University System News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia leaders reach final deal on budget with teacher pay hike
James Salzer The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia House and Senate leaders reached a final agreement on a budget for the upcoming year that includes pay raises for 200,000 teachers and state employees and clears the way for the end of the 2017 General Assembly session. The deal on the spending plan for fiscal 2018, which begins July 1, is expected to be signed later Tuesday and could be voted on by both chambers as early as Wednesday. The 2017 session is scheduled to end March 30. Since the budget is the only bill legislators, by law, must approve, it opens the door for an early exit.
www.ajc.com
Four Georgia philanthropists to be honored for helping older adults
Becca J. G. Godwin The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As it has for 27 years, the Foundation of Wesley Woods is honoring philanthropists who have made ongoing contributions to helping older adults. Former University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank M. Huckaby, Ann Q. Curry of Coxe Curry & Associates, Bishop John H. Adams and Dr. Dolly Desselle Adams will be honored at this year’s Heroes, Saints & Legends gala, according to a news release. …Huckaby will be honored for his commitment to higher education, state and local civic leadership, as well as his service to the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Georgia Southern University donations up despite recognition problems
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_eb9900b4-2780-5e5f-a59c-936b8609543c.html
By Tandra Smith the George-Anne staff
Over $9 million was donated to Georgia Southern University at the end of Fiscal Year 2016, according to the Annual Giving Report, making last fiscal year the most profitable donation year since 2012. While the total amount of donations is on the rise, one thing has remained low; student recognition of alumni donations. Both student organizations and the Donor Relations department have acknowledged this issue and are working to make students more aware of the impact of donations to Georgia Southern.
www.goldenisles.news
College recognized for its tree canopy
Submitted by Brittany Tate
College of Coastal Georgia has been recognized as a Tree Campus USA college for its commitment to sustaining its tree canopy. At the 2017 State Arbor Day celebration recently, Coastal Georgia was among 19 other University System of Georgia colleges acknowledged by the Arbor Day Foundation. …The Tree Campus USA program helps colleges and universities around the country establish and manage their trees effectively, all while connecting them with the community to promote healthy forests and engage students in urban forestry. To earn the title of Tree Campus USA, schools must meet five standards, including the establishment of a campus tree advisory committee, a campus tree care plan, a campus tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, a service-learning project, and an Arbor Day observance. One of the standards for which Coastal Georgia was honored is holding a ceremonial planting of four trees.
www.hubga.com
Georgia State University’s High-Tech Facility Boosts Biomedical Discoveries
http://www.hubga.com/articles/breakthroughs-in-georgia-enterprising-biomedicine/
According to the Georgia Research Alliance, Georgia State University is making big breakthroughs in healthcare research at its relatively new Institute of Biomedical Sciences.
www.goldenisles.news
Corvias employee found dead on CCGA campus
By LAUREN MCDONALD
College of Coastal Georgia reported Tuesday evening that an employee of Corvias Campus Living Company had been found dead in a residence hall on the campus. The body of James Crosby was discovered by a co-worker at 4 p.m. on the third floor of the Lakeside Village residence hall. Foul-play is not suspected in the death, which is currently under investigation by law enforcement authorities.
www.ajc.com
Kennesaw State was warned its server may be vulnerable to data breach
Kristina Torres The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kennesaw State University officials received a warning before the presidential election that a server system used by its election center may be vulnerable to a data breach but did not notify state officials until after a potential hacker contacted them a second time earlier this month, The Atlanta Journal Constitution has learned. The revelation comes as a federal investigation continues into an alleged breach at the university’s Center for Election Systems that could affect millions of voter records. More details about the alleged breach are also contained in records obtained by the AJC, including an explanation of why state officials are confident as they work with the center to prepare for a nationally watched special election April 18 to replace former U.S. Rep. Tom Price.
www.onlineathens.com
Protesters at Arch urge Deal to veto campus carry
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-03-21/protesters-arch-urge-deal-veto-campus-carry
By Lee Shearer
More than 200 protesters rallied at the University of Georgia Arch Tuesday, calling on Gov. Nathan Deal, if necessary, to veto for a second time a bill that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to bring their handguns onto college campuses. The bill, which still faces action in the state Senate, has strong Republican backing, including Athens’ two Republican House members, Regina Quick and Chuck Williams, noted one speaker. But not all Republicans support the bill, he said, citing Deal’s veto of a similar bill that passed the House and Senate last year. Among other reasons, Deal cited historical precedent for axing the legislation. Protesters carried signs with messages such as “Keep the G gun-free,” “Guns stifle conversation” and “Ain’t nothing scarier in the land than drunk and armed Georgia fan.”
www.gpb.org
Diving Deep Into Phytoplankton: How Tiny Ocean Organisms Help You Breathe
- Cindy Hill
You may have learned in school that photosynthesis is how plants use sunlight to turn water into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, its food, and oxygen, which it releases into the air for all of us to breathe. But photosynthesis doesn’t just happen on land – it happens in the ocean. “Phytoplankton are tiny, single-celled algae basically, that live in the ocean,” explained Liz Harvey, Assistant Professor of Marine Science at University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, which is located on Skidaway Island. “They conduct photosynthesis just like land plants, trees and grass do, and they are prolific. They grow everywhere in the ocean.” “There’s lots of different types of phytoplankton, they can do lots of different things,” Harvey continued. “But I think if you take one thing home, it’s that phytoplankton are important as they produce about fifty percent of the oxygen that you breathe. Land plants produce about half and then phytoplankton produce about half. These tiny little microscopic organisms are actually very, very important for helping to sustain life on earth. “
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Better Marriage Between College and Job Training
Republican-dominated Washington wants more occupational job training as an alternative to college degrees. But higher education will remain the federal government’s primary job-training system, albeit one experts say could use a reboot.
By Paul Fain
In a rare point of agreement, the Trump administration and many academics would like to see less focus on colleges as work force development centers. The administration has said too many students are being prodded toward bachelor’s degrees over apprenticeships and other noncollege options. “We must embrace new and effective job-training approaches, including online courses, high school curriculums and private-sector investment that prepare people for trade, manufacturing, technology and other really well-paying jobs and careers,” President Trump said last week during a meeting on vocational training with U.S. and German business leaders. “These kinds of options can be a positive alternative to a four-year degree,” he said. “So many people go to college, four years, they don’t like it, they’re not necessarily good at it, but they’re good at other things, like fixing engines and building things.” Likewise, many in higher education, mostly at four-year institutions, resist pressure for colleges to be more attuned to their occupational role, arguing in defense of general education and decrying the transactional view of college as being primarily a means to a job. College and faculty leaders also tend to dislike performance metrics that are based on graduates’ employment and earnings. Yet higher education has been the federal government’s primary work force system for decades. And that is unlikely to change, experts said.
www.insidehighered.com
College Degrees for Entry-Level Jobs
By Paul Fain
A new study from the Rockefeller Foundation and Edelman Intelligence questions whether the college degree is the best way to screen candidates for entry-level jobs. The survey of 1,200 recent college graduates, human-resources officials, company executives and young people who face economic barriers found that the top metric for evaluating a new employee is how well he or she fits with company culture, according to 49 percent of employer respondents, criteria the study said can be subjective and unscientific. As a result, 69 percent of employers require college degrees in the new-hire screening process, which the foundation calls a “blunt proxy for general skills, because employers lack alternate tools or methods to predict candidates’ career success.” That also means young people who have faced economic challenges are at a disadvantage in the hiring process, the foundation said.