University System News:
www.wsfa.com
USG taps Bainbridge State president as interim for Darton amid consolidation
http://www.wsfa.com/story/30652751/usg-taps-bainbridge-state-president-as-interim-for-darton-amid-consolidation
By WALB News Team
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Hank Huckaby named Dr. Richard Carvajal, who is the president of Bainbridge State College, as the interim president of Darton State College. Carvajal will assume his post on Dec. 16. He will replace Darton State College Interim President Dr. Paul Jones, who has been named president of Fort Valley State University.
www.albanyherald.com
University System of Georgia names new interim president at Darton State College
Richard Carvajal comes to Albany from Bainbridge State College
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2015/dec/02/university-system-of-georgia-names-new-interim/
By Terry Lewis
ATLANTA — University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Hank Huckaby today named Dr. Richard Carvajal, president of Bainbridge State College, interim president of Darton State College in Albany. “Dr. Carvajal has done a tremendous job leading Bainbridge State through incredible change over the last almost five years,” said Huckaby. “We are confident in his ability to lead Darton State, especially through the consolidation process.” …Carvajal will assume his post on Dec. 16. He will replace Darton State College Interim President Dr. Paul Jones, who has been named president of Fort Valley State University.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Gov. Deal touts job development in Georgia
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/business/2015-12-02/gov-deal-touts-job-development-georgia
By Walter C. Jones
Morris News Service
ATLANTA – Gov. Nathan Deal said Wednesday his administration is doing more than capping taxes to bring jobs to the state. Worker training, transportation improvements and attention to emerging industries have also been productive tactics, he said, pointing to recent developments in Athens, Augusta and Savannah. His comments came during a breakfast for legislators, lobbyists and reporters sponsored by the think tank Policy BEST. … The University System of Georgia is creating an institute based in Atlanta that will pull together cybersecurity expertise from universities across the state. “We are beginning to see a growth in the private sector of those who are contractors and suppliers for the military, and I think it is an opportunity for us to take advantage of the growth,” he said. “We will make sure that these companies that are supplying the personnel or doing the work that they don’t have to go out of state to find the workers.”
USG Institutions:
www.athensceo.com
University of Georgia Honors The Coca-Cola Foundation for its Support of Academics
http://athensceo.com/features/2015/12/university-georgia-honors-coca-cola-foundation-its-support-academics/
Staff Report From Athens CEO
The University of Georgia recently honored The Coca-Cola Foundation for its legacy of supporting academics at the state’s flagship institution of higher education. In an on-field presentation before the Nov. 21 football game, Coca-Cola representatives—Kirk Glaze, director of community partnerships; Gene Rackley, director of federal government relations; and Scott Williamson, vice president of public affairs and communications of Coca-Cola North America—were recognized by UGA officials for The Coca-Cola Foundation’s most recent gift of $1 million. The money will provide additional funding for the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars Program. UGA President Jere W. Morehead, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Kelly Kerner and Coca-Cola First-Generation Scholars Angel Hogg and Michael Williams joined the representatives from Coca-Cola to accept the gift on behalf of the university.
www.noodls.com
UNG recognized as a Top 100 National Test Center
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/31112538/university-of-north-georgia/ung-recognized-as-a-top-100-national-test-center
distributed by noodls
The University of North Georgia (UNG) has again made The College Board’s top 100 national list for ‘Best Performing Test Centers in 2014-2015,’ joining Georgia State University as the only two Georgia institutions recognized.
www.valdostatoday.com
VSU Recognized as StormReady Campus
http://valdostatoday.com/2015/12/vsu-recognized-as-stormready-campus/
VALDOSTA — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service has named Valdosta State University a StormReady campus. “One of the things that we must always be mindful of, that must always be job number one for each and every one of us, is to have a campus that is as safe for our students and those who work here as absolutely possible,” said Dr. Cecil P. Staton, interim president. “We can never prevent severe weather from happening, but we can prepare and we can be ready.” Nationally, only 5.6 percent of four-year degree-granting institutions have been named a StormReady campus. Within the University System of Georgia, 13.6 percent of institutions of higher education have been recognized.
www.theodysseyonline.com
20 Reasons To Choose Athens, Georgia For Your College Experience
http://theodysseyonline.com/uga/20-reasons-to-choose-athens-georgia-for-your-college-experience/215774
Patricia Catherine Duffy
Athens, Ga. is a popular American city, most famous for being the home of the University of Georgia. It is consistently ranked as one of the best college towns in America. So if you’re having a tough time figuring out which city you would like to spend your college years residing in, here are some reasons to choose Athens (and the University of Georgia). Let’s start off with the some of the obvious reasons…
1. The beautiful, 230-year-old campus: the University of Georgia is the epicenter of Athens, and it has been since 1785. UGA was the United States’ first state-chartered university and shares the title of the oldest public university in the United States with the College of William and Mary and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
www.educationdive.com
Georgia State absorption of community college could be ideal outcome
http://www.educationdive.com/news/georgia-state-absorption-of-community-college-could-be-ideal-outcome/410110/
By Tara García Mathewson
Dive Brief:
Georgia Perimeter community college associate professor Rob Jenkins thought being absorbed into Georgia State was going to be the end of its mission to provide a starting point for access to four-year schools, but now that the institutions are days away from becoming one, he has changed his mind. Jenkins writes for The Chronicle of Higher Education that Georgia Perimeter will continue to have lower tuition and admissions standards than Georgia State, and that it will go on offering associate degrees and preparing students to transfer into four-year programs — easing their path toward Georgia State, especially.
www.onlineathens.com
Georgia AG will investigate ex-UGA alumni director Dietzler for possible criminal acts
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-12-02/georgia-ag-will-investigate-ex-uga-alumni-director-dietzler-possible-criminal-acts
By LEE SHEARER
An investigation into the spending and conduct of former University of Georgia alumni association director Deborah Dietzler will be turned over to the state Office of the Attorney General to determine whether her actions violated criminal laws. An earlier UGA internal investigation found there was “evidence of substantial misconduct and policy violations by Ms. Dietzler,” according to a just-completed report on UGA’s handling of allegations of misconduct against Dietzler. The Nov. 30 report by the University System of Georgia Office of Internal Audit and Compliance also concludes UGA officials were apparently justified in subsequently firing Sallyanne Barrow, the accountant who first raised questions about Dietzler’s alleged misconduct in 2013.
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
UGA admits 7,500 students out of 14, 516 in early action. Was your child among them?
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2015/12/02/students-admitted-early-to-uga-break-records-for-numbers-and-accomplishments/
By Maureen Downey
High school seniors just admitted under early action to the University of Georgia broke some records: There were more of them, a record 14,516 applications, a nearly 10 percent increase over last year. UGA offered admissions to 7,500 of them. And their academic credentials were stellar. Their average GPA was 4.11. They took an average of eight honors, International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement classes. Their average best SAT score for reading and math combined was 1395, compared to 1374 last year. (The state average score was 975.) Their average ACT score increased by one point over last year to reach 31. (The state average score was 21.)
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Stability and Modest Growth Expected for U.S. Colleges
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/03/stability-and-modest-growth-expected-us-colleges?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ad8ef2f712-DNU20151203&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ad8ef2f712-197515277
Stability and modest growth. That’s what U.S. colleges and universities can expect over the next year to 18 months, according to a 2016 outlook by credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service. Tuition revenue growth is expected to be between 2 and 3 percent for public and private universities, with overall revenue growing at about 3 percent. State funding for public universities is anticipated to grow between 2 and 4 percent.
www.diverseeducation.com
Defending the Relevance, Importance of HBCUs in a White Privileged Society
http://diverseeducation.com/article/79271/
by Robert T. Palmer and Larry J. Walker
Recently we received an email, which led to a phone call from a reporter in a Southern state, who had several questions about some of the challenges encumbering Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Specifically, the reporter wanted to know with some of the leadership, enrollment, and financial problems besetting HBCUs, were they still vital institutions to higher education. As we responded to the reporter’s questions, we were intrigued by the fact that stakeholders of HBCUs are frequently called on to justify the relevance of historically Black institutions. Nevertheless, the same does not hold true for predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Sure, there are some HBCUs that are struggling to survive and there are some thriving as well. The same applies to PWIs. However, unlike HBCUs, these institutions are not lumped into one category and treated as monolithic. While there are some common challenges facing HBCUs, some are dealing with these challenges better than others. To be fair, there are common challenges facing all institutions of higher education. Given their history of inequity, which has defined their existence, many of the challenges HBCUs face are particularly unique.
www.chronicle.com
4 Ways to Ease Strife on Campuses
http://chronicle.com/article/4-Ways-to-Ease-Strife-on/234439?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=98fb4605bf7142a991879d9fc8f12b7b&elqCampaignId=1984&elqaid=7087&elqat=1&elqTrackId=639a20074724422db4443d16146f94f4
By Mark B. Rotenberg
University leaders aren’t exactly having a pleasant fall semester. The recent well-publicized surge in student protests has not only forced the resignations of high-ranking college officials but also produced demands that university presidents, provosts, and deans are struggling to meet. These demands present serious challenges to leaders who, even if broadly sympathetic to many of their students’ concerns, are scrambling to decide what they can do — immediately and concretely — to calm the protesters outside their windows, stay true to core institutional values, avoid scathing press attention and social-media chatter, and save their jobs. Whether or not colleges are properly viewed as competing suppliers of educational services to student consumers, there is no denying that students have come to understand that university leaders and professors should be accountable to them. Foremost, this includes the students’ expectations regarding valuable educational outcomes and employment opportunities, but it also includes particular desires for their college-community experience.
www.insidehighered.com
Escalating Demands
The number and complexity of students’ demands of administrations is going up — and some of the items deal with issues typically left to faculty governance.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/03/student-protest-lists-demands-get-longer-and-more-detailed?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ad8ef2f712-DNU20151203&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ad8ef2f712-197515277
By Scott Jaschik
When black students at the University of Missouri at Columbia issued a list of demands in October, eight items were listed. The demands were far-reaching, including the ouster of the university system president (a protest goal that was achieved), the hiring of more black faculty members and significant expansion of efforts to promote an inclusive campus. When students at Amherst College staged a sit-in in November, they had 11 demands. But the demand lists being discussed this week at Hamilton College and Emory University are longer, more detailed — and in some cases deal directly with decisions typically made by faculty members. And while some of the demands deal with long-festering issues in higher education, others are coming as a surprise to many on campuses, even those sympathetic to the idea that black students face far too much hostility and ignorance at their colleges.
www.chronicle.com
A Collective’s #StudentBlackOut Seeks to Ramp Up the Pressure on Colleges
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Collective-s/234444?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=98fb4605bf7142a991879d9fc8f12b7b&elqCampaignId=1984&elqaid=7087&elqat=1&elqTrackId=c0cb7feb7b844ebc80c9c3be44f2aa05
By Sarah Brown
Protests that have put intense pressure on colleges to improve the experiences of minority students have spread to dozens of campuses since demonstrations at the University of Missouri at Columbia recently touched off a nationwide movement. As student activists have looked to other campuses for inspiration, a group known as the Black Liberation Collective has emerged as a central coordinating hub for far-flung individuals.
On Thursday the collective is sponsoring a second national day of action, after holding one on November 18 that involved students at more than three dozen campuses. Activists used the hashtag #StudentBlackOut on Twitter to publicize their efforts and presented lists of demands that have become central to the protests at many colleges. It’s not clear how many activists or how many colleges will be involved in Thursday’s activities, which will take place as final examinations and other academic stresses mount for many students. Still, one of the group’s national organizers, David C. Turner III, believes the day of action will reiterate to college leaders, students, and others that black activism isn’t going away anytime soon.
www.chronicle.com
Brandeis Students End 12-Day Sit-In After University Announces Diversity Plan
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/brandeis-students-end-12-day-sit-in-after-university-announces-diversity-plan/107092?elq=98fb4605bf7142a991879d9fc8f12b7b&elqCampaignId=1984&elqaid=7087&elqat=1&elqTrackId=0faf790967e04c248442d0af9f868a95
by Kate Stoltzfus
A sit-in protest involving hundreds of students at Brandeis University ended on Tuesday after the university created a plan to answer the group’s demands for diversity, The Boston Globe reports. Protesters hadn’t moved from the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center for nearly two weeks, and had said the sit-in would end only when the university addressed their demands. The new plan, announced on Tuesday by Lisa M. Lynch, the university’s interim president, will aim to improve faculty and student diversity and create faculty workshops for discussion of race and inequality in the classroom. University leaders also said they would hire a vice president for diversity and inclusion in 2016.
www.insidehighered.com
Confronting Controversy
https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2015/12/03/students-need-physical-space-campus-debate-controversial-issues-essay?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ad8ef2f712-DNU20151203&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ad8ef2f712-197515277
By Zachary R. Wood
Many people have argued that the recent student protests at colleges and universities across the country primarily involve free speech issues. For their part, the protesters disagree, arguing that the issues they seek to address are racism, exclusivity and bigotry in all its forms — from fecal swastikas smeared on bathroom walls to racial slurs and microaggressions. Whatever your position is on this dispute, the one thing that has become clear is that this is an opportunity to improve the way college students debate complicated issues. The conflicts highlight that something is missing on college campuses: a designated physical space for planned discussions, led by students, about controversial topics — those that spark heated disagreement and possibly even revulsion.
www.insidehighered.com
The Irony of Higher Ed Marketing
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/call-action-marketing-and-communications-higher-education/irony-higher-ed-marketing?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ad8ef2f712-DNU20151203&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ad8ef2f712-197515277
By Eric Sickler
In my travels to campuses across the nation, I’m regularly reminded of a chronic, ironic reality: higher ed marketing success is usually compromised by a lack of the same three foundational educational elements that form the bedrock of what we’re committed to helping our students acquire:
1. Subject matter intelligence,
2. Sound research, and
3. Disciplined persistence.
Subject Matter Intelligence
Too many campus marketing, communications, and public relations offices are staffed by practitioners with too-little formal training or routine professional development in their assignment. Most admit it freely, while others will bluff their way through. Some hold key decision-making positions not because they were best-qualified for the job when they were hired, but because they’ve put in their time, remain absolutely committed to their institutions, and are sufficiently self-taught to hold their programs together from year to year.