University System News:
www.albanyherald.com
Joel Wernick, Sarah Kuck honored by University System of Georgia Foundation
Recent Regents’ Scholarship Gala honors individuals supporting higher education in Georgia
By Jennifer Parks
ALBANY — The recent 12th annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala raised more than $1.3 million to promote, support and provide need-based scholarships for students at the University System of Georgia’s 29 institutions. Honors also went to those considered instrumental in the advancement of education in Georgia, including two individuals from the Albany area. Among the honorees were Sarah Kuck, an associate political science professor from Darton State College, and Phoebe Putney Health System CEO Joel Wernick. Officials from the University System of Georgia said that, through the leadership and direction of USG Foundation Chair, Regent Sachin Shailendra, and Vice Chair, Regent James Hull, the annual gala supporting need-based aid surpassed previous amounts raised.
USG Institutions:
www.globalatlanta.com
Georgia State Language Chair Fights Flagging Enrollment
http://www.globalatlanta.com/georgia-state-language-chair-fights-flagging-enrollment/
CARLYN POUNDERS
With the world becoming even more connected, it might be surprising to find that enrollment in language courses is actually down nationally. But at Georgia State University the head of the language department is leading initiatives to make language study more appealing to students in the hope that they’ll be better prepared to compete in the global economy. A report by the Modern Language Association found that enrollments in all languages on U.S. college campuses decreased by 6.7 percent between 2009 and 2013. William Nichols, chair of the World Languages and Cultures department, acknowledged this challenge during a recent talk, noting that despite his passion, decade of teaching experience and his best sales pitches, it’s hard to prove the relevance of languages to students stingy with their time. “As chair, I can tell you that no one listens to me,” he said with a laugh. Nevertheless, amid the declining numbers, the department is redoubling its efforts now that students are being lured into majors they believe will guarantee them a well-paid job. Dr. Nichols said he understands this practical approach, but what they may not understand is that adding language capabilities actually makes them more competitive in the job market. … The university has created the Office of International Initiatives to provide information on studying abroad and globally focused events on campus, along with the Center for Urban Language Teaching and Research, or CULTR.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
The Ignored Graduates
In federal graduation rates, part-time students and transfers aren’t counted. #CountAllStudents wants to tell those graduates’ stories.
By Ellen Wexler
After two years at the University of Richmond, Susannah Haisley felt her education was getting too expensive. So she transferred to Clemson University, in her home state of South Carolina, with a generous scholarship package. She graduates on Saturday. But in federal databases, her diploma will not count. The federal graduation rate includes only first-time, full-time students. More than half of all bachelor’s degree recipients attend more than one college, and millions of students who transferred or enrolled part time are excluded every year. “I’ve done everything just like a normal student has,” Haisley said. “I just don’t understand why I wouldn’t be counted.” Now, as graduation season approaches, an initiative led by several major higher education groups wants to put faces to the statistics. A new campaign, called #CountAllStudents, will compile stories of students like Haisley — those who are set to graduate in 2016 but aren’t counted in federal data.
www.insidehighered.com
Campus Crime Down; Reports of Sex Assault Up
While the overall number of crimes reported by colleges and universities fell between 2001 and 2013, the number of reported forcible sex crimes has increased by 126 percent, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics. Between 2012 and 2013, the number of reports of sexual assault jumped from 4,000 to 5,000. It is unclear if the increase stems from a rising number of incidents, however, or more students reporting the crimes, the American Institutes for Research, which co-authored the report, said.
www.diverseeducation.com
Why It’s Time for Colleges to Take Diversity to the Next Level
by Matthew Lynch
Back when the United States had a predominantly White population (an estimated 80 percent in the 1960s), college campuses were the site of much needed progress when it came to diversity. The programs developed on campuses like Berkeley and even Ivy Leagues like Harvard set the groundwork for what diversity initiatives should look like in the workplace that followed. There was a general urgency about the great need for better opportunities for women and minorities, and the action to facilitate that started in college settings. As the nation moves toward transitioning to an official minority-majority population (estimates currently place this shift in the year 2043), college and university campuses are more important than ever as the starting place for diversity programs that close achievement gaps and feed a varied workforce population. But are colleges today able to keep up?
www.chronicle.com
U.S. Tells UNC It Violates Federal Law by Following Controversial Bathroom Bill
by Nick DeSantis
The U.S. Department of Justice has notified the president of the University of North Carolina system that it is violating federal civil-rights law by following a controversial new state law that has drawn widespread criticism as biased against transgender people. Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, signed the measure into law in March. It was enacted in response to an antidiscrimination ordinance in Charlotte, N.C., that extended protections to gay and transgender people. The state measure, known as HB2, bans people from using public restrooms that do not correspond to their biological sex. The law’s enactment set off a firestorm of controversy, and several private colleges in North Carolina condemned it. The UNC system president, Margaret Spellings, herself said that the law had cast a “chill” over the university, but that UNC would comply with the measure, even though the university did not intend to enforce it beyond informing people about where they could find gender-neutral bathrooms. In letters made public on Wednesday, the Justice Department told three individuals — Ms. Spellings, Mr. McCrory, and Frank L. Perry, the state’s secretary of public safety — that they were in violation of federal law by complying with HB2.