University System News:
WTOC
Student enrollment down at GSU; consolidation could be to blame
By Dal Cannady
STATESBORO, GA (WTOC) – Less than two years ago next month, Armstrong State and Georgia Southern learned the University System of Georgia planned to consolidate them into one school. State leaders said it would grow the combined campuses and help the region, but some new numbers point to a drop before any gains. Georgia Southern University’s commencement last week marked the end of school for thousands of students, but also the end of the Fall semester. Fall 2018 saw roughly a thousand fewer students than the combined campuses had in 2017 – from 27,459 to 26,408. “Statesboro campus was down about one percent. The Armstrong campus was down about 12 percent when we dug into the numbers,” said Dr. Amy Ballagh, V.P., Enrollment Management. Statesboro had 222 fewer students. Armstrong had 784 fewer. Ballagh says you can point to consolidation, because it’s happened in other cases where the University system combined schools.
WFXL
ABAC shares goals for Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation
by Danielle Ledbetter
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College houses the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation. Back in May, Governor Nathan Deal signed House Bill 951, which created the center to help address problems specific to rural communities. ABAC President, David Bridges, who is also serving as the interim director for the center, shares the main goals of it.
WTOC
Georgia agency investigating two former SSU officers
By Amanda LaBrot
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -The Georgia agency that gives law enforcement officers their police powers is investigating two former Savannah State University campus police officers accused of sexual misconduct. The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council or POST is actively investigating former Sgt. Nathaniel Copeland and is waiting on paperwork from the Attorney General’s office to open up its investigation into former Chief James Barnwell. Both Copeland and Barnwell left the campus police department after a Georgia Board of Regents investigator found they violated Savannah State’s sexual harassment policy. “Fortunately, it seems that now POST is in this modern time of “me too” is realizing that there is a need to discipline and investigate their own,” said Abda Quillian, an attorney representing two subordinate officers accusing Barnwell and Copeland of misconduct.
Forbes
How Is Higher Ed Helping To Close The Global Knowledge Gap?
Anant Agarwal Contributor
The widening skills gap in many burgeoning industries is a topic that frequently gets included in front page news on the future of work. Much emphasis is placed on how companies are struggling to find job candidates with the right qualifications and education, but less is placed on how educational institutions are responding … The Georgia Institute of Technology, a nationally top-10 ranked school in cybersecurity, is working to address this global workforce shortage while increasing higher education accessibility and affordability. Its new online master of science in cybersecurity with edX was announced in the fall, and its first cohort of students starts in January. I (Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX) sat down with Dr. Nelson Baker, dean of Professional Education at Georgia Tech, to talk more about the program. (Q&A follows)
Inside Higher Ed
Reflecting on 2018, and (Tentatively) Projecting the Future
A new online institution, a transforming textbook market, shifting landscapes for MOOCs and alternative credentials, increasing interest in mobile, and more. Experts make sense of a convoluted year.
By Mark Lieberman
Just like that, another year is almost over. If it’s been as much of a whirlwind for you as it has for us, you’re likely struggling to make sense of all that changed on the digital learning landscape this year. Our second annual year-end recap is here to help. We gathered some of the most thoughtful observers … Russ Poulin, senior director of policy, analysis and strategic initiatives, WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies … In case the fully online market is being saturated, some universities were planning to add local, hands-on assistance … In November, Georgia Tech considered creating “storefronts” to serve its online students and to attract more students who want at least some face-to-face engagement … Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning, University of Illinois at Springfield … Building in part upon the remarkable record of Georgia Tech professional education led by Nelson Baker, in April the university adopted an extraordinary vision for the future, Deliberate Innovation, Lifetime Learning — calling for the Georgia Tech Commitment to a Lifetime Education.
The Red & Black
U.S. Energy Department funds geography project at UGA
Isavictoria Martinez | Contributor
The United States Department of Energy is funding $10 million toward 13 separate projects working to further improve the Energy Exascale Earth System Model. The E3SM is a model which provides more accurate and a higher-resolution representation of weather and climate events, according to the DOE. Gabriel J. Kooperman, assistant professor of geography at the University of Georgia, is leading a collaboration with other universities on one of those projects.
Higher Education News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Study Urges Better Post-College Employment Data
by LaMont Jones
WASHINGTON – Employment data on college graduates needs to be accurate, comprehensive, verifiable, comparable, transparent and accessible for the benefit of students seeking post-secondary education, and the federal government should play a key role in making that happen, according to recommendations in a study released by The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS). Under the current system, it is almost impossible to get a truthful reading of results from the higher education sector, which accounts for about $500 billion annually and for which the federal government, state governments and accrediting agencies share oversight accountability, according to the report, “Of Metrics and Markets: Measuring Post-College Employment Success.” “It’s bizarre that we still cannot accurately measure employment outcomes.” said Neha Dalal, one of the report’s authors, at a briefing Tuesday at the US Capitol Visitor’s Center.
Inside Higher Ed
Master’s Degrees More Popular, Increasingly Online
By Paul Fain
Master’s degree programs have grown more popular, enroll more diverse students and are increasingly offered online, according to a new analysis from the Urban Institute. They’re also getting more expensive, with net prices having risen faster for master’s degrees than bachelor’s degrees. About 785,000 master’s degrees were awarded in the U.S. during the 2015-16 academic year, a rate of about two master’s for every five bachelor’s degrees awarded, according to the analysis, which was authored by Kristin Blagg, a research associate in the institute’s education policy program. Over the past two decades, master’s programs gradually have enrolled a larger share of students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.