University System News:
www.washingtonpost.com
Georgia State U. — a hotbed of growth and innovation
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/10/01/georgia-state-u-a-hotbed-of-growth-and-innovation/
By Nick Anderson
For now, the largest public university in Georgia remains the predictable one: the University of Georgia. But a four-year school in Atlanta is close on the heels of the flagship in Athens and is gaining widespread attention for innovative efforts to keep disadvantaged students on track toward a degree. Georgia State University had nearly 33,000 students in fall 2014, 25,000 of them undergraduates. Its undergrad enrollment has grown 50 percent since 2000. U-Ga.’s enrollment was 35,000, including 27,000 undergrads. The flagship’s undergrad growth over 14 years was about 9 percent. In January, Georgia State will add another 21,000 students when it absorbs a two-year institution called Georgia Perimeter College. At that point, its enrollment will surge past 50,000, making GSU the nation’s latest mega-university. But what’s drawing attention beyond Atlanta is how Georgia State operates.
www.georgiatrend.com
2015 40 UNDER 40
Our 19th annual list of achievers in business, politics, nonprofits, science, healthcare and education.
http://www.georgiatrend.com/October-2015/2015-40-Under-40/
Edited by Karen Kirkpatrick and Christy Simo
For the 19th year, Georgia Trend presents a group of 40 outstanding Georgians under the age of 40 – the state’s best and brightest. This year’s honorees represent business, government, politics, nonprofits, science, healthcare and education. And at the age of 17, one of this year’s honorees proves that you’re never too young to make a difference. The 40 were chosen from nominations made by readers throughout the state. Final selections were made by the Georgia Trend editorial staff. …Sachin Shailendra, In 2014, Gov. Nathan Deal named Shailendra to the Georgia Board of Regents and this year to the Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen Foundation board.
www.savannahnow.com
Scholarship helps Savannah youngsters reach their academic dreams
http://savannahnow.com/news/2015-09-30/scholarship-helps-youngsters-reach-their-academic-dreams
By Jenel Few
Wednesday was college signing day in Chatham County, but the students gathered around the table full of commitment papers were not hotshot high school athletes. They were five promising seventh-grade scholars with big league plans for their academic futures thanks to a new statewide initiative designed to help deserving students reach their college goals. …Beginning this year, the REACH Georgia Foundation, organized by Gov. Nathan Deal, will offer needs-based scholarships to about 330 seventh-grade students throughout Georgia. Only about 42 percent of young Georgia adults earn college degrees, so Deal designed REACH to open the door to deserving students who might not otherwise be able to afford a college education. …To earn their scholarships, each student must maintain a 2.5 grade-point average in their core academic courses throughout high school. …If they meet all of the requirements and graduate from high school on time six years later, the foundation will provide each of them with a $10,000 scholarship to any of Georgia’s HOPE eligible colleges. Most of those colleges and universities have, in turn, agreed to double or triple the foundation award to cover all tuition costs. “If you will join us today as part of the REACH Georgia program, there will be a place for you at one of our 30 colleges and universities,” Georgia regent Don L. Waters told the five local REACH Georgia scholars Wednesday. Waters, a Savannah businessman and First District representative on the University System of Georgia State Board of Regents, also serves on the REACH Board.
www.georgiatrend.com
POLITICAL NOTES: OCTOBER 2015
http://www.georgiatrend.com/October-2015/Political-Notes-October-2015/
Susan Percy
Film Academy Head: Jeff Stepakoff, a film and television industry veteran and professor of film and television writing at Kennesaw State University, is the first executive director of the new Georgia Film Academy. His appointment was announced by University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby and Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Gretchen Corbin. The academy is a key piece of state-level emphasis on workforce development. Stepakoff will work to coordinate programs for students interested in the entertainment industry.
USG Institutions:
www.ajc.com
Two Ga. schools make top 100 best universities in the world
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/education/two-ga-schools-make-top-100-best-universities-worl/nnrqD/
Fiza Pirani, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015-16 list was released Wednesday and two Georgia universities made it into the top 100. The London-based magazine’s rankings list is the most inclusive with 800 world-class universities judged by core missions like research, teaching, industry income, international outlook and more. Among the top 100, the Georgia Institute of Technology ranks at No. 41 with an overall score of 72.1. …At No. 90, Emory University has an overall score of 59.7.
www.finance.yahoo.com
The 105 smartest public colleges in America
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/105-smartest-public-colleges-america-173200288.html
By Jonathan Wai and Jenna Goudreau
Does your school make the cut? If you want to be surrounded by some of the smartest students in the US and get the most bang for your buck, you may want to consider one of the following universities.
From our recent list of the smartest colleges in America, we pulled out the top public schools. These colleges offer brainpower and affordability, since the average annual cost of attending an in-state four-year public school is $9,100, according to CollegeBoard. Compare that to the average private school cost of $31,200 — a difference of $22,100 a year. Here are the smartest public colleges in America: Smarts Rank 1) Georgia Institute of Technology – Average SAT 1400; Smart Rank 35 University of Georgia – Average SAT 1235; Smart Rank 96 Georgia College & State University – Average SAT 1130
www.georgiatrend.com
SCHOOL SMARTS
Georgia’s boarding schools offer a solid education and teach self-reliance in a collaborative atmosphere.
http://www.georgiatrend.com/October-2015/School-Smarts/
Candice Dyer
Challenging Expectations
Students also get a taste of college life at the Advanced Academy of Georgia, which, as part of the University of West Georgia (UWG), is not a traditional boarding school but provides a residential experience to juniors and seniors who can earn 60 college credits while still in high school. “Our students are highly motivated go-getters who proceed to Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,” says director Adriana Stanley. “Forty-six percent of our graduates last spring had a 4.0 GPA.” The students attend class with undergraduates and participate in college-level research that takes them to national and international conferences. Ajay Pillai, ‘08, who enrolled at the academy at age 13, then went on to UWG, became the youngest person ever to graduate from a University System of Georgia institution with a four-year degree.
www.chronicle.com
New College-Application Site Aims to Capture Traits of Success — Like Grit and Engagement
http://chronicle.com/article/New-College-Application-Site/233567/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=8c56358cb0124008a34a3318aaeb15c3&elqCampaignId=1511&elqaid=6384&elqat=1&elqTrackId=0d3b9f52a320464a8e6c99cf48bcaae3
By Eric Hoover
San Diego
Does the world need a new way to apply to college? The question echoed throughout the convention center on Thursday here at the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s annual conference. Three days after a group of more than 80 selective colleges announced plans to build a shared application platform that would “streamline the experience of planning for and applying to college,” some admissions officials described the idea as a bold, welcome innovation. Others said it was a hollow gesture, a marketing gimmick meant to enhance the reputations of participating institutions, which have dubbed themselves the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success. A key part of the coalition’s plan: allowing students to create online profiles as early as ninth grade, and encouraging them to populate a digital portfolio that might include essays, journal entries, and even video.
www.time.com
36 Colleges Where Women Graduates Out-Earn Men
http://time.com/4055945/colleges-men-women-pay/?xid=homepage
Jane E. Boon Chaitra H. Nagaraja
The recent College Scorecard from the U.S. Department of Education showed some remarkable gaps between the salaries of women and men who graduate from the same college. However, not every school fits the pattern. Although women trail men in almost every category, there are 36 colleges where the women graduates do better than the men. The following schools have among the highest gaps and several attributes in common. They have higher than average representation of African Americans, and strong nursing programs that are still more attractive to talented young women than to men. …Albany State University
www.walb.com
VSU trying to encourage more migrant students to go to college
http://www.walb.com/story/30164441/vsu-trying-to-encourage-more-migrant-students-to-go-to-college
By Colter Anstaett
VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) – Valdosta State University is trying to help migrant families understand the importance of getting a college education. The university’s associate director of admissions, Ryan Hogan, says the number of migrant families that come to the university for information about getting a higher education grows every year. Hogan says that makes reaching out to migrant families extremely important.
www.ajc.com
Man with lips tattoo charged in UGA student’s assault
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/man-with-lips-tattoo-charged-in-uga-students-assau/nnrXd/
Alexis Stevens, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A 43-year-old Athens man has been arrested for allegedly attacking a University of Georgia student from metro Atlanta on the North Oconee River Greenway, according to police. And a distinctive tattoo of lips on his neck could have sealed his fate. The unidentified, 19-year-old student from Cumming was on the Greenway near College Avenue about 1:30 p.m. Sept. 20 when she was grabbed from behind by a man she was able to fight off, according to Athens-Clarke County police. The student sustained minor injuries.
www.myajc.com
Georgia prison doctor fired for lying about work history
Investigation of inmate deaths continues
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgia-prison-doctor-fired-for-lying-about-work-h/nnsDP/
By Danny Robbins – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia prison doctor tied to the questionable deaths of at least nine female inmates has been fired for lying on his state job application — the result of an investigation by his employer, Georgia Regents University, that continues to probe correctional medical care. Dr. Yvon Nazaire misrepresented his work history when he applied for his job nine years ago, according to his Sept. 3 letter of termination from Georgia Correctional Health Care, a branch of the university that provides physicians for the state prison system.
www.nextbigfuture.com
Solar Cells Will be Made Obsolete by 3D rectennas aiming at 40-to-90% efficiency
Solar Cells Will be Made Obsolete by 3D rectennas aiming at 40-to-90% efficiency
A new kind of nanoscale rectenna (half antenna and half rectifier) can convert solar and infrared into electricity, plus be tuned to nearly any other frequency as a detector. Right now efficiency is only one percent, but professor Baratunde Cola and colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech, Atlanta) convincingly argue that they can achieve 40 percent broad spectrum efficiency (double that of silicon and more even than multi-junction gallium arsenide) at a one-tenth of the cost of conventional solar cells (and with an upper limit of 90 percent efficiency for single wavelength conversion).
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Group That Shaped Federal Student-Aid Policy Is Disbanded
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/group-that-shaped-federal-student-aid-policy-dies-a-quiet-death/105371?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=8c56358cb0124008a34a3318aaeb15c3&elqCampaignId=1511&elqaid=6384&elqat=1&elqTrackId=e4cd4136f526484fba55021e3d935e3d
by Kelly Field
Lost in the news of the demise of Perkins Loans on Thursday was another death: that of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. For nearly three decades, the committee had counseled Congress and the Education Department on student-aid issues. It played a major role in shaping federal student-aid policy, issuing reports that led to the creation and simplification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the development of two formulas to analyze the financial needs of low- and moderate-income students. Its work is frequently cited by academic researchers and lobbyists, and referred to in legislation. Legislation to extend for a year both the Perkins Loan Program and the advisory committee passed the House of Representatives on Monday but didn’t make it through the Senate before the deadline, at midnight on Wednesday. The committee’s end occurred as Congress is preparing to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the law governing federal student aid.
www.nytimes.com
College Rankings Fail to Measure the Influence of the Institution
By JAMES B. STEWART
Students, parents and educators increasingly obsessed with college rankings have a new tool: the Obama administration’s College Scorecard. The new database focuses on a college’s graduation rate, graduates’ median earnings 10 years after graduation and the percentage of students paying back their college loans. While Scorecard adds potentially valuable information to the dizzying array that is already available, it suffers from many of the same flaws that afflict nearly every other college ranking system: There is no way to know what, if any, impact a particular college has on its graduates’ earnings, or life for that matter.
www.huffingtonpost.com
This Program Could Drastically Improve Mental Health On Campus
The “embedded model” shows a lot of promise.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/embedded-campus-counseling_5609556ee4b0768126fe1d7f?utm_hp_ref=college
Kira Brekke, Associate Editor
In an attempt to address the increasing demand for mental health services at the University of Michigan, the school is entering its second year using a program called the “embedded model.” And the university says it’s yielding promising results so far. Students are registering higher levels of depression and stress on campuses nationwide. At the same time, students at various universities have complained about difficulties securing time to receive counseling on campus. The embedded model places specialized staffers in individual schools and colleges within UM to enhance access to care. …UPenn students are petitioning for similar reforms to the structure of how counseling services are available at their university.
www.insidehighered.com
A Push to Send Students Abroad
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/10/02/generation-study-abroad-summit-discussions-focus-how-double-us-study-abroad?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=31a1bcaaec-DNU20151002&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-31a1bcaaec-197515277
By Elizabeth Redden
WASHINGTON — Few if any of the attendees at a summit on increasing study abroad participation would need to be convinced of study abroad’s value, but a key theme of discussions on Thursday was the need to better communicate that value to others. To first-generation college students and to students at community colleges. To students who are military veterans and to students who have disabilities. To parents. To faculty members. To prospective employers. The drive to increase and diversify the population of students going abroad at institutions of all types is a shared goal at the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad Summit, which continues through today. More than 350 U.S. colleges have signed on to the Generation Study Abroad initiative, which aims to double the number of Americans studying abroad by the end of the decade.
www.insidehighered.com
Buying Back Iowans
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/09/30/university-iowa-looks-aid-it-tries-increase-resident-enrollment
By Kellie Woodhouse
In the last year the University of Iowa has received a clear mandate from its Board of Regents: enroll more Iowans or risk losing money. Since then Iowa has worked overtime to strengthen its outreach efforts. It has hired recruitment staff and increased advertising. And, to the concern of some other institutions in the state, Iowa has significantly upped the financial aid it offers residents.