University System News
USG NEWS:
www.chron.com
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Regents-to-review-out-of-state-tuition-waivers-5127268.php
Regents to review out-of-state tuition waivers
ATLANTA (AP) — State regents say they plan policy changes next month that would allow the board — rather than state lawmakers — to make decisions on tuition waivers for out-of-state students at Georgia colleges and universities. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/JJHQ1y) that the regents acknowledged Wednesday that guidelines for out-of-state tuition waivers need to be improved.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/georgia-regents-committee-to-vote-on-tobacco-ban-n/ncgcr/
Georgia regents committee to vote on tobacco ban next month
BY JANEL DAVIS – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
A preliminary committee vote on a tobacco ban for all of Georgia’s 31 collegiate institutions is expected next month. The proposed ban would prohibit the use all types of tobacco products — including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and electronic cigarettes — on all University System of Georgia properties. The proposal would also prohibit any tobacco advertising and would apply to all students, employees, faculty and staff, contractors and visitors.
www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/news/2014/01/08/university-system-of-georgia-considers-statewide-tobacco-ban
University System of Georgia Considers Statewide Tobacco Ban
By Orlando Montoya
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The University System of Georgia is looking at banning tobacco use on all of its campuses. The policy already has taken root at some colleges and universities. Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah is among 20 state colleges and universities with a 100% tobacco-free policy.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/administration/all-talk-no-vote-smoke-ban-policy-to-be-determined/article_acc79040-78b2-11e3-b1a2-001a4bcf6878.html
All talk, no vote: smoke ban policy to be determined
Brad Mannion
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia did not vote on the “Tobacco and Smoke-Free Campus Policy” at its monthly meeting Wednesday. For now, the future of a smoke-free campus at UGA is still undecided. “The board and committee discussed that today — that will sit on the table for 30 days,” said John Millsaps, associate vice chancellor for media and publications for the Board of Regents. “The tentative plans for that policy and whatever will be final to come back before the board for potential action and vote in February.”
eww.albanyherald.com
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2014/jan/08/darton-state-may-have-over-awarded-894000-in/
Darton State may have over-awarded $894,000 in student aid
An audit of Darton State College reveals grants from hospitals were not spent for intended student stipends
By Terry Lewis
ATLANTA —The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has delayed discussing a 2013 audit of Darton State College that raised six financial or record-keeping concerns, including the potential overpayment of $894,000 in federal financial aid to students over four school terms. John Fuchko, chief audit officer and associate vice chancellor for the University System, said the primary area of concern was that satisfactory academic progress was not being adequately documented to determine federal financial aid eligibility at the school.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/georgia-regents-denounce-academic-boycott-of-israe/ncgwy/
Georgia regents denounce academic boycott of Israel
By Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s board of regents has joined other national higher education leaders in opposing a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Last month members of the American Studies Association endorsed the boycott to protest Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
www.studenthousingbusiness.com
http://www.studenthousingbusiness.com/latest-news/2625-university-system-of-georgia-refines-housing-privatization-effort-student-housing.html
University System of Georgia Refines Housing Privatization Effort
Atlanta — The University System of Georgia has postponed its RFP/RFQ that will invite an outside investor to acquire and develop student housing at several of the 31 campuses throughout the state. The university system, advised by Jones Lang LaSalle, outlined the housing initiative to attendees at the InterFace On-Campus Student Housing Conference in Orlando Nov. 14-15. Responses from the private sector, primarily that the timeline was too tight to deliver the number of beds called for in the first phase, has influenced project leaders to change the original issue date from Dec. 5 to a date in the first quarter of 2014.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2014-01-08/regents-ok-new-ac-ugas-brumby-russell-residence-halls
Regents OK new AC for UGA’s Brumby, Russell residence halls
Regents OK new AC for Brumby, Russell
ATLANTA — Residents of the University of Georgia’s largest dorms will have reliably cool rooms with the approval Wednesday of a renovation project. The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents voted to OK the $2.8 million replacement of the 20-year-old chiller unit serving Brumby and Russell halls, funded by the UGA Auxiliary Housing reserves.
www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2014/01/08/2869268/pipes-burst-at-georgia-college.html
Pipes burst at Georgia College
By Jenna Mink
Frigid temperatures caused fire suppression pipes to break Tuesday in two Georgia College & State University residence halls, leading to water damage in several rooms, according to a news release. About 40 students in The Village at West Campus apartments were affected. Some students must temporarily relocate, with the assistance of university housing, due to the damages. Both buildings continue to have water flow for normal activities, but the fire suppression systems are inoperable until the breaks can be repaired, which is expected to be Friday, the release states.
CONSOLIDATION:
www.wjbf.com
http://www.wjbf.com/story/24395166/gru-celebrates-first-year-as-consolidated-university
GRU Celebrates First Year As Consolidated University
By Randy Key, WJBF Web Content Producer – email
Augusta, GA – Faculty, staff and students at Georgia Regents University campuses throughout the state will enjoy celebratory cupcakes Wednesday in honor of the institution’s first anniversary. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents announced plans to consolidate Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences universities in 2012 and approved a resolution to form GRU on January 8th, 2013.
GOOD NEWS:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/uga-ranks-no-best-online-graduate-program/article_dc7c3d60-7897-11e3-9c68-0019bb30f31a.html
UGA ranks No. 22 best online graduate program
By Taylor West
The University of Georgia was ranked No. 22 on U.S. World and News Report’s 2014 list of best online graduate education programs. The ranking was determined based on scores in the areas of faculty credentials and training, student services and technology and student engagement and admissions selectivity, according to the report.
USG VALUE:
www.thecrier.net
http://www.thecrier.net/news/article_ca3b4fc0-7742-11e3-829a-001a4bcf887a.html
GPC dental hygiene students work here and across the metro
It’s 1 p.m. on a Wednesday, and Georgia Perimeter College dental hygiene students are gearing up for a busy afternoon of patients, preparing instruments and reviewing patient charts. They’re working at the Faith in Serving Humanity Clinic—better known as the FISH dental clinic—in Monroe. Twice a month, four to six second-year dental hygiene students come here, making the hour-long commute to Walton County from GPC’s Dunwoody Campus. The clinic serves those who cannot afford dental care and attracts many patients who have never set foot in a dental clinic, says Cherie Rainwater, chair of the college’s dental hygiene program.
RESEARCH:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2014-01-08/uga-researchers-seek-new-shade-fat
UGA researchers seek new shade of fat
By HYACINTH EMPINADOGEORGIA HEALTH NEWS
Not all fat cells perform the same function in the body. White cells store globs of fat and make bellies jiggle. Brown cells burn fat and keep mice slim. In between is a type of fat called “beige,” which may be a key to battling the bulge. This prospect is so trendy that a beige-fat expert was featured in November during the nation’s largest meeting of obesity experts and bariatric surgeons. And though “beiging” is not widely studied as yet, it has caught the attention of researchers at the University of Georgia.
www.healthcanal.com
http://www.healthcanal.com/genetics-birth-defects/46421-uga-researchers-discover-gene-associated-with-deadly-birth-defect.html
UGA researchers discover gene associated with deadly birth defect
Athens, Ga. – Researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered a specific gene may play a major role in the development of a life-threatening birth defect called congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH, which affects approximately one out of every 3,000 live births.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2014-01-08/uga-economists-study-internet-pricing-and-where-internet-headed
UGA economists study Internet pricing, and where Internet is headed
By LEE SHEARER
A pair of University of Georgia economists will study how much residential consumers will pay for their Internet use. But the question isn’t so simple as it might appear at first, according to John Turner and Jonathan Williams, faculty in the department of economics in UGA’s Terry College of Business. With Aviv Nevo, a Northwestern University economist who is the chief economist at the federal Department of Justice, they plan to analyze data from more than a million Internet users to find out what consumers do when they face issues such as overage prices or the hassles of slow speed when there’s network congestion.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/jan/08/board-regents-becoming-teacher-georgia-will-be-har/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Board of Regents: Becoming a teacher in Georgia will be harder
From the Georgia Board of Regents today:
Becoming a teacher in Georgia is getting a lot more rigorous and college programs that prepare teachers are being held to a much tougher and higher level of accountability, according to Georgia officials in charge of teacher preparation programs and teacher certification. This is the theme of a statewide effort to provide more data-driven oversight to improve the quality of teacher preparation efforts. This effort complements those being made by the University System of Georgia to use data to track and strengthen the effectiveness of its teacher programs. “This is a major shift for Georgia,” said USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby. “We are no longer focusing on inputs – the courses and other programs teachers must take – but looking at outputs – how effective is a teacher in actually teaching our students to an identified level of academic achievement.”
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-beta/why-use-typewriter-when-you-can-use-computer
Why Use a Typewriter When You Can Use a Computer?
Carol Levander
Why is a small, highly ranked residential university like Rice — a school that prides itself on a small student/faculty ratio and that has, according to the Princeton Review, the happiest students — elbow deep in developing MOOCS? This is the question that I inevitably get asked the minute I mention Rice’s partnerships with Coursera and Edx. And it’s a logical question, for at first glance the MOOC world, with its global delivery, open enrollment, and high attrition rates seems to be at dramatic odds with the highly selective residential four-year learning ecosystem that schools like Rice deliver to the small number of students who are accepted each year.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/01/09/essay-questions-why-mla-will-be-weighing-israeli-policies
The Wrong Jury
By Cary Nelson
In recent weeks a number of Modern Language Association members have talked with me about MLA Resolution 2014-1 to be voted on in Chicago on Saturday by the organization’s Delegate Assembly at the MLA’s annual meeting. The resolution “urges the U.S. Department of State to contest Israel’s arbitrary denials of entry to Gaza and the West Bank by U.S. academics who have been invited to teach, confer, or do research at Palestinian universities.” Several people expressed doubt that any counter-evidence could be presented to question the conclusions advanced by the background paper distributed by the resolution’s proponents.
Education News
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/session-could-bring-more-money-for-school-district/ncgg8/
Session could bring more money for school districts, teachers
BY GREG BLUESTEIN AND WAYNE WASHINGTON – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
The legislative session that begins next week will feature more of the education debates that have vexed lawmakers in the past. There will be more hand-wringing over Georgia’s education funding formula. Lawmakers will once more tussle over controversial national teaching guidelines. Community activists will use the fallout from school struggles in DeKalb to push for the power to carve out new school districts. And teachers hope a growing state budget will finally allow them a raise. But there’s little consensus on many of the most troubling education issues.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/general-assembly/2014-01-08/athens-area-legislators-predict-short-general-assembly-session-more
Athens-area legislators predict short General Assembly session, more education funding
By NICK COLTRAIN
Athens-area delegates to the state legislature continued Wednesday to predict a short legislative session this year, even with the state budget poised to grow by as much as $500 million. Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, told a joint meeting of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, Athens Rotary Club and Classic City Rotary Club that he agrees with other predictions for a “pretty fast session,” though it will still hit all 40 days in this election year. …A projected budget surplus would also likely go toward education, according to Cowsert. While it’s up to the governor’s office to release projections and an initial state budget, Cowsert expected 60 percent of it to go into public education. He didn’t predict if it would go toward general funding or raises specifically.
www.accessnorthga.com
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=269677
Gov. Deal details education proposals
By The Associated Press
ATLANTA – Governor Nathan Deal says he will propose that the state establish a separate scholarship within the HOPE grant program to provide full tuition for technical college students with a 3.5 grade-point average. On Wednesday Deal said the new “Zell Miller Scholarship” in the HOPE grant program will help train the state’s workforce to meet critical employer needs. His office estimates some 16,000 technical college students would immediately qualify.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/59981/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=6640af4b1a644f739e2f4afb24fa82e4&elqCampaignId=173#
Tech Students Get Support from Ga. Governor
by Christina A. Cassidy, Associated Press
ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal said Wednesday he will propose the state establish a separate scholarship within the HOPE grant program to provide full tuition for technical college students with a 3.5 grade-point average. Deal, in an interview, said the new Zell Miller Scholarship in the HOPE grant program will help train the state’s workforce to meet critical employer needs. His office estimates some 16,000 technical college students would immediately qualify. Deal outlined a handful of his higher education proposals in an interview with The Associated Press in advance of the legislative session, which is set to begin Monday.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/59965/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=6640af4b1a644f739e2f4afb24fa82e4&elqCampaignId=173#
Study Urges Tough Measures for Parent PLUS Loan Requirements
by Ronald Roach
…From October 2011 to October 2012, the rejection rate for PLUS loans jumped from 28 to 38 percent, and the loan denials disproportionately affected students attending for-profit schools and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Although HBCUs leaders have been publicly critical of the U.S. Education Department for tightening credit check criteria for Parent PLUS loan applicants, a new report released by the New America Foundation Wednesday is urging new reforms to ensure that the program does not burden parent borrowers with debt they cannot pay back. Next month, the Education Department begins negotiations with higher education organizations over changes to the eligibility requirements to Parent PLUS Loans.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/59973/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=6640af4b1a644f739e2f4afb24fa82e4&elqCampaignId=173#
Gates Foundation Invests Half-Billion in Success of Community College Students
by Ingrid Sturgis
If efforts by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve completion rates at community colleges prove successful, it could change the economic and educational fortunes of millions of low-income and minority students who attend those schools. If it fails, critics say, the foundation’s efforts could exacerbate the expanding economic divide in the United States, and damage the democratic process. One thing is certain: The Gates Foundation is putting its money where its mouth is to the tune of spending nearly a half-billion dollars, according to a 2011 tax report, as part of a 20-year mission to fix higher education. The foundation is in year five of that mission, with a goal to double the number of low-income U.S. students who have completed a degree or credential at age 26 by 2020.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/01/09/california-governor-seeks-more-money-higher-ed
California Governor Seeks More Money for Higher Ed
California Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, will present his 2014-15 budget plan today, and a leaked copy suggests a continued recovery in state support for higher education — especially for community colleges. The University of California and California State University systems would each receive a 5 percent increase, contingent on continued adherence to a deal with the state to freeze tuition rates. State funds for community colleges would increase by more than 11 percent. In his budget plan, Governor Brown calls for more efforts throughout public higher education to be more efficient and to improve graduation rates.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/01/09/wiche-transfer-passport-based-proficiency-rather-credits
New Approach to Transfer
By Paul Fain
A group of 16 public institutions in four Western states have agreed to a transfer agreement based on what students know rather than on the courses they have taken or the credits they have earned. The Interstate Passport Initiative, which the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) unveiled this week, is a set of mutually agreed-upon learning outcomes for lower division courses in the general education core.
www.reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/08/us-usa-football-concussion-idUSBREA071IH20140108
Florida researchers developing football helmets to reduce concussions
BY BARBARA LISTON
(Reuters) – Researchers in Florida believe they have come up with a low-cost way to improve football helmets and better protect players against the glancing blows that experts say contribute to most concussions. Protective sports helmets on the market today are largely designed to absorb shock from direct linear hits, like head butts, which force the head straight back, says University of Florida (UF) engineering professor Ghatu Subhash.
www.orlandosentinel.com
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-university-florida-top-10-20140107,0,3437682.story
UF aims to crack top 10 of U.S. public universities
By Denise-Marie Ordway, Orlando Sentinel
The University of Florida, considered to be the state’s top public university, has a big dream and a plan. It wants to become one of the top 10 public research universities in the country. And the school is laying the groundwork now for major changes, including hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements, to help make that happen.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/01/09/study-suggests-aid-postsecondary-education-may-be-best-way-help-developing-nations
Best Path to Growth?
By David Matthews for Times Higher Education
Since the 1980s, development economists have argued that investing in primary rather than higher education is the best way to lift countries out of poverty. But a study has found that higher education has a greater impact on a country’s economy than previously thought, and so builds the case for devoting more international aid to universities.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Palestinian-Scholars-Generally/143879/?cid=at
Most Palestinians Applaud Academic-Boycott Decision, but Some Are Skeptical
By Matthew Kalman
Abu Dis, West Bank
The recent decision by the American Studies Association to boycott Israeli universities has sharply divided American higher education. For Palestinian academics, however, the move was widely welcomed, bringing some a long-overdue sign of support from their peers overseas. But opinions here are not unanimous. Views differ on what practical effect the boycott might have on Israel, and a handful of scholars say they oppose any cutting of academic ties, though few say so publicly.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/01/09/getting-high-school-dropouts-college
Getting High School Dropouts to College
A new report from MDRC, a nonprofit social policy research organization, describes promising efforts to help the 39 million adult Americans who lack a high-school credential successfully transition to college.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/59969/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=6640af4b1a644f739e2f4afb24fa82e4&elqCampaignId=173#
Obama Administration: End Zero Tolerance
by Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is urging schools to abandon overly zealous discipline policies that civil rights advocates have long said lead to a school-to-prison pipeline that discriminates against minority students. The wide-ranging series of guidelines issued Wednesday in essence tells schools that they must adhere to the principle of fairness and equity in student discipline or face strong action if they don’t. The American Civil Liberties Union called the recommendations “ground-breaking.”
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/01/09/education-dept-plans-technical-symposium-ratings
Education Dept. Plans ‘Technical Symposium’ on Ratings
WASHINGTON — The Education Department is convening a panel of experts to make public presentations later this month on how the Obama administration should develop a federal college ratings system, a department spokesman said Tuesday. The National Center for Education Statistics, the department’s research arm, will host a symposium on January 22 featuring “experts on empirical methods for measuring performance, metric development, and state and federal postsecondary data and data collection and dissemination infrastructures,” according to a forthcoming department announcement.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Dispute-Over-Climate/143881/?cid=at
Dispute Over Climate Scientist’s Records Pits Academe Against Media Groups
By Peter Schmidt
Higher-education associations are at odds with news-media groups in a court dispute over whether Virginia’s open-records law exempts a wide range of documents deemed proprietary by the University of Virginia and the prominent climate scientist who produced them. In a case scheduled to be heard on Thursday by the Virginia Supreme Court, the university and several national higher-education groups are arguing that the open-records law should not be construed as giving an advocacy group access to many research-related documents produced Michael E. Mann, the climate scientist, while he was on the university’s faculty.