University System News:
www.insidehighered.com
Consolidating for Success
Will merger with Georgia State U, a completion rate success story, boost the rock-bottom graduation rates of two-year Georgia Perimeter College?
By Ashley A. Smith
Most college mergers are driven by finances. For example, demographics change in a region and policy makers feel there’s a need for smaller colleges to become more efficient, so they consolidate their resources. Not so in greater Atlanta, where earlier this year Georgia State University — one of the state’s four research institutions, which is located in the city’s downtown — consolidated with Georgia Perimeter College, a two-year institution in the city’s suburbs. The decision wasn’t driven by finances, but by completion and student success. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents wanted to combine Perimeter with the recognized student success at Georgia State, said Peter Lyons, vice provost and dean of what’s now called Perimeter College at Georgia State. The plan, he said, is to “export initiatives we developed at Georgia State and use them at Perimeter College.” Bringing the university’s completion track record to the two-year institution won’t be an easy task. Perimeter, the state’s largest two-year institution, with more than 20,000 students, has a three-year graduation rate around 6 percent. Meanwhile, Georgia State has been recognized for having one of the most improved completion rates in the country. Since 2002, the university’s graduation rates increased by about 20 percentage points overall and 23 percentage points for underrepresented students, according to 2014 data from Education Trust. The university has a 54 percent graduation rate, according to federal data.
www.washingtonmonthly.com
The Sixteen Most Innovative People in Higher Education
How they’re working to make college more accessible, affordable, and effective.
by Gilad Edelman MAGAZINE
Last year, we profiled ten college and university presidents who, in our judgment, were doing things differently, and better, than their peers. Instead of using their positions to increase their endowments and recruit a “better” sort of student in order to move their schools up the U.S. News & World Report rankings, these leaders were turning their institutions into laboratories of innovation in a hunt for better ways to deliver higher ed—providing quality degrees at lower cost, getting more students to graduate, and so on. One of those presidents, Michael Sorrell of Paul Quinn College, is the subject of a longer feature in this issue (see Matt Connolly, “Labor of Love”). But, of course, even the best college presidents, like the most successful company CEOs, aren’t necessarily the ones dreaming up the actual new ideas. Those tend to come from lower down the chain of command—administrators, faculty members, even grad students—or from people outside these institutions, in government, nonprofits, and the private sector. These front-line innovators don’t always have a lot of power. So when they try to advocate for new and better ways of serving students, they are typically pushing against resistant leadership, indifferent or threatened colleagues, and a general institutional inertia that makes progress painfully slow. The good news is that the atmosphere for innovation is beginning to change. …One of the best ways we can think of to empower those still struggling to create change is to publicize the work of those who are already succeeding. So we set out to find innovators from all corners of the higher education map. This list isn’t a ranking, and it’s by no means exhaustive. Consider it a snapshot of the various overlapping ways in which creative, passionate people around the country are working to make higher education more accessible, affordable, and effective. TIM RENICK Georgia State University …CHARLES ISBELL Georgia Institute of Technology
www.metroatlantaceo.com
Greg Evans on the Opportunities to Gain Degrees in Public Health at Georgia Southern University
Dean of Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University Greg Evans talks about the uniquely different degrees the College offers.
www.wtxl.com
Valdosta State University Losing One Program and Gaining Another
The Georgia Governor’s Honors Program is leaving Valdosta State University. The GHP is a residential summer program for gifted and talent high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors. The program provides students with cultural and social enrichment, so they can become the next generation of global leaders. GHP has been stationed at VSU for years until Berry College was selected to host the program beginning in 2017. While VSU is losing a key program, they are also announcing another new partnership. VSU has announced that they will be teaming up with Florida Gateway College for the “two plus two” transfer admission guarantee. This will allow students to transfer their two years of coursework to VSU.
www.southeastagnet.com
USDA Announces $18.9 Million to Improve Research Facilities at 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant Colleges and Universities
http://southeastagnet.com/2016/08/30/150361/
by Randall
From the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
GREENSBORO, N.C., Aug. 29, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $18.9 million in renewal awards to build or improve agricultural and food science research facilities and equipment at historically black Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. Today’s announcement builds on USDA’s ongoing efforts to foster strong partnerships with the 1890 community, ensure equal access to USDA programs and services, and support educational opportunities for the next generation of farmers and ranchers. “These awards help colleges and universities make improvements that support cutting-edge academic research and foster 21st century innovation that will shape the future of American agriculture,” said Dr. Joe Leonard, Jr., USDA Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, who today announced the awards during a visit to North Carolina A&T University. “For more than a century USDA has built strong partnerships with historically black colleges and 1890 Land-Grant Universities, and the 1890 Facilities Grant Program ensures that partnership will continue to benefit students for many more years to come.” …Funding awards for 2016 include:
- Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Ga., $1,003,446
www.bizjournals.com
Amazon Web Services joins Georgia Tech’s CDAIT
Georgia Tech’s Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT) has added Amazon Web Services Inc. to its membership roster. Amazon Web Services will be represented on the CDAIT EAB by Mark Ryland, chief solutions architect, World Wide Public Sector Team for Amazon Web Services. CDAIT has also launched four new working groups tackling education, chaired by Margaret Loper of the Georgia Tech Research Institute; startup ecosystem, chaired by Tech Square Ventures’ Blake Patton; thought leadership, chaired by Cisco’s Scott Puopolo; and research, chaired by Kenji Takeuchi of Flex. “These new groups are busy pulling together deliverables that will move the needle in the Internet of Things space worldwide,” said Alain Louchez, managing director of CDAIT. “Our vision of the center has always been focused on effective collaboration between university and industry, and we are extremely pleased with our progress in this regard.”
www.dailyreportonline.com
ICLE Audit Could Put Tax-Exempt Status at Risk
- Robin McDonald, Daily Report
The executive director of the Institute for Continuing Legal Education of Georgia billed the nonprofit organization $1,596 for new tires for his Porsche and more than $500 for tires and repairs for his wife’s Mercedes, according to an audit released last week by the University of Georgia. The information technology director and his wife ran up nearly $1,300 in personal spa and fitness charges on an ICLE-sponsored Bahamas cruise that were also billed to the organization, which offers mandatory continuing education classes for attorneys that are a requirement of their bar licenses. The IT director also charged two cellphones for his children to the organization’s account as well as cellphones for the ICLE’s former executive director, who retired three years ago, his wife, and his two children—resulting in thousands of dollars in services that were either under-reimbursed or not reimbursed until auditors questioned the expenditures. These are among the alleged financial irregularities, inappropriately charged personal expenses, and under-reporting of taxable fringe benefits over a 15-month period that were identified by university auditors, who have been reviewing the ICLE books since March. The audit, released by the university on Thursday, was prompted by a whistleblower who called the university’s ethics hotline in February. The audit suggested that the questionable practices highlighted in the 24-page audit report could put the ICLE’s tax-exempt nonprofit status at risk. …On Aug. 22, UGA provided the ICLE board, which includes multiple former state bar presidents and law school deans, with a draft of the audit and notified the board that ICLE executive director Stephen Harper, IT director Brian Davis, and Janet Andrews, the organization’s chief operating officer and office manager, had been dismissed. The university also recommended disciplinary action against staff accountant Karen Sorrells.
www.onlineathens.com
UGA absent from list of nation’s top party schools
http://onlineathens.com/mobile/2016-08-29/uga-absent-list-nations-top-party-schools
By STAFF REPORTSNEWS
The Princeton Review released its annual list of college superlatives in a variety of categories on Monday, and under the heading of top party schools — which just a few years back had University of Georgia as No. 1 — UGA was nowhere to be found. In fact, in several categories in which Georgia is usually ranked — Best Campus Food, Greek Life, Lots of Beer — UGA is absent. Just last year Georgia was the No. 8 party school and in 2010 was ranked No. 1 in the rankings, an unscientific list based on what students attending the schools in Princeton Review’s Best Colleges book tell them about the campuses. The one social scene category Georgia did rank — lots of hard liquor — saw UGA fall from No. 4 in 2015 to No. 14 this year. On the academic side, however, UGA ranked No. 24 in top internship opportunities. Georgia was also No. 21 in best alumni network, and was on the list of top green colleges, colleges that pay you back, and best Southeastern schools.
www.wgauradio.com
Sinkhole will close UGA parking lot
http://www.wgauradio.com/news/news/local/sinkhole-will-close-uga-parking-lot/nsNsD/
By Tim Bryant
A large and growing sinkhole will close a University of Georgia parking lot on Carlton Street.
From the University of Georgia’s Parking Services…
To all S25 permit holders:
The Facilities Management Division has discovered a damaged pipe beneath the S25 lot that is in need of immediate repair. As a result, no parking will be permitted in this lot while repairs are being made. This area will be closed beginning Saturday, September 3, 2016 and repairs are expected to take two to three months.
Higher Education News:
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Survey: No agreement on role of public schools, but preference for career-tech over tougher academics
The Georgia General Assembly has long appeared conflicted on the role of public education. State lawmakers were among the earliest in the country to begin deriding public schools as “government schools” as a means to promote school choice. At the same time it proclaimed support of Georgia’s public education system and its teachers, the Legislature spent a lot of time and money plotting escape routes out of the schools. That ambivalence has spread to the public, according to the latest results from the annual Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK) Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. The responses underscore the challenges facing public schools today, which are under pressure to produce more college-bound graduates. But the survey finds greater endorsement of schools focusing on career-technical or skills-based classes rather than more honors or advanced academic classes. The public tilt toward career-tech is interesting because a college degree remains valuable currency in terms of lifelong earnings and quality of life. I wonder if the intense media focus on soaring college costs has made parents more skeptical of the value of a college degree. What do you think? Here is the official summary:
www.chronicle.com
What’s the Right Public Message About Going to College?
By Beckie Supiano
The evidence is clear: For the average student, college is an investment that pays off. But averages conceal variation, and college outcomes vary widely. Variation in postcollege earnings and student debt has also increased over time, according to new research, raising the stakes on students’ college choices. College is no guarantee. Many students never graduate. Even someone who earns a degree doesn’t always make more money than the typical person with less education. Factor in the ubiquity of student debt, and there’s a chance that things will go badly wrong — especially for those who don’t graduate.
www.insidehighered.com
Renewed Diversity Push
As first academic year since last fall’s protests start, many colleges are adding diversity programs to orientation or requiring students to complete online multicultural training.
By Jake New
Last year, colleges were rocked by a series of protests over racial inequality on campuses and across the country. With signs pointing to those protests returning as students head back to campus this month, colleges and universities are preparing for another year of student activism. Among those preparations, several institutions have begun offering new diversity and multicultural programming to their students. “This isn’t a new area for higher education at all, but it’s clear that more and more campuses are recognizing it’s important to try and create more opportunities for open dialogue about these issues,” Kevin Kruger, president of NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, said. “Most campuses understand that the protests and activism last year show that there are issues that need to be addressed.”
www.chronicle.com
How a University Is Training Its Police to Take a Trauma-Informed Approach to Sexual Violence
By Emma Pettit
Noël Busch-Armendariz knows that the immediate aftermath of sexual trauma can take many forms. Victims can appear fidgety or calm, talkative or quiet, engaged or totally blank, she says. And they often cannot remember details of what happened to them until much later.
Ms. Busch-Armendariz, a professor in the School of Social Work and director of the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at the University of Texas at Austin, also knows that this wide range of behaviors conflicts with common perceptions about how victims of rape should behave. People don’t understand what trauma looks like, says Ms. Busch-Armendariz, and they make assumptions, like “Well, she doesn’t seem like a victim because she’s not crying.” In the mind of the average person, those assumptions are harmful. But in the minds of campus police officers, those assumptions can damage both the victim and an investigation by leading officers to believe that survivors are being dishonest about what happened to them, says Michael J. Heidingsfield, director of police for the University of Texas system. Two years ago, both Ms. Busch-Armendariz and Mr. Heidingsfield wanted to break down those misconceptions between law enforcement and victims of assault. Since then, they and their departments have collaborated on a report, “The Blueprint for Campus Police: Responding to Sexual Assault.”