USG Institutions:
www.valdostadailytimes.com
VSU Hosts Competency-Based Education Workshop
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/education/vsu-hosts-competency-based-education-workshop/article_264f0ae6-3799-11e5-b89c-1b7aba097a70.html
VALDOSTA – Valdosta State University, University of West Georgia, and University System of Georgia faculty and staff attended a Competency-Based Education Workshop July 20-22 at VSU. Presented by the University of Wisconsin Extension Flex Program, with support from VSU and a Georgia Department of Education grant, the workshop provided valuable information on CBE development and implementation.

www.jacksonprogress-argus.com
Classes resume next week at Gordon State College
Barnesville institution expects 4,100 students
http://www.jacksonprogress-argus.com/news/2015/aug/03/classes-resume-next-week-at-gordon-state-college/
By Special to the Progress-Argus
Gordon State College resident students will begin moving into residence halls Aug. 10 and 11 as fall semester 2015 classes are set to get underway Aug. 12. In all, Gordon State officials expect more than 4,100 students this academic year. Of those, about 900 will be living on campus, the college said in a statement. …As the campus improves its facilities, degree offerings are also expanding and some students will be entering one of the three new degree programs this year.

www.bizjournals.com
State schools fuel future startups
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2015/07/31/state-schools-fuel-future-startups.html
Brittney Laryea
Editorial Intern
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Small businesses play a major role in Georgia’s economy. If fact, according to the Georgia Department of Labor, 98 percent of workers in the state are employed by companies with fewer than 100 employees. Georgia’s universities are taking note. They are providing more courses for those who want to run or work at a startup. “Innovation and entrepreneurship [are] huge right now,” said Nancy Wright Whatley, executive director of the Georgia Business Success Center at Kennesaw State University. “The world is changing daily as we know it. At KSU, in Cobb County and in the north metro Atlanta region, we recognize that most of the new job creation is going to come from smaller companies and companies that don’t exist today.” Once they do exist, Whatley wants to keep them here. …According to data collected by the Georgia Board of Regents, all eight of the state’s research and comprehensive universities provide entrepreneurial and startup services of some sort, and seven of those offer entrepreneurship education. The curricula range from certificate programs to advanced degrees, teaching students everything from how to create a business plan to raising venture capital.

www.nbc26.tv
Fort Gordon Connection: GRU prepares for first year of new Cyber Institute
http://nbc26.tv/2015/08/03/fort-gordon-connection-gru-prepares-for-first-year-of-new-cyber-institute/
By Barclay Bishop
With the recent news that Fort Gordon was chosen as the new headquarters for the US Army Cyber Command, the CSRA is not wasting any time preparing for the influx of people that it will bring along with it. And at Georgia Regents University, they’re using this news to their advantage in a different way. …A computer Science major at Georgia Regents University, Katie Wright seems to be one of a few students anymore, who knows she’ll have a job waiting for her come graduation day. …With Fort Gordon recently becoming a Cyber Center of Excellence – thousands of military personnel will be coming to the CSRA – bringing many cyber businesses along with them. “We have an advantage because we’re local and we want to take advantage of that as well. But we have a commitment and we feel that we have a role and responsibility to help grow that cyber work force,” Joanne Sexton, Director of GRU Cyber Institute. That commitment couldn’t be displayed better than by the recent creation of the Cyber Institute at GRU.

www.brunswicknews.com
CCGA again awarded competitive federal grant funds to assist at-rick students
http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/ccga-again-awarded-competitive-federal-grant-funds-to-assist-at/article_da11753e-d467-5f0b-b2b0-8aae746c74cc.html
by Anna Hall
For 18 years, Belete Muturo has worked with four universities, and of all those, he points to the College of Coastal Georgia as the “star student” in terms of providing adequate support services and guidance for new and non-traditional scholars. One of the main factors playing into his positive insight about the Brunswick-based college are the extra lengths the school’s staff and faculty are willing to go to secure grant funding from various sources, which are tapped to attract and maintain a high rate of retention and success with its students. One of the outlets the college utilizes is the TRiO Student Support Services Program, which is awarded by the federal government as a competitive grant to cultivate student achievement. …The college has again been awarded TRiO funding from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs. That amounts to $1.16 million to be distributed over the next five years beginning Sept. 1.

www.times-herald.com
UWG Invites Community To Newnan Campus
http://www.times-herald.com/local/20150802-UWG-invites-community-to-celebrate-its-new-Newnan-campus
by CELIA SHORTT
The University of West Georgia (UWG) is inviting the public to celebrate the grand opening of its new Newnan campus at its upcoming August celebration. “It’s our grand opening,” said Dr. Bob Heaberlin, senior director and chief administrative officer of off-campus programs at UWG. “It’s an opportunity for the community to see the building, have some collegiate experience, and have some fun experiences.” The celebration takes place from Thursday, Aug. 13 until Sunday, Aug. 15 at the new campus at 80 Jackson Street and will feature a series of different events. On the evening of Aug. 13, there will be a freshman sendoff celebration at 7 p.m.
The sendoff is sponsored by the UWG Alumni Association and hosted by the Coweta Alumni Network. It will be an opportunity for the school’s incoming freshman from Coweta County to meet with alumni and experience the collaborative partnership between UWG, Newnan, and Coweta County.

www.middlegeorgiaceo.com
FVSU Interim President Outlines Goals for the Year
http://middlegeorgiaceo.com/features/2015/08/fvsu-interim-president-outlines-goals-year/
Thressea Boyd
Dr. Jessica Bailey became interim president at Fort Valley State University (FVSU) on July 1, 2015. She joined FVSU as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs in July 2014. …Standing on the legacy of a land-grant institution and focused on serving the state of Georgia is important to FVSU’s future. Bailey said that the mission of FVSU is to transform the lives of young people while fulfilling the university’s mission as a land-grant institution. “We will continue to do what HBCU’s have been doing in the past and that is to provide an educational opportunity for students who may not otherwise have an opportunity for higher education,” Bailey said. “The land-grant side of the equation is we have a mission to serve the state of Georgia, the entire state.” …Bailey has established three goals for this academic year: to increase enrollment of students, review programs offered, and raise and enhance the university’s reputation.

www.onlineathens.com
UGA ranks high on academic ranking, but also on party list
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-08-04/uga-ranks-high-academic-ranking-also-party-list
By LEE SHEARER
It’s not just college that’s cranking up this month; it’s also the season for college rankings. It’s the time of year when college administrators around the country learn this year’s judgments by U.S. News, Princeton Review and other publications — rankings not of college football teams, but of academic or partying reputations. Two have already come out in the past week — one that University of Georgia publicists shared in a press release, and one they probably won’t advertise. UGA’s non-football ranking season got off to a good start this year with a no. 18 ranking in Forbes magazine’s “Top 25 Public Colleges” list for 2015, released late last week, according to a UGA press release. But Monday, UGA administrators learned the university has climbed upward on a list they don’t talk about a lot — the Princeton Review ranking of top party schools. After dropping out entirely out of the top 10 last year, UGA ranks no. 8 this year on the party school list, the highest-ranked Southeastern Conference school on a list dominated by Big 10 schools. …The Forbes ranking of 650 public and private colleges attempts to order schools based on return on investment — what students “are getting out of college,” according to the publication.
UGA ranked 102nd overall and #45 among research universities according to Forbes.

www.statesboroherald.com
Active shooter training to be held at Georgia Southern
Led by the Statesboro division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/69255/
From staff reports
Local law enforcement agencies will be conducting active shooter response training at Georgia Southern University through Thursday, Aug. 6. Led by the Statesboro division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the training sessions will be held at the College of Business Education building, said Jan Bond, associate vice president of GSU ‘s Office of Marketing and Communication. More than 60 law enforcement officers from the Georgia Southern University Police Department, the Statesboro Police Department, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, the Statesboro FBI office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Brooklet Police Department and other agencies will be trained in tactics on how to respond should the area ever be faced with such an event.

Higher Education News:
www.diverseeducation.com
Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Morrill Act of 1890
http://diverseeducation.com/article/76804/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=50f9c66be14b46daa2ddd8b7ceb4a5a2&elqCampaignId=415&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=83f17a8a142245aa891850ce47d78cdf
by Peter McPherson
When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law in 1862 to establish land-grant universities, our nation took an important step toward ensuring access to higher education was no longer just reserved for the elite. The law’s mission was to create institutions of higher education that would educate America’s citizenry, unlock discoveries that would transform its communities, and propel the country into a world leader in education and innovation. While extremely successful, the initial law did not sufficiently secure this vision for all citizens. Almost three decades after the passage of the first Morrill Act, a second measure, the Morrill Act of 1890, aimed to further expand access to higher education and the promise of opportunities that accompany such an education. The Morrill Act of 1890 helped establish universities to provide higher education opportunities for African-Americans and others based on the idea that access to education was important for all. Today, 125 years later, there are 19 institutions designated as 1890 land-grant universities.

www.insidehighered.com
Placement Realities
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/08/04/louisiana-officials-hope-changing-admission-policies-will-help-remedial-students
By Ashley A. Smith
Admissions and placement in Louisiana’s universities and colleges are somewhat of a work in progress. For the past few years the state’s universities have been working on finding the best pathway for freshmen who require remediation, while also trying to ensure that students will be successful at the four-year institution of their choice. Yet the road to making those two things happen has been difficult as the state works to create a better transfer system from a relatively new community college system as well as making sure they aren’t blocking higher education opportunities for struggling students. At the same time they’re also working to lessen the effect these changes have had on enrollment at some of the institutions, particularly the historically black colleges, which pride themselves on serving low-income students.

www.insidehighered.com
Triaging Textbook Costs
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/08/04/era-400-college-textbook-affordability-initiatives-take-utilitarian-approach
By Carl Straumsheim
When the University of Michigan at Flint recently took inventory of the textbooks used by students during the winter 2015 semester, it found what American Enterprise Institute scholar Mark J. Perry called a “new milestone” in the textbook affordability debate: a $400 textbook.The outrage is not new. Perry, professor of economics and finance at the university, noted in a blog post that textbook prices increased by 161 percent between 1998 and 2014 — more than the cost of medical care and new homes. Going back to 1978, prices are up 945 percent. With the fall semester weeks away, stories about college bookstore “sticker shock” and listicles on how to save money on textbooks are sure to pop up.