Why
Costa
Ricans
Boost
Chipko
Sandals

Why
should
Costa
Ricans
be
hoping
for
the
success
of
Chipko
sandals?
Because
for
every
pair
of
the
footwear
sold
in
the
United
States,
the
company
places
funds
to
support
100
square
feet
of
forest
in
Guanacaste
province
in
Costa
Rica.

The
almost
square
Osho-style
sandals
are
wildly
popular
in
India
where
founder
Priya
Dua’s
roots
are
and
the
2004
University
of
California
at
Los
Angeles
graduate
hopes
that
they
will
catch
on
in
the
United
States.

According
to
the
UCLA
news
blog,
the
Daily
Bruin,
Chipko
is a
Sanscrit
word
meaning
to
stick,
but
it
was
used
to
describe
an
18th
century
Himalayan
movement
where
villagers
tied
themselves
to
trees
to
prevent
their
cutting.
Writer
Melissa
Truong
says
that
is
where
we
get
the
term
“tree
hugger.”

In
the
1960s
and
’70s,
Guanacaste
province
suffered
fearful
deforestation
as
rural
people
rushed
to
cut
trees
to
make
way
for
pastures
for
cattle.
(Fast
food
chains
liked
the
grass-fed
cattle
because
the
meat
was
lean,
just
right
to
grind
into
hamburger.)

By
the
late
1970s
it
became
obvious
that
the
forests
were
doomed
and
the
first
national
forests
and
wildlife
reserves
had
been
established
to
preserve
them
as
well
as
the
country’s
rich
biodiversity.

But,
to
return
to
Priya,
her
husband
USC
grad
Ruben
Dua,
and
the
company
partner,
www.savenature.org
;
they
not
only
discovered
that
the
sandals
could
be
made
of
environmentally-friendly
materials
but
were
a
fine
exercise
in
social
entrepreneurship.

In
this,
they
were
inspired
by
such
socially
conscious
companies
as
Tom’s
Shoes.
Armed
only
with
a
mathematics
and
applied
science
degree,
at
first
Priya
was
wary
of
entering
a
whole
new
field,
Truong
writes.

“What
my
math
degree
really
taught
me,”
she
says,
“was
to
realize
that
if
there
is a
problem,
the
there
must
be a
solution,
because
there
is
no
such
thing
as
an
unsolvable
problem.”

Not
only
were
the
problems
of
starting
a
business
daunting
but
so
was
finding
an
environmental
need
that
hasn’t
already
been
treating.
Ironically,
she
found
the
solution
right
in
her
own
home
town,
San
Francisco,
Calif.,
the
non-profit
Save
Nature
group.

The
group
had
a
program
in
place
to
save
Guanacaste’s
forests
but
with
little
publicity.
Norman
Gershenz,
CEO
of
SaveNature.org
told
Chipka’s
founders
that
the
group
makes
certain
that
the
money
goes
directly
to
saving
the
dry
forest.
It
also
educates
school
children
within
a
50-kilometer
radius
of
the
conservation
area
to
cherish
nature.

But
it’s
not
all
about
sandals,
although
their
success
is
central
to
what
the
Dua’s
want
to
accomplish.
“We’re
excited
not
only
about
the
tangible
product
but
the
intangible
cause
it
represents,”
Priya
says.

By
Rod
Hughes,
Fijatevos.com

Article source: http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2012/january/14/costarica12011406.htm

As a teenager attending a Catholic school in Hong Kong in the 1960s, Carolyn Y. Woo never imagined that her studies were helping prepare her to one day lead Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services, one of the world’s largest international humanitarian relief agencies.

Woo took over this month as CRS’ chief executive officer and president, replacing 18-year veteran Ken Hackett.

Woo, 57, brings an academic and business background to her job, having most recently served as dean of the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Before that she was an administrator at Purdue University, where she also taught and earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Woo’s academic research focused on strategy, entrepreneurship and organizational systems.

Today, Woo oversees a relief agency with an annual operating budget of $823 million and a 5,000-member staff around the world, including about 400 employees in Baltimore.

Nonprofits are major employers in Maryland, with just over 260,000 workers at the end of 2010. In Baltimore alone, the sector accounts for one-third of all private-sector jobs.

Catholic Relief Services helps more than 100 million people in nearly 100 countries, offering programs focused on emergency response, health, education and peace-building, among others.

Woo recently spoke with The Baltimore Sun about her history, her first-year focus at CRS and the challenges facing the organization.

Having moved from Indiana, how do you like Baltimore?

I love Baltimore. I grew up in a city, Hong Kong, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the city and [been a part of] city living. I love walking to work and I love the harbor. Hong Kong is a harbor [city], too. … I just am very happy to be here. Baltimore is beautiful, and I’m a big fan of crab cakes.

How did you get involved with Catholic Relief Services?

I’ve been Catholic all of my life. I was invited to be a board member from 2004 to 2010, and that really got me engaged to the point it transformed me.

What sort of insights did you gain from your experience as a board member?

It allowed me to understand the [organization's] scope. It’s a big footprint. It opened my eyes to how effective the work is [that's] done by our people. The third thing that it did for me is it made social services real; you sometimes think it’s something that someone else does.

When you see other people doing it on the ground and living in these countries away from home … they’re so committed and engaged. That created a question for me: “Are you doing enough?”

You grew up in Hong Kong and attended a school run by the Maryknoll Sisters before coming to the United States for college. How do you think your personal journey informs how you will approach your job?

The first is that probably the seed of missionary work has been sown a long time ago. I was a beneficiary, and I watched [the sisters] work not just for a day or two years but [for] 12 years. … In high school I participated in various student groups … and assisted the sisters working in clinics.

I gave English lessons and a did lot of translation. Growing up, I was part of the work without realizing that I was part of that work.

The second thing is having been part of the work and being a beneficiary, it raises the whole issue of how do I give back. For a long time, it was enough to give money and tell my students to give back. It became not enough.

Article source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-interview-carolyn-woo-20120114,0,3835688.story

USC in the News 1/13/2012

The
Atlantic
covered a panel discussion with USC President C. L. Max Nikias, and
highlighted The Village at USC redevelopment project. The panel, hosted
by Zocalo Public Square, gathered academic leaders to discuss the role
universities can play in saving or developing cities. Nikias noted that
The Village at USC mixed-use project will be the largest redevelopment
project in the history of South Los Angeles. He added that though USC
is a developer, the university offers far more than that. “This
university is in the business of educating people and doing research,”
he said.

KPCC-FM
hosted a forum on the future of higher education featuring USC
President C. L. Max Nikias. Nikias said that the university has worked
to make itself more accessible to students than ever before. “USC today
has the largest financial aid pool of any … American university,” he
said, adding that 22 percent of incoming freshmen are low-income,
minority students. Nikias added that USC has a strong partnership with
local community colleges, enrolling 1,000 transfer students from those
schools. He said that USC has aggressively pursued the integration of
new technology into the classroom, including offering courses that are
hybrids of traditional lecture and interactive modules.

Politico
ran an op-ed by R. Pete Vanderveen, dean of the USC School of Pharmacy,
on the role of pharmacists in health care reform. Vanderveen noted that
pharmacists face a crucial challenge in getting patients to take their
medications faithfully. Roughly $290 billion is spent each year dealing
with the medical effects of Americans not taking their drugs correctly,
Vanderveen wrote. “Getting patients to comply with their prescriptions
could significantly cut health care costs,” he added.

Los
Angeles Times
reviewed a Museum of Contemporary Art exhibit that is curated by
Richard Meyer of the USC Dornsife College. “Naked Hollywood: Weegee in
Los Angeles” features photography from the famous tabloid
photojournalist. In an essay accompanying the show, Meyer acknowledged
the “the low humor and irredeemable crudeness” of Weegee’s late work.

The
Huffington Post
ran an op-ed written by Nake Kamrany and Daniel Jacobs of the USC
Dornsife College about the global role now played by Brazil. Following
an open economy has allowed for great social mobility in Brazil,
Kamrany and Jacobs wrote. “Not only has open economic strategy curbed
chronic inflation in Brazil, but the trustworthy Brazilian Real has
stabilized prices and given purchasing power back to the lower echelons
of society,” they added.

De Groene
Amsterdammer (Netherlands)
interviewed Antonio Damasio of the USC Dornsife College about the
nature of consciousness. Awareness is the phenomenal ability to have a
mind with an owner, he said. The story highlighted Damasio’s work
researching patients with brain abnormalities at USC’s Brain and
Creativity Institute.

The
Hollywood Reporter
reported that the finalists for the 24th annual USC Libraries Scripter
Award are the screenwriters and authors for the film adaptations “A
Dangerous Method,” “The Descendants,” “Jane Eyre,” “Moneyball” and
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” The awards will be presented at a ceremony
on February 18. Variety,
The
Wrap, HitFix
and World
Entertainment News Network also covered the awards.

USA
Today quoted Mara Mather of the USC Davis School about the
differences between men and women when it comes to coping with stress.

Los
Angeles Times
quoted Jerome Lucido of the USC Rossier School about surging
out-of-state enrollment figures for the University of California system.

Los
Angeles Times quoted Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about
redistricting in California.

Inside
Higher Ed quoted William Morgan of the Ostrow School of USC about
new NCAA rules for student athletes.

The
Guardian (U.K.) quoted Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute
about the importance of the Taiwanese election.

Deccan
Chronicle (India)
quoted Manuel Castells of the USC Annenberg School about the evolution
of the banking crisis from an economic crisis to a political one.

MSNBC
interviewed Eugenia Weiss of the USC School of Social Work about a
video allegedly showing U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of Taliban
fighters. Daily
Mail (U.K.) also quoted Weiss.

ABC
News interviewed Richard Paulson of the Keck School of USC about
the optimal number of embryos to transfer during IVF.

Bloomberg
Businessweek quoted Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about
how Mitt Romney’s record in business could work to his advantage.

Reuters
quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about the
retirement of U.S. Representative Jerry Lewis.

Sacramento
News Review quoted Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College
about Gov. Jerry Brown’s focus on passing a ballot initiative this year.

The Sun
quoted Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about the retirement of
U.S. Representative Jerry Lewis.

The
Vancouver Sun (Canada)
cited a study by Donald Miller of the USC Dornsife College and
colleagues on an increased prevalence of tattooing among young
Christians.

Knoxville
News Sentinel
highlighted research by Wendy Wood of the USC Dornsife College and
scholar David Neal, who was with USC while the research was conducted,
on mindless eating. The story also quoted Wood.

Bloomberg
Businessweek
highlighted “Digital Strategies for Sustainability in Global Emerging
Markets,” a course taught by Omar El Sawy of the USC Marshall School,
and quoted him on the subject.

The
Dallas Morning News
highlighted an op-ed by Dowell Myers of the USC Price School about the
U.S. needing to shift from an immigration policy of border enforcement
to an immigrant policy of education and assimilation.

Poynter
reported that Robert Hernandez of the USC Annenberg School moderated a
panel on entrepreneurship and used a Twitter feed to guide the
discussion.

Variety
mentioned the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Peter Stark Producing
Program.

Article source: http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/usc_in_the_news/inthenews.php?id=2373

By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram

A 19-member team of students from the Kansas University School of Business (KUSB) who called on Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday evening were left amazed at the chief minister’s accessibility.
The students were eager to know more of his much-publicised webcasting of his chamber and office live 24×7 and the mass contact programme handling hundreds of petitions at a stretch. The programme is set to be the longest such event globally.
“It’s a symbolic approach to convey the message that the actions of a public leader should be transparent and open for people everywhere to see,” Chandy said of the continuous webcast.
Laughing off a question on how he manages to meet so many people every day, Chandy said he enjoys interacting with the public. “It is not at all a problem for me,” the chief minister said adding he has been in the public domain for the last 41 years, since making an entry into student politics at a very young age.
The 19-member team shared their impression gleaned during their three-week visit to south India, where they saw and understood the business climate and prospects of emerging Kerala and India on an invitation from the Technocity-based Asian Business School (ABS) here.
The chief minister said India and the US should work together in the larger interests of the world and for the betterment of the people. Both countries should strengthen their relationship and foster greater openness to solve the problems of the world, he added.
In response to a query on education, Chandy pointed out that Kerala boasts of 100% literacy and that all boys and girls in the state go to school. Unlike other states which face problems like universalising primary education, Kerala faces second generation challenges in the sector like improving standards and of developing higher education.
ASB member-secretary G Vijayaraghavan said the KUSB team visited Kochi, Bengaluru and Mysore and interacted with professionals from service sectors like IT, tourism and small industries.
The group also got an understanding of Kerala’s culture through Kathakali, Mohiniyattom and Kalaripayattu performances.
The student group from countries, including the US, Canada, Brazil and China, has previous work experience in fields as diverse as sports marketing, food retailing, information technology, plastics, marketing communications, taxation, banking and social entrepreneurship.
The meeting with the chief minister wound up with a chorus of ‘Nanni’ or thanks in Malayalam from the students. They also had a brief interaction with M K Muneer, the minister for local self-governments and social welfare, on the state’s achievements in quality of life index and devolution of power.

Article source: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=480711&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22

LAHORE

BRITISH Council Pakistan will set up an International Education Resource Centre at Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) with the partnership of the university’s Faculty Development Centre.

According to a press statement, it was decided during a meeting of LCWU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Sabiha Mansoor, deans and heads of departments with the representatives of British Council Pakistan here Friday.

Ms Nadia Kamran, head of Education UK, British Council Pakistan, said that the purpose of setting up this student hub was to promote and enhance international education programmes with the expressed goal of increasing knowledge transfer, student and staff mobility and best practices sharing between the academic communities in Pakistan and the UK.

The British Council will facilitate, build the capacity and mentor 18 faculty members at LCWU in the following areas: Career counselling, transnational education, linkages and research collaboration, digital aspects of internationalization, coordinating activities and publications, attracting regional students, business entrepreneurship, staff and student mobility and social entrepreneurship.

Ms Kamran said that selected faculty members would be trained for 6-8 weeks after that they would be kept in constant touch through meetings, e-mail, Skype and video conferences so that they could enhance their administrative and managerial faculties to uplift their institution nationally and internationally. Appreciating British Council for its cooperation, Vice Chancellor Dr Sabiha Mansoor said that her vision that LCWU ranked in the top 500 universities in the world and setting up education international recourse centre would help her take varsity on that height.

Article source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=87434&Cat=5