University System News:
www.georgiastatesignal.com
No tuition hikes next year
By: Sean Keenan | News Editor
The Signal
If you’ve just been paying a mere $3,423.34 in tuition for 12 course hours each semester, you’re in luck. You’ll be offered the same rate next year. After years of bumping up public college costs, the University System of Georgia’s (USG) Board of Regents (BOR) has opted against increasing the price of tuition next year. The board claims it’s been hearing complaints and worries from “students, parents and legislators regarding year-over-year tuition increases,” according to a USG press release. BOR Chairman Kessel Stelling said the decision was made in the interest of keeping college as affordable as possible, according to the release.
www.myajc.com
Senate passes bill setting HOPE minimum for tech, access colleges
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/house-passes-bill-setting-hope-minimum-for-tech-ac/nqXZy/
By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would set a minimum amount for the HOPE scholarship award for recipients at the state’s technical colleges and most access institutions, colleges with broad admissions criteria, in the University System. Under Senate Bill 312, sponsored by Sen. Charlie Bethel, HOPE recipients would receive a minimum $2,000 scholarship award each semester (or $134 per credit hour), an amount likely to cover tuition at eligible institutions. Bethel’s bill is one of a few HOPE bills passed by one chamber this year. The House passed a bill by Speaker Pro tem Jan Jones, R-Milton, that would boost the grade point averages for students taking tougher science and math courses. HOPE scholars must maintain a 3.0 GPA to keep the award. Monday is the deadline for passage by at least one chamber of the Legislature to keep bills alive this year. …The HOPE minimum would apply to eligible students at all 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.
See also:
Senate approves bill to boost minimum HOPE scholarship
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/2/372710/senate-approves-bill-to-boost-minimum-hope-scholarship
www.savannahnow.com
Blinn Combs: Guns don’t belong on Georgia’s college campuses
http://savannahnow.com/column/2016-02-24/blinn-combs-guns-dont-belong-georgias-college-campuses?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=SMN%20Morning%20Headlines
By BLINN COMBS
Regarding House Bill 859, the campus concealed carry bill likely to soon pass out of the Georgia House of Representatives, The next time you’re in a public place, try a thought experiment: Imagine you have the ability to give any person there the power to instantly kill anyone he sees, merely by snapping his fingers. As you survey the strangers around you, ask yourself: To whom would I give this power? Now imagine you’re on a college campus. Which of your imagined newly minted adults should hold such power? This might seem extraordinary, yet it mirrors the decision faced by our legislature. In attempting to open our public colleges to concealed weapons, our legislators seek to enable any permit holder to carry concealed lethal weapons onto our campuses. Georgia issues permits to people without training of any kind, requiring only paying a fee and passing a minimal background check. Thanks to a recently passed law, officers aren’t even entitled to police these restrictions. Take the experiment a step further, and imagine yourself a first responder to a live fire situation. How do you distinguish the good guy with a gun from his criminal counterpart? Which armed student do you shoot?
www.thebrunswicknews.com
Regents, legislators should have a conversation
http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/opinion/daily_editorial/regents-legislators-should-have-a-conversation/article_a22a3abd-0521-5230-aee7-41cd54957e7c.html?_dc=140866681700.57236
Members of the Georgia House of Representatives want students and others to be able to be lawfully armed when on college and university campuses in this state. However, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, whose job is to make sure the state’s colleges and universities are providing the best education possible, is opposed to giving students this option.The legislation, introduced by Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, of course, covers only those who are already licensed to carry a concealed weapon. It also prevents students from being armed in athletic facilities and places like fraternity and sorority houses. Rep. Jasperse hopes it will send a message to the criminals who prey upon college students that there could be consequences for them. No one questions the right of legislators, voices of the people, to propose and pass laws. But how about sitting down with the Board of Regents and trying to work out a bill that might — and that’s a big might — satisfy all parties? A gun-carrying measure with input from the regents would no doubt be more palatable than one without it.
www.thebrunswicknews.com
CCGA supports USG in law for carrying guns on campus
http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/ccga-supports-usg-in-law-for-carrying-guns-on-campus/article_c2a7af48-6882-5f50-8b78-2bf22cb4aafe.html
By ANNA HALL The Brunswick News
Students at College of Coastal Georgia say they see both sides of the debate over allowing students to carry guns on college and university campuses in Georgia. Neco Trimmings is familiar with the hazards guns on school campuses can pose on students, faculty and staff. His own brother was a student at Kennesaw State University several years ago when a shooting occurred. It was an event that still rattles the junior at College of Coastal Georgia. On the flip side, Trimmings understands the advantages packing heat can carry on campus. Guns can be used for personal safety and security, he said.
www.13wmaz.com
Middle Georgia State reacts to bill allowing guns on campus
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/2016/02/24/middle-georgia-state-reacts-bill-allowing-guns-campus/80889992/
Georgia House bill 859 now sits with the state Senate for review, after clearing the House of Representatives Monday. We visited Middle Georgia State University to get opinions on the bill, and they ran the gamut. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I would feel kind of unsafe because you never know when people will be stressed or having a hard day or a bad day,” said student Anginette Cephus. “I may feel a bit safer knowing a responsible person has one,” said student Kayla Adams. “I’m a big fan. I’m a gun owner myself and I think the protection of students and the faculty here is very important. I believe, given the Second Amendment, we have a right to carry a weapon here,” said student Curt Lane.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
UNG students’ reaction to guns on campus mixed
University spokeswoman says school supports current gun ban
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/115322/
By Ron Bridgeman
The idea of carrying concealed handguns on campus was the topic of one conversation at the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus student center Wednesday. However, three students at another table had not heard about a bill that would allow concealed handguns. The Georgia House of Representatives Monday passed the “Campus Safety Act,” House Bill 859, sponsored by Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, and co-sponsored by Rep. Mandi Ballinger, R-Canton. Responsible people are the ones who will carry guns on campus, Conner Berry, a business administration major at the University of North Georgia, said Wednesday. “I’ve been around guns all my life,” said Berry, who is from Auburn. He said he “totally” agrees with the bill, which now goes to the Senate. Two other students argued against Berry’s position.
www.timeshighereducation.com
More university mergers on the cards, predicts Moody’s
Credit agency says the pace of change will quicken as governments seek cost savings
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/more-university-mergers-cards-predicts-moodys
By Jack Grove
Many more universities are set to merge or restructure in an effort to save money, a credit rating agency has predicted. In its latest analysis of higher education globally, Moody’s states that both governments and universities themselves will seek further mergers to achieve economies of scale and improve efficiency. “Merged entities can benefit from increased enrolment, size and programmatic diversity, but they simultaneously face risks as they address the structural challenges that contributed to the merger,” according to the Moody’s report, titled Global Higher Education Faces Period of Significant Transition, which was published on 24 February. “As students become more mobile and less place-bound, governments look for efficiencies and cost pressures mount, the pace of mergers and restructuring of higher education will increase globally,” it adds. …In the US, the University System of Georgia has sought to consolidate its multiple campuses, while Alabama’s community college system has consolidated seven of its 26 colleges to reduce overheads. “Public and governmental scrutiny of higher education outcomes and sustained drive for operational efficiencies will result in increased mergers, restructurings, and shared service agreements,” Moody’s says.
USG Institutions:
www.albanyceo.com
Georgia Southwestern Ranks 2nd Nationally on List of Small Schools with Most Affordable HR Degrees
http://albanyceo.com/news/2016/02/georgia-southwestern-ranks-2nd-nationally-list-small-schools-most-affordable-hr-degrees/
Staff Report From Albany CEO
Georgia Southwestern State University was ranked 2nd on the “50 Most Affordable Small Colleges for an HR Degree 2016” list assembled by humanresourcesmba.net released last week. Georgia Southwestern was the only Georgia college that made the list. .. The GSW School of Business offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Human Resource Management, Management and Marketing. Additionally, GSW’s Master of Business Administration degree program is designed to prepare business leaders for the changing world marketplace by developing critical thinking, management and leadership skills.
www.onlineathens.com
UGA president Morehead would like more 55-and-older housing in Athens
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-02-24/uga-president-morehead-would-more-55-and-older-housing-athens
By JIM THOMPSON
University of Georgia officials are watching the proliferation of student-oriented housing in downtown Athens to see how it will affect the need for any additional on-campus student housing, UGA President Jere Morehead said Wednesday, adding that his personal preference would be to see local housing development concentrated on attracting older residents to the community. …On a related topic Wednesday, Morehead said there are no plans to significantly increase undergraduate enrollment at UGA over at least the next several years. He said the university has recently been bumping up undergraduate enrollment slightly, by about 100 students a year, just to see if the school could handle that level of increase in student body numbers. Morehead said Wednesday he’d like to start increasing the school’s graduate and professional school enrollment by about that same number, but added that, five years from now, student enrollment at UGA won’t be markedly different from today’s numbers.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
McClain asks Gwinnettians to voice opposition to ‘campus carry’ bill
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/politics/political-notebook-cox-dunn-jump-into-house-district-race/article_d22da019-c27d-5ccf-9125-932d97b67c76.html
By Curt Yeomans
State Rep. Dewey McClain, D-Lawrenceville, called on Gwinnett County residents this week to contact their state senators and ask them to oppose a bill that would let students carry firearms on college campuses. The House of Representatives passed House Bill 859 by a 113-59 votes on Monday, and has been assigned to the Senate Judiacry Committee. The bill allows students over 21 to carry firearms in most places on campus, but they would be barred from bringing guns into athletics events, dorms or fraternity or sorority houses. “The average age of a University System of Georgia undergraduate is 23-years-old,” McClain said in an email. “This is a very bad bill for our most precious resource, our children and grand children. Books are needed, not guns. Please call the Georgia Legislature and tell them HB 859 is not needed.”
www.downtown.11alive.com
Four shot near Georgia State campus
http://downtown.11alive.com/news/news/1867572-four-shot-near-georgia-state-campus
Submitted by 11Alive News Staff
ATLANTA — Police are investigating a quadruple shooting near the Georgia State University campus in downtown Atlanta. Details are limited at this time but police have said that the shooting resulted from an attempted robbery. The shooting apparently happened at the J.R. Crickets bar the corner of Forsyth and Poplar streets. A woman told police her wallet had been stolen and that she was coming back when the shooting happened. The entire street near the scene has been taped off and a number of police cruisers are visible in the area as police try to piece together exactly what happened. At this point, it’s unclear who started the shooting first but one of them actually attempted to get on a Georgia State University bus after being shot. Our crews at the scene have learned that’s when a gun fell out of his pocket.
www.chronicle.com
Student sues former Augusta University officer, safety chief over shooting
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/crime-courts/2016-02-24/student-sues-former-augusta-university-officer-safety-chief-over
By Sandy Hodson
Staff Writer
A college student shot in the face by a former university police officer responding to a noise complaint has filed suit. Donte Stewart filed the federal lawsuit Monday against Wesley Martin, the man who shot him Feb. 20, 2014, and Martin’s former boss, William McBride, who was then chief of the public safety department at Augusta University. The lawsuit does not name the university or the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents, but it names Martin and McBride individually and in their capacity as public safety officers.
www.tigersroar.com
Two teens arrested after high-speed chase through SSU campus
http://www.tigersroar.com/news/article_c3eb43fc-db25-11e5-9d12-3ff9d0c90196.html
Tiger’s Roar staff
Savannah State University students were alarmed and confused after the high-speed chase that swept through campus Feb. 22. Campus public safety was unable to comment or provide any information about the situation immediately. According to Savannah-Chatham County Metropolitan Police, two Savannah teens- Collin Stubbs, 19, and Yasmeen Jones, 17- were arrested and charged after a hit-and-run with a Savannah-Chatham County Metro police vehicle.
www.sciencenewsline.com
Georgia Tech Discovers How Mobile Ads Leak Personal Data
http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2016022416270031.html
The personal information of millions of smartphone users is at risk due to in-app advertising that can leak potentially sensitive user information between ad networks and mobile app developers, according to a new study by the School of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Results will be presented Tuesday, Feb. 23 at the 2016 Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS ’16) in San Diego, Calif., by researchers Wei Meng, Ren Ding, Simon Chung, and Steven Han under the direction of Professor Wenke Lee.
Higher Education News:
www.business.blog.myajc.com
Report ranks Georgia below average on poverty, health and education
http://business.blog.myajc.com/2016/02/23/report-ranks-georgia-below-average-on-poverty-health-and-education/
By Michael E. Kanell
Georgia is not generally viewed as a wealthy state, an educated state or a healthy state, and those stereotypes got backing Tuesday from the data in a report issued Tuesday by a Washington, D.C. think tank. The state ranked below average on most of 15 “key” indicators – and was near the bottom on some, according to the “State of the States” analysis from the Center for American Progress. The center analyzed official data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia and calculated rankings on 15 measures. Of those 15 measures, Georgia ranked below average on 13.
www.chronicle.com
Students Are Spending Less on Textbooks, but That’s Not All Good
http://chronicle.com/article/Students-Are-Spending-Less-on/235340?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=29abbd9de9604c068e9b48e34991ba00&elq=c8c86de5281a4246a20a9ca9b2b9ab21&elqaid=8038&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2539
By Phil Hill
With all of the talk about the high cost of college textbooks and the buzz about free online alternatives, it is surprising how little is understood about how much students spend on required course materials. The popular wisdom is not only that textbook costs are high ($1,200 a year per student, according to one oft-cited report), but that they are rising rapidly (three times the rate of inflation in a 40-year period, say some reports). And yet it might surprise many people to discover that, on average, students are spending less and less on textbooks and other required course materials. At least according to a National Association of College Stores survey, average spending per student per year has decreased by 16 percent in the past five years, to approximately $563. Are students being crushed by ever-rising textbook prices, or is this an overblown problem where students are actually saving money compared with past years? It turns out that the answer is a mix of the two: Students are spending less and less on textbooks over time, but there are some problems with this reality.
www.insidehighered.com
Must vs. Should
Colleges say the Department of Education’s guidance on campus sexual assault is vague and inconsistent.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/25/colleges-frustrated-lack-clarification-title-ix-guidance?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=4ee1b0e4b3-DNU20160225&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-4ee1b0e4b3-197515277
By Jake New
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter that urged institutions to better investigate and adjudicate cases of campus sexual assault. The letter clarified how the department interprets Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and for the past five years it has been the guiding document for colleges hoping to avoid a federal civil rights investigation into how they handle complaints of sexual violence. Last week, the department clarified in a letter to a Republican senator that the Dear Colleague letter acts only as guidance for colleges and does not “carry the force of law.” But many college presidents and lawyers argue that the department’s Office for Civil Rights treats the guidance as far more than a series of recommendations. Instead, they say, OCR uses the letter to determine which colleges are in violation of Title IX and to threaten the federal funding of those that don’t follow every suggestion.
www.insidehighered.com
Faculty First on Completion
Faculty-led reforms may be the best way to improve graduation rates, according to Achieving the Dream, which is working to give adjunct faculty members a seat at the table.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/25/achieving-dream-seeks-stronger-faculty-role-college-completion-agenda?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=4ee1b0e4b3-DNU20160225&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-4ee1b0e4b3-197515277
By Paul Fain
ATLANTA — Lack of faculty buy-in often is described as a reason why college completion efforts fail to take hold at some campuses. Yet having college administrators successfully sell a foundation-backed initiative to faculty members isn’t the best way to improve graduation rates, according to Achieving the Dream, a completion-oriented group that is holding its annual meeting here this week. Faculty-led reforms work best, according to the nonprofit group. “They’re really the central players in improving our student learning outcomes,” said Karen Stout, Achieving the Dream’s relatively new president and CEO, who recently wrapped up a long stint as president of Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County Community College. “We can’t leave them out of this conversation.”
www.insidehighered.com
Overtime Woes
Obama administration’s proposed rules would extend overtime protections to millions — including many postdocs and other employees in higher ed. Would the plan provide overdue relief or be a financial disaster for colleges and universities?
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/25/what-does-department-labors-overtime-rule-mean-higher-education?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=4ee1b0e4b3-DNU20160225&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-4ee1b0e4b3-197515277
By Ellen Wexler
On her busier weeks, when she’s out in the field, Carly Ebben is sure she works more than 40 hours. But it varies. When she’s at the University of California at Berkeley, she works less. When she’s out conducting research, she works more. She isn’t sure how much more. Like most postdoctoral researchers, Ebben is a salaried employee, and she’s never had to track her hours. She isn’t paid for overtime. Had she been making less money, things would be different. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employees making under $23,660 are guaranteed overtime pay, while certain white-collar employees making more are considered exempt. Most postdocs make considerably more than $23,660, disqualifying them from mandatory overtime protections. So do most librarians, financial aid administrators, admissions officers, coaches and IT workers. But over the summer, President Obama announced a proposal that would raise the salary threshold to $50,440. If the change goes through, white-collar workers making less than $50,440 will be guaranteed overtime pay if they put in more than 40 hours a week. In higher education, the change would reclassify thousands of workers across the country. Colleges would be required to pay these professionals for any time worked over 40 hours a week — or else raise their salaries significantly to get over $50,440.
www.chronicle.com
As College-Run Bookstores Hang by a Thread, UNC Ponders Virtual Alternatives
http://chronicle.com/article/As-College-Run-Bookstores-Hang/235466?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=728ad4ac320549af9ae35cddd8111223&elq=c8c86de5281a4246a20a9ca9b2b9ab21&elqaid=8038&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2539
By Corinne Ruff
A heated battle over the future of the 100-year-old campus bookstore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill highlights what has become an existential crisis for many university-owned and -operated campus stores. The one at UNC, Bull’s Head Bookshop, has seen its sales sink in the last few years, from $1.7 million annually to $700,000. Similar declines have plagued campus bookstores across the country. In the past, revenue from Bull’s Head has supported need-based scholarships on the campus. But declining revenue has required the university to dip into other funding pools to support the scholarships, says A. Bradley Ives, associate vice chancellor for campus enterprises. Last year the university received an unsolicited offer to outsource the shop from Follett, a for-profit company that manages more than 1,200 on-campus bookstores and 1,700 online stores. With a promise to raise UNC’s bookstore revenue by millions of dollars, university officials felt a “fiduciary duty” to hear out the Follett proposal, and see what other options there were as well, says Mr. Ives.
www.diverseeducation.com
Profile of Nation’s Innovators Doesn’t Mirror Those of Gates, Zuckerberg
http://diverseeducation.com/article/81562/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elqTrackId=84c8acaece24457ea49d2ddb836c0883&elq=b6a92e9cf45f4d5ca338d84127b993c0&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=771
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
With Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg as its most emblematic figures, the narrative of the college dropout who left school to start a tech company that went on to make billions of dollars and change the world has become a popular one. But when it comes to who’s regularly innovating at the highest levels in the United States, that particular narrative is also a misleading one. Most innovators are in their late 40s, hold advanced degrees in STEM fields, attended a public university and work at large companies, not the small startups. And more than a third of U.S. innovators were born on foreign soil, and a similar amount completed their undergraduate education at a foreign college or university.
www.diverseeducation.com
Corporations Beginning to See Value of Supporting HBCUs
http://diverseeducation.com/article/81570/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elqTrackId=9b30ea8201b8471e8ba85a80aa7bd1f3&elq=b6a92e9cf45f4d5ca338d84127b993c0&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=771
by Trevonne Thompson and Myiesha Taylor
Recent headlines have shared historic announcements by many leading corporations of their new commitment to supporting greater diversity in science, technology, engineering and math. These announcements are truly remarkable because this new financial support for diversity is targeted at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their students. Corporations such as Apple and Verizon are driving this sudden interest in diversity. The leadership of these corporations is realizing that HBCUs are key resources in diversifying the STEM playing field. While these recent announcements are appreciated, there is a need to provide support for HBCUs and their mission that cannot be overstated. Over the past decade HBCUs have faced declining economic support from both the government and private donors. At the same time many students continue to turn to HBCUs for an accessible and affordable path to obtaining their higher education.
www.diverseeducation.com
Stanford Creates World’s Biggest Scholars Program
http://diverseeducation.com/article/81561/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elqTrackId=33a4a5f519c7485698e389e1b17c78f5&elq=b6a92e9cf45f4d5ca338d84127b993c0&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=771
by Associated Press
PALO ALTO, Calif. ― Nike co-founder Phil Knight is donating $400 million to Stanford University to help create the largest fully-endowed scholarship in the world with the goal of preparing a new generation of global leaders, university officials said Wednesday. With Knight’s gift and donations from alumni and Stanford’s Board of Trustees members, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program endowment already has $700 million in funding, and is expected to grow to $750 million, university officials said. The money will enable 100 students annually, nominated by their undergraduate universities, to receive funding for three years to pursue master’s or doctorate level degrees, or professional programs at Stanford.
www.wuft.org
Florida Institutions Awarded $16 Million for Cancer Research
http://www.wuft.org/news/2016/02/24/florida-institutions-awarded-16-million-for-cancer-research/
By Dakota Sproule
The Florida Department of Health awarded $16 million to organizations throughout the state to support cancer and tobacco-related disease research efforts. The University of Florida is one of them. It received $4,542,030 for six research projects. The grants are funded by the Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program and the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program. Mara Gambineri, the communications director for the Florida Department of Health, said these grants are intended to help researchers prevent, treat and cure cancer.