AU Newsmakers 11.20-12.4, 2020

Laura DeNardis, interim dean of the School of Communication, was nominated to Wired UK's Smart List 2021. DeNardis joins a group of scientists, founders and activists who were recognized for their work to build a better world. (12/3)

American University Receives $4.5 Million Gift for New Athletics Facility, Programming

American University received two grants totaling $4.5 million from the Bender Foundation and Trustee Board Member Stephanie Bennett-Smith, which will fund a new athletic center and athletic leadership programs. The announcement was covered by Washington Business Journal and WTOP-FM. (12/2)

Students Pick Up Meals at American University

This year the Residence Hall Association, Office of Campus Life and Pride Alumni Alliance teamed up to provide free Thanksgiving meals for students and members of the community living in the area. President Sylvia Burwell said that the event was a chance to “greet the students, give them some food and try to support them during what is a challenging time.” The event was covered by WJLA and WRC-NBC4. (11/26)

Faculty Authors

11 Openly LGBTQ Lawmakers Will Take Their Seats in the Next Congress. That's a Record in Both Numbers and Diversity.

Andrew Flores, assistant professor of public affairs, co-wrote an article for The Washington Post's Monkey Cage about LGBTQ representation at all levels of government. Flores and his co-authors wrote, “Their growing success will potentially boost the political ambitions of other LGBTQ people.” Flores also co-wrote an article for The Washington Post about the electoral power of LGBTQ voters. (11/30, 12/1)

Trump and Bill Clinton Pardon Scandals Should Help Biden Fix a Flawed Process

Jeffrey Crouch, assistant professor in the School of Professional & Extended Studies, wrote an opinion article for NBC News about the presidential pardon. Crouch wrote, “What is apparent is that the pardon system remains open to abuse.” Crouch also appeared on CBS News to discuss Trump's potential pardons and spoke to Newsweek and NPR. (12/3, 12/2, 11/24, 11/30)

Expertise

What the Trump Family's New Political Committees Can and Can't Do

Larry Noble, adjunct professor in the Washington College of Law, spoke to The Washington Post about the limits of Donald Trump's PACs. Noble said, “The problem with figuring all of this out is that it doesn't appear that they're actually following any strategic plan that fits within campaign finance laws.” (12/1)

Disparity in Jobless Rates Suggests Black Workers Face Slower Recovery

Associate Professor of Public Affairs Bradley Hardy spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the racial disparity in economic recovery. Hardy said, “Frequently, Black workers need to send additional signals about their qualifications to get the same job.” (11/29)

AU Experts Discuss Terrorism and Extremism

Associate Professor of Public Affairs Tricia Bacon spoke to The New York Times about U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Somalia. Carolyn Gallaher, senior associate dean in the School of International Service, spoke to Voice of America about the differences between far-right extremism and terrorist groups. (11/27, 11/25)

Joe Biden's Foreign Policy Vision Takes Shape as He Selects His Team

Garrett Martin, lecturer in the School of International Service, spoke to Vox about Joe Biden's foreign policy priorities. Martin said, “It certainly seems to be more of an echo going back to the ‘no-drama Obama' years.” William Lawrence, lecturer in the School of International Service, spoke to Al Jazeera America about Biden's impact on U.S.-Middle East relations and Guy Ziv, assistant professor in the School of International Service, spoke to the Harvard Political Review. Distinguished Professor of International Studies Amitav Acharya and Justin Jacobs, professor of history, spoke to the Global Times and Sinclair Broadcast Group about U.S-China relations. (11/25,11/26, 11/20)

A Growing List of Republicans Want Trump to Concede

Jason Mollica, professor of communication, spoke to the Sinclair Broadcast Group about the growing number of Republicans urging Donald Trump to concede. Mollica said, “It's a very tough position for a Republican to be in.” (11/23)

Bipartisan COVID-19 Stimulus Framework Proposes $12B for Small Businesses, but no $1,200 Checks

Assistant Professor of Economics Ralph Sonenshine spoke to WUSA9 about a new bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill. Sonenshine said, “The hope is that a relief bill of any sort… hopefully helps shorten the economic malaise, economic decline, and that's good for everybody.” (12/1)

Giving Tuesday: What You Need to Do to Take Advantage of the Tax Benefit

Caroline Bruckner, managing director of the Kogod Tax Policy Center, spoke to Yahoo! Finance about Giving Tuesday. Bruckner said, “Charitable deduction used to be limited.” (11/30)

Prepared by University Communications

American University's faculty, staff, students and programs appear in regional, national and international print, online and broadcast media regularly. Each week, AU Newsmakers provides highlights of AU in the news. For prior weeks, go to: http://www.american.edu/media/inthemedia.cfm

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