USG Institutions:
www.myajc.com
Former UGA exec resigns
Deborah Dietzler faces scrutiny for travel while on UGA payroll.
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/former-uga-exec-resigns/npR8s/
By Jodie Fleischer – WSB-TV
The former University of Georgia alumni director has resigned her current job in Louisville after a Channel 2 Action News investigation exposed misspending and a cover-up during her time in Athens. A University of Louisville spokesperson says Deborah Dietzler voluntarily resigned her position as Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Friday, to avoid being a distraction while she deals with the investigation that’s now underway in Georgia. Earlier this week, Channel 2 exposed how Dietzler was caught booking hotels and airfare for personal trips, then directing her staff to find UGA alumni for her to meet with so she could get the school to pay the expenses.
www.onlineathens.com
Downtown Athens bar issues spur commissioners’ call for anti-discrimination ordinance
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-11-20/downtown-athens-bar-issues-spur-commissioners-call-anti-discrimination-ordinance
By JIM THOMPSON
Motivated by the discovery of a bartender “cheat sheet” in a downtown Athens bar with instructions for a racially insensitive drink called a “N*****ita,” and by reported use of dress codes and other ruses in downtown bars to keep minorities out of those establishments, three Athens-Clarke County commissioners are asking their seven colleagues and Mayor Nancy Denson to support a resolution calling on the county government’s staff to develop a local non-discrimination ordinance. … Denson did say, though, that she’s been in regular contact with representatives of the University of Georgia’s Student Government Association about discriminatory practices at downtown bars. According to Denson, SGA members have told her they’ve seen discriminatory practices aimed at people both on the basis of their color and their sexual orientation.
www.wtop.com
The 25 most diverse universities
http://wtop.com/education/2015/11/the-25-most-diverse-universities/
by Nick Selbe
There’s a growing trend among high schools across the country that is clearly an encouraging sign — the national graduation rate is on the rise. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 81 percent of high school students graduated in 2013, up from 75 percent in 2008. Nearly each racial and ethnic demographic has seen a steady rise in graduation rates during that time. Using data from the NCES from the 2013-2014 school year (the most recent available), we identified the 25 colleges with at least 20,000 students that had the highest percentage of minority students. #21. Georgia State University
www.wtvm.com
Rep. Bishop Announces $150K Grant for Historically Black Georgia College
http://www.wtvm.com/story/30572884/rep-bishop-announces-150k-grant-for-historically-black-georgia-college
By Janell Lewis
Nearly $150,000 has been awarded to Fort Valley State University. The announcement comes from Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) who says the $149,999 grant was awarded to the university’s College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Capacity Building Grants Program. The funds will support the creation of courses and a laboratory that teaches students hands-on training in bioinformatics, an interdisciplinary field of science that combines computer science, statistics, mathematics, and engineering to analyze and interpret biological data. The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the Curriculum and Infrastructure Development for Enhancing Student’s Experiential Learning in Bioinformatics Grant to Dr. Ramana Gosukonda, a FVSU associate professor of agricultural sciences and Dr. Eugene Amoah and Dr. Ajit Mahapatra, FVSU agricultural research scientists.
www.bloomberg.com
Downtown’s image still needs work [The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.]
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201511220340KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_13414_45560-1
NOT LIKE THE OLD BOSS: Some development authority members seem invigorated by new Augusta University President Brooks Keel after meeting him recently at Füse. It appears they’ve found in the Augusta native an enthusiastic partner in their effort to revitalize our urban core and make it — dare I say — a “cool” place to be.
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Dr. Keel’s new boss, by the way, is a banker who happens to have deep roots in Augusta. Kessel D. Stelling Jr., the new chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and CEO of Synovus Financial Corp., got his start in banking at the old Georgia Railroad Bank (now part of Wells Fargo). His father, Kessel Sr., was Augusta’s city controller for 30 years. Stelling starts his one-year term as board chairman Jan. 1.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Georgia, Texas aim to boost residencies to help retain doctors
States seek more residency slots as enrollment rises
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2015-11-22/georgia-texas-aim-boost-residencies-help-retain-doctors
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
Having grown up in Augusta and spent a year in India when she was 14, Julia Samaddar knew that what drove her to become a doctor might also lead her to stay put once her training was completed. “Not only do I want to be a physician, but I want to work with areas that are more underserved,” said the fourth-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology, who will finish up her training next July. “Having been at (Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University) for medical school, it is very clear that this area was fairly underserved.” Georgia and Texas need more young physicians like Samaddar, particularly in the more rural areas that lack not only physicians but specialties such as OB/GYN, officials said. As they respond to what will be a looming shortage of doctors in 10 years, both states have greatly increased their medical school enrollments and are looking at creative strategies to increase residencies as a way of keeping those newly minted doctors to practice in-state.
www.mdjonline.com
Kennesaw State University’s Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering approved
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/26970731/article-Kennesaw-State-University-s-Bachelor-of-Science-in-Environmental-Engineering-approved
by MDJ staff
Kennesaw State University will offer a new Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering designed to prepare students for the growing environmental and sustainability concerns facing the planet. The new degree, approved by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia at its Nov. 10 meeting‚ will prepare graduates for licensure as professional engineers in all 50 states.
www.savannahnow.com
University of George law school creates Jurist in Residence post honoring the late Judge B. Avant Edendfield
http://savannahnow.com/news/2015-11-22/university-george-law-school-creates-jurist-residence-post-honoring-late-judge-b
By Jan Skutch
The University of Georgia law school has created the B. Avant Edenfield Jurist in Residence, which will give law students an opportunity to learn from federal judges in a series of mini-courses. Made possible by a contribution from 2003 Georgia Law alumnus Allen W. Yee, a former clerk of the late Edenfield the Jurist in Residence program will enable one or more federal judges to spend a period in residence at Georgia Law each year. Edenfield died on May 9 at age 80. He sat as judge in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia for 28 years followed by eight more as a senior judge.
www.ajc.com
UGA offers early admission to 7,500 students
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/uga-offers-early-admission-to-7500-students/npR8L/
Janel Davis, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday was a big day for 7,500 high school students who were offered early admission to the Class of 2020 at the University of Georgia. The state’s flagship institution received a record 14,516 applications for early action admission, an increase of almost 10 percent over the previous year. MacKenzi Tobin, a senior at Schley County High School in Ellaville, was the first student offered early admission and received a surprise visit and hand-delivered letter from UGA officials at her high school. In addition to application records, the early admission 2020 class also set academic records, with an average student grade point average of 4.11, exceeding last year’s GPA average of 4.01. The average best SAT score this year was 1395—compared to 1374 last year—and the average ACT score increased by one point over last year, to 31.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
GGC professor given alumni award by Florida State
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/cities/lawrenceville/ggc-professor-given-alumni-award-by-florida-state/article_a11755c5-3382-561f-aeba-e3520dbd799d.html
By Keith Farner
A Georgia Gwinnett College professor who previously spent much of his career in Tallahassee, Fla., was recently inducted into a Hall of Fame at Florida State University. Ronald Hunter was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni Award this year from the Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. The award was presented to Hunter at this year’s Alumni and Friends of Criminology Hall of Fame Celebratory Brunch at Hotel Duval in Tallahassee. Hunter was one of six alumni to receive the award which is recognizes and honors the numerous professional and personal achievements of FSU College of Criminology and Criminal Justice graduates. Hunter is a professor of criminal justice and criminology at GGC where he was the first full-time faculty member within the that program at the college.
www.redandblack.com
Professors use mobile, social media to engage students in the classroom
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/professors-use-mobile-social-media-to-engage-students-in-the/article_40a7e3ec-8f0d-11e5-8c91-632053d4a99a.html
Mia Falcon
It is a common rule that smartphones are prohibited in the classroom, however some professors have begun to use elements of modern mobile technology to engage students. Noga Baruch, second year communication sciences and disorders major from Alpharetta, must compose a tweet twice during the hashtag ‘#parkedit2020′ during the semester for her technology in education class. The purpose of the assignment is to establish a professional network of learning among students aspiring to participate in the multifaceted modern business world, Baruch said. It also aims to develop social media strategies and to help students practice using different resources in an increasingly mobile world. “In theory it’s smart, but that’s not how people use it. It’s often just, ‘today we watched a video’ so it’s pointless information,” Baruch said on the success of the assignment. The professor, HwaChoon Park, encourages students to follow certain accounts to connect to more information and to post photos and retweet each others’ tweets. However, not all professors as wholeheartedly agree with the movement of mobile media into the classroom.
www.onlineathens.com
Remains uncovered at UGA work site are human
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-11-20/remains-uncovered-uga-work-site-are-human
By JOE JOHNSON
Skeletal remains uncovered this week at a University of Georgia work site are human, according to UGA police. Parts of a human skull and jaw bone were found Tuesday afternoon outside Baldwin Hall, by a member of a work crew that is renovating the classroom building, located between South Jackson Street and East Campus Road. The remains are “very old,” however, said police on Friday, noting they were located in an area adjacent to the Old Athens Cemetery, a non-active historic site used for burials primarily in the early to mid 1800s.
www.medicaldaily.com
New Cognitive Function Test May Be Able To Detect Early Signs Of Alzheimer’s
http://www.medicaldaily.com/new-cognitive-function-test-may-be-able-detect-early-signs-alzheimers-362600
By Ed Cara
Soon enough, we might be able to tell how well our brains are working with a simple flicker of a light. That’s the hope generated by a small-scale pilot study recently published in the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology this September. The team of researchers, hailing from the University of Georgia (UGA), devised a simple test intended to measure how fast we can visually process information, an ability that has long been believed to indicate our overall higher cognitive functions, such as problem solving, task-organization, and reasoning. The study and test design brought together researchers from both UGA’s Neuropsychology and Memory Assessment Laboratory and its Vision Sciences Laboratory.
Higher Education News:
www.hechingerreport.org
Number of Americans with college degrees growing more slowly than advocates want
Slow rate of growth threatens to leave a gap of 20 million degree-holders by 2025
http://hechingerreport.org/proportion-of-americans-with-college-degrees-continues-to-eke-up/
by JON MARCUS
INDIANAPOLIS—Seven years after setting out to significantly increase the proportion of the population with degrees, the nation is making very slow progress, according to new figures. The percentage of Americans who have earned college and university degrees rose from 40 percent to 40.4 percent last year toward a goal of 60 percent by 2025, the Lumina Foundation, which is backing the effort, announced at a conference here to update policymakers and advocates. That’s up 2.4 percentage points since the goal was set in 2008. At this rate, the number of people with degrees by 2025 will fall 19.8 million short, Lumina estimates.
www.chronicle.com
For Study-Abroad Offices, Sexual-Assault Cases May Be Unfamiliar Territory
http://chronicle.com/article/For-Study-Abroad-Offices/234306?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=c1ba39f1c706424ea1cbd6814ca2963b&elqCampaignId=1908&elqaid=6988&elqat=1&elqTrackId=5f57586735624de684a83291df46ad1e
By Sarah Brown and Karin Fischer
Complying with federal law governing sexual assault on campuses can be a complicated business. But the recent expulsion of a Middlebury College student accused of assaulting a fellow student on an overseas program — and the expelled student’s subsequent lawsuit — raises questions that stretch beyond the usual boundaries of campus rape: What if an alleged incident occurs while a student is studying abroad? The two primary federal statutes that cover sexual assault on campuses — Title IX, the gender-equity law; and the Clery Act, the campus-safety law — do not directly apply to colleges and universities in foreign countries or to third-party providers that offer international programs, because none of those entities receive federal funding. Neither the foreign institutions nor the companies are required to report such incidents publicly, to have Title IX coordinators, or to follow the same investigative process that American colleges use. But when American students participate in those programs, their own colleges’ obligations can come into play.
www.insidehighered.com
A Class Implodes Over Race
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/23/u-kansas-professor-leave-after-comments-race-result-5-complaints
By Scott Jaschik
Several administrators have lost their jobs in the last month amid campus protests over issues of race. Now a faculty member at the University of Kansas finds her job status uncertain after five graduate students filed complaints against her and organized a public campaign for her to be fired — over comments she made in discussing recent campus protests. The faculty member is Andrea M. Quenette, assistant professor of communication studies, who is now — at her own request — on paid leave, pending an investigation. There is some dispute over exactly what she said in a course for graduate students about teaching undergraduates, but the discussion was about the recent protest movement of black students at Kansas and elsewhere.
www.insidehighered.com
‘Upswing’ in Campus Threats
In November, more than a dozen college campuses have been targeted by shooting and bomb threats, with many of them threatening black students.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/23/two-weeks-more-dozen-campuses-targeted-threats-violence
By Jake New
The day after the University of Missouri’s president resigned following a series demonstrations over racism on campus, violent threats appeared on the anonymous messaging app Yik Yak. “I’m going to stand my ground tomorrow and shoot every black person I see,” one of the more alarming posts read. That same day, another Yik Yak user threatened violence against black students at Northwest Missouri State University. A few days later, someone claiming to be a Missouri student threatened to kill black students at Howard University. Then, another Yik Yak user threatened to kill black students at Michigan Technological University. …In the past two weeks, such threats have been made against more than a dozen colleges and universities. …Most drastically, Washington College in Maryland announced on Wednesday that it will remain closed through at least Thanksgiving because of a police search for a missing student who was believed to be armed. The student’s parents told the college that he had retrieved a rifle case from his family’s home earlier in the week and disappeared. On Saturday, authorities found the body of the student, Jacob Marberger, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The student had recently been the victim of a prank, the college said, and allegedly brandished a handgun out of anger, though officials stressed they do not believe he directly threatened anyone.
www.chronicle.com
Student Whose Disappearance Led Md. Campus to Shut Down Is Found Dead
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/student-whose-disappearance-led-md-campus-to-close-is-found-dead/106879?elq=c1ba39f1c706424ea1cbd6814ca2963b&elqCampaignId=1908&elqaid=6988&elqat=1&elqTrackId=25762721f7044516ba2b1df12dc6f041
by Charles Huckabee
A troubled student whose disappearance with a rifle case last week led his college in Maryland to close until the end of the month was found dead on Saturday from what police officials said was a self-inflicted gunshot, The New York Times reported. The student, Jacob Marberger, was a sophomore at Washington College, a small liberal-arts institution in Chestertown, Md. He reportedly had been despondent over repercussions stemming from an incident last month in which he was accused of brandishing an antique pistol at a party on the campus. Mr. Marburger was allowed to return to the campus after serving a two-week suspension and undergoing a psychological evaluation, but he still faced possible expulsion as well as criminal charges. He was kicked out of his fraternity and his dormitory, and he felt harassed by other students, the Chesterton police chief told the Times. … The college shut down for nine hours on Monday and canceled classes again on Tuesday. On Wednesday it announced that classes would not resume until November 30. Michael O’Connor, a spokesman for the college, said last week that the actions had been prompted in part by the anxiety of students and their parents.