August 2002

Program Notes

First Week (August 3-9) She's the Boss

When she was named CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 1999, Carly Fiorina proudly proclaimed that the glass ceiling that kept women from the executive suite did not exist.  Fiorina quickly drew criticism for her comments. Her critics pointed to studies showing that fewer than 10 percent of management positions in major corporations are held by women.  Management professor Ellen Eland-Fagenson (GMU), author of Women in Management: Trends, Issues and Challenges in Managerial Diversity, says the women who reach the top often behave like the men whom theyre joining.

Second Week (August 10 - 16) The Law and Order Presidency

American presidents since the 1960s have taken on crime as an issue for their administration.  Many have even used it as a campaign platform. Think 1988, George Bush and Willie Horton. This focus on crime has led Americans to label it a prime concern, even when crime rates were decreasing.  So says, criminal justice professor Will Oliver (RU), author of The Law and Order Presidency. In 1994, Americans told Gallup pollsters that crime was the number one issue facing the country, even though crime rates were dropping.  Oliver suggests that Bill Clinton at the time pushing a crime bill through Congress may have influenced public concern by his politicking.  He says other chief executives have done the same.

Third Week (August 17 - 23) Shakespeare and Race

Until recently, scholars assumed that the Elizabethans were both white and English and that they didnt know people of color.  But if thats the case, why did Shakespeare, the best-known Elizabethan of them all, (after Elizabeth herself of course), write so many plays that include black characters?  And who is the mysterious dark lady of the sonnets?   Imtiaz Habib (ODU) is unearthing proof of a sizable numbers of transplanted people of color living in London during Shakespeares lifetime.  Also featured:  Bill Kemp (MWC) discusses the similarities between the advent of the printing press and--600 years later--the Internet.

Fourth Week (August 24 - 30) Standards of Learning 2002

S.O.L. these three letters are burned into the mind of every Virginia high school student and her parents. They represent a high-stakes test. Come 2004, the Standards of Learning exams will determine whether a student can graduate from high school.  What are the risks of high-stakes testing?  Are standardized tests the best way to measure a student's knowledge?  And how far have we come since SOLs were proposed in the mid-90s?   Education professors William Owings (LU) and Patricia Shoemaker (RU) help us answer these questions.

Fifth Week (August 31- 30) Global Warning or Cooling?

The overwhelming majority of scientists agree that the earth is warming up and that a worldwide reduction of CO2 emissions is needed to avert catastrophe. So how are we to react when a very small minority in the scientific community says their peers are wrong and need more proof? Jens Bischof (ODU) is the author of a recently published book on Climate Change. He says contrary to the fears of most scientists, we're heading for an ice age and the global warming alarm is being sounded without sufficient scientific proof. His colleague, David Burdige (ODU), fears that statements which seem to contradict the global warming theory confuse the public and distract us from focusing on reducing CO2 emissions. .