University System News
2014 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION NEWS:
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgia-lawmakers-pass-sweeping-gun-bill/nfHn6/
Georgia lawmakers pass sweeping gun bill
By Aaron Gould Sheinin and Kristina Torres
The fate of a sweeping expansion to Georgia’s gun laws, the subject of much debate and consternation over the course of the past two legislative sessions, was decided in the final hour of the 2014 session late Thursday. House Bill 60 received final passage by a vote of 112-58 and now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk. The approval came despite national efforts by opponents to defeat what they dubbed the “guns everywhere” bill. Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, the main sponsor of the House’s effort on gun legislation, said it’s been a “long and winding road.” …Earlier Thursday, House Republicans made a late, and quickly unsuccessful, charge to also legalize the carrying of guns on college campuses — a controversial measure that assured the defeat of a similar gun bill last year.
www.wsbtv.com
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/medical-marijuana-bill-likely-dead-legislative-ses/nfHnP/
Legislature expands gun rights, says ‘no’ to medical marijuana
By Lori Geary
ATLANTA — Lawmakers did not pass a bill legalizing medical marijuana in Georgia, but did agree to expand gun rights. …A bill that expands gun rights in the state did pass just before midnight and will now go to Gov. Nathan Deal to sign. It would allow guns in churches if leaders decide to allow them and would let certain school employees carry guns on campus.
www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/news/2014/03/21/georgia-expands-gun-rights-defers-medical-marijuana
Georgia Expands Gun Rights, Defers Medical Marijuana
ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers have made it through one of the quickest legislative sessions in recent memory. Along the way, they passed bills limiting healthcare coverage for abortion, expanding where you can bring a gun and barring a Governor from expanding Medicaid. Lawmakers gaveled out of the 2014 session at midnight Thursday, per their custom, but not before battling most of the day over a firearms bill dubbed “the guns everywhere bill” and a medical marijuana measure. …n the end, lawmakers succeeded in passing a sweeping gun bill, but the medical marijuana measure largely failed. …*Guns: The measure will allow licensed gun-owners to take firearms into many government buildings and schools. Churches can “opt in” if they want to allow members to carry while in the sanctuary.
www.accessnorthga.com
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=272730
Bill expanding gun carry rights in Ga. passes
By The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) People with a license to carry a weapon could bring their guns into some houses of worship under legislation adopted by Georgia lawmakers. The state House gave final passage Thursday to legislation that would eliminate a blanket restriction on carrying guns in church. It would allow congregations to decide whether they want to allow weapons into their sanctuaries. State lawmakers backed away from a plan that would have removed a blanket restriction on carrying guns in bars. That will remain illegal.
www.mdjonline.com
http://mdjonline.com/printer_friendly/24783717
Zero-tolerance law changing
by Jon Gillooly
ATLANTA — The General Assembly passed a bill that gives school boards discretion in how to respond when such items as pocket knives or baseball bats are brought to school.
Authored by state Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth), House Bill 826 was carried in the Senate by Lindsey Tippins (R-west Cobb). The bill now heads to Gov. Nathan Deal to be signed into law or vetoed. “It eliminates the zero-tolerance policy under Georgia law of pocket knives and similar objects on school campuses and gives school boards complete control in how to manage and bring cases against people who violate their rules,” Setzler said.
Related article:
www.members.jacksonville.com
http://members.jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2014-03-20/story/georgia-legislature-relaxes-zero-tolerance-rule-minor-weapons-schools
Georgia legislature relaxes zero tolerance rule on minor weapons at schools
New law could end expulsion of elementary school students for toy guns and knives
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/capitol_vision/2014/03/senators-ok-hope-for-technical-college-students.html
Lawmakers OK HOPE for technical college students
Dave Williams
Staff Writer – Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia technical-college students with a 3.5 grade point average or better would receive full tuition coverage under legislation the General Assembly passed Thursday.
The state Senate voted unanimously for a bill creating a grant program for technical college students named in honor of former Gov. Zell Miller, the father of the Georgia Lottery, which funds the HOPE Scholarship. The House of Representatives then OKed the measure 169-2.
Related article:
www.mdjonline.com
http://mdjonline.com/printer_friendly/24783717
Help for technical college students
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/legislative-briefs/nfHpX/
Legislative briefs
BY FROM STAFF REPORTS
Georgians to vote on income tax cap; HOPE expansion for tech college students OK’d; Move to incorporate south Fulton falls short; Permanent tax break for Gulfstream passes
USG NEWS:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/administration/uga-to-award-honorary-degree-to-first-black-applicant/article_1ebc96fa-b076-11e3-88a6-0017a43b2370.html
UGA to award honorary degree to first black applicant
By Taylor West
The University of Georgia’s first black applicant will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree during the May 9 spring graduate Commencement Ceremony. Retired federal judge Horace Ward’s honorary degree was approved by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia at its meeting on Tuesday, according to a UGA press release.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2014-03-20/more-graduates-might-mean-more-money-georgia-universities
More graduates might mean more money for Georgia universities
By LEE SHEARER
A new funding formula for Georgia higher education will reward colleges for the number of people who graduate with degrees with bonus points for special populations, including low-income students and nontraditional students. The “performance-based” formula would tie part of college funding to the absolute number of graduates, not to graduation rates, according to John Brown, vice chancellor for fiscal affairs for the University System of Georgia.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/athens/international-leaders-tour-special-collections-libraries-look-at-uga-s/article_44ca2c88-b06a-11e3-a368-0017a43b2370.html
International leaders tour Special Collections Libraries, look at UGA’s ‘first-rate education’
Michelle Baruchman @mlbaruchman and Lauren McDonald
Members of Atlanta’s international and diplomatic community spent an evening in Athens Thursday — one of 10 stops on their three-day International VIP Tour throughout Georgia.
“We are proud and thrilled that they chose to visit UGA this year,” said Sean McMillan, director of economic development for the Atlanta office of the University of Georgia. “It’s an opportunity for us to strengthen our international relationships and show leaders from around the world the first-rate education that UGA students receive, as well as the cutting edge research that is underway.” Twenty-eight members of the Georgia Consular Corps, representing 26 countries, gathered at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries for a tour of the library and for a special dinner.
www.blogs.wsj.com
http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/03/19/education-startup-parchment-raises-10m-to-deliver-transcripts-online/?KEYWORDS=%22georgia+tech%22
Education Startup Parchment Raises $10M to Deliver Transcripts Online
By LORA KOLODNY
During peak seasons, the university registrar at Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, Michael L. Rendon, says his office processes 100 to 300 transcript requests a day for students and alumni applying to other schools, jobs or for insurance. Until recently, handling all those requests entailed an unbearable amount of paperwork and the attention of two full-time employees. But with the help of a Scottsdale, Ariz. company called Parchment Inc., Texas A&M now sends transcripts digitally, saving about $60,000 a year, and countless man-hours, the registrar said… The company is already working with 2,200 prominent colleges and universities in the U.S. and 15% of the country’s 25,000 high schools today, Mr. Pittinsky said. Among its clients are Penn State, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech and for-profit, online universities like Capella University.
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/county-county-news-friday/nfHW4/
County by county news for Friday (6th article down)
Atlanta Science Festival events at KSU – Kennesaw State University’s College of Science and Mathematics launches the weeklong Atlanta Science Festival with a robotics-themed concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 22 at the Bailey Performance Center, Campus Loop Road, Kennesaw. Jason Barnes, an amputee drummer, will perform at the concert. Barnes will be accompanied by Shimi, a robotic companion developed at Georgia Tech.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/t-missing-georgia-techs-tower/nfF8H/
‘T’ theft tradition needs to stop, Georgia Tech president says
By Alexis Stevens
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Rambling Wreck from Georgia Ech? Nah. That just doesn’t work. And just because grabbing the “T” from the iconic building on the Georgia Tech campus has been a tradition since 1969, it’s not one that should continue, Institute President Bud Peterson said Wednesday. “We have many wonderful traditions at Georgia Tech, but participating in the ‘Stealing of the T’ — at the risk of life and limb and one’s academic career — should not be one of them,” Peterson said in a statement on the school’s website.
www.news.blog.ajc.com
http://news.blog.ajc.com/2014/03/20/cops-uga-professor-asked-student-for-happy-drug/
Cops: UGA professor asked student for ‘happy’ drug
A University of Georgia psychology professor is accused of asking a student to get him drugs while on a spring break trip, campus police said Thursday. Professor Charles Lance allegedly asked the student, whose name was not released, during class to buy him bupropion while in Mexico, according to UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson. Lance told the class the prescription medication is the “happy, horny, get skinny drug,” Williamson said. When the student later turned in a paper to Lance, he allegedly asked her again to get the medication and showed her a prescription bottle, according to police. The student reported the incident to a school administrator, who contacted campus police, Williamson said. …Lance, a tenured professor, has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the investigation.
GOOD NEWS:
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/county-county-news-friday/nfHW4/
County by county news for Friday (8th article down)
Lawrenceville police endow scholarship
The Lawrenceville Police Benevolent Fund has established an endowed scholarship for Georgia Gwinnett students pursuing bachelor degrees in criminal justice. Yearly interest from the $50,000 fund will be paid out as scholarships with the first to be awarded in fall 2014 ahead of its original schedule.
RESEARCH:
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/science_health/burning-wood-pellets-better-for-the-environment-than-typical-fossil/article_70bf87ac-b06a-11e3-a915-0017a43b2370.html
Burning wood pellets better for the environment than typical fossil fuels
Helena Joseph
European power plants are generating less greenhouse gases through the burning of wood pellets, which were studied by researchers at the University of Georgia, instead of fossil fuels. Puneet Dwivedi, an assistant professor of sustainability at the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources has done research on these wood pellets. Dwivedi said wood pellets are made by grinding, drying and compressing different types of timber products. They are made from the products that are left over after a tree has been processed by wood manufacturers.
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2014/03/21/reason-to-celebrate.html?page=all
Reason to celebrate
2014 shaping up to be a big year for downtown Atlanta
Christine Hall, Contributing Writer
Get ready for a great year, downtown Atlanta. The area is expected to explode with new hotels, attractions and businesses relocating to the Central Business District. With the exception of a few years since 1978, Larry Gellerstedt, president and CEO of Cousins Properties Inc., has had his office downtown. He has seen good times and not-so-good times for the area, but said there is a significant amount of investment taking place downtown right now… Even though it isn’t in the downtown core, Ponce City Market has attracted the IT jobs of athenahealth Inc. and MailChimp. AT&T Foundry, located on the Georgia Tech campus, and one of four AT&T innovation technology centers in the world, will provide a technology incubator.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/jay-bookman/2014/mar/21/guns-bars-and-other-lovely-idiocy/
Jay Bookman
Guns in bars and other lovely idiocy
So once Gov. Nathan Deal signs the gun bill passed last night by the Georgia Legislature — and he will certainly sign it — all of us will be able to walk down the street with a loaded pistol stuck in our belt and law enforcement officers in Georgia will be strictly forbidden by law from asking to see if you have a permit for it. And by “all of us” I do mean all — convicted felons, the mentally unhinged, those with restraining orders, etc. In effect, everybody is about to be given a open-carry permit, because cops simply won’t be able to check and thus won’t be able to enforce it. One of many ironies in that situation is that most of those who will celebrate that ludicrous provision as an expansion of “liberty” are also probably defenders of so-called “stop-and-frisk” operations, in which cops simply stop people on the street and frisk them to see if they are carrying anything illegal.
www.politics.blog.ajc.com
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/03/21/a-legislative-session-built-around-two-diffent-elections-comes-to-an-end/
Political Insider with Jim Galloway
A legislative session built around two different elections comes to an end
By Jim Galloway, Greg Bluestein and Daniel Malloy
Twenty-four of 119 Republican state lawmakers face May 20 primary opposition. Five of 36 GOP senators have primary opposition. So does Gov. Nathan Deal. But the governor also has a well-funded Jason Carter to worry about. And so the most dangerous general election bills – from a political perspective – finished the session neutered if not defeated. Religious liberty bills, seen as threatening to gays and lesbians, were abandoned at the insistence of Georgia-based business giants. A measure to pull the state’s public school system out of Common Core likewise cratered. HB 707, which would have barred the state insurance commissioner from enforcing mandates required by the Affordable Care Act – think pre-existing conditions – was reduced to weak tea. Though it will ultimately require the University of Georgia to abandon the training of “navigators” who point the uninsured to federal health care exchanges. A gun bill necessary for the looming GOP primary was trimmed of its campus-carry provision out of general election concerns – but only after Deal was forced to make his opposition public:
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/03/21/we-need-right-solutions-student-debt-problem-essay
Student Loans I: Yes, Something Is Wrong
By Karen Gross
The student loan problem seems clear enough on the surface: students are incurring oversized student debt, and they are defaulting on that debt and threatening their ability to access future credit. The approaches to student loan debt collection are fraught with problems, including improper recovery tactics and informational asymmetry regarding repayment options.
But the current public policy conversations miss key issues that contribute to the debt mess, leading to proffered solutions that also miss their mark.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/03/21/how-much-student-loan-debt-and-default-appropriate-essay#ixzz2wbDKr9py
Student Loans II: How Much Default?
By Jacob P.K. Gross and Nicholas Hillman
What is an acceptable level of loan default?
College and university leaders will be increasingly called to answer this question. That’s partly because the law will demand it: the newly embraced three-year cohort default rate measurement could result in penalties for more colleges and universities, and recent Congressional proposals could make institutions where significant numbers of students borrow and default on those loans responsible for paying back a sliding-scale amount of the defaulted debt to the federal government. But the federal government’s current mechanism for holding institutions accountable for default rates has significant shortcomings.
www.nytimes.com
A Quick Way to Cut College Costs
By STEVE COHEN
COLLEGE admission notifications have begun to arrive. With every thrilling acceptance comes something far less welcome: the heart-stopping reality of what it all costs. Tuition has risen almost 1,200 percent in the last 35 years, and the sticker price for many four-year private colleges and out-of-state public universities exceeds $250,000. Even at state universities, the average four-year cost for residents is more than $80,000 for tuition, room, board and expenses. But every college offers need-based financial aid, right? Well, sort of.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/views/beware-hidden-costs-of-studying-abroad/article_478285d0-b040-11e3-b31b-001a4bcf6878.html
Beware hidden costs of studying abroad
by Laura Thompson
…And then there is a special group of people — armed with their GoFundMes and declarations to “widen my horizons” — bound for faraway places with the help of study abroad or mission trips. This group of more than 2,000 students each year, according to the Office of International Education’s website, is dear to me because I’m one of them. …But the biggest problem that other travel addicts I and run into isn’t at customs or in bed when jet lag has taken away yet another night’s sleep. Instead, it is the hidden or overlooked costs of traveling that sometimes break the bank. Between program fees, airfare and tuition, it’s easy for other fees to slip through the cracks. Depending on the duration of your trip, you may need to apply for a student or work visa. The application fee ranges from country to country, but typically will set you back between $100 and $200.
Education News
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2014-03-20/state-school-superintendent-candidates-debate-common-core-forum?v=1395380005
State school superintendent candidates debate Common Core at forum
By Meg Mirshak
Staff Writer
Six Republican candidates for Georgia school superintendent speaking at a forum Thursday recommended eliminating or reforming Common Core education standards to improve student achievement. Common Core, which seeks to align school curriculums across states, was the focus at the forum hosted by the CSRA Republican Women’s Club and attended by about 40 people, including some teachers. Seven of nine GOP candidates for the race to replace State School Superintendent John Barge attended.
www.valdostadailytimes.com
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/local/x1984794975/WGTC-named-Purple-Heart-Technical-College
WGTC named Purple Heart Technical College
Desiree Murphy
The Valdosta Daily Times
NASHVILLE — The Purple Heart has long been a symbol of honor and service for those men and women that serve in the United States Armed Forces. For many years, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has served the needs of area service men and women through outreach programs, clubs and associations. Serving more than 250 student veterans on its campuses, Wiregrass continues to be one of the leading institutions serving our military personnel.
www.jbhe.com
The Alarming Gender Gap in African American College Participation Rates
The Alarming Gender Gap in African American College Participation Rates
A new study by the Pew Research Center shows that for recent high school graduates, college participation rates of women far outpace those of men. The gender differences are particularly pronounced for African Americans.
www.jbhe.com
How the Great Recession Impacted the Employment Prospects of Black College Graduates
How the Great Recession Impacted the Employment Prospects of Black College Graduates
A new report from the U.S. Department of Education examines the employment status of college graduates one year after they earned their bachelor’s degree. The data shows that in 2009, 12 percent of all African Americans who earned a bachelor’s degree in the 2007-08 academic year were unemployed. For Whites who had earned a bachelor’s degree in 2007-08, 8 percent were unemployed.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/State-by-State-Breakdown-of/145379/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
State-by-State Breakdown of Graduation Rates
According to a new study by the National Student Clearinghouse, the overall six-year completion rate for first-time degree-seeking college students who first enrolled in 2007 was 56.1 percent. Use the interactive below to explore the state-by-state six-year graduation rates for various student demographics across four-year public, four-year private nonprofit, and two-year public institutions.
www.timeshighereducation.co.uk
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/better-careers-guidance-will-reduce-dropout-rates/2012155.article
Better careers guidance ‘will reduce dropout rates’
BY JACK GROVE
Universities should provide advice to prospective students, recommends BIS report
Improving career guidance before students apply to university would significantly cut dropout rates, analysis suggests. According to a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills research paper that followed almost 106,000 students who applied to university in 2005-06, those who consulted only a few sources of advice when picking their degree course were far more likely to drop out by the end of their first year.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/21/draft-rules-campus-debit-cards-would-ban-certain-fees-restrict-marketing
Curbing Debit Card Fees, Marketing
Michael Stratford
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education is proposing new regulations on campus debit cards that would prohibit certain fees, restrict marketing activities, and require colleges to disclose their relationships with card providers.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/03/21/treasury-dept-issues-license-exchange-iran
Treasury Dept. Issues License on Exchange with Iran
The U.S. Department of Treasury on Thursday issued a general license allowing accredited U.S. universities to enter into academic exchange agreements with Iranian universities and permitting the export of some educational services, including university entrance examinations. The guidance also permits American universities and their contractors to enroll Iranian students in certain online undergraduate-level courses, including massive open online courses, or MOOCs.
www.gainesvillebizreport.com
KIPLINGER’S NAMES UF NO. 3 BEST VALUE LARGE SCHOOL
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has named the University of Florida No. 3 nationally among public institutions in its 2014 list of 10 Best Values in Large Colleges. “Once again, the rankings bear out that the University of Florida stacks up extremely well against its peer institutions around the country,” UF President Bernie Machen said. “I’m proud that we’re able to provide such an extraordinary value for our students and their families.”
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/21/universities-want-out-pennsylvanias-higher-ed-system
Pulling Out in Pennsylvania?
By Ry Rivard
Several Pennsylvania public colleges are looking for a way out of the state’s struggling 14-university system. Supporters say a bill proposed this month would strengthen the state’s higher education system by allowing its best institutions to leave, while critics worry the bill would hurt the system, lead to higher tuition and weaken faculty and staff unions.