University System News:
www.ajc.com
Emory, Georgia State, KSU canceling classes Thursday
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/emory-university-cancels-classes-thursday/5WhpCihZkkCcTWhyULAnNJ/
Eric Stirgus
Some metro Atlanta colleges and universities are canceling classes Thursday, due to continued severe weather conditions. Georgia State, Kennesaw State University, Agnes Scott College and Georgia Gwinnett College will be closed Thursday. …Some campuses have scheduled later openings Thursday. Georgia Tech will open at noon. The Atlanta University Center campuses – Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Morris Brown College and Spelman College – will open at noon, a Clark Atlanta spokeswoman said Wednesday evening. The University of North Georgia is delaying opening of all but its Dahlonega campus until 11 a.m. Thursday. The Dahlonega campus will have normal operations, the university’s website says.
www.politics.myajc.com
Georgia’s recent trims to state workforce spared University System
http://politics.myajc.com/news/state–regional-govt–politics/georgia-recent-trims-state-workforce-spared-university-system/BNyjgLB8FLlu7xH4DIh2hN/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=214bcb7aea-eGaMorning-1_18_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-214bcb7aea-86731974&mc_cid=214bcb7aea&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
By James Salzer – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Nathan Deal calls it an example of state government doing more with less. Deal told House and Senate budget writers this week that the number of state employees dropped from 70,716 in fiscal 2008, just as the Great Recession began hammering government finances, to 58,642 in 2017. But those figures don’t include the state’s biggest employer — the University System of Georgia. University System figures show the number of full-time employees at Georgia’s colleges and universities rose 17 percent, from 40,209 to 46,953. System officials point out that student enrollment on campuses grew 19 percent during that period.
www.athensceo.com
UGA Turns 233, Weeklong Series of Events Planned
http://athensceo.com/news/2018/01/uga-turns-233-weeklong-series-events-planned/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=214bcb7aea-eGaMorning-1_18_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-214bcb7aea-86731974&mc_cid=214bcb7aea&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
Kelundra Smith
The University of Georgia will observe its anniversary as the birthplace of public higher education in America Jan. 22-26, and the UGA Alumni Association will celebrate the occasion by hosting a weeklong series of events, including the 16th annual Founders Day Lecture on Jan. 22 at 1:30 p.m. in the Chapel.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
New salary study for faculty and staff to take place in spring
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/camayak-content/article_4dea34eb-caf6-5540-9b20-fbcba4939f82.html
by Emma Smith The George-Anne staff
Starting this spring, Georgia Southern University faculty and staff will participate in a comprehensive salary study following the consolidation with Armstrong State University. President Jaimie Hebert said the study will focus on investigating faculty and staff’s salaries. “Within Georgia Southern, there are assistant, associate and full-time professors, who all make different salaries depending on number of years and ranks,” Hebert said. “Nationally, there are average salaries, but the average salaries at Armstrong may be higher than the average salaries in that department than those here at Georgia Southern.”
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Armstrong and Georgia Southern to share Eagle alerts
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_c3b805f5-1ebc-5299-966f-2f64c567263d.html
By Shiann Sivell The George-Anne staff
Eagle alerts from the Armstrong campus will now also be sent to students on Georgia Southern University campuses, according to public safety officer Mary Jean Arnold. Campus-oriented incidents, such as on or off-campus robberies and accidents, will be alerted to the affected campus immediately. These incidents will be shared by email with the unaffected campuses within an appropriate time-frame. Incidents that affect both campuses, such as weather or traffic updates, will be shared with both campuses simultaneously. Eagle Alert is an emergency alert system that informs GS students about serious incidents directly affecting GS campuses. Incidents include severe weather conditions, traffic accidents and crimes.
www.albanyherald.com
Georgia ag commissioner to speak Tuesday at ABAC
High school studens will be able to visit the Tifton college on Feb. 3
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/georgia-ag-commissioner-to-speak-tuesday-at-abac/article_1257a213-5f5e-56b2-80d9-1a403438c09e.html
From Staff Reports
TIFTON — Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black will be the featured speaker at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of a lecture series at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The lecture will take place at the Chapel of All Faiths on campus. Black will speak as a part of the ABAC Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow lecture series, “Agriculture’s Footprint on Georgia.” The event is open to the public at no charge.
www.usatoday.com
Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner files lawsuit against Ron Bell
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/acc/2018/01/12/georgia-tech-coach-josh-pastner-lawsuit-ron-bell/1030900001/
Dan Wolken, USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Tech basketball coach Josh Pastner filed a civil lawsuit Friday in Arizona against Ron Bell and Jennifer Pendley, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting and injurious falsehoods and attempts to blackmail and extort both Pastner and his family, according to a statement from his attorney. Bell, in a CBSSports.com story published last November, admitted that he had provided extra benefits to two Georgia Tech players in violation of NCAA rules and alleged that Pastner knew about it and even tacitly encouraged him to help keep his players happy so they wouldn’t transfer. Pastner denied those claims.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
The Biggest Problem for State Higher-Ed Policy? Federal Higher-Ed Policy
https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Biggest-Problem-for-State/242247?cid=wcontentlist_hp_latest
By Eric Kelderman
The biggest concern for state higher-education policy in 2018 isn’t the continuing economic volatility, the questions about affordability for students, the disputes about free speech on campuses, or the difficulties in preventing and punishing campus sexual assaults. Instead, the top issue for states is the uncertainty created by the federal government, according to an annual report from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Policy changes enacted by lawmakers in Washington last year will continue to influence state policy in 2018, the report said, “and new proposals expected to be under consideration in Congress will only add to ambiguity and political division in statehouses.” The annual list was written by Thomas Harnisch, the association’s director of state relations and policy analysis, and Dylan Opalich, the assistant director. The big question mark for states will be the impact of the recently enacted overhaul of federal taxes, which could also change the amount of revenue that many states collect, the association said. Another recent report, from the National Association of State Budget Officers, lays out some of the complexities and possible outcomes for states as a result of the new tax law.
www.educationdive.com
5 higher ed leaders to watch in 2018 (and beyond)
Strong financial savvy, fundraising prowess and a pronounced desire for students to succeed make these administrators stand out above the rest
https://www.educationdive.com/news/5-higher-ed-leaders-to-watch-in-2018-and-beyond/514752/
AUTHOR
Autumn A. Arnett
In the 2017 American Council on Education study on the college presidency, a large majority — 61% — lamented that there’s “never enough money” to do their jobs effectively. College presidents are expected to fundraise, find ways to drastically cut from the bottom line while maintaining a high quality product, keep tuition low while public funding is also at an all-time low, and find ways to innovate and present a competitive advantage to attract a dwindling pool of students to campus. In the same survey, 65% of presidents said they spend a majority of their times on budgeting/financial management, and 58% spend a majority of their time fundraising. In addition to managing money, there’s a myriad of other responsibilities of a college president