University System News
USG NEWS:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/georgia/csu-president-leaving-post-for-job-in-amsterdam/nhGWB/
CSU president leaving post for job in Amsterdam
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Columbus State University President Timothy Mescon has announced plans to step down from his post at the end of the year. Officials say Mescon is planning to move to Amsterdam to become the inaugural Senior Vice President and Chief Officer of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Related articles:
www.ledger-enquirer.com
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/09/04/3282341_columbus-state-president-to-retire.html?rh=1
UPDATE: Columbus State president explains why he’s retiring
www.wtvm.com
http://www.wtvm.com/story/26449331/tim-mescon-announces-retirement-from-columbus-state-university
Tim Mescon announces retirement from Columbus State University
www.wsbtv.com
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/ap/georgia/csu-president-leaving-post-for-job-in-amsterdam/nhGWB/
CSU president leaving post for job in Amsterdam
www.georgiatrend.com
http://www.georgiatrend.com/September-2014/Expecting-Excellence/
EXPECTING EXCELLENCE
A Q&A with UGA President Jere Morehead, who has big plans for the university’s future.
Susan Percy
It’s hard to imagine anyone better prepared to lead the state’s flagship university than Jere Morehead. He’s a 1980 UGA law school graduate who became president in July 2013, after serving as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. …Georgia Trend’s Susan Percy talked to Morehead in his office in Athens about the first year of his presidency, an upcoming capital campaign, a new emphasis on economic development and how he stays connected with the students. Following are edited highlights of the interview.
www.valdostadailytimes.com
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/local_news/article_665704d2-34b5-11e4-bf0e-0019bb2963f4.html
Valdosta State eliminates 11 full-time positions
Adam Floyd, The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University announced Thursday the elimination of 11 full-time Auxiliary Services positions. Saying it was necessary to balance the fiscal year 2014-2015 budget, VSU parted ways with the 11 full-time employees, eliminated vacant positions and reduced budgets for operating expenses and temporary employees, according to a statement released by VSU.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/lifestyles/seniors-look-to-continuing-education-for-job-retoo/ng937/#266ea2bc.3566685.735481
Colleges targeting senior students
By Laura Berrios – For the AJC
While Georgia’s seniors 62 and older can go to any state college or university tuition-free, they’re more likely to pay a little and attend classes offered through continuing or lifelong education programs. Many seniors are enrolling in courses for life enjoyment, but others are seeking new job skills. TFor a couple of thousand dollars, they can get the training, skills and certification needed, and then jump into the job market — all in less than a year, said Karen LaMarsh, director for Clayton State University Continuing Education. Health care classes are among the most popular. …Kennesaw State University also has a growing health care program in its College of Continuing and Professional Education. …Kennesaw is one of three universities in Georgia to offer the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, or OLLI. …OLLI courses are also offered through Emory University at locations in Atlanta and Alpharetta, and the University of Georgia in Athens.
www.gpb.org
http://gpb.org/news/2014/09/02/green-zone-program-helps-vets-campus
Green Zone Program Helps Vets On Campus
Emily Jones
SAVANNAH, Ga. — As America’s military prepares to downsize, many are trading in barracks for college dorms. Some are coming home with trauma from life in war zones. And even veterans without complications like post-traumatic stress disorder can feel out of place on campus. That’s why some schools are creating “Green Zones” where vets can turn for support. It probably goes without saying that life on a college campus is really different from life on a military base. A soldier’s day usually starts before dawn and follows a strict schedule. College students, on the other hand, have a lot of free time. …That’s something they often hesitate to do, says Patrick Bean, who runs the program that helps soldiers at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield transition into civilian life. He says, “the challenge always becomes having the wherewithal to say ‘I need assistance.’” That’s where Armstrong’s Green Zone program comes in. It teaches faculty and staff how to recognize when a veteran needs help.
www.elevationdcmedia.com
http://elevationdcmedia.com/devnews/universityofgeorgia_090414.aspx
Historic building to become UGA dorm
AMY ROGERS NAZAROV
In a 1931 building on C Street NE, workers are converting the old American Society for Interior Designers (ASID) headquarters into student housing. Based in Athens, Georgia, the university has had a thriving Washington Semester program for years, notes Bill Young, a trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation, which has purchased 611 C St. NE. Until now, the University has leased living space for its juniors and seniors working in Congress or at think tanks and non-profits all over D.C. Not all of them are majoring in political science, for the record. …The move to buy the building was in part spurred by UGA’s properties in Costa Rica, Oxford, England, and Cortona, Italy. Studens studying abroad in these programs enjoy university-provided housing. “We realized it would make a lot of sense to buy a facility that would be a permanent place for our students” now and in the semesters to come.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2014/09/04/georgia-tech-to-remain-on-ncaa-probation-until.html
Georgia Tech to remain on NCAA probation until June 2017
Phil W. Hudson
Staff Writer- Atlanta Business Chronicle
The NCAA Committee on Infractions has accepted Georgia Tech’s proposed penalties and corrective measures for recruiting violations in 2011 and 2012. The decision comes after a two-year investigation by Georgia Tech and the NCAA into impermissible telephone calls and text messages initiated by the football and men’s and women’s basketball programs to prospective student-athletes.
GOOD NEWS:
www.wjcl.com
http://wjcl.com/2014/09/02/georgia-military-college-students-get-express-route-to-local-university/
Georgia Military College students get ‘express route’ to local university
By Christopher Buchanan
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WJCL) — Georgia Military College juniors with a decent grade point average will have a leg up getting into a local university after a memorandum of understanding each signed on Friday. Armstrong State University officials signed the document along with the junior college located in Milledgeville, Ga. in an effort to make it easier for students to transfer to Armstrong. The memorandum states that any Georgia Military College student who graduates with an associate degree and a 2.0 GPA will be guaranteed admission to Armstrong and enter at the junior level, with core classes complete.
www.accessnorthga.com
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=279148
Forsyth County Arts Alliance establishes UNG scholarship
By Staff
CUMMING – The Forsyth County Arts Alliance (FCAA) board has established an endowed scholarship at the University of North Georgia (UNG) for Forsyth County students pursuing art or art education.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2014/sep/04/gwinnett-tech-ga-tech-to-partner-on-manufacturing/
Gwinnett Tech, Ga. Tech to partner on manufacturing education series
By Keith Farner
LAWRENCEVILLE — The latest installment of a quarterly series on manufacturing education is scheduled for Oct. 2. Gwinnett Technical College and Georgia Tech are partnering on the event called, “Developing New Business Through Technology,” a lunch and learn event in the Manufacturing Growth Education Series.
USG VALUE:
www.connectsavannah.com
http://www.connectsavannah.com/NewsFeed/archives/2014/09/03/armstrong-to-debut-new-farmers-market
Armstrong to debut new Farmer’s Market
Posted By staff
Armstrong State University will host the Armstrong Farmer’s Market in front of the Student Union, at 11935 Abercorn St., on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. This inaugural event, which is free and open to the public, is presented by Armstrong’s Recreation and Wellness Department and the university’s Office of Multicultural Affairs. “We think it’s important for students to have access to healthy food and information about how to eat healthy and local,” said Megan Feasel, director of Armstrong’s Student Recreation Center. “We invite the public to attend and to support local farmers and vendors.”
RESEARCH:
www.businessinsavannah.com
http://businessinsavannah.com/bis/2014-08-31/area-economy-surging-third-quarter-row#.VAi5yyjgYeU
Area economy surging for third quarter in row
By Mary Carr Mayle
Bolstered by growth in consumer confidence, tourism and overall employment, the Savannah metro area economy continued to surge through the first half of 2014, Armstrong State University economist Michael Toma said last week. The area’s strengthening economy also got a boost in the second quarter from strong port activity and retail sales, according to Toma, director of Armstrong’s Center for Regional Analysis.
www.therepublic.com
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/1889de8285d548f79ce54a70efbf1d88/GA–Georgia-Southern-Pollinators
Georgia Southern University project explores insects’ role in pollination of trees, flowers
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
STATESBORO, Georgia — An exhibit at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro will explore the impact of declining insect populations on the pollination of trees and flowers.
GSU officials say The Moth Project will run from Sept. 11 through Sept. 17 and is focused on exploring the decline of pollinator populations — like honeybees — and a need to search for alternative pollination solutions.
www.phys.org
http://phys.org/news/2014-09-news-media-role-gatekeepers-social.html
News media losing role as gatekeepers to new ‘social mediators’ on Twitter, study finds
The U.S. government is doing a better job of communicating on Twitter with people in sensitive areas like the Middle East and North Africa without the participation of media organizations, according to a study co-authored by a University of Georgia researcher.
Editorial/Columns/Opinions
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/column/2014-09-04/allen-berger-my-formula-improving-education#.VAnLVCjgYeU
Allen Berger: My formula for improving education
By ALLEN BERGER
Paying teachers based in part on the performance of their students is a hot topic that doesn’t seem to want to go away. It was mentioned Sept. 1 in a front-page news story in the Savannah Morning News. But paying for student performance based on test scores is not a new idea.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2014/09/05/department-chairs-enablers-educational-change-and-transformation
Encouraging Department Chairs
By Marian Stoltz-Loike
There is a buzz in the higher education news media about the look and feel of education in the future. Many colleges and universities are feeling intense pressure to change and recognizing that department chairs are an underutilized resource in fostering change. In my view, college presidents and deans can empower their department chairs to use their positions to transform education.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/student-affairs-and-technology/conversations-clicks-community-and-content
Conversations, Clicks, Community, and Content
Eric Stoller
How a school handles its social media endeavors says a lot about the culture on its campus. Some institutions treat their social media channels like virtual billboards. Content is pushed out, conversations rarely take place, and posts get little to no engagement. It’s essentially a hallmark of the old ways of doing communications.
Education News
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/sixth-atlanta-college-student-robbed-at-gunpoint/nhGbF/
Sixth Atlanta college student robbed at gunpoint
By Mike Morris
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A string of armed robberies targeting metro college students continued early Friday when a Spelman College student was robbed at gunpoint about a block from campus. In the past 10 days, two Morehouse and three Georgia Tech students have been robbed.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/09/05/feds-suspect-more-fafsa-errors-will-again-reprocess-forms
Feds Suspect More FAFSA Errors, Will Again Reprocess Forms
For the second time this year, the U.S. Department of Education will reprocess tens of thousands of federal student aid applications because of a decimal place error, officials announced Thursday.The department said that next week it will reprocess “less than 160,000” applications where officials suspect a student may have incorrectly inserted a decimal place into the online application’s income box, artificially boosting his or her wealth in the eyes of the federal formula that determines aid.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Rise-of-Online-Booksellers/148653/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Rise of Online Booksellers Brings Complaints From Campus Bookstores
By Rebecca Koenig
When the orange Chegg bus rolls onto a campus, one person is unlikely to be excited about its free swag and energy drinks: the college-bookstore manager. The rise of online textbook retailers such as Chegg, Amazon, and Half.com, has put official college and university bookstores on the defensive. Once the default source of course materials, campus bookstores run by Barnes & Noble and Follett are responding to the pressure by cracking down on competitors’ on-campus advertising, which bookstores contend violates their exclusivity contracts with colleges.
www.jbhe.com
Boise State University’s New Institute Seeks to Boost Minority Students in STEM Fields
Boise State University’s New Institute Seeks to Boost Minority Students in STEM Fields
Boise State University in Idaho has announced the formation of the new Institute for STEM and Diversity Initiatives. The new institute will build on the work of the university’s STEM Station, which began in 2010 and was funded by the National Science Foundation. The goals of the new institute are to increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of students graduating in STEM fields; actively contribute to the knowledge base of STEM education theories, practices and impacts; and collaborate with industry partners for economic development.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/66744/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=9fbd9ebeff5b4bff8f6b9cbb5846d170&elqCampaignId=358
University of Michigan Student Files Complaint Over Rape Threat
by Associated Press
ANN ARBOR, Mich. ― A student has filed a federal complaint against the University of Michigan that says the school didn’t protect him after another student threatened him with rape.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/09/05/report-florida-state-investigating-alleged-sexual-assault-star-player
Report: Florida State Investigating Alleged Sexual Assault by Star Player
Florida State University has begun a disciplinary review into an alleged sexual assault involving its star football quarterback, The New York Times reported.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/05/controversy-switzerland-over-university-job-ad-seeking-only-female-applicants
Men Need Not Apply
By Holly Else for Times Higher Education
A Swiss university is taking the “exceptional” step of advertising a job specifically for women to boost gender diversity among staff. The dean at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne said that it was able to make the “aggressive” move because the post is sponsored by industry. But an official from the Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality has questioned the legality of the situation.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/09/05/illinois-chancellor-sees-errors-process-not-outcome
Illinois Chancellor Sees Errors in Process, Not Outcome
Phyllis Wise, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is standing by her decision to block the hiring of Steven Salaita — known for his anti-Israel tweets — to teach in the American Indian studies program. But The News-Gazette reported that in a campus appearance Wednesday she noted “errors” in the process by which appointments are reviewed.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/05/seven-former-business-professors-sue-midway-college-after-it-laid-them-during-middle
Professors Band Together in Employment Lawsuit
By Ry Rivard
Seven former business professors are suing Midway College in Kentucky for laying them off amid an enrollment decline and budget troubles. Their lawsuit, pending in Kentucky state circuit court, is an unusual example of professors banding together to sue their former employer. The case also raises issues coming up at other colleges, including allegations that administrators are laying off some faculty to clear the deck so they can hire less expensive instructors.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Professor-in-the-Presidents/148527/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
A Professor in the President’s Chair: Pushing for a ‘Friendly Revolution’
When Edward B. Burger was named president of Southwestern University, a small, private nonprofit liberal-arts institution outside Austin, last year, it struck many as an unconventional choice. The path from professor to president almost always involves a few more steps along the way. But Mr. Burger, who is 50, had never aspired to be a provost, let alone a president, at least until Southwestern came calling.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/05/xavier-university-louisianas-president-46-years-plans-retire-next-summer
Marathon Presidency to End
By Ry Rivard
The nation’s longest-serving university president, Norman Francis, said Thursday he will retire next summer after 47 years leading a single institution, Xavier University of Louisiana.
He has been associated with Xavier, a historically black and Roman Catholic university in New Orleans, for most of the past 66 years.
www.floridatrend.com
http://www.floridatrend.com/article/17555/two-florida-community-colleges-named-top-10-in-the-nation
Two Florida community colleges named ‘Top 10’ in the nation
Indian River State College in Fort Pierce and Santa Fe College in Gainesville take the honors for Florida.
The prestigious Aspen Institute has named two Florida community colleges among the top 10 in the nation. The two are Indian River State College in Fort Pierce and Santa Fe College in Gainesville.
www.gainesvillebizreport.com
UF rolls out university-wide rebranding campaign: For the Gator Good
UF rolls out university-wide rebranding campaign: For the Gator Good
Posted by Kelcee Griffis
University of Florida is changing its message. On Aug. 29, UF rolled out a new branding campaign called “For the Gator Good.” According to a statement from Vice President of University Relations Jane Adams, “For the Gator Good” is designed to replace The Gator Nation campaign — launched about a decade ago. Adams said Gator Good is a “refreshed branding campaign” that centers around the global and person-to-person impacts Gators can have. In contrast with The Gator Nation campaign, which focused on the prevalence of UF alumni across the globe, “For the Gator Good” looks at the altruistic impacts of UF faculty and students.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/05/university-themed-jell-o-molds-send-mixed-message-critics-say
Jell-O Shots: University-Approved?
By Jake New
Last month — just in time for a new season of college football — Kraft Foods released a new line of Jell-O molds in the shapes of various university logos. Four of the “jiggler mold kits” were unveiled last year, but products for 16 more teams have now been added, including the University of Alabama, Ohio State University, and the University of California at Los Angeles. In a press release, Kraft said the kits are meant to be used in creating Jell-O treats for tailgate parties for alumni and fans. But some are concerned that the themed molds could be seen as university-endorsed invitations to create alcohol-laced “Jell-O shots” — a mixed message for universities fighting to curb binge drinking among students.
www.businessweek.com
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-04/the-value-of-college-is-rising-and-driving-income-inequality#rshare=email_article
College Is More Valuable Than Ever, and That’s Driving Income Inequality
By Natalie Kitroeff
The cost of college is deepening the divide between the richest and poorest segments of the country. Those who can afford a degree should pursue one, though, because they’ll be far better off than those who don’t, a new central bank report shows. College graduates earn consistently more than people who don’t go back to the classroom after high school, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in a report this week.