University System News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia public college officials present $2.4 billion wish list
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-public-college-officials-present-billion-wish-list/qcZmSvvWczq1F6TSVdwlYP/
Eric Stirgus The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University System of Georgia officials presented a $2.4 billion budget wish list Tuesday to its Board of Regents it hopes will be approved by Gov. Nathan Deal and the state Legislature next year. The budget request is about $120 million more than its current budget, $2.3 billion. About $110 million of the proposed increase would go to the Teachers’ Retirement System and for projected enrollment increases. A record 321,000 students were enrolled last school year in the system. Last year, the system made a similar funding request and its budget increased by a slightly larger amount.

www.bizjournals.com
University System of Georgia seeking $122 million budget increase
https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/08/08/university-system-of-georgia-seeking-122-million.html
Dave Williams Staff Writer Atlanta Business Chronicle
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents Tuesday approved a $2.43 billion operating budget request for fiscal 2019 and asked Gov. Nathan Deal and the General Assembly for $352.2 million in capital spending. The operating budget would represent a $122 million increase in state funding of Georgia’s public colleges and universities over the fiscal 2018 budget the legislature adopted last March. While Deal recently instructed most state agencies not to ask for increases for the fiscal year that starts next July 1, the governor exempted education spending, said Shelley Nickel, the university system’s executive vice chancellor for strategy and fiscal affairs. Nickel said the proposed additional spending includes $51.1 million to account for student enrollment growth and $56.9 million to reflect a larger contribution to the state’s Teachers’ Retirement System. The largest component of the capital budget request is $232 million for eight construction projects. The list includes $30.6 million to complete a major renovation project at Georgia Tech. The university received $47 million this year to renovate the Crosland Tower, while the new money is earmarked for the Price Gilbert Library, Nickel said. The capital budget also includes a $5.8 million request to design a planned convocation center at Georgia State University.

www.cbs46.com
Increased oversight on sex misconduct cases coming to Georgia colleges
http://www.cbs46.com/story/36093903/increased-oversight-on-sex-misconduct-cases-coming-to-georgia-colleges
By Meghan Packer
As the fall semester kicks off for the University System of Georgia, CBS46 is learning it will come with increased oversight of sexual misconduct cases. We’re talking about how these cases are handled, including everything from rape, to sexual harassment to stalking. The university system is getting more involved and offering more resources to campuses. Victim advocates say policy changes were needed within the system. The Board of Regents approved revisions to policies focused on student sexual misconduct, and standards for student conduct investigation and disciplinary proceedings. “The draft that was given to me a month ago, these were a lot of changes that needed to be done, and I did see that there was a lot of changes,” says Matthew Wolfsen, a student activist at Georgia Tech. “Policy makes a huge difference in how survivors handle themselves.” There will be more oversight by the university system office and that office will have its own investigators to help colleges and universities.

www.myajc.com
Georgia Board of Regents updates sex misconduct investigation policy
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-board-regents-updates-sex-misconduct-investigation-policy/LKife93d8021mYLkJRWQnL/
By Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia public college administrators now have greater control over how campus complaints of sexual misconduct are handled, after the state’s Board of Regents adopted changes Tuesday to how it investigates such cases. Changes include University System of Georgia administrators being notified when a complaint is filed that could lead to the suspension or expulsion of a student and the system having its own investigators to assist campuses as needed. Campus officials in charge of overseeing federal discrimination policies, known as Title IX, are now required to report directly to the university system. The new policy also includes specific language outlining the penalties — suspension or expulsion — for students who file false reports. The revisions were part of an effort USG officials hope will help them better investigate and reduce sexual misconduct complaints. But victim-rights advocates say additional improvements are necessary and worry the new policy may not comply with federal law. “We’ll put that to the test,” said Matt Wolfsen, chairman of Georgia Tech’s student government association’s sexual violence advisory board, referring to plans to review the changes to see if they meet federal guidelines.

www.wabe.org
Ga. University System Updates Sexual Misconduct Policy
http://news.wabe.org/post/ga-university-system-updates-sexual-misconduct-policy
By Lisa Hagen
Georgia’s University System voted today to update its sexual misconduct policy. The goal is to make policy consistent across the state’s colleges and universities. Each campus will now notify the university system about any case that may involve suspension or expulsion. Overseeing those complaints will be Assistant Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs Kimberly Ballard-Washington. She said each school will now handle its own adjudication hearings, leaving Title IX coordinators to focus on sexual assault prevention and education. “On a lot of campuses, we have one person in the Title IX coordinating role – we don’t have an office – and so this is going to free them up,” Ballard-Washington said. But legal advocate Lisa Anderson with Atlanta Women for Equality has concerns about the hiring and training that needs to happen by the fall semester, which starts this month.

www.wfxl.com
University system makes changes to student sexual misconduct policy
http://wfxl.com/news/local/university-system-makes-changes-to-student-sexual-misconduct-policy
by FOX 31 Staff
Some new tweaks and changes are happening to the University System of Georgia regarding their student sexual misconduct policies and disciplinary proceeding standards. System officials say that the new policies will establish increased oversight of investigations by the USG’s office and provide a consistent approach for handling all student misconduct matters through the same procedure. “The goal of these policy updates is to improve campus safety and to ensure consistency and quality in student conduct investigation across the university system,” said Chancellor Steve Wrigley. “We are working closely with our institutions and using their experience and insights to make sure we are putting best practices in place for the safety of our students and campus communities.”

www.bizjournals.com
Georgia State names football field for Atlanta business leader Pete Petit
https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/08/08/georgia-state-names-football-field-for-atlanta.html
David Allison Editor Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia State University said Tuesday it will name its new football field at Georgia State Stadium — formerly Turner Field — in honor of Atlanta businessman Parker H. “Pete” Petit. Petit is chairman and CEO of Marietta, Ga.-based MiMedx Group Inc. (Nasdaq: MDXG), a maker of biomaterial products and bioimplants processed from human placental tissue, skin and bone. A serial entrepreneur and long-time supporter of the university, he has made a $10 million gift to the university to support the athletics program.  “Pete Petit has been a long-time generous benefactor of Georgia State,” Mark P. Becker, president of Georgia State, said in a statement, “and his impact on our university cannot be overstated. We are extremely proud to name the playing field in Georgia State Stadium in his honor.” Georgia State is holding separate talks over naming rights for the stadium itself, but that deal could be months away.

www.chronicle.augusta.com
Board of Regents approves bond funding request for new AU College of Science and Math building
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/2017-08-08/board-regents-approves-bond-funding-request-new-au-college-science-and-math-building
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
A “key element” for expanding enrollment and growing Augusta University was approved Tuesday by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to be part of its capital budget request for next fiscal year, an AU official said. The Regents voted to seek bond funding for a new $70 million building for the College of Science and Math that will allow the school to move from the Summerville Campus to the Health Sciences Campus. The request included for next fiscal year is for $49.4 million in bond funding for construction. “While it is not a guarantee the governor will include those dollars in his budget and the General Assembly will enact that, we’re pretty confident that the project is good to move forward at this point,” said AU Chief Business Officer Tony Wagner. Previously, $4.5 million had been approved for design, a request for $6.1 million is anticipated for the Fiscal Year 2020 budget and the school would be responsible for $10 million, Wagner said.

www.savannahnow.com
Flannery O’Connor’s Andalusia farm gifted to Georgia College
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-08-08/flannery-o-connor-s-andalusia-farm-gifted-georgia-college
By Associated Press
ATLANTA — The final home of Flannery O’Connor is under new management but officials at the Georgia university taking over the middle Georgia dairy farm known as Andalusia plan to keep the property open for public visits. O’Connor, a Savannah native, spent the last 13 years of her life on the Baldwin County farm where she raised dozens of peacocks and completed some of her best-known works, including the short story collection “A Good Man Is Hard To Find.” Since it opened to the public in 2003, O’Connor fans and scholars made trips to the 500-acre farm and the home where O’Connor lived with her mother, Regina, until the author’s death in 1964. But the Flannery O’Connor Andalusia Foundation, which depends entirely on donations, struggled to afford upkeep of the large property and didn’t have the money to make other upgrades, such as a visitors’ center separate from the house, said Donna Barwick, who leads the foundation’s board. So board members decided to gift the property to the foundation of Georgia College, which O’Connor attended when it was known as the Georgia State College for Women. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Georgia College President Steve Dorman said details of public tours and other programs still are being planned but said there’s no doubt that the school will preserve public access. “Flannery is a Georgia treasure and she’s an American treasure,” Dorman said. “To be able to share that with the public is really important.” The farm is a vivid example of O’Connor’s skill at giving readers a “sense of place” in her Southern Gothic works, said Barwick, who’s been a fan of the author since college.

www.13wmaz.com
Owners plan to donate Flannery O’Connor’s Andalusia farm to Georgia College
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/owners-plan-to-donate-flannery-oconnors-andalusia-farm-to-georgia-college/462745567
WMAZ
The owners of Flannery O’Connor’s Andalusia Farm plan to donate the author’s 35-acre home to Georgia College & State University. The state’s board of regents are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to accept the gift. Documents on the board’s agenda describe the property and the proposed gift. Andalusia is about 4 miles northwest of Milledgeville, off Highway 441 south. O’Connor, best known for the Southern Gothic novel “Wise Blood” and for dozens of short stories, is the college’s best-known graduate.

www.thepostsearchlight.com
Boards vote in favor of SRTC acquisitions at BSC
http://m.thepostsearchlight.com/2017/08/08/boards-vote-in-favor-of-srtc-acquisitions-at-bsc/
By Powell Cobb
Two boards approved resolutions that will lead to Southern Regional Technical College in Thomasville acquiring land, facilities and capital equipment at Bainbridge State College. Last Thursday, the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia approved their portion of the resolutions, and on Monday the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved theirs. This acquisition is part of the planning process for the consolidation of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and BSC. Southern Regional Technical College will offer technical and adult education programs on the Bainbridge Campus and ABAC will offer academic programs on the Bainbridge Campus. The Board of Regents retiring the debt of roughly $20 million on BSC’s Student Wellness Center was a major component of the deal for SRTC to acquire the college’s property and assets. Students currently pay $255 toward retiring that debt. According to interim president Stuart Rayfield, this will be a huge benefit to students and their wallets as they will no longer be required to pay that student fee.

www.alive.com
Freak accident inspires new rules over college bed rails
http://www.11alive.com/news/freak-accident-inspires-new-rules-over-college-bed-rails-/463024437
Jennifer Leslie, WXIA
For the first time this semester, the University System of Georgia is requiring campuses statewide to offer bed safety rails for students for free. The danger of lofted beds and bunk beds came to light when Clark Jacobs fell from his lofted bed in a fraternity house at Georgia Tech two years ago. He was a sophomore at the time. Jacobs was sound asleep when dropped seven feet below, landing head-first and fracturing his skull. He also suffered a stroke and had to learn how to do everything, again, during 18 months of intense physical therapy.

www.onlineathens.com
UGA says no to prof’s plan to let students grade themselves
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-08-08/uga-says-no-prof-s-plan-let-students-grade-themselves
By Lee Shearer
University of Georgia students hoping to grade themselves in a business course won’t get to do so after all. University officials forced the professor of the class to remove his “stress reduction policy” from his web page. Rick Watson, the Terry College of Business’ J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Chair for Internet Strategy, promised in the policy that students could grade themselves if they found tests or other aspects of the fall semester courses unduly stressful. Students also could also drop out of group work if they found that too stressful. The policy was widely ridiculed as it exploded across social media and news sites Monday after reporter Andrew Gockowski featured it in an article on the Campus Reform website. …But it’s not going to happen, according to the dean of UGA’s Terry College of Business. “Rest assured that this ill-advised proposal will not be implemented in any Terry classroom,” wrote Dean Benjamin Ayers.

www.insidehighered.com
Syllabus Offering Self-Grading Pulled at Georgia
Professor’s “stress-reduction policy,” mocked by conservative websites, found to violate university policy.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/08/09/professor-pulls-syllabus-letting-students-set-own-grades-stress-reduction-policy?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=d46e7c64f9-DNU20170809&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-d46e7c64f9-197515277&mc_cid=d46e7c64f9&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Nick Roll
After criticism from right-leaning media outlets, a course syllabus at the University of Georgia that gained attention — and condemnation — has been changed. The “stress-reduction policy” section of the syllabus — belonging to a course taught by Rick Watson, a business professor — is now deleted, after the university raised issues about it with Watson. The institution, however, said the section was deleted was because of its lack of academic rigor, not the criticism or media attention.

www.chronicle.com
U. of Georgia Prevents Professor From Including ‘Stress-Reduction Policy’ in Syllabus
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-georgia-prevents-professor-from-including-stress-reduction-policy-in-syllabus/119614?elqTrackId=e7a60ddd9c65488aacaf6265d05edf6b&elq=ca30b6c522e84735b8522cce34c65273&elqaid=15072&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6411
by J. Clara Chan
The University of Georgia has prevented a business professor from including a “stress-reduction policy” in his course syllabi that would have allowed students to choose their own grades and abandon group work and meetings without explanation.

www.albanyceo.com
Expanding the Pipeline: ABAC Moves Forward in Agricultural Education
http://albanyceo.com/features/2017/08/expanding-pipeline-abac-moves-forward-agricultural-education/
Thressea Boyd
Agriculture continues to grow as Georgia’s No. 1 industry, with an annual economic impact of more than $74 billion and 411,500 employees. Keeping the state supplied with future employees is a tremendous task. In 2014, Governor Nathan Deal launched the High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI) to examine ways Georgia will maintain its status as a leader in the global marketplace. The HDCI report outlined future workforce trends in various industries including agriculture and food sector. The report highlighted the need for skilled employees, such as welders, scientists, agribusiness experts, and those with four-year degrees in agricultural subjects. …According to the Georgia Agricultural Education Recruitment and Retention report, during the past five years, there were 196 new agriculture teachers hired in Georgia (average 39 per year), with 83 graduates from University of Georgia (UGA) and six graduates from Fort Valley State University (FVSU). The remaining hires were from institutions outside of Georgia, industry transition, and other educators. “If you look at surrounding states, Kentucky has eight ag teacher education programs, and Tennessee has five,” said Bridges. “Adding another institution that can produce ag teachers is critical, especially with the growth we are seeing in Georgia. I believe Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) is in a great position to help meet the demand for more qualified agriculture teachers and will do an excellent job in preparing them for success.” Dr. David Bridges, president of ABAC, has known for many years that Georgia would need more agricultural education teachers to meet the industry’s workforce demands.

www.ledger-enquirer.com
Police at Georgia Tech win award named for former Columbus police chief
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/crime/article166127102.html
By Larry Gierer
The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police has honored the Georgia Tech Police Department. According to a story written by Jonathan Bowers n the school’s website, the department was recognized in late July with the Dr. Curtis McClung/Motorola Award of Excellence. McClung is a former police chief in Columbus who died in 2011. He also taught at Columbus State University.

Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
New Venture Will Offer Free Courses That Students Can Take for College Credit
http://www.chronicle.com/article/New-Venture-Will-Offer-Free/240883?cid=wcontentlist_hp_latest
By Goldie Blumenstyk
Students looking to claim college credit without paying anything for the classes now have another option, courtesy of a project called Freshman Year for Free. The venture, being formally unveiled on Wednesday, includes a catalog of online courses in more than 40 subjects that were developed by academics affiliated with major universities across the country. Leaders of the Modern States Education Alliance, the New York City philanthropy behind the project, call it an “on ramp” to college. The courses are free to anyone who wants to use them, but were designed especially for students who can use this alternative approach to earn traditional academic credits through the Advanced Placement or College Level Examination Program exams, administered by the College Board.