University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Report: Georgia ranks 17th in college student needs-based aid
By Eric Stirgus
Georgia’s colleges and universities provide its students an average of nearly $2,000 in needs-based scholarships and grants, the 17th highest rate in the nation, according to a new report released Wednesday. Georgia provided an average of $1,952.57, according to LendEDU, a website that provides information about finances and frequently produces reports on college finances. California ranked first in the report, providing nearly $5,200 per student. Montana ranked last, providing $44.78 per student. …Some Georgia schools have tried to do more for students with significant financial need. Georgia Tech’s foundation announced in late June it has raised $17 million for a new needs-based aid scholarship program.
Georgia Trend
Georgia has become a major hub for innovative financial technology companies.
By Mary Ann DeMuth
Most of us never think about the technology – called FinTech – that enables us to conduct everyday financial transactions. We insert a credit card at the grocery store and later check our cash-back balance, buy a prepaid gift card for a birthday, have tolls automatically deducted from our Peach Pass account when we drive in Metro Atlanta’s express lanes, order products or services and pay our bills online. Despite its invisibility to consumers, FinTech is a huge and growing industry that helps businesses of all sizes – from banks to craft breweries – receive payments from financial transactions efficiently and seamlessly. Over the past few decades, Georgia has become a FinTech leader,…. …Also in the future is the challenge of filling the increasing demand for skilled workers in the state’s rapidly growing FinTech industry. The University System of Georgia (USG) and FinTech companies have collaborated for several years on ways to create a talent pipeline, and last fall, USG launched the Georgia FinTech Academy. The public-private venture is designed to prepare individuals for FinTech careers through degree programs, executive and continuing education, apprenticeships and internships. The academy’s goal is to produce 5,000 professionals with industry-specific, functional experience by 2021 and supply 2,000 FinTech workers annually by 2023. According to Art Recesso, USG’s chief innovation officer for the eCampus, the academy is offering in-person and virtual courses in five high-demand disciplines: cybersecurity, data science, software development, client services and innovation, and product development. Students from around the state are able to enroll from their home institutions and take online courses.
Savannah Morning News
Dual enrollment lets high school students get ahead in college
By Mike Brown / Bryan County Now
Posted Jul 29, 2019 at 6:03 PM
The dual enrollment program which enables Georgia high school students to take college classes for credit has been around since the early 1990s. The program has been highly successful as shown by enrollment figures for Fall 2018. Data from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement shows there were 12,000 high school students enrolled in the University System of George courses, 25,000 enrolled in Technical College System of Georgia courses and another 5,000 enrolled in private colleges. All colleges in the university system and schools in the technical college system accept students and do most of the state’s private schools. Each school has its own admission requirements and online courses are available. Georgia supports the program through direct funding to the Georgia Student Finance Commission with GSFC providing tuition payments to colleges for participating students.
Douglas Now
SGSC Begins New Bachelor’s Degree In Special Education
The ink will barely be dry on the memorandums of understanding signed by South Georgia State College (SGSC), Coffee County and Ware County school districts before the inaugural Bachelor of Science in Elementary/Special Education program begins fall semester of 2019. During the week of July 8, representatives from SGSC and both partner school systems gathered on the Douglas and Waycross campuses to enter into an agreement showing their commitment to support this newly accredited program. Students will be prepared to receive a degree and certification in elementary and special education, and qualify for the addition of a reading endorsement to their certificate at the conclusion of the program. “As we sign these memorandums of understanding, we are officially partnering with Coffee and Ware county school districts to help train future teachers through a robust teacher education curriculum with trained educators at SGSC and supervised clinical experiences in elementary classrooms in the county schools,” explained Dr. Ingrid Thompson-Sellers, SGSC president.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU graduate has all the right moves
A professional dancer, Avery Gillham appeared recently in the musical “Hairspray” at the City Springs Theatre in Sandy Springs. His appearance as an ensemble member of the cast capped off a very busy year for Gillham, who graduated in July with a B.A. in Dance from Kennesaw State University. “My track for this show consists of 11 dances, all of which require high energy and full out dance moves, with vocals on top of that,” Gillham said. “From working on this show, I have learned that dancing is not just about the moves you can do in rehearsal or on stage. Instead, this fast paced and high energy choreography requires lots of practice and background knowledge on what it was like dancing in the 1960s.” …Working in metro Atlanta has also given Gillham the chance to work with some KSU alums who are already fixtures on the local dance scene. A standout student, Gillham’s choreographic hip-hop work, “Judas’ Kiss,” was chosen by the faculty to be performed at the KSU Dance Company Student Dance Concert in April at the Dance Theater on the Marietta Campus. As for what comes next, Gillham is under contract with City Springs Theatre and will be part of their shows for season two. “Alongside that, I plan on performing with cruise ships traveling the world as a performer,” he said. “I will eventually move to New York or Los Angeles to further my career in dance.”
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern housing at capacity as Kennedy Hall and University Villas remain closed
By McClain Baxley
Two of Georgia Southern University’s residence halls that were closed in the spring semester will not be open for living in the fall 2019 semester and the university is still figuring where to house the incoming freshman class. Kennedy Hall, which was closed in January for mold, and parts of University Villas, closed in April for structure failure, are the only two on-campus living options that are unavailable for housing. “This year with the loss of the majority of University Villas and the loss of Kennedy, we’re down almost 800 bed spaces,” said Peter Blutreich, Director of Housing. “We aren’t able to meet the needs of returning students and incoming freshman class.” GS has a policy that all freshmen must live on-campus and Blutreich said that the university will still accommodate and hold the policy true. However, the university will not have enough space to have housing for returning students.
WGAU Radio
UGA Researcher Looks For Vaccine For Childhood Illness
By: L:eigh Beeson
…Almost all children in the U.S. will be infected by respiratory syncytial virus by age 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of them will recover on their own, but each year about 60,000 kids under age 5 wind up hospitalized with complications like pneumonia or bronchiolitis, an infection of the lungs that causes inflammation, congestion, and narrowing of the airways. Several hundred children with the most severe complications die, not to mention the thousands of people over 65 who also succumb to the virus every year. There’s no current treatment for the virus itself. Health care workers can provide supportive therapies—oxygen, intubation, and a machine that breathes for the sick—but the only real healer is time. For now, there’s also no vaccine to prevent kids from getting sick in the first place. But that’s something the University of Georgia’s Ralph Tripp aims to change.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Author discusses approaches that work to get students to the finish line.
By Scott Jaschik
David Kirp says the graduation rates of most American colleges and universities are unacceptable — they are simply too low. In The College Dropout Scandal (Oxford University Press), Kirp makes the case for dramatic improvements. A professor at the Graduate School of the University of California, Berkeley, he outlines his views in this email interview.
Q: How do you define the “scandal”? As you note, college graduation rates vary in part based on the students being educated. How can you tell (roughly) what success rates should be at different kinds of colleges?
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
A New Pilot Program Makes Tutoring Accessible to Non-Traditional Students
by Sara Weissman
For non-traditional students, tutors can be hard to find at the times they’re needed most. Students juggle homework between work shifts and kids’ daycare schedules. They do reading over lunch breaks and on subways. They’re often working late at night when tutoring centers are closed. But McGraw-Hill, an education publishing company, and TutorMe, an online tutoring service, are partnering to tackle the problem with a new semester-long pilot program this fall. McGraw-Hill already offers personalized online courses, supplemental materials and digital textbooks. But the company will now give students access to TutorMe tutors as they work through course material on McGraw-Hill Connect and McGraw-Hill ALEKS, two of its learning platforms. Students can reach tutors any time of day or night, and the program will ensure that every student can take advantage of an hour of free tutoring.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Diversity Low in Higher Education IT Field, Study Finds
by Sarah Wood
New research by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) reveals a need for diversity, equity and inclusion within the higher education information technology field. According to the report, Diversity in Higher Education Information Technology: From Today’s Workforce to Tomorrow’s Leaders, White men make up to 59 percent of higher education IT employees, and about 70 percent of minorities in higher ed IT positions are men. Black and Hispanic women are the least-represented groups in higher education IT, with a combined three-percent representation. However, the IT college student demographic does not reflect the lack of diversity among their professors. The study found that women make up 57 percent of the classroom while minorities make up 42 percent.