University System News:
www.wgauradio.com
Huckaby to be honored
http://www.wgauradio.com/news/news/local/huckaby-be-honored/ntTj2/
By Tim Bryant
Hank Huckaby will be honored next month in Atlanta: the former University of Georgia vice president who served as an Athens state Representative recently retired as Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. He will be the inaugural recipient of the Zell Miller Award for Distinguished Public Service. The award will be presented by the newly formed Miller Institute for Public Policy,
www.lakeexpo.com
POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Perdue, Isakson receive Senate committee assignments
By Curt Yeomans
Georgia will find itself represented on nine key committees in the U.S. Senate over the next two years, according to announcements from Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue. Isakson and Perdue announced their respective committee assignments this week, after Isakson and other senators who won election last year were sworn in. Isakson will serve on five committees while Perdue will serve on four. Isakson will serve on five Senate committees, retaining his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Senate Select committee on Ethics. His other committee assignments will include the finance, foreign relations and health, education and labor committees.…Public policy institute named for Zell Miller announced The creation of a new bipartisan public policy institute designed to find solutions for issues facing Georgia, and named for a popular former governor, was announced on Wednesday. The Zell Miller Institute for Public Policy is intended to find bipartisan solutions to issues, as well as encourage young Georgians to enter lives of public service, preserve and educate people on Miller’s legacy and be involved in elections around the state. Miller, a Democrat, served as governor, and as a U.S. senator. The institute will be run by Executive Director and Board Chairman Bryan Miller, who is the former governor’s grandson. Its bipartisan board of directors will include former Georgia First Lady Shirley Miller, former Attorney General Thurbert Baker, Board of Regents member Dean Alford, former Miller Chief of Staff Charlie Harman, former University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby and Troutman Sanders Strategies chairman Pete Robinson.
www.goldenisles.news
Economic outlook luncheon set for Jan. 19
By LINDSEY ADKISON
With a new year comes hopes for a brighter future — and nowhere is that more prevalent than in the economy. Many in the Golden Isles are looking to a prosperous 2017, and one annual event often serves as the first hint of what will be in the cards. Each January, the University of Georgia’s Selig Center at the Terry College of Business returns to the area for a luncheon to share research and expectations for both the state and local economy in the year ahead. Speakers this year will be UGA professor Benjamin Ayers and Don Mathews, professor at College of Coastal Georgia. Ayers will present his findings on the state’s economy while Mathews will share perspective on what lies ahead for Glynn County. Mathews said the luncheon is something that has been part of the community for more than two decades. “The University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business began the economic outlook luncheons about 25 years ago, I believe. The format has always been for the Dean of the Terry School to discuss the outlook for the Georgia economy and a local person to discuss the local economic outlook,” he said.
www.georgiatrend.com
100 Most Influential Georgians of 2017: Wielding Power
Edited by Karen Kirkpatrick and Christy Simo
If leadership is influence, as the author John C. Maxwell says, then we not only have a list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians, but a representation of the strength of leadership in our state. For this, our 19th list, we have included many of the usual suspects – politicians, CEOs, college presidents – but we’ve also added a number of new names and faces to the list. All are people who inspire, exasperate, lead – and influence us. Some work behind the scenes and some are recognized in every corner of the Peach State. But they have one thing in common: Each of the 100 people you’ll find on the following pages have an enormous impact on the daily lives of Georgians. …Mark Becker, President, Georgia State University; Jennifer Frum, Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia; Jaimie Hebert, President, Georgia Southern University; Tim Hynes, President, Clayton State University; Brooks Keel, President, Augusta University, CEO, Augusta University Health; Chris Markwood, President, Columbus State University; Kyle Marrero, President, University of West Georgia; Jere W. Morehead, President, University of Georgia; Sam Olens, President, Kennesaw State University; G.P. “Bud” Peterson, President, Georgia Institute of Technology; Kessel D. Stelling Jr., Chairman & CEO, Synovus; T. Rogers Wade, Chairman, Governor’s Defense Initiative; Phillip A. Wilheit Sr., President & CEO, Wilheit Packaging
www.times-herald.com
Smith, Marrero among 100 influential Georgians
http://times-herald.com/news/2017/01/smith-marrero-among-100-influential-georgians
By THE NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD
State Rep. Lynn Smith and University of West Georgia President Kyle Marrero are among the 100 Most Influential Georgians of 2016, according to Georgia Trend Magazine. The publication’s annual list highlights people who have “an enormous impact on the daily lives of Georgians,” and this year’s group includes not only legislators and educators but leaders from the business, industry and healthcare fields. …Marrero, who took the helm of UWG in 2013 and oversaw the opening of the university’s Newnan campus in 2015, made the list for the third consecutive year. “Marrero…is making his mark,” the magazine’s staff wrote. “The University of West Georgia won Institution of the Year, and Marrero himself was named President of the Year by the University System of Georgia in 2015. The two were recognized, in part, for initiatives to increase employee retention and improve morale, processes and efficiency, all while achieving record enrollment and fundraising.”
www.ajc.com
Judge: Georgians shielded from deportation may pay in-state tuition
Jeremy Redmon
Georgia residents who have received a special reprieve from deportation from the Obama administration may begin paying in-state tuition here under a state court ruling released Tuesday. …A 2008 state law says noncitizens cannot pay the in-state rates unless they are “legally in this state.” And a Board of Regents tuition policy closely tracks that law. Assisted by local immigration attorney Charles Kuck, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit pointed to federal records that say DACA recipients are lawfully present in the U.S. Fulton Superior Court Chief Judge Gail Tusan agreed with that argument in the ruling she issued Friday. University System of Georgia officials, she wrote, are “hereby compelled to perform their duty in applying the federal definition of lawful presence as it relates to students who are DACA recipients and to grant them in-state tuition status.” “Defendants have refused to accept the federally established lawful presence of plaintiffs and many other similarly situated students — students who are Georgia taxpayers, workers, and graduates of Georgia public high schools pursuing an affordable option for higher education,” Tusan wrote in her decision, which was issued Friday. “Such refusal of a faithful performance of their duties is unreasonable and creates a defect of legal justice that has already negatively impacted thousands of Georgia students.”
www.myajc.com
Judge orders in-state tuition for some immigrants in Georgia
State Board of Regents says it will appeal surprise ruling
By Jeremy Redmon – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a stunning decision that alters the immigration debate in Georgia, a Fulton County judge has ruled the state must permit residents who have been granted a special reprieve from deportation by the Obama administration to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. Released Tuesday, the ruling by Fulton Superior Court Chief Judge Gail Tusan says the state has improperly refused to extend in-state tuition to this group, which the federal government has declared “legally present” in this country. “I really didn’t think we would actually win this because of all the other decisions we had in the past,” said Rigoberto Rivera, a plaintiff and Roswell High School graduate who was brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a child. “We’re so excited here.” Rivera said he may now apply to Georgia State University to study political science and criminology. The ruling comes nearly four years after Rivera and fellow plaintiffs began their legal odyssey, which at one point reached the Georgia Supreme Court. But the legal battle is not over. The Board of Regents issued a statement Tuesday evening, saying it would appeal the judge’s decision. “We believe our policy follows the law,” Charles Sutlive, a spokesman for the board, said in a statement. “As the Superior Court’s decision will remain on hold during the appeals process, our current in-state tuition policy will remain in effect.”
www.myajc.com
Georgia lawmakers readying raft of tough bills on immigrants, refugees
By Jeremy Redmon – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Emboldened by Donald Trump’s presidential win, Republican state lawmakers in Georgia are preparing to introduce a raft of measures targeting refugees and immigrants in the legislative session that starts Monday. The Republican president-elect pulled off a major upset after vowing to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants and bar Muslims – including Syrian refugees — from entering the U.S. At least four bills are in the works in Georgia so far, including one that would block the state from accepting federal refugee resettlement funding. Another would start a new fee for out-of-state wire transfers many immigrants and refugees use to send money to their families abroad. Other measures would cut state funding to private universities that don’t comply with immigration laws and ban immigrants without legal status from paying in-state tuition. Battling over immigration is a perennial exercise in the Republican-controlled Legislature in Georgia, a deep red state that is growing more diverse with immigrants and refugees from around the globe. But Republican state Sen. Joshua McKoon of Columbus, who is planning to sponsor several of the new bills, said Trump’s victory makes this year different. …A Fulton County Superior Court judge recently ruled DACA recipients should be eligible the pay the lower rate. But the Board of Regents announced Tuesday its tuition policy will remain in place while it appeals. Further, McKoon is planning to introduce legislation that would say only people with legal status may pay in-state tuition in Georgia.
www.onlineathens.com
Engineering, ecology growing fastest in enrollment at UGA
By Lee Shearer
The University of Georgia’s fall enrollment grew modestly from 2015 to 2016, up just more than 1 percent to 36,544. The official fall, 2015 enrollment was 36,130. Some of the university’s colleges and schools had much higher year-to-year growth, however, while some dipped, according to statistics released by the university. The College of Engineering continued its steep growth. Engineering enrollment went up by nearly 300 students to 1,914, an 18.3 percent increase. Most of the increase was undergraduate enrollment, which rose by some 276 students to 1,807.
www.ledger-enquirer.com
Her parents didn’t graduate high school, but now she’s a college dean
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/education/article124562334.html
BY MARK RICE
Her parents didn’t graduate from high school, but she earned a doctorate. She didn’t initially go to college after high school, and she didn’t initially major in education, but she now leads a college that teaches teachers — and is about to become much more prominent. So when Columbus State University conducts its opening ceremony Friday at 1:30 p.m. for Frank D. Brown Hall, the new headquarters for CSU’s College of Education and Health Professions, you can understand why the dean might be a bit emotional as her alma mater takes another monumental step in its expanding footprint in downtown Columbus. Sharing her journey with the Ledger-Enquirer this week, Deirdre Greer wiped away tears and declared, “It shows the power of education. It really does.” CSU’s interim provost, Tina Butcher, agrees. “Many of our students are first-generation college students,” she said. “(Greer) is an outstanding role model for our students because she has a personal understanding of the challenges that they may face.”
www.myajc.com
Discovery High senior wins HBCU Scholarship
By staff
A Gwinnett County student is the latest recipient of a Delta Community & KISS 104 HBCU Scholarship. Joreal Eady, a 17-year-old senior at Discovery High School, is considering a degree in health care management and has been accepted to both Clark Atlanta University and Albany State University.
www.onlineathens.com
Auditors: Georgia college cost up sharply as academic spending declines
By Lee Shearer
Students’ average cost of attendance in University System of Georgia colleges increased by nearly 80 percent from 2006 to 2015, according to an audit released last week by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. It wasn’t because of academics, though, according to the department’s performance audit division. Spending on instruction and public service actually decreased in those years, the auditors found. In 2006, 35 cents of every dollar spent in the university system was for instruction. In 2015, that number was down to 31 cents, the auditors found. Spending on instruction declined by $135 per student, and decreased for public service by $318 per student. Annual spending per student increased for auxiliary enterprises by $580, on scholarships and fellowships ($281), operation and maintenance ($275), academic support ($198), research ($187) and student services ($128). …In formal responses to the audit, the Board of Regents noted some recent cost-control policies they have already approved and promised more changes. “BOR also noted that even thought the report does not make formal recommendations, it does highlight several opportunities for BOR to further enhance affordability to students,” the state auditors wrote. “To that end, the Chancellor-Elect (former UGA vice president Steve Wrigley) plans to introduce policy changes in early 2017 to address some of the issues noted around dining and other areas associated with auxiliary services.”
www.ajc.com
Cost of public college in Georgia jumped 77 percent in a decade. Why?
Maureen Downey – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The cost of attending a public college in Georgia increased 77 percent between 2006 and 2015. Why? That is the question the state Department of Audits and Accounts Performance Audit Division attempts to answer in a new audit. The main culprits: Slashes to higher education funding and reductions to the HOPE Scholarship by the Legislature. Forced to find more money, the University System of Georgia turned to higher tuition and more mandatory fees. all of which land on students. The audit also found increases in housing and meal plan costs, both more than double the inflation rate. And the audit discovered hefty fees to underwrite sports teams and expanded athletic programs, fees paid by all students.
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Average college costs rose 77 percent in 10 years in Georgia. Why?
A new report by the state Department of Audits and Accounts Performance Audit Division finds Georgia families paying a marked higher price for a college education, in large part due to the slashes to higher education and reductions to the HOPE Scholarship by the Legislature. The audit of the University System of Georgia found the average cost of college attendance increased 77 percent, from $8,361 to $14,791 per year, between 2006 and 2015. …While public colleges in Georgia may cost less than some other states, any comparisons have to acknowledge the greater percentage of financially strapped households here. Only six states have higher rates of people living below the poverty level, according to 2014 And 2015 U.S. Census data.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
GGC middle of pack in new graduate earnings report from governor
By Keith Farner
Georgia Gwinnett College recently passed 4,000 in alumni, and according to a study released on Tuesday, their earnings are in the middle of the pack of graduates from schools across the state. Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement released the Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings dashboard and research report, a study that lists earnings information for graduates of Georgia’s universities and technical colleges who work in the state after they earned their degrees.
www.myajc.com
How much will your degree earn you? New state tool tells you
By Maureen Downey – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A debate in higher education today is whether and how much colleges should be concerned with the job potential of their graduates. The state of Georgia, however, has resolved that debate. It contends colleges, especially those relying on tax dollars, should be very concerned. So, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement has created an easy-to-use online tool that allows students and their parents to see earning potential not only by program studied but by Georgia college attended. By plugging in degree type, program of study and public postsecondary educational institution into the new Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings dashboard, students can see median earnings across time. In looking at statewide salary data, GOSA found earnings vary dramatically by program of study and college. Fields relating to medicine are consistently among the top earners relative to other popular degree categories. Business-related bachelor’s and master’s degrees have higher earnings relative to other popular programs of study.
www.myajc.com
The (dollar) value of higher education
http://www.myajc.com/news/education/the-dollar-value-higher-education/IkiImZMJiEkuRvkJSlgI0J/
By Ty Tagami
Pharmacists, business school grads, industrial engineers, nurses and industrial equipment maintenance certificate holders have something in common in Georgia: their chosen field of study pays the highest for their level of education.
A new report from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement lays out the value, in terms of money, of higher education in Georgia at all levels, from professional and master’s degrees that take many years to obtain to the shorter-term certificates and associate’s degrees. The information comes from Georgia’s Academic and Workforce Analysis and Research Data System, or GA AWARDS, a system that tracks students from pre-k through college and into the workforce. The pay information is for the first five years of work after earning a degree.
www.wgxa.tv
Macon-Bibb County meets with UGA leaders about consolidation successes
by Katherine Shepherd
MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County leaders met with University of Georgia leaders on Wednesday to discuss some of the successes that the county has seen as part of consolidation. Bibb County and Macon voted to approve the 15-month process of consolidation in 2012. The process was completed in 2014. Since then, Mayor Robert Reichert said Wednesday that the county has seen great growth. Reichert told UGA President Jere Morehead that the county could not have succeeded without UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute, which worked with the county in 1999 to draft the consolidation charter. Morehead said the institute has worked with several other cities and counties on their consolidation efforts as well.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
How Publicity Might Sway Reporting of Campus Sexual Assaults
By Sarah Brown
At the heart of the recent crusade against campus sexual violence have been students who publicly told their stories of being assaulted and then mistreated by their colleges after reporting the incident. These activists sought to use the publicity to force institutions to change their policies. But according to at least two universities, the heightened media coverage has led some student victims to wonder whether they have any control over whether their cases become public, if they decide to report to their college or to law enforcement. Recent statements from officials at Stanford University and the University of Kentucky raise the question of whether publicity about sexual-assault cases can chill reporting on campuses. As more news outlets seek records pertaining to campus investigations — records that journalists often argue should be public — that question becomes an increasingly important one.
www.chronicle.com
In Letter to College Presidents, Biden Urges Continued Fight Against Sexual Assault
by Andy Thomason
With just two weeks left in his tenure as vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday released a letter advising college leaders on how to combat sexual assault on their campuses. Mr. Biden, who has been an outspoken advocate of sexual-assault prevention throughout his career, also released a guide that lays out best practices for colleges on the issue. “As presidents, chancellors, deans, and administrators, you have an obligation to stand up, to speak out, to foster the safest and most inclusive environment possible for every student that walks onto your campuses,” Mr. Biden wrote in the letter. The letter, which Mr. Biden will elaborate on in an event on Thursday, is a sort of swan song for an administration that has been uncommonly active on the issue of sexual assault at colleges.
www.diverseeducation.com
Diverse Conversations: How Trump Presidency Will Affect HBCUs, HSIs
by Matthew Lynch
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, Americans wonder about the fate of America. What will happen when President Trump gets sworn into office? How will it affect Americans? More specifically, how will his presidency impact minorities in America? On the campaign trail, Trump’s comments aimed at minorities led many to worry about how his time as president could become a step back for diversity in America. So what could this mean for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSI)? Looking at his proposed ideas and policies, here are some ways that these institutions could be affected once Trump takes office.
www.chronicle.com
Wisconsin Legislative Agenda Could Have Range of Effects on Higher Ed
by Shannon Najmabadi
With historic majorities in both the Senate and the Assembly, Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin laid out a plan on Tuesday that could affect the state’s higher-education system in many ways, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Though the legislative session just opened on Tuesday, lawmakers have already commented on: Campus carry. …Funding for the University of Wisconsin. …As part of the 2015-17 budget, the Legislature voted to cut state tenure protections and gave the UW system’s regents more discretion over the policies.
www.insidehighered.com
What Happens if Free Tuition Comes to Campus?
Presidents of public institutions in New York say they welcome Governor Cuomo’s plan and could find ways to enroll many more. But they still have questions.
By Rick Seltzer
How will New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s tuition-free public college plan affect individual campuses? It’s not a completely fair question, at least not yet. The truth is that no one quite knows at the moment. Cuomo issued a broad proposal Tuesday calling for the creation of an Excelsior Scholarship that would stack on top of existing federal and state grants to pay for tuition for students at public two- and four-year institutions whose families earn $125,000 or less. No legislation had been filed on the matter as of Wednesday afternoon, and the proposal will still have to go through the wringer of the New York State Legislature. In other words, public higher education leaders are awaiting details. They’re not the only ones. New York’s private colleges have shown skepticism about the proposal, with some saying they’re waiting for more information and others questioning whether Cuomo’s proposal is necessary or draws on funding that could be better spent. Still, interviews on Wednesday with several leaders of the institutions that would be most immediately affected — New York’s public institutions — reflected optimism.