GOOD NEWS:
www.mdjonline.com
http://mdjonline.com/bookmark/26238791
‘Forever green’: Southern Poly graduates final class before merger with KSU
by Philip Clements
MARIETTA — Families and friends gathered Saturday for the final commencement ceremony for Southern Polytechnic State University. The name of the institution will officially be Kennesaw State University once the Board of Regents formally approves the consolidation of the two schools Jan. 6. However, students who graduate in the spring and summer will be able to choose whether they have SPSU or KSU on their diploma, according to Tim Cooper, SPSU Assistant Vice President of University Communications. President Emerita Lisa Rossbacher said the Southern Polytechnic name will continue in a new college at KSU. “At Kennesaw State, (they) will have the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology,” she said. “So there will still diplomas with the name on it to reflect the origin of the institution.” Still, she said, Saturday’s ceremony has historical value. “The one in the afternoon (is) actually the last ceremony under the current name,” she said. “When the last student walks off the stage, that’ll be the last one.”

www.albanyherald.com
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2014/dec/13/albany-state-university-awards-more-than-390/
Albany State University awards more than 390 degrees during Fall Commencement
Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher keynote speaker at ASU commencement
By Terry Lewis
ALBANY — Approximately 391 students majoring in the arts and humanities, sciences and health professions, education and business picked up degrees as Albany State University’s graduating class of 2014 marched across the Albany Civic Center’s stage Saturday morning.

Related article:
www.walb.com
http://www.walb.com/story/27621892/hundreds-graduate-from-albany-state-university
Hundreds graduate from Albany State University

www.statesboroherald.com
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/64809/
Graduating Eagles spread their wings
STEM a star at Georgia Southern University’s fall commencement
BY Al Hackle
If you didn’t know that STEM in educational jargon is an acronym for “science, technology, engineering and math,” Georgia Southern University’s fall graduation services, especially the one at midday, were a good time to learn. The university awarded degrees to 1,707 students Friday in ceremonies at 9 and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse. …At the 9 a.m. service for the Colleges of Education, Business Administration, and Public Health, the commencement speaker was Rob Anderson, the University System of Georgia’s vice chancellor for educational access and success. He oversees the Complete College Georgia initiative, as well as state initiatives in educator preparation — and STEM. …Georgia Southern awarded 1,354 undergraduate degrees, 298 master’s degrees, 33 specialist degrees and 22 doctorates Friday, according to the university’s Office of Marketing and Communications.

Related article:
www.wtoc.com
http://www.wtoc.com/story/27617203/georgia-southern-holds-fall-commencement
Georgia Southern holds Fall commencement

www.wjcl.com
http://wjcl.com/2014/12/15/georgia-southern-university-rotc-cadet-ranks-fourth-in-nation/
Georgia Southern University ROTC Cadet ranks fourth in nation
By Staff Report
STATESBORO, Ga. (WJCL) – A Georgia Southern cadet ranked fourth nationally in a recent national list by the United States Army. United States Army Cadet Command, which oversees all Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs nationwide, recently announced the top 10 Cadets on the 2015 Fiscal Year’s national Order of Merit List (OML). Georgia Southern University Cadet Matthew Horne was among the top on the list.The rankings are based on a number of criteria; including college grade point averages, Army Physical Fitness Tests and athletic performances, Battalion OMLs, and ROTC training evaluations held at the Battalion level and at the Leader Development and Assessment Course held at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Of the 5,617 Cadets expected to graduate and commission between Fall 2014 and Summer 2015, Horne ranks fourth nationally. Horne is an International Studies major from Stedman, North Carolina and currently holds a 3.94 GPA.

www.wjcl.com
http://wjcl.com/2014/12/13/savannah-state-student-wins-major-award-at-graduation/
Savannah State student wins major award at graduation
By Staff report
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WJCL) — Ariel Shead, a senior with a dual major in business management and accounting received the President’s Second Mile Award on Saturday at the 185th commencement ceremony for Savannah State University (SSU) on December 13, 2014. The award recognizes stellar leadership on campus, in the Savannah community and beyond.

www.wtvm.com
http://www.wtvm.com/story/27616981/universities-to-livestream-fall-2014-graduation-ceremonies
Universities to livestream Fall 2014 graduation ceremonies
By Courtney Smith
Congratulations to all the Fall 2014 graduates! If you are unable to attend a graduation but would still like to watch, the following universities will broadcast their ceremonies online. Click the name of the university prior to the ceremony, and you’ll be linked to its Live Stream page.

Saturday, Dec. 13
Georgia Tech
Ceremony begins at 9 a.m. EST

University of Alabama
Ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. CST

Auburn University
Ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CST

Savannah State University
Ceremony begins at 10 a.m. EST

Valdosta State University
Ceremonies begin at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. EST

Monday, Dec. 15
Columbus State University
Ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. EST

Wednesday, Dec. 17
Georgia State University
Ceremony begins at 10 a.m. EST

Friday, Dec. 19
University of Georgia
Ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. EST

www.mdjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/26238235/article-KSU-named-among-Best-Online-Colleges-for-2015
KSU named among Best Online Colleges for 2015
by MDJ staff
Kennesaw State University announced that the Affordable Colleges Foundation ranked it as No. 17 in the nation for Best Online Colleges. The 2015 ranking was published on AffordableCollegesOnline.org, a website for prospective college students and their parents. …KSU currently offers 42 online degree, endorsement, certificate and academic minor programs as part of its Distance Learning Center, in disciplines such as business, education and nursing. More than 7,000 KSU students take online courses each semester, with many students earning their bachelor’s and master’s degrees without setting foot on campus.

USG NEWS:
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/school-shooting-report-plays-in-legislative-argume/njRbB/#40ab4fb0.3566685.735582
School-shooting report plays in legislative arguments
By Janel Davis and Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A report on school shootings in Georgia has become ammunition in the battle over gun legislation. Some state lawmakers and advocates for gun restrictions are using it to call for tougher laws to keep firearms from children and the mentally ill. The report, by Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-restriction group whose reporting methodology has drawn some critics, found there have been 12 school shootings in Georgia since a mentally ill 20-year-old man fatally wounded 20 children and six adults in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14, 2012. Florida and Tennessee were tied for second on its list, with eight school shootings each. …The report comes as officials with the state’s public colleges and universities meet today to review campus safety policies. Seven of the 12 Georgia shootings cited in the report took place on college campuses. University System Chancellor Hank Huckaby organized a committee in August to review safety and security at each of the system’s 31 public colleges and universities.

www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2014-12-12/georgia-leads-us-school-shootings-sandy-hook-massacre
Georgia leads US in school shootings since Sandy Hook massacre
By LEE SHEARER
A recent study noted that Georgia leads the nation in the number of school shooting incidents in the two years since the massacre at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. Everytown for Gun Safety documented 95 U.S. school shootings and 23 homicides in 33 states between Dec. 15, 2012, and Dec. 9, 2014, combing the Internet for news accounts, including incidents on college campuses as well as K-12 schools. …The Athens area suffered no school shooting incidents within the time frame of the report, but the University of Georgia in September evacuated the Zell B. Miller Learning Center after a student allegedly made a threatening comment involving firearms on a social media app. UGA police arrested 19-year-old Ariel Omar Arias on two felony counts of making terroristic threats in that incident. Below is a list of the Georgia shootings noted by the group:

www.newtoncitizen.com
http://www.newtoncitizen.com/news/2014/dec/13/georgia-perimeter-college-newton-campus-address/
Georgia Perimeter College Newton Campus address Gov. Deal’s High Demand Career Initiative
By Ryan McKenzie
COVINGTON – Gov. Nathan Deal’s recently released High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI) addressed the future needs for Georgia’s workforce, and local schools have been reviewing their programs to meet these needs. The HDCI was launched by Deal and led by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia. It highlights the overall trends, high-demand careers and skills, challenges, recommendations and what Georgia businesses anticipate they will need in the coming years. According to a press release from Deal’s office, the HDCI focused on the future needs of strategic industries in Georgia including agriculture, aerospace, automotive manufacturing, defense, film, television, interactive entertainment, health care, life sciences, information technology, logistics and manufacturing. Georgia Perimeter College’s Newton Campus has programs to address these needs, including a new program — which will be announced in January. The program is expected to combine life sciences, such as chemistry and biology, and health care.

www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/upcoming-construction-projects-to-bring-renovations-to-campus/article_6bbf6b34-8191-11e4-aa89-3762eb489904.html
Upcoming construction projects to bring renovations to campus
Natalie Adams
If Abraham Baldwin, founder of the University of Georgia, walked around campus today, he might not recognize what he saw. Within the last 10 years, UGA has grown rapidly, adding eight new construction projects to the face of campus including the Special Collections Library, the Zell B. Miller Learning Center, the new Bolton Dining Commons, Rutherford Hall, East Campus Village Housing, Joe Frank Harris Commons, a renovation to Myers Hall, an addition to the Tate Student Center. And in the coming months, campus will grow even larger.

www.times-herald.com
http://www.times-herald.com/local/20141214-Newnan-City-Council-to-vote-on-Howard-Warner-facility-at-Tuesday-s-meeting
Newnan Council To Vote On Howard Warner Facility
by CELIA SHORTT
Newnan’s project of converting the historic Howard Warner school into a recreation and community center is awaiting the approval of two memorandums of understanding (MOU).
“The MOUs solidify an agreement with the city for each program to provide youth development services,” said Hasco W Craver IV, business development director for Newnan. …Other business on the meeting agenda includes: • Authorization for the commitment of $2.5 million for debt repayment for the UWG Newnan campus, as part of an agreement between the city and the Downtown Development Authority. • A change order of $134,028 for landscaping of the UWG Newnan campus. This amount is accounted for in the overall project budget of $15 million.

www.gainesvilletimes.com
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/106583/
Education, medicine top legislative priority lists for local leaders
By Nick Watson
From teaching medicine to practicing medicine, education and health care are two key areas for Hall County’s delegation coming into the next legislative session. Representatives from the Georgia General Assembly met recently with officials from local governments, colleges and school boards to hear about their priorities. …Campus constructions
…For the University of North Georgia, a convocation center to serve all campuses is at the top of President Bonita Jacobs’ list. “In spring commencement, we will have eight different ceremonies, which is very costly, and it’s very hard to get it all organized,” Jacobs said. The center would be located in Dahlonega.

www.daltondailycitizen.com
http://www.daltondailycitizen.com/news/regaining-control-dalton-state-program-helps-students-cope-with-stress/article_7a8fa266-840f-11e4-8cc5-2335ce1e7820.html
Regaining control: Dalton State program helps students cope with stress
When Kemara Johnson starts feeling the pressures of nursing school, she knows there’s one place she can go to regain control. The junior at Dalton State College settles into a recliner in a small room. With just the glow of a lamp and a computer screen, Johnson begins to relax. She uses the emWave, which is a training system that monitors a person’s heart rhythms and is designed to help lower stress levels. “It displays the physiological level of coherence — an optimal state in which the heart, mind and emotions are operating in sync and in balance, and the immune, hormonal and nervous systems function in a state of harmonious coordination,” said Travis McKie-Voerste, coordinator of the college’s counseling and career services. “A room is set up in the Roberts Library for faculty, staff or students to use this system that can help lower anxiety and improve control over mood regulation.”

www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/never-alone-watchdawgs-program-trains-students-to-prevent-sexual-assault/article_566e6dee-8244-11e4-999d-9383a9524684.html
Never alone: Watchdawgs program trains students to prevent sexual assault
Lauren McDonald
Every member of the University of Georgia community plays a role in preventing sexual assault. And this semester, the University Health Center launched a new program to train students how to prevent sexual assaults from occurring. Participants in the Watchdawgs program are part of the national effort the White House began at the start of 2014 to combat sexual assault on college campuses.

www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2014-12-12/athens-man-indicted-armed-robbery-uga-students
Athens man indicted for armed robbery of UGA students
By JOE JOHNSON
A Clarke County grand jury recently indicted an Athens man on charges he robbed a pair of University of Georgia students two months ago. Ralph Lakee Bess, 25, of East Paces Drive, was charged with two counts of armed robbery, four counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, according to the indictment filed Dec. 2 in Clarke County Superior Court.

RESEARCH:
www.agrimarketing.com
http://www.agrimarketing.com/s/92961
AFLATOXIN RESEARCH GRANTS ISSUED
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) reports: …”For 2015, we received applications from a number of well-qualified parties, including many for ongoing research AMCOE funded in the past,” said AMCOE Chair Charles Ring, a corn grower in Texas. “The projects selected will certainly help provide real-world tools with which growers can combat aflatoxin issues. AMCOE and its affiliate states, working with the National Corn Growers Association, bring a unified approach to aflatoxin research that will yield results in a timely and more efficient manner. Working together, we can improve the tools available for aflatoxin control and get real results that farmers can see in their fields.” The principal investigators awarded grants for 2015 come from a variety of academic institutions including Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, University of Arkansas, University of Georgia and Virginia Tech.

www.sciencecodex.com
http://www.sciencecodex.com/major_blood_vessel_constrictor_contributes_to_vision_loss_in_premies-145226
Major blood vessel gene contributes to vision loss in premature infants
A gene known to play a major role in constricting blood vessels also appears to be a major player in the aberrant blood vessel growth that can destroy the vision of premature babies.
Endothelin gene expression is greatly increased in the retinal tissue of a mouse model of retinopathy of prematurity, a condition that significantly affects about 1,500 infants annually, resulting in blindness in about half those babies, according to researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

www.wtvm.com
http://www.wtvm.com/story/27616727/3rd-grade-student-receives-gift-of-a-new-hand
3rd grade student receives gift of a new hand
By Jasmine Agyemang
COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) – A third grade student at Wynnton Arts Academy was born missing her left hand and with the help of her classmate’s father and third grade class she received the gift of her very own mechanical hand. Mr. Tankersley, who works for the Coca Cola Science Center at Columbus State University, was working on a project that involved designing a mechanical hand for a child for an organization called Enabling our Future, which matches students with a need to a financial donor. While he was working on this project Mr. Tankersley continued to think of his son’s classmate, Parris, who was without hand. With help and support from Mr. Tankersley, CSU Coca Cola Space Science Center and Enabling our Future, Tankersley was able to build a new hand for Parris.

www.ect.coop
http://www.ect.coop/editors-pick/georgia-schools-add-renewable-energy-to-curriculum/76372
Learning About the Sun, Co-op Style
By Derrill Holly | ECT Staff Writer
Electric cooperatives in Georgia are shining a little light on the future of renewable energy with a new co-op-sponsored curriculum module on solar energy. “We’re excited to have developed a curriculum that is like no other in the state,” said Jeff Pratt, president of Green Power Electric Membership Corp. Green Power EMC coordinates the Sun Power for Schools Program in Georgia. The Tucker-based renewable energy cooperative is owned by 38 co-ops serving more than 4 million members. Since 2005, solar arrays have been installed at 35 middle and high schools in Georgia co-op service territories. In addition, a curriculum that includes 57 lesson plans has been developed by the University of West Georgia, in Carrollton.

www.wired.com
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/enviro-trackers-new-gadget-micro-trend/
Enviro-Trackers Are a New Gadget Trend. What Do We Do With Them?
BY MARGARET RHODES
A couple weeks ago, a Kickstarter campaign for the TZOA environment-tracking wearable went live. The metallic gadget is shaped like a guitar pick, clips onto backpack straps or waistbands, and promises to connect users with real time information about the surrounding air quality via an app. In a TZOA-enabled world, we’ll have access to real-time maps of air quality in their neighborhoods and cities. Then we can view air pollution and UV measurements like calories or steps: as quantifiable data that can inform better behavior… The EPA says exposure to these can lead to heart and lung disease, aggravated asthma, and decreased lung function—among other problems—so knowing about them is, on its face, a good thing. Up until the availability of these sensors, getting data on those particle levels was expensive and hard to come by. Now, for basically the same price as a Jambox, that data is available, and reliable. TZOA is working with the EPA, Georgia Tech, and The Coalition for Clean Air, among others, to get the most accurate figures. But unless you’re severely asthmatic, or a curious citizen-scientist, why would you shell out $100 to $200 to get those numbers?

www.engineeringtv.com
http://www.engineeringtv.com/video/London-Calling-Can-a-Computer-C;Only-Engineering-TV-Videos
Can a Computer Create an Artistic Masterpiece? – London Calling
by Curtis Ellzey
Will robots become the new Rembrandt or Shakespeare? Editor Paul Whytock looks at how artificial intelligence is being evaluated by a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as Google’s large-scale neural network simulation. He also asks the question: do we need droids that can paint masterpieces or write heart-melting sonnets?

Editorials/Columns/Opinions:
www.commercenewstoday.com
http://www.commercenewstoday.com/archives/9326-OPINION-Lanier-Tech-a-regional-asset.html
OPINION: Lanier Tech a regional asset
It should bring a small degree of pride locally that Lanier Technical College was named “College of the Year” for 2014 by the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia. After all, Lanier Tech has a campus in Commerce. But really, what the award does is acknowledge what most officials and many other people in Jackson and surrounding counties already know — that Lanier Tech is a tremendous asset in terms of its contributions to the education of area residents, economic development and the hopes and plans of its students and graduates. …One of the least recognized benefits provided by technical college accrues to budget-minded college students who can attend a technical college to take their core courses and then transfer those credits to a University System of Georgia (or any of a number of private colleges), greatly reducing the cost of a college education and the debt for that education as they major in any subject areas. That is one of the best education bargains in America.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Wake-Up-Call-on-Concussions/150831/
A Wake-Up Call on Concussions
By Christine Baugh
By now most of us in the higher-education community have heard of Kosta Karageorge, the Ohio State University wrestler and football player who apparently committed suicide last month. We read about his text messages to his mom saying he was sorry if he was an embarrassment, but concussions had messed up his head. We watched as his picture was prominently displayed at an Ohio State football game, asking for information on his whereabouts. We waited for his return, with the hope that he would be safe. We were saddened when his body was found in a dumpster, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. We listened to stories of how friendly, exuberant, and full of life he had been. And we felt helpless. We wanted to know what could be done to prevent something like this from happening again. Concussions have been linked to changes in mood and behavior, including an increased risk of depression. But we just don’t have enough information to know whether they contributed to Karageorge’s apparent suicide. Despite that lack of clarity, his situation and the resulting helplessness have reinvigorated the discussion around concussions management on college campuses—and that, at least, is a good thing.

Education:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2014-12-14/thousands-pass-ged-georgia-year-more-drop-out
Thousands pass GED in Georgia this year, but more drop out
By LEE SHEARER
More than 100,000 Georgians have passed the GED test in the past five years, certifying they’ve got the equivalent of a high school education – about 18,000 people a year on average.
But that’s not nearly high enough, Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Ron Jackson told state legislators last week at the University of Georgia’s Biennial Institute for Legislators. “We’ll have about 15,000 to 20,000 GED graduates this year, but I hate to tell you, we’ve probably had more drop out of high school,” he said.

www.foxnews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/12/14/new-white-house-college-rating-system-already-under-heavy-scrutiny/
New White House college rating system already under heavy scrutiny
By Barnini Chakraborty
WASHINGTON – A controversial Obama administration rating system for colleges and universities already is being scrutinized ahead of its late-December rollout by educators who claim the government’s goal of more transparency could come at the expense of schools that don’t happen to fit the ivory tower model. The federal government, with its long-awaited rating system, is trying to hold the country’s 7,000 colleges and universities accountable not only to taxpayers, but also to prospective students trying to weigh the pros and cons of different institutions. But it has many in the education community on edge. Several colleges and education associations have launched a preemptive PR strike against the plan, though the details haven’t yet been released.

www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/15/report-recommends-public-flagship-universities-plan-incentivize-technology-classroom
Forward Planning on Technology
By Carl Straumsheim
Technology can address some of the financial and organizational challenges facing public flagship universities, according to a new report, but those challenges have to be solved with input from the entire institution — not just a “coalition of the willing.” Ithaka S+R, a nonprofit research organization, last academic year traveled to 10 institutions in the Public Flagship Network, a group of 17 such institutions, to learn how the universities are using technology to respond to shrinking state funding and changing student behavior.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Spending-Bill-Holds-Scant-if/150875/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Spending Bill Holds Scant, if Any, Increases for Education and Research
By Kelly Field
Washington
The U.S. Senate gave final passage on Saturday to an overdue spending bill for the 2015 fiscal year that provides modest increases for research, while holding education spending mostly flat. The compromise bill, which averts a government shutdown, finances most of the federal government through September 30. The Department of Homeland Security, which provides some research money to universities, was funded on a shorter-term basis.

www.wsj.com
http://www.wsj.com/articles/budget-earmarks-funds-for-manufacturing-research-1418568521
Budget Earmarks Funds for Manufacturing Research
Congress Authorizes $300 Million for Institutes to Spur Manufacturing Technology
By JAMES R. HAGERTY
The budget bill passed by the Senate on Saturday night contains a scaled-down version of one of President Barack Obama ’s pet projects: authorization to create a network of research institutes charged with developing manufacturing technology. President Obama has been pushing that idea for nearly three years and originally asked Congress to provide $1 billion of funding for as many as 15 institutes. The bill that finally passed authorizes spending of as much as $300 million over 10 years.

www.wavy.com
http://wavy.com/ap/faa-issues-commercial-drone-permits-to-4-companies/
Congress told US lags other nations on drones
By Associated Press
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Commercial drone flights are taking off in other countries while the U.S. lags behind in developing safety regulations that would permit unmanned aircraft operations by a wide array of industries, witnesses told a House panel Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration bars all commercial use of drones except for 13 companies that have been granted permits for limited operations. Permits for four of those companies were announced Wednesday, an hour before a hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s aviation subcommittee. The four companies plan to use drones for aerial surveillance, construction site monitoring and oil rig flare stack inspections. The agency has received 167 requests for exemptions from commercial operators.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Big-Data-Scientists-Face/150871/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Big-Data Scientists Face Ethical Challenges After Facebook Study
By Paul Voosen
Though it may not feel like it when you see the latest identity-affirming listicle shared by a friend on Facebook, we are a society moving toward evidence. Our world is ever more quantified, and with such data, flawed or not, the tools of science are more widely applied to our decisions. We can do more than observe our lives, the idea goes. We can experiment on them. No group lives that ethos more than the life-hacking coders of Silicon Valley. Trading on Internet-wired products that allow continuous updates and monitoring, programmers test their software while we use it, comparing one algorithmic tweak against another—the A/B test, as it’s known. As we browse the web, we are exposed to endless manipulations. Many are banal—what font gets you to click more?—and some are not. Last summer the technologists discovered how unaware everyone else was of this new world. After Facebook, in collaboration with two academics, published a study showing how positive or negative language spreads among its users, a viral storm erupted. Facebook “controls emotions,” headlines yelled. Jeffrey T. Hancock, a Cornell University professor of communications and information science who collaborated with Facebook, drew harsh scrutiny. The study was the most shared scientific article of the year on social media. Some critics called for a government investigation.

www.forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2014/12/12/who-actually-funds-intercollegiate-athletic-programs/
Who actually funds intercollegiate athletic programs?
By David Ridpath
Parents, government officials, and tuition-paying students are all seeking solutions to the skyrocketing costs of higher education and the burden of student debt. Currently, public universities in America are funded in a number of ways: government subsidies, research grants, donations, sponsorships, and, of course, tuition and fee payments. When debating cost-cutting measures, many propose lowering tuition. Typically, ancillary costs – such as the amount of fees students must pay on top of tuition – are ignored. But according to the Center for College Affordability and Productivity these fees are increasing at rate 13% higher than tuition.

www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/15/presidents-face-scrutiny-involvement-events-linked-police-killings-black-men
Presidential Die-In
By Scott Jaschik
When protesters turned up at the student holiday party thrown by Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, she joined in (at least in part). The students wanted Penn to pay more to the City of Philadelphia for its public school system, which Gutmann declined to do, although she noted how much Penn does for the public schools. And the protesters wanted to stage a die-in, as many have been doing nationwide to draw attention to the way grand juries have declined to indict police officers who have killed unarmed black men. Gutmann joined the die-in, and got down on the floor to fully participate for several minutes. Not everyone on the Penn campus was pleased by her public stance. Eric J. Rohrback, president of the Penn Police Association, published a letter in The Daily Pennsylvanian, the student newspaper, in which he took issue with what Gutmann did. …When Should a President Speak Out?

www.nytimes.com

Why Colleges Haven’t Stopped Binge Drinking
By BETH MCMURTRIE | THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Despite decades of research, hundreds of campus task forces and millions invested in bold experiments, college drinking in the United States remains as much of a problem as ever. More than 1,800 students die every year of alcohol-related causes. An additional 600,000 are injured while drunk, and nearly 100,000 become victims of alcohol-influenced sexual assaults. One in four say their academic performance has suffered from drinking, all according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. …For the most part, undeterred by evidence that information alone is not enough, colleges continue to treat alcohol abuse as an individual problem, one that can be fixed primarily through education.

www.pbs.org
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/havent-efforts-worked-stop-dangerous-drinking-college/
Why haven’t efforts worked to stop dangerous drinking at college?
JUDY WOODRUFF: There’s a growing recognition about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, and it seems new headlines each week, including the high-profile investigations currently under way at the University of Virginia. One major factor that’s getting less attention, and yet accompanies many cases, is the volume of drinking happening on or near campus. That’s our focus tonight. Gwen has a conversation we recorded earlier this week.

www.msnbc.com
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/livestream-ending-campus-sexual-assault-sen-gillibrand
Livestream: Ending Campus Sexual Assault with Sen. Gillibrand
By msnbc staff
On Monday, December 15, 11:30 a.m –12:30 p.m., msnbc national reporter Irin Carmon will moderate a panel on ending campus sexual assault featuring leaders in government and education. The discussion will be livestreamed on msnbc.com. It will take place at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, in the Katie Murphy Amphitheater in the Pomerantz Center, and will be free and open to the public. Participants: KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, U.S. Senator; RANDI WEINGARTEN, president of the American Federation of Teachers; TRICIA BENT-GOODLEY, Director of the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Program at Howard University; ANNIE E. CLARK, co-founder of End Rape on Campus; ANDREA PINO, co-founder of End Rape on Campus

www.online.wsj.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/APc0b95c433e204bd4b212b5f25e9ac4fb.html?KEYWORDS=%22Higher+Education%22
‘Yes Means Yes’ becoming norm on NY campuses
Associated Press
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Administrative policy may be the new pillow talk on college campuses across New York. A universal “affirmative consent” standard is now part of a sexual assault prevention policy adopted across the state’s public university system, spelling out for students that only “yes” — not silence or a lack of resistance — is the cue for sexual activity. The so-called “Yes Means Yes” standard could spread to private campuses next year by way of legislation favored by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as states face pressure to improve their handling of campus sexual assaults.

www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/15/critics-advocates-doubt-oft-cited-campus-sexual-assault-statistic
One in Five?
By Jake New
If there’s a conversation taking place about the prevalence of campus sexual assault in the United States, the phrase “one in five” is usually within earshot. “It is estimated that one in five women on college campuses has been sexually assaulted during their time there,” President Obama said in January. Obama has cited the statistic multiple times throughout the last few years, as have Vice President Biden and the U.S. Department of Education. Senators use the statistic when writing legislation or holding hearings. Pundits and columnists have opened many an editorial with it, and it’s a favorite of student activists, frequently appearing on hand-written signs at protests and marches. For many it’s a number that has helped galvanize a movement — an encapsulation of just how large the problem of campus sexual assault is. But for others, including some sexual assault prevention advocates and some who question the current focus on sexual assault on campus, the statistic can be a distraction, a lightning rod that generates more arguments than solutions and overshadows other research on the topic.

www.washingtontimes.com
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/14/federal-crackdown-campus-sex-assault-threatens-fre/#ixzz3LyTw2CW1
Federal crackdown on campus sex assault threatens free speech: report
By Valerie Richardson – The Washington Times
The Obama administration’s crackdown on campus sexual misconduct has led to the adoption of “flatly unconstitutional” speech codes and poses what may be the greatest threat to free speech facing higher education today, according to a newly released report. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s annual report found that 55.2 percent of the 437 U.S. universities analyzed have substantial limits on speech, which is actually an improvement from last year’s 58.6 percent and marks the seventh year in a row that the percentage has declined. At the same time, the study, “Spotlight on Speech Codes 2015: The State of Free Speech on Our Nation’s Campuses,” warns that the federal Department of Education’s focus on reducing campus sexual assault and harassment has resulted in an uptick in speech restrictions on some campuses.

www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/The-2014-Influence-List/150793/
Special Reports
The 2014 INFLUENCE LIST
This year’s academic newsmakers shook up higher education by organizing, by speaking out, by pushing limits, and sometimes just by doing their jobs. Here are nine who made a mark—for better or worse—in 2014.