USG Institutions:
www.onlineathens.com
Minority student populations on the rise at UGA
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2015-02-14/minority-student-populations-rise-uga
By LEE SHEARER
The University of Georgia has grown more diverse over the past two decades, but today’s enrollment is not quite the mix that it might have expected back in 1994. In 1994, more than 87 percent of UGA students were white, according to University System of Georgia statistics. Last fall semester, white students were 70.1 percent of UGA’s enrollment of more than 35,000 students. The biggest components of that change are increases in Hispanic and Asian students. Nearly 1 in 10 UGA students — 9.5 percent — are classified as Asian; that’s up from 5 percent in 1994. With 3,352 students in that group, “Asian” is now UGA’s largest minority category.
www.onlineathens.com
Hundreds gather for dedication of new UGA veterinary campus
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2015-02-13/hundreds-gather-dedication-new-uga-veterinary-campus
By LEE SHEARER
An overflow crowd of about 800 turned out to see the University of Georgia’s new Veterinary Medical Center on Friday. No bands played, but the governor and other officials were on hand to give speeches before the big complex opened up for self-guided tours. Former Gov. Sonny Perdue and former UGA president Michael Adams were among those attending, along with current Gov. Nathan Deal and UGA’s current president, Jere Morehead.
www.myajc.com
English course shows GSU, GPC similarities, differences before merger
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/english-course-shows-gsu-gpc-similarities-differen/nj9j3/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajcpremium
By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The conversation moves quickly in Professor Laurah Norton’s class. There’s talk of Star Trek, Spongebob and even rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, in lectures about writing concepts, source use and rhetoric. Norton’s second-semester English composition class of 25 students at Georgia State University are preparing to write their first paper of the semester, and their instructor is using a mixture of cultural and social references to help students understand the concepts. Across town at Georgia Perimeter College’s Dunwoody campus, Professor Kathryn Crowther’s composition class are also preparing to write their initial papers. The conversations among her 25 students are more traditional, with questions and guidance about cohesive thesis statements, signposting and common grammar problems. While committees from both schools take 18 months to work through issues related to combining GSU, a four-year research institution with GPC, a two-year access college, teaching and learning goes on. A closer look at the English classes shows the individuality of the two schools.
www.ajc.com
Art funding, co-ed dorms and more
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/art-funding-co-ed-dorms-and-more/nj54d/
Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Southern, UGA Law School gifted by Sanders family
The Georgia Southern University Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art recently received a $500,000 gift from the estate of former Georgia Gov. Carl E. Sanders. The gift will support academic initiatives for visual art and design students, exhibitions, merit-based projects, competitions and innovative curriculum development in the department named for Sanders’ wife. …The University of Georgia law school also received $3.4 million from Sanders’ estate. About $2.4 million of the gift will be used to create the Carl E. Sanders Law Scholarship Fund for law students. The remainder of the gift will be added to the Carl E. Sanders Chair in Political Leadership Fund, which was established in 2002 to support a faculty position.
www.bizjournals.com
Kennesaw State gets greenlight to purchase 16.8 acres for $12.6 million
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2015/02/13/kennesaw-state-gets-greenlight-to-purchase-16-8.html
Phil W. Hudson
Staff Writer- Atlanta Business Chronicle
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved Kennesaw State University’s $12.55 purchase of approximately 16.775 acres at 3305 Busbee Drive in Kennesaw, Ga. The Kennesaw State University Foundation acquired the property — formerly occupied by the Kennesaw BrandsMart USA store — in 2014 on behalf of the school. The BOR’s approval formally transfers ownership of the property to the university. The approval came nearly a year after the BOR authorized the school’s lease of the retail store and its expansive parking lot from the Foundation in order to allow development to begin.
www.accessnorthga.com
UNG receives $10K for poultry sciences scholarships; NHHS grad lands internship with Tyson Foods
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=285212
By Staff
Local poultry businesses have contributed $10,000 to the University of North Georgia (UNG) to support scholarships for students studying poultry science and pursuing careers in the industry – and a North High School graduate, now attending UNG, has landed an internship with a leading poultry processpr.
www.washingtontimes.com
Georgia State researchers net record sum in research funding
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/14/georgia-state-researchers-net-record-sum-in-resear/?page=all
By – Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) – Researchers at Georgia State University brought in a record amount of research funding in the first two quarters of fiscal year 2015. The university says the $53 million in research money received is a 30 percent increase over the $39.9 million brought in during the same period last fiscal year. The university says a majority of its research funding comes from federal awards.
www.redandblack.com
GSU, GPC consolidation dethrones UGA as largest Georgia school
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/gsu-gpc-consolidation-dethrones-uga-as-largest-georgia-school/article_913cd49e-b3f7-11e4-a520-0bcb7b0038b6.html
Katelyn Umholtz
Next fall semester, University of Georgia will no longer house the most students in the state. A new consolidation between Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College will almost double GSU’s student population to 53,927 students, after a Board of Regents decision in early January. UGA in contrast enrolled just over 35,000 students last fall across Athens and its four other campuses. Charles Sutlive, vice chancellor for communications for USG, said consolidation is more practical and Georgia residents should expect more to occur in the future. “Our consolidation of institutions has been about serving our students better by expanding access, broadening programs and reinvesting savings into academics to improve student success,” Sutlive said.
www.macon.com
Legislative Notebook: FVSU Day at Capitol
http://www.macon.com/2015/02/13/3585042_legislative-notebook-fvsu-day.html?rh=1
ATLANTA — A caravan of Fort Valley State University students, musicians, administrators, “world famous goat milk products” and students bearing scientific research visited the state Capitol on Wednesday for FVSU Day. “We humbly extend an invitation to all of you to our lovely institution to see the teaching and research accomplishments and enjoy some of our other campus-produced products and services,” said English major Elijah Porter, addressing the state House of Representatives. That includes goat milk soap, ice cream and other goodies. The university is a leader in “small ruminant livestock” research
www.southernstudies.org
Protests around the South target fossil fuels in run-up to Global Divestment Day
http://www.southernstudies.org/2015/02/protests-around-the-south-target-fossil-fuels-in-r.html
By Sue Sturgis
Residents of Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia gathered this week outside a country store, rural county courthouses, a Baptist church and a school library to protest the fossil-fuel industry’s harm to local communities. With the theme “Safeguard America’s Resources,” the Feb. 12 events included a march in Virginia to draw attention to the effects of natural gas pipelines on mountain communities; a prayer vigil and rallies in North Carolina against fracking, power plant pollution and coal ash dumping; and a student protest at Valdosta State University opposing a local pipeline project and calling on the University System of Georgia school to divest from fossil fuels. …At Valdosta State in Georgia, members of Students Against Violating the Environment and Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy together rallied outside the school library Thursday against the proposed Sabal Trail gas pipeline.
www.onlineathens.com
Gunshot fired on UGA campus in dispute between fraternities
http://onlineathens.com/national-news/2015-02-15/gunshot-fired-uga-campus-dispute-between-fraternities
By JOE JOHNSON
A gun was fired on the University of Georgia campus early Sunday morning during an altercation between two UGA fraternities. No one was injured during the altercation between members of the Pi Kappa Alpha and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternities on Greek Park Circle, and UGA police said investigators have identified the shooter as belonging to one of those fraternities. UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson Sunday afternoon said that the fraternity member likely will be charged, and that his identity would not be publicly released until an investigation into the incident is at least somewhat more complete.
University System News:
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Georgia colleges missing course enrollment projections
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2015-02-15/georgia-colleges-missing-course-enrollment-projections
Morris News Service
By Walter C. Jones
ATLANTA — Administrators at Georgia’s public colleges have a hard time predicting the popularity of academic majors they offer, according to newly released figures showing a coin toss would be about as accurate. Of 336 programs approved by the Board of Regents in the past 10 years, just 163, or 49 percent, met or exceeded projected enrollment by their third year, according to the figures of the University System of Georgia. Accuracy is important because staffing, space and other resources are allocated based on the projections, noted Teresa Joyce, the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Budgets are based on student enrollment. We’re looking at tuition dollars, so the budget goes under a very intense budget analysis so they are appropriated the dollars needed to support their program,” she said. “So a program not meeting enrollment expectations is likely using university resources that haven’t been budgeted for it.”
Editorials/Columns/ Opinions :
www.getschooled.blog.ajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Is Georgia’s school superintendent now a goodwill ambassador rather than policy leader?
http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/02/13/is-georgias-school-superintendent-now-a-goodwill-ambassador-rather-than-policy-leader/
In writing this week about a school visit, state school Superintendent Richard Woods called for a renewed focus on the fine arts. With the diminishment of arts education over the last decade, many parents will applaud Woods’ stand. My colleagues and I discussed whether Woods ought to be more focused this week on what’s happening at the Statehouse; he says he supports local control and is wary of overreach by the state or the feds. Yet, Woods has not issued any response to legislation released Wednesday by Gov. Nathan Deal calling for a constitutional amendment allowing the state to take over under performing schools.
Higher Education:
www.foxbusiness.com
Closing the Door on Public Colleges?
http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy-policy/2015/02/13/closing-door-on-public-colleges/
By Matthew Rocco
With states seeking to restore financial order, budget woes at public universities may be reaching a tipping point.Lawmakers in South Carolina are pushing for a temporary shutdown of South Carolina State University, hoping to give the 119-year-old school a clean slate. In Ohio, where schools face the possibility of reduced funding, Gov. John Kasich is asking schools to make cuts. Other states such as Wisconsin also are looking for universities to slim down. Today, students cover a larger portion of their attendance costs than taxpayers. Tuition collected by public colleges topped state funding by 2012, according to a Government Accountability Office report published in December. …Georgia moved to combine eight schools into four in 2013, bringing the system’s total to 31 public colleges. Now the state plans to merge Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College next year as it continues to seek cost reduction through efficiencies. The move would make Georgia State the largest college in Georgia, beating the University of Georgia. Current enrollment at Georgia State is approximately 32,000, and Georgia Perimeter has 21,000 undergraduate students.
www.diverseeducation.com
College Ratings Proposal Continues to Be Work in Progress
http://diverseeducation.com/article/69827/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=f29bf96656ee4aff87076e462ef3ef39&elqCampaignId=415
by Catherine Morris
The Community College National Legislative Summit featured a panoply of Washington persons of interest of all political stripes pledging their support for community colleges. Amidst the speechifying, a few details about an impending White House initiative were clarified. President Obama generated apprehension in the higher education sphere when he announced a proposal to create a federal college ratings system last year. The ratings system would reward institutions that perform well with federal financial aid — a particular point of contention for institutions that serve low-income or disadvantaged students. Even though the Department of Education maintains that they plan to compare only “like to like” institutions, critics of the plan maintain that there is immense variety even among similar institutions, making it virtually impossible to rate them fairly.