University System News:
www.accesswdun.com
Georgia governor calls for follow-up bills to campus carry
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/3/377368/georgia-governor-calls-for-follow-up-bills-to-campus-carry
By The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) Days after Georgia lawmakers approved a bill lifting a weapons ban on the state’s public college campuses, Republican Gov. Nathan Deal called Monday for the General Assembly to address opponents’ concerns. Deal’s office released a statement asking for fixes and indicated that he could refuse to sign the so-called “campus carry” without quick action from lawmakers.
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Nearly 2,000 children in campus childcare centers where guns would now be allowed
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2016/03/14/nearly-2000-children-in-campus-childcare-centers-where-guns-would-now-be-allowed/
One overlooked aspect of the college campus carry bill: There are about 1,700 young children in university sanctioned childcare centers around the state. House Bill 859, as passed by the House and Senate, would allow guns in those childcare facilities. The legislation allows anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for limited locations — inside dormitories, fraternities and sorority houses, and at athletic events. Gov. Nathan Deal appears to be heeding concerns about the safety of babies and toddlers in campus facilities.
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
Nathan Deal’s ‘campus carry’ comments roil gun debate
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/03/15/nathan-deals-campus-carry-comments-roil-gun-debate/
Aaron Gould Sheinin
Gov. Nathan Deal’s comments Monday asking for changes to a gun bill that’s already passed has left lawmakers and advocates scratching their heads and scrambling for a path forward. The governor issued a statement late Monday calling on lawmakers to make revisions to a plan to allow licensed weapons-permit holders to carry guns onto college campuses. That bill, House Bill 859, has already passed the House and Senate, meaning it cannot be changed before it reaches Deal’s desk. Of course, other vehicles exist that could be used to accomplish the governor’s goals. Other, minor, gun bills are moving in both the House and Senate. One question on lawmakers’ minds Tuesday, however, was: What is the governor asking for? And why now?
www.ledger-enquirer.com
Chuck Williams: Guns on Georgia college campuses; and this is a good idea?
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/chuck-williams/article65987967.html
BY CHUCK WILLIAMS
It is one of the most perplexing pieces of legislation I have seen in the Georgia General Assembly over the last couple of decades. And that plows a lot of ground. On Friday, the Georgia Senate passed a bill that would allow anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for inside dormitories, fraternity and sorority houses, and at athletic events. Stop and think about that. You legally can take a gun into a classroom or a one-on-one counseling session with an academic adviser. And someone thinks this is a good idea? Those who work on college campuses, including those here at Columbus State University, have lined up in opposition to this legislation. It probably won’t matter. Now that it has passed the House and the Senate, all it needs to become law is Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature. My reaction to this is framed by life experience.
USG Institutions:
www.valdostatoday.com
VSU holds early graduation for student battling cancer
http://valdostatoday.com/2016/03/vsu-holds-early-graduation-for-student-battling-cancer/
Newsdesk
VALDOSTA – Valdosta State University held an early graduation ceremony for Michael Cowger, a student battling cancer. Family and friends gathered at the Langdale College of Business Administration for the ceremony on Friday. Michael Cowger suffers from Li-Fraumeni syndrome, an inherited genetic disorder that increases the chances of cancer development. In December 2014, doctors found a large, cancerous tumor in Cowger’s chest. He underwent chemotherapy, but the tratments eventually stopped working. Cowger is undergoing experimental treatments in Houston, but his diagnosis meant he would not be able to finish his last semester at VSU. Cowger graduated cum laude with a GPA of 3.65 and with degrees in economics and finance.
www.ajc.com
Dozens of Atlanta students offered full scholarships to Georgia Tech
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/dozens-of-atlanta-students-offered-full-scholarshi/nqkwz/
Molly Bloom, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech has offered admission and full-scholarships to a student from every Atlanta high school. It’s part of a 2-year-old partnership between Atlanta Public Schools and Georgia Tech under which all Atlanta valedictorians and salutatorians receive scholarships for four years of in-state tuition and mandatory fees. And it comes as admission to Georgia Tech has become increasingly competitive.
www.news.wabe.org
Kennesaw State Offers First Asian Studies Major In Southeast
http://news.wabe.org/post/kennesaw-state-offers-first-asian-studies-major-southeast
By TASNIM SHAMMA
Starting this fall, students at Kennesaw State University will be able to major in Asian Studies, as part of the first Asian Studies bachelor’s degree program in the University System of Georgia. Communication and Asian Studies Professor Dr. May Gao is coordinator of the new program. She led the campaign to have an Asian Studies major in the summer of 2012. “We realized that the knowledge of Asia is critical for our students to be competitive in the global marketplace,” Gao said. “This new degree will open a lot of new doors for students.”
www.americustimesrecorder.com
GSW growing in enrollment, programs
AMERICUS — For Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW), 2015 was a year of transition, enrollment growth, and new opportunity. The year began with Charles Patterson, Ph.D., being named Georgia Southwestern’s interim president, following the successful, eight-year tenure of Kendall Blanchard, Ph.D. With Blanchard at the helm, student numbers increased, major construction projects were initiated and completed, and academic programs flourished on campus and abroad.
Patterson came to Georgia Southwestern from Georgia Southern University where he was vice president for research and economic development and dean of the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies. He also served as chair of the Georgia Southern University Research and Service Foundation. Upon his arrival, Patterson continued moving Georgia Southwestern forward into its 110th year.
www.ajc.com
Georgia Tech students compete in Shark Tank-style invention contest
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/georgia-tech-students-compete-in-shark-tank-style-/nqktG/
Janel Davis, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A group of Georgia Tech students is preparing for its own type of March Madness, as they approach the finals of the largest student invention competition this week. The InVenture Prize competition, described as Tech’s Shark Tank, is in its eighth year highlighting some of the top student talent at the school. Hundreds of undergraduate and recent graduate students begin the competition that is eventually whittled to six teams with inventions that are judged by an expert panel. Top prize is $20,000 and a free U.S. patent filing valued at $20,000 for the first- and second-place winners.
www.savannahnow.com
Savannah State University seeks to build over abandoned cemetery
http://savannahnow.com/news/2016-03-14/ssu-seeks-build-over-abandoned-cemetery?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=SMN%20Morning%20Headlines
By Jenel Few
There are grave concerns about the construction of Savannah State University’s new Science and Technology Center, literally. Last year when ground radar crews surveyed the parking lot between Kennedy and Drew-Griffith halls where the new science building is to be erected, they discovered three anomalies they believe to be graves containing the remains of three to five people. “The site is basically the parking lot area between Kennedy and Drew-Griffith,” said university spokeswoman Loretta Heyward. “…We were not aware of the possible cemetery until this process began.” …But officials want to move forward with plans to build the two-story, 30,000-square-foot science and technology center, which will house Savannah State’s engineering technology programs and chemistry laboratories. Last year the university received $20.5 million to build that facility as well as a marine sciences lab on Livingston Avenue. University System officials petitioned Chatham County Superior Court for a permit to relocate the graves two weeks ago. The petition says, if permitted, experienced archaeologists would relocate the graves on the north side of University Road in a grassy area that is part of the original cemetery.
www.onlineathens.com
UGA to train undergraduate researchers on obesity interventions
http://onlineathens.com/health/2016-03-14/uga-train-undergraduate-researchers-obesity-interventions
By CAL POWELLUNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
The University of Georgia has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to train undergraduate researchers to design childhood obesity interventions while working as counselors at 4-H camps.
The three-year Youth Obesity Undergraduate Research and Extension — Y.O.U.R.E. — fellowship, which is aligned with the UGA Obesity Initiative, includes an interdisciplinary team of 10 faculty mentors who will provide training and guidance to the 10 fellows chosen for the program.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
U.S. Senate Confirms John King as Education Secretary
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/03/15/us-senate-confirms-john-king-education-secretary?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=d6fcbeddde-DNU20160315&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-d6fcbeddde-197515277
The U.S. Senate has confirmed John B. King Jr. as the nation’s 10th secretary of education. Lawmakers on Monday voted 49 to 40 to approve King’s nomination. The Senate education committee signed off last week. King has been serving as acting education secretary since Arne Duncan stepped down at the end of December. After initially indicating that it was satisfied with keeping King on in an acting capacity, the White House reversed course last month and submitted his nomination to the Senate.
www.chronicle.com
Study Finds Growing Debt-Related Stress Among Law Students
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/study-finds-growing-debt-related-stress-among-law-students/109440?elqTrackId=337b2fb8d8764d98b743926bc3d6a136&elq=6023676e828e468e8baa2fdf528477c6&elqaid=8252&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2659
by Courtney Kueppers
A rising level of debt among law students has led to increased stress and anxiety among them, says a report released on Monday. The Law School Survey of Student Engagement, conducted by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, examined debt levels among law students from 2006 to 2015. Increasing numbers of students expected to have high debt from law school, it found. Students reported higher stress as well.
www.chronicle.com
Tech May Streamline College Administrations, Not Just Classrooms
http://chronicle.com/article/Tech-May-Streamline-College/235698?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=3e98999b7c064298af1189445c03725e&elq=6023676e828e468e8baa2fdf528477c6&elqaid=8252&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2659
By Jeffrey R. Young
Michael Staton is one of those ed-tech entrepreneurs trying to shake up higher education. He’s a millennial, steeped in technology, and he believes that when it comes to fixing big problems — especially in education — colleges need businesses to help. When I talk to professors, though, I often hear skepticism of people like Michael Staton. There’s a general worry about the profit motive, of course, but the bigger feeling is, “Who are these outsiders, and what gives them the nerve?” As Mr. Staton sees it, he’s simply doing what he was taught by those same professors. He went to Clark University, a Massachusetts institution whose marketing slogan is “Challenge convention. Change our world.” It’s the kind of sentiment sold at many colleges these days. …I talked recently with Mr. Staton about what he thinks college folks should understand about the minds of entrepreneurs, and his predictions about where education is heading. The interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
www.chronicle.com
Should Campus Leaders Ever Disinvite a Controversial Speaker?
http://chronicle.com/article/Should-Campus-Leaders-Ever/235699?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=a1f31eaf18ed417c8ff0f8534dd244ed&elq=6023676e828e468e8baa2fdf528477c6&elqaid=8252&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2659
By Courtney Kueppers
About one year, almost to the day, after Christina H. Paxson was inaugurated as the 19th president of Brown University, the institution became the latest site in a string of battles on campuses nationwide that boiled down to two questions: Should a college disinvite a controversial speaker, and if so, when? …But campus climates have changed. Colleges nowadays are seeing increased student activism, while also being pressured to respect the importance of free speech in higher education. At the intersection of those forces is the controversial speaker.
www.diverseeducation.com
Delaware State Cutting 23 Degree-granting Programs
http://diverseeducation.com/article/82356/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elqTrackId=7fd3e48dccc44be3a0f7afa7091c01d4&elq=0f841d3c08814cb8beb7f0ddc53c2123&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=771
by Reginald Stuart
Delaware State University, the sole historically Black public college in Delaware, is “deactivating” 23 degree granting programs it identified as low enrollment, the university confirmed Monday. The decision to eliminate 12 undergraduate and 11 master’s degree programs, programs, equal to roughly 25 percent of the total degree programs now offered, stems for a nearly three year evaluation of the institution’s portfolio by a university task force. Consistently low enrollment in the programs being “deactivated” was cited as a top reason for cutting them. …Delaware State’s move follows a growing number of its peer institutions that, in the past decade, have opted to pare the list of degree programs offered, starting with programs that may have been in demand in past decades of the last century but have been less popular in recent years. Among that peer group whose actions drew attention are Florida A&M University and North Carolina Central University.