American Magazine: November 2013

news
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
focuses his current research
on trading networks and how
market rule changes affect
trading behavior.
“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 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 Netflix; 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
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.”
TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL
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.
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.
LET’S TALK #AMERICANMAG 7