USG VALUE:
www.albanyherald.com
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/feb/05/merry-acres-wins-26th-mathcounts/
Merry Acres wins 26th MathCounts
Staff Reports
ALBANY, Ga. — Merry Acres Middle School won the 26th Annual Darton State College MATHCOUNTS competition held this past weekend with four area middle schools participating.
GOOD NEWS:
www.midtown.parch.com
http://midtown.patch.com/articles/tree-campus-usa-honors-ga-tech-for-5th-straight-year
Tree Campus USA Honors Ga Tech for 5th Straight Year
Some things might get old when they happen five years in a row, but for Hyacinth Ide, Georgia Tech’s associate director of landscape services, having the Institute named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation isn’t one of them. …Georgia Tech occupies 400 acres in Atlanta, often referred to as the “city in a forest,” boasting 36 percent tree coverage — the highest among all major U.S. cities.
RESEARCH:
www.redorbit.com
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112777485/cloud-formation-promoted-volatile-gases-020413/
Certain Volatile Gases Found To Promote Cloud Formation
April Flowers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
A new study from Columbia Engineering and the Georgia Institute of Technology shows – for the first time – certain volatile organic gases can promote cloud formation in ways atmospheric scientists have never before considered.
www.globalatlanta.com
Agilent Provides Georgia Tech With $90 Million In-Kind Gift
by Phil Bolton
The Georgia Institute of Technology announced on Tuesday, Feb. 5, that it has received a software donation valued at $90 million from Agilent Technologies Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based company with which the university has had a longstanding relationship.
www.globalatlanta.com
http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/26066/france-atlanta-to-announce-fourth-years-program/
France-Atlanta to Announce Fourth Year’s Program
By Trevor Williams
France-Atlanta, the educational partnership between the Consulate General of France and Georgia Institute of Technology, on Feb. 26 will announce its plans for 2013. The fourth annual event is to be held this fall and is exploring events including a symposium highlighting links between medical and aerospace research at Georgia Tech, a mini trade show featuring French companies in the Southeast, a seminar on investment opportunities in France and various cultural events.
www.spaceref.com
http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=40006
NASA Awards Research Contract to University Consortium
Source: Langley Research Center
NASA has selected the National Institute of Aerospace Associates (NIAA) in Hampton, Va., to provide research and other services to NASA’s Langley Research Center, also in Hampton. The contract is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity performance-based contract with a maximum value of $48 million over five years, starting April 1 and ending March 31, 2018. The contractor will provide leading-edge research in emerging fields, education in science and engineering, and dissemination of the research results and technology developed by the NIAA under this contract. NIAA is a non-profit research and graduate education institute formed by a consortium of leading research universities that serve as the core of NIAA’s academic research program. The full university members of the consortium are: Georgia Institute of Technology,
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2013-02-05/georgia-lawmakers-delay-action-gun-bill
Georgia lawmakers delay action on gun bill
By BILL BARROWASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — With their first opportunity to address gun laws since a lone shooter killed 20 Connecticut schoolchildren in December, Georgia lawmakers decided to do nothing. At least until next week.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/opinion/2013-02-05/university-georgia-new-top-dawg#.URKgqY6TpGM
University of Georgia: New top Dawg
GEORGIA’S BOARD of Regents didn’t go very far to find someone to succeed Michael Adams as the new big man on campus at the state’s flagship university in Athens. In fact, they stuck close to the arches and hired UGA Provost Jere Morehead.
www.blogs.ajc.com
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2013/02/06/budget-analysis-a-billion-dollar-hole-in-state-education-funding-next-year-start-digging/?cxntfid=blogs_get_schooled_blog
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Budget analysis: A billion dollar hole in state education funding next year. Start digging.
The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute just issued a bleak report on school funding prospects for next year, noting that the governor’s proposed budget for K-12 education has a $1 billion hole in it. (It is an improvement over last year when the hole was $1.1 billion.)
www.blogs.ajc.com
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-forward/2013/02/05/student-loan-debt-danger-zone/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_forward
Atlanta Forward
Crisis: Student loan debt
By Rick Badie
When it comes to student loan debt, the news continues to grow dimmer. Defaults are on a disturbing uptick. So is the average amount of an educational loan. In 2012, the average borrower’s loan topped $27,000, a 58 percent increase in seven years, according to research by FICO Labs, an analytical firm. Today, a guest writer says we have reached the “danger zone,” while co-authors of the other essay question the worth of a college education.
Student loan debt will hamper economy
By Andrew Jennings
Andrew Jennings is chief analytics officer for FICO.
What is the next financial crisis threatening to ripple through the U.S. economy? Student loan delinquencies. …more to read
Education warrants the cost despite hefty price
By Nicholas Colas, Sarah Millar
Nicholas Colas and Sarah Millar are staff members at ConvergEx Group, a worldwide technology and software firm.
Several months ago, we at ConvergEx tackled a question that has dominated media headlines around the country: Is college really worth the money, particularly if you have to take out loans to get there? Our answer was a resounding “Yes.” …more to read
www.money.usnews.com
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2013/02/05/low-skill-jobs-with-the-highest-concentration-of-college-graduates
Low-Skill Jobs with the Highest Concentration of College Graduates
By JP
The Center for College Affordability and Productivity released a study last week confirming what many recent college graduates have known for a long time: a large proportion of grads are working in jobs that don’t require a college degree. What we didn’t know was the situation may have been worse than we realized.
www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2013/02/06/2344438/time-to-stop-trapping-low-income.html
Time to stop trapping low-income students in failing schools
By VIRGINIA GALLOWAY — Special to The Telegraph
We are lucky enough to live in a country where we have the latitude to make choices in almost every arena of our lives. Yet when it comes to one of the most important aspects of a child’s upbringing — education — parents are too often offered frustratingly few choices. Our broken public education system can leave low-income students and parents with no alternatives to find a quality education.
www.opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com
The Boys at the Back
By CHRISTINA HOFF SOMMERS
Boys score as well as or better than girls on most standardized tests, yet they are far less likely to get good grades, take advanced classes or attend college. Why? A study coming out this week in The Journal of Human Resources gives an important answer.
www.catwalkchatt.com
http://www.catwalkchatt.com/view/full_story/21619963/article-Column-by-Ron-Jackson–Technical-College-System-of-Georgia—Not-your-daddy’s-old-trade-school?instance=lead_story_left_column
Column by Ron Jackson: Technical College System of Georgia — Not your daddy’s old trade school
by Ron Jackson
The extent that a business effectively utilizes new technology is a measure of the company’s profitability. The critical issue for many companies today is filling their new jobs with talented people who can think critically and have real-world expertise in the latest technology.
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/05/why-education-research-wars-leave-no-winners/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet
Why education ‘research wars’ leave no winners
Posted by Valerie Strauss
There isn’t a day that goes by that someone in the world of education isn’t issuing a report, data point or other form of research to make a point that conflicts with another point that also has a report, data point or other form of research to back it up. Here’s a piece on why the “research wars” are winless, written by Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute, located in Washington, D.C. This post originally appeared on the institute’s blog.
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/why-us-schools-are-better-than-we-think/2013/02/06/0943418c-701e-11e2-ac36-3d8d9dcaa2e2_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
Class Struggle by Jay Mathews
Why U.S. schools are better than we think
By Jay Mathews
Martin Carnoy and Richard Rothstein, research associates at the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute, have no respect for American cultural and political tradition. Their latest paper challenges one of our most cherished beliefs, that foreigners are threatening our future by producing much better schools.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/globalhighered/making-mooc-university-amsterdam
The making of a MOOC at the University of Amsterdam
Kris Olds
Editor’s note: The guest entry below was written by Arie K. den Boon (PhD), visiting professor of the Department of Communication Science and organizer of the first MOOC of the University of Amsterdam. Arie K. den Boon (pictured to the right) is also founder of StartupPush (with Paul Eikelenboom), GfKDaphne, and June Systems. My thanks to Dr. den Boon and the senior leadership of the University of Amsterdam for enabling our readers to better understand some of the developmental dynamics of MOOCs outside of the US.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/thoughts-profit-crackdown
Thoughts on the For-Profit Crackdown
By Matt Reed
For-profit colleges are having a rough go of it these days. Just this week, Everest College (a branch of Corinthian Colleges) was forced to shut down operations in Milwaukee after only two years, during which it burned through two presidents. In my own state, Attorney General Coakley has announced a broader investigation into various for-profit providers in the wake of the abrupt closure of American Career Institutes.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/ipad-e-learning-rapid-authoring-blind-spots
iPad E-Learning Rapid Authoring Blind Spots
By Joshua Kim
There seems to be a good deal of chatter in the system about students eventually (or sooner) ditching laptops for tablets. Today, a student tablet is mostly synonymous with a student iPad – but maybe that will change in the future. (Are you seeing your students carrying around Android devices?)
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/college-ready-writing/digital-learning-day-and-open-access
Digital Learning Day and Open Access
By Lee Bessette
Today (Wednesday) is Digital Learning Day. I’d do activities in my classes, but this semester is entirely made up of peer-driven learning classes (and one French class with absolutely no tech at all in the classroom – we’re building analogue study guides); my peer-driven learning classes are largely well on their way to building things, awesome things, some digital and some not.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2013/02/06/essay-prospect-politicians-allowing-guns-college-classrooms
Tyro Tracts
On Guns in My Classroom
By Nate Kreuter
“Well, things haven’t gone totally to hell,” I told my friend through the phone, trying to put a good spin on a needlessly bad situation of mostly my own creation. “Maybe I’m getting wiser.”
Education News
www.gainesvilletimes.com
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/79269/
Brenau president: Private schools should be able to restrict guns
Schrader says focus is on students’ safety
By Emma Witman
Brenau University President Ed Schrader joined 30 other college and university presidents Monday urging Congress and other lawmaking bodies to take “common sense” action on gun legislation and regulation that will enhance safety on their campuses.
www.13wmaz.com
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/topstories/article/215832/175/Transition-Center-May-Come-To-Warner-Robins
‘Transition Center’ for Returning Veterans May Come To Warner Robins
Jennifer Moulliet
Governor Nathan Deal wants to help veterans rejoin the workforce when they return from combat by creating a Gateway Center. Officials in Warner Robins hope the state chooses the International City to build.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/06/cuny-adjuncts-ask-not-be-called-professors-course-syllabuses-highlight-working
Don’t Call Me That
By Colleen Flaherty
Bring readings to class, either in hard copy or electronic format. Sign up for a blog account in order to contribute to online class discussions. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Don’t call me “professor.”
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/06/cantor-supports-rubio-wyden-salary-disclosure-act-criticizes-funding-political
House GOP Plans for Higher Ed
By Libby A. Nelson
House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, said Tuesday that he supported more publicly available information on college graduates’ salaries by major, in a speech on domestic policy in which he also called for cutting funding for social science research and granting citizenship to young undocumented immigrants.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/06/wake-reports-false-data-us-news-considers-new-way-promote-accuracy
Can You Verify That?
By Scott Jaschik
Through the last year, in which five colleges and universities have admitted submitting false information to U.S. News & World Report, the magazine has maintained that there is no evidence of a widespread problem, or a need for new ways to assure the accuracy of its data.
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/peace-corps-releases-ranking-of-colleges-that-produce-the-most-volunteers/2013/02/04/60b82614-6eeb-11e2-aa58-243de81040ba_story.html
Peace Corps releases ranking of colleges that produce the most volunteers
By Jenna Johnson
The universities of Washington and Florida boast the largest number of alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps, with 107 graduates-turned-volunteers each, according to rankings the organization plans to release Tuesday. In the D.C. region, three schools made the Peace Corps’ top five lists: American University, George Washington University and the University of Mary Washington.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/University-Research-Leaders/137029/
University Research Leaders Urge Congress to Head Off Automatic Cuts
By Allie Bidwell
Washington
Leaders of academic research institutions across the nation urged Congress on Tuesday to take action to head off automatic spending cuts that are scheduled to take effect next month. Members of ScienceWorksForU.S., an awareness project formed by several national university organizations, said in a written statement that the across-the-board cuts, a process known as sequestration, would have a devastating effect on federal support for university research.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/06/survey-americans-say-college-important-want-cheaper-more-flexible-programs
Public Perception of Higher Ed
By Allie Grasgreen
Despite the popular narrative of recent years that a college degree might not be “worth it,” Americans still generally agree that a degree is important. But they might be likelier to pursue one if colleges were more flexible and – of course – less expensive.
Related article:
www.chronicle.com
Americans Value Higher Education but Question Its Quality, National Survey Finds
http://chronicle.com/article/Americans-Value-Higher/137023/
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/06/foxx-criticizes-private-college-leaders-not-defending-profit-colleges
‘They Came for the For-Profits’
By Libby A. Nelson
WASHINGTON — In remarks to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Tuesday, a Republican Congresswoman used a Holocaust reference to suggest that private college leaders should have stood up to the Obama administration’s regulation of for-profit colleges.
www.bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-05/yale-suing-former-students-shows-crisis-in-loans-to-poor.html
Yale Suing Former Students Shows Crisis in Loans to Poor
By Janet Lorin
Needy U.S. borrowers are defaulting on almost $1 billion in federal student loans earmarked for the poor, leaving schools such as Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania with little choice except to sue their graduates.
www.denverpost.com
http://www.denverpost.com/smart/ci_22525493/millions-college-graduates-degrees-arent-paying-off
For millions of college graduates, degrees aren’t paying off
Meagan Pant, Dayton Daily News
Millions of college graduates who saw a degree as their ticket to a good-paying career and a secure life are working in jobs that do not require their education or even a high school diploma, sometimes leaving them with small wages to pay thousands in student loan debt, according to a new study.
www.gallup.com
http://www.gallup.com/poll/160298/americans-say-postsecondary-degree-vital-barriers.aspx
Americans Say Postsecondary Degree Vital, But See Barriers
Higher education important, but obstacles exist to re-enrollment
by Valerie J. Calderon and Shane Lopez
WASHINGTON D.C. — Americans widely agree that having a degree beyond high school is important. More than seven in 10 say it is very important to have a certificate or degree beyond high school, and another 25% say it is somewhat important.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/02/06/u-california-ordered-reveal-details-investments
U. of California Ordered to Reveal Details on Investments
A California judge has ordered the University of California System to reveal how its investments in two venture capital funds have performed, The San Jose Mercury News reported.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/02/06/obama-calls-delaying-sequester
Obama Calls for Delaying Sequester
Mandatory cuts to domestic and defense spending are scheduled to take place March 1, but President Obama called on Congress to postpone the cuts Tuesday with a “smaller package of tax cuts and spending changes.” The large-scale mandatory cuts, known as sequestration, were originally scheduled to take effect at the beginning of this year, but were postponed as part of the year-end tax deal.
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