University System News:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
These are the best colleges in Georgia, according to a new 2019 ranking
By Fiza Pirani
It’s time to bring out the friendly school rivalries. Personal finance site WalletHub just released its 2019 best colleges ranking comparing 951 of the country’s colleges and universities across seven key dimensions, such as student selectivity; cost and financing; faculty resources; campus safety; campus experience; educational outcomes and career outcomes. Researchers further evaluated those dimensions using 30 relevant metrics, including admission rate, student loan debt, on-campus crime, faculty salaries, gender and racial diversity and return on investment. Data for the ranking came from a variety of reputable sources, including the National Center for Education Statistics, PayScale and more. …Only one Georgia college cracked the top 20 — and that honor goes to Georgia Tech, which ranked 17th nationally and No. 1 in the state. Georgia Tech also ranked third nationally for the best bang for your buck. Georgia colleges ranked, according to WalletHub:
1. Georgia Tech (No. 17 nationally)
3. University of Georgia (No. 67 nationally)
8. Georgia College & State University (No. 300)
12. Georgia State University (No. 475)
Albany Herald
Georgia Southwestern State University named 2019-20 Military Friendly School
Military Friendly Schools list was published in the May issue of ‘G.I. Jobs’ magazine
From Staff Reports
Georgia Southwestern State University was recently named to VIQTORY Media’s Military Friendly Schools list. Institutions were named to the list based on an ability to meet student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students, specifically student veterans. Georgia Southwestern officials say they value the service military and veteran students have contributed to this nation and now get the privilege to serve them in their educational success and connect them to the resources they need.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech alumnus picked as finalist to be president
By Eric Stirgus
An alumnus of one of the state’s largest and highest-regarded institutions emerged Thursday as the candidate to become its new leader. Ángel Cabrera, who earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgia Tech, was named as the sole finalist to become the school’s next president. If selected, he would take over a school that is still recovering from some recent well-publicized ethics troubles. Cabrera has been president of George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia, since 2012 and has become a high-profile figure in the higher education world.
See also:
Metro Atlanta
Finalist Named for Georgia Institute of Technology Presidency
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
GMU’s Cabrera Sole Finalist for Georgia Tech Presidency
Inside Higher Ed
George Mason President Will Lead Georgia Tech
Global Atlanta
Regents Pick Experienced Globalist to Head Georgia Tech
Houston Chronicle
George Mason’s president is finalist to lead Georgia Tech
San Francisco Gate
George Mason’s president is finalist to lead Georgia Tech
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sole finalist for Georgia Tech presidency named: Ángel Cabrera of George Mason University
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Cabrera would take over for retiring Tech President Bud Peterson
As has become the norm in Georgia, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia announced one finalist for the Georgia Tech presidency. Ángel Cabrera is president of George Mason University, a top-tier research institution and the largest public university in Virginia. This practice of naming a single finalist for key leadership roles avoids any discussion among students or faculty, and is a disservice to a process that should be open and transparent. The news was only beginning to reach Tech student groups this afternoon, including the Young Democratic Socialists of America at Georgia Tech, who issued this statement: Ángel Cabrera is not the answer. Cabrera has repeatedly shown throughout his tenure as George Mason University President a willingness to directly oppose the interests of the students. …
Tifton Gazette
Corbin Miles awarded scholarship by Bishop Alton Litman Foundation
The Bishop Alton Litman Foundation recently awarded its 2019 scholarship to Corbin Miles of Tifton, according to a press release. Miles, the son of Gaye Corbin and grandson of Annie Jean Corbin, is currently a freshman at Valdosta State University majoring in communications with a focus on public relations. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree he plans to continue his education at Clark Atlanta University with a master’s degree in journalism to become a sports commentator for ESPN. Miles graduated from Tift County High School in 2018. He has always dreamed of being a college student. While the majority of his family didn’t go to college, they influenced him to always succeed, strive for greatness and never settle for anything but the best. …Currently he is active in college and is the vice president for Project Renaissance, a member of the African-American Male Initiative program and attends weekly seminars from public figures around Valdosta.
accessWDUN
UNG receives large donation towards new facility for the Mike Cottrell School of Business.
By Rebecca Hubbard Reporter/Anchor
The namesake of the University of North Georgia’s School of Business made the two largest donations in the University of North Georgia’s 145-year history. “I am grateful to Mike and Lynn Cottrell for their exceptional generosity,” UNG President Bonita Jacobs said. “The Cottrells have made the two largest contributions in UNG’s 145-year history, and, in doing so, they have provided transformational support for our students and graduates to be regionally and globally competitive business leaders.” The second $10 million dollar gift announcement puts the Cottrell family’s contributions to UNG at more than $20 million. It was announced during the quarterly meeting of the UNG Foundation Board of Trustees where Mike Cottrell serves a trustee emeritus of the board.
Gainesville Times
With another $10 million gift from Cottrell, UNG planning $35 million biz complex
Nick Bowman
With a $35 million building in the works, the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia will have a new home in 2022: The Cottrell Center for Business, Technology and Innovation. UNG announced the 91,000-square-foot facility and a $10 million gift from Mike and Lynn Cottrell, whose family business makes automobile haulers, on Thursday, June 6. The new facility will be on UNG’s Dahlonega campus just off of Chestatee Street on the main campus. “The Cottrells have made the two largest contributions in UNG’s 145-year history, and, in doing so, they have provided transformational support for our students and graduates to be regionally and globally competitive business leaders,” said UNG President Bonita Jacobs in an announcement from UNG.
Douglas Now
SGSC Utilizes Emergenetics During 12th Annual Retreat
With a focus on the South Georgia State College’s (SGSC) new strategic plan, Moving Forward, faculty and staff gathered for the 12th annual leadership retreat at Okefenokee State Park in Waycross, on May 22, 2019. Wendi Jenkins and Chuck Powell from the University System of Georgia’s Leadership and Institutional Development office facilitated the retreat and worked with participants during the day on communication, leadership and recognizing individual strengths using the Emergenetics assessment tool.
WTOC
Air raid siren alerted Statesboro residents to D-Day attack
By Dal Cannady
We sometimes take instant news coverage for granted these days, but word of the D-Day invasion in France quickly made its way back here to the States. Within hours of the invasion of Normandy, people in Statesboro knew something was going on – thanks in part to a piece of equipment that is still around today. The air raid siren sits in the Georgia Southern University Museum. With Statesboro’s airport used as a military landing strip, people worried it might come under German attack. A system of sirens around town served as an alert when the anticipated allied attack came. Town leaders heard the news around 3 in the morning.
Digital Journal
CURevl Announces New Product Launch with CORE Credit Union
CU REVL LLC (CURevl), a Texas-based Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO), announced today that CORE Credit Union of Statesboro, GA has joined the CUSO as a referral affiliate. Through the partnership, CORE Credit Union members will now have access to competitive in-school student loans and student loan refinance products to meet their educational finance needs. The loans are disbursed and serviced by College Ave Student Loans under an agreement with CURevl to provide their CUSO member partners multiple turnkey solutions with private student loans for higher education. “Having CORE Credit Union select CURevl as their partner for higher education lending is exciting since Georgia Southern University is in their backyard,” stated Greg Hagan, SVP Sales of CURevl. “The CURevl program offers yet another alternative for our credit union partners to meet the needs of their members which enhances our ability to deliver on our mission of Connecting Families to Credit Unions and delivering Student Loan Solutions that benefit the communities in Statesboro, Savanah and surrounding counties in Georgia.”
Washington Examiner
Georgia stands to lose $9.2 billion in Hollywood business
by James Langford
Initially, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp dismissed the Hollywood actors criticizing the so-called heartbeat abortion bill he signed in early May as “C-list celebrities.” “I understand some folks don’t like this new law,” he added at the state’s GOP convention in Savannah, according to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m fine with that. We’re elected to do what’s right.”
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Boycott threats over ‘heartbeat’ law stirring fears among Georgia film workers
By Dave Williams – Staff Writer
Georgians working in the state’s lucrative film industry are getting increasingly jittery as a growing number of major studios threaten to leave if the controversial anti-abortion “heartbeat” law goes into effect. While many studios still plan to finish projects during the rest of this year in what has become one of the industry’s favorite locales, the outlook for 2020 is far less certain. “It’s really been a bummer,” said Alex Orr, a Douglasville native and producer who plans to begin shooting a new TV series for Netflix in Atlanta next month. “Next year could look pretty grim.” Initially, the reaction from studio executives and producers after the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed the heartbeat bill in March primarily along party lines was more muted than three years ago, when lawmakers approved religious freedom legislation opponents said would discriminate against gays and lesbians. Then-Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed that bill following an outcry from civil rights groups and business leaders worried Georgia could face a boycott by organizers of conventions and sports events. For one thing, this year’s bill – which prohibits abortions in Georgia after a fetal heartbeat can be detected — isn’t due to take effect until Jan. 1. It may not happen even then, as groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood are vowing to challenge the new law in court.
Inside Higher Ed
College Students Enlist in Fight Against Looming Abortion Restrictions
Despite restrictive abortion legislation adopted in Georgia and other states, local abortion-rights advocates are making sure college students understand the new ban is not yet in effect and encouraging them to join efforts to fight the prohibition.
By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
A sign posted outside the Feminist Women’s Health Center in Atlanta lets potential patients and passersby know that the facility, which provides abortions and other sexual health services, is open. The sign is important. Georgia is one of several states that passed laws in recent months that restrict abortions. Georgia’s governor signed a bill forbidding the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, a time frame when most women don’t yet know they are pregnant and when, abortion opponents claim — while medical professional disagree — a fetus supposedly has a heartbeat. …Although these restrictive laws have not yet taken effect, local reproductive health activists worry that many college students in the affected states may believe abortion is already banned and may be confused by media coverage that doesn’t make clear that legal challenges may keep the laws from being implemented. The activists are in the midst of an aggressive campaign to inform the public that abortion remains legal for now, but the prospect that abortion services could disappear has especially galvanized college students. …Redman said that even if abortions were to become illegal, abortion services would just move underground and become a sometimes unsafe practice. She said state legislators who passed the restrictive laws failed to consider the history of illegal, so-called back-alley abortions that took place before the Supreme Court legalized the procedure nationwide. Now, Spark needs young, college-age organizers to help fight the laws, Redman said. She hopes to motivate students at institutions such as Georgia State University and Spelman College, a women’s institution.
Higher Education News:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Technical College System of Georgia board approves tuition increase
By Eric Stirgus
Students attending technical colleges in Georgia will pay more for their education this fall. The Technical College System of Georgia board of directors voted Thursday to increase tuition from $89 per credit hour to $100 per credit hour. It’s the first increase in five years, said Mark D’Alessio, the system’s communications director. D’Alessio said the increase “will provide our technical colleges the opportunity to keep pace with increased operational costs and expand enrollment to meet the growing demand for a middle-skill workforce.” The total credit enrollment for the system was about 137,000 students last year.
Inside Higher Ed
Report: Free College Programs Have Grown Rapidly
By Ashley A. Smith
A report released Tuesday by the Century Foundation found that since the introduction of Tennessee’s tuition-free scholarship program five years ago, 15 new free college programs have been created across the country. The first seven tuition-free programs were launched between 1990 and 2007. But since 2014, the total number of state tuition-free programs has increased to 22 across 19 states. The report also found that states have significantly increased funding to tuition-free programs within the last five years.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Sorry, Professors, but Presidential Searches Should Be Secret
By Matthew Tzuker
For the last seven years I worked as an associate for an academic-search firm. One of my last tasks there was to defend the decision by a board of trustees to keep its presidential search confidential. This was not the only time I stood before angry faculty and staff members, in small conference rooms and large lecture halls, who looked at me as an interloper, a leech, and a symbol of all that had gone wrong with the academy. My firm had no official position on how closed or open presidential searches should be. That is a decision made by boards. But until then I had a personal bias that an open search was no longer desirable in our social-media-saturated world. I had read the arguments in these pages and had heard from disgruntled faculty members at different institutions. But standing in a lecture hall while several professors told me that the rising tide of corporatism was sapping everything that makes a university great, I revisited all the arguments in my mind. Since leaving the world of academic search, I have thought a lot more about it, and ultimately came out in this place: Faculty members should drop their demands that presidential candidates make their visits, and thus their candidacies, public.