University System News:
www.myajc.com
Georgia governor calls for 3% raises for teachers, state workers
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgia-governor-proposes-3-percent-raises-for-tea/np4Zr/
By James Salzer – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Every year, more than 200,000 Georgia teachers and state employees eagerly wait for governors to announce their budget plans to find out whether they are getting a raise. Since the start of the Great Recession, they’ve annually been disappointed. But this year, Gov. Nathan Deal promised Wednesday, will be different. …He detailed little of his spending plan for fiscal 2017 — which begins July 1 — other than to say he would request an additional $300 million for k-12 schools. The teacher pay raises would cost districts $233 million. In addition, state employees would see 3 percent pay raises, and some workers in areas with high turnover would receive even bigger increases.
www.middlegorgiaceo.com
State of the State: ‘Ocean of Opportunity’ Lies Ahead for Georgia
http://middlegeorgiaceo.com/news/2016/01/governor-deal-ocean-opportunity-lies-ahead-georgias-ship-state/
Staff Report From Georgia CEO
Lt. Governor Cagle, Speaker Ralston, President Pro Tem Shafer, Speaker Pro Tem Jones, members of the General Assembly, constitutional officers, members of the judiciary, members of the consular corps, my fellow Georgians: Every year during this second week in January, we gather in this chamber of the people to assess the condition of our Ship of State. …As our colleges and universities examine their degree programs and focus more of their resources on those that lead to employment, we will rapidly close the skills gap in our workforce. I am pleased that Georgia Southern University, for instance, is one of the only universities in the country and the only one in the Southeast to offer a degree program for precision engineering, yet another example of a high demand area. In addition to directing more resources into post-secondary education programs that lead to employability, we have also moved our focus further down the education line. Our Move On When Ready legislation from last year, coupled with additional funding for Dual Enrollment, has greatly accelerated the pace of many students’ educational journeys. This allows high school students to attend postsecondary institutions at no cost to them or their parents. Currently, there are approximately 22,059 students participating in this program. My FY2017 budget contains over $58.3 million dollars to cover the cost of Move On When Ready, a 654 percent increase over FY2011. In order to further modernize our K-12 education system, I asked the State Board of Education and the University System of Georgia to allow certain high school computer science courses to count as core courses in high school and for purposes of college admission.
www.middlegeorigiaceo.com
FVSU to Host USG Embark Program Conference on Youth Homelessness
http://middlegeorgiaceo.com/news/2016/01/fvsu-host-usg-embark-program-conference-youth-homelessness/
Staff Report From Middle Georgia CEO
According to a recent study by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “The State of Homelessness in America 2015,” on a single night in January 2014, more than 578, 424 people were homeless, meaning they were sleeping outdoors, living in an emergency shelter or a transitional housing program. More than 45,205 of those individuals were children and youth. University System of Georgia Embark program, will host a one-day conference at Fort Valley State University at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 in the C. W. Pettigrew Farm and Community Life Center. The keynote speaker will be Mona Dixon, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America 64th Annual Youth of the Year. Dr. Jacqueline Caskey-James, director of Student Health and Counseling Services, says the one-day conference will help students overcome barriers that will help them earn their college degrees.
www.myajc.com
Three Georgia cities rank as country’s most educated, report says
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/one-countrys-most-educated-places-cobb-county/np4Xp/
By Ana Santos
Three Georgia places are where you want to be if you’re looking to surround yourself with educated people. A survey by DegreeQuery.com ranks three Georgia cities as some of the most educated places in the United States. The ranking is based on the percentage of people 25 and older holding a bachelors degree or higher. Three metro Atlanta locations made the list: Marietta ranked No. 42, while Cumming ranked No. 41 and Atlanta ranked No. 24. The area of Marietta has an estimated population of 457,919 people over age twenty-five, 43.7 percent of which holds a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the study. …Atlanta, which landed in the top 25, is home to more than thirty colleges and universities, include Georgia Tech, Georgia State University and Emory University.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Augusta area’s employment to improve, economists say
STEADY PACE FORECAST FOR AUGUSTA
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/business/2016-01-13/augusta-areas-employment-improve-economists-say
By Damon Cline
Staff Writer
The metro Augusta area should brace itself for a little economic déjà vu in 2016. Augusta University economists told business and community leaders Wednesday that they can expect metro area employment to grow by at least 1.6 percent this year – an increase that practically mirrors the 1.4 percent increase logged in 2015. “That’s about the same kind of pace we’ve been moving at,” said Simon Medcalfe, an associate professor of finance in the Hull College of Business. “(This) year will look like (last) year, but not as good as 2014.” …Though Augusta isn’t expected to grow as fast as it did during 2014 – when it led the state, percentage-wise, in workforce growth – it is expected to fare better than some other Georgia metro areas, such as Macon and Albany. …Marc Miller, Augusta University’s director of economic development, spoke about the University System of Georgia’s initiative to create “a company a day” through technology transfer and other public-private assistance. He said the Augusta metro area, with its growing high-tech sector and innovative research institutions, needs to invest more heavily in entrepreneurship through venture capital funds and angel investors.
USG Institutions:
www.accesswdun.com
UNG president gives third anniversay update
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/1/362338/ung-president-gives-third-anniversay-update
By Marc Eggers Anchor / Reporter
GAINESVILLE –Three years is sufficient time to see how well a marriage is working, even when that marriage is between two unique colleges. University of North Georgia President Dr. Bonita Jacobs says the 2013 union of Gainesville State College and North Georgia College and State University is strong. Jacobs addressed a group of civic, education and business leaders Tuesday afternoon, giving an update on the three-year-old consolidation that created UNG and now encompasses five campuses and over 17,000 students. “Things are moving much more quickly than I had envisioned,” Jacobs said. “A lot of really good things are happening.”
www.gainesvilletimes.com
University of North Georgia president says school looking at Lanier Tech facilities
Bonita Jacobs gives Gainesville stakeholders update
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/114580/
By Kristen Oliver
As the University of North Georgia experiences growth on all of its campuses, its administration is looking to expand to nearby facilities. UNG President Bonita Jacobs held an economic development and community engagement lunch Wednesday at Scott’s Downtown in Gainesville, where she addressed the growth potential on the Gainesville campus into the facilities Lanier Technical College will vacate when it moves to Ga. 365. “Unless something goes amiss along the way, we anticipate that the property will be used for expansion on the Gainesville campus,” Jacobs said. “We’re meeting with Lanier Tech leadership next week, I believe, and actually doing a walk-through. We are working very closely with (President) Ray Perren and Lanier Tech, because we both have the same interests. And that is to serve Hall County and its regions next to us.” During the lunch with numerous Gainesville stakeholders, Jacobs discussed the growth on all five UNG campuses, since the consolidation of the former Gainesville State College and North Georgia College and State University three years ago.
www.newtoncitizen.com
Sign of the times: Georgia State sign unveiled at Newton campus
http://www.newtoncitizen.com/news/local/sign-of-the-times-georgia-state-sign-unveiled-at-newton/article_8584f286-6c70-55ee-8e9f-2dc0dcb38575.html
Wade Marbaugh
COVINGTON — A new era began Wednesday at the Newton campus of the college formerly known Georgia Perimeter College — originally DeKalb College. A brand new blue and white sign stood at the campus entrance announcing that the institution now belongs to Georgia State University. Braving a brisk and chilly north wind, officials from Georgia State and the Newton campus gathered to celebrate the official consolidation of the two institutions and unveil the sign that replaces the Georgia Perimeter sign. The new signs reads, “Georgia State University/Newton Campus,” and contains the GSU flaming “G” logo. “This is a historic day for Georgia State,” said GSU President Mark Becker. “We’re excited to be here for the official dedication, if you will, and to welcome the Newton campus to Georgia State.”
www.ledger-enquirer.com
Columbus State’s top fundraiser leaving amid $100M capital campaign
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/education/article54541915.html
BY MARK RICE
Columbus State University’s top fundraiser is leaving amid its campaign to raise more than $100 million. But with the goal already two-thirds achieved, CSU officials insist the remaining team will continue the strong start. Meanwhile, CSU is expanding the administration by adding a full-time legal counsel and possibly a chief diversity and inclusion officer. …In a phone interview, CSU president Chris Markwood said Medders’ leaving is “sad for us, but we’ve very happy for him, and we hope that, down the road, we will have the opportunity to work with him again” in his new job with the search firm. Markwood said he spoke with the trustees involved in the campaign, and they agreed to “redouble their commitment to making this a reality. The campaign is bigger than a person, it’s bigger than a president, and it’s bigger than a director of university advancement.”
www.albanyherald.com
Lee Library named state’s best
Awards will be given at Tuesday’s Lee County Commission meeting
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/education/lee-library-named-state-s-best/article_21d17b42-c4b7-5e3b-8ed8-5996ced5d870.html
By Staff Reports
LEESBURG — The Lee County Library has been chosen by Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) as Georgia’s 2015 Public Library of the Year in the inaugural Georgia Public Library Awards, honoring the service and achievements of Georgia’s public libraries, librarians and library champions. “We’re so pleased to be able to recognize the work of those who help make our libraries exceptional,” said State Librarian Julie Walker. Presented to the library whose staff best exemplifies the qualities needed to positively impact the lives of residents in the communities it serves, the award will be presented by Walker at the Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting in Leesburg on Tuesday.
www.albanyherald.com
Lee County reviewing applications for county manager
Library receives award for winning top statewide honor
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/government/lee-county-reviewing-applications-for-county-manager/article_fa2f6404-64a3-5b68-bdcb-06b5139ead9b.html
By Danny Carter
LEESBURG — In their first meeting of 2016, Lee County commissioners resolved the board’s leadership matters by choosing Rick Muggridge and Dennis Roland to continue as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, this year. …The work session began before a packed meeting room, most of them there to see Lee County accept an award from State Librarian Julie Walker in recognition of Lee County’s library being named Best Library in Georgia in the first such judging conducted by the state. “You can see this library is loved and respected by this community,” said Walker. “It’s a thriving community hub.” … Muggridge commended the entire library staff for “improving the quality of life” for Lee County residents. “I want to thank the State Board of Libraries for recognizing what we already knew,” he said. “It is awesome to be Library of the Year but it’s even more awesome to be the very first library of the year.”
www.ajc.com
Tech student pays price for ‘Greatest prank ever,’ hack of UGA
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/tech-student-pays-price-for-greatest-prank-ever-ha/np4j6/
Christopher Quinn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Georgia Tech student who hacked University of Georgia computers and added “Get Ass Kicked by GT,” to the UGA master calendar two days before the annual football matchup in 2014 has done his community service and is coming clean. “Today all of the charges regarding my incident with the University of Georgia have officially been dismissed,” Ryan Gregory Pickren posted on his Facebook site Thursday. “I would like to take a moment to tell my story about how I ended up in a jail cell Christmas 2014.” Pickren, a computer engineering major, “became desensitized to the impact that a computer breach could have on organizations. But I was about to learn the hard way that not all “research” ends with cash rewards and free merchandise,” he wrote.
www.gpb.org
Microbeads Banned, But Plastic Remains A Threat To Oceans
http://www.gpb.org/news/2016/01/13/microbeads-banned-plastic-remains-threat-oceans
By Emily Jones
SAVANNAH, Ga. — You may see some changes to your face wash or toothpaste soon thanks to a new law. Late last year, President Obama signed a bill banning microbeads – those tiny beads of plastic in products like exfoliating scrubs – because they can harm marine life. Professor Jay Brandes of UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography has studied microbeads. He explained to GPB’s Emily Jones how such tiny bits of plastic can still have a major impact.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Watchdog’s New Role at Ed Dept.
The Obama administration looks to a former federal consumer protection official — and frequent critic — to help improve the federal student loan program.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/14/education-department-hires-former-top-cfpb-official-and-frequent-critic?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=1dbefffe80-DNU20160114&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-1dbefffe80-197515277
By Michael Stratford
Rohit Chopra, a former top Consumer Financial Protection Bureau official who has been critical of the Obama administration’s management of the federal student loan program, will be joining the U.S. Department of Education to work on improving borrower protections and efforts to hold colleges more accountable. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell announced Wednesday that Chopra would be focusing on an array of issues related to “enhanced protections for students, improved borrowers’ service and strong accountability for institutions.”
www.insidehighered.com
Sluggish Recovery of State Funding for Public Colleges
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/14/sluggish-recovery-state-funding-public-colleges?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=1dbefffe80-DNU20160114&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-1dbefffe80-197515277
State funding for public higher education has increased in the five years since the recession. However, those increases are not keeping pace with inflation. Just two states — Utah and Massachusetts — have had operating-fund support for public higher education that matched or surpassed the rate of inflation in each of those five years, according to a new report from the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center. Five states failed to hit the inflation rate a single time.
www.diverseeducation.com
Advocates Push to Open Doors to College for Homeless, Foster Care Youth
http://diverseeducation.com/article/80208/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=45ea8473f97d4735b3fdb69353878eac&elqCampaignId=771&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=b05d623ebb1d4a0ca3b1c0c258414adf
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
…Haynes-Gibson’s story represents just one from an estimated 415,000 children in foster care, according to the federal government, who could face similar situations when it comes time for them to apply for college or fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Some 1.3 million homeless children and youth are currently enrolled in U.S. public schools, according to the National Center for Homeless Education, and could also face difficulties in the college application process. But a new bill introduced in November could help make those processes easier if it becomes part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), say advocates for homeless and foster youth. The bill is known as the Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2015. It was introduced by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
www.insidehighered.com
Black Students Less Likely to Seek Mental Health Help
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/14/black-students-less-likely-seek-mental-health-help?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=1dbefffe80-DNU20160114&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-1dbefffe80-197515277
African-American students feel less mentally prepared for college than white students do but are also less likely to discuss those concerns or seek help for mental health issues, a new study has found. The study, based on a survey of 1,500 freshmen by Harris Poll, was released Wednesday by the Jed Foundation, an organization that works with colleges to prevent campus suicides, and the Steve Fund, a new group dedicated to studying and improving the mental health of students of color.
www.chronicle.com
With New Promise by Udacity, Money-Back Guarantees Come to Online Courses
http://chronicle.com/article/With-New-Promise-by-Udacity/234911?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=250c1344bf9f4f9b884369f8335c6b56&elqCampaignId=2226&elqaid=7535&elqat=1&elqTrackId=8bb096d5ef1c48d8b3bbed4a32431988
By Corinne Ruff
Late-night infomercials aren’t the only venue where companies try to lure consumers with money-back guarantees. Now some upstart online-education providers are making the same promise. Udacity, a Silicon Valley-backed provider of MOOCs, announced on Wednesday a new program that guarantees its graduates will land a job in their field within six months of completing the program — or their money back. But there are plenty of caveats. The promise is being offered only to students who enroll in Udacity programs that teach the most marketable skills: machine-learning engineer, Android developer, iOS developer, and senior web developer. And students must complete the courses, something a vast majority of the four million students enrolled by Udacity do not accomplish.
www.insidehighered.com
Mental Health of College Athletes
National Collegiate Athletic Association releases new guidelines on dealing with the mental health of college athletes, an issue that remains a top concern for the association’s chief medical officer.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/14/ncaa-establishes-best-practices-mental-health-college-athletes?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=1dbefffe80-DNU20160114&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-1dbefffe80-197515277
By Jake New
SAN ANTONIO — Concussions may currently be the most-talked-about safety issue in college sports, but it’s the mental health of athletes that really keeps the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s chief medical officer awake at night, he said here Wednesday. Speaking to a small crowd at the NCAA’s annual meeting, Brian Hainline, the association’s medical chief, said mental health remains a top concern for the association and its members. This week, the NCAA’s Sport Science Institute released a new set of guidelines directing institutions on how to manage the mental health issues surrounding college athletics — issues like hyperaggressive behavior off the field and increased anxiety and stress from time commitments and high expectations related to sports. “Concussions may be the elephant in the room, but mental health is really, I think, going to be a game changer for the NCAA,” he said.
www.insidehighered.com
Planned Breakup in Tennessee
Universities favor governor’s proposal to restructure public higher ed governance, but system chancellor and others say institutional interests will trump state priorities.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/14/mixed-reviews-plan-change-tennessee-higher-education-governance?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=1dbefffe80-DNU20160114&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-1dbefffe80-197515277
By Kellie Woodhouse
Alisa White, president of Austin Peay State University, is quite happy with the existing structure that governs Tennessee’s regional public universities and community colleges. John Morgan, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents system, is an advocate for her university; the 18-member Board of Regents is knowledgeable on issues of higher education; and the system itself, she says, is full of creative thinkers who have helped Tennessee push the envelope when it comes to education policy. Yet White and many of the presidents at the five other four-year universities within the system think, despite all of the board’s accomplishments, its governance structure would be improved if Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s plan to create individual governing boards for the system’s universities — allowing the board to focus solely on the 27 technical colleges and 13 community colleges in the system — goes forward.