University System News:
www.ajc.com
These Georgia colleges graduate the highest percentage of black students
Christopher Quinn
Some of Georgia’s colleges and universities do well in graduating African American students, says a report released March 1. Only about four in ten African American students who start college as first-time, full-time freshmen earn bachelor’s degrees from those institutions within six years. That is 22 percentage points below that of white students, according to the Education Trust, a nonprofit that promotes academic achievement, especially students of color. Education Trust’s report examines graduation rates for African-American students and the completion gap between black and white students at 676 public and private nonprofit institutions, as well as four-year, for-profit institutions. Georgia State, where nearly one in three freshmen is African American does very well comparatively. A higher percentage of its African American students graduate in six years than their white counterparts on campus. Graduation rates for Georgia State’s black students have more than doubled over the past decade, and the university now confers more bachelor’s degrees to African Americans than any not-for-profit college or university in the U.S., according to an earlier report. … Other Georgia colleges and universities do better in graduation rates, but have far fewer African American students. Here’s the report’s rundown of the state’s best at meeting the mark for graduating African Americans:
Emory – 90 percent grad rate, 8.6 percent African American freshmen
University of Ga. – 78 percent graduation rate, 7.2 percent African American freshmen.
Georgia Tech – 73 percent graduation rate, 4.9 percent African American freshmen.
Agnes Scott – 73.7 percent graduation rate, 19.4 percent African American freshmen.
Georgia College and State University, 59.6 percent graduation rate, 4.3 percent African American freshman.
Georgia State University, 55.5 percent graduation rate, 29.5 percent African American freshmen.
www.albanyherald.com
Albany State University working to shore up enrollment numbers
Provost Tau Kadhi confident numbers slide is temporary
By Terry Lewis
ALBANY — When the consolidation of Albany State University with Darton State College was announced in November of 2015, University System of Georgia and ASU officials warned of a drop-off in enrollment numbers for at least two years. They pointed to a temporary sag in FTE (full time enrollment) seen as the result of previous mergers. But no one expected such a significant drop. According to numbers provided by the USG and ASU, from spring of 2016 to spring of 2017, combined enrollment at Albany State and the former Darton College dropped from 7,965 to 6,300. The 2016 numbers were the final semester the two schools numbers’ were combined. Once the consolidation was completed in January, the 2017 numbers belong solely to Albany State. School officials stressed that the 2017 numbers are preliminary, and the official count won’t be known until the USG releases its final enrollment numbers for schools in April. Albany State Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Tau Kadhi said the university and Darton graduated an unusually high number of students last fall on both campuses, which contributed to the overall decline in enrollment this spring. …Those numbers you have seen consistently going down, we just need to focus on some processes.” In an unsigned statement, university officials said, “We have tightened up our internal admissions process. We admit a higher quality student that is more prepared for success.”
www.k5thehometeam.com
Bainbridge college student receives honorary EMT award
http://www.k5thehometeam.com/story/34629724/bainbridge-college-student-recieves-honorary-emt-award
By Ashlyn Becton, Reporter
BAINBRIDGE, GA (WALB) – A Bainbridge state college student with special needs achieved her lifelong goal of becoming an EMT. Although the process wasn’t easy, Blair Williams stood beside her classmates on Tuesday as she was given an honorary EMT award. This was a joint effort between the college, South Georgia/Grady EMS, and Bainbridge Public Safety. Everyday starts different than the next and Tuesday started rather special. Ever since she was little, Blair Williams has always dreamed of being an EMT. “Blair said it hurts my feelings momma, that Abby gets to go to college and I don’t,” said Nina McMillian, Blair’s Mother. Tuesday, her dream came true. “I want to save lives, and to help those in need,” said Williams. As Blair has been taking classes at Bainbridge State College, she has built up a very strong support team. One that was there cheering her on as she preformed a clinical rotation to graduate EMT school. …”I am so grateful for people that look not at her disabilities but her abilities,” said McMillian. …A smile that has touched the hearts of many in the Bainbridge Community, is now a lot bigger as she becomes their first honorary EMT.
www.ledger-enquirer.com
New program helps struggling Columbus State students pay for child care
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article136898048.html
BY ALVA JAMES-JOHNSON
Columbus State students burdened by child care costs may qualify for financial relief under a new program, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the university. CSU is one of three institutions across the state participating in Boost, a child care subsidy plan for undergraduate students in their junior or senior years. The program exists in partnership with the University System of Georgia and Quality Care for Children, a nonprofit organization based in Atlanta. It pays up to $125 a week for children enrolled in Quality Rated daycare programs. “The Boost program is a great opportunity for CSU to better serve our students,” said Lisa Shaw, director of CSU’s Academic Center for Excellence. “I am thrilled and honored to connect students with this program.”
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Center for Sustainability offers fee grants for sustainable projects
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_8ca6047d-4ecd-5856-82c0-124d741cf978.html
By:Brendan Ward The George-Anne staff
The Center for Sustainability is offering fee grants to any Georgia Southern University student, faculty or staff member who wishes to undertake a sustainable project in 2018. The deadline to apply for a grant is March 31 at 5 p.m. The sustainable fee grant is a program, started by the CFS in 2014, that offers $1,000 to $100,000 in grants.
www.wbtv.com
CSU students working on movie with largest production budget ever
http://www.wbtv.com/story/34690143/csu-students-working-on-movie-with-largest-production-budget-ever
By Parker Branton
COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) – A movie now filming in Georgia is expected to break a record with an all-time high budget. Students at a Columbus State University are getting an opportunity to be part of the team that is putting it all together. The “Avengers: Infinity Wars” movie is filming at Pinewood Atlanta Studios with a record-breaking budget of $1 billion, and CSU is one of the few universities that has students working with the production.
www.myinforms.com
UNG SENIOR TUTORING PEOPLE ON HOW TO USE THEIR DEVICES THROUGH START-UP
By: Isabel Hughes
Nicholas Roth is a self-proclaimed nerd. “Obviously I’m a nerd — I’m all about technology,” he said. “If there’s an easier way to do something with technology, I’ll do it.” His self-description has benefitted the University of North Georgia senior, leading him to found a technology tutoring service, Teach All Tech, while finishing a degree in business management and entrepreneurship at UNG’s Mike Cottrell College of Business. The Dahlonega resident has also won awards for his business, recently being named the 2017 Rising Entrepreneur of the Year at the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Business Awards Gala. The mission of Teach All Tech is simple, Roth said: to help people learn how to use their devices, phones, tablets and laptops so they can connect with family and friends, download applications and other technology essentials and improve their computer literacy skills.
www.mdjonline.com
Kennesaw State University offers four Spring Break Camps to keep students engaged in learning
Staff reports
If there’s any question as to what your child may be doing for Spring Break, the camps offered through KSU’s College of Continuing Education may be able to check that off your to-do list. From April 3-7, kids will have the opportunity to participate in four programs: Tykes & Bytes LEGO Robotics, Junior Chefs Academy, Minecraft Mod Design, and Computer Game Design. “These camps are geared towards fun and educational learning,” said Andrea Cochran, camps director. “We want our campers to enjoy to their time at camp and learn something in the process.”
www.times-herald.com
UWG breaks ground on Biology renovation
http://times-herald.com/news/2017/02/uwg-breaks-ground-on-biology-renovation
By THE NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD
The University of West Georgia broke ground Jan. 27 on renovation and expansion work that will transform its 46-year-old biology building into a modern center for collaborative learning and research. Students, faculty and staff attended the event, along with representatives from the Georgia Board of Regents and the state Legislature. “This is a very exciting day for all of us,” said UWG President Dr. Kyle Marrero. “This building was opened in 1972, and today—many years later— we’re on the precipice of a state-of-the-art facility that will serve 70 percent of our students and educate the scientists, researchers, nurses, educators and innovators of tomorrow.”
www.wtoc.com
ASU/GS group recommends ending Armstrong athletics at end of 2016-17 season
By WTOC Staff
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) – The Armstrong State University/Georgia Southern University Athletics Operational Working Group announced that it will recommend to the Consolidation Implementation Committee to end athletic competitions at Armstrong following the current 2016-17 athletic year. According to the release, “due to the changes in athletics rosters that have already occurred, most sports will no longer have enough student-athletes to adequately support a full season, placing remaining student-athletes in potentially harmful playing situations.” Baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf are currently in season and will complete the final semester of competition. …According to the release, “by discontinuing Armstrong’s athletics programs at the conclusion of the 2016-17 athletic year, any student-athlete who elects to transfer at the end of the Spring 2017 semester can apply the dropped sport exception, which allows them to compete immediately, without sitting a year in residency.” The group is working on a recommendation for the structure of a new athletics department within Georgia Southern University.
www.myajc.com
Trump ignites hopes around Georgia military bases
By Craig Schneider and Tamar Hallerman – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
President Donald Trump’s plan to boost defense spending by $54 billion has lit a fuse of optimism around Georgia’s military bases, contractors and other interests, stirring hope for proposals shelved during the belt-tightening of recent years… Metro Atlanta is home to several universities that work in defense. Georgia Tech received $320 million last year in military dollars for research ranging from missile defense systems to sensors for chemical and biological weapons.
www.myajc.com
Waffle House co-founder Joe Rogers Sr. dead at 97
http://www.myajc.com/news/local/waffle-house-founder-joe-rogers-dead/jJf5kVMT03hutZpKpvkauL/
By Joshua Sharpe – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One day in winter 1937, Joe Rogers and a fellow teenage National Guardsman sneaked away from their windy post on a Mississippi River levee to have a meal in the home of an elderly couple. This wasn’t a fancy dinner. The house was more of a shack. The boys ate turnip greens, fatback and cornbread, and drank coffee from tin cups. But they were tired and hungry — weary young men in need of a break and a hearty bite… A memorial service is set for Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, 800 Spring Street NW in Atlanta. In lieu of flowers, Waffle House said contributions may be made to the Giving Kitchen, which helps Atlanta area restaurant workers, or the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Republican State Lawmakers Seek to Ban ‘Sanctuary’ Campuses
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Republican-State-Lawmakers/239426?cid=wcontentlist_hp_latest
By Peter Schmidt
Republican lawmakers in at least seven states have moved to prohibit colleges from trying to protect undocumented students from apprehension by immigration authorities under the Trump administration. The legislatures of Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, and Texas have advanced bills calling for state funds to be withheld from colleges that adopt policies intended to hinder the enforcement of immigration laws. Similar measures have been proposed in Iowa, Pennsylvania, and, most recently, North Carolina. Public-university officials “are not above following immigration laws, and hopefully these changes will provide the incentive needed to make them do the right thing,” State Sen. Norman W. Sanderson Jr. of North Carolina said in introducing his bill last week.
www.insidehighered.com
The Gender Gap in Publications
New analysis looks at differences in scholarly outputs and impacts across 12 countries/regions and 27 fields.
By Elizabeth Redden
A large-scale analysis of gender disparities in research output and impact finds that while the number of women researchers has increased over the past 20 years, women researchers publish fewer papers on average than men and are less likely to collaborate internationally and to undertake research that cuts across the corporate and academic sectors. At the same time, a report on the findings notes there is little difference between papers published by men and women in impact as measured by citations and downloads.