enabled smartphones active in the United States today, and untold millions of tablet devices using mobile operating systems." says Benton, CEO of MobileLeads. "These devices empower consumers to use the web in new ways."

He adds, "Mobile advertising reaches the target audience in such a meaningful, relevant way. The context is there for consumers to request more information, effortlessly."

You'll find more information at PRWeb.

Learn more about JT Benton, who was a communication major at DePauw, in this previous story.

April 5, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "I admire him so much," says ESPN President George  Bodenheimer of Bill Rasmussen, the 1954 DePauw University graduate who founded the sports network in 1979. "His passion and can-do attitude really sums up the spirit and the culture of the company today. That's him."

Bodenheimer is quoted in a feature on Rasmussen published in Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily. It notes how Rasmussen "first came up with the idea of producing sports events for cable television in May 1978, just a week after being fired as communications director of the New England Whalers of the old World Hockey Association. Rasmussen's original idea was to produce local sports for Connecticut cable systems. By August of 1978, Rasmussen and his son, Scott [a 1986 DePauw graduate], had expanded that idea. They decided that a national sports channel could work on cable and were confident they could find investors."

ESPN signed on in September 1979 and Bill Rasmussen left about two years later, selling his shares in the network, which is now owned by the Walt Disney Company, in 1984.

"Bodenheimer has always felt that understanding ESPN's history was an important piece to the company’s success, and he wanted to establish connections with ESPN's past. That meant reaching out to Rasmussen," writes John Ourand. "For the past decade, ESPN's current management team has embraced Rasmussen's role as the creator of the world's biggest sports media entity. This culminated last year in the formal dedication of the main flagpole on ESPN's campus in Rasmussen’s name."

Looking back over the thirty-plus years since his creation signed on, Rasmussen notes, "It's kind of like watching your kids grow up."

The article coincides with Rasmussen's recognition as one of the 2011 class of "The Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business."  The award, presented by SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily, recognizes "the architects and builders of sports." It includes comments from Dick Vitale and Chris Berman, an orginal ESPN anchor who calls Rasmussen every September 7 with a greeting of "Hello, George" (Berman calls Rasmussen "the George Washington of ESPN."

"His current venture, called Power Grid TV, is one of the reasons he’s been traveling so much recently," Ourand reports. "It is devoted to streaming college sports games that don’t make it onto a traditional television network. For the past year, Rasmussen has scoured the country, visiting smaller schools and gauging their interest in committing to such a service. From his home in Seattle, Rasmussen travels at least once a month to big and small markets as he tries to pitch people on his next big thing."

According to the entrepreneur, "It feels pretty much the same as the early days of ESPN. ESPN produces and generates programming that it sends to the cable systems. We're skipping all of that. Now, we're going to be a channel that’s going to promote all the schools that participate. They're the cable systems."

Access the complete story by clicking here.

Bill Rasmussen authored Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN and is among 39 business leaders interviewed in a new book, Tough Calls From the Corner Office.

April 6, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Deborah L. Schrier-Rape, a 1983 graduate of DePauw University, has joined Goodwin Procter LLP. A member of the firm's business law department, she is based in Goodwin's San Diego office and her practice will focus on bankruptcy, insolvency, out-of-court restructurings and creditors' rights. She joins Goodwin from her own firm in Dallas where she has practiced since 2002. 

"Schrier-Rape has advised a wide variety of financial institutions, communications corporations, retailers, technology companies and other parties in corporate restructuring and litigation matters," states an announcement. "While at Andrews & Kurth and as a principal of her own firm in Dallas, her work included leading the representation of NextWave Telecom and successfully confirming NextWave and its affiliates' Chapter 11 cases, which protected NextWave's assets valued in excess of $5 billion and finalized only after the United States Supreme Court affirmed a D.C. Circuit decision preserving NextWave's right to its wireless spectrum licenses. Prior to her work at Schrier-Rape P.C., she was a partner at Andrews & Kurth in Dallas where she co-led the bankruptcy practice and led the successful argument before the Fifth Circuit Court that upheld and affirmed confirmation of the General Wireless (now Metro PCS) Chapter 11 plan.  Her other clients at Andrews & Kurth included NextWave, Hewlett-Packard, Wells Fargo and Zale Corporation."

"Deborah's expertise and experience in financial restructuring further enhances the firm's nationally recognized bankruptcy practice, and her local presence will enable us to better serve clients across our expanding California office network," says Stephen Ferruolo, partner and San Diego office Chair. 

A psychology and English (literature) major at DePauw, where she graduated magna cum laude, Schrier-Rape went on to earn her J.D. degree (with distinction) from Stanford Law School. 

Read more at Yahoo! Finance.

April 6, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "DePauw University junior baseball player Elliott Ross, a graduate of La Salle High School from Cleves, has been named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for March 28-April 3," reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.  The southpaw "tossed a two-hit, nine-inning complete game shutout to lead the Tigers to a 9-0 win over SCAC rival Oglethorpe on Saturday ... He also pitched two innings in relief March 29 against Franklin in which he struck out two while scattering four hits without allowing a walk."

The text adds, "For the week, Ross did not allow a single run in 15 innings of work, struck out 15 and tallied a 0.47 WHIP (walks + hits/innings pitched)."

Access the item at the newspaper's website.

The Tigers are in action this afternoon in Terre Haute versus Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Listen to the game on student station WGRE, and get the latest at the official online home of the DePauw baseball team.

April 7, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Timothy R. Pearson, a 1976 graduate of DePauw University, is the author of The Old Rules of Marketing are Dead: 6 New Rules to Reinvent Your Brand and Reignite Your Business. Published by McGraw-Hill, the book is "a must-read for any business leader or marketer," according to Robert Hanson, president of Levi Strauss & Company's Global Levi's Brand.  "It explains how brands must be true to their essence and be reinvented to remain relevant in this radically changed, information-rich, and Internet-oriented world."

Pearson is the former president and CEO of Zyman Group, a leading international management consulting firm serving the Global 1000. He has also served as vice chair, global managing partner, marketing and communications for KPMG, and president of several advertising agencies. He has received numerous honors in the marketing arena, including but not limited to Advertising Age's Best, the Wall Street Journal's Best, and multiple Belding, Cable, Clio, Echo, Golden Phone, Lulu, Proto, PRSA and Sunny awards.  Pearson is also the co-creator of numerous interactive games.

Tim Pearson has served on the advisory board of the Nobel Peace Center, Oslo, Norway, as well as the Harvard Business School's Dean's Research Society, and DePauw's Board of Visitors.

In the book, he "calls for nothing short of a marketing revolution," notes the publisher.  "Almost everything must be thrown out -- and marketers must embrace technology, a new role in business, and real accountability.  He delineates the New Rules for succeeding in the new world order.  These New Rules will drive profitable revenue and brand loyalty, and will transform the practice of marketing."

"Every leader and company director must learn the fundamental rules and principles of reinvention that will bring marketing into the 21st century," according to R. David Hoover, president and CEO of Ball Corporation and 1967 graduate of DePauw.  "Reinvention must be the byword for this post-Great Recession era and the changes it requires that will make companies and businesses of all sizes great."

Adds Mark Emkes, retired chairman, president and CEO of Bridgestone Americas and 1975 DePauw graduate, "Tim Pearson's name is synonymous with strategy, value-proposition development, and marketing.  From now on, it will be synonymous with reinvention and the new 'do or die' rules of business."

Learn more, and order the book, at Amazon.com.

April 7, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — An article in today's Los Angeles Times detailing the decision by Fox News Channel to discontinue Glenn Beck's daily program includes analysis from Jeff McCall, professor of communication at DePauw University. Of the once-popular show, Scott Collins and Melissa Maerz note, "ratings plummeted and advertisers bailed as Beck -- a cherubic, salt-and-pepper-haired longtime radio host who has compared himself to a rodeo clown -- increasingly pursued a hard-to-follow agenda that many found too conspiracy-minded. He also chafed his bosses at Fox News, who faulted him for spending too much time on his far-flung business operations and not enough on honing his TV presentation."

"His show had become tired," Dr. McCall tells the Times. "He was spending a lot of time just talking in front of his blackboard. Guests were less frequently involved. The ratings drop was significant and couldn't be ignored. The advertiser boycott didn't hurt the program or FNC as much in terms of dollars as it did in terms of bad publicity. Beck was no longer just a personality with a show on FNC. He became an easy target for Fox News critics to characterize him as representative of the entire channel."

Fox executive say Beck will "transition off" of the show, but did not specify how long the program will continue other than to say it will stop airing later this year.

Access the complete story at the newspaper's website.

Professor McCall will host a live chat on the Beck-Fox issue at 2 o'clock this afternoon at the Washington Post's website. 

Jeffrey M. McCall is a 1976 graduate of DePauw and authored the book, of Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Influences . He is frequently called upon by major media outlets to discuss media matters and has been cited in articles published by more than 100 newspapers. Earlier this week, he discussed reports Katie Couric will be stepping aside from anchoring the CBS Evening News in a Christian Science Monitor article. A member of the DePauw faculty since 1985, McCall also serves as faculty adviser for student radio station WGRE.

April 7, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Bonnie Spindler, a San Francisco-based realtor and 1982 graduate of DePauw University, will make a presentation at today's second annual California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) Sales and Marketing Conference on April 7. At the event, which is taking place in Garden Grove, California, Spindler will "discuss the shift in marketing away from traditional print media to online communications."

According to Spindler, "Due to advances in technology, all the growth in marketing is now online, especially through social media sites. What's amazing to me is how easy and inexpensive it is after the initial set-up."

Read more at Yahoo! News.

Bonnie Spindler is also the subject of this previous story.

April 7, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "At Art Nehf Field, DePauw University scored seven runs in the third inning to earn a 13-1 baseball victory over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in non-conference action on Wednesday night," reports today's Terre Haute Tribune-Star. "Jason Cohen led DePauw with three hits and scored twice. Four Tigers added two hits each."

The report adds, "Mike Peterson improved to 2-3 on the season by earning the pitching victory. Peterson scattered five hits and allowed no earned runs with two strikeouts for DePauw."

Access the complete text at the newspaper's website.

For comprehensive coverage of the DePauw baseball team, now 11-15 on the season, visit the official online home of the DePauw baseball team.