University System News:
www.ajc.com
South Georgia State College president Carson retiring June 30
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/south-georgia-state-college-president-carson-retir/nqGxr/
Janel Davis, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Virginia Carson, president of South Georgia State College, plans to retire at the end of June, after three years leading the consolidated institution. Carson was appointed interim president of the former South Georgia College in March 2008 and named permanent president the following April. When the school consolidated with Waycross College in January 2013, she became president of the merged school in Douglas, Ga., in Coffee County. The consolidation was one of four mergers of state colleges and universities approved at that time by the state Board of Regents. During Carson’s tenure, South Georgia became a state college offering bachelor degrees. The first cohort of bachelor of science in nursing students graduated in 2014, and the first cohort of biological sciences students will graduate with bachelor’s degrees this year.
www.macon.com
Noncitizen students seeking in-state tuition lose Ga. Supreme Court appeal
http://www.macon.com/news/local/article57688563.html
BY LIZ FABIAN
The justices of the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled against noncitizen students suing the Board of Regents over in-state tuition. In Monday’s unanimous opinion, the court declared the Board of Regents is immune from the lawsuit due to its sovereign immunity as an agency of the state of Georgia. In 2010, the Board of Regents required that all students be “lawfully present” in the United States to attend any institution in the University System of Georgia. Under the policy amendment, any noncitizen wishing to receive in-state tuition had to be “legally in this state.”
www.myajc.com
Georgia Supreme Court rejects in-state tuition appeal
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/georgia-supreme-court-rejects-in-state-tuition-app/nqG9Y/
By Janel Davis and Jeremy Redmon – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s highest court on Monday unanimously rejected an appeal aimed at allowing immigrants without legal status to pay substantially lower in-state tuition rates at the state’s public colleges and universities. But the long-running legal battle is not over. Shortly after the Georgia Supreme Court’s ruling became public, the attorney for the 39 plaintiffs announced they would soon file a lawsuit against each member of the Georgia Board of Regents, hoping to force them to reverse course.
www.coosavalleynews.com
Georgia Courts Rule Against Foreign Students
http://coosavalleynews.com/2016/02/georgia-courts-rule-against-foreign-students/
Posted By: Tony Pottson
In a ruling Monday by the Supreme Court of Georgia, college students who are not U.S. citizens have lost their appeal of a Georgia Court of Appeals decision upholding the dismissal of their lawsuit by a Fulton County judge. The students were asking the high court to rule that they are entitled to cheaper in-state tuition at Georgia’s colleges and universities. In today’s unanimous opinion, however, Justice Harold Melton writes for the court that the Board of Regents, which governs the state’s university system, is immune from the students’ lawsuit under the doctrine of sovereign immunity, which is the legal doctrine that protects the state government and its agencies from being sued. “It is settled that the Board is an agency of the State to which sovereign immunity applies,” the opinion says.
www.gpb.org
Undocumented Students Will Continue To Pay Out-Of-State Tuition
http://www.gpb.org/news/2016/02/01/undocumented-students-will-continue-pay-out-of-state-tuition
By Sam Whitehead
ATLANTA — In 2014, a group of undocumented students sued Georgia’s Board of Regents to establish their legal presence under an Obama administration policy that grants them renewable work permits.
Such a ruling would have qualified the students for in-state tuition. That lawsuit was dismissed by a lower court, a decision that was upheld by the Supreme Court of Georgia on Monday. …The students said Monday that they plan to sue members of the state’s Board of Regents individually.
www.myajc.com
8 people arrested at Georgia State protest of court decision
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/crime-law/8-protesters-arrested-supreme-court-rejects-tuitio/nqHPS/
By Lauren Foreman and John Spink – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eight students were arrested at Georgia State University when they refused to leave a protest Tuesday over a Georgia Supreme Court decision rejecting lower tuition for immigrants without legal status. The protesters had occupied the first floor of Centennial Hall since Monday, students and university officials said. Georgia State spokeswoman Andrea Jones said university police asked the protesters to vacate the building Tuesday, and most of them left. “The eight arrested refused to leave,” she said in a statement. “Police said the protesters had been disruptive earlier this morning, and they were concerned about possible disruption in the building at the start of the university’s workday.”
www.onlineathens.com
Six arrested on UGA campus protesting Georgia Regents policies regarding undocumented students
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2016-02-01/six-arrested-uga-campus-protesting-georgia-regents-policies-regarding
By MOLLY GOLDERMAN
Six people were arrested Monday night by University of Georgia police after staging a sit-in at UGA’s New College to protest the Georgia Board of Regents policies regarding undocumented students. The six remained locked in the building on UGA’s North Campus until 8:30 p.m., several hours after the building was closed, and were arrested after they were asked to leave by UGA police and did not comply. They were led out two at a time while a crowd outside New College chanted “the people united will never be divided.” The protest took place on the same day the state Supreme Court ruled students who are not U.S. citizens but live in Georgia are not entitled to lower in-state tuition rates.
www.myajc.com
Bill would set HOPE award minimum for students at some Ga. colleges
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/bill-would-set-hope-award-minimum-for-students-at-/nqHB6/
By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A bill filed Monday aims to provide HOPE awards for students at some Georgia colleges, including technical colleges, that would cover the full tuition amount. Under Senate Bill 312, sponsored by State Sen. Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton, HOPE recipients would receive a minimum $2,000 HOPE scholarship award each semester (or $134 per credit hour), likely enough to equal tuition at eligible institutions. The HOPE minimum would apply to eligible students at all 22 of Georgia’s technical colleges and 14 of the 29 schools in the state’s public university system. Georgia’s larger, more popular research institutions, including Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, as well as regional universities like Kennesaw State University, would not be included under the bill.
www.portal.tds.net
Albany Area Chamber of Commerce delegation to visit Georgia Capitol
http://portal.tds.net/front_controller.php/news/read/category/Business/article/the_albany_herald-albany_area_chamber_of_commerce_delegation_to_visi-tca-2
The Albany Herald – By Brad McEwen
A group of delegates representing the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the local community in general will head to Atlanta this week to meet with leaders at the state Capitol to discuss what matters most to Albany and Dougherty County. The 16-member delegation which includes members of the chamber legislative committee, the chamber executive board, chamber sponsorship partners, various local officials, and other community allies, will spend Wednesday morning among multiple state leaders discussing key points from the chamber’s 2016 legislative agenda. …support for funding allocation for the furniture, fixtures and equipment that will be needed at Albany State University’s new Fine Arts Building, and support for funding for a plant operations and public safety facility at Darton State College. According to Cynthia George, who will be attending this year’s trip and is now in her third year as chair of the chamber’s legislative affairs committee, putting together the legislative agenda and then having the opportunity to share it with state leaders is vitally important for the community and takes a lot of collaboration among local officials, and partners. …The day begins with the delegation meeting with Gov. Nathan Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, House Speaker David Ralston, and University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby, before the group receives recognition on both the House and Senate floors, where leaders will read a proclamation declaring the day Albany Dougherty Day.
USG Institutions:
www.georgianewsday.com
81-year-old man to graduate from GSU in May
http://www.georgianewsday.com/news/atlanta/384817-81-year-old-man-to-graduate-from-gsu-in-may.html
STAFF WRITER
The May commencement ceremony at Georgia State University will be extra special this year for one graduate. Joseph Crews Jr. was born on August 31, 1934 in Amityville, New York. He’s 81-years-old and is preparing to graduate from GSU with a degree in economics. “It has been a long road for him but he has stayed the course” Crews’ daughter, Kim Crews, told us. Crews attended college after high school, but enlisted in the army after a semester or two. Crews went back to school when he was in his 60’s, but a diagnosis of prostate cancer put his aspirations on hold, according to his daughter. “After moving from Miami to Atlanta, GA to be with us a few years ago, he enrolled at GSU as part of their GSU62 program for seniors. Tuition free,” Kim Crews said.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Augusta University releases master plan showing growth, moves
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2016-02-01/au-master-plan-looks-moves-building
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
Moving a college, new buildings and a lot of renovation are all part of the Campus Master Plan for Augusta University that will transform both campuses. AU released its plan for capital projects and changes to run through 2023, a plan that could potentially cost “hundreds of millions of dollars” if fully implemented, said Chief Business Officer Tony Wagner, though no figures have yet been affixed to it. The university is planning for enrollment growth in all nine of its colleges over that time period, along with overall enrollment growth of 20 percent, from 7,172 to 8,603, and 38 percent growth in faculty, from 1,325 to 1,830. But those growth plans depend on first moving the College of Science and Mathematics from the Summerville campus to the Health Sciences campus, then renovating the main buildings on the Summerville campus to allow for growth of the three remaining colleges there, Wagner said.
www.wtvm.com
Largest Army ROTC nursing program at Georgia Southern
http://www.wtvm.com/story/31112079/largest-army-rotc-nursing-program-at-georgia-southern
By Dal Cannady
STATESBORO, GA (WTOC) – Soldiers and nurses rank among the people we respect the most. The people who wear both uniforms are worthy of even more respect. One of our local universities, Georgia Southern University, graduates more military nurses than any other school in the country. Becoming a nurse can be one of the toughest professions. Doing it while serving your country can make it even tougher. Jenny Garcia will become a nurse due to inspiration from her sister. The rest of her ambitions came earlier. “I’ve known since middle school that I wanted to serve in the military. I figured the officer route would be the best way to go,” said Garcia, GSU nursing student. She and others at Georgia Southern celebrated the 115th anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps. Colonel Patrick Ahearne, the MEDDAC Commander of Fort Stewart/Hunter, reminded the group that Georgia Southern produces more military nurses than any other school in the nation. ROTC officers for the Southeast praise the cooperation here and at Armstrong State University between the College of Nursing and ROTC.
www.onlineathens.com
New Science Learning Center will change science teaching and learning at UGA, say adminstrators
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-02-01/new-science-learning-center-will-change-science-teaching-and-learning-uga-say
By LEE SHEARER
A new building at the University of Georgia won’t just add more classrooms and labs to campus, but enable a new way of learning basic science for UGA students, university administrators hope. The dozens of labs and classrooms in the Science Learning Center are designed for “active learning,” explained UGA associate vice president Ron Cervero, who helped lead a tour of the building Friday with Gwynne Darden, assistant vice president for facilities planning at UGA.
www.13wmaz.com
Update: Middle Ga. State University’s Cochran campus, cleared by law enforcement
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/2016/02/01/middle-ga-state-students-reported-safe-after-bomb-threat/79671476/
According to Lee Greenway, Director of Communications all areas previously evacuated have been cleared by law enforcement. The school also sent out a tweet to alert students. Middle Georgia State University’s Cochran campus received a bomb threat Monday night. According to the school’s Twitter account, all students have been reported as safe and a suspect is in custody. Lee Greenway, Director of Communications at Middle Georgia State University says the university’s police along with several other agencies are still clearing the buildings, taking precaution and retracing the suspect’s steps taken throughout the day.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Higher Ed Overhaul Unlikely in 2016
Lawmakers and observers alike are skeptical that the Higher Education Act will be renewed this year.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/02/higher-education-act-overhaul-long-shot-election-year?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=fa8e5facc0-DNU20160202&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-fa8e5facc0-197515277
By Michael Stratford
Out on the presidential campaign trail, 2016 is shaping up to be a big year for higher education issues. But in the U.S. Congress, the prospect that lawmakers will take up, much less pass, a much-anticipated and already overdue overhaul of federal higher education policy this election year seems virtually nonexistent. Higher education groups, some congressional staffers, and other observers say they don’t expect to see a comprehensive rewrite of the Higher Education Act during this presidential election year. And because a new administration, regardless of party, is unlikely to quickly pursue the law’s reauthorization among its first legislative priorities, it may be a couple of years before Congress passes a new Higher Education Act, some said.
www.insidehighered.com
College of William & Mary Student Sick With Zika Virus
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/02/02/college-william-mary-student-sick-zika-virus?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=fa8e5facc0-DNU20160202&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-fa8e5facc0-197515277
The College of William & Mary announced that one of its students “apparently” contracted the Zika virus while traveling in Central America during winter break. According to the university’s announcement, the student is expected to recover fully and there is no known health risk for others on campus. The World Health Organization on Monday declared a public health emergency related to the spread of the Zika virus.