University System News
2014 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION NEWS:
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/senate-house-agree-on-budgets-big-ticket-items/nd5pL/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1
Senate, House agree on budget’s big-ticket items
BY JAMES SALZER – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Georgia House and Senate leaders agree on most of the big stuff in next year’s $20.8 billion budget: about $300 million extra for schools, more money to help fix the state health insurance program for teachers, employees and retirees, and upwards of $1 billion in new construction projects. But senators later this week will approve a spending plan for fiscal 2015 — which begins July 1 — that leaves plenty of room for negotiation as the session heads for a March 20 finale. As is typical, the budget approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday cuts some of the projects near and dear to House leaders and puts agencies, such as the University System, on notice that they will have some lobbying work to do before the session ends. …Senators also cut $15.5 million from the University System in two key areas that are certain to spark debate.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/educators-fear-common-core-bill-could-create-confu/nd5qm/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1
Educators fear Common Core bill could create confusion
BY WAYNE WASHINGTON – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Georgia could choose to stick with the controversial set of national academic standards called Common Core, but proposed legislation would prevent students from being tested on material tied to them. That provision is one of several that have education officials still concerned about Senate Bill 167, which calls for a review of whether Georgia should stay with Common Core. SB 167 passed last week and is scheduled to be discussed in a House committee Wednesday. Georgia would, if the legislation becomes law, have a set of standards and no way to know if students are adhering to them.
USG VALUE:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/georgia-tech-named-a-top-engineering-school/nd5m6/
Georgia Tech named a top engineering school
By Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. News and World Report has named Georgia Tech one of the top 10 engineering schools in the country. The announcement is part of an early and limited release of U.S. News’ 2015 best graduate schools rankings expected later this month.
www.times-georgian.com
http://www.times-georgian.com/article_c1d98e4e-a0f2-11e3-9eff-001a4bcf6878.html
UWG education center, clinic celebrate opening
Colton Campbell/Times-Georgian
More than 50 people raised test tubes filled with champagne into the air, toasting the grand opening Friday of two new facilities at the University of West Georgia. The group was celebrating the opening of the new Fusion Center and Comprehensive Community Clinic, found on the two levels of a building in the university’s education annex. UWG president Dr. Kyle Marrero called the two facilities, which had soft openings in January, “a monumental shift and forward motion” for the university. The Fusion Center and Comprehensive Community Clinic will allow UWG students to provide children in Carroll County with services in math, reading, counseling and speech/language pathology in a supervised, controlled environment.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2014-03-04/camp-helping-children-affected-cancer-now-registering
Camp helping children affected by cancer now registering
By ALLIE JACKSON
Registration is currently open for a camp that seeks to bring a bit of fun and normalcy to children whose parents have been diagnosed with cancer. Camp Kesem UGA is the local chapter of the national nonprofit organization that provides the free summer camp. “We are one of 54 current Camp Kesem collegiate chapters across the United States,” said Camp Kesem UGA Marketing Coordinator Carrie Clemens. “College student volunteers are empowered to fund raise, plan and run these camps.” …The camp gives children affected by a parent’s cancer the opportunity to just be kids, Clemens said.
www.menafn.com
http://www.menafn.com/489afd08-f460-4cab-bd8a-5b098db31119/Color-the-Campus?src=main
Color the Campus
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA March 04, 2014 (The George-Anne, provided by UWIRE, a division of Uloop via Comtex) –Red, blue, green, purple and yellow paint will rain down this Saturday as the sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon (DPhieE) host the second annual Color the Campus 5k for Cystic Fibrosis. A color run is a new genre of running events in which participants start in all white and finish covered in all kinds of color. While runners go through the 5k there are different stations set up along the way where volunteers throw paint onto them. The sisters of DPhiE decided to bring the color run to Georgia Southern University last year. Last year they had about 150 runners come out to run the 5k and raised a little over 4,000 for cystic fibrosis.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/georgia-factories-getting-more-orders-increasing-p/nd4yp/
Georgia factories getting more orders, increasing production
By Christopher Seward
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Manufacturing activity in Georgia increased last month, with double-digit gains in new orders, production and supply deliveries, according to a monthly report Monday by Kennesaw State University’s Econometric Center. The survey of purchasing managers also showed hiring was higher than in previous months.
GOOD NEWS:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/campus/recognition-of-women-noted-on-campus-with-institute-for-women/article_6bb83384-a328-11e3-8186-001a4bcf6878.html
Recognition of women noted on campus with Institute for Women’s Studies
Lauren McDonald
March is dedicated to celebrating the struggles, hard work and contributions of women throughout history. But it took that same struggle and hard work of women of the past to get Women’s History Month to this point. Juanita Johnson-Bailey, the director of the Institute for Women’s Studies at the University of Georgia and a professor of adult education, said Women’s History Month grew out of two previous celebrations of women’s history. …Johnson-Bailey said the Institute of Women’s Studies is proud to bring the celebration of Women’s History Month to UGA. “It is in that spirit of holistic celebration, that the faculty and staff of the Institute for Women’s Studies are proud to lead the campus in commemorating Women’s History Month,” Johnson-Bailey said.
www.walb.com
http://www.walb.com/story/24887381/georgia-tech-alumni-raise-money-for-a-scholarship
Georgia Tech alumni raise money for a scholarship
By Josh Rhoden
ALBANY, GA – (WALB) –
Albany area Georgia Tech alumni got together at Mossy Oaks tonight to raise money for a scholarship to help a student from Dougherty or Lee County attend the school. They’re considering nine finalists now based on their grades, SAT test scores, and extracurricular involvement.
USG NEWS:
www.southeastagnet.com
http://southeastagnet.com/2014/03/04/uga-student-testifies-before-congress-about-impact-of-extension/
UGA Student Testifies Before Congress about Impact of Extension
By Randall
Athens, Ga. – University of Georgia student Tess Hammock testified at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing Tuesday on behalf of the 7 million 4-H’ers in America. The hearing, held before the subcommittee on horticulture, research, biotechnology and foreign agriculture chaired by Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), recognized Cooperative Extension’s centennial year. “It is an honor for me to share my story,” said Hammock, a youth trustee of the National 4-H Council, “and to tell you how the Smith-Lever Act and one of the world’s most innovative educational ideas ever—the Cooperative Extension System of our nation’s land-grant universities—has helped to shape my life and the person I am today.” Hammock, from Forsyth, Ga., is an agricultural communications major in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2014-03-04/tv-station-costs-uga-more-800000-year-report-says
TV station costs UGA more than $800,000 a year, report says
By LEE SHEARER
The University of Georgia is spending nearly $900,000 a year on a university-owned television station that produces almost no income, according to a working group appointed to help UGA President Jere Morehead decide on the station’s future.
www.nation.foxnews.com
http://nation.foxnews.com/2014/03/03/iranian-student-caught-making-bombs-georgia-tech
Iranian Student Caught Making Bombs at Georgia Tech
By Jennifer Kabbany, The College Fix
Conservative news watchers want more answers on why an Iranian grad student at George Tech nearly burned himself to death making homemade bombs inside his apartment.
The incident happened in early February, but gained new steam over the weekend after Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit and Jim Treacher at The Daily Caller posted items on the explosion, which sent Saamer Akhshabi to the hospital with third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body. “Sounds suspicious,” Reynolds wrote.
RESEARCH:
www.we..blogs.nytimes.com
How Fat May Hurt the Brain, and How Exercise May Help
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS
Obesity may have harmful effects on the brain, and exercise may counteract many of those negative effects, according to sophisticated new neurological experiments with mice, even when the animals do not lose much weight. While it’s impossible to know if human brains respond in precisely the same way to fat and physical activity, the findings offer one more reason to get out and exercise. …The consequences of that seepage became the subject of new neurological experiments conducted by researchers at Georgia Regents University in Augusta and published last month in The Journal of Neuroscience.
www.connectsavannah,com
http://www.connectsavannah.com/NewsFeed/archives/2014/03/04/uga-skiomarex-educate-with-underwater-robots
UGA SkIO/MAREX educate with underwater robots
Researchers and educators from the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and Marine Extension (MAREX) are creating an education program focused on autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), also called gliders or underwater robots. The program, “Choose Your Own Adventure,” will capitalize on Skidaway Institute’s expertise with AUVs and MAREX’s extensive history of marine education. Skidaway Institute scientist and UGA faculty member Catherine Edwards, and MAREX faculty members Mary Sweeney-Reeves and Mare Timmons will direct the one-year project.
www.examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/article/tongue-piercings-help-wheelchair-users-be-independent
Tongue piercings help wheelchair users be independent
Imagine being able to control a motorized wheelchair just by a flick of a tongue. Tongue piercings are no longer a fashion statement. They are a mode of independence. Engineer Maysam Ghovanloo of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta wanted to develop a better system. The process started five years ago with himself and colleagues. They eventually created a tongue piercing that allowed control of a computer and wheelchair.
www.worldpoultry.net
http://www.worldpoultry.net/Broilers/Processing/2014/3/Reducing-Salmonella-levels-through-ultrasonic-energy-1474550W/
Reducing Salmonella levels through ultrasonic energy
Using ultrasound may be useful for reducing Salmonella levels on poultry, a research project at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in Atlanta, Ga., has demonstrated.
Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, led by Dr. Aklilu Giorges, examined the effect of using ultrasonic energy in combination with commonly used antimicrobials on the inactivation of Salmonella in chiller water.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2014/03/04/atlanta-hedge-fund-challenge-set.html
Atlanta Hedge Fund Challenge set
Phil W. Hudson
Staff Writer – Atlanta Business Chronicle
The second annual Atlanta Hedge Fund Challenge will host nine teams from universities across the Southeast to pitch ideas to hedge fund and investment firm managers … Teams of three students from Georgia Tech, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Emory University, Kennesaw State University, The University of Alabama, Auburn University, Duke University and Vanderbilt University will pitch alternative investment ideas to SEHFA, the CFA Society of Atlanta and a panel of five judges, who are managers from Atlanta area hedge funds and investment firms.
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.seattlepi.com
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Gov-Deal-outlines-severe-weather-response-plans-5288896.php
Gov. Deal outlines severe weather response plans
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, who ordered an internal review after a potent winter storm caught officials unprepared in January, outlined a wide-ranging plan Tuesday for responding to severe weather in the future. The heads of several state agencies responsible for public safety, emergency response and transportation recommended an overhaul of the so-called Ready Georgia mobile application, which was created by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the state Department of Public Health. The application would link Georgians with information on emergency shelters, transportation routes and more. GEMA has consulted with the Weather Channel and Georgia Tech, and the overhaul effort will include an aggressive marketing campaign officials said in the report.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/mar/04/public-outcry-has-reopened-discussion-common-core-/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Public outcry has reopened discussion on Common Core bill but will lawmakers listen?
I have been told by several education policy folks that they were informed by House leaders last week that there would be no amendments considered for Senate Bill 167. It was a done deal and the governor was happy with what had come out of the Senate. That apparently has changed. I credit the outcry last night and today from folks around the state to this flawed bill. Teachers and administrators are coming tomorrow from as far away as Tift County to talk about the importance of standards and moving forward with Common Core.
The main intent of Senate Bill 167 bill was to abolish the Common Core State Standards in Georgia.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/mar/05/anti-standards-bill-backwards-state-stepping-furth/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
The anti-standards bill: A backwards state stepping further back as rest of world moves forward
Someone on the previous blog asked what the business community is doing about the attack on Common Core State Standards in the Georgia General Assembly, an attack that has led to the Senate passage of an anti-national standards bill. The bill will be discussed in the House today at 3 p.m. in room 606 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, across from the Capitol. The business community and the military are pushing hard for changes to Senate Bill 167. The U.S. military has expressed ongoing support for Common Core.
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/03/05/legislative-tip-sheet-house-takes-up-common-core/
Political Insider with Jim Galloway
Legislative tip sheet: House takes up Common Core
The House and Senate gavel in at 10 a.m. today. The chambers aren’t tackling anything too heavy so soon after Crossover Day, but action is picking up in committees as each side begins to work through the bills that are now in their court. One of the biggest questions remains how the Senate will handle the hot potato that is the gun bill. It could come up in a Senate judiciary committee as soon as today. House committees will consider bills delving into the operation of the Georgia High School Association, which governs Friday night football in Georgia, and Common Core.
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/03/05/deal-predicts-changes-coming-to-common-core-legislation/
Political Insider with Jim Galloway
Deal predicts changes coming to Common Core legislation
By Greg Bluestein
That Common Core legislation that has so infuriated educators? Expect some big changes to it before the session is out. Gov. Nathan Deal, whose staff helped draft the controversial legislation, said it is “not a finished product” and that revisions were on the way. Senate Bill 167 calls for a review of whether the state should stay within Common Core, the national education standards that have ticked off tea party members and other conservatives who fear a takeover of education policy. But educators also fear the language would prevent students from being tested on material tied to the standards, such as the SAT and ACT. Deal said the bill’s sponsor,Republican state Sen. William Ligon of Brunswick is “very willing” to address the concerns.
www.politicalfact.com
http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2014/mar/05/americans-responsible-solutions/gun-bill-claim-under-fire/
“Georgia lawmakers are now considering passing the most extreme gun bill in America.”
Gun bill claim under fire
The Georgia House passed and sent to the state Senate last month a controversial and sweeping bill that would lift restrictions on guns in houses of worship, bars, airports and college campuses, and it would allow schools to beef up security by arming front office staff, teachers and other employees. Passions are running high for and against House Bill 875, which supporters have named the “Safe Carry Protection Act” and critics call the “guns everywhere bill.” But debates about measures such as this are often filled over-heated rhetoric Among those lobbying to kill the bill is Americans for Responsible Solutions, a national group that former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, founded after her near-fatal shooting in January 2011.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/higher-education-leaders-say-data-autonomy-can-help-improve-student-success
Higher education leaders say data, autonomy can help improve student success
Community Impact Newspaper
Many students are unsure of how many credit hours are necessary to graduate and programs such as DegreeMap allow students to be more autonomous with their education, said Austin Community College President Richard Rhodes March 3 at SXSWedu’s Analytics and Student Success Innovations in Higher Education panel. DegreeMap is an education planning program that provides students with information such as scholarship resources, class requirements for degree programs, financial aid and other college resources.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/colleges-discuss-merits-standardized-testing-higher-education
Colleges discuss merits of standardized testing in higher education
MLive
Parents throughout Michigan got a look last week at their children’s academic performance through the MEAP test, which assesses learning at all K-12 public schools in the state.
Looking for similar information measuring student performance at colleges or universities? You’re not likely to find any, at least at schools in West Michigan such as Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University and the private colleges that dot the region. Common assessments have been created to measure the ability of college students to solve problems, communicate effectively and analyze and evaluate information.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/are-womens-colleges-still-needed
Are women’s colleges still needed?
Valley News
When Chatham University was founded in 1869 under the name Pennsylvania Female College, it was born into a world of furious debate over the role of women’s higher education.
Would it reduce the number of marriages? Were women smart enough? Or even physically capable? One retired Harvard Medical School professor wrote in an 1873 report that women should not participate in higher education if they hoped for a future “secure from neuralgia, uterine disease, hysteria and other derangements of the nervous system.”
www.forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2014/03/04/two-sides-of-the-same-coin-the-employment-crisis-and-the-education-crisis/
Two Sides Of The Same Coin: The Employment Crisis And The Education Crisis
Ashoka, Contributor
It’s a well-publicized reality that job growth is not consistent with the increase in the number of college graduates, and the unemployment crisis is a major concern for many countries.
And yet, employers and business leaders are beginning to insist that their demand for talent is not being met by the current supply. A survey by the Workforce Solutions Group at St. Louis Community College finds that more than 60 percent of employers say applicants lack crucial “communication and interpersonal skills.” According to Martha White’s “The Real Reason College Grads Can’t Get Hired,” a large percentage of managers also say today’s applicants can’t think critically and creatively, solve problems, or write well.
Education News
www.wabe.org
http://wabe.org/post/military-members-lend-support-common-core
Military Members Lend Support to Common Core
By MARTHA DALTON
A group of retired military members gathered at the State Capitol Tuesday to show support for the Common Core education standards. Georgia has invested plenty of time and money in the standards’ implementation. But a bill that cleared the state Senate puts Georgia’s future participation in the Common Core in question. Major General Ronald Johnson said children of service men and women attend between six and nine different schools during their elementary years. He says before 45 states agreed to adopt the Common Core, that was a hardship for children in military families.
www.northwestgeorgianews.com
http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/catwalkchatt/news/education/georgia-northwestern-technical-closer-to-opening-catoosa-campus/article_1cb1d584-a3bd-11e3-96b8-0017a43b2370.html
Georgia Northwestern Technical closer to opening Catoosa campus
by acook
Georgia Northwestern Technical College recently took a giant stride towards making its Catoosa County campus plans a reality, when it finalized the purchase of a 38-acre piece of land along Ga. 151 (Alabama Highway) in Ringgold. The school gained control of the land on Monday, Feb. 24 following a deal with the Catoosa County Economic Development Authority for $1.145 million dollars. The new site will be near the intersection of Ga. 151 and Holcomb Road behind Ringgold Electrical Supply Co Inc.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/wary-of-losing-hispanic-voters-house-gop-backs-tui/nd6L9/
Wary of losing Hispanic voters, House GOP backs tuition plan
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
TALLAHASSEE — Children of undocumented immigrants would be eligible for in-state tuition in Florida under a measure unanimously approved Wednesday by a House panel, a move fast-tracked by House Speaker Will Weatherford after ruling Republicans stalled similar bills for more than a decade. The legislation (CS/HB 851) was OK’d 13-0 by the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, its last stop before going to the House floor.
www.world.time.com
Who Needs College? The Swiss Opt for Vocational School
The majority of Switzerland’s students opt for vocational training instead of college—and that does not mean the country is dumbing down
By Helena Bachmann / Geneva
As young Americans contemplate the immense cost (and considerable indebtedness) involved in a college education, it may be worthwhile to consider the options available to the Swiss—and whether they are worth importing into the U.S. In Switzerland, even though university education is free, the vast majority of students opt for a vocational training instead.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/bloomfield-college-public-school-district-propose-partnership-hs-special-ed-pre-k
Bloomfield College, public school district propose partnership for HS special ed, pre-K
NJ.com
Educators presented the initiative to Bloomfield school board members last week. Board of Education president Shane Berger called the partnership a “groundbreaking marriage.” “We solved four or five problems (within the school district) with this deal, big pandemics problems,” he said. Marion Terenzio, vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of Faculty at the college, called the arrangement mutually beneficial. “We believe the role of higher education is for the public good.
www.techcrunch.com
Study: Massive Online Courses Enroll An Average Of 43,000 Students, 10% Completion
Study: Massive Online Courses Enroll An Average Of 43,000 Students, 10% Completion
Posted yesterday by Gregory Ferenstein
Massively Open Online Courses are becoming more mainstream, as more top-tier universities give the public access to their courses. A new study demonstrates continued wide-spread popularity with part-time students looking to substitute otherwise cat-video-filled downtime with ivy league lectures. Examining public data from 279 courses from the most popular MOOC providers (Udacity, Coursera, edX), researcher Katy Jordan finds that the average course enrolls about 43,000 students. About 6.5% of those stick around ’til the end.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/college-apps-increasing-across-texas
College apps increasing across Texas
News-Journal.com
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reported nearly 404,000 high school seniors had applied online to a Texas college or university, a 10.6 percent increase from the same time last year.
www.universitybusiness.com
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/education-committee-cash-strapped-budget-writers-don’t-cut-funding-maine-colleges
Education committee to cash-strapped budget-writers: Don’t cut funding to Maine colleges
Bangor Daily News
State budget-writers should not look to Maine’s public and private colleges and universities as they seek ways to fill a $100 million hole in the current budget, according to lawmakers seeking ways to make higher education more affordable. Members of the Legislature’s Education Committee voted unanimously Monday to send a memo to the Appropriations Committee, which has proposed eliminating the sales tax exemption for private colleges and universities and cutting funding from casino revenues that fund scholarships at the state’s public schools.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Obama-Proposes-Incentives-for/145121/
Obama’s Budget Proposes Incentives for Student Success
By Kelly Field
Washington
The maximum Pell Grant would increase by $100, and states and colleges would get billions of dollars in incentive grants under President Obama’s 2015 budget proposal, released on Tuesday. The spending plan seeks $7-billion over 10 years to reward colleges that do a good job of graduating Pell Grant recipients and $4-billion over four years to encourage states to maintain their higher-education spending and adopt performance-based funding models.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Spending-on-Science-Already/145123/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Federal Spending on Science, Already Down, Would Remain Tight
Obama’s budget proposes modest increases for several agencies that support university research
By Paul Basken
Washington
The Obama administration, constrained by spending caps imposed by Congress, suggested on Tuesday a federal budget for 2015 that would mean another year of cuts in the government’s spending on basic scientific research. The budget of the National Institutes of Health, the largest provider of basic research money to universities, would be $30.4-billion, an increase of just $200-million from the current year. After accounting for inflation, that would be a cut of about 1 percent.