University System News

GOOD NEWS:
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/colleges-breaking-new-ground-distance-learning
Colleges breaking new ground in distance learning
Students benefits when state systems integrate online education programs, report says
By: Sherrie Negrea
…Florida’s new online clearinghouse is one of several groundbreaking distance learning initiatives in U.S. higher education. …Georgia: ONmyLINE Nearly 10 years ago, officials at the University System of Georgia noticed many K12 teachers enrolling in out-of-state, for-profit online programs to earn their master’s degrees in education. To combat this trend, USG in 2007 launched seven online master’s of education programs in collaboration with 17 higher ed institutions across the state. At the same time, USG created GeorgiaONmyLINE (www.georgiaonmyline.com), a searchable website listing all online degree programs and courses offered by the 31-institution USG system. …Before GeorgiaONmyLINE, USG had already established another innovative program, eCore, which allows students to take required introductory courses online.

www.albanyherald.com
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/aug/07/asu-tech-colleges-team-fire-services-degree/
ASU, tech colleges team for fire services degree
By Terry Lewis
ATLANTA — Firefighters throughout the state now have a seamless ladder leading to career advancement through a new academic program developed by Albany State University and the Technical College System of Georgia. The collaborative agreement between ASU and TCSG, the first of its kind in the state, creates a bachelor’s degree in fire services administration.

Related articles:
www.ledger-enquirer.com
ASU, technical college system form partnership
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/08/06/2620505/asu-technical-college-system-form.html

www.wsbradio.com
ASU, technical college system form partnership
http://www.wsbradio.com/ap/ap/georgia/asu-technical-college-system-form-partnership/nZGTN/

www.cbsatlanta.com
ASU, technical college system form partnership
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/23062312/asu-technical-college-system-form-partnership

www.americustimesrecorder.com
http://americustimesrecorder.com/local/x1664879076/SGTC-signs-Pathways-Program-agreement-with-VSU
SGTC signs Pathways Program agreement with VSU
The Americus Times-Recorder
AMERICUS — South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) officially signed two Pathway Program articulation agreements with Valdosta State University (VSU) recently in the John M. Pope Industrial Technology Center on the SGTC Americus campus.

USG VALUE:
www.wtvm.com
http://www.wtvm.com/story/22981426/ga-associate-professor-dr-cheryl-swanier-recognized-at-white-house
GA associate professor Cheryl Swanier recognized at White House event
By Christina Kleehammer
(WTVM) – Dr. Cheryl Swanier, an Associate Professor at Fort Valley State University, is among 11 individuals being recognized at the White House today, July 31, for expanding technology opportunities for young leaders, especially minorities, women, girls, and others from communities historically under-served or underrepresented in tech fields. According to a White House press release, these champions are inspiring students to become the developers, engineers, and innovators who will create solutions to some of the Nation’s toughest challenges.

www.dailyreportonline.com
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/PubArticleDRO.jsp?id=1375872305980&kw=GSU%20Students%20To%20Offer%20Free%20Bankruptcy%20Counsel&et=editorial&bu=Daily%20Report&cn=20130807&src=EMC-Email&pt=Afternoon%20News&slreturn=20130708101551
GSU Students To Offer Free Bankruptcy Counsel
The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia State University will launch a program this fall to prepare students to provide free bankruptcy counsel in the metro Atlanta area, school officials announced Tuesday. The Bankruptcy Assistance and Practice Program is aimed at offering pro bono bankruptcy assistance to underserved communities, and will be run with the help of local attorneys, school spokeswoman Wendy Cromwell said in a statement.

www.mysouthwestga.com
http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?id=929411#.UgO_HOCTpGN
PSA announcements planned to deter distracted drivers
by Colby Gallagher
ALBANY — Darton State College announced they’ll be working with the Albany Police Department to produce a series of public service announcements. The two organizations met in July and say they’ll produce at least three PSA’s to raise awareness about important safety issues to our area.

USG NEWS:
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-08-07/new-uga-faculty-hears-importance-job-creation
New UGA faculty hears the importance of job creation
By WALTER C. JONESMORRIS NEWS SERVICE
ATLANTA — To hammer home the importance of economic development, the University of Georgia is carting 45 of its new faculty members across the state to see how the pieces of industrial recruitment fit together. The tour will take them to industrial and agricultural centers as well as the distribution and transportation hubs like the Savannah port that move the goods to buyers. They’ll even visit one of the South’s largest construction projects, the installation of two nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle.

www.statesboroherald.com
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/52186/
Laura Bush to speak at GSU
Special to the Herald
Former first lady Laura Bush will speak at Georgia Southern University next month. The appearance by the wife of former President George W. Bush is part of the university’s Leadership Lecture Series, which allows Georgia Southern students to learn from U.S. and world leaders.

www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-08-06/thousands-uga-students-moving-back-dorms
Thousands of UGA students moving back into dorms
By LEE SHEARER
University of Georgia classes don’t begin until Monday, but thousands of students already are pouring into town. That was easy to tell Tuesday morning on Baxter Street and Milledge Avenue, where traffic slowed to a crawl as hundreds of students checked into UGA’s high-rise dorms on Baxter Street.

www.valdostadailytimes.com
http://valdostadailytimes.com/opinion/x1938690910/Valdosta-State-returns
Valdosta State returns
The Valdosta Daily Times
…As for VSU, after summer break, the return of students means Valdosta’s population just increased by several thousand people almost overnight. For some neighborhoods, it means the return of loud music and rowdier evenings. If for any reason you feel some aggravation regarding the return of VSU, stop, take a deep breath, and remember, Valdosta State University is a dynamic piston in the engine of Valdosta-Lowndes County’s economy.

www.connectstatesboro.com
http://www.connectstatesboro.com/news/article/4426/
A taste of prehistoric life
Current Georgia Southern Museum exhibit sheds light on dinosaurs
Jeff Harrison
Multimedia Journalist
A land before time, with mysterious and extinct creatures that have long captivated science and popular culture, is now within reach at Georgia Southern University. An exhibit at the college’s museum, located on Sweetheart Circle, opens a window into the age of the dinosaurs and provides visitors with an idea of how life functioned more than 65 million years ago.

STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/uga-to-open-atlanta-economic-development-office/nZGXT/
UGA to open Atlanta economic development office
By Dan Chapman
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UGA President Jere Morehead is reorganizing the school’s economic development activities and opening an office in Atlanta with an eye towards boosting the state’s growth. “I am convinced the University of Georgia can play an even greater role in economic development and these changes signal our intention to do so,” Morehead said.

Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.blogs.ajc.com
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-forward/2013/08/08/in-state-tuition-for-illegal-immigrants/
Atlanta Forward
Grant admission to selective schools
By Azadeh Shahshahani
Georgia just lost another young talent to another state. Needa Veerani arrived in the U.S. at age seven. A year later she moved to Georgia . She attended Brookwood High, where she was a distinguished member of the Math Honors Society and regional science fair participant. After graduating in 2010 with a 3.97 GPA, Needa attended Georgia Tech and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in biomedical engineering. … She made plans to pursue a doctoral degree at Georgia Tech under the supervision of a professor who offered her a position in her chosen program. Little did she know she would be prevented from pursuing her dreams. Earlier this year, the Georgia Tech admissions office informed her that, because of Board of Regents Policy 4.1.6 – which bans undocumented students from attending selective schools – she couldn’t enroll, despite the fact Needa had been granted “deferred action” by the federal government.

www.blogs.ajc.com
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-forward/2013/08/08/in-state-tuition-for-illegal-immigrants/
Atlanta Forward
Deferred action not lawful status
By John Litland
In 2010, the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate rejected the 2001 DREAM Act amnesty legislation again. Last year, in cooperation with the illegal alien lobby, President Barack Obama bypassed Congress and declared a “temporary” delay in deportation for a group of illegal aliens who can claim to have been illegally brought to the U.S. as children. He calls his administrative amnesty “Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals” or “DACA.” …The truth is that, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Website, deferred action does not provide an individual with lawful status.

www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/engagement_and_reform/2013/08/standardsnot_curriculum_three_analogies.html?cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS2
Standards–Not Curriculum: Three Analogies
By Stu Silberman
Telling a story repeatedly doesn’t make it true. Such is the case with the chatter circulating lately asserting that the Common Core State Standards force local schools and districts to use a specific curriculum. This simply is not the case. And it is important to understand that there is a big difference between standards and curriculum.

www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/08/07/37hutchins_ep.h32.html?tkn=PSOFuhOUkEOp40sP3RWxf8t7q%2F%2BwfQdvEdeH&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1
Civics in the Common Core
By Web Hutchins
…Civics proponents’ wishes have fallen mostly on deaf ears. Through promotion of the Common Core State Standards, the Obama administration and its allies orchestrated one of the most dramatic assertions of federal power into K-12 education since Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, but failed to promote civics where it counts—in the common core’s package of standards and assessments.

www.rn-t.com
http://www.rn-t.com/view/full_story/23300862/article-GUEST-COMMENTARY–An-educated-workforce-is-the-key-to-recovery?instance=lead_story_left_column
GUEST COMMENTARY: An educated workforce is the key to recovery
by Beverly Smith, TCSG Assistant Commissioner for Adult Education
Why does the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act matter, as relates to adult education in the United States? Let me first address the need: We have 31 million adults in this country who do not have a high school diploma or GED. These citizens, our citizens, also don’t fit into any one ethnic or minority group as some, me included, may have assumed. They are equitably all of us.

www.gbj.com
http://gbj.com/2013/08/05/the-new-face-of-technical-education/
The new face of technical education
A message to business leaders from Sharon Bartels, president, Gwinnett Technical College.
A community can’t build good businesses without a qualified workforce. And a qualified workforce is often the product of quality technical education programs. In computer labs and classrooms across the country, future workers train, honing skills, fine-tuning their abilities to fuel their own – and ultimately, their region’s – financial livelihood. The time has come to embrace this fact, because right now it’s building our region’s economic development future.

www.thepress-sentinel.com
http://www.thepress-sentinel.com/articles/2013/08/07/opinion/editorials/doc520153f82c269550431829.txt
Let’s make merger of tech schools work
There are different ways of looking at the merger—announced last week and scheduled for next year—of Jesup-based Altamaha Technical College and Waycross-based Okefenokee Technical College. …Still, in this financially difficult time for Georgia’s state government, costs have to be cut somewhere, and tech-school administration is a better place than tech-school instruction.

www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/sarameads_policy_notebook/2013/08/teacher_pensions_and_teacher_quality_is_there_a_connection.html?cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS2
Teacher Pensions and Teacher Quality: Is There a Connection?
By Sara Mead
Guest blog post by Cory Koedel
Teacher pensions account for a significant percentage of teacher compensation but are often ignored in conversations about improving teacher quality. In a recent study, my colleagues and I examine how the incentives for teachers to remain in teaching or leave the profession created by teacher pensions impact workforce quality. We find no evidence to suggest that the pension incentive structure raises teacher quality.

www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2013/08/top_ten_ways_to_save_money_on_edtech.html?cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS2
Top Ten Ways to Save Money on Edtech
By Tom Vander Ark
Guest Author, Rob Waldron
The edtech world changes so fast it’s hard to know where to start when looking to purchase technology to serve students, teachers and school wide needs. Not only do the tools keep changing but so do the questions that need to asked in order to ensure the right decisions are made. Here is a list of the 10 steps edtech decision makers need to follow to be sure they are choosing correctly for their staff and students (from a guy who makes a living selling Ed Tech).

www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/katrina-vanden-heuvel-a-debt-free-college-education/2013/08/06/18b4f13e-fe02-11e2-bd97-676ec24f1f3f_story.html
A debt-free college education
By Katrina vanden Heuvel
Last Wednesday — almost a month after Congress failed to prevent student loan rates from doubling — Democrats and Republicans reached a compromise that will keep rates low, at least temporarily, for most graduates. From a body with a record of procrastinating on student debt worse than students procrastinate on term papers, this was welcome news. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Education News
www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/08/us_education_department_grants.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
U.S. Department of Education Grants California Districts’ CORE Waiver
By Michele McNeil
UPDATED
The U.S. Department of Education granted an unprecedented waiver Tuesday under the No Child Left Behind Act to eight California districts that together educate 1 million students, upending a long tradition of state-based school accountability. The first-of-its-kind waiver, good for one year, essentially allows the eight districts to set up their own accountability system outside of the state of California’s—and largely police themselves through their own board of directors.

www.online.wsj.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323420604578652450468865758.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_newyork
National Test-Score Declines Are Likely
Drops in New York Math and Reading Results are Tied to a New National Curriculum Standard
By LISA FLEISHER and STEPHANIE BANCHERO CONNECT
New York state students’ math and reading scores on standardized exams plunged this year, which federal and state officials said could be a harbinger of results in dozens of states moving to tougher tests tied to new curriculum standards.

www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2013/08/states_common-core_to-do_lists_topped_by_tests_curricula.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
States’ Common-Core To-Do Lists Topped by Tests, Curricula
By Andrew Ujifusa
On the heels of its latest survey taking states’ temperatures about the political environment surrounding the common core, the Center on Education Policy has released a report detailing how far along state education officials think they are in implementing the new English/language arts and math standards, and what they see as the biggest remaining challenges.

www.walb.com
http://www.walb.com/story/23062974/new-standards-for-pre-k-program
New standards for Pre-K program
By Tara Herrschaft
Thousands of children are attending school for the first time this year through Georgia’s Pre-K program. It’s the 21st year of the program, which serves 84,000 children throughout the state. Starting this year, school officials are launching a new project, called the Georgia Early Learning Development Standards. It aligns with the common core standards for K through 12.

www.news-record.com
http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_cce6212c-ff11-11e2-8abd-001a4bcf6878.html
Black male initiative working, officials say
By Marquita Brown
GREENSBORO — Suspensions cost black male students 17,177 instructional days in 2011-12 in Guilford County Schools. That number fell last year to 16,258, with black males accounting for the overwhelming majority of suspensions, according to school system figures. But the African American Male Initiative, a new program aimed at reducing suspensions and improving academics for black students, is showing progress, school officials said Tuesday.

www.walb.com
http://www.walb.com/story/23062851/workforce-development-grant-benefits-future-nurses-and-teachers
Workforce Development Grant benefits future nurses and teachers
By Stephen Abel
THOMASVILLE, GA (WALB) – Eligible technical college students across the state will soon receive an extra $250 or $500 per semester with little to no work on their part. The new Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant offers this extra cash to students in enrolled in one of three eligible programs.

www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/55095/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=1da0712422254a7eaa7606fca985a65d&elqCampaignId=33#
New Figures Suggest Community College Grad Rates Higher Than Thought
by Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report
Community college administrators have long complained that their very, very low graduation rates unfairly fail to take into account students who transfer and continue on to earn degrees somewhere else. Now there are new figures backing them up.

www.ccnews.com
http://www.ccnewsnow.com/indian-government-plans-to-open-200-community-colleges/
Indian government plans to open 200 community colleges
Delhi University may have been criticised for its “flexible” learning model introduced in colleges this year, but the government too, seems to be interested in following the same mantra. The ministry of Human Resource Development is planning to set up 200 community colleges by the end of this year which will give learners the freedom to choose how much to study, options to quit with credits, time to work in the industry and a facility to come back later for further education.

www.news.yahoo.com
http://news.yahoo.com/over-60-percent-students-transferring-two-college-complete-120000625.html;_ylt=A2KJ2UjqBQFSJwUAmgjQtDMD
Over 60 Percent of Students Transferring from a Two-Year College Go On to Complete Four-Year Degrees
HERNDON, Va. — Community colleges play an increasingly important role for students on the way to a baccalaureate degree, and this pathway is very successful for those who transfer. More than 60 percent of students who transferred from two-year schools in the 2005-2006 academic year obtained degrees at four-year institutions. Another eight percent remained in college and were still working on a four-year degree six years after transfer.

www.studentclearinghouse.info
http://www.studentclearinghouse.info/signature/5/
Understanding the Role of Community Colleges in Four-Year Degree Attainment
…”The report shows that most students who transfer do earn a bachelor’s degree and the data suggest that students who complete a degree at the community college are more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than the thousands of students who transfer before completing their community college degree,” according to Thomas Bailey, George and Abby O’Neill Professor of Economics of Education and the Director of the Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. – See more at: http://www.studentclearinghouse.info/signature/5/#sthash.pQ1ZEbck.dpuf

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/howard-u-will-expand-its-online-offerings/45317?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
Howard U. Will Expand Its Online Offerings
By Sara Grossman
Washington — A new partnership between Howard University and Pearson Education will allow the university to expand its online offerings started in the fall of 2014. The university will begin offering degree programs through the partnership, called Howard University Online, and hopes to reach up to 25 online programs in the following years.

www.ccnews.com
http://www.ccnewsnow.com/california-bill-for-online-college-courses-put-on-the-back-burner/
California Bill For Online College Courses Put on the Back Burner
Source: ivn.us
California’s higher education system is in need of reforms if college students want affordable college degrees for subsequent generations. A solution to overcrowded classrooms that has been continually discussed is the integration of online courses. Senate Bill 520 is written to be the architect for systematic integration of online classes into campuses across California. However, Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), who led the bill, stated that he will no longer push the legislation forward.

www.ccnewsnow.com
http://www.ccnewsnow.com/famu-tcc-receive-2-1-million-grant-for-biomedical-study/
FAMU, TCC Receive $2.1 Million Grant For Biomedical Study
Source: wctv.tv
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Tallahassee Community College (TCC) have partnered for a $2,193,365 grant from the National Institutes of Health Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program in Biomedical Sciences. The goal of the FAMU-TCC Bridges Program is to cultivate a program that increases the numbers of underrepresented minorities — African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans —attending TCC with the knowledge and skills necessary to attain an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree, with the additional goal of these graduates obtaining an entry-level degree in the biomedical sciences at FAMU.

www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/55099/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=1da0712422254a7eaa7606fca985a65d&elqCampaignId=33#
Miami Dade College Program Develops Students Into Researchers
Compelled by his desire to expose Hispanic and Caribbean students to careers in computing and engineering, Dr. Miguel Alonso Jr., chair of Miami Dade College’s School of Engineering and Technology, used a $1 million-plus grant from the National Science Foundation to open a computing research lab in 2010. Today, the lab serves as a resource where students are developed into researchers and encouraged to apply their skills to solve real-life problems.

www.tampabay.com
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/frank-brogan-chancellor-of-floridas-university-system-leaving-for/2135231
Frank Brogan, chancellor of Florida’s university system, leaving for Pennsylvania
Tia Mitchell, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
TALLAHASSEE — Frank Brogan knew his time as chancellor of Florida’s state university system was drawing to a close, but even he didn’t know he would be leaving his post or the Sunshine State so soon. On Wednesday, Brogan accepted a similar job in Pennsylvania and will start work Oct. 1. Coupled with the abrupt resignation of Education Commissioner Tony Bennett last week, Florida is now without permanent leadership at its two top education posts.

www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/55086/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=1da0712422254a7eaa7606fca985a65d&elqCampaignId=33#
New Initiative Sets Sights on Disparity Gap in Education
by Jamal Watson
Civil rights activist and MSNBC host Reverend Al Sharpton is backing a new initiative aimed at addressing the disparity gap in education between White and minority students. Education for a Better America (EBA), a not-for-profit organization started by his eldest daughter, Dominique Sharpton, has targeted high school dropout prevention in some of the nation’s largest urban areas.

www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/08/07/37department.h32.html?tkn=WVMFwy1nb3mYfOIZdXOke%2BnRjn02he7pnc%2BB&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
Duncan Reluctant to Tweak Accountability-System Oversight
Secretary responds to Indiana grade-change flap
By Michele McNeil
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sees no need to step up the federal role in oversight of new accountability systems that are part of his department’s No Child Left Behind Act waiver program, even in the wake of a school-grading flap that last week cost Florida Commissioner of Education Tony Bennett his job.

Other News
www.ajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/deal-barge-feud-revives-idea-to-de-politicize-scho/nZHT4/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajc_launch
Deal-Barge feud revives idea to de-politicize schools
BY KYLE WINGFIELD – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
The feud between Gov. Nathan Deal and state schools superintendent John Barge has been a long time coming. …Both were elected in 2010. As is typical, they didn’t campaign as a team or as part of a slate, beyond both being GOP nominees in the November election. They ran for office pitching their own visions for education in Georgia. For better or worse, our governors share in the credit for schools’ successes and the blame for their failures, and their campaigns reflect that reality. They don’t cede the issue to the candidates for schools superintendent.