University System News:
www.daily-tribune.com
GHC breaks ground on new academic center
http://www.daily-tribune.com/newsx/item/7878-ghc-breaks-ground-on-new-academic-center
Written by  Neil McGahee
Ground was officially broken for a new academic building on the Cartersville campus of Georgia Highlands College which will house primarily STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) curriculum courses. Taking part in the ceremony was, from left, Dr. Renva Watterson, GHC Vice President of Academic Affairs; Dr. Todd Jones, GHC Vice President of Student Affairs; Leslie Johnson, GHC Cartersville campus dean; Chancellor Steve Wrigley of the University System of Georgia; GHC President Dr. Don Green; Mary Transue, GHC V.P. of Advancement & Government Relations; Lucas Lester, GHC Student Government Association president; and Jeff Davis, GHC V.P. Finance & Administration. …As the enrollment increased, Green said the college began pursuing funding for new construction, especially an academic building with a focus on STEAM-based — science, technology, engineering, art and math — areas of study at the Cartersville site. The 2017 state budget was approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Nathan Deal. GHC received $22.5 million in state funding —$2.2 million for design, $17.7 million for construction and $2.6 million for equipment — for the 52,000-square foot building, which will include spaces for laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls and study rooms.

www.news.wabe.org
Some College Students Feel Pinched By Tuition Increase
http://news.wabe.org/post/some-college-students-feel-pinched-tuition-increase
By MARTHA DALTON
Tuition at Georgia’s public colleges and universities will increase 2 percent next fall. The university system of Georgia estimates full time, undergraduate students who live in-state will pay an extra $27 to $98 a semester. But some students say even a small price hike could hurt. It can still be scary for students who have Georgia’s HOPE scholarship. Georgia Tech freshmen Jessica Samuel and Anjana Anandkumar both qualified for the Zell Miller scholarship. It’s part of the HOPE program, and pays for full tuition. But to keep it, they need to have a 3.3 Grade Point Average. Samuel said that’s not easy. “That’s a really big concern for both of us,” she said. “We’re sweating bullets every day, because what if we lose this? We won’t be able to pay our tuition anymore.” Anandkumar said she’s trying to hang on to her scholarship.  …University system officials said they’re sensitive to those problems. “Frankly, we don’t like to raise tuition. It’s not a popular thing to do,” Chancellor Steve Wrigley told lawmakers earlier this year.”It’s necessary to keep up with increased costs in a variety of areas. It’s important to help maintain quality.” But it still poses a hardship for students like Taylor Hudson. She’s a freshman at Georgia State University. The HOPE scholarship only covers some of her tuition.

www.myajc.com
Clayton State online programs lauded
http://www.myajc.com/news/local/clayton-state-online-programs-lauded/0E5RFMANV9gDdAaHmvwh0H/
By Pamela Miller – For the AJC
Clayton State University was recently listed among the 25 best colleges in Georgia for its online degree programs by College Choice Rankings. Clayton State ranked No. 13 among colleges and universities in Georgia’s for its online degree programming. The university was recognized for offering 15 online degrees in a variety of subjects for both undergraduate and graduate students. Researchers noted that students who pursue online study are paired with a personal advisor to offer academic assistance. One-on-one tutoring and access to the Writer’s Studio were listed as notable features of online programs.

www.moultrieobserver.com
Moultrie’s Gail Dillard receives top administrator award at ABAC
http://www.moultrieobserver.com/news/local_news/moultrie-s-gail-dillard-receives-top-administrator-award-at-abac/article_ef0dbea2-2ae3-11e7-bce2-cbb0291bcfa9.html
Staff Reports
Gail Dillard, interim vice president of academic affairs at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, received the E. Lanier Carson Leadership Award at the ABAC Honors Day ceremony on Thursday.  A Moultrie resident, Dillard has served as both a faculty member and an administrator at the college. Established in 1973 by E. Lanier Carson of Kelley Manufacturing, the award recognizes the leadership contributions of an ABAC administrator.  In her nomination, one of Dillard’s colleagues said that “she is one of the most thoughtful, ethical, and principled leaders I have known” and has reached “positions of leadership because of her good sense, her attention to the full measure of the requirements and the outcomes of an undertaking, and her persistent focus on the needs of the college.” In her 29 years at ABAC, Dillard has been instrumental in creating several distinctive programs.

www.myajc.com
UGA students leave behind legacy of unity one year after deadly crash
http://www.myajc.com/news/local/uga-students-leave-behind-legacy-unity-one-year-after-deadly-crash/gZEyNeg4FgywAo79lpINwJ/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=42b08e29a9-eGaMorning-4_27_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-42b08e29a9-86731974&mc_cid=42b08e29a9&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
By Alexis Stevens
Christina, Kayla, Brittany, Halle and Agnes. Five young women with bigger-than-life dreams — after final exams. Instead, the five never made it back to campus. One year ago today, on a two-lane country road, a crash claimed four lives and left the fifth friend fighting to survive. The crash devastated five families and the entire UGA community. But through the overwhelming sadness, the students’ legacies continue to impact other lives. Their families are forever bonded. …The five friends, all unique with their own talents and dreams, brought their families together and countless others. A year later, there are countless physical reminders of that impact, including scholarship funds, benches at parks on the UGA campus, and even a fire pit next to the waters of Lake Allatoona. Thursday, the families of the four who died will gather for a memorial service at the UGA chapel. But beyond the physical markers, the families have witnessed an outpouring of love and support they couldn’t have imagined, Semeria said.

www.times-herald.com
Flexible degree program proposed for UWG-Newnan
http://times-herald.com/news/2017/04/flexible-degree-program-proposed-for-uwg-newnan
By REBECCA LEFTWICH
That post-graduation job hunt may get a lot shorter for some baccalaureate candidates at the University of West Georgia-Newnan. A new, flexible degree program set to launch in 2018 is designed to help UWG-Newnan grow instant workforces for local employers by tailoring students’ final few classes to specifically prepare them for available jobs, according to university administrators. They presented the concept Wednesday during a breakfast on the Newnan campus for community leaders as part of a proposed plan for academic development of the facility. Business and political groups are also hearing presentations this month. The proposed bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies program could bring a concept into the state’s universities that has been successful in high school college-and-career academies, technical colleges and charter schools. “Interdisciplinary studies is like concierge service for employers,” UWG President Kyle Marrero said. “That’s education for the 21st century.”

www.gainesvilletimes.com
UNG panel offers advice to immigrants living here illegally
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/123201/
By Carlos Galarza
What should immigrants do if ICE agents come knocking at the door or if they are pulled over by law enforcement? Those questions and many more were addressed Wednesday night during a community forum on immigration presented by the Latino Student Association at the University of North Georgia Gainesville campus. “You’re not obligated to open the door,” said Brenda Lopez in response to the knock on the door by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. “Ask them to slip under the door an order of arrest signed by a judge.” Lopez is an attorney in Norcross that focuses her practice on immigration matters. The Gwinnett County Democrat is also the first Latina elected to the Georgia State House. She represents House District 99. In cases of traffic stops, Lopez said be prepared to show your ID and say little. “The best policy is to not answer any questions,” Lopez said. UNG student Nataly Morales Villa moderated the community forum conducted in Spanish and English in the Robinson Ballroom at the Student Center. Several dozen attended. The program was held mid-day at UNG with the same panelists participating. Asked to address some of the myths surrounding immigration, participant Jaime Rangel was quick to dispel the notion that immigrants living in the country without legal permission should “get to the back of the line.” Rangel is a legislative aide with Atlanta-based Donnelly McDonald Group. Claiming to be the only member of his Mexican household without legal status, Rangel said he has to scramble every two years to renew his status under the Deferred Action for Early Arrivals order that protects immigrants through an executive order by former president Barack Obama. …Rangel said he pays almost $2,000 as an out-of-state student to enroll in just one class at Dalton State College. By comparison, he said his buddy, who is eligible for in-state tuition, pays $2,000 for the entire semester.

www.jbhe.com
Finances Force Savannah State University to Drop Out of the NCAA’s Division I

Finances Force Savannah State University to Drop Out of the NCAA’s Division I

Savannah State University, the historically Black educational institution in Georgia, has made the decision to leave Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and transfer down to Division II status. The decision will also force the university to end its membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The decision will reduce the number of football scholarships that can be offered at Savannah State from 63 to 36. Cheryl D. Dozier, president of Savannah State University, issued a statement that read in part: “While I am extremely proud of the progress our athletes and coaches have made at the Division I Level, it is not financially feasible for us to continue.” …The university stated that “this decision was made after months of discussion and deliberation in an effort to put SSU’s athletics programs in the best position fiscally, academically and athletically. This move allows SSU athletics to remain in competition and carry on their traditions.”

Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Trump Tax Proposal Unclear for Higher Ed
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/04/27/trump-tax-proposal-unclear-higher-ed?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=444e411ba3-DNU20170427&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-444e411ba3-197515277&mc_cid=444e411ba3&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Andrew Kreighbaum
President Trump released a tax proposal Wednesday that would dramatically cut both individual and corporate tax rates. The plan is silent on many of the tax issues important to colleges, universities and their donors, employees and students, said Matt Hamill, the senior vice president for advocacy and issue analysis at the National Association of College and University Business Officers. “Where the plan does intersect with higher education, there is a potential for some reduction in the amount of private support of colleges and universities if this were adopted as proposed.” Terry Hartle, the senior vice president of government and public affairs at the American Council on Education, said the proposal was “big, bold, expensive and vague.”

www.diverseeducation.com
Opponents Take Aim at Eliminating Department of Education
http://diverseeducation.com/article/95789/?utm_campaign=DIV1704%20DAILY%20NEWSLETTER%20APR27&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
WASHINGTON — Abolishing the U.S. Department of Education in the name of saving taxpayer dollars is just a “shell game” that would not save any money but hurt millions of students who rely on federal student aid, an opponent of a proposed measure to get rid of the agency by the end of next year said Wednesday. “I get that it would score points for Republicans,” said Catherine Brown, vice president of education policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. However, as a practical matter, Brown said, scrapping the department would harm the 7.5 million students who rely on federal Pell Grants — which are disbursed by the department — and “who could not get to college otherwise.” “They would have no access to college and we’ve never had another time in our history, our world, when we’ve seen a better return on education,” Brown said. “It really is a ticket to the middle class.” Brown also said that the Department of Education serves an important function when it comes to protecting the civil rights of vulnerable minority groups. But proponents of getting rid of the Department of Education — including a Republican lawmaker from Kentucky who has introduced a bill that would abolish the Department of Education by the end of 2018 — say disbursement of federal student aid and other functions of the department could be delegated to other federal agencies or to states.

www.insidehighered.com
Fannie Mae Allows Home Owners to Swap Student Loan Debt for Mortgage Debt
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/04/27/fannie-mae-allows-home-owners-swap-student-loan-debt-mortgage-debt?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=444e411ba3-DNU20170427&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-444e411ba3-197515277&mc_cid=444e411ba3&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Andrew Kreighbaum
Fannie Mae, the largest backer of mortgage credit in the country, has issued new guidelines allowing home owners to refinance their mortgages to pay off their student loan debt. The option to essentially swap student loan debt for mortgage debt is an expansion of a program launched last year with personal finance company SoFi. Rohit Chopra, a senior fellow with the Consumer Federation of America and former student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said the option would allow some home owners to save a significant amount, because the interest rates on mortgages are typically much lower those for private student loans and PLUS loans. But he said it could introduce real risk for borrowers as well.

www.insidehighered.com
AAU Report on Efforts to Combat Sexual Assault
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/04/27/aau-report-efforts-combat-sexual-assault?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=444e411ba3-DNU20170427&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-444e411ba3-197515277&mc_cid=444e411ba3&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
The Association of American Universities has published a new report detailing how its member colleges and universities are combating sexual assault. This report follows an AAU climate survey from 2015 — more than two dozen universities associated with the organization declined to participate in the project that would have anonymously interviewed students about sexual assault. Federal officials at one time had urged such surveys. But 55 of the group’s 62 member institutions engaged in the most recent study that asked colleges how often they were surveying their students about sexual assault and how often they’re changing their practices. All 55 institutions surveyed students on sexual assault at least once since 2013, the report states — and 87 percent, or 48 institutions out of 55, said it stimulated fresh conversations about sexual assault. Every college or university also changed, or was in the process of altering, their training surrounding sexual assault for students and faculty in the last three academic years.

www.chronicle.com
At Berkeley, a Speaker’s Cancellation Spurs New Battles Over Free Speech
http://www.chronicle.com/article/At-Berkeley-a-Speakers/239915?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=10024cf7701e4c50bd1f91c3116eb897&elq=3284e5fac3fc4249bec78d86b582d379&elqaid=13693&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5688
By Chris Quintana
One week ago, the conservative commentator and firebrand Ann Coulter insisted that she would be speaking at the University of California at Berkeley, over administrators’ objections that the event wouldn’t be safe. But following heavy posturing, a legal challenge, and plenty of Berkeley bashing, Ms. Coulter dropped her plans. On Wednesday, she said on Twitter and to news outlets, including The New York Times, that she was concerned about the safety of the event, and laid the blame for the lack of security at the feet of the university. The student groups who had helped book Ms. Coulter’s speech, the Young America’s Foundation and the Berkeley College Republicans, pulled their support from the event on Tuesday afternoon because of safety concerns. …The kerfuffle and subsequent recriminations show just how charged the political atmosphere is for Berkeley, heralded as the cradle of the free-speech movement on college campuses. And the events highlight lessons other colleges might have to learn in order to both honor their dedication to free speech and protect the safety of students and speakers. Among those lessons: The free-speech fights may never end. Despite Ms. Coulter’s decision to stand down, the university was still bracing for potential violence on Thursday.