University System News:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Southern University has new president
By Eric Stirgus
The state’s Board of Regents voted Thursday to make Kyle Marrero the new president of Georgia Southern University. Marrero will start April 1, the University System of Georgia said in a statement. The Regents voted for Marrero in a telephone conference call Thursday morning, officials said.Marrero had been president of the University of West Georgia, which will conduct its own search for his replacement. He was hired there in 2013.“Kyle’s higher education experience, combined with his focus on strengthening academics and building community partnerships, will be an asset to Georgia Southern’s campus community and the region as a whole,” University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley said in a statement.
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The George-Anne
Kyle Marrero named 14th president of Georgia Southern University
Savannah Morning News
Georgia Southern University names Kyle Marrero as new school president
The Georgia Sun
It’s Official: Kyle Marrero to take the helm at Georgia Southern
WTOC11
Dr. Kyle Marrero officially named new Georgia Southern president
The George-Anne
Students react to finalist for next president
Anthony Belinfante
Since Kyle Marrero was announced as a finalist to be the next Georgia Southern University president, students have begun to voice their opinions and hopes for GS. Former president Jaimie Herbert resigned in May 2018, officially stepping down from his position in June. On January 9, Marrero was announced as a presidential finalist, after a five-month search had been underway. “[A new president] will represent a new era for Georgia Southern,” senior mechanical engineering major Jacob Springer said. “I’m just excited to see what will happen and see what new things will be brought to the university.” Marrero is currently the president of the University of West Georgia, and has been since 2013. “If we had somebody solid that would stay for a while, I think it would be good and we could make more change,” sophomore English major Emily Pittman said.
The Augusta Chronicle
Editorial: Campus’ mission cements Augusta’s pivotal role in future of cybersecurity
By Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
(Editor’s note: The editorial has been updated to cite the source of the cited figure regarding the cybersecurity labor shortage.)
The work of two people behind the scenes in helping secure Augusta’s cyber prominence has been spelled out large – and we’re proud to say one of those people has close local ties.
The second phase of the $100 million Georgia Cyber Center officially assumed the name of the Shaffer MacCartney Center. Nathan Deal, in one of his final acts as Georgia’s governor, cut the ribbon for the new facility Thursday, downtown on Reynolds Street. Michael Shaffer is the executive vice president of strategic partnerships and economic development for Augusta University and Health System. Teresa MacCartney’s formidable experience in state government included working under Deal, serving as the state chief financial officer and director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget. The work accomplished by both of these people in completing this phase of the Georgia Cyber Center was massive, and deserves a level of gratitude that the building’s appropriate naming can only partially express.
Albany Herald
ASU has $250 million economic impact on area
Study: Albany State employed 2,844 people for a total of $109 million in labor income
From Staff Reports
Albany State University had a $250 million economic impact on the Albany region in 2017, according to a December 2018 study released and commissioned by the University System of Georgia. The study illustrates ASU’s commitment to empowering the southwest Georgia region, University officials said. Much of the university’s economic impact is attributed to student spending, personnel services and operating expenses. “Albany State University is vital to the economic development of the Albany area and the region,” ASU President Marion Fedrick said in response to the impact study. “Higher education serves the overall community by promoting knowledge and preparing learners to be skilled professionals. In addition to providing an education, ASU creates and supports employment opportunities and provides services that enrich southwest Georgia and beyond.”
Albany Herald
ASU completes efficient phone system merger
New communications network should cut costs on campus
By Carlton Fletcher
The three campuses of Albany State University are now connected through an updated telephone system that allows for easier inter-campus communications on the university’s West and East campuses in Albany and at Albany State University-Cordele. The official upgrade was completed over the December holiday break, according to information supplied by ASU interim Director of Media Relations Danyelle Gary. Bill Moore, ASU’s vice president of Information Technology and the university’s chief information officer, said that, in addition to efficiency, the new system would allow Albany State to realize significant cost savings.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU named in Top 10 for admissions yield
MDJ Staff 19 hrs ago
Students are eager to enroll at Kennesaw State University, according to data from U.S. News & World Report. For the second consecutive year, the U.S. News study determined that KSU has one of the nation’s highest admissions yield rates, meaning the percentage of admitted students who enroll. Of 8,487 accepted students, 5,237 enrolled at KSU in fall 2017 for a yield of 61.7-percent, ranking KSU 10th nationally and No. 1 in Georgia. KSU is the only public university to make the top 10 list. “Kennesaw State has truly become a destination university for students,” said Pamela Whitten, KSU president. “We provide a quality education with a focus on the types of engaged learning opportunities—including internships and co-ops, undergraduate research, and service learning—that enable students to apply what they learn in class to real-world situations.”
Marietta Daily Journal
DICK YARBROUGH: It is no joke that Kennesaw State’s reputation is on the rise
Finally! There is a new day dawning or rather an old familiar one. We are back to talking about Kennesaw State University BSE (Betty Seigel Era.) The institution that made us proud, not the one hijacked by a bunch of self-aggrandizers more interested in publicity for themselves than any concern that they were making the university look like a joke — a bad joke. I’m not sure where that bunch of crazies has gone but down a rabbit hole would be fine with me. There they can hold obscene art shows, disrespect the flag, paint pretty pictures in blood, talk gender-neutral language to American patriots like Angela Davis and her submachine gun and — my favorite — march around with signs castigating their major critic, former state Rep. Earl Ehrhart only with photographs of state Sen. Lindsey Tippins, who had no dog in their fight. Send in the clowns. Now it looks like the place is getting back to their mission of giving their more than 35,000 students a quality education via a top-notch faculty and a forward-looking administration and the clowns are left with their seltzer bottles and whoopie cushions.
Gainesville Times
This state decision will make stargazing easier at UNG Dahlonega
New observatory at the University of North Georgia will expand educational programs
Joshua Silavent
The University of North Georgia is moving ahead with a $1.4 million project to demolish and rebuild its night sky observatory near the Dahlonega campus thanks to approval from the University System of Georgia.
The George-Anne
Money Struggles Among College Students
Noelle Walker
Paying for college out of pocket can seem nearly impossible for most students. This results in students being forced to take out loans, and those who are fortunate enough to receive financial aid or awarded scholarships still can struggle. Aside from the factor of college tuition, paying for life’s other necessities prove to be very challenging. …Student Homelessness: On top of all expenses, students also face living expenses. The amount of money apartments or dorms can cost reach the thousands. At Georgia Southern University, freshmen students have to live on campus. Living on campus can increase student loan debt as well. The rates for on-campus living at Georgia Southern range anywhere between 2,120-3,895 thousand dollars, according to the 2018-2019 Statesboro campus housing rates the university provides. The Atlanta Journal Constitution said “The average cost of room and board ($10,800) was greater than tuition ($9,970) for in-state students at four-year colleges across the nation this school year, according to the College Board, the folks who run the SAT.”
Albany Herald
Business leaders get economic updates at UGA summit
Justin Strickland: Area’s economy is slowly transforming itself
By Terry Lewis
A University of Georgia expert predicted another good year for Georgia’s economy, with statewide growth expected to outpace the nation’s, during an annual economic summit in Albany Wednesday. The UGA economists said Georgia’s economy will match its performance of last year, propelled by a pipeline of economic development projects, solid population growth and a housing recovery, while presenting the annual economic forecast from the Terry College of Business. “Barring a full-blown trade war, Georgia’s economic outlook is good,” Terry College of Business Dean Benjamin C. Ayers said at UGA’s 36th annual Georgia Economic Outlook. “The pace of GDP will slow, but new jobs will be plentiful. For the sixth straight year, Georgia’s diverse economy will grow faster than the nation’s economy. Because Georgia’s economy is linked strongly to the national economy, the risk of a recession beginning sometime in the first half of 2019 is low, but it is higher in the second half of the year.
The Augusta Chronicle.
AU begins bike-sharing program called JagRide
By Sarah LeBlanc
The university began a bike-sharing program Tuesday called JagRide, which offers 18 bikes across the university’s three campuses. On a chilly Tuesday morning, students got across Augusta University’s Summerville campus a little faster on their new bikes. The bikes are part of the university’s new bike-sharing program called JagRide, which officially began with a ribbon-cutting outside the Jaguar Student Activities Center at noon. Across Augusta University’s three campuses, there are 18 bikes leased from Gotcha, a mobility company based out of Charleston, S.C. Six bikes each will be located on the heath sciences campus, the riverfront campus in the new Georgia Cyber Center, and the Summerville campus. The bikes are available 24 hours every day and can be reserved and paid for with the app SoBi, short for Social Bicycles. The bikes are free for the first 30 minutes and $5 every hour after. That money goes toward Gotcha’s operation costs.
Higher Education News:
Albany Herald
State employees can opt for wellness incentives
Employers say healthier lifestyles save money on medical costs
By Andy Miller
Like many U.S. workers, thousands of Georgia teachers and state employees are being offered financial incentives for reaching wellness goals this year. The State Health Benefit Plan covers more than 660,000 state employees, teachers, other school personnel, retirees and dependents. One SHBP wellness plan, launched by Atlanta-based digital health company Sharecare, would reward members who meet goals this year with a $150 Walmart gift card, and Walmart will contribute an additional $75 for members to use on prescription medications and vision products. Another potential reward is a $150 Visa gift card, in a plan also administered by Sharecare. Employees who have Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield or UnitedHealthcare are eligible for the rewards, and state workers’ covered spouses get a chance to qualify for their own gift cards. “Supporting employees in their pursuit of health and wellness is the right thing to do and it’s good for business,” said outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal in a statement earlier this month. “As Georgians work toward physical goals, we understand that a healthy work force provides a strong foundation for a healthy economy.’’ Georgia’s wellness program under the State Health Benefit Plan fits into the burgeoning trend of employers providing monetary rewards for worker health screenings and improvements.
Inside Higher Ed
Fully online programs widen achievement gaps and often are unaffordable, says report seeking to discourage politicians from pulling back on federal policy protections.
By Paul Fain
Online education has not lived up to its potential, according to a new report, which said fully online course work contributes to socioeconomic and racial achievement gaps while failing to be more affordable than traditional courses. The report aims to make a research-driven case discouraging federal policy makers from pulling back on consumer protections in the name of educational innovation.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
If History Is Any Guide, End of Federal Shutdown Won’t Bring Quick Relief for College Researchers
By Lindsay Ellis
Funds for many continuing grants had run out. He expected funding gaps for renewals and delays in funding new awards. New programs could be pushed back significantly — perhaps six months to a year — or canceled. The shutdown, he said, had “demoralized our work force and destroyed any efficient timetable for our already pressured work.” More than 20 years later, a stalemate between lawmakers and President Trump has drawn the current partial shutdown to a new record length, 25 days. It has major implications for research. The longer federal agencies stay dark, one provost told The Chronicle last week, the more grant applications will pile up, delaying groundbreaking science and cutting off the work that early-career scientists can do before they go up for tenure. What will happen when government operations restart? History indicates that the road to normality will not be easy.
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