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Political science & public administration major Kristine Elizabeth Silvestri has been named a finalist for a 2009 Truman Scholarship, a prestigious national fellowship for graduate study awarded annually “to persons who demonstrate outstanding potential for and who plan to pursue a career in public service.”

An $84,000 grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center is helping Â鶹ÊÓƵ purchase state-of-the-art equipment for processing DNA samples, a move that will accelerate and expand faculty and undergraduate science research that, until now, has relied on outside companies for processing.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ Mock Trial placed 5th out of 24 teams at the American Mock Trial Association’s 2009 Regional Tournament from Feb. 6-7 in Chapel Hill, N.C., qualifying the undergraduate team for competition at Furman University next month in the opening round of a national contest.

A series of events aimed at strengthening personal and organizational leadership begins this week with a discussion by four Â鶹ÊÓƵ figures on key moments of leadership as an executive at Â鶹ÊÓƵ College and University. The LEADstrong 2009 campaign is sponsored by the Center for Leadership.

Larissa Ferretti, a senior Honors Fellow and psychology major, will share her research this spring with lawmakers in Washington about the effects of parental involvement in teaching math and number skills to young children. The May presentation is part of a highly selective program that features leading undergraduate research from around the nation.

The "2009 Fiske Guide to Colleges" lists Â鶹ÊÓƵ as one of the nation's "best buy" universities and a "rapidly rising star among liberal arts colleges in the Southeast and an emerging name nationwide."

Â鶹ÊÓƵ's new video security system, installed in 2008 as part of the university's campus safety master plan, is featured in the latest Campus Technology magazine.

David H. Cooper, associate dean for undergraduate programs and school partnerships in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, has been named dean of the School of Education at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.