USG Institutions:
www.newtoncitizen.com
Georgia’s first lady visits Georgia Perimeter College
http://www.newtoncitizen.com/news/2015/nov/19/georgia8217s-first-lady-visits-georgia-perimeter/
From staff reports
Sandra Deal, first lady of Georgia, recently visited the Georgia Perimeter Military Outreach Center in Clarkston to talk about statewide initiatives to increase educational opportunities for military veterans.
www.onlineathens.com
Accuser retracts allegations against former UGA alumni relations director
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-11-19/accuser-retracts-allegations-criminal-acts-former-uga-alumni-relations-director
By LEE SHEARER
A fired University of Georgia employee has retracted her charges that a former UGA alumni director engaged in criminal activity — at the same time the Georgia Attorney General’s office called for an inquiry into why those charges were not reported to the Attorney General office from the state Board of Regents. “I am retracting that Debbie Dietzler engaged in criminal activity. That is all I can state at the present time,” Sallyanne Barrow posted on her WordPress blog dated Wednesday. Barrow’s lawyer advised her to make that retraction — but Barrow stands by her claims that former UGA Director of Alumni Relations Deborah Dietzler skipped work frequently and arranged her work travel schedule so she could participate in marathons while traveling at state expense. “I stand by what I reported,” Barrow said Thursday. Barrow, a Certified Public Accountant, said it is “possible” she may sue the university, which fired her after she began documenting what she considered questionable reimbursements for out of state trip expenses and excessive work absences.
www.middlegeorgiaceo.com
FVSU Produces Highest Number of African-American Math Graduates in Nation
http://middlegeorgiaceo.com/news/2015/11/fvsu-produces-highest-number-african-american-math-graduates-nation/
Staff Report From Middle Georgia CEO
One of the nation’s leading journals in diversity recently ranked a Fort Valley State University degree program as number one in the nation for producing the highest number of African-American graduates in mathematics. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, ranked FVSU as number one in the country for producing graduates in the field of mathematics and statistics. The school outranked major national institutions that included Harvard University and Georgetown University (tied for #36). The campus also beat all Georgia institutions such as the University of Georgia (which ranked at #50), Georgia State University (ranked at #9), and HBCUs Spelman College (ranked at #3), Morehouse College (ranked at #4). Savannah State University (ranked at #6) and Albany State University (ranked at #22).
www.nydailynews.com
Pregnant Georgia woman completes college psychology test while going into labor
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/georgia-woman-completes-test-labor-article-1.2439834
BY TOBIAS SALINGER NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
This new mom could pass any test. A pregnant Georgia woman decided her labor pains wouldn’t stop her from taking her college psychology exam Thursday, WAGA-TV reported. Tommitrise Collins, 21, waited four or five hours at a hospital for her aches to subside without any medication and finished the online test in an hour and 30 minutes, she told the TV station. The Middle Georgia State University pupil then gave birth to a seven-pound, 10-ounce baby girl named Tyler Elise after a total of 20 hours in labor. And she wound up with a B grade on the test.
www.ajc.com
Columbus State physicist named Ga. Professor of the Year
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/columbus-state-physicist-named-ga-professor-of-the/npRky/
Janel Davis, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Columbus State University physicist Kimberly Shaw was named Georgia’s Professor of the Year this week. That’s the most prestigious award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education honoring undergraduate teaching. The award for Shaw is a first-time honor for a CSU faculty member and was presented in Washington, D.C. during the organization’s 35th year of the awards program.
www.wsfa.com
Family, friends mourn CSU student killed in car accident
http://www.wsfa.com/story/30563893/family-friends-mourn-csu-student-killed-in-car-accident
By Georgia Ellyse
HARRIS COUNTY, GA (WTVM) – One week before Thanksgiving, a time of year when families normally come together to celebrate, a Harris County family is mourning the loss of a teenager. Angel Ferguson, 18, passed away a month after being in a car accident. Her funeral services were held Thursday at Friendship Baptist Church in Hamilton, GA. “Her smile, her love, her heart,” are the things her uncle Dameion Crowell says he will miss most about his niece. “Angel was loving, beautiful and highly intelligent,” Crowell said, He said she was studying business law at Columbus State University and wanted to become a lawyer.
www.ajc.com
Police search for man accused of sucker-punching teen
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/police-search-man-who-sucker-punched-teen-midtown/npRYJ/
ATLANTA — Police are looking for a man who’s sucker punching people. They say he walked up to a high school student from behind and punched him, and detectives say this isn’t the first time. Police identified the suspect from surveillance video taken from bank cameras. Investigators have dubbed the suspect as the Midtown Puncher. The victim told Channel 2’s Liz Artz he had to get 27 stitches in all. Conor Downey said his right ear was ripped on two sides, and when he went to call his father, he couldn’t make out the numbers on the phone. “The lady at the ear specialist said I had more stitches than the guy the week before who had his ear shot off,” Downey said. Atlanta detectives say the bank surveillance footage helped them identify Curtis Bethea as the suspect. Downey, still a high school student, takes classes at Georgia State University.
www.13wmaz.com
FVSU inducts new class into College of Education
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/peach-crawford/2015/11/19/fvsu-inducts-new-class-into-college-of-education/76065484/
D Hunter Joyce
Eighteen students were inducted into the College of Education for Fort Valley State University Thursday. Being inducted means the juniors and seniors have met the college’s requirements and passed their certification test. The inductees received royal blue blazers worn by students and faculty of the college of education. Some students were also honored with scholarships to help continue their education. A 2014 inductee says being accepted into the college of education is a prestigious honor.
www.storify.com
Colleges Helping and Educating Students
South Georgia State College Prepares Students
https://storify.com/rmoore3/colleges-helping-and-educating-students
byrmoore
The reason that I chose this video is because I believe it closely reflects the South Georgia State College mission statement and the SACS COC statement on diversity. This video relates to these two statements because they display some of the key values upheld in the statements. One example would be that professors prepare students to be able to handle real world experiences by staying up to date on the current world. This helps them to better educate students and help them prepare for a more true expectation of the future. Another instance would be the fact that educators give all students many opportunities to achieve success and their degrees by teaching them skills such as: thinking critically, communicating proficiently, acting responsibly, and being environmentally conscious. All in all, this video embodies those two statements because it reflects the willingness of educators to help students improve and excel in life.
www.wgxa.tv
Boys and Girls Club of Fort Valley receives $4,000 grant for homework program
http://www.wgxa.tv/news/local/Boys-and-Girls-Club-of-Fort-Valley-receives-4000-grant-for-homework-program-351904851.html
By Katherine Shepherd
The Boys and Girls Club of Fort Valley received a $4,000 grant on Thursday to cover the club’s Power Hour program. The program was created to help students better understand and finish their homework. “We have tutors that come in and help. We have some students from Fort Valley State University working as interns and some are on work study.
www.facilitiesnet.com
Crisis Intervention, Threat Assessment Programs Supporting Campus Security
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/security/article/Crisis-Intervention-Threat-Assessment-Programs-Supporting-Campus-Security–16278
By Maryellen Lo Bosco
Among the additional tools supporting campus security are crisis intervention programs and threat assessment teams. Kennesaw State created its crisis intervention program to make people aware of aberrant behavior and to report it where they see it. Lang notes that, in retrospect, authorities learned that some of the shooters who made the national news had been seeing mental health practitioners, and some were on medications they had stopped taking. “We wanted to create a red-flag program where you could report anyone to a website, and a psychologist could interview them and decide if there is a problem, so that they could get help,” he says. The program was not conceived as something punitive, but rather as a way to get people help if they needed it. … Some campuses have certified police departments. For example, the university system of Georgia requires that all of its schools have certified police officers who carry guns, says Lang.
www.wbtv.com
Dunning touts college merger plan
http://www.wbtv.com/story/30563120/dunning-touts-college-merger-plan
By Melissa Hodges
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – The recent announcement of the merger of Albany State University and Darton College surprised many people, but ASU’s President Dr. Art Dunning, says there is a specific merger plan in place. At a luncheon showcasing Albany State University to South Georgia’s congressional delegation, Dr. Art Dunning told leaders the merger process is going smoothly. “We won’t be flying blind.” The Board of Regents passed on a blueprint for how the merger should proceed with nearly 1,000 items to be checked off. “So they have a template. They have learned a lot of things so they can tell you very clearly what works and those things we need to pay close attention to and where the challenges are.” Challenges such as how to handle faculty promotions and tenure… or where the nursing program will reside… are items that are unique to the Darton-ASU merger. President Dunning says all stakeholders will have a voice. “We will have two committees with 20 people from Darton, and 20 people from ASU. They will provide the leadership and the executive oversight of this process.”
www.bizjournals.com
Invest Atlanta board OKs bonds for High Performance Computing Center
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/capitol_vision/2015/11/invest-atlanta-board-oks-bonds-for-high.html
Dave Williams
Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Atlanta’s economic development agency approved up to $1.12 billion in bond financing for Georgia Tech’s proposed High Performance Computing Center Thursday despite concerns over the size of the tax incentives package being offered to attract the project. The board of Invest Atlanta passed a resolution authorizing the bond money to help finance the commercial and retail component of the 25-story mixed-use development near Tech Square, to be built by Georgia Tech in partnership with developer Portman Holdings LLC. The 1 million-square-foot project, due to open early in 2018, could accommodate up to 2,500 people.
www.redandblack.com
SGA supports in-state tuition for undocumented students in Georgia
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/sga-supports-in-state-tuition-for-undocumented-students-in-georgia/article_23f86554-8e5a-11e5-9aeb-7b3da18ac9ee.html
Marlee Middlebrooks
At its last senate meeting of the semester, the University of Georgia’s Student Government Association passed, after much contention, a resolution to support in-state tuition for students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status. According to Resolution 28-13, the 28th SGA administration will support any Georgia state policy to grant in-state tuition to DACA students.
www.onlineathens.com
Possible human remains found on UGA campus
http://onlineathens.com/blotter/2015-11-19/possible-human-remains-found-uga-campus
By JOE JOHNSON
A worker doing excavation at the Baldwin Hall parking lot Tuesday afternoon found what appeared to be old human remains, according to the University of Georgia Police Department’s website.
www.onlineathens.com
UGA trailer stolen from site on Whitehall Road
http://onlineathens.com/blotter/2015-11-19/uga-trailer-stolen-site-whitehall-road
By JOE JOHNSON
A university-owned car-hauler trailer valued at $3,000 was stolen from the University of Georgia’s Instrument Design & Fabrication Shop on Whitehall Road between 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the UGA police website.
Higher Education News:
www.diverseeducation.com
Report: Clear Path from Community Colleges to 4-Year Institutions
http://diverseeducation.com/article/79074/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=02bad80167264d919a28361e7ddf25c4&elqCampaignId=771&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=de00849596bc461a9af52c1b2e227b4d
by Catherine Morris
From their origins, community colleges were intended to be affordable and accessible entry points into the world of postsecondary education. Data show, however, that many students enter community college only to wind up either not finishing their degree or taking six or more years to complete a two-year degree. Community colleges also serve as transfer points to four-year colleges and universities. Students can earn course credits, complete a two-year degree, or earn a certificate at the fraction of the cost of a four-year college or university, before moving on to obtain an undergraduate or graduate degree at another institution. The Edvance Foundation, a nonprofit that spearheads the Nexpectation Network, came out with a report on Wednesday that lays out a series of recommendations on how to smooth the transfer pathway from community college to four-year institutions.
www.insidehighered.com
Most Freshmen Apply to One College, Data Suggest
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/11/20/most-freshmen-apply-one-college-data-suggest
Two-thirds of college freshmen who applied for federal student loans or grants last year indicated that they were applying to only one institution, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday. Sixty-eight percent of freshmen filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid during the 2014-15 academic year instructed the Education Department to send their information to only one college, the department said. That’s down from 80 percent in the 2008-09 school year. The Obama administration called the new data “troubling.”
www.stltoday.com
Taking action on college racial harassment
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/taking-action-on-college-racial-harassment/article_d09a4a23-a766-5690-9cbf-194eeaad9207.html?utm_source=hootsuite
By Arne Duncan
In recent weeks, incidents at the University of Missouri and Yale University have placed in the public eye a set of issues that are familiar and painful to far too many college students. While these campuses have been the most visible recent examples, decades of history stretch across many campuses, with the issue going beyond individual moments of racial harassment, hostility and insensitivity. Students nationwide have expressed a deep concern about whether their schools are prepared to handle such experiences, and that a slow or tepid reaction can amount to tolerance of a racially hostile environment. The question couldn’t matter more. At issue is whether college campuses are safe and welcoming to every student, regardless of race, religion, background and identity. To be clear, work to maintain inclusive campus communities is not about chilling free expression — it is about creating strong cultures, and dealing with attacks that violate the law. Succeeding in this effort is essential to expanding opportunity. This is no small issue. Over my nearly seven years in office, the Office for Civil Rights has received more than 1,000 complaints of racial harassment at institutions of higher education.
www.insidehighered.com
Race Matters
Princeton agrees to consider changing role of Woodrow Wilson name on campus; white student union surfaces (online) at Illinois; black ministers want Kean president to quit; Smith students exclude journalists; Towson president signs list of demands; and more.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/20/protests-and-controversies-over-race-proliferate-campuses
By Scott Jaschik
Princeton University late Thursday ended a sit-in in the president’s office by agreeing to consider changing the prominent use of Woodrow Wilson’s name — in ways that honor the man who was president of the United States and of Princeton. The action was one of many in higher education in which colleges are trying to respond to a growing student protest movement that in the last 48 hours has seen new sit-ins and rallies — and also new incidents of backlash and threats.
www.chronicle.com
Diversity Training Is in Demand. Does It Work?
http://chronicle.com/article/Diversity-Training-Is-in/234280
By Steve Kolowich
One month before R. Bowen Loftin resigned as chancellor of the University of Missouri at Columbia, accused of not fighting racism on the flagship campus, he announced mandatory “diversity training” for faculty, staff, and students. Some hailed the move as overdue, but others were not impressed. An emeritus professor at the university criticized the training as a “Band-Aid.” Jonathan Butler, a graduate student whose hunger strike later became a centerpiece of campus protests, said the gesture was “a good step” but “not enough.” Others called it “meaningless” and “patronizing.” The protests persisted, culminating in the resignations last week of Mr. Loftin and Timothy M. Wolfe, the system president. Does diversity training work? That is the question many college officials face as they scramble to deal with protests of the racial climate on their campuses.