USG NEWS:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/uga-extends-some-benefits-to-domestic-partners/nXxSj/
UGA extends some benefits to domestic partners
By Laura Diamond
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The University of Georgia will extend some benefits to domestic partners of employees so those benefits are closer to what married spouses receive, officials said Monday. President Michael Adams is moving ahead to offer “soft benefits” such as dental and vision insurance to registered domestic partners of UGA employees. Employees will pay for these benefits, meaning UGA will not use any state funds to cover the expense. Other colleges in the University System of Georgia already offer this.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2013-05-20/uga-oks-soft-benefits-domestic-partners-needs-further-study-full-health-care
UGA OKs ‘soft benefits’ for domestic partners; needs ‘further study’ for full health care
By NICK COLTRAIN
The University of Georgia will move forward with setting up privately funded “soft benefits” for registered domestic partners of its benefits-eligible employees, according to a statement by UGA President Michael Adams.
Adams’ response follows a letter dated May 1 from University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby questioning what role the Board of Regents or his office would play in a plan that’s privately funded. State money is prohibited from being used to pay for benefits of non-recognized partners, such as those in same sex relationships.
Related article:
www.wdef.com
UGA to offer benefits to domestic partners
http://www.wdef.com/news/state/story/UGA-to-offer-benefits-to-domestic-partners/TfkMdnw4dUuD7ohDuDIAuw.cspx
www.tiftongazette.com
http://tiftongazette.com/local/x508504026/UGA-Tifton-Campus-funding-approved
UGA Tifton Campus funding approved
Chris Beckham
The Tifton Gazette
TIFTON — When Gov. Nathan Deal signed the budget recently passed by the Georgia state legislature, a long-awaited renovation project for the University of Georgia Tifton Campus was finally moved forward.
The budget includes $4.7 million for the renovation of the Tift building on the UGA Tifton Campus. The building, which has been vacant for years, will eventually house administrative offices as well as offices for key support personnel and new scientific positions.
Related article:
www.mysouthwestga.com
UGA Tifton Campus moves forward with historic renovations
http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?id=898276#.UZu0i-CTpGN
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2013-05-17/board-regents-audit-finds-gru-officials-violated-policy
Regents audit finds GRU officials violated policy
By Steve Crawford
Staff Writer
Georgia Regents University officials violated state Board of Regents policy when its vehicles and personnel were used to support a private wedding at the home of GRU President Ricardo Azziz, according to an auditor’s report released Friday. The report on the “special review” by the university system’s Office of Internal Audit and Compliance also found that GRU officials violated policy in allowing more than $97,000 in renovations at the president’s Milledge Road home without seeking board approval. Chief Audit Officer John M. Fuchko III wrote that his office “did not detect intent on the part of GRU senior administrators to violate Board Policy or misuse state resources,” but rather a “lack of awareness of relevant Board Policy and applicable regulations.”
www.mdjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/22616190/article-College-features-Barr’s-congressional-papers
College features Barr’s congressional papers
by Jon Gillooly
CARROLLTON — Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr’s congressional papers were put on display at the University of West Georgia’s Ingram Library this week. History Professor Daniel Williams spoke of the conservative Congress of the 1990s during a reception celebrating the papers. “The 104th Congress that was elected in 1994 was one of the most politically influential, legislatively active Congresses in recent American history,” Williams said. “This was the first mid-term election in American history in which the Republican congressional candidates ran on a united, national platform.” Barr now wants to rejoin Congress.
www.times-georgian.com
http://www.times-georgian.com/view/full_story/22614852/article-Lieutenant-governor-brings-his-education-message-to-Carroll?instance=TG_home_story_offset
Lieutenant governor brings his education message to Carroll
by Winston Jones/Times-Georgian
Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle came to Carrollton on Friday, carrying his gospel of technical education, declaring that “a one-size, fits-all” education model doesn’t work anymore in the modern world. Cagle spoke to the noon Kiwanis Club meeting, and toured Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, University of West Georgia and West Georgia Technical College. He praised the career and college academies and the charter school system as ways that education is changing to meet modern job market needs.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/johns-creek-man-charged-with-faking-his-kidnapping/nXtf7/
Johns Creek man charged with faking his kidnapping
By Fran Jeffries
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Georgia Gwinnett College student couldn’t bear to tell his parents he was flunking English class — for the second time — so he faked his own kidnapping, according to Johns Creek police. Now Aftab Aslam, 19, has more to worry about than an ‘F’ in English class. On Thursday, Aslam turned himself in to police who charged him with a misdemeanor count of false report of a crime, three felony counts of false statements, three felony counts of tampering with evidence and three felony counts of terroristic threats. On April 27, Aslam’s parents reported him missing after they received a text message saying their son had been kidnapped and warning them not to call police or he would be killed, police said. Eight days later, Aslam turned up at home unharmed. After telling police he had been drugged and held prisoner, he later recanted, admitting he left home on his own and camped in an undeveloped area of Forsyth County until the weather turned cold and rainy, according to Johns Creek police spokesman Doug Nurse.
Related articles:
www.myfox8.com
Student accused of faking kidnapping to avoid telling parents about failing grade
http://myfox8.com/2013/05/18/student-accused-of-faking-kidnapping-to-avoid-telling-parents-about-failing-grade/
www.insidehighered.com
Police Say Student, Failing Class, Faked Kidnapping
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/05/20/police-say-student-failing-class-faked-kidnapping
www.digitalspy.com
Student fakes kidnapping to distract parents from bad grades
http://www.digitalspy.com/odd/news/a482711/student-fakes-kidnapping-to-distract-parents-from-bad-grades.html
www.complex.com
Georgia College Student Fakes Kidnapping to Hide “F” From Parents
http://www.complex.com/city-guide/2013/05/georgia-college-student-fakes-kidnapping-to-hide-f-from-parents
GOOD NEWS:
www.jacksonville.com
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2013-05-21/story/college-coastal-georgia-dedicates-bishop-arch-and-founders-gate
College of Coastal Georgia dedicates Bishop Arch and Founders Gate
By Terry Dickson
BRUNSWICK – Just under five years ago, James A. Bishop made a motion for his fellow University System of Georgia regents to make Coastal Georgia Community College a four-year institution. The motion passed, and now the school is conferring four-year degrees on students who attended class on a campus barely recognizable from that of five years ago. The college and community dedicated the most recent architectural addition Monday: the Founders Gate and James A. Bishop Arch on Altama Avenue.
www.gwinnettforum.com
http://www.gwinnettforum.com/#focus
GGC alumni now total 1,200 as 270 become new graduates
By SALLY RAMEY
Special to GwinnettForum
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., May 21, 2013 — Georgia Gwinnett College graduation ceremony last week brings the college’s total alumni to 1,200 as 270 students gained their degree. About 2,500 people attended the ceremony, which was held on the college’s lawn. This ceremony also included two new milestones for the college. Katheryn Nikolich is the college’s first graduate to receive a double major. She graduated with a bachelor of arts (BA) in history and political science. Blair Sanders is the first to receive a double degree – a BA in English and a BS in information technology. Both students graduated magna cum laude. Also graduating was Seijin Tranberg, Georgia Gwinnett’s first Fulbright Scholar.
www.gwinnettforum.com
http://www.gwinnettforum.com/#focus (10th article down)
Armendariz is GGC’s 1000th college graduate
Joe Armendariz, Georgia Gwinnett College’s 1000th graduate, is shown with fellow 2013 graduate Kevin Jones with the national championship trophy they won for database design at the 2013 national conference of the Association of Information Technology Professionals, held in St. Louis, Mo. The trophy is the college’s first national championship.
www.gwinnett.patch.com
http://gwinnett.patch.com/articles/miracle-league-player-conquers-another-goal-graduates-from-georgia-gwinnett-college
Miracle League Player Conquers Another Goal, Graduates from College
Lauren Gunder was born with brittle bone disease, but that hasn’t stopped her from accomplishing her goals.
By Joy L. Woodson
Lauren Gunder knew there would be limitations on her life, but it hasn’t kept her from living. On Friday, she received her college diploma from Georgia Gwinnett College. Born with brittle bone disease and being legally blind, accomplishing such a goal was always going to be tough, but never impossible. She also uses the help of a wheelchair.
www.buford.patch.com
http://buford.patch.com/articles/buford-ggc-student-earns-degree-despite-illness
Buford GGC Student Earns Degree Despite Illness
Lisa Hicks overcomes medical challenges and walks across stage to accept her diploma.
When Lisa Hicks, 47, of Buford started attending Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, she was in a wheelchair. On Friday (May 17), she walked across the stage and received her bachelor’s degree. She was among 270 students graduating from the four-year liberal arts college in the spring commencement.
www.thecitizennews.com
http://www.thecitizennews.com/articles/05-19-2013/clayton-state-offer-minor-film
Clayton State to offer minor in Film
Submitted by Ben Nelms
Clayton State University is positioning itself to be a part of the rapidly growing film industry that is about to take shape in Fayette County. The university announced recently that a Film minor will be offered in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. “In response to the explosion of the film industry in the metro Atlanta area, Clayton State introduces the Department of Visual and Performing Arts’ new Film Minor,” said university relations director John Shiffert. Clayton State’s main campus is in Morrow, but it also has a Peachtree City satellite location. Clayton State’s timing is tuned to the entry in January of British-based Pinewood Studios’ new U.S. home in north Fayette County. Official groundbreaking for the eventual half-million square feet of studio and workshop space on Sandy Creek Road is expected in the coming weeks.
www.thebrunswicknews.com
http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/open_access/local_news/FINS-052113-hr-bh-JH#
Culinary students take over business
By SARAH LUNDGREN The Brunswick News
College of Coastal Georgia has added another link in its partnership with the Jekyll Island Authority – one that will benefit more than just the two partners involved. Culinary students enrolled in the Hospitality Management Program at the college campus in Camden County will soon operate Fins on the Beach, a restaurant at 200 North Beachview Drive on Jekyll Island. The restaurant operated as Blackbeard’s before the name changed to Fins. College of Coastal Georgia President Valerie Hepburn addressed the board of the Jekyll Island Authority, which approved the concept, during its meeting Monday on Jekyll. “We have, at Coastal, the only American Culinary Federation accredited program in higher education in the whole state,” Hepburn said. “We’ve always had a tie with Jekyll (Island), so when (JIA Executive Director) Jones (Hooks) came and presented this idea, it really resonated.”
Related article:
www.jacksonville.com
College of Coastal Georgia to take over Fins restaurant on Jekyll Island
The college’s culinary arts students would run the beachfront facility.
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2013-05-21/story/college-coastal-georgia-take-over-fins-restaurant-jekyll-island
USG VALUE:
www.wtoc.com
http://www.wtoc.com/story/22304467/pride-course-teaches-teens-safe-driving-techniques
PRIDE course teaches teens to be safe drivers
By Lynda Figueredo
EFFINGHAM CO., GA (WTOC) – The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office is trying to keep young people safe behind the wheel. On Monday, they hosted PRIDE, Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error. The course is designed to help parents teach their new or soon to be teen drivers what they need to do to be a safe driver. …ECSO is one of the few agencies in the state of Georgia who have deputies certified to teach this course. It is hosted and sponsored by the University of Georgia.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/uga-students-help-beautify-local-habitat-for-humanity-property/article_8a69549c-beff-11e2-82de-0019bb30f31a.html
UGA students help beautify local Habitat for Humanity property
Staff reports
University of Georgia students with the College of Environment and Design recently spruced up the landscape outside a Broad Street apartment complex owned by Athens Area Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity bought the property at 1645 E. Broad St., in 2010 and volunteers rehabbed the units for low-income families, according to a habitat press release. UGA students stepped in to improve the landscape outside the rental units, a renovation volunteers completed this May.
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/exchange/2013-05-17/goodwill-recognizes-area-partners-volunteers#.UZu-wOCTpGN
Goodwill recognizes area partners, volunteers
By Savannah Morning News
On Friday, Goodwill of the Coastal Empire recognized individuals, businesses and partners who made a difference in the lives of the individuals Goodwill serves. Among the awards presented: Employer of the Year, Media Partner of the Year, Community Partner of the Year and Goodwill Achiever of the Year, an award for program customers who have demonstrated success in overcoming vocational barriers. “This luncheon is Goodwill’s opportunity to thank our community partners who share our passion for making a difference in the lives of individuals with barriers to employment. Last year together we placed over 1,400 people,” said Mohsen Badran, CEO of Goodwill of the Coastal Empire. …BRUNSWICK Community Partner: College of Coastal Georgia, Service Learning …STATESBORO Community Partner: Georgia Southern University
RESEARCH:
www.agprofessional.com
http://www.agprofessional.com/newsletters/agpro-weekly/articles/University-of-Georgia-receives-grant-for-peanut-research-207937561.html?ref=561
University of Georgia receives grant for peanut research
University of Georgia
A $15 million grant from the U.S. Agency on International Development is giving a boost in funds to international peanut research at the University of Georgia. The USAID grant awarded to the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will go toward management of the Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Lab, formerly known as the Peanut Collaborative Research Support Programs, or Peanut CRSP. One of 10 innovation labs in existence, the lab is designed to help provide essential research for impoverished countries where people suffer from malnutrition.
www.heraldonline.com
http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/05/17/4872525/kudzu-bugs-may-face-natural-predator.html
Kudzu bugs may face natural predator
By Don Worthington
Natural biological warfare may stem the increasing wave of kudzu bugs throughout the South. Researchers from Clemson and North Carolina State universities, the University of Georgia and other institutions are expected to ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture for permission this week to fight the kudzu bugs with its natural predator – a small wasp the size of a gnat.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2013-05-21/radiation-oncology-advances-personalized-medicine?v=1369095335
Radiation oncology advances personalized medicine
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
She came to establish a Department of Radiation Oncology at Georgia Regents University, but Dr. Feng-Ming Kong believes it could soon become part of a therapy at the GRU Cancer Center that is not available anywhere else. Many other universities have had such a department for 10 or 20 years, but it is being created at GRU at a time when radiation oncology is starting to get more attention and funding for research.
www.beta.effinghamherald.net
http://beta.effinghamherald.net/section/6/article/21472/
GSU designs app for historical markers
Staff report
STATESBORO — Georgia Southern University has launched a new Georgia historical markers smartphone application that will allow historians and visitors to easily locate and explore Georgia’s more than 2,500 historical markers. Georgia Southern partnered with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs in the development of the application. According to the university, this is the most comprehensive application of its kind for the state of Georgia and will allow users who download the app the ability to search for markers of interest using their mobile phone.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/opinion/letters/2013-05-20/gru-leadership-inspiring
GRU leadership inspiring
By Connie Drisko
Augusta (The writer is dean and Merritt Professor of Georgia Regents University’s College of Dental Medicine.)
I thoroughly enjoyed the article by Barry L. Paschal in The Augusta Chronicle about University System of Georgia Board of Regents Chancellor Hank Huckaby’s address to the Columbia Country Chamber of Commerce breakfast May 15 (“Chancellor touts need for change,” May 16). His words rang true and confirmed my appreciation of the hard road ahead for our Board of Regents, Chancellor Huckaby and our president, Dr. Ricardo Azziz, in helping our new university reach the next level of academic and research excellence. As the article stated, “This is a great place in a great part of the state, and it’s going to be even greater with the things we’re going to do.” As a faculty member, I am proud to be part of this transformational change. As a transplanted Augustan, I am very grateful for the Board of Regents’ support for our city and our great new institution.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://m.chronicle.augusta.com/opinion/letters/2013-05-18/new-program-lifts-students?v=1368855902
New program lifts students
By Gretchen Caughman, Ph.D., Timothy Goodman
Augusta
This week, East Georgia State College and Georgia Regents University received approval from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to launch a cooperative academic program that will serve as an open door to higher education for Augusta-area students who may not otherwise be eligible for regular admission into GRU. As public universities, it is imperative that each of our institutions maintains our goal of promoting access to higher education and responding to the needs of our communities. GRU and EGSC are dedicated to student success, and together we are working to promote the statewide goals of Complete College Georgia – including providing students with a convenient and affordable access point, and an opportunity to earn an associate’s degree while preparing to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program. What these two great institutions are embarking on is not new, as this model for access has been implemented by EGSC in Statesboro.
www.articles.latimes.com
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/19/opinion/la-oe-hassett-colleges-muzzle-conservatives-20130519
Commencement speakers: Conservatives need not apply
Op-Ed
A look at the data suggests that at graduation ceremonies on U.S. college and university campuses, it’s liberals only.
By Kevin Hassett
We have once again entered the college commencement season, which means we’ll soon be reading about uplifting graduation speeches delivered by prominent Americans. Or at least by prominent liberal Americans. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that conservative speakers aren’t welcome on college and university campuses. Last month, in the span of a few days, student protests disrupted a presentation by Karl Rove at the University of Massachusetts and one by Rand Paul at Howard University. That same week, former Bush administration official Robert Zoellick withdrew as a commencement speaker at Swarthmore College, while Obama critic Ben Carson did the same at Johns Hopkins. …In 2012, only one Republican elected official was invited to speak at a top 50 liberal arts college: Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell at the University of Richmond. The top 100 universities invited three Republican officeholders: Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal spoke at both the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology,
www.guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/19/best-worst-parts-studying-in-united-states
Top 5 best and worst things about my time studying abroad in America
The US is far better than I ever expected, even if it does have messed up healthcare, money and road systems
Richard Morris
A Brit studying abroad across the pond might not sound that adventurous, but it’s been an eye-opening year for me at the University of West Georgia in the much stereotyped US south. Here’s the best and worst of what I learned about America:
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/05/20/essay-crowdsourcing-humanities-curriculum
Crowdsourcing the Curriculum
By Michael P. Ryan
Undergraduate students should join professors in selecting the content of courses taught in the humanities. This is the conclusion I came to after teaching Humanities on Demand: Narratives Gone Viral, a pilot course at Duke University that not only introduced students to some of the critical modes humanists employ to analyze new media artifacts, but also tested the viability of a new, interactive course design.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/thoughts-manifesto
Thoughts on a Manifesto
By Matt Reed
Sean Michael Morris’ “Manifesto for Community Colleges, Lifelong Learning, and Autodidacts” is getting some traction, and it’s easy to see why. Morris argues that we’re in the midst of a massive transformation of higher education, in which students are left much more to their own devices than they once were.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/laptop-u-misses-real-story
‘Laptop U’ Misses the Real Story
By Joshua Kim
Nathan Heller’s terrific New Yorker article Laptop U has been making the rounds in our professional networks. By Tweet and e-mail, photocopy and blog post, many of us are spending some quality time with some of the good folks responsible for bringing higher education to scale. Like most of the colleagues I have spoken to who have read Laptop U, my responses to the article on first read were positive. Heller is both an engaging writer and a terrific storyteller, and he approaches the whole MOOC phenomenon with an open mind and a refusal to draw simplistic conclusions.
Link to article mentioned above:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/05/20/130520fa_fact_heller
LAPTOP UHas the future of college moved online?
BY NATHAN HELLER
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/53400/
Several Measures Needed to Help HBCUs Boost Retention, Graduation Rates
by Jerald Henderson
The article regarding Coppin State University raises issues that are prevalent among many Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country. A holistic approach is very much needed to address the low retention and graduation rates. I applaud the committee for identifying many of the key factors that have contributed to the low retention and graduation rates. The issues, however, are common to many institutions but can be addressed with the appropriate resources, resolve, and dedicated faculty and staff.
www.waldo.villagesoup.com
http://waldo.villagesoup.com/p/should-your-kindergartener-or-first-grader-stay-back-for-reading/1004419#.UZush-CTpGM
Should your Kindergartener or First Grader Stay Back for Reading?
By Alice Beckett
When a child has difficulty in school, many educators and parents believe that the child would benefit from repeating a grade. Research, however, indicates that this might be a mistake. In fact, experts generally recommend against retention even in the younger grades. Aside from the fact that retention is very traumatic for children, “Research fails to support the benefits,” says Shane Jimerson, Professor of School Psychology at University of California. The National Association of School Psychologists’ review of the research led the entire organization to oppose grade retention, citing “no evidence of a positive effect on either long-term school achievement or adjustment” A large study conducted by the University of Georgia concluded that repeating a year had a negative effect on performance. In fact, students tended to fall further behind during their second year in the same grade.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/political-insider/2013/may/19/nathan-deal-escapes-gop-rebuke-over-common-core/
Political Insider with Jim Galloway
Nathan Deal escapes GOP rebuke over Common Core
Gov. Nathan Deal owes Seth Harp a basket of flowers. Or at least a thank-you note.
By calling for a quorum in the final minutes of the state GOP convention on Saturday, the former state senator from Columbus saved the governor from a rebuke by from the Republican grassroots over Georgia’s participation in Common Core educational standards. A resolution calling for the state to withdraw from the national – not federal – movement was one of nine resolutions that were to be placed before the body of GOP delegates in the waning minutes of its session – after a chairmanship race had drained the convention of much of its drama.
Education News
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/state-graduation-rate-improves-but-some-metro-atla/nXx6N/
State graduation rate improves but some metro Atlanta districts still struggle
By Wayne Washington
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The state’s graduation rate ticked up in 2012, but less than 70 percent of high school students graduated within four years, data released by the Georgia Department of Education today shows. At 69.72 percent, the state’s graduation rate is slightly higher than the 2011 graduation rate of 67.44 percent. This is the second year graduation rates have been compiled using a more rigorous – some say more accurate – method. The previous calculation gave what state education officials now say was an inflated view of graduation rates.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/lifestyles/atlanta-ranks-high-in-student-loan-debt/nXt4m/
Atlanta ranks high in student loan debt
By Nedra Rhone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just in time for graduation season, a recent study from Fidelity Investments found that 70 percent of the class of 2013 is graduating with college-related debt. How much? An average of $35,200. College loan debt for students in Atlanta ranks among the highest compared to other cities, according to data from Credit Karma, a website that consolidates consumer financial information in one place. For the past two years, student loan debt in Atlanta has hovered just below $40,000 ($39,855 in April, 2013).
www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/05/22/32el-edschools.h32.html?tkn=UZPF%2B5tM85W%2Be9OzRmSgBI4e4EUHD3bHlO6m&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1&intc=EW-ELDC13-ENL
Ed. Schools Lag Behind Digital Content Trends
Teacher education is struggling to catch up to digital-content developments
By Amanda M. Fairbanks
Casey Wardynski knew his district had to make a change when he glanced at its crop of history textbooks and spotted one glaring omission. “They didn’t even have 9/11 in them,” said Mr. Wardynski, the superintendent of the Huntsville city schools, an Alabama district of about 24,000 students. Last summer, the district replaced its paper-based curriculum with digital content in a rapid-fire overhaul—with 3rd graders and above receiving Hewlett-Packard laptops, while pre-K pupils to 2nd graders received iPads. But going digital, said Mr. Wardynski, was the easy part. Getting the buy-in of his teaching staff has been the real challenge.
www.sciencedaily.com
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130520154301.htm
Amazon River Exhales Virtually All Carbon Taken Up by Rainforest
The Amazon rain forest, popularly known as the lungs of the planet, inhales carbon dioxide as it exudes oxygen. Plants use carbon dioxide from the air to grow parts that eventually fall to the ground to decompose or get washed away by the region’s plentiful rainfall. Until recently, people believed much of the rain forest’s carbon floated down the Amazon River and ended up deep in the ocean. University of Washington research showed a decade ago that rivers exhale huge amounts of carbon dioxide — though left open the question of how that was possible, since bark and stems were thought to be too tough for river bacteria to digest. …The research was supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the Research Council for the State of São Paulo. Co-authors are Richard Keil at the UW; Patricia Medeiros and Patricia Yager at the University of Georgia;
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/20/studies-challenge-findings-academically-adrift
Less Academically Adrift?
By Doug Lederman
It’s hard to think of a study in the last decade that has had a bigger impact on public discourse about higher education and the internal workings of colleges and universities alike than has Academically Adrift.
The 2011 book, among the most extensive analyses of the extent and quality of college-level learning in many years, found that many students showed no meaningful gains on key measures of learning during their college years.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/20/study-challenges-data-and-ideas-behind-grade-inflation-higher-education
Missing the (Grade) Point
By Scott Jaschik
A new study about grade inflation begins by quoting an 1894 report of a Harvard University committee that was distressed by grade inflation. Apparently at Harvard at the end of the 19th century, students were earning As for “work of not very high merit” and Bs “for work not far above mediocrity.” But after establishing that complaints about grade inflation have been rampant for well over 100 years, the study goes on the question the phenomenon – as well as the significance of the evidence cited in many studies of grade inflation, namely changes in the average grade-point average.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/20/new-ets-test-non-academic-skills
Motivation Matters
By Paul Fain
Academic preparation isn’t the only factor in college readiness. Also helping to determine whether students get to graduation are social behaviors, like whether they show up for class, engage with professors and make eye contact. A new assessment from the Education Testing Service (ETS) seeks to measure those non-academic variables. ETS today is rolling out the test, which is called SuccessNavigator. It could help colleges identify students in remedial tracks who can pass credit-bearing, college-level courses, said officials with the nonprofit testing giant.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/20/redshirting-engineering-programs-gain-popularity
‘Redshirting’ in Engineering
By Zack Budryk
Following the success of academic “redshirting” — derived from an athletic term for delaying participation to improve readiness — at the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder, other universities are adopting the model. Boulder’s GoldShirt program, which began in 2009, identifies high school graduates who need time to catch up on math, science and humanities courses before proceeding to the full undergraduate engineering curriculum. As part of the five-year curriculum, students spend their first year with an eye toward preparation for the major before proceeding to the typical engineering courses.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/05/20/mooc-skeptic-proposes-anti-mooc-mooc
MOOC Skeptic Proposes an Anti-MOOC MOOC
Here’s a course topic not currently offered by any of the providers of massive open online courses: “The Implications of Coursera’s For-Profit Business Model for Global Public Education.” The course was proposed last week by Robert Meister, professor of political and social thought in the department of the history of consciousness at the University of California at Santa Cruz and president of the Council of UC Faculty Associations.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/05/20/governor-wants-right-sell-u-wisconsin-buildings
Governor Wants Right to Sell U. of Wisconsin Buildings
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, is seeking the right to sell buildings on University of Wisconsin campuses, as well as buildings owned by other units of the state, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Some legislators and student groups are opposing the plan. They note that, in the case of some facilities, buildings were paid for by student fees with the understanding that they would be used for students.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/20/education-department-will-delay-enforcing-part-state-authorization-rule
Confusion on State Authorization
By Libby A. Nelson
WASHINGTON — The Education Department announced Friday that it would push back by a year the deadline for complying with a rule requiring states to authorize colleges within their borders, but did little to clarify a regulation that colleges and their representatives say is confusing and difficult to navigate. The new deadline is July 1, 2014. The department’s state authorization rule, first released in 2010 as part of the package of “program integrity” regulations, is best-known for a provision that would have required distance education programs to get permission to operate from every state in which they enroll students.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/53381/#
Most Ark. Schools Opting Out of Campus Gun Law
by Andrew DeMillo, Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK Ark. — A new Arkansas law that leaves the decision on whether to allow faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns on campus up to colleges and universities isn’t finding any takers so far among the state’s higher education institutions. At least nine colleges and universities have voted to opt out of the new law, which allows schools to determine whether to allow the weapons on all or parts of their campuses. More could be on the way, with the state’s two largest university systems prepared to vote this week on whether to allow the handguns on campus.
www.crestviewbulletin.com
http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/business/state-launching-website-to-match-businesses-with-florida-graduates-1.146045
State launching website to match businesses with Florida graduates
By News Bulletin contributor
TALLAHASSEE — Workforce Florida Inc., the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and regional workforce boards announced the June launch of HireFloridaGrads.com, a web portal for work-ready graduates seeking employment. Job seekers can complete profiles that will assist regional workforce boards in matching qualified candidates with open positions.
www.tampabay.com
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/gubernatorial/scott-to-veto-3-percent-tuition-hike/2121848
Scott to veto tuition hike, okay Medicaid transition money
By Steve Bousquet and Tia Mitchell, Times/Tallahassee Bureau
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott today will veto a 3 percent increase in Florida college tuition and approve $65 million in extra Medicaid funding to hospitals that provide much of the care to the poor, including Tampa General and Jackson Memorial in Miami. As Scott signs a $74.5 billion budget before leaving for a trade mission to Chile, his rejection of a tuition increase was expected. He has criticized the idea for months, calling it a “tax” on middle-class families. Scott’s veto message says Florida should be proud that its tuition is lower than most states and that students should be able to earn degrees and find jobs without being saddled with “massive debt.”
www.stateimpact.npr.org
Florida’s Education Budget By The Numbers
BY GINA JORDAN
Gov. Rick Scott has signed a budget that’s very different than the one he’s been paying for since he authorized massive education cuts two years ago. Back then, pundits speculated Scott may have sealed his fate as a one term governor when he proposed a few billion dollars worth of cuts to education. Scott, for his part, seemed surprised by the widespread backlash. Ultimately, education lost about $1.3 billion in funding in 2011 – and cuts were necessary in many areas thanks to a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. The governor has been trying to make up for it since then. Scott was able to get close to a billion dollars put back into education last year and a little more than a billion was added to the budget he signed yesterday. Scott calls it the Florida Families First budget.