University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia board approves budget cuts to state University System
By Eric Stirgus
The Georgia Board of Regents unanimously approved budget cuts to the state’s largest public college system Tuesday to meet Gov. Brian Kemp’s call for a reduction in spending. The 4% cut for the current fiscal year budget — nearly $10.4 million — does not the budget for classroom instruction, University System of Georgia officials say. The cuts, though, will affect farm and marine research, libraries and even the state’s new Cyber Innovation and Training Center in Augusta. Spending for those operations will be cut by 6% for the 12-month fiscal year starting July 1, 2020. The system’s main budget for the current fiscal year is now $2.58 billion. The cuts come from parts of the budget that is allocated for expenses that does not include classroom teaching.
accessWDUN
Georgia universities, exempt from Kemp cuts, seek more money
By The Associated Press
Georgia’s public universities could see overall state funding increase next year, despite guidance from Gov. Brian Kemp to trim budgets this year and next. The state Board of Regents voted Tuesday to recommend a $75 million increase in the system’s budget for the year that will begin next July, even while complying with Kemp’s directive from last month to cut 4% percent from certain parts of its budget in the last nine months of this budget year, as well as cut 6% from the 2021 budget that lawmakers will consider next year. That’s because Kemp has exempted many of the state’s most expensive education and health programs from his directive. Of $27.5 billion the General Assembly appropriated this year, more than $15 billion is budgeted for education, including $10.6 billion for K-12 schools, $2.6 billion for universities and more than $1 billion for student financial aid including HOPE scholarships.
Emanuel County Live
Annual State of the College Presidential Address to be presented at EGSC
by Harley Strickland
On September 24, 2019 beginning at 11 a.m., East Georgia State College President Bob Boehmer will present the Annual State of the College Presidential Address in the auditorium of the Luck F. Gambrell Center on EGSC’s Swainsboro campus. This in-depth, year-in-review and look forward for the college will also be livestreamed via EGSC’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/EastGaCollegefor those who are unable to attend.
Statesboro Herald
Dorian student victims need temporary “adoption”
Donations still sought
While the main focus after Hurricane Dorian’s ruthless devastation of the Bahamas is helping islanders recover, students from the Bahamas living in Statesboro have current needs as well. Lauryn Smith wipes a tear from her eye as she and fellow Georgia Southern students from the Bahamas Versace Nicolls, Brittni Swain, Sae Moss, and Peter Williams share their stories about contacting loved ones back home in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian during a press conference and information session with local disaster relief organizations and volunteers at the Bulloch County Emergency Operations Center Friday.
Growing Georgia
Constitution Day Ceremony at ABAC on September 13
Local attorney and minister Chris Solomon will speak at the Constitution Day ceremony at 2 p.m. on Sept. 13 in the Chapel of All Faiths on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Sponsored by the ABAC Department of History and Political Science and the ABAC Student Government Association, the event is open to the public. ABAC has a natural tie to the annual Constitution Day on Sept. 17 because Abraham Baldwin, the namesake for the institution, was one of only two Georgia signers for the historic document 232 years ago on Sept. 17, 1787 in Philadelphia.
WGAU Radio
AMID RASH OF PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS IN ATHENS, UGA LAUNCHES SAFETY CAMPAIGN
By: Tim Bryant
A 26 year-old Athens woman becomes the third person in Athens to be hit by a vehicle since this past Saturday: Athens-Clarke County Police say she was, at last report, hospitalized in serious condition. She was struck by a car on College Station Road. The victims of two other vehicle vs pedestrian accidents—one on Lexington Road and the other on Newton Bridge Road—were both killed. Police investigations are ongoing. The University of Georgia is launching a public safety campaign, urging students to stop looking down at their phones while walking. UGA’s Heads Up Bulldogs campaign looks to remind students that distracted walking can be as dangerous as distracted driving.
Athens CEO
Next Phase of University of Georgia’s Innovation District Advancing
Aaron Hale
The next phase of the University of Georgia’s Innovation District is advancing. The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approved the renovation of the Spring Street Building, which will be transformed into a creative and dynamic space to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement at UGA. The $4.4 million project is expected to be completed by January 2021 through the support of private donations. “First and foremost, we are grateful to the Chancellor and the Board of Regents for supporting this critical next step in the development of UGA’s Innovation District,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “This exciting project will provide a unique space at the heart of North Campus and downtown Athens, where faculty, students, industry partners and community members can collaborate, innovate and develop solutions to real-world problems.”
CNBC
Delta partners with Georgia Tech and 5G-enabled lab on autonomous vehicle research
Anmar Frangoul
Delta Air Lines is to partner with Georgia Tech and the Curiosity Lab on research into autonomous vehicles. The project will see researchers from the organizations get access to the Curiosity Lab’s 1.5-mile autonomous vehicle test track. The Curiosity Lab is a 5G-enabled autonomous vehicle and smart city living lab based in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. A network operations center at the lab enables researchers to track and analyse data. “Autonomous vehicle technology is one of those innovations we see as having the potential to improve employee safety, the customer experience and operational performance, and this partnership will help us explore all of those possibilities,” Gil West, Delta’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.
MarketWatch
The No. 1 university in America now comes with a total sticker price of over $293,000
Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, MIT, Yale are among the top schools in U.S. News’ new ranking
By Catey Hill, Editor
Getting schooled at a top school may come with some serious sticker shock. On Monday, U.S. News & World Report released its annual ranking of the best colleges and universities in America — and once again, Princeton landed the top spot. It was followed by Harvard, Columbia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale. The analysis looks at 1,400 colleges and universities and ranks them on student outcomes such as graduation rates; faculty resources like class sizes; expert opinion from fellow educators; alumni giving and student excellence such as incoming student SAT and ACT scores. …If you’re looking to potentially lower the sticker shock of college, but still get a top-notch degree, U.S. News also ranked the top public colleges in the nation.
10 best public schools
- Georgia Institute of Technology (tie for 5th)
Savannah CEO
Georgia Named “Top State for Business” for 6th Straight Year
Staff Report From Georgia CEO
Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Georgia has been named the “Top State for Business” by Area Development, a leading publication covering corporate site selection and relocation, for the sixth year in a row. The results are determined by the publication’s poll of site consultants. “I am exceptionally proud that Georgia has once again been named the Top State for Business by Area Development,” said Governor Kemp. “This announcement serves as a powerful testament to what we all know to be true: Georgia is the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Our efforts to cut red tape and ensure our business environment leads the nation continue to lure world-class companies to the Peach State from every corner of the map. “Our world-class workforce is a direct result of our top-ranking colleges and universities, and Georgia Quick Start, the best workforce development program in the nation. The state’s innovative and comprehensive logistics network makes Georgia a gateway to the global economy by land, air, and sea. “In the coming years, my administration is committed to building our state’s economic development toolbox so that we continue to attract leading companies in manufacturing, FinTech, information technology, and other industries ready to invest in a state that values their business and positive impact on local communities.”
WSAV
Collegiate athletics look to California bill allowing student-athlete pay
by: Martin Staunton
A bill that passed Monday in California would allow college athletes to make money on their name, image, or likeness. It sailed through the House and Senate in Sacramento, but still needs the governor’s signature or inaction to become a law in the Golden State. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) had not issued comment by press time. It puts California on the road to a showdown with the NCAA. It’s also being monitored closely by athletic programs across the country — including the Peach State. Georgia Southern University is a member of the NCAA. Athletic Director Tom Kleinlein says the issue of college athlete pay is complex but is in direct conflict with the cornerstone of amateur athletics.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
One Step Closer to Pay for California College Athletes
State’s politicians approve legislation to allow athletes to be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness for marketing purposes. The NCAA fiercely opposes the measure.
By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
In one of the most significant strikes against the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s system of amateur athletics, California lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow players in the state to profit off their name, image and likeness. The adoption of the bill is likely to set up a battle between California lawmakers and the NCAA as the legislation heads to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom for his anticipated signature. The association fiercely opposed the measure. NCAA President Mark Emmert went so far this summer as to insinuate that California institutions would be excluded from championship games if the bill was approved. Traditionalists in the NCAA argue that allowing college athletes to earn money from endorsement deals or marketing promotions involving their name, image and likeness undermines the concept of collegiate sports being at the amateur level. The NCAA position is that players should focus on their education first and not participate in a pay-for-play system. The longstanding debate over whether colleges and the association take advantage of athletes who work hard and earn the institutions and the NCAA lots of money but receive none of the spoils has been subject to court challenges.
Inside Higher Ed
GOP Senator: Feds Should Punish Colleges for Tuition Increases
By Andrew Kreighbaum
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, said Tuesday that colleges or universities that raise tuition should be cut off from federal student aid programs. Scott offered the proposal — which would likely force many colleges to shut down entirely — along with several other ideas to address the cost of higher education in remarks at the Heritage Foundation. Scott said he also wanted to put colleges on the hook for a portion of defaulted loans held by former students. Fellow Senate Republican Josh Hawley in July introduced legislation that would require colleges to pay for half of defaulted loans.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Partisan Split Over Higher Ed? Maybe It’s Really About Who Should Pay for It
By Lauren Fisher
In a nation that seems to split more and more along party lines, it hardly comes as a surprise to learn that the way Americans think about higher education is swayed by partisan affiliation. And in recent years, research has typically supported that hypothesis, painting a portrait of growing distrust of higher education — particularly among those on the right. But according to a report released on Tuesday by New America, opinions on higher education may not be as polarized and partisan as they’re often made out to be. The main division, the report suggests, is over who should foot the bill.
See also:
Inside Higher Ed
The Real Divide Over Higher Ed? Cost
Think tank survey finds majorities of Republicans view higher ed as valuable, but see individual students as benefiting from degrees.
Inside Higher Ed
As new datasets on student results become available, the Lumina Foundation taps group of regulators and experts for new approach to assuring quality in higher education, with focus on equity and colleges’ financial health.
By Paul Fain
Better and more specific data is becoming available about what works in higher education, and what doesn’t. As a result, accreditors and federal and state policy makers face new choices about which measures of student success and value to include in their oversight of the industry, as well as how to assess the financial stability of institutions in an increasingly volatile market. Amid this backdrop, the Lumina Foundation pulled together a group of regulators, college leaders and workforce experts to develop a starting point for a new model for advancing quality and equity in postsecondary education. The 20-member task force, which released a report on their conceptual model today, hopes it will start a broad conversation across higher education, with implications for lawmakers and regulators. “Profound changes in the economy, in society, and in educational systems and institutions require equally profound changes in the way we regulate the sector and assess the quality of college degrees and other credentials earned after high school,” the report said.
Inside Higher Ed
OECD ‘Education at a Glance’ Report Published
By Elizabeth Redden
Higher education attainment is on the rise across the countries that make up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a group of 36 mostly wealthy or relatively wealthy nations. OECD released the newest installment of its annual Education at a Glance report on Tuesday. Among the findings, 44 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds held a tertiary degree across the OECD member states in 2018, a nine percentage point increase from 2008, when just 35 percent did. The employment rate for adults with a tertiary degree is nine percentage points higher than the employment rate for adults with an upper secondary degree, and tertiary-educated adults earn on average 57 percent more. This year’s report focuses on tertiary education, a category that encompasses sub-baccalaureate programs, as well as programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. http://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2019_CN_USA.pdf
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Why One Advocate Believes the Phrase ‘Go Back to School’ Needs to Go
I’m Goldie Blumenstyk, a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education, covering innovation in and around academe. Here’s what I’m thinking about this week.
Big changes on adult students, or just tinkering around the edges?
Over the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of talk about the need to improve services and programs for adult students. But is any of that moving the needle? My sense is that momentum has been building, judging by the attention I’ve seen from advocacy groups, news accounts of colleges developing special orientation programs for adults, and events focused on adult students. (In the next three weeks alone, I’ll be taking part in two of them: one sponsored by the New England Board of Higher Education later this month and another in October to be held by the American Council on Education, highlighting an innovative model called College Unbound.) But this week, Marie Cini, president of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, threw some cold water on my sense of momentum. Yes, Cini told me, more institutions seem to be talking more about adult students, but she thinks many are still just tinkering at the edges. They’re keeping their “registrar offices open ’til 7 p.m. on Mondays,” she said, but “the deeper change to structure hasn’t happened yet.”
Inside Higher Ed
Latino Students Underrepresented at Most Public Colleges
By Madeline St. Amour
Latino students are underrepresented in college enrollment and degree attainment at public institutions in most states, according to a report released Wednesday by the Education Trust. The report, “Broken Mirrors II: Latino Student Representation at Public State Colleges and Universities,” analyzed public institutions in 44 states with at least 15,000 Latino adults who are residents. It follows another study by the group that found similar underrepresentation for black adults. The study found that, when compared with states’ proportions of Latino residents, Latino students are underrepresented at both community and technical colleges and at four-year institutions in most states.
Inside Higher Ed
How Graduate Students Finance Their Educations
By Doug Lederman
The proportion of graduate students receiving federal financial aid, the average amount they received and the average amount of PLUS loans they borrowed all were higher in 2015-16 than in 2003-4, according to a new report released by the U.S. Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics Friday.
Inside Higher Ed
Record High Marijuana Use and Vaping
A new survey finds increased marijuana use and vaping by college students who view these substances as safe.
By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
Despite nearly nationwide smoking bans on college campuses, a new study found that students use of marijuana “was at the highest level seen” in more than three decades. According to the University of Michigan’s annual, national Monitoring the Future Panel study, marijuana use skyrocketed nationally in 2018 and reached “historic highs” not seen since 1983. The study also found that the use of vaping products, or e-cigarettes, to vape marijuana as well as nicotine, doubled between 2017 and 2018. “This doubling in vaping marijuana among college students is one of the greatest one-year proportional increases we have seen among the multitude of substances we measure since the study began over 40 years ago,” John Schulenberg, principal investigator of the study, said in a written statement. While the researchers are worried about the increased marijuana use, the vaping trend is particularly concerning because students often perceive vaping to be a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes.
Inside Higher Ed
Trump Asserts New Win for Religious HBCUs
Department of Justice lifts restriction on capital financing for faith-based historically black colleges — part of White House effort to show commitment to HBCUs. But it’s not clear how many colleges have been denied funding.
By Andrew Kreighbaum
President Trump said Tuesday that he planned to lift restrictions on capital financing funds for faith-based historically black colleges and seminaries. The announcement is the latest effort by the administration to demonstrate a special commitment to HBCUs, which have sought to cultivate close ties to the White House since Trump’s election — despite criticism from many of their supporters. It wasn’t exactly clear, though, how many colleges, if any, had actually been denied federal funding over those restrictions. “Previously, federal law restricted more than 40 faith-based HBCUs and seminaries from fully accessing federal support for capital improvement projects,” the president said in a speech here Tuesday afternoon. “This meant 40 of your faith-based institutions which had made such tremendous contributions to America were unnecessarily punished for their religious beliefs.” Trump said a Department of Justice opinion released this week declared restrictions on those funds unconstitutional — a response to the Supreme Court’s 2017 ruling in the Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer case, in which the court held denying funding to a religious school for secular purposes violated the First Amendment. He made the announcement at the National HBCU Week Conference in Washington, an event organized annually by the Department of Education.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
HBCU Conference Focuses on Building Federal and Local Ties
by Sara Weissman
WASHINGTON – At the opening ceremony of the 2019 HBCU Conference, Johnathan M. Holifield, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities quoted Booker T. Washington, telling those in the audience to “Cast down your bucket where you are.” U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos participates in a conversation with Johnny C. Taylor, the president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management. He meant that HBCUs need to not only build federal partnerships but draw on local resources and advised the crowd to encourage their cities, counties and states to develop HBCU support plans and designate HBCUs as small businesses, among other regional efforts. “Yes, we have to win Washington D.C.,” Holifield said. “We know that. But we also have to take the fight where we are and replicate what’s happening here where we live.” The importance of strategic alliances at the federal and local level – and the interplay of the two – was a theme that ran throughout the first day of the conference.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Presidential Debate Puts HBCU in National Spotlight
by Lois Elfman
This week’s Democratic presidential debate at Texas Southern University (TSU) will surely provide national exposure for historically Black colleges and universities, and potentially force the candidates to address issues of race and access to higher education. While much of the discussion leading up to Thursday night’s debate in Houston has focused on which of the nearly two dozen candidates made the cut to appear on stage, it is also of significance that the event is taking place at the public HBCU that boasts a student population of more than 10,000. HBCU experts argue that the televised event will not only provide positive exposure for TSU, but help educate viewers on the relevance and impact of HBCUs in general.