There is some unsettling news about faculty pay at private vs. public institutions. A couple of stories address it below. DD
USG NEWS:
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/news/2013-04-05/congratulations-madame-president#.UWLzRnCTpGO
Congratulations Madame President
By Jenel Few
Cheryl D. Dozier will be sworn in as the 13th president of Savannah State University on campus at 10 a.m. Friday, and the public is invited to participate in a week of events to celebrate the occasion.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2013-04-06/azziz-grew-alongside-other-future-university-leaders?v=1365296968
Azziz grew up alongside other future university leaders
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
They came from the same small neighborhood on a hill in a city on the western edge of Puerto Rico and now sit at the top of their respective institutions. Dr. F. Javier Cevallos and Dr. Ricardo Az¬ziz can reflect on a shared childhood and look forward to similar challenges in university financing and student debt but also the rewards of shaping young minds. Georgia Regents University President Ricardo Azziz (right) and Javier Cevallos, the president of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, grew up together in Puerto Rico. Cevallos, the president of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, came to visit Azziz at Georgia Regents Uni¬versity last week. Both grew up in a family of professors at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Cevallos’ parents were a historian and a linguist, and Azziz was raised by a social anthropologist and a theoretical physicist.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/82120/
Campus Merger: UNG students still have concerns about classes, but transition mostly smooth
By Savannah King
University of North Georgia students have a few lingering concerns as they near the end of their first semester at the newly consolidated university. In January, Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University began operating as a single regional institution. UNG has campuses in Dahlonega on the former campus of NGCSU, and the former GSC campuses in Gainesville, Cumming and Oconee. The consolidation was mandated by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents in January 2012. For the most part, students say they haven’t experienced too many complications but many are still concerned they’ll find challenges as time goes on.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-04-06/demoted-uga-professor-sues-saying-administrators-retaliated
Demoted UGA professor sues, saying administrators retaliated
By LEE SHEARER
A University of Georgia professor demoted in 2009 has sued the state Board of Regents, saying UGA administrators retaliated against him for exercising his free speech rights in the form of a hunger strike.
GOOD NEWS:
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/a-healthy-conversation/2013/04/gru-gets-18m-to-shine-light-on-top.html
GRU gets $2M to shine light on top cause of legal blindness
Urvaksh Karkaria
Staff Writer-Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia Regents University has received a nearly $2 million grant to study the leading cause of legal blindness. Tricking the retina into producing good fat instead of bad could slow down the disease that’s responsible for thousands of diabetics going blind each year, GRU noted in a statement.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/business/2013-04-06/ugas-terry-college-business-ranked-top-20-undergraduate-programs-bloomberg
UGA’s Terry College of Business ranked in top 20 undergraduate programs by Bloomberg Businessweek
The University of Georgia Terry College of Business jumped six spots in the rankings of Bloomberg Businessweek’s best undergraduate programs. It rose to 44th nationally and 19th among public universities. It has the nation’s 13th highest score for student satisfaction, according to a news release from the business college.
www.saportareport.com
http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/04/25476/
SaportaReport
Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen Prize honors John Lewis; Atlanta’s spirit
By Maria Saporta
Georgia Tech has found a way to capture Atlanta’s spirit with its annual Ivan Allen Jr. Prize in Social Courage award — by linking the greatness of the city’s former mayor with some of the most notable leaders of today. This year, the prize went to John Lewis, a Civil Rights leader who has been representing Georgia’s 5th District in Congress since 1987.
USG VALUE:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/studying-abroad-helps-students-broaden-their-horiz/nXDbf/
Studying abroad helps students broaden their horizons
By Clare Morris
For most students, college is the time to broaden horizons, stretch imaginations and sample new experiences. One of the best ways to do that is to leave campus — and the country. “We want to make sure the knowledge students gain at the university are transferable to the real world, and part of that comes from participation in experiences outside the traditional classroom,” said Jeff Palis, associate director of International Studies at Georgia Southern University . “A study abroad can do that.” At the 20,000-student campus in Statesboro, study abroad options are designed to meet an assortment of student needs, starting with academics.
www.mdjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/22179127/article-Competitive-EDGE–KSU-partner-for-job-growth?instance=secondary_story_left_column
Competitive EDGE, KSU partner for job growth
Whether it’s starting a business from scratch or expanding existing ones, Kennesaw State University and Cobb’s Competitive EDGE are partnering to help entrepreneurs grow jobs in the county. “What we really want to do is leverage what we already do and get it out to more people,” said Dr. Ken Harmon, Kennesaw State’s provost and academic affairs vice president.
www.doughlascountysentinel.com
http://www.douglascountysentinel.com/view/full_story/22178003/article-UWG-report–Housing-market-getting-better?instance=west_ga_news
UWG report: Housing market getting better
by Winston Jones/Times-Georgian
The Carroll County housing industry has shown dramatic improvement during the past year, with the average home sales price increasing more than $30,000, according to a University of West Georgia economic report due to be released Monday.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2013/04/retrofitting-suburbia-expert-to-lead.html
Retrofitting Suburbia: Expert to lead discussion on Nashville’s suburbs
Nevin Batiwalla
Staff Reporter-Nashville Business Journal
America’s aging suburbs are not sustainable. Malls are dying. Many big box stores have already bit the dust. Sprawling surface parking lots sit under-utilized. A reset is in order. Enter Ellen Dunham-Jones, a professor of architecture at the Georgia Tech who is considered a leader in rethinking the suburbs.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-04-07/uga-campus-kitchen-raise-dough-feed-seniors
UGA Campus Kitchen to ‘Raise the Dough’ to feed seniors
By ANDRE GALLANT
University of Georgia students who’ve been turning surplus food from grocery stores into healthy meals for seniors are trying to raise the dough to expand their efforts. UGA’s Campus Kitchen, described as a student-powered hunger relief program that uses food to strengthen the community, is participating in a nationwide competition among similar programs to see who can raise the most money for the national Campus Kitchen project.
www.unionrecorder.com
http://unionrecorder.com/local/x237738073/GC-hosts-state-level-National-Geographic-Bee
GC hosts state-level National Geographic Bee
Vaishali Patel
The Union-Recorder
MILLEDGEVILLE — Georgia College hosted the state-level portion of the National Geographic Bee Friday featuring nearly 100 young geography whizzes from across Georgia. The fourth- to eighth-graders had to answer eight questions correctly during the preliminary round in order to advance to the final round as one of the top 10.
RESEARCH:
www.news.science360.gov
http://news.science360.gov/obj/story/81e332c2-ae89-4c90-9bbe-ecfe960792f8/new-implant-holds-promise-improved-hearing
New Implant Holds Promise For Improved Hearing
The cochlear implant is widely considered to be the most successful neural prosthetic on the market. The implant, which helps deaf individuals perceive sound, translates auditory information into electrical signals that go directly to the brain, bypassing cells that don’t serve this function as they should because they are damaged. Despite the prevalence of cochlear implants, they have a long way to go before their performance is comparable to that of the intact human ear. Led by Pamela Bhatti, Ph.D., a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a new type of interface between the device and the brain that could dramatically improve the sound quality of the next generation of implants.
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2013-04-06/georgia-lawmakers-postpone-major-education-changes?v=1365267818
Georgia lawmakers postpone major education changes
By Christina A. Cassidy
Associated Press
ATLANTA — State lawmakers made few major changes to education policy during this year’s legislative session. Bills to empower parents and teachers to convert failing public schools into charter schools stalled in committee, and so did a measure to change state curriculum standards. Instead, lawmakers lowered the grade-point average requirements so more people would qualify for the popular HOPE grant program for technical college students and expanded a scholarship program that has drawn some questions about transparency and effectiveness. Perhaps the biggest change was the standardization of teacher evaluations based, in part, on student performance.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/femme-fortune/2013/04/georgia-ranks-no-1-for-growth-of.html
Georgia ranks No. 1 for growth of women-owned businesses
Ruchika Tulshyan
Staff Writer-Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia earned pole position nationally for the growth of number of women-owned firms over the past 16 years, this American Express OPEN report found. Georgia has an estimated 308,200 women-owned businesses, of which 198,000 are based in Atlanta. These firms employ 237,600 people in Georgia and attribute to close to $44 billion in revenues.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/07/principal-to-parents-dont-buy-the-bunk-about-new-common-core-tests/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet
By Valerie Strauss
Principal warns parents: ‘Don’t buy the bunk’ about new Common Core tests
I recently wrote a piece about why the standardized assessments that are being designed to align with the Common Core State Standards will not be as “game changing” as supporters, such as Education Secretary Arne Duncan, have promised. Here, an award-winning New York principal who was once a Common Core supporter writes about problems with the coming assessment.
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/07/mom-why-i-wont-let-my-son-take-high-stakes-standardized-test/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet
By Valerie Strauss
Mom: Why I won’t let my son take high-stakes standardized test
Here’s a Q & A with a Pennsylvania mother about why she decided not to let her 9-year-old son take the state’s standardized test. Kathy Newman is part of a growing movement of parents who are choosing to “opt out” of the state’s test-based accountability system — at least in states that give families that option. (In Florida, for example, it is very hard to opt out; you can see that by reading this post about a severely disabled, blind boy forced to take the state’s standardized accountability test.) Newman wrote a piece for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about her decision. Following is a Q & A I did with her by e-mail.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/world-view/university-mergers-russia-not-easy-route-success
University Mergers in Russia: Not an Easy Route to Success
By Jamil Salmi
A study of recent university mergers in Russia confirms some of the findings presented in my 2009 book “The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities” about the difficulties of constructing top institutions following the merger approach. Igor Chirikov, senior researcher at the Moscow School of Economics, reports that the various programs of excellence launched by the Russian government since 2005, which “encouraged” many universities to merge, have achieved mixed results.
www.learning.blogs.nytimes.com
How Would You Feel About a Computer Grading Your Essays?
By MICHAEL GONCHAR
Technology is becoming more and more important in schools and education, but is there a limit to what computers should do in the classroom? How would you feel about a computer grading your essays? In “New Test for Computers: Grading Essays at College Level,” John Markoff writes about new software that many college professors, especially those teaching massively open online courses, or MOOCs, are likely to use.
Education News
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/latest-news/2013-04-05/georgia-department-education-grade-schools#.UWLygnCTpGN
Georgia Department of Education to grade schools
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia Department of Education plans to give parents a detailed look at schools’ performance that will rely on more than just test scores. The department will release grades for schools and districts under a new system meant to go beyond just standardized tests, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported (http://bit.ly/ZchhC4).The new system is called the College and Career Ready Performance Index.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/emory-alumni-back-wagnercollege-problems-not-expec/nXDYT/
Emory alumni back Wagner
By Laura Diamond
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As Emory University faculty question whether President James Wagner is fit to lead the school, more than 100 alumni leaders have expressed faith in him. And while the university’s struggles play out on a national stage, experts say it should not hurt fundraising.
www.accessnorthga.com
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=260221
Emory faculty vote on president’s leadership
By The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) A faculty group at Emory University plans a vote on whether they think the school president is able to provide effective leadership after a controversial essay he wrote. Faculty members in Emory’s College of Arts and Sciences will begin voting Monday. If a majority vote “no confidence” in President James Wagner, it would send the message that they no longer think he should lead the school.
www.walb.com
http://www.walb.com/story/21908100/wiregrass-tech-pres-will-lead
Wiregrass Tech Pres. will lead Lanier Tech
ATLANTA, GA (WALB) – Information from the Technical College System of Georgia
The state board that oversees the Technical College System of Georgia has unanimously approved Commissioner Ron Jackson’s choice of Dr. Ray Perren to be the next president of Lanier Technical College. …During his tenure at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, Perren worked with his faculty and staff to lay the groundwork for a number of new programs, including associate degree nursing and engineering technology. The college recently joined with Valdosta State University in an articulation agreement that allows associate degree credits to transfer to VSU. It is one of the most comprehensive transfer agreements made between a TCSG college and University System of Georgia institution.
www.blogs.tampabay.com
http://blogs.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/virtual-learning-bills-gain-momentum-in-legislature/2113745
Virtual learning bills gain momentum in Legislature
Kathleen McGrory, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
TALLAHASSEE — Florida schoolchildren and college students will soon have greater access to online learning programs, if Republican lawmakers have their way. Bills moving swiftly through the House and Senate are seeking to expand virtual education, both in the public school system and in higher education. One would enable out-of-state online education providers to qualify for public dollars. Another would require Florida’s top public university to set up a virtual branch.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Online-Learning-Veteran-Leads/138373/
Online-Learning Veteran Leads U. of South Carolina’s Newest College
By Jake New
Susan A. Elkins is leading the University of South Carolina’s new online college, but she isn’t spending all her time behind a computer. In her first three weeks as chancellor of the university’s Palmetto College, Ms. Elkins spent a day at the State House, met with the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, and visited all eight University of South Carolina campuses. “It’s great to be here in Columbia at that main campus, but what really drives me is the opportunity to work statewide and reach out to the communities,” Ms. Elkins says.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/08/aaup-survey-finds-average-faculty-salary-increased-rate-inflation-last-year
On Pace With Inflation
By Scott Jaschik
The average salary of a full-time faculty member increased by 1.7 percent in 2012-13, roughly keeping pace with inflation, according to a report being released today by the American Association of University Professors. While the average increase was a bit larger last year (1.8 percent), a drop in the inflation rate from 3.0 to 1.7 percent means that this year’s modest raises will add to spending power for many faculty members, while last year’s did not.
Related article:
www.nytimes.com
Gap Widens for Faculty at Colleges, Report Finds
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/As-Public-Private-Pay-Gap/138359/
As Public-Private Pay Gap Widens, State Universities Try to Hang On to Faculty
By Sydni Dunn
Eric J. Barron, president of Florida State University, is fighting a faculty exodus. The university has struggled to retain good professors because it’s been unable to reward them with big salary increases, or with any increases at all. In fact, the president warned state officials last year, budget cuts have started to turn his university into a “farm team” for institutions outside the state, a place where young faculty start their careers, gain experience, and soon take their training and expertise elsewhere.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/For-Full-time-Instructors/138361/
For Full-Time Instructors, Work Off the Tenure Track Has Become Its Own Career
By Robin Wilson
When Denise K. Comer snagged a prestigious postdoctoral position at Duke University shortly after finishing her Ph.D. in English, she was sure the position would set her up for a tenure-track job down the line. Thirteen years later, Ms. Comer is still at Duke, working full time but off the tenure track, as director of the university’s first-year writing program. …A new report on the economic status of the professoriate shows that Ms. Comer’s story is typical among the 284,000 people who teach full-time off the tenure track.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Think-of-It-Professors-Are/138363/
Colleges Begin to Reward Professors for Doing Work That Actually Matters to Them
By Audrey Williams June
David W. Szymanski wanted to work at a college where he could do what he does best: teach students how science can be used to solve real-world problems, help policy makers understand the link between science and the policies they create, and produce scholarship about teaching and learning. But he worried that the kind of work he does—much of it interdisciplinary and public-oriented—wouldn’t amount to much in the faculty-reward systems in place on many campuses.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/08/study-shows-gap-between-research-use-classroom-adoption-technology
Digital Research, Not Teaching
By Carl Straumsheim
Professors are growing more comfortable using technology to discover and use scholarly sources, but the trend has yet to fundamentally alter how they disseminate research and teach courses, a new survey shows.
The survey, conducted by the consulting and research nonprofit Ithaka S+R, is the latest in a series that has tracked how faculty members incorporate technology into their research, teaching and communication for more than a decade.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Increasingly-Use/138407/
Scholars Increasingly Use Online Resources, Survey Finds, but They Value Traditional Formats Too
By Jennifer Howard
Scholars continue to get more comfortable with e-only journals, and they increasingly get access to the material they want via digital channels, including Internet search engines and more-specific discovery tools provided by academic libraries. When it comes time to publish their own research, though, faculty members still seek out journals with the highest prestige and the widest readership in their fields, whether or not those journals are electronic and make articles free online.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/As-Cuts-Take-Effect-Unease-in/138379/
As Cuts Take Effect, Unease Takes Hold in the Lab
By Don Troop
At the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Michael B. Reid frets that a senior scientist might retire from research to work in patient care. At the University of California at Riverside, Frances M. Sladek fears she may have to lay off her longtime cell-biology lab assistant just three years shy of retirement, costing the woman a sizable chunk of her pension. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Barbara Entwisle worries that a researcher might have to end her longitudinal study of a birth cohort of children, 10 years into the project.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/In-Disturbing-Reversal/138405/
In ‘Disturbing’ Reversal, Chinese Applications Fall at U.S. Graduate Schools
By Karin Fischer
The Chinese aren’t coming as they used to. Not to American graduate schools, anyway. After seven consecutive years of double-digit increases, the number of Chinese applications to graduate programs in the United States this spring fell an unexpected 5 percent.
www.nytimes.com
Graduate School Applications From Abroad Rise Just Barely
By TAMAR LEWIN
The number of international students applying to graduate schools in the United States increased just 1 percent this year, after a 9 percent rise last year and an 11 percent gain in 2011, according to a report from the Council of Graduate Schools. The increase was the smallest in eight years, the report said, primarily because of a 5 percent decline in applications from China, the home of about a third of the international graduate students in the United States.
www.nytimes.com
An Old Ally Sends Droves of Students to U.S.
By D. D. GUTTENPLAN
ISTANBUL — Which European country sends more students to U.S. universities than any other? Is it Britain, which shares a common language and a reverence for ancient collegiate campuses? Or Germany, whose great research universities did so much to shape U.S. higher education? The answer, it turns out, is neither.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/08/coursera-begins-make-money
Free to Profit
By Ry Rivard
PHILADELPHIA — Coursera, the increasingly popular provider of free online courses, is beginning to make money. The Silicon Valley-based company brought in $220,000 in the first quarter after it started charging for verified completion certificates, its co-founders said. The company also receives revenue from an Amazon.com affiliates program if users buy books suggested by professors.
www.nytime.scom
‘Hackathons’ to Create Education Apps
By CALVIN YANG
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Facebook plans to hold two “hackathons” this month, bringing together software developers and educators to create new Facebook applications for teaching and learning.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/08/irish-university-tries-recruit-voters-improve-its-international-ranking
Rigging the Rankings?
By Scott Jaschik
The president of University College Cork has asked all faculty members and other academic employees at his institution to each recruit three people from other universities — people who “understand the importance of UCC improving its university world ranking” – to register to vote in the survey of university reputations conducted by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), one of the major producers of international higher ed rankings.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/08/study-finds-small-gains-international-graduate-applications
Negligible International Growth
By Scott Jaschik
Graduate schools in the United States saw an increase of only 1 percent in applications from 2012 to 2013, ending years of larger increases, according to a preliminary study of admissions data being released today by the Council of Graduate Schools. The previous three years saw gains of 9 percent, 11 percent, and 9 percent — and the gains haven’t been this small since the few years after the September 11 attacks, when applications fell.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/04/08/u-arizona-law-school-loses-students-cuts-tuition
U. of Arizona Law School Loses Students, Cuts Tuition
The University of Arizona has announced an 11 percent cut in tuition for in-state residents and an 8 percent cut for out-of-state residents — even as most other students at the university will be paying 3 percent more next year.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Borrowers-Lacking-Options/138391/
Boxed In, Borrowers Struggle to Repay Private Student Loans
By Allie Bidwell
Not long ago, Dana L. Knowles received a notice from Sallie Mae, the servicer of her private student loan. Starting in April, the e-mail said, payments on her $26,000 loan would increase by more than $200 a month. “I can’t pay this much,” Ms. Knowles says. “A couple hundred dollars might not make much of a difference for some people, but it does for me.”
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/04/08/nc-bill-would-penalize-parents-students-who-vote-college-towns
N.C. Bill Would Penalize Parents of Students Who Vote in College Towns
Legislation in North Carolina would remove the state income tax break for parents if their children register to vote with a residence other than the home of their parents, WRAL News reported.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Social-Entrepreneurs-Bring/138365/
‘Social Entrepreneurs’ Bring New Ideas, New Conflicts to Colleges
By Jeffrey R. Young
Many of the boldest experiments in higher education these days are led by a relatively new kind of business leader: the social entrepreneur. The founders of Coursera proudly claim the label, stressing their lack of concern about a business plan as they set up free online courses from top colleges. So does the head of Udacity, another provider of MOOCs, or massive open online courses.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Behavior-Expert-Seizes-Chance/138375/
Behavior Expert Seizes Chance to Run an Ambitious Experiment in Higher Education
By Peter Monaghan
Many administrators at traditional colleges might hesitate to step up to lead a brand-new institution whose founders proclaim that it will be “a top-tier university” designed to provide “what an Ivy League education should be about,” and a for-profit one at that. But that does not seem to daunt Stephen M. Kosslyn, 64, founding dean of the Minerva Project, which plans to open in the fall of 2015.