American Magazine November 2013

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Harvest Home—a costeffective,
energy-efficient
dwelling designed by Team
Capitol D.C., comprising 100
students and faculty from AU,
Catholic University, and George
Washington University—took
home seventh place at the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Solar
Decathlon, October 3–13 in
Irvine, California.
The biennial competition
challenged 16 collegiate teams
from around the world to design,
build, and operate solarpowered
houses. AU handled
communications, filming
construction, blogging, building
a website, and pitching the story
to media. The D.C. team finished
fifth in the communications
AU ON THE ASCENT
competition, one of 10 areas in
which teams were ranked.
Relying on a solar thermal
system, Harvest Home features
a flat plate collector to heat the
hot water supply. The roof is
designed to send rainwater
into a rainwater barrel, which
will be used to irrigate the
landscape. Many of the
construction materials were
salvaged from buildings slated
for demolition, and the flooring
was taken from a nineteenthcentury
church. Since the team
will donate the house to the
nonprofit Wounded Warrior
Homes, the structure boasts a
bathroom and bedroom that are
compliant with the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
“Going from rendering to
reality, it’s astonishing what these
kids and faculties have done,” says
SOC faculty advisor Larry Engel.
AU landed at no. 75—up two spots from last year—on the U.S. News
and World Report’s 2014 list of top national universities, released in
September. In the last decade, AU has leapt 24 spots, from no. 99.
The Washington College of Law is among the best law schools in the
country, according to BusinessInsider.com. WCL checks in at no. 23 on
the list, released last month.
The business and technology website asked 400 American legal
professionals to select 10 law schools that best prepare students for a
legal career. Criteria included diversity and need-based scholarships,
“which are essential for a top-notch legal education,” says dean
Claudio Grossman.
In other numbers, Hispanic Business named WCL the top law school
in the country for Hispanics. Ranked no. 2 last year, WCL seized the top
spot from the University of Texas at Austin.
“It’s an especially remarkable achievement that WCL is ranked no.
1 for Latino students in the nation, when we are not located in a region
known for its large Latino population—like southern California, Texas,
or South Florida,” says Tony Varona, associate dean for faculty and
academic affairs.
The publication’s 2013 diversity report ranks law schools based on
enrollment, faculty, reputation, retention rate, and ability to recruit,
support, and mentor Hispanic students.
Hispanics make up 15.6 percent of WCL’s student body and 13.5
percent of the full-time faculty.
ROAD RACING, FUNDRAISING
Forget dialing for dollars. AU’s Methodist chaplain Mark Schaefer cycled for
cash, pedaling from D.C. to Chicago to raise $5,000 for fellowship activities and
student service projects. The 800-mile trek took 10 days, including a pair of pit
stops for flat tires.
PHOTO BY JASON FLAKES/U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOLAR DECATHLON
Jeffrey Harris, whose
groundbreaking research on
conflicts of interest between
traders and regulators led to
a major restructuring of the
NASDAQ in the mid-’90s, is the
inaugural Gary D. Cohn Goldman
Sachs Endowed Chair in
Finance. The chair was created
by Cohn, Kogod/BSBA ’82, and
Goldman Sachs, where Cohn
serves as president and COO.
Former chief economist at
the U.S. Commodity Futures
Trading Commission, Harris’s
current research focuses on
trading networks and how
market rule changes affect
trading behavior.
TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL
“I like to be hands-on when I
teach and involve my students in
as much of my research as I can,”
says Harris. “By pushing their
boundaries, I think students are
better prepared for life beyond
the classroom.”
The endowed chair isn’t
the only headline coming
out of Kogod: the school has
redesigned its full-time MBA.
The new 49-credit program
includes a study abroad
experience and two signature
courses, Business at the
Private and Public Intersection
and Management in the
International Economy. Teams
of students will also work with
a faculty advisor on a consulting
project for a real-world client.
Kogod will welcome its first
cohort in fall 2014.
Two years ago, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia entered
Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The famed cultural institution was teetering
on the brink of ruin, but thanks to the William Penn Foundation, the
orchestra is enjoying a renewal.
The foundation, which funds research that fosters creativity
and enhances civic life, has tapped AU arts management professor
Andrew Taylor to lead a three-year investigation into how three
Philadelphia arts organizations, including the orchestra, can diversify
their audiences and expand their financial capacity. Taylor, who came
to CAS last year from the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at
the Wisconsin School of Business, will work with international arts
consultant Adrian Ellis, former executive director of jazz at Lincoln
Center, on the $350,000 research project.
“Capitalizing Change in the Performing Arts” will also look at Opera
Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet.
The Sierra Club named AU the nation’s ninth “coolest school.” The
environmental organization praised AU’s sustainability efforts, including
its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2020, a new campus-wide
composting program, and “a contraption called the Vegawatt,” which
turns cooking oil into electricity.
The job offer came a day after Mike Brown, SOC/BA ’13, collected
his diploma.
As soon as he arrived home in New York, the film and media arts
major raced back to Baltimore, the host city of the Emmy-winning House
of Cards, where he would work as an assistant to casting director and
CAS alumna Kimberly Skyrme. Within a few hours, Brown was rubbing
elbows with Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and director David Fincher.
Set in Washington, D.C., but filmed in neighboring Maryland, the
Netflix original series explores power and corruption at the highest
levels of government. Each 13-episode season debuts in its entirety
exclusively on Netlfix; season two hits the Web in February.
A budding writer and director, Brown interned in the show’s casting
office as an SOC student. He says working with actors has given him a
new insight into the filming process.
“There are so many different actors who walk through our doors.
Sixty people will come in one day, and all 60 will interpret the lines a
little differently,” says Brown, who also works as a lighting and camera
stand-in for several actors.
Though he’s not spilling any secrets about season two—will Spacey’s
conniving (and murderous) Sen. Frank Underwood land the vice
presidency?—Brown says it’s been a thrill working on set.
“What you see on camera almost mirrors what is behind it. It’s
so political and fast and cutthroat.”
LGBT LEADER
AU is the first university in the District—and one of only three
dozen in the United States—to offer extended health benefits
to transgender students. The new policy covers up to $500,000
of surgical costs related to transitioning—all without raising
premiums more than a few pennies.
6 AMERICAN MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2013 LET’S TALK #AMERICANMAG 7