Campus briefs

Horac/e Williams Airport will be closed for repairs UNC will close the Horace Williams Airport runway at the end of this month to make repairs and safety improvements. The airport - located off Airport Drive about a mile and a half from the main campus - is set to reopen Aug. 14. Former UNC-system official looks set to snag Texas job Gretchen Bataille, the former academic planning officer for North Carolina's 16 public schools, is the sole finalist for the presidency of the University of North Texas. If Bataille is confirmed by the UNT system's Board of Regents later this month, she will become the first female president in the 116-year history of the school, based in Denton, Texas. Bataille, 61, served as the UNC-system vice president for academic affairs under former system President Molly Broad. She also took on a one-year stint as interim leader of the N.C. School of the Arts, helping to stabilize that campus after the departure of Chancellor Wade Hobgood. Bataille, who also taught English at UNC-Chapel Hill, began her career at Iowa State University. Schopler, a pioneer in autism research, dies at 79 Dr. Eric Schopler, who pioneering techniques in humane and effective treatment of autism, died July 7 of cancer. He was 79. Schopler, who was born in Germany, was a professor of psychiatry and psychology at UNC for more than 40 years and was one of the first scientists to categorize autism as a treatable neurological disorder. Schopler co-founded and directed the UNC division of Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children, which encourages parents to act as co-therapists. Schopler wrote more than 200 books and articles on autism and related disorders. During Schopler's tenure, the treatment center added internship and post-doctoral programs for students and graduates and an employment program for adults with autism. Last year friends and family established an Eric Schopler Lifetime Achievement Award for leadership in understanding and treatment of autism and a fund to create an Eric Schopler Endowed Chair in Autism Research at UNC. UNC Hospitals programs earn high rank in magazine Seven medical specialties offered at UNC Hospitals rank among the top 50 programs of their kind nationwide, according to the July 17 issue of U.S. News & World Report. UNC Hospitals' top-ranked programs include: cancer; digestive disorders; ear, nose and throat; gynecology; kidney disease; urology; and psychiatry. The system has been included consecutively in the magazine's annual "America's Best Hospitals" issue for the last 14 years. To be eligible for ranking, hospitals had to meet any of three standards: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, affiliation with a medical school or availability of at least nine of 18 key technologies such as shaped beam radiation, an advanced technique used in cancer therapy treatments. This year, fewer than one-third of the hospitals in the United States qualified. Boyd named associate director of women's center Chimi Boyd has been promoted to associate director of the Carolina Women's Center. As associate director, Boyd will assume increased responsibility for programs and staff supervision and assessment and will assist with development projects. Boyd holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from UNC and a graduate degree in psychology from N.C. Central University. Prior to joining the staff of the Carolina Women's Center in 2003, Boyd served in a variety of roles around UNC, including outreach coordinator for Upward Bound program, an assistant director of the Campus Y, a planner for the Sisters Beneath the Skin Conference and the Women in Leadership Development Conference and a Safe Zone ally and trainer.