University System News:
AJC.com
Enrollment up for Ga. college system; some schools see declines
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/enrollment-up-slightly-for-ga-college-system/npGwz/
By JANEL DAVIS
Enrollment in the state’s public college system inched up slightly this fall to 318,164 students, the second year of increases for the 30-school system. The 1.7 percent increase from fall 2014 to fall 2015 amounted to an additional 5,228 students, according to numbers released Thursday. Since enrollment is tied to how the state funds the university system, more students enrolled ultimately means more money for the public college system.
Florida Times-Union
Georgia colleges adjust strategies to boost enrollment
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2015-11-05/story/georgia-colleges-adjust-strategies-boost-enrollment
By Walter C. Jones
Enrollment swelled during the last recession and has eased since as employment has expanded. The biggest gains were at Georgia Tech, with 8.3 percent; University of North Georgia, 7.6; Georgia Highlands College, 7.1; and Georgia Gwinnett College, 5.9. Georgia Highlands is the only one with fewer than 10,000 students. Among the schools gaining enrollment were the College of Coastal Georgia, which added 4.1 percent, and Armstrong State University’s 0.1 percent. The biggest decline was at Albany State University, which lost 10.7 percent of the 3,910 students it had in the fall of 2014. Among the schools with reduced enrollment are Augusta University, Valdosta State University and Savannah State University, which each lost 2.3 percent.
Northwest Georgia News
Huckaby to Rotary Club of Rome: Change is vital
http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/news/local/huckaby-to-rotary-club-of-rome-change-is-vital/article_ee790d90-845c-11e5-9d95-03d32d0f5507.html
By Kristina Wilder
Education needs a “new normal” according to Hank Huckaby, the chancellor of the University System of Georgia. During a meeting of the Rotary Club of Rome at Coosa Country Club, Huckaby talked about the critical issues facing higher education in Georgia and the nation.
“When I became chancellor in July of 2011, it was in the midst of a critical period for higher education,” he said. “We had the recession and many people were asking if college was still relevant and if it was worth the expense.”
USG Institutions:
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Tech hits graduation rate high for third year in a row
http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/college/tech-hits-graduation-rate-high-for-third-year-in-a/npGRL/
By Ken Sugiura
Georgia Tech has continued its improvement with its NCAA-measured Graduation Success Rate, recording a school-record rate for the third consecutive year. Tech’s football team likewise posted a record score for the third year in a row, graduating 72 percent of its scholarship athletes who enrolled between the 2005-06 and 2008-09 academic years. Tech’s overall 84 percent GSR score, while having improved from 76 percent in the 2012 report, ranks 12th in the 15-team ACC. The football team’s score is 11th in the conference.
Bloomberg Business
Atlanta Mayor Readies Tax Breaks to Lure GE From Connecticut
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-05/atlanta-mayor-readies-tax-breaks-to-lure-ge-from-connecticut
By Steve Matthews
Atlanta and Georgia officials are prepared to propose lucrative tax breaks to try to lure General Electric Co.’s headquarters from Connecticut, and a decision may come next month, Mayor Kasim Reed said. “We will be offering whatever is reasonable to get it done if we have the opportunity,” Reed said in an interview with Bloomberg News reporters in Atlanta. “Having one of the top 10 most important companies in the world put their logo over the city of Atlanta skyline is not just about the tax-break number. It is about what it says to the world.”… Reed said it’s a mistake to believe lower costs are the main driver of moves. “Millennials seem to feel the city is pretty cool and getting cooler,” and the reputation of local universities was reinforced by President Barack Obama’s recent praise during a visit to Georgia Tech, he said. “A business like GE would want to come to Atlanta because I think Atlanta is a city of the future,” he said. “If you want a huge cultural shift, if you want to reduce long-term costs, if you want a more business friendly environment, you need to do nothing more than talk to the head of Mercedes-Benz USA” about its move.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Requiring Diverse Pools
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/06/u-texas-will-require-finalists-administrator-positions-include-women-and-minorities
By Scott Jaschik
The National Football League has a requirement that a minority candidate be interviewed for every head coaching position. The requirement is known as the Rooney rule, for Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who pushed the idea. On Thursday, the new chancellor of the University of Texas System, William H. McRaven, announced that he plans to apply the rule to every administrative search for dean and higher in the 14-institution system. While many colleges pledge to interview more minority or female candidates for a range of positions, making it a requirement to interview such candidates at the finalist step of searches is not common — especially for a large university system.
Chronicle of Higher Education
U.S. to Put New Requirements on Accreditors
http://chronicle.com/article/US-to-Put-New-Requirements/234082
By Eric Kelderman
The U.S. Department of Education plans to announce on Friday a narrow set of new requirements for the nation’s higher-education accreditors, the private, nonprofit organizations that serve as the gatekeepers to billions of dollars in federal student aid. The changes, being made through executive action, will also set down some of the Obama administration’s priorities for accreditation as Congress considers reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. Those include a streamlined accreditation process for some colleges and a more uniform set of definitions and data that accreditors report to the federal agency.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
How to Talk to Regular People About What’s Happening to College Prices
http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Talk-to-Regular-People/234045
By Beckie Supiano
The latest data on college costs — released on Wednesday — show that they continue to climb. But what’s a nonexpert to make of that news — and how can experts craft the right message for each group?
Every year the College Board’s “Trends in College Pricing” and its companion report, “Trends in Student Aid,” attempt to put tuition increases in context. The data they contain help inform long-running policy discussions about why college is so expensive, and what might be done about it.