University System News:
www.macon.com
Middle Georgia State offering new certificate program
http://www.macon.com/news/local/education/article153328729.html
BY ANDREA HONAKER
Middle Georgia State University has a new option for people with an interest in world affairs. A certificate in European Union Studies, which requires the completion of five courses, can now be earned through the school. The online program is geared toward students interested in studying world affairs after their undergraduate studies or professionals working in international relations and business.

www.publicnow.com
VSU, Columbus Technical College Form Pathways Program Partnership
http://www.publicnow.com/view/96CA22B665565E730AD4621E412BAAA24A1CD6D0
Valdosta State University just became the first University System of Georgia institution of higher education to sign articulation agreements with all 22 units of the Technical College System of  Georgia. On May Wednesday, May 24, VSU and Columbus Technical College entered into a Pathways Program partnership designed to increase the number of West Georgians pursuing and earning advanced training and education. The Pathways Program agreement will allow Columbus Technical College students with an Associate of Applied Science in one or more of the 29 articulated programs to maximize the transfer of credits in order to complete either a Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership, a Bachelor of Applied Science in human capital performance, or a Bachelor of Science in office administration and technology in two years or less at Valdosta State University, noted Dr. Joseph G. Weaver, director of Off-Campus Programs at VSU. ‘This agreement provides Columbus Technical College students with an opportunity to smoothly transition to VSU, expand their knowledge and abilities, and enter Georgia’s workforce with the sophisticated critical-thinking, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills needed to be successful,’ shared Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, president of VSU.

www.bizjournals.com
Atlanta named one of top 10 U.S. cities for innovation
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/05/30/atlanta-named-one-of-top-10-u-s-cities-for.html?ana=RSS%26s%3Darticle_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_atlanta+%28Atlanta+Business+Chronicle%29
David Allison
Editor, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Innovation Leader, a magazine and website focused on innovation in large companies, today released its 2017 list of the top North American cities for corporate innovation and R&D activity, with Atlanta appearing at No. 6. …The list takes into account five factors: …4) The presence of top-tier research universities 5) Conferences, trade shows, and networking events that foster interactions among corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and academic researchers
Regarding Atlanta, Innovation Leader takes note of the innovation-lab hotbed that’s formed around Midtown’s Technology Square. …”In Atlanta, that catalyst was the Georgia Institute of Technology, which in the late 1990s began buying up acreage and developing a blighted, underused zone between its campus and Midtown Atlanta. Atlanta has long been home to industry-defining global companies like Coca-Cola, United Parcel Service, Home Depot, and CNN, but this new neighborhood, dubbed Tech Square, became a petri dish for all sorts of new innovation activity.” “The result is one of the few places in the world where you can ride an elevator or walk a few steps to go between 15 innovation labs run by companies like AT&T, Anthem, Southern Co., ThyssenKrupp, Panasonic, and Delta Air Lines. The Advanced Technology Development Center, a tech incubator created in 1980, is also located in Tech Square, as is Tech Square Ventures, a seed-stage investment firm that often backs Georgia Tech spin-outs.

www.hypepotamus.com
Newly-Formed Engage Ventures Team Opens Applications For First Startup Class

Newly-Formed Engage Ventures Team Opens Applications For First Startup Class

BY HOLLY BEILIN
A small but powerful team of venture superstars at Engage, the Atlanta-based independent venture fund and accelerator backed by 10 corporate giants and Georgia Tech, is ready to begin sifting through startup applications. The first cohort of up to 8 companies will kick off the three-month program in August. It’s not uncommon for large companies to enter the venture world (think Intel Capital or Google Ventures), but Engage, which was first initiated by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, likely has the most Fortune 1000 corporate backers of any fund in the country thus far. The list of heavy hitters contributing capital includes: AT&T, Chick-fil-A, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power Foundation Inc., Intercontinental Exchange, Invesco Ltd., The Home Depot, and UPS.

www.cen.acs.org
How does research funding at your university stack up?
National Science Foundation data show slight increases in 2015 for academic chemistry research
http://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i22/does-research-funding-university-stack.html
By Andrea Widener
Research funding is constantly on the minds of academic chemists and chemical engineers. Data from the National Science Foundation give those scientists a chance to take a closer look at their universities, including how much their departments get and their funding sources… 9. Georgia Tech.

www.studyinternational.com
Guns will soon be allowed at public universities’ tailgating events in Georgia

Guns will soon be allowed at public universities’ tailgating events in Georgia

Study International Staff
In a month’s time, a new state law in Georgia will allow anyone with concealed firearm permits carry a handgun during tailgate parties at public universities. The development has prompted the University of Georgia to call for respect and patience as the school implements the law. According to USA College Today, the six upcoming contests at the campus’ Sanford Stadium will be affected by this controversial new law, the first of which is against Appalachian State University early September. …Tailgating refers to social gatherings in the US usually held before a sporting event, including football, where people consume alcoholic beverages and grill food around the open tailgate of a vehicle. The Bill permitting licensed holders to carry firearms in such events at public college and university campuses was signed into law by state governor Nathan Deal earlier this month, despite state university leaders objecting to the measure. NPR reports Deal’s signing was a flip from his earlier position sternly criticising a similar Bill where he said it was “highly questionable” allowing guns would make students safer.

Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Forget the marketing gimmicks: It’s time for colleges to cut costs.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/05/26/forget-the-marketing-gimmicks-its-time-for-colleges-to-cut-costs/?utm_term=.8de85bad7789
By Jeffrey J. Selingo
Traditionally, May 1 is the end of the college search for high school seniors. That’s when deposits are due for a spot in the fall freshman class on campuses nationwide. But the college decision process now seems more fluid than ever before. First came the news this month that the discount colleges are offering on tuition to new students has reached a record 49.1 percent. That was followed by reports that several schools are sending messages to accepted students they haven’t heard from offering them more financial aid in the hopes they might enroll. And dozens of schools report they still have space available for new students in their classes this fall. Colleges are pulling out all the stops to recruit students, get them to enroll, and now keep them engaged over the summer when students sometimes change their mind and colleges experience what they call enrollment “melt.” But rather than always looking at the revenue side of the ledger by figuring out how to attract more students with marketing gimmicks and constant discounting, colleges should start studying the expense side as well for ways to lower their costs.

www.sciencemag.org
House science panel joins Trump in questioning research overhead payments
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/house-science-panel-jumps-overhead-bandwagon
By Jeffrey Mervis
A hearing on how the U.S. government defrays the cost of doing federally funded research on college campuses might put most people to sleep. But when budgets are tight, the billions of dollars being spent each year on so-called overhead become an irresistible target for lawmakers. This past Wednesday, the science committee of the U.S. House of Representatives weighed in on the subject, one that is at the core of the U.S. research enterprise but also exceedingly complicated. The hearing gave Republicans an opportunity to voice support for lowering overhead payments, which cover things like electricity, lab maintenance, regulatory compliance, and administration. Lowering those costs is a key to a proposal by the Trump administration that would affect those getting grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Democrats acknowledged that the current system could be improved but warned that some approaches on the table could have unintended negative consequences.

www.insidehighered.com
Double-Edged Sword of Dual Enrollment
For community colleges, high school students are a growing population to serve, but some fear a lack of financial base for the programs amid fears they may be masking large declines in other enrollments.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/31/dual-enrollment-provides-boost-community-colleges-may-hide-extent-enrollment?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ebecdaa28f-DNU20170531&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ebecdaa28f-197515277&mc_cid=ebecdaa28f&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Ashley A. Smith
Community colleges are seeing a steady decline in adult students enrolling at their campuses. As the national economy continues to improve, two-year institutions are finding their adult working and returning student populations dwindling. But many of them are turning to a popular source in an effort to boost those overall enrollment numbers or, at the least, keep them stable — high school students. The growth of dual-enrollment programs at community colleges across the country has given these institutions an additional source of students — and sometimes tuition dollars. Some experts worry whether these programs, especially as they become more popular among policy makers, are sustainable, however. …Funding models vary, not only by state but often by college and school district. Some states, like Georgia, cover the tuition for dual-credit courses at a negotiated rate, Lowe said, while others like Florida and Ohio require the school districts to pay the colleges.

www.insiehighered.com
New York Approves Free Tuition Regulations
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/05/26/new-york-approves-free-tuition-regulations?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=43309ed845-DNU20170526&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-43309ed845-197515277&mc_cid=43309ed845&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Rick Seltzer
The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation Board of Trustees approved regulations for the state’s new tuition-free public college tuition program Thursday, including some key regulations that would seem to address concerns about residency and credit-completion requirements. Several provisions address a requirement that students complete 30 credits in a year in order to remain eligible for the program or risk having to pay their tuition back. One of the new provisions would allow students to count college credits earned in high school toward the 30-credit requirement. Another would apply to students who enrolled in the last two years but fell six or fewer credits short of the 30-credit-per-year requirement. It would allow them the chance to catch up on credits and be eligible for 2018-19 academic year and afterward. Other provisions apply to requirements that students live and work in New York State for the same number of years they received program grants or have their grants turned into loans.

www.chronicle.com
University of California Will No Longer Pay for Regents’ Dinners and Parties
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/university-of-california-will-no-longer-pay-for-regents-dinners-and-parties/118702?elqTrackId=a909160afd6649e6988a41c36ee24e2d&elq=f04b6d6d7f2a440380902cfc6879e25c&elqaid=14113&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5916
by Adam Harris
The University of California will no longer pick up the tab for dinners and parties thrown by the university’s Board of Regents, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The change in policy came hours after a report that the university had reimbursed regents to the tune of more than $225,000 for such events since 2012. The regents threw parties and dinners at lavish hotels, the report said, and some of them were “poorly timed.” A recent event, which cost $270 a person on May 17, was held immediately after students shut down a board meeting in a protest against a tuition increase and revelations that the president’s office had been maintaining a secret fund. The newspaper’s report led to near-immediate outcry from all directions.