The Chronicle

Issue date: 1/9/08 Section: News
Last update: 1/9/08 at 7:42 AM EST

Arlie Petters

Queen of England honors Duke prof

Queen Elizabeth II distinguished Arlie Petters, professor of mathematics and physics, as a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Dec. 29.

"It's very humbling to be recognized in this unexpected way," Petters said in a statement.

A total of 971 British Commonwealth citizens were honored along with the native of Belize.

The award cited Petters' "services to science and education."

In Belize, the Duke professor leads the Petters Research Institute where students are trained in technology, mathematics and the sciences.

Outside of his research, Petters runs University programs to encourage minorities to pursue careers in mathematics and science.

Petters received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1991. He first joined the Department of Mathematics at Duke in 1998 and has held various positions within the department.


Financial aid revolution sweeps country

Since Duke announced sweeping changes to its financial aid program Dec. 8., many other universities have also made changes in their student loans and financial aid programs.

Harvard University unveiled its new plan Dec. 10, which eliminates all loans for undergraduate students and reduces contributions from middle- and upper-class families.

Also in December, Swarthmore College said it will soon offer students free aid grants to replace loans, Tufts University decided that it will replaced loans with scholarships grants for undergraduate students whose family's annual income is below $40,000 and the University of Pennsylvania stated that it will replace student loans with grants.

Yale University announced Monday that it will spend more money on financial aid from its endowment for the next academic year. A 37-percent increase is expected, bringing total endowment spending on financial aid to $1.15 billion. Yale President Richard Levin told The Washington Post Tuesday that the institution will be announcing dramatic changes to its financial aid policies in February.

Yale officials said one reason for the increase in spending was pressure form Congress calling on elite universities to spend more of their endowments.


City to draw more water from Cary

City Council members agreed Monday to allocate up to $3 million to build an emergency connection between Durham and Cary to help the city cope with the current drought conditions.

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