USG VALUE:
www.beta.effinghamherald.net
http://beta.effinghamherald.net/section/22/article/22092/
GSU’s economic impact exceeds $500M
Staff report
STATESBORO — The annual survey on the economic impact of the University System of Georgia reveals Georgia Southern University had a $524 million economic impact on Statesboro and the Bulloch County area and accounted for more than 6,500 jobs in fiscal year 2012.
www.americus.wtvm.com
http://americus.wtvm.com/news/community-spirit/85873-gsw-has-748-million-economic-impact-region
GSW has $74.8 million economic impact on region
Submitted by Courtney Smith
An annual study of the University System of Georgia’s economic impact on the State records a 7.4 percent increase from fiscal year 2011 to 2012. Georgia Southwestern State University’s impact increased by two percent from $73.5 to $74.8 million. The System and its 31 institutions had a total economic impact of $14.1 billion on the state economy. …Based on the report, GSW generated 860 full and part-time jobs in the local economy – Sumter, Schley, Macon, Lee, Crisp, Marion, Webster, and Dooly Counties. Capital projects on GSW’s campus during FY2012, namely the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex, had a local economic impact of $10.1 million, producing 120 jobs.
www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2013/07/10/2551480/study-shows-georgia-colleges-economic.html
Midstate public colleges pump $728 million into economy
By JENNA MINK
State colleges and universities are pumping more money into the economy, according to a study released Wednesday by the University System of Georgia. …Regionally, the five midstate University System of Georgia institutions contributed about $728 million into the local economy, which was about the same compared to 2011, according to a Telegraph analysis. …Georgia College & State University posted the largest increase among midstate colleges. The Milledgeville-based institution contributed more than $203 million to the economy, a $20 million jump from 2011. …Georgia College’s major impact includes more than 800 jobs on campus and 1,600 off campus, …Fort Valley State University’s economic impact also increased from about $151 million in fiscal 2011 to about $157 million in fiscal 2012. Gordon College, based in Barnesville, dropped to $141.5 million in 2012 from about $154 million in 2011, the study shows. The former Macon State and Middle Georgia colleges posted a $150 million and a $76 million impact, respectively, for a total impact of nearly $226 million for the newly-merged Middle Georgia State College. …Middle Georgia State was responsible for 2,579 jobs in 14 counties, including on-campus jobs and off-campus employment generated by college spending, the study shows.
www.cedartownstd.com
http://www.cedartownstd.com/view/full_story/23103615/article-UWG-s-Regional-Economic-Impact-Totals-to-$442-Million?instance=home_news_lead_story
UWG’s Regional Economic Impact Totals to $442 Million
by Press Release
CARROLLTON, Ga. – According to an annual study by the University System of Georgia, the University of West Georgia had a regional economic impact totaling to over $442 million in fiscal year 2012. This amount in spending by UWG and its students is a significant increase from last year’s $418 million. FY 2012 marks the fifth year of UWG’s continued annual impact growth.
GOOD NEWS:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/mind-games-uga-named-top-three-in-graduate-psychology-programs/article_217d6e04-ed63-11e2-b5ae-001a4bcf6878.html
Mind games: UGA named top three in graduate psychology programs
Arvind Deol
A recent survey by graduateprograms.com has ranked the University of Georgia’s graduate psychology program as one of the top programs in the nation. Earning an 8.96/10 in student rankings, this placed UGA right behind Harvard University’s 9.53 and Northwestern University’s 9.13.
USG NEWS:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/textbook-prices-soar-students-search-for-alternatives/article_acf86cf8-e9d1-11e2-a220-001a4bcf6878.html
Textbook prices soar, students search for alternatives
Brad Mannion and Stephen Mays
There’s no denying it — students need textbooks. According to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of college textbooks, along with tuition, heath care costs and housing prices, has drastically surpassed the rate of inflation. What is most alarming is the 812 percent increase in college textbooks since 1978 — 237 percent higher than health care and 562 percent higher than the consumer price index, or inflation rate. The increase has left University of Georgia students to find alternatives to buying new textbooks, and with the availability of online purchases, rentals and e-books, students reach out to companies such as Chegg, an online textbook rental site, and Half.com, a division of Ebay that sells college textbooks.
RESEARCH:
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/16/study-suggests-good-advanced-placement-scores-and-personality-traits-predict-college#ixzz2ZCOuUBqb
Plus for AP and Personality
By Scott Jaschik
Colleges might gain much more information about the likely success of undergraduate applicants to science and technology programs by giving added weight to success on Advanced Placement tests, and on personality traits (different ones for males and females) that may hold back some students, according to a new study. The study, published in The Journal of Educational Psychology (abstract available here), tracked 589 undergraduates at the Georgia Institute of Technology to see whether they persisted as STEM majors. A much larger study of Georgia Tech students — by some of the same researchers and forthcoming in Teachers College Record — found similar results for the predictive value of AP scores on top of traditional measures (high school grades and SAT or ACT scores). The new study finds that while traditional measures explain about 25 percent of the variation in student performance, the additional consideration of AP scores and personality traits allows for explaining 40 percent of the variation. The authors are three psychology professors — Philip Ackerman and Ruth Kanfer of Georgia Tech, and Margaret Beier of Rice University. (The paper acknowledges that Georgia Tech attracts applicants and enrolls students with superior records in math and science, compared to students at many other institutions, but the authors believe the findings would either hold true — or might even have more impact — at other institutions.)
www.beta.effinghamherald.net
http://beta.effinghamherald.net/section/22/article/22110/
Grant to GSU could help owners of rural businesses
Staff report
Georgia Southern University’s Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development (BBRED) has been awarded a $295,927 grant by the North American Development Bank (NADBank) to expand Georgia’s Enterprise Network for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (GENIE) project. GENIE will extend services of the Georgia Southern city campus and assist entrepreneurs and small business owners in Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Lincoln, Telfair and Wilkes counties, all of which are defined as the designated eligible areas (DEAs) for Georgia.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2013/07/12/uga-gates-foundations-fight-tropical.html
UGA, Gates foundations fight tropical disease
Urvaksh Karkaria
Staff Writer-Atlanta Business Chronicle
The University of Georgia Research Foundation won a $3.4 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its operational research on how best to eliminate the tropical parasitic disease schistosomiasis. Researchers will use the funding to find out how to move from repeatedly treating infected people to eliminating the disease, according to a statement.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-07-15/institute-government-survey-provides-insight-regions-manufacturing-sector
Institute of Government survey provides insight into region’s manufacturing sector
By UGA NEWS SERVICE
Athens, Ga. – A recent survey of manufacturers in the 11-county area surrounding Athens indicates that larger manufacturers are generally more optimistic about increased employment and offer employees greater benefits than their smaller counterparts. “The Report of the Wage and Benefit Survey of Manufacturers in Eleven Northeast Georgia Counties” provides information about 113 nonexempt (overtime-eligible) job categories, including wage information, employees’ access to childcare and the extent of wellness programs and educational assistance available for workers. The study, conducted by the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government, analyzes survey results from 72 employers in Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Hall, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Walton counties.
www.popsci.com
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-07/fido-would-enable-dog-human-communication
FIDO Would Enable Dog-To-Human Communication
The device would benefit the military, the disabled, doctors, and maybe even you!
By Joey Carmichael
Three researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, including one of the co-creators of Google Glass, are working to develop a new piece of technology attire–for dogs. The project, FIDO (Facilitating Interactions for Dogs with Occupations), would allow dogs to communicate crucial information–be it about navigation for the blind, bombs for security, or diagnoses for doctors–to their handlers or owners, …. The basic idea behind the project is to combine technology with dog smarts. Dogs are some of the best security devices around. They can do everything from sniff a bomb to detect cancer. One thing they are not terribly good at, though, for obvious reasons, is communicating with people.
www.ksat.com
http://www.ksat.com/lifestyle/health/killing-canine-brain-tumors/-/478162/20941382/-/8kfaiw/-/index.html
Killing Canine Brain Tumors
BACKGROUND: Glioblastomas are tumors that arise from astrocytes, the star-shaped cells that make up the “glue-like” or supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are usually cancerous because the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels. They are generally found in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain. However, they can also be found on the spinal cord or anywhere in the brain. …NEW TECHNOLOGY: The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, Inc., awarded the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and Emory University a $119,000 grant over three years to test a newly developed experimental drug to treat dogs with naturally occurring brain tumors, following surgical removal of those tumors. The goal of the research is to find therapies humans can use.
www.designnews.com
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=265350&dfpPParams=ind_183,aid_265350&dfpLayout=blog&dfpPParams=ind_183,aid_265350&dfpLayout=blog
Researchers Extract Plant Material for Use in Solar-Energy Harvesting
Elizabeth Montalbano, Contributing Writer
We’ve already told you about researchers who are working with organic material found in trees to develop solar cells, but not for their energy-harvesting aspect. Now, researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) have developed a way to interrupt plant photosynthesis so material from them can be used to harvest solar energy.
www.thegrower.com
http://www.thegrower.com/news/Pathology-team-works-to-fight-gummy-stem-blight-in-watermelons-215072231.html
Plant pathologists work to fight gummy stem blight in watermelons
Vicky Boyd
As gummy stem blight goes, so goes the Georgia watermelon season. The fungal disease can cause lesions on leaves and turn stems into a gooey mush, devastating untreated fields, according to a news release. That’s why Katherine Stevenson, a University of Georgia plant pathologist, and colleagues study fungicides and develop rotational programs. The goal is to control the disease while at the same time prolong the usefulness of commercially registered fungicides.
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional/rising-state-revenues-could-boost-deals-re-electio/nYpZC/
Rising state revenues could boost Deal’s re-election campaign
By Greg Bluestein and James Salzer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Stronger-than-expected tax collections are giving Gov. Nathan Deal a fiscal boost right when he needs it: a year before he faces voters for re-election. Figures obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday suggest that the state wrapped up its fiscal year June 30 with far more revenue than it had estimated. This means the state’s reserves may now top $600 million, the highest level since before the Great Recession. It also means that, for the first time in six years, state budget writers are not ordering agencies to submit cuts in their budgets for the coming year.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/opinion/2013-07-11/editors-desk-time-change-evaluating-public-education
The Editor’s Desk: Time for a change in evaluating public education
So once again, state education officials have released data on standardized tests administered to Georgia’s public school students, and once again, local media and local school officials have engaged, respectively, in inquiring about and providing context for how well, or how poorly, or how whatever, local students have performed.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/worldwise/a-mooc-delusion-why-visions-to-educate-the-world-are-absurd/32599?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
A MOOC Delusion: Why Visions to Educate the World Are Absurd
By Guest Writer
The following is a guest post by Ghanashyam Sharma, an assistant professor in writing and rhetoric at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
As The Chronicle recently reported, perhaps the most prominent motivation among professors at prestigious universities for teaching massively open online courses, or MOOCs, is “altruism—a desire to increase access to higher education worldwide.” In itself, the desire to increase access to quality education for millions across the world is a laudable one. After seven years of being within American academe, first as a graduate student and now as an instructor, I share that desire. I wish to make my teaching available for students around the world who aspire to learn from knowledgeable educators regardless of national borders. But I don’t share the delusion that seems to be the basis for the excitement over MOOCs among my colleagues here in the United States.
Education News
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2013-07-11/common-core-job-training-education-reforms-will-fail-says-education-researcher
Common Core, job-training education reforms will fail, says education researcher
By LEE SHEARER
The Common Core curriculum reform most states have signed on for is doomed to failure, predicted a pro-choice academic scholar Thursday in Athens. But the movement will still increase federal control over public schools, said Jay Greene, head of the University of Arkansas’ department of education reform. “It’s politically inevitable that efforts will collapse, be hijacked by the establishment or become an empty shell,” Greene said in a talk at Athens Country Club sponsored by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.
www.gbj.com
http://gbj.com/2013/07/12/cisco-awards-100000-grant-to-gwinnett-tech/
Cisco awards $100,000 grant to Gwinnett Tech
GBJ Staff
Cisco has awarded Gwinnett Technical College a $100,000 grant to fund the college’s Accelerated Learning Program, which provides academic support to students entering college to improve their academic progress and further their success at the college level. This marks Cisco’s second year of funding for the unique program, which provides intense and accelerated short-format courses in English, reading and mathematics as a way to shorten the time and need for traditional learning support programs.
www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2013/07/14/2556548/new-college-grants-target-high.html
New college grants target high-demand careers
By JENNA MINK
As the cost of college continues to rise, some Georgia students can now snag some extra help — if they have the right major. Beginning this fall semester, students who are earning credentials in commercial truck driving, early childhood education and practical nursing can qualify for the new Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/86104/
System collects, stores student information in state database
‘Invaluable service’ replaces need for schools to have their own organization methods
By Carly Sharec
A statewide database allows Georgia student information to be easily stored and viewed by school officials. The Statewide Longitudinal Data System has been in place for state schools since 2010, replacing individual schools needing to have their own organization and storage methods. Local school systems say it’s an invaluable service.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/16/business-officer-survey-predicts-major-turnover-cfos#ixzz2ZCT9uUQS
A Financial Exchange
By Kevin Kiley
INDIANAPOLIS – Just like their bosses in the president’s office, many of whom are slated to leave office in the next few years, a large number of college and university chief business officers appear to be on the verge of retirement or departure, a sectorwide shift that could usher a lot of new blood into senior administration at a time of major financial change for higher education. That is a major finding of a survey of business officers conducted by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, the findings of which will be presented and discussed today here at the association’s annual meeting.
www.pewstates.org
http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-increase-aid-to-students-85899490510
States Increase Aid to Students
By Adrienne Lu, Staff Writer
States increased need-based grant aid to undergraduate students by 6 percent in the academic year 2011-2012, while total state financial aid to students grew by about 2 percent, according to an annual survey released Monday. The survey, by the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, found that the states awarded $11.1 billion in student financial aid in 2011-2012, including loans and other aid, an increase of 1.8 percent from the previous year, adjusted for inflation. …According to the study, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Washington, D.C., provided the most grant aid per capita while Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Kentucky provided the most grant awards per student enrolled.
www.freep.com
http://www.freep.com/article/20130715/NEWS06/130715018/University-Michigan-may-soon-give-state-tuition-rates-undocumented-students
U-M may soon give in-state tuition rates to undocumented students
By David Jesse
Detroit Free Press Education Write
The University of Michigan is expected to begin offering in-state tuition to undocumented students who can prove they graduated from a Michigan high school and attended at least some middle and high school in the state. The new policy, part of a sweeping overhaul of who is considered an in-state student, will be voted on Thursday by the university’s Board of Regents. The new proposal also will give in-state tuition to any military member currently serving or honorably discharged, regardless of where the person lives.
www.abcnews.go.com
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/plan-make-tuition-free-ore-colleges-19574119#.UeVqKeCTpGN
Plan Would Make Tuition Free at Ore. Colleges
By STEVEN DUBOIS Associated Press
On college campuses across the United States, the eternal optimism of youth has been throttled out by a fear of crushing student debt. That’s certainly the case in Oregon, where the cost of tuition has soared as public funding for higher education has declined. But the state Legislature this week approved an idea that might ease the economic dread for future philosophy and art history majors. The concept — called Pay It Forward — calls for students to attend public universities tuition free and loan free. In exchange, students would have 3 percent deducted from their post-graduation paychecks for about a quarter-century. The money would go into a fund to pay for future students.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/54649/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=d71b352fdfba4d588ef101cad48217d6&elqCampaignId=33
Study Suggests Going Back to Basics: Saving to Fund Education
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
WASHINGTON — In an effort to reduce student debt and the debilitating effect that it can have on graduation rates, a pair of University of Kansas researchers on Monday suggested Children’s Savings Accounts—or CSAs—as a way to transform the way students pay for college. “As a nation, we can’t significantly increase college completion rates—essential to global competitiveness—by relying disproportionately on borrowing,” said William Elliott III, assistant professor and director of the Assets and Education Initiative within the School of Social Welfare at KU. “We need a financial aid system equipped to deliver excellent outcomes in the post-modern world,” he said.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/how-to-attract-students-and-make-money/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
To Attract Students, Experts Say, Persistence Pays
By Eric Kelderman
Indianapolis — Some parents and prospective students might be annoyed by the seemingly endless stream of postcards and e-mails they get from colleges hoping to persuade them to apply. But those efforts aren’t likely to stop anytime soon, a panel of admissions professionals told an audience here on Monday during a session at the annual meeting of the National Association of College and University Business Officers. “As much as everyone says they want to be left alone, they don’t,” said Ned Jones, vice president for enrollment management at Siena College, in New York. “Repetition still works,” he said.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/54653/#
Research Says Fancy College Dorms, Gyms Don’t Attract Applicants
by Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report
Universities and colleges may be competing to build such perks as climbing walls and fancy dormitories, but the “arms race” over residence halls, food services, and fitness centers is having little effect on college applicants’ choices, new research shows. Conducted before and after the economic downturn by economists Kevin Rask of Colorado College and Amanda Griffith of Wake Forest University, the research says students are more interested in price and prestige than in amenities.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/54657/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=d71b352fdfba4d588ef101cad48217d6&elqCampaignId=33
Community Colleges Embracing Programs That Increase Retention, Grad Rates
by Reginald Stuart
As the first leg on the long ladder to academic achievement, community colleges have long had a reputation for losing almost as many students as they enroll. The reasons run the gamut from school-related to personal. Whatever the reason, the bottom line is not encouraging, especially for students who enter with graduation from a four-year college on their minds.
www.online.wsj.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323664204578607810292433272.html
Amid Falling Enrollment, Law Schools Are Cutting Faculty
Trims Send Grim Message to Elite Group Long Sheltered From Economy’s Ups and Downs
By ASHBY JONES and JENNIFER SMITH
Law schools across the country are shedding faculty members as enrollment plunges, sending a grim message to an elite group long sheltered from the ups and downs of the broader economy. Having trimmed staff, some schools are offering buyouts and early-retirement packages to senior, tenured professors and canceling contracts with lower-level instructors, who have less job protection. Most do so quietly. But the trend is growing, most noticeably among middle- and lower-tier schools, which have been hit hardest by the drop-off. Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minn., for example, has shrunk its full-time faculty about 18% since 2010, and the school is exploring ways to further scale back its head count.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/despite-wariness-outsourcing-pays-off-for-universities/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Despite Wariness, Outsourcing Pays Off for Universities
By Eric Kelderman
Indianapolis — Colleges have moved far beyond hiring private companies just to run their dining services or manage the campus bookstore. In June 2012, for example, Ohio State University signed a $483-million deal to lease its parking facilities to an Australian company for 50 years. Although there was an outcry from some faculty members, the money added about 20 percent to the value of Ohio State’s endowment, said Michael Papadakis, the university’s vice president for financial services. Mr. Papadakis spoke on Sunday in a session here at the annual meeting of the National Association of College and University Business Officers. With the extra cash, the university set aside more than $150-million to improve its environmental sustainability and $83-million for student scholarships.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/fund-raising-pace-slowed-in-2012-but-revenues-were-up-survey-finds/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Fund-Raising Pace Slowed in 2012, but Revenues Were Up, Survey Finds
By Cory Weinberg
The number of alumni donors and the amount of money colleges collected from them stayed relatively flat in 2012, according to survey results released on Monday, bringing fund raising down to earth after a pair of postrecession bounce-back years.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/54667/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=d71b352fdfba4d588ef101cad48217d6&elqCampaignId=33
Penn State Gets Report on Federal Sandusky Probe
by Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State has received a preliminary report from the federal government regarding whether its handling of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal complied with campus crime reporting requirements, the university said Monday. The school said that neither it nor the U.S. Department of Education was permitted under the law to release information about the report at this time, but that details will be made public after the federal agency makes a final determination when it finishes its review.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/16/uconn-launches-investigation-its-own-handling-child-sex-abuse-allegations-against#ixzz2ZCSzT8He
Looking the Other Way?
By Colleen Flaherty
Another institution has found itself embroiled in a sex scandal involving children, this time the University of Connecticut. A music professor has been put on administrative leave pending further investigation, but preliminary details about the case raise questions of who knew what when, and if allegations brought to the attention of university employees in 2006 were ignored. UConn on Monday announced it was cooperating with law enforcement investigations into claims that Robert Miller committed sex crimes against minors, and investigating additional allegations that he had sex with students. The university also announced that it was seeking legal counsel and launching an internal investigation into how it handled those claims. No formal charges against Miller had been filed.