University System News:
www.myajc.com
Students feel overburdened by rising college costs
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/students-feel-overburdened-rising-college-costs/WWU6DubufPpRHszugDzQhL/
By Eric Stirgus
Athens resident Jessica Hembree, who wants to become a doctor, began her college career last year but she took this semester off. Why? She wanted, needed, to save money to pay the additional thousands of dollars it will cost to attend the University of Georgia this fall. Hembree, 19, is working three part-time jobs, putting in about 40 hours a week, yet she hasn’t saved up as much as she’d like. Her task may get tougher. Thousands of students across Georgia like Hembree are struggling to afford college as tuition rises and money the schools get from state government hasn’t kept up with increases in enrollment. Last week, the Georgia Board of Regents voted to increase tuition by 2 percent at UGA and more than two dozen other schools this fall. Other fees, though, stayed about the same at most schools. Once upon a time, Georgia was considered an innovator in college affordability by virtue of its HOPE Scholarship. The Great Recession forced state lawmakers to revamp the scholarship to keep it viable. Today, Georgia ranks in the middle in most surveys of student debt and college affordability.

www.myajc.com
Surprise! Georgia State gives full scholarships to 14 Southwest DeKalb High students
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/surprise-georgia-state-gives-full-scholarships-southwest-dekalb-high-students/FkN2be9BNtPXpwdsyqMHdK/
By Marlon A. Walker
Fourteen Southwest DeKalb High School seniors walked into a room Wednesday with representatives from State Farm and Georgia State University. They had applied for full scholarships to a two-year program at the Georgia State University – Perimeter College, Decatur campus. The number of scholarships was limited, they were told. But every student there received a scholarship to attend college this fall. “A college education gives people a better life, but for too many, it is unattainable,” Georgia State President Mark Becker said in a release announcing the State Farm Scholars program. “Obstacles students face in pursuing post-secondary education range from difficulty securing financial aid and unreliable transportation to lack of emotional support.”  The university is giving out 50 scholarships to South DeKalb students through the partnership with State Farm, announced Tuesday in a Facebook Live event. University officials said the scholarships are given to students who otherwise would not have been able to attend college.

www.athensceo.com
Acxiom Awards $5,000 Scholarship to UGA Student
http://athensceo.com/news/2017/04/acxiom-awards-5000-scholarship-uga-student/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=911b205eba-eGaMorning-4_24_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-911b205eba-86731974
Staff Report From Athens CEO
Acxiom, the data foundation for the world’s best marketers, announced the 10 winners in the company’s 2017 Acxiom Diversity Scholarship Program. This initiative offers $5,000 scholarships to U.S.-based students from diverse backgrounds who are enrolled in a full-time post-secondary degree program such as Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Information Quality, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics or related areas of study. This is the program’s sixth year. Among this year’s Acxiom Diversity Scholarship recipients are: Ciara Chesser – Computer Systems Engineering at University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.

www.savannahnow.com
Painting internship provides experience, credibility to Georgia Southern Student
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-04-21/painting-internship-provides-experience-credibility-georgia-southern-student
By Katie Nussbaum
For the first time Young Entrepreneurs Across America is offering Georgia college students the chance to operate their own business and gain real world experience through its Student Painters internship. Zoe Powers, a 21-year-old Georgia Southern junior, jumped at the chance to earn course credits and a little extra money serving as a branch manager. “I wanted to do this internship because it’s a big opportunity for me,” said Powers, who is majoring in marketing. “I want to go into sales in the business world and I feel like this could get me that step forward and it’s a very prestigious internship.” Young Entrepreneurs began in Canada more than 20 years ago to teach young students how to operate a small business by providing them with training in business and communication skills. The program is now offered in 10 states across the country.

www.jacksonprogress-agus.com
Grant awarded for injury prevention programs
http://www.jacksonprogress-argus.com/features/grant-awarded-for-injury-prevention-programs/article_c9de3da5-bcde-5ca9-8c2a-c6c112026250.html?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=911b205eba-eGaMorning-4_24_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-911b205eba-86731974
By Cal Powell
The University of Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute has been awarded a $656,000 grant from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to continue statewide child passenger safety, parent and teen driving safety, and senior driver education programs. The Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute has partnered with GOHS for the past 30 years in designing and delivering education that improves driver and passenger safety throughout a person’s lifespan. The institute continues to be a leading resource in traffic safety training and education in Georgia, officials said. The Georgia GOHS-UGA partnership began in 1986 when federal grant funds were awarded to states with highway safety offices. The grants were to be used for partnering with institutions of higher education to address traffic injuries, with an education and enforcement approach to reducing fatalities. In Georgia, UGA Cooperative Extension uses the grant to conduct classes for parents and caregivers on the consistent and correct use of child safety seats in all of Georgia’s 159 counties.

www,times-herald.com
Entrepreneur Success Series to kick off Thursday
http://times-herald.com/news/2017/04/entrepreneur-success-series-to-kick-off-thursday
By THE NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD
A series of entrepreneur-focused classes will offer insights on starting and sustaining a business, with the first class set for Thursday. The Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the University of West Georgia’s Richards College of Business and the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center to present the spring programs. In this series of five classes, participants can gain new information on everything from starting a business and writing a business plan to funding, marketing and managing a business.

www.georgiatrend.com
Political Notes
http://www.georgiatrend.com/April-2017/Political-Notes/
By Susan Percy
New Regent: Atlantan Sarah-Elizabeth Reed is a new member of the state Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, representing the 5th Congressional District. Reed, a graduate of Howard University Law School and wife of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, was appointed to the board by Gov. Nathan Deal. She will serve a seven-year term.

www.georgiatrend.com
Political Notes
Frum Moves To Armstrong State: UGA’s VP for public service and outreach, Jennifer
http://www.georgiatrend.com/April-2017/Political-Notes/
By Susan Percy
Frum, will become interim president of Armstrong State University in Savannah July 1, when President Linda Bleicken retires. Frum has spent more than 20 years at UGA and served as interim director of the Carl Vinson Institute. University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley says Frum “will play a key role in the consolidation of Armstrong State and Georgia Southern University that will benefit students, faculty, staff, the community and region.”

www.savannahceo.com
Georgia Film Academy to Debut Feed the Hungry Documentary on April 28th
http://savannahceo.com/news/2017/04/georgia-film-academy-debut-feed-hungry-documentary-april-28th/
Staff Report From Savannah CEO
Savannah Technical College’s Georgia Film Academy is hosting a screening of the documentary, Feed the Hungry: the Vision, the Outreach, the Community Changer at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 28 in the Savannah Technical College Eckburg Auditorium. There will be a red carpet meet-and-greet from 6-7 p.m. The documentary will be shown at 7 p.m., followed by Q&A at 7:30p.m. with Georgia State Representative Carl Gilliard and the film’s producers and director. “I’m so proud of my first graduating class of students,” said STC Georgia Film Academy Technical Film Instructor John Grace. “They’re already changing the world for the better.” The documentary was recently recognized by Georgia House Resolution 661.

www.savannahnow.com
Committee approves 14 items to help streamline Armstrong/Ga. Southern consolidation
Moves target human resources, financial reporting and public safety at Georgia Southern/Armstrong
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-04-21/committee-approves-14-items-help-streamline-armstrongga-southern-consolidation
By Brittini Ray
A committee on Friday tasked with overseeing the consolidation of Savannah’s Armstrong State University and Georgia Southern University made “considerable progress” toward merging the two schools, according to officials. No objections were raised by members as the committee approved a list of 14 items meant to streamline the human resources, budget, technology, auxiliary services and public safety operations between the two schools. “These meetings have been going extremely smoothly and that is a credit to all of the people who are working so hard prior to the meeting,” Armstrong State University President Linda Bleicken said on Friday. “By the time that these recommendations come to the consolidation committee, we really have gone through a lot of discussion. And so many of the rough spots have been ironed out, so this is really for clarification.” The group agreed to merge schools’ staff council organizations, financial reporting systems, ID card systems and public safety signage. Armstrong police vehicles and department property will bear a Georgia Southern decal as part of an effort to streamline the brand across the new university’s various campuses. The schools will consolidate next year as a multi-campus institution that keeps Georgia Southern’s name and president. …The move has been met with some resistance in Savannah. At issue is both student and faculty concern of losing the essence of 82-year-old Armstrong State University, including degree programs and faculty. But Georgia Southern President Jaimie Hebert said the concern is unnecessary.

www.wsav.com
Armstrong State University Police Chief Fired
http://wsav.com/2017/04/21/armstrong-state-university-police-chief-fired/
By Trish Williford
More Fallout from the planned merger of Armstrong State and Georgia Southern Universities.  News 3 has learned their long time police chief at ASU has been fired. Chief Wayne Wilcox told News 3 he was given no legitimate reason why he was fired.  He served as police chief for the past 8 years.  Wilcox says he was informed by Vice President Chris Corrigan that he was being fired.  Wilcox says he and Corrigan have had their differences in the past, but he says he is disappointed he’s being kicked out of the university after 8 years. Wilcox implemented a unique program called the Cyber Forensics Division which involves the forensic examination of computers and cell phones.

www.fox28media.com
ASU Cyber Forensic Unit in jeopardy, police chief terminated
http://fox28media.com/news/local/asu-cyber-forensic-unit-in-jeopardy-after-firing-of-police-chief
BY ROBERT CATANESE
On Friday afternoon, Armstrong State University and Georgia Southern University executives met at another Consolidation implementation Committee meeting. There were 14 Operational Working Group agenda items, all were passed by the committee. This meeting comes in the shadow of ASU’s Chief of Police Wayne Willcox being terminated. ASU officials said that it was a personnel matter and that both ASU President Linda Bleiken and GSU President Jaimie Hebert would not comment, nor would they comment on the future of the Cyber Forensic Division at the ASU campus. “We are not getting into that today, I would be happy to speak to that at a later time,” said Bleiken. The Chatham County Commissioner’s also held a meeting on Friday. During the meeting, County Manager Lee Smith told FOX 28 Armstrong State University will close the forensic unit. “It is going to cripple us. This is a major problem,” said Smith.

www.christiantimes.com
Georgia college tries to dispel lawsuit of Christian student who was banned from preaching on campus
http://www.christiantimes.com/article/georgia-college-tries-to-dispel-lawsuit-of-christian-student-who-was-banned-from-preaching-on-campus/72033.htm
Jardine Malado
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) has attempted to dispel a lawsuit filed by a Christian student, who was reportedly prevented from sharing his faith on campus, by saying the student’s preaching “rose to the level of ‘fighting words.'” GGC was sued by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) on behalf of student Chike Uzuegbunam in December after the school repeatedly prohibited the student from discussing his Christian faith on campus, even after he received permission to do so in one of the school’s free speech zones. ADF noted that the two free-speech zones constitute “less than 0.0015 percent” of the campus and that it is open to students only for 18 hours a week. According to the lawsuit, Uzuegbunam had been informed by the school that he is not allowed to distribute religious pamphlets outside of the school’s library because it was not a designated free-speech zone.

www.ajc.com
University of North Ga. suspends cadet for taking bathroom photo
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/university-north-suspends-cadet-for-taking-bathroom-photo/qPhzEzVxULCdQmGdG3ABFM/
Will Robinson
The University of North Georgia decided Friday to suspend Dante Harris for the upcoming summer and fall semesters. …Harris, a 21-year-old junior, is attending the university on a $70,000 military scholarship that paid for his tuition, room, food, books and uniforms, and entitled him to National Guard weekend drill pay, the GI Bill, pay for attending Army basic and advanced training and Army ROTC contract pay. It is not yet clear if he will keep the scholarship. …In addition to the suspension, Harris is charged with unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance, a felony, and transmission of photography depicting nudity, a misdemeanor. He faces up to six years in prison and a fine of $51,000. After the charges are settled, the Georgia National Guard will decide if he will keep his commission, a spokesperson said.

www.onlineathens.com
UGA research spending still growing fast, but Trump proposals could hurt
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-04-22/uga-research-spending-still-growing-fast-trump-proposals-could-hurt
By Lee Shearer
University of Georgia researchers are on track for a third straight year of double-digit growth in research spending, according to the college’s vice president for research. But if some of the cost-cutting measures proposed by the Trump administration are enacted, the university could lose millions of dollars, UGA Vice President for Research David Lee said as the University of Georgia Research Foundation board of directors met Thursday.

www.savannahnow.com
Sea level rise evident in Chatham County if you know where to look
Officials, experts concerned about dead trees, rising Tybee tides, area infrastructure
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-04-22/sea-level-rise-evident-chatham-county-if-you-know-where-look
By Mary Landers
Sea levels are expected to rise at least 3 feet by the end of the century, and Coastal Georgia counties and cities are busy girding for the influx of that salt water. As they do, they can point to dying trees, road closures and tides that encroach on marsh-front property as signs of more to come. The tide gauge at Fort Pulaski, the only official tide measurement in the state, started its record keeping in 1935. Its 81 years of data show the increase we’ve already experienced. “We’re talking about an inch every 10 years — 3.1 centimeters every 10 years,” said Clark Alexander, interim executive director and professor at the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. “That’s about a foot every century.” Almost all of that is attributable to the sea rising rather than the land sinking, which is negligible at about a tenth of a millimeter, Alexander said. Further verifying the data collected at Fort Pulaski is the fact that satellites measuring the height of the ocean have documented a 3 millimeter rise per year in the middle of the basins, away from land masses.

Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
In the DeVos Era, New Higher-Ed Policy Could Come From the Senate
http://www.chronicle.com/article/In-the-DeVos-Era-New/239875?cid=wcontentlist_hp_latest
By Adam Harris
Recent moves by the Education Department have raised the alarms of students, advocates, and reformers alike. But the executive branch is not the only place where policy is set. In recent years, the U.S. Senate has taken the lead on policies that have left a sharp imprint on higher education. So what will legislators be able to accomplish on higher ed this Congress? The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has, over the last several years, successfully advanced a fair amount of bipartisan legislation. But several early disputes may strain that bipartisanship, weakening the chances of reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. The most recent act, which is the major piece of legislation governing federal policy on postsecondary education, was set to expire in 2013, but was extended through last year to allow legislators more time to work on an updated version.

www.washingtonpost.com
The ‘hotbed of anti-Semitism’ isn’t a foreign country. It’s U.S. college campuses, a new report says.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/04/24/the-hotbed-of-anti-semitism-isnt-a-foreign-country-but-u-s-college-campuses-report-says/?utm_term=.a56f8a48fecf
By Kristine Phillips
As violent attacks against Jews worldwide drop to their lowest in more than 10 years, the United States, particularly college campuses, have been the “hotbed of anti-Semitism,” according to a new report. The report by researchers at Tel Aviv University, which covers data from 40 countries, found that violent anti-Semitic incidents, which include attacks with and without weapons, arson, and vandalism or desecration, have been on a downward trend in the past few years … In the United States, campuses, which the report describes as “a hotbed of anti-Semitism,” saw a 45 percent increase in anti-Jewish sentiments. The AMCHA Initiative, which investigates anti-Semitism on college campuses, had a similar finding. Researchers who looked at dozens of public and private colleges and universities found 287 anti-Semitic incidents during the first half of 2016. That’s a 45 percent increase from incidents reported during the first half of 2015.