Rochester Quotes

“Kids have been going to school for centuries without needing to be paid for it.”

—Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology, psychiatry, and education at Rochester in the Christian Science Monitor. In a story on a trend among K–12 schools to offer incentives for student attendance and achievement, Ryan says such inducements can be counterproductive.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

“Not only in sound, but in a tactile sense, too, you can get connected to how people have played.”
—Hans Davidsson, professor of organ and director of the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative, talking about a newly restored Italian Baroque organ installed last summer at the Memorial Art Gallery.

Boston Globe

“I know the mistakes that moms, dads, and kids make to believe that a kid can’t afford an internship. I believe strongly that even if you have to invest in an internship for a summer, it’s an investment in your future.”
—Burt Nadler, director of the College Career Center, commenting on a growing trend among universities like Rochester to offer stipends to help offset some of the costs for students when they take the low-paying positions.

The Seattle Times

“It’s easier to measure damages than to distribute them.
”—President Joel Seligman, an expert on securities regulation, discussing a government report released last fall that indicated defrauded investors have received only about 1 percent of the billions of dollars collected for them by securities regulators.

The Wall Street Journal

“In rodents, the changes result in permanent effects. Future studies will be necessary to determine whether these boys are also permanently affected.”
—Shanna Swan, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, talking about the safety of the common chemical known as phthalates. Swan led a small study that indicates that measures for abnormal genital development in infant boys corresponds to their mothers’ levels of exposure to pthalates.

The Wilmington, Delaware, News Journal

“We’re now actually addressing the question of ‘Why is this stuff so popular?’”
—Thomas Hahn, professor of English, commenting on the fifth biennial meeting of the International Association for Robin Hood Studies hosted by the University of Delaware. Hahn organized the group’s first meeting in 1997.

NPR: All Things Considered

“Too often, I think, in society we’re looking for an easy answer to say, ‘Mr. Smith killed himself because of his stroke.’ Usually it’s some much more complex combination of factors.”
—Yeates Conwell, professor of psychiatry, discussing high suicide rates among the elderly.