University System News:
www.myajc.com
Cyber attacks target some student financial aid
A fake email could rob some college students of federal money. The U.S. Department of Education’s financial aid office has reported a “malicious phishing campaign” using a phony message to gain access to students’ accounts at several colleges. It does not identify any of the schools affected. The phony message targets students who are due a refund of financial-aid money. When a student is eligible for more aid than the cost of tuition and housing, colleges and universities typically send the extra amount to students electronically, using the institutions’ online student portals. A student set to receive $15,000 in aid, for example, who only had to pay $12,000 for tuition and housing, could get $3,000. An example of one of the scam messages invites students to confirm some information on their school accounts. Then, the education department says, the attackers change the direct-deposit information so the refund would be sent to their account instead. The scheme has worked, the department warns, because students have provided the information the email requested. “The nature of the requests indicates the attackers have done some level of research and understand the schools’ use of student portals and methods,” it said in a press release. … The release also says funds issued “inappropriately may become the responsibility of the institution.”
www.gainesvilletimes.com
As student debt rises, local universities offer top value, rankings show
Both Brenau, UNG rank well for student debt in college study by U.S. News & World Report
Joshua Silavent
…Student loans and educational costs are among the many factors accounted for in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings released last week. …The University of North Georgia, meanwhile, ranked No. 20 among all public regional universities in the South on the U.S. News rankings. UNG was also listed as a best value among all regional universities in the South….UNG ranked No. 1 in the South for the least debt load and No. 2 among all public regional universities on the Student Debt Load at Graduation list. The average amount of federal, state, institutional and private loans borrowed by a UNG student graduating in the class of 2017 was about $19,000. The national student loan debt average at graduation is more than $39,000.
See also:
www.accesswdun.com
Brenau, Piedmont, University of North Georgia: U.S. News and World Report rankings
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/9/712943/brenau-ung-piedmont-us-news-and-world-report-rankings
www.accesswdun.com
University System recommends $13.6 million for Lanier Tech campus project
By AccessWDUN Staff
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has recommended $13.6 million in state funding for the University of North Georgia to begin renovations on the former Lanier Technical College campus space, located next door to UNG’s Gainesville Campus. The funds are part of nearly $169 million for construction, planning and design, which also included $2.3 million for initial planning and design of a new building at UNG’s Dahlonega Campus for the Mike Cottrell College of Business, that the USG plans to seek for fiscal year 2020. The funds are part of USG’s overall funding request approved by the Board of Regents at the Sept. 11 meeting that will be submitted to the Office of the Governor for consideration during the 2019 legislative session.
www.times-herald.com
Tools for Empowerment receives $10,000 grant
http://times-herald.com/news/2018/09/tools-for-empowerment-receives-10-000-grant
By THE NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD
By JEFFREY CULLEN-DEAN
A Self-Help Assistance Program (ASAP), a local nonprofit, received a $10,000 grant from the Catholic Commission for Human Development for their Tools for Empowerment project. The purpose of Tools for Empowerment is to refurbish and repair tools to be donated to vocational schools within the United States and around the world. Elizabeth Arsenault, executive director at ASAP, said, “We always dreamed of doing this in Georgia.” …ASAP accepts any type of tool for donation, though their primary categories are agricultural, auto, electrical, carpentry and masonry tools. …Arsenault said she hopes to use the grant money to start a project to develop leadership and volunteering skills with the University of West Georgia.
www.chronicle.com
Which Colleges Have the Highest Number of Managers per 1,000 Students?
The Chronicle List
The public college with the most managers per 1,000 full-time-equivalent students in 2016 was a small honors college in Florida with plans to grow quickly. The private nonprofit institutions with the most managers per 1,000 FTE students tended to be highly selective. The median number of managers per 1,000 full-time-equivalent students was twice as high for four-year private nonprofit colleges as it was for four-year public colleges, and the median cost of managers’ salaries per student was nearly twice as high at the nonprofit colleges as at the public ones.
4-year public institutions
Most managers per 1,000 full-time-equivalent students
Rank 4.; Institution: Augusta University; Number of managers per 1,000 FTE students 40.3; Amount spent on managers’ salaries per FTE student 4,153
Rank 11.; Institution: Georgia Tech; Number of managers per 1,000 FTE students 32.4; Amount spent on managers’ salaries per FTE student 3,322
Rank 32.; Institution: U. of Georgia; Number of managers per 1,000 FTE students 22.4; Amount spent on managers’ salaries per FTE student 2,275
Showing 1 to 35 of 35 entries
www.griffindailynews.com
GCIC training held for school counselors
https://griffindailynews.com/news/1575/gcic-training-held-for-school-counselors/
The Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) hosted Georgia Career Information Center (GCIC) Director Markita J. Grant from Georgia State University, to provide training to middle and high school counselors from GSCS, GNETS, Butts, Lamar, Newton and Pike County school systems on updates to the BRIDGE (Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia’s Economy) Law and how to use the Georgia Career Information System.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Disparities among parking permit prices on campuses continue
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_74d0a607-8b88-51c7-bfd6-60946685d6d0.html
By Rachel Adams, The George-Anne staff
Despite the consolidation between Georgia Southern University and Armstrong State University being complete, there is still a disparity in the price of parking passes between the two campuses. Since the consolidation, students from both campuses can now park in certain lots on either campus. This year, GS students are still paying $160 for parking permits, while Armstrong students are paying $50. Additionally, GS faculty are paying $100 for parking permits, while Armstrong faculty do not have to pay. …The prices for student parking permits on both campuses will remain the same, as will the price for faculty parking permits on the Statesboro campus. However, beginning next fall, Armstrong faculty will also pay $100 a year for parking permits Davis said. “I have heard some of the faculty/staff members are not pleased about the change in price on the Armstrong Campus permits but understand the increase,” Davis said in the email. Some GS students are not happy with the differences in parking permit prices.
www.flagpole.com
Why Is This Longtime Georgia Resident Paying Triple UGA’s In-State Tuition?
By Ashlyn Webb
University of Georgia student Sherine Kullmann has lived in the United States for the majority of her life. Her family emigrated from Germany to Madison, GA so her father could start a solar energy company in 2007. Kullmann attended Morgan County High School, graduating at the top of her class in 2016 with a grade point average of over 4.0. She was president of her school’s Key Club and the head of her section in band. Despite this, Kullmann is not eligible to pay in-state tuition at the University of Georgia under state policy, nor is she eligible for HOPE or other scholarships. She must pay more than $30,000 out-of-pocket a year, since she is classified as an international student. Kullmann expected, as many top students do, that her grades, test scores and extracurricular involvement would lead to a prestigious Georgia public university and enough in scholarships to cover her tuition. At least, that’s what she was told repeatedly throughout high school and when applying for early admission to UGA in fall 2015. “They told me I would be eligible for the Hope Scholarship and the Zell Miller Scholarship because I qualify for everything… the GPA, the test scores, the Georgia residency,” she said. Unlike Georgia students who fall under the Board of Regents’ infamous Policy 4.1.6—which bars them from attending competitive-enrollment universities like UGA or requires them to pay international tuition at open-enrollment public colleges and universities because they lack documentation—Kullmann’s family came to the U.S. legally. The only thing holding her back from receiving scholarships to cover the cost of attending her dream school is her E-2 nonimmigrant classification.
www.11alive.com
‘You punish yourself as a parent’: Dad of slain Georgia Tech student opens up about Scout’s death
The family is planning to file a civil lawsuit
Author: Donesha Aldridge
ATLANTA — The father of the Georgia Tech student killed a year ago by an officer on campus wants more to be done in schools across the state. Officers came to the scene where they said the student was holding a knife. Authorities said they gave Schultz several orders to drop the weapon, but he didn’t comply. A campus officer shot the student after Schultz allegedly advanced at officers. Schultz died at the hospital. Some students believe not enough has been done as a response to the shooting. However, school officials said they have more resources on campus now, including an LGBTQIA Resource Center. The program “Path Forward” was also launched in response to the incident. Schultz’s family agreed that more could be done, but not just at Georgia Tech, at other universities as well. “I am happy they’ve responded. There’s always more they could do,” Bill Schultz said. “Also the changes that have been made, why is it just Georgia Tech? The University System of Georgia manages dozens of universities around the state.”
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Student found dead at Freedom’s Landing Tuesday night
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_6cdfa5ed-127d-5063-9905-28643e351215.html
By Matthew Enfinger, The George-Anne staff
Update
The Dean of Students sent out an email about Jones Wednesday night. The email said:
To the University Community:
It is with sadness that I inform you of the passing of our student, Malik Dante Jones on the Statesboro Campus. Our thoughts are with Malik’s family, friends, and classmates. I encourage those particularly touched by this tragedy to consider counseling services. …The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating a Georgia Southern University student who was found dead at Freedom’s Landing Tuesday night. The GBI received a request for assistance from the Georgia Southern Police Department regarding the death of a GS student, later identified as Malik Jones, according to a GBI press release. According to the release, the 20-year-old student was found dead at 8 p.m. in his apartment, located in Freedom’s Landing Apartment Complex.
www.albanyherald.com
UGA Tifton ‘TUGA’ statue vandalized
Landmark ties Tifton campus to main UGA campus in Athens
By Rachel Lord
TIFTON — Just five weeks ago, the University of Georgia Tifton campus received its first university bulldog mascot statue, nicknamed TUGA. Bulldog statues have become a signature of the UGA campus in Athens, and the placement of the statue in Tifton represented a connection to the main campus. Early Sunday morning, however, that statue was vandalized with spray paint. “He had been fairly recently mounted there, about five weeks ago, and had been warmly received by the community,” Joe West, the assistant dean for the UGA Tifton campus, said. “There’s a lot of disappointment and disgust associated with this cowardly act.” While the individuals who defaced the statue have not identified, West said security personnel are looking into the incident in an effort to find the vandals. …The statue was cleaned and returned to its original appearance by the facilities maintenance and operations group on the UGA Tifton campus shortly after the incident.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Average Loan Debt for Graduates of Four-Year Colleges: $28,650
By Paul Fain
The average student loan debt last year for graduates of four-year colleges who took out loans was $28,650, according to the latest version of an annual report from the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS). The average amount was up $300, or 1 percent, from 2016. Figures from the report were based on debt levels from college seniors who graduated from public and private colleges last year. Roughly two-thirds (65 percent) of this group took on at least some student debt.
www.insidehighered.com
How Undergrads Think About Law School
New report sheds light on what students are thinking when they consider law school.
By Emma Whitford
Undergraduates considering a law degree are motivated by a desire to contribute to the public good, but high costs and work-life balance concerns deter some of them, according to a study released today. The study, conducted by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and Gallup, utilized survey responses from more than 22,000 undergraduates at 25 four-year institutions and more than 2,700 first-year law students at 44 different law schools. (Note: Inside Higher Ed works with Gallup on some surveys but had no role in this one.) Researchers administered the survey during a dramatic dip in law school applications: between 2011 and 2016, the number of law school applications fell by 38 percent, from 87,900 to 54,500. According to Judith Areen, AALS executive director, applicant numbers plateaued in 2016 and 2017 and increased by 8 percent in 2018. “[The application decline] brought home the need to better understand what college students think about law schools,” Areen said. “For students, the more we understand about them, the better law schools can do in meeting their expectations.”
www.insidehighered.com
Going After Fraternities
An anonymous UCLA sexual assault survivor is suing Greek chapters and the council that governs them, saying they should have protected her from a rapist.
By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
More than a year ago, a female student at the University of California, Los Angeles, told the institution she was raped in August 2016. Her attacker, she alleged, had already sexually assaulted another of her sorority sisters. The university found her accusation credible. It expelled the young man, a campus fraternity member, in 2017. In February, he lost his appeal to return to campus. But the student who filed the complaint was not satisfied. She maintains that the expelled student’s fraternity — and UCLA’s fraternity system as a whole — should have known the assault could occur and should have protected her. The fraternity had hosted a party that August night during which she drank until she couldn’t walk, she said. Last month, the student anonymously filed a lawsuit against her alleged rapist, Blake Lobato (who is named in court documents and whose identity has been widely reported), and his fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau, as well as Sigma Alpha Epsilon and the UCLA Interfraternity Council, the governing body of the university’s 22 fraternities. Though the council is a registered student group, it is independent from the institution, which is not named as a defendant. Her lawsuit comes at a time when the Trump administration intends to overhaul the regulations around Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the federal gender antidiscrimination law that bars sexual misconduct at colleges and universities.
www.chronicle.com
- of Tennessee Considers a Politically Connected Businessman to Run Its System
By Lee Gardner
The University of Tennessee is reaching outside academe for an interim leader to guide a system that has been buffeted by controversy. On Tuesday the president of the Board of Trustees recommended the appointment of Randy Boyd, a businessman and philanthropist with political ambitions, to run the system for up to two years. If approved by the board at a special meeting next week, Boyd would represent a pivot away from traditional academic leadership for the system, at least temporarily, after several years of strife and scandal, especially at the flagship campus, in Knoxville. A Tennessee alumnus, Boyd has no background as a faculty member or in academic leadership, but he played a key role in Gov. Bill Haslam’s signature higher-education policies. Boyd, who made millions as the owner of a company that makes wireless fences for pets, helped found a scholarship program for high-school students in his native Knoxville that inspired Haslam’s Tennessee Promise, which provides free tuition at community colleges in the state.