USG NEWS:
www.romenews-tribune.com
http://www.romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/22473487/article-Azziz–Medical-College-of-Georgia-to-double-researchers?instance=news_special_coverage_right_column
Azziz: Medical College of Georgia to double researchers
by Doug Walker, Associate Editor
Georgia Regents University is on track to double the number of researchers on its various campuses during the next six years, GRU President Dr. Ricardo Azziz told members of the Rome Rotary Club. “We also have the task of driving innovation and discovery. We’re supposed to be pushing forward research, “ Azziz said.

www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2013-05-04/more-renovations-gru-presidents-house-not-state-approved?v=1367718167
More renovations at GRU president’s house not state approved
By Steve Crawford
Staff Writer
School officials have spent more than $280,000 on repairs and renovations at the Georgia Regents University president’s home since 2010 without seeking approval from the state Board of Regents, according to documents obtained by The Augusta Chronicle. Questions about construction work at the state-owned home of GRU President Ricardo Azziz arose last week, when it was revealed that university officials were planning to add at least a $75,000 carport to the existing two-car garage at the 100-year-old house at 920 Milledge Road, know as Twin Gables. Officials disclosed that the carport project had not been submitted for approval by the Board of Regents as required by policy for all presidents’ homes in the state university system.

Related articles:
www.macon.com
Renovation work not approved at GRU home
http://www.macon.com/2013/05/05/2466885/renovation-work-not-approved-at.html

www.accessnorthga.com
Renovation work not approved at GRU home
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=261241

www.therepublic.com
Renovation work not approved at Georgia Regents University president’s home
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/4f28985fbfb845b497f3974ebe51efe6/GA–GRU-Presidents-Home

www.statesboroherald.com
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/49866/
Car theft, burglary suspect sought
BY Holli Deal Bragg
Statesboro and Georgia Southern University police are seeking a suspect in a car theft as well as three burglaries. Sometime between 1:30 and 10 a.m. Thursday, a silver Pontiac G6 was stolen from a parking lot at Campus Crossings, Statesboro Public Safety Director Wendell Turner said. …At the same time Statesboro police were investigating the vehicle theft, Georgia Southern police “were investigating three recent burglaries in the area of Southern Pines Residence Hall on campus,” he said. “During their investigation, GSU police received the information on the stolen vehicle from Statesboro police and began looking for the vehicle on campus. GSU Officer Kevin Day located the vehicle in the Southern Pines parking lot.”

GOOD NEWS:
www.americustimesrecorder.com
http://americustimesrecorder.com/local/x508492867/University-cuts-ribbon-on-Phase-II-of-Rosalynn-Carter-Complex-unveils-Carter-statue
University cuts ribbon on Phase II of Rosalynn Carter Complex, unveils Carter statue
Americus Times-Recorder
AMERICUS — May 2, 2013 will go down as a very special day in the annals of Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) history. The University dedicated the second of two buildings within the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex. Rosalynn Carter, President Jimmy Carter, their family and too many special guests to count were on hand for the event that was capped with the unveiling of a beautifully sculpted statue of Rosalynn Carter sitting on a bench holding a copy of her book, “The First Lady from Plains.”

www.mdjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/22477306/article-Class-is-in-Session–Governors-Sanders–Barnes-on-rise-of-KSU?instance=lead_story_left_column
Class is in Session: Governors Sanders, Barnes on rise of KSU
by Jon Gillooly
ATLANTA — As the 25,000-student Kennesaw State University prepares to mark its 50th anniversary this October, some of the people who made it possible, among them former Gov. Carl Sanders, recently gathered to celebrate the golden anniversary. Among those lunching in the dining room of Sanders’ law firm, Troutman Sanders, located in Atlanta’s Bank of America Plaza, were former Cobb Board of Education member John Strother of Marietta, who turns 100 in August, former Marietta City Schools Superintendent Lloyd Cox, age 93, of Marietta, banker Joe Daniell and former Gov. Roy Barnes.

www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/canine-creation-winner/nXgFt/
Canine creation a winner
ChewBots dog toys take InVenture Prize competition for 2013
“Dogs deserve a little more creativity,” Chris Taylor said in his presentation during the finals of Georgia Tech’s InVenture Prize competition in March. The junior mechanical engineering major was talking about ChewBots, the fully automated robotic dog toys that he invented. Apparently the judges agreed with him; they awarded Taylor first prize in the competition. He hopes to manufacture ChewBots for the commercial market and the prize will definitely help. He won $20,000 in cash and a free U.S. patent filing for his invention through Georgia Tech’s Office of Technology Licensing. In addition, he was automatically accepted into Flashpoint, the school’s startup accelerator program.

RESEARCH:
www.albanyherald.com
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/may/04/tifton-professor-puts-training-into-practice/
Tifton professor puts training into practice
By Clint Thompson
TIFTON, Ga. — John Bernard had to work for his weekly allowance when he was a child. Bernard grew up on a diversified farm in east Tennessee where he was responsible for his own herd of cattle. It was a tough job — milking every morning — but one Bernard grew to love. …Bernard, a professor of animal and dairy science at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is involved in numerous research projects on the UGA campus in Tifton, ranging from improving the use of byproduct feeds as alternatives to corn to using winter annual and perennial grass for lactating dairy cows.

www.aerospace.georgiainnovation.org
http://aerospace.georgiainnovation.org/news-events/centers-of-innovation-visit-georgia-southern-unive/28
Centers of Innovation visit Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University held its First Annual College of Engineering and Information Technology Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 10, 2013. Over 35 undergraduate and graduate students exhibited research accomplished this year. The Center of Innovation for Aerospace (COIA) served as a partner of this event and welcomed the opportunity to work with Dr. Davoud, Dean of Engineering and Dr. Goforth, Research Coordinator, to “get the message out” to the local area companies. The Center has sponsored a series of similar technology forums across the state to provide local aerospace companies an opportunity to see first-hand the quality of research and students involved in engineering programs on state university campuses.

www.csmonitor.com
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/0503/Why-no-sign-of-sequester-cuts-in-perky-April-jobs-report
Why no sign of ‘sequester’ cuts in perky April jobs report?
Economic doom and gloom were supposed to follow the ‘sequester’ cuts in federal spending, but there’s no evidence in the April jobs report that the labor market has been hurt. Just wait, warn some economists.
By Ron Scherer, Staff writer
The new jobs report that came out Friday showed little sign that “sequestration” – those much-maligned automatic federal spending cuts that kicked in because Congress and the White House could not agree on a better way – has had an effect on the labor market, at least so far. …Sequestration began only as of April 1, so its impact has not really hit the economy yet. Moreover, many federal agencies intend to cut their budgets through furloughs – a cut in hours – rather than in outright layoffs. And some programs, such as research grants, are made in advance, so any cuts may come later. …Universities that count on the federal research contracts say what they are most feeling is uncertainty. However, many universities will probably see federal grants cut in the future, says G.P. “Bud” Peterson, president of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. “I am on the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation, and the NSF is not cutting back on existing grants but they will be cutting back on future grants that they award,” says Dr. Peterson.

STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.mjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/22473243/article-Getting-to-the–Common–Core-of-the-matter?instance=secondary_story_left_column
Getting to the (Common) Core of the matter
by Jon Gillooly
MARIETTA — Georgia Schools Superintendent John Barge wanted the audience at the Cobb GOP’s Saturday breakfast to know he’s not to blame for the controversial Common Core Standards. Barge made this point a half dozen times during a talk on the subject, clearing Gov. Nathan Deal of blame as well. “First let me say that the Common Core Standards were adopted by the previous administration,” Barge said as he began his speech. “The previous superintendent. The previous governor. Governor Deal and I walked into and inherited the Race to the Top grant and Common Core state standards, OK? Could the state have done that a little better? Absolutely.” Barge describes Common Core as ensuring that the Algebra taught in Georgia is the same Algebra taught in New York or Kansas.

Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.albanyherald.com
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/may/03/graduates-now-hard-work-begins/
For graduates, now the hard work begins
Editorial
By The Albany Herald Editorial Board
More than 600 local college students at Albany State University and Darton State College reached a magical milestone in their lives this weekend when they strode to a podium — strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” playing in the background — and received diplomas that bestowed on them a new title: college graduate. Hundreds of local high school students will follow suit in the coming days as they accept diplomas that signify they’ve taken a giant step toward adulthood. For many of the college and high school graduates who celebrate with their proud families and gather with groups of friends for what may well be the last time, the exhilaration that they’re feeling is tempered somewhat by a compelling, nagging thought: What comes next?

www.onlineathens.com
http://savannahnow.com/column/2013-05-05/van-brimmer-new-funding-formula-means-new-challenges-armstrong-ssu#.UYfbmuCTpGN
Van Brimmer: New funding formula means new challenges for Armstrong, SSU
By Adam Van Brimmer
The weekend saw more than 1,000 Armstrong Atlantic and Savannah State graduates celebrated in commencement ceremonies. But then who, beyond the unfortunate families of the last grads in the procession and cap-and-gown company CFOs, was counting? Not the state … yet. Come May 2015, though, commencement size matters. Call it D-Day for G-Day, the point at which the state shifts its college funding formula away from being enrollment based. Basically, the more graduates, the more money. The formula is much more complex, accounting for progress toward graduation and certification achievement. But the crux of the Complete College Georgia initiative is to reward schools for educating rather than recruiting.

www.mdjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/22477233/article-Common-Core-will-bring-national-assessment–federal-curriculum?instance=lead_story_left_column
Common Core will bring national assessment, federal curriculum
by Don McKee
State education Superintendent John Barge told Cobb Republicans at their Saturday breakfast he’s concerned about the looming Common Core Standards-related national assessment of students “because in my mind, that gets to a federal curriculum, because what gets tested gets taught, and at that point somebody else is controlling what’s going on in my classrooms.” That’s the core problem with Core. Barge said he had requested that Georgia be given flexibility on the national tests now being developed by a group of collaborating states taking part in the Partnership for Assessment College and Careers. “They’re not interested in allowing us the flexibility to do that,” he said, pointing out that the time is quickly approaching for Georgia to make a decision on whether to stay in the Common Core program.

www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/03/questions-about-the-questions-on-new-common-core-tests/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet by Valerie Strauss
Questions about the questions on new Common Core tests
New York state students in several grades recently took new high-stakes accountability tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards (even though there is not yet a Core curriculum in New York schools), and a number of educators who saw the test reported problems with some of the questions. Some questions, they said, appeared to have more than one correct answer and no single obviously correct one; others were considered so time-consuming to answer that many students couldn’t finish.

www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/government/city-ink/2013-05-04/mills-project-doesnt-have-much-common-voyage-discovery
Mills project doesn’t have much in common with Voyage of Discovery
By Sylvia Cooper
Columnist
City Administrator Fred Russell said the Georgia Board of Regents has hired a consultant to evaluate Augusta’s proposal to develop a university campus at Sibley and King mills and a cultural center downtown. If the planning group thinks it’s “cool,” Russell said he thinks the city will go “full speed ahead” to make a $500,000 or so financial commitment to develop the concept.

www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/03/more-than-200-colleges-universities-still-accepting-students-for-fall/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet by Valerie Strauss
More than 200 colleges, universities still accepting students for fall
More than 200 colleges and universities around the country still have space for freshmen and transfers this fall — and they also have some financial aid and housing available too, a new survey shows. The annual Space Availability Survey is conducted by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling and can be found here.

www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/opinion/2013-05-04/huckaby-uga-special-collections-library-offers-trip-through-states-history
Huckaby: UGA Special Collections Library offers trip through state’s history
The problem with having been virtually everywhere, at least within the confines of this state, is that it is next to impossible to find somewhere new to go. Last week, I stumbled across a place I had never been. It’s a place so filled with the types of treasures that are near and dear to my heart that I’ll have to keep going back — over and over and over — and I still won’t see it all because the things to see keep changing. I guess I had better back up and explain. Last week, I met Dorsey Hill and Dr. Charles Burch, Jr. (he’s a tooth dentist) in Athens. Our mission was to lay our eyes upon the only remaining original copy of the Confederate Constitution — which is displayed only one day a year. This particular day it was displayed in the relatively new Special Collections Library, which is a classically beautiful building located on South Hull Street, practically within spitting distance of Sanford Stadium on the campus of the University of Georgia.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/politifact-isakson-ports-claim-on-target/nXgTY/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajc_launch
PolitiFact: Isakson ports claim on target
BY ERIC STIRGUS – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
The deepening of the Georgia ports is one of the few issues in this state that has the support of the state’s top elected officials regardless of party affiliation. Shortly before President Barack Obama unveiled his proposed budget, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., made his case for why more federal funding is necessary for the project. “There is nothing bigger right now for the entire state,” Isakson said in a meeting with the Albany Herald’s editorial board, referring to the project. “The port provides more than 297,000 jobs directly to the state of Georgia.” …We were curious if Isakson’s numbers were accurate and if there was any context missing. In 2015, a project to expand the Panama Canal is scheduled to be completed, allowing larger cargo ships to sail to America’s Eastern Seaboard. Political and business leaders in Georgia believe the deepening of the Savannah River will allow some of those larger ships to dock at its ports, thereby creating more jobs and boosting the Peach State’s economy.

Education News
ww.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/business/employment/rural-georgia-struggles-to-get-lawyers/nXgYW/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajc_launch
Rural Georgia struggles to get lawyers
BY DAN CHAPMAN – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
FORT GAINES, Ga. — Ryan Wheeler, graduating from law school in Atlanta this month, needs a job. Clay County, a rural southwest Georgia community without a full-time, private-practice attorney, needs all the legal help it can get. A match made in heaven? Hardly. Despite the job-search difficulty facing the newly minted graduates of Georgia State, Emory, the University of Georgia, Mercer and other law schools, few will end up practicing in rural Georgia, where legal representation is sorely lacking. New lawyers — saddled sometimes with $100,000 in student debt — can’t afford to practice where people can’t afford to pay them. Plus, the rural lifestyle doesn’t always appeal to urban-bred attorneys.

www.times-herald.com
http://www.times-herald.com/local/523094-20130504GoodwillWeek-SQ
Goodwill Sets Programs On The Job Search, Financial Literacy
by SARAH FAY CAMPBELL
May 5 – 11 is Goodwill Week, and the Newnan Goodwill Career Center is celebrating with a week full of events focused on employment help and financial literacy. “This year, we plan to strengthen the community by providing a convenient, free opportunity for employment exploration through the week,” said Stephanie Glenn, manager of the Newnan Career Center, located inside the Newnan Goodwill store at 228 Bullsboro Drive. …Thursday’s event will be an “education” fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will include representatives from the University of West Georgia, West Georgia Technical College, Village Samaritan and Georgia Driving Academy.

www.douglascountysentinel.com
http://www.douglascountysentinel.com/view/full_story/22450583/article-County-mulls-contributing-funds-for-WGTC-athletic-complex?instance=west_ga_news
County mulls contributing funds for WGTC athletic complex
by Winston Jones/Times-Georgian
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners is considering giving $150,000 to help with the land purchase on Esco Way near Bankhead Highway for a West Georgia Technical College athletic complex. However, the proposal could face a rocky road at next Tuesday’s BOC meeting, since at least one member has concerns about plans to use special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) funding for the project. …“The city (of Carrollton) has agree to go half, if we would go half,” Anderson said. “It would be a real benefit to our county. We see what the money did that we gave to the University of West Georgia.” In 2008, Carroll County gave $1 million in SPLOST funding for infrastructure developments at the University of West Georgia athletic complex.

www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2013-05-05/augusta-private-schools-benefit-gi-bill
Augusta private colleges benefit from GI Bill
By Wesley Brown
Staff Writer
The Post-9/11 GI Bill was designed to help veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan pay for an education. But in Augusta, it’s the for-profit private schools that are raking in taxpayer dollars, charging a tuition that in some cases is five times higher than the area’s larger public universities and colleges. On average, an education at an online school costs $6,800 per semester, a total that soars in comparison to the full-time workload of 12 credit hours students can get at Georgia Regents University ($2,360) and Augusta Technical College ($1,200), records show. The gap in cost has enabled Web-based programs to snag more than half of the $25 million of free tuition veterans and their families received in Augusta between 2009 and 2012, according to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

www.nytimes.com

The New York Times
College Graduates Fare Well in Jobs Market, Even Through Recession
By CATHERINE RAMPELL
Is college worth it? Given the growing price tag and the frequent anecdotes about jobless graduates stuck in their parents’ basements, many have started to question the value of a college degree. But the evidence suggests college graduates have suffered through the recession and lackluster recovery with remarkable resilience. The unemployment rate for college graduates in April was a mere 3.9 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for the work force as a whole, according to a Labor Department report released Friday. Even when the jobless rate for college graduates was at its very worst in this business cycle, in November 2010, it was still just 5.1 percent. That is close to the jobless rate the rest of the work force experiences when the economy is good.

www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/05/08/30science.h32.html?tkn=TONFSlwK%2BZI70DujnJkaZ%2BV%2BJuf%2FSfcSuuf2&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
One goal is to foster youths’ interest
By Nora Fleming
Donning safety goggles inside a school laboratory may make some students feel like scientists, but elsewhere, they are actually going outside the classroom to perform the work of real scientists. Listening for frog calls, counting ladybugs, observing birds, and testing water samples are just a few of the activities K-12 students are now taking part in through “citizen science” projects, in which everyday people collect data and perform other tasks that contribute to scientific research. Aided by technology that makes data collection easier than ever before, groups like the Girl Scouts and the Boys & Girls Clubs and schools are increasingly looking to these experiences to provide students hands-on science learning with real-world applications. The hope is that the practical purpose of the work helps students become more interested in its execution.

www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/05/06/30rewards.h32.html?tkn=SORFLDzjdR%2F4Gc9FYi%2FnX8%2FHCSDstEUni8HO&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
Rewards for Schools Key Facet of NCLB Waivers
By Alyson Klein
One of the chief complaints about the No Child Left Behind Act has been that districts and schools that fail to meet achievement targets face serious sanctions, while schools that do a good job of closing the gaps between traditionally overlooked groups of students and their peers essentially get little in return. To help alleviate those concerns, the U.S. Department of Education asked states to identify so-called “reward schools” in their applications for waivers easing demands of the NCLB law, the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which Congress has yet to revise. States had to include not only high fliers—schools with consistently high student achievement—but also schools making significant progress with groups of students who had often struggled in the past.