University System News:
www.gbpi.org
Need-Based Aid Complements School Scholarships, Helps Fill Financial Holes for College Students
By Jennifer Lee
The University of Georgia is embarking on a campaign it calls Commit to Georgia. In part, the campaign raises money for need-based scholarships that help students from low-income backgrounds, featuring the slogan “blaze paths to futures that otherwise might be unattainable.” Donors join with schools to support students working to reach their goals. The federal government contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in need-based aid to Georgia students through the Pell Grant. Georgia students and families collectively pay billions in tuition and fees and borrow billions more. Now Georgia can seize an opportunity to join individual schools, the federal government and 49 states in funding its first broad need-based scholarships. But don’t fundraising campaigns prove that schools can raise enough money for need-based scholarships on their own? School scholarships are valuable, but most schools lack the resources or fundraising ability to fill financial gaps for all their students. The University System of Georgia serves more than 320,000 students, and about a third deal with unmet financial need.
www.tiftongazette.com
ABAC partnership in $3 million grant opens door for students
Minority students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will have a new scholarship opportunity available to them in the 2019 spring semester. By partnering with Columbus State University, Columbus Technical College, Georgia Southwestern State University, South Georgia Technical College, and Valdosta State University, ABAC is working to increase opportunities for students in STEM programs. Columbus State recently received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to take the lead in this regional effort to create a scholar program for 140 STEM students at the six institutions over the next five years. The grant creates the first ever Southwest Georgia consortium of the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP). The consortium, or the Southwestern Georgia STEM Pathways Alliance Program, will strive to increase the number of minority students interested in earning baccalaureate degrees, master’s degrees and/or doctorates in STEM fields. As part of the program, a total of 28 underrepresented minority students a year will be selected for the LSAMP scholar program.
www.businessinsider.com
8 master’s degree programs from top universities that are available entirely online — including access to a prestigious alumni network
https://www.businessinsider.com/online-masters-degree-programs-2018-10
Mara Leighton
If you’re looking to add a masters degree to your résumé, online classes may quickly reveal themselves as your most convenient and cost-effective option. Online courses are almost always cheaper than on campus, and there aren’t additional collateral costs associated with commuting, room and board, or child care. Equally if not more appealing as price is the freedom allowed — in both style and schedule. If you value independence as a learner, you may find that online learning actually suits you better than a classroom — and you can spend less time on the course by working more efficiently. … The Georgia Tech Online Master of Science in Analytics (OMS Analytics) is a multidisciplinary degree in collaboration with Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering, College of Computing, and Scheller College of Business. The top 10-ranked master’s program “challenges students with the same curriculum and rigor as its on-campus Analytics counterpart.”
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
Driver suffering from seizure crashes car into Kids ‘R’ Kids playground near GGC
By Curt Yeomans
The owner of a Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy near Georgia Gwinnett College said that fact that none of the 16 toddlers playing on the Lawrenceville school’s playground when a car crashed into it on Tuesday is a miracle. Kids ‘R’ Kids University Center owner Tony VanValkenburg said the children, all either 1 or 2 in age, were on the playground with a group of teachers and a parent when a car ran off Collins Industrial Way at about 9:27 a.m. None of the children or adults who were on the playground were injured. “It’s a miracle that there was no harm to anyone,” VanValkenburg said. “We had 16 children, three adults out on the playground area and that car that ultimately landed in the playground landed in a confined area where these children and these teachers and a visiting parent was at and there was no harm to anybody. “Frankly it’s a miracle and we’re very grateful. God was there. Clearly, God was on that playground with these kids. There’s no doubt about it.” Lawrenceville Police Lt. Jake Parker said a 23-year old GGC student had been driving on Collins Industrial Way when she had a seizure and ran off the road, down an embankment and through a fence surrounding the playground area. Parker said the driver was not charged with any traffic violations because of the fact that she was having a medical emergency when she ran off the road. “The driver was still suffering from the seizure when first responders arrived and was mostly incoherent,” Parker said. “She was transported to the hospital for follow up treatment.”
www.insideradvantage.com
Breaking News: U.S. Education Secretary visiting GA Tech
http://insideradvantage.com/2018/10/02/breaking-news-u-s-education-secretary-visiting-ga-tech/
by IAG Staff
InsiderAdvantage has learned that U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will visit the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta tomorrow for a tour and luncheon hosted by University System of Georgia Regent Dean Alford. We are told she will be addressing various innovations in classroom entrepreneurship as well as how to deal with the issue of university affordability in an age of rising student tuition.
www.myajc.com
DeVos gets mixed reception at Georgia Tech
By Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The nation’s top education official visited Atlanta Wednesday to promote what officials say is a faster and easier way for college students to apply for financial aid, but the stop, like many, also drew student protests of some of her policies. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos went to Georgia Tech to show off a mobile app officials said has shortened the time it takes students to apply for aid from about 90 minutes to 32 minutes. Education department officials began work on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid last year as part of a response to long-standing complaints that applying for aid is confusing and time-consuming. The app launched this week, department officials said. An estimated $150 billion is available annually in financial aid, officials said. Officials asked a group of Atlanta Public Schools students who met with DeVos what they thought of the app. “Cool,” Brianna Jones replied. The reception for DeVos was chillier outside the meeting. About 20 area students demonstrated, holding signs that read “Devostating” while chanting “Betsy DeVos go home!” The protesters complained they were pushed by authorities when DeVos’ motorcade left the campus.
www.washingtonpost.com
DeVos vows campus sexual assault rules will be fair to all sides
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos promised Wednesday she will balance the rights of the accused and accusers as she rewrites rules governing how universities handle allegations of sexual assault on campus … “What I know is this country was founded on some basic principles, and we are committed to following the constitutional principles of this country,” she said on a visit to the Georgia Institute of Technology. “We want to do what’s right and just and fair for all students.” … At Georgia Tech on Wednesday, DeVos was met by a few dozen protesters, including some complaining about her approach to sexual assault on campus.
www.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Betsy DeVos at Georgia Tech today: Protests and polite conversation
Watching about 44 classmates swarm a car transporting the secretary of education from Georgia Tech this afternoon, a Tech student asked me about the commotion, which included a woman blocking the car until police dragged her away. When I replied the U.S. secretary of education was in the car, the student said, “Wow, Betsy DeVos was here.” Two interesting points about that remark. The student knew who the education secretary was, an indication of the notoriety that DeVos has brought to a historically low-key Cabinet position. And the student was unaware DeVos had been visiting Tech, a fact that student protesters said was not widely advertised, possibly to keep them at bay. But they showed up. “We only found about this two hours ago,” said Tech student and activist Matthew Wolfsen. “And we still managed to get this many people,” he said, gesturing to the boisterous group chanting “DeVos go home” and “DeVos resign.” The protest outside the Wardlaw Center was the only dissonant note in an otherwise orchestrated celebration of Georgia Tech for the secretary. DeVos heard multiple brief presentations about Tech’s accomplishments and programs, including its incubator for student inventions and its surging online graduate programs in computer science. DeVos was a polite and grateful guest, asking relevant questions and praising Tech for “taking risks and marching into unknown territory on behalf of students. That is just critical to the future of our country in general. You are really leading the way.”
www.ajc.com
Georgia kicks baseball player off team after alleged racial slurs
By Connor Riley, DawgNation
On Wednesday, Georgia announced that first baseman Adam Sasser has been dismissed from the baseball team after he was being investigated for allegedly making slurs during the football game on Saturday in Athens. The slurs were allegedly directed at Georgia quarterback Justin Fields. The university released this statement: University of Georgia senior first baseman Adam Sasser has been dismissed from the Bulldog baseball team, according to J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity and Ike Cousins head coach Scott Stricklin. On Tuesday, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart addressed the situation as well.
www.savannahnow.com
Report blasts sexual harassment by Savannah State police chief, sergeant
By Brittini Ray
A preliminary Board of Regents investigation found that former Savannah State University Police Chief James Barnwell and Sgt. Nathaniel Copeland exhibited behavior that violated the university’s sexual harassment policy. Female officers first launched complaints against the former police chief in March. That same month, Barnwell was placed on administrative leave. He was fired in May. Officers launched complaints against Copeland in March as well. Copeland resigned “in lieu of termination due to the investigative findings” in August. “After a thorough review of the information gathered during the investigation, the investigator has determined that a preponderance of the evidence does support charging the respondent(s) with violating the university’s sexual harassment policy,” the reports state. The reports detail incidents ranging from illicit sexual conversations to an assault in 2016. Incidents between Barnwell and the officers occurred while both were in uniform or on the university’s campus, according to investigators.
www.wtoc.com
Attorney asks state to revoke police powers for two former SSU officers
http://www.wtoc.com/2018/10/03/attorney-asks-state-revoke-police-powers-two-former-ssu-officers/
By Amanda LaBrot
A Savannah attorney wants the state to pull police powers from two former Savannah State University officers. The Georgia Board of Regents found former Chief James Barnwell and Sergeant Nathaniel Copeland violated Savannah State’s sexual harassment policy, and two women accusing them of sexual misconduct and their attorney say revoking their certifications is the only way to keep it from happening again. “The concern is that former Chief Barnwell and Sgt. Copeland could end up somewhere else in a position of authority in a police department over female subordinates, and my clients don’t want to see that happen to anybody else,” said attorney Abda Quillian. “I think any time this happens and someone is brave enough to come forward, I think they’re also wanting to push it for someone else. It’s not just about me. It is me too, but it’s also keeping anybody else in the future from being exposed to what they were.”
www.mdjonline.com
Fifth Third Bank extends KSU sponsorship
Shaddi Abusaid
Cincinatti-based Fifth Third Bank announced Wednesday that it has extended its sponsorship agreement with Kennesaw State University for another four years. The agreement grants Fifth Third naming rights to KSU’s stadium until 2023. It also gives the bank, which has ATMs on both campuses, the designation as “the official bank of Kennesaw State Athletics”. Fifth Third entered into the agreement with the KSU Athletic Association in 2013, which included support for stadium improvements as well as financial support for other athletics programs and facilities.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Birds found dead on Statesboro campus after flying into buildings
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_def0a9c5-69ad-5315-bf46-b20011c765e3.html
By Emma Smith, The George-Anne staff
Birds have been found dead on Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro campus as a result of flying into buildings. The GS biology department first tweeted about the issue on Sept. 20 saying the campus needs bird-friendly glass. Any type of glass can be a threat to birds, but larger buildings are the biggest threat since they are the most reflective, Ray Chandler, an ornithologist and biology professor said. Chandler has found dead birds outside every building on campus but has noticed a significant number outside Henderson Library, the Nursing and Chemistry building and the Biological Sciences Building. One solution to birds flying into windows is for the university to install bird-friendly glass on campus. Bird-friendly glass is glass with reduced reflectivity, which helps reduce window kills, Chandler said.
Higher Education News:
www.educationdive.com
3 issues college leaders should be ready to address now
Free speech, voting rights and mental health will demand administrators’ attention this academic year, experts say.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/3-issues-college-leaders-should-be-ready-to-address-now/538572/
AUTHOR Hallie Busta
The academic year is well underway and already campuses are grappling with many of the same issues that characterized the turbulence of 2017-18. Among them, free speech concerns, the ongoing debate over the efficacy of affirmative action admissions policies and increasing urgency around the need to manage rising tuition costs … Here’s what we learned will be on the minds of administrators this academic year … Keeping free speech free — and under control … Improving voting access for students … Making more room for mental health care …
www.insidehighered.com
Maximizing Success for First-Gen Students
More four-year colleges are working to help first-generation college students succeed. But a new report says real progress requires institutional shifts, not just adding new programs.
By Emma Whitford
First-generation students make up a third of all college students. Yet only 27 percent of this group graduates within four years, according to a new report released today. And while an increasing number of colleges recognize a need for student support services aimed at first-generation students, the report identified a notable lack of guidance about what those services should look like and how to scale them effectively. Sarah Whitley, co-author of the report and senior director of the Center for First Generation Student Success at NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, hopes the new paper will help fill those gaps. Put together by the center in partnership with Entangled Solutions, a higher education consulting agency, the report outlines the current state of programs for first-generation students and presents concrete suggestions, backed by data, to improve their success. “As I started this process, I said I thought I’d be able to find a good number of institutions who are doing this work, and it seems like the number has exploded … so many campuses are turning their attention [toward first-generation students],” Whitley said.
www.latimes.com
As more universities drop SAT and ACT requirements, Cal State chancellor asks for a closer look
http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-cal-state-standardized-tests-20181003-story.html
By TERESA WATANABE
California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White said Wednesday that he has asked academic leaders to study whether the SAT and ACT are valid predictors of student success, raising hopes that the nation’s largest public university system will ultimately drop standardized test scores as admission requirements. Several studies have found that the tests do not accurately predict whether students can do well in college. Critics also argue that they place low-income students who can’t afford expensive test prep at a competitive disadvantage. Those concerns have prompted a growing list of more than 1,000 colleges and universities — including the University of Chicago — that have made the tests optional.
www.insidehighered.com
Missed Deadline Stalls DeVos Agenda
Education Department says it won’t meet November deadline to overhaul borrower-defense and gainful-employment rules, raising the stakes for legal challenges to the Obama-era regulations.
By Andrew Kreighbaum
The U.S. Department of Education will blow a key deadline next month in its bid to overhaul two Obama-era student loan rules. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is seeking to issue a more restrictive version of a loan-forgiveness rule known as borrower defense and to entirely repeal an accountability rule for career education programs, known as gainful employment. Rolling back both regulations has been the Trump administration’s top higher education priority. The missed deadline means the earliest date for either outcome is now July 2020 — a year later than the department had planned.