University System News:
www.usnews.com
U.S. News & World Report Unveils 2016 Best Online Programs
http://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/2016/01/12/us-news-unveils-2016-best-online-programs
WASHINGTON, PRNewswire-USNewswire/ –U.S. News & World Report today released the 2016 Best Online Programs to help the millions of domestic and international students interested in online education compare the academic quality of more than 1,200 U.S.-based distance degree programs.
2016 U.S. News Best Online Graduate Education Programs
Education, 3. University of Georgia; 36 Georgia State University; 53 Armstrong State University; 66 University of West Georgia; 73 Georgia Southern University; 83 Valdosta State University; 89 Columbus State University; RNP (Rank Not Published) Kennesaw State University
2016 U.S. News Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs
8 Georgia College & State University; 31 Georgia Regents University; 31 University of West Georgia; 49 Georgia Southern University; 88 Clayton State University; 107 Kennesaw State University
2016 US News Best Online Bachelor’s Programs
5 University of Georgia; 49 Georgia College & State University; 72 University of West Georgia; 114 Georgia Southern University; 143 Kennesaw State University; 150 Valdosta State University; RNP College of Coastal Georgia; RNP Columbus State University
www.news.wabe.org
Closer Look: Georgia Film Academy; David Bowie; And More
http://news.wabe.org/post/closer-look-georgia-film-academy-david-bowie-and-more
By MARY CLAIRE KELLY
Georgia Film Academy Executive Director Jeff Stepakoff talks about the newly opened academy on today’s ”Closer Look.”
Monday on “Closer Look with Rose Scott and Jim Burress”:
· 22:25: Georgia Film Academy Executive Director Jeff Stepakoff talks about the newly opened academy, which is designed to produce qualified, local crews for Georgia’s film and TV industries;
www.myajc.com
Georgians getting their closeups behind-the-scenes in film industry
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/georgians-getting-their-closeups-behind-the-scenes/np3HL/
By Tammy Joyner – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Next time you’re watching the Fox television show “Sleepy Hollow,” take a close look at the tavern and the tunnels that snake through the set. It’s the handiwork of Conyers resident John Principe. Shortly after production for the hit TV show moved from Wilmington, N.C. to Conyers last summer, Principe was part of a rigging crew that set up stages, props and lighting and generally transformed the old Hill-Phoenix building in the warehouse district of Conyers into the spooky environs of the 1780s. …The influx of filmmaking giants like Pinewood Studios along with people seeking industry prompted state government and education officials to address Hollywood’s need for a well-trained, home-grown, behind-the-camera workforce. While filmmakers and tv show producers brought some of their workers with them, there still was a need for more workers. …Consequently, colleges and universities are provide training. Davis, Principe and Fischer, for example, are graduates of Clayton State University’s digital film tech program. The Georgia Film Academy is set to open its two-course certification program this month.
USG Institutions:
www.ajc.com
Memorial held at Capitol for Georgia Southern nursing students
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/memorial-held-at-capitol-for-georgia-southern-nurs/np3Hy/
Laura Diaz, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lawmakers spent an hour on the first day of the 2016 Legislative session memorializing five Georgia Southern University nursing students who were killed last April in a tragic crash on Interstate 16. “These young ladies had huge hearts and had made a life of giving back to their community,” said Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. “This tragedy, a tragic accident, occurred actually in the early hours of the morning while these students were traveling to serve others in the Savannah hospital.” Cagle joined the victims’ families, Gov. Nathan Deal, and accident survivors Megan Richards, of Loganville, and Brittney McDaniel, of Reidsville at the ceremony, which also included a candle lighting and offering of memorial gifts for the victims’ families.
www.middlegeorgiaceo.com
Middle Georgia State Student Gets Internship of a Lifetime
http://middlegeorgiaceo.com/news/2016/01/middle-georgia-state-student-gets-internship-lifetime/
Staff Report From Middle Georgia CEO
Step aside, Mr. Smith. Elizabeth Kringer is going to Washington. Kringer, a senior Public Service major at Middle Georgia State University, is one of 30 students chosen from nearly 300 applicants who is spending spring semester in Washington, D.C., as an intern for the Democratic National Committee. From January 12 through May 6, Kringer will live in a Senate Square condo with seven other interns, including students enrolled at Yale, Dartmouth and Johns Hopkins. Among other things, she will prepare briefings for the chief executive officer’s department and work on projects related to voter rights and protection.
www.middlegeorgiaceo.com
Tom Joyner Foundation Chooses Fort Valley State University as “School of the Month” for November 2016
http://middlegeorgiaceo.com/news/2016/01/tom-joyner-foundation-chooses-fort-valley-state-university-school-month-november-2016/
Staff Report From Middle Georgia CEO
Fort Valley State University has been chosen as one of two Tom Joyner Foundation ‘Schools of the Month’ for November 2016 Throughout the month of November 2016, the organization will promote raising funds for the university and highlight its programs and students. FVSU will share the honor with Albany State University. Tom Joyner, a nationally syndicated radio personality, formed the foundation in an ongoing effort to support historically black colleges and universities. The “Schools of the Month” drive assists chosen institutions in broadening and strengthening their efforts to raise money to help students attending HBCUs. As one of the “Schools of the Month,” Fort Valley State University will be promoted by the Tom Joyner Morning Show and receive funds raised from listeners, alumni and other interested parties in November for student scholarships. The show airs in more than 100 markets around the country and reaches nearly eight million listeners every week.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Shuttle Gus gets new rides
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_b0fc54e7-d473-5131-87de-d8cec1de7ebf.html
By Bailey Adcock The George-Anne staff
Georgia Southern’s Shuttle Gus program has received approval from the university’s activity budget committee to purchase new vehicles. Still awaiting state approval, adding new cars would allow more students to take advantage of the program. Shuttle Gus was originally started because of the need to prevent Southern students from driving under the influence. However, Shuttle Gus is available for any students that needs transpiration regardless of the situation. …Purchasing cars for the program instead of renting them will be more economical not only for the organization, but also for the students at Georgia Southern University because Shuttle Gus is financed by student fees.
www.onlineathens.com
UGA won’t ban hoverboards, at least for now
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-01-11/uga-wont-ban-hoverboards-least-now
By LEE SHEARER
The University of Georgia won’t ban so-called hoverboards in its dormitories, at least not for the time being. At least 20 campuses have outlawed the little battery-powered scooters in dorms or even from the entire campus, citing safety concerns following reports of fires caused by overheated batteries. …UGA officials haven’t reported any problems with hoverboards, but they’re keeping a close eye after reading reports of problems elsewhere with the self-balancing vehicles, said UGA spokesman Bob Taylor.
www.thebrunswicknews.com
Sand resource study coming to area
http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/sand-resource-study-coming-to-area/article_190f925d-7861-5d58-b29c-cc3260c8b688.html?_dc=818983516655.8623
by Sarah Lundgren
If an epic storm devastated the beaches of the Golden Isles, a ready-to-go plan that identified replacement material could hasten the restoration of the sandy shoreline. With the help of the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, the area will soon have that. Scientist Clark Alexander and his crew will be spending a lot of time the next two years researching the ocean sands of Sea Island, St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island, some of the only barrier islands along the East Coast that haven’t been studied extensively. The area hasn’t been looked at since the 1930s, he said.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Debate Over Debt Relief Begins
Education Department starts negotiations over a new federal debt relief process — and weighs new possible sanctions for risky colleges.
Debate Over Debt Relief Begins
By Michael Stratford
Less than a year ago, Ann Bowers was among the first of 15 student activists refusing to repay the federal loans they used to attend a faltering for-profit college chain. Starting Tuesday, she will be at the negotiating table as a U.S. Department of Education committee tries to hammer out new rules governing debt relief for federal borrowers that will likely have implications well beyond the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges. Bowers, along with department officials, consumer advocates, state officials and representatives of various types of colleges will begin the first of three rounds of negotiations over setting a new standard for when the Education Department will cancel federal student loans as a result of a college’s misconduct.
www.insidehighered.com
Supreme Court Rejects Student Loan Bankruptcy Case
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/12/supreme-court-rejects-student-loan-bankruptcy-case?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=cf4c931911-DNU20160112&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-cf4c931911-197515277
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case on whether people declaring bankruptcy should have an easier time erasing student loan debt in the process, The Wall Street Journal reported. …Generally, federal courts have made it difficult to do so, although a few courts have been more lenient.
www.insidehighered.com
Poverty and Merit
The most selective colleges are failing to enroll more low-income students, so the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is calling for a “poverty preference” in college admissions.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/12/high-achieving-low-income-students-remain-rare-most-selective-colleges?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=cf4c931911-DNU20160112&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-cf4c931911-197515277
By Paul Fain
The nation’s name-brand colleges have made virtually no progress in admitting more low-income students over the last decade, according to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which is calling for a “poverty preference” in college admissions. In 2013 Pell Grant recipients accounted for 17 percent of first-time, full-time students at the 193 institutions with the most competitive admissions, according to the foundation, which crunched federal data for a newly released report. That was up one percentage point from 16 percent in 2000. In contrast, colleges described as having competitive admissions increased their Pell Grant recipient percentage to 42 percent from 35 percent over that same period.
www.diverseeducation.com
H.E.L.F. Serves to Enhance HBCU Leadership
http://diverseeducation.com/article/80071/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=dc5fbe5129ff4b37a606cd601642751c&elqCampaignId=771&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=6844d65c5f21432891db183c3a43ee94
by Autumn A. Arnett
Eight years ago, Dr. Herman J. Felton Jr. had a desire to mix with like-minded HBCU administrators in a safe space to share ideas about the future of the institutions. Six years later, following a conversation with Dillard University President Dr. Walter Kimbrough, he and Dr. Melva Turner-Williams began to form a group to not only share ideas about the future of the institutions but also to get involved in their preservation and future vitality. “It is frustrating to feel as if your voice is suppressed by folks who do not know how great these institutions are. You read so much negative research/press in regards to the state of HBCUs, but yet, you know too about the magnificent work that takes place on the HBCU campuses across the nation,” Williams said. “You know first-hand how many students are supported and uplifted by our schools and how many excellent faculty and staff work hard to see students succeed. When you know this information, you know that the story that is being presented is vastly different from what you see on a daily basis.” …After a conversation between the three, Felton and French said they found their visions for nurturing leaders a “natural” and “perfect” fit, and, thus, in March 2015, the Higher Education Leadership Foundation was born.
Legislative News:
www.onlineathens.com
Georgia legislators begin lobbying each other
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-01-11/georgia-legislators-begin-lobbying-each-other
By WALTER C. JONESMORRIS NEWS SERVICE
ATLANTA | The first day of the 2016 legislative session Monday featured a pageant queen, professional entertainers, a tribute to victims of a deadly vehicle crash and the first phase of discussions about major proposals to be addressed during the 40-day session. A casual observer might have thought all that happened was the General Assembly was in session for a couple of hours to hear from preachers, some honorees and to pass a resolution setting the days off for the next three weeks. (They’ll take off next Monday and the following two Fridays.) They recessed for the day to attend a memorial service for five Georgia Southern University nursing students who perished last spring on Interstate-16. While Miss America, Betty Cantrell of Warner Robins, did serenade the House of Representatives with “Georgia on my Mind,” and the Senate honored performers with Collective Soul and the Zac Brown Band, real legislative work was also taking place in all the informal conversations around the Capitol. Usually before votes are taken, legislators do a lot of talking with their colleagues.