University System News:
www.getschooled.blog.ajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
New push in Legislature to allow guns in frat houses, college stadiums
http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/03/05/new-push-in-legislature-to-allow-guns-in-frat-houses-college-stadiums/
And speaking of the Legislature…
Two new bills in the Legislature revive last year’s debate about guns on Georgia’s college campuses, but the AJC says passage is unlikely. According to the AJC’s Aaron Gould Sheinin: “The bills face long odds of passage this year. Rep. John Meadows, R-Calhoun, who co-sponsored last year’s major rewrite of Georgia’s gun laws, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he’s not interested in pursuing gun legislation again this year. Meadows is also chairman of the Rules Committee, which decides which bills make it to the House floor for a vote.” The GunSense Georgia Coalition issued this statement about the gun bills introduced yesterday: The GunSense Georgia Coalition has pledged to fight two new gun bills introduced yesterday by freshman House Representative Heath Clark, R-Warner Robbins. House 544 would force the University System of Georgia to allow anyone with a concealed weapons license permit to bring loaded, concealed guns on to all 30 public college and university campuses, including fraternity and sorority houses and sports stadiums.
USG Institutions:
www.news.yahoo.com
2016 Best Graduate Schools Preview: Top 10 Engineering Schools
https://news.yahoo.com/2016-best-graduate-schools-preview-top-10-engineering-130000969.html
By U.S. News Staff
Thinking about applying to graduate school? Whether you’re interested in pursuing a graduate degree in engineering, or attending law school or business school, there are some big decisions to make. To help students find the right school for them, U.S. News & World Report surveys nearly 1,900 graduate schools and programs and ranks them according to our methodology. Here, we offer a sneak peek of the 2016 Best Graduate Schools rankings. … In alphabetical order, here are the top 10 highest-ranked engineering schools. …Georgia Institute of Technology
www.time.com
Graduates of These Colleges Make the Most Money (and It’s Not Just the Ivies)
http://time.com/money/3732797/best-colleges-high-earnings/
Kim Clark
Party schools do better than you’d think—but there’s a twist. Far and away, the nation’s science, math, technology, and Ivy League colleges produce the highest-earning graduates, according to PayScale.com salary data released today. The average grad of math- and science-heavy colleges such as Harvey Mudd, CalTech, and the Georgia Institute of Technology out-earned grads of any other type of college, netting $677,000 more in earnings over 20 years than someone who didn’t attend college at all (minus the cost of attending the college).
www.affordableshools.net
30 Most Inviting Yet Affordable College Dorms in America
There are many advantages for college students who opt to live on campus. These include the chance to form long-lasting friendships and, according to the American Council on Education, an increased likelihood of achieving better grades than their off-campus counterparts. However, these advantages can come at a cost. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average price for room and board at a public U.S. postsecondary school totaled $9,552 for the 2012-13 academic year. That rate increased to $10,540 for private institutions. …n order to determine if a school was charming or inviting enough to secure a place on our final list, their residence halls were individually investigated, taking factors such as aesthetic appeal, amenities/facilities and each dorm’s social scene into account. …20. University of Georgia – Athens, Georgia
www.accessnorthga.com
UNG/Gainesville program increases support for students with disabilities
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=285930
By Staff
OAKWOOD – Through a $5,000 Presidential Innovation Award, the First Year Foundation program at the University of North Georgia’s (UNG) Gainesville Campus is augmenting its already successful support services for students with disabilities to further improve the students’ retention and completion rates.
www.13wmaz.com
Middle Georgia State raises money for student fund
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/macon/2015/03/05/middle-georgia-state-raises-money-for-student-fund/24459303/
D Hunter Joyce
Some people at Middle Georgia State College are just now warming up, after they took a Purple Polar Plunge to raise money Thursday. “We have been raising money for this plunge event for our SEAL program, Student Emergency Access to Learning, an initiative that will directly impact them in completing their college goals, to help curtail any of those incidental, acute emergency situations that come up, to help keep them in class.” says Dee Lindsey, director of student life at Middle Georgia State. Students and staff at the Macon and Cochran campuses jumped into ponds to raise funds for the program.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
UNG puts professor on leave, pursues termination
Action followed argument with guest speaker
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/108255/
By Kristen Oliver
University of North Georgia professor Vicki McCard has been put on paid administrative leave as the university pursues termination following an incident earlier this year. An article in Thursday’s Times incorrectly reported she had already been terminated. McCard, a tenured professor who has worked in the university’s Spanish department for more than 21 years, was placed on leave following an argument with a guest speaker. The case was first brought to public attention through an article in the university’s student newspaper, Vanguard Dahlonega, which alleged McCard had been fired. The article has since been removed from that newspaper’s website. Kate Maine, associate vice president of university relations, said the university is following the procedural requirements for terminating a tenured faculty member outlined in the Board of Regents Policy Manual.
Higher Education News:
www.bizjournals.com
Georgia looking to boost its cyber security industry
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2015/03/06/georgia-looking-to-boost-its-cyber-security.html?page=all
Dave Williams and Urvaksh Karkaria
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Atlanta’s growing tech economy and the planned relocation of the U.S. Army Cyber Command to Fort Gordon near Augusta have made Georgia a hotbed for cybersecurity jobs. Now, the state government wants to accelerate that trend. A resolution introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives would create a House-Senate study committee to consider ways to lure more cybersecurity companies to Georgia. …The education component of Georgia’s bid to become a cybersecurity industry leader already has begun. The state Board of Education voted last month to add cybersecurity to the list of career pathways offered in Georgia high schools. …Georgia Regents University in Augusta also is developing a college-level cybersecurity curriculum. Besides education and workforce development, the public sector controls “a number of levers [it] can pull” to grow an industry, including tax policy, noted Stephen Fleming, a vice president at Georgia Tech.
www.bizjournals.com
Source: Cisco looks to expand Atlanta workforce with up to 150 jobs
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/atlantech/2015/03/source-cisco-looks-to-expand-atlanta-workforce.html?page=all
Urvaksh Karkaria
Staff Writer- Atlanta Business Chronicle
Networking giant Cisco Systems Inc. is hiring in Metro Atlanta, potentially adding as many as 150 jobs, Atlanta Business Chronicle has learned. The jobs include a mix of finance, operations and advanced network services positions, including networking engineers, iOS engineers, and software developers, according to a source briefed on Cisco’s plans. A second source confirmed Cisco is hiring in Atlanta… Metro Atlanta’s talent pool, central location and industry clusters have attracted technology companies. When global technologically focused enterprises consider expansion sites, Atlanta is often a top-three contender, noted Stephen Fleming, a Georgia Tech vice president. “We’ve got the access to talent, we’ve got the customers here, and we’ve got a global airport,” Fleming said.
www.chronicle.com
For 529 College-Savings Plans, a Big Challenge Is Setting the Record Straight
http://chronicle.com/article/For-529-College-Savings-Plans/228275/
By Katherine Mangan
Austin, Tex.
For years, advocates of 529 college-savings plans have struggled to persuade people that they’re more than just tax shelters for the rich. The backlash that hit after President Obama proposed taxing the plans to help pay for his free-community-college proposal gave the advocates new talking points as they gathered here this week for their annual meeting. If nothing else, the kerfuffle shined a spotlight on a savings strategy that most Americans know nothing about.
www.insidehighered.com
Killing All State Support
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/03/06/arizona-budget-deal-would-eliminate-all-state-funds-3-large-community-college
By Scott Jaschik
Arizona has a reputation for frugality with regard to state support for higher education, but a deal reached this week between Governor Doug Ducey and legislative leaders is leaving educators in the state stunned. The agreement would completely eliminate state support for the three largest community college districts in the state — while also imposing deep cuts on the public universities.
www.diverseeducation.com
South Carolina Advances Bill to Drop Wait for Veteran In-state Tuition
http://diverseeducation.com/article/70366/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=8ad48ca29c594ebb916d350b2ee3928e&elqCampaignId=415&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=f37e01b8d1e94788b33f458a1070aea4
by Susanne M. Schafer, Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Out-of-state military veterans could come to South Carolina and immediately pay in-state tuition at its colleges and universities, under legislation endorsed Thursday by a state Senate panel. “I’m glad the bill got approved, I have a lot of veterans in my district,” said the sponsor, Sen. Tom Young, R-Aiken, after the higher education subcommittee approved the measure and sent it to the full Senate Education Committee. A similar measure fell just short of gaining lawmakers’ approval last year. The bill also allows a military veteran who chooses not to use the benefit to transfer it to a spouse or children.
www.chronicle.com
Protesters Shut Down U. of California at Santa Cruz Over Tuition Increases
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/protesters-shut-down-u-of-california-at-santa-cruz-over-tuition-hikes/95147?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
by Andy Thomason
Student protesters effectively shut down the University of California at Santa Cruz on Thursday morning, blocking its entrances as part of a four-day protest of tuition increases, racism, and police violence, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports. The university responded to the early-morning action by telling students and faculty members to stay off the campus.
www.touch.orlandosentinel.com
More than 42,000 Florida college prepaid plans sold
http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82983799/
Gabrielle Russon
With the open enrollment period ending last month, the Florida Prepaid College Board reported selling 42,158 prepaid college plans, more than triple the number from a year earlier. The board has not sold more than 42,000 plans, which are designed to help families afford college for their children, since the 2007-2008 year, according to a news release Thursday sent out by the board. Last year, the board said it sold 12,788 prepaid plans.
www.insidehighered.com
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/03/06/elite-college-degrees-give-black-graduates-little-advantage-job-market
By Jake New
Throwing another wrench into the belief that higher education is the great equalizer, a new paper suggests that African-American graduates from elite institutions do only as well in getting jobs as white candidates from less-selective institutions. The study, published in the journal Social Forces, shows that while a degree from an elite university improves all applicants’ chances at finding a well-paid job, the ease with which those jobs are obtained is not equal for black and white students even when they both graduate from an institution such as Harvard University.
www.diverseeducation.com
Syracuse Frat Members Charged after Pledge Suffers Frostbite
http://diverseeducation.com/article/70364/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=8ad48ca29c594ebb916d350b2ee3928e&elqCampaignId=415&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=93d47068d415471eaee42f1ba96cd2d7
by Associated Press
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A Syracuse University pledge may lose four fingers after being forced to crawl in the snow and perform late-night pushups, and two fraternity members face charges for the hazing stunt. Three young men pledging the Nu Alpha Phi fraternity were taken to a city park around midnight Saturday and made to do exercises wearing hooded sweatshirts and no gloves for “failing to perform their daily duties,” according to Syracuse police.
www.insidehighered.com
Fighting Frats and Losing
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/03/06/u-idaho-dean-students-resigns-after-failed-attempt-punish-fraternity
By Jake New
Tensions between University of Idaho administrators, a fraternity and the chapter’s alumni have ended with the university’s dean of students suddenly announcing his resignation after less than three months on the job. Just prior to the announcement, sanctions brought against the fraternity over hazing allegations were dropped. “I no longer believe this is an environment where I can work on issues of student safety,” Craig Chatriand, the dean of students, said. “The safety of our students is the primary concern of the dean of students office, and not being able to address concerns through our already established policies and agreements takes away the effectiveness of what this office can do.” In the last year, several colleges and universities have made serious attempts to rein in negative fraternity behavior. Punishing fraternities can be a messy process, however, placing student affairs employees in the crosshairs of Greek organizations and their powerful alumni.