University System News

USG NEWS:
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2014-05-20/regents-seek-eliminate-university-system-georgias-unpopular-majors
Regents seek to eliminate University System of Georgia’s unpopular majors
By Walter C. Jones
Morris News Service
ATLANTA — Nearly 400 of the University System of Georgia’s 2,900 degree programs are on the chopping block because so few students graduate from them. The Music Education program at Georgia Regents University, the Africana Studies program at Savannah State University, the Environmental Engineering program at the University of Georgia and the Gender & Women’s Studies major at Armstrong State University are among those undergraduate majors with fewer than 10 graduates yearly.

www.m.chronicle.augusta.com
http://m.chronicle.augusta.com/news/government/2014-05-20/regents-ok-athens-hospital-residency-program
Regents OK Athens hospital residency program
By Walter C. Jones
Morris News Service
ATLANTA – Athens Regional Medical Center is getting another $431,000 installment from the state to help it start what will be the largest of Georgia’s new training program fro beginning physicians. The Graduate Medical Education Committee of the Board of Regents voted unanimously Tuesday morning for the grant. The full board routinely accepts the committee’s recommendation and is expected to so so again Tuesday afternoon. The grant is part of the state’s ongoing effort to help hospitals around Georgia create 400 slots for the residency training required before a medical-school graduate can practice medicine unsupervised. Athens Regional is gearing up to provide 102 of them, or one-quarter of the goal.

Related article:
www.northwestgeorgianews.com
http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/associated_press/news/state/regents-approve-for-athens-regional-s-residency-program/article_cab93e4c-e026-11e3-b862-001a4bcf6878.html
Regents approve $400,000 for Athens Regional’s residency program

www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2014-05-20/regents-protesters-arrested?v=1400587272
Board of Regents protesters arrested
Morris News Service
ATLANTA — The Board of Regents unanimously approved a four-year building plan Tuesday for the University System of Georgia despite repeated interruptions by protesters angry over policies on undocumented students.The construction plan seeks to allocate the $250 million anticipated yearly in the state budget for building new classrooms and repairing existing ones. …The board approved the plan without discussion following a three-minute presentation. It was one of the last big acts of the board before taking the next two months off.

Related article:
Www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2014-05-20/protesters-interrupt-regents-meeting-get-arrested
Protesters interrupt Regents meeting, get arrested

www.northwestgeorgianews.com
http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/associated_press/news/national/protesters-interrupt-regents-meeting-get-arrested/article_540591e0-e069-11e3-af01-0017a43b2370.html
Protesters interrupt Regents meeting, get arrested
By Walter C. Jones, Morris News Service
ATLANTA ‑ The Board of Regents unanimously approved a four-year building plan Tuesday for the University System of Georgia despite repeated interruptions by protesters angry over policies on undocumented students. Before considering construction allocations, state Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, addressed the regents to request a change in policy that prohibits undocumented students from receiving an in-state tuition discount. “The only mistake they have made is having parents who are undocumented,” he said. Regents Chairman Philip Wilheit thanked him, adding, “We will continue to have these discussions.” After Fort left, a handful of protesters from the group Georgia Dreamers took turns standing and shouting over the regents until business was interrupted. Within moments, police officers escorted them from the room. Once outside, they joined a larger group chanting in Spanish.

www.latino.foxnews.com
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/05/20/georgia-universities-urged-to-end-discrimination-against-undocumented/
Georgia universities urged to end discrimination against undocumented
Activists protested Tuesday in front of the offices of the Georgia Board of Regents to demand an end to a measure that bars undocumented students from admission to the state’s five most-selective public universities. Critics say that Policy 4.1.6., established in 2011, creates a new kind of segregation based on immigrant status at institutions that up to several decades ago denied access to African Americans. The protest, during which several participants burst into the offices, ended with the arrest of three students, four activists and a university professor.

www.gwninnettdailypost.com
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2014/may/20/interim-title-removed-preczewski-named-president/?news
Interim title removed, Preczewski named president at Georgia Gwinnett College
By Keith Farner
LAWRENCEVILLE — Fourteen months, nearly to the day, after Stas Preczewski was named interim president of Georgia Gwinnett College, the interim label was removed on Tuesday. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents announced after its regular monthly meeting that Preczewski has been appointed president of GGC, a position he’s served in an interim role since March 2013.

Related article:
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/capitol_vision/2014/05/preczewski-named-georgia-gwinnett-college.html
Preczewski named Georgia Gwinnett College president

USG VALUE:
www.13wmaz.com
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/education/2014/05/12/nigerian-delegates-tour-fvsu/9013969/
Nigerian delegates tour FVSU
Sitarah A Coote, WMAZ
Fort Valley State University wants to go global. That’s one reason a group of about 20 Nigerian legislators toured the school today. “In Nigeria we are moving Agriculture to a business. And the agricultural prgram here is of great interest to us,” said Ambassador Geoffery Teneilabe. Which is why he and a few other legislators from the Kwara state of Nigeria toured Fort Valley State’s campus. It’s all part of President Ivelaw Griffith’s global initiative.

www.41nbc.com
http://www.41nbc.com/story/d/story/medical-center-of-peach-county-raises-money-to-con/30117/cXGw4zN__0iS9C_yahxKZg
Medical Center of Peach County raises money to continue expanding
BYRON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Medical Center of Peach County is less than a year old. It’s still expanding and hoping to offer more services. Saturday morning, the hospital hosted its second annual Peach Road Race to help it grow. The race showed how runners racing a long way can help a little money go the distance. “It’s a good organization, and every little dollar helps,” said runner Michelle Beard. Little dollars turned into big bucks Saturday. …Sponsors including Fort Valley State University gave about $6,000 to the Medical Center as a part of the $10,000 the race helped raise.

www.13wmaz.com
http://www.13wmaz.com/media/cinematic/video/8781611/
FVSU hosts storm drill for people and pets
The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and other agencies practiced processing people in case of a natural disaster on Fort Valley State’s campus.

GOOD NEWS:
www.chattanoogan.com
http://www.chattanoogan.com/2014/5/20/276917/Bachelor-s-Degree-For-Respiratory.aspx
Bachelor’s Degree For Respiratory Therapy Approved For Dalton State
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia today approved Dalton State College’s application to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in respiratory therapy, bringing to 18 the number of four-year degrees offered by the College. The new degree is offered as a completion program for practicing Registered Respiratory Therapists and will be effective fall 2014.

www.wsbtv.com
http://www.wsbtv.com/ap/ap/georgia/georgia-gwinnett-college-starts-chemistry-program/nf4mP/
Georgia Gwinnett College starts chemistry program
The Associated Press
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Georgia Gwinnett College officials say they’re launching a new bachelor of science degree program. Officials say the school is launching a chemistry program that will begin accepting students in fall of 2014. School officials say students may apply for the program through June 2.

www.forest-blade.com
http://www.forest-blade.com/news/education/article_e150833e-df92-11e3-945f-001a4bcf887a.html
Grant provides additional recycling bins at EGSC
East Georgia State College will receive 25 recycling bins this summer as part of a national recycling grant made possible by Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and The Coca-Cola Foundation. The grant award supports the work of East Georgia State College’s Recycling Task Force, an institutional initiative created in 2013 by President Bob Boehmer, for exploration of avenues to enhance the college’s recycling efforts. The Green Team effort, already underway, focuses on encouraging students, faculty, staff, and visitors on East Georgia State College’s three campuses to recycle, conserve, and sustain.

RESEARCH:
www.13wmaz.com
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/peach-crawford/2014/05/19/fvsu-researches-benefits-of-eating-goats/9302777/
FVSU researches benefits of eating goats
Sitarah A Coote, WMAZ
When most people think of goats, they don’t think of them as a dinner option. But researchers at the Georgia Small Ruminant Research Center point out that switching to goat meat and goat milk could have great health benefits. The center is located on Fort Valley State’s campus and prides itself as the largest facility of its kind east of the Mississippi River. Park Young, a Professor of Food Science at Fort Valley, says goat milk is hypo-allergenic, which means it’s safe for those who are allergic to cow milk.

www.13wmaz.com
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/2014/05/07/getting-ready-for-mosquitoes/8823105/
Getting ready for mosquito season
Sitarah A Coote, WMAZ
George Mbata is an entomologist on Fort Valley State’s campus and knows a thing or two about mosquitoes. “Once the weather starts warming up, that allows accelerated reproduction rates, so they develop really fast,” he said, “They need the blood for maturation of the eggs, so only female mosquitoes bite.” And when they bite, they can leave pathogens behind in human blood, which can lead to diseases like the West Nile Virus and Yellow Fever.

www.theatlantic.com
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/05/the-right-way-to-make-cities-smart/370900/
The Right Way to Make Cities Smart
Most data-driven “civic apps” report problems. What if they facilitated civic engagement instead?
CHRISTOPHER LE DANTEC
In the 1960s, RAND Corporation researcher Harold Sackman advanced some of the earliest arguments for real-time data in the public interest: “It is commonplace to point out that computers make it possible to collect, organize, and process vast amounts of data quickly and reliably in real time experiments that were beyond the ken of the precomputer era.” … What might it look like to incorporate more active and political forms of participation in an app- and data-driven world? In my research group at Georgia Tech, we have developed a smartphone app that interfaces with a larger regional planning project.

www.ibtimes.co.uk
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hackers-gtisc-jailbreak-iphone-5s-ios-7-1-1-following-jailbreaks-winocm-i0ni1c-1449231
Hackers from GTISC Jailbreak iPhone 5s on iOS 7.1.1, Following Jailbreaks from Winocm and i0ni1c
By Vinod Yalburgi
Security researchers at Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC), Yeongjin Jang and Tielei Wang, have just revealed that they have successfully jailbroken iPhone 5s running iOS 7.1.1.

Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/why-moocs-are-more-health-clubs-hospitals
Why MOOCs are more like health clubs than hospitals
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
Forbes
Today marks the second birthday of edX, Harvard and MIT’s nonprofit platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs). A lot has changed since the heady days of 2012. Back then, the Chicken Littles of higher education were predicting that MOOCs would bring about the “end of the university as we know it.” In his classic understated style, Tom Friedman argued “nothing has more potential to lift more people out of poverty” than MOOCs.

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/warning-literary-canon-could-make-students-squirm
Warning: The literary canon could make students squirm
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
The New York Times
Should students about to read “The Great Gatsby” be forewarned about “a variety of scenes that reference gory, abusive and misogynistic violence,” as one Rutgers student proposed? Would any book that addresses racism — like “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” or “Things Fall Apart” — have to be preceded by a note of caution? Do sexual images from Greek mythology need to come with a viewer-beware label? Colleges across the country this spring have been wrestling with student requests for what are known as “trigger warnings,” explicit alerts that the material they are about to read or see in a classroom might upset them or, as some students assert, cause symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in victims of rape or in war veterans.

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/changing-practices-faculty-evaluation
Changing practices in faculty evaluation
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
AAUP
Years ago, the process of faculty evaluation carried few or none of the sudden-death implications that characterize contemporary evaluation practices. But now, as the few to be chosen for promotion and tenure become fewer and faculty mobility decreases, the decision to promote or grant tenure can have an enormous impact on a professor’s career. At the same time, academic administrators are under growing pressure to render sound decisions in the face of higher operating costs, funding shortfalls, and the mounting threat posed by giant corporations that have moved into higher education. Worsening economic conditions have focused sharper attention on evaluation of faculty performance, with the result that faculty members are assessed through formalized, systematic methods.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/castingoutnines/2014/05/19/technology-learning-and-institutional-mission-statements/?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
Technology, learning, and institutional mission statements
By Robert Talbert
Right now I’m preparing for a talk I’m giving next month, in which I’ll be speaking on using technology to connect students, faculty and institutions to the fundamentally human activities of learning and growth. Of those three groups – students, faculty, and institutions – I’m finding it to be a lot easier to talk about students and faculty and their relationship to technology than it is to talk about institutions. I’m wondering: Why is that?

www.nytimes.com

A Math App That Offers an Unusual Human Touch
By KENNETH CHANG
Tabtor is an expensive iPad math-teaching app for kindergartners through sixth graders. Although free to download and try for two weeks, thereafter it costs $50 a month per child. …In a sense, then, Tabtor, based in Kendall Park, N.J., is a tutoring service delivered via iPad. An Android version is planned for this summer. An incentive to the children are the points they earn through correct answers and how quickly they finish the worksheets. Those points can be redeemed for retail gift cards.

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/cuts-nc-higher-education-will-hurt
Cuts to N.C. higher education will hurt
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
Charlotteobserver.com
It’s bad enough that North Carolina is near the cellar among states for paying public school teachers. But if N.C. lawmakers approve the $49 million cut to higher education Gov. Pat McCrory has proposed for 2014-2015, the state could sink to the bottom in terms of funding to our university system, too. Already, the Tar Heel state is among an ignominious group of eight states where politicians last year slashed funding to higher education while all the other states boosted spending on their public colleges and universities. Neighboring South Carolina was among those increasing higher ed funding – as did most other Southern states, including Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee.

www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-first-act-has-two-flaws-that-could-limit-future-scientific-discoveries/2014/05/20/4c4f7a2c-e034-11e3-810f-764fe508b82d_story.html
The FIRST Act has two flaws that could limit future discoveries
By David J. Skorton
David J. Skorton is the president of Cornell University.
Congress soon will make an important set of decisions that could significantly impact our nation’s global technological and economic edge now and for years to come. The House Science, Space and Technology Committee is about to mark up legislation — the Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science and Technology Act (FIRST Act) — to reauthorize a number of agencies and programs, including the National Science Foundation, charged with enabling the United States to uphold a position of world leadership in research and education. The FIRST Act has many important, positive aspects.

Education News
www.wgxa.tv
http://www.wgxa.tv/story/more-college-grads-staying-in-macon-for-job-opportunities-20140520#axzz32Nk4FrbT
More College Grads Staying In Macon For Job Opportunities
By Malcolm Johnson
Nationally, the high school graduation rate is on the rise. Conversely, the dropout rate is on the decline. In Macon, the job market is presenting greater opportunities for college graduates, but few for kids who don’t finish high school.

www.newschannel5.com
http://www.newschannel5.com/story/25575720/mtsu-signs-transfer-agreement-with-albany-tech
MTSU Signs Transfer Agreement With Albany Tech
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) – Middle Tennessee State University has agreed to allow students who graduate with an associate’s degree from Georgia’s Albany Technical College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electromechanical engineering technology in Murfreesboro. According to MTSU, the agreement marks the first time the university has formed such a partnership with an out-of-state school.

www.seattletimes.com
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023658615_competencydegreexml.html
Community colleges plan to offer quick competency degree
Community-college students with some work experience could earn an accelerated associate degree in business online under a new program up for review.
By Katherine Long
Seattle Times higher education reporter
The state’s community-college system is planning to offer an all-online, competency-based associate degree in business that students could earn at home in 18 months — or even earlier, if they’ve already earned some college credits. All credits earned through the program would be transferable to a Washington public four-year college — providing a short track to a bachelor’s in business administration. The program is designed for adults who already have been working for a few years and have experience to draw from.

www.universitybusiness.com
Los Angeles nonprofit prepares low-income students for higher ed
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
Latin Post
Low-income students simply aren’t faring well. The lack of resources across the board is apparent when examining academic performance, graduation rates and post-secondary education rates within these communities. While the national average for graduation rates has hit an all-time high of 80 percent, low-income students continue to graduate below the national average in 41 states. Non-low-income students fare much better, with below-average graduation rates in just seven states.

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/protesters-block-construction-site-university-chicago
Protesters block construction site at University of Chicago
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
DNAinfo Chicago
University of Chicago police removed protesters demanding the university open a trauma center who had chained themselves to machinery and blocked cement trucks at a university construction site Monday morning. “It’s worth getting arrested because people are dying,” said Veronica Morris-Moore, one of four protesters who rushed into the work site of the hospital’s new parking garage about 10 a.m. Monday.

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/sen-mccaskill-leads-roundtable-college-sexual-assault
Sen. McCaskill leads roundtable on college sexual assault
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
Talk Radio News Service
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) held a roundtable Monday to discuss sexual assault on college campuses and what role the government can play in preventing it. The discussion, formally hosted by the Senate Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight, focused on the Clery Act and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE). The Clery and SaVE Acts both mandate that colleges collect and disclose campus-wide statistics on rape and other forms of sexual violence.

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/university-faculty-complete-bluegrass-academic-leadership-academy
University faculty complete Bluegrass Academic Leadership Academy
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
KyForward
The Bluegrass Higher Education Consortium announced that 42 fellows completed its inaugural Bluegrass Academic Leadership Academy at Eastern Kentucky University. The Academic Leadership Academy is co-chaired by Bonnie Banker, academic dean at Asbury University, and Sherry Robinson, executive assistant to the provost and academic affairs at EKU. The academy is a presidential initiative, led by the 12 presidents represented in the consortium, to build future academic leaders in the Bluegrass region.

www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/64413/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=37188c5e05d54ad481570c24ceaae1fc&elqCampaignId=173
Ohio State Presidential Search Cost More Than $600,000
by Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio ― Ohio State University spent more than $600,000 on the search for its new president, including $186,000 for private jet service and about $220,000 for an executive headhunting firm, according to records released Tuesday. Other expenses included $85,000 for an ad in the New York Times, part of $117,988 the university spent for a one-day symposium in August titled, “Who will lead America’s public universities in the 21st century?”

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/loyola-university-stands-decision-hire-controversial-prof
Loyola University stands by decision to hire controversial prof
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
Crain’s Chicago Business
Loyola University Chicago is standing by its decision to hire a controversial faculty member who has been accused of sexual harassment at his previous job. “We have reviewed the allegations raised against Miguel Diaz and our offer to him stands,” the university said in a statement. “As previously stated, he has accepted a faculty appointment that begins July 1, 2014. He will join the university as the John Courtney Murray University chair in public service and professor of theology.”

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/how-one-institution-supports-adjunct-faculty
How one institution supports adjunct faculty
College of DuPage created Office of Adjunct Faculty Support to improve the part-time teacher experience
By: Kirk Overstreet
University Business
College of DuPage, located just west of Chicago, is one of the largest community colleges in the United States, and it is the largest community college in the Midwest. The institution serves more than 30,000 students and offers a variety of courses, with more than 80 percent of its classes delivered face-to-face. COD also employs a large adjunct faculty force—in any given semester, there are more than 1,200 adjunct instructors teaching. The college is in constant search of ways to increase the overall quality of education delivered to the community. …In response, COD developed the Office of Adjunct Faculty Support and created two assistant dean positions to lead the initiative. The Office of Adjunct Faculty Support provides administrative services to all part-time/adjunct faculty at the college.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/middlebury-faculty-seeks-to-cut-ties-with-online-education-company/52853?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Middlebury Faculty Seeks to Cut Ties With Online-Education Company
by Steve Kolowich
The faculty at Middlebury College last week took a stand against the Vermont institution’s partnership with K12, an online-education company that has been helping the college turn its reputation as a language-instruction mecca into a business venture. The professors voted, 95 to 16, to end the relationship with the company.

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/05/21/unc-penn-state-seek-replicate-stem-diversity-program#sthash.ZdG4jrMS.ZnLUwMzT.dpbs
UNC, Penn State Seek to Replicate STEM Diversity Program
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and three universities are teaming up to try to replicate the successful Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which has helped the University of Maryland-Baltimore County become a top producer of minority scientists.

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/hiram-college-chosen-consortium-develop-online-project
Hiram College chosen for consortium to develop online project
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
Vindy.com
Hiram College was recently selected as one of 20 private colleges from across the country to develop online, upper-division courses in the humanities, as part of a new consortium. The Council of Independent Colleges awarded Hiram College $20,000 to participate in the Consortium for Online Humanities Instruction. This will allow Vivien Sandlund, professor of history, and Paul Gaffney, associate professor of English, to develop two massive open online courses (available for free over the Internet).

www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/princeton-endowment-managers%E2%80%99-pay-raise-tops-brown-harvard
Princeton endowment managers’ pay raise tops Brown, Harvard
Submitted by Stefanie Botelho
Bloomberg
Princeton University paid four of its endowment managers a combined $9.2 million in 2013, a 46 percent increase from a year earlier and four times the increase Harvard University paid its top investors. Andrew Golden, the president of Princeton University Investment Co., the company known as Princo that manages the school’s $18.2 billion endowment, collected $3.9 million in total compensation last year. The 55-year-old’s remuneration included a 94 percent increase in retirement and deferred compensation and a 48 percent jump in bonus pay, according to the latest tax return.