USG NEWS:
www.dailyreportonline.com
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/recent-news/id=1202677569296/Holland-amp-Knight-Sutherland-Work-Opposite-Sides-of-Private-Dorm-Deal?mcode=1202616187678&curindex=2&slreturn=20141101112227
Holland & Knight, Sutherland Work Opposite Sides of Private Dorm Deal
Meredith Hobbs, Daily Report
Atlanta lawyers from Holland & Knight and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan worked on a major deal to privatize student housing for the University System of Georgia.
The state Board of Regents in November awarded Corvias Campus Living, a subsidiary of Rhode Island-based Corvias Group, a 65-year contract to operate and develop student housing on nine campuses—almost 10,000 beds. The Board of Regents started soliciting bids from private concessionaires for the student housing portfolio last spring.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/crime-courts/2014-11-26/georgia-communities-tout-veterans-workforce-sales-pitch
Georgia communities tout veterans in workforce sales pitch
By Walter C. Jones
Morris News Service
ATLANTA — Georgia’s population of working-age military veterans give the state an often unrecognized quality work force, experts say, an asset communities such as Augusta are trying to promote. “Even though the unemployment rate is high, a lot of those companies I talk to can’t find the qualified workers they need. So we’ve been a big advocate of getting those qualified workers out of the military and into the workforce,” said Chris Clark, president of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. …One of the newest, most ambitious initiatives to help the state exploit that economic gem is the outreach programs of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia. To cater to them, fees are being waived, some schools are matching GI benefits, college credit is being awarded for military experience, and campuses are setting aside lounges and study halls just for veterans.
www.news-daily.com
http://www.news-daily.com/news/2014/nov/27/clayton-state-president-tim-hynes-recognizes-work/?features
Clayton State President Tim Hynes recognizes work of Veterans Resource Center
By Johnny Jackson
MORROW — Veterans filled the small lounge, taking up table space with their notebooks and laptop computers. Clayton State University President Dr. Tim Hynes recognizes resource center for work with veterans. Clayton State University President Thomas Hynes hosted a special signing ceremony Tuesday to demonstrate the university’s embrace of the U. S. Department of Education’s “8 Keys to Veterans’ Success.”
www.thecitizen.com
http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/11-28-2014/uwg-begins-‘paving-way’-campaign
UWG begins ‘Paving the Way’ campaign
University of West Georgia Newnan has launched the Paving the Way to Student Success campaign. The campaign helps bridge the gap between what students pay and the actual cost of their education. Individual donations for the campaign reaches UWG students by providing essential funds needed each year for technology, resources, operating expenses and more.
In addition to the campaign, UWG Newnan campus is relocating to the historic Newnan hospital, tying the university even closer to the community.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/cobb-oks-ksu-to-atlanta-bus-route-plan/njGqh/
Cobb oks KSU to Atlanta bus route plan
By Tucker McQueen – For the AJC
The Cobb Board of Commissioners has approved a $180,000 contract with Tindale-Oliver & Associates to develop a plan for a Cobb Community Transit route from Kennesaw State University to colleges in Atlanta.
www.mdjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/26160877/article-Cobb-commissioners-seek-comment-prior-to-hiring-of-bridge-designer
Cobb commissioners seek comment prior to hiring of bridge designer
by Ricky Leroux
…Other business
…Additionally, the board voted 5-0 to award a $180,000 contract with Tampa-based Tindale-Oliver & Associates to plan and develop a new Cobb County Transit route connecting Kennesaw State University with Georgia State University in Atlanta.
www.walb.com
http://www.walb.com/story/27490646/georgia-regents-wins-bid-to-build-columbia-co-hospital
Georgia Regents wins bid to build Columbia Co. hospital
By Tiffany Takahashi
AUGUSTA, GA (WFXG) – Georgia Regents Health System has won the bid to build a hospital in Columbia County, hospital officials announced. “We are pleased with the Department of Community Health’s decision to embrace our plan, and we are confident that this is a major win for the communities in and around Columbia County,” said Shawn P. Vincent, vice president of partnerships, international healthcare and strategic affiliations for Georgia Regents University & Health System. Now that Georgia Regents’ certificate of need has been approved, Vincent said the planning and design phase will begin. A new, state-of-the-art smart hospital will serve as a the cornerstone of a new health campus.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2014-11-26/gru-issues-columbia-county-hospital-statement
Georgia Regents wins Columbia County hospital bid
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
Georgia Regents Medical Center won a lengthy and hard-fought battle over two other Augusta hospitals to build the first hospital in Columbia County, the Georgia Department of Community Health decided Wednesday. But Doctors Hospital of Augusta said it would appeal and University Hospital said it was considering its response. “We are pleased with the Department of Community Health’s decision to embrace our plan, and we are confident that this is a major win for the communities in and around Columbia County,” said Shawn Vincent, the vice president of partnerships for Georgia Regents. The decision, pending appeals, fulfills the longtime wish of Columbia County officials for a hospital or an emergency room there. That hope was dashed earlier when the department denied the required certificate of need for a free-standing emergency department requested by University and by Doctors, with the department ruling the county was adequately served by ERs in Augusta.
www.georgianewsday.com
http://www.georgianewsday.com/news/augusta/304296-gru-issues-statement-after-getting-columbia-county-hospital-designation.html
GRU issues statement after getting Columbia County hospital designation
THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
A statement on the Columbia County Hospital decision was issued this afternoon by Shawn P. Vincent, vice president of Partnerships, International Healthcare and Strategic Affiliations Georgia Regents University & Health System “We are pleased with the Department of Community Health’s decision to embrace our plan, and we are confident that this is a major win for the communities in and around Columbia County. “We commend the team at DCH for the time, effort, and care put into evaluating the need and considering each hospital’s proposal.
www.americustimesrecorder.com
http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/news/local_news/patterson-named-interim-gsw-president/article_6904b7e8-7587-11e4-8d56-ab2bd1b3e2d6.html
Patterson named interim GSW president
by Beth Alston
ATLANTA — University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby named Dr. Charles Patterson as interim president of Georgia Southwestern State University late last week.
Patterson currently serves as Georgia Southern University’s vice president for research and economic development and dean of the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies. He also serves as chair of the Georgia Southern University Research and Service Foundation. He will assume responsibilities on Jan. 1, 2015 from current president, Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D., who will retire Dec. 31, 2014.
www.wabe.org
http://wabe.org/post/want-emu-taco-lunch-head-kennesaw-state
Want an Emu Taco for Lunch? Head to Kennesaw State.
By LISA GEORGE
Already sick of turkey and dressing? Consider a lunch of venison roast and maybe a salad made with lettuce grown right down the road. Does that sound like lunch from a new Atlanta locavore restaurant? Think again: it’s on the menu in the dining hall at Kennesaw State University. “Today we have some goat, we have some elk tacos, we have some wild boar at the international station,” says Gary Coltek, the Senior Culinary Director, as he walks me through the dining hall at KSU. He is pointing out some of the 300 menu items. He makes sure half of those dishes are different each day. I look for the longest line to see what is popular. “Uh, French toast,” says one student waiting in line. I ask the two young women behind him, “You guys are waiting in line for French toast as well?” They both nod vigorously, and one says, “It’s good!” That’s right: that French toast is made with eggs from KSU’s own farm. The university actually has three farms, two in North Georgia and another just a couple of miles down the road from campus, right along I-75. …The university says it grows about 20% of its produce at the farms.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/crowdfunding-your-way-to-a-college-diploma/njFtg/#87502178.3566685.735568
Crowdfunding your way to a college diploma
By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The social fundraising phenomenon that allows people to solicit online donations has helped raise money for service projects, movies and musicians, and it grew to become a $5.1 billion industry last year. Now, students are using the same power of the Internet to fund their college careers. …This semester, for example, two Emory freshmen used IndieGoGo to raise more than $14,500 to fund their work on a more user-friendly Ebola test, and Georgia State University’s marching band raised $13,000 through crowdfunding to pay travel costs to and from New York City to perform in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And, with the cost of college steadily rising and student loan debt surpassing credit card debt, the general fundraising site GoFundMe has become the go-to choice for students looking to crowdfund their college expenses. …Ratcliffe has raised more than $7,000 toward her $10,000 goal to help pay her tuition. About $4,100 was raised through GoFundMe, with $3,000 coming from friends and family who didn’t want to pay through the Internet. The Emory student was so impressed with the crowdfunding experience that she’s encouraged her son to set up an account to help fund his tuition at Georgia Perimeter College.
www.theglobaldispatch.com
Georgia Southern professor, Tom McMullen, attacked by atheist groups
Georgia Southern Professor, Tom McMullen, Attacked By Atheist Groups
The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science recently sent a joint letter to the president of Georgia Southern University alleging that Prof. Emerson T. McMullen (“Tom”) is unlawfully promoting religion to his students. “McMullen appears to use at least some of his class to preach religion instead of teach history,” the letter reads. “Our reports and information indicate that McMullen (1) is known for injecting religion into his classes, (2) gives extra credit to students willing to endure and describe additional proselytizing, and (3) uses his position at a public university to promote religious beliefs like creationism, while undermining legitimate sciences, like biology.”
It contends that because McMullen allegedly speaks positively on Christianity in the classroom, and refutes evolution, that he is violating the U.S. Constitution.
Related article:
www.timeshighereducation.co.uk
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/us-associate-professor-challenged-for-promoting-religious-beliefs/2017305.article
US associate professor challenged for ‘promoting religious beliefs’
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/latest-news/2014-11-28/uga-moves-fire-professor-dating-student-professor-appeals
UGA moves to fire professor for dating student; professor appeals
By Lee Shearer | Associated Press
A lecturer in the University of Georgia’s psychology department faces the loss of his job after UGA officials found him in violation, for the second time, of a school policy that prohibits professors from dating students under their supervision. But the professor, Rich Suplita, says UGA officials are over-reaching, especially in their second investigation.
www.wjcl.com
http://wjcl.com/2014/12/01/statesboro-authorities-nab-three-in-thanksgiving-burglaries/
Statesboro authorities nab three in Thanksgiving burglaries
By Staff report
STATESBORO, Ga. (WJCL) — As part of its mandate to reduce crime trends, the Statesboro-Bulloch Crime Suppression Team (CST) was tasked with preventing burglaries in areas of student housing over the Georgia Southern Thanksgiving break. Each year thieves attempt to take advantage of the vacation period to steal from homes and apartments in the Langston Chapel Road, Lanier Drive, Harville Road and Old Register Road areas. This year CST teamed up with patrol units of the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Statesboro Police Department, and Georgia Southern University Police Department to hit these areas hard in search of suspicious persons or activity. Last Wednesday at midnight, Captain Jason Kearney noticed a suspicious male subject inside the Landings Subdivision off of Burkhalter Road near Langston Chapel Road. Kearney made contact with the male, later identified as Rodney Miller Jr, 22, of Chandler Road, Statesboro, and discovered that he was wearing latex gloves and was carrying a concealed handgun.
www.wjcl.com
http://wjcl.com/2014/11/26/ncaa-denies-georgia-southern-bowl-game-waiver-request/
NCAA denies Georgia Southern bowl game waiver request
By Christopher Buchanan
STATESBORO, Ga. (WJCL) — Athletic Director Tom Kleinlein has confirmed to WJCL that the NCAA has denied Georgia Southern Eagles Football waiver request to play in a bowl game and the Eagles are appealing. Georgia Southern University submitted a waiver to the NCAA on Tuesday asking to be eligible to play in a bowl game this season. Athletic Director Tom Kleinlein said the waiver was filed with the hopes of granting the Eagles access to the postseason. Current NCAA rules do not allow programs transitioning from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision to play in a bowl game. However, Kleinlein said the university owes it to the student-athletes, coaches and fans to submit the waiver.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/article-content/150221/
A RIVER OF BOOZE
Inside one college town’s uneasy embrace of drinking
By Karin Fischer and Eric Hoover
The supplies are rolling in. At 1 p.m. on a Thursday, three delivery trucks line College Avenue. Around the corner, five more clog East Clayton Street. In downtown Athens, the center lane belongs to those who bring the booze. Out come the boxes. Budweiser and Blue Moon, Bacardi Gold and Southern Comfort, Red Bull and rainbows of mixers. Stacked high on dollies, the goods are wheeled into bar after bar, each catering to students at the University of Georgia, where the iconic iron Arch stands within sight. Cutters Pub, On the Rocks, the Whiskey Bent. The blocks just beyond campus boast dozens of bars that own the late-night hours, when undergrads press themselves into crowds fueled by Fireball shots and beer as cheap as candy. Athens, home to the flagship university and some 120,000 people, could be almost anywhere. This college town, like many others, celebrates touchdowns, serves early-morning cheeseburgers, and pours many flavors of vodka. When the sun goes down, some students get hammered, just as they do in Chapel Hill, Ann Arbor, and Eugene. But here in Athens, everything is amplified. The temptations for young drinkers are plentiful, and the penalties can be severe. Enforcement is vigorous, and so, too, is the university’s commitment to prevention.
GOOD NEWS:
www.wabe.org
http://wabe.org/post/georgia-colleges-try-help-homeless-students
Georgia Colleges Try to Help Homeless Students
By MARTHA DALTON
We often think of the homeless during the holiday season. We don’t usually associate the term with college students. But it’s a problem most colleges have to face. Kennesaw State University is the first Georgia college to develop a program devoted to helping homeless students. The CARE (Campus Awareness Resource & Empowerment) center has a food pantry for students in need and helps homeless students find a place to stay. The center is currently helping about 30 students.
www.albanyherald.com
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2014/nov/25/georgia-briefs-112614/
Georgia Briefs – Nov. 26, 2014
UGA breaking ground on new annex
By Associated Press
UGA breaking ground on new annex
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — University of Georgia and state officials will break ground next week on a new building for the School of Public and International Affairs. The ceremony is planned for Dec. 2. UGA officials say the addition to Baldwin Hall will provide more classrooms, space for graduate teaching assistants to hold office hours and common areas for academic presentations and events.
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/your-good-news/2014-11-28/armstrong-breaks-ground-new-plantonics-research-center
Armstrong breaks ground on new Plantonics Research Center
By Savannah Morning News
Armstrong State University recently broke ground on the Armstrong Plantonics Research Center, an exciting new collaboration with Plantonics LLC, an innovative company dedicated to growing sustainable food. The new facility will conduct cutting-edge research and cultivate organic vegetables and fish using biodynamic, environmentally friendly techniques. Together, Armstrong and Plantonics will build a solar-powered vegetarium and aquaponics complex in the field adjacent to the Arts Drive parking lot. The first phase of the project is expected to be complete in spring 2015.
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/your-good-news/2014-11-28/armstrongs-college-health-professions-receives-georgia-medical-society
Armstrong’s College of Health Professions receives Georgia Medical Society Award
By Savannah Morning News
Armstrong State University’s College of Health Professions was awarded the Georgia Medical Society’s Institution/Organization Award at the 14th Annual Health Care Heroes Awards Banquet held on Nov. 18, in Savannah. Armstrong President Linda M. Bleicken, Interim Assistant Dean of the College of Health Professions Sandy Streater, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences Department Head Doug Masini and Health Sciences Department Head Robert LeFavi accepted the award on behalf of Armstrong.
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/your-good-news/2014-11-28/ssu-joins-international-network-graduate-education
SSU joins an international network for graduate education
By Savannah Morning News
The graduate programs of Savannah State University (SSU) have been admitted to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), a decades-old body that is dedicated to the advancement of graduate education and research. As a member, SSU will have access to CGS resources, including their best practice initiatives test to evaluate performance and develop plans in graduate education. SSU will also have access to benchmark data, public policy outlets and international education networks.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2014/nov/26/georgia-gwinnett-college-hands-out-top-claw-awards/
Georgia Gwinnett College hands out Top Claw Awards
By Keith Farner
Georgia Gwinnett College recently honored eight employees for its newly developed Top Claw Award, who the college said go above and beyond to make exceptional contributions to support the school’s educational mission. …“It is only appropriate that we recognize and acknowledge on an institutional level, the efforts of these individuals,” Stas Preczewski, the school’s president, said in a press release. “This inaugural class of Top Claw Award recipients is important to the preservation and perpetuation of the values that are important to GGC’s ability to achieve our mission and vision.”
www.insideindianabusiness.com
http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=68259
Indiana Professors Among ‘Highest Rated’
A website for evaluating the performance of college educators has released its annual “Highest Rated University Professors” list. The RateMyProfessors.com LLC Top 25 includes instructors from Indiana University Northwest and Ball State University. This year’s Top 25 is: …4. David Cook, Art, Georgia Gwinnett College …11. Karen Dodson, English, University of North Georgia – Gainesville
RESEARCH:
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/news/2014-11-28/invasive-seaweed-settles-its-georgia-niche
An invasive seaweed settles in its Georgia niche
By Mary Landers
When University of Georgia ecology professor Jeb Byers first came to Georgia, he figured seaweed wasn’t on the list of species to study. “They said you’re not gonna ever see seaweed again,” Byers recalled. “It makes sense because the muddy water here keeps the light low. And there’s lots of soft sediment here, but seaweed likes something hard to attach to.” That’s why Georgia hosts little in the way of native seaweed. Then Byers visited the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. “I remember going to a mudflat and seeing this alga called Gracilaria everywhere,” Byers said. “And people were like ‘Oh, it’s that.’” The branching mud-colored seaweed is native to Japan, where it’s farmed for the gelling agent agar. It’s already a notorious invasive in Europe and the Mediterranean. Here, it just “snuck in here under everyone’s nose,” Byers said. …Byers wondered what else it was doing, so with other researchers he set about studying Gracilaria.
www.philly.com
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20141127_U_S__border_agents_on_the_look_for_destructive_insects.html
U.S. border agents on the look for destructive insects
Sandy Bauers, Inquirer Staff Writer
The dreaded Khapra beetle has a voracious and varied appetite. Resistant to insecticides, it’s all but indestructible. As such, it is considered one of the world’s most fearsome pests of grains, rice, beans and other “stored products.” And it is high on the least-wanted list at U.S. borders. Yet, there it was. …According to a tally by the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, a partnership between the University of Georgia and USDA, the U.S. now harbors 484 invasive insects, including the hemlock woolly adelgid, the Asian tiger mosquito and the boll weevil.
www.upstatebusinessjournal.com
Clemson gets $1.25M DOE grant
Clemson University researchers and their partners at Georgia Institute of Technology, UNAVCO and Grand Resources Inc. received a $1.25 million award from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop technology to improve the ability to monitor and safeguard geologic carbon storage. Geologic carbon storage involves the injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into underground formations that have the ability to securely contain the CO2.
www.news.discovery.com
http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/new-a-i-test-can-machines-make-art-141126.htm
New A.I. Test: Can Machines Make Art?
BY GLENN MCDONALD
At what point does artificial intelligence meet or surpass the level of human intelligence? That’s a question that’s been bouncing around the halls of computer science (and science fiction) for decades. The existing go-to system — called the Turing Test, after pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing — requires that a machine be able to essentially fool a human in one-on-one conversation. Mark O. Riedl, computer researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has proposed a new kind of test focused on the idea of artistic creativity. The Lovelace 2.0 test would require an aspiring A.I. machine to create a range of creative works — paintings, stories, poems, architectural designs — that expert and unbiased observers would conclude were designed by a human.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2014/11/28/general-motors-plans-to-expand-atlanta-tech.html?page=all
General Motors plans to expand Atlanta tech development center
Urvaksh Karkaria
Staff Writer- Atlanta Business Chronicle
… Teaching robots to land like cats: Can a cat teach a robot how to land on its “feet” from a free fall? That’s what Georgia Tech researchers hope to find out. The researchers, led by associate professor Karen Liu, are studying the physics of falling cats and the mid-air orientation of divers and astronauts to see how it might be applied to robot landings. “It’s not the fall that kills you. It’s the sudden stop at the end,” Liu said in a statement. “One of the most important factors that determines the damage of the fall is the landing angle.”
www.eetimes.com
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1324794
Gyroscope Accuracy Beats MEMS
R. Colin Johnson
The most accurate gyroscope in the world, Qualtre Inc. of Marlborough, Mass., claims, is its newest bulk-acoustic wave (BAW) single-axis gyroscope. Originally licensed from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the BAW uses a totally different approach than the traditional “tuning fork” type of architecture used by all other MEMS gyroscopes. “TFGs [tuning-fork gyroscopes] have hit the wall in terms of performance, but bulk acoustic wave gyroscopes have overcome these obstacles,” Sreeni Rao, vice president of Vertical Markets told EE Times. “And we have a headstart by holding the patents on that, which could improve those tuning-fork gyros.”
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/sports/college-sports/2014-11-28/uga-website-hacked-pro-georgia-tech-sentiments
UGA website hacked with pro-Georgia Tech sentiments
By Jim Thompson
From clean old-fashioned hate to dirty new-fashioned hack, the intense intrastate football rivalry between the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology entered the digital age during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In the run-up to today’s game at UGA’s Sanford Stadium, the UGA’s website was hacked Thursday with some pro-Georgia Tech sentiments. In perhaps the most egregious bit of cyber cheap-shotting, an entry on UGA’s online calendar, added immediately below the legitimate entry for today’s game, read, “Sat., November 29, 2014/ 12:00 pm/ Get Ass Kicked by GT.”
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.mdjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/26161115/article-Immigration-fix-must-focus-on-retaining-STEM-grads
Immigration fix must focus on retaining STEM grads
by Jason Anavitarte
One of the most vibrant and economically important cities in the world is more or less an accident. To be economically relevant, Georgia needed a railroad to connect the port city of Savannah with the markets in the Midwest. Topography put the terminus of that railroad line in what is today Atlanta. No one in the 1830s expected much of a town, much less the “world city” that Atlanta has become. Yet, to keep Atlanta and all of Georgia economically relevant, we can learn a lesson from those leaders pushing a new railroad in the 1830s. We must chart a course to the future that focuses on tomorrow’s possibilities, not today’s status quo. Fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics are projected to drive future economic growth and job creation. With world-class research institutions like the Georgia Institute of Technology, our state should be well positioned to benefit from this trend.
www.getschooled.blog.ajc.com
http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/30/another-great-georgia-teacher-her-classroom-hums-with-activity/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Another Great Georgia Teacher: Her classroom hums with activity
University of Georgia professor Peter Smagorinsky returns today with another installment of his “Great Georgia Teacher” series. Today, he tells us about Bynikini Frazier of the Savannah-Chatham Public Schools.
By Peter Smagorinsky
Bynikini Frazier was named Teacher of the Year for Savannah-Chatham Public Schools at the age of 27. Here, she dons bee attire in anticipation of the arrival of the class’s very own hive. Educators often say it takes a good five years or so to develop any sort of teaching mastery. Heck, I’ve been at it since the mid-1970s and am still working at it. Some people get there a lot faster. Among them is Bynikini Frazier of the Savannah-Chatham Public Schools, where in February she was named the system’s Teacher of the Year at the tender age of 27.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/5-reasons-allow-digital-devices-your-classroom
5 Reasons To Allow Digital Devices In Your Classroom
Natascha Chtena
Amidst reports of Steve Jobs and other Silicon Valley CEOs imposing extremely strict technology rules on their children, the debate around technology use in the classroom has caught fire once again. One of the strongest arguments for banning technology in the classroom came earlier this fall, from media pundit Clay Shirky in a piece titled “Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away.” In principle, I agree with a lot of what Shirky writes—multiple studies confirm the cognitive toll that distractions and multitasking inflict on learning; his argument that social media is designed both in form and content to distract has merit; …In my own experience as a foreign language instructor, I have found that there are many benefits to allowing—and in certain cases encouraging—students to use digital devices in class, five of which are outlined below.
Education News
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/latest-news/2014-12-01/no-child-left-behind-gets-renewed-focus
No Child Left Behind gets renewed focus
By KIMBERLY HEFLING | AP Education Writer
WASHINGTON — The No Child Left Behind education law could be making a political comeback.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, the Tennessee Republican who is the incoming chairman of the Senate committee overseeing education, says his top education priority is fixing the landmark Bush-era law. His goal? Get a bill signed by President Barack Obama early next year.
www.huffingtonpost.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/30/colleges-poorest-tuition-hikes_n_6242044.html?utm_hp_ref=college
College Presidents Promise To Help The Poorest, But They’ve Done The Opposite
By Jon Marcus & Holly K. Hacker
…The ball was more than just another Friday night party to ease Washington into the weekend. It had the commendable purpose of raising money for scholarships to the University of Virginia. But not the kind of scholarships that go to low-income students based solely on their financial need. The proceeds from Mr. Jefferson’s Capital Ball are destined for merit aid for applicants who have the high grade-point averages and top scores on entrance tests that help institutions do well on college rankings. Merit aid can also attract middle- and upper-income students whose families can pay the rest of the tuition bill and therefore furnish badly needed revenue to colleges and universities.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Students-Long-Paths-to/150295/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Students’ Long Paths to Completion Carry Major Financial Consequences
By Katherine Mangan
Bloated curricula, remediation roadblocks, and students’ meandering path through college are contributing to a completion crisis that is costing students and their parents billions of extra dollars a year, according to a report released on Monday by Complete College America. The report, “Four-Year Myth,” will be the centerpiece of discussions on Monday and Tuesday here at the annual meeting of the nonprofit group’s Alliance of States. …One reason it takes many students so long to get through, the report says, is that colleges have added too many degree requirements. Colleges should scale them back to 120 credit hours for a bachelor’s degree and 60 for an associate degree, it says. The degrees can be completed in four and two years, respectively, as long as students take 15 credit hours per semester.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/01/increasing-international-enrollments-faculty-grapple-implications-classrooms
Teaching International Students
By Elizabeth Redden
In the past few years it’s not been unusual for Don Bacon to walk into his classroom on day one and find that half his students are from China. “I realized I’m going to have to change how I do some things,” said Bacon, a professor of marketing at the University of Denver. “If you do some things that don’t work great for 10 percent of your students but work for the other 90 percent you can probably keep doing that and be successful as a teacher,” he said (though he noted that wouldn’t be optimal either). “When it gets to be half the class and you’re realizing you’re not meeting the needs of half the class, that’s a problem.”
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2014/11/26/surveys-secrecy-and-sexual-assault/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Surveys, Secrecy, and Sexual Assault
by John E. Bonine
A phrase made famous during the Watergate hearings was, “What did the president know, and when did he know it?” Variations on that question are now being asked at the University of Virginia following gang-rape allegations, and elsewhere as well. Related questions arise: What do college and university presidents know about the prevalence of sexual assault just a few blocks from their offices—and what must they do to find out? What do they know about the efficacy of their own policies? One might expect a prestigious group like the Association of American Universities to take a leadership role in these matters.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/01/swarthmore-drops-findings-against-male-student-who-sued-under-title-ix
Swarthmore Backs Down
By Scott Jaschik
Swarthmore College has vacated the findings of a campus judicial process that led to a lawsuit that charged the college with gender-based discrimination against male students accused of sexual misconduct. The federal judge in the case then agreed to a joint motion from the college and the student (identified only as John Doe) to dismiss the lawsuit, one of several filed by men under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The suits charge that colleges — facing intense pressure from female students and the U.S. Education Department to crack down on sexual assault — are violating the rights of male students accused of misconduct.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/12/01/san-diego-state-fraternities-suspend-all-activities
San Diego State Fraternities Suspend All Activities
All Greek social functions at San Diego State University have been indefinitely suspended and all members of campus fraternities and sororities will undergo sexual assault prevention training, the university’s Greek leadership groups announced Tuesday.