DURHAM -- Regina Robinson Alston has been appointed the first director of the Quality Enhancement Plan office at N.C. Central University.
Initiated during the process of NCCU's recent review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the QEP is the university's strategy to boost students' communications skills. Alston will implement and administer the plan to ensure the integration of activities to enhance students' abilities in writing and speaking throughout the curricula.
This emphasis on improved communication will be incorporated in social programming on campus as well. The theme of the QEP is Communicating to Succeed.
Alston is an NCCU English department veteran, serving since 1978. She co-chaired the QEP Strategies/Implementation Committee for NCCU's SACS reaffirmation. She has developed a writing intensive course for the University Honors Program, trained faculty who were seeking to teach writing in other disciplines and served as coordinator of the English Department's Writing Lab.
Duke law professor takes PTO job
DURHAM -- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has a new administrator for external affairs -- Duke University Law School professor Arti Rai.
The job, which did not require Senate confirmation, involves oversight of PTO legislative, congressional and international matters.
Rai is plugged in to the Obama administration -- she and the president were both members of Harvard Law School's class of 1991, and she worked on his campaign as chair of the intellectual policy subgroup of the technology, media and telecommunications policy group. As part of the Presidential Transition Team, she handled review of the PTO.
Rai joined the Duke Law School faculty in 2003, where she taught classes including patent law and policy and innovation and the biopharmaceutical industry.
Feaver honored by John W. Pope Center
RALEIGH -- Peter Feaver, a professor of political science and public policy at Duke University, has been honored by the Raleigh-based John W. Pope Center.
Feaver received the second-place prize in the center's Spirit of Inquiry Awards, which honor North Carolina faculty who teach academically rigorous courses that exemplify the "spirit of inquiry" and intellectual exploration.
The Duke professor received the award, which is worth $750, for "American Grand Strategy after 9/11."
Duke No. 10 in U.S. sexual health list
DURHAM -- Duke University ranked No. 10 nationwide in the fourth annual Trojan Sexual Health Report Card.
The report card ranks access to sexual health resources and information at 141 colleges and universities nationwide. It measures as well contraceptive availability and cost, HIV testing and availability of sexual assault programs, among other factors.
UNC-Chapel Hill ranked 35th in the survey. The top-ranked school was the University of South Carolina.
Duke Pediatrics selling ducks
DURHAM -- For the fourth holiday season, the Duke Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Family Support Program will benefit from the sale of Aflac's Holiday Ducks.
The Duke PBMT Family Support Program has received more than $55,000 from the sales of the ducks in previous years.
The Duke PBMT serves as the largest dedicated children's blood and marrow transplant program in the world offering transplants to children with life threatening conditions such as cancer, metabolic disease and marrow failure.
This year's ducks are dressed as Christmas trees topped with twinkling stars. Large ducks are priced at $15 and smaller ones at $10.
The Aflac Holiday Ducks are now available in participating Macy's stores throughout North Carolina. To view a list of participating stores visit aflacholidayduck.com/Store_List.html#NC.
The ducks will also be on sale at Duke's Medical Center Campus at Duke North Cafeteria today and Nov. 30-Dec. 1, Dec. 9-10, 14-15 and 21-22 and Duke South Food Court on Dec. 3-4, 7-8, 17-18.
Duke professor wins heart award
DURHAM -- Robert Lefkowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, has won the prestigious American Heart Association Research Achievement Award "for transformative discoveries of cellular receptors, seminal findings that have created a cascade of biomedical innovation leading to more effective treatments for human disease."
Lefkowitz received the award, a citation and $2,500 honorarium, during the opening of the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.
Lefkowitz received the National Science Medal from President George W. Bush in 2008. Lefkowitz is the author or co-author of more than 800 research publications.
Duke nurse is Living Legend
DURHAM -- Ruby Wilson of Duke University has been named a 2009 Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.
Each year, beginning in 1994, the academy has named a select group of "Living Legends" in recognition of their extraordinary lifetime achievements, including sustained contributions to nursing and health care and continuous influence on the profession.
Wilson was appointed the first clinical nurse specialist at the Duke University Medical Center and worked to further develop the clinical role while concurrently designing the first masters programs in nursing focusing on clinical care. She created the first transitional experience for new nursing graduates by adding a three-month "internship" following program completion.
-- Compiled by Neil Offen
