University System News:
Albany Herald
Nathan Deal to be honored by Zell Miller Foundation
Foundation’s third annual Legacy Celebration set for Feb. 23 at Ritz-Carlton Atlanta
From Staff Reports
The Zell Miller Foundation has announced that former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal will be honored with the Zell Miller Award for Distinguished Public Service at the Zell Miller Foundation’s third annual Legacy Celebration. “Governor Deal has embodied true leadership throughout his entire public service career, from his time in the United States Army to most recently serving as Georgia’s 82nd governor,” Bryan Miller, Zell Miller’s grandson and the foundation’s executive chairman and founder, said. “The foundation is very proud to honor Gov. Deal’s service to our great state with this award.” The celebration is set for Feb. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton Atlanta. Previous recipients of the Zell Miller Award for Distinguished Public Service include Hank Huckaby, former chancellor of the University System of Georgia, and David Ralston, speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Campus: Needs-based aid, the state of UGA, Jimmy Carter & GSW
By Eric Stirgus
Despite a snowstorm that never came that shut down about every major campus in Georgia for a day last week, it was still a busy week for the state’s college scene. Here’s our weekly updates of what happened On Campus. Questions surrounding Regents appointments Nathan Deal’s 64 appointments to various boards, including three to the state’s Board of Regents, before he left the governor’s mansion last month were not properly submitted to the state Senate, says new Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan. …Ladies first and second at KSU Kennesaw State University President Pamela Whitten announced last week she has appointed Kathy “Kat” Schwaig as its provost, putting women in the top two positions at Georgia’s third-largest public university. …Needs-based aid The Georgia Legislature passed a bill last year aimed at providing needs-based aid, money for students from low-income households to attend college. …Sorority makes financial commitment to Georgia’s public HBCUs The nation’s historically black colleges and universities have historically been shortchanged by foundations and even alumni. …Former president hopes to support new leadership program Georgia Southwestern State University’s most famous former student has lent his name and support to a student leadership program starting this fall on the campus. …State of UGA It doesn’t have the pomp and political partisanship of a presidential State of the Union address, but last week’s state of the University of Georgia speech by its president was closely watched by many on campus. … Treatment of animals in research under scrutiny Some organizations are calling out some of Georgia campuses for how animals are treated during research. An animal rights group said a $10,000 fine by the federal government against Emory University for three violations wasn’t stiff enough. …Could Georgia’s colleges and universities soon see fewer students? More than a half-million students attend Georgia’s campuses, many of them who attended public schools in the state. …
Atlanta Business Chronicle
UGA’s economic impact reaches $6.3 billion
By Dave Williams
The University of Georgia generated an economic impact of $6.3 billion during the last school year, the university reported Monday. The study, conducted by UGA economist Jeffrey Dorfman, put a dollar value on the university’s teaching, research and service across all of Georgia’s 159 counties. The economic benefits of UGA’s teaching mission were calculated by assessing the increased earnings graduates receive. The impact of the research component was determined by modeling the economic activity generated by federal, foundation and industry grants during fiscal 2018, as well as revenues from the licensing of university inventions. …During the 2017-2018 academic year, more than 10,000 students earned bachlor’s and graduate degrees from UGA. Nearly two of three of the university’s alumni live and work in Georgia. The study found that each dollar of federal or out-of-state research grants UGA lands generates $2 of economic activity.
The Newnan Times-Herald
UWG Newnan enrollment jumps 40 percent
By THE NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD
Tailoring classes to the needs of local students drove a 40 percent increase in spring enrollment at the University of West Georgia’s Newnan campus, compared to a year ago.
A total of 688 students were enrolled in classes at UWG Newnan in spring 2018. This year, spring enrollment jumped to 935, with another 127 students dual-enrolled through the Move on When Ready program. The increase is partly because of improved course sequencing that allows more Newnan students to take their classes locally, according to Dr. Bob Heaberlin, senior director of UWG Newnan. “This was important because many of our students are employed here, and this change allowed them to keep their jobs,” Heaberlin said.
Daily Report
Gift From Grad Guarantees Aid for Veterans at UGA Law
“Thanks to the generous support to date, the school of law has reached the point where every veteran currently enrolled in the entering class will receive financial aid,” UGA law Dean Bo Rutledge said.
By Katheryn Tucker
With a gift form a well-known graduate, the University of Georgia law school has announced it will guarantee financial aid to veterans. “Thanks to the generous support to date, the School of Law has reached the point where every veteran currently enrolled in the entering class will receive financial aid,” UGA Law Dean Peter “Bo” Rutledge said in a statement to be released Tuesday. “What better way to honor military women and men for their service than to provide them monetary support for their education.” Rutledge added, “I am grateful to renowned trial attorney and 1977 law school alumnus Jim Butler for supporting this initiative. After serving our country, just as Jim’s father did, these men and women are seeking to build their careers. It is an honor to be able to support them in their efforts to become lawyers and to obtain justice for others.” Rutledge called the new initiative “the Butler Commitment.”
Tifton CEO
AgGeorgia Farm Credit Sponsors Ocilla Scholar at ABAC
Staff Report From Tifton CEO
When sponsors invest in An Evening for ABAC at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, their dollars really do turn into ABAC scholars. AgGeorgia Farm Credit invested $2,500 as a Gold sponsor for the annual ABAC scholarship fundraising event in 2018 which resulted in a scholarship for Owen Paulk from Ocilla. Paulk is a sophomore majoring in agricultural business at ABAC. AgGeorgia Farm Credit has also agreed to a Gold sponsorship for this year’s event on Feb. 23. …Sponsorship levels include ABAC 1908 Circle for $15,000 which sponsors six scholarships, Presidential for $10,000 which sponsors four scholarships, Titanium for $7,500 which sponsors three scholarships, Platinum for $5,000 which sponsors two scholarships, and Gold for $2,500 which sponsors one scholarship.
WALB
Friday – Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving
Live recording to VOD.
With a mission to support caregivers through advocacy, education, research, and service, Executive Director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving Dr. Jennifer Olsen shared how we can support those in need.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ph.D. in hand, former child refugee Abraham Deng Ater aims to aid his homeland of South Sudan
By Haisten Willis, For the AJC
Earning a doctorate is a difficult journey for anyone. But for Abraham Deng Ater, it’s the culmination of a journey that spans thousands of miles, several refugee camps, two continents and more than three decades. In 1987, Ater was one of 20,000 South Sudanese boys who traveled over 1,000 miles by foot to Ethiopia and Kenya to escape a civil war. He wasn’t even 10 years old, and he left his family behind to become part of a wandering group known as the “Lost Boys,” sleeping in mud refugee camp huts along the way.Fourteen years later, Ater entered the U.S. with the aim of fulfilling his late father’s wish that he finish his education. Today, he’s a public health researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and at the end of 2018, he received a Ph. D. in public health leadership from Georgia Southern University, completing the promise he made so many years ago.
Macon Telegraph
GMC student on bike dies after hitting a Georgia College bus in Milledgeville
BY LIZ FABIAN
A 21-year-old Georgia Military College student died after being run over by a bus Monday morning in Milledgeville. Just before 10:20 a.m., Logan Jones, of Milledgeville, was riding his bicycle on the sidewalk near the corner of Hancock and Clark streets where a Georgia College bus was also traveling, Bibb County deputy coroner Ken Garland said. “He was on a bicycle trying to cross the intersection of Hancock and Clark and ran out in front of the bus,” Garland said. Jones was riding east on the sidewalk as the bus was traveling in the same direction on Hancock Street, Georgia State Patrol Sgt. David Holland stated in an email to The Telegraph. The bus driver was making a right turn onto Clark Street as Jones continued to pedal into the crosswalk without slowing, Holland stated.
Fox5
Police release images of suspect in kidnapping, robbery of Georgia Tech students
New video of one of the men police believes helped to kidnap four Georgia Tech students during a late-night doughnut run. Atlanta Police said the male students decided to get something to eat at the Krispy Kreme on Ponce De Leon Avenue on Jan. 20. They were approached by two men who were panhandling near the doughnut shop around 11 p.m. One of the students gave the panhandlers $5, but that apparently wasn’t enough because at least one of the men begging for money then pulled a gun.
13WMAZ
Georgia schools in need of more psychologists
Georgia’s Association of School Psychologists says 800 psychologists currently serve about 1.8 million students across the state.
Author: Pepper Baker
HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — The National Association of School Psychologists recommends a ratio of 1 school psychologists for every thousand students. Now, most states don’t meet that standard. Georgia is one of them. Houston County Student Services Coordinator Monica Smith breaks down Georgia’s ratio of one school psychologist for every 2,400 students. “School psychologists serve about three to four schools, depending on the student and the school’s needs or population,” She said. However, school counselors are different. …The National Association School Psychologists lists Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University, University of Georgia, and Valdosta State University as the only institutions in the state where people can become nationally certified as a school psychologist. The state’s Association of School Psychologists says school psychologists need more training than any other entry-level employees in the school system.
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern theater production goes to national competition
By Kyle Clark, The George-Anne staff
The Georgia Southern University production of “Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight” will be performed at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival on Feb. 7 at Converse College. The KCACTF is a national level event where theater students compete for scholarships in competitions on design, playwriting, and show production. Roughly 1,000 students are invited to KCACTF each year. “Emilie” could potentially take home national awards in acting, design, overall production, directing and ensemble, director Lisa Abbott said. This will be the last time GS Theater Department will be performing “Emilie” with this cast.
Savannah Morning News
Savannah, state economy growing, but slowly in 2019
By Katie Nussbaum
The state of Georgia is again on track to outpace the nation for a sixth year in a row in 2019, but the growth will be less robust than it was in 2018, according to the Georgia Economic Outlook forecast from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. “We predict job growth in all of Georgia’s 14 metropolitan areas and in all of the state’s major industries,” Benjamin Ayers, Dean of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business, said Monday during the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Economic Outlook luncheon at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa. “Georgia will benefit from several reliable sources of growth, including an impressive economic development team, favorable demographics trends, more homebuilding and real estate development, higher defense spending, continuing fiscal stimulus from recent tax cuts and faster productivity growth,” he said. On the employment front, the state is expected to see a 1.5 percent increase in employment, just below the 1.7 percent gain in 2018, but still above the national average of 1.3 percent. Construction is the fastest growing sector, followed by education and health services, leisure and hospitality, business services and mining and logging. No major sectors are expected to see a net loss of jobs, Ayers said.
Athens Banner-Herald
Georgia athletics profit grows in latest NCAA financial report
By Marc Weiszer
Georgia athletics brought in $42.758 million more in revenue than it spent in fiscal year 2018. The data comes from Georgia’s annual NCAA financial report, which was obtained Monday by the Athens Banner-Herald in an open records request. The report encompasses the period from July 2017 through June 2018.Georgia reported $176,699,893 in operating revenue and $133,941,585 in operating expenses. Georgia said that $32.297 million of that $42.758 million difference went to fund capital projects for the west end zone side of Sanford Stadium—that included a new football home locker room—and the indoor practice facility. The Athletic Association also contributed $4.5 million to the university. Another $5.961 million is planned to be used for future athletic facility enhancements, the school said.
13WMAZ
Public Wi-Fi could come to Poplar Street
An agreement between Macon-Bibb County and Middle Georgia State University could bring free Wi-Fi to downtown.
Author: Avery Braxton
MACON, Ga. — Visitors to Poplar Street could soon have access to free public Wi-Fi if a cooperation between Macon-Bibb County government and Middle Georgia State University makes it through commission. Middle Georgia State University received a $39,848 Downtown Challenge Grant to put wireless access on Poplar Street from Rosa Parks Square to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. …The university said that Wi-Fi could be an excellent way to bring more pedestrian traffic to the Poplar Street area. Wayne Woodard, owner of Ambitious Graphics on Poplar Street, agreed wholeheartedly. …MGSU’s staff and IT student workers would be in charge of installing and operating the Wi-Fi. The grant supplies enough funds for the Wi-Fi to be in effect for 18 months. The resolution from Macon-Bibb County government states that it would cost $24,000 a year afterwards to maintain the Wi-Fi. It would be up to MGSU to find additional funding.
51VOA
US Doctoral Degrees May Be Losing Their Appeal
By Pete Musto
For many people who seek higher education in the United States, the common study period of two to four years is not enough. Luckily, graduate degree programs permit students to continue their education and become even more skilled in a given field. The highest level of education offered by an American college or university is a doctoral degree, or Ph.D. In science, technology engineering and mathematics, or STEM fields, it takes about five years of additional study to earn a Ph.D. In humanities fields, like history or language, receiving a doctoral degree takes an average of seven years. …Most colleges and universities cover a large part of the costs for students seeking STEM doctorates. But that does not mean there is less risk involved in investing so much time in your education, said John Walsh. Walsh is a professor of public policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He added that there are also some signs that STEM Ph.D.s may be losing their appeal, too. Walsh co-authored a study released in December on the amount of time scientists worked on publishing academic research. It examined the work of over 100,000 scientists who published studies between 1900 and 2015. The study found that, on average, it took about 35 years for half of a group of scientists in the 1960s to reach a point where they were no longer publishing academic research. By comparison, in the 2010s, it took an average of five years, for half of a group of scientists to stop publishing.
Engadget
House committee sets first climate change hearing in eight years
It will address the impact on “communities, natural resources and economic well-being.”
Kris Holt
The National Resources Committee has set a date for the first House of Representatives hearing on climate change in eight years after Democrats regained control of the legislature. It takes place Wednesday at 10 AM ET, and it will address how climate change affects “American communities, natural resources and economic well-being.”… Those set to testify include Massachusetts and North Carolina governors Charlie Baker and Roy Cooper; Dr. Kim Cobb, a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; and Nadia Nazar, a co-founder of Zero Hour Movement and co-organizer of the Youth Climate March.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Could Congress Pass a New Higher-Education Law Before 2020?
By Eric Kelderman
Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican of Tennessee, confirmed on Monday that he hopes to get the Higher Education Act reauthorized within the next year. Doing so could cement his legacy as a bipartisan dealmaker as chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Speaking in a panel discussion at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and later on the floor of the Senate, the former college president and U.S. secretary of education laid out three broad strokes of a proposed bill. At the top of Alexander’s list is his long-term goal of simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by paring the number of questions a student must answer from 108 to 25 or fewer. Second, all students who borrowed federal loans should be automatically enrolled in one of just two repayment plans, with the payments deducted from their paychecks. One option is for students to pay 10 percent of their income for 20 years, with any remaining balance forgiven after that. The other option is a fixed payment over 10 years, like a mortgage plan. Third, Alexander wants a new accountability system for colleges that would be based on the rate of graduates’ loan repayment, measured for each program offered by a college. “This should lower tuition for some programs, or even discourage schools from offering programs that are not worth it to students,” he said in prepared remarks. The news of Alexander’s plans, by itself, does little to increase the likelihood that a divided Congress could come to an agreement on legislation.
The Hechinger Report
College spending comes under closer scrutiny
A new website shows trustees, lawmakers, administrators and families how colleges spend their money
by Delece Smith-Barrow
We know that college costs are increasing, but what’s harder to find out is where the money is going. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni on Wednesday launched a site that makes it easy to track how your hard-earned tuition dollars are spent: HowCollegesSpendMoney.com. It’s geared toward college trustees, lawmakers and policy wonks, who can use the site’s data to lobby for or against government spending for higher education or to compare their institution to others. But parents and students can take advantage of it as well. It’s a quick way to figure out not only how much a school costs but also how much of that cost is actually spent on classroom instruction.
The Wall Street Journal
Energy Department to Ban Foreign Talent- Recruitment Programs
U.S. takes aim at programs run by China and others it says can threaten national security
By Timothy Puko and Kate O’Keeffe
The U.S. Energy Department says it will ban its scientists and other employees from participating in talent-recruitment programs sponsored by China and other countries suspected of using them to obtain sensitive research. In a memo issued Friday, the department said it would require all of its personnel, contracted scientists and future grant recipients to declare any connections to programs from countries it determines as “sensitive.” Employees with the links will be asked to either sever those ties or resign, senior department officials said. The department oversees 17 national laboratories conducting advanced research in fields including nuclear physics and supercomputing.
The Washington Post
How the Trump administration’s Title IX proposals threaten to undo #MeToo
The changes would make campus sexual assault harder to punish, while increasing the burdens on black men.
By Ruth Lawlor
The Trump administration is trying to change Title IX, the landmark federal legislation that prohibits discrimination in education on the basis of sex. Proponents of the changes claim that the new rules better protect the due process rights of accused students, while also addressing real, and long-standing, racial disparities in rape allegations. In reality, however, the changes simply roll back protections for sexual assault victims, while doing nothing to actually address the issue of racial bias in rape cases. This is because the proposed changes center on a false dichotomy, one that frames civil rights for men of color and protections for rape victims as a zero-sum game. In doing so, the proposal relies on the persistent power of patriarchal white supremacy to divide the groups under its control and to frame their concerns as conflicting.