University System News:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech president to retire
By Eric Stirgus
Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson is retiring this summer, ending a 10-year term as leader of one of the nation’s top research institutions, he announced Monday. Peterson has presided over a major increase in enrollment as Georgia Tech has expanded its online offerings in recent years, but state officials rebuked him last year for “lax management” and ethics abuses by several former top administrators. He’s also been criticized for how Georgia Tech has handled student mental health issues. “The opportunity to serve as president of Georgia Tech the past 10 years has been one of the highlights of my career,” Peterson said in a statement. “Georgia Tech is a great institution and great institutions are built on great people, great faculty, great staff and great students. Since our very first visit to Georgia Tech in the fall of 2008, Val and I have continued to be impressed with the quality of the people of Georgia Tech and the dedication and commitment to making Georgia Tech the nationally recognized institution that it is today.” …The University System of Georgia will conduct a national search for Peterson’s replacement.
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Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia Tech President Peterson retiring
The Macon Telegraph
Board of Regents to select Georgia Southern’s new president
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
STATESBORO, GA. – The Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia expects to select a new president of Georgia Southern University next week in Atlanta. Regents Chairman Don Waters says the presidential search committee has delivered a narrowed list of candidates for consideration, and the special committee is scheduled to meet Jan. 9 for intensive interviews with them. The Savannah Morning News reports Waters says a new president could begin in the role in 60 to 90 days.
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U.S. News & World Report
Board of Regents to Select Georgia Southern’s New President
The Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia expects to select a new president of Georgia Southern University next week in Atlanta.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Three Atlanta construction companies finalists for $53M UGA project
By David Allison – Editor, Atlanta Business Chronicle
The state of Georgia has selected three construction companies as finalists for a $53 million renovation of a high-rise student tower at The University of Georgia. Atlanta Business Chronicle in October reported that UGA is proposing a comprehensive renovation of Brumby Hall, an approximately 214,000-square-foot high-rise residence hall that was constructed in 1966 and contains 950 beds and primarily serves first-year students. The renovation would reduce the number of beds to 938. The University System of Georgia now says its top choices to win the work are 1) Turner Construction Co. of Atlanta; 2) New South Construction Co. of Atlanta; and 3) Juneau Construction Co. LLC of Atlanta, in that rank. The Board of Regents is scheduled to vote on the ranking at its Jan. 9 board meeting.
Oconee County Observations
Board Of Regents Recommending $1.9 Million In State Funding For Watkinsville Library Expansion
***County Ready To Provide $1.1 Million***
Three years after the state provided $1.8 million for the renovation and expansion of the Bogart Library, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia is recommending that $1.9 million be included in the Fiscal Year 2020 state budget for expansion of the Watkinsville Library. The Board of Regents action follows the recommendation of the Georgia Public Library Service, which put the Watkinsville Library project at number five on a list of 13 Georgia Public Library projects for funding by the state. The Board of Regents accepted the ranking of the state Public Library Service, which is a unit of the University System of Georgia.
The Gadsden Times
JOHN F. FLOYD: Student debt a major burden for US taxpayers
By John F. Floyd / Special to The Times
A commentary by Eric Stirgus, written for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, really got my attention. Stirgus said the University System of Georgia is preparing a new program to make students aware of college costs, particularly borrowing, and how much they will have to pay after graduation. That statement makes me wonder why the borrowing students were unaware of the definition of debt because it is quite simple. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines it as “something that is owed to one person to another or others.” Pretty straightforward definition to me, and one that does not need another state program to address. However, the State of Georgia has a massive problem with student debt. In 2010-2011, students who graduated from Georgia’s top public colleges, such as the University of Georgia or Georgia Tech, borrowed on average $16,705. Five years later, the average had grown to $21,907, a 31 percent increase, or in dollars $1.5 billion. Stirgus went on to say that nearly half of university system students are getting federal loans to pay for school. The system’s chancellor, Steve Wrigley, believes some of the borrowing is unnecessary and hopes to reduce it by sharing information with students about their options.
Coastal Courier
GSU logistics program prepares grads for career
Special to the Courier
Students in the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University who are pursuing careers in logistics and intermodal transportation (LIT) are being prepared for and connected to careers in a program that is recognized by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) and its member companies. The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in LIT degree was recently spotlighted by the IANA in their e-magazine and has received scholarship awards from the organization since 2016. During the 2017-18 academic year, more than 50 LIT graduates began management careers with IANA member companies. The program emphasizes the integration of all modes of transportation, especially surface, to efficiently move goods through supply chains. The program connects coursework to careers in business logistics. With proximity to the Port of Savannah and the many freight movement companies in the region, the program meets the managerial workforce needs of the freight transportation sector. Other areas students are prepared for through the program include demand forecasting and facility location decisions, which are relevant to broader supply chain applications.
Savannah Morning News
Educators focus on early career education
By Ann Meyer
Predictions for the future could help public high schools focus on areas where students are most likely to succeed. One approach would look at where the most job growth is coming from. Another would look at what areas Chatham County residents are most in need of. The Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia has identified several areas where the state’s universities should be striving to produce more graduates, such as medicine and teaching. Chatham County has shortages in both areas, along with technology and logistics and hospitality workers. But are the local schools and universities doing enough to cater to the demand in the areas requiring advanced education?
Inside Higher Ed
Popularity of Early Decision Continues to Grow
Colleges set records in applications and admissions figures, despite lingering concerns of many experts that the programs favor wealthier applicants. Admit rates are dropping.
By Scott Jaschik
In 2018, many colleges with competitive admissions announced new efforts to encourage and help low-income and middle-income students apply and enroll. The University of Chicago announced that it was going test optional. Johns Hopkins University, courtesy of a $1.8 billion gift from Michael Bloomberg, announced that it would be need blind in admissions. Rice University and Colby College expanded financial aid to reach more families. Some observers have noted that these efforts do not touch early-decision programs, in which students apply and receive decisions early in return for a pledge to enroll if admitted, or early-action programs, which are nonbinding. And the resilience of early admissions comes despite years of criticism that wealthy applicants are most likely to apply early. They, of course, need not worry about financial aid applications and are more likely to receive counseling that allows them to make choices about where they want to enroll. …The University of Georgia received 17,000 early-action applications for fall 2019 admission. That is a 14 percent increase in one year, and a 28 percent increase over five years. These campus reports are consistent with trends reported (but from a year ago) in the “State of College Admission” study from the National Association for College Admission Counseling.