University System News:
www.albanyherald.com
Albany State University visual arts students land internships at the High Museum and the Smithsonian
Albany State students Chelsea Williams and Quadre Curry-Wilkerson earn prestigious art internships
By Gypsy Crow
ALBANY — Two Albany State University visual arts students have been accepted into summer internships by two prestigious museums. Chelsea “Nefertiti” Williams, a junior, will be working with art preservation and restoration at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and Quadre Curry-Wilkerson, a sophomore, will learn how to curate art galleries and professional art displays at the High Museum of Art. Williams is a photographer who also paints large portraits. She specializes in art with healing themes and credits her luck with earning an internship to spirituality and the universe. “See, mine is weird because I actually did a tarot card reading,” Williams said on why she pursued the internship. “She was saying ‘this is going to be the year for you’, and she was like ‘take as many opportunities as you can’ and then my professor brought up the internship, and I was like ‘ok I’m gonna apply’ and I filled out all of the information and everything and turned it in and then two weeks ago they called me and said I got the internship. Curry-Wilkerson said that when he first came to Albany State, he knew that he wanted to be an artist and that his career would be somewhere in the arts, but had no real plan for how he would get there. He said that the ASU professors were always pushing him and encouraging him to apply for internships and to go have these experiences now while he is in college instead of when he is on his own. …Curry-Wilkerson said that internships are a way to learn from mistakes while still in a learning environment. He is an artist who draws and paints hyper-realistic and abstract portraits of people. He said that he came into ASU’s art program knowing how to draw, but the professors there helped him to perfect his skills. “When I applied for it (the internship), I didn’t think I was going to get it because, I mean, it’s the High Museum,” he said. “I grew up going to it in Atlanta so I know how popular it is so when I got it, it really boosted my self confidence.”
www.mdjonline.com
KSU taking mobile classroom on tour
Shaddi Abusaid
Kennesaw State University has introduced a mobile classroom and technology lab aimed at bringing access to education and technology directly to K-12 students. The university’s Bagwell College of Education rolled out the iTeach MakerBus on campus Wednesday morning. The 30-foot bus is part classroom, part technology lab and part think-tank. It includes a laser cutter, 3D printer, a drone, sewing machine, circuit kits, Wi-Fi, wood and cardboard. The bus will travel to area schools, many of which are low-income, to expose students and teachers to some of the technology and instruct them how to utilize it in the classroom.
www.savannahnow.com
Savannah State agreement with U.S. Coast Gaurd formalizes tuition scholarship and officer pre-commissioning program
By Savannah Morning News
Savannah State University and the United States Coast Guard signed a Memorandum of Understanding Thursday regarding outreach and recruitment of highly skilled students in the STEM fields. The signing ceremony on Thursday, April 26, 2 p.m., included SSU President Cheryl Davenport Dozier, SSU Provost Michael J. Laney, Ph.D., USCG Commander Albert Curry, Jr., and USCG Captain Bryan Durr. The USCG College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) is a scholarship and officer training program which may pay up to two academic years of college tuition, books and essential supplies for full-time students. This includes undergraduate, graduate and recently graduated students. While enrolled at SSU, a CSPI candidate is enlisted in the USCG and will also receive the pay, allowances, entitlements and benefits of being an active duty USCG member.
www.savannahnow.com
Contentious Savannah City Council supports $10 million surplus spending plan with learning center funds
By Eric Curl
Often unsure of what they were voting for due to the number of amendments proposed, the Savannah City Council was confused, angry and flippant as they debated how to spend a $10 million surplus Thursday, with some aldermen making failed attempts to use the funding to lower the city’s controversial new fire services fee. And the dispute is set to resume in two weeks since the 6-2 vote for the spending plan was considered a first reading, after the initial proposal to officially adopt the budget amendment failed due to not obtaining unanimous support. …The spending plan, as amended Thursday, included using $1 million for an early learning center at East Broad Street School for children ages 3 to 5. Mayor Eddie DeLoach had proposed using the funds in collaboration with the Savannah-Chatham County School Board as a way to improve literacy and graduation rates, which he said would help reduce the amount of people living in poverty throughout the city. …The funding would go toward making alterations to the school and serve about 48 3-year-olds, who do not receive state funding support, he said. …Savannah State University President Cheryl Dozier and Thomas Koballa, dean of Georgia Southern University’s College of Education, also said they would provide teacher training for the program. Once the plan is officially adopted, an agreement will have to be approved by the council and school board for the learning center before any of the funding is spent. The proposal is expected to be presented to the school board on May 9.
www.mdjonline.com
KEVIN FOLEY: Contrary to complaints, conservatives and their views are welcome at KSU
When Kennesaw Junior College opened in 1966, it had an enrollment of about 1,000 students. Back then, there were 115,000 mostly white residents in Cobb County. Today, Kennesaw State University has more than 35,000 students from across Georgia, the U.S. and from around the world, nearly 1,000 faculty, 2,000 administrative staff, and a $37 million endowment. Cobb County, meanwhile, now has a population of 755,000 souls living in a vibrant and diverse community with many races, cultures, religions, political views and, yes, sexual orientations represented. Thus, Kennesaw State and Cobb County look nothing like they did six decades ago. Most all university campuses tend to reflect the times, and these days, America is secular, inclusive and pluralistic. It’s no different at KSU, and that drives some conservatives crazy. The university, they argue, should reflect only their parochial values. KSU’s Student Affairs division recently appeared to be favoring the free speech rights of some campus groups over others. That shouldn’t happen and this could have been handled internally by university officials without much fuss; just instruct student affairs administrators to accommodate all student groups equally. “Controversy” over. Ah, but local conservatives seized on an opportunity. Before departing the Legislature last month, former Powder Springs Republican state Rep. Earl Ehrhart staged a hearing at the Capitol to publicly harangue two KSU administrators over the issue. At the same time, Alliance for Defending Freedom filed federal law suits on behalf of a pair of campus groups, one Christian and the other conservative, alleging unfair treatment.
www.statesboroherald.com
GSU president exploring other prospects
Hebert eyed for provost at Houston-Clear Lake and UL-Lafayette
From Staff Reports
Georgia Southern University President Jaimie Hebert, Ph.D., is pursuing other job prospects. After arriving in that role not quite two years ago, he led the university to become the 27,000-student “new Georgia Southern” through consolidation with Armstrong State. “Dr. Hebert has made us aware he is exploring opportunities,” was the University System of Georgia’s statement emailed by Vice Chancellor for Communications Charles Sutlive, after the newspaper asked Thursday. University System officials would decline further comment, he said. Also, Georgia Southern officials referred all questions to Sutlive and did not comment.
Two prospects
In fact, Hebert is one of two finalists for the job of senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, in Texas, invited to appear in public forums this week. Hebert’s forum was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., Central Time, Thursday. Meanwhile, the Vermilion student newspaper at Hebert’s alma mater, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, reported that he was also a candidate for the provost job there and had spoken with Lafayette’s Student Government Association in a forum. The George-Anne student newspaper at Georgia Southern first reported this in Statesboro.
See also:
www.wtoc.com
President of Georgia Southern announced as finalist for positions at 2 colleges
www.wsav.com
Students react to Georgia Southern president’s search for new job
By: Martin Staunton
STATESBORO, Ga. (WSAV) – Surprise news is settling in on the campus of Georgia Southern University. President Jaimie Hebert has informed the Georgia University System Board of Regents he’s exploring other opportunities. Dr. Hebert is actually a finalist for two jobs. He’s a finalist to become the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and he’s a candidate for Provost for the University of Louisiana at his alma mater, Lafayette. In the day after news of the job search broke, it was business as usual in the heart of Eagle Nation in Statesboro. As students changed classes, some are surprised by the news that their president may soon be changing campuses, like senior Conrad Randolph. “Really shocking to see he wants something better, figured he was all in with Georgia Southern University,” Randolph said. Junior Alex Kelley questioned the timing of Hebert’s job search while conceding his freedom to do so. “Let him do what he wants. I do think it’s a little soon considering we just merged with Armstrong and Liberty,” Kelley said.
www.ajc.com
University employee at center of sorority sex scandal resigns
By Nicole Carr, Local | WSBTV
FORT VALLEY, GA. — Channel 2 Action News has learned a Fort Valley State University employee at the center of sexual misconduct and GBI criminal investigations has resigned from her position. Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Nicole Carr obtained Alecia Johnson’s personnel file through an open records request. Johnson, the University president’s former executive assistant, worked for the state institution since 2004, receiving consistent, stellar reviews. Last year, her salary increased to $64,000 with a promotion to oversee university special events, in addition to her duties in the president’s office. Johnson submitted a resignation letter on April 18, the same day the national office for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., revealed its own probe into sexual misconduct allegations involving a Fort Valley State University employee who is also a graduate member of the sorority.
www.ajc.com
Fort Valley State employee resigns as sexual misconduct investigation continues
Resignation letter submitted after officials announce investigation
https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/fort-valley-state-employee-resigns/ZkRyzMMZcdoertA1BQMRcN/
By Eric Stirgus Rhonda Cook, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Fort Valley State University official involved with a sorority at the center of an ongoing criminal investigation of sexual misconduct has resigned. The employee, Alecia Johnson, resigned last week, according to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News through the Georgia Open Records Act. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said last week it has launched a wide-ranging inquiry into Fort Valley State University surrounding allegations of employee misconduct and hazing. Johnson submitted a resignation letter on April 18, the same day the national office for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority revealed its own probe into sexual misconduct allegations involving a Fort Valley State University employee who is also a graduate member of the sorority. “I find it best under the circumstances to render my resignation effective immediately,” Johnson wrote.
www.bizjournals.com
State looking to expand private student housing
By Dave Williams – Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
A student housing privatization initiative the University System of Georgia launched more than three years ago is working so well the system’s Board of Regents is considering expanding the program. The agency that oversees the state’s public colleges and universities has released a request for qualified concessionaires (RFQC) to gauge interest in privatizing student housing at seven additional campuses across Georgia. University system officials expect to pre-qualify up to four companies to participate in a subsequent request for proposals (RFP). …“The feedback we’ve gotten from students has been positive,” said Sandra Lynn Neuse, the system’s associate chancellor of development and administration, who oversees real estate and facilities on the various campuses. “We’re very pleased with how they’ve been operated and maintained.” Historically, the state has designed, built and operated student housing the same way as other state buildings, using tax dollars to hire engineers and builders, then running them as in-house operations. But privatization has offered a better approach, Neuse said. “The private sector can come in with design and construction efficiencies,” she said. “[Also], there are advantages to leveraging private financing.” “They are housing experts,” university system spokesman Charles Sutlive added. “They’re going to bring new ideas and innovations.” Sutlive said housing privatization isn’t for all university system campuses. The University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, for example, have long-established housing programs that work for them, he said.
www.walb.com
South Georgia universities expand campus housing
http://www.walb.com/story/38056815/south-georgia-universities-expand-campus-housing
By Kaitlin Alexander, Reporter
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – As our local colleges continue to grow, the University System of Georgia is looking for ways to add additional on-campus housing for students. The public-private partnership, called P3, has already helped many universities like Georgia State and College of Coastal Georgia with innovative housing solutions for students. Now, some South Georgia Universities are looking to expand too. Albany State University, Valdosta State University, and Georgia Southwestern are seeking expansion for on-campus housing. The University System of Georgia works closely with each university on a case by case basis to fit their long-term and short-term needs, rebuild and add dorms, and beds. These universities need help with operating and managing their current residence halls and VSU is looking to renovate.
Higher Education News:
www.hechingerreport.org
Study: The U.S. isn’t doing enough to prepare students for the automation age
The country ranks ninth when it comes to upgrading curricula and teacher training for the labor market of the future
by CAROLINE PRESTON
The United States is lagging behind other wealthy nations when it comes to preparing students for workforce changes wrought by automation, according to a new study by a research group affiliated with The Economist magazine. The spread of artificial intelligence is expected to boost demand for science-and-tech skills, as well as for soft skills such as problem solving that robots can’t easily replicate. But only a handful of nations have taken steps to update school curricula and teacher training for the changes ahead, the study says.
www.chronicle.com
Guides to ‘Being Not-Rich’ Are Springing Up at Elite Colleges. Should Administrators Adopt Them?
By Emma Kerr
Numerous alumni filled the guide to “Being Not-Rich” at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with similar comments: I wish we had something like this when I was a student. Aarica Marsh, an alumna who graduated in 2016, didn’t know other low-income students, and didn’t think to call herself a first-generation college student. In short, it was a thing you didn’t talk about. “I didn’t know anything about college before I went. I filled out Fafsa on my own, tried to figure out all of the financial stuff myself,” she said. “I never thought about it or called myself first gen until probably junior or senior year, when I realized there are specific issues associated with being the only person in your family to go to college.” The guide, which students at Michigan launched out of “this assumption that everyone here is wealthy,” can be seen as the result of two emerging themes at elite colleges: a political climate in which students take matters into their own hands, and a growing population of first-generation and low-income students on college campuses.
www.npr.org
Study: Colleges That Ditch The SAT And ACT Can Enhance Diversity
CLAUDIO SANCHEZ
There are now well over 1,000 colleges and universities that don’t require SAT or ACT scores in deciding whom to admit, a number that’s growing every year. And a new study finds that scores on those tests are of little value in predicting students’ performance in college, and raises the question: Should those tests be required at all? Colleges that have gone “test optional” enroll — and graduate — a higher proportion of low-income and first generation-students, and more students from diverse backgrounds, the researchers found in the study, Defining Access: How Test-Optional Works.