USG e-clips for May 24, 2016

University System News:

www.universityherald.com

Moody’s Aa3 Ratings: Georgia Tech Affirmed as Excellent Brand

http://www.universityherald.com/articles/30730/20160524/moodys-aa3-ratings-georgia-tech-affirmed-as-excellent-brand.htm

By Anita Valencia, UniversityHerald Reporter

Moody’s Investors Service assigned Aa3 rating to Georgia Institute of Technology. Moody’s Aa3, the bond credit ratings, has given Georgia Institute of Technology, the Aa3 ratings. The ratings applied to series of lease rental bonds and left the campus debt of $263 million in total. Moody’s Aa3 ratings simply represent the Georgia Tech as a good and reputable university for research and studies in technology. The campus holds an excellent brand and service including strong financial performance. According to Moody’s Investor Service, the rating outlines strategic support of the Board of Regents in the university. Other financial checklists include complex organizational debt structure, limited unrestricted liquidity, and rental agreement. Moody’s Aa3 rating on behalf of Georgia Institute of Technology confirmed a stable outlook. The strong moral of the campus financed facilities is solid along with evidence based on student enrollments and the growth in revenues. Georgia Tech strength highlights include the philanthropic programs and ongoing dynamic researches.

 

www.tribuneledgernews.com

Interim presidents named for 2 Georgia universities

http://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/state_and_national/interim-presidents-named-for-georgia-universities/article_5483faa7-a6c2-53d8-8dd0-65e054df830b.html

ATLANTA (AP) — The University System of Georgia has named interim presidents for Valdosta State University and South Georgia State College. Officials said in a release Monday that Kelli Brown will serve as interim president of Valdosta State. …Officials say Brown will begin in her new role on June 1 and replaces interim president Cecil Staton.. …University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby has also named Ingrid Thompson-Sellers as interim president of South Georgia State College in Douglas. …Thompson-Sellers will begin in her new role June 30 and will replace Virginia Carson, who is retiring.

 

www.insidehighered.com

New Presidents or Provosts: Georgia Southern U, Hood College, Marymount California U, Saint Joseph’s U, State U of New York-Delhi, U of Montana-Western, Washington State U, Western Governors  U, Yavapai College

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/05/24/new-presidents-or-provosts-ga-southern-hood-marymount-california-montana-western-sju?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=74ec3a191d-DNU20160524&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-74ec3a191d-197515277

By Doug Lederman

Jaimie Hebert, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sam Houston State University, in Texas, has been chosen as president of Georgia Southern University.

 

www.myfoxzone.com

Georgia Power engages 100,000 students in STEM learning

http://www.myfoxzone.com/story/32040132/georgia-power-engages-100000-students-in-stem-learning

ATLANTA, May 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Georgia Power announced today a significant increase in the number of students engaged in its energy learning programs throughout the 2015-2016 school year. Nearly 100,000 students in schools across Georgia participated in the company’s in-school initiatives including Learning Power, PowerTOWN and Georgia Pre-K Week this year. As part of Georgia Power’s commitment to education, the company works in classrooms and communities across the state to deliver lessons and seminars through these programs focused on energy and engineering, as well as science, technology, education and math (STEM) topics. …In addition to STEM-related education programs, improving education at all levels is also a primary philanthropic initiative for Georgia Power. In 2015, the company contributed $5.8 million to support education initiatives such as the Ron Clark Academy, University System of Georgia Foundation, Inc. and Berry College, Inc. This includes company matched employee donations to 86 institutions of higher education and a $500,000 donation for Georgia Public Broadcasting’s updated interactive in-classroom video series for teachers: Chemistry Matters and Physics Fundamentals.

 

www.ajc.com

11 high-demand jobs you can get with two years or less of college

http://www.ajc.com/news/business/11-high-demand-jobs-you-can-get-only-two-years-col/nrLW4/

If you think you need a bachelor’s degree to enter a fast-growing career field, think again. A Georgia-based program is making diplomas and certificates more accessible for students seeking careers in industries ranging from film production to welding. Through the Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant (SIWDG), students receive free tuition to pursue a certificate or diploma in 11 high-demand industries, where there are more jobs than workers in Georgia. The student must meet the eligibility requirements for the HOPE Grant, awarded exclusively to Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) students, in order to receive the additional SIWDG funds that enable a free tuition bill. …As you make plans for college or a new career path, here are 11 high-demand jobs that only require two years or less of college, in which you may qualify for free tuition.

  1. Movie Production & Set Design

Description: Georgia’s film industry is growing so much that it’s been called Y’allywood. In certificate and diploma programs, students receive training in areas such as electrical and lighting, on-set production assistance, and hair/makeup. Labs and simulations are provided to gain real-world experience in pre- and post-production and crew responsibilities. Colleges with programs: Eleven, including Southern Crescent Technical College, Savannah Technical College, and Georgia Piedmont Technical College. In 2016, the Georgia Film Academy debuted a pilot certification program at state colleges including Gwinnett Technical College.  “On-set film workers are needed, but even entry-level jobs require a very specific set of skills,” Jeffrey Stepakoff, the Academy’s executive director said in a press release. “The Georgia Film Academy certification puts students on the fast track to gainful employment.”

 

 

USG Institutions:

www.noodls.com

Legacy of leadership spreads from UNG

http://www.noodls.com/view/38DF384C1B6B908503AC0771AE7BC260C3D1633F

The sixth annual Leaving a Legacy of Leadership (L3) conference at the University of North Georgia (UNG) recently sowed seeds of leadership among 60 students from universities and colleges across the state. L3 is designed to help student leaders improve their leadership skills and advance the mission of their campuses and institutions along the way. ‘UNG is becoming known statewide for its reputation of producing leaders, and this conference is about taking that transformational strength outside our walls to develop legacy leaders – individuals who are mindful about contributing to a cause that serves a purpose and making a difference in our society,’ said Jemima Fortune, coordinator of student leadership and commuter services at UNG and director for the L3 conference. ‘These students will be writing the future of Georgia, and this event is an effort to help them make that future as bright as possible.’ Designated by the University System of Georgia as a state leadership institution, UNG’s mission is focused on preparing students to become leaders in a diverse and global society.

 

www.myajc.com

Georgia women beat hardships, earn scholarships

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/local-group-helps-women-receive-degrees-after-life/nrR4x/

By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bonnie Johnson left community college with an associate’s degree and on track to complete a bachelor’s degree that was not far behind. But life rarely follows the paths we plan. A series of events, beginning with the birth of her son born with a mild form of cerebral palsy, forced Johnson to put her education on hold. When the baby was born, “I knew I needed to work after the associate’s degree to make money,” she said. “The bachelor’s degree had to wait.” …In addition to the difficulties with her son, Johnson — one of Emerge’s 2015 recipients — has endured two bouts of cancer, an abusive spouse, a daughter who recently received a kidney transplant, divorce and the loss of her mother. Despite the obstacles, Johnson enrolled in Kennesaw State University in 2011, while working full-time as an administrative assistant, volunteering with various agencies through her company, and being the sole supporter of her two adult children. This month, 33 years after her higher education was interrupted, Johnson, now 52, graduated from Kennesaw State with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

 

www.chronicle.augusta.com

UGA, SRS close to agreement on program to explain monitoring

http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2016-05-23/uga-srs-close-agreement-program-explain-monitoring?v=1464044017

By Walter C. Jones

Staff Writer

An agreement is close between Sa­van­nah River Site and the Univer­sity of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory on a program to provide Burke County residents with more understandable information about environmental monitoring. The program is the result of campaigning by the anti-nuclear Women’s Action for New Directions. Repre­sen­tatives of the advocacy group persuaded the SRS Citizens Advisory Board to make a formal recommendation to the U.S. Department of Energy. The recommendation called for the resumption of federal funding for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to monitor air, water and soil for nuclear contaminants originating at SRS. Budget-cutting ended the monitoring in 2003. Acting on the recommendation in 2014, SRS Manager David C. Moody asked UGA to study the issue.

 

www.onlineathens.com

UGA professor, students experiment with giant touch-screen technology

http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-05-23/uga-professor-students-experiment-giant-touch-screen-technology

By LEE SHEARER

University of Georgia students are conducting a kind of experiment in a classroom of UGA’s Davison Life Sciences Building this month, but not the kind you’d usually think of in connection with the university’s genetics department. Genetics professor and bioinformatics researcher Jonathan Arnold’s usual research deals with genomics and gene regulatory and biochemical networks in fungi, but for three weeks he and some of his students are exploring educational technology — a video display that’s something like a classroom whiteboard, but one with superpowers. In one end of a room in the Life Sciences’ Building’s C section, Arnold and some of his students are exploring just what the MultiTaction iWall is capable of, experimenting with ways to use the display and its connectivity and touch functions. …Called ALICE, for Adaptive Learning for Interdisciplinary Learning Environments, ALICE is a Web-based program designed to create individualized learning paths for students in a class.

 

www.aikenstandard.com

Special collars developed at SRS being used in animal research internationally

http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20160522/AIK0101/160529852?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=fea3385a3e-5_24_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-fea3385a3e-86731974

Dede Biles

Special collars developed and tested at the Savannah River Site, or SRS, are being used to study animals in places where there have been nuclear disasters. On each collar is an instrument that functions as both a GPS unit and a dosimeter. The GPS unit allows researchers keep track of where an animal is, and the dosimeter measures the amount of radiation that the creature is being exposed to in its environment. Dr. Jim Beasley of the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and his associates worked with Mirion Technologies, which manufactures electronic dosimeters, and Vectronic Aerospace, a firm that specializes in wildlife GPS monitoring technology, to make the collars.

 

 

Higher Education News:

www.insidehighered.com

Enrollments Slide, Particularly for Older Students

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/05/24/enrollments-slide-particularly-older-students?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=74ec3a191d-DNU20160524&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-74ec3a191d-197515277

This spring 18.3 million students enrolled in college, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a decline of 1.3 percent compared to last spring. The biggest dips were at four-year institutions in the for-profit sector (down 9.3 percent) and at community colleges (2.8 percent). Enrollments increased slightly at four-year public institutions (0.6 percent) and at four-year privates (0.7 percent). Overall enrollments at public colleges were down by 0.9 percent.

Older students continue to account for much of national enrollment declines.

 

www.chronicle.com

At the End of a Watershed Year, Can Student Activists Sustain Momentum?

http://chronicle.com/article/At-the-End-of-a-Watershed/236577?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=11eb81b8f3ac46a78a31dc99198f1ed3&elq=1c483fc796f74275849fb3601803696a&elqaid=9184&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=3191

By Sarah Brown, Katherine Mangan, and Beth McMurtrie

…Over a tempestuous six weeks last fall, a wave of antiracism protests swept dozens of colleges. Nationwide, sit-ins and rallies drew hundreds of people; by late fall, a website had published demands from students at nearly 80 institutions. Most were inspired by students at the University of Missouri at Columbia who protested under the name Concerned Student 1950. Their tent encampment and one student’s hunger strike drew national attention to the campus’s racial climate and helped push the university system’s president and campus chancellor to step down. Those resignations were seen as big wins for the Missouri protesters. On other campuses, students like Mr. Cole succeeded in getting administrators to pledge to meet many of their demands; the Wisconsin system, for instance, has created a new racial-climate task force. Now campus activists confront a fresh challenge: sustaining momentum into a new academic year.