University System News:
www.myajc.com
Our best HOPE may be rethinking a cherished program
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/our-best-hope-may-be-rethinking-a-cherished-progra/npg2m/
KYLE WINGFIELD
Legislators studying the “preservation of the HOPE scholarship” have spent a lot more time talking about casinos than colleges. That being the case, it’s an open question what “preservation” means. Or whether “preservation” is even the right goal. Five years ago, HOPE recipients at Georgia Tech or the University of Georgia could expect all of their tuition to be paid by lottery funds. Today it’s about 77 percent, except for those who qualify for the newer Zell Miller Scholarship and still have their tuition fully covered — although not fees and a stipend for books, as HOPE originally provided. Just returning to full tuition for all HOPE scholars could quickly eat up the program’s estimated share of $280 million in revenues the state would get if casinos were legalized. And that’s before any further tuition hikes. If so, a restoration of HOPE to its former glory would seem to be off the table, and “preservation” could simply mean reducing the value of the scholarship more slowly over time. That makes for a rather less decent proposal.
USG Institutions:
www.albanyherald.com
Albany State University-Darton State College consolidation committee meets with Chancellor Hank Huckaby
The committee is charged with laying the groundwork for the creation of a ‘new Albany State University’
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/education/albany-state-university-darton-state-college-consolidation-committee-meets-with/article_55bf8e69-bf61-5569-a990-745b8b30c497.html
By Terry Lewis
ATLANTA — Ground was broken Wednesday on the “New Albany State University” when University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby and the 40-member Albany State University-Darton State College Consolidation Implementation Committee conducted its first panel meeting to discuss its charge and responsibilities. The meeting provided the initial direction for what is expected to be an 18-month process of merging the two campuses. “I thought it was a very successful first meeting,” USG Vice Chancellor for Planning and Fiscal Affairs Shelley Nickel said. “All of the members were there to learn and asked good questions.” The meeting, which lasted just more than an hour, laid out the USG’s immediate priorities.
www.globaltrademag.com
GEORGIA COLLEGES COLLABORATING ON SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT DEGREE PROGRAMS
Classes Start Spring 2016
http://www.globaltrademag.com/global-trade-daily/news/georgia-colleges-collaborating-on-supply-chain-and-logistics-management-degree-programs
Written by GT Staff
Albany State University and Darton State College are partnering to offer classes toward a Bachelor of Science degree in Supply Chain and Logistics Management at the Darton State College Cordele Center. The program is part of the ongoing collaboration between the two Georgia institutions of higher learning. The Supply Chain and Logistics Management program is a unique course of study that helps to create a distinct student experience at Albany State University. Jobs in material handling and purchasing are involved in this process, which also includes positions in transportation, logistics, and other areas.
www.wtoc.com
Darton welcomes new interim president
http://www.wtoc.com/story/30728999/darton-welcomes-new-interim-president
By WALB News Team
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – Darton State College is welcoming their new leader to campus. Dr. Richard Carvajal is ready to begin his duties as Darton State’s interim president. Dr. Carvajal has been the president at Bainbridge State College for the last five years. He will be leading Darton State during its consolidation with Albany State University.
www.wsj.com
Online Degree Hits Learning Curve
Georgia Tech’s online computer-science program has 2,789 students this semester, but also has experienced some hiccups
http://www.wsj.com/articles/online-degree-hits-learning-curve-1450055726
By MELISSA KORN
The Georgia Institute of Technology turned heads in 2013 when it announced plans to offer an inexpensive, online version of its master’s degree in computer science to what top administrators predicted would be a “massive” audience. The program graduated its first class of students on Friday. All 20 of them. Georgia Tech, with $3.5 million in backing from AT&T Inc., was on the forefront of an effort to harness the technology of massive, open, online courses, or MOOCs, to offer a high-quality education at a fraction of the cost of a traditional degree.
www.coastalcourier.com
Armstrong State cuts ribbon on Liberty Center in Hinesville
Mayor: ‘Today, we have a four-year college’
http://coastalcourier.com/section/5/article/77891/
By Caitlin Kenney Staff Writer
Armstrong State University cut the ribbon Thursday on its new Liberty Center building on West Memorial Drive, to the delight of community and state leaders. “This is a great thing for our city. We’re the last city in the state of Georgia our size that doesn’t have a four-year college,” Hinesville Mayor Jim Thomas said to applause. “So today, we have a four-year college.” Along with educating natives of Liberty County, many speakers at the ceremony, including Thomas, discussed the importance of the Fort Stewart community’s needs for local higher education as a reason for an institution like Armstrong in the downtown area.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Human remains found at UGA construction site
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2015-12-12/human-remains-found-uga-construction-site
UGA News Service
ATHENS, Ga. — Several gravesites from Old Athens Cemetery have been discovered on the construction site for the expansion of the University of Georgia’s Baldwin Hall on Jackson Street. Construction on the site has been temporarily suspended, and UGA is working closely with the appropriate state agencies to ensure that the remains from up to 27 gravesites are properly removed and re-interred. Old Athens Cemetery, also known as Jackson Street Cemetery, was the official town cemetery for much of the 19th century. The Jackson Street tract was part of UGA’s land grant from the state but was donated to Athens. It was deeded back to the university in 2004.
www.mdjonline.com
KSU to graduate more than 2,500, marking first combined commencement since SPSU consolidation
http://mdjonline.com/bookmark/27000261
by Jon Gargis
KENNESAW — After more than 50 years of operation, there aren’t many “firsts” left for Kennesaw State University to accomplish, but on Tuesday, the college will celebrate another: its first combined commencement since consolidating with Southern Polytechnic State University. According to KSU officials, more than 2,500 students will become KSU graduates next week — up from last December’s graduating class of 1,800-plus — with five graduation ceremonies set to be conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, all of them in the KSU Convocation Center on the Kennesaw Campus. One of the 50 largest public universities in the country with a current enrollment of 33,000, KSU graduates about 5,500 students each year during fall, spring and summer commencements.
www.tiftongazette.com
Two students win top awards at ABAC commencement
http://www.tiftongazette.com/news/two-students-win-top-awards-at-abac-commencement/article_8b447352-9f89-11e5-8c0b-877b8f80631b.html
Special to The Gazette
TIFTON – Two students received top honors as the most outstanding graduates during Thursday’s fall commencement ceremony at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Matthew Daniel, a rural studies-social and community development major from Summerville, was named the recipient of the ABAC Alumni Association Award for bachelor’s degree graduates, and Marlee Mathis, a nursing major from Nashville, received the George P. Donaldson award for associate degree graduates. Each recipient was selected through an application and interview process conducted by the ABAC Alumni Association. Both recipients received a plaque and a check for $500 from the ABAC Alumni Association.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Navy veteran among first Augusta University graduates
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2015-12-12/navy-veteran-among-first-augusta-university-graduates
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
Once a homeless high school dropout, Leslie Dodson is now a Navy veteran and on Saturday became one of the first to proudly say she is a graduate of Augusta University. Dodson was among 625 who graduated during the first commencement for Augusta University since the name was changed from Georgia Regents University earlier this year. For Dodson, 27, who grew up in Augusta, it was “perfect timing,” she said.
www.savannahnow.com
Armstrong honors graduates at fall commencement
http://savannahnow.com/news/2015-12-13/armstrong-honors-graduates-fall-commencement
By Savannah Morning News
Armstrong State University hosted its 2015 Fall Commencement on Saturday, awarding degrees to more than 630 students in two graduation ceremonies at Armstrong’s Alumni Arena. Students from the College of Liberal Arts, College of Education, College of Health Professions and College of Science and Technology marched in colorful processionals and received master’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees and associate degrees in a wide range of fields.
www.wtoc.com
Georgia Southern hosts graduation ceremony in Hanner Fieldhouse
http://www.wtoc.com/story/30727822/georgia-southern-hosts-graduation-ceremony-in-hanner-fieldhouse
By Dal Cannady
STATESBORO, GA (WTOC) – Georgia Southern University will walk 1,600 graduates across the stage inside Hanner Fieldhouse Friday in three ceremonies. “Georgia Southern has grown to be a major university. We’re a little more than 20,000 students. Now we have graduations that require multiple ceremonies to accommodate everyone that’s graduating,” said GSU Interim President Dr. Jean Bartels.
www.barnesville.com
Gordon State graduates get degrees
http://www.barnesville.com/archives/8822-Gordon-State-graduates-get-degrees.html
Posted by Walter Geiger
Gordon State College hosted commencement exercises Friday morning in the SARC. Former Gordon president Dr. Larry Weill gave the commencement address.
www.macon.com
Education Notebook: MGSU set to hold first fall graduation
http://www.macon.com/news/local/education/article49614165.html
Middle Georgia State University will establish a new tradition when it holds commencement ceremonies on Thursday. It will be the first fall commencement in the history of the institution. Historically, the college held commencement only in the spring at the Macon Coliseum or at Morris Gymnasium on the Cochran campus. The fall ceremonies will take place in the university’s Recreation and Wellness Center on the Macon campus. More than 450 students are candidates for graduation, including more than 295 who will receive bachelor’s degrees.
www.georgianewsday.com
SSU to hold Commencement ceremony
http://www.georgianewsday.com/news/savannah/374743-ssu-to-hold-commencement-ceremony.html
STAFF WRITER
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) – Savannah State University will hold its Commencement ceremony on Saturday. Around 250 students will graduate with bachelors and master’s degrees.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
University of North Georgia graduates get diplomas at ceremony
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/114027/
The University of North Georgia, Gainesville campus, conducted its commencement ceremony at the Hugh Mills Physical Education Complex in Oakwood Friday night.
www.valdostadailytimes.com
VSU ensures safety of graduates
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/local_news/vsu-ensures-safety-of-graduates/article_82aefb37-c44e-5ea9-882f-fbe75ad79466.html
By Desiree Carver
VALDOSTA — Students said farewell to one another and classes Friday and Saturday during Valdosta State University’s 2015 fall commencement ceremonies. Friday ceremonies honored graduates of the College of Arts, College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the Graduate School. Saturday included Dewar College of Education and Human Service, U.S. Air Force ROTC, Langdale College of Business, and College of Arts and Sciences. Graduates and guests may have noticed an increase in security.
www.11alive.com
Georgia State students robbed at gunpoint
http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/2015/12/11/georgia-state-students-armed-robbery/77157044/
11Alive Staff, WXIA
ATLANTA — Two Georgia State University students were robbed at gunpoint Thursday evening. The incident happened around 9:15 p.m. at the One12 Cortland apartment building downtown, a private off-campus residence near campus. According to Atlanta Police Department officials, four males armed with a guns entered the students’ apartment and robbed them of two cell phones, a laptop and PlayStation gaming system. The suspects reportedly entered the student’s home behind the victims after asking if a roommate was home. They then held them on the couch at gunpoint. The men then left via the stairwell. No injuries were reported.
www.onlineathens.com
State legislative committee issues recommendations for drone regulation
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-12-12/state-legislative-committee-issues-recommendations-drone-regulation
By JIM THOMPSON
As the federal government continues to wrestle with regulation of drones, and a state legislative study committee just released its own set of recommendations for drone regulation in Georgia, Athens-Ben Epps Airport Director Tim Beggerly has a single piece of advice for anyone who might find one of the flying machines under the Christmas tree — check out the Know Before You Fly website, at knowbeforeyoufly.org, for the best guidance on legal and safe operation of drones, whether for recreational, commercial or governmental use. Athens-Ben Epps Airport, like other airports across the country, has a keen interest in the proliferation of drones — something that’s been evident in Athens for a while, where the University of Georgia and various professional organizations use the machines regularly, Beggerly said — due to the potential for interference with private and commercial air traffic.
www.ajc.com
UGA report: State job growth slowing, but still good
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/uga-report-state-job-growth-slowing-but-still-good/nphZY/
Michael Kanell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The pace of job growth in Georgia will slow slightly next year, but the state will outperform the nation, according to the annual economic outlook from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. The state’s payrolls will expand by 2.4 percent – about 96,600 positions – as the Georgia economy reaps rewards from new projects, population growth, housing’s resurgence and low energy prices, said Benjamin Ayers, dean of the business school. “We think 2016 looks very promising,” he said, speaking to about 700 attendees in downtown Atlanta. It was the first in a series of presentations he will make across the state detailing the report. Unemployment will continue to fall – though more slowly than it has this year, he said. Jobs in construction and the corporate sectors especially will surge, Ayers said. “So we are going to out-perform the nation as a whole.” … A marginally less rosy view came several weeks ago from the Georgia State Economic Forecasting Center. The center’s director Rajeev Dhawan, forecast 1.8 percent growth in jobs as well as slightly weaker income growth and a slightly higher unemployment rate. Both analyses see metro Atlanta as the state’s leading engine of growth: the region will add 69,600 jobs to account for 75 percent of Georgia’s growth next year, the Terry report said.
Higher Education News:
www.nytimes.com
The Lie About College Diversity
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/opinion/sunday/the-lie-about-college-diversity.html?_r=0
Frank Bruni
THE Supreme Court listened anew last week to arguments about affirmative action in higher education, and we heard yet again about the push by colleges to assemble diverse student bodies. That’s a crucial effort. It’s also an incomplete and falsely reassuring one. Have you spent much time on campuses lately? Leafed through schools’ promotional literature? Listened to their come-ons? If so, you’ve probably noticed how often they promise students academic and social experiences customized to their already-established preferences, tailor-fitted to their predetermined interests, contoured to the particular and peculiar niches they want to inhabit. … So even if a school succeeds in using its admissions process to put together a diverse student body, it often fails at the more important goal that this diversity ideally serves: meaningful interactions between people from different backgrounds, with different scars and different ways of looking at the world.
www.insidehighered.com
Golden Parachutes for Coaches at Public Universities
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/14/golden-parachutes-coaches-public-universities?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=06f09dc32e-DNU20151214&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-06f09dc32e-197515277
One of the fastest-growing expenses for athletics programs at public universities is severance, The Washington Post reported. The Post analyzed spending at 48 public universities in top athletic conferences and found that, in 2014, the universities were spending $28.5 million on severance deals with former coaches.