University System News

USG NEWS:
www.times-georgian.com
http://www.times-georgian.com/news/article_8f4ac03e-11d1-11e3-a8e7-001a4bcf6878.html
New UWG president outlines long-term plans
Colton Campbell/Times-Georgian
The seventh president of the University of West Georgia laid out parts of his long-term plan for the institution for more than 150 business leaders Thursday . Dr. Kyle Marrero, having spent just more than eight weeks in the office as president of the university, was formally welcomed by theCarroll County Chamber of Commerce at its membership breakfast. Members of the chamber praised Marrero’s initiatives to move the university forward and to capitalize on the growth nurtured by Dr. Beheruz Sethna, who stepped down from his 19-year post as president June 30.

www.dailyreportline.com
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/PubArticleDRO.jsp?id=1202617513181&kw=Students%20Get%20Real%20Work%2C%20And%20Clients%20Get%20Help%20On%20Bankruptcies&et=editorial&bu=Daily%20Report&cn=20130903&src=EMC-Email&pt=Morning%20News&slreturn=20130803112349
Students Get Real Work, And Clients Get Help On Bankruptcies
New GSU Law Program turns a class on bankruptcy process into experience
By Meredith Hobbs
Third-year law students at Georgia State University are gaining real lawyering skills in an innovative bankruptcy class that allows them to represent actual debtors. The class is the brainchild of Jessica Gabel, who joined GSU’s law school faculty in 2009 after four years as a litigator at Covington & Burling in San Francisco. Gabel said she started the Bankruptcy Assistance and Practice Program to give students experience working with real clients and to help people filing for bankruptcy who cannot afford a lawyer.

www.statesboroherald.com
http://statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/52844/
The difference ‘A Day’ can make at Georgia Southern
Fundraising campaign affected current student
Special to the Herald
If anyone could explain the impact the annual “A Day for Southern” campaign can have, it’s Georgia Southern University student Laynie Brown. …Upon her graduation from Bulloch Academy, Brown received a 1906 Scholarship to attend Georgia Southern, which receives funding from the annual campaign. Now in its 40th year, the campaign helps raise funds for the university to help cover costs not funded by state dollars such as scholarships, faculty development, championship athletics and cultural programs.

www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/news/2013/08/29/young-immigrants-in-limbo
Young Immigrants In Limbo
By Jeanne Bonner
Money keeps many people from getting an education. But it’s especially so for a group of Georgia students whose parents brought them to the U.S. illegally. The state bars them from the top five public colleges and requires them to pay out-of-state tuition at the others. Many put their education dreams on hold or take years to complete a degree. Here are the stories of two undocumented students who should be finishing college this year. Instead, one is just starting while the other is a sophomore at a community college.

www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/news/2013/09/02/hit-the-road-not-the-books
Hit The Road, Not The Books
By Jeanne Bonner
ATLANTA — Opponents of a state college system policy are still waiting for a response to their lawsuit challenging Georgia’s treatment of undocumented students. But they say the state has already granted some rights to the students who are suing. The Board of Regents bars undocumented students from Georgia’s top colleges. And it requires them to pay out-of-state tuition at the others. The students suing say the policy conflicts with a 2012 executive order from Pres. Obama that gives them lawful presence.

GOOD NEWS:
www.statesboroherald.com
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/52826/
E. Ga. College celebrates 40 years
Events planned for Sept.
Special to the Herald
East Georgia State College will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a series of events next month. It runs from Thursday, Sept. 26, through Saturday, Sept. 28. The theme is “Educating. Graduating. Serving Communities. An Enduring Legacy,” playing off the school’s EGSC acronym.

www.rockmartjrl.com
http://www.rockmartjrl.com/view/full_story/23487163/article-UWG-named-one-of-the–Best-in-the-Southeast–colleges-?instance=home_local_news
UWG named one of the “Best in the Southeast” colleges
The University of West Georgia was named one of the “Best in the Southeast” colleges for The Princeton Review’s “2014 Best Colleges: Region by Region.” UWG joins 138 other top institutions on this list, including Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mercer University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Georgia and Vanderbilt University.

www.times-georgian.com
http://www.times-georgian.com/news/local/article_c93f0cfc-12c4-11e3-bb2e-0019bb30f31a.html
Record enrollment for West Georgia
Enrollment at the University of West Georgia has reached a record 12,000, and includes a record freshman class of more than 2,000. Students officially returned to campus this past week to start fall semester classes.

www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-09-01/uga-business-school-plans-online-degree
UGA business school plans online degree
By LEE SHEARER
The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business is on track to offer its first online degree program next fall. The planned bachelor of business administration in general business degree is designed for working professionals who can’t attend a traditional on-campus program, said Myra Moore, director of assessment, rankings and undergraduate programs in the business college.

www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-08-30/uga-receives-195-million-provide-better-science-teaching-tools
UGA receives $1.95 million to provide better science teaching tools
By UGA NEWS SERVICE
Two federal grants totaling $1.95 million will provide jobs and research support for a growing University of Georgia startup company that aims to change the way science is taught in classrooms.
The researchers are going beyond traditional textbooks to engage high school students in their learning experiences.

www.lawrenceville-ga.patch.com
http://lawrenceville-ga.patch.com/groups/schools/p/benefield-elementary-and-gsmst-finalists-for-stem-awards
Benefield Elementary and GSMST Named Finalists For STEM Awards
The two Lawrenceville schools worked on a science project together. Georgia Gwinnett College and Cisco also received honors.
Posted by Vanzetta Evans
Two Lawrenceville schools were recognized for their work in science and technology. Benefield Elementary School and Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology (GSMST) were named finalists for the Technology Association of Georgia’s Second Annual STEM Education Awards. …Georgia Gwinnett College also received two nominations. One for Post Secondary Outreach with their Tech Pipeline Initiatives and another for Classroom Technology through their School of Science and Technology.

www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/news/2013-08-30/area-schools-selected-stem-award-finalists#
Area schools selected as STEM award finalists
By Savannah Morning News
Several area schools and programs were selected as finalists for the 2013 Technology Association of Georgia and the TAG Education Collaborative STEM Education Awards. …Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah Technical College and Woodville Tompkins Technical and Career High School are finalists for the Best Use of Technology in Classroom award. …The Post Secondary Outreach award finalists include Georgia Southern University’s Molecular Biology Initiative and Savannah State University.

USG VALUE:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/health/2013-09-02/after-school-exercise-program-seeks-teach-children-healthy-habits-enhance
After-school exercise program seeks to teach children healthy habits, enhance cognitive development
By APRIL BURKHART
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final story in a six-part series on obesity research conducted through the Obesity Initiative at the University of Georgia.
After years of fighting childhood obesity, the U.S. finally is seeing some signs of improvement. According to a recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity among low-income preschoolers declined from 2008 to 2011 in 19 of 43 states and territories studied. Georgia was listed among the states that showed a decrease in childhood obesity, and though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is causing the change, it’s likely due to community involvement.

www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2013-09-02/online-exercise-program-lets-you-walk-georgia
Online exercise program lets you ‘walk’ Georgia
By Lisa Kaylor
Staff Writer
If you can grocery shop or vacuum a floor, you can walk across the state of Georgia. That’s a possibility with Walk Georgia, an online 12-week program offered by the University of Georgia’s Ex¬tension Office that converts minutes of activity into steps, which accumulate into miles walked. As miles are accumulated, participants can navigate a map of Georgia and chart a course to simulate walking across the state. …English said the program is intended to help people understand that increasing any physical activity is beneficial, even if it’s not technically exercise.

RESEARCH:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-08-31/initatives-will-take-uga-researchers-athens-community
Initatives will take UGA researchers into Athens community
By LEE SHEARER
Research in the hard sciences gets the most attention, but the University of Georgia’s Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts is putting a spotlight on UGA researchers in the arts and humanities. A Thursday reception highlighted six faculty research clusters, which will get grants of up to $25,000 from the UGA Research Foundation for projects that include delving into the history of Athens music, a digital humanities laboratory, and one called “neuroimaging, movie trailers and spectator cognition,” designed to explore how people’s brains process music, color, sound and other aspects of mainstream movie trailers.

www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-08-30/uga-lab-plays-key-role-identifying-dolphin-virus-urges-people-not-touch-stranded
UGA lab plays key role in identifying dolphin virus, urges people not to touch stranded animals
By UGA NEWS SERVICE
The University of Georgia Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, based at the College of Veterinary Medicine, played a key role in identifying the cause of the “unusual mortality event” for bottlenose dolphins announced this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Now they’re urging people who find dolphins stranded along the coast to report the sightings but not to touch the animals.

www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/news/2013/09/03/why-some-hurricanes-strengthen-over-land
Why Some Hurricanes Strengthen Over Land
By Joshua Stewart
ATLANTA — As we enter the peak weeks of hurricane season, new University of Georgia research explains why some storms don’t fall apart once they make landfall. The research is especially relevant for Georgia, where the biggest threat comes from flooding once a storm moves inland.

www.scientificamerican.com
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=hurricane-irene-might-have-triggered-virginia-earthquake-aftershocks
Hurricane Irene Might Have Triggered Virginia Earthquake Aftershocks
The rate of aftershocks following the August 23, 2011, quake increased sharply as Irene passed by, suggesting that ground disturbances from large storms might be strong enough to prompt tremors
By Richard A. Lovett and Nature magazine
Hurricane Irene, a powerful storm that ran north along the US East Coast four days after a magnitude-5.8 earthquake rattled Virginia in 2011, may have triggered some of that earthquake’s aftershocks, scientists reported today at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America in Salt Lake City, Utah. The rate of aftershocks usually decreases with time, says study leader Zhigang Peng, a seismologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta. But instead of declining in a normal pattern, the rate of aftershocks following the 23 August 2011, earthquake near Mineral, Virginia, increased sharply as Irene passed by.

www.cen.acs.org
http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/08/Measuring-Pressure-Help-Static-Electricity.html
Measuring Pressure With The Help Of Static Electricity
Sensors: A pressure-sensing device runs on electricity generated by the triboelectric effect
By Erika Gebel Berg
On a dry winter day, shuffling across a carpeted floor often can end in a painful shock thanks to static electricity. A team of scientists would like to exploit the phenomenon behind that annoying zap to build useful devices. By harnessing the electron exchange created when certain materials rub together, the researchers developed a simple and inexpensive pressure sensor that doesn’t need an external power source (ACS Nano 2013, DOI: 10.1021/nn4037514). The devices someday could be incorporated into artificial skin to sense contact or used in computer touch screens. Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology has worked for years to develop devices based on the triboelectric effect—the phenomenon behind static electricity.

www.natureworldnews.com
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/3757/20130830/bacteria-naturally-eat-up-oil-spill-contamination-supplementing-diet-nitrogen.htm
Bacteria Naturally ‘Eat Up’ Oil Spill Contamination by Supplementing Diet with Nitrogen
By Tamarra Kemsley
The discovery that bacteria living in the Gulf of Mexico beaches “ate up”‘ the contamination leaked from the Deep Water Horizon oil spill by supplementing their diet with nitrogen could lead to far more sophisticated cleanup techniques, researchers say. Led by Joel Kostka, a microbiologist from Georgia Institute of Technology, a new study presented to delegates at the Goldschmidt conference explains that because oil is a natural product comprised of decayed plants and animals, it’s similar to what bacteria are already accustomed to consuming.

www.macworld.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/2047567/how-apple-is-improving-mobile-app-security.html
How Apple is improving mobile app security
Marco Tabini
In a much-publicized recent case, scientists at Georgia Tech managed to get a specially crafted app that could perform all sorts of malicious activities app—aptly named Jekyll—onto the App Store, bypassing every single security measure put in place by Apple to protect its users. That’s no small achievement: Apple has gone to great lengths to ensure that users of its mobile operating system feel safe when they use their devices for everyday activities from browsing the Web to updating their banking accounts.

www.wsbtv.com
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/tollway-authority-disputes-study-hot-lanes/nZkFh/
Tollway authority disputes study of HOT lanes
A new study out about the Interstate 85 High Occupancy Toll lanes, or HOT lanes, suggests drivers are more likely to use the lanes, which stretch from I-285 to Old Peachtree Road, if they live in an affluent area. But state officials argue the study is highly flawed. The Southern Environmental Law Center conducted the study, analyzing the median income level of Peach Pass users by ZIP code… Georgia Tech is conducting one of the studies for the state; it is due out later this year. SRTA said it also disputes the nickname “Lexus Lanes.” They claim the Georgia Tech study shows the most frequent vehicles in the HOT lanes are the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Ford F-150 and Nissan Altima.

Related article:
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
Report explores link between toll lanes and income
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2013/aug/31/report-explores-link-between-toll-lanes-and-income/

STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/deal-wraps-up-trade-mission-to-asia/nZghB/
Deal wraps up trade mission to Asia
By Christopher Seward
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Nathan Deal and a delegation of about 40 government and business representatives wrapped up a weeklong trade and tourism mission to Asia on Thursday with the announcement of three more Japanese companies opening offices in Gwinnett County. …Deal’s office announced HAMACO Industries Corp., Okaya USA Inc. and Idaka America Inc. have opened offices in Gwinnett, joining more than 70 Japanese companies that already have operations or offices in the county.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/business/georgias-growth-industry-low-wage-jobs/nZhMD/
Low-wage jobs play outsized role in Georgia’s economy
BY DAN CHAPMAN – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
The U.S. economy churns out low-wage jobs — burger flippers, shelf-stockers, in-home caregivers — at an impressive clip. Three of every five U.S. jobs created since the end of the Great Recession are low-wage. Nearly 150,000 Georgians earn the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less. Their numbers are growing. So is their anger.

Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/taking-measure-of-our-work/nZgms/
Taking measure of our work
BY ANDRE JACKSON
It’s fitting that we Americans honor the deep dignity of work each Labor Day weekend. For all our many differences as a people these days, the great majority of us still revere the value of honest toil.
That veneration of work — and the shared and individual prosperity it brings — is a pillar of our value system. Thus, phrases like “self-reliant” and “hard-working” are commonly heard accolades in our conversations across backyard fences and in community spaces. All of which makes Labor Day a treasured part of being an American. So we should enjoy this long weekend for what it is — a time to hopefully catch some rest and also take stock of each of our own roles in making this country go.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/training-todays-workers-for-tomorrows-jobs/nZftF/
Training today’s workers for tomorrow’s jobs
BY MARK BUTLER
For the last three years, as your Labor Commissioner, I have traveled across the state and talked with thousands of employers. Whether it be Fortune 500 companies, or small business owners, the resounding theme I have heard from these businesses is that, although Georgia’s workforce has matured in technical and academic skillsets, they are falling behind in the soft skills needed to gain jobs, keep them, and excel in the job market.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/industry-academic-cooperation-can-grow-jobs-here/nZfq7/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajc_launch
Industry-academic cooperation can grow jobs here
BY JEFFREY ROSENSWEIG
The painful plunge in jobs during the 2008-09 “Great Recession,” followed by the too- slow recovery, has caused local unemployment rates to exceed the nation’s. Job creation in metro Atlanta and Georgia has lagged the nation’s recovery, although it shows signs of accelerating recently. What can be done to spur job creation in the state and its capital city? Efforts to recruit manufacturing firms and incubate tech startups are succeeding in creating some good jobs.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/building-on-strengths-will-boost-atlanta/nZgjp/
Building on strengths will boost Atlanta
BY DONNA HYLAND
In our effort to grow jobs and build a strong community, metro Atlanta often looks to other regions for best practices. Business and community leaders recently completed a trip to Pittsburgh to learn how they reshaped their city from a steel town into a thriving, diversified hub of entrepreneurial activity. I expected to leave full of new, bold ideas on how we could influence job growth in Atlanta. Interestingly, Council leadership left re-energized that our assets in metro Atlanta are world class and we continue to be a great place to build a business, raise a family and follow your dreams.

www.lagrangenews.com
http://www.lagrangenews.com/news/opinion/2429352/Replace-Obamas-higher-education-report-card-with-better-regulations
Replace Obama’s higher education report card with better regulations
When President Barack Obama made a speech this week about having his own special scorecard for higher education institutions, I wasn’t clapping. Here’s why. It’s not that I think LaGrange College would do pretty poorly, or that Columbus State University or the University of West Georgia would take it on the chin. All would probably do pretty well. But this “report card” wouldn’t really solve the problems in higher education, and could be hijacked by higher education institutions who would donate more to get a better rating.

www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/opinion/2013-08-28/savannah-athens-link-improving-hire-ed#.UiYIEuB5iCa
Savannah-Athens link: Improving ‘hire’ ed
THE MAIN campus of the University of Georgia may be a four-hour drive from Savannah. But the educational connections between Athens and coastal Georgia are quite close — and pose excellent opportunities to benefit both communities and the entire state. On Monday, new University of Georgia President Jere Morehead delivered a clear, strong message in Savannah about where he stands on academics — students and their education come first.

www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2013/aug/30/stay-common-core-we-have-it-right-please-dont-mess/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Stay with Common Core: “We have it right. Please don’t mess it up.”
I asked mathematicians to respond to a recent critique on the blog of Common Core State Standards in math. Here is a response to the critique and to the state’s decision to pull out of the consortium creating new tests aligned to the Common Core.

www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2013/sep/03/there-really-shortage-stem-graduates-if-so-why-are/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Is there really a shortage of STEM graduates? If so, why are wages stagnant?
Hardly a week goes by without another dire prediction about how the shortage of science and math graduates is crippling the U.S. economy. Many leaders, including President Obama, have called for a concerted effort to increase the numbers of students majoring in what are known as the STEM fields, science, technology, engineering and math. Several studies have documented a shortage. But there is also evidence that the claims are exaggerated.

Education News
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/02/the-tuition-is-too-damn-high-part-vi-why-theres-no-reason-for-big-universities-to-rein-in-spending/
The Tuition is Too Damn High, Part VI — Why there’s no reason for big universities to rein in spending
By Dylan Matthews
Freddie de Boer is a grad student at Purdue University, one of Indiana’s flagship public research institutions. Purdue has a new gym – excuse me, a new “sports center,” the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center, to be exact. When de Boer went to check it out, he found treadmills that each featured a TV and an iPod dock, a bouldering wall and a 55-foot climbing wall, a spa with Jacuzzi function that can fit 26 people, six racquetball courts, and a “demonstration kitchen” for cooking lessons. “It really is lovely to look at,” he concluded. “It looks like…money.”

www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/03/the-tuition-is-too-damn-high-part-vii-is-government-aid-actually-making-college-more-expensive/
The Tuition is Too Damn High, Part VII —Is government aid actually making college more expensive?
By Dylan Matthews
If the federal government has failed at making college affordable (and it’s pretty clear that, insofar as that was a goal, it has), it’s not for a lack of trying. There’s a plethora of programs that have been passed in recent decades designed to target exactly this problem. Perhaps the most famous is the Pell Grant program, but there’s also the American Opportunity Tax Credit, Stafford, PLUS, and Perkins loans, and the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. Then there’s the tax-exempt status of scholarships and interest from state and local government bonds used to finance public higher education, as well as the deduction for charitable contributions to colleges and universities.

www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/college-presidents-on-obamas-rating-plan/2013/08/30/b3cebc38-10cf-11e3-b4cb-fd7ce041d814_story.html?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
College presidents on Obama’s rating plan
By Nick Anderson, Published: August 30 E-mail the writer
The Washington Post asked several leaders of colleges and universities about President Obama’s plan to rate their institutions by 2015 and link student aid to those ratings by 2018.

www.wtsp.com
http://www.wtsp.com/news/national/article/333434/81/Sagging-state-funding-jacks-up-college-tuition
Sagging state funding jacks up college tuition
(USATODAY.com) – The start of a new school year is punctuated by what’s become a new financial norm for public universities: massive cuts in state funding that lead to rising tuition, cuts in enrollment, sporadic class schedules and staff layoffs. Despite some recent tuition freezes for the 2013-14 school year, public universities continue to suffer from significant spending cuts by their own states. The state funding cuts are the primary driver of tuition inflation in recent years, education experts say.

www.online.wsj.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324324404579045381967754304.html?KEYWORDS=%22Higher+Education%22
Online Class Aims to Earn Millions
University of Texas at Austin Professors Hope to Eventually Attract 10,000 Students to Psychology Course, at $550 a Pop
By DOUGLAS BELKIN CONNECT
Two University of Texas at Austin professors this week launched their introductory psychology class from a makeshift studio, with a goal of eventually enrolling 10,000 students at $550 a pop and bringing home millions for the school. The professors have dubbed the class a SMOC—Synchronous Massive Online Class—and their effort falls somewhere between a MOOC, or Massive Open Online Course, a late-night television show and a real-time research experiment.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/A-MOOC-Star-Defects-at-Least/141331/
A Star MOOC Professor Defects—at Least For Now
By Marc Parry
Mitchell Duneier once was a MOOC star. But today he’s more like a conscientious objector. Worried that the massive open online courses might lead legislators to cut state-university budgets, the Princeton University sociology professor has pulled out of the movement—at least for now.

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/03/more-female-professors-experiment-moocs-men-still-dominate#ixzz2douFx0wT
Masculine Open Online Courses
By Carl Straumsheim
Despite the talk about how massive open online courses, or MOOCs, will dramatically alter the landscape of higher education, the courses have in some ways taken academe back — to the days of huge gender gaps, when senior scholars overwhelmingly were men.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Education-Dept-Releases-Draft/141347/
Education Dept. Releases Draft Language for New Gainful-Employment Rule
By Goldie Blumenstyk
The U.S. Department of Education released draft language on Friday for a proposed new “gainful employment” rule that in some ways would be stronger than an earlier version that was thrown out by a federal court in June 2012, but in others ways would be weaker. The draft regulation, which will be subject to three days of formal negotiation beginning on September 9, could cover more than 11,000 programs at for-profit and nonprofit colleges—nearly twice as many as the old rule would have covered.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/First-Year-Earnings-Depend/141317/
First-Year Earnings Depend More on Major Than on College, Study Finds
By Dan Berrett
College graduates’ majors can affect their early-career earnings more than the institution they attended, according to a new report from College Measures, a partnership that seeks to help students and their families use data to make more cost-effective choices.

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/03/study-examines-trends-phd-programs-produce-political-science-professors#ixzz2dovfzquC
Poli Sci Professor Producers
By Scott Jaschik
CHICAGO — Last year, a study in Georgetown Public Policy Review exposed the extent to which a relatively small number of graduate programs in political science dominate placement in Ph.D.-granting departments. The study looked at the 116 universities ranked by U.S. News & World Report for political science graduate programs, and examined where all of the tenure-track or tenured faculty members earned their doctorates.

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/03/political-scientists-consider-strategies-deal-ban-nsf-support#ixzz2dovTYhWZ
What to Do About Congress
By Scott Jaschik
CHICAGO — There was no shortage of experts on Congress here this week at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. But at a session on what to do about a particular Congressional action — placing strict limits on National Science Foundation support for the discipline — many scholars were a bit flummoxed.

Related article:
www.chronicle.com
Political Scientists Acknowledge Need to Make Stronger Case for Their Field
http://chronicle.com/article/Political-Scientists/141361/

www.nytimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/02/science/science-education-voices.html?smid=tw-share
Ideas for Improving Science Education
By Claudia Dreifus
If you could make one change to improve science education in the United States, what would it be? Science Times asked that question of 19 Americans — scientists, educators, students — with a stake in the answer. Their responses follow.

www.nytimes.com

Mystery of the Missing Women in Science
By NATALIE ANGIER
Peter Ostrander, the tireless coordinator and cheerleader for a renowned science and mathematics magnet program at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md., was not satisfied. Over the past few years, the pool of applicants had included nearly as many girls as boys, and the acceptance rate — based largely on test scores and grades — had followed suit. Yet when it came to which of the invitees ended up choosing Blair’s magnet option over other offerings in the area, the scales tilted male. In 2012, for example, 80 percent of the eligible boys said yes, but only 70 percent of the girls. In 2010, the figures had been 93 percent and 56 percent.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Political-Scientist-Seeks-to/141321/
A Political Scientist Seeks to Reinvent the Scholarly Conference
By Dan Berrett
…Mr. Rom has put his personal dissatisfaction in service of a larger purpose: His paper “The Scholarly Conference: Do We Want Democracy and Markets or Authority and Tradition?” was published last year by the Journal of Political Science Education. It attracted attention among scholars as the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association took place in Chicago late last month.

www.nytimes.com

STEM Doesn’t Mean Flowers
By NATALIE ANGIER
In 2010, the Science Times columnist Natalie Angier wrote an essay objecting to “the odious and increasingly pervasive term ‘STEM education.’ ” In the years since, the acronym (for science, technology, engineering and mathematics) has gone from pervasive to unavoidable; a Web search for “STEM education” returns 105 million results. But it is the kind of jargon that The Times’s Manual of Style and Usage urges its writers and editors to avoid, and this special issue has tried to keep it to a minimum. Here is an excerpt from Ms. Angier’s column.

www.nytimes.com

Guesses and Hype Give Way to Data in Study of Education
By GINA KOLATA
What works in science and math education? Until recently, there had been few solid answers — just guesses and hunches, marketing hype and extrapolations from small pilot studies. But now, a little-known office in the Education Department is starting to get some real data, using a method that has transformed medicine: the randomized clinical trial, in which groups of subjects are randomly assigned to get either an experimental therapy, the standard therapy, a placebo or nothing.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/College-Business-Officers/141353/
College Business Officers Worry About Costs and Enrollment, Survey Finds
By Eric Kelderman
Business officers are worried that the high costs of attending their institutions are turning students away, according to the results of a survey released on Tuesday. Over all, 37 percent of those responding to the second annual survey by the accounting firm KPMG said they were “very concerned” about maintaining enrollment. That figure was 23 percent in last year’s survey, the firm said in a news release summarizing its findings.

www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/08/21/01calculators_ep.h33.html?tkn=YMTFfsuP2uaE9zB4rBpj3w12TMRHJpNKRuVa&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
Calculator Use on Exams to Shift With Common Core
By Erik W. Robelen
Although calculators have not figured prominently in discussions of the common-core math standards, it’s likely the complementary tests will result in far greater uniformity in their use on state exams across the nation. Policies emerging from the two state consortia developing common-core assessments would prohibit most students from using calculators on the grades 3-5 tests, for example. At grades 6 and above, they call for calculator “on” and “off” sections and set restrictions on what functionality is allowed. (Both consortia will provide online calculators for the computer-based tests.)