University System News:
www.albanyceo.com
State Representative to Introduce Bill Limiting Annual Increases in College Tuition
Staff Report From Georgia CEO
State Representative Matt Dollar (R-Marietta) announced that he is introducing The Tuition Certainty Act, which would provide a legislative mechanism to limit annual tuition increases at University System of Georgia institutions. The bill was originally introduced during the 2016 legislation session. “The cost of completing post-secondary education has increased exponentially in the state, and our students and families have been forced to bear the brunt of the consequences either by accumulating enormous debt from student loans, or by having to make the tough choice of deferring college due to its high costs,” said Rep. Dollar. “These cost increases have had a continued negative impact on our constituents and it is time that we explore options that will restrict these out-of-control costs and help our students achieve academic success without extreme financial burdens.” The bill would provide a tuition limitation formula that considers the previous year’s average state tuition at two and four-year institutions, as well as the annual rate of inflation to determine the amount in which institutions would be permitted to increase annual tuition costs. …Further, the bill would allow USG institution’s the opportunity to seek a waiver from these tuition increase limits, subject to the approval of the House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee and Senate Higher Education Committee.
www.nique.net
Students gather at state capitol for engagement
http://nique.net/news/2017/02/03/students-gather-at-state-capitol-for-engagement/
By Maura Currie and Evan Gillon
Feb. 1 marked this year’s Research Institute at the Capitol Day, a half-day excursion where Tech students visit the Georgia Capitol, network with their Representatives and Senators and meet with Tech Alumni currently working in state politics. Students left for the Capitol at 8:00 a.m., via two of Tech’s Stinger buses, and met on the first floor for coffee and refreshments with President G.P. “Bud” Peterson and the students’ respective representatives. School delegations were then split into both chambers of the General Assembly for recognition of their achievements and success as research institutes. Formal resolutions were presented in the House and the Senate, commending Tech and the three other research institutions in the state “for their exemplary efforts and commitment to higher education in Georgia.” Tech specifically was praised in the House resolution, HR-117, for “serving more than 25,000 students as the number seven public university in the nation, [having] a $2.87 billion annual economic impact on the state, recently assisting 1,075 Georgia manufacturing companies and creating or saving 2,348 jobs in Georgia, as well as being number two in the nation for annualized return on investment in higher education.”
www.onlineathens.com
UGA students in area of Friday’s suspected terror attack in Paris
By Staff Reports
A group of University of Georgia students were in the area of a suspected terror attack near the Louvre museum in Paris Friday morning, according to published reports. The students were in the shopping area in the lower floor of the Louvre when a knife-wielding man shouting “Allahu akbar” attacked French soldiers on patrol. The soldiers first tried to fight off the attacker and then opened fire, shooting him five times, according to the Associated Press. UGA student Cassandra Bolt told CBS News she and her friends were among dozens corralled into a lower floor until police gave them the all-clear to leave. “A lady told us to evacuate because there was a terrorist attempt,” Bolt told CBS News. “I was really nervous. They led us downstairs and we waited there for like two hours. I heard no gunshots but I heard a lot of police sirens.” Another UGA student, Taylor Walstrum, told CBS News they were in the room with the Mona Lisa painting when there was a loud announcement followed by “lots of frantic movement” by museum staff, who rushed everyone down into a basement room. UGA executive director for strategic marketing Jan Gleason, told the Macon Telegraph that the “University of Georgia students were escorted to safety and are all accounted for.” Gleason told the Telegraph the UGA students were in the study abroad program and were on personal travel at the museum at the time of the attack.
www.mdjonline.com
KSU students bring home $60K after national win
Mary Kate McGowan
Kennesaw State University students’ recent sweep at a national residential development competition in January netted them a $60,000 grant. KSU’s National Association of Home Builders Student Chapter beat 60 other teams to place first at a national competition in addition to other honors in Orlando, Florida, in January. Nine students — including senior Myles Cardenas, a construction management major — traveled to Orlando to present a 100-page project management proposal for a 32-acre residential development in Decatur. “They give us a real life project, and we have to go through the process of buying the land, building the project and show how we’re going to do it financially,” said Cardenas, the chapter’s president. … KSU’s victory also came with a $60,000 grant to be paid over three years for the construction management department. The money will help the department develop a residential construction track and to increase student internship opportunities, said Charner Rodgers, team adviser and KSU construction management professor.
www.onlineathens.com
Athens fraternity celebrates 45 years of fundraising for cancer research
By Staff Reports
For the past 45 years, the University of Georgia’s Beta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon has raised funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In 2016, the fraternity raised $107,000 for the society, bringing its donation total to $2 million.
www.northwestgeorgianews.com
GHC President Donald Green says college degrees must be affordable
Making a quality, four-year degree program affordable to students across Northwest Georgia is the top priority for Georgia Highlands College President Donald Green. “If we do not have the workforce, we cannot attract the business opportunities that will fuel our future economic development,” Green said to members of the Rome Rotary Club during Thursday’s meeting. Green said the need to contain costs for obtaining a degree is critical to GHC. “Twenty percent of our students who ultimately fail to pay their tuition and continue (their studies) is for a debt of $200 or less,” Green said. A student can receive a full associate degree at GHC for a total of $7,600 and a four-year bachelor’s degree for $15,400. GHC offers four-year degrees in nursing, dental hygiene, logistics and healthcare management.
www.donalsonvillenews.com
Dr. Rayfield to speak at Lions Hall Tuesday
http://donalsonvillenews.com/113424/2277/dr-rayfield-to-speak-at-lions-hall-tuesday
Bainbridge State College Interim President Dr. Stuart Rayfield will be the quest speaker at the Donalsonville Lions Club’s weekly meeting Tuesday, February 7 at noon. Dr. Rayfield will talk about the advantages that BSC will experience through the consolidation with ABAC and will be available for questions from the public.
www.middlegeorgiaceo.com
Middle Georgia State University’s School of Aviation Now Open to Alabama, Florida & South Carolina Residents at In-State Cost
Sheron Smith
Learning to fly at Middle Georgia State University’s School of Aviation is about to become a lot more affordable for prospective students who live in Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. Middle Georgia State recently received permission from the University System of Georgia to charge students from those border states the same tuition as Georgia residents for aviation programs. The out-of-state tuition waiver, effective fall 2017, supports the School of Aviation’s plans to expand throughout Georgia to make flight training more accessible, with Middle Georgia State’s Eastman Campus remaining the University’s main hub for aviation training.
www.mdjonline.com
Old Southern Polytechnic canoe broken
Mary Kate McGowan
Canoe believe it … oar not? A canoe labeled “Southern Polytechnic State University” located on what is now Kennesaw State University’s Marietta campus was found broken earlier this month, leading some to mourn the loss of one of the last vestiges of SPSU on the college’s grounds. The watercraft, which was built for an engineering competition, has not yet been replaced. On Jan. 17, a KSU plant operations staff member accidentally backed into and broke the canoe while driving a facilities truck, said KSU spokesperson Tammy DeMel.
www.fox28media.com
Georgia Southern-Armstrong consolidation committee member speaks to FOX 28
BY SHELBEY ROBERTS
Savannah, Ga. (WTGS FOX 28) — It could be more than a year before Georgia Southern University and Armstrong State University officially consolidate. Those involved in process are working to wrinkle out the details. The Consolidation Implementation Committee includes students, faculty and staff from Georgia Southern and Armstrong, as well as one representative from nearby Savannah State University. All 41 committee members met in Atlanta to discuss first steps. Dr. Georj Lewis, Armstrong’s VP of Student Affairs, was one of the chosen few. “When we went to Atlanta, we walked in the room and there were so many familiar faces,” Lewis stated. Even though he’s serving on the committee, Lewis says he’s not feeling pressure. “No pressure. It’s a privilege for this–to be on the team that has the opportunity to work together really to create this new campus,” said Lewis. Lewis and his fellow committee members will strategize about how the consolidation will play out for both institutions.
www.insidehighered.com
State Support Up 3.4%
Appropriations for higher education increased in more than three-quarters of states in 2016-17.
By Rick Seltzer
State support for higher education is rising moderately this fiscal year, with more than three-quarters of states posting increases on the way to countrywide percentage growth in the low single digits.
Support across all states rose by 3.4 percent from the 2015-16 to 2016-17 fiscal years, according to preliminary data gathered in the latest Grapevine survey, which was released today. That’s an increase of approximately $2.75 billion, driving total state support to nearly $83.6 billion.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
State Spending on Higher Ed Continues Upward Trend
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/state-spending-on-higher-ed-continues-upward-trend/116722
by Tom Hesse
For the fourth year in a row, state spending on higher education is up nationwide. The annual “Grapevine” survey, conducted by the State Higher Education Executive Officers and the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University, shows a 3.4-percent average nationwide increase in spending over the 2016 fiscal year, although that figure could be changed by legislation pending in Illinois. Hawaii, Idaho, South Dakota, and Virginia posted the largest growth, increasing by around 10 percent compared with their 2016 budgets. Nationwide, 39 states reported increases over the last fiscal year.
www.ajc.com
Georgia Supreme Court to hear in-state tuition case for DACA students
Jeremy Redmon
The Georgia Court of Appeals has forwarded to the state’s Supreme Court the legal case over whether young immigrants who are being temporarily shielded from deportation may pay in-state tuition in Georgia. In a three-page order issued Friday, the Appeals Court said that since the case is connected to the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause — which says federal law is the supreme law of the land — it was sending the case to the state’s highest court. An Obama administration program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is at the heart of the legal dispute. The program grants work permits and temporary protection from deportation in two-year increments. President Donald Trump vowed to cancel that program as he campaigned for the White House, though he has tempered his comments about DACA in recent weeks. About 23,000 people living in Georgia have been approved for DACA so far. Some of them are suing the Georgia Board of Regents, arguing they are legally present in the U.S. through DACA and should therefore be allowed to pay in-state tuition. Fulton County Superior Chief Judge Gail Tusan agreed with them in her recent ruling. The Board of Regents is appealing.
www.insidehighered.com
Judge Blocks Entry Ban, Visas Restored
Judge’s ruling cited impact on higher education; some students who were blocked from the U.S. a week ago are returning.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/02/06/judge-blocks-enforcement-trumps-entry-ban
By Elizabeth Redden
The U.S. Department of State has restored the validity of visas from individuals from seven countries whose nationals were barred from entering the United States under an executive order signed by President Trump. The State Department’s move follows a federal judge’s decision Friday night to temporarily block the enforcement of that order nationwide. The ruling by Judge James L. Robart, of the federal district court for the Western District of Washington, temporarily bars the government from enforcing the 90-day entry ban for nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The temporary restraining order also enjoins the government from enforcing a 120-day ban on the entry of all refugees and an indefinite suspension of the admission of refugees from Syria.
www.hechingerreport.org
Tuition cooperatives: a new idea to tempt colleges to give discounts
Students could band together, pool resources and commit to a school as a group
http://hechingerreport.org/tuition-cooperatives-a-new-idea-to-tempt-colleges-to-give-discounts/
by MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN
With Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, free college for everyone looks doubtful, at least as federal policy. One alternative? Make paying for college more like Costco. The retail giant known for squeezing deeper discounts out of the products it sells is a model for one audacious proposal by two higher-education experts to lower the cost of college. In short, prospective students would band together as cooperatives, pooling their federal, state and personal financial aid to get colleges to enroll those students in bulk at discounted rates. Colleges that participate would get to enroll more students in one fell swoop – manna for institutions hurting for more enrollees. Students, in turn, would take advantage of the savings that come with entering a defined set of schools as one large group, driving down the price of attendance (though the number of students needed for the plan to work is still unclear). Sean Tierney, an associate commissioner at the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and one of the two analysts behind this idea, said a key motivation is using public financial aid dollars to compel colleges to be more affordable.
www.insidehighered.com
Digging Deeper Into Campus Diversity
Study finds students’ negative diversity experiences, though less common than positive ones, hinder cognitive development and student learning.
By Emily Tate
Amid all the literature about the merits of college diversity, an important trend is often overlooked, according to a new study in The Journal of Higher Education. Although more students report having positive experiences by studying and living with those from different racial, religious, political, gender and ethnic groups, negative experiences are fairly common, too — and they can impair student learning and cognitive development, according to the study. The study, titled “Engaging With Diversity: How Positive and Negative Diversity Interactions Influence Students’ Cognitive Outcomes,” seeks to add to the conversation about campus diversity by examining the incidence and influence of negative diversity experiences. The authors found that, in a sample of over 2,500 students at four-year institutions, 43 percent of African-American students reported having a “high” number of negative diversity interactions, as well as 37 percent of Hispanic students and 40 percent of Asian students. Twenty-five percent of white students said the same. These negative experiences — which may reflect hostile, hurtful or tense interactions with students who are categorically different from them — have negative consequences for the development of critical thinking skills and show a need for cognitive development among some white students and students of color, the study found. On the other hand, all four ethnic and racial groups studied had more positive diversity experiences than negative.
www.insidehighered.com
Johnson Amendment and Higher Education
By Paul Fain
President Trump on Thursday repeated a campaign pledge by promising to “destroy” the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 federal provision that bans political activity by nonprofit organizations, including colleges and churches. Under the amendment, nonprofit colleges cannot directly or indirectly endorse specific candidates or otherwise engage in politicking without risking their nonprofit tax status. Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University’s president and an early Trump supporter, has called for the amendment’s repeal, arguing that it has been used by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to target conservative and religious groups. “In recent years it’s been used as a club,” Falwell told Inside Higher Ed in July. “It would be best for all nonprofit organizations if it were repealed.” The amendment has rarely if ever been enforced in higher education. Yet David Herzig, a professor at Valparaiso University’s law school who specializes in tax law, said it poses a theoretical concern for colleges in a heated political environment. “The penalty is you lose your exemption,” he said. “It’s a stiff penalty.”