University System News:
www.gradickcommunications.com
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM LAUNCHES COMPREHENSIVE ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW
http://www.gradickcommunications.com/University-System-Launches-Comprehensive-Administr/23063652
University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Steve Wrigley announced the launch of the Comprehensive Administrative Review. This is a system-wide initiative focused on improving administration through creating efficiencies, streamlining processes and finding ways to be more effective with USG resources.  “The landscape of higher education has changed dramatically over the past decade,” said Wrigley. “Higher education has undergone fundamental changes in who enrolls and why, how instruction is delivered, and how it is paid for. We must ask ourselves: Are we positioned to meet the challenges of today, and are we preparing for those of tomorrow?”  “The time is right for the University System to look in the mirror,” added Wrigley. “A comprehensive examination of how the System and the institutions are administered in light of the new realities in higher education will help ensure we are fulfilling our mission today and tomorrow.” The system-wide initiative will be led by a specially appointed committee comprised of representatives from USG institutions to take an in-depth look at all non-faculty administrative functions across the University System. Core faculty activities, such as teaching and research, will be exempt from the review.

www.publicnow.com
Transition Of Employee Benefits To OneUSG
http://www.publicnow.com/view/0881AB3C8D8BCEDD47DCE6083CB166EA57F58550
Under the University System of Georgia (USG), all state institutions are engaging in OneUSG -a collective initiative designed to streamline policies, procedures, and technology solutions. The first priority of OneUSG is to align and consolidate the human capital management (HCM) systems. (HCM includes benefits and payroll administration, performance management systems, time tracking, etc.) Georgia Tech’s HCM transition is a six-year process that is projected to be completed in 2020. The Institute is currently in phase two of three, which focuses on benefits administration. Currently, out of the 28 USG schools, 25 are supported by the same benefits administration system (ADP), while three – University of Georgia, Augusta University, and Georgia Tech – use independent systems. All 28 schools will transfer benefits administration to OneUSG Connect. For Georgia Tech, this change will be effective June 26, 2017.

www.mdjonline.com
Ehrhart discusses campus rape bill during meeting with DeVos
http://www.mdjonline.com/news/ehrhart-discusses-campus-rape-bill-during-meeting-with-devos/article_4ce4bace-2956-11e7-975f-57efc5c7d6a7.html
Mary Kate McGowan
State Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, is hoping his new connection in Washington, D.C., will help his proposed legislation regarding campus rape next year. Ehrhart and Steve Wrigley, chancellor of Georgia’s university system, recently met with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in Washington to discuss higher education in Georgia. “Secretary DeVos is a breath of fresh air,” Ehrhart said. Ehrhart said he wanted to ensure Georgia was heard at the national level while also opening up lines of communication with DeVos on certain issues — especially his legislation focusing on providing due process to those who have been accused of sexual assault on college campuses.

www.ajc.com
GSU-Turner Field neighborhoods strike community benefits agreement
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt–politics/gsu-turner-field-neighborhoods-strike-community-benefits-agreement/RM4aSNuQcPytuWNTQTpDDO/
Leon Stafford
The redevelopment of the Turner Field area will be about more than adding new apartments, opening trendy coffee shops or giving Georgia State University’s football team a permanent place to call home. A deal struck Monday by GSU and Atlanta developer Carter & Associates — who bought the 68-acre site last year for $30 million — will address systemic flooding, provide jobs and education programs, and set aside at least 10 percent of new housing for low-income Atlantans, according to an agreement with community representatives. The school and Carter said they signed a long-term plan for the university’s engagement with area residents with representatives of the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, Peoplestown Neighborhood Association, Mechanicsville Civic Association and Grant Park Neighborhood Association. “Georgia State believes the redevelopment of the Turner Field site will be transformational for all parties involved,” Georgia State President Mark Becker said in a statement.

www.myajc.com
Olens discusses goals to raise money for Kennesaw State research and projects
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/olens-discusses-goals-raise-money-for-kennesaw-state-research-and-projects/E6jZ0zCtbMNrwfFh80pg2K/
By Eric Stirgus
Kennesaw State University president Sam Olens, in his first state of the university address Monday, asked faculty and staff for their help as he attempts to raise more money for various renovation projects and additional student housing on both campuses. “There’s a lot to do and so much that I want to accomplish,” Olens said during a 20 minute speech at KSU’s Marietta campus. “I can’t do it alone. We must work together.” Olens, who resigned as Georgia attorney general to become KSU’s president, said he’s met with more than 60 prospective donors and business partners since he took office in November. He also said he’s trying to get more research grants. Olens thanked state leaders for providing $5 million for renovations to the science lab on the Marietta campus.

www.northwestgeorgianews.com
FRREA awards scholarships to college students
http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/lifestyles/hometown_headlines/frrea-awards-scholarships-to-college-students/article_8bd16c66-296d-11e7-aa48-87a32d6cf076.html
The Floyd-Rome Retired Educators Association gives scholarships each year to education majors who have good academic records, are good citizens and are recommended by their college or university. This year, four scholarships for $600 each were given to Julie Bohannon from Georgia Highlands/University of West Georgia,

www.tiftongazette.com
Campbell receives top teaching award at ABAC Honors Day
http://www.tiftongazette.com/news/campbell-receives-top-teaching-award-at-abac-honors-day/article_ddfef8b8-28fb-11e7-a5eb-6bd98956d8f1.html
TIFTON—Dr. Erin Campbell, Professor of English, received the top award presented to a faculty member at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College on Thursday when she was honored with the W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Award for Teaching Excellence at the annual Honors Day ceremony.  Anita White, Administrative Assistant in the Health Center, received the Roy R. Jackson, Sr., Award for Staff Excellence, and Dr. Gail Dillard, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, was selected as the recipient of the E. Lanier Carson Leadership Award for College Administrators. Christina Dent, an Assistant Professor of Nursing, was honored with the W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Excellence in Advising Award, and Dr. Thomas Grant, Assistant Professor of Journalism, received the first ever W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Award for Excellence in Student Engagement. …Students consistently mention Campbell’s enthusiasm and engagement as characteristics which make her an outstanding teacher.  Others emphasize her high academic standards, which challenge them to do their best, and her insistence on deep critical thinking.  …In an ABAC career spanning 21 years, White has been a dedicated and loyal member of the ABAC staff.  Often the first person of contact when students get sick, and in some situations, need a little something extra – whether it be an ear to listen, a mother figure to give a kind word or billing assistance – she is there to make sure students get what they need.

www.phys.org
Georgia State researchers get $2.8 million grant to study cause of diabetic cardiomyopathy
https://phys.org/wire-news/254488670/georgia-state-researchers-get-28-million-grant-to-study-cause-of.html
Researchers from Georgia State University’s Center for Molecular & Translational Medicine have received a four-year, $2.8 million federal grant to study diabetic cardiomyopathy, diabetes-related changes in the structure and function of the heart muscle. Cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart muscle becomes enlarged, stiffened, thinned out or filled with substances that don’t belong in the heart, reducing the heart’s ability to pump blood throughout the body. This can lead to irregular heartbeats, the backup of blood into the lungs or rest of the body and heart failure. Diabetes is linked to a higher risk of cardiomyopathy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Zhonglin Xie, associate professor, and Dr. Ming-Hui Zou, director of the center and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular Medicine, will use the grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to investigate whether mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes, cardiac muscle cells, is a central event in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Mitochondria generate energy for cells.

www.onlineathens.com
UGA ranks high in research licensing income
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-04-24/uga-ranks-high-research-licensing-income?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=de4d6f9429-eGaMorning-4_25_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-de4d6f9429-86731974
By Lee Shearer
The University of Georgia is one of the country’s top universities in turning its scientists’ inventions and discoveries into cash, according to data from the Association of University Technology  Managers. Over the three fiscal years from 2013 to 2015, UGA banked an average of $7.1 million annually in licensing income, according to statistics that UGA Innovation Gateway Director Derek Eberhart prepared for the board of directors of the UGA Research Foundation, which met in Athens last week. UGA’s income ranked in the top 20 among U.S. public universities, and was third among UGA’s “comparator peer” universities — schools considered similar to UGA and used as benchmarks.

www.savannahmorningnews.com
Georgia Southern exhibit focuses on role state played in World War I
State played giant role in training, civilian support, housing prisoners
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-04-24/georgia-southern-exhibit-focuses-role-state-played-world-war-i
By Dash Coleman
A painted World War I helmet and mess kit are displayed in “The World’s War is Georgia’s War” exhibit at the Georgia Southern Museum in Statesboro. The exhibit focuses on the state’s involvement in World War I from 1917-1919 and features donations from local families. (Dash Coleman/Savannah Morning News) Brittany Sealey points to an eagle embossed on brass pitcher. The bird is perched atop a shield adorned with the letters AEF, an acronym for the American Expeditionary Forces. The jug itself is fashioned out of a German artillery shell fired over France roughly 100 years ago. It’s an example of “trench art,” the practice of fashioning reclaimed instruments of war into works of art or battlefield memorabilia, and it was especially popular during World War I. When Sealey, a graduate student in Georgia Southern University’s history department, first saw the pitcher at an antiques store in Marietta, she knew she had to have it. Now it’s on display — along with several other pieces from her personal collection — at the Georgia Southern Museum. It joins contributions from families all around the state for “The World’s War is Georgia’s War,” an exhibit Sealey has spent the last year coordinating. …The United States entered the war in April 1917, and Georgia played a significant role in training soldiers, stoking civilian support of the war effort and even housing prisoners.

www.gainesvilletimes.com
UNG student plans to appeal suspension stemming from photo he allegedly took, posted
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/123151/
By Norm Cannada
A University of North Georgia student plans to appeal a two-semester suspension that came after a school investigation into a photo the student allegedly took and posted on social media of a Corps of Cadets instructor’s buttocks in November. Dante Jamal Harris, the student in the cadet program accused of taking and posting the photo, according to warrants, could not be reached for comment Monday night. Jeffrey Wolff, his attorney in criminal charges against Harris, and Amber Massey, who has known Harris since his senior year in high school and says Harris refers to her as his “mom,” both confirmed Monday that Harris plans to appeal the suspension. Harris had five days after the April 19 hearing to appeal the suspension under university policy, according to UNG spokeswoman Kate Maine. “This situation falls under the university’s sexual misconduct policy. The process is outlined in that document,” Maine said in a statement. “In this case, appeals, if made, would go to the provost/senior vice president for academic affairs and then the president. The process is the same, regardless of the victim’s status as an instructor.

www.ajc.com
Young couple killed when SUV hydroplanes into oncoming traffic
http://www.ajc.com/news/traffic/young-couple-killed-when-suv-hydroplanes-into-oncoming-traffic/iH6RypQ34PABD8YIvP0snN/
Lauren Foreman  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An SUV hydroplaned into oncoming traffic Sunday in Putnam County, hit another SUV and killed a young couple, the sheriff said. An SUV driven by Tracey Rhodes, 50, of Madison, crossed the center line of U.S. 441 about 4:50 p.m. and collided with the other SUV, Putnam Sheriff Howard Sills said. Rhodes’ two sons, 18-year-old Michael Christopher and 14-year-old Adam Rhodes, were in the 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the time of the crash. Brittany Smith, 19, of Madison, was also in the SUV. Smith and Michael Christopher Rhodes died on the scene, Sills said. Smith was Michael Rhodes’ girlfriend and a student at the University of North Georgia, according to a GoFundMe page for Smith.

www.wgxa.tv
Sergeant’s message to distracted drivers
http://wgxa.tv/news/local/police-officers-message-to-distracted-drivers
by Danielle Apolinar
Sgt. Gregory Mauldin said he and his brother, Jacob Mauldin, were always together. “When we talked about the future we always seemed to have each other in mind. There was never any talk of moving far away from each other or anything. Just talked about all the stuff we wanted to do and all the good times ahead of us,” said Mauldin. He said they were brothers and best friends. …The two can no longer talk about a future together. “August 4th 2016, my brother Jacob Mauldin was killed from texting and driving,” Mauldin said.  Mauldin is a patrol sergeant at Middle Georgia State University in Cochran and said he sees the increase in distracted driving. “Everybody’s used to picking up that phone every time it rings or vibrates. People always want to be up to date with the news, social media,” he said. Mauldin tries to use his experience to help others and talks to students about the danger of distracted driving.

Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Education Dept. Announces Moves to Ease Burden of Fafsa Tool’s Absence
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/education-dept-announces-moves-to-ease-burden-of-fafsa-tools-absence/117958?elqTrackId=a5d8b5dd649c4941886d9bfc7c298ce9&elq=9fe79c12369940ddb27503cc48549361&elqaid=13633&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5660
by Adam Harris
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Monday said the department would relieve some of the burden on students and families affected by the suspension of the Internal Revenue Service’s Data Retrieval Tool, which makes it easier to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the Fafsa. The changes, announced in a “Dear Colleague” letter, will affect the verification requirements for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Fafsa cycles. Instead of using the tool or requiring a tax transcript, “institutions may now consider a signed paper copy of the 2015 IRS tax return” as acceptable documentation, the new guidance says. Institutions will no longer be required to collect documentation obtained from the IRS or other tax authorities to verify that an applicant, an applicant’s spouse, or an applicant’s parents did not file a 2015 tax return, the letter continues, but they are expected to provide the verification that was previously required.