University System News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia gov’s budget proposal offers some higher education increases
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-gov-budget-proposal-offers-some-higher-education-increases/jqcG5Or1pxkYflOv0lbx1O/
Eric Stirgus
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Thursday released his final proposed budget as the state’s chief executive. Here’s how it could impact public higher education in Georgia: a 3 percent increase in HOPE scholarships and grants, totaling about $68.1 million; $65 million in additional capital funds for major repairs and rehabilitation of some University System of Georgia facilities. The system requested $60 million; an additional $60 million for University System of Georgia’s Teachers’ Retirement System. …University System of Georgia administrators are scheduled to give a budget presentation to state lawmakers on Tuesday.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
GS-ASU Consolidation becomes official after year-long process
The USG Board of Regents recommended the consolidation between GS and ASU in Jan. 2017
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_df393eae-f66f-11e7-a324-73f154d4a783.html
By Jozsef Papp The George-Anne staff
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia voted to approve the recommendation to consolidate Georgia Southern University with Armstrong State University on Dec. 12, 2017. The consolidation became official on Jan. 1, 2018. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states, approved the consolidation plans between GS and ASU on Dec. 3. After the approval by SACSCOC, there was only one more step left until the consolidation became official. Since the recommendation for consolidation between the two institutions came from the Board of Regents, it was expected to be approved. However, for President Jaimie Hebert, there is still a lot of work to do for the full consolidation to be completed by Fall 2018.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
GS begins project for larger internet capacity
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_72bc10e5-110f-55a4-b1c7-3ac68872e720.html
by Shiann Sivell The George-Anne staff
Following the consolidation, Georgia Southern University began a new project on its network of communications (NOC) facilities to accommodate the campus’s needs for a larger internet capacity. Matthew Shingler, interim director of facilities, planning, design and construction, said the $3.5 million project was proposed three years ago by the university to construct a new NOC building along with renovations of its existing building. “It will expand the wireless connection of the Georgia Southern, Armstrong and Liberty campuses,” Shingler said. University architect Haroun Homayun said the renovation will provide a centralized control system with a bigger capacity that responds to needs and requests of which the current network does not. He said the internet capacity will be five times higher and more secure, and that students and staff can expect a more robust, more reliable system.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
UNG touts growth 5 years after merger
https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/ung-touts-growth-5-years-after-merger/
Joshua Silavent
Five years ago, the birth of the University of North Georgia from the consolidation of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College was viewed with optimism by some and skepticism by others. As the anniversary arrived this week, administrators took time to reflect on the many changes that have come. “It’s a great milestone for our university,” President Bonita Jacobs told The Times.
www.case.org
How Augusta University Got Its ‘A’ Back
Creating a visual identity system that connects campuses and community after a turbulent period of institutional name changes
http://www.case.org/currents/how-augusta-university-got-its-a-back
By Karla Leeper
The day we became Augusta University was momentous. On Sept. 15, 2015, a unanimous vote by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents changed the institution’s name from Georgia Regents University. The decision, effective immediately, restored the university’s connection to Augusta, Georgia, which the institution has called home for generations. But a daunting task lay ahead of the 8,500-student university, particularly for the Division of Communications and Marketing. Rebranding a large university and health system is a difficult mission under any circumstance, but we faced additional challenges because we weren’t starting with a clean slate. …As President Keel—an alumnus of the two institutions that merged to become the university he now leads—likes to say: “AU is a 6-year-old institution with a 190-year history.” Community and history are enduring and essential elements of our new identity. Our decision to focus on relationships and to be transparent and inclusive while envisioning a new future for AU is helping us forge strong bonds that will yield meaningful results for years to come.
www.mdjonline.com
Linda Noble named interim provost at KSU
http://www.mdjonline.com/news/linda-noble-named-interim-provost-at-ksu/article_56229f20-f615-11e7-8ca6-034a2aeb25b3.html
Staff reports
Retired Professor Emeritus of Psychology and former KSU administrator Linda Noble has returned to Kennesaw State as part of the University’s presidential transition. Noble has joined the Office of Academic Affairs in a part-time role to assist Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ken Harmon as he transitions into the role of interim president. Noble will then serve as interim provost when Harmon becomes KSU’s interim president on Feb. 15. Noble began her career at Kennesaw State University in 1985. During her 22 years at Kennesaw State, she was a faculty member, department chair of psychology, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and associate director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. “Linda Noble is truly dedicated to Kennesaw State University, and I can think of no better person to serve as interim provost,” Harmon said. “Dr. Noble has extensive knowledge and experience in University System of Georgia policies and practices regarding academic programs and faculty affairs. She is known for her collaborative and transparent leadership style and is well-respected across the USG.”
www.ajc.com
UGA alumni start new effort to support African-American students
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/uga-alumni-start-new-effort-support-african-american-students/bq6aEUWo8cQPMsP0XwXtpO/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=9b3a01e1ad-eGaMorning-1_11_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-9b3a01e1ad-86731974&mc_cid=9b3a01e1ad&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
Eric Stirgus
University of Georgia graduates have started a new campaign to provide needs-based scholarships for African-American students. The university’s alumni association has created The 1961 Club to also better engage its estimated 14,000 living African-American alumni. The effort was launched during an alumni event Tuesday in Atlanta. The name comes from the year Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault became the first African-American students to register for classes at UGA. Tuesday marked the 57th anniversary they integrated UGA. UGA has tried many ways in recent years to boost its African-American enrollment, currently 8.5 percent, according to state data.
www.law.com
UGA Law Launches Benham Scholars Program
Named in honor of Georgia Supreme Court Justice and alumnus Robert Benham, the new program aims to make UGA Law a possibility for Georgians who think it’s beyond their reach.
https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/sites/dailyreportonline/2018/01/10/uga-law-launches-benham-scholars-program/?kw=UGA%20Law%20Launches%20Benham%20Scholars%20Program&et=editorial&bu=Daily%20Report&cn=20180111&src=EMC-Email&pt=Morning%20News
By Meredith Hobbs
The University of Georgia School of Law has created a new program to attract and support diverse students, particularly those from rural areas, who might think the law school is beyond their reach. Called the Benham Scholars Program, it is named after Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham, who in 1970 was the law school’s second African-American graduate. UGA Law anticipates recruiting an inaugural class of six Benham Scholars for the fall 2018 class, said the law school’s dean, Bo Rutledge.
www.thecollegefix.com
Due process rights of Georgia students would be protected under revived bill
Due process rights of Georgia students would be protected under revived bill
COLLEGE FIX STAFF
Sponsor previously said his reforms would nullify ‘false allegations’ Legislation that dies at the end of one session often comes back to life in the next. That’s what happened with a Georgia bill whose sponsor says the Trump administration’s Department of Education has largely rendered it moot. The Associated Press reports that the Georgia Senate voted “without debate” to reconsider House Bill 51, which would require colleges to report sexual-assault allegations to police. It has been moved to the Higher Education Committee from the Judiciary Committee, where it died last session amid a heavy committee load. It’s not clear whether the bill now under Senate consideration is the same amended version that passed the House last year without one of its original provisions, which blocked colleges from investigating sexual assault if alleged victims didn’t participate. Republican sponsor Rep. Earl Ehrhart, who controls the purse strings for Georgia colleges via his subcommittee chairmanship, has already accomplished much of what he set out to do regarding due process for students.
Higher Education News:
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Opinion: Educators must help undocumented students feel safe, supported
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2018/01/10/opinion-educators-must-help-undocumented-students-feel-safe-supported/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=9b3a01e1ad-eGaMorning-1_11_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-9b3a01e1ad-86731974&mc_cid=9b3a01e1ad&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
In this guest column, three researchers talk about the thousands of children and young adults awaiting a decision on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program, which grants protected legal status to young people brought here illegally as children by their parents. DACA was in the news today after Senate negotiators said they expected a compromise on the nearly 800,000 immigrants in the DACA program. As the tense political talks continue in Washington, a federal judge in California issued a nationwide injunction Tuesday reinstating the Obama-era program that President Donald Trump planned to end. “DACA was and remains a lawful exercise of authority,” said U.S. District Judge William Alsup, contending that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was wrong when he said President Obama overstepped his authority with DACA. The position of the authors of this column: Society and specifically educators must consider their role in supporting DACA recipients and undocumented immigrant youth.
www.chronicle.com
Why Is a College-Admissions Code of Ethics Such a Big Deal?
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-Is-a-College-Admissions/242209?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=fd943cd61beb4863a355de702d0d3d54&elq=87d2a85cff6040e1bbde151eff730027&elqaid=17405&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=7608
By Eric Hoover
The news seemed to stun an entire profession. On Tuesday, admissions officials and college counselors learned that the U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether the organization that represents them has violated federal antitrust law. At issue: the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s new 15-page ethics code. This week the department requested information from several members of a committee that recently helped revamp the association’s “Code of Ethics and Professional Practices,” an extensive list of rules and standards that govern the admissions process. After receiving a “civil investigative demand” for documents from the department, one committee member told The Chronicle she was so shaken she had to sit down right away. Another member said he was baffled because the notes he had to turn over “are pretty boring.” As news of the investigation spread, many people in the field express their dismay on social media. “This is bonkers,” one admissions director tweeted, “BONKERS.” Why, in a nation full of problems, is law-enforcement’s top dog sniffing around an admissions association’s long-winded ethics code? No immediate answer came from the Justice Department, which declined a request for comment.