University System News:
www.ajc.com
Budget with raises for 200,000 teachers and workers gets Gov. Deal’s OK
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/budget-with-raises-for-200000-teachers-and-workers/nrFtL/
James Salzer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GAINESVILLE – Gov. Nathan Deal came to his Hall County hometown to sign the upcoming year’s $23.7 billion budget on Monday, a spending plan that includes money to give 200,000 teachers and state employees their first substantial raises since the Great Recession. The fiscal 2017 budget, which goes into effect July 1, also includes more than $1.6 billion to build and refurbish roads, bridges and school buildings across the state.
www.nytimes.com
What Can Stop Kids From Dropping Out
By DAVID L. KIRP
HILLARY CLINTON and Bernie Sanders have both trumpeted their proposals to expand college access and reduce student debt, but an even bigger problem is going ignored, at least by politicians: college dropouts. The statistics are jaw-dropping. Only 53 percent of college freshmen earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. Even fewer community-college students — 39 percent — obtain a credential from a two- or four-year institution within six years. Of the 31 million adults who attended college between 1994 and 2014, about four million spent at least two years there and never earned a degree. An American Institute for Research study from 2011 estimates the cost of dropping out, measured in lost earnings and taxes, at $4.5 billion. If any company had as much trouble hanging on to its customers, it would go out of business. …It doesn’t require a genius to change the story line. Universities must give students personalized attention and useful academic feedback, leveraging technology to support them at scale. That’s Ivy League-style ministration, adapted for mass higher education. And it won’t break the bank. A decade ago, Georgia State University — racially segregated until the 1960s and a stone’s throw from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace — was a poor-performing, big urban institution with low graduation rates and yawningly wide racial gaps. But even as the student body has become poorer and more ethnically and racially diverse, the overall graduation rate has climbed to 56 percent from 41 percent.
www.athensceo.com
Selig Center for Economic Growth at UGA Outlines 2016 Economic Forecast for Georgia
http://athensceo.com/video/2016/04/stephen-kuzniak-2016-economic-forecast-georgia/
Economic Data Analyst at the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, Stephen Kuzniak discusses this years economic forecast for Georgia, and also talks about the success of this year’s Terry College Economic Outlook Series.
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Will Gov. Deal veto guns on Georgia’s college campuses?
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2016/05/02/will-gov-deal-veto-guns-on-georgias-college-campuses/
In the next 24 hours, Gov. Nathan Deal has to decide whether to allow guns on the campuses and in the classrooms of Georgia’s public colleges. After the campus carry bill won easy victory in the General Assembly, Deal asked the Legislature to make common sense changes: amend House Bill 859 to ban guns from on-campus child care centers, faculty and administrative office space and disciplinary meetings. House Speaker David Ralston and other leaders refused. The bill exempts dorms, frats and sporting events. So, fans and football players at games need to be safeguarded from firearms but 2-year-olds in campus day cares do not? Deal has already angered conservatives with his veto of the religious liberty bill. So, the question is whether he will risk further alienation of an important GOP voting bloc.
www.myajc.com
Georgia campus gun bill puts another big decision in governor’s hands
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgia-campus-gun-bill-puts-another-big-decision-/nrD3Z/
By Greg Bluestein – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Weeks after enraging religious conservatives with his veto of the “religious liberty” bill, Gov. Nathan Deal faces another politically risky decision on whether to legalize firearms at public colleges in Georgia. His office has fielded hundreds of emails and calls from all sides of the debate over “campus carry” legislation, which would allow anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a concealed gun most places on public college campuses, as a deadline fast approaches for him to make up his mind. And for Deal, who has repeatedly aired concerns about the legislation, there are no simple answers. He could shove aside his misgivings and sign the proposal even after legislative leaders rejected his handwritten appeal for changes. He could veto the measure and widen the rift between him and rank-and-file Republicans still peeved at last month’s rejection of legislation that would have extended legal protections to opponents of same-sex marriage. Or he could try to straddle the divide — and risk alienating both sides — with some sort of executive action.
www.news.sky.com
Georgia Poised To Allow Students To Carry Guns
The US state of Georgia could soon make it legal for students over the age of 21 to take a concealed weapon to university.
http://news.sky.com/story/1688478/georgia-poised-to-allow-students-to-carry-guns
By Cordelia Lynch, US Correspondent
America has a grim roll call of mass shootings in its academic institutions – and with every massacre, comes a soul-searching debate about how to prevent it happening again. But there has been an increasingly uniform response to the threat – a growing number of states are opting to legalise guns on campus. Supporters claim it will improve safety, giving responsible owners the chance to defend themselves. Robert Eager, a student at Georgia Tech, has been lobbying for the change for six years. He has carefully studied local politics and identified who he needs to persuade. But many students and staff are unconvinced and deeply concerned about adding guns to what can be an emotional and testing climate. This week, the Governor of Georgia will decide whether or not to veto a bill, allowing licensed gun holders, 21 years or older, to carry concealed guns into its universities and colleges. If it passes, Georgia will become the ninth state to do so.
USG Institutions:
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
In D.C., Georgia’s House delegation pays tribute to dead UGA students
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/04/29/watch-the-georgia-delegations-tribute-to-uga-students-killed-in-car-crash/
Tamar Hallerman
WASHINGTON — Most members of Georgia’s congressional delegation took to the floor of the House Friday to pay tribute to the four University of Georgia students killed in a car crash Wednesday, as well as a fifth student who remains in critical condition. The tribute was led by Monroe Republican Jody Hice, whose district includes Athens. It was followed by a moment of silence on the House floor. The office of Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, posted the above video on YouTube and also provided this transcript:
www.c-span.org
http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4591334/moment-silence-university-georgia-students
Moment of Silence for University of Georgia Students Members of the Georgia Delegation honored the four University of Georgia students who were killed in a car accident in Athens on Wednesday. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives joined in a moment of silence to remember the students.
www.myajc.com
UGA pauses, mourns four deaths
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/uga-pauses-mourns-four-deaths/nrFBz/
By Mark Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATHENS — This is the time of year when the University of Georgia catches its breath before that final academic sprint, final exams. But that sprint is on hold, at least until the tears stop and the wreath atop the university’s famed Arch comes down. Until then, people here will pause and remember the four: Kayla Leigh Canedo, 19; Brittany Katherine Feldman, 20; Christina Devon Semeria, 19; and Halle Grace Scott, 19. Friends in life, they’re forever united in death. They were killed in a two-car crash Wednesday night. A fifth student, Agnes Yena Kim, 21, of Snellville, remained in critical condition Saturday at Athens Regional Medical Center.
www.onlineathns.com
Fatal crash report released; questions remain in deaths of four UGA students
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-04-29/fatal-uga-crash-report-released-questions-remain-deaths-four-students
By JOE JOHNSON
As 21-year-old Agnes Yena Kim was driving back to the University of Georgia Wednesday night on a rural road in Oconee County, something apparently happened to cause the student to lose control of her car and become involved in a two-car collision that killed four of her schoolmates, according to an initial accident report released late Friday afternoon by the Georgia Department of Public Safety. The report indicates Kim over-steered or over-corrected for an unknown reason, causing her car to rotate counter-clockwise and enter the oncoming lane where it was struck in the passenger side, according to the report.
www.wsbtv.com
UGA students involved in fatal wreck returning from Iron Horse statue
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/clarke-county/uga-students-involved-in-fatal-wreck-returning-from-iron-horse-statue/249347052
The Georgia State Patrol confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that next week they plan to reconstruct a crash that killed four University of Georgia students and left another critically injured. Authorities say the five students had taken a picture at the iconic Iron Horse sculpture before the crash occurred Wednesday on Highway 15 in Oconee County, about 15 miles from campus. …Originally installed on the UGA campus, the sculpture was moved to the farm in 1959 after students kept vandalizing it. Now, students make a ritual trip to the sculpture to take pictures early and late in the day. “A lot of students from the University of Georgia come out trying to get pictures of the Iron Horse,” Young said. A sorority security guard told Regan the five students also went to take pictures at the sculpture Wednesday night.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
University Hospital retains top safety rating from nonprofit
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2016-04-30/university-hospital-retains-top-safety-rating-nonprofit?v=1462064294
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
For the third year in a row, University Hospital earned a top grade for safety, but this time it was the only Augusta hospital to do so. University was among just 17 hospitals in Georgia to receive an A on the Hospital Safety Score from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit started by large companies and other big purchasers of health care to evaluate health systems on safety and quality.
Higher Education News:
www.thebrunswicknews.com
SAT exam changes to encourage future education for all students
http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/sat-exam-changes-to-encourage-future-education-for-all-students/article_1ecb3d22-6535-594b-a74f-6279fe7f1f8d.html?_dc=61085336347.75015
By ANNA HALL The Brunswick News
The methods by which high school students prepare for and take an ever-important college entry exam are changing. In March, the SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test, revamped, changing from a highly-memorization based exam, to a more free-form version, which includes an optional essay portion, more writing and analyzation, a so-called “math that matters” portion and a global discussion section. The test is essential to college acceptance for most secondary education institutions, as it assesses what students learned in their earlier education and determines if they have the skills needed to succeed in college.Under the new guidelines for the test, students are no longer charged with memorizing vocabulary and numbers in order to earn an high score. … Among the key changes on the new test, no penalty is given with incorrect answers on questions, reasoning and critical thinking skills are more essential, application-based and multi-step questions have been introduced, foundational math skills are more important and no sentence completion questions are used. There are also fewer sections on the test, though overall, the exam may take longer to complete and an optional point-earning essay is also accepted to help increase a student’s score.
www.insidehighered.com
Your Future Starts Here. Or Here. Or Here.
To sell themselves, colleges try to stand out. But often, their marketing efforts look practically identical.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/05/02/why-colleges%E2%80%99-brands-look-so-similar
In its brochures, a college is never just a college. A college is a gateway, or a launchpad, or a training ground. Condensed into a few words, colleges’ missions are similar, and the concrete elements of college life become less so: “Attending SF State is more than an education — it’s an experience,” the university’s website reads. “Leadership isn’t just an elective. It’s a way of life,” reads the University of Virginia’s. But it’s that brevity — a tagline, a logo, a mission statement — that sells. Colleges want to stand out, but they also want to be pithy. The effect is often grandiose, stylized and crushingly clichéd … Most branding experts will say that a degree is an emotional purchase. During the college search, prospective students are told to walk the campus, to stay overnight with a current student, to really get a feel for the place. They are asked: What does your gut say? Does it feel like this place really fits? Savvy marketing is a big part of that feeling. But too often, colleges’ branding experts look to other colleges for inspiration, and similar ideas take hold across institutions, said Darryl Cilli, founding partner at the branding agency 160over90
www.chronicle.com
Should Everyone Go to College?
For poor kids, ‘college for all’ isn’t the mantra it was meant to be
http://chronicle.com/article/Should-Everyone-Go-to-College-/236316
By Scott Carlson
Last fall a new instructor taught a remedial writing course at a community college in Maryland. Most of her students came from low-income backgrounds. Many had gone to broken schools. That they had made it to college at all was a feat. In teaching them to write, she faced challenges that went to the foundations: Several students had no clue how to construct a sentence, let alone a thesis. She tried to help them catch up, picking books they might relate to, reviewing multiple drafts of essays. When students copied from websites, she gave them lessons on plagiarism and another chance to do the work. She reached the end of the semester disappointed and exhausted. While some students had excelled, about half failed. A few had come close to passing, so she asked administrators what to do. The answer: If they failed, they might drop out, so she should pass them. Although it seemed unfair to the students who had completed the course work, she did. The experience left her wondering whether the weaker students were really college material, and what would happen when they moved on. A knottier question was: Why were they in college at all? In 2016 in the United States, society pushes high schoolers to go to college. The watchword is access: There are college-completion goals to hit to keep the country competitive, a wage premium to earn to secure a decent living. This is a movement that people in and out of higher education grapple with, uncomfortably.