USG Institutions:
www.myajc.com
Turner Field goes to Georgia State
University, private developers picked as winning bidders
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/turner-field-goes-to-georgia-state/nppmp/
By Janel Davis, Katie Leslie and J. Scott Trubey – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia State University and a private development team have been named the winning bidders for Turner Field, a landmark in limbo since the Atlanta Braves announced their departure two years ago. On Monday, the government authority that owns The Ted voted to make official what has long been deemed inevitable: that the ballpark will be converted into an arena for Georgia State Panthers football and a new mixed-use community.

www.ajc.com
GSU to buy Turner Field, students and alumni rejoice
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/gsu-buy-tuner-field-students-and-alumni-rejoice/nppdk/
Erica Hernandez, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Turner Field is going to be sold to Atlanta-based real estate firm Carter and Georgia State University. The Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority board announced Monday that the Carter and Georgia State team has been chosen as the winning bidder for Turner Field. Immediately, current GSU students, alumni and supporters took to social media to share their excitement over the news.

www.fox5atlanta.com
Lawyer: KSU Top Chef ‘Cooking the Books’
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/i-team/59586937-story
By: Randy Travis
KENNESAW, Ga. – The lawyer for a Kennesaw State University secretary claimed he has evidence of kickbacks and fraud inside the school’s highly-regarded Dining Services division. The allegations came in a demand letter sent to the school asking for $1.5 million to avoid a lawsuit from a secretary who claimed she has been mistreated since the FOX 5 I-Team first revealed questionable behavior inside the department. “The enterprise that’s being run at Kennesaw State University, taxpayers should be alarmed,” attorney Mike Puglise told FOX 5 I-Team reporter Randy Travis. “It’s pathetic.”

www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Black college students demanding more black professors don’t realize ‘they are demanding the impossible.’
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2015/12/21/black-college-students-demanding-more-black-professors-dont-realize-they-are-demanding-the-impossible/
December 21, 2015 | Filed in: Ajc-opinion, Atlanta Public Schools, College and Career Readiness, Culture and schools, Diversity, School Leadership, School reforms Atlanta native Walter M. Kimbrough is a graduate of Mays High School, the University of Georgia and Georgia State. He has worked at Emory, Georgia State and Albany State. He is now president of Dillard University in New Orleans. His piece addresses student demands for faculty diversity. (Read another recent piece by Kimbrough on the death of Rev. David H. Nunnally of Athens.)

www.onlineathens.com
Emergency training exercise today at UGA dorms on Baxter
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2015-12-21/emergency-training-exercise-today-uga-dorms-baxter
By STAFF REPORTS
It’s just a drill. The University of Georgia and Athens-Clarke County police, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, the ACC fire department, National EMS and the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness are holding a training exercise from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. today on Baxter Street in and around the Russell Hall and Brumby Hall dorms.

www.ledger-enquirer.com
Chuck Williams: A steady change downtown
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/chuck-williams/article51012605.html
Now that there is steel coming out of the ground at the corner of Broadway and 12th Street, you can see what is taking shape. The prediction here is the new Columbus State University College of Education and Health Professions is going to reshape downtown in a way that few can imagine. And you can start to see those possibilities now. It is funny how it takes concrete and steel to see what is happening along the fringes of that construction site. …One thing you will notice is there is more construction activity than in previous years. This is a direct result of the CSU investment that will bring 1,800 or more students, faculty and staff to downtown.

www.renewablesbiz.com
Georgia Power collaborates with UGA for new solar project in Athens
http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/15/12/georgia-power-collaborates-uga-new-solar-project-athens
Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has collaborated with University of Georgia, or UGA, for a new 1MW solar tracking demonstration project in Athens, Georgia. The new project is located on a 10-acre site owned by UGA and is the result of a utility/university collaboration to further demonstrate and advance solar energy in Georgia. “Working in coordination with the Georgia Public Service Commission, and through strong relationships with organizations such as UGA, we have positioned Georgia as a national solar leader,” said Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. “Now more than ever, it’s essential that we continue to invest in the R&D of new technologies to make solar, and all generation sources, as reliable, efficient and cost-effective for our customers as possible.” Research will be conducted under a two-year collaboration with UGA researchers, spearheaded by the College of Engineering, to study solar forecasting and the effects of solar panel soiling versus performance.

www.bryancountynews.com
630 graduate Armstrong during fall commencement
http://www.bryancountynews.com/section/4/article/41437/
Special to the News
SAVANNAH — Armstrong State University hosted the 2015 fall commencement Dec. 12, conferring degrees on more than 630 students in two graduation ceremonies at Armstrong’s Alumni Arena. Armstrong recognized students receiving master’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees and associate degrees in a range of fields. Students from the colleges of Liberal Arts, Education, Health Professions and Science and Technology marched in colorful processionals and were honored by university officials. Following an eruption of cheers and claps, university President Dr. Linda M. Bleicken welcomed the 2015 graduates and their families.

www.ajc.com
Former UGA mascot, Uga IX, dies
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/college/former-uga-mascot-uga-ix-dies/nppZz/
Uga IX, the former mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs, died Monday in his sleep, according to the Seiler family, longtime owners of the Georgia line of mascots. The 11-year-old Russ was officially retired Nov. 21 with the coronation of “Que,” Uga X, as Georgia’s mascot before the football game against Georgia Southern in Athens. The half-brother of Uga VII, Russ had served as the mascot on and off since 2009, after working a total of 63 Georgia football games. Uga IX had compiled an overall record of 44-19.

Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Mergers Without Rancor?
Alabama plans to consolidate seven community colleges into two — the kind of move that in other states would have seen much protest. But these changes went through without much public opposition. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any opposition.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/22/alabama-moves-more-regionalized-community-colleges?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=e36faba84d-DNU20151222&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-e36faba84d-197515277
By Ashley A. Smith
The move to consolidate seven community colleges in Alabama seems to be happening rather quickly for some people, especially as questions remain over what will happen to each of the colleges’ programs and identities. Last week the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees voted to consolidate the seven colleges into two regional systems — without opposition or discussion during their meeting. The decision came after the Legislature moved control of Alabama’s 25 community colleges from the state Board of Education to the newly created trustee board earlier this year. But as news about the consolidation has spread, local leaders and community members who live in, work around or attend these institutions are voicing their concerns.

www.cchronicle.com
Should the U.S. Become a Nation of Apprentices?
http://chronicle.com/article/Should-the-US-Become-a/234688?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=5042fd26310b47fb80f3e14417b3bf07&elqCampaignId=2122&elqaid=7324&elqat=1&elqTrackId=7c3769f15b5e45b39f61ca409d6e413f
By Kelly Field
…It sees apprenticeships — which combine on-the-job training with classroom learning — as a way to tackle two of the nation’s persistent economic challenges: high youth unemployment and a growing shortage of “middle skills” workers. For nearly two years the administration has led a drive to “double and diversify” apprenticeships, bringing the “earn while you learn” model to more industries and to more women and minorities. In speeches around the country, Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez tells audiences that apprentices make $300,000 more than their peers over their careers. He often calls apprenticeship “the other college — without the debt.”

www.cchronicle.com
As Plans for Free Community College Spread, Educators Seek to Include Adult Learners
http://chronicle.com/article/As-Plans-for-Free-Community/234669?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=5042fd26310b47fb80f3e14417b3bf07&elqCampaignId=2122&elqaid=7324&elqat=1&elqTrackId=974626502b8f467b8a7ef018ef4c2aea
By Kate Stoltzfus
When President Obama outlined steps in September to make his proposal for free community college a reality, his call for change reflected a movement that had already gained momentum. There are now more than 100 local community and state efforts that have vowed to pursue reduced-cost or tuition-free learning, many in conjunction with Mr. Obama’s America’s College Promise program and its associated awareness campaign, known as Heads Up America. As the push for free community college continues to spread nationwide, college leaders in some states are trying to expand the reach of such programs to include the adult students that so many community colleges already serve. Many of the so-called Promise models focus on younger student populations, says James D. Schuelke, deputy director of the Heads Up America campaign.