University System News:
www.myajc.com
Chancellor Hank Huckaby retiring from University System of Georgia
By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby will step down in December after five years leading the state’s system of public colleges and universities. Huckaby announced his retirement Wednesday during the monthly meeting of the state’s Board of Regents, which governs the college system. “I have met with Board this morning and have told them it’s time for this guy to throw in the hand,” Huckaby said Wednesday morning fighting back tears. “My hope is that our legacy, the work we have done together not only on the Board of Regents but so many sitting around the room today, that we can proudly say that this is a better system than we accepted. I walk away from this job … knowing that one of the greatest assets that this state has to offer is its university system.” His last day in the position will be Dec. 31.
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Georgia higher ed chief Hank Huckaby will step down in December
By Maureen Downey
From the Board of Regents:
University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby announced today his plans to retire at the end of this year, effective Dec. 31. Serving as the University System’s 12th chancellor, Huckaby oversees the 29 public colleges and universities that serve 318,164 students. “Public higher education touches all aspects of our society. It is the fabric that holds us together and is an investment that pays dividends for life,” said Huckaby. “The University System is one of the great strengths of Georgia, and I am grateful to have been able to serve with the faculty and staff who bring it to life every day to serve our students. The University System holds an incredibly bright future for the next generation.” Huckaby assumed the role of chancellor on July 1, 2011. At the time, the University System was composed of 35 institutions and served 298,510 students.
www.macon.com
University System chancellor set to retire at year’s end
http://www.macon.com/news/local/education/article94801917.html
BY JEREMY TIMMERMAN
The University System of Georgia will be looking for a new leader after this year. Hank Huckaby, who has served as the system’s chancellor for five years, announced his retirement Wednesday morning. “The University System is one of the great strengths of Georgia, and I am grateful to have been able to serve with the faculty and staff who bring it to life every day to serve our students,” Huckaby said in a news release. “The University System holds an incredibly bright future for the next generation.” The USG comprises 29 public colleges and universities, including Middle Georgia State University, Fort Valley State University, Georgia College and Gordon State College in University. Since Huckaby took the helm in July 2011, the system’s enrollment has grown from 298,510 students to 318,164 students, an increase of 6.5 percent. “He has navigated the University System of Georgia with skill and integrity during a period of upheaval in higher education, and Middle Georgia State University is grateful that his support enabled us to prepare for and achieve consolidation and elevation to university status,” Middle Georgia State President Christopher Blake said in an email.
www.onlineathens.com
Georgia university system chancellor Hank Huckaby resigning at year’s end
By KATHLEEN FOODYASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA | The leader of Georgia’s university system announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the year, closing a term of more than five years. Hank Huckaby said in a statement that the system has a bright future. Huckaby first announced his plans Wednesday morning at a Board of Regents meeting in Atlanta. “Public higher education touches all aspects of our society. It is the fabric that holds us together and is an investment that pays dividends for life,” Huckaby said in the statement. “The University System is one of the great strengths of Georgia, and I am grateful to have been able to serve with the faculty and staff who bring it to life every day to serve our students.” …“Chancellor Huckaby has been a lifelong public servant to the State of Georgia, and public higher education has been his special calling,” Board of Regents Chairman Kessel Stelling said in a statement. “The Board and I express our sincere thanks and appreciation for all Hank has done to support the students, faculty, staff and everyone who will touch the University System for years to come.”
www.savannahceo.com
Georgia Film Academy Information Sessions Scheduled at Savannah Technical College
Staff Report From Savannah CEO
Savannah Technical College has scheduled information sessions to promote the Georgia Film Academy program offered in Fall 2016. Representatives from the Georgia Film Academy will be on-site to lead the information sessions on August 13 and August 15. All sessions will be held at the Savannah Technical College campus (5717 White Bluff Road, 31405) in Savannah, Room 7126. Fall semester classes begin August 22. As a member of the Georgia Film Academy, Savannah Technical College will offer the Academy’s two-course certification program specifically designed to provide students with a basic level of on-set film production skills, knowledge and experience with film-industry standard organizational structure, professional equipment and on-set procedures. The first course, offered at Savannah Technical College this summer, will provide an introduction to the skills used in on-set film production, including all forms of narrative media which utilize film-industry standard organizational structure, professional equipment and on-set procedures.
www.backstage.com
4 Reasons to Film (and Act) in Georgia
http://www.backstage.com/interview/4-reasons-film-and-act-in-georgia/
By Benjamin Lindsay
When it comes to the film and TV markets outside of New York and Los Angeles, it’s no secret that Georgia rides high. Film productions continue to bring in billions of dollars (and thousands of jobs) annually to the state—and those numbers have shown to rise year over year, with an increase from $1.4 billion spent to $1.7 billion spent between 2014 and 2015. This is due to the state’s consistent implementation of some of the nation’s most generous tax incentives, dedication to building a home-grown local work force, and development of industry-savvy accountants, bankers, lawyers, and more to ensure in-state consultation for all production needs. …The benefits to filming in Georgia come twofold when considering its many film-ready communities, its lower cost of living compared to the major markets, and a variety of filming locations for settings of all kinds. “That tax credit lit the fire and has been really good for the state, and we’re now seeing all kinds of other enticements going along with it,” Hill says. Further, the state is investing money and resources into educating and training crew through the Georgia Film Academy.
www.connectsavannah.com
Who’s leading the library?
Amidst audits and staff changes, interim director keeps a clear course
http://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/whos-leading-the-library/Content?oid=3652377
By Jessica Leigh Lebos
AS ALWAYS, it’s been a busy summer at the Bull Street Library. The formidable white building hosted hundreds of kids participating in the annual Summer Reading Program and provided thousands of free lunches courtesy of a partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank. Countless adults came in to escape the heat and use the free internet. Others browsed the shelves and logged on to 100 Good Books, the virtual book club created to celebrate the library’s 100th anniversary. Yet it’s hardly been business as usual at the library, which serves as the administrative headquarters for the Live Oak Public Libraries system that includes 19 libraries spanning Chatham, Liberty and Effingham counties. Following the departure of LOPL director Christian Kruse in April, several more longtime staff members also resigned, leaving major gaps in an organization with more than 210 employees and a $10 million budget. …In the meantime, interim director Jason Broughton has been charged with keeping the books—in more ways than one. Along with overseeing the daily operations of 18 libraries (the Ola Wyeth branch on Factors Walk has been shuttered since the ceiling caved in February), Broughton is also responsible for the human resources department and that hefty budget. He wanted to streamline both after Kruse’s 14 year tenure, and in May he contacted Georgia Public Library Service to arrange for a forensic audit of LOPL’s finances along with a thorough examination of all its departments. The results of those audits—currently underway by consultant Steve Shaefer and expected to wrap up the first week of September—will inform the board’s description for its new director. While they seem dramatic, GPLS maintains that the assessments are standard procedure after a change in leadership.
www.11alive.com
When to watch Georgia Athletes compete on Day 5 of Olympics
Alec McQuade, WXIA
Our Georgia Athletes are getting quite decorated. Olympians representing the University of Georgia have already won medals in all three colors. More Georgia Athletes will have a chance to medal in Day 5 of the Olympics. Here’s what you have to look forward to on Day 5: We get a chance to watch UGA’s Alexandra Oquendo play for Puerto Rico as the team tries to get its first win in Rio. The team is 0-2 in pool play, so far. Swimming- Qualifying heats It will be a busy day in the pool. UGA’s Chantal Van Landegem will swim for Canada in the 100-meter freestyle. She already has a bronze medal after helping Team Canada in the 4×200-meter free relay. Then, Javier Acevedo will swim for Canada in the 200-meter backstroke. If they all qualify, they will swim in semifinal heats Wednesday night. UGA’s Allison Schmitt and Melanie Margalis will help the U.S. try to qualify for the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Schmitt won a silver medal while helping the 4×100 relay team earlier in the games. Georgia Tech will watch Gal Nevo represent Israel in the 200-meter iindividual medley. Finally, in primetime, Georgia’s Hali Flickinger will swim in the 200-meter butterfly. She finished fourth in her semifinal heat Tuesday night to qualify.
USG Institutions:
www.tiftongazette.com
Fall semester begins with packed residence halls at ABAC
TIFTON — For the third year in a row, students have filled every living space available on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in anticipation of the start of the fall semester on Wednesday. Dr. Chris Kinsey, director of residence life, said around 1,350 students are occupying rooms in ABAC Place, ABAC Lakeside, and overflowing into Comer Hall. That brings a smile to the face of ABAC President David Bridges. “We always like to have the residence halls filled, and that has not been a problem the last few years,” Bridges, who begins his 11th fall semester as the ABAC president, said. “Building on a theme we used last week at the fall conference, these students know life is better at ABAC.” Troy Spicer, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said applications for spots in the nursing program are the highest in three years. “We are on track to enroll the largest nursing class ever at ABAC,” Spicer, a 1982 graduate of the ABAC nursing program, said. “The previous record was in the fall of 2011.” The entire ABAC campus helped to celebrate 50 years of nursing students at ABAC last year, and Spicer said the increased exposure could be a factor in the record enrollment.
www.athensceo.com
UGA’s Incoming Class Sets Records for Academic Qualifications, Diversity
Staff Report From Athens CEO
In addition to being the first class at the University of Georgia to benefit fully from the university’s experiential learning initiative, the more than 5,400 students who will begin classes next week are the institution’s most academically gifted to date. The average high school grade point average of first-year students at the nation’s first state-chartered university is 3.98, which greatly exceeds last year’s average of 3.91. In addition, the average SAT score for the incoming class reached a new high of 1302 this year. The average score for students who took the ACT was 29, which ties last year’s record. In 2011, for comparison, the average SAT score for incoming students was 1226, and the average ACT score was 28.
www.ties-georgian.com
UWG enrollment continues to grow
From staff reports
The University of West Georgia’s announced on Tuesday that it expects to have another year of record enrollment after preliminary estimates show 13,400 students. The increase is 4 percent higher than last year’s enrollment, and would mark the seventh consecutive year the university has seen record enrollment.
www.daily-tribune.com
The time is NOW: GHC kicks off program to help working adults earn degrees
Written by Donna Harris
Georgia Highlands College is preparing to launch a program that will make earning a college degree faster and more convenient for some of its students. NOW-Nights Online Weekends, a “brand-new program offered to an underserved student population — the working adult,” will have a special kickoff celebration for the first group of participants Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Student Center, Room 102, on the Cartersville campus, according to Coordinator Maria Lauro. “Cohort One is a special group of individuals,” she said. “They share similar life experiences but are truly unique in their own ways. GHC wants to celebrate this new chapter in Cohort One’s educational journey by hosting a kickoff celebration.”
www.gpbnews.org
Kennesaw State Wants To Bring More Kids Back To Class
http://gpbnews.org/post/kennesaw-state-wants-bring-more-kids-back-class
By CELESTE HEADLEE & TAYLOR GANTT
A survey by U.S. News and World Report found as many as one in three first-year students did not return to college for a second year between fall 2010 through fall 2013. Kennesaw State University is one of 44 institutions which launched a new initiative to address freshmen retention rates. We speak with Chris Hutt, who is the Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of Academic Advising at Kennesaw State, about the program and how it aims to help students stay on track for graduation. We also sit down with Associate Vice President of Institute Diversity Julie Ancis from Georgia Tech about what kind of student struggles in their first year.
www.noodls.com
CSU Police Named Inaugural Recipients of President’s Living Our Values Award
http://www.noodls.com/view/D6235380DC5DB5C0D984BC9E62D52DFBC1206BDA
COLUMBUS, Ga. – Columbus State University President Chris Markwood honored the CSU Police department with his inaugural Living our Values award, presented to a group on campus that best embodies the university’s values on a daily basis Markwood surprised officers and other University Police employees with the award during CSU’s Welcome Back Kickoff event Monday, August 8. All faculty and staff were invited to the welcome event, and they gave CSU Police a standing ovation when the award was announced.
www.myajc.com
Georgia Tech was dysfunction junction under Bobinski
By Jeff Schultz – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To understand the dysfunction that existed in the Georgia Tech athletic department, thanks largely to the departing Mike Bobinski, consider the clown show that has surrounded planning for the football team’s season opener in Ireland. Bobinski’s soldiers in the Tech administration originally cut a deal that the Jackets would travel to Dublin, not by a major airline like Delta or (title sponsor) Aer Lingus, but Omni Air, a low-budget carrier that made its mark in transporting cargo and more recently focused on military charter flights to garden spots like Afghanistan. The plane that Omni was going to provide for an eight-hour flight from Atlanta to Dublin for Tech’s players, coaches, marching band members and cheerleaders did not have WiFi, in-flight entertainment or anything in the way of amenities. The plane also included several rows of seats where the armrests didn’t go up, which can be a major problem for 300-plus pound linemen, and at the time of a recent visit reportedly smelled like a garbage dumpster.
www.bizjournals.com
Former UGA assistant football coach Bill Dooley, brother of Vince Dooley, dies at 82
Phil W. Hudson
Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Bill Dooley, former assistant football coach at the University of Georgia and head coach at Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and Wake Forest died at his home in Wilmington, N.C., Aug. 9 at the age of 82. The younger brother of former UGA head coach and athletic director Vince Dooley died of natural causes, according to the North Carolina athletic department. UGA reported Bill Dooley compiled a career head coaching record of 161-127-5. Bill Dooley served as an assistant coach at UGA (1964-67) on his brother’s first staff. The travel arrangements incensed coach Paul Johnson, as if theman needs a good reason to get upset. He had been frustrated in the past about other nickel-and-dime actions of the administration and he understandably wanted the Ireland experience to be special for his players. He had been venting his feelings to administrators since January. It all came to a head with a blowup last week that finally resulted in Bobinski and others stepping in to rectify the situation. The Jackets will now fly on a real plane. Bobinski is gone now. Mercifully. I write “mercifully” not because he was a bad person, or to suggest he and I even clashed (maybe a “spirited” interview or two). But it’s unfortunate what happened at Tech under his watch. … Bobinski may have done a fine job at Akron and Xavier but he seemed overmatched at a school with football in a major conference. The hiring of Josh Pastner as basketball coach may prove to be a great move but his fumbling of Brian Gregory’s firingleft something to be desired and damaged recruiting. Tech administrators need to get it right this time, because they got it wrong last time.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Colleges Urged Not to Move Up Aid Deadlines
The U.S. Department of Education this week asked colleges and universities not to move up their deadlines for applying for financial aid. In theory, colleges could do so this year because of the adoption by the government of “prior prior year,” a policy in which students may apply for financial aid based on family income from a year earlier than has been possible in the past. A letter sent to colleges by Ted Mitchell, the under secretary of education, asked colleges to publicize this change, and to use the change to provide students with earlier information on their aid eligibility. But the letter also asked colleges not to move up any of their key deadlines in the aid process. Moving up aid deadlines could “put undue pressure on high school seniors to rush through the financial aid and college admissions process.” And such changes, Mitchell wrote, could particularly hurt low-income students “who often have the least amount of information” about applying to college and seeking aid.
www.insidehighered.com
Asking for an Apology
Students who say colleges have mishandled sexual assault complaints demand on social media that colleges #JustSaySorry. Colleges have long been hesitant to apologize, even when found to be at fault.
By Jake New
On Monday, Wagatwe Wanjuki, a former Tufts University student, posted a video on Facebook of her setting a Tufts sweatshirt on fire. “I’m not proud to wear a sweatshirt of an institution that refuses to acknowledge that I exist, that survivors should be helped,” Wanjuki said, her camera pointed at the smoldering shirt. The following day, Kamilah Willingham, a graduate of Harvard Law School, burned a pair of Harvard University sweatpants and posted a photo of the smoking remains on Instagram. Both posts were labeled with the hashtag #JustSaySorry — the beginnings of a new social media campaign aimed at getting colleges to apologize for mishandling cases of campus sexual assault.
www.chronicle.com
Brigham Young Is Under Title IX Investigation, University Says
by Sarah Brown
Four months after Brigham Young University came under widespread scrutiny for its handling of sexual-assault cases, the federal government has started investigating the Mormon institution for possible violations of Title IX, the federal gender-equity law. BYU has joined a list of more than 200 institutions under Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. University officials said late Monday that the department had informed them of the probe last week.