March 22: Mun Choi *92 Commits University of Missouri to Raises

University of Missouri system president Mun Choi *92 is bucking the trend of pandemic frugality in higher education by committing $500 million for five years of performance-based raises for faculty and staff at the Columbia campus. — The Chronicle of Higher Education

Franklin Feng Tao *06, a chemistry professor at the University of Kansas, is among the academics charged in a U.S. initiative meant to catch people spying for China; they say they’ve “been caught up in a xenophobic panic.” His trial was set to begin yesterday. — The New Yorker

Dennis Markatos-Soriano *08, executive director of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, said people can stand up to higher gas prices by bicycling more. — BillyPenn

Retired Gen. David Petraeus *85 *87 explained how the war is unfolding around Ukraine, including Russia’s attempt to seize Mariupol, which “has not yet fallen. It is out of food, fuel, water — everything except for heart.” — CNN

Dr. Celine Gounder ’97, who served on the Biden-Harris transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, said the U.S. response was hurt by the pandemic’s timing during a presidential election, which led health measures to become politicized. — On Point

Novelist Katherine Chen ’12’s new feminist retelling of the life of Joan of Arc, titled Joan, will be published in July. — The Bookseller

Young-adult author Misa Sugiura ’91 said the criticism leveled at Disney’s new movie Turning Red isn’t surprising because of our society “has a fundamental disrespect for teenage girls and the things they love.” — The Today Show

In her new memoir, Lessons From the Edge, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch ’80 gives an account of how the Trump administration removed her when it wanted Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, then a candidate for president. — The New York Times

Orchestral conductor Kamna Gupta ’14 will conduct the LA Opera’s premier of In Our Daughter’s Eyes in April. — Broadway World

The Queen’s University alumni magazine told economist David Card *83’s story, from growing up on a dairy farm in Canada to co-winning the 2021 Nobel Memorial Prize for Economic Sciences. — Queen’s Alumni Review

“While college scandals and the #MeToo moment may have cemented a baseline rule for how to get into bed with someone without crossing legal lines, that hasn’t made the experience of dating and finding a partner simple or satisfying. Instead, the experience is often sad, unsettling, even traumatic.”

— Columnist and author Christine Emba ’10, arguing the conversation about sexual consent needs to evolve. Her new book, Rethinking Sex, is out today. — The Washington Post

Writer Lili Anolik ’00 spoke on the Otherppl podcast about Eve Babitz and Joan Didion — very different writers who had “a fascinating relationship.” — Lit Hub

Author and legal scholar Ilya Shapiro ’99 outlined three points Republicans should cover as they question Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. — Newsweek

Forbes Media chairman Steve Forbes ’70 called the Biden administration’s pursuit of a new Iran nuclear agreement right now, when Russia is attacking Ukraine, “immoral.” — Fox News

Louisiana State University recognized sociology professor Wesley Shrum *82 as one of two Distinguished Research Masters this year for his scholarship in the arts, humanities, and social and behavioral sciences. — LSU.edu

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