University System News:
www.ajc.com
Middle Georgia State College granted university status
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/middle-georgia-state-college-granted-university-st/nkZGy/
Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Middle Georgia State College will become the state’s newest public university with a status and name change becoming effective on July 1. The state’s Board of Regents unanimously approved the changes during its monthly meeting on Wednesday. The board also approved Middle Georgia’s first master’s degree, an information technology program, that will begin in the fall. A request is pending for a second master’s degree, a nursing program. If approved by the Regents, the program would also begin in the fall. With Middle Georgia, the number of universities in the state public system would increase to 18.
www.cbs46.com
Regents elevate Middle Georgia State to university status
http://www.cbs46.com/story/28552745/regents-elevate-middle-georgia-state-to-university-status
By BILL HENDRICK
Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) – The Georgia Board of Regents has elevated Middle Georgia State College to university level effective July 1. Middle Georgia State College President Christopher Blake said Wednesday that the new name – Middle Georgia State University – will boost the reputation of the whole central Georgia region. But Blake, a native of England, says the new university has no plans for a football team.
www.dailyjournal.net
State Board of Regents elevates Middle Georgia State College to university level
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/4479e3e2c93a4766bd6f3f5322fbf832/GA–Board-of-Regents/
By BILL HENDRICK
ATLANTA — As of July 1, Georgia will have another university to be known as Middle Georgia State University, the state’s Board of Regents said Wednesday. The new entity will give Georgia 18 university-level institutions, including the Georgia Institute of Technology, said Regents’ spokesman Charles Sutlive. Christopher Blake, now at Middle Georgia State and president of the new university, said it will begin offering master’s degrees programs almost immediately. He said having “university” in the title will give the whole middle Georgia region a reputational and psychological boost. Middle Georgia State College was formed in 2013 when Middle Georgia College merged with Macon State College.
www.macon.com
Regents approve university status for Middle Georgia State College
http://www.macon.com/2015/03/18/3645929_regents-approve-university-status.html?rh=1
BY MAGGIE LEE
ATLANTA — Middle Georgia State College’s elevation to a state university Wednesday could not have come on a better day for the school’s president, Christopher Blake. It happened to be his 54th birthday. By a unanimous vote, the state Board of Regents approved a change in name, mission and course offerings at Middle Georgia State, which will become Middle Georgia State University effective July 1. The change will bring a master’s degree program to the college. Perhaps 20 students will make up the first class this fall, if all goes according to Blake’s plan.
www.ajc.com
University System cutting tuition to boost enrollment at some colleges
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/university-system-cutting-tuition-to-boost-enrollm/nkZDY/
Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Students in neighboring states could soon attend some Georgia colleges at much cheaper in-state tuition rates under a plan being implemented by the state’s University System. The initiative is aimed at 10 colleges predominantly in South Georgia that have had declining enrollments. Out-of-state tuition rates paid by non-Georgia residents are about three times more than in-state rates at most Georgia colleges.The state’s Board of Regents, the University System’s governing body, voted Wednesday to update tuition waiver policies.
www.flagpole.com
The Board of Regents Knows What’s Best for You, Don’t Ask
http://flagpole.com/news/pub-notes/2015/03/18/the-board-of-regents-knows-what-s-best-for-you-don-t-ask
By Pete McCommons
The UGA Human Resources Division sent out a letter last week that begins: “Dear Faculty and Staff, In a story dated February 25, an Athens publication (Flagpole Magazine) reported that USG retirees were losing their health benefits. That is false… “ That is indeed false. What I wrote in this column on Feb. 25 is that University System of Georgia retirees are losing their current health insurance plans. That is true. The present health insurance plans will be replaced in January 2016 by policies that retirees will have to purchase in an insurance marketplace. The University System of Georgia will subsidize these purchases. As of this writing, USG has not determined the amount of that subsidy or whether it will increase as insurance costs increase.
USG Institutions:
www.walb.com
CSU kicks off their ‘First Choice Comprehensive Campaign’
http://www.walb.com/story/28544864/csu-kicks-off-their-first-choice-comprehensive-campaign
By WTVM Web Team
COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) – Columbus State University is more than half way towards its $100 million goal in the school’s latest fundraising drive. That announcement came Tuesday during a press conference as CSU officially kicked off its First Choice Comprehensive Campaign. It took place at the Frank G. Lumpkin Center. Campaign Chair Phil Tomlinson says the university has raised more than sixty one million dollars so far. The funds will go towards expanding the university’s programs and to recruit more students. CSU Interim President Tom Hackett says he is excited about the future for the campus.
www.barnesville.com
Chancellor here for GSC SARC ribbon-cutting Thursday
http://www.barnesville.com/archives/8120-Chancellor-here-for-GSC-SARC-ribbon-cutting-Thursday.html
Posted by Walter Geiger
University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby will be among several special guests at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Gordon State College Student Activity and Recreation Center. The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 19 followed by tours of the 55,000 square foot facility. Guests will be welcomed by current Student Government Association President Ornella Oluwole. Also expected to attend are USG Regent Dr. Tommy Hopkins as well as past SGA presidents Rachel Adams-French, Chris Childress, and Anni Skurja.
www.americustimesrecorder.com
GSW shoots first feature film in Americus
http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/news/local_news/gsw-shoots-first-feature-film-in-americus/article_86c52788-c99a-11e4-a577-aba60b28eed7.html
by Beth Alston
AMERICUS — The Georgia film and television industry is a large and prosperous entity, earning $5.1 billion this fiscal year. Georgia attracts film companies for reasons ranging from its varied geography to its tax incentives for film and television productions. Most recently, Georgia has been used as the filming location for scenes in movies such as the “Hunger Games” franchise and “Selma.” Now that so many films are shot in Georgia, there is a demand for a workforce with the skills necessary to support these endeavors, but production companies that shoot in Georgia say they often struggle to find the workers they need. One measure that is being taken to meet this need is the establishment of the Georgia Film Academy. …A new effort at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is also preparing students for careers in the film industry.
www.walb.com
GSW shoots movie in Americus
http://www.walb.com/story/28524028/gsw-shoots-movie-in-americus
By Shannon Wiggins
AMERICUS, GA (WALB) – Georgia Southwestern State University is shooting their first feature film. It’s Lights, Camera, Action in Americus as Georgia Southwestern State University’s Theater, Communication, and Media Arts Department shoots its first feature film titled “Which Way There.” …”We’ve just had a lot of really positive support from the community so they’ve really embraced us,” said Joey Watson. With the film industry booming in Georgia, Watson says the film is creating an economic impact in the city of Americus.
www.covnews.com
New grant will aid GPC student veterans
http://www.covnews.com/section/1/article/58646/
Student veterans, active military and their families at Georgia Perimeter College will receive more personal attention, increased scholarship opportunities and potential help in emergencies, thanks to a Marcus Foundation grant. The grant was announced during a special ceremony held Tuesday, March 17 on the GPC Decatur Campus. The three-year grant, the first of its kind at the college, will employ three military student advocates – one on each of GPC’s Decatur, Dunwoody and Newton campuses. The grant also will provide 10 scholarships per semester for military veterans and provide a Veterans Emergency fund for student veterans who encounter financial emergencies that could affect their ability to attend college.
www.asce.org
NEW BIOSYSTEMS BUILDING FACILITATES MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION
http://www.asce.org/magazine/20150317-new-biosystems-building-facilitates-multidisciplinary-collaboration/
By Kevin Wilcox
Construction is nearly complete on an academic facility on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) that will bring together chemists, engineers, biologists, and computational scientists from the College of Science and the College of Engineering to foster multidisciplinary collaboration. “It was important for this space to encourage collaboration—to break down the silos that often exist in research,” says Scott Jones, the director of design and construction in Georgia Tech’s facilities management. “Creating a different type of building to bring together multiple types of researchers is what the core, original idea was.”
www.publishersweekly.com
GSU Lawyers: No Do-Over in Key Copyright Case
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/65897-gsu-lawyers-no-do-over-in-key-copyright-case.html
by Andrew Albanese
No new trial. That’s the response from lawyers for Georgia State University (GSU), who have asked judge Orinda Evans not to reopen the factual record in a key copyright case over the legality of digital course readings known as “e-reserves.” In a filing late last week, the GSU defendants argued that the previous trial record “was fully developed at trial and is complete,” and that reopening the record would “unduly burden” the court and defendants.
Higher Education News:
www.redandblack.com
US Senator supports legislation to relieve college students of financial burden
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/us-senator-supports-legislation-to-relieve-college-students-of-financial/article_f033ea88-ccab-11e4-ae9c-63c34586abad.html
Allie Dean
The rising cost of secondary education is on the forefront of debate in U.S. Congress this year, and Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia (R) is supporting an act that could help relieve students of some of their financial burden. The act, according to a press release, would repeal several federal higher education regulations relating to state authorization, the definition of “credit hour,” gainful employment, teacher preparation, third party providers and the proposed college ratings system. Isakson said that these regulations are burdensome and unnecessary and that they “restrict choice and increase costs” for colleges and students.
www.chronicle.com
The Student-Loan Crusader Who Won’t Stop Fighting
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Student-Loan-Crusader-Who/228561/?cid=at
By Kelly Field
Washington
Alan Collinge is on a mission. It’s a mission that has left him demoralized and destitute, yet more determined than ever. For a decade now, Mr. Collinge has been fighting to make it easier for borrowers, himself included, to wipe out their student-loan debt. He has collected thousands of stories from financially distressed debtors, appeared in numerous documentaries and news reports, published a book, and been named a “hero” by CNN. As he sees it, there is only one solution to spiraling student debt and rising defaults: restoring standard bankruptcy protections to all student loans, federal and private. All other efforts to ease the burden of repayment are just Band-Aids on a broken system.
www.insidehighered.com
GOP Would Freeze Pell
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/03/18/house-republicans-again-propose-10-year-freeze-pell-grant-maximum-award
By Michael Stratford
WASHINGTON — Kicking off what will likely be months of contentious budget battles, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday released a 2016 funding blueprint that calls for freezing the maximum Pell Grant award. The proposal, which was spearheaded by the House budget committee chairman, Representative Tom Price of Georgia, would keep the maximum Pell award at the current $5,775 for the next 10 years.
www.chronicle.com
U. of Texas’ Chief Might Have Exposed Its Admissions Policy to New Supreme Court Challenge
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-texas-chief-might-have-exposed-its-admissions-policy-to-new-supreme-court-challenge/95719?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
by Peter Schmidt
William C. Powers Jr., president of the University of Texas at Austin, might have provided grounds for a new U.S. Supreme Court review of his institution’s race-conscious undergraduate admissions policy by overseeing a separate, side-door process for considering favored applicants. The separate admissions process, which the Supreme Court did not know about when it examined Texas’ admissions practices two years ago, undermined the “holistic” admissions process that has been the subject of the federal courts’ scrutiny, according to a Cato Institute brief urging the Supreme Court to re-examine the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions on the Austin campus. The separate process also provided the university with a second, undisclosed means of giving extra consideration to minority applicants, the brief says.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/03/16/forget-harvard-and-stanford-it-really-doesnt-matter-where-you-go-to-college/
By Jeffrey J. Selingo
In the coming weeks, college acceptances will start rolling in for a select group of high-school seniors vying to get into the three dozen or so most-selective colleges and universities in the country. Most seniors planning to go to college this fall already have been accepted somewhere, either because they applied early or they chose less-selective schools that notify applicants almost immediately of their decision. But for those waiting to hear from Harvard, Stanford, Williams, and other elite schools, this time of year is one of high anxiety … The competition for getting into elite colleges seems to be getting more intense, leaving frustrated students, parents, and counselors to wonder: Does it really matter where you go to college?
www.insidehighered.com
Fraternity Suspended for Photos of Unconscious Women
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/03/18/fraternity-suspended-photos-unconscious-women
Pennsylvania State University suspended its chapter of Kappa Delta Rho for a year Tuesday over allegations that the fraternity’s members posted nude photographs of sleeping or passed-out women on a private Facebook page. According to a police warrant obtained by The Associated Press, a former member told police about the page, which featured photos and comments regarding “unsuspecting victims, drug sales and hazing.”
www.diverseeducation.com
ACE Preparing Female Minorities for Higher Ed Presidencies
http://diverseeducation.com/article/70776/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=0db95cd9ca6a4abd9414bffff0b713bd&elqCampaignId=415&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=37979fa87c7f4a3fadac788a75a0b2b4
by Kenneth J. Cooper
For nearly three decades, the number of women who serve as college presidents or chancellors has grown slowly, from 10 percent in 1986 to 26 percent in 2011, according to the American Council on Education (ACE). Its latest American College President Study estimates 13 percent were of color in 2011 and 4 percent were women of color. In 2013, ACE launched the Spectrum Executive Leadership Program to increase the number of women and people of color in presidencies. Berger-Sweeney joined the first of three cohorts to go through the mentoring and skill-building program, which lasted six to eight months. Of the 66 participants, eight have since become presidents, six permanently and two on an interim basis, according to Kim Bobby, the program’s director. All eight are people of color, five of them women. One is Dr. Roslyn Artis of Florida Memorial College, an African-American.
www.chronicle.com
New .College Domain Is Opportunity for Some Colleges, Worry for Others
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/new-college-domain-is-opportunity-for-some-colleges-worry-for-others/56145?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
by Casey Fabris
A college’s online presence isn’t as simple as the classic .edu. The college also has to worry about .com, .net, and .org, to protect its good name. And as of this week, there’s another domain type to worry about: .college. On Tuesday colleges with registered trademarks were given first dibs at .college domains. Trademark holders are eligible to register and obtain domains that exactly match their trademarks — at no charge — until April 17. Another registration phase begins on April 20.