University System News
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Still no campus carry in Georgia, state attorney general says
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/still-no-campus-carry-in-georgia-state-attorney-ge/nf9K5/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1#be13a6af.3458083.735383
By Kristina Torres
Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens confirmed Thursday that an obscure bill passed earlier this year by the state Legislature did not legalize so-called “campus carry,” despite assertions by some gun rights supporters that it did. The issue had flared this week as advocates for legally carrying guns on college and university campuses received media attention. They said House Bill 826, which otherwise would no longer force officials to expel or suspend students caught with a fishing knife or baseball bat on school grounds, also implicitly allowed licensed gun holders to carry weapons on college grounds statewide.
Www.WABE.org
Deal, Olens Weigh In on Campus Carry
http://wabe.org/post/deal-olens-weigh-campus-carry
By Charles Edwards & Michelle Wirth
After receiving a number of questions about whether licensed permit holders can carry guns on school campuses, Governor Nathan Deal and Attorney General Sam Olens weighed in today. At issue are HB 60 and HB 826. Governor Deal signed both bills into law this year. HB 60 expands the list of places permitted gun holders can carry firearms in Georgia. HB 826 leaves the decision about how to handle students who carry certain knives on school property up to local school boards. That law also outlaws the carry of firearms in school safety zones with certain exceptions. One of those exceptions allows people with weapons carry licenses to carry in school safety zones. Meanwhile, HB 60 explicitly outlaws most carrying of firearms within those zones.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Report fingers ‘low-producing’ programs in state university system
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2014/05/30/report-fingers-low-producing-programs-in-state.html?page=all
By Dave Williams
May 30, 2014
Between one-third and one-half of the degree programs being offered by some of Georgia’s public colleges and universities are considered “low-producing” because they’re not attracting enough students to justify the cost. A new report compiled by the University System of Georgia identified 383 degree programs at 24 of the system’s 31 institutions as low-producing, including 202 at the four research institutions: The University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University and Georgia Regents University. Of those 383 programs, 199 were graduate degree programs and 184 were programs leading to undergraduate degrees.
Gainesville Times
Area colleges releasing free online textbooks
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/100174/
By Carly Sharec csharec@gainesvilletimes.com
POSTED: May 29, 2014
Two University of North Georgia faculty members are working closely together to make college a little more affordable. “Over the coming year, we’ll develop this textbook and then make it available to students at low or no cost,” said Dean of Libraries Deborah Prosser. The world literature textbook will be offered free online, and a print edition will be cheap. Prosser and English professor Bonnie Robinson are developing the materials using a nearly $25,000 grant from the University System of Georgia. “The cost of textbooks has become a burdensome and, in some cases, prohibitive aspect of higher education,” Prosser said.
Education News
Www.InsideHigherEd.com
Letting Go in Louisiana
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/05/30/lousiana-lawmakers-wanted-more-authority-over-state-higher-ed-chief-now-they-may#sthash.w23IaLnJ.dpbs
May 30, 2014
By Ry Rivard
Louisiana lawmakers may vote to give up their formal influence over the hiring and payment of the state’s higher education chief. A four-year-old effort to assert their authority over the commissioner has caused complaints of too much legislative meddling and fears the state will be unable to recruit a top candidate for the job, which is now open. In 2010, state lawmakers backed a new law giving themselves more authority over the commissioner, a job that oversees the state’s four higher ed systems. At the time, lawmakers were upset that Louisiana’s then-Commissioner of Higher Education, Sally Clausen, had quietly maneuvered to begin drawing a pension while keeping her job, enriching herself amid steep budget cuts in the state.
Www.Chronicle.com (Blog)
At-Risk Students Who Fall Behind Struggle to Catch Up, Study Finds
http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/at-risk-students-who-fall-behind-struggle-to-catch-up-report-says/38447
by Monica Vendituoli
May 30, 2014
Underachieving students in at-risk groups are less likely than other underachieving students to meet college-readiness standards four years later, according to a report released on Thursday by ACT. The report describes the percentage of “far off track” students in at-risk categories (low-income, Hispanic, black, and special-education students, as well as those for whom English is a second language) who met college-readiness standards—based on their test scores in mathematics, reading, and science—four years after taking the examinations in Grades 4 and 8. The ACT researchers then compared the performance of students in the at-risk groups to that of other “far off track” students. (Students were deemed “far off track” by scoring more than a full standard deviation below the “on track” target ACT test scores for their respective grades in school.)
Www.Chronicle.com (Blog)
Racial Gaps in Attainment Widen, as State Support for Higher Ed Falls
http://chronicle.com/blogs/data/2014/05/30/racial-gaps-in-attainment-widen-as-state-support-for-higher-ed-falls/
by Jonah Newman
May 30, 2014
The Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics released on Thursday its enormous annual report on the state of education in the United States. “The Condition of Education 2014” is based on 42 national indicators, from preschool enrollment to degree attainment to labor-force participation. The report doesn’t draw any conclusions, but it provides an abundance of data on all levels of education. While we don’t necessarily learn much about higher education that we didn’t already know—especially as some of the data are several years old—the report offers a fairly comprehensive snapshot of both trends and the current state of the education landscape. Here are highlights.
Other News
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia economy pulling away from cold-weather blues
http://www.myajc.com/news/business/georgia-economy-pulling-away-from-cold-weather-blu/nf9TG/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1#98b8f7bd.2935643.735383
By Michael Kanell
After getting off to a chilly start this year, the Georgia economy has heated up with a spurt of hiring that should continue through the next two-and-a-half years, according to the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State. Roughly 65,100 more jobs will be added to the economy this year, and 89,200 the year after – which is slightly better than the state did in 2013, said Rajeev Dhawan, director of the center during its quarterly conference.