University System News:
www.georgiatrendblog.com
New Blue Ridge campus
http://georgiatrendblog.com/new-blue-ridge-campus/
BY MARY ANN DEMUTH
The University of North Georgia (UNG), which currently has five campuses across the state, recently broke ground on a new Blue Ridge campus. About 150 people attended the ceremony for the facility that’s scheduled to open in 2020. Georgia House of Representatives Speaker David Ralston, a UNG alumnus and District 7 representative, was instrumental in securing $5.5 million from the state’s FY 2019 budget for the campus. The current UNG Blue Ridge campus, which has 156 students, has seen nearly 800 percent growth since it opened three years ago. The new facility will enable UNG to offer additional courses so students can spend more of their college career there.
www.wgauradio.com
UGA VIGIL HONORS PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE VICTIMS
By: from UGA
Members of the UGA community attended a vigil Tuesday on Tate Plaza in memory of the 11 people killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh over the weekend. Organized by UGA Hillel, Chabad and other community partners, it enabled people to “share their thoughts and prayers for the victims as we unite to commemorate their lives.”
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Student-led march and class walkout to take place on Thursday
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_d78db28e-aec9-5df8-afd5-6fce174fb202.html
By Rachel Adams, The George-Anne staff
A student-led “Protest Against Hate” walkout and march has been organized for Thursday morning on Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro campus. According to a tweet by GS student Tyler Hicks, the walkout, sit-in and march will begin at the Carroll Building and end at the Marvin-Pittman Building on Sweetheart Circle. “Everyone participating or standing in solidarity should wear all black,” the post said. “At 11:11 [a.m.], students should walk quietly out of their classes and meet in the Carroll Atrium for a sit-in. At 4 p.m., students will gather and we will march from Carroll to the president’s office.” The march was organized by GS student Zachary Payne, who said he is working to mobilize student leaders across campus. He also wrote the letter shared on Twitter. “What we are trying to accomplish is to advocate change, and change happens from the top down,” Payne said in an email. “If we can establish open and honest communication with the administration and show the administration that change is what is needed on this campus, that is the right place to start.”
www.mdjonline.com
South Cobb Rotary Club presents KSU Arts & Nursing Scholarships
MDJ Staff
In celebration of their 80th anniversary, the South Cobb Rotary Club awarded scholarships to two students from Kennesaw State University (KSU). This year’s scholarship recipients were Eloisa Gallegos and Lisa Onokalah. Gallegos is a student in the Visual arts department and was presented her $2,000 by Rotarian John Collar. Onokalah is a student in KSU’s WellStar School of Nursing and was presented her $5,000 scholarship by Rotarian Bob Prillaman. The South Cobb Rotary Club first awarded scholarships in 1972, to students in KSU’s Art Department.
www.bizjournals.com
Synovus to offer needs-based scholarships to UGA
By Dave Williams – Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV) has established five need-based scholarships for students entering The University of Georgia planning to major in business. Synovus Georgia Commitment Scholarships will be renewable for up to four years and will then be awarded in perpetuity. The company’s commitment to these students will extend beyond financial support. Synovus also will connect them with possible internships, networking opportunities and mentors in the banking industry. The Synovus scholarships are part of the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program (GCS), which has raised more than $21 million for 322 needs-based scholarships since its inception at the beginning of last year….Through the GCS Program, the UGA Foundation will match, dollar-for-dollar, each of the five scholarships created by Synovus.
www.redandblack.com
UGA awarded $1.7 million to support research in Latin American and Caribbean studies
Lauren Tolbert | Contributor
The University of Georgia Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute received $1.7 million of financial support from the U.S. Department of Education to support research and teaching initiatives. The funding includes a four-year grant, renewing LACSI’s status as a National Resource Center, as well as a Foreign Language and Area Studies grant, which offers financial support to students pursuing coursework in Brazilian, Portuguese and Quechua. The grant also supports the expansion of internship and job opportunities for students pursuing careers related to or requiring the knowledge of Latin American languages and cultural competency and those working as educators on Latin American and Caribbean studies. LACSI is a division of UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences that promotes research, education and service in Latin America, the Caribbean and U.S. Latino communities. The institute includes 200 faculty affiliates across all of UGA’s colleges and schools.
www.savannahnow.com
YOUR GOOD NEWS: Abbie Deloach Foundation sponsors Georgia Southern University 5k
By Savannah Morning News
The Abbie DeLoach Foundation recently served as the title sponsor of the True Blue 5k Run hosted by Georgia Southern University during Homecoming Weekend. The Foundation choose to partner with Georgia Southern University as this event provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on Abbie’s love of healthy living and GSU Football, according to the organization. Abbie DeLoach of Savannah was one of five Georgia Southern nursing students who died in 2015 when a semi-trailer crashed into their vehicles on I-16. Abbie’s father, Jimmy DeLoach Jr. is a former Eagles coach and Georgia Southern University MBA alumnus. The event achieved its highest participation in recent years with over 500 runners. Abbie’s sorority Kappa Delta served as the honorary race starters and also received a check of $1,000 dollars to donate to the charity of their choice due to the high number of members who participated in the event.
www.georgia.growingamerica.com
ABAC Tutors Make Strides Toward Helping Students
http://georgia.growingamerica.com/news/2018/10/abac-tutors-make-strides-toward-helping-students
By: ABAC
Student tutors and staff members from the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Academic Achievement Center (AAC) delivered three presentations at the recent Georgia Tutoring Association (GaTA) Conference in Macon. AAC Coordinator Rebecca Cofer said the three presentations included “Sorting You: Hogwarts School of Tutoring Personality,” “STEM the Tide: Retention under the Microscope,” and “Challenge Accepted: Working with Today’s Challenging Students.” With nine student tutors attending, ABAC was one of the only undergraduate programs to give presentations at the conference. “The tutors are primarily Level III who used this opportunity to complete certification requirements for the College Reading and Learning Association,” Cofer said. “Level III is the highest level a tutor can achieve. “To accomplish this, tutors must do several leadership activities on campus and complete all Level One and Level Two requirements.
www.onlineathens.com
UGA tutorial program shows history of results for Athens students
By Kellyn Amodeo
Thirty-seven years ago, Aaron Heard was starting a program that would affect hundreds of Clarke County students for years to come. Since its inception, the Athens Tutorial Program has become a vital part of the community, providing academic assistance and cultural enrichment opportunities to low-income, at-risk students. “Our aim is to try to help decrease high school dropout rates and increase college awareness,” said Heard, who is originally from Athens. …the Athens Tutorial Program enlisted the help of University of Georgia students to serve as tutors, but soon grew to offer so much more. Today, Heard schedules UGA students to visit local elementary schools where they work one-on-one with students. He also manages a tutorial center where children can get help after school. Each week, more than 130 students are mentored in the schools and about 50 visit the tutorial center. Each UGA student works with a child who is in need of tutoring for the duration of the school year. This yearlong partnership creates a personal connection between the UGA and Clarke County students. “Some of the UGA students get class credits through their programs, but even after their program is over, they still come back to tutor,” Heard said. “Once they get here and see the need and develop a relationship with their student, I think it touches them in a different way and they come back.”
www.albanyherald.com
AMA writing competition open for students
‘Picture Worth Thousand Words’ open to college, high school students
From Staff Reports
The Albany Museum of Art’s fourth annual “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words” writing competition has opened for students enrolled in Southwest Georgia high schools and colleges. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three essayists in each of the college and high school divisions. In addition, middle schoolers will be included in this year’s competition through an outreach program available in the classroom. Winning essays in that competition will earn the writer and classmates a free field trip to the AMA. Last year, more than 70 high schoolers and college students submitted essays. …Participating students can select one of six works of art from the “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words” art object list. All of the listed objects will be on display at the AMA through the duration of the contest. After selecting a work, the participating student will write an essay of up to 1,000 words relating to the piece. High school and college entries are judged separately.
www.ajc.com
Suit says GSU workers pressured to remove low test scores
By Eric Stirgus, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia State University Robinson College of Business administrators wanted to raise the school’s profile to attract top-flight students, according to a woman who worked there, and pressured workers to manipulate admissions data to make it look better in national surveys. An employee complained via a hotline, an internal investigation began, and the findings were troubling. Some low entrance exam results were intentionally deleted, investigators found. Waivers to omit test results from applications were routinely granted to students, although they didn’t request them, the investigators’ report says. Kacy Jackson, who worked there for more than two years, said supervisors made her job so difficult after she complained about demands to change data that she resigned in January. Jackson filed a lawsuit last week against the University System of Georgia, which oversees operations at Georgia State, under the Georgia Whistleblower Act.
www.georgia.growingamerica.com
Cane Grinding, Syrup Making at ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture November 3
By: ABAC
From the mule-powered sugar cane mill to the smell of syrup cooking, visitors will become immersed in the days of old in South Georgia on Nov. 3 at the annual cane grinding and syrup making at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village. For many Southerners, cane grinding and syrup cooking are family traditions that have been passed down through many generations. The Museum’s Historic Village is one of the few places left where visitors can step back in time to see a mule-powered mill grinding sugar cane. The sweet juice pouring from the cane mill is transferred to the syrup shed where it is cooked down in a cast iron kettle to make delicious cane syrup. Costumed interpreters will explain the cane grinding process and the intricacies of producing a delicious bottle of cane syrup.
www.atlantamagazine.com
Advanced Technology Development Center
Incubator
https://www.atlantamagazine.com/groundbreakers-2018/advanced-technology-development-center/
BY MATT WALLJASPER
When new tech companies emerge, they often join incubators to learn from others, develop business strategies, and hone their ideas into viable products. Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center is one of Atlanta’s oldest and consistently ranks among the nation’s top launchpads. Founded in 1980, ATDC has constantly evolved to be at the forefront of startup incubation, acceleration, and success. They’ve helped to grow some of Atlanta’s well-known tech companies including NueMD, KontrolFreek, SalesLoft, Pindrop Security, and GroundFloor. “What we’ve created here is a community,” explains Jane McCracken, ATDC’s Interim Director. And that’s not just for Georgia Tech. ATDC sponsors activities in Athens, Augusta, Columbus, and Warner Robbins. “It is economic development,” McCracken says. “The better the companies we grow, the better our city and state will be.” (Part of Groundbreakers special section)
www.middlegeorgiaceo.com
Navicent Health Announces Collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology
Staff Report From Georgia CEO
Navicent Health’s Center for Disruption & Innovation is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center and its Health Technology (HealthTech) Program. The effort will improve the health and lives of patients in central and south Georgia through the development of new technologies, treatments, and care created by healthcare technology-oriented companies based in the state. ATDC, the state of Georgia’s technology incubator, launched its HealthTech Program in July 2018. At present, ATDC has more than 40 startups in its HealthTech portfolio, each focused on innovative solutions across a broad number of sectors including population health, caregiver support, patient billing, precision medicine, genomics, medical devices, diagnostics, data analytics, and process improvements in drug research. CfDI will work with ATDC to facilitate access to a clinical community for startups that are transforming healthcare.
www.oalbanyherald.com
Georgia Smart Communities Challenge kicks off in Albany
Georgia Tech, Albany officials talk ‘smart solutions’ at engagement workshop
By Jennifer Parks
A team from Georgia Tech and officials with the city of Albany took part in an engagement workshop Tuesday in an effort to move the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge forward in the city. Four Georgia communities, including Albany, are seeking “smart solutions” through the Georgia Tech-led program to implement smart design solutions to some of the city’s challenges. This initiative, in its inaugural year, is meant to bring together industry and public agencies to help local governments implement smart development. The program provides seed funding, access to technical assistance, expert advice and a network of peers. A Georgia Tech researcher advises and conducts research in support of each group’s goals.
www.savannahnow.com
Editorial: Higher ed a high priority in governor’s race
https://www.savannahnow.com/opinion/20181029/editorial-higher-ed-high-priority-in-governors-race
Much is made of Georgia’s standing as the No. 1 state in which to do business and what drives that attraction.
Pundits often credit tax incentives, industry clusters, transportation networks, the state’s regulatory environment and real estate availability. The biggest, and arguably most overlooked, magnets are the state’s public universities and technical colleges. Georgia schools provide the high-quality education that keeps the state’s best and brightest students home for college while also drawing top academic talent from elsewhere in the country and the world. The overwhelming majority of the approximately 97,000 graduates from Georgia’s 48 institutions – 26 four-year schools and 22 technical colleges – remain in the state to start their careers. That’s a deep talent pool for businesses, be they start-ups or Fortune 500s, to pull from. Maintaining that education standard is vital to Georgia’s future. Rising costs, funding shortfalls for the HOPE scholarship and enrollment declines due in part to lower birth rates in recent decades threaten the state’s post-secondary school prowess. Georgia’s two candidates for governor, Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp, are campaigning on their visions for higher education. The issue is a complicated one, as state funding for colleges has dropped precipitously since the turn of the century and particularly since the Great Recession a decade ago.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Is Teaching Quality the Next Front for Education Investors?
By Goldie Blumenstyk
Like many of you, I’ve had a lot more on my mind these past few days than innovation in higher education. It really does feel like the fabric of our democracy is being challenged when we face a mass murder in the name of anti-Semitism and immigrant hate, racially motivated killings in a grocery store, and an assassination attempt on political and civic leaders within the span of a few days. Let’s hope that the weeks to come bring greater civility. Subscribe here. Here’s this week’s newsletter.
Is teaching quality the next front for education investors?
www.edsurge.com
Campus Support for OER is Growing, Survey Finds
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-10-30-campus-support-for-oer-is-growing-survey-finds
By Jeffrey R. Young
The number of colleges running efforts to help professors shift from published textbooks to low-cost online materials known as OER is growing rapidly. That was one key finding in the latest Campus Computing Survey, one of the largest annual surveys of college technology leaders in the U.S., which was released today. Nearly two thirds of colleges in the survey—64 percent—reported campus programs to “encourage faculty to use OER content for their courses.” That was up from 34 percent in 2014 … Fifty-two percent of campus tech leaders said their colleges go even further, supporting efforts to build home-grown OER materials. OER stands for open educational resources, and they are meant to provide a lower cost option than traditional textbooks, and they also provide more permissive licenses that let professors remix and customize them.
www.insidehighered.com
Conflicted Views of Technology: A Survey of Faculty Attitudes
By Doug Lederman
The proportion of college instructors who are teaching online and blended courses is growing. So is their support for using technology to deliver instruction. But their belief in the quality and effectiveness of online courses and digital technology isn’t keeping pace. Those are among the findings — conflicting and confounding, as is often the case — of Inside Higher Ed’s 2018 Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology, published today in partnership with Gallup. The survey solicits the views of 2,129 instructors and 206 digital learning leaders on a wide range of topics related to how technology influences their teaching and work with students. The survey offers results that will probably satisfy (and agitate) the most optimistic booster, and the biggest skeptic, of using technology to expand the reach of college-level teaching and learning while also improving its impact.
www.insidehighered.com
Budget Woes Continue for Campus IT
The 2018 Campus Computing Survey finds that campus technology funding has still not recovered from the 2008 recession, despite increased demand on resources and services.
By Lindsay McKenzie
Lean information technology budgets are making it difficult for colleges to hang on to talented employees, the latest Campus Computing Survey reveals. More than two-thirds of IT leaders surveyed this year, from 242 two- and four-year public and private nonprofit colleges and universities across the U.S., reported that their campus IT budgets had still not recovered from the 2008 recession — when many institutions experienced sweeping cuts. “Annual IT cuts and midyear budget reductions have become all too common for many institutions over the past decade,” said Kenneth C. Green, founding director of the Campus Computing Project, which conducts the survey. “These recurring cuts come despite growing demand and expanding need for campus IT resources and services to support instruction and campus operations, and also increased IT security challenges,” said Green. The results of the survey will be presented today at the Educause conference in Denver. Retaining talented IT staff has become a real challenge for IT leaders, the survey found. More than four-fifths (79 percent) of survey participants said that their campus had “a difficult time retaining IT talent because salaries and benefits are not competitive with off-campus job opportunities.”
www.washingtonpost.com
Google offers money to universities to use artificial intelligence to scale up research
Google is offering $25 million to universities and nonprofits that have research ideas that can be expanded by using artificial intelligence and other technology to solve problems. The Google AI Impact Challenge, which includes the offer of help and coaching from experts at Google, launched Monday. “We want to invest in the best ideas globally,” said Jacquelline Fuller, vice president of Google and president of Google.org. What kinds of ideas? Google says it’s open to many fields — including the humanities, such as art or archaeology — and is looking for projects that could have social and environmental impact.