Academics

I am a proud product of the Baltimore City public school system. My high school years at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute prepared me exceptionally well for the rigorous academic studies that led to a career in medicine, health policy and economics, and now higher education. Unfortunately, my education in Baltimore during the 1970s contrasts sharply with the experience of many urban students across America who are mired in underperforming K-12 school systems that poorly prepare them for higher education and the world of opportunities beyond.

Coming unstuck in time, Pamela Regis was investigating the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime. When the clocks struck 13, she dreamt she went to ... to Manderley? — no, McDaniel. Strange as it might seem, Regis' dream of jumbled-up literary genres will come true this August. In a manner of speaking. Aided by grants totaling $200,000 from the Nora Roberts Foundation, McDaniel College in Westminster is about to launch what is possibly the nation's first academic minor in genre fiction: horror, sci-fi, romance, fantasy, mystery and Westerns, as well as graphic novels.

Carson Scholars Veronica Rittie, a junior at Mount de Sales Academy, was one of nine high school students from Baltimore County named 2012 Carson Scholars. Rittie was among 402 students in grades 4-11 recognized by the Carson Scholars Fund for their outstanding academic achievement and humanitarian qualities. Selected students will receive a $1,000 college scholarship award as a Carson Scholar and be honored at a recognition banquet April 29 at Martin's West in Woodlawn.

A bill introduced in the General Assembly to shield professors at state universities from politics-driven public record requests has been withdrawn after its House sponsor concluded no new law was needed. The Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association, which had opposed the bill at public hearings, hailed the decision by Del. Sandy Rosenberg as "good news. " Rosenberg, a Baltimore Democrat, had introduced a bill that would have broadened the categories of information that universities could deny in response to requests under the state's Public Information Act. He said the legislation was prompted in part by a case in Wisconsin where the state Republican Party sought the emails of a University of Wisconsin history professor in an attempt to show he had misused his position to intervene in a nationally watched dispute in that state over the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

The winners at Wednesday's 49th Annual Scholar Athlete Awards Dinner all found plenty of success both on and off the football field. The achievements of Hereford's David Eldridge, Severn's Brian Bieman, W.E.B. DuBois' De'Andre Taylor and John Carroll's Jonathan Galarraga earned them $4,000 each scholarships from the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. These scholarships are given in five regional areas annually, but this year there were six winners as Judd Ziegler (Middletown)

Four Maryland football players were among the 52 conference selections announced Wednesday to the 2011 Academic All-ACC team. Junior defensive lineman A.J. Francis was honored for the third time in his Terps career, while junior offensive Bennett Fulper picked up his second selection, and freshman fullback Tyler Cierski and sophomore defensive back Dexter McDougle each made the team for the first time. Players must have at least a 3.0 GPA for the previous semester and have maintained a 3.0 cumulative average throughout his career to be eligible for the award.

Five Harford Community College Fighting Owls were recognized for their academic excellence with an award from the most prestigious collegiate committee of academics in the nation. These fall student-athletes earned Capital One Academic All-District honors from CoSIDA. Men's soccer's Kevin Connelly; Audrey Baldwin, Alex Kaputsos and Becky McManus of the women's soccer program; and volleyball's Abby Stevens were named to the Academic All-District Team for District 34. They were five of 16 junior college student-athletes named on the prestigious list among fall student-athletes.

Dr. John Howard "Jack" Yardley, former director of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who had also been associate dean for academic affairs, died Dec. 7 of a stroke at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. The longtime Roland Park resident was 85. "For more than 50 years, John devoted his energies to research, patient care and teaching," Dr. Edward D. Miller, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, wrote in an email to his medical school colleagues.

Broadneck senior goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier was named the National High School Scholar Athlete of the Year, selected by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Niedermeier, a first-team All-Metro selection, maintains a 4.19 weighted grade point average and is set to graduate from Broadneck in January before enrolling at Maryland for the spring semester. The following area players also were NSCAA HS All-America selections: Boys Colin Bonner, Reservoir Joshua Kufera, Hereford Girls Samantha Dean, Broadneck Lexie Niedoba, Mercy The criteria for eligibility are a minimum of a 3.75 (on a 4.0 scale)