The Owls of Madagascar

On February 14, The Philadelphia Inquirer featured a story on Robert Schooley, SCT ’86, and Mark McCorkle, SCT ’85. The two television and film majors are now executive producers for the popular Nickelodeon program The Penguins of Madagascar. The International Animated Film Society honored Schooley and McCorkle with an Annie Award.

An Owl on Idol

Due to the sheer discomfort of witnessing people’s hopes dashed on national television, I can’t watch the hit  TV show American Idol. But fans of Idol might recall Claire Fuller, a student from Philadelphia who auditioned in Boston. Fuller is a senior in the School of Communications and Theater at Temple–and she made the cut.

Engineering Research Goes National

When Temple Review featured the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering on the cover of the fall 2009 issue, I wondered why Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering Michel Boufadel–who has been studying the long-term effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill since 2007–wasn’t getting more attention from the national media. But this week, the Associated Press and The Washington Post, The New York Times, Reuters and many other news outlets reported on his incredible research.

Conwell Inn in Washington Post

Washington Past staff writer Zofia Smardz stayed at the boutique Conwell Inn on Main Campus recently, and her great write-up about the experience has just been published: Bed Check: Philadelphia’s phriendly Conwell Inn

She writes: “… two blocks and you’re at the SEPTA (the Philly subway), which zips you straight downtown for $2 — and in the summer high season … the hotel can offer better rates, especially on weekends, than the busy downtown properties. Plus there’s that campus energy and liveliness thing that some people find so invigorating.” She notes that great Philadelphia restaurants are just a few blocks down Broad Street, and that even late in the evening,  “people were still bustling and bicycling along the walks.”

Citizen of the Year

Marsha Levick, LAW ’76, co-founder, deputy director and chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center has been named The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s 2009 Citizen of the Year, along with Lourdes Rosado, the center’s associate director. Last year, the two attorneys uncovered a juvenile detention center scandal that compromised the legal rights of minors in Luzerne County, Pa.

The Juvenile Law Center was initially founded by Levick and three other alumni of the Beasley School of Law: Robert Schwartz, LAW ’75, Judith Chomsky LAW ’75, and Philip Margolis, LAW ’75.

President Hart named one of Philadelphia’s “Ten to Watch” in 2010

Last week’s Philadelphia Business Journal included President Ann Weaver Hart as one of its “Ten to Watch” in 2010. Individuals who “distinguished themselves in 2009 and were poised to have an even greater impact in 2010” were selected by the editor, who wrote: “Hart has been laying the groundwork for a transformation…in North Philadelphia.” The piece also noted the Temple 20/20 plan, designed to give the university a more notable presence on Broad Street and that Temple aims to become a greater center of academic research.

Back in September, Philadelphia magazine named President Hart among its “Power 50,” the magazine’s list of the city’s most influential citizens.

Cosby honored with Marian Anderson award

Temple’s own Bill Cosby has been named the winner of the 2010 Marian Anderson Award for his humanitarian work, and will be honored at the Kimmel Center on April 6. He’s only the second Philadelphia-born recipient of the award and the first Temple grad to achieve such an honor.

Read more in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, which also features a front-page story about Temple’s rising admissions standards and master plan for Main Campus.

Team Spirit

The Temple football team’s commitment to community service often continues long after graduation. For example, Raheem Brock, SBM ’08, defensive tackle  for the Indianapolis Colts, and several current members of the team recently took 45 school-aged children on a shopping spree funded by Brock.

Owls of Distinction in the Philadelphia Business Journal

When it comes to Owls, leadership should be as signature a characteristic as is wisdom. For example, both Elaine Thompson, CHPSW ’85, and Nilda Ruiz, SBM ’86, were included on Philadelphia Business Journal‘s 2009 list of  the region’s “Women of Distinction,” published Nov. 30.

Thompson is president of Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pa., and earned a master’s degree from the College of Health Professions and Social Work.  Ruiz is president and CEO of Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha, an organization that aims to improve the quality of life for Latinos in the greater Philadelphia area.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from the Fox School of Business.

Legal Eagle

As if law firms didn’t already have a reputation for being fiercely competitive, a recent article in The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the increasing pressures faced by the law industry.

For an example of grace under pressure, to whom did the Inquirer turn? To an Owl, of course. The story focuses on Christina Norland Audigier, LAW ’05, a lawyer with Duane Morris in Philadelphia.