University System News:
www.savannahnow.com
State OKs new engineering degrees for Georgia Southern University
Dean says ‘industry is starving’ for specialized grads
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-05-19/state-oks-new-engineering-degrees-georgia-southern-university
By Dash Coleman
Georgia Southern University has been given approval by the state to begin offering six new degree programs in its College of Engineering and Information Technology. The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents voted Tuesday to allow the school to offer undergraduate degrees in both computer and construction engineering and graduate degrees in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering and information technology.
www.ajc.com
Clayton State launches film, media certificate program
http://www.ajc.com/news/local/clayton-state-launches-film-media-certificate-program/wrgXypeUIexi2GzRdeWMZM/
Pamela Miller For the AJC
Clayton State University is taking major steps to be a leader in Georgia’s $7 billion film industry and filling a gap for individuals who want to create their own independent projects. The University’s Film and Digital Media Center has hired a new director and has launched a Film and Digital Media Certificate program for fall 2017. Glynn Beard will lead efforts to revamp the Center’s film and digital media programming to be relevant for industry demands.
www.bizjournals.com
Clayton County’s close-up (SLIDESHOW)
New film studio a catalyst to area economy
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/05/12/clayton-county-s-close-up.html
Ellie Hensley
Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia is the No. 3 filming location in the United States, and now Clayton County is ready for its close-up. The south metro county is already home of Clayton State University, which offers a bachelor’s degree in film production, and soon Clayton will gain a state-of-the-art film studio with five stages.
www.americantowns.com
VSU’s Capital Campaign Surpasses $50 Million
http://www.americantowns.com/ga/valdosta/news/vsursquos-capital-campaign-surpasses-50-million-28540980
Valdosta State University is proud to announce that its first-ever comprehensive capital campaign — Invest. Ignite. Inspire. The Campaign for Valdosta State University — has surpassed $50 million in gifts and pledges thanks to a major gift from the J. Donald Lee and Laurelle Lee Family Foundation.
www.goldenisles.news
UGA grad attains perfect 4.0
http://goldenisles.news/life/uga-grad-attains-perfect/article_c19ad874-e89b-5d2a-8ce0-051dc64c5083.html#utm_source=goldenisles.news&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1495447377&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline
Elijah Ben Yarborough, of Saint Simons Island, graduated May 5 from the University of Georgia as a First Honor Graduate. He had a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average in all work attempted at UGA, as well as all college-level transfer work prior to or following enrollment at the university.
www.wsbtv.com
Teenagers create breakthrough cancer technology
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/teenagers-create-breakthrough-cancer-technology/524078814
by: Wendy Corona
A new Metro Atlanta bio-tech firm is working on a better way to diagnose cancer. The founders are two teenagers, who are still in college. Channel 2’s Wendy Corona talked to them about how a personal experience led to the company’s creation. The two teenagers, who are best friends, started DiaScan… But Sanjit isn’t your typical CEO. He’s studying computer engineering at Georgia Tech. He does most of his work for DiaScan on his laptop in his dorm room. Sanjit said it’s tricky balancing DiaScan with school.
www.accesswdun.com
UNG: L3 Summit hones skills for emerging student leaders
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/5/538362/ung-l3-summit-hones-skills-for-emerging-student-leaders
By AccessWDUN staff
The seventh annual Leaving a Legacy of Leadership (L3) Summit, scheduled for four days starting Monday at the University of North Georgia, will bring together 75 students from universities and colleges across the state. L3 is designed to help student leaders improve their leadership skills and advance the mission of their campuses and institutions along the way, according to a UNG news release. The participants are selected by their institutions as promising leaders of their school communities. The idea for the summit was developed at UNG and the summit, staffed by educators and student mentors from different University System of Georgia colleges and universities, is held on UNG’s Dahlonega Campus each summer.
www.daltondailycitizen.com
Margaret Venable: Dalton State aspires to be a ‘thick’ institution
http://www.daltondailycitizen.com/opinion/columns/margaret-venable-dalton-state-aspires-to-be-a-thick-institution/article_affff145-6bad-5b8c-a67f-dd30d274c85b.html
David Brooks, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, recently described (in “How to Leave a Mark on People,” April 18, 2017) what he called “thick” and “thin” organizations. He asserted, “Some organizations are thick, and some are thin. Some leave a mark on you, and some you pass through with scarcely a memory.” He describes the difference between thick and thin organizations or institutions in this way: “A thick institution is not one that people use instrumentally, to get a degree or to earn a salary. A thick institution becomes part of a person’s identity and engages the whole person: head, hands, heart and soul.” He went on to explain by saying that in thin organizations, “people are members for mutual benefit” and “there’s an ever-present utilitarian calculus — Is this working for me? Am I getting more out than I’m putting in? — that creates a distance between people and the organization.” Conversely, in thick institutions “people are members so they can collectively serve the same higher good.” In thick organizations, “there’s an intimacy and identity borne out of common love.” …The column resonated with me as I think about Dalton State College. How do we make the college a “thick” organization for our students? I think there are many ways in which we are doing that as we continue to evolve from a place where students merely come to take classes to a unique nurturing community that provides a rich, full collegiate experience. I want our students’ time here to be dense with connections to others, a place where they feel supported and encouraged as they progress through their academic programs. I want Dalton State to be a place they remember with affection and pride after they graduate, and I want them to share this bond with their fellow Roadrunners. I want the Dalton State College experience to make a difference in the lives of our students.
www.metroatlantaceo.com
Georgia Tech Launches $1M Retail Technology Initiative at ATDC
http://metroatlantaceo.com/news/2017/05/georgia-tech-launches-1m-retail-technology-initiative-atdc/
Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO
The Advanced Technology Development Center, Georgia’s technology incubator, is launching a new initiative for entrepreneurs focused on retail-related technology. The new program — which comes as the retailing sector faces a torrent of change in consumer behavior — is being funded by a $1 million gift from the Mookerji Foundation to the Georgia Tech Foundation. The new initiative was announced at the 2017 ATDC Startup Showcase. The Georgia Tech Foundation, in turn, has earmarked the new funds for the formation of the ATDC Retail Program. Founded in 1980, ATDC is a program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, the Georgia Institute of Technology’s chief economic development arm. ATDC is one of the longest running university-affiliated incubators in the United States.
www.ledger-enquirer.com
New Georgia Southern University marker honors first African-American students
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/education/article151845472.html
BY LARRY GIERER
Georgia Southern University has put up a commemorative marker on campus which pays tribute to the integration of the school. According a report on the school’s website, it was in January 1965 that John Bradley became the first African-American student at the college in Statesboro, Ga. In the fall of 1965, Bradley was followed by six undergraduate African-American students: Clavelia Love Brinson, Arlene Marie Daughtry, Ulysee Mosley, Shirley Anne Woodall, Jesse Zeigler Carter and Catherine Davis, a sophomore transfer student who later earned the first bachelor’s degree awarded to an African-American graduate in the University’s history. The marker is a tribute to the University’s first African-American students who courageously paved the way and provided hope for a better way of life for students who followed. The report says the Integration of Georgia Southern marker, prominently placed on Sweetheart Circle in front of the University’s Marvin Pittman Administration Building, recognizes the efforts of the African-American students who, in their pursuit of higher education entered an inhospitable environment, counted the costs and found education worth it. “The marker will serve as a constant reminder of the bravery and perseverance of our first African-American students, and the community they built,” said Georgia Southern University President Jaimie Hebert in the school’s report. “Their work was the foundation upon which this University built its mission — integrity, civility, kindness, collaboration, and a commitment to lifelong learning, wellness, and social responsibility.”
www.onlineathens.com
Work to begin today on Russell Hall renovation at UGA
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-05-21/work-begin-today-russell-hall-renovation-uga?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=fbb1978b65-eGaMorning-5_22_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-fbb1978b65-86731974&mc_cid=fbb1978b65&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
By Lee Shearer
Work begins today on a $44.5 million renovation of Russell Hall, one of University of Georgia’s high-rise dormitories on Baxter Street, the university announced. The sidewalks on adjacent streets will remain open, according to the university. In addition, construction crews will erect a temporary covered walkway over the stretch of Baxter Street sidewalk closest to the building. The project schedule calls for the work to be finished in time to reopen the 230,000-square-foot building by the beginning of the 2018 fall semester.
www.hechingerreport.org
What good is new summer Pell money if students can’t use it?
Congress authorized year-round Pell grants, but the money’s unlikely to flow this summer
What good is new summer Pell money if students can’t use it?
by MEREDITH KOLODNER
The semester is winding down and summer is coming, but don’t get too excited about that recently passed summer Pell budget – it looks like it won’t become a reality for most students until summer of 2018. Educators cheered a budget extension passed by Congress last month, which restored “year-round” Pell. The change is huge for low-income students, who can now get summer college courses covered by the needs-based federal financial aid program. That can make it more likely that they’ll graduate. But it seems doubtful that the new aid will be available this summer. The Education Department is supposed to issue guidance on how colleges can start distributing the aid, but not until July 1, and that won’t give them enough time to put systems in place to make it happen. …A check with several financial aid directors found that most agree – the guidance simply will come too late in the game. They are preparing for next summer, however. More than 600 students who are eligible for Pell enrolled in classes this summer at Clayton State University in Georgia, but will likely have to take out loans to pay for them because they have exhausted all the Pell they can use for this year, said Lakisha Sanders, Clayton’s director of financial aid. Still, the college is getting ready to launch an awareness campaign in the fall when most students return. They’ll be using all the publicity tools at their disposal – emails, texts, PowerPoint presentations and posters on campus, as well as post cards and phone calls to families, according to Stephen Schultheis, Clayton’s vice president for enrollment management.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
GGC women’s tennis repeats as NAIA national champion
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/college/ggc-women-s-tennis-repeats-as-naia-national-champion/article_8b63f5f4-3e95-11e7-b6df-6f84bf11d966.html
FROM STAFF REPORTS
The No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett College women’s tennis team successfully defended its NAIA national championship Sunday as the Grizzlies pulled out a 5-3 victory against No. 2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in a rematch of the 2016 finals. It was the program’s third NAIA national championship in four seasons.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
GGC men win fourth straight tennis national title
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/college/ggc-men-win-fourth-straight-tennis-national-title/article_88bd6696-6877-5324-9845-bdca6975a17d.html
From Staff Reports
The Georgia Gwinnett men’s tennis team sits on top of the NAIA men’s tennis mountain after the Grizzlies defeated Xavier (La.) 5-0 to claim the program’s fourth straight national title. After cruising through the NAIA tournament, winning all four of their matches in 5-0 results, the top-ranked Grizzles finish 2017 with a perfect 23-0 record. This is the second season in a row — 26-0 in 2016 — where the Grizzlies have gone undefeated. With Saturday’s win, Georgia Gwinnett has now won 55 straight matches dating back to the 2015 season. Georgia Gwinnett entered NAIA postseason eligibility in 2014 and has claimed the men’s title all four years since then.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Education Dept. Says It Will Pick Single Loan Servicer
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/education-dept-says-it-will-pick-single-loan-servicer/118508?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=6808c5250abf40f6912655440462c84d&elq=b682542d91f34077a6d52c40a5b8324d&elqaid=14006&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5854
by Adam Harris
The U.S. Department of Education will award one contract to Navient, GreatNet, or the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency to service student loans and to build a platform to do so, James Manning, the acting under secretary of education, told reporters on Friday. The move is part of the next phase of the department’s revamping of how it chooses an outside company to service the billions of dollars in federal student loans it issues.
www.insidehighered.com
Experiments With a New Way of Paying for College
Colleges (and nontraditional providers) experiment with income-share agreements as innovation that could help some people afford education and training.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/22/glimpse-some-experiments-income-share-agreements
By Doug Lederman
It’s a symptom of the current moment that ideas that might have some merit, or could help solve a problem, are prematurely described by advocates or policy makers (or, yes, journalists) as the “next big thing” before they have proven themselves effective. This is particularly true in the ed-tech space, but other sorts of purported innovations are susceptible to the same trend. Consider the case of income-share agreements, which are having a moment and leading to articles like this recent one in The Atlantic, whose tagline says they “could solve [the] debt crisis.”
www.insidehighered.com
An Affordable Pathway to a Bachelor’s Degree
Despite the frequent loss of credits, transferring from a community college to a university is less expensive than starting at a four-year institution, a new study finds.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/22/despite-credit-loss-starting-two-year-college-can-be-inexpensive-start-four-year
By Ashley A. Smith
Students who are eager to pursue four-year degrees without taking on too much student debt are increasingly turning to community colleges as their first step to a bachelor’s degree. But transferring across institutions often isn’t easy, and many students lose credits when they transition from a two-year to a four-year institution. Despite that loss in credits, a new paper from the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College finds that attending a community college first and transferring is less expensive than enrolling at a four-year institution as a freshman.
www.insidehighered.com
Signs of a Ceiling in Online Ed Market
Report on online education landscape suggests potentially leaner times ahead for colleges hoping to profit in the market. Community colleges are already seeing it.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/22/reports-finds-rising-competition-online-education-market
By Carl Straumsheim
Is the community college sector the canary in the coal mine for the online education market? A new survey of online education administrators at 104 colleges and universities released today shows — as other studies have suggested — that public and private four-year institutions saw healthy enrollment growth in their fully online programs in spring 2016 compared to the year before, and that they are showing few signs of slowing their investments in the space. The situation is not the same at two-year colleges. Online programs at all institutions grew on average by 9 percent year over year, but at community colleges, growth typically registered 1 to 2 percent. And while only a handful of the public or private four-year institutions surveyed said their online enrollments shrank from 2015 to 2016, findings at community colleges were mixed: 33 percent saw growth, 27 percent decline and 40 percent stability.