University System News

RESEARCH:
www.globatlanta.com
http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/27022/clinton-backs-ugas-haitian-peanut-project/
Clinton Teams Up With UGA on Peanut Project in Haiti
By Phil Bolton
The Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership has launched a corporation providing a supply chain for the production and sale of peanuts raised by farmers in Haiti. As the United Nation’s Special Envoy to Haiti since 2009, Mr. Clinton is well acquainted with the country. During his administration, he engineered the restoration of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power and forced the re-entry to their home country of Haitians who had fled to the United States. On June 29, he was back in Haiti along with Mr. Giustra and representatives of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. UGA’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Peanut and Mycotoxin (PMIL) is a leading researcher in the field and has joined the Clinton Giustra partnership to launch the corporation that is designed to improve the livelihoods of more than 12,000 smallholder peanut farmers.

www.phys.org
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-team-nanoparticles-chemotherapy.html
Team uses nanoparticles to enhance chemotherapy
(Phys.org) —University of Georgia researchers have developed a new formulation of cisplatin, a common chemotherapy drug, that significantly increases the drug’s ability to target and destroy cancerous cells. Cisplatin may be used to treat a variety of cancers, but it is most commonly prescribed for cancer of the bladder, ovaries, cervix, testicles and lung.

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/07/08/enrollment-journalism-programs-drops#sthash.o4MJpi7v.dpbs
Enrollment in Journalism Programs Drops
Collective enrollments in American journalism schools and programs dropped in 2012 for the second straight year, the American Journalism Review reported. The article, which is based on an annual survey of journalism programs conducted by the University of Georgia, said that enrollment in the 485 participating journalism and mass communication programs fell by 2.9 percent in 2012 after a smaller drop, of 1.1 percent, the year before.

Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/sunday-issue-education-in-the-governors-race/ngYC7/#d7363271.3566685.735421
SUNDAY ISSUE: EDUCATION IN THE GOVERNOR’S RACE
By Maureen Downey
In the race for governor, incumbent Republican Gov. Nathan Deal and Democratic challenger state Sen. Jason Carter, D-Atlanta, have staked education as a battleground, both declaring schools a top priority. …Both Deal and Carter vow more money for schools in the future. But finances aren’t the only looming trouble spot. Georgia’s commitment to the Common Core State Standards is under attack. While a public outcry beat back an effort this year to withdraw from the standards, the issue continues to smolder and will likely spark in the next legislative session. Because of the significance of this election, we asked Carter and Deal to outline their education plans and platforms.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/innovation-investment-key-to-improving-education/ngX4x/#42a57645.3566685.735421
Innovation, investment key to improving education
By Nathan Deal
In the bad times and in the better times, I have prioritized education. It’s an investment in our children, but it’s also key to keeping Georgia No. 1 for business. When I took office in 2011, state revenues were still suffering from the Great Recession. I worked to safeguard education funding while making the hard decisions to reduce spending in other important agencies that had already gone through years of cuts. This year, with the state’s revenues beginning to stabilize, we’ve increased k-12 spending by more than half a billion dollars, allowing most school districts to return to a full 180-day calendar and give our teachers much-deserved raises. But money isn’t everything.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/education-demands-greater-investment-by-state/ngX4t/#fa022424.3566685.735421
Education demands greater investment by state
By Jason Carter
A few weeks ago, our younger son Thomas graduated from preschool. Next month, he’ll join his brother Henry at our neighborhood public elementary school. Like other parents across the state, we’re counting on our schools to help build our kids’ future. I believe that Georgia can — and must — be a state where those boys and their classmates get a good education and then go on to graduate to good jobs right here at home.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/Georgia-lowballs-its-future/ngYYp/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1#5bc4c94b.3566685.735422
Jay Bookman
Georgia lowballs its future
Last month, CNBC ranked Georgia as the best state in the country in which to do business, a fact that Gov. Nathan Deal naturally seized upon in his re-election bid. “It is the fulfillment of the goal that I had when I was first elected,” the governor said. But let’s turn to the experts, which in this case means you: According to CNBC, we won that top ranking in part because we have the nation’s best workforce in the country. You know this state. You live here, you work here. Do you believe we have the best workforce in the country? To be honest, I do not.

www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/standing-out/ngX8w/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1#d623498f.3566685.735421
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET INTO HARVARD?
Standing out
By Rudy Jackson
Dr. Rudy Jackson is the director of co-curricular assessment at Georgia Gwinnett College and owner of College Prep Professionals LLC , a college planning business.
Gaining admission to top colleges and universities has never been easy for many U.S. high school students. And for the most elite colleges, it’s been even tougher. Up to 95 percent of top students are turned away from the most prestigious schools. So when a friend recently told me his daughter wanted to attend a top 20 university, I asked the question, “Does your daughter know how to beat out 40,000 other strong applicants to get into her dream college?” After a short conversation, it became clear his daughter understood how to become a well-qualified applicant, but didn’t know how to gain the competitive edge against others like her. Without that edge, was she wasting her time, energy and family’s money? When it comes to selectivity, Harvard has traditionally been the toughest college to which to be admitted, but the most recent data shows Stanford University now wears the crown.

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/cherry-picking#sthash.mXuYF16Q.dpbs
Cherry Picking
By Matt Reed
You know the problem with serving the needy? They’re just so … needy. Several Silicon Valley startups have decided to cherry pick the least needy students and make a buck from them. They’re designed around identifying the recent graduates most likely to repay their loans, and offering them preferred financing. (Hat-tip to @tressiemcphd for catching this one.)

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-beta/shape-higher-ed-yet-come#sthash.nsEw6ywd.dpbs
The Shape of Higher Ed Yet to Come
Steven Mintz
What might higher education look like a decade from now? Will it be pretty much as it is today? Or will cost pressures, debt burdens, shifting student demographics, and demands for accountability, affordability, and access produce fundamental transformations in how higher education is structured and delivered?

www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/65468/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=46d4414a83fa4ef88c9186ef62aab450&elqCampaignId=173
How Does Your Pay Compare to University of California’s Salaries?
by Emil Guillermo
In journalism, the most important personal fact in a news story (after a correctly spelled name) is the person’s age. Hence, President Barack Obama, 52. But I’ve always thought compensation should be right up there as the next most important figure ― at least for people who get paid in part by public monies. Therefore, Barack Obama, 52, $400,000, (plus $50,000 for expenses). It’s always good to be reminded of what we pay our public servants. Should that be any different in higher ed? Compensation, especially at public institutions shouldn’t be some closely guarded secret. So once again, we must applaud the University of California for releasing its pay data in a proud showing of its “commitment to transparency and public accountability.” The numbers aren’t very surprising.

Education News
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/65474/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=46d4414a83fa4ef88c9186ef62aab450&elqCampaignId=173
NEA Calls for Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s Resignation
by Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press
WASHINGTON ― The nation’s largest teachers’ union wants Education Secretary Arne Duncan to quit. Delegates of the National Education Association adopted a business item July 4 at its annual convention in Denver that called for his resignation. The vote underscores the long-standing tension between the Obama administration and teachers’ unions — historically a steadfast Democratic ally.

www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crct-scores-continue-to-lag-in-many-metro-atlanta-/ngbS5/
CRCT scores continue to lag in many metro Atlanta schools
By Eric Stirgus and Sean Sposito
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many elementary and middle schools along metro Atlanta’s southside continue to have trouble meeting state standards in several subjects, particularly math, according to Georgia Department of Education data released Tuesday.

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/08/new-research-provides-insight-growing-pool-international-high-school-students-us#sthash.Myh4VQnx.dpbs
The Younger International Student
By Elizabeth Redden
Picture the “typical” international student at an American high school. You may think of an exchange student from Europe, but even more typical is a student from Asia seeking an American high school diploma. A new research brief from the Institute of International Education finds that the pool of international students attending American high schools is rapidly expanding, and the majority of those students are pursuing diplomas rather than enrolling in more traditional semester- to yearlong cultural exchange programs. The diploma-seeking students are predominantly from Asia, almost exclusively attend private high schools, and are pursuing secondary credentials with the goal of increasing their chances for admission to U.S. colleges.

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/08/report-examines-college-graduates-employment-experiences-years-after-graduation#sthash.J2d9v4nH.dpbs
Employment After the Recession
By Jake New
Four of five students who graduated college in 2008 were able to find some sort of employment in the four years after their graduation, despite entering the work force during the worst of the economic recession, a federal report shows.

Related article:
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/How-a-Class-That-Graduated-in/147529/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
How a Class That Graduated in the Early Days of the Recession Has Fared Since

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/in-a-mooc-mystery-a-course-suddenly-vanishes/53767?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
In a MOOC Mystery, a Course Suddenly Vanishes
by Steve Kolowich
A massive open online course on making sense of massive open online courses caused massive confusion when the course content was suddenly deleted and the professor started writing cryptic things on Twitter.

Related article:
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/08/massiveteaching-mystery-captivates-confuses#sthash.OhCg9lV8.dpbs
The Mystery of the Missing MOOC

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/As-Fight-Over-U-of-Texas/147535/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
As Fight Over U. of Texas President Comes to a Head, Everyone Wonders, Why Now?
By Katherine Mangan and Jack Stripling
Austin, Tex.
As supporters of the University of Texas at Austin’s president, William C. Powers Jr., lined up to fight efforts to oust him this week, the best they can hope for is to allow him to leave on his own terms—at the end of the next academic year, instead of being forced out in October or even earlier. But that hasn’t stopped them from mounting a fierce lobby to block the Board of Regents from firing Mr. Powers during a scheduled meeting on Thursday.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/In-the-Turmoil-at-the-U-of/147531/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
In the Turmoil at the U. of Texas at Austin, 4 Big Personalities
By Sara Jerde
The possible dismissal of William C. Powers Jr., president of the University of Texas at Austin, has pitted him against the system’s chancellor, the governor, and a prominent regent. But the call for Mr. Powers’s resignation isn’t so out of the ordinary in light of the politics of his relationship with state lawmakers, other university administrators, and the system’s Board of Regents. Here are the big players in the debate and their changing relationships with one another:

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Education-Department-Didn-t/147533/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Education Department Didn’t Set Out to Shut Down Corinthian
By Goldie Blumenstyk
Washington
The U.S. Department of Education didn’t know how shaky the financial ground was under Corinthian Colleges Inc. when it turned off the spigot of federal financial aid to the company in mid-June, according to a “background” briefing an official gave to reporters on Monday. The department didn’t expect its mid-June move would set off the chain of events that, three weeks later, led to the company’s agreement with the department to sell its 85 United States-based colleges and close down its remaining 12, the department briefer said. “We did not know their cash situation,” the official said, and did not expect “that this would be the reaction to our action.”

www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/08/christian-college-weathering-unexpected-15-million-cash-shortage-prays-donations#sthash.sIxdxGrQ.dpbs
Piety and Pocketbooks
By Charlie Tyson
After employees at a Christian college concealed financial problems from the institution’s president and Board of Regents, the college has turned to its affiliated church to raise enough money to survive the summer. Emmanuel College, an 800-student institution in Franklin Springs, Ga., is the educational flagship of a relatively small Pentecostal sect, the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. In a denomination-wide appeal, the church has asked congregants to donate to the college in order to alleviate a $1.5 million shortfall — caused by misleading financial information provided by college employees — by the end of July.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/While-Debating-Visas-US-May/147401/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
While Debating Visas, U.S. May Miss Bigger Keys to Scientific Success
By Paul Basken
For years, U.S. policy makers have been debating the idea of granting green cards to foreigners with science doctorates. The cell biologist Xiao-Wei Chen, at the University of Michigan is no longer waiting for them to decide. Mr. Chen, whose work on cholesterol metabolism helped him win a job competition this year at the National Institutes of Health, is instead making plans to return home to China and his undergraduate institution, Peking University. …Yet Mr. Chen might also be a warning flag: As Congress debates whether to extend green-card privileges to foreign students earning doctorates in the sciences, the question may be growing moot. Top-ranking students are already finding that they can stay if they want, and many do not, as the nation’s continuing disinvestment in science is making overseas options appear increasingly attractive.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/what-does-a-global-test-really-say-about-u-s-higher-ed/81303?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
What Does a Global Test Really Say About U.S. Higher Education?
by Ian Wilhelm
Does the United States have the best higher-education system in the world? In an essay in The New York Times, Kevin Carey recently said the answer is no. Mr. Carey, the education-policy director at the New America Foundation and a columnist for The Chronicle, cited the mediocre performance of American adults, including college graduates, in an international measurement of mathematics and literacy skills. But that measure, the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, known as Piaac, has its critics.