University System News:
www.chronicle.com
Mergers Can Benefit All Involved — but They’re Never Easy
By Alina Tugend
For Shimer College in Illinois, it was a matter of survival. For New England College in New Hampshire, it was an opportunity to expand its fine-arts program. For Georgia’s university system, the goal was to lift graduation rates and enhance efficiency. These three institutions, as varied as they are, have something in common: Over the past several years, they have all entered into the often tumultuous world of higher-education mergers. While many such efforts have an economic rationale, the reasons behind them are as diverse as the institutions themselves. Consolidation can be about finding a solvent partner or adding a new program, department, or school, like medicine or music. It can be to gain more real estate or to create a larger institution — or a smaller division — to more effectively serve students. …
The Georgia Example
Both private and public institutions have to balance the needs and desires of students, faculty members, alumni, boards, and accreditors when merging. But public institutions also have to negotiate political oversight, state coordinating boards, and often unions. Georgia’s merger of 18 of its 35 state colleges and universities — leaving it with 26 currently — has been closely watched and largely admired by those in higher education. “Looking at what Georgia has done — maybe that’s the way forward,” says Brian Prescott, vice president of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, or Nchems, a nonprofit organization that advises colleges on higher-education policy. Noting that the state is not facing “the bleak demographic picture as in a lot of other areas,” he says, “they could create more student success by consolidating efforts.” But he also noted that unlike private universities, the University System of Georgia is a public system, with a governing board, so it “could be very directive about which institutions to consolidate and what steps to take in doing so.”
www.variety.com
Hollywood Player-Turned-Georgia Educator Stresses Hands-On Approach
By TODD LONGWELL
Most films schools cater to those who aspire to be auteurs or some other form of cinematic visionary. The Georgia Film Academy has a different goal that, while perhaps less lofty, is even more rarely achieved: to find its students gainful employment in the entertainment industry. “We’ve disrupted higher education,” boasts Jeffrey Stepakoff, the GFA’s founding executive director. “Imagine going to university professors and saying, ‘If you want to study films, you have the makings here. But if you want to train people to go get a job in a few months, they need to get on a set and know which way a knuckle on a C-stand goes, and nobody in your university knows that.’” Stepakoff’s own training tilted toward the creative side. An Atlanta native, he arrived in Hollywood in 1988, armed with an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon U., to launch a career in showbiz. He went on to work as a writer or writer-producer on 15 primetime or first-run cable TV series, including “The Wonder Years,” “Sisters,” “Hyperion Bay” and “Dawson’s Creek,” where he served as co-executive producer. In 2015, Stepakoff was working as a co-executive producer on the ABC Family series “Chasing Life” when he was approached to establish the GFA. His mission: help build up a local crew base to service the ever-increasing number of productions pouring into Georgia since it enacted its 30% film and TV tax credit in 2008. “It was a chance to come back to Georgia and build something that is permanent and sustainable for an industry I love so much,” says Stepakoff. “I couldn’t say no.”
www.thebrunswicknews.com
Apprenticeships, film industry worth the educational investment
THE BRUNSWICK NEWS Oct 24, 2018
Jobs were a big topic as two state entities met separately in Glynn County on Monday. The state Board of Education is in Brunswick this week for its fall retreat. Among the issues the board discussed during Monday’s meeting was finding a way to make sure Georgia’s workforce is prepared for jobs in the state’s bustling film industry. So just how big is the film business in the state? Georgia Film Academy executive director Jeffrey Stepakoff said Georgia’s film industry was responsible for $242 million in economic activity in 2007. Today, that number is up to $9.5 billion. “That’s a 4,000 percent increase in barely a decade,” Stepakoff said. Stepakoff spoke during the board’s retreat about the program, which was established to develop the workforce needed to keep the film industry booming in the state, about what it will take to accomplish that feat. The film academy has partnered with the Georgia Department of Education to develop a curriculum on film and television writing that is being taught in some high schools.
www.albanyherald.com
ABAC SGA helps with hurricane cleanup
Students lend a hand to sister campus in Bainbridge
By Rachel Lord
BAINBRIDGE — It is no secret to South Georgia residents how devastating Hurricane Michael was to the area. But in the wake of such a destructive storm, a group of students at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College teamed up to help others in this southwest Georgia community. Garret Pierzchajlo, a senator for ABAC’s Student Government Association, with the help of others in the SGA, helped organize a volunteer effort to clean up areas of Bainbridge.
www.thebrunswicknews.com
Links chapter educates students about business education opportunities at Coastal Georgia
By LAUREN MCDONALD
The Links hosted this event Friday on the Brunswick campus. The group arranged for more than 100 juniors and seniors from Brunswick High School, Glynn Academy and Camden County high schools to visit Coastal Georgia and learn about the programs offered in the School of Business and Public Management. “Really, what college does is prepare you to have choices in your life,” said Skip Mounts, dean of the School of Business and Public Management. “It’s important for young people to understand that having choices in their future is important for their success and for their happiness.” Mounts spoke with the students Friday, along with faculty leaders of the college’s culinary and nursing programs and with the college’s president Michelle Johnston. The forum gave the students an early introduction to what the college offers, Johnston said. Even students who grew up here may not know what they could study at Coastal Georgia, she said.
www.walb.com
South GA fraternity members ‘Shave 2 Save’ for breast cancer awareness
http://www.walb.com/2018/10/25/south-ga-fraternity-members-shave-save-breast-cancer-awareness/
By Grason Passmore
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – A group of students raised money in support of breast cancer awareness in an unusual way, by shaving their heads. Members of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at Georgia Southwestern State University hosted their “Shave 2 Save” event on Wednesday. Members who raised at least $150 got to keep the hair on their heads. But members who raised $75 shaved their heads on campus Wednesday. …But the money raised also stays close to home, going to an Americus woman battling breast cancer.
www.athensceo.com
Grants Broaden Access for UGA Students through Innovative Programs
Staff Report From Athens CEO
“UGA has been my dream school for so long,” Justin Edge said. “This is the school for me. It’s a great institution.” That dream became a reality for Edge and three other first-year law students named to the initial group of Benham Scholars thanks, in part, to New Approaches to Promote Diversity and Inclusion grants, which supports the program by funding the students’ participation in the school’s early start program in addition to offering academic support and professional development opportunities. The Benham Scholars program, named for Robert Benham, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of Georgia and the second African American graduate of UGA’s School of Law, is just one of the 21 grant proposals funded through the program, which was announced by UGA President Jere W. Morehead in August 2017. A total of $300,000 was awarded in January 2018 as part of the program. The $10,000 to $25,000 grants are used for the development or adoption of new projects that support the recruitment, retention and success of underrepresented, underserved and first-generation students at UGA.
www.mdjonline.com
Kennesaw State University theoretical physicists awarded NSF grants
Staff reports
Kennesaw State’s two theoretical particle physicists, Nikolaos Kidonakis and Marco Guzzi, have each been awarded a major National Science Foundation grant to tackle the fundamental questions of the universe. The grants, which total $288,830, will fund their individual projects to improve theoretical predictions in particle production experiments conducted at the Large Hadron Collider. Kidonakis, a professor in the Department of Physics at KSU since 2004, received a three-year, $180,000 award. Guzzi, who joined KSU last year as an assistant professor of theoretical particle physics, garnered a $108,830 grant over a three-year period. The focus of Kidonakis’ research is to develop newer systems of formulas for more accurate theoretical predictions of various processes involving elementary particles, such as top quarks and Higgs boson, and in models of new physics. …Guzzi’s research focuses on improving the current knowledge of the distribution of quarks and gluons, the building blocks of matter, in a proton and enhancing the theory predictions to search for new physics interactions.
www.wgauradio.com
UGA WINS AWARD FOR RURAL HEALTH CARE EFFORT
By: Kelly Simmons, UGA
The University of Georgia has received a national Award of Excellence from the University Economic Development Association for its work in rural Georgia to save a local hospital from closing and to improve medical service for community residents. The Archway Partnership, a unit of UGA’s Division of Public Service and Outreach, won the top award during the UEDA’s annual summit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Oct. 21-23. Summit participants from across the U.S. cast votes to determine the winners after finalists presented their award entries. “It is truly an honor to be selected for this national award by a group of our peers,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “This is well-deserved recognition for our public service and outreach faculty and staff, who fulfill this university’s land-grant and sea-grant mission by addressing critical issues across the state.”
www.mdjonline.com
Chief Legal Affairs Officer named at Kennesaw State University
Staff reports
Kennesaw State University has appointed Nwakaego Nkumeh as vice president and chief legal affairs officer. Nkumeh, who joined the University as an assistant general counsel in July 2012, currently serves as associate general counsel in Kennesaw State’s Division of Legal Affairs, a position she has held since April 2017. …“Nwakaego has proven herself to be a first-class attorney with a solid background in higher education,” said President Pamela S. Whitten. “As an integral part of KSU’s legal team, she has consistently demonstrated an ability to provide strategic thinking and leadership and I look forward to having her as part of KSU’s senior leadership team.” In her new role, Nkumeh will be responsible for directing the Division of Legal Affairs in developing, implementing and maintaining goals that support the University’s strategic direction and mission. She also will provide legal counsel to academic and administrative offices across Kennesaw State, and oversee the University’s Department of Public Safety and Office of Institutional Equity. …Andrew Newton, who currently serves as acting vice president and chief legal affairs officer will resume his position as deputy chief legal counsel until his retirement in early 2019.
www.albanyceo.com
Dr. Neal Weaver on Georgia Southwestern’s New Branding Campaign – “Take Tomorrow by Storm”
http://albanyceo.com/video/2018/10/dr-neal-weaver-new-georgia-southwestern-brand/
Georgia Southwestern State University President Neal Weaver talks about unveiling a new brand message for GSW and the importance of getting their message out to the community.
www.augustachronicle.com
Savannah River landscape mars view from Georgia Cyber Center
By Tom Corwin
As part of building the $100 million Georgia Cyber Center, the state extended Riverwalk Augusta past its campus to the 13th Street bridge. But what lies below is detracting from that project, officials said. The $100 million Georgia Cyber Center is nearly complete and Riverwalk Augusta outside has been extended to the 13th Street bridge to tie into the gleaming new project. But below is an ugly mess of tangled vegetation that Augusta Commissioner Sammie Sias said sends a poor message about the city, which it is now vowing to address. As part of building the cyber center on Augusta University’s Riverfront Campus off Reynold Street, the Georgia Technology Authority wanted to connect the buildings and that campus with the Riverwalk and the state paid for it to be extended alongside the campus to the 13th Street bridge. But closer to the river is where the problem lies, Sias said.
www.wsav.com
One person shot near Savannah State University
By: Trish Williford
Crime scene tape was wrapped around the outside of the entrance to Savannah State University Saturday night. Savannah Police Detectives were called to LaRoche Avenue shortly after 8:00 p.m. to a report of shots fired. Witnesses say one person was shot and transported to the hospital in a private vehicle. …According to SSU, the campus was not placed on lockdown, but security measures at the gate were heightened. The shooting happened hours after SSU celebrated homecoming festivities.
www.ajc.com
UGA professor retires amid GBI investigation into caviar sales
By Steve Burns, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A University of Georgia professor plans to retire amid a GBI investigation into whether he profited from the sale of UGA-harvested caviar, according to a report. Douglas Peterson allegedly added a consulting fee to each sale, according to Georgia Bureau of Inestigation documents cited by the Athens Banner-Herald. Peterson is in charge of the program that sells the caviar from Siberian sturgeon the university raises at its fisheries center in northwest Georgia, according to the newspaper. UGA began selling the caviar in 2009. A GBI affidavit said the caviar was being sold to a company in Texas for $35 an ounce.
See also:
www.insidehighered.com
Accused Caviar-Running Professor Retires
www.ajc.com
CONTINUING COVERAGE: Little Fort Valley weathers the scandal
By Eric Stirgus and Ernie Suggs, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FORT VALLEY — Willie D. Sneed can size you up from a mile away. When a reporter walked into Khoury’s Men’s Wear in downtown Fort Valley, he barely budges from his seat but quickly guesses the visitor’s jacket and shoe sizes. “You would look good in a Steve Harvey,” Sneed says. He thumbs through the suit section, his mouth moving as fast as his fingers, talking about his failed city council run in 1968, season tickets for Peach County High School football, his son who went to Yale. But he gets serious when the conversation turns to his alma mater, Fort Valley State University, which is embroiled in a sex scandal that has shaken the school and community. Seven people — two of whom worked for the university, while others hold prominent positions in local governments and school systems — were arrested last week on pimping and prostitution charges. The latest revelation in the ongoing investigation could not have hit at a worse time — on the eve of the university’s homecoming and while Fort Valley is trying to attract new businesses to the tiny town of 8,800 about 100 miles south of Atlanta.
www.mdjonline.com
COMEDIANS COME TO COBB
Will Ferrell, Chelsea Handler get political in separate appearances
Jon Gargis
The man behind the iconic roles of “Anchorman” Ron Burgundy and Frank “The Tank” from “Old School” stood among lunchtime customers inside The Varsity’s Kennesaw location on Friday. Will Ferrell’s public appearance at the home of hamburgers, hot dogs and “What’ll ya have?” was part of an effort to stump for Democrat Stacey Abrams in Georgia’s governor’s race. But Ferrell was at least the second celebrity to slide into Cobb Friday, as comedian and TV host Chelsea Handler hours earlier stood within a Marietta landmark to interview two Cobb residents for an upcoming project. Sporting a Kennesaw State University “Owls” hat and an Abrams campaign T-shirt, Ferrell was greeted with cheers and a ringing of a cowbell before his remarks. The clanging had been one attendee’s nod to Ferrell’s portrayal of a cowbell player during a Saturday Night Live sketch focused on the fictional portrayal of Blue Öyster Cult recording its 1976 hit “(Don’t) Fear The Reaper.” “It’s great to be here finally at the Varsity … the sweet potato pie, it’s a winner,” Ferrell joked before delving into politics.
www.wtvm.com
Will Ferrell visits Kennesaw State to recruit Stacey Abrams campaigners
By Jasmine Agyemang
KENNESAW, GA (WTVM) – Democratic Governor nominee Stacey Abrams has been touring around Georgia for the last several days ahead of elections, and comedian Will Ferrell has also been campaigning on behalf of Abrams. On Friday, Ferrell was seen recruiting college volunteers at Kennesaw State University for Abrams’ campaign. He also stopped by the Varsity following his visit to KSU.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Activists, but Not for Political Parties
A new report shows college students are more interested in joining groups that are issue based rather than those only aligned to Democrats or Republicans.
By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
Ahead of the highly anticipated midterm elections next week, colleges and universities and activists have pushed to get students to the polls — historically a difficult task and especially so off a presidential year. But the author of a new report on college student civic engagement says that institutions should be considering how to involve students even outside of election season, especially since his research shows that they are more interested in joining campus groups that are issued based, rather than those aligned to a political party. Campus Labs, a tech company in higher education, analyzed student groups at 397 colleges and universities (mostly four-year institutions) across five academic years — 2013 to spring 2018.
www.insidehighered.com
Few Gains for Students in Tenn. Remedial Education Program
A new study shows few student achievements from an innovative initiative in Tennessee that moved college math remediation back to high school.
By Ashley A. Smith
Tennessee’s unique approach to preparing students for college by requiring them to take remedial math classes in high schools instead of college doesn’t lead to improved math skills, according to a study released today by Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research. The researchers who have been studying the Tennessee Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support program (SAILS) also found that it did not increase the likelihood of students passing college math once they were enrolled in the course. “By moving the remedial course requirements to high school, the SAILS program increased the proportion of community college entrants taking college-level math, but only about half of students passed the course,” said Thomas Kane, faculty director of the center. “At least those students weren’t delayed by taking a remedial course, but the SAILS course didn’t improve students’ success in math.” Tennessee launched the SAILS program in 2012 as an alternative to traditional college remediation.
www.chronicle.com
What’s New in Harvard’s Admissions Procedures: Explicit Instructions on Race
By Nell Gluckman
This year’s Harvard College admissions procedures include something different: explicit instructions on how to use race when evaluating students’ applications. The question of whether and how admissions officials are trained on considering race has been a focal point of a trial here in which Harvard has defended its race-conscious admissions policy.The procedures, meant to train officials who read applications for admission to the Class of 2023, were submitted as evidence on Thursday. The guidelines say that admissions officials can consider race when assigning overall ratings for the applications they read — something that happens early in the admissions cycle.