University System News:
www.myajc.com
4 Ga. schools named top universities in U.S. News rankings
By Marlon A. Walker – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four Georgia colleges are among the nation’s best,U.S. News and World Report says in its annual list of top universities. Emory University, Georgia Tech, Mercer University and the University of Georgia made the list of best national universities for 2017, released Tuesday. Schools are ranked on up to 15 measures of academic quality including graduation and retention rates, expert opinions, faculty and financial resources. … Georgia Tech, tied with Brandeis University in Massachusetts, was 34, up from 36. UGA, tied with three other schools, moved to 56 from 61 a year ago. Emory, UGA and Georgia Tech had freshman retention rates of at least 94 percent and graduation rates last year of at least 85 percent. Mercer reported an 83 percent freshman retention rate and a 61 percent graduation rate. UGA officials said the university benefited from an improved academic peer assessment rating. That used opinions from presidents, provosts and deans at peer institutions. This year’s edition of the list includes data on more than 1,800 colleges and rankings of 1,376 schools. Among the top 20 public universities, Georgia Tech again ranked seventh, and UGA was 18th, tied with the University of Texas at Austin. …Five Georgia schools ranked among the best Historically Black Colleges and Universities, with Spelman topping the list, as it did last year. Others were Fort Valley State University (31) and Savannah State University (47).
www.wtoc.com
Armstrong receives top national rankings
http://www.wtoc.com/story/33079733/armstrong-receives-top-national-rankings
By WTOC Staff
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) – The College of Education at Armstrong State University recently received two national rankings. GradSource.com recently named Armstrong 7th in the nation for Best Online Master’s Program in Education. Also, Teacher.org reviewed 425 colleges and ranked Armstrong’s Early Childhood Education degree program the 17th best in the country.
www.valdostadailytimes.com
9/11 claimed one of Valdosta’s own
By Dean Poling
VALDOSTA — It’s been 15 years since Valdosta lost one of its own. Major Wallace Cole Hogan Jr. was a Valdosta State University graduate, a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He would leave Valdosta and become a Green Beret and a general’s aide at the Pentagon. On Sept. 11, 2001, while working at the Pentagon, Cole Hogan died when a hijacked plane slammed into the Washington, D.C., military complex. Though Hogan died in the terrorist attacks, he has not been forgotten.
www.tiftongazette.com
ABAC’s high school equivalency program receives $2.3 Million renewal
Special to The Gazette
TIFTON – The High School Equivalency Program (HEP) in the Office of Multicultural Education at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College recently received a 2.3 million dollar grant renewal for the next five years. Olga Contreras-Martinez, Assistant Director of the HEP program said that the grant was awarded by the Department of Education from the Office of Migrant Education. “Every five years, ABAC has to submit a proposal for the renewal process,” said Contreras. “It is very competitive. We also have to meet previous grant goals in order to be considered.” The funding will be used to assist migrant and seasonal agricultural workers in obtaining the equivalency of a high school diploma. In the state of Georgia, that is the General Education Diploma (GED). “There are very few programs like this in the state,” Contreras-Martinez said. “It gives students the opportunity for a better life.”
www.gwinnettcitizen.com
GGC sees no disabilities, only opportunities
http://gwinnettcitizen.com/gc/local-news/local-news/2908-ggc-sees-no-disabilities-only-opportunities
By Carole Townsend
Staff Correspondent
Lawrenceville – Georgia Gwinnett College was recently named the most diverse college – public or private – in the Southern region for two consecutive years. The U.S. News & World Report ranking underscores what scholars and businesses have known for years, that graduates of highly diverse colleges become uniquely prepared as both citizens and leaders in their local, state, national and international communities. In a world that is becoming smaller and smaller as technology advances, it’s safe to say that graduates of GGC have a critical edge. There is another area of diversity in which this crown jewel of Gwinnett earns high marks, and that’s in the area of inclusion. According to Sally Ramey, GGC’s Assistant Director for Publications, the Department of Disability Services assists about 500 enrolled students with special needs of many types – mobility, vision, hearing, dyslexia, comprehension and more; that number increases every year. The school’s approach to including all students who wish to attend Georgia Gwinnett College, and who meet the same criteria academically as other students, is one more way in which this progressive, fast-growing institution values the individual.
www.ajc.com
Ga. Southern baseball player accused of throwing bottle at cheerleader
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/ga-southern-baseball-player-accused-of-throwing-bo/nsT8K/
Raisa Habersham, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Georgia Southern University baseball player is accused of throwing a bottle at a Savannah State University cheerleader at a football game between the schools last Saturday in Statesboro, according to a university police report. Georgia Southern left-handed pitcher Evan Challenger threw a bottle at the cheerleader, according to the report from the Georgia Southern Police Department. “Key administrators from Georgia Southern University and Savannah State University discussed the offensive behavior shown by fans at Saturday’s game,” Georgia Southern spokeswoman Jennifer Wise said. “A full investigation is currently underway.” The cheerleader neglected to press charges, but according to the police report Challenger was asked to leave the stadium.
www.savannahnow.com
Security to tighten around Georgia Southern student section after bottle-throwing incident
Investigation surrounding GS pitcher ongoing
Evan Challenger
STATESBORO — Security near the Georgia Southern student section will be tighter for Saturday’s home football game against Louisiana-Monroe in the wake of a bottle-throwing incident in the Eagles’ Sept. 3 home opener against Savannah State, GS athletic director Tom Kleinlein said Monday. A Savannah State cheerleader reported in a post on her Facebook page that she had bottles thrown at her during the game and that fans from the student section were yelling racial slurs at her and her teammates. The SSU cheerleading squad was stationed in front of the Georgia Southern student section near the west end zone at Paulson Stadium. …According to a Georgia Southern University police report obtained Friday by the Savannah Morning News, at least one of the bottles was thrown by Eagles baseball pitcher Evan Challenger. Police advised Challenger to leave the stadium after the cheerleader declined to press charges. Georgia Southern launched an investigation into the matter early last week, and Kleinlein said that investigation was still ongoing. Challenger could face punishment from the university’s Office of Student Conduct as well as the athletic department. Kleinlein said the decision of what course of action to take with Challenger within the athletic program lies with him. …Kleinlein said Georgia Southern isn’t different from any other school with a football program in that each one has fans who act out of bounds, but the incident has sparked him and other Georgia Southern officials to discuss what changes need to be made. “When an incident like last week comes about, it forces us to look at things differently,” Kleinlein said. “And we are. Our game-day environment for visiting fans is of upmost priority.
www.onlineathens.com
UGA graduate researcher killed, two other cyclists injured by DUI suspect in east Athens
By JOE JOHNSON
A University of Georgia graduate researcher was killed and two other bicyclists were injured Monday evening in east Athens by a suspected impaired driver. Ashley Block, 25, who was a graduate student in Integrative Conservation and Anthropology at UGA, was killed during the Monday night group ride that is organized by The Hub Bicycles on South Milledge Avenue. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. …The tragedy has shaken and also angered members of the sizable Athens-area cycling community.” Block and her fellow cyclists were “doing everything right” when tragedy struck them, said Sgt. Von Anderson, a supervisor with the Athens-Clarke County police Traffic Unit. According to Anderson, the cyclists were riding single file along the fog line on Athena Drive when an SUV traveling in the opposite direction crossed completely over the road and struck all three cyclists. The vehicle’s driver, 31-year-old Whitney Baker Howard, admitted she was looking at her cellphone.
www.ajc.com
UGA fraternity suspended for ‘sustained hazing’
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/uga-fraternity-suspended-for-sustained-hazing/nsXQT/
Steve Burns, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A fraternity at the University of Georgia has been suspended for one year after acknowledging a “sustained hazing” of students, according to a media report. Pi Kappa Phi violated four university regulations, admitting to “forcing and/or requiring the consumption of tobacco products, holding line-ups, requiring participation in physical activities including push-ups, and throwing food and condiments at students,” the Athens Banner-Herald reported. Under terms of the penalty, all fraternity activities are prohibited and the chapter is “officially closed,” the paper reported. The penalty was effective Sept. 7. It’s the second yearlong penalty for the fraternity since 2010, according to the report.
www.wrbl.com
CSU Police increase security measures following third reported incident on campus
By wrbljoeyripley
COLUMBUS, Ga. – Columbus State University Police are tightening campus security after a third reported incident at the school in the last two weeks. CSU Police arrested three people, including one student, in connection with a weekend drug investigation at Clearview Hall. Sydarrian Cobb, 18, Quintin Jackson, 18, and Kelvin Stutson, 19, are all suspected in the incident. Amid the third reported incident on campus, CSU Police is cracking down on crime in an attempt to prevent further incidents for the rest of the school year. Columbus State sophomore Alexis Bennett says she feels safe and secure in her second year living in on-campus housing.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
AU pay change ‘tough’ for employees
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2016-09-08/au-pay-change-tough-employees#
By Tom Corwin, Staff Writer
A federally mandated change in pay will switch about 800 employees at Augusta University and its health system from salary to hourly employees and will result in only a partial paycheck for them during the transition, a move that will be “tough” for many of those families, an AU administrator admitted. In order to comply with changes in the Fair Labor Standards Act mandate by the U.S. Department of Labor, currently “exempt” salaried employees who earn $47,476 or less a year will be switched to working 40 hours a week, a change that the University System of Georgia voted to make happen on Nov. 1, said Susan Norton, vice president of human resources. All companies are required to do it by Dec. 1, she said. “It’s not an option for us,” Norton said. “It’s not an option for any employer across the country.” There are some professions that have been exempted from the requirements, such as physicians, dentists and teachers, which covers many of the university and health system employees. But for many others, it means a big change, particularly for the research community and many research assistants and associates, Norton said. Research “is hit very, very hard by this,” she said. But the biggest change, and the one that generated the most grumbling and questions during a town hall Thursday, was on the switch from monthly pay periods to every two weeks.
www.moultrieobserver.com
Library offers prizes for new library card subscriptions
Staff Reports
MOULTRIE — A library card is almost magical. It can take you to wonderful places, introduce you to interesting people from throughout history and spark your imagination. For two lucky people this month, it could even make you a winner. In celebration of Library Card Sign-Up Month, the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library is offering prizes to one adult and one person under the age of 17, chosen at random from among all those who get a new library card between Sept. 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sept. 30. …The card provides access to:
- Many free databases and other resources are available through GALILEO, a project sponsored by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Through it one can access more than 150 databases. More than 7,000 journal titles are available in full text. Other resources include an encyclopedia, business directories, a collection of more than 10,000 full text books, and government publications. Card holders may access many of these resources from home.
www.jbhe.com
Albany State University Seeks Global Partnership in Belize
https://www.jbhe.com/2016/09/albany-state-university-seeks-global-partnership-in-belize/
Albany State University, the historically Black educational institution in Georgia, is cooperating with officials representing higher educational interests in the Central American nation of Belize to expand educational opportunities for faculty and students in both countries. Representatives of Albany State’s Office of Global Programs recently met with officials from two-year and four-year colleges, and universities in Belize to discuss enhancement of faculty and student exchange programs, research collaborations. and joint grant projects. During the 2015-16 academic year, eight Albany State University students studied abroad in Belize.
www.myajc.com
State probes chemical spill in UGA campus stream
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/state-probes-chemical-spill-in-uga-campus-stream/nsTpp/
By Steve Burns – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State officials are investigating a chemical spill in a stream on the University of Georgia campus that resulted in some fish being killed, according to a media report. Some UGA students on Saturday explored Lily Branch, which is part of the campus stormwater sewer system, and smelled what they called a noxious odor coming from the stream, the Athens Banner-Herald reported. The students went Sunday morning to a construction site on Carlton Street, where workers were repairing a large storm sewer pipe, the paper reported. The students saw workers who appeared to be cleaning up a spill. Downstream, the students found dead fish, the paper reported. There was what appeared to be a white and translucent substance on the stream. The students reported their findings to campus police, who notified UGA environmental authorities, according to the report. The Department of Natural Resources got involved and is completing its investigation, according to the report.
www.thevillagessuntimes.com
This new imaging system can read closed books
http://thevillagessuntimes.com/2016/09/11/this-new-imaging-system-can-read-closed-books/
By Hubert Green
You might want to keep your journal in a safer place – with help from their colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a prototype imaging system that aims to read through closed books. TheVillagesSuntimes http://thevillagessuntimes.com/2016/09/11/this-new-imaging-system-can-read-closed-books/
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
What Students Really Think
A new book by undergraduates at Michigan State offers teaching advice based on thousands of comments from students starting with the prompt, ‘To my professor…’
By Colleen Flaherty
There’s no shortage of books on how to become better college instructor, but surprisingly few take student perspectives into account. Not so for a new book from Michigan State University. The product of a journalism class, To My Professor: Student Voices for Great College Teaching (Read the Spirit Books) distills thousands of student comments and bits of advice into a cleverly organized, timely read. It should appeal to anyone interested in improving instruction or simply knowing what students think, beyond the seeming randomness of teacher rating websites or the targeted feedback in student evaluations of teaching. “What makes this book unique is the fact that it is written by students,” said Meaghan Markey, an advertising major at Michigan State who wrote or helped write sections on student parents, Hmong students and online classes. “What we wrote isn’t just theory, it’s things we as students have actually experienced. Our goal with To My Professor is to give students a voice and for professors to hear us.”
www.nytimes.com
Why We Should Stop Grading Students on a Curve
Adam Grant
Ask people what’s wrong in American higher education, and you’ll hear about grade inflation. At Harvard a few years ago, a professor complained that the most common grade was an A-. He was quickly corrected: The most common grade at Harvard was an A … the opposite problem worries me even more: grade deflation. It happens whenever teachers use a forced grading curve: The top 10 percent of students receive A’s, the next 30 percent get B’s, and so on. Sometimes it’s mandated by institutions; sometimes it’s chosen by teachers. The goal is to fight grade inflation, but the forced curve suffers from two serious flaws. One: It arbitrarily limits the number of students who can excel. If your forced curve allows for only seven A’s, but 10 students have mastered the material, three of them will be unfairly punished … The more important argument against grade curves is that they create an atmosphere that’s toxic by pitting students against one another.
www.insidehighered.com
Somebody Else’s Problem
Report finds initiative fatigue and a lack of accountability, among other obstacles, are preventing colleges from improving student outcomes.
By Carl Straumsheim
Academic leaders say all the other colleges and universities out there are responsible for why higher education is delivering less value than it did 10 years ago, an upcoming report found. Their own institutions, they say, are doing even better than before.
The report, based on a survey of 218 high-ranking administrators — including presidents, vice presidents and provosts — at private and public two- and four-year institutions, explores the barriers preventing colleges from improving student outcomes. The report, which will be published Sept. 29, suggests many colleges are struggling with a “bystander effect”: everyone is responsible for improving student outcomes, so no one takes ownership of it.
www.diverseeducation.com
Higher Ed Gets Opportunity to Benchmark Diversity
http://diverseeducation.com/article/86670/
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
The way Cynthia Love sees it, colleges and universities need more than just a climate survey to really improve diversity on campus … Love made her remarks during an interview that followed ACPA’s recent gathering to present the organization’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Benchmark tool (GDIB) as being available for the first time in its 10-year history to colleges and universities. Several institutions of higher learning — including Dartmouth College and the University of Missouri — are beginning to use the GDIB, a free online downloadable 80-page booklet, according to Love. It is sponsored by The Diversity Collegium … The GDIB — which is available here — addresses a wide range of operations within an organization, Love said. For instance, a chart shows that it deals with 14 broad categories. They range from vision and leadership at the foundation level, to social responsibility and student recruitment at the external level, to recruitment and compensation at the internal level.