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The Early Show (CBS): Silber contemns Astrological Institute

The Early Show's Jane Clayson interviewed Joyce Jensen, founder of the Astrological Institute in Scottsdale, Ariz., and BU Chancellor John Silber on August 30. The institute is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation to receive federal accreditation, which clears the way for students to seek government loans and grants. "You have said that schools granting degrees in astrology are granting degrees in nonsense, correct?" Clayson asked Silber. "Well, also in fraud," Silber replied. "They're teaching young people how to fleece the American people who are gullible. It is not unusual for people to be curious about the future. That is a natural human tendency. But we in Massachusetts may be a little sensitive about this because we killed a lot of women when we believed in witches. One of the great achievements of science has been to save mankind from a lot of harmful superstitions. And there's no more fraudulent superstition around than that of astrology."

Wall Street Journal: The bridges Myers needs to repair

President Bush's decision to appoint General Richard B. Myers as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff comes at a critical time for the Bush administration, writes Andrew Bacevich, CAS professor and director of international relations, in the August 27 Wall Street Journal. "Bush's much-anticipated strategic review has dissolved into incoherence. The weakening economy has eroded revenue that could have been spent on new defense initiatives, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has become so unpopular that even his staunchest allies have run for the hills. Myers' first job will be to return the post to the kind of stature it enjoyed during Colin Powell's tenure and, in doing so, revitalize the difficult relationship between the military and civil interests."

Business Wire: Secrets of a successful product launch

According to the findings of the Schneider/Boston University New Product Launch Report, one of the most critical yet underinvestigated components of new product development and marketing is the product launch phase. The August 22 Business Wire reports that the report was a collaborative effort conducted over a two-year period between Boston University's Communication Research Center and Schneider & Associates, a marketing services and public relations firm specializing in consumer product launches. "While it is rare for a PR firm to engage in primary research," says Michael Elasmar, a COM professor and director of the Communication Research Center, "Schneider & Associates has taken this extra step to determine what makes a launch successful. The result is a benchmark study that provides empirical research on new product launch best practices." Some of the study's findings include: consumer-focused spending spells success, brand managers -- not senior executives -- are critical to launch success, products entirely new to a company that feature major technological breakthroughs are four times more likely to succeed, and timing is not everything.

The Schneider/Boston University New Product Launch Report was conducted between 1998 and 2000 for consumer products ranging from breakfast cereal and apple juice to camping appliances, bicycles, and men's and women's apparel.

"In The News" is compiled by Mark Toth in the Office of Public Relations.

7 September 2001
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