University System News:
www.myajc.com
Georgia benefits from “STEM” teacher training fellowship
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/georgia-benefits-from-stem-teacher-training-fellow/nmjx8/
By Ty Tagami – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s poorest schools will get three dozen trained “STEM” teachers next year because of a program financed by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. The organization pioneered the teacher-training program in Michigan and is bringing it to Georgia because of support from Gov. Nathan Deal, foundation president Arthur Levine said at an event at the Capitol Tuesday. High school teachers with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering or math are hard to come by, and this program intends to change that, by paying people with those backgrounds to get teaching degrees. The students selected for the program have STEM degrees and are getting $30,000 fellowships to earn a teaching degree starting this year at one of three Georgia colleges: Kennesaw State University, Columbus State University and Georgia Piedmont College. The program will be expanded to Georgia State University and Mercer University next year.
www.walb.com
College wants you back
http://www.walb.com/story/29385363/college-wants-you-back
By Dave Miller
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – Did you drop out of college, or never attend? The University System of Georgia has an offer for you. Today from 3:00PM until 6:00PM, Darton State College’s Office of Adult Education is hosting an Adult Learner Open House in the Student Center.The open house is a great opportunity for anyone who is thinking of returning to college or wants to attend for the first time. You can explore Darton’s degree program options and get one-on-one assistance, and it’s all free. …The open house is being held in partnership with the University System of Georgia’s “Go Back. Move Ahead.” campaign, which is part of Governor Deal’s “Complete College Georgia” initiative.
www.effinghamherald.net
Bond sales fulfill state’s commitments
http://www.effinghamherald.net/section/2/article/31097/
By Sen. Jack Hill
The state sold $1.28 billion in bonds last week, fulfilling the commitment of the governor and the General Assembly to the major capital needs facing the state including, k-12 education, transportation, Board of Regents institutions, technical colleges, the state’s natural resources and funds to continue protecting Georgia’s citizens. The bond issue earned the state its continued AAA rating by all three rating agencies, which praised Georgia’s conservative budgeting, replenishing of the state’s reserves and moderate debt level.
Board of Regents and Technical School construction/equipment
Bond projects included for Regents institutions around the state totaled some $300.7 million. New construction for the Board of Regents totaled $141 million at Savannah State, University of Georgia, Georgia Southern, Gwinnett State College and Albany State. The balance funded planning, renovations and equipment for various projects around the state.
USG Institutions:
www.noodls.com
UGA Foundation allocates funding from budget surplus to enhance academics
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/28797860/the-university-of-georgia/uga-foundation-allocates-funding-from-budget-surplus-to-enha
Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Foundation today announced that it is projecting a budget surplus of approximately $3.3 million for the 2015 fiscal year, which concludes June 30. At its recent annual meeting, the foundation’s board of trustees voted unanimously to allocate the budget surplus to support several important academic initiatives. This funding is above and beyond approximately $50 million provided annually by the foundation to the University of Georgia in support of the institution’s academic mission.
www.boizjournals.com
Georgia Tech gets $2 million cyber security research grant
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2015/06/23/georgia-tech-gets-2-million-cyber-security.html
Georgia Tech’s College of Computing landed a $1.94 million grant for naval research to boost cyber defense. The grant supports two three-year projects, both designed to help improve national security. The first project, “BFT++: Attack Tolerance in Hard Real-Time Systems,” will develop the foundations, principles and techniques for building attack-tolerant cyber physical systems.
www.statesboroaherald.com
GSU and Ocean Exchange launch BIG Pitch
Contest to draw collegiate innovators from all over
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/68503/
BY Al Hackle
The BIG Pitch Competition announced Tuesday by Georgia Southern University and the Ocean Exchange may resemble the TV show “Shark Tank” but should be less ego-bruising.It might also look a little like Georgia Tech’s InVenture Prize, but will be open to students from many universities, not just one. As partners in the contest, Georgia Southern and the Ocean Exchange will be offering a $10,000 prize for the best pitch for a business-related new idea from teams of student innovators.
www.agrimarketing.com
SEC’Y VILSACK APPOINTS MEMBERS TO ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR FOODS
http://www.agrimarketing.com/s/96983
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the appointment of members to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) for the 2015-2017 term. Established in 1988 by USDA (Food Safety and Inspection Service), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the Department of Commerce (National Marine Fisheries Service), and the U.S. Department of Defense, NACMCF provides scientific advice on public health issues related to the safety and wholesomeness of the U.S. food supply. The committee assists in the development of microbiological criteria. …”NACMCF members offer invaluable insights on food safety issues,” said Secretary Vilsack. “These individuals will be instrumental in protecting our nation’s food supply.” Newly appointed NACMCF members are: …Dr. Margie Lee, University of Georgia;
www.myajc.com
Four men accused of sexual assault at Kennesaw State
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/crime-law/four-men-accused-of-sexual-assault-at-kennesaw-sta/nmjfg/
By Breaking News Staff
Police at Georgia’s third largest university are looking for four men accused of sexually assaulting a student in a unit at an on-campus apartment complex. Kennesaw State University police learned of the sexual assault Monday night from a Marietta police officer, officials said Tuesday afternoon in an emailed statement. The student reported the incident to the officer, who was stationed at WellStar Kennestone Hospital. …At least one of the four men is believed to be a Kennesaw State student, according to an alert from university police.
www.redandblack.com
Sexual battery reported at Rock Eagle 4-H Center
http://www.redandblack.com/cops/sexual-battery-reported-at-rock-eagle–h-center/article_fcb3faf8-1929-11e5-80f5-ab05bc40738c.html
Nicolle Sartain
A sexual battery was reported to the University of Georgia Police Department from the Rock Eagle 4-H Center, which is a unit of UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Why ‘Vocation’ Isn’t a Dirty Word
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/24/author-new-book-purposeful-graduates-says-colleges-must-talk-students-about-making
By Colleen Flaherty
Some 15 years ago, the Lilly Endowment funded a massive experiment to see what happened when colleges asked students to think critically about how they might lead meaningful lives. Such purposeful exploration programs, as they were called, popped up on 88 campuses, at a few million dollars each. More than a decade later, and long after the initial Lilly funds ran out, many of these programs still exist. Why? Because institutions and students raved about them, reporting various spiritual and professional gains: students finding work they felt mattered, creating strong partnerships with friends and family, and a maintaining a desire to do good. Vocation, many participating colleges and universities determined, was much more than its common application: that is, not merely a job but a calling.
www.chronicle.com
Why State Lawmakers Must Support Tenure at Public Universities
http://chronicle.com/article/Why-State-Lawmakers-Must/231093/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
By Rebecca M. Blank
In the past few weeks, I’ve been in the midst of a debate over tenure for college professors in Wisconsin. This has implications for public higher education across the country. I know this as both the chancellor of Wisconsin’s flagship campus, in Madison, and as an economist who has helped shape national policy. Two key points have been misunderstood. First, the University of Wisconsin hasn’t abolished tenure. Rather, we’re becoming like virtually every other state university, with tenure enshrined in university-system policy rather than state statute. At Madison, I’m committed to keeping academic freedom as robust as it’s always been. …But make no mistake — our faculty’s trust in elected leaders has been shaken by our Legislature’s abrupt action and lack of consultation with those most affected. And like many others, I expect this same debate to play out in other states and on other campuses over time. Which brings me to the second misunderstanding about what tenure is and why it matters.
www.insidehighered.com
Paid for Being Fired
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/24/survey-finds-severance-packages-commonly-offered-presidents
By Kellie Woodhouse
The College of DuPage sparked outrage earlier this year when it offered its controversial president a generous $763,000 severance package — well over a year’s salary. Heads turned when fired Penn State University leader Graham Spanier was offered $1.2 million in severance, despite his handling of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Yet as dramatic as these examples of severance pay are, a new survey suggests it’s common for higher education institutions to offer severance payments, typically before a president is ousted. Sixty percent of respondents to a 2014-15 survey of four-year college and university presidents said they had severance agreements in place with their leaders.
www.insidehighered.com
Senate Plan Portends Budget Battles
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/24/senate-spending-plan-college-programs-sets-likely-budget-fights
By Doug Lederman
A U.S. Senate subcommittee on Tuesday passed a spending bill for health, labor and education programs that would increase funds for biomedical research and boost the maximum Pell Grant — but slash spending on workforce training and AmeriCorps and block the Obama administration from implementing regulations relating to gainful employment for vocational programs and its college rating system.