University System News:
www.13wmaz.com
Veteran education center opening next week in Warner Robins
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/veteran-education-center-opens-doors-next-week/280495271
Karli Barnett, WMAZ
For many who serve our country, coming home is where the real battle begins. Next week, a new veteran center will officially open its doors in Warner Robins. The project broke ground in 2014, and construction began last year. Employees say they say this will be an important resource for our veterans. Since last year, the site off Wellborn Road has transformed into place to help veterans transition to civilian life. “When they leave the service, right now, they spend about 22 weeks unemployed,” says Col. Patricia Ross, director of the Director of the Veteran’s Education Career Transition Resource Center. “We are doing them a disservice.” That’s why she wants the center to be a “one-stop shop.” … This project is a collaboration between the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia. The building itself, as well as the salaries of employees, are completely funded by the state.
USG Institutions:
www.ajc.com
Is this the future look for Turner Field?
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/is-this-the-future-look-for-turner-field/nr4rz/
- Scott Trubey, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Turner Field area — now a stretch dominated by a stadium and parking lots — could be a denser more walkable community with a street grid much like what was lost decades ago through development of two stadiums and freeways. That’s the vision of a 92-page draft of a Livable Center Initiative master plan, released online. It shows higher density housing, retail, office space, parks, a football stadium for Georgia State University where Turner Field now stands and transit linking neighborhoods south of I-20 to the rest of downtown. The planning exercise features puts more meat into concepts unveiled a few months ago and championed by the community through a series of workshops over recent months. …Georgia State and development partners Carter and Oakwood Development are in negotiations to purchase 67-acres, including the stadium and surrounding parking lots for future development. They plan to convert the ballpark into a Georgia State football stadium, and build student housing, market rate apartments, senior living, single-family homes and retail. They’ve also proposed for a Panthers baseball field to go in the footprint of the former Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and preserving the Hank Aaron home run wall. The final sales contract could be finalized in the coming weeks, with a sale expected to be concluded before the end of the year.
www.tiftongazette.com
ABAC opens new Lab Sciences building July 27
Special to The Gazette
TIFTON – Students enrolled in the bachelor’s degree program in biology at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will begin the upcoming fall semester with an ultra-modern laboratory sciences building open to them around the clock. Doors to the brand new $8.5 million-dollar laboratory sciences building will open for the first time on July 27 at a 10 a.m. ceremony, which is open to the public. The two-story structure will house a number of labs that will allow students to work on research projects 24 hours a day. …ABAC President David Bridges said the new building would not have been possible without the support of Governor Nathan Deal, members of the Georgia General Assembly, and the Board of Regents. He also directed special thanks to the ABAC Foundation. “Seven million dollars of this project came from the State of Georgia through general obligation bonds,” Bridges said. “The remainder of the project was funded by the ABAC Foundation which proves once again just how crucial private support is to this institution.”
www.walb.com
Georgia Southwestern sees increased enrollment for 2016-17 school year
By Wright Gazaway, Anchor
AMERICUS, GA (WALB) – Georgia Southwestern expects a 20% increase in freshmen students this year and a 5% increase campus-wide. The university had to add an extra orientation day for incoming students. The school also doubled their border state students after the system approved in-state prices for them. School leaders said the recession in the mid-2000s hurt their enrollment.
www.wtoc.com
Georgia Southern freshmen begin BUILD program
http://www.wtoc.com/story/32525350/georgia-southern-freshmen-begin-build-program
By Dal Cannady, Reporter
STATESBORO, GA (WTOC) – College classes for the fall haven’t started yet, but dozens of Georgia Southern freshmen have already made it to campus to learn – and serve. Some of them volunteered at a local horse rescue on Monday, among other non-profits, they’ll help this week. The students take night-time seminars and work on leadership development. Organizers of the BUILD program say the students who take part in it seem to do better in school – by half a grade point. “So, we feel like we get them off on the right foot when they get to college as first-year students and be successful students, and our aim is to graduate successful students,” said Dr. Nancy Shumaker, Georgia Southern University.
www.onlineathens.com
Most at UGA say campus climate comfortable – but not all
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-07-25/most-uga-say-campus-climate-comfortable-not-all
By LEE SHEARER
An overwhelming majority of students and workers who responded to a University of Georgia “campus climate” survey said they are “comfortable” or “very comfortable” with the overall climate at UGA, but that number varied considerably by ethnicity and race.
Overall, comfort levels at UGA were above the averages seen in similar surveys, according to the consultants who administered and analyzed the survey, Rankin & Associates.
www.savannahnow.com
Savannah State student Sawadogo looking to make splash in Rio
By Donald Heath
Burkina Faso native Thierry Sawadogo came across the ocean in hopes of getting better in the pool. “Yes, yes, when I’m here I feel like I can realize my dream to become a good swimmer,” said Sawadogo, a Savannah State University student who qualified to compete in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He’ll leave on his unique journey Tuesday with Savannah Swim Team coach Joe Witt. …Sawadogo, 21, qualified for the Olympic freestyle event at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
More Professors Know About Free Textbook Options, but Adoption Remains Low
By Goldie Blumenstyk
Awareness of free or openly licensed educational resources, including textbooks and other teaching materials, has increased slightly over the past year, but according to a large-scale survey released on Tuesday, still only 6.6 percent of faculty members are “very aware” of them. The survey and an accompanying report, “Opening the Textbook: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2015-16,” includes results from a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 full-time and part-time professors and was conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group. The survey shows a mixed picture for open educational resources, commonly referred to as OER, according to Jeff Seaman, a co-director of the group and a co-author of the report, and it highlights some “serious disconnects.”
www.chronicle.com
For Native Students, Education’s Promise Has Long Been Broken
By Kelly Field
President Obama wants more American Indian students to graduate from college. But look at the challenges these high schoolers face, and it becomes clear why that is a tall order.
www.chronicle.com
‘Stereotypes Are at the Center’: a White House Official on Why Native Students Often Struggle
By Kelly Field
William Mendoza, director of the Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, had several false starts before completing college. He discusses how tribal colleges helped him find his way, and why they remain relevant to students today.