University System News:
www.daltondailycitizen.com
43-year-old student working on degree at Dalton State
http://www.daltondailycitizen.com/news/year-old-student-working-on-degree-at-dalton-state/article_cd4cfb2e-f45e-11e4-951d-57890405dfff.html
By Jeff Harrison
Sue Pearson first enrolled in college in 1989, and the Dalton State College student has undoubtedly taken the long road to earning her post-secondary degree. But after more than two decades, the road finally has an end in sight. The 43-year-old Ellijay resident, who returned to the classroom last fall after more than 20 years away, has plans to graduate from Dalton State with an accounting degree in December. …According to Suzanne Rutledge, Pearson’s story is one that may resonate with thousands of people in the state. Rutledge, a member of a marketing firm promoting the state’s “Go Back. Move Ahead.” campaign, said Pearson is one of the campaign’s many success stories. …Rosalind Barnes Fowler, the director of public awareness for the University System of Georgia and director for the campaign, said, “We’re trying to raise awareness about the different opportunities that are available to adult learners. We’re trying to say to people that a lot of credits previously earned can be recaptured, and we don’t want people to dismiss work that they’ve already done. We are also just wanting to call attention to the fact that there are a lot of adults currently in school who have a similar story. It is not impossible to do this.” …Pearson said she wants to share her message with potential adult students.
USG Institutions:
www.georgianewsday.com
Armstrong State University honors it’s graduates and military vets
http://www.georgianewsday.com/news/savannah/331341-armstrong-state-university-honors-it-s-graduates-and-military-vets.html
Staff Writer
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) – Tonight, Armstrong State University honored it’s graduating veterans and military students with their Inaugural Armstrong Military Graduation Awards Dinner. Officers of Armstrong’s chapter of the Student Veterans of America were recognized along with members of the SALUTE, Veterans National Honor Society. The winner of the Post 9/11 Academic Achievement Award was recognized as well. …54 graduating veterans and military students were presented with red, white and blue honor cords in recognition of their service.
www.thedahloneganugget.com
UNG students honored for saving man’s life
http://www.thedahloneganugget.com/view/full_story_free/26618399/article-UNG-students-honored-for-saving-man-s-life
by Greg Finan, Jr.
In an awards ceremony held in the Day Conference Room of Price Memorial last Friday, the University of North Georgia presented the school’s first Lifesaving Award to two students for their quick response in saving a life when a man collapsed of apparent heart failure outside of Hoag Student Center on March 24. The two UNG student honorees, junior cadet Isaiah Hunt and junior Jamie Whitacre, met with the man whose life they saved on that fateful night.
www.myajc.com
Job market improving for college graduates
Networking, industry knowledge still important for landing jobs
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/job-market-improving-for-college-graduates/nk9FS/#21b7831d.3566685.735724
By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Long hours spent in the classroom and hitting the books will lead to a better payoff this year for many college graduates, who will have an easier time finding jobs than other recent classes. A number of national labor and economic reports show that businesses are likely to hire more graduates as the economy improves and older workers retire. The outlook is good news for graduates, who are leaving school with some of the highest debt loads ever. …Employers are expected to hire almost 10 percent more new graduates from the class of 2015 than the previous year, according to NACE’s recent 2015 job outlook. … Trey Sides, who graduated from Georgia Tech Saturday with a degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering, is a direct beneficiary of the bright employment outlook.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
Georgia Gwinnett College a finalist for regional business award
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2015/may/06/georgia-gwinnett-college-a-finalist-for-regional/
By Keith Farner
Add Georgia Gwinnett College to the list of organizations in the running for a regional business award from the Gwinnett Chamber. The school is a finalist for the IMPACT Regional Business Awards that will be announced at a luncheon on May 13 at the Gwinnett Center. The event is designed to celebrate organizations that drive economic development and job creation. “In the 10 short years since our founding, GGC has changed the higher education landscape by strategically positioning its innovative model for 21st century higher education to facilitate student success,” GGC vice president of strategic communications and positioning Renee Byrd-Lewis said in a press release.
www.thebrunswicknews.com
Student excels in high school, college and music
http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/student-excels-in-high-school-college-and-music/article_f79d905b-a362-5fa3-b12a-f096b335cc9d.html
By LINDSEY ADKISON
Like many teenagers, Faye Chu is preparing for graduation. But unlike other students, he’s not only graduating from Glynn Academy, he’s also getting a college degree — an associate of science degree — from Middle Georgia State University in Cochran. And, mind you, Chu hasn’t just been “getting by” with his high school studies while taking college credits. He has the highest GPA in his class, which makes him the school’s valedictorian. However, Chu won’t be celebrated as either the valedictorian or salutatorian. That’s because for the last two years, he’s actually been enrolled in the Georgia Aviation Mathematics Engineering and Sciences program, known as G.A.M.E.S., at Middle Georgia State. Because he’s been living on its campus, per board of education policy he’s exempted from any kind of leadership role at Glynn Academy’s graduation.
www.henryherald.com
Henry County to send 21 to Governor’s Honors Program
http://www.henryherald.com/news/2015/may/05/henry-county-to-send-21-to-governor8217s-honors/?features
From staff reports
McDONOUGH — Summer is normally a time for students to take a break from the books, but nearly two dozen students from Henry County Schools will see their break shortened by their own choice. Officials announced that 21 students in the district have been selected to participate in this summer’s Governor’s Honors Program at Valdosta State University. …The program, held from June 21 to July 18, is “designed to provide students with academic, cultural, and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators and teachers,” according to the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.
www.times-herald.com
Rants, Raves & Really?!?
http://www.times-herald.com/opinion/20150506-Rants-and-Raves
A look back at last week’s highs, lows and whatevers:
RAVE: Huge day for education in Newnan and Coweta County. The University of West Georgia has officially taken over the renovated Newnan Hospital on Jackson Street for its new Newnan campus. Staff will officially move into the new campus on May 15 and summer school will begin June 6. Many, many thanks to all the public and private sectors that made this a reality.
www.wsfa.com
GSU nursing students create T-shirt honoring car crash victims
http://www.wsfa.com/story/28985525/gsu-nursing-students-create-t-shirt-honoring-car-crash-victims
BRYAN COUNTY, GA (WFXG) – The complete report on what caused a crash two weeks ago that killed five Georgia Southern nursing students has yet to be released, and hearts remain broken all around Georgia Southern after the deaths of five nursing students. Nursing students wanted a way for people to remember their friends but also support those families in their time of grief. …They approached Woody’s Shirts, who handles their T-shirts and their medical scrubs, and they asked him about a shirt to raise money. He’s selling them on his website, TrueGSU.com and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the nursing department’s memorial fund.
www.wjcl.com
Georgia Southern president reflects on year bookended in tragedy
http://wjcl.com/2015/05/06/georgia-southern-president-reflects-on-year-bookend-in-tragedy/
By Nick Natario
STATESBORO, Ga. (WJCL) – In a matter of days, an emotional year for Georgia Southern University will come to an end. “Where would you put this school year in terms of where your memory is going to be?” WJCL asked GSU President Brooks Keel. “It’s obviously fresh and right there,” Keel said. WJCL caught up with President Keel as he prepared to honor students Saturday. Both for their accomplishments, and also for the painful loss of those not moving on. Saturday’s graduation will begin with a moment of silence for the five nursing students killed in a crash on Interstate 16. “They may have been juniors, but it impacted the entire campus,” Keel said. The accident was not the only tragedy for GSU this year. In August, at Rude Rudy’s, Michael Gatto, who was just starting his college career, was beaten to death. “You know, I think everybody is going to be thinking about him too,” Keel said. Six students Keel says will leave a lasting impact in everyone’s minds. “If you could describe the 2014, 2015 school year in one word, with everything that’s happened, what would it be?” WJCL asked Keel. “It would be family,” Keel said.
www.nbc26.tv
GRU is celebrating and pampering its nurses
http://www.nbc26.tv/story/28998150/gru-is-celebrating-and-pampering-its-nurses
Written by Janny Rodriguez, Reporter
RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. – It’s national Nurses Week and Georgia Regents University and Health System is recognizing and pampering its nurses. “You get a chance to really have an impact on people in a way that might not even seem important to you but it might be taking five extra minutes,” said Stephanie Bowden, an RN at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. She says those five extra minutes may not mean much to you and me but it makes a difference. “Its being there with that patient with that family in the moment listening to their concerns trying to help alleviate their fears showing compassion to them.” As Bowden prepares to continue caring for her patients, the hospital hosted an annual blessing of the hands. “This is our way of acknowledging that the work of nurses is a deeply spiritual work. It’s hands on in this high tech world, is about touch it’s about feel, it’s about being with people in the midst of their journey,” said Jeff Flowers, Director of Pastoral care with GRU Health System.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
Gwinnett leaders break ground for new fire stations
Facilities will serve Georgia Gwinnett College, Coolray Field areas
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2015/may/05/gwinnett-leaders-break-ground-for-new-fire/
By Curt Yeomans
LAWRENCEVILLE — From Georgia Gwinnett College President Stanley “Stas” Preczewski’s perspective, Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services is a relative who is moving into the neighborhood. The college and the fire department have worked closely for years on training exercises and fire safety education projects. The department’s station No. 10 is basically around the corner from the college and officials said its usual response time to incidents at the school is about five minutes. The department is about to get a lot closer though. It will soon begin construction on a new station which will be across Collins Hill Road from the college, and that excites Preczewski.
www.flagpole.com
What Is UGA Doing to Prevent Sexual Assaults?
By Laura James
As many as one in four women will leave commencement at the University of Georgia Friday as a survivor of sexual assault. Last April, Flagpole detailed a rape survivor’s story, relating to the larger issue of sexual assault on college campuses—places where alcohol is endemic, sexual assaults are rarely reported, and those that are reported are never prosecuted. Since then, the increased attention to sexual assault on college campuses has led universities to be more active in addressing this issue. “Our number one goal has to be to prevent [sexual assault],” says Janyce Dawkins, director of the Equal Opportunity Office and Title IX coordinator. “And we do that by awareness, prevention-training and investigating in a fair and impartial way those when they happen and it’s appropriate to investigate. We impose penalties that reflect the individual facts of that case. Ultimately, all of that will keep our students and our community safe.”
www.medicalnewstoday.com
Almost all parents of overweight children believe their children are ‘the right weight’
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/293617.php
A new study, published in the journal Childhood Obesity, finds that nearly all parents of overweight children misperceive their kids as being “the right weight.” The study was conducted by researchers from New York University School of Medicine’s NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, Georgia Southern University in Statesboro and Fudan University in Shanghai, China. The authors claim their study is the first to investigate parents’ perception of their preschool children’s weight status over time.
Higher Education News:
www.getschooled.blog.ajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
As college students change, so must instruction. But is the answer online classes?
http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/05/06/as-college-students-change-so-must-instruction-but-is-the-answer-online-classes/
Ruth Watkins is the senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Utah. She wrote an interesting piece about the changing face of higher education.
The 18-year-old college freshman is an endangered species. Today, three in four undergrads are considered “non-traditional” students. They may work while taking classes. They may have started families or served in the military. Or, as is often the case at my institution, the University of Utah, they may have done missionary work for as long as two years after high school. The on-campus model doesn’t work for this growing group of students. They can’t raise families in dorms. And morning classes aren’t compatible with full-time jobs. Some new entrants to the college marketplace believe they can deliver an education entirely online. But the evidence suggests otherwise.
www.chronicle.com
U. of Illinois to Offer a Lower-Cost M.B.A., Thanks to MOOCs
http://chronicle.com/article/Illinois-to-Offer-a-Lower-Cost/229921/
By Jeffrey R. Young
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign plans to start a low-cost online M.B.A. program in partnership with Coursera, the Silicon Valley-based MOOC provider, hoping to meet its land-grant mission of improving access and also to create a new stream of revenue at a time of shrinking state support for higher education. Students enrolling in the new online master’s program, dubbed the iMBA, could complete the entire degree for about $20,000 — far less than the approximately $50,000 for the on-campus version or the $100,000 for the university’s executive M.B.A. …The program is the latest in a string of high-profile experiments in using free MOOCs as part of cut-rate degree programs.
www.chronicle.com
Ariz. Judge Backs Community College’s Tuition Break for Immigrant Students
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/ariz-judge-backs-community-colleges-tuition-break-for-immigrant-students/98405?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
by Andrew Mytelka
An Arizona judge ruled on Tuesday that students brought to the United States illegally by their parents were eligible to pay cheaper in-state tuition in the Maricopa County Community College District, the Associated Press reported. The ruling, in a lawsuit filed in 2013 by the state’s attorney general at the time, represents a victory for the students, known as Dreamers, and the community college, which contended that President Obama’s deferred-action program on such immigrants enabled them to demonstrate that they were in the country legally. The program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, allows those immigrants to apply for deferral of deportation as well as work permits.
www.chronicle.com
Campus Diversity, Often Seen as Key to Learning, Can Have an Educational Downside
http://chronicle.com/article/Campus-Diversity-Often-Seen/229981/?cid=at
By Peter Schmidt
Although diversity on college campuses is widely viewed as crucial for learning, negative experiences with students from other backgrounds may actually hurt undergraduates’ intellectual development, a new study suggests. The study, based on tests administered to college students as both freshmen and seniors, linked negative experiences with diversity to declines both in students’ critical-thinking skills and their “need for cognition,” or tendency to be intellectually engaged.
www.chronicle.com
Lawmakers Compromise on Plan to Dismiss South Carolina State’s Board
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/jp/lawmakers-compromise-on-plan-to-dismiss-south-carolina-states-board?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
by Andrew Mytelka
South Carolina lawmakers finally agreed Wednesday on legislation that would oust the entire Board of Trustees of beleaguered South Carolina State University, reports The State, a newspaper in Columbia, S.C. The historically black university has been suffering from heavy debt and other financial woes for years, and its accreditor put it on probation last year. Those were presumably among the problems that led the board to fire the university’s president in March, although it did not specify a cause. A legislative panel proposed shutting down the college in February, but lawmakers later decided instead to fire all of its trustees.
www.chronicle.com
Conn. State System Delays ‘Transform’ Plan Amid Faculty Complaints
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/conn-state-system-delays-transform-plan-amid-faculty-complaints/98437?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
by Andy Thomason
The president of Connecticut’s public higher-education system has put the brakes on a controversial plan to improve the system after faculty members spoke out against it, The Hartford Courant reports. Gregory W. Gray, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, has disbanded a steering committee of mostly faculty members charged with overseeing the plan, called Transform CSCU 2020.
www.chronicle.com
Bankruptcy Trustees Are Asking (and Getting) Colleges to Return Parents’ Money
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/jp/bankruptcy-trustees-are-asking-and-getting-colleges-to-return-parents-money?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
by Andy Thomason
The Wall Street Journal is out with an article taking stock of what appears to be a new trend: bankruptcy trustees who are seeking to take back insolvent parents’ tuition payments. The newspaper cites several examples of colleges’ agreeing to return payments, ranging from $4,000 to over $23,000. At least 25 colleges have been asked by bankruptcy lawyers to return money since 2008, the article states, and bankruptcy lawyers say such collection was unheard of several years ago.
www.insidehighered.com
Justice Delayed
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/05/06/ocr-letter-says-completed-title-ix-investigations-2014-lasted-more-1400-days
By Jake New
It took the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, on average, 1,469 days to complete campus sexual assault investigations in 2014, according to data released Tuesday by three Senate Democrats. The average time it took to resolve a complaint in 2009 was 379 days. This past winter, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Boxer and Tim Kaine wrote to the department requesting more information on how the Office for Civil Rights investigates complaints that colleges have mishandled cases of campus sexual assault. The office is currently investigating more than 100 colleges over allegations that they failed to fairly investigate and adjudicate cases of sexual violence as they are required under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
www.insidehighered.com
Is Clinton Preparing to Propose Debt-Free College?
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/05/07/clinton-preparing-propose-debt-free-college
For weeks, there has been speculation that Hillary Clinton was preparing a plan to promote debt-free college. That speculation really took off Wednesday when Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, referenced the idea in an interview with CNBC. Asked about how Clinton would appeal to younger voters, Mook said, “What voters are looking for in this election is someone who’s going to be a champion for everyday people. For young people that’s debt-free college, that’s finding that job after you graduate.”