USG Institutions:
www.wabe.org
Microneedle Patches Could Be The Future Of Vaccinations
http://wabe.org/post/microneedle-patches-could-be-future-vaccinations
By TASNIM SHAMMA
Georgia Tech Professor Mark Praunitz has spent two decades developing microneedle patches. These are very tiny needles that dissolve into your skin to painlessly deliver vaccines against viruses like polio and the flu … Last month, Georgia Tech and Prausnitz’ company, Micron Biomedical, received a $2.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation to develop and commercialize a microneedle patch for the polio vaccine. The idea is to find a way to get to people in war-torn areas like parts of Nigeria and Afghanistan where polio still exists. (w/audio)
www.walb.com
VSU decreasing tuition for some out of state residents
http://www.walb.com/story/28672194/vsu-decreasing-tuition-for-some-out-of-state-residents
By Colter Anstaett
VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) – For many current and future students at Valdosta State University, college is about to become a little cheaper. Beginning with the 2015 Fall semester, all residents from Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida will be able to pay the same price for tuition as Georgia residents. “I’m just very, very grateful to the chancellor and to the board of regents for really giving us this opportunity to offer expanded educational opportunities to the residents of those states,” said VSU President Dr. William McKinney. Monday, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved the university’s request to offer the new tuition rate.
www.wctv.tv
Valdosta State University Offers In-State Tuition To Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina Residents
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Valdosta-State-University-Offers-In-State-Tuition-To-Florida-Alabama-and-South-Carolina-Residents-298218661.html
By: Winnie Wright
March 31, 2015
Valdosta, GA – Beginning next fall, graduates from Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina will be offered in-state tuition at Valdosta State University. Why? VSU’s President says, to boost enrollment. “College enrollment in South Georgia is really down”, says VSU President, William McKinney, who goes on to say that the University System of Georgia approved VSU’s request to offer the unlimited waivers on Monday.
www.georgiatrend.com
SUSTAINABLE GEORGIA: GAINING SOME GREEN
http://www.georgiatrend.com/April-2015/Sustainable-Georgia-Gaining-Some-Green/
Ben Young
Clean-energy firms have exploded in Georgia, providing more than twice as many full-time jobs in 2014 than in 2013, according to the 2014 Georgia Clean Energy Industry Census recently published by Southface. Today, 678 clean energy firms provide 19,633 full-time jobs in the Peach State – almost the same as the number of active physicians working here … While the clean energy industry is broad, it doesn’t have a single voice that touts the economic benefits, says Arora … But there is innovation on the horizon. Georgia Tech professors are working on new battery technologies, and University of Georgia continues research into biofuels, but these types of research need more funding to be fruitful.
www.wtvm.com
Fine arts building for ASU finally in the works
http://www.wtvm.com/story/28680990/asu-fine-arts-finally-building
By Ben Roberts
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – Albany State University will finally get its long-awaited fine arts building. The Georgia House of Representatives approved the budget for next fiscal year Tuesday. It includes 19.8-million dollars for the center that’s been planned for years.
www.onlinetes.com
Georgia’s future in renewable energy
http://www.onlinetes.com/tes0415-georgia-energy-resources.aspx#.VRwmXygokwN
Arielle Campanelie
Wind and solar energy are a small but fast-growing portion of Georgia’s energy resources.
With a wind demonstration project underway in Skidaway Island, the passage of House Bill 57, and results from the 2014 National Solar Job Census, the future of renewable energy looks optimistic in the Peach State.“The Georgia Clean Energy Industry Census demonstrates the positive economic impact of initiatives underway in both the public and private sectors,” says Dennis Creech, executive director at Southface, a group of environmental consultants. “This industry contributes to the state’s manufacturing, forestry, and construction sectors, among others. It also provides jobs that support our local economy.” …Continuing the effort to develop renewable energy sources, the Georgia Public Service Commission is allowing the Georgia Power to install small-scale wind turbines at the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography as part of the utility’s 2013 Integrated Resource Plan (contingent on approval by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents).
Higher Education News:
www.myajc.com
Georgia budget plan signals recovery with $900 million in new spending
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgia-budget-plan-signals-recovery-with-900-mill/nkjpp/#a3b4e6d6.3566685.735689
By James Salzer – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The General Assembly sent Gov. Nathan Deal a $21.8 billion budget Tuesday that makes it clear that the state’s finances have recovered from the Great Recession. The measure would borrow $1.1 billion for construction, give judges substantial raises, provide extra money for nursing home owners, doctors and state ethics watchdogs, spend big to replace and repair bridges, and continue providing health insurance to school bus drivers, albeit on the dime of local school districts. …HOPE scholars would see a 3 percent increase in awards next year and private college students would receive nearly 30 percent increases in grants. The budget includes a 1 percent payroll increase to give raises to state employees and staffers with the University System of Georgia.
www.dawsonnews.com
End of 2015 legislative session is near
http://www.dawsonnews.com/section/45/article/16247/
By Steve Gooch
Only two days remain in the 2015 legislative session. All of the Senate committees finished their fact-finding work last Friday, and will not meet again until 2016. This doesn’t mean the last two days will be a piece of cake-these days are going to stretch into the evenings and will be far from easy. There are still many bills and resolutions waiting for Senate approval, and we are going to try and give each one a chance for final passage in 2015. One of the most high-profile bills this session is HB 1, which many of you know as the medical cannabis bill. The legislation would allow the use of cannabis oil to relieve the symptoms of certain severe medical conditions. …Last week, I was proud to host several District 51 visitors at the Georgia State Capitol. The White County Color and Honor Guard was recognized for their contributions and service to White County with Senate Resolution 149. …It was also an honor to recognize Army ROTC Cadet Jonathan Strickland with Senate Resolution 130 last week. Cadet Strickland, who attends the University of North Georgia, has been named the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s Cadet of the Year out of 5,617 Army ROTC cadets. The recognition was based on his performance at the Army’s Leadership Development Assessment Course, physical fitness testing, campus leadership performance, and overall academic achievement.
www.macon.com
Georgia Legislature approves $19 billion budget
http://www.macon.com/2015/03/31/3671045_lawmakers-agree-to-19-billion.html?rh=1
BY MAGGIE LEE
ATLANTA — The Georgia General Assembly approved late Tuesday a $19 billion spending plan for next year. The Senate passed the budget in a 55-1 vote, while the House approved it 173-0 a short while later. As usual, the largest chunk of state money would be spent on K-12 education. Schools would get some $8.5 billion for fiscal 2016, which begins July 1. …The state also is borrowing about $1 billion for repairing old facilities or building new ones. …Middle Georgia State College, Middle Georgia Technical College and their joint Military Academic and Training Center are in line for new buildings for science, health and truck-driving students.
www.georgiatrend.com
GETTING A HEAD START
From nursing and commercial truck driving to aviation and motorsports, the Technical College System of Georgia provides education to 150,000 people in more than 800 programs of study, while also helping businesses find and train qualified employees across the state.
http://www.georgiatrend.com/April-2015/Getting-A-Head-Start/
Ellen Berman
When companies are looking for a headquarters site, want to open a branch office or expand their operations, they need assurance that people – well-trained, professional people with skills that are pertinent to their business – are on hand as willing, ready employees. That’s when they turn to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). With a $1.2-billion impact on Georgia’s economy, the TCSG works with businesses across the state to find and train people to fill positions – often ones that are highly specialized requiring specific skills. At the same time, thousands of people in Georgia are looking to further their education, change careers, or quickly get into the job market and are enrolling in classes at one of the TCSG’s 23 colleges. …He [Deal] is also committed to plans for a Georgia Film Academy to help train Georgians for the state’s burgeoning film industry. While still in the early stages, the academy would most likely be a partnership between TCSG and the University System of Georgia, both of which already have film-related courses at several schools to meet the growing demand. …Quick Start was critical to the success of Norcross-based Suniva, America’s leading manufacturer of high-efficiency PV solar cells and modules. In 2008, the then two-person firm joined the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a Georgia Tech-based business incubator, to get off the ground.
www.chronicle.com
The Decreasing Affordability of Public Flagships, in One Chart
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Decreasing-Affordability/228971/
By Goldie Blumenstyk, Lance Lambert, and Beckie Supiano
Public flagship universities appear to have become less affordable over the past five years to the very people they were created to serve — the residents of their home states. Affordability at public colleges depends on two factors: the price, which is itself partly a function of state support, and students’ ability to pay it. And as this Chronicle analysis shows, in nearly four out of five states, the average net price of the flagship university now makes up a greater proportion of the median household income for state residents than it did five years earlier. Put another way, the average net price at flagships increased at a far faster pace than did median household incomes. …Incomes Up, Net Price Up in 14 States In 14 other states median incomes rose, but net prices did too. That’s visible on the top-right quadrant of the scatter plot. But for some the increases in net prices outpaced the increases in income. One example of that came at the University of Georgia, where the median income increased by barely 1 percent but the average net price increased by nearly 29 percent. …For Georgia, the share of median income represented by the net price went from about 21 percent in 2008-9 to 27 percent in 2012-13.