University System News:
www.wfxl.com
Students happy over tuition freeze
http://wfxl.com/news/local/students-happy-over-tuition-freeze
by Alexandria Ikomoni
Many students in the University System of Georgia are happy to know that tuition will not increase in the 2018-2019 school year. The Board of Regents approved to keep the current tuition amount that has been applied to the 2017-2018 school year. “We are grateful to Gov. Nathan Deal and the General Assembly for their consistent support of public higher education in Georgia,” Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. “We also recognize the critical need to keep our institutions affordable for students while providing a quality education. The board’s decision today maintains our commitment to keeping tuition increases to a minimum.” …Students were tired of the constant increase, and they are happy that more money won’t be coming out of their pockets. “That’s less money for me to pay,” Cedrick Knight, ASU student, said. “I’m not here on a scholarship. I’m here by choice. This benefits me and other students at Albany State University.”
www.times-georgian.com
UWG economist optimistic about jobs outlook for grads
Colton Campbell/For the Times-Georgian
When University of West Georgia graduates turn their tassels on May 10, they’ll enter a stronger job market than those before them in the past decade. That’s what Dr. William “Joey” Smith, chair and professor in the Department of Economics in UWG’s Richards College of Business, predicts. Smith’s department hosts the annual UWG Economic Forecast Breakfast, and he spends time outside of class following trends and observing the economic landscape.
www.ajc.com
Eight percent African-American enrollment at UGA not high enough for some
By Eric Stirgus
Slightly more than eight percent of the University of Georgia’s student body is African-American, the highest percentage since the university began tracking such data. Many, though, believe the percentage should be higher. UGA administrators, African-American alumni organizations and student leaders have been involved in recruitment efforts.
www.myajc.com
Raising black student enrollment at UGA still a challenge
By Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amalie Rosales asked a group of African-American students at a University of Georgia reception in Atlanta a question that reflecting concerns about what she will face as an incoming minority student. “How do you view diversity on campus?,” asked Rosales, 18, a senior at Sandy Creek High School in Fayette County. Freshman Caleb Kelly, a panel member at UGA’s reception to recruit minority students, told Rosales and the audience of about 200 prospective students, parents and alumni about witnessing campus history a week earlier. Three students, each from metro Atlanta, were sworn in as student government president, vice president and treasurer — the first time all are African-American. …Although more than one-third of public school students in Georgia are African-American, just one in 12 students at the state’s flagship university are black, a statistic that has changed little over decades. UGA’s African-American student enrollment — despite programs to improve the numbers — is less than several similarly-sized public universities in Georgia, such as Georgia State (41 percent), Kennesaw State (22 percent). …UGA’s challenges to increasing African-American enrollment range from nearly two centuries of racist exclusion that still resonates for some black students, years of not doing enough to recruit students in its backyard and accusations of racism on and around campus, past and present students said.
www.wgauradio.com
MOREHEAD: UGA WORKERS TO GET PAY RAISES
https://www.wgauradio.com/news/local/morehead-uga-workers-get-pay-raises/vSryGCYezdpz1ExJzI0mTM/
By Tim Bryant
Faculty and staff at the University of Georgia will soon have a few extra dollars in their paychecks: UGA president Jere Morehead says merit-based salary increases will kick in after the first of the year.
From UGA president Jere Morehead…As the FY 2019 budget development process begins, we are pleased to announce a 2.0% merit-based salary increase pool for faculty and staff, with an effective date of January 1, 2019. While FY 2019 state appropriations for the University System of Georgia did not include funding for merit-based pay adjustments, we are able to fund a merit-based salary increase pool of up to 2% using internal resources.
www.saportareport.com
Georgia Tech’s student association awards $35,000 to Tech’s LGBTQIA Resource Center
By David Pendered
Seven months after an LGBT student activist at Georgia Tech was shot and killed by campus police, the Student Alumni Association on Thursday presented a $35,000 gift to Tech’s LGBTQIA Resource Center for new office space and programmatic support, according to a statement from Tech. The center won the Gift to Tech with a proposal to use the money to help create a multi-room center with office space, a lounge and other common areas. The second part of the proposal was to expand programs on three topics: training and education; health and well-being; and visibility. Plans call for construction to begin this summer and for the space to be ready to open in the autumn. The center already had the approval to build the space in the Smithgall Student Services Building, but lacked funding until it received the award. The full description of the proposal calls for two staff offices and an office for community partners to provide services including HIV testing, counseling, peer coaching, and ministry. There’s to be a reception area with a work space for a student assistant, a study area with work stations, a resource library, a lounge and group meeting space, according to the statement.
Higher Education News:
www.npr.com
100 Top Colleges Vow To Enroll More Low-Income Students
Elissa Nadworny
College access and affordability: It’s a common topic in higher education — because college is the one place that can really be a catapult when it comes to moving up the economic ladder. And yet, research has shown that low-income students make up just 3 percent of the students that attend America’s most selective colleges. And, it’s not that these students just aren’t there — every year tens of thousands of top students who don’t come from wealthy families never even apply to elite colleges. Universities are taking note — and banding together under something called the American Talent Initiative — a network backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Aspen Institute and the research firm Ithaka S+R. To join the club, schools have to graduate 70 percent of their students in six years — a qualification that leaves just under 300 schools in the U.S. eligible. About a third of those schools — exactly 100 — have signed on. Their goal? Enroll 50,000 additional low- and moderate-income students by 2025. …Friends from Georgia State found many students who were seniors were very close to graduation but couldn’t register because of a financial hold on their records. It might be something small; a few hundred dollars for instance. So they gave completion grants [that were] available to students who in the past maybe would have had to drop out to work for a while, getting some money and then re-enrolling. We’ve done the same and have significantly increased our number of these completion grants in the last year.