University System News:
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Researcher looking into ways to battle glaucoma
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/2017-04-25/researcher-looking-ways-battle-glaucoma
By Tom Corwin Staff Writer
…If there was a way to stop the disease early on and protect those fragile nerves, “that would be great,” said Painter, 77, of Edgefield County. “That would be absolutely great.” His glaucoma specialist, Dr. Kathryn Bollinger at AU Medical Center, is working on just that. She was recently awarded a mid-career physician grant from the American Glaucoma Society to continue her work on promoting inherent protections for the nerve cells in the eye that can become damaged by the disease and lead to blindness. She is looking at a neuroprotective protein called sigma-1 receptor that is present in retinal nerve cells.
www.albanyherald.com
Georgia Southwestern State University building dedication for fallen officers set for Thursday
Nicholas Smarr and Jody Smith Memorial Building to be dedicated in public ceremony
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/georgia-southwestern-state-university-building-dedication-for-fallen-officers-set/article_c46730d8-694d-5da8-ba17-0ed87648b10a.html
From Staff Reports
Members of the public will join relatives of two slain Americus law enforcement officers at Georgia Southwestern State University on Thursday for the dedication of the university’s public safety building in honor of the two fallen officers. In February, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved a proposal from GSW interim President Charles Patterson to rename the university’s public safety building the “Nicholas Smarr and Jody Smith Memorial Building.” The dedication ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday directly outside the building entrance. “It is with great honor that Georgia Southwestern State University names the home of our Public Safety Department the Nicholas Smarr and Jody Smith Memorial Building,” Patterson said in February. “Officer Smith was an energetic member of our campus community.
www.bizjournals.com
Georgia Tech moving forward with new $20M+ Cobb campus (SLIDESHOW)
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/04/25/georgia-tech-moving-forward-with-new-20m-cobb.html
David Allison
Editor, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia Tech is moving forward with its new $20 million-to-$27 million campus in Cobb County. Georgia Tech today issued a request-for-qualifications and request-for-proposals to hire firms to renovate three buildings it bought last year at the Dobbins Air Force Base Complex in Cobb County. Tech is seeking to hire a program management firm to represent it throughout the programming, planning, design, and pre-construction phase of the project.
www.publicnow.com
Civil Engineer, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport General Manager To Be May Commencement Speakers
http://www.publicnow.com/view/0489B120A50C018E3915A685E464C9873B47E183
Representatives from the local civil engineering and aviation industries will speak to hundreds of graduates during Spring commencement on Saturday, May 6. Clayton State University has announced that Sachin Shallendra, president of SG Contracting, Inc., and Roosevelt Council, Jr., Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport General Manager, will serve as the guest speakers during the May commencement. Shailendra is a lifelong resident of Atlanta and is a passionate supporter of the Atlanta community. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Civil Engineering and also is an alumnus of Woodward Academy, where he has served as past president of the alumni association. …Shailendra has held esteemed roles in educatin and nonprofit, including being appointed by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
www.wtoc.com
ASU hosts Veterans Transition Fair
http://www.wtoc.com/story/35248246/asu-hosts-veterans-transition-fair
By Re-Essa Buckels, Reporter
Dozens of South Georgia veterans learned about career opportunities Tuesday afternoon. Albany State University partnered with the Department of Labor to host a Veterans Transition Fair. The fair assisted those interested in starting a new chapter through completing a degree from ASU. Several support services were available to help with enrollment process. For students who are veterans, several companies like Procter & Gamble were there to provide employment opportunities. “And the purpose of it is to get people who are veterans to come out to Albany state…they can look at the jobs that are available here in Albany and surrounding areas…so it’s also a career fair as well,” said ASU Santee Archer.
www.athensceo.com
UGA Receives $1M NSF Grant to Extend STEM Minority Program
http://athensceo.com/news/2017/04/uga-receives-1m-nsf-grant-extend-stem-minority-program/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=11b35f94a4-eGaMorning-4_26_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-11b35f94a4-86731974&mc_cid=11b35f94a4&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
Staff Report From Athens CEO
The University of Georgia will launch a new program to increase underrepresented minority enrollment in graduate programs in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Bridges to the Doctorate program, which is funded by a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, builds on the university’s longstanding Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program. In the decade since the Peach State LSAMP was established, minority undergraduate enrollment in STEM fields at UGA has tripled. Through the new grant, students who successfully complete the undergraduate program will have an opportunity to continue their education at UGA and pursue a doctorate.
www.news-gazette.com
30 Days, 30 Grads: STM alum went ‘above and beyond’
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-04-26/30-days-30-grads-stm-alum-went-above-and-beyond.html
Nicole Lafond
In 10 days, Sean Monahan will receive a diploma from an engineering school ranked among the five best in America. But it’s another high-stakes issue that has the Georgia Tech graduate-to-be a little distracted as commencement day nears. In conjunction with his studies, the St. Thomas More alum has been working as an undergraduate researcher for a group hoping to influence health care legislation in the state of Georgia. Monahan recently helped conduct research for a bill that would increase access to dental-hygiene services for low-income children who are on Medicaid and save the state money through preventative care in return.
www.northfulton.com
Shreya Ganeshan named UGA 2017 Udall Scholar
Johns Creek resident honored for leadership, public service
http://www.northfulton.com/stories/shreya-ganeshan-named-uga-2017-udall-scholar,104672
The University of Georgia has named Johns Creek resident Shreya Ganeshan as one of its Udall Scholars this year. As a third-year student Ganeshan was honored for her leadership, public service and commitment to issues related to the environment. Each year, the Udall Foundation awards about 60 scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for their efforts related to Native American nations or their work in environmental advocacy and policy. Ganeshan is majoring in economics and statistics and plans to pursue a doctorate in clean energy innovation and deployment. …Joining her as a Udall scholar is Elizabeth Wilkes from Atlanta. Wilkes is majoring in geography and ecology and plans to pursue a master’s degree in either food policy or agricultural and environmental studies. Both are Honors students and Foundation Fellows. “The University of Georgia congratulates our students for this significant accomplishment,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “The experiences they have gained through research and internships have prepared them, like other UGA students before them, to compete at the highest levels.” With the addition of Ganeshan and Wilkes, UGA has had 11 Udall Scholars in the past seven years.
www.savannahnow.com
Armstrong senior honored as Savannah Speech and Hearing Center volunteer
http://savannahnow.com/accent/2017-04-24/armstrong-senior-honored-savannah-speech-and-hearing-center-volunteer
By Kim Wade Special to Savannah Morning News
When Armstrong State University student Andrew Jones started college, he says he thought he wanted to be a teacher. “But when it came time to pick my major, I thought, maybe teaching isn’t my thing. But I still wanted to be in schools in some way. I did some research and stumbled upon speech pathology.” Jones is a senior at Armstrong and will graduate in May with his bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders. He says he began his time at Armstrong not knowing anything about speech pathology. “But I quickly fell in love with the program, and I can’t wait to be a certified speech pathologist.” As part of his education requirements, Jones began volunteering at Savannah Speech and Hearing Center, the area’s only nonprofit organization serving the speech pathology and audiology needs of the Coastal Empire. …Originally, Jones started volunteering at the center about a year ago, helping with the free hearing screenings SSHC performs in the schools. He then joined the Sound Start program in August, and not only did he once again fall in love with a new program, but he was also this year’s recipient of the Annie F. Oliver Award for Volunteer of the Year. He was honored for completing more than 85 volunteer hours. The Annie F. Oliver Award recognizes excellence and a strong commitment to volunteering for the betterment of the Savannah Speech and Hearing Center community.
www.goldenisles.news
CCGA instills spirit of community service
http://goldenisles.news/opinion/daily_editorial/ccga-instills-spirit-of-community-service/article_18388236-1a22-5403-bc6a-fe883199f3b6.html
A degree from College of Coastal Georgia comes with so much more than a classroom education. That was on full display Monday at this year’s Service-Learning Symposium. It was a showcase of the projects and ideas students at the college pursued through the school’s service-learning initiative. The initiative is an effort to ensure coastal graduates are well-rounded adults, ready to enter the next stage of their lives with an understanding of the importance of giving back to the communities in which they live.
www.savannahnow.com
Armstrong Engineering Studies professor selected as Governor’s Teaching Fellow
http://savannahnow.com/news/your-good-news/2017-04-25/armstrong-engineering-studies-professor-selected-governor-s-teaching
By Savannah Morning News
Armstrong State University Engineering Studies Professor Priya Thamburaj Goeser has been selected as a 2017 Governor’s Teaching Fellow for the summer symposium program. Established in 1995 by former Governor Zell Miller, the Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program provides select Georgia higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills. As a Governor’s Teaching Fellow, Goeser will attend a two-week symposium in May, in addition to attending instructional enhancement projects on Armstrong’s campus. The combination of structured program curricula and independent learning activities will provide opportunities for Goeser and her peers to expand their teaching repertoire.
…She worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Composite Materials at the University of Delaware for two years before becoming an engineering faculty member at Armstrong in 2003. Additionally, Goeser holds two positions in the American Society for Engineering Education, Southeastern Section, and serves as a faculty advisor in Armstrong’s Engineering Learning Center. As well, she serves on five university committees, plays a key role on the planning team for the annual Engineering Design Challenge and is the project director for Armstrong’s MATLAB Marina, a Virtual Learning Environment that assists undergraduate students’ understanding of the MATLAB technical computing language. In 2014, Goeser was honored with an Outstanding Mid-Career Teaching Award from the American Society for Engineering Education. She regularly publishes in scholarly journals, presents at peer-reviewed conferences and speaks at workshops and conferences around the nation.
www.news.wabe.org
Georgia’s Film Industry Wants To Be More Than Hollywood Factory
http://news.wabe.org/post/georgias-film-industry-wants-be-more-hollywood-factory
By ELLIE HENSLEY
Last year, Georgia hosted nearly 250 productions — but “host” is the key word. These shows might film in Georgia, but the money, the concept and the above-the-line talent still come largely from Los Angeles or New York. According to this week’s Atlanta Business Chronicle, major film studios like Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal, whose executives have the power to greenlight projects, have their headquarters in Hollywood. Filmmaking hopefuls in Atlanta have to travel thousands of miles to pitch their projects, and that’s assuming they have the connections to get the attention of Hollywood’s elite. Some Georgia-based companies and the Georgia Film Academy are making an effort to promote more content creation here. …And industry watchers say if Georgia wants to be known as more than a factory where Hollywood churns out its movies cheaply, it must support its independent filmmakers and educate its financiers about the value of investing in film and television scripts.
www.ajc.com
Ex-KSU director indicted on charge of taking $41K from student groups
http://www.ajc.com/news/local/ksu-director-indicted-charge-taking-41k-from-student-groups/IQH4j43xE8qzBuA5AodmmM/
Ben Brasch
The case of a former Kennesaw State University director accused of bilking $41,000 from fraternities and sororities moved forward last week. According to a warrant, Jennifer Morales took the money between 2013 and early 2016 from a KSU Greek life account using a student organization debit card for unrelated purchases. Morales was indicted Thursday on two racketeering counts and a theft charge.
www.wsav.com
Campus police investigate armed robbery at Savannah State
http://wsav.com/2017/04/26/campus-police-investigate-armed-robbery-at-savannah-state/
By Courtney Cole
Savannah State University Police were called around 10 p.m. last night, April 25, to investigate an armed robbery in the University Village Apartments. Several men were allegedly seen entering one of the apartments. Students received an emergency alert and the campus was put on lockdown. According to a student on campus, the lockdown ended around midnight.
www.ajc.com
3 sought in armed robbery of Georgia Tech students
http://www.ajc.com/news/crime–law/sought-armed-robbery-georgia-tech-students/KlzDG5t9qQBoVJuxyZFDkO/
Raisa Habersham
Three men are accused of robbing Georgia Tech students at gunpoint Sunday, Atlanta police said. The two students were walking on Centennial Olympic Park Drive toward North Avenue about 10:20 p.m. when they got to the gates of Centennial Park North Townhomes and were approached by the three suspects, according to a news release. One of the men aimed a rifle and demanded their belongings, police said. The suspects were last seen headed south on Centennial Olympic Park Drive toward Merritts Avenue. No injuries were reported.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Dozens of Colleges’ Upward Bound Applications Are Denied for Failing to Dot Every I
‘It’s more about format than it is about content’
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Dozens-of-Colleges-Upward/239895?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=f9ca36da93da4a83bc1cc37825c1e615&elq=1da206897bc0418d975f6055e120082e&elqaid=13670&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5673
By Goldie Blumenstyk
or the want of double spacing in a small section of a 65-page grant application, 109 low-income high-school students will be cut off from a program at Wittenberg University that has been providing them with tutoring and counseling to prepare them for college. And they’re not alone. Over the past few weeks at least 40 colleges and organizations with similar Upward Bound programs have also had their grant applications summarily rejected by the U.S. Department of Education for running afoul of rules on mandatory double-spacing rules, use of the wrong font, or other minor technical glitches. The affected colleges, whose programs serve at least 2,400 low-income students, and the members of Congress who represent them are furious, especially because their appeals to the department for reconsideration have so far been met with little sympathy or indication of any sort of resolution. The program director for Upward Bound at Wittenberg, Eddie L. Chambers, said he did have a conversation with Linda Byrd-Johnson, acting deputy assistant secretary for higher-education programs. It was “gracious,” said Mr. Chambers, who has overseen the Wittenberg program for 40 of its 50 years. “But in the end, she told me, ‘A rule is a rule.’ She told me, ‘Eddie, I too have to abide by the rules.’”
www.chronicle.com
Janet Napolitano Disputes Finding That Her Office Held $175 Million in Undisclosed Funds
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/janet-napolitano-disputes-finding-that-her-office-held-175-million-in-undisclosed-funds/117972?elqTrackId=ebf673515a8742c18378722268c70acc&elq=1da206897bc0418d975f6055e120082e&elqaid=13670&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5673
by Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz
The University of California’s Office of the President did not disclose $175 million in its reserve funds to the university’s Board of Regents or California’s Legislature, according to a state audit released on Tuesday. The audit’s findings were disputed by Janet Napolitano, the UC system’s president, who wrote that figures in the audit had mischaracterized the office. The audit found that the Office of the President had spent less than it budgeted while asking for funding increases based on previous years’ overestimated budgets, according to a summary of the audit. In doing so the office created an undisclosed budget for spending the reserve funds, ranging from $77 million to $114 million in a four-year period. Compared with other state employees in California, the Office of the President’s administrative and executive salaries were also “significantly higher,” the audit found. The office spent at least $21.6 million on employee benefits that are uncommon in the public sector – like supplemental retirement contributions – during a five-year period.