niversity System News:
www.albanyherald.com
Gov. Nathan Deal calls special session of General Assembly
General Assembly to convene special session due to impact of Hurricane Michael
From Staff Reports
ATLANTA — Circumstances involving Hurricane Michael’s impact on Georgia have prompted a special session of the General Assembly. Gov. Nathan Deal announced this morning that he had notified House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle that he plans to call for a special legislative session of the General Assembly set to convene on Nov. 13. “Georgia was severely impacted by Hurricane Michael and many communities across our state sustained heavy financial losses,” Deal said. “In response, I will ask the General Assembly to take immediate action and lead the way in spurring rapid economic recovery for southwest Georgia communities. Our state budget also needs to be amended to ensure that we adequately cover our obligations.
www.ajc.com
Massive cleanup underway in hurricane-damaged South Georgia
By Jennifer Brett
University of Georgia Agriculture Extension agents have been traveling throughout South and Southwest Georgia to help farmers assess their massive losses following Hurricane Michael. State estimates released last week indicated the hit to the state’s agriculture industry could reach nearly $3 billion – and the numbers continue to change, spokeswoman Sharon Dowdy said. Vast as the destruction was, it was clear residents had done much to begin the cleanup efforts before state agents were able to get down there.
www.ksusentinel.com
Comprehensive Administrative Review worries Georgia university employees
Sabrina Kerns
Faculty and staff members at universities across Georgia are concerned for their jobs because of a Comprehensive Administrative Review currently being conducted by the University System of Georgia. The CAR is meant to take an in-depth look at administrative functions and gather information from all 27 USG institutions, according to the USG’s website. The USG will use information gathered from the CAR to restructure operations and realign positions as a way to be more effective with the university system’s resources. The university system officially launched the CAR in the fall 2017 semester, and the review continued on in two separate phases. In phase one, the USG gathered information from seven institutions, including KSU, and in phase two, the USG will gather information from the other 20 universities in the system. …The Sentinel requested a final draft of a report from phase one of the CAR from the university late in August. On Aug. 24, University Spokesperson Tammy DeMel replied in an email, saying that a final draft was ready and the university would be able to share it within the next week. Nearly two months later, a final draft of the report has still not been provided. All of the results from the CAR will be officially published by the USG in April 2019.
www.rebootcamp.militarytimes.com
Best for Vets Colleges: The best schools for military students in 2019
By: Natalie Gross
Best for Vets: Colleges 2019 rankings
4-year schools
2-year schools
Online and nontraditional schools
Career and technical colleges
Methodology: How we did it
In the market for a good school where you can use your education benefits? We surveyed hundreds of colleges across the country and used their answers, combined with federal data, to rank them in the areas of university culture, academic quality and outcomes, policies, student support and costs and financial aid. Read about our top finishers below and check out the full list of schools in the charts to help inform your decision.
4-Year Schools: 1. Georgia Southern University
www.athensceo.com
UGA School of Law Named Best in Nation for Return on Investment
Staff Report From Athens CEO
The University of Georgia School of Law has been named the best value in legal education in the United States by the National Jurist. Its rankings are based largely upon outcome-driven factors such as average indebtedness, bar passage and employment. “This recognition validates our ongoing efforts to provide the best possible return on investment for our students,” School of Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said. “We are committed to providing world-class education in a way that not only prepares students for careers and helps place them in jobs, but also allows them to graduate without the burden of an unreasonable level of debt.”
www.ajc.com
These are the best colleges in Georgia, according to a new 2019 ranking
By Fiza Pirani, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s time to bring out the friendly school rivalries. Personal finance site WalletHub just released its 2019 best colleges ranking comparing 951 of the country’s colleges and universities across seven key dimensions, such as student selectivity; cost and financing; faculty resources; campus safety; campus experience; educational outcomes and career outcomes. Researchers further evaluated those dimensions using 30 relevant metrics, including admission rate, student loan debt, on-campus crime, faculty salaries, gender and racial diversity and return on investment. Data for the ranking came from a variety of reputable sources, including the National Center for Education Statistics, PayScale and more. …Only one Georgia college cracked the top 20 — and that honor goes to Georgia Tech, which ranked 17th nationally and No. 1 in the state. Georgia Tech also ranked third nationally for the best bang for your buck. Emory University came in second in Georgia and ranked 34th in the country. Georgia colleges ranked, according to WalletHub:
1.Georgia Tech (No. 17 nationally)
3.University of Georgia (No. 67 nationally)
8.Georgia College & State University (No. 300)
12.Georgia State University (No. 475)
www.emanuelcountylive.com
Dr. Wedincamp chosen as Executive Leadership Institute Scholar
by WHITLEY CLIFTON
Dr. Jimmy Wedincamp, East Georgia State College’s Dean of the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, was recently named to the University System of Georgia’s 2018-2019 Executive Leadership Institute (ELI). He is part of a group of 34 scholars recognizing 25 institutions, the Georgia Public Library Service, and the University System Office. The Education Leadership Institute is designed to enhance the scholars’ self-awareness, broaden their perspectives and build their social capital. During the next seven months, participants will engage in an intensive learning experience comprised of leadership challenges, coaching and opportunities that will expose them to leadership at the highest level throughout the USG.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
SGA senator to hold listening session for diversity and inclusion proposal
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_2e85d2fe-0c74-5220-8e0d-888de6790e92.html
By Rachel Adams, The George-Anne staff
A Student Government Association senator will host a listening session on Tuesday at Russell Union to discuss a proposal to promote and improve discussion about diversity and inclusion among students. KeyShawn Housey, SGA senator at-large, will host the listening session at 6 p.m. in room 2048, where he will answer questions and address concerns about the resolution. Housey introduced the proposal during the solidarity walk on Oct. 19 that was held in response to the “triggerish” incident in July. The resolution reads: “The Georgia Southern University Student Government Association supports the implementation of an ethnicity and diversity training curriculum and providing students and staff the platform to speak their grievances regarding race, diversity and inclusion.” In the resolution, Housey also mentions the need for mandated diversity and inclusion training for students and the importance of the university taking action in such matters. Housey said that this type of training would be especially beneficial for students given today’s societal and political climate. “It is imperative that Georgia Southern University students have a solidified source of training related to diversity and inclusion, preferably in the form of an approved and uniform curriculum,” the resolution reads. “It is also imperative that the administration of Georgia Southern University continues listening to the concerns of their students and meeting their concerns with credible and timely responses.” In an email, Housey said that the resolution has receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from members of the GS administration.
www.albanyherald.com
Austin Scott to speak at Ag Communicators event
Congressman lauded for contributions to agriculture
By Rachel Lord
Herald Correspondent
TIFTON — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Ag Communicators of Tomorrow will bring Congressman Austin Scott to Tifton on Oct. 30 for a speaking event. The event will be held from 6-7 p.m. at the ABAC Chapel. Scott’s appearance will be part of a series started last year as a way to “give back to the community,” according to Laura Lee Williams, the secretary for the Ag Communicators of Tomorrow. The upcoming speaking event with Scott is a free event for ABAC students, ABAC faculty and staff, and community members. Past events have been free and open to the public as well.
www.ajc.com
JUST IN: Overnight fire at UGA residence hall forces evacuations
By Chelsea Prince, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All students in a University of Georgia residence hall were evacuated overnight when the building caught fire. The fire at Boggs Hall was fully contained by crews with Athens-Clarke County fire by 3:20 a.m. Tuesday, university officials said on Twitter. No one was injured, officials said. Staff in the student affairs department will be working directly with students affected.
www.mdjonline.com
KSU employee charged with stealing equipment, selling it online
Shaddi Abusaid 15 hrs ago
A former facilities director at Kennesaw State University has been charged with allegedly stealing nearly $100,000 in tech equipment from the school and selling it online. Derrick Smith, of Dallas, whose LinkedIn page lists him as KSU’s manager of central receiving and distribution, was arrested Oct. 16 and charged with two felony counts of theft by taking, jail records show. According to warrants, Smith, 33, took a shipment of 12 Cisco Transceiver Modules bound for KSU’s networking department in the summer of 2017 and sold four of them on an eBay account run by his fiancée. Additionally, Smith allegedly stole 11 Microsoft Surface Pro 4 computers mistakenly shipped to KSU last year and sold 10 of them online. Eight of the 12 missing transceivers were recovered with the help of Smith’s attorney, according to his warrant. The serial numbers of the modules and those sold on eBay matched a purchasing order provided by the university, the warrant states. …KSU spokesperson Tammy DeMel confirmed Monday evening that Smith was no longer employed by the university. Citing an ongoing investigation, she said she was unable to comment on specifics of the case.
www.diverseeducation.com
Seven Charged in Sex and Prostitution Ring on Georgia Campus
by LaMont Jones
Seven people, some prominent figures, have been charged in connection with what law-enforcement agencies described as a sex and prostitution ring connected to Fort Valley State University (FVSU) between 2017 and earlier this year. Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke says warrants were issued last week for six men charged with pandering and solicitation of sodomy: Ernest Harvey, 47, of Fort Valley, an assistant principal in charge of discipline at Huntington Middle School in Houston County; Kenneth Howard, 56, of Fort Valley, the city manager of Hinesville; Ryan Jenkins, 35, of Fort Valley; Charles Jones, 57, of Fort Valley, a former attorney for Fort Valley State; Devontae Little, 26, of Warner Robins; and Arthur James Nance Jr., 46, of Cordele, the vice chairman of the Crisp County Board of Commissioners and a local pastor and mortician.
www.13wmaz.com
FVSU sex scandal suspects include Houston Co. asst. principal, Crisp commissioner
The school district could not confirm if he was still on the job, but did say he is still employed
Author: WMAZ Staff
One of the six men accused of soliciting prostitution at Fort Valley State University is an assistant principal at a Houston County middle school, the district’s spokeswoman says. On Friday, District Attorney David Cooke said Ernest Harvey, age 47, is charged with pandering and solicitation of sodomy. The other five men face the same charges. On Monday, district spokeswoman Beth McLaughlin said school officials confirmed that Harvey is the assistant principal at the Huntington Middle School. “He is still our employee,” she said, although she would not confirm whether Harvey was on the job Monday. “We will take the proper steps depending on how this develops,” she said. Harvey was named assistant principal in 2015. He was previously an assistant principal at the Taylor and Morningside elementary schools.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Federal Proposal to Redefine Gender Throws College Policies Into Uncertainty
By Emma Pettit
Susan Stryker saw it coming. On Saturday night the associate professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Arizona had some friends over for dinner. They discussed how on the passport section of the State Department’s website, the term “gender marker” had been changed to “sex marker.” It’s a minor shift to someone who isn’t familiar with transgender issues. But for Stryker, a founder of the journal Transgender Studies Quarterly, it foreshadowed the headlines she awoke to on Sunday. The New York Times reported that, according to a memo, the Trump administration is considering defining gender as a biological condition determined by a person’s gender at birth. The change would basically eliminate federal recognition of 1.4 million Americans who have chosen to identify as a gender other than the one assigned at birth. That definition could be adopted by Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education, which is reviewing rules on how to deal with complaints of sex discrimination at schools and colleges, the Times reported. But it runs afoul of settled case law, civil-rights activists say.
www.chronicle.com
Colleges Should Enhance Resources for Undocumented Students, Report Urges. Here’s How Some Are Doing That.
By Andy Tsubasa Field
…A study conducted last spring by an organization that supports such students with scholarships found that 71 percent of DACA students work in some capacity while attending college and 29 percent work full time. Of the employed students, approximately 89 percent are also full-time students, according to a report on the study, which was released on Monday. By contrast, 43 percent of all undergraduates work in some capacity. In the study, the organization, called TheDream.US, sent survey questions to 3,058 of the students it supports, and 1,413 responded — a response rate of 46 percent. The group takes its name from the undocumented students it seeks to help, who are commonly called Dreamers. Over all, TheDream.US awards funds to 2,866 students, who earned a 3.55 GPA in high school or a 3.56 in community college. Based on the study’s findings, TheDream.US’s primary recommendation for colleges and universities is to establish resource centers with staff members who can provide professional, academic, and legal counseling specific to the needs of undocumented students, said Gaby Pacheco, program director for advocacy, development, and fund raising at TheDream.US. The group also recommended that campuses provide mental- and physical-health services to its immigrant students. Changes can be as simple as creating a spot for students to rest, like a couch, Pacheco said.