University System News:
WGXA
Mercer and Gordon State College reach new transfer agreement
by WGXA staff
Mercer University and Gordon State College signed a new transfer articulation agreement through 2023 on Monday. Under the terms of the agreement, an undergraduate student may first attend Gordon State College in Barnesville to complete an associate degree and then transfer to Mercer’s College of Liberal Arts, School of Engineering or Penfield College to complete a bachelor’s degree. “Mercer University recognizes the importance of providing opportunities for students to achieve their educational and career goals,” said Dr. D. Scott Davis, Mercer’s provost. “We are excited to strengthen our partnership with Gordon State College and ensure a pathway for individuals to seamlessly earn a bachelor’s degree that will prepare them to make a positive impact in their professions and communities. Gordon State’s core values and dedication to student success align well with those of Mercer, and I am confident that our continued partnership and commitment will provide greater access for students to advance their education and fully prepare for career success.”
WTOC
Agreement between GSU, EGSC to mean more than just shared credits
By Dal Cannady
Big changes are on the way for two schools in our region. It’s all designed to put students of a smaller college in Statesboro for more access and opportunities. Georgia Southern’s Nessmith-Lane Center will soon become the Statesboro satellite campus for East Georgia State College. In an agreement between the two schools, East Georgia will move its classes and faculty offices into a building on Southern’s campus. It’s the latest piece in an ongoing partnership between the two. Georgia Southern’s provost says it’s part of a mission to help East Georgia students who want to transition to a four-year university degree. “The students will be on campus. They’ll be taking classes that are strictly East Georgia, but also courses that are strictly Georgia Southern,” Dr. Carl Reiber said.
Daily Tribune
GHC named No. 6 in country for saving students money on textbooks
BY DONNA HARRIS
Georgia Highlands College has been recognized as one of the top schools in the country for saving its students money on textbooks. Rice University-based publisher OpenStax ranked the college at No. 6 on its list of Top 10 schools that have served the most students by adopting free college textbooks during the 2017-18 academic year. GHC was one of two Georgia colleges to make the list, with the University of Georgia coming in at No. 2. “These schools are driving access for all students by supporting the open educational resource movement,” Daniel Williamson, managing director at OpenStax, said in a press release. “Thanks to their leadership and supportive campus communities, millions of students now have one less obstacle on their educational journey.” Georgia Highlands saved 31,414 students an estimated $2,869,610 last year, according to OpenStax, and has eliminated more than $6 million in textbook costs during the last three years by using free open educational resources.
Clayton News-Daily
From Staff Reports
Clayton State University has earned a Retention Scholarship grant from the Heritage Community Foundation. The $2,000 grant presented to Timothy Hynes Jr., president of Clayton State University, provides support for the university’s program that assists qualified students with funds to help them complete their academic program. “Each year, more than 150 Clayton State University students are forced to withdraw from classes because they run out of money,” said Mark Dose, executive director of the Heritage Community Foundation. “This grant supports the Retention Scholarship program that makes it possible for many of these students to stay in school and compete their degree program. We are pleased and proud of the great work Clayton State University is doing to positively impact our community.”
Clayton News-Daily
Clayton State University raises more than $160,000 during 24-hour fundraising event
From Staff Reports
Clayton State University’s fourth-annual 24-hour day of giving raised more than $161,000 to “give more students greater opportunity to achieve their dreams,” CSU officials said. From March 14-15, 377 donors gave to support 13 projects including student travel, academic research, national competitions and scholarships. “The outpouring of support for #Give4Dreams from scores of groups and individuals was amazing,” said Tim Hynes, president of Clayton State University. “We exceeded one day support goals in virtually every planned category of giving.”
The Red & Black
UGA mock trial advances to national championship
Savannah Sicurella | Staff Writer
After placing second and fifth at a qualifying competition in Memphis last weekend, two teams from the University of Georgia’s undergraduate mock trial program will be advancing to the national championship for the first time in three years. This comes after all four teams of UGA’s program were invited to compete at the qualifying competition in Memphis, Tennessee on March 15-17. With space to advance only two teams, the program sent the two comprised of more-experienced competitors to represent the school.
Yahoo Finance
Miami Beach spring breaker called a ‘hero’ for picking up trash in viral photo
Paulina Cachero
In the midst of hundreds of swimsuit-clad tourists leisurely lounging on Miami Beach for spring break, one teen hailing from Atlanta was spotted picking up trash on the littered shores. Like many college students, Joshua Caraway, a freshman studying biology at the University of West Georgia, made the trek to the Sunshine State from Stone Mountain, Ga. with four friends to hit up the beach on their spring break. When Caraway arrived at the Miami beachfront on March 23, he was astonished to find the shores littered with bottles, plastic, flyers, red cups and more. So instead of lying amongst the litter and his fellow spring breakers, the 19-year-old began to walk along the beach to pick up the trash by hand. “I saw a lot of trash on the beach and that compelled me to start cleaning,” Caraway tells Yahoo Lifestyle, adding that he’s been passionate about animals and the environment since childhood. “If it’s not cleaned up that trash would get washed in the ocean which is terrible for our Earth and sea animals.”
WSB
GSU professor developing drones to help fight wildfires
By: Glenn Burns
Drones have the potential to help save lives when it comes to fighting wildfires. A Georgia State University researcher is using drones to help give people more time to evacuate. The drones in the sky are collecting real-time information that can also help firefighters on the ground contain wildfires. Wildfires are destructive and can be deadly. Nearly 56,000 wildfires burned more than 8 million acres in the United States last year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. …Georgia State University Associate Professor Xiaolin Hu, Ph.D. and his colleagues received a $1.2 million federal grant to use drones to fight wildfires. The drones fly about 50 to 100 meters above ground. They are equipped with GPS, a fire sensing camera and sensors to collect two types of information. “The fire data, like the location of the fire, and location of the fire front. The second type of data is called wind data, including wind speed and direction,” said Hu. Using information collected by the drones, a computer simulation model helps predict how the fire will spread.
Oconee County Observations
***UGA Sends New Letter Of Opposition***
A total of 269 people attended the two Open House meetings the Georgia Department of Transportation held in the last two weeks on the widening of U.S. 441 and the bypass of Bishop, including 195 at the Open House last week at Oconee Veterans Park. Attendees at both sessions got a chance to view maps showing the widening plans for the highway from the bypass in Madison to just south of Bishop and from just north of Bishop to the Watkinsville bypass and the truck bypass on the eastern side of Bishop. No formal presentation was made, but attendees were given a chance to talk with representatives of GDOT and its consultants and to fill out a comment sheet asking them if they supported the project. Greg McGarity, director of Athletics at the University of Georgia, last week restated his opposition to the proposed bypass of Bishop, which will border the university’s Equestrian Facility on Astondale Road. McGarity said it does not appear that the bypass meets the needs of all interested parties and GDOT should not move further on the project until “a stronger consensus can be reached.”
Higher Education News:
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia Senate passes $27.5B state budget
By Dave Williams – Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
The Georgia Senate unanimously passed a fiscal 2020 budget Monday that would give every certified public school teacher in the state a $3,000 raise. The $27.5 billion spending plan also would give school counselors, social workers, psychologists, media specialists and special education specialists $3,000 increases, while state employees would get a 2 percent raise.
Inside Higher Ed
Increasing Understanding of Online Learning
Survey of campus strategy leaders categorizes colleges by online intensity and examines issues such as student interaction with instructors, governance and student outcomes.
By Doug Lederman
Many people in higher education still treat online education as if it’s a new phenomenon, even though some colleges and universities have been doing it for decades. That’s probably partly because some institutions remain untouched by it, and at many others it has grown only in pockets of the campus — from certain schools or programs or professors. It’s also partly because good data about online education are still relatively rare. The federal government now publishes annual data on online enrollments, and a small but growing group of researchers are paying attention to the topic. But there remains a surprising dearth of good information about how colleges approach online learning given that a third of all students take at least one online course and more institutions are putting online education front and center in their strategies. With their third “Changing Landscape of Online Education” report (nicknamed CHLOE 3), Quality Matters and Eduventures Research are trying to change that. Their report, based on a survey of 280 chief online learning officers (up from 182 last year), supplements studies like the Education Department’s annual enrollment report, the Digital Learning Compass and Inside Higher Ed’s annual Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology.