University System News
GOOD NEWS:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2013-09-10/us-news-ranks-uga-top-20-public-universities
U.S. News ranks UGA in top 20 public universities
By STAFF REPORTSNEWS
The University of Georgia landed at No. 20 in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2014 edition for public universities and No. 60 among best national universities this year. The university moved up in both categories, from 21st and 63rd on the 2013 list, respectively.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2013/09/3-georgia-schools-on-us-news-top.html
3 Georgia schools on U.S. News’ Top Universities list
Carla Caldwell, Morning Edition Editor
Three Georgia schools are listed among the Top 100 schools in the 2014 U.S. News & World Report “Top National Universities” rankings. The 2014 rankings offer data on nearly 1,800 schools, including tuition and graduation rates, the magazine says. Georgia schools that made the Top 100 are: Emory University at No. 20, Georgia Tech at No. 36, and University of Georgia at No. 60.
www.informationweek.com
http://www.informationweek.com/iw500/2013/top250
The BORUSG is ranked 9th on this year’s InformationWeek 500 – a list of the top technology innovators in the world!
www.wjbf.com
http://www.wjbf.com/story/23363881/gru-receives-positive-review-from-accreditation-group
GRU Receives Positive Review From Accreditation Group
By Randy Key, WJBF Web Content Producer
Augusta, GA – Months of preparation for an on-site visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) culminated Friday in a positive review for Georgia Regents University (GRU), which was found to be compliant with all areas of the regional accrediting body’s selected 39 Principles of Accreditation.
www.times-herald.com
http://www.times-herald.com/local/20130909-UWG-Groundbreaking-at-Hospital-WEB2013-09-09T10-19-48
Newnan City Council Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony For UWG Newnan Campus
by CELIA SHORTT
Today, Newnan City Council and the University of West Georgia broke ground on the new UWG Newnan campus at the site of the old Newnan Hospital. Many people were there to celebrate this addition to the educational landscape in Newnan. In addition to thanking those involved for their tireless efforts and long hours of work put into this project, both Mayor Brady and UWG President Dr. Kyle Marrero expressed their excitement about this project.
www.industrial-lasers.com
http://www.industrial-lasers.com/articles/2013/09/ten-colleges-win-2-9-m-grant-to-train-laser-technicians.html
Ten colleges win $2.9M grant to train laser technicians
By Industrial Laser Solutions Editors
Valencia College, in partnership with nine other colleges, has been awarded a $2.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a regional laser and fiber optics (LFO) training center in Fort Pierce, FL, that will help meet the need for highly skilled regional laser and fiber optics technicians. With this grant, Valencia will be part of an alliance between the participating colleges and more than 250 companies, which will work together to train more students in the Southeast United States to become LFO technicians… In addition to Valencia and IRSC, the other principal partners in the initiative are: the Florida Photonics Cluster, Central Carolina Community College of North Carolina, Tri-County Tech College of South Carolina and the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
USG NEWS:
www.beta.effinghamherald.net
http://beta.effinghamherald.net/section/6/article/22692/
Georgia Southern to host STEM Festival
Staff report
Georgia Southern University will showcase hands-on opportunities to help students discover science, technology, engineering and math and share stories of success during the STEM Festival planned for Sept. 12-14 at several locations on campus.
www.statesboro.wtoc.com
http://statesboro.wtoc.com/news/news/217381-georgia-southern-showcase-science-math
Georgia Southern to showcase science, math
Submitted by WTOC Web Staff
STATESBORO, GA (WTOC)- Fewer students seem to be interested in science or math-related courses. Some instructors at Georgia Southern University want them to know what they’re missing. …The university will host STEM (Science, technology, engineering, math) Fest Thursday through Saturday. Scarpinato said students who don’t pursue those fields could be missing some of the newest career opportunities.
www.wsav.com
http://www.wsav.com/story/23390686/gsus-annual-day-for-southern-campaign-underway
GSU’s ‘Annual Day for Southern’ Campaign Underway
By Kim Gusby, Coastal Sunrise Anchor
SAVANNAH, GA – Georgia Southern University’s ‘A Day for Southern’ campaign, a one-day fund-raising effort involving the Statesboro and Bulloch County communities, is now underway. The campaign, currently in its 40th year, benefits academics, scholarships, athletics, faculty/staff and community resources such as the Georgia Southern Museum, Performing Arts Center and Center for Wildlife Education.
RESEARCH:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-09-09/uga-students-show-record-levels-interest-research
UGA students show record levels of interest in research
By UGA NEWS SERVICE
Fall enrollment numbers for courses in the University of Georgia’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities are the largest in the history of the program. This semester, almost 20 percent more students are requesting CURO courses for individualized research opportunities. A record 234 UGA students are participating in fall semester research projects.
www.reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/10/smartwatch-idUSL4N0GZ2FU20130910
CORRECTED-RPT-INSIGHT-It’s all in the wrist: Who has vision to crack the “smartwatch”?
By Jeremy Wagstaff
The smartwatch could be as revolutionary as the smartphone – an intelligent device on our wrist that connects our bodies to data and us to the world – but only a handful of companies have the heft and vision to be able to pull it off. It’s not through lack of trying. Watchmakers and others have been adding calculators, calendars and wireless data connections to wrist-straps for at least 30 years… Key to this is the interface, says Thad Starner, Professor of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology, whose pioneering work with wearable computers led to him be a technical lead for Google Glass.
Related article:
www.newsdaily.com
Insight: It’s all in the wrist – Who has vision to crack the ‘smartwatch’?
http://www.newsdaily.com/asia/b50afb51dfe9c287e16e0224f2fee266/insight-its-all-in-the-wrist-who-has-vision-to-crack-the-smartwatch
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-09-09/uga-public-health-dean-joins-governor’s-childhood-obesity-advisory-council
UGA public health dean joins governor’s childhood obesity advisory council
By UGA NEWS SERVICE
Phillip L. Williams, dean of the University of Georgia College of Public Health, has accepted an invitation by Gov. Nathan Deal to help guide Georgia’s efforts to fight childhood obesity as a part of the newly formed Governor’s Advisory Council on Childhood Obesity. The council will guide Deal on the best ways to reduce the numbers of obese and overweight children—a condition affecting 43 percent of adolescents in Georgia—and offer support to the governor’s Georgia SHAPE initiative, which makes decreasing childhood obesity a priority for all business, academic and philanthropic groups and leaders.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2013-09-09/health-insurance-changes-coming-state-workers?v=1378776589
Health insurance changes coming for state workers
By Walter C. Jones
Morris News Service
ATLANTA — Private-sector employees affected by the federal health care overhaul won’t be the only ones seeing changes in their insurance Jan. 1. The half-million state workers, retirees, teachers and school workers will also see their coverage revised. State officials boast that premiums are being held in place, but some critics complain that they’ll still be paying more out of pocket because of limits on coverage.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2013/09/common_core_the_journey_from_s.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
Common Core: What Lies Between Standards and Tests?
By Catherine Gewertz
What lies between the common-core standards and the year-end tests that are supposed to measure whether students have mastered them? A whole lot. There’s curriculum, in all of its varied forms: frameworks, scope-and-sequence guides, model units, lesson plans, and more. Then there’s instructional materials. Professional development. Formative and interim assessments to gauge learning periodically.
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/09/10/how-big-can-teach-for-america-get/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss
How big can Teach For America get?
Even in school districts where teachers have been laid off because of budget cuts, Teach For America manages to keep expanding. An education blogger in Massachusetts who writes about corporate-influenced reform on the website EduShyster.com, writes about this in the following post.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/09/10/essay-context-behind-mooc-experiments#ixzz2eUM8TcvZ
The Great MOOC Experiment
By Gary S. May
Dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
When a new product is launched, particularly in technology, people often rush to be among its early adopters. The sudden explosion of users invariably reveals bugs and glitches that need to be addressed. This is analogous to what we appear to be witnessing right now with massive open online courses. An unrelenting stream of attention-grabbing announcements is being followed by closer inspection – and the realization that, although MOOCs are a novel approach to education, they may not be a panacea. The picture of MOOCs presented in the press is quite a paradox. The concept has been described as both a game-changer and a hyped retread.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/09/10/essay-three-key-facts-distance-education#ixzz2eURnLw9G
3 Must-Knows on Distance Ed
By Joel Shapiro
I know! I know! Everyone is sick to death of debating the pros and cons of MOOCs, the massive online courses that, depending on your viewpoint, will be the downfall or resurrection of higher education. But what’s getting lost in all the noise is that MOOCs are far from the only game in town when it comes to online education.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/should-community-colleges-be-free
Should Community Colleges Be Free?
By Matt Reed
Since Dylan Matthews wrapped up his series on college costs, his closing suggestion about making community colleges free has been making the rounds on Twitter. The argument is straightforward enough. Community colleges are low-cost feeders to higher levels, as well as respected and popular sites for occupational training. Making them free would provide an incentive for more people to go, thereby saving money as against more expensive options.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/stratedgy/beyond-average-student-loans
Beyond the Average: Student Loans
By Dayna Catropa
It can be problematic to rely solely on an ‘average’ number to make decisions because the average rarely tells the whole story by itself. This Harvard Business Review article, The Flaw of Averages, highlights a few examples of decisions based on averages leading to travesty in areas unrelated to higher education, including a cresting river and a bankrupt California county. Turning to higher education, consider average student loan debt.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/accessibility-statements-on-syllabuses/52079?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
Accessibility Statements on Syllabuses
By Mark Sample
We’ve discussed accessibility issues before on ProfHacker, including accessibility in the classroom. But as I was designing my syllabuses* for Fall 2013, I realized that we’ve never talked about accessibility statements on syllabuses, which more and more institutions are—happily—mandating.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/the-college-ranking-wheels-keep-on-turning/36291?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
The College-Ranking Wheels Keep on Turning
By Eric Hoover
Sorry, America (or at least almost all of it). Your alma mater didn’t crack the Top 10 this year. On Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report unveiled its 2014 rankings of the nation’s colleges and universities, this time with a handful of changes in its methodology.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2013/09/09/the-data-driven-have-to-be-strong/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
The Data-Driven Have to Be Strong
By Jonathan Marks
Jonathan Marks, who had planned on sending his son to an Ivy League institution, decides instead to put his faith in “Bang for the Buck” rankings (and his tongue in his cheek).
Education News
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/emory-retains-top-20-ranking/nZrTX/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajc_launch
Emory retains top 20 ranking
BY KRISTINA TORRES – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Emory University did it again. In rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report, the university scored among the nation’s top colleges. Emory has held on to the No. 20 spot for the last four years — including when officials sent the magazine inflated figures about its students. It was tied with two other schools, Georgetown University and the University of California-Berkeley.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/09/10/level-participation-us-news-rankings
Level Participation in ‘U.S. News’ Rankings
Officials at U.S. News & World Report have warned that some methodology changes this year might lead to more movement on the rankings — announced this morning — than is the norm. That may well be the case, but the top three national universities and liberal arts colleges will be quite familiar to those who have tracked the rankings in the past. And the top 10 lists look pretty familiar, too.
www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/college_bound/2013/09/us_news_college_ranking_measures_to_focus_more_on_outcomes.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
U.S. News College Rankings Focus More on Outcomes
By Caralee Adams
U.S. News & World Report made a few changes to the way it evaluated colleges this year, placing less of an emphasis on admissions selectivity and more on retention and graduation rates. While the new methodology made a difference in the way some schools were ranked, it did not widely impact the top 10 percent of colleges and universities reviewed.
www.thisamericanlife.org
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/504/how-i-got-into-college#play
How I Got Into College
Students all over are starting college this month, and some of them still have a nagging question: what, exactly, got me in? An admissions officer tells us the most wrongheaded things applicants try… (Host) Ira Glass talks to Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions at the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech. Clark says the latest trend in misguided college admissions efforts: parents emailing and calling the admissions office, pretending to be their own children.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/10/some-counselors-struggle-meet-demand-school-even-starts#ixzz2eURfQOCN
Early Bird Catches the Counselor
By Allie Grasgreen
For several years now, most counseling centers have been experiencing a continuous uptick in the number of students seeking services, as stigma over mental health issues lessens and more and more students come to college already on psychotropic medications. But as September gets under way, many center directors say they’re seeing an even greater surge of walk-ins and appointments being made at the start of the academic year, with students making contact with counselors before they even leave for campus.
www.geekwire.com
http://www.geekwire.com/2013/udacity-announces-open-education-alliance-prepare-students-tech-jobs/
Udacity announces Open Education Alliance to prepare students for tech jobs
By Blair Hanley Frank
If you want to land a job at Google, a new industry alliance, not a fresh B.S. in Computer Science, may be the key to your future. Sebastian Thrun, Udacity’s CEO, took the stage at Monday’s TechCrunch Disrupt conference alongside California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom to talk about the future of higher education. While there, he announced the Open Education Alliance, a new venture that combines the efforts of online education with tech industry giants to form an alliance that helps to train more people with skills to succeed at tech companies. Udacity’s partners in the alliance include tech industry giants like Google, Nvidia and Autodesk, as well as other players in the online education space like Khan Academy and Georgia Tech.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/09/10/where-student-fees-go-england
‘Where Student Fees Go’ in England
…The funding model for England’s universities has shifted drastically in recent years; public funding has fallen and been replaced by tuition fees, which were first introduced in 1997 and are now capped at £9,000 (about $14,150) for domestic students.
www.chornicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Academic-Researchers-Need-More/141529/
Academic Researchers Need More Help at Critical Career Points, Panelists Say
By Lindsay Ellis
Washington
Academic researchers need more help navigating critical “stress points” in their careers, including the years leading up to tenure decisions and retirement, say participants in a two-day workshop being held here this week by the National Academy of Sciences.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/the-blog-post-that-came-in-from-the-cold/46389?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
The Blog Post That Came in From the Cold
By Steve Kolowich
The trouble with being uncertain where the feds are sticking their noses is that it can be just as hard to be certain where they are not. Matthew Green, an assistant research professor in computer science at the Johns Hopkins University, sparked outrage on Twitter on Monday when he tweeted, “I received a request from my Dean this morning asking me to remove all copies of my NSA blog post from University servers.”
www.nytimes.com
Study Sees Benefit in Courses With Nontenured Instructors
By TAMAR LEWIN
While many higher education experts — and parents — bemoan the fact that tenured professors are a shrinking presence, now making up less than a quarter of the academic work force, a study released Monday found, surprisingly, that students in introductory classes learned more from outside instructors than from tenured or tenure-track professors.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/blog/morning-edition/2013/09/florida-becoming-national-a-national.html
Is Florida becoming a national biosciences hotspot?
Margie Manning, Tampa Bay Business Journal
One week before life science companies from around the state gather in Tampa for BioFlorida’s annual conference, the conference chair is describing Florida as “an evolving epicenter” for the industry. The state’s investment climate and its workforce are making Florida more competitive in attracting bioscience businesses, said Debbie Sutherland, conference chair and CEO of the USF Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation.
www.floridatrend.com
http://www.floridatrend.com/article/16071/floridas-i-4-corridor-is-a-high-tech-hotbed
Florida’s I-4 corridor is a high tech hotbed
Amy Keller
Tourism, retirees and agriculture might have put Florida on the map, but the state is also becoming a mecca for high-tech industry. Nowhere is the transformation more evident than along what’s known as the Florida High-Tech Corridor, a 23-county area that runs from Tampa through Orlando to the Space Coast and bumps up to include Gainesville and Alachua County. …While many of those firms are homegrown startups, the region is also attracting newcomers who are migrating to the area to take advantage of the state’s favorable tax climate and skilled workforce.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/potential-buyer-surfaces-for-morris-brown/nZps9/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajc_launch
Potential buyer surfaces for Morris Brown
BY ERNIE SUGGS – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Morris Brown College might have a buyer interested in parcels of its property. Channel 2 Action News reported that Morris Brown College president Stanley Pritchett announced in bankruptcy court Friday that Pope & Land Enterprises, a local developer of One Atlanta Plaza and several other high profile projects, plans to buy part of the much-maligned historically black college.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/national/trust-withdraws-250-million-gift-to-kentucky-colle/nZrMm/
Trust withdraws $250 million gift to Kentucky college
BY BRUCE SCHREINER – ASSOCIATED PRESS
A small Kentucky liberal arts college lost out on one of the largest gifts in U.S. higher education history when the $250 million donation was withdrawn, school officials said Monday. Centre College in Danville — known for hosting vice presidential debates in 2000 and 2012 — said the all-stock gift from the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust was linked to a “significant capital market event” that didn’t pan out. As a result, the gift was withdrawn and a proposed scholarship program at Centre is on hold.
Related articles:
www.chronicle.com
$250-Million Gift to Centre College Is Withdrawn
http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/250-million-gift-to-centre-college-is-withdrawn/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/55860/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=c6a4478933e347bc87bec87264379576&elqCampaignId=62
$250M Gift to Kentucky College Withdrawn
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/10/centre-college-loses-huge-donation
How Do You Lose $250M?
By Ry Rivard
A $250 million donation to Centre College won’t happen, and it’s a bit unclear why. College officials and the head of a Bermuda-based trust offered differing accounts Monday of the massive deal’s sudden collapse.
www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/10/04nationalboard.h33.html?tkn=NROFjyFJwDkF%2F%2B3ohl0o5yzlu8jmZYGcH5J8&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
National Board Certification to Be Cheaper, Smoother
By Stephen Sawchuk
The organization overseeing advanced teacher certification in the United States plans to revise the assessment process for the credential and to make it less costly for teachers to earn. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards announced last week that it would decrease the credential’s price tag by $600, give teachers more flexibility in completing the required assessments, and integrate new information into the certification process, including student surveys and measures of students’ academic progress.
www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/11/03waiver_ep.h33.html?tkn=QZRFZzHURo1cnFC4nGwX7XoD7XVdSvkluC%2BR&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
NCLB Waiver-Renewal Process Turns Up Heat on States
Fresh federal strings attached to renewal of NCLB waivers
By Michele McNeil
Two years after offering states waivers under the No Child Left Behind Act, the U.S. Department of Education is expecting them to up the ante on teacher quality if they want another two years of flexibility. Barring a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the official name for the federal school accountability law that is languishing in Congress, this waiver-renewal process may mark the last opportunity for the Obama administration to put its stamp on the ESEA and shape a future law.
www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/11/03common_ep.h33.html?tkn=UNUFu7eLJpRz4lqbM7%2Fu4Wn6ARefqbuf32JC&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
One District’s Common-Core Bet: Results Are In
By Catherine Gewertz
Washington
Staring at multicolored rows of names and numbers on a laptop screen, Dowan McNair-Lee is searching for clues to how well she taught her students. The 2012-13 school year was a difficult journey, as the English/language arts teacher tried to move her challenging and varied group of 8th graders to mastery of the Common Core State Standards. Now, two weeks before the 2013-14 year begins, she scrolls through year-end test scores that deliver part of the verdict on her success.
www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/08/635565usstudenttestingoptouts_ap.html?tkn=PPQFNtrodQff12JVnGTD%2FF3uSEhWgICjmlNi&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
More Parents Opting Children Out of Standardized Tests
By The Associated Press
While his eighth-grade classmates took state standardized tests this spring, Tucker Richardson woke up late and played basketball in his Delaware Township driveway. Tucker’s parents, Wendy and Will, are part of a small but growing number of parents nationwide who are ensuring their children do not participate in standardized testing. They are opposed to the practice for myriad reasons, including the stress they believe it brings on young students, discomfort with tests being used to gauge teacher performance, fear that corporate influence is overriding education and concern that test prep is narrowing curricula down to the minimum needed to pass an exam.
www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/09/arne_duncan_to_california_we_c.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
Arne Duncan to California: We Can’t Approve Your Testing Plan in ‘Good Conscience’
By Michele McNeil
California’s plan to dump most of its state testing program as it muddles through the tricky transition to new tests aligned to the common-core standards got a major rejection letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Monday.