University System News
2014 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION NEWS:
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/legislature-monday-gears-up-for-controversy/nd4yF/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1
Legislature takes on hot topics
BY ARIEL HART – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
The Georgia House and Senate took on on big controversies Monday afternoon, affirming a restriction on state insurance coverage for abortion, making way for legal medical marijuana, and approving a bill aimed at Medicaid expansion for Obamacare. The House also passed legislation calling for a statue on the Capitol grounds of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The legislation passed Monday, “Crossover Day,” generally isn’t ready for the governor’s signature or about to become law, but has passed just one chamber. Crossover Day is the deadline for bills to pass at least one chamber or face death for the rest of the year. House Bill 990 would strip Gov. Nathan Deal of the power to expand Medicaid, placing the decision instead in the hands of the General Assembly.
USG NEWS:
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2014-03-03/gru-now-shifting-gears-azziz-said?v=1393899865
New hospital, freshman success among goals as Georgia Regents University takes longer view
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
Declaring consolidation a success, Georgia Regents University President Ricardo Azziz on Monday said the university and its health system will now “shift gears” to focus on a hospital for Columbia County and other goals that stretch out for decades. Speaking in his State of Georgia Regents University and Health System Enterprise annual address, Azziz praised the work of faculty and staff members in consolidating Augusta State and Georgia Heath Sciences universities over the past two years. “You succeeded where many others have not,” he said. “We’ve actually moved faster and we’ve succeeded more completely than many of our peers that are in this process.” That occurred despite severe cuts in state funding and federal research money in addition to other economic strains, Azziz said. …Now, though, it is time to “shift gears from managing rapid transformative change to generating long-term, sustainable growth,” Azziz said. That includes improving student success through more programs and more support, and there is early evidence that it’s working, he said.
USG VALUE:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/campus/experience-uga-exposes-high-school-students-to-college-experience/article_797a69e0-a26c-11e3-8592-0017a43b2370.html
Experience UGA exposes high school students to college experience
Brittini Ray
A group of nearly 700 ninth grade biology students convened at the University of Georgia Feb. 24 as part of the UGA’s inaugural partnership with Clarke County School District called Experience UGA, and a second group is coming to campus Monday. “This is a great opportunity for [Clarke County High Students] but also a great opportunity for us,” said Pamela Whitten, UGA’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost in a speech to the students. “We’re excited to have [students] here and see what college life is like.”
Experience UGA is a collaborative effort between the two education systems to increase interest in UGA’s biology program. The program strives to bring every Clarke County School District student to UGA for an annual field trip and opportunity to experience college life.
GOOD NEWS:
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/georgia-joins-national-teaching-fellowship-program/nd46r/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1
Georgia joins national teaching fellowship program
Five state colleges selected as host sites
BY JANEL DAVIS – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Georgia will become the first southern state selected to participate in a national fellowship program aimed at producing more science, technology and math teachers for the state’s neediest areas. Gov. Nathan Deal announced Monday that five state institutions were chosen as sites for the Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellowship. Piedmont College, along with Columbus State, Kennesaw State, Georgia State and Mercer universities, will develop a master’s-level teacher preparation program with help from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Selected students will participate in a four-year program, including a 15-month teacher certification program followed by three years of required classroom teaching in a high-need Georgia school district. The fellowship is aimed at a mix of current undergraduates, recent college graduates and professionals who have majored in, or had careers in, STEM fields.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2014-03-03/georgia-joins-national-teacher-preparation-initiative
Georgia joins national teacher preparation initiative
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA | Governor Nathan Deal has announced the state will join a national initiative to better prepare teachers in certain in-demand subject areas. Deal announced Monday that five colleges and universities have been selected as sites for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship Program. The fellowship is meant to better prepare and bolster the number of science, math and engineering teachers. Deal says Columbus State University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Mercer University and Piedmont College will participate in the program.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2014-03-03/uga-offer-online-master’s-program-financial-planning
UGA to offer online master’s program in financial planning
By UGA NEWS SERVICE
Addressing the growing demand for financial advisers, the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences will begin offering an online master’s degree program in financial planning this fall. The non-thesis degree program will prepare graduates to sit for the Certified Financial PlannerTM examination. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the projected growth rate of the financial advisers occupation is 27 percent between 2012 and 2022.
Related article:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/uga-to-offer-new-master-s-degree-program/article_f545e486-a31c-11e3-9113-0017a43b2370.html
UGA to offer new master’s degree program
www.wsav.com
http://www.wsav.com/story/24871543/gsu-students-named-blue-ribbon-finalists-for-mtv-college-television-awards
GSU Students Named Blue Ribbon Finalists for MTV College Television Awards
By Liz Buckthorpe
Georgia Southern University says several students were named Blue Ribbon finalists in the 35th Annual MTV College Television Awards, that are sponsored by the National Academy of Television Arts Foundation. GSU explains that the College Television Awards are a national competition recognizing excellence in college student-produced video, digital and film work. The awards are judged online by members of the Television Academy.
www.northwestgeorgianews.com
http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/lifestyles/atlanta-steeplechase-to-benefit-georgia-s-college-of-veterinary-medicine/article_72c47bbe-a301-11e3-b328-0017a43b2370.html
Atlanta Steeplechase to benefit Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine
Coming up on its 49th year, the Atlanta Steeplechase continues to be one of the great Southern traditions on Georgia’s calendar of spring events. This year’s day-at-the-races, scheduled for Saturday April 19, will be the premiere sporting event of the metro Atlanta area. While the Steeplechase has always made for a day of exciting events, socializing and networking, it’s important to note that all of the day’s profits benefit the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
www.members.jacksonville.com
http://members.jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2014-03-03/story/college-coastal-georgia-chef-appearing-food-network-show
College of Coastal Georgia chef appearing on Food Network show
Chef Matthew Raiford vies with Boston chef for chance to “Beat Bobby Flay”
By Terry Dickson
BRUNSWICK | A College of Coastal Georgia professor will stir the pot Thursday night on the Food Network.
Chef Matthew Raiford, who coordinates the college’s Culinary Arts program, will take on Chef Karen Akunowicz of Boston in a judged competition for an opportunity to cook against Bobby Flay, the title chef of the Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” show, the college said. …Raiford joined the Coastal Georgia’s Hospitality Management Program in 2013 and is working on converting Fins, a restaurant on Jekyll Island, to the college’s instructional kitchen that will have diners sampling their work every day not just for the occasional college event.
RESEARCH:
www.kansas.com
http://www.kansas.com/2014/03/01/3318258/wichita-surgeon-hopes-bone-putty.html
Wichita surgeon hopes bone putty can heal soldiers’ traumatic wounds
By Jason Dilts
Eagle correspondent
A Wichita surgeon is heading up a $1.6 million research project that promises new hope for soldiers with significant leg wounds. Advancements in the design of body armor are providing better protection for men and women serving in the armed forces, significantly increasing the odds of surviving combat-related trauma. …The method for producing this rapid growth was developed by the research team prior to the grant project. A virus vector introduced into cultured cells resulted in the production of a large amount of the bone growth hormone BMP2, a protein that Heggeness has said “has some magic to it.” Researchers developed a gel containing bone growth cells that could be injected with a needle or implanted surgically. …Team members include John Peroni, a professor of large animal surgery at the University of Georgia; Frank Gannon, former chief of bone pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; and Steve Stice, a molecular biologist also housed at the University of Georgia in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/news/2014/03/04/expert-georgia-cant-do-much-more-to-stop-affordable-care-act
Expert: Georgia Can’t Do Much More To Stop Affordable Care Act
By Adam Ragusea
Georgia’s state House passed a bill late Monday designed to push back against the federal Affordable Care Act. It now goes to the state Senate. The legislation would prevent state government from helping in the implementation and enforcement of the law also known as “Obamacare.” It’s a politically charged proposal, but the practical effect would be highly limited, said Chris Tsavatewa, chair of the Health Services Administration program at Middle Georgia State College. In part, that’s because Georgia is already not cooperating on the most important components of the ACA that depend on state action, he said. …Georgia residents are instead purchasing insurance through the ACA using the federal exchange. The legislation would, however, have one definite effect, Tsavatewa said. “Georgia has a navigator program supported by the (state) university system that helps individuals to become aware and informed and ultimately sign up for health insurance, and that would be eliminated,” he said.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/mar/03/georgia-joins-fellowship-bolster-stem-teacher-educ/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Georgia joins fellowship to bolster STEM teacher education
From the Governor’s Office:
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that Georgia will be the first state in the South to join a growing national initiative that seeks to increase the supply of outstanding teachers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and to change how they are prepared to teach. Five Georgia institutions— Columbus State University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Mercer University and Piedmont College — have been selected as sites for the Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellowship.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/mar/03/dumb-and-dumber-georgia-senate-throws-students-und/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Georgia Senate throws students under bus. House gets ready to run them over again.
In capitulating to extremists who consider Common Core the work of the devil and/or Barack Obama, the state Senate passed a bill last week that isolates Georgia from the rest of the nation, sets our students up for failure and reverses the progress schools have made over the last eight years. The main intent of Senate Bill 167 bill was to ban the Common Core State Standards in Georgia. It no longer does that, which is good considering Georgia has already invested years into putting the standards into practice, training teachers and rewriting curriculum.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/mar/04/if-common-core-was-federal-mandate-georgia-wouldnt/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
If Common Core was a federal mandate, Georgia wouldn’t be debating right now whether or not to dump it
I remain surprised at the insistence of readers of this blog that Common Core State Standards — a movement initiated and championed by Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue — is a federal mandate. In this essay, Thomas B. Fordham Institute vice president Michael Petrilli, who served in the George W. Bush administration, neatly punctures that argument in response to Seth Mandel’s Commentary blog. As Petrilli points out, if Common Core was a federal mandate, the Georgia General Assembly would not be debating abandoning the program.
www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2014/03/04/2970125/yarbrough-sen-tippins-working.html
YARBROUGH: Sen. Tippins working to improve common core standards
BY DICK YARBROUGH – SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAPH
As predicted in this space a few weeks ago, there is compromise legislation pending in the General Assembly regarding the Common Core curriculum, the controversial program which seeks to establish consistent education standards across the country. For this, you can thank Sen. Lindsey Tippins, R-Marietta, the chairman of the Senate Education and Youth Committee. Getting a compromise on the matter was like “negotiating peace in the Middle East,” Tippins joked. Tippins is a relative newcomer to the Senate, having arrived in 2010, but he is an old hand in matters of public education. For 12 years, he was an influential and respected member of the Cobb County Board of Education.
www.gwinnettforum.com
http://www.gwinnettforum.com/2014issues/14.0304.htm#elliott
SAT or ACT tests not best predictor of how students do in college
By ELLIOTT BRACK
Editor and publisher
Many parents have complained that their children are tested too often by school systems. That concern of regular testing has made its way to almost a requirement, many people feel, for students to do well on the SAT or ACT test in order to get into a prestigious college, or even to college itself. Yet some high school students, who may routinely thrive and have good grades, find taking the SAT or ACT test particularly vexing, since they tense up and do not do well in the test environment. They can’t understand it, since they are good students, yet find the pressures of the testing reduces how well they do on the test. As a result, some very good students never make it either to the colleges they want, or sometimes, never actually go to college, all based on the power that the SAT and ACT testing agencies have on college admission professionals.
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/03/04/georgia-mayors-say-gun-bill-would-dangerously-expand-stand-your-ground-law/
Political Insider with Jim Galloway
Georgia mayors say gun bill would ‘dangerously expand’ stand-your-ground law
Atlanta’s Kasim Reed tops a list of Georgia mayors who have sent a letter to top Republicans in the state Capitol, warning them away from HB 875, the gun bill that is now in the Senate. The letter was distributed by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the group established by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. A taste: …Also alarming, this legislation essentially eliminates the crime of carrying guns on college and university campuses. Even though the Georgia Board of Regents and 78% of Georgia registered voters oppose allowing concealed carry on college campuses, this bill would effectively force colleges and universities to allow guns on campus by taking the teeth out of the crime.
www.times-georgian.com
http://www.times-georgian.com/opinion/columnists/jason_swindle/article_7f90a778-a333-11e3-be83-0017a43b2370.html
Carrying guns in public
By Jason Swindle/Columnist
A pro-Second Amendment decision recently came down from one of the most unlikely appellate courts in the Republic; the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The 9th Circuit is considered to be the most liberal court in the federal judiciary. It also has a history of hostility to constitutional rights protected under the 2nd Amendment. However, in Peruta v. San Diego, a three-judge panel of the Court affirmed the right of law-abiding citizens to carry handguns for lawful protection in public. …The Court ruled that a government may specify what mode of carrying to allow (open or concealed), but a government may not make it impossible for the vast majority of Californians to exercise their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. The Peruta Court expressly stated that its ruling only applied to law-abiding citizens. The plaintiffs did not challenge the statutory requirement that a permit applicant must be of “good moral character.”
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/college-great-unleveler
College, the great unleveler
The New York Times
When the G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944 made colleges accessible to veterans regardless of socioeconomic background, Robert Maynard Hutchins, the president of the University of Chicago, worried that it would transform elite institutions into “educational hobo jungles.” But the G.I. Bill was only the first of several federal student aid laws that, along with increasing state investment in public universities and colleges, transformed American higher education over the course of three decades from a bastion of privilege into a path toward the American dream.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/03/04/essay-questions-idea-engineering-students-are-cynical
Idealistic Engineers
By Scott R. Hummel
Inside Higher Ed recently took note of research by Erin Cech, an assistant professor of sociology at Rice University, who found that engineering students leave college less concerned about public welfare than when they started. According to the article, her research was based on surveys of students at four engineering colleges.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-beta/alexander-mooc-lifts
Alexander the MOOC Lifts Off
By Guy M. Rogers
Alexander the MOOC is up – and flying.
Lift-off took place on the morning of Tuesday February 4th. By then more than 17,000 had registered to take History 229X “Was Alexander Great?” Our numbers have actually grown over the past month and we now have about 17,500 people from over 130 countries, ages 12 to 86, taking our EdX/WellesleyX course. Perhaps somewhat predictably, our class includes 203 students from Greece. But we also have 82 students from Brazil, 32 students from Sudan, 26 from Pakistan, 8 from Iran, 8 from Viet Nam, 4 from Kazakhstan, 2 from Congo, and 1 from Mongolia. Alexander would be pleased. …But we were truly surprised that so many of our registered students simply wanted to learn more about Alexander and leadership. Who says the liberal arts are dead? …Where else but in a MOOC global seminar are students (and professors) able to draw upon so many and such varied experiences to help us understand the past and its relationship to the present?
www.chroniclevitae.com
https://chroniclevitae.com/news/298-it-still-matters-even-when-it-doesn-t?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
It Still Matters—Even When It Doesn’t
Isaac Sweeney
Assistant Professor at Richard Bland College
At Richard Bland College, we don’t use a lot of contingent faculty members. Full-time, tenure-track faculty members teach most of our students. This is good, but it’s also a little dangerous. As I’ve written, changes are abundant at our little school. I also think I’ve made clear my stance as an advocate for contingent faculty members. I’m proud to work at a school that realizes the value of the full-time faculty member. But I’m also afraid that, as things keep changing, we’ll need to use more contingent professors in the future.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/edx-facebook-rwanda-and-whatsapp
EdX, Facebook, Rwanda, and WhatsApp
By Joshua Kim
In 5 years we will look back on February 2014 as important moment in the evolution of technology. The edX announcement of its partnership with Facebook to collaborate on SocialEDU will mark the beginning of an era when the tech world finally woke up to the edtech potential of the emerging world. The Facebook $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp, most of which paid for in Facebook stock, will be remembered as part of a larger story of disconnected valuations from business models. Of the two Facebook stories, SocialEDU and WhatsApp, I choose to see the SocialEDU news as being more important.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/taxing-economic-engine-higher-education-vs-town
Taxing the economic engine: higher education vs. ‘the town’
The Huffington Post
Municipal authorities make valid arguments to support these demands. They point to the percentage of taxable land taken off the tax rolls by higher education institutions. They note additional burdens on police, fire and first responder calls. City officials differentiate further by “type of use” among facilities and college owned properties and land. Further, in many instances the request for new taxes-typically called PILOT’s (or “payments-in-lieu-of-taxes”) extends increasingly to public as well as private higher education. Interestingly, these requests do not typically encompass basic education or other nonprofit groups like churches.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/what-students-alumni-and-employers-think-about-profit-colleges
What students, alumni and employers think about for-profit colleges
Public Agenda
Current and former for-profit students are satisfied with the quality of their schools. But they also consider the financial burden of these schools high, and alumni in particular aren’t certain their degree was worth it. Many employers perceive no differences between for-profit and public sector institutions, and some are actually unfamiliar with for-profit schools. Among those who do see a difference, most say community colleges and four-year public universities do a better job than for-profits at preparing students for the workplace.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/indiana-sidelines-peers-try-offer-free-college
Indiana on sidelines as ‘peers’ try to offer free college
Jconline.com
Indiana’s peers near the bottom of the college attainment ranking are taking bold steps to improve their position. By 2020, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce predicts, 65 percent of jobs will require higher education credentials. The most talked-about plans of late — making community college free for students — are making a statement in Tennessee, Mississippi and Oregon. Tennessee and Mississippi join Indiana in the bottom 10; Oregon is ranked near the middle.
Education News
www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/03/05/23textbooks_ep.h33.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
Research Questions Common-Core Claims by Publishers
By Benjamin Herold and Michele Molnar
Statements from publishers that traditional instructional materials are aligned with the Common Core State Standards are largely a “sham,” according to a prominent researcher who conducted one of two forthcoming reviews of classroom textbooks. The jury is still out, though, on the new wave of digital curricula hitting the market. The findings highlight a new threat to the successful implementation of the common core, as well as a major challenge for districts in the 46 states and the District of Columbia that have adopted versions of the standards.
www.blogs.edweek.org
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2014/02/indiana_house_repeals_common-core_adoption_bill_moves_closer_to_govs_desk.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS3
Indiana House Repeals Common-Core Adoption; Bill Moves Closer to Gov.’s Desk
By Andrew Ujifusa
The Indiana House of Representatives voted on Feb. 28 to repeal its 2010 adoption of the Common Core State Standards, following the state Senate’s approval of the bill. The House’s 67-26 vote to approve Senate Bill 91 means that the legislation now heads to a conference committee, writes Scott Elliott of Chalkbeat Indiana. If approved by that committee, the bill goes to Gov. Mike Pence (R), who seems likely to sign in, given his previous statement that he wanted Indiana’s standards to be written “by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers.”
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/61018/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=fe503e0d7ac5456d8fa11410ee507987&elqCampaignId=173
Experts: New Teachers Can’t Hide Behind Steep Learning Curve
by Jamal Abdul-Alim
INDIANAPOLIS — New teachers should be ready to teach the moment they set foot into a classroom, and they need to possess the “cultural competence” necessary to effectively teach students from diverse backgrounds. Those were among the major themes that emerged during the three-day annual conference of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. In making the case for why teachers must be ready to teach on day one, Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the school of education at the University of Michigan, lamented how often she hears teachers relate that they were a “wreck” during their first year of teaching.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/04/obama-budget-calls-changes-education-tax-benefits
Tax Breaks for Students
By Michael Stratford
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s budget for the 2015 fiscal year will call for extending a tuition tax credit and providing tax relief to student loan borrowers whose debt is forgiven under income-based repayment plans. The White House on Monday night outlined, in broad terms, several of the tax proposals in the president’s budget, which will be released formally today. The budget will ask Congress to make permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which currently expires in December 2017.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/03/04/can-you-sue-mom-and-dad-tuition
Can You Sue Mom and Dad for Tuition?
A high school senior in New Jersey is suing her parents to try to force them to commit to paying her college tuition, The Daily Record reported. The student maintains that she was kicked out of the house, while her parents say that she is welcome to live at home if she will abide by their rules. …The suit seeks to require the parents to treat her as dependent, even after the age of 18, and argues that it need not be the case that parents can stop supporting those who reach 18. The student has been admitted — with some scholarship funds — to the University of Vermont, William Paterson University, Lynn University and Wells College. But the suit says she could not enroll without parental help or significant borrowing.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/suny-cuny-unions-call-more-college-aid
SUNY, CUNY unions call for more college aid
The Oneida Daily Dispatch
“The state is simply not paying its fair share of the costs for quality higher education,” United University Professions President Frederick Kowal said. “This is the third straight year that SUNY’s budget is flat and once again as you’ve heard from the students themselves, they’re paying a greater and greater share of what is supposed to be a public good.”
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/04/while-january-terms-are-popular-liberal-arts-colleges-one-institution-ending
Questioning Value of ‘Janterm’
By Colleen Flaherty
“Janterm” has long been a signature offering of liberal arts colleges. Wedged between the end of the holiday break and the start of the spring semester, these January terms, or interterms as they are called on some campuses, offer time for students to immerse themselves in travel abroad or a single, intensive course they never would take otherwise – because it’s far outside their course of study, or nontraditional, or both. A student studying chemistry might take a three-week course on, say, Harry Potter or visit and study Greece with classmates. But there are downsides to Janterm. It tends to lengthen the academic year, potentially disadvantaging graduates and student interns on the job market.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/04/austin-college-partnerships-give-liberal-arts-students-leg-grad-school
Leg Up for Liberal Arts Grads
By Allie Grasgreen
Would a prospective engineer be more likely to pursue an undergraduate education at a liberal arts college if the college could show that there’s a clear path to graduate school? What if there were also data showing that employers want to hire people with the skills that liberal arts institutions aim to instill in students, and that liberal arts grads over time earn enviable salaries, especially when they have graduate degrees? Those data do exist, and Austin College is about to find the answer to that question. This week, the 1,300-student institution in Sherman, Texas, will announce its new “Gateways Initiative,” the latest example of liberal arts educators stepping up to demonstrate value and help students prepare for jobs.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/04/study-abroad-programs-evacuate-ukraine
Evacuating Ukraine
By Elizabeth Redden
At least two study abroad programs are evacuating students from Ukraine as the crisis with Russia over control of the Crimea has intensified. Eastern European Study Abroad, which as recently as Thursday said it did not foresee a threat to students currently studying in the city of Kharkiv – this was before Russia’s parliament authorized the use of military force in Ukraine — on Monday issued an updated statement saying that its students would be evacuated within 48 hours.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/61023/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=fe503e0d7ac5456d8fa11410ee507987&elqCampaignId=173
Group Seeks to Double Number of U.S. Students Abroad
by Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — An international education institute is working to double the number of U.S. students studying abroad by 2019. To reach the goal, the Institute of International Education will focus on recruiting more low-income students and others who have not participated in high numbers. Already, 160 colleges and universities have committed to participate. The institute’s campaign was being announced Monday.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/paper-examines-links-between-student-transfer-and-graduates-earnings/73723?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Paper Examines Links Between Student Transfer and Graduates’ Earnings
A working paper released on Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research examines the prevalence of student transfer, and how such transfers are connected with graduates’ future earnings.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/commonwealth-have-greater-oversight-westfield-state-university-president-search
Commonwealth to have greater oversight in Westfield State University president search
Gazettenet.com
New guidelines for the search, selection, appointment and performance of state university and community college presidents went into effect last year and now give the state Department of Higher Education’s commissioner and board more pull when presidents are selected. “My board is in a position to play a much stronger role in presidential searches,” state Commissioner of Higher Education Richard M. Freeland said. “We have new, significantly enhanced rules to play a role in the selection.”
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-west-alabama-board-puts-president-on-leave/73753?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
U. of West Alabama Puts President on Leave
By Nick DeSantis
The University of West Alabama’s Board of Trustees on Monday voted to place the institution’s president, Richard D. Holland, on administrative leave as a consultant investigates his assertions that some trustees had interfered with his annual evaluation, The Tuscaloosa News reported. Mr. Holland had called for such an investigation and released a report to the board alleging that his annual review had been tainted because he said certain individuals were selected to give negative feedback about his performance.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/quickwire-e-textbook-provider-coursesmart-is-bought/50831?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
QuickWire: E-Textbook Provider CourseSmart Is Bought by Ingram
A big fish in the education-media world has been swallowed by an even bigger fish. CourseSmart, a major provider of electronic textbook content, has been acquired by the Ingram Content Group, a media company that supplies books and music to thousands of retailers across the world. CourseSmart was created in 2007 by the “big five” textbook companies as an online marketplace for their digital content.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/many-colleges-hoard-endowments-during-rough-economic-times/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Many Colleges ‘Hoard’ Endowments During Rough Economic Times
When the economy is doing well, many colleges increase their endowment spending on new programs, new buildings, new positions, and breaks in tuition. But when times are tough—at precisely the moment that campuses could most use the money—colleges’ endowment managers are less likely to spend it.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Swings-in-Credit-Ratings-Hint/145095/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Swings in Credit Ratings Hint of Challenges Ahead for Colleges
By Goldie Blumenstyk
From 2009 through 2013, the number of downgrades of colleges’ credit ratings by Moody’s Investors Service outpaced upgrades by nearly five to one. More evidence of colleges’ weakening financial picture? Yes, but that picture is not as clear-cut as it might seem.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Chronicle-Chat-Experts/145067/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Chronicle Chat: Experts Discuss the Neglect of Public Colleges
Wednesday, March 5, at 1 p.m., U.S. Eastern time
A special Chronicle report, “An Era of Neglect,” examines the continuing erosion of support for public higher education in the United States. The report, published on Sunday, rejects the conventional notion that decisions about spending on higher education merely reflect the ups and downs of state-budget cycles. The report focuses instead on the small but consequential choices that a generation of lawmakers, lobbyists, and college officials have made—choices that have steadily shifted the burden of paying for a college degree from taxpayers to individual students. Why have public colleges lost out in the fight for state dollars? What has led to the fraying of ties between higher education and both elected officials and the public? What are the consequences of that transformation? Join a Chronicle reporter, Karin Fischer, on Wednesday, March 5, for a live chat on those issues.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/funding-issues-loom-florida-state-universities
Funding issues loom for Florida state universities
Tallahassee.com
The 2013 session produced landmark legislation for Florida State and University of Florida, as lawmakers and the governor signed off on a bill creating preeminent universities. FSU and UF are on track to receive an additional $15 million for five consecutive years as each pursues its goal of climbing higher in the national rankings. It’s very possible, however, that during the next two months the Legislature will remake the landscape for higher education in far more dramatic ways than they did one year ago.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/arizona-university-presidents-pitch-value-research-lawmakers
Arizona university presidents pitch value of research to lawmakers
Mohave Daily News
“The thing that we do is that we have the ability to produce people, ideas and stuff,” Crow said before the House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. “Any one of which can help Arizona’s economy to be more effective, but also any one of which can become a game changer.” Crow and the presidents of the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University briefed the committee on their research and its value to the state.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/assigned-reading-college-charleston-runs-trouble-sc-house-representatives
Assigned reading at the College of Charleston runs into trouble with SC House of Representatives
The Christian Science Monitor
After South Carolina school the College of Charleston assigned Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir “Fun Home” to students, members of the South Carolina House of Representatives cut funding to the university because of the depiction of same-sex relationships in “Fun Home.”
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/rutgers-faculty-denounce-selection-condoleezza-rice-commencement-speaker
Rutgers faculty denounce selection of Condoleezza Rice as commencement speaker
NJ.com
The Board of Governors voted earlier this month to award an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Rice, who served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. She will be paid $35,000 for her commencement address. But the faculty council cited her war record and her misleading of the public about the Iraq war as reasons for their opposition.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/irs-idea-could-end-election-debates-campus
IRS idea could end election debates on campus
Politico
The Internal Revenue Service proposed changes in November to the rules governing politically active nonprofit groups like Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS. The change would define voter registration campaigns, get-out-the-vote drives and events at which political candidates appear as “political activity.” And in the same document, they asked for feedback on eventually applying the same definition to nonprofits without a political purpose — like colleges.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/03/04/private-colleges-oppose-plan-end-community-college-tuition
Private Colleges Oppose Plan to End Community College Tuition
Private college leaders in Tennessee want to make sure a proposal to provide free community college doesn’t affect their students’ wallets. The Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association says Governor Bill Haslam’s free community college plan works by redistributing state aid money away from some four-year college students.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/for-profit-colleges-add-20-billion-to-economy-trade-group-says/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
For-Profit Colleges Add $20-Billion to Economy, Trade Group Says
Washington — The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities has released an analysis that says for-profit colleges have a direct impact of about $20-billion on the United States economy. The analysis was released as some 200 officials of for-profit colleges, students, and employers of the colleges’ graduates are gathering here for a three-day lobbying push on Capitol Hill against tighter regulation. The analysis, prepared by John Dunham and Associates, also includes localized reports that show the economic impact of the colleges, state by state.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/04/gainful-employment-debate-aired-out-new-york-times
Proxy War on For-Profits
By Paul Fain
A proxy war over the regulation of for-profit colleges is being waged in the editorial pages of The New York Times. In the last week the newspaper has published four opinion pieces that touch on federal oversight of the industry — two in favor of tightening the screws and two (by the same columnist) defending for-profits for their role in educating underserved students. The flurry of punditry comes just before the U.S. Department of Education is expected to release its final draft “gainful employment” rules for vocational programs at for-profits and community colleges.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/03/04/profit-university-stripped-license-opens-again
For-Profit University, Stripped of License, Opens Again
The University of Northern Virginia doesn’t sound like an institution to find in South Dakota. But the for-profit institution has relocated there, the Associated Press reported. Virginia authorities shut it down, citing a lack of accreditation, but now it has an address in South Dakota, seen by many as lax in regulating for-profit higher education.