University System News:
www.ajc.com
No benefits timeline set for same-sex couples in Ga. University System
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/no-timeline-on-benefits-for-same-sex-couples-in-ga/nmnxn/
Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The state’s University System has pledged to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage, but when same-sex couples can claim benefits, such as health insurance, is unclear. Last week the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in Georgia and all other states. Georgia had been one of 13 states that banned same-sex marriage before Friday’s ruling. “The Supreme Court has ruled, and the Board of Regents will ensure the University System and its 30 institutions will comply fully with the ruling,” read a statement from the System. “We are reviewing our policies and benefits to identify what steps are necessary to ensure we are in compliance.” But a review is not coming soon enough for some University System employees.
USG Institutions:
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Keel lone finalist to lead GRU
http://m.chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2015-06-30/keel-lone-finalist-lead-gru#gsc.tab=0
By Tom Corwin, Staff Writer
Georgia Southern University President Dr. Brooks Keel, an Augusta native, is the lone finalist to replace Ricardo Azziz as president of Georgia Regents University. The Board of Regents acknowledged the choice today. It will take action on the selection at a called board meeting July 8, “It’s an honor to be considered for the role of President of Georgia Regents University,” said Keel in a statement. “I love the Eagle Nation and am proud of all we’ve accomplished together. If fortunate to be selected by the Board of Regents, this would be a unique opportunity to return to both of my alma maters that now comprise GRU.”
www.statesboroherald.com
Keel sole finalist for president of Georgia Regents University
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/68621/
From staff reports
The Augusta Chronicle is reporting that Georgia Southern University President Dr. Brooks Keel is the sole finalist to replace Ricardo Azziz as president of Georgia Regents University in Augusta. The Chronicle said the Board of Regents confirmed Keel’s selection this morning and will take action on his selection at a called meeting on July 8.
www.albanyherald.com
Albany State University is having economic, research impacts on Southwest Georgia
According to a 2014 study by the University of Georgia, ASU had $141 million impact on region
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2015/jun/28/albany-state-university-is-having-economic/
From staff reports
ALBANY —Touting its economic impact over nine southwest Georgia counties, Albany State University officials said last week that the university also is making its presence felt regionally and nationally in the area of research. ASU had more than $59 million in research grants flow into the Albany and Southwest Georgia economy over the last several years. According to a study released last year by the University System of Georgia, the university had almost three times as much total economic impact, $141 million, on the Albany region. The report also shows that Albany State created 1,816 jobs in the area that includes Dougherty, Lee, Worth, Mitchell, Terrell, Colquitt, Baker, Sumter, Calhoun and Tift counties. “At Albany State, we have outstanding, cutting-edge research and instruction taking place that reaches far beyond our laboratories and classrooms,” said ASU Interim President Art Dunning. “We are proud that the research dollars we bring into this university are solving problems that will make life better for residents here in Southwest Georgia and far beyond our borders.”
www.ledger-enquirer.com
CSU students take lead in improving STEM education
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2015/06/29/3792206_csu-students-take-lead-in-improving.html?rh=1
Thirty-six college students have been selected for Georgia’s inaugural class of the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships, a program to get more high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers in the state’s classrooms. The three participating schools of higher education in Georgia’s first foray into the fellowship program are Kennesaw State University, Piedmont College and Columbus State University. The dozen CSU students are considered by the faculty at their school as “some of the best students they have ever taught,” according to a new releaqse from Deborah Gober, CSU’s program director for the Wilson Fellows. In principle, and very likely in reality, the Wilson Teaching Fellowship program will be a winning proposition for all involved. It recruits the best and the brightest in the science and math fields, and trains them to teach those subjects in the schools where the need is greatest.
www.noodls.com
Facility projects underway at all 4 campuses; parking app in development
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/28876882/university-of-north-georgia/facility-projects-underway-at-all-4-campuses-parking-app-in
Construction projects to add more parking, classroom and recreational spaces on the University of North Georgia’s (UNG) four campuses are in progress and should be finished sometime this fall. With enrollment growing steadily, the new amenities will add space and functionality, supporting the university’s strategic plan to promote academic excellence and innovation by providing quality learning environments and sustainability.
Higher Education News:
www.getschooled.blog.ajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Color-coded or color-blind admissions? Supreme Court will take up the complex question.
http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/06/29/color-coded-or-color-blind-admissions-supreme-court-will-take-up-the-complex-question/
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed today to take up the question of affirmative action, revisiting race-conscious admissions in Texas. In 2014, reviewing a case sent back to it by the Supreme Court, a federal appeals court panel said the University of Texas could continue using race as a factor in undergraduate admissions. The appeals court wrote, “We are persuaded that to deny UT Austin its limited use of race in its search for holistic diversity would hobble the richness of the educational experience.” The high court’s willingness to reconsider the issue will reopen a polarizing debate that is far from resolved in America.
www.chronicle.com
What to Expect as the Supreme Court Revisits Race in Admissions
http://chronicle.com/article/What-to-Expect-as-the-Supreme/231245/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
By Peter Schmidt
Washington
The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would revisit a lawsuit challenging how the University of Texas at Austin considers race and ethnicity in admitting undergraduates, setting the stage for yet another heated national debate over affirmative action at colleges. …Ms. Fisher’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court to take up the case a second time after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit last year again upheld the Austin campus’s policy. The new appeal, No. 14-981, will be heard during the court’s 2015 term, which begins in October, with a ruling expected by the summer of 2016. What follows are answers to key questions raised by the Supreme Court’s decision to revisit the Fisher case.
www.insidehighered.com
Outsourced Campus Judges
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/30/colleges-turning-judges-campus-sexual-assault-cases
By Jake New
Campus hearings, even when they’re regarding an activity as serious as sexual assault, are not courtrooms. It’s a distinction that the U.S. Department of Education has embraced, requiring colleges to conduct their own investigations into claims of sexual assault, and to adjudicate those cases under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Colleges use “preponderance of evidence” instead of “beyond reasonable doubt” as the standard of proof. If a student is found in violation of campus rules, he or she is “responsible” for the misconduct, not “guilty” of a crime. The potential punishments are writing assignments, suspension or expulsion — not prison.
In the past, there were no lawyers or judges, just panels of faculty, students and administrators. But that’s beginning to change at some colleges, where outside judges — typically retired state judges — are being hired to oversee hearings. The hearings are still held under college rules, not state rules for courts.
www.insidehighered.com
U of California Adds Optional Admissions Questions on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/06/30/u-california-adds-optional-admissions-questions-sexual-orientation-gender
The University of California System is adding optional questions to undergraduate applications concerning sexual orientation and gender identity. While several colleges have adopted such policies, the university system’s adoption of this approach will significantly expand the number of applicants who see such questions. The idea behind such questions is to allow colleges and universities to track their success at attracting, enrolling and graduating students from a range of sexual orientations and gender identities. The new policy is the result of a review to identify ways the university could become more inclusive.
www.ajc.com
Makind the Grade: University helps military personnel with higher ed
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/makind-the-grade-university-helps-military-personn/nmpGZ/
H.M. Cauley
For the AJC
Becoming a college student often requires adjustments, from the demands of course work to finding a place to fit in. That process can be particularly difficult for military veterans and active-duty personnel. “It’s challenging to come out of the extremely rigid world of the military and into higher education, where almost the opposite is true,” said Rosanne Short, the Gainesville/East Campus Director of Military and Veteran services at Brenau University. “It can be overwhelming for someone transitioning back into the civilian world. There are lots of decisions to make, and they need more help to work through the system. Many do not even understand how drop/add works – that if you don’t like this course, you have a small window of opportunity to change that. They’re used to being in a world where everything is explained and laid out.” Short works with the 441 veterans and active duty military at Brenau’s main Gainesville campus and six other regional campuses to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible.
www.diverseeducation.com
Efforts to Close Gender, Race Gaps in STEM Not Working
http://diverseeducation.com/article/75927/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=bb3dd9a26a744d04b04f472fb4b0864a&elqCampaignId=415&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=c8ddaace166840128ef0f9fc8e18077d
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
Despite all the time, money and effort devoted to closing racial and gender gaps in STEM fields in recent years, those gaps remain entrenched and have in some instances grown wider, according to the latest version of an interactive STEM Index released Monday.Also, a separate report released Monday by American College Testing (ACT) shows that, even though underserved students aspire to STEM fields at the same rate as the overall population, they generally lag behind the rest of the population when it comes to college readiness in math in science.