University System News:
www.myajc.com
Georgia would be vulnerable if feds made deep cuts
http://www.myajc.com/news/state–regional-govt–politics/georgia-would-vulnerable-feds-made-deep-cuts/Dx2GizF1rUchbshnkOliYM/
By James Salzer – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While President Donald Trump’s budget plan is unlikely to gain approval, any cutbacks in Washington could have a major impact on services in Georgia. Home to eight major military installations, Georgia could be a major beneficiary of any increase the Trump administration proposes in military spending. Cuts to nonmilitary spending, however, could be big for the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for universities that receive tens of millions of dollars in federal research grants, and for state government, which receives about 29 percent of its funding from the federal government for everything from school lunches and nursing home residents to workforce training and environmental protection. …Below are some of the agencies slated to receive big federal money during the upcoming fiscal year and therefore could be most affected by changes in Washington: University System of Georgia — $1.4 billion; Source: State budget, fiscal 2018; University System of Georgia
www.savannahnow.com
Vote on Armstrong-Georgia Southern academic structure expected today
Committee will also discuss extending GSU game admittance to Armstrong
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-05-23/vote-armstrong-georgia-southern-academic-structure-expected-today
By Dash Coleman
An academic structure for a combined Armstrong-Georgia Southern University will be decided Wednesday. Two weeks ago, at the last meeting of a committee tasked with consolidating the universities, faculty backlash over a group of administrators’ proposed structure led to Georgia Southern President Jaimie Hebert giving professors an extension to develop an alternative proposal. The original proposal outlined nine colleges and, in a move that drew some ire, split Georgia Southern’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in two, also restructuring several departments at both universities. Wednesday, members of the committee will weigh the first proposal against a new one, submitted by faculty, that suggests eight colleges, including a sweeping College of Humanities, Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences that has 20 departments. Even if there is disagreement, a vote will be taken because a decision is “imperative” in meeting a timeline for the contentious consolidation, Hebert said at the last meeting.
www.crn.com
Georgia Unveils Massive Cybersecurity Investment to Protect Against Emerging Threats
http://www.crn.com/news/channel-programs/300085746/georgia-unveils-massive-cybersecurity-investment-to-protect-against-emerging-threats.htm?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=ee4058e2fd-eGaMorning-5_24_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-ee4058e2fd-86731974&mc_cid=ee4058e2fd&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
byMichael Novinson
The state of Georgia has set aside $50 million to construct an innovation and training facility that helps state and local agencies better respond to cyber threats. “The Peach State” has more than 30 systems across 16 state agencies that house highly-sensitive financial or public safety information, according to Calvin Rhodes, Georgia’s CIO. The state has focused its resources on protecting these high-impact systems from data loss, he said. …Georgia has a security contract that pre-qualifies 21 IT services firms to do security work inside the various appendages of state government. These firms have been scored in four or five technology-specific categories, Rhodes said, and the state has hammered out all the requisite terms and conditions so that individual agencies can quickly put the security experts to work. Rhodes said he is working to develop a security-focused culture of awareness, preparedness and resiliency throughout Georgia’s government, with the state leveraging technology vendor partners to help with identifying and mitigating gaps in its security ecosystem. …The state will also have an incubator to provide cybersecurity startups with virtually rent-free space through partnerships with institutions such as Georgia Tech, Augusta University and the University of Georgia.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
State Superintendent says students should be ‘life ready’
Woods emphasizes personal relationships, arts
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/123676/
By Norm Cannada
Getting students “life ready” should be a high priority for public schools, and new opportunities for students and teachers are paving that path, according to Georgia State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “You hear a lot about being college and career ready, but, for myself, it is about being life ready,” Woods told Gainesville Rotary Club members this week. “I think that’s more inclusive for what we want for our children. For our young people who step into a new phase of life (after high school), we want them to be prepared to take on that next challenge.” Woods pointed to the state’s Move On When Ready program that allows high school students in grades 9-12 to start taking college classes through technical colleges and schools in the University System of Georgia tuition free. “That is a growing gem for our state,” he said. “Not only are students graduating with a high school diploma, but now I am meeting students who are graduating with an associate degree with two years of college that’s paid for. I can’t think of a better bargain when we talk about our kids getting ready for life.”
www.cnbc.com
25 colleges that pay for themselves if you want to work in tech
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/23/colleges-with-the-best-return-on-investment-if-you-work-in-tech.html
Emmie Martin
Where you go to college isn’t just an investment in the next four years, it’s an investment in the rest of your life. And depending on which industry you want to work in, some schools may be a better bet than others. As part of its annual College ROI Report, Payscale found the schools that funnel students into the tech sector tend to provide students with substantial returns on their investments. Payscale’s report determines the return on investment for schools across the U.S. by subtracting the cost of attendance from graduates’ 20-year pay. For the report, Payscale draws its data from the approximately 1.3 million college-educated workers who successfully completed PayScale’s Employee Survey over the last 10 years. …For this list, a school’s cost is based on out-of-state tuition, where applicable. 18. Georgia Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $899,000
Total cost for four years: $174,000
Average loan amount: $31,700
www.sports.timesunion.com
BestColleges.com Releases New Online Higher Education Social Services Rankings
http://sports.timesunion.com/business/press-releases/article/BestColleges-com-Releases-New-Online-Higher-11166265.php
BestColleges.com, a leading provider of higher education information and resources, today announced a series of new rankings focused on degree opportunities in the Social Services. “The most rewarding work is having the opportunity to help others. We celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month by releasing a new series of rankings that feature online education programs in the Social Services. Our goal is to inspire, grow, and expand the all-important workforce that specializes in mental health and social services,” said Stephanie Snider, General Manager, BestColleges.com The Rankings with the top ten schools from each list of twenty-five: Master’s in Psychology 2. University of Georgia
www.valdostadailytimes.com
VSU capital campaign surpasses $50 million
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/local_news/vsu-capital-campaign-surpasses-million/article_00f9a041-9d15-5d30-8bf5-fd0c8283d203.html
Valdosta State University announced 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. The J. Donald Lee and Laurelle Lee Family Foundation gift will be used to endow the J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship at VSU. “Valdosta State University is the flagship university for South Georgia, and as such we must become a leader in the area of economic development,” Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, VSU president, said in a statement. “As our plans unfold for VSU’s role in economic development, we will work carefully to ensure that the J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship is positioned within the university to maximize its benefit to future entrepreneurs in South Georgia.
Higher Education News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia students can get free college tuition if they enroll in one of these 12 fields
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-students-can-get-free-college-tuition-they-enroll-one-these-fields/OltHSKCggEaEkqoWX9S8BO/
Molly Bloom Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia college students who major in high-demand fields can get up to $500 towards college tuition under a newly expanded and renamed state scholarship program. The HOPE Career Grant, formerly known as the Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant, is available to students who enroll in select majors aligned with one of 12 industries in which state officials believe there are more jobs available than there are skilled workers to fill them. The grant was initially only open to students in a few fields, but now includes students enrolled in 12 areas: certified engineer assistant, commercial truck driving, computer programming, computer technology, diesel equipment technology, early childhood care and education, health science, industrial maintenance, movie production/set design, practical nursing, precision manufacturing, and welding and joining technology.
www.chronicle.com
What Trump’s Proposed 2018 Budget Would Mean for Higher Ed
Updated (5/23/2017, 2:19 p.m.) with details on the budget proposals for scientific and medical research.
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/what-trumps-proposed-2018-budget-would-mean-for-higher-ed/118577
by Adam Harris
The Trump administration on Tuesday released its budget proposal for the 2018 fiscal year. All told, the budget would cut federal education programs by more than $10 billion. The Department of Education’s total operating budget would be slashed by $9 billion, and spending on secondary-education programs would be redirected to school-choice initiatives — the chief policy goal of Betsy DeVos, the education secretary. President Trump’s budget would eliminate the public-service loan-forgiveness program, subsidized Stafford Loans, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants; begin to phase out the National Endowments for the Arts and for the Humanities; and allow the Perkins Loan program to expire. It would also cut spending in half on Federal Work-Study programs, slash the budget of the National Institutes of Health by a fifth, eliminate programs that foster foreign-language study, and reduce spending that supports international-education programs and exchanges, such as the Fulbright Scholar program, by 55 percent.
www.diverseeducation.com
Experts: Trump Budget a Crushing Blow to Low-income Students
Experts: Trump Budget a Crushing Blow to Low-income Students
by A.K. Brunini
Higher education experts were reeling amid the release of President Donald Trump’s newly released budget titled “A New Foundation for American Greatness.” The proposed federal budget seeks to eliminate six loan and grant programs providing financial aid to low-income and working-class students. “President Trump’s higher-education cuts are cruel and callous to students, and they betray our responsibility to enable opportunity for young people and provide a path for them to achieve their dreams,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “It is especially catastrophic to lower-income students and those aspiring to public service, while serving as a windfall for loan companies, debt collectors and those seeking a profit off of education.” Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education, defended the proposed cuts. “The budget also reflects a series of tough choices we have had to make when assessing the best use of taxpayer money,” DeVos said in a statement, adding that if approved, the new FY18 budget would save taxpayers $142 billion over the next 10 years.
www.diverseeducation.com
Diverse Conversations: Affordability Key to Higher Ed Access
Diverse Conversations: Affordability Key to Higher Ed Access
by Matthew Lynch
Talking about the need to make a college-level education more accessible is common. Everyone understands that a college education is valuable and that many jobs list a degree as a requirement for applying, so those without a college degree are missing out on significant opportunities in the future. So, what does it actually take to make higher education accessible to a larger portion of the population? Affordability.
Understanding affordability
There are numerous programs designed to help students pay for college. Some options, like grants and scholarships, allow students to access funds that do not need to be repaid under most circumstances. But these funds don’t actually make the college experience more affordable, just cheaper. And student loans don’t improve affordability and only delay the need to meet the payment requirements (with interest). If something is affordable, it is considered within one’s financial means. And for many, the cost of tuition today just isn’t affordable.
www.diverseeducation.com
Tennessee Delivers on its Promise
by Reginald Stuart
Tennessee may be known for its legendary singers and musicians. Today, however, the state has drawn national attention for a different kind of ‘hit.’ It’s drawing high praise for its ambitious state-wide initiative to boost college enrollment. The multi-dimensional “two years tuition-free” Tennessee Promise program, as it is known, is set to reach a two-year milestone, having gone full throttle toward achieving its goal of significantly boosting high school senior interest in going to college. The program also is seeing enrollments climb in community and technical college programs. As the nation’s school year ends this spring, higher education advocates around the country are watching the state’s efforts, as they work through ideas of their own to boost college enrollment.