University System News:
www.neighornewspapers.com
Becker: Georgia State used new-school approach to raise bar
http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/view/full_story/27101597/article-Becker–Georgia-State-used-new-school-approach-to-raise-bar
by Everett Catts
Georgia State University’s recent recognition for its rapid rise in the national rankings for colleges can be attributed to a new-school approach to tracking students’ progress. “The goal of trying to keep students in school and to graduate has always been around, but the programs to do that have not always worked,” President Mark Becker, Ph.D., said. “So we started over. We use data a lot. We’re using the same playbook you may be using. We use analytics to keep track of every single student every single night. “Our system checks over 400 variables for every student. If something goes off, there’s an alert and the student and his or her advisor is notified. That resulted in 43,000 student-advisor visits [in one year]. Before that we may not have had 4,000 of these visits [per year].”

www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Will guns on campus scare away high school students and their parents?
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2016/02/25/will-guns-on-campus-scare-away-high-school-students-and-their-parents/
Rick Diguette is a local writer and college instructor. In this piece, he warns that allowing guns on Georgia’s college campus may make parents think twice about putting their academically gifted high school students in dual enrollment programs.
By Rick Diguette
Recent passage of Georgia House Bill 859 makes it all the more likely that concealed carry permit holders will soon be authorized to bring loaded firearms into classrooms on all of Georgia’s public college and university campuses. Just as I do not believe putting more guns in more hands in more places will effectively address the problem of gun violence, I’m equally concerned that this legislation may have a chilling effect on Georgia’s extremely popular Move On When Ready (MOWR) dual enrollment program. MOWR allows public and private high school students to enroll in classes at some of the state’s public postsecondary institutions. The college credits they earn serve the dual purpose of fulfilling high school graduation requirements. And as a result of changes made to the program during last year’s legislative session, tuition and almost all fees and textbook costs are now paid for in full by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Students participating in the program during their junior and senior years can graduate from high school with the equivalent of the first two years of college completed. Although most MOWR students don’t take that many classes, it’s still an option. But if House Bill 859 makes it through the Senate and is signed into law by the governor, I fear we may see a steep decline in program participation.

www.valdostadailytimes.com
Campus carry bad idea for Ga.
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/opinion/editorials/campus-carry-bad-idea-for-ga/article_e9bf52c7-5efa-56b7-8e86-a90d4e47d7c7.html
We encourage our legislative delegation to oppose campus handgun carry legislation. We strongly defend Second Amendment rights, but we are not convinced allowing handguns on college campuses is the right thing to do. We agree with the state’s university system, Georgia already has some of the most permissive gun carry laws in the U.S. and there is no need to revise the law again. We are not calling for any changes. We are saying lawmakers should leave the law alone. Leave it like it is. When the Georgia General Assembly passed the so-called carry everywhere law in 2014, it excluded schools and universities. That was the right, and safe, thing to do then and it is the right and safe thing now.

www.news.wabe.org
Officials: Georgia Public College Remediation Rates Are Down
http://news.wabe.org/post/officials-georgia-public-college-remediation-rates-are-down
By MARTHA DALTON
Students at Georgia’s public colleges and universities are better-prepared than they were a few years ago. But there’s still work to do, state education officials said during a Senate Higher Education Committee meeting Wednesday. The Georgia Department of Education said over a three year period, the rate of college students taking remedial math classes has dropped by about 7 percent. It’s fallen about six percent for English/Language Arts. “We’ve seen decreases over time and this is at the same time that the standards themselves have gotten more challenging,” Dooley said. Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Caitlin Dooley said high school remediation rates for 11th and 12th graders have dropped too. …Georgia Schools Superintendent Richard Woods said some students may not need remediation in high school, but could struggle in college. “When it comes to remediation, if you’re at Valdosta State versus the University of Georgia … is it an apples-to-apples comparison?” Woods said.

www.bizjournals.com
How Georgia Tech keeps its secrets
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2016/02/26/how-georgia-tech-keeps-its-secrets.html
David Allison
Editor, Atlanta Business Chronicle
At the Jan. 6 meeting of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, amid discussion of school consolidation, new degrees and faculty appointments, one item may have gone largely unnoticed by attendees. And that’s exactly how the University System of Georgia wants it. That afternoon, the Board of Regents authorized Georgia Tech to have some of its employees obtain U.S. government security clearances so they can perform classified government research. A note on the Board of Regents’ agenda for the meeting noted that Georgia Tech “requires 2016 approval to align with a new federal inspection cycle.”

USG Institutions:
www.news.wabe.org
Commentary: Former Atlantan Wins Prize For Military Women Aid
http://news.wabe.org/post/commentary-former-atlantan-wins-prize-military-women-aid
By MARIA SAPORTA
Social justice advocate Nancy Parrish received Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage on Feb. 18. It’s one of the most prestigious awards given in Atlanta, named in honor of late Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. He gained national respect in the 1960s for supporting integration in the South. Allen stood up for justice, despite receiving threats from strangers and harsh criticism from friends and neighbors. Nancy Parrish, formerly from Atlanta, knows what it’s like to be threatened. Parrish founded “Protect Our Defenders” for military women who have been sexually harassed and assaulted. But many of those women have not gotten justice.

www.noodls.com
UGA math, engineering faculty honored with Presidential Early Career Awards
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/32307089/the-university-of-georgia/uga-math-engineering-faculty-honored-with-presidential-earl
distributed by noodls
Athens, Ga. – Two University of Georgia professors are among 105 professors announced as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, or PECASE, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professors in the early stages of their research careers. Established in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education or community outreach. The recipients receive the awards in person each spring at the White House.

www.gpb.org
Drone Legislation Takes Flight In Georgia General Assembly
http://www.gpb.org/news/2016/02/25/drone-legislation-takes-flight-georgia-general-assembly
By Shelby Lin Erdman
There are more unmanned aerial vehicles or aircraft, more commonly known as drones, in the U.S. now than ever before, including millions of drones many Americans own for recreation and personal use. Georgia lawmakers are working on legislation to not only regulate their use, but also to explore and develop the economic potential of drones. The Senate Science and Technology Committee unanimously voted this week to move forward a bill by Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta ) that would create the Georgia Unmanned Aircraft Systems Commission. It’s expected to come up for a vote on the Senate floor before the end of the week… He said research facilities like Georgia Tech are doing some “tremendous work.” “You couple that with all the security and privacy issues. You don’t want someone flying a drone into your backyard and looking into your window.”

www.foxnews.com
Here’s why you think your phone is buzzing when it’s not
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/02/24/here-why-think-your-phone-is-buzzing-when-it-not.html
By John Johnson
You’d have sworn your phone was buzzing, but when you check there’s no text, no call, no email, nothing. What gives with the phantom vibration? Maybe you wanted, or even needed, the phone to buzz. Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that people with attachment anxiety—those insecure about friendships and other relationships—are much more likely to feel such phantom buzzes than those who’d prefer to be left alone, reports Michigan Daily… he work builds on a study out of Georgia Tech estimating that 90% of us have experienced the issue to some extent, mistaking “tiny muscle spasms” for an incoming text, reports the Telegraph.

www.valdostatoday.com
Newsdesk
Federal law will prohibit on-campus protests of Trump rally at VSU
http://valdostatoday.com/2016/02/federal-law-will-prohibit-on-campus-protests-of-trump-rally-at-vsu/
VALDOSTA — Activists wanting to stage protests at Valdosta State University when presidential candidate Donald Trump comes to town Monday may be out of luck. Donald J. Trump for President Inc. campaign officials have rented Valdosta State University’s P.E. Complex at 401 Baytree Road at 6 p.m. The Trump rally is not a university-sponsored function. The Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011 restricts access to areas cordoned off by the Secret Service, which will include the VSU P.E. Complex, campus and travel routes during the Trump event.

Higher Education News:
www.ledger-enquirer.com
HOPE bill is good news, as far as it goes
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/article62491842.html
A bill to increase the minimum amount available to high school seniors who qualify for the HOPE scholarship passed the Georgia Senate on Wednesday with almost no opposition. Given the importance of education, and the hits HOPE took during the years of struggling economy, there’s no obvious downside to that. There are, however, some very obvious and very important questions that need to be asked and answered in the House before this bill becomes law. Sponsored by Sen. Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton, the bill would set a $2,000 per semester minimum for HOPE-qualified students, with a per-credit-hour minimum of $134. (A student must be enrolled in at least five credit hours of classes to qualify for HOPE.) “This should be something all Georgians support,” Bethel told reporters. Well yes. But the devil, as they say, is in the details, which at this point aren’t exactly on prominent display. And after 20-plus years of HOPE, we know some of the details that have needed dealing with. Economic fluctuation is a big one.

www.chronicle.com
The Case Against Mandating Math for Students
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Case-Against-Mandating/235500?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=a4b96d0e40f0464c8d5620ecf27f8b13&elq=85115663f3ba40409f32ec6c0b9ba962&elqaid=8052&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2549
By Dan Berrett
Do all students truly need to learn algebra? Andrew Hacker asked that question in a widely read op-ed essay in The New York Times a few years ago and landed on a resounding “no.” His argument struck a nerve. Algebra has, somewhat controversially, become a vital gatekeeping course, with more and more students taking it at increasingly young ages. But the courses, he argued, are generally poorly taught. They’re also the chief academic reason that students drop out of high school and college. Mr. Hacker charts the far-reaching impact of math requirements and suggests alternative ways to teach the subject in a new book, The Math Myth and Other STEM Delusions (The New Press), due out next week. Mr. Hacker, a professor emeritus of political science at Queens College of the City University of New York, draws a careful distinction between mathematics and arithmetic.

www.insidehighered.com
Smooth Ride for Would-Be Secretary
In a confirmation hearing, the Senate education committee seemed confident that John B. King Jr. would be approved as education secretary.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/26/senate-education-panel-seems-poised-confirm-obama-education-secretary-nominee?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=8ef91c166e-DNU20160226&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-8ef91c166e-197515277
By Ellen Wexler
When former Education Secretary Arne Duncan stepped down at the end of last year, President Obama indicated that John B. King Jr. would serve as acting secretary only. But on Thursday, King sat before the Senate education committee for his confirmation hearing, and the senators seemed optimistic about his prospects. …King told the Senate that he’s hopeful about the future of U.S. education — graduation rates are at a new high, and millions more have access to higher education than when Obama first took office — and said he’s committed to supporting the country’s students. …Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, asked King about sexual assault on college campuses and what the department’s Office for Civil Rights is doing to help colleges comply with Title IX. …King called sexual-assault prevention a “top priority,” and said the department will continue to help colleges understand what they can do to comply with the law. …But in regard to student loans, King also said that he hopes to see “a shift in focus toward completion.” It’s the students who don’t graduate, he said, who can have the most trouble paying off loans.

www.diveerseeducation.com
Texas Dean Leaving School Because of Campus Carry Law
http://diverseeducation.com/article/81716/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elqTrackId=2faffa49491242918d98c02859bbc4cc&elq=83a070d176fb402ba5c648b003ad7c24&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=771
by Jim Vertuno, Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas ― A prominent dean at the University of Texas said Thursday he is leaving the state for another job in large part because of the new Texas law that will allow concealed handguns in public college classrooms. Fritz Steiner, dean of the Texas School of Architecture, was named dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. Steiner, who had previously taught at Pennsylvania, has been at Texas since 2001 and said he would not have considered leaving if not for the new law that takes effect Aug. 1. “I thought I would be responsible for enforcing a law I don’t believe in,” Steiner said. Texas lawmakers in 2015 voted to force public colleges to allow concealed handgun license holders to bring their weapons into college buildings and classrooms over vigorous objections from higher education officials, faculty and students across the state. …University of Texas President Greg Fenves last week reluctantly approved rules for where guns will be allowed on his campus. Fenves doesn’t support guns on campus but said he had no choice but to enforce the law. His office declined comment Thursday. Fenves has said allowing guns on campus will make it harder to recruit and retain top faculty and students. Steiner’s departure would be the most immediate high-profile result of that prediction.

www.insidehighered.com
Missouri Board Votes to Fire Melissa Click
Dismissal is linked to two incidents — both videotaped — in which the professor was involved in protests. Faculty leaders say that board violated due process and university procedures.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/25/u-missouri-board-votes-fire-melissa-click-assistant-professor?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=8ef91c166e-DNU20160226&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-8ef91c166e-197515277
By Colleen Flaherty
In a controversial and unusual move announced Thursday, the University of Missouri Board of Curators voted in closed session this week to fire Melissa Click. The assistant professor of communication at the university system’s flagship campus at Columbia was suspended with pay in January due to her behavior during student protests this fall — including asking for “muscle” to remove a student journalist from a protest in a public area. While Click’s actions proved divisive even among faculty members, her colleagues were quick to criticize the board Thursday for circumventing normal, faculty-driven channels of review. The board, meanwhile, said it was forced to act after criminal charges were brought against Click by a local prosecutor. “The board believes that Dr. Click’s conduct was not compatible with university policies and did not meet expectations for a university faculty member,” said Pam Henrickson, chair of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, at a press briefing Thursday afternoon. “The circumstances surrounding Dr. Click’s behavior, both at a protest in October when she tried to interfere with police officers who were carrying out their duties, and at a rally in November, when she interfered with members of the media and students who were exercising their rights in a public space and called for intimidation against one of our students, we believe demands serious action.”

www.chronicle.com
‘She Doesn’t Deserve It’: Student Activists and Faculty Members Object to Click’s Firing
http://chronicle.com/article/She-Doesn-t-Deserve/235501?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=e0beebc0213c4e0dafb83b401ba25eb4&elq=85115663f3ba40409f32ec6c0b9ba962&elqaid=8052&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2549
By Katherine Mangan
The University of Missouri’s decision to fire Melissa A. Click triggered strong objections from her faculty colleagues as well as students who had protested racism on the Columbia campus last fall, when she was caught on video in angry confrontations with a student journalist and a police officer. Some called the decision overdue and said Ms. Click’s actions had sullied the university’s reputation. Others, including the student group Ms. Click was defending when the viral video was shot, accused the university’s Board of Curators of overstepping its authority and making her a scapegoat. Members of Concerned Student 1950 accused the board of caving in to pressure from state lawmakers who had threatened to slash the flagship campus’s budget by the exact sum of the salaries of Ms. Click, an assistant professor of communication, the chair of her department, and the dean of the College of Arts and Science. The board, which voted 4 to 2 to fire Ms. Click, has denied it was influenced by that threat.

www.chronicle.com
HBCUs: an Unheralded Role in STEM Majors and a Model for Other Colleges
http://chronicle.com/article/HBCUs-an-Unheralded-Role-in/235481?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=904168b630c34051b90a3ac180173a4b&elq=85115663f3ba40409f32ec6c0b9ba962&elqaid=8052&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2549
By Ken Leichter
This month Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce released a study showing that African-American students are underrepresented in the college majors that tend to lead to higher-income occupations and overrepresented in majors that tend to lead to lower salaries. The study received widespread attention, garnering write-ups in numerous national media outlets. Overlooked in this discussion is that the numbers would be even more lopsided were it not for the vital work done by historically black colleges and universities in educating African-Americans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the STEM fields, and other majors that can propel students to higher-paying careers. With questions swirling about the sustainability of HBCUs, the study highlights the continuing relevance of black colleges’ educational purpose.