University System News:
www.myajc.com
Georgia universities request $265 million for construction, repair
By James Salzer – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With Georgia colleges continuing to see climbing enrollment, the University System on Wednesday asked for a boost in state funding as well as $265 million more for construction and renovation projects. The request, approved by the Board of Regents, will go to Gov. Nathan Deal, who will decide whether to recommend it to the General Assembly in January. A preliminary count puts the system’s fall enrollment at about 322,000 students, up 1.3 percent from last year. About one quarter of the system’s $8.4 billion budget comes from direct state funding. The request for new funding is in line with instructions given to state agencies earlier this summer by Deal’s budget office. The administration warned agencies not to ask for new spending beyond what was required by increased school enrollment or usage of the public health system. …Georgia’s library system is a unit of the University System, and the Board of Regents also requested $21.6 million to build and repair libraries and replace computer equipment. The new libraries that made the cut for the request included ones in Norcross and Gainesville.
www.bizjournals.com
University System of Georgia seeking $117 million budget increase
Dave Williams
Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents Wednesday adopted a $2.25 billion budget request for fiscal 2018 and asked for $265 million in building projects. The operating budget would represent a $117 million increase in state funding for Georgia’s public colleges and universities, primarily driven by $66.7 million to cover enrollment growth and $34.7 million for the Teachers’ Retirement System.
www.ajc.com
Georgia universities request $265 million for construction, repair
By James Salzer – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech, Georgia Gwinnett College and the University of Georgia would all get big money for construction projects under a budget request approved by the University System Board of Regents Wednesday. The Regents backed a budget request to lawmakers that includes $117 million to pay for enrollment growth in the system and extra retirement system payments for staffers, and another $265 million in borrowing for construction and renovation projects. The budget proposal now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal, who will decide whether to recommend the request to the General Assembly in January.
www.wgauradio.com
Another new science building for UGA?
http://www.wgauradio.com/news/news/local/another-new-science-building-uga/nsYTR/
By Tim Bryant
The state Board of Regents signs off on a plan for yet another new science building at the University of Georgia. The University’s massive new Science Learning Center opened last month; now comes word of a proposal for a $65 million research facility for the so-called STEM disciplines—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Regents, meeting Wednesday in Atlanta, approved more than four and a half million dollars in funding for design and planning for the new building.
www.athensceo.com
CSU’s Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum Honors USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby with 8th Annual Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business
Staff Report From Georgia CEO
University System of Georgia System Chancellor Henry “Hank” M. Huckaby received the 8th Annual Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business Monday night at the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum, hosted by the Leadership Institute at Columbus State University. The Blanchard Award recipient is selected annually by a committee led by William R. “Billy” Blanchard, president and chief executive office at Columbus Bank and Trust. Blanchard presented the award to Huckaby in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 during the first night of the 2016 Jim Blanchard leadership Forum. His voice cracking with emotion, Huckaby accepted the award by crediting those around him. “The theme of this year’s forum is It Takes a Team,” Huckaby said. “Whatever success I have had is because of the team around me. “I have been fortunate in my personal life and professional career to receive some honors. But this is a unique one- a special one because it carries with it the name of one of the finest citizens in this state,” he said.
www.ajc.com
Would you be willing to gamble on casinos in Georgia to preserve HOPE?
Maureen Downey, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The HOPE Scholarship has become a victim of its own popularity with Georgia families. Increased demand and rising tuition have led the state to reduce the amounts of the award, which used to pay 100 percent of tuition, along with books and fees. Now, funding fluctuates based on available lottery revenues, so HOPE this year pays 82 percent of tuition at Georgia State and 75 percent at the University of Georgia. It no longer pays anything toward books and fees. When the AJC examined the future of HOPE on its 20th anniversary three years ago, the then president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission told us, “We know HOPE is going to exist, but what it will look like 15 years out is unknown. I understand what parents are thinking. I have a 6- and 9-year-old. All I can tell them is save, save, save.” Would Georgians approve bringing casinos to the state to create another source of funding for HOPE? Some people want voters to have the opportunity to consider that question.
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Are Georgians willing to gamble on casinos for HOPE Scholarship?
Tommy Dortch is former state director for U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and chairman emeritus of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. In this piece, he endorses a ballot referendum to allow casino resorts in Georgia, saying the taxes generated will help ensure the future of the HOPE Scholarship. Using the preservation of HOPE as the incentive, a strong push is underway to bring casino resorts to Georgia. However, the AJC reported that a study paid for by downtown Atlanta’s top booster group raised questions about whether the resorts would be the cash cow proponents contend. According to the AJC’s J. Scott Trubey:
www.ajc.com
These HBCUs are top-ranked nationally
Which Historically Black Colleges and Universities topped US News & World Report’s rankings for the HBCU category? We list the top seven as well as the other top-ranked HBCUs located in Georgia.
No. 13 Fort Valley State University; No. 32 Albany State University; No. 47 Savannah State University
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
We need to tell more Georgia high school students they can Move On When Ready
Rick Diguette is a local writer and college instructor. He is great essayist on college readiness and higher education. Today, he tackles Georgia’s Move On When Ready program, which he coordinates at his campus. I concur with his observation the program is under-utilized. I also agree many more high school kids could benefit if they understood what the program was and how to apply.
By Rick Diguette
I have written before about Georgia’s Move On When Ready (MOWR) program. Briefly, it allows public and private high school students as well as home schoolers to earn college credits while at the same time completing mandatory high school graduation requirements. That they can do this at virtually no out-of-pocket cost is an obvious added bonus. But too many parents and students are left to figure things out for themselves, and that can be frustrating ― for parents, for students, and for MOWR coordinators like me. The first thing many parents and students don’t understand is that participation in MOWR requires admission to a Georgia public or private college or university. The GAfutures website, which is chock full of valuable, easy-to-access information about planning for college, doesn’t make this crystal clear. Nor do some MOWR webpages maintained at participating colleges and universities. It’s also worth noting that while many of Georgia’s colleges and universities have a MOWR program, the admissions requirements vary. So some digging may be necessary to find out just what those varying requirements happen to be.
www.bainbridgega.com
BSC Invites Displaced ITT Tech Students
http://bainbridgega.com/bnews/bnews.php?BSC-Invites-Displaced-ITT-Tech-Students-10176
by Susanne Reynolds, BSC Media Coordinator
Bainbridge State College is reaching out to displaced ITT Technical Institute students by inviting them to campus to explore transferable courses. With the recent closing of Tallahassee’s ITT Technical Institute, many students have found themselves displaced and only credits away from a degree. Bainbridge State College welcomes former ITT Tech students to explore transferable course options that will assist them in earning their degrees. Students are being encouraged to visit the Bainbridge campus and meet with academic counselors. “Bainbridge State College looks forward to serving the needs of students from ITT Technical Institute,” said Dr. Stuart Rayfield, Interim BSC President. “This is certainly a difficult and stressful time for everyone involved and our goal is to create a seamless transition for ITT students into one of our related programs. Our admissions staff and advisors are available to help in any way.”
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
GGC soccer holds signing ceremony for 5-year-old cancer survivor
By Keith Farner
LAWRENCEVILLE — In a room full of college soccer players and coaches, Peyton Greene seemed a bit overwhelmed, but the 5-year-old cancer survivor mustered a couple of words. She was excited to be in the spotlight during a signing ceremony on Wednesday afternoon to ceremonially join the Georgia Gwinnett College women’s soccer team. She said that participating in warmups before a recent game was simply, “awesome.” Peyton, who had her last chemotherapy treatment about a month ago, was joined by her mother Shannon, who said the ceremony at GGC was not something she envisioned about two and a half years ago when the family first learned of her daughter’s diagnosis. “When you’re first diagnosed, you don’t think you’ll ever get to see them play sports, or go to school, you always think the worst,” Shannon said. “To have a moment like this with a team, it’s just a dream come true. It’s just something you hope to see your child be a part of, whether it be 5-year-old or a college team or whether she’s in college as part of a team.” Peyton has battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia since the family learned of it in March 2014.
www.henryherald.com
Ex-offender career fair brings out hundreds seeking new start
From Staff Reports
MORROW — Many of the more than 750 people attending this month’s ex-offender career fair are closer to a fresh start, thanks to the efforts of local and national partnerships. The National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice and the Henry County alumnae chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta, a historically black sorority, participated in a returning citizen and ex-offender career fair Sept. 9. The event was held on the Morrow campus of Clayton State University. “The truth, more often than not, is these individuals can go in and get a great education in prison… but what good is it if you can’t come out and use it?” said John Guillory, president of the NABCJ and its Georgia chapter. “They try to rebuild their families, but they can’t if they don’t have the tools.” Individuals had an opportunity to meet employers from a number of companies at the job fair, including Goodwill Industries, Ready Mix USA, Diaz Foods, A Qualified Home Inspector and Diverse Staffing. Attendees also had access to interview and resume help from University Career Services, voter registration by Clayton State, HIV testing conducted by ANIZ Inc. Support Services and record expungement assistance from the Georgia Justice Project. …Gov. Nathan Deal led Georgia and the South by becoming the first state to enact a “ban the box” policy to prevent an employer from asking about a person’s criminal record early in the hiring process, while giving candidates a chance to explain their record.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Smarter State Spending
State dollars for public higher education would go farther, prominent researchers argue, if more of it went to open-access colleges and need-based aid.
By Paul Fain
During the last 25 years, states have been paying an ever-shrinking portion of the costs of educating students at public colleges. That trend will be hard to reverse, as spending on Medicaid and other competing needs is likely to increase in most states. To cope with the bleak budget outlook, two new papers by prominent higher education researchers seek to make states’ higher education dollars go farther and to improve degree completion rates with a set of proposals that some in higher education may find controversial.
www.chronicle.com
After Closing Campuses, ITT Says It Will Cease Operations Entirely
by Andy Thomason
ITT Educational Services Inc., which last week announced it would close all of its campuses following a new wave of federal scrutiny, will now cease operations. The company said in a federal filing on Wednesday that it would close, effective on Friday.