USG Institutions:
www.ledger-enquirer.com
Three finalists to be Columbus State president announced
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2015/04/07/3657513_columbus-state-presidential-finalists.html?rh=1
BY MARK RICE
The search for Columbus State University’s next president is down to three finalists.
• Randy Hanna, 56, ex-chancellor of the Florida College System (formerly known as the Florida Community College System).
• Chris Markwood, 49, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
• Carl Stockton, 57, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
University System of Georgia Board of Regents chairman Neil L. Pruitt Jr. and chancellor Hank Huckaby made the announcement in a news release Tuesday.

www.walb.com
No timeline yet in search for new VSU president
http://www.walb.com/story/28739058/no-timeline-yet-for-search-for-new-vsu-president
By Colter Anstaett
VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) – It was more clear Tuesday where the process of selecting a new Valdosta State University president was at. On April 2nd, VSU President Dr. William McKinney unexpectedly announced that he planned to resign as of July 1st, 2015. Charlie Sutlive, Vice Chancellor for Communications for the University System of Georgia, said Monday evening in a phone interview with WALB that the University System of Georgia Chancellor was currently working on appointing an interim president.

www.wmbfnews.com
Bainbridge State joins move to lower costs to out of staters
http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/28738477/bainbridge-state-joins-move-to-lower-costs-to-out-of-staters
By Dave Miller
BAINBRIDGE, GA (WALB) – Bainbridge State College joins some of its sister institutions in lowering its tuition for students from several surrounding states to equal what Georgia residents pay. Valdosta State, and Georgia Southwestern have already made this move. BSC will offer in-state tuition to residents of Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina who meet the institution’s admission requirements beginning in the Fall 2015 semester.

www.mdjonline.com
KSU to offer an alumni discount
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/26565053/article-KSU-to-offer-an-alumni-discount
by MDJ staff
Kennesaw State University’s College of Continuing and Professional Education will offer an exclusive discount to all KSU Alumni Association members effective immediately. Alumni with proof of association membership will receive a 10 percent discount on all classes, with a maximum discount of $500 per class. There is no limit to the number of classes KSU Alumni Association members can take.

www.wabe.org
Ga. Tech’s MOOC Master’s Degree Program Off To Solid Start
http://wabe.org/post/ga-techs-mooc-masters-degree-program-solid-start
By MARTHA DALTON
A little over a year ago, Georgia Tech launched a first-of-its kind master’s degree in computer science. The program is taught entirely through Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs. Here’s MOOC 101: They’re typically online undergraduate courses offered for free, and students don’t usually earn credit for them. Through Georgia Tech’s program, professors post podcasts of their lectures, and students can ask questions through online forums. So, how’s it going so far at Georgia Tech? “The short answer is that it’s going awesomely,” Charles Isbell, a Georgia Tech professor and associate dean of computer science, says. (w/audio)

www.bizjournals.com
Southern Co. to put innovation center in Tech Square
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/atlantech/2015/04/southern-co-to-put-innovation-center-in-midtown.html?page=all
Urvaksh Karkaria
Staff Writer- Atlanta Business Chronicle
Southern Co. (NYSE: SO) is the latest Fortune 500 corporation to plant a research and development outpost at Georgia Tech. The Atlanta-based utility holding company will open a 6,000-square-foot “Energy Innovation Center” at Tech Square, where employees will work on next-generation energy technologies and products … Companies seek satellite offices when considering new product development initiatives, said Stephen Fleming, a Georgia Tech vice president … Georgia Tech receives an average of two inquiries a month from Fortune 500 companies seeking to open innovation centers near campus, Fleming said, noting companies are drawn to the research labs, student co-op programs and tech startups in the area.

www.businessinsider.com
The 25 business schools that offer the best education
http://www.businessinsider.com/best-business-school-education-2015-4
EMMIE MARTIN AND SKYE GOULD
A strong network, affordable tuition, and campus location are all important factors to consider when choosing a business school. But these aspects don’t matter much if you’re not getting a solid education. Online grad school guide Graduate Programs.com surveyed over 10,000 current and former business school students about their programs to find which places offer the best quality of education — schools where students have access to relevant, interesting, and challenging courses taught by qualified professors … No 12 Georgia Institute of Technology.

Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
It’s Fafsa Season, and a New Crop of High Schoolers Is Discovering Its Complexity
http://chronicle.com/article/It-s-Fafsa-Seasona-New/229163/?cid=at
By Kelly Field
It’s a scene playing out in classrooms and living rooms across the country, as students and their parents puzzle over the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the much-maligned form that provides access to billions of dollars in federal grants and loans for postsecondary education. As of late March, more than eight million applicants had filed the form with the Education Department for the 2015-16 academic year. But millions of needy students won’t complete the Fafsa, as the form is known, or they’ll file it too late to qualify for billions of dollars in state and institutional aid. That troubles student-aid researchers and policy makers alike, who say the form is keeping some low-income students from attending college. With an eye toward simplification, they’ve proposed everything from stripping the questions about assets and additional income, to shrinking the 10-page form to the size of a postcard and seeking just two pieces of information: family size and income.

www.insidehighered.com
Education Department Clarifies Loan Counseling Flexibility
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/04/08/education-department-clarifies-loan-counseling-flexibility
The U.S. Department of Education on Monday clarified that colleges are able to take some active steps to help students avoid excessive loan amounts. Federal law requires that colleges in most cases disburse to students any amount of federal loan they request so long as they are eligible for it. Colleges have pushed for legislation that would give them the ability to limit the borrowing of some students who they are concerned might be taking on more loans than they would be able to repay.

www.insidehighered.com
The Many Meanings of Free
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/04/08/free-community-college-has-different-meanings-different-places
By Ashley A. Smith
When the Community College of Philadelphia announced it was launching a tuition-free program for incoming students, the emphasis was on low-income, Pell Grant-eligible families. When Harper College in suburban Chicago made its tuition-free announcement a week earlier, it didn’t have an income limit but focused on academic requirements, community service and attendance. And unlike some programs that require participating students to be near the top of their classes, Harper’s included many more conditions. Those programs also differed from others in requirements and funding that have emerged over the years or more recently as “free community college.” …The free community college idea isn’t new, but it has gained more attention since President Obama’s proposal to launch a national tuition-free initiative. But many colleges, cities and states aren’t waiting for Congress to adopt the president’s proposal. They’re launching their own programs.

www.diverseeducation.com
Obama’s Immigration Plan Would Have Positive Results for Students
http://diverseeducation.com/article/71427/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=27665fc72911457fa8a27c31753d9603&elqCampaignId=415&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=669ba85d407c403698a846916a619fdd
by Lydia Lum
More than five million youths—most of them U.S.-born and therefore citizens—would have better learning outcomes and a higher quality of life if the courts allow implementation of President Barack Obama’s executive order to postpone deportation of their undocumented immigrant parents. That is the conclusion of a new report, released yesterday by university researchers in California, that documents educational and other disparities and disadvantages endured by the children of people who entered this country without authorization.