The Daily brief: Aug. 11, 2010

New admission director | Stanford has hired Bob Patterson, currently the deputy director of undergraduate admission at UC-Berkeley, as the Farm’s director of admission. He starts Sept. 13, said Judi McCoy, an Office of Admission spokeswoman. Patterson was one of four finalists invited to Stanford to interview after a national search, McCoy said. He replaces Shawn Abbott, whom Stanford hired in 2006. Abbott left in May to become assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions at New York University. We talk to Patterson in tomorrow’s Daily.

Class of 2013 admits. (File/The Stanford Daily)

Crash | “It was anything but a routine practice day for the Stanford football team Tuesday,” Palo Alto Online writes. Bill Phillips, father of senior offensive lineman Andrew Phillips, was reportedly among the five killed in an Alaskan plane crash on Monday that also killed former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.  Andrew’s younger brother reportedly survived. “We told [Andrew] to take care of his family,” Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday. “When he’s back, he’ll be back…Bill lived a life any man would be proud to have lived. His legacy lives on in his sons.” Two other Phillips brothers also play college football.

Stipek | Dean of the School of Education Deborah Stipek is stepping down next summer, the University said Wednesday. She took the post in 2001 as Stanford’s second female dean.

Women’s soccer | A National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll ranks Stanford women’s soccer second in the nation. Men’s soccer was ranked 13th.

Whitman’s jobs plan | Economics professor Kenneth Arrow has signed an open letter opposing Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman’s jobs plan. Another econ professor, Michael Boskin, defended the plan on the Whitman campaign’s behalf.

Climate | Professor Jon Krosnick is in the fray on climate polling: an interview.

Energy | U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, former Stanford physics professor, has named William Perry ’49 M.S. ’50 to his Energy Advisory Board. Perry is a professor emeritus and former U.S. secretary of defense.

DNA | Stanford law professor Hank Greely ’74 testified on Tuesday at a state legislative hearing about UC-Berkeley’s controversial plan to have incoming freshmen volunteer samples of their DNA for research.

Less bounce in California | A nonprofit and the California attorney general today filed suit against several suppliers of bounce houses after an investigation revealed dangerous levels of lead in the inflatable houses, which are often rented at children’s parties — and occasionally spotted at Stanford.

JetBlue Guy | Stanford MS&E professor Robert Sutton weighs in on disgruntled workers.

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