The Duke Digest - November 5, 2010
In Today's Issue:
- Three More Duke Alumni Join Congress
- Duke Experts Available as Resources for Upcoming Lame Duck Session
- Duke Signs Letter to Obama Regarding Study and Travel in Cuba
- The 112th Congress - Duke Faculty Discuss What's Ahead
- Duke Law's Arti Rai reflects on her recent service at the US Patent and Trademark Office
- Going Global: Duke's Rapid Pace of Expansion Abroad
Three Duke alumni have joined the ranks of Dukies in Congress after Tuesday's midterm elections. Republican Rand Paul (M ‘88) won his Senate bid for the state of Kentucky, Republican Ben Quayle (T ‘98) will serve as Representative of the 3rd District of Arizona, and Republican Mo Brooks (T '75) won the seat for the 5th District of Alabama.
Read More:
Three Duke Alums Join Congress (DukeNews)
DUKE EXPERTS AVAILABLE FOR UPCOMING LAME DUCK SESSION
A number of agenda items may be addressed during the upcoming lame duck session. The below list of Duke University experts is intended to serve as a resource to you should any questions or requests for information arise on these topics. Please feel free to contact these faculty members directly.
For general questions, contact Landy Elliott at landy.elliott@duke.edu or (202) 630-3853
Topic List Included in this Document:
• Extension of Expiring Tax Provisions
• Ratification of the New START Treaty
• Comprehensive Immigration Reform
• Freeze in Cuts to Medicare Reimbursements
• Renewable Electricity Standard
Read More:
Lame Duck Potential Agenda Experts List (pdf)
DUKE SIGNS LETTER TO OBAMA REGARDING STUDY AND TRAVEL IN CUBA
Twenty-eight universities, including Duke, have signed a letter to
President Obama from NAFSA: Association of International Education
calling for an end to regulations imposed in 2004 that have effectively
barred most study abroad programs in Cuba. Only about 250 students from
the United States studied in Cuba in 2007-8, compared to 2,100 in the
last year before the regulations were imposed.
"Academic
exchanges are often seen as a critical component of U.S. engagement in
the world and have historically been a successful tool in building
relations between nations," the letter says. "They also present students
with an unparalleled educational opportunity. Both of these values of
academic exchange hold true regardless of where in the world a student
studies abroad, whether in China, Indonesia, England, or Cuba." -From InsideHigherEd
Read More:
Letter to President Obama (NAFSA.org)
THE 112TH CONGRESS - DUKE FACULTY DISCUSS WHAT'S AHEAD
As
the Republicans celebrate the electoral wave that brought them to power
in the U.S. House of Representatives, questions were already beginning
about how they will work with the Obama Administration and a deeply
divided Senate.
Duke faculty and staff predict what's ahead on educaiton, halth care, and foreign policy.
Read More:
Compromise or Gridlock? (DukeNews)
DUKE LAW'S ARTI RAI REFLECTS ON HER RECENT SERVICE AT THE US PATENT AND TRADE OFFICE
Arti Rai, the Elvin R. Latty Professor of Law, has returned to her faculty position after serving as administrator of the Office of External Affairs at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A leading scholar of patent law and policy, the biopharmaceutical industry, innovation policy, administrative law, and health care regulation, Rai directed the External Affairs office, which serves as the chief PTO liaison to Congress, other executive-branch agencies, and international institutions on matters of intellectual property and innovation policy.
In an interview, Rai reviewed some of the insights gleaned during her “highly educational” term of government service. Her service confirmed some of her prior ideas about the administrative process and called others into question.
Read More:
Arti Rai Reflects on Lessons Learned During Government Service (law.duke.edu)
GOING GLOBAL: DUKE'S RAPID PACE OF EXPANSION ABROAD
Duke is expanding its presence abroad at an increasingly rapid pace. New partnerships in countries like China, Singapore, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates aim to increase scholarly mobility and, along with it, fresh ideas and new research opportunities.
Read More:
Going Global (Duke Magazine)
Universities Tag Along with Obama to India to Build Ties Like Yale, Duke (Bloomberg)