University System News:
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Atlanta Metropolitan State College president retiring
By Dave Williams – Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
The president of Atlanta Metropolitan State College will retire at the end of June, the school announced Wednesday. Gary McGaha has been at the helm of the four-year college on Metropolitan Parkway since 2007. His tenure in the University System of Georgia goes back more than 25 years. “My teaching and administrative activities at Atlanta Metropolitan State College have been the most rewarding and gratifying experiences of my professional career,” McGaha said. …Wrigley has named Georj Lewis, vice president of student affairs at Georgia Southern University, to succeed McGaha on an interim basis, effective July 1. Meanwhile, a national search will be launched for a permanent president.
See also:
Marietta Daily Journal
Atlanta Metropolitan State College president to retire
Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News
Atlanta Metropolitan State College president to retire
The George-Anne
By Brendan Ward
Georj Lewis, vice president for student affairs at Georgia Southern University, has been named interim president at Atlanta Metropolitan State College effective July 1. Lewis will serve as interim president following the retirement of current president Gary McGaha. Lewis joined GS in 2002 to lead student diversity programming and later served as GS’ dean of students until 2012 when he left to become vice chancellor of student affairs at Indiana University Northwest. Lewis returned to Georgia in 2013 and became vice president for student affairs at Armstrong State University and continued to hold the position after Armstrong’s consolidation with GS. President Shelley Nickel expressed her sadness at the departure of Lewis in an email Wednesday.
Columbus CEO
Jessica Drake on the Upcoming Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum
Director of Marketing and Business Development at the Leadership Institute at Columbus State Jessica Drake, gives details about the upcoming 14th annual Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum that will be held at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center on August 26-27, 2019.
Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern Students to Bring Savannah to Ireland in New Dunbrody Center Exhibit
Staff Report From Savannah CEO
Visitors to the Dunbrody Emigrant Experience Center, a world-class visitor center in the historic river port of New Ross County, Wexford, Ireland, will soon be able to experience a taste of Savannah, thanks to several Georgia Southern University students. The students conducted primary-source research at archives in Savannah and in Ireland, and a permanent exhibition based on their discoveries is now being developed for the Dunbrody Center, which welcomes more than 110,000 visitors annually. The facility’s principal attraction is a full-scale reproduction of a three-mast, transatlantic sailing ship, the Dunbrody, which operated out of New Ross between 1845 and 1869. “Our students determined that the Dunbrody’s first ever commercial voyage was to Savannah, seeking Georgia timber and that subsequent voyages by it and its sister ships brought immigrants from southeastern Ireland to the Hostess City,” said Howard Keeley, Ph.D., director of Georgia Southern’s Center for Irish Research and Teaching (C.I.R.T.). “That multifaceted story is what the exhibition will convey, providing Irish, European and other international visitors with compelling text and images about Savannah, a city that may not have been on their radar.”
Bloomberg Quint
Digital Ballot Advocates Use the Blind to Champion Their Cause
Margaret Newkirk
Lou Ann Blake took the microphone in a crowded auditorium near Macon, Ga., last August and articulated a position that puts her at odds with almost every cybersecurity professional in the U.S. An election accessibility director for the National Federation of the Blind, Blake was testifying before a committee formed by then-Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp to recommend how to replace the state’s computerized voting equipment, which cyber experts have called the most hackable in the country… The commission’s 18 members included local elections officials, legislators, and one cybersecurity expert, Wenke Lee, a computer science professor and co-director of the Institute for Privacy and Security at Georgia Institute of Technology.
WSAV
Georgia Southern University administrators working to redirect funds due to a decline in enrollment
By: Khalil Maycock
A decline in student enrollment is forcing Georgia Southern University’s administrators to make changes for the upcoming school year, such as reducing and redirecting funds. John Lester, a spokesman, with Georgia Southern said since around 2012 enrollment at the university has been on a small but steady decline. He said enrollment plays a major factor in the amount of money the university receives from the state. Lester said from the fall of 2017 to the fall of 2018 a thousand fewer students attended the university, meaning the loss of at least a million dollars in funding the school received from the state. “So everytime there is an increase or decrease in enrollment it affects our budget. So because of our enrollment drop over the last couple of years we’ve been doing a budget redirection exercise over the last few months,” Lester said. Lester said during this redirection exercise officials are making sure that money isn’t being taken away from areas that will impact students, but he does add the university plans to try to boost enrollment.
Inside Higher Ed
Submitted by Sarah Bray
We’re at a turning point in the digital age, a moment when head-spinning technological innovations revolutionize every facet of our lives. Yet computer scientists, engineers and other technologists leading this revolution have stumbled, failing to anticipate the broader impact of their technological creations. Those failures risk undermining the public’s trust in the institutions and systems that bind us together as a society and community… The Georgia Institute of Technology [5] offers a summer internship on Civic Data Science [6], which places students in teams with local government and nonprofit organizations.
Tifton CEO
ABAC Will Honor Eight Alumni at Homecoming on April 5th
Staff Report From Tifton CEO
Eight former students of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will be honored for their accomplishments at the annual ABAC Alumni Association awards luncheon as a part of the 2019 Homecoming Celebration on April 5 at 12:30 p.m. in Gressette Gymnasium on the ABAC campus. The ceremony will recognize ABAC alumni who impacted the college and their communities in significant ways.
WSAV
Released, but not free: Conference helps ex-offenders reintegrate into society
By: Kim Gusby
At the end of this month, Georgia Southern University will co-sponsor a unique conference that focuses on integrating people with criminal histories back into society. It’s called, “When is the Debt Paid?” Dr. Maxine Bryant, criminology professor and former manager for the City of Savannah’s New Gun Violence Reduction Initiative, is leading the charge.
Marietta Daily Journal
Lindsay Moscarello
Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell partners with the Georgia Public Library Service allowing library card holders access to complimentary admission. Through a library loan program, all 407 public libraries in Georgia will receive passes to Chattahoochee Nature Center, which can be checked out by patrons similar to any other library item.
Tifton Gazette
ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame announces 2019 inductees
Five individuals and one team will be honored with their induction into the Class of 2019 of the Athletics Hall of Fame on April 5 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. ABAC Athletics Director Alan Kramer said the 2019 class includes the 1968-69 men’s basketball team, former softball standout Jenny McCarthy, former tennis star Lisa English, former football player and longtime high school coach Sidney White, former basketball player and college basketball coach Alfred Barney, and former baseball player and outstanding high school coach Terry Mixon. “This group takes us all the way back to the football years of the Georgia State College for Men,” Kramer said. “From the ABAC tennis courts to the baseball field, it’s a great group of inductees. I look forward to hearing stories from their ABAC playing days.”
Columbus CEO
Tennis Legend and CSU’s Nationally Ranked Tennis Teams to Offer Free Youth Tennis Clinic
Staff Report From Columbus CEO
Tennis players of all ages will have the opportunity to learn tips from tennis legend Tracy Austin on April 9. Austin, who will be featured as keynote speaker at Columbus State University Athletics’ Girls in the Game Advance Initiative Luncheon, will offer a free community clinic for local youth. The free community clinic, sponsored by the Columbus Regional Tennis Association (CORTA), is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and is open to youth ages 5 to 18. Austin will be assisted by CSU’s nationally ranked men’s and women’s tennis teams in her instruction of the clinic.
13WMAZ
Middle Georgia State University receives $480,000 for research that could save you from cancer
Professors Yingfeng Wang and Myungjae Kwak receive the largest federal grant MGA has ever seen for research
Author: Pepper Baker
MACON, Ga. — Professors from Middle Georgia State University’s School of Information Technology are ecstatic to receive the $480,000 grant for research that could detect early stages of cancer. Professor Yingfeng Wang is the mastermind behind this project. “If we can make a small step, it will still significantly benefit related areas like cancer detection,” he said.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta police hope changes to patrol zones shorten response times
By Raisa Habersham
Amid complaints about rising crime, the Atlanta Police Department will shrink the boundaries of the police patrol zone that covers Buckhead with the hope of faster response times for 911 calls. “Our goal with the redesign is to ensure that no zone is disproportionately handling too many calls,” Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The department announced the changes in a news release… Campos said the department worked with Georgia Tech researchers to “ensure the workload is evenly distributed throughout the department’s six zones.”
Shooting Sports USA
NCAA Rifle: Air Force Wins Air Rifle Team Championship
by John Parker
For the first time ever, the United States Air Force Academy has won the NCAA air rifle championship title. With a score of 2368-181X, the Air Force rifle team claimed the prestigious honor on the final day of the 2019 NCAA rifle championships. The two-day event was held March 8-9 at the WVU Coliseum on the campus of West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown, WV. The match utilized the WVU Bill McKenzie Mobile Rifle Range, which uses Megalink electronic targets. …Setting the pace going into the final was Rosemary Kramer of Georgia Southern University, who shot a mind-boggling qualification score of 599-50X,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia voting machine debate pits election officials vs. tech experts
By Mark Niesse
Georgia lawmakers are preparing for final votes on a statewide voting system that’s strongly supported by government workers experienced in running elections and just as staunchly opposed by computing experts who see an imminent threat to election security… A study published in November found that nearly half of voters in a Tennessee election last year didn’t review their ballots printed from the same kind of machines as those under consideration in Georgia, and many voters who were surveyed misidentified which ballot they had voted on. The study was written by Georgia Tech researchers Richard DeMillo and Robert Kadel, and Marilyn Marks of the Coalition for Good Governance, who oppose ballot-marking devices.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How does Atlanta factor into the nationwide college cheating scandal?
By Jennifer Brett and Ty Tagami
…Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions at Georgia Tech, talked about some of the ham-fisted antics from over-eager parents his team has thwarted in a 2013 segment for “This American Life.” A common ploy: parents pretending to be their kids for purposes of demonstrating interest in the school love to trot out words like “cool” and “awesome.” Georgia Tech, on the eve of Spring Break, hasn’t yet responded to our requests to talk with Clark. …U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling says the $25 million federal bribery case is the biggest college admissions scam to be prosecuted by the Justice Department. Parents spent anywhere from $200,000 to $6.5 million to guarantee their children’s admission, he said. “For every student admitted through fraud, an honest and genuinely talented student was rejected,” Lelling said. The news has been searing to Lauretta Hannon, vice president of Strategic Marketing and Advancement at Atlanta Metropolitan State College. “It’s sickening,” said Hannon, noting she’d recently worked to secure Marta cards for students her institution learned were walking up to 8 miles a day to attend classes. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow when you’re here in the trenches.” …Georgia’s flagship colleges and universities appeared unwilling to touch the subject. Public relations departments at five of them were asked about the steps they planned to take in response to the scandal. They said they’d try to arrange interviews or get questions answered, but none followed through. Greg Trevor, executive director of media communications for the University of Georgia, ultimately said admissions officials were unavailable during spring break. “We are disappointed to hear the news about the college admissions scandal,” he added, in an emailed statement. “UGA will continue to be thoughtful in our thorough and holistic review of applicants, and we continuously review all of our policies and procedures to ensure consistency and integrity.” The public relations departments at Georgia Tech, Emory, Morehouse and Spelman were also contacted. …The National Association for College Admission Counseling issued a statement urging members to “redouble their commitment to integrity” in their college admission processes.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Admissions Officers Didn’t Cause the Scandal. But They Helped Shape the Culture That Spawned It.
By Eric Hoover
The admissions scandal is a big one, all right. But what lessons does it hold? Many admissions officials throughout the nation asked themselves those questions after hearing Tuesday’s big news. Federal authorities charged 50 people who participated in fraudulent schemes that got wealthy students into big-name colleges through a “side door.” None of the people involved are, or were, admissions officers. Those who received bribes or payments for committing fraud were athletics coaches or exam proctors hired by testing agencies — people who play a role in the process but who aren’t the decision makers. Then again, those decision makers get paid to oversee the integrity of the whole operation. So the unfolding story puts the profession in a bind. At a time of immense scrutiny and public skepticism of the way high-profile colleges select applicants, this controversy erupts in the admissions realm, raising familiar questions about its commitment to fairness. The challenge, some admissions officials say, is to take stock and learn something from the moment, even if, in fact, no one in the field did anything wrong.
Inside Higher Ed
First Victims of Admissions Scandal?
Some fear reports of wealthy families faking learning disabilities may lead to skepticism of those who aren’t faking at all.
By Scott Jaschik
One part of the scandal that has rocked the world of college admissions this week is the alleged faking of learning disabilities. Wealthy parents would coach their children into getting diagnosed as having a disability, qualifying for extra time or other accommodations when taking the SAT or ACT. Authorities have charged that this made it easier to cheat on the exams, sometimes by having answers changed, in testing centers controlled by those involved in the alleged scheme. Those who advocate for students with learning disabilities say the scandal has the potential to undercut progress they have been making in gaining acceptance of the idea that learning disabilities are real and that some people with them need accommodations in testing situations. The Learning Disabilities Association of America was one of the first groups to issue a statement about the indictments.
Inside Higher Ed
Report on ‘New Foundational Skills’ for Work Force
By Doug Lederman
A new report explores the “new foundational skills” that employers are increasingly seeking in their workers in today’s digital economy. The report, by Burning Glass Technologies and the Business-Higher Education Forum, cites 14 skills in three categories: “digital building blocks” (managing data, software development, computer programming, analyzing data, digital security and privacy), “business enablers” (business process, project management, digital design, communicating data), and “human skills” (communication, critical thinking, collaboration, analytical skills, creativity).
Education Dive
5 ideas for change in higher ed from SXSW EDU
Improving career services, being strategic about online growth and getting to know the full student can help institutions stay relevant.
Author Hallie Busta
Pushback against rising tuition, the stress of shrinking state funding and the possibilities afforded by advances in technology have higher ed leaders beginning to challenge some basic assumptions about their field. That process tends to be slow, however, and often makes for hubbub at trade conferences long before its effects can be seen. But eventually the wheels get traction, and those given time with the mic do more than ideate possible solutions to well-documented problems. (Though one can argue that’s an important step, too.) That was the case throughout this year’s SXSW EDU, where higher ed leaders shared small but significant moves they are making toward broader change.