VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY NEWS

USA Today
What's Changed at America's National Parks?

February 13, 2026 - Whitney Martinko is the author of Historical Real Estate: Market Morality and the Politics of Preservation in the Early United States, which examines late 18th- and early 19th-century efforts to preserve Revolutionary War landmarks. USA Today spoke with Martinko, a PhD and associate professor at Villanova University, about how real estate development and historic preservation can sometimes be at odds and why some sites are preserved while others are not.

The Conversation
FDA Rejects Moderna’s mRNA Flu Vaccine Application - For Reasons With No Basis in the Law

February 12, 2026 - The Food and Drug Administration has refused to review an application from the biotech company Moderna to approve its mRNA-based flu vaccine... The Conversation asked Ana Santos Rutschman, a Villanova University law professor and vaccine policy expert, to explain the significance of the FDA's decision and how it fits into the rapidly changing landscape of public health policy.

Forbes
The Most Effective Super Bowl Ads Of 2026

February 9, 2026 - "This year's Super Bowl ads once again saw heavy use of celebrities and/or humor. Yet there was something different about it. Most ads offered an escape from the negative news of the day through one of three approaches"... Charles R. "Ray" Taylor is the John A. Murphy Professor of Marketing at the Villanova School of Business.

Associated Press
This Year's Super Bowl Commercials Feature AI, Weight-Loss Drugs and Celebrities Galore

February 6, 2026 - Villanova University marketing professor Charles Taylor said because of the heavy headlines in the news lately, he expects advertisers to stick to a light and silly tone. “Because of the Super Bowl’s status as a pop culture event with a fun party atmosphere, the vast majority of brands will avoid any dark or divisive tone and instead allow consumers to escape from thinking about these troubled times,” he said.

The Conversation
Philly Theaters Unite to Stage 3 Plays by Pulitzer-Winning Playwright James Ijames

February 4, 2026 - "I’m a theater theorist, historian and practitioner who has written about Ijames’ work before and after his 2022 Pulitzer Prize. I believe this landmark collaboration between three important Philadelphia theaters is a fitting celebration of a multi-hyphenate theater artist who continues to champion his longtime artistic home." Bess Rowen is an assistant professor of Theatre at Villanova University.

The New York Times
Trump's Lawsuit Against I.R.S. Creates "Enormous Conflict of Interest"

January 30, 2026 - Under federal law, people have two years to sue the government after they discover that their tax returns have been improperly disclosed... "There was quite a bit of litigation and press coverage concerning the nature of the disclosure that Littlejohn engaged in," said Leslie Book, a law professor at Villanova. "To argue, as Trump is arguing in the suit, that he wasn't aware of this, that he didn't discover it until the I.R.S. sent that letter, frankly, I find hard to support."