University System News
2014 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION NEWS:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/house-adopts-sweeping-gun-bill/ndShk/
House adopts sweeping gun bill
BY AARON GOULD SHEININ – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Georgia’s House of Representatives voted Tuesday to let licensed gun owners carry their weapons in more places, sending the bill to the Senate where changes are likely.
House Bill 875, which passed 119-56, would lift restrictions on guns in churches and bars and allow school boards to arm employees. It would also no longer be a crime, under the bill, for licensed owners to carry guns on college campuses, where they are banned. Instead, those caught would face a civil penalty, a $100 fine. It also creates a system to make sure those deemed mentally ill don’t qualify for a license.
Related articles:
www.wabe.org
http://wabe.org/post/house-approves-bill-easing-gun-restrictions-bars-churches-and-schools
House Approves Bill Easing Gun Restrictions in Bars, Churches, and Schools
www.accessnorthga.com
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=271330
Ga. House votes to loosen gun restrictions
www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2014/02/18/2944789/ga-house-supports-loosening-gun.html
Ga. House supports loosening gun restrictions
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/house-passes-bill-expanding-hope-grant-for-technic/ndTK9/
House votes to expand HOPE grant for technical college students
By Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would pay full tuition for the state’s highest achieving technical college students. House Bill 697, sponsored by Rep. Stacey Evans, D-Smyrna, would create a Zell Miller Grant Scholar designation for tech students earning at least a 3.5 grade-point average.
Related article:
www.forysthnews.com
http://www.forsythnews.com/section/3/article/22512/
Bill offers more HOPE for technical college students
Leaders like link to career pathways
USG VALUE:
www.forest-blade.com
http://www.forest-blade.com/news/education/article_a148db0c-98e7-11e3-8778-001a4bcf887a.html
EGSC hosts Regional Science Olympiad
East Georgia State College hosted the Regional Division C (High School level) Science Olympiad on Saturday, February 15. The Science Olympiad is a nationally recognized program for enhancing science education and interest in science. It is a science competition for teams of up to 15 students competing in 23 different age related events over the course of the day covering the areas of chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, and engineering. …The top three schools will be competing at the state competition at Southern Polytechnic State University on March 22.
www.classicalite.com
http://www.classicalite.com/articles/5994/20140218/georgia-techs-margaret-guthman-musical-instrument-competition-begins-february-20-in-atlanta-featuring-23-international-contestants.htm
Georgia Tech’s Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition Begins February 20 in Atlanta, Featuring 23 International Contestants
Ian Holubiak
No, the current state of the luthier and instrument-making industries is not good. Remember, Gibson, back in 2011, got busted for using illegally-finished Indian wood, no doubt infringing on your innate right to rock. Some of us, though, have an insatiable desire to build our own instruments, of any kind of madness we deem fit. And thanks to the Yellow Jackets down at Georgia Tech, you can even get paid cash for your craftsmanship.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2014/02/18/35-named-finalists-in-flavor-of.html
35 named finalists in Flavor of Georgia contest
Jacques Couret
Senior Online Editor and Social Engagement Manager- Atlanta Business Chronicle
Judges picked 35 finalists for the 2014 University of Georgia Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest on March 17-18 in Atlanta. This year’s finalists were selected from a field of more than 120 products in 12 categories, making it one of the largest fields in the annual contest’s history.
GOOD NEWS:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/georgia-perimeter-college-receives-first-1-million/ndSYQ/
Georgia Perimeter College receives first $1 million gift
By Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A $1 million private donation to Georgia Perimeter College will fund projects targeting the institution’s most underserved students and help meet goals for the Complete College Georgia initiative. The donation from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation will immediately fund a remedial math instruction initiative and help expand services at a tutoring center on GPC’s Clarkston campus. GPC will receive $250,000 a year for four years to fund programs likely to directly impact 8,000 students, and benefit the college’s entire 21,000 student population. The grant will also be used to provide scholarships for disadvantaged students, to increase partnerships with K-12 schools to improve college readiness and access for underserved students, and to reform remediation and instruction activities at the college.
www.sloan.org
http://www.sloan.org/sloan-research-fellowships/2014-sloan-research-fellows/
2014 Sloan Research Fellows
Two from Georgia win Sloan Research Foundation fellowships
“For more than half a century, the Sloan Foundation has been proud to honor the best young scientific minds and support them during a crucial phase of their careers when early funding and recognition can really make a difference,” said Dr. Paul L. Joskow, President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. …Georgia Institute of Technology (2); University of Georgia
www.msutoday.msu.edu
http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2014/debate-members-earn-first-round-at-large-bid-for-national-debate-tournament/
DEBATE MEMBERS EARN FIRST ROUND AT-LARGE BID FOR NATIONAL DEBATE TOURNAMENT
Contact(s): Stephanie Cepak , Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore , Casey Harrigan
MSU Debate Team members Kaavya Ramesh and Tyler Thur have earned an at-large bid in the first round of the National Debate Tournament, designating them as one of the top 16 teams in the country. By receiving this at-large bid, Ramesh and Thur automatically qualify for the national tournament, bypassing the normal procedure. Other colleges that earned at-large bids include: University of California-Berkeley, Georgetown University, Harvard University, University of Kansas, University of Mary Washington, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, University of Oklahoma, Rutgers University, Towson University, Wake Forest University and University of West Georgia.
RESEARCH:
www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2014/02/18/2945645/middle-georgia-state-college-opens.html
Middle Georgia State opens digital forensics lab
BY ANDRES DAVID LOPEZ
Last year, Middle Georgia State College digital forensics students toured the GBI forensics laboratory in Atlanta. And now the college has opened a state-of-the-art laboratory of its own. The college is planning to launch a concentration in digital forensics for its information technology students who are interested in a career recovering and analyzing electronic data for law enforcement or corporate investigations. …The lab, located on Middle Georgia State College’s Macon campus, is funded by a National Science Foundation grant the college received last year to expand digital forensics education.
www.phenomena.nationalgeorgraphic.com
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/17/a-resurrected-cretaceous-answer-to-the-disease-of-kings/
PHENOMENA: NOT EXACTLY ROCKET SCIENCE
A Resurrected Cretaceous Answer to the ‘Disease of Kings’
by Ed Yong
Gout—a disease of red, painful, swollen joints—has an unfair reputation as a disease that only affects the wealthy after a lifetime of overindulgence. In reality, it’s the legacy of evolutionary changes that took place more than 20 million years ago, which we’re still paying for now. Gout was once called the “king of diseases and the disease of kings”. It could equally be the “disease of apes” … To find out, a group of scientists led by Eric Gaucher at the Georgia Institute of Technology resurrected long-gone editions of uricase that haven’t been seen for millions of years.
www.foxnews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/02/17/hours-to-save-world-new-software-program-aims-to-stop-deadly-pandemic-spread/
Hours to save the world: New software program aims to stop deadly pandemic spread
By Loren Grush
It’s a terrifying doomsday scenario: A novel infectious disease is sweeping through the world’s population, and health officials have only a day or two to stop its deadly spread … In order to best address the next outbreak, Dr. Eva Lee, a systems engineering professor at Georgia Tech Univeristy, presented a novel software program at AAAS. The program, RealOpt, sifts through massive amounts of data to better optimize decision-making during the event of an emergency scenario – especially in the case of a deadly outbreak.
www.nation.time.com
Police Eye Google Glass as Surveillance Tool
The New York City Police Department is the latest law-enforcement agency to test the wearable technology
By Josh Sanburn
A few months ago, an officer for the Byron Police Department in Georgia made a routine traffic stop equipped with an unusual piece of technology: Google Glass … The police department in Byron, a small city about 20 miles (32 km) south of Macon, became the first law-enforcement agency in the U.S. to use Glass when it partnered with Georgia Tech and the surveillance-technology company CopTrax to test the device for a day in September. But it won’t be the last. As recording technologies become more mobile and less expensive, police departments are increasingly looking to tools like Glass to aid officers in the field.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/atlantech/2014/02/georgia-tech-developing-a-flashlight.html
Georgia Tech develops ‘flashlight’ device to peer into blocked arteries
Urvaksh Karkaria
Staff Writer- Atlanta Business Chronicle
Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a diagnostic device that would provide real-time three-dimensional imaging from inside the heart, coronary arteries and peripheral blood vessels. The device could better guide surgeons working in the heart, and potentially allow more of patients’ clogged arteries to be cleared without major surgery.
Related article:
www.upi.com
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Technology/2014/02/18/Device-could-let-surgeons-see-inside-the-heart-and-its-arteries/UPI-87441392771969/
Device could let surgeons see inside the heart and its arteries
www.cbsnews.com
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/promising-brain-tumor-treatment-hijacks-monorail-that-lets-cancer-spread/
Promising brain tumor treatment hijacks “monorail” that lets cancer spread
By RYAN JASLOW
Tough-to-treat glioblastoma brain tumors may have met their match in a promising new treatment that “hijacks” what makes the deadly cancers spread so easily, turning that mechanism against the cancer itself … “One attraction about the approach is that it is purely a device,” lead research investigator Ravi Bellamkonda, chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, said in a statement. “Treating these cancers with minimally-invasive films could be a lot less dangerous than deploying pharmaceutical chemicals.”
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.northfulton.com
http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-TOP-STORIES-c-2014-02-18-202640.114126-sub-Gov-Deal-paints-rosy-picture-for-state-economy.html
Gov. Deal paints rosy picture for state economy
Speaks at Fulton GOP breakfast
by Hatcher Hurd
February 18, 2014
ROSWELL, Ga. – Gov. Nathan Deal was the guest speaker Feb. 8 for the Fulton County Republican Party breakfast at Country Club of Roswell, and the party faithful turned out to hear what he had to say. More than 200 packed the country club’s ballroom to hear Deal fire the opening salvo on his re-election campaign, and he had some talking points to boast about. The state’s economy is picking up after the recession doldrums, and is making progress. Among the highlights are his policies that are paying off for the state. …”If we get people working, then their employers’ insurance will cover them,” Deal said. Fiserv, a financial services company, will be bringing 2,000 jobs to Alpharetta, the governor pointed out. North Fulton “is a magnet for tech jobs,” Deal said. That is why the state is investing heavily in technical colleges. Georgia is a leader in technical training to provide high-tech employers with a quality workforce.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.ledger-enquirer.com
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/02/18/2960266/short-session-still-leaves-time.html
Short session still leaves time for critical issues
One of the few things Georgia lawmakers seemed to agree on as the New Year began was that this election-year session of the General Assembly would be a brief one. It’s gratifying, then, to note that the state’s Legislative Branch has still managed to carve out time for some of the genuinely pressing issues weighing on the minds and lives of Georgians. … And of course we can’t leave out those masters of statecraft defending our precious right to carry our shootin’ irons to churches, bars, college campuses and unsecured public buildings. There can hardly be a churchgoer, pub patron, college student or professor anywhere in Georgia who hasn’t bemoaned the chronic shortage of firepower at those venues.It might be a short session, but our Statehouse reps are determined to beat the clock on those things that truly matter.
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/02/19/legislative-tip-sheet-bipartisan-hand-holding-over-tech-school-scholarships/
Political Insider with Jim Galloway
Legislative tip sheet: Bipartisan hand-holding over tech school scholarships
House and Senate both gavel in at 10 a.m. today.
The House is set to vote on a bill that would create a scholarship for Georgia’s high-achieving technical college students. HB 697 is also the session’s most high-profile, bipartisan effort. The measure is sponsored by Democrat Stacey Evans of Smyrna, but has an unofficial co-sponsor in the form of Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. Early in Deal’s administration, changes to HOPE awards resulted in an inordinate number of technical school students – a prime pool of blue collar workers – dropping out. HB 697 is yet another fix – and a smart play by a governor seeking re-election. The bipartisan approach will make it harder for Deal’s Democratic opponent, state Sen. Jason Carter, to make hay with it. The House will also consider HB 788, the bill that will award tax breaks to private firms that take over management of dorms on university campuses.
www/myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/nuts-the-economic-health-of-ga/ndRcq/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1
Nuts: The economic health of Ga.
BY DON KOEHLER
In our developed economy, most of us find ourselves taking our needs and wants for granted. Save a weather disruption, we never worry about our food supply and, frankly, the supply of anything. We are fortunate to live in a state with a strong and growing economy. In rural South Georgia, one of the drivers fueling Georgia’s economic engine resides beneath the ground. …The last two years have seen the two highest yields in the history of Georgia peanut production. New peanut varieties from University of Georgia breeders and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been critical to this boost. The Georgia-06G variety led this list with the most acres planted in this single variety. An interesting note: Peanut varieties currently contribute the most annual royalty to the University of Georgia Research Foundation. Revenues are generated, directly or indirectly, from farmers who pay a royalty for peanut seed of varieties that came out of the university’s Peanut Breeding Program.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/beat-tuition-bloat
Beat the tuition bloat
USA Today
“Why am I paying so much tuition to people whose job seems to be telling me to call someone else?” That was my daughter’s lament last week as she tried to pry an essential form out of her college’s labyrinthine bureaucracy, but it’s a question that many Americans should be asking. Administrative bloat at American colleges and universities is out of hand, and it’s probably the biggest cause of the skyrocketing tuitions that afflict students and parents today.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/fund-growth-higher-education
Fund growth in higher education
Deseret News
It’s a rare opportunity because the presidents of all universities and colleges in the state have agreed to a formula that would provide this equity — even though the University of Utah, Snow College, Utah State and Southern Utah University would receive none of the roughly $69 million the Utah System of Higher Education is asking for in order to put all schools on an equal level with funding at about $4,800 for each full-time student. The agreement gives lawmakers a painless way to help fund growth at the state institutions whose mission includes accepting virtually anyone who enrolls.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/what-rubio-got-wrong-about-college-accreditation
What Rubio got wrong about college accreditation
National Journal
Independent accreditors periodically review colleges and universities to ensure their quality. But the process doesn’t emphasize outcomes like graduation rates and affordability, and it doesn’t prevent the emergence of bad actors like some for-profit colleges. Advanced education has become an all but essential qualification for good-paying jobs, yet many institutions still struggle to graduate students at a reasonable cost and with good employment prospects. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida recently called accreditation a “biased and broken system,” noting that the process is controlled largely by traditional two and four-year colleges and universities. But the main problem with accreditation isn’t that it prevents innovation, as Rubio argued in a speech outlining his vision for improving access and affordability in higher education. It’s that accreditation doesn’t provide adequate consumer protection.
www.usnews.com
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/02/18/meeting-the-stem-challenge?src=usn_tw
Meeting the STEM Challenge
Improving STEM education must be a national priority.
By William H. Swanson
The best schools in America are a full two years behind their Chinese counterparts in math, according to a major new international educational assessment. The Programme for International Student Assessment is one of the most thorough school surveys in the world. It measures major subject matter achievement for 15-year-olds in 65 countries, which combined represent 80 percent of the global economy. Sadly, America’s PISA results in math are dismal.
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/18/does-common-cores-focus-on-close-reading-make-sense/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss
Does Common Core’s focus on ‘close reading’ make sense?
Depending on whom you ask, the Common Core English Language Arts standards are either exactly what U.S. schools need, or exactly what they don’t need. Here’s an argument for the latter opinion, by Aaron Barlow, an associate professor of English at the New York City College of Technology. This was first published on the Academe Blog, the blog of Academe Magazine, which is published by the American Association of University Professors.
Education News
www.politics.heraldtribune.com
State education board adopts revised Common Core standards
By Lloyd Dunkelberger , Herald-Tribune
TALLAHASSEE
Despite opposition from most of the audience, the Florida Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a modified version of the Common Core education standards for Florida public schools. Meeting in Orlando, the board agreed to back some 99 revisions to the original Common Core standards for reading and math, which were adopted by the state in 2010 but have become a focal point for both conservative and liberal critics. Among other revisions, the modified standards eliminated the use of the name “Common Core” and refer to the benchmarks as the “Florida standards.”
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/60808/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=3f0032e18a1747d7b923c4004f1289e0&elqCampaignId=173
Report: College Success Compared of Those Submitting ACT, SAT Scores Versus Those Not Submitting Scores
by Ronald Roach
No significant differences were found in the success rates of students who provided standardized admissions test scores to colleges in comparison to those who had not submitted scores, a new national study on test optional admissions policies has found. In “Defining Promise: Optional Standardized Testing Policies in American College and University Admissions”, the report authors found “the differences between submitters and non-submitters are five one-hundredths of a GPA point, and six-tenths of one percent in graduation rates.”
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/remedial-college-courses-face-new-test
Remedial college courses face a new test
Wall Street Journal
More than half of community-college students in the U.S. take at least one remedial class, according to the Community College Research Center, at the Teachers College of Columbia University. This typically comes after students fail to pass proficiency exams in math, reading or writing. But educators and policy makers increasingly are concerned that shunting students immediately into catch-up classes—which students must pay for even though they garner no credits—deters too many from completing their studies. States are trying alternatives, from adding basic tutorials to college-level classes to weighing high-school grades in addition to test scores.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/cpe-approves-resolution-calling-reinvestment-public-higher-education
CPE approves resolution calling for reinvestment in public higher education
The Lane Report
The resolution states that 40 states in the current fiscal year have increased state general fund support for higher education, but Kentucky is not among them. The council commends portions of the current budget proposal for its strong emphasis on general fund supported capital projects and research and economic development in the form of Bucks for Brains. “Kentucky’s economic future depends on a vibrant and well trained workforce and educated citizenry; however, this cannot be achieved without a renewed investment in our colleges and universities,” states the resolution.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/central-louisiana-legislators-express-concern-over-tuition-costs
Central Louisiana legislators express concern over tuition costs
The Town Talk
State Senators Rick Gallot, Gerald Long and Neil Riser and Reps. Lance Harris, Chris Hazel and Robert Johnson gave their thoughts on the upcoming session. Among their issues of concern is the cost to students at state colleges, particularly Louisiana State University of Alexandria and Northwestern State University in Central Louisiana. “Sometimes you can do without money, but not in higher education,” Long said.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/university-colorado-regents-expected-vote-lowest-tuition-hike-10-years
The University of Colorado regents expected to vote for lowest tuition hike in 10 years
The Denver Post
When the school’s Board of Regents meets later this week, the governing body is expected to discuss a 3- to 5-percent increase . It is expected to be the lowest tuition increase since a 2.4 percent boost for the 2004-05 school year. Tuition was increased by 8.7 percent for the current school year.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/To-Improve-Equity-Focus-on/144759/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
To Improve Equity, Focus on Stipends, Graduate Students Say
By Vimal Patel
Students and universities are increasingly asking whether graduate students are being paid enough. Graduate teaching and research assistants on some campuses want the dialogue to focus on equity as they press for higher pay. Stipends often vary so much across disciplines within the same institution that some students’ pay hovers near the federal poverty threshold, while their peers across campus earn two or three times as much. Administrators at some colleges, meanwhile, have become concerned about competition.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/university-illinois-chicago-faculty-union-strike
University of Illinois at Chicago faculty union to strike
Crain’s Chicago Business
“We went in for three days over the weekend and there was virtually no movement,” said Joe Persky, the union local’s president. “We feel we have to get the administration’s attention.” The union, which represents 1,100 full-time tenured and non-tenured faculty, plans to strike starting at 9 a.m. tomorrow and continuing through Feb. 19. It is the first teachers’ strike to hit the Chicago campus of the University of Illinois. The union was created 18 months ago and has negotiated since then for separate contracts for tenured and non-tenured members.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/inside-look-performance-spaces
Inside Look: Performance spaces
Flexibility is the name of the game in today’s campus theater configurations
By: Lynn Russo Whylly
University Business
The top trend in college performance spaces today is the flexibility being built into them. From adjustable walls and seating that can accommodate a variety of performance types to acoustics that adapt to handle everything from African drums to an orchestra, theaters are expected to match specific events. “We see more and more educational users asking for fully flexible ‘black box’ type spaces, where the stage and seating can be rearranged for each production,” says Robert Shook, founding partner at Schuler Shook, a Chicago-based theater planning consultancy. One factor driving this shift is an increase in the diversity and variety of arts classes—everything from dance to set design to creative writing is taught in today’s theater buildings.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/23-million-federal-grant-will-extend-umass-afghanistan-work
$23 million federal grant will extend UMass Afghanistan work
Boston Business Journal
The grant is part of a $92 million, five-year contract to strengthen higher education in Afghanistan with a consortium headed by Family Health International. That group includes the College of Education, Purdue University, the Afghan Holding Group and Altai Consulting. David R. Evans, director of the College of Education’s Center for International Education and Joseph B. Berger, the college’s associate dean for research and engagement, will manage the $23 million sub-award.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/university-mississippi-offers-reward-find-vandals-who-put-noose-desegregation-statue
University of Mississippi offers reward to find vandals who put noose on desegregation statue
The Huffington Post
A construction worker on the campus in Oxford reported seeing two men wrapping the bronze figure in an old Georgia state flag bearing the Confederate logo, according to University Police Chief Calvin Sellers. The vandals were also heard shouting racial slurs, Sellers said. Campus police are working with local law enforcement and the FBI to locate the suspects after the incident early on Sunday, and authorities plan to pursue federal hate crime charges, Sellers said on Tuesday.