University System News:
www.ajc.com
Clayton State announces new Dean of the College of Business
http://www.ajc.com/news/local/clayton-state-announces-new-dean-the-college-business/DtVmMKmYXET6STuW9Sr3vI/
Pamela Miller For the AJC
Following a nationwide search, Clayton State University has announced that Jacob Chacko will become Dean of the College of Business. He will assume his leadership role on Aug. 1. Chacko first came to Clayton State in 1999 as an associate dean and was charged with leading the college through the AACSB accreditation process. He was appointed dean in 2008.
www.mdjonline.com
Teen earns Associate Degree at Chattahoochee Tech before high school diploma
http://www.mdjonline.com/news/education/teen-earns-associate-degree-at-chattahoochee-tech-before-high-school/article_5f61a780-5092-11e7-96f3-abb723d2a6fb.html
Staff reports
An 18-year-old Move On When Ready student has earned an Associate of Applied Science in Environmental Technology before finishing high school. Mariah Young, a senior at Kennesaw Mountain High School, joined hundreds of Chattahoochee Technical College students at spring commencement in May — an accomplishment that will allow her to pursue even higher education at the College of Coastal Georgia, where she has been accepted for the fall term as an honor’s student. “I will complete my four-year degree in about two years or less,” Young, who graduates from high school next week, said. “This makes my dream of obtaining a doctorate of pharmacy more plausible and shortens that time that I spend in college post high school.”
www.mdjonline.com
KSU’s Payroll Certificate Program preps students for professional certifications
http://www.mdjonline.com/news/education/ksu-s-payroll-certificate-program-preps-students-for-professional-certifications/article_d307ecc0-5093-11e7-922f-23b23381526e.html
Staff reports
The College of Continuing and Professional Education at Kennesaw State University is proud to partner with the American Payroll Association and present the PayTrain College & University program for payroll professionals. Comprised of two professional development courses, Payroll Fundamentals and Payroll Mastery, this program is designed for all levels of payroll administration as well as those interested in preparing for the Fundamental Payroll Certification or Certified Payroll Professional certification exams. “The Fundamentals and Mastery courses are designed to give you a significant edge over job seekers who lack certification,” said Jennifer Henderson, Payroll Certificate program manager.
www.americantowns.com
VSU’s Online Health, Physical Education Program Named a 2017 Best Value
http://www.americantowns.com/ga/valdosta/news/vsursquos-online-health-physical-education-program-named-a-2017-best-value-28637579
Valdosta State University is home to one of the best online Master of Education in health and physical education programs in the nation, according to OnlineU. …VSU came in at No. 2 on the 2017 Most Affordable Online Colleges for a Master’s in Physical Education list.
www.myajc.com
Atlanta named one of America’s ‘Tech 25’ — the nation’s top 25 cities in tech
http://www.myajc.com/business/atlanta-named-one-america-tech-the-nation-top-cities-tech/SRZyljLzIVCGnkHgZXQV2K/
By Fiza Pirani – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Watch out Silicon Valley, the Atlanta tech community is on the rise. The metro, home to the fourth largest tech hub in the United States (Atlanta Tech Village), was recently ranked among America’s “Tech 25,” a list of 25 American regions deemed the best in tech by global real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield… Atlanta, home to several high-profile universities such as Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Spelman College and others, is No. 17 on the list.
www.metroatlantaceo.com
Georgia Tech Wins Governor’s Cup for Charitable Contributions
http://metroatlantaceo.com/news/2017/06/georgia-tech-wins-governors-cup-charitable-contributions/
Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO
For the 10th consecutive year, Georgia Tech employees have been recognized for their generosity through the State Charitable Contributions Program. The Institute received the 2017 Governor’s Cup, awarded annually to the state institution with the highest average contribution per employee in the statewide fundraising endeavor. Tech’s average contribution was $308. “We are happy to have won again this year,” said Campaign Chair Leanne West, chief engineer for pediatric technologies and chief innovation officer in the Pediatric Technology Center. “The team worked really hard to make sure as many people as possible knew about the campaign. It really makes me proud to be part of such a giving community.”
www.ajc.com
Construction companies complain: hard to find good workers, whether laborers or managers
http://www.ajc.com/business/economy/construction-companies-complain-hard-find-good-workers-whether-laborers-managers/Vsby4cuqkARdJctcjDpnFP/
Strong economic growth and a shallow pool of workers have combined to stress construction companies, according to a recently released survey of Georgia firms. But it’s not just front-line laborers, it’s a relative shortage of managerial recruits as well, according to a survey by accounting firm Bennett Thrasher and the construction management department at Kennesaw State University. “They just don’t seem to be replacing people as fast as those people are retiring,” said Tom Jollay, a co-leader in the construction practice of Bennett Thrasher. …The survey, the first such Georgia-specific look at construction firms, showed 87 percent of construction firms call the search for skilled workers their top problem.
Higher Education News:
www.myajc.com
Feds: DeKalb man stole identities of college students with FAFSA data
http://www.myajc.com/news/local/feds-dekalb-man-stole-identities-college-students-with-fafsa-data/7etOGxuwR6Gu7B4gpzQUrK/
By Joshua Sharpe – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Doraville man is accused of running an elaborate operation to steal the identities of college students by using a tool on federal financial aid websites. Taiwo K. Onamuti, 29, and co-defendant Muideen A. Adebule, 49, of Indianapolis, Indiana, were indicted on 23 federal charges, Indianapolis U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler announced this week. The Department of Education and IRS removed the data retrieval tool from fafsa.gov and studentloans.gov in March until protections could be added, Minkler said. But the process has caused disruptions for parents and students who were trying to submit assistance application forms. The tool allowed families to import tax information to the site. The authorities haven’t made entirely clear how the suspects allegedly used the tool. …The indictment alleges Onamuti, Adebule and others acquired sensitive personal information by either purchasing it via email, or through the tool on fafsa.gov. They allegedly used the information to file false tax returns with the IRS and had the refunds put on prepaid debit cards. With the debit cards, they got money orders in Indiana and Georgia, the U.S. attorney said.
www.insidehighered.com
Transparency With Staying Power
The Department of Education appears ready to update the College Scorecard later this year.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/06/14/education-department-track-update-college-scorecard?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=f0b09ed148-DNU20170614&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-f0b09ed148-197515277&mc_cid=f0b09ed148&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Andrew Kreighbaum
The Department of Education appears to be planning to keep around one of the most high-profile higher ed initiatives of the Obama administration. Department staff are taking steps to update the data feeding the College Scorecard, a tool that allows prospective students to look at measures like the debt burden of an institution’s graduates, by September of this year, according to higher ed groups. That would be counted as a victory by proponents of more transparency in higher ed, even though the Scorecard wasn’t among the Obama efforts the Trump administration promised to eliminate. Some have wondered about the longevity of the Scorecard, since it wasn’t required by law and isn’t so established that it would be difficult to abandon.
www.insidehighered.com
New Money and New Players on Apprenticeships
Trump administration’s apprenticeship push will include call for up to $200 million in new funding, a less balky federal registration process and more participation by noncollege education providers.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/06/14/white-house-apprenticeship-push-will-include-funding-and-focus-alternative-providers
By Paul Fain
The kickoff of President Trump’s apprenticeship push is slated for today with a policy speech observers said will include a call for new money, a less balky federal approach to registered apprenticeships and more openness to noncollege providers handling the educational side of those programs. During a speech today at the U.S. Department of Labor, Trump is expected to announce a grant program of up to $200 million to expand apprenticeships, with an increased emphasis on growth industries like information technology and health care as well as manufacturing. Currently, 505,000 people hold apprenticeships through 2,100 programs that are registered with the federal government or state agencies. The most common professions represented include electricians, plumbers, carpenters and construction laborers, according to federal data. The new money, while a relatively small sum, would be welcomed by job training advocates.
www.insidehighered.com
A Fast Start?
New York’s much-debated free public college tuition program received 21,000 applications in five days, a quick start even as many colleges project few students will receive aid from the effort.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/06/14/21000-apply-excelsior-scholarship-over-five-days?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=f0b09ed148-DNU20170614&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-f0b09ed148-197515277&mc_cid=f0b09ed148&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Rick Seltzer
Days after opening the application window for its free public college tuition program, New York received more than 21,000 applications. It looks like a quick clip for a state that had projected Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature free tuition program would cover about 22,000 students in its first year. But it’s not yet clear how many applicants will actually receive awards. The number of applicants is also still small in comparison to the roughly one million New York students who apply for financial aid in a year. Cuomo’s office has said officials are thrilled with the number of applications. However, some policy experts worry that the program’s rapid start, short sign-up period and high level of complexity have combined to create an unpredictable period for the state, its budget and its public colleges and universities.
www.chronicle.com
Colorado Case Puts Focus on Colleges’ Handling of Alleged Domestic Violence
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Colorado-Case-Puts-Focus-on/240331?cid=wsinglestory_hp_1
By Katherine Mangan
During the weeks leading up to the University of Colorado at Boulder’s December appearance in the Alamo Bowl, athletics officials had more serious matters on their minds than winning games. Earlier that month, a woman had contacted the head football coach, Mike MacIntyre, to report that one of his assistant coaches, Joe Tumpkin, had physically and emotionally abused her over a two-year period. She didn’t want him fired, she said, but she did want him to get help and counseling. Based on that call, Mr. MacIntyre did what he said he had been trained to do: He told his boss. …Investigators agreed with the chancellor that the university’s reporting requirements were unclear when it came to incidents that happen off campus. All the more reason, they concluded, that Mr. DiStefano should have called for outside guidance. … Both Mr. MacIntyre and Mr. George told investigators that they had had no training in their responsibilities under Title IX, the federal law that bans sex discrimination or misconduct at educational institutions that receive federal funds, or the Clery Act, the federal campus-safety law, since the online modules they completed in 2013. “Mr. George said he had not read or reviewed the university’s sexual misconduct policies, and that he did not realize intimate partner abuse was covered under Title IX,” the Cozen O’Connor investigators wrote. That is despite widespread national attention paid to sexual violence in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Pennsylvania State University and the alleged coverup of sexual violence among football players at Baylor University. In both cases, university leaders were faulted for not taking their responsibilities to report abuse seriously enough. The spotlight on these issues has been further intensified by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights. More than 200 colleges face investigations over their handling of sexual-assault complaints.