University System News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia House passes campus gun bill
Aaron Gould Sheinin
The Georgia House on Friday voted for the second straight year to allow firearms on the state’s public college and university campuses. The House voted 108-63 to send House Bill 280 to the Senate, which also agreed in 2016 to allow those 21 and older with a Georgia weapons permit to carry concealed weapons on to most parts of college campuses. The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Mandi Ballinger, R-Canton, said it “allows those Georgians who choose to do so to protect themselves should the need arise.”
www.savannahnow.com
Committee to discuss future of Armstrong name, student athletes
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-03-03/committee-discuss-future-armstrong-name-student-athletes
By Dash Coleman
A committee tasked with implementing the consolidation of Armstrong State and Georgia Southern universities will meet today to discuss the future of student athletes at the combined institution as well as the names of Armstrong’s two campuses.
Both issues have been topics of contention for students, employees and alumni since the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents voted unanimously in January to combine the two schools, which are about 50 miles apart. Technically, both schools would be dissolved and combined as a new institution that retains Georgia Southern’s name and president. Today, the committee will review a proposal that would rename Armstrong’s main campus in Savannah the Armstrong Campus and its Hinesville campus, which is called the Liberty Center, the Liberty Campus. As far as athletics goes, the committee will review proposals that would honor all current athletic scholarships and allow Armstrong’s Division II athletes to transfer immediately to other schools with similar athletics programs. …The committee will also get an update on the structure of various working groups that have formed to study specific tasks and functions of the schools. The 41-member committee is composed of 20 members each from Armstrong and Georgia Southern plus Savannah State University’s chief of staff. While Savannah State is not being consolidated, it has input on the committee to ensure that courses and programs offered by the new school complement its own. The committee is expected to submit a plan for the new university, which would be the state’s fourth largest at 27,000 students, to an accrediting agency by September. If it passes muster, the plan would be brought to the Board of Regents in December for final approval.
www.coastalcourier.com
College consolidation committee to four recommendations
http://coastalcourier.com/section/3/article/85627/
The Armstrong State University/Georgia Southern University Consolidation Implementation Committee (CIC) will review four key recommendations developed by the Operational Working Groups at its meeting today regarding the naming of campuses and support for student athletes. Preserving the name and legacy of Armstrong State University is a priority for the CIC and will be an important part of the new Georgia Southern University. These recommendations reflect the views of the campus community, including Armstrong’s alumni leaders. “We are pleased to be moving forward with recommendations focusing on the naming of the Savannah and Hinesville campuses as well as athletics,” said Georgia Southern University President Jaimie L. Hebert.
www.savannahnow.com
Savannah State president looks forward after meeting with Trump
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-03-02/savannah-state-president-looks-forward-after-meeting-trump
By Dash Coleman
Savannah State University President Cheryl Dozier says she will advocate for her students whenever possible. This week, that meant a visit to the White House to watch President Donald Trump sign an executive order supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The order would effectively reestablish a White House Initiative on HBCUs and identify ways to promote the institutions — something Trump called “an absolute priority.” About 90 percent of Savannah State’s 4,900 students receive some form of scholarship or financial aid, and the university receives funding from the Department of Education for multiple programs. Dozier says about 60 percent of the university’s students are first-generation college students. “Savannah State has a major role in providing education,” Dozier said. “… It’s important to be there to receive any opportunities that may come for our institution to help our students.” More than 80 leaders of HBCUs went to Washington earlier this week to meet with Trump administration officials and members of Congress. The university leaders are hoping Congress will approve $25 billion for infrastructure, financial aid and other initiatives, according to The Associated Press. … “At this point, the executive order has been signed by the president of the United States,” Dozier said. “The next step is for Congress to appropriate funds so that we can receive that additional support. Title III funding from the Department of Education is critical to our institutions.” The college leaders also met with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. …Savannah State is the oldest public HBCU in Georgia.
www.usnews.com
Higher Education Rankings
Measuring which states are the most educated
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education
Half of the weighting in the education rankings goes to higher education. The metrics involved include the shares of citizens in each state holding college degrees, with wide variances found among the states and regionally. In Massachusetts, ranked No. 1 among Best States overall, almost half the citizenry holds associate’s degrees or higher. New England in general runs about 10 percentage points higher than Southwestern and Southeastern states by this measure. The rankings take into account the time it takes students to complete both two- and four-year college programs, the cost of tuition and fees state-by-state and the burden of debt that college graduates carry. Alaska has the highest percentage of students completing two-year college degrees within three years – 75 percent. New Hampshire had the highest average college costs in 2015: about $14,500 a year. Wyoming had the lowest costs: About $4,000 per year. Utah leaves the smallest debt burden on its college graduates, averaging less than $19,000 per student: Delaware leaves the biggest debt burden, more than $34,000 on average. Georgia ranks #32 overall. #11 for tuition and fees.
www.chronicle.com
State-by-State Breakdown of Graduation Rates
The National Student Clearinghouse’s state-by-state graduation data detail student completion rates across age, gender, and type of college. Data are available from 2013 through 2017.
2017 4-YEAR PUBLIC COLLEGES ALL STUDENT TYPES
Click a key item below to sort, or shift-click to hide/show the matching bar.
Georgia
Total graduated: 63.7%
Graduated from starting institution: 47.8%
Graduated from other institution (4-year): 12.4%
Graduated from other institution (2-year): 3.5%
Still enrolled: 13.8%
Didn’t graduate and no longer enrolled: 22.5%
Notes
Data are available only in cases where at least 65 percent of students are tracked, a given population is at least 50 students, and states have at least three qualifying institutions. Student counts are for terms starting in the fall of the enrolling year.
Students who started at a multistate institution are excluded from the study. However, students who completed college at a multistate institution are included.
www.bizjournals.com
More than 300 celebrate Best in Atlanta Real Estate Awards (SLIDESHOW)
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/03/03/more-than-300-celebrate-best-in-atlanta-real.html
Jessica Saunders
Managing Editor, Atlanta Business Chronicle
More than 300 real estate leaders turned out to honor significant real estate deals in metro Atlanta during 2016 at the Best in Atlanta Real Estate Awards. The 18th annual awards event held Thursday night (March 2) at American Spirit Works in Atlanta celebrated significant and impactful real estate deals in metro Atlanta for the 2016 calendar year. To be considered, deals or projects must have been under construction, completed or achieved significant progress during 2016.
www.wmbfnews.com
Columbus State University offers free safety app for students
http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/34655033/columbus-state-university-offers-free-safety-app-for-students
By Chandler Morgan, Reporter/Anchor
A safer campus for Columbus State University students is now just a few clicks away when using the new app Piper, according to university officials. “Sometimes around certain areas you want to feel safe always,” said, CSU student Keyhana Jackson. Piper, the free-to-download app available for iOS and Android devices, allows CSU students the ability to easily access University Police should they have a safety concern or want to report suspicious behavior. The app allows anyone to call campus police directly or text the police with their accurate location data based on the nearest beacon connection. CSU joins the city of Columbus’ Safe City program, which uses a similar public safety solution from Piper. Columbus recently became the world’s most fully deployed iBeacon city with over 1,250 beacons and more than 85 businesses and organizations using the Piper app “It’s definitely a different way to communicate,” said Greg Hudgison, Director of Columbus State University Relations. “Students are definitely on their phones more. This app gives them another layer of safety. To reach [students] it has to be digital and it has to be app form.”
www.onlineathens.com
Faculty committee moves to shorten UGA semesters by a week
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-03-02/faculty-committee-moves-shorten-uga-semesters-week
By Lee Shearer
Rebellious faculty members on a University of Georgia committee voted to shorten the university’s academic calendar by a week beginning in fall 2018 — matching the calendars of the state’s other two major public research universities, Georgia Tech and Georgia State University. The proposal adopted by the executive committee of the UGA University Council now heads to the full council for a vote at the council’s next scheduled meeting March 22. Students would still get a day off in fall for the Georgia-Florida football game, and take a full week off for Thanksgiving. The executive committee also narrowly approved sending a competing, longer calendar for the fall 2018 semester to the council for a vote at that meeting. The decision may force University System of Georgia administrators to deal with a question UGA faculty and administrators have been wrangling over since the beginning of last fall semester — are UGA students and teachers spending a week more in class than they’re required to by state and federal rules? Or are the other schools falling short of rules that require 750 hours of instructor-student contact time per credit hour in a semester that must span 15 weeks?
www.thedallasnewera.com
GHC saves students nearly $4 million by eliminating textbook costs
Georgia Highlands College has saved students $3.8 million over the past five semesters by eliminating the cost of textbooks in specific courses. GHC’s faculty have been working since Fall 2015 to expand Open Education Resources (OER) courses each semester. Almost half a million dollars’ worth of student savings was yielded the first semester alone. To date, GHC has saved students $3,843,664 in textbook costs. OER course conversions are aided by the University System of Georgia’s Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) initiative which promotes student success by providing cost-free alternatives to expensive textbooks. The new OERs don’t just provide free textbooks either. Students also get video resources, software, labs and an enhanced textbook experience with hyperlinks to many other resources. Vice President for Academic Affairs Renva Watterson stated it is imperative that students have access to these free OER textbook alternatives.
www.washingtonpost.com
Atlanta debuts in MLS at stadium known for college football
By Paul Newberry | AP
Goals sit at each end of Bobby Dodd Stadium — only these come with nets, not uprights. A worker unwinds a tape measure in what is normally the end zone, measuring off the last bits of the larger field that need to be painted for Atlanta United’s very first game. The oldest stadium in major college football is getting a makeover. It’s time to welcome a new sport, if only for a few months. Georgia Tech’s campus stadium will serve as the first home of Atlanta United, one of two expansion teams making its debut in Major League Soccer this season. A sellout crowd of 55,000 is expected for Sunday’s opener against the New York Red Bulls. “We’re unbelievably excited and honored that Georgia Tech could be part of this historical event,” said assistant athletic director Elizabeth Lancaster, who worked with United to arrange its temporary home. “To be part of an inaugural game for a brand new team in Atlanta is incredible.” Bobby Dodd Stadium, which opened in 1913, will host eight United games. Then, on July 30, the team will move into its permanent home, $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a retractable-roof facility under construction less than two miles away.
www.gpbnews.org
Georgia Tech’s ‘Living Building:’ The Most Environmentally Friendly Structure In The Southeast
By CELESTE HEADLEE & TREVOR YOUNG
Georgia Tech is creating what it calls the most environmentally friendly building in the Southeast. It collects its own water and solar power, and uses them to satisfy energy needs and irrigate nearby vegetation. This “living building” is on track to break ground later this year.
www.bizjournals.com
Atlanta looks to become Virtual Reality hub
Industries from home building and restaurants to tourism trying new ways of using VR, AR
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/03/03/atlanta-looks-to-become-virtual-reality-hub.html
Ellie Hensley
Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
A group of companies, academic institutions and government agencies have united in an effort to make Atlanta the hub of the burgeoning virtual reality industry. When many people think of virtual reality (VR), they think of old flight simulators, video games or Google Glass. But uses of the technology and its cousin, augmented reality (AR), are rapidly multiplying in a variety of industries from entertainment to commercial real estate, from marketing to retail to manufacturing. …Last November, a group called Georgia VR was founded to try to achieve this goal. It includes schools such as Georgia State University and Georgia Tech, governmental bodies such as the Georgia Department of Economic Development and companies from many industries, including Georgia Power, Trick 3D and CNN.
www.ajc.com
FBI investigating alleged breach of Georgia elections center at KSU
Kristina Torres The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating an alleged data breach at the Georgia elections center at Kennesaw State University, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. The situation is still developing, although the Secretary of State’s Office said Friday that the investigation is not related to its own network and is not a breach of its database containing the personal information on Georgia’s 6.6 million registered voters. The office referred all other questions to both university and federal officials. The FBI had no immediate comment. Kennesaw State officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
www.onlineathens.com
UNG student allegedly strangles girlfriend during break-up
By Joe Johnson
A break-up between a man and his girlfriend Wednesday morning reportedly resulted in an altercation that escalated to the man strangling the woman to where she was not able to breathe, Athens-Clarke County police said., The incident at the couple’s Epps Bridge Road apartment began Tuesday night when 22-year-old Jose Guadalupe Mejia informed his girlfriend of several years he wanted to end their relationship. That reportedly angered the woman so much that she cut up his boxer shorts, damaged his Xbox and scribbled on his TV with a marker, according to police. The altercation reportedly turned physical when 20-year-old Vanessa Cazales struck Mejia in the head with a cellphone, and he allegedly grabbed the woman by the neck and squeezed so hard that “she could not breathe,” according to police, …Cazales said she was able to get away in order to call 911. Mejia, identified as a student at the University of North Georgia, was charged with aggravated assault. He was released from the Clarke County Jail on Thursday upon posting a $4,000 bond.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
Local advocate concerned with new campus assault bill
Bill passes Georgia House requiring colleges to notify law enforcement of sexual assaults
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/122213/
Times Staff and Wire reports
Local advocates for sexual assault victims are voicing concerns over a Georgia General Assembly bill passing the House that would change disciplinary procedures on college campuses regarding sexual assault. House Bill 51, passed in the Georgia House of Representatives Wednesday, would require college officials to inform law enforcement when notified of an assault. Jeanne Buffington of Rape Response, a Gainesville-based organization supporting victims of sexual assault, said she feels the bill will make sexual assault survivors less likely to come forward and report. “I come from the role of an advocate who sees so many obstacles and so much re-victimization of people when they disclose or they go through the court system. I come from that vantage point, and I can understand why people choose not to disclose,” Buffington said, the organization’s executive director. On college campuses, Buffington said, survivors need to be able to get the resources to heal and move forward. “In my opinion, just because you don’t report to law enforcement, you shouldn’t be denied services if you’re an adult,” she said. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Earl Ehrhart of Powder Springs, has been a fierce critic of some Georgia schools’ disciplinary proceedings, arguing that the rights of students accused of sexual assault have been violated.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Trump’s Wild Ride
By Jack Stripling
Donald J. Trump and higher education are off to a very rough start. In just six weeks, President Trump has roiled many academics, who see in his policies and rhetoric a scattershot vision that they say threatens students, hampers scholarly exchange, and even stymies the pursuit of truth. Through executive orders, public statements, and tweets, Mr. Trump has waged a mostly implicit battle with higher education, provoking strong responses from college leaders who see a president oblivious to the far-reaching implications of his actions. There is little the Trump administration has touched, including immigration policy and transgender rights, that has failed to elicit panic in the halls of academe. …President Trump’s early tenure has been marked by the very disruption and impulsiveness that ingratiated him to voters demanding change. In an anti-establishment era, higher education looks a lot like the establishment, so much of the sector’s discomfort is to be expected. While there are certainly exceptions, particularly among for-profit colleges that anticipate freer rein to do business, much of higher education is worked into a lather over the dizzying orders and pronouncements coming from the White House.