Professor Alexander Laskin available to offer insight in the Boston Marathon bombings investigation

Alexander Laskin, associate professor and director of graduate public relations in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University, is available to offer insight in the Boston Marathon bombings investigation.

Officials said that the two suspects are of Chechen origin. Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim territory in southern Russia, is a long-disputed territory.

Laskin, who is originally from Moscow, is available to offer perspective about the Russian Federation, its political, ethnic and religious make-up.

“Russia is one of the most diverse countries in the world with almost 200 different nationalities living within its borders and practicing many different religions,” Laskin said. “Although most of the nationalities live peacefully, Russia has been exposed to violent clashes in its Caucasus region, especially in Chechnya, for the last 200 years. Unfortunately, this conflict intensified after the break-up of USSR.”

To speak with Laskin, please call John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, at 203-206-4449.

University builds law school for the future

A rendering of the new School of Law facility in North Haven, scheduled to open in Fall 2014.

What if you could build a law school with the newest innovations and advanced technology, combined with the kind of thoughtful design that fosters both scholarship and community? What if you could build a law school for the future?

At Quinnipiac University School of Law, we are doing exactly that: creating a state-of-the-art center for legal study with technology that speaks to the most current thinking in legal pedagogy.

Opening in Fall 2014 on the university’s North Haven graduate campus, our new facility will showcase forward-thinking features that inspire collaboration and connection, like an abundance of team study rooms and greatly expanded space for the School of Law’s extensive legal clinics.

We are also building extraordinary opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration as we join the university’s vibrant North Haven graduate community, home to the new Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine and the graduate programs in the schools of Health Sciences, Nursing and Education.

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Magda Stayton appointed associate vice president for health affairs development

Magda Stayton has been appointed associate vice president for health affairs development at Quinnipiac University.

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In her new position, Stayton is responsible for developing a comprehensive advancement program to generate high levels of philanthropy and support for the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences at Quinnipiac.

“It’s an exciting and critical time to support primary care because of the enormous health care challenges we are facing today,” Stayton said. “A strong primary care system delivers a higher quality of care and better health for less cost. Quinnipiac already has exemplary strengths in the health professions, and the addition of the medical school puts the university in a very strong position to expand its leadership role in interprofessional primary care education.”

Stayton graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with bachelor’s degrees in sociology and social psychology. She received a master’s degree in health administration from Hofstra University. She previously served as the executive director of Wellness in a Box, a corporate wellness program.

Professor Rich Hanley quoted in N.Y. Daily News article about TV personalities caught up in criminal scandals

Rich Hanley, associate professor and director of the graduate journalism program in the in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University, was quoted prominently in a New York Daily News article about TV personalities caught up in criminal scandals.

Former WCBS-TV and WNBC-TV anchor Rob Morrison resigned Wednesday following being charged with domestic violence.

“He’s going to have a very hard time getting back into television, and if he does, it will be far away from New York,” Hanley told the newspaper. “These are charges of a violent nature, plus you have police records of prior calls to his house. It’s all just too much. It’s an intractable situation.”

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Professor Angela Mattie offers perspective on impact budget cuts would have on hospitals

Connecticut’s 30 hospitals are slated to lose $550 million in state funding over the next two years under a two-year budget plan pitched on Wednesday by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the Hartford Business Journal reports.

Angela Mattie, associate professor of management and chair of health care management and organizational leadership in the School of Business at Quinnipiac University, is available to comment.

“The cuts are coming mostly from the state’s uncompensated care fund and Medicaid funding,” said Mattie. “ObamaCare should provide access to healthcare insurance for those currently not covered and using the state hospital’s emergency departments in some instances as primary care providers due to the lack of insurance. These changes, however, will not be implemented until 2014 leaving hospitals with a significant financial gap.

“In an era of decreasing reimbursements on all fronts (i.e., federal, state and private insurers) and increasing costs of providing care, Connecticut hospitals will most definitely feel the impact of these latest state cuts. Hopefully, as we make the transition to ObamaCare, access to healthcare for the indigent and uninsured will continue. Ultimately, we will all bear the cost.”

To schedule an interview with Mattie, please call John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations at 203-206-4449.