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VCU Libraries Donor Supports 'multiplier Effect' of Affordable Course Content
RICHMOND, Virginia, Sept. 17 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news:
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Sept. 16, 2026
VCU Libraries donor supports 'multiplier effect' of affordable course content
Former VCU staff member Leslie Brown aims to improve textbook costs for students through the magic of a library program that has saved more than $15 million in course material costs since 2017.
By Chelyen Davis
When Leslie Brown thinks about what kind of place Virginia Commonwealth University is, she recalls a story about The Workshop in the basement of James Branch Cabell Library. A student had written
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RICHMOND, Virginia, Sept. 17 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news:
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Sept. 16, 2026
VCU Libraries donor supports 'multiplier effect' of affordable course content
Former VCU staff member Leslie Brown aims to improve textbook costs for students through the magic of a library program that has saved more than $15 million in course material costs since 2017.
By Chelyen Davis
When Leslie Brown thinks about what kind of place Virginia Commonwealth University is, she recalls a story about The Workshop in the basement of James Branch Cabell Library. A student had writtena poem about bread and wanted to know if they could actually print it on a piece of toast. (Answer: yes.)
For Brown, who served as VCU's budget director from 2015 until her retirement in 2020, that story speaks to the heart of what makes VCU an incredible place.
"Can you imagine that you get to work in a place where you get to be adjacent to that?" she said. "It's like your inner self gets this spectacular view all the time: creativity and invention and that bravery."
That's why Brown has made gifts to support the Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative, which she views as one of the most powerful ways to invest in VCU.
VCU Libraries started the initiative in 2017 to reduce textbook costs for students, which the Education Data Initiative says increased more than 1,000% between 1977 and 2015. It's a particular burden at VCU, where students may already be struggling to afford education costs. More than one-third of VCU undergraduates are eligible for Pell Grants, and a School of Social Work professor's research estimated that 33% of VCU students are food-insecure. A Virginia Course Materials Survey conducted at VCU and published in 2025 found that approximately 75% of VCU students expressed some level of worry about meeting their course materials costs, with 14% saying they were extremely worried.
The Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative works with VCU faculty members to identify, customize or create free alternatives to expensive course materials, either by using or creating freely available openly licensed course materials or by leveraging the libraries' extensive collections of ebooks, journals, databases and digital collections for classroom use.
Making courses more accessible and beneficial for students
The initiative helped School of Business faculty members Jodie Ferguson, Ph.D., and Cesar Zamudio, Ph.D., create a new marketing textbook that won national recognition as Pressbooks' Book of the Month in May 2026. This textbook is used in MKTG 301, a foundational course for business majors, which impacts roughly 1,400 students each year. Ferguson and Zamudio were inspired to undertake the project when they heard that some students were struggling to pay for the $100 book that was used in the course previously.
With support from VCU Libraries' Affordable Course Content Awards (ACCA) program, a project of the Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative, they worked with subject matter experts in their department who pitched in to develop different sections of the new e-book for the course.
"The feedback has been positive overall," Ferguson said. "Students like that each of the chapters is from a subject matter expert. That is one of our moments of pride, that our faculty who don't teach the course have stepped up and said, 'Let me contribute to this book.' [Students] really like free. They comment, 'Hey, thank you. I didn't have to pay for a book in this case.'"
Zamudio added: "Every chapter is written in our own voice, with our own expertise. At VCU we have this unique culture that flows with the students. ... It wouldn't have happened in another place other than VCU."
Since 2017, Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative has saved more than 161,000 students more than $15 million in course materials costs. When registering for classes, students can search for free and low-cost course materials.
For Brown, donating to the initiative means her support keeps on giving. Once a course is converted, it can be used over and over -- for that course or by other faculty.
"So you have changed the course for [that first class of] students. The next time that faculty member teaches that course, you didn't have to put any more money in, and it keeps going," she said. "Think of that multiplier effect. ... I mean, there's no other thing I can imagine that you give to, that it just keeps getting bigger. It doubles every time. You don't get that kind of return on investment. And it's a very cool thing."
Psychology professor Caroline Cobb, Ph.D., a VCU alum, participated in the ACCA program to adapt resources into a textbook for a graduate-level psychology course that all VCU psychology doctoral students take. The textbook she previously used was "quite expensive," she said, while only providing relevant content for part of the course.
Her new text includes content from various openly licensed resources, which she was able to reuse and customize due to the special permissions granted by an open license. The textbook addresses health inequities and includes representation from groups often underrepresented in science -- two things missing from the previous textbook, Cobb said.
The text has been adopted for a course at one other university, she said. Because it is openly licensed, anyone can use it for free, including other faculty at VCU and faculty at other institutions. Since the textbook's publication, she has also gone on to create a website for student presentations that grow out of the course, so students can learn from those as well.
"I keep thinking about ways to make the course more accessible and more beneficial for others," Cobb said.
A magical, safe and inclusive space
Brown first learned about the VCU Libraries Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative when she was serving as VCU's budget director and preparing documents for the university's government affairs team to share with state leaders. She was immediately taken with the affordable course content idea because of how it benefits students and how it demonstrates to state leaders and VCU Board of Visitors members how the university is stewarding public dollars.
"This was a great example of how we're improving the costs to students. And the library did a really good job," she said. "They knew how much money they gave out. They knew what the course attendance was, so they actually had pretty good metrics on it."
When Brown and her late husband looked at how they wanted to designate a planned gift, she was very aware of the need for scholarships. But, she said, she has always loved libraries and reading. This spring, she designated her planned gift for the Friends of VCU Libraries to be used to reduce costs for students, meaning it could be used for the Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative or other direct support for students.
"It just seemed to make sense to make a bequest to the library. It felt to me like they would use the money well," Brown said. "And then I would come, and I would kind of see how the library functioned as a space. It's like this magical, in-between, very safe space. It's inclusive."
She recalls a day when she watched students in the library drag chairs to a different area -- something she says she can't imagine seeing at New York University, where she worked for 20 years, or at most other libraries. To her, that scene represents the way that Cabell Library and VCU itself welcome people.
"One of the magical things to me about the library is how effective it is at making people comfortable," she said. "We're not precious here."
The library is also the place where Brown goes to feel VCU's mission come alive. Walking through Cabell Library, watching and hearing students learn and discover, reminds her that their VCU experience changes their lives forever, and that everyone at VCU has a hand in making that happen.
"If you work at VCU and you haven't been to the library around exam time, or you haven't gone downstairs to see the makerspace, do yourself a favor," she said. "It's going to give you that sense of intense satisfaction about why we're here."
Brown uses a diving board as a metaphor for how VCU works to launch students into their lives.
"You don't dive without the diving board," she said. "You don't get that height unless we're doing a superior job, unless we've got the perfect ladder to get you up. That 20 feet in the air unless we have just the right amount of bounce. How cool is it that we are that launch? ... There's no place, there's no other industry I can think of, where you have this kind of legacy."
To learn more about ways to support VCU Libraries and the Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative, visit library.vcu.edu/about/giving.
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Original text here: https://news.vcu.edu/article/vcu-libraries-donor-supports-multiplier-effect-of-affordable-course-content
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston: Study Targets Overlooked Barrier in Pancreatic Cancer
HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 17 -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston issued the following news:
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Study targets overlooked barrier in pancreatic cancer
By Roman Petrowski September 16, 2026
Researchers at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston are collaborating on a National Institutes of Health-funded study investigating whether a protein best known for its role in blood clotting could help explain why pancreatic cancer is so resistant to immunotherapy.
Faraz Bishehsari, MD, PhD, professor, founding director of the Gastroenterology Research Center, and Atilla Ertan,
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HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 17 -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston issued the following news:
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Study targets overlooked barrier in pancreatic cancer
By Roman Petrowski September 16, 2026
Researchers at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston are collaborating on a National Institutes of Health-funded study investigating whether a protein best known for its role in blood clotting could help explain why pancreatic cancer is so resistant to immunotherapy.
Faraz Bishehsari, MD, PhD, professor, founding director of the Gastroenterology Research Center, and Atilla Ertan,MD, Chair in Gastroenterology Research at McGovern Medical School, is collaborating with Taslim Al-Hilal, PhD, associate professor of molecular pharmaceutics at the University of Utah, and Paul Grippo, PhD, associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Chicago, on the newly funded $3.1 million R01 project from the National Cancer Institute.
The research focuses on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC, and the role of fibrin within the tumor environment. While fibrin normally plays an important role in blood clotting, emerging research suggests that its accumulation within pancreatic tumors may also contribute to an environment that protects cancer cells from the body's immune response.
Pancreatic cancer has proven particularly difficult to treat with immunotherapy. PDAC tumors contain dense, scar-like tissue known as stroma and have relatively few of the immune cells and signaling molecules needed for an effective antitumor response. Previous efforts to improve treatment by reducing the amount of stroma have not produced the hoped-for results, prompting researchers to look more closely at the individual components within it.
"Instead of focusing on the amount of stroma, we are looking at whether specific components within it may be driving immune suppression," Bishehsari said. "Our collaborative study will investigate whether fibrin acts as a key architect of an immune-resistant tumor environment."
Preliminary findings suggest that as cross-linked fibrin accumulates within pancreatic tumors, it may increase the stiffness of the surrounding tissue and affect the behavior of macrophages, immune cells that can either help fight disease or, within tumors, be reprogrammed in ways that support cancer growth. The researchers will examine whether those changes also interfere with the activity of cancer-fighting T cells.
The team will investigate how features of the tumor microenvironment contribute to immune suppression and cancer progression, while testing new strategies designed to restore antitumor immune activity.
"The ultimate goal is to determine whether targeting fibrin-related pathways can transform pancreatic cancer from an immunologically 'cold' tumor, largely invisible to the immune system, into one that is more responsive to modern immunotherapies," Bishehsari said.
The findings could ultimately point researchers toward a new way of making pancreatic tumors more vulnerable to the body's immune response.
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Original text here: https://www.uth.edu/news/story/study-targets-overlooked-barrier-in-pancreatic-cancer
UTHealth Houston-developed AI Tool Nears Psychiatrist-level Accuracy
HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 17 (TNSjou) -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston issued the following news:
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UTHealth Houston-developed AI tool nears psychiatrist-level accuracy
By Catherine Thibault September 16, 2026
UTHealth Houston researchers developed an artificial intelligence system that can perform a mental health evaluation at nearly the same accuracy as a team of psychiatrists.
The results of their work, done in collaboration with Yale University and published this week in Nature's npj Mental Health Research, brings the team a step closer to deploying the model
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HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 17 (TNSjou) -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston issued the following news:
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UTHealth Houston-developed AI tool nears psychiatrist-level accuracy
By Catherine Thibault September 16, 2026
UTHealth Houston researchers developed an artificial intelligence system that can perform a mental health evaluation at nearly the same accuracy as a team of psychiatrists.
The results of their work, done in collaboration with Yale University and published this week in Nature's npj Mental Health Research, brings the team a step closer to deploying the modelin educational and clinical settings.
"The AI tool we built can perform a diagnostic evaluation on a patient that is almost as good as a team of psychiatrists. It's very impressive," said co-first author Hammza Hamoudi, MD, postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
The team combined the pretrained neural networks on a system called Qwen3-Omni with custom software they developed to analyze video recordings of patients' speech, tone of voice, and behavior. The resulting system brings together observations across visits and generates written explanations for its mental-status assessments.
Senior author Cesar Soutullo, MD, PhD, vice chair and chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School, said the ultimate goal is to supplement, rather than replace, the work of psychiatrists.
"The point isn't, 'Is this AI as good as a psychiatrist with 30 years of experience?'" said Soutullo, who holds a John S. Dunn Professorship at McGovern Medical School. "The point is that both of them are doing different things, and they have strengths and weaknesses on both sides. Why pick one? You can use both."
The team said they hope the system could eventually be used as an educational tool or as a supplement for early career clinicians or clinicians who don't have psychiatry training.
"Just imagine you send this to a rural pediatrician who is seeing patients by themselves, and they can get this as an enhancement of their training," Soutullo said. "That could be really good, because we could potentially detect symptoms that otherwise could be missed by clinicians who are not fully trained."
The AI model was evaluated using video recordings of standardized patients undergoing mental status examinations, a mental health evaluation that serves a similar purpose as a physical exam. The standardized patients portrayed cases of schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder at different severity levels.
The AI model, as well as teams of psychiatrists from UTHealth Houston and Yale, classified the standardized patients across 10 criteria: mood, appearance, behavior and cooperation, perceptions, speech, suicidality, the presence of delusions, obsessions or compulsions, and coherence and speed of thought processes.
The diagnoses from the psychiatrists were then compared with the AI model's diagnoses.
The AI model was tested on its overall diagnosis as well as how it performed across each of the 10 individual criteria. While the tool made some mistakes on individual criteria, like appearance of the patient or the patient's fine motor movements, the tool's overall diagnosis was consistently accurate.
The team said the next step is to train the AI model to become more accurate at classifying individual criteria. For now, however, the tool has significant educational potential.
"It was equally good in observations, but not very good at some domains that involve the reasoning that a psychiatrist is doing," said co-first author Benson Mwangi Irungu, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School. "Even the AI's mistakes could become teaching tools. Students could compare its assessments with those of experienced clinicians, examine where the reasoning went wrong, and learn how to avoid similar errors in their own clinical assessments."
The research was funded in part by the New and Emerging Children's Mental Health Researchers Initiative of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium, and by the National Institutes of Health's Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity.
Additional authors with UTHealth Houston include Marsal Sanches, MD, PhD; Nurhak Dogan, MD; Pooja Chaudhary, MD, MPH; Mon-Ju Wu, PhD; Giovana Zunta-Soares, MD; and Jair C. Soares MD, PhD.
Andres S Martin, MD, PhD, MPH, of Yale University is a co-author on the paper.
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Original text here: https://www.uth.edu/news/story/uthealth-houston-developed-ai-tool-nears-psychiatrist-level-accuracy
Georgia State University: Mount Wilson Telescope Array Earns New National Science Foundation Funding for Fiber-Optic Connections
ATLANTA, Georgia, Sept. 17 -- Georgia State University issued the following news:
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Mount Wilson Telescope Array Earns New National Science Foundation Funding for Fiber-Optic Connections
September 15, 2026
ATLANTA -- Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array is marking a major new investment in the facility's future as its global research community continues to expand.
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Georgia State a $915,343, three-year grant for a project titled "Resolving the Inner Winds of Massive Stars." The project
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ATLANTA, Georgia, Sept. 17 -- Georgia State University issued the following news:
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Mount Wilson Telescope Array Earns New National Science Foundation Funding for Fiber-Optic Connections
September 15, 2026
ATLANTA -- Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array is marking a major new investment in the facility's future as its global research community continues to expand.
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Georgia State a $915,343, three-year grant for a project titled "Resolving the Inner Winds of Massive Stars." The projectwill advance fiber-optics technology at the CHARA Array, completing connections between telescopes and enabling longer baselines and higher angular resolution.
Located on Mount Wilson in California, the CHARA Array is one of the world's premier facilities for high-resolution optical and infrared astronomy. The array operates by combining light from six fixed-position telescopes and one mobile telescope to achieve the angular resolution of a much larger telescope.
The new NSF-funded project will complete fiber-optic connections between telescopes, extending the array's longest baselines -- the distances between its telescopes -- and allowing astronomers to see finer details in the sky. This increased resolution will open a new window onto the environments immediately surrounding massive stars.
"Fiber optics offer us a new way to combine the telescopes of the array. By connecting the mobile telescope at a southern location with the most extreme east- and west-position telescopes, we will almost double the vision power," said Regents' Professor of Astronomy and Director of CHARA Douglas Gies.
The research will focus on stellar winds -- powerful outflows of gas that massive stars shed into space. These winds play a critical role in stellar evolution and can profoundly influence their surroundings and the kinds of neutron star and black hole remnants that massive stars create.
With improved angular resolution, researchers will be able to make more detailed observations of these outflows and compare them with increasingly sophisticated computer models of massive-star atmospheres and winds.
The scientific opportunity is especially significant as researchers move beyond one-dimensional descriptions of massive stars toward multidimensional models.
For example, simulations developed by Professor Jon Sundqvist's group at KU Leuven's Institute of Astronomy in Belgium predict intricate structures and instabilities in the winds of massive stars. New observations with CHARA's array will provide an unprecedented opportunity to see the wind halos around massive stars and to test predictions about their properties.
This connection between theory and observation is central to CHARA's role, allowing researchers across institutions and disciplines to refine models using direct, high-resolution measurements.
The NSF award comes as CHARA's international scientific impact continues to grow. Since 2005, some 300 refereed publications featuring CHARA data have appeared in the scientific literature, accumulating 14,576 citations. The work represents contributions from 919 scientists at 361 institutions in 42 countries.
"These numbers illustrate something fundamental about CHARA," said Gies. "It is not simply a Georgia State facility at Mount Wilson. It is an international scientific resource, bringing together researchers who are using high-angular-resolution observations to answer questions that cannot be addressed with conventional telescopes."
Researchers and students from around the world participate in CHARA observing programs, collaborate with Georgia State astronomers and use data from the array to study stellar astrophysics and other phenomena that require exceptionally high-angular resolution.
The facility's international reach is reflected in its publication record, with scientists from around the globe contributing to research based on CHARA observations. For these teams, the array provides access to spatial scales that are inaccessible to conventional telescopes. For Georgia State, the collaborations connect researchers and students with an international community at the forefront of observational astronomy.
The new NSF project strengthens that community while advancing the technology that supports its research.
The project also builds on Georgia State's investment in innovative CHARA instrumentation. Development of mobile telescope technology previously received support from the university's Provost's Office as matching funds for an earlier NSF grant.
That work established a technological foundation for continued development at the array.
"The mobile telescope project demonstrated how investments in innovative instrumentation can expand what CHARA is capable of doing," said Gail Schaefer, the CHARA Array's director in California. "This new NSF support allows us to take another significant step forward, particularly in the fiber-optics infrastructure needed to exploit the array's longest baselines."
For more information about CHARA, visit the website at charaarray.gsu.edu. For more information about Georgia State research and its impact, visit research.gsu.edu.
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Original text here: https://news.gsu.edu/2026/09/15/mount-wilson-telescope-array-earns-new-national-science-foundation-funding-for-fiber-optic-connections/
First Citizens Bank Gift Supports WCU Students Through Access to Stock Market Data
CULLOWHEE, North Carolina, Sept. 17 -- Western Carolina University issued the following news:
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September 15, 2026
First Citizens Bank gift supports WCU students through access to stock market data
Students in the College of Business at Western Carolina University now have access to real-time stock market trading information through laboratory space made possible through a financial contribution from First Citizens Bank.
The renovated lab is home to two Bloomberg Terminals, a subscription-based software platform that delivers live global market data, advanced analytics, news and secure
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CULLOWHEE, North Carolina, Sept. 17 -- Western Carolina University issued the following news:
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September 15, 2026
First Citizens Bank gift supports WCU students through access to stock market data
Students in the College of Business at Western Carolina University now have access to real-time stock market trading information through laboratory space made possible through a financial contribution from First Citizens Bank.
The renovated lab is home to two Bloomberg Terminals, a subscription-based software platform that delivers live global market data, advanced analytics, news and securecommunication tools to financial professionals, faculty members and students.
In recognition of gifts and pledges totaling $200,000 from the bank to the College of Business Dean's Fund, the space located in Room 121 of WCU's Forsyth Building is being named the First Citizens Bank Trading Lab after recent approval by the university's Board of Trustees. An official naming ceremony was held Wednesday, Sept. 9.
A.J. Grube, dean of the College of Business, said the gift from First Citizens Bank will provide invaluable real-world learning opportunities to students preparing for careers in the financial industry and improved access to professional resources for faculty members.
"The trading and investment lab is a game-changer for College of Business students and faculty," Grube said. "By providing real-time financial data, it strengthens projects and research, which positions our students for competitive careers in the financial sector. The College of Business is truly grateful for its partnership with First Citizens."
Grube described the Bloomberg Terminals as integrated market-data, analytics, messaging, execution, compliance-capture and teaching ecosystems. The gift will help the College of Business cover the annual subscription cost for utilizing the terminals.
"It's the industry standard for financial trading firms and banks - a tool that our students are expected to know how to use upon entry to the workforce," she said. "In the lab, students in finance classes will be able to see and use real-time stock trading data, which is important as they learn about investments and the stock market."
For example, members of the WCU Tennessee Valley Authority Investment Challenge Team will make heavy use of the Bloomberg terminals in the lab because the information is real-time as opposed to having to input old data into spreadsheets, Grube said. The TVA Investment Challenge provides students with real-world experience managing a stock portfolio, choosing stocks for the portfolio and placing trades themselves while being advised by a faculty member.
"In short, the terminals in the lab let students replicate multi-asset trading strategies without hopping platforms, demonstrate real-world dealer workflow, provide a one-click link from a headline to pricing impact - which is critical for event-study teaching - and support publication-grade research and econometrics assignments," Grube said.
Having access to the college's Bloomberg Terminals enhances students' educational experience by helping bridge the gap between classroom concepts and real-world financial markets, said Brian Tello, a senior finance and accounting major from Winston-Salem.
"Throughout my coursework and my involvement in the TVA Investment Challenge as the lead portfolio manager, I've analyzed market data, evaluated companies, monitored economic indicators and better understood how current events influence investment decisions," said Tello, who is among the WCU students to receive Bloomberg certification, a designation that makes them more appealing to prospective employers.
"The lab has strengthened both my technical and analytical skills while giving me experience with the same tools used by investment professionals," said Tello, who plans to become a financial adviser after graduation, work toward obtaining certified financial planner credentials and build his own practice focused on helping families achieve their financial goals.
"The experience I've gained using the lab has improved my ability to analyze investments, interpret market trends and communicate financial information effectively. Combined with my internships and leadership experiences at Western, working in the lab has prepared me to make more informed decisions and provide greater value to future clients," he said.
Chuck Perry, First Citizens Bank area executive for Western North Carolina and parts of South Carolina, called the contribution to WCU a prime example of the financial institution's tradition of supporting the region in which it is located.
"First Citizens is deeply involved with all areas of our communities that we serve. This is a natural step for us to be a catalyst for community growth and education of their workforces. It is an honor to be able to partner with Western Carolina University in this endeavor," said Perry.
"As a bank that is extremely invested in the communities we serve, we see firsthand how critical it is for graduates to have real-world experience. We see workforce development as core to our mission, not separate," he said. "Because of our relationship with WCU, we wanted to help accelerate the education of the business school's students through hands-on exposure to live markets, trading terminals and real portfolio management."
Perry said he and other First Citizens executives hope that the lab will be a space where students can apply concepts they have learned in the classroom - such as portfolio theory, risk management and valuation - to live decisions, equipping them with a strong skillset to put to use after they graduate and go into the business world.
"First, it will give students a familiarity with tools and concepts that they may encounter in a job with a bank or trading desk," he said. "Second, it credentials a student with prospective employers to be able to display those skills when they interview with them, potentially giving them a leg up over other students. Lastly, it will give the students confidence having made real analytical conditions, not just theoretical ones."
While the bank's partnership with the university is well worth noting, it is WCU students like Brian Tello who deserve the applause, said Bob Roberts, regional executive vice president at First Citizens Bank in Asheville and former chair of the WCU Board of Trustees.
"The real celebration is about the students, because they're the ones who are remarkable," said Roberts, who has helped foster WCU's relationship with First Citizens Bank and has hosted new student send-off events in the Asheville area with his wife, Carol.
"Carol and I have been blessed to be part of the WCU community for many years, and it has been a privilege to support this institution, which means so much to Western North Carolina, our home," he said.
The latest First Citizens contribution is part of WCU's recently concluded "Fill the Western Sky" comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $100 million in philanthropic support for enhancements to the overall student experience - including academics, community and global engagement, and athletics.
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Original text here: https://www.wcu.edu/stories/posts/first-citizens-bank-gift-supports-wcu-students-through-access-to-stock-market-data.aspx
Emmy Awards, Bielefeld Science Prize, American Cancer Society Awards, and More Accolades for Columbians
NEW YORK, Sept. 17 -- Columbia University issued the following news:
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Emmy Awards, Bielefeld Science Prize, American Cancer Society Awards, and More Accolades for Columbians
From medicine to writing to social sciences, here are the Columbians who received awards recently.
September 16, 2026
Columbia News produces a monthly newsletter (subscribe here!) and article series featuring a roundup of awards and milestones that Columbia faculty, staff, and students have received in recent days. In this edition, you'll find awards and milestones from Aug. 20 to Sept. 16, 2026.
If you have an accomplishment
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NEW YORK, Sept. 17 -- Columbia University issued the following news:
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Emmy Awards, Bielefeld Science Prize, American Cancer Society Awards, and More Accolades for Columbians
From medicine to writing to social sciences, here are the Columbians who received awards recently.
September 16, 2026
Columbia News produces a monthly newsletter (subscribe here!) and article series featuring a roundup of awards and milestones that Columbia faculty, staff, and students have received in recent days. In this edition, you'll find awards and milestones from Aug. 20 to Sept. 16, 2026.
If you have an accomplishmentyou'd like to be considered for inclusion, please email newsteam@columbia.edu with your name, title, school, department, and a link to the relevant award or milestone.
You can take a look at past accomplishments on our Awards & Milestones page. And you can subscribe to receive the newsletter in your inbox.
INSTITUTIONAL
The Li Lu Law Library at Columbia Law School was recognized in American Libraries' 2026 Library Design Showcase, which celebrates new and renovated libraries across the U.S. and Canada.
FACULTY
ARTS & HUMANITIES
Rachel Adams, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, won the 2026 Jennifer Crewe Distinguished Book Award from Columbia University Press for her book, Love, Money, Duty: Stories of Care in Our Times.
Jo Ann Cavallo, Professor Emerita of Italian, won the 2026 Nancy Staub Award for excellence in writing on the art of puppetry for her essay, "The Resilience of Sicilian Puppet Theater: Present and Future," published in Athenaeum Review.
MEDICINE & SCIENCE
Multiple Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons investigators were recognized with American Cancer Society awards for their work in cancer research. Anup K. Biswas, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, was awarded a Research Scholar Grant; Alberto Ciccia, Professor of Genetics and Development, was awarded a Discovery Boost Grant; Carla Concepcion, Assistant Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, was awarded an American Cancer Society Catalyst Award; Minah Kim, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, was awarded a Discovery Boost Grant; Suyeon Kim, Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology was awarded a Traditional Postdoctoral Fellowship; Florencia Picech, Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, was awarded a Traditional Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Marni Sommer, Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, was awarded the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award by the CDC Foundation for transforming menstrual health into a recognized global public health priority.
Mary Beth Terry, Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Sciences, was honored as an American Cancer Society Professor by the American Cancer Society.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Kate Andrias, Patricia D. and R. Paul Yetter Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at Columbia Law School, and Olatunde Johnson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg '59 Professor of Law, were named recipients of the Steven M. Polan Fellowship in Constitutional Law and History by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.
Seyla Benhabib, Senior Research Scholar and Adjunct Professor of Law, will receive the 2026 Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science in October. The prize is awarded annually to the individual or individuals who have produced "the most outstanding research" in political science.
Neel Guha, Associate Professor of Law, was named one of Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia, which recognizes individuals who are shaping the future of legal education, by The National Law Review and Wickard.
Folarin Kolawole, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, has been awarded the National Association of Black Geoscientists' Patricia Hall Emerging Leader Award.
Katharina Pistor, Edwin B. Parker Professor of Comparative Law, is the recipient of the 2026 Bielefeld Science Prize from the Sparkasse Bielefeld Foundation. Awarded every two years, the Euros25,000 prize recognizes outstanding scholars for their interdisciplinary research.
POSTDOCS & STUDENTS
Dayo Adeoye (LAW'27) was selected for the MoloLamken Advocacy Academy, which allows students from top law schools to learn from and train with leading trial and appellate advocates during an intensive week-long program.
Bianca Dammholz (LAW'28) and Alexis Jade Ferguson (LAW'27) were named Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellows. The program enables law students to work in unpaid public interest summer internships.
Julia Perez-Pacheco (GSAS'27) was selected as a 2026-27 correspondent in the Iliiaitchik Indigenous Correspondents Program for Planet Forward, an environmental storytelling project.
ALUMNI
At the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards in television, Sara Barone (CC'17) wrote the score, alongside Sean Callery, for The Beast in Me, which won Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, and Olivia Newman (SOA'12) directed and executive produced Remarkably Bright Creatures, which won Outstanding Movie. Check out all the Columbians whose projects were nominated.
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Original text here: https://news.columbia.edu/news/emmy-awards-bielefeld-science-prize-american-cancer-society-awards-and-more-accolades
Dillard Nursing Student, Michelle Elizabeth Snowden Named Louisiana Student Nurse of the Year
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Sept. 17 -- Dillard University issued the following news:
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Dillard Nursing Student, Michelle Elizabeth Snowden Named Louisiana Student Nurse of the Year
September 15, 2026
Dillard University senior nursing major Michelle Elizabeth Snowden has been named Louisiana Student Nurse of the Year by the Louisiana Nurses Foundation (LNF).
Ms. Snowden received the honor during the 2026 Nightingale Awards & Gala, held August 22, 2026, at L'Auberge Casino Hotel Baton Rouge.
A native of New Orleans and graduate of Sophie B. Wright High School, Ms. Snowden has distinguished
... Show Full Article
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, Sept. 17 -- Dillard University issued the following news:
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Dillard Nursing Student, Michelle Elizabeth Snowden Named Louisiana Student Nurse of the Year
September 15, 2026
Dillard University senior nursing major Michelle Elizabeth Snowden has been named Louisiana Student Nurse of the Year by the Louisiana Nurses Foundation (LNF).
Ms. Snowden received the honor during the 2026 Nightingale Awards & Gala, held August 22, 2026, at L'Auberge Casino Hotel Baton Rouge.
A native of New Orleans and graduate of Sophie B. Wright High School, Ms. Snowden has distinguishedherself through academic achievement, student leadership, service, and her commitment to the nursing profession.
At Dillard University, she currently serves as:
* President of the National Student Nurses Association - Dillard chapter
* President of the DUCON Senior Cohort
* Basileus (President) of the Rho Chi Beta Chapter of Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority, Inc.
* Member and Committee Chair of the Beta Gamma Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Beyond Dillard, Ms. Snowden is an active community volunteer and has served with several organizations, including Girl Scouts Louisiana East.
"The faculty, staff, and students of the College of Nursing are immensely proud of Michelle for receiving this well-deserved honor," said Dr. Brandy M. Johnson, Interim Dean of the College of Nursing. "She truly exemplifies the spirit of nursing, and her achievement has made our entire College of Nursing community proud."
The Louisiana Nurses Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of the Louisiana State Nurses Association and works to advance and support professional nursing throughout Louisiana through education, research, scholarships, professional development, recognition, and charitable initiatives.
Each year, the Foundation's Nightingale Awards recognize excellence in nursing throughout Louisiana. The annual celebration brings together more than 700 nominees, sponsors, healthcare employers, nursing professionals, educators, and industry leaders to recognize the contributions of nurses and nursing organizations across the state.
Ms. Snowden's selection as Louisiana Student Nurse of the Year is a tremendous accomplishment and an opportunity to highlight the caliber of students being educated and developed at Dillard University's College of Nursing.
Please join us in congratulating Michelle on this outstanding achievement!
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Original text here: https://www.dillard.edu/du-news/louisiana-student-nurse-of-the-year/
