University System News:
11alive
Why is there so much student debt?
The average student debt is double what it was just nine years ago.
Author: Jerry Carnes
Student debt is climbing nationwide, and the issue is likely going to be part of the 2020 presidential race. According to the Federal Reserve, student debt is now $1.5-trillion. In 2014, the average student owed $10-thousand, which is double the amount owed just nine years before. Why? Nationwide, the cost of a college education has been rising. According to Mark Kantrowitz of Savingforcollege.com, federal and state grants to offset the costs haven’t kept pace. “Increases in college costs on a per-student, inflation-adjusted basis shifts the burden of paying for college from the government to the families,” said Kantrowitz. Georgia has fared much better than most of the country. Tuition rates here have increased less than two-percent over the last five years. The Board of Regents recently passed a 2.5% tuition increase for the 2019-2020 academic year. There was no tuition increase the previous two years. The median household income in the United States hasn’t changed much since 2000. “Although more families are saving for the children’s college education, not enough families are saving for college,” Kantrowitz writes an article titled Trends in Student Loan Debt. “Those that save for college are also not saving enough.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shoring up teacher pension system could cost Georgia big money
By James Salzer
Georgia lawmakers are moving forward with legislation they hope will put the state’s $78 billion pension system for teachers on more stable footing for the future. But to do so, the legislation the state House Retirement Committee moved on Monday could temporarily mean a much bigger taxpayer subsidy to the system, which provided pensions to 127,000 Georgians last year and promises benefits to more than 200,000 teachers and University System of Georgia staffers in the future.The measures come after a two-year period in which the state hiked taxpayer payments into the system by about $600 million, eating up much of the new tax revenue that came in during 2017 and 2018. The committee voted Monday to get cost estimates on House Bill 662 and House Bill 667. Once the committee finds out how much each would cost later this year, it can decide whether to alter them and/or move ahead with them for consideration by the General Assembly in 2020. Each may increase state and local spending on the pensions.
Albany Herald
Rayfield to speak at ABAC Bainbridge commencement
From Staff Reports
Stuart Rayfield, vice chancellor of Leadership and Institutional Development with the University System of Georgia, will be the guest speaker at the spring commencement ceremony on May 9 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Bainbridge. A total of 62 students are expected to receive diplomas at the 7 p.m. event in the Student Wellness Center. ABAC President David Bridges will open the ceremony. Rayfield served as the interim president at the former Bainbridge State College prior to its consolidation with ABAC. She was also the interim president of Gordon State College in 2018. Prior to her role as interim president at Bainbridge State, Rayfield served as the Frank D. Brown Distinguished Chair in Servant Leadership as well as an associate professor and director of the Servant Leadership Program at Columbus State University.
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern President discusses outcome of redirection in letter to faculty and staff
By Matthew Enfinger and Brendan Ward
A letter from Georgia Southern University’s President Kyle Marrero explains the outcome of the university’s budget redirection plan, which includes funds toward fixing pay disparities among faculty and staff and details on eliminating vacant faculty positions. The original estimated redirection /reductions for FY20 was $15,025,564. According to the letter that amount decreased to $13,102,257. “We began with a budget redirection target of 10% for each unit — the total redirection ended up ranging from 5.5% [for Academic Affairs] to 10.07% [for] Business & Finance for an average university-wide reduction of 6.79%,” Marrero said in the letter. “The total amount identified was approximately $20.3 million.” From the redirection, the university identified savings and new funding equal to $26.4 million. GS has allocated $13.3 million for FY20 strategic priorities. These priorities include:
Griffin Daily News
Gordon State welcomes new president Nooks
By Jennifer Reynolds
STAFF WRITER
Gordon State College held the investiture of Dr. Kirk A. Nooks on Friday, April 26 in the Student Activity Recreation Center at the campus in Barnesville.
13WMAZ
18-year-old becomes youngest to graduate with a bachelor’s from MGA
Michael Koohang graduated from Houston County High School in 2018 and will have a college degree in May 2019
Author: Pepper Baker
At 18 years old, Michael Koohang is already a Houston County High School alum and soon to be a Middle Georgia State College graduate. “I’m graduating next week, which is May 9th at 4 p.m., counting down the hours,” he said. Koohang says he’s dreamed of becoming a software engineer since he was 14 years old at a camp in eighth grade. “We basically had to build a project like a clock using Java, and right when I did that, the first line of code that I wrote, I immediately knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said. When he was in 10th grade, Houston County schools began offering dual enrollment options to study software development. “I graduated from high school with about 83 credits from college,” Koohang said. At 17, he graduated high school and entered Middle Georgia State as a senior. “It’s less time I have to spend in school, and more time I get to focus on the things that matter for sure, in real life, like working for Apple,” he said.
The Press-Sentinel
LAUGHING KEEPS LESSIE SMITHGALL YOUNG AT 108
BY: DINK NESMITH
How do you get to be the oldest alum of the University of Georgia? You would have had to be born on April Fool’s Day, 1911. No joke. Lessie Smithgall, 108, is a 1933 graduate of UGA’s Henry W. Grady School of Journalism. Eighty-six years later, Lessie Bailey Smithgall beams when she talks about her days in Athens. One of the first things she remembers learning was the tradition of “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate” between Georgia and its archrival, Georgia Tech. That’s why she still chuckles about marrying a Tech graduate, Charlie Smithgall, in 1934. The first day she met Charlie, she didn’t like him. No, not one bit. Sitting in her parlor on April 16, she relived that fortuitous encounter with the loud, rude man who was interrupting her “tryout” for a job at Atlanta’s WGST. Paychecks were scarce in the midst of the Great Depression. Besides, this Tech man already had a job at the radio station. As she talked, the self-effacing “queen” of Gainesville twisted her painted lips and shook her head. And then she laughed. If anything has sustained Lessie Smithgall through her remarkable longevity, it has been a healthy sense of humor. Within a year of that “unlovable” first meeting, the couple married, remaining together for 68 years before Charlie, 91, died in 2002. The Smithgalls may have started their eventual empire on a shoestring with borrowed money, but they became royalty in the media world of radio, cable TV and newspapers. The more money they made, the more they gave away.
The George-Anne
Two Georgia Southern biology professors receive TriBeta awards
By Bisola Oke
Two Georgia Southern University biology professors received TriBeta awards for their collaboration with students during research lab and participating in events sponsored by TriBeta. Ray Chandler, Ph.D., said he was surprised and proud to receive this award because it comes directly from a student group. “I was genuinely surprised because I did not know I would get this award. It means a lot to a faculty member to receive recognition directly from students,” Chandler said. Christine Bedore, Ph.D., said she is honored to receive this award as she has been fortunate to work with some exceptional group of students. Chandler and Bedore received these awards at the annual Department of Biology cookout in April held by TriBeta Biology Honors Society.
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA pharmacy school residency match record
The UGA School of Pharmacy set a residency match record this spring, with 72 percent (56 of 78) of students seeking post-graduate residency matches receiving successful notifications. The national average for this record is 61 percent. “Our successful match rate speaks volumes to the outstanding pharmacy education that is delivered by the faculty of our college,” said Dean Kelly Smith. “Beyond the classroom, we provide future pharmacists with superior experiential learning curriculum in clinics, hospitals, and many other community and health care settings as well. I couldn’t be prouder of this accomplishment. To be in the top 10 nationwide is phenomenal.” UGA also had the highest number of matches among the four schools of pharmacy in Georgia.
WGAURadio
UGA GRANTS TO HELP WITH TEXTBOOKS
By: Sam Fahmy
The University of Georgia has become a national leader in the use of free online textbooks, and a new grant program funded by the Provost’s Office will help save students even more money while improving the quality of their learning experience. This semester, 14 faculty members in 10 academic units received funding through the Affordable Course Materials Grant program to transition from costly textbooks to open educational resources. The $50,000 that was distributed through the program is expected to save 7,400 students a total of $770,000 in textbook costs each year.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UGA panel hears arguments after racially charged campus speech dispute
By Eric Stirgus
A University of Georgia graduate student defended himself Friday at a hearing against a complaint he violated its student code of conduct in a dispute that centered around race and the boundaries of freedom of expression rights. The student, Irami Osei-Frimpong, and his supporters believe the complaint against him, that he purposefully omitted a 2011 trespassing arrest from his admissions application, is a veiled attempt to remove him from campus for racially charged statements he made at a meeting that were posted online in January.
AccessWDUN
University of North Georgia poultry judging team places in national competition
The University of North Georgia’s poultry judging team took fourth place in production hens at the 72nd annual National Collegiate Poultry judging competition at Louisiana State University in early April. In addition to the team’s strong finish, Bryce Andrews placed second and Sam Castleberry fourth out of 44 students competing in production hens. UNG’s team placed eighth overall in its fourth year competing at the event. It was the first year UNG students brought home trophies.
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern student to debut Bulloch County military history exhibit as part of project
By Rachel Adams
The Georgia Southern University Museum will debut an exhibit on Bulloch County’s military history on April 30. Breana James, a GS public history student, led the Bulloch County’s Military History and Heritage project, which features an exhibit called “Community and Conflict” and a website also called Bulloch County’s Military Heritage. The exhibit will showcase different artifacts and history from Bulloch County veterans who gave their lives as well as those who are still living in the community today. “Around a dozen veterans or family members of veterans participated in creating the exhibit,” James said in an email. “Specifically, I interviewed eight people in Bulloch County about the war.” James said she began researching for the project in April 2018 and began working on it in August 2018.
Moultrie Observer
Moultrians among ABAC students attending research conferences
The Associated Press
Students enrolled in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College celebrated National Undergraduate Research week by presenting their research in conferences across the United States. Biology majors Jeremy Paradice from Moultrie, Jessica Wade from Douglas, David Howell from Fitzgerald, Caleigh Eberhardt from Orange Park, Fla., and Frank Garcia from Ty Ty presented their posters at the Association of Southeastern Biologists conference in Memphis, Tenn. Garcia won third place for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. These students were accompanied by their advisors, Dr. Kingsley Dunkley, Dr. Ben Gahagen, Dr. Bal Khatiwada, and Matthew Aderholt.
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern Master of Business Administration program moves to Armstrong Campus
By Brendan Ward
Georgia Southern University has moved its Master of Business Administration to the Armstrong Campus. “By moving, the program will take advantage of the growth opportunities offered in the Savannah area,” according to the press release. “The Parker MBA Savannah program provides a curriculum specifically designed for working professionals taught by faculty who provide rigorous coursework with opportunities to learn from other business professionals.” Fall 2019 will be the last time students can join the program on the Statesboro Campus.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU stands by new coach Amir Abdur-Rahim
By John Bednarowski
Kennesaw State released a statement Friday supporting new men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. Abdur-Rahim’s name surfaced Thursday during the federal college basketball corruption trial in New York as being connected to a 2017 discussion about an $11,000 payment to Texas A&M player Robert Williams. It was alleged during testimony that Abdur-Rahim met with ex-sports agent Christian Dawkins, financial adviser Marty Blazer — a key federal witness — and an undercover FBI agent to discuss the payment. …On Friday, Kennesaw State athletic director Milton Overton addressed the allegation in the university statement. “During the hiring process for a new head men’s basketball coach, KSU Athletics conducted a thorough NCAA compliance background check on the final candidates,” Overton said. “This process included NCAA compliance review with previous institutions and confirmation from the NCAA Committee on Infractions that the candidates were all clear of level I or level II violations. “According to Texas A&M University officials, there were no NCAA violation findings as a result of their comprehensive investigation concerning the FBI probe of the MBB Coaching staff. Officials reported that Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim cooperated fully with the investigation. Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim explicitly denied any wrong doing during a KSU NCAA compliance interview on Thursday and further stated that he has not engaged in any efforts to provide impermissible benefits to prospects or current student-athletes.
11alive
11Alive’s Chris Holcomb honored with lifetime achievement award from UGA
11Alive was thrilled to celebrate with Chris and his family as he is given the John Holliman Jr. Lifetime Achievement award from his alma mater, the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism.