University System News:
Savannah Morning News
Q&A, Don Waters: University System has ‘strengths at all levels’
The following is an excerpt from the latest “Difference Makers” podcast interview with local businessman, philanthropist and Georgia Board of Regents member Don Waters. “Difference Makers” is presented by the Savannah Economic Development Authority and features Q&As with Savannah community leaders.Question: You have served on the Georgia Board of Regents since 2013 and chaired the board in 2019. The University System of Georgia has evolved quite a bit during just those few years, with consolidations of several schools and the growth and successes of others. How has that strengthened the educational offerings in the state?
Waters: “We do have excellent flagship universities. But we approach it as an opportunity to segment and affect the market for higher education. So from a structural standpoint, we have state colleges, we have state universities, we have comprehensive colleges, we have research institutions, and then we have the highest level, or R1, institutions. …
Savannah Morning News
Q&A: Former regents chairman links state’s future success to educational efforts now
Businessman Don Waters served as chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents for the past one-year term that ended Dec. 31. He is a native Savannahian who has invested back into the neighborhood where he grew up through his work with Savannah Classical Academy, and he has been instrumental in the merger of Armstrong Atlantic University and Georgia Southern University. This question-and-answer session is an extended excerpt from the latest “Difference Makers” podcast interview with Waters by editorial page editor Adam Van Brimmer. He discusses his work with education at the various levels. This excerpt focuses on his work as a regent, but also as someone who’s uniquely interested in early education. Van Brimmer: Your story really starts on the east side of Savannah in different circumstances. Kind of walk us through growing up.
Waters: I was born in Savannah and grew up on Anderson Street, on the east side of Savannah, generally in the neighborhood around waters Avenue and Anderson Street … My mom and dad, my brother and I lived in a home over there, and we of course played a lot of sports at the field which is now across from the Eastern Wharf development. … I attended public schools —Romana Riley Grammar School, then Savannah High School starting in the eighth grade ….
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia college system halts travel to China because of coronavirus
By Eric Stirgus
The University System of Georgia will not approve travel by its students and faculty to China, following federal government guidelines as the death toll worldwide rises from the coronavirus. The system, which oversees operations at Georgia’s largest public universities, sent a message Friday to its 26 schools saying the travel ban includes spring semester study abroad, conferences and research. “Summer study abroad programs and travel should continue to be assessed with contingency plans in case the current levels remain in place,” Lance Wallace, a spokesman for the system, wrote in one message. University System officials said Monday they are unaware of any students or faculty unable to return from China.
WGAU
UGA, USG cancel China trips as Coronavirus spreads
By: Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia is cancelling all trips to China that had been scheduled for the spring and summer semesters: UGA calls it a precautionary move as Coronavirus spreads in China. There have been more than 360 confirmed Coronavirus deaths, most of them in China. In addition to UGA, the University System of Georgia is calling off China trips for other schools in the USG: “USG and its institutions will NOT approve travel to China effective immediately,” says a University System email.
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA professors answers questions about coronavirus
By James Hataway
With news that the coronavirus called 2019-nCoV is capable of spreading from human to human, many are concerned about the possibility of a new pandemic, and that is not outside the realm of possibility, according to Jeff Hogan, a professor and infectious disease expert in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, who studied the SARS coronavirus. Below, he shares some of his thoughts on the current outbreak, how people can protect themselves and what the future may hold for 2019-nCoV.
What is a coronavirus? “This is a virus that belongs to the family called Coronaviridae. For a very long time, the ‘human’ coronaviruses were thought to cause only mild to moderate respiratory tract infections unless a person has other medical conditions such as a suppressed immune system. This changed when severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus was isolated in 2002 and 2003.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Financial records show Georgia athletics net $31 million surplus
By Chip Towers
Expenses are up and contributions are down, but Georgia athletics is very much in the black when it comes to its finances. The Georgia Athletic Association remains one of the most profitable enterprises in the Southeastern Conference, netting nearly $31 million over expenses in Fiscal Year 2019, according to UGA’s latest NCAA financial report. That report was obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday through an open-records request. Georgia’s surplus is tops among the SEC athletic programs that have shared their balance sheets publicly so far. All member institutions have to file a financial report to the NCAA by Jan. 15 each year. However, when those results are available for public review varies according to individual states’ disclosure laws. Texas A&M typically is the SEC’s highest-grossing athletics program. But Georgia’s operations surplus of $30.7 million is the most among the schools to have opened their ledgers so far. The Bulldogs’ athletic program brought in $174,042,482 in Fiscal Year 2019, which ended June 30, 2019. That was actually $2.6 million less than the previous year’s operating revenues.
The Augusta Chronicle
Opinion
Editorial: Dual enrollment changes make sense
By Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
Hearing some of the critics, you would think that Georgia’s dual enrollment program was being totally scrapped instead of substantially improved. The Georgia House bill that cleared the Senate floor this week calls for needed adjustments in the laudable state program that allows high-school students to simultaneously enroll in college and tech-school courses. The idea is to earn college credit that can be applied after the student graduates from high school and actually enters college. House Bill 444 would cap dual enrollment to 30 hours per eligible student for college or tech-school courses funded by the state-run student-finance agency. If students want to take more classes, they’d have to pay like anybody else. This is, after all, the Year of the Budget Cut under the Gold Dome, and dollars are being shaved away anyplace that can be found. This is just one example. The program cost $23 million to run when it began in 2015. The good news is that it became wildly popular. The bad news is that the program now costs $140 million. H.B. 444 would save the state about $40 million.
WMAZ
Mom behind ‘Gracie’s Law’ to speak at Georgia College
Erin Nobles will speak Monday to nursing students about the bill she hopes to get passed for her daughter and others like her.
The mom and Georgia College and State University alumna behind ‘Gracie’s Law’ is set to speak to nursing students on campus come Monday. If signed into law, the bill would give kids with disabilities access to organ transplants. According to a release from Georgia College, right now Georgia doesn’t have laws to stop discrimination against the disabled or laws that ensure they have equal access to organ transplants. …As Gracie’s mom and a nurse herself, Nobles has been working hard to get the bill passed, and attended the state general assembly last month. At the assembly, Rep. Rick Williams and Rep. Mack Jackson formally introduced the bill to the state House of Representatives. Nobles got her undergrad nursing degree in 2006 and her Master of Science in Nursing in 2013 in from Georgia College.
Rome News-Tribune
New exhibit explores history of Southern Poly, Kennesaw State
By Thomas Hartwell
Eighty-five-year-old Ivan Tatum carried his diploma from the Southern Technical Institute in a small black bag as he perused artifacts from his old school at a new Kennesaw State University museum exhibit.
NBC41
MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY ART EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS DIVERSITY, INCLUSION
By Chip Matthews
An art exhibit in Cochran is letting artists express themselves by helping others appreciate diversity and inclusion. Terri Reckart — an academic advisor and diversity chairperson of the staff council — says, “not everybody is open and receptive to hearing words. Art is still a symbolic interaction.” Reckart says that a diversity of voices brings everyone together.
Rome News-Tribune
342-unit student housing to come before Planning Commission
Aleks Gilbert
Planning commissioners will consider a student housing development at their monthly meeting Wednesday, the first since the Board of Commissioners lifted a moratorium on such housing last year. … In August, commissioners narrowly approved lifting a moratorium on such housing that had been in place since 2017 and amended the county code to require special permits for developers looking to build student housing. Commissioners voted 3-2, with Keli Gambrill and Bob Ott opposed. They said it is the job of KSU and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, not the county, to ensure appropriate student housing exists and is properly managed. North Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, whose district includes KSU, led the charge to lift the moratorium. When the changes were passed, she said the changes would address recent safety concerns that had been raised by neighboring communities.
WGAU
Holmes-Hunter lecture today at UGA
By: Tim Bryant
The first black justice on the Georgia Supreme Court speaks today at UGA: Judge Robert Benham delivers the University of Georgia’s annual Holmes-Hunter Lecture, an address named in honor of the first black students to attend the state’s flagship university. The lecture is set for 2 o’clock in the Chapel on North Campus.
Tifton Gazette
‘Darwin Day’ lecture at ABAC Feb. 12
The School of Arts and Sciences at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will host the institution’s first ever “Darwin Day for Scientific Literacy” lecture at 6 p.m. on Feb. 12 in ABAC’s Howard Auditorium, according to a press release. The public is invited to attend at no charge.
Co-sponsored by the students of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Affiliates, the event promotes science literacy and will explore the relationship between science and religion, the release states. The public lecture by Dr. Amanda Glaze-Crampes, an assistant professor of science education at Georgia Southern University, will address the presumed conflict between science and religion in a presentation titled “Can Science and Faith Truly Co-Exist?”
The West Georgian
A Strategic Planning Master: UWG Awaits Bright Future under Brendan Kelly
Dr. Michael Crafton has returned to his natural habitat teaching English and Dr. Stuart Rayfield leads the troops of the president’s office. She will bask in that uniform until April 1 when the University of West Georgia begins its next chapter with Brendan Kelly stepping in as President, a full calendar year after breaking up with Kyle Marrero.
Daily Citizen-Newes
Making the college better: Dalton State hears from the public about strategic plan
By Ryan Anderson
Emphasizing real-world learning so students can contribute to the workforce and reaching out into the northwest Georgia community for recruitment were some of the ideas Dalton State College officials heard recently as the college prepares for a new strategic plan. The comments from Tuesday’s forum will be presented to the members of the strategic planning committee, said Susan Burran, a member of that group and an assistant professor of biology at Dalton State. “Your voices will be heard.” The college is engaged in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, with strengths and weaknesses considered “internal” items “we have control over” and opportunities and threats deemed “external” forces, Burran said. “We want to take advantage of opportunities and protect from threats.” The discussion focused on value statements, the college’s vision and its mission.
AllOnGeorgia
Carnegie Foundation recognizes UWG for commitment to community engagement
By Colton Campbell
The University of West Georgia has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for its institutional commitment to community engagement through teaching, research and public service with the Community Engagement Classification. UWG is one of only 119 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the elective classification in 2020 and will join the ranks of only 359 institutions nationally. Additionally, the university is one of only 44 institutions nationwide that received the classification for the first time. Dr. Stuart Rayfield, interim president of UWG, said the classification is a testament to the countless hours and high quality of work put in by UWG faculty and staff over the past few years to apply for the distinction.
Athens CEO
Carnegie Foundation Reaffirms UGA as Community Engaged University
Kelly Simmons
The University of Georgia has been recognized for excellence in public service and outreach, being designated as a community engaged institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for a second time. The classification was first awarded to UGA in 2010. “Receiving this classification is a national recognition of the University of Georgia’s expansive outreach programs and their impact on Georgia, the United States and the world,” UGA President Jere W. Morehead said. “As the state’s land-grant and sea-grant university, working with communities to build a stronger, more prosperous Georgia is central to everything we do.” The Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification recognizes public service and outreach activities such as service-learning and university-community partnerships. This elective classification requires submission of extensive documentation and evidence of unique and distinctive university partnerships with local, statewide and global communities.
Albany Herald
State Rep. CaMia Hopson offers ASU scholarships, speaks at Yale
From staff reports
CaMia Hopson, a 1994 graduate of Albany State University, has announced scholarship opportunities for two female high school seniors planning to attend ASU. The selected candidates will receive $500 scholarships. Hopson made the announcement shortly after speaking at Yale University’s Black Solidarity Conference on Jan. 31, discussing “Political Mobilization and Feminism.”
The Augusta Chronicle
UGA student employee takes a stand for customer service
By Sara Freeland
Vince White isn’t one to lie down on the job. He doesn’t really sit down either. A desk assistant in Creswell Hall, White, a fourth-year environmental engineering major from Athens, received a second place award in the 2019 University of Georgia Student Employee of the Year competition for going above and beyond. “As a desk assistant, it is common, especially when working late nights and weekends, to come in to your shift, open up homework, and make periodic eye contact as residents enter. This is not typical for Vince,” said Emily Wallace, White’s supervisor. “Rather than sitting, Vince stands his entire shift to appear more welcoming and friendly to guests and residents. …White’s nontraditional approach to his housing job is actually pragmatic.
WJCL
Georgia Southern hosts several events to celebrate and honor Black History Month
Throughout the month of February, GSU will be hosting panel discussions, live performances, and lectures as a part of its 2020 Black Heritage Month celebration.
Emma Hamilton
There are several events happening on the Georgia Southern Campuses throughout the month of February to celebrate and honor Black History Month. These events will be happening on the Statesboro, Armstrong and Liberty campuses. All are free and open to the public. Here’s a full list of the events:
WALB
African American lecture professor educates community on Andersonville history
By Darran Todd
One Southwest Georgia professor is making sure the community is educated on what he calls the rich history of the land they live in. Evan Kutzler works at Georgia Southwestern State University. Early Saturday, he gave a lecture on African American history in Andersonville. He said it was once a place where African Americans were enslaved. Then it became a place where freed slaves found refuge in the late 1800s. Kutzler told us why he thinks it’s important for every person in the area to be educated on the history of Andersonville.
Savannah Morning News
Hip-hop ballerinas highlight Grand Festival Day
By Andria Segedy
Straight talk on the criminal justice system plus a hip-hop ballet company, music, art and Grand Festival Day fill the second week of the three-week Savannah Black Heritage Festival. Kuntrell Jackson has something personal to say about the criminal justice system since being paroled from prison. He is a key speaker during the SBHF, which has a theme “Your Story, My Story, Our Stories.” “The worst thing in your life should not define you,” said Maxine L. Bryant, interim chief diversity officer, Georgia Southern University. This is just one of the lessons to be learned when hearing Jackson share “his story about being with a group of people who subsequently killed a man,” Bryant said. She is also a senior lecturer of criminal justice at the Armstrong campus and on the SBHF planning committee.
Savannah Morning News
Editorial: Black Heritage Festival a major community asset
Heritage celebrations often center on heroes and momentous events. The Savannah Black Heritage Festival is no exception, with a heavy focus on the civil rights movement and its many local leaders, such as W.W. Law, George Shinhoster, Ann Goldwire-Sims, Frances Bright-Johnson, John “Picolo” Saxon Pierce, Ralph Mark Gilbert and Hosea Williams. However, the 23-day festival explores local African-American history and culture well beyond desegregation and the protests of the 1960s. Now in its 31st year, the celebration opened Saturday and highlights the contributions and talents of black Savannahians from shortly after the city’s founding to today. …As the Black Heritage Festival begins its fourth decade, James marvels at its evolution. The festival started as a city-run weekend event that blossomed at the turn of the century after then Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams approached Savannah State University about taking over organizational duties. James worked at SSU at the time and moved into a leadership role upon her retirement from SSU in 2002.
Savannah Morning News
GSU Armstrong offers farm-to-table meal options for on-campus dining
By Barbara Augsdorfer
GSU Armstrong gives students healthy meal options that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. The newest restaurant on the Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus offers diners comfort in knowing that some of the ingredients were grown just a few hundred yards away in the campus’ aquaponics farm in the Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC). According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the agriculture and food industry produces nearly 10 percent of this country’s greenhouse gasses; and according to the US Department of Agriculture, farming uses up to 80 percent of consumptive water. However, growing food by using aquaponics, a system of growing produce by using water fertilized by fish, cuts down on both significantly.
Union Recorder
GC professor wins state USG award
Gil Pound
Dr. Hasitha Mahabaduge, an assistant physics professor at Georgia College, was named one of three recipients of the Felton Jenkins Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award given annually by the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents to recognize the state’s top college teachers and advisors. Mahabaduge, a native of Sri Lanka, is the third Georgia College professor in three years to earn this recognition, per the college. He and other 2020 winners will be honored next month at the USG Regents’ Scholarship Gala in Atlanta. Mahabaduge has other honors to his name in just his short time working as a professor. Earlier this academic year he was named a Governor’s Teaching Fellow, a program that brings college educators from around the state together several times throughout the year to develop innovative approaches to teaching.
Tifton Gazette
UGA-Tifton Assistant Dean Joe West recipient of Distinguished Service Award
By Maria Sellers CAES News
Joe West, assistant dean of the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award at the Georgia Peanut Farm Show, held Jan. 16 at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center. …Joy Crosby, director of communications for the Georgia Peanut Commission said West has been an asset to UGA-Tifton providing support world-class research since taking over as assistant dean in 2008.
WSAV
Hinesville Girl Scouts alum chosen to join Rep. Buddy Carter for SOTU
by: Ashley Williams
A Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia alum will soon be heading to the nation’s capital to represent Girl Scouts of the USA. Georgia Southern University student Jaiden Thompson has been chosen as United States Rep. Buddy Carter’s guest to attend the 2020 State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C. As part of her Gold Award Girl Scouts project, the Hinesville native created “Community of Care.”
The Brunswick News
UGA’s Thompson wins Jones Cup, invite to 2020 RSM
Georgia junior Davis Thompson shot a 13-under through three rounds out at Ocean Forest Golf Club to claim the 2020 Jones Cup Invitational title on Sunday. He finished at the top after shooting an impressive 7-under on the final day. Thompson finished nine strokes ahead of runner-up David Perkins who finished at 4-under. Perkins and Thompson were the only players in the 84-man field to shoot par or better throughout the three rounds of play. Thompson shot a 70, 68 and 65.
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA vet students help Athens’ older pet owners in new program
By Caitlin O’Donnell, Correspondent
To stave off loneliness, home-bound seniors can look to pets for companionship. But the factors that keep them at home make it difficult for them to take their pets to the vet. The Athens Community Council on Aging, which runs Will’s Pet Food Pantry, recently partnered with the University of Georgia’s Veterinary School to provide free in-home veterinary care for Meals on Wheels recipients. …The program takes fourth-year veterinary students, who are doing their required rotations, to Meals on Wheels households with pets. The students provide vaccinations, parasite preventatives, general examinations and whatever else they can reasonably do from the veterinary van. Students typically do this part of their rotation in the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where they get the chance to make animal care decisions and educate clients the way they will when they graduate.
The West Georgian
Personal Fitness at West Georgia
by Kennae Hunter
Students and faculty members have the opportunity to work with a personal trainer in University Recreation. The University of West Georgia offers a personal training program in the recreation center for students and faculty to work one on one with students who are certified personal trainers.
The West Georgian
Artists of UWG Put Their Best Work on Display
by Haleigh Stone
The University of West Georgia’s annual Juried Student Exhibition was held on Jan. 23. Twenty students were chosen and judged by former President of the Mid-South Sculpture Alliance, Isaac Duncan III. Eleven students placed in the exhibition. The awards for Best in Show included 2D art, 3D art and Merit prizes were awarded as well. Best in Show for 2D art was won by Jordan Lewis for his drawing titled “Branded.” First place 2D art was won by Nathan Childers for his “Now Serving” painting.
WTOC
Suspect arrested for October 2019 shooting at Georgia Southern’s Armstrong campus
A suspect has been arrested for a shooting on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong campus in October of 2019. Dominique Tukes, of Savannah, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on Friday, Jan. 31. He is charged with aggravated assault. Additional charges are pending. According to University Police, the incident took place during an illegal transaction between the shooter and the victim.
EurekAlert
Brain imaging provides little insight in insanity evaluation
Sophisticated brain imaging, like an MRI, has limited applicability in assessing a defendant’s sanity, investigators say. The bottom line of an insanity defense is the defendant’s inability to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the crime, something which neuroimaging cannot help do, they say in a review article in the journal Neuroethics. “MRIs and other brain scans are good for many things but they really have limited use when you talk about truly determining if someone was criminally responsible or not,” says Dr. Michael J. Vitacco, forensic psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
The Augusta Chronicle
Deaths dropping due to cancer boosting U.S. life expectancy
By Tom Corwin
Cancer deaths have dropped rapidly in the United States in recent years, boosting life expectancy overall Carrie Serigney didn’t really think about death when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2017. She focused instead on immediate goals. “My oldest son was actually graduating that year so I was trying to think through, Okay, let me get through graduation,” said Serigney, 42, of Augusta. “I had a lot of goals that I wanted to reach.” Now in remission, the future is looking brighter for her and others facing cancer, recent reports show. The rate of cancer deaths dropped enough in 2018 to help boost life expectancy in the U.S. for the first time in four years, the National Center for Health Statistics reported last week. And last month, the American Cancer Society reported the largest one-year drop in cancer deaths, declining 2.2 percent between 2016 and 2017. This follows rapid improvements in survival for many cancers since 1990, with some approaching the same normal life expectancy as someone who has never had cancer. “I think there are many factors that play a role,” said Dr. Jorge Cortes, director of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, where Serigney is a patient. “There is no question that we have better treatments now.”
Savannah Morning News
Skidaway Island archaeology dig leader showcases Benedictine Monastery and Freedman School artifacts
By Will Peebles
The findings of archaeologists who scoured the 19th-century remains of a monastery and school for freed slaves on Skidaway Island were presented to island residents and local history buffs on Thursday. Savannah Archaeological Alliance Director Laura Seifert spoke to a crowd of around 60 people at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Thursday afternoon, showing off research and photos of artifacts from the Benedictine Monastery and Freedman School. …Seifert, a professor at the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University, led her students in the dig, which also included Benedictine Military School students, Savannah State University students and resident volunteers from The Landings community.
Higher Education News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Does this match? APS launches digital tool to help with college advising
By Vanessa McCray
Figuring out where to go to college can be stressful. There are so many factors to consider: academic reputation, location, cost, and the campus culture for starters. A new digital tool is designed to help Atlanta high schoolers identify their best options and narrow down which colleges they should apply to. The district will launch the Match & Fit List Builder on Monday, Feb. 3. The computer program uses a student’s academic data — such as grade point average and SAT and ACT test scores — and combines it with a student’s preferences to create a list of potential colleges and universities.
Inside Higher Ed
And early action is flat, according to numbers from Naviance. Black and Latino applicants are less likely to apply early than are Asians and whites. Common App figures point to fears about this year’s totals.
By Scott Jaschik
Anecdotal reports have been circulating among admissions professionals that some — but not all — colleges are seeing a decline in early applications. Until this year, early decision (in which applicants pledge to enroll if admitted) and early action (in which they don’t) have become more popular than in the past. College officials like early programs for filling their classes — and some colleges fill more than half of their classes this way. Of course, some applicants don’t like it for the same reason. Now there are national numbers to amplify the anecdotes. Hobsons, which runs Naviance, has released figures for early decision this year, and the numbers show a sharp decline for early decision and likely a flat year for early action.
Inside Higher Ed
Simplifying Public Service Loan Forgiveness
By Kery Murakami
The U.S. Department of Education signaled it will make it easier to apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness after the application process has faced criticism for being too unwieldy. In a notice published in the Federal Register Thursday, the department said it plans to consolidate the two forms required to apply for the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TESPLF) program into one, essentially no longer requiring people file a separate Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) application. The process came under fire after a Government Accountability Office report last September found only 1 percent of the 54,000 applications for TESPLF were approved in the year prior to May 2019. Seventy-one percent of the denials were because the borrower didn’t submit the PSLF form.
Inside Higher Ed
Calculating Stress on Colleges
A new book looks at how the market is affecting colleges’ futures — and where risk is most concentrated.
By Rick Seltzer
The appendix of a new book contains everything needed to calculate a score gauging the market stress faced by individual colleges and universities across the country. It’s a provocative idea that could provide information of use to discerning students and improvement-minded administrators alike. It’s also an idea that’s getting more attention and growing more controversial of late as the higher education sector continues to feel pressure on several fronts and as a small number of institutions announce closure or merger plans every year.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Oddsmakers of the College Deathwatch
A small industry of experts armed with data is ready to tell you if your college will survive
By Scott Carlson
In mid-November, Greg Britton woke to a story in Inside Higher Ed about an ed-tech company called Edmit, which had come up with a formula to determine how long private colleges had before they would run out of money and be forced to close. The story focused on what could have happened but didn’t: Inside Higher Ed and Edmit had decided not to release that list when various institutions threatened to sue. Britton, the editorial director of the Johns Hopkins University Press, felt a shudder of panic. At first, he thought, he’d been scooped. Then he wondered whether the Hopkins Press had set itself up for a similar legal tussle. … For many years, for example, the U.S. Department of Education has issued “financial responsibility” scores to rate colleges on their debts, assets, and operating surpluses and deficits.
Diverse Issues In Higher Education
Three Relationships Institutions Shouldn’t Underestimate in Closing Opportunity Gaps
by Julia Freeland Fisher
It’s tempting to focus on faculty- and teacher-student relationships at the core of schools. And for good reason. Educators remain the leading in-school driver of student success. But it turns out that there are other relationships beyond that core that can offer real value to students and can bolster outcomes for institutions. The reality is that teachers shouldn’t go it alone. Beyond clear academic research on teacher impact on academic outcomes, other research from youth development and social capital scholars points to relationships more broadly as core determinants of students’ chances of getting by and getting ahead. The takeaway is clear: students will most benefit from a web of connections supporting their healthy development, academic success, and access to opportunity. Here are three types of connections that schools could be forging to expand students’ webs of relationships: