University System News:
www.noodls.com
Deal: Alcon expansion creates 550 jobs in Johns Creek
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/30468662/the-office-of-the-governor-of-the-state-of-georgia/deal-alcon-expansion-creates-550-jobs-in-johns-creek
Gov. Nathan Deal announced today that Alcon, an eye care manufacturing company, has created 550 jobs and invested $500 million in the Johns Creek community since 2013. This announcement comes on World Sight Day, in an effort to raise public awareness for those affected by blindness or visual impairment. ‘On World Sight Day, we recognize Alcon’s innovation in eye care and the company’s significant economic impact here in Georgia,’ said Deal. ‘Alcon was one of the first companies to participate in my High Demand Career Initiative, providing us with valuable insight into the needs of their future workforce. Today, we celebrate Alcon’s advancements and look forward to their continued growth in Georgia.’ …Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) project manager Mary Ellen McClanahan represented the state on this project and worked closely with Georgia Power, Georgia Quick Start, the Technical College System of Georgia, the University System of Georgia, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Progress Partners and the Fulton County Development Authority. GDEcD’s Workforce division also played a major role in this project.
USG Institutions:
www.tiftongazette.com
UGA President Morehead emphasizes importance of Ga. agriculture through Sunbelt Ag Expo visit
http://www.tiftongazette.com/news/uga-president-morehead-emphasizes-importance-of-ga-agriculture-through-sunbelt/article_2c2421b8-7830-11e5-8754-7bd163d689be.html
By Clint Thompson UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
TIFTON – The Sunbelt Agricultural Expo opened its doors on Tuesday to University of Georgia President Jere Morehead, who was one of the event’s first visitors. Part of a UGA contingent that included Jennifer Frum, UGA vice president for public service and outreach, Morehead expressed excitement about visiting the expo, which is in its 38th year. “This visit has been outstanding. I have seen a lot, learned a lot and really enjoyed being around the people involved in the most important and largest industry in the state,” he said. “I learn a little more about the important and strong relationship between UGA and the agriculture industry each year that I participate in this great event.”
www.noodls.com
Nominees for the 2015 Chancellor’s Service Excellence Award Announced
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/30479215/clayton-state-university/nominees-for-the-2015-chancellor8217s-service-excellence-
Morrow, GA-Three Clayton State University faculty and staff members have received honorable mentions for the 2015 Chancellor’s Service Excellence Award–a huge honor since only ten honorable mentions are awarded out of hundreds of nominations.
www.macon.com
Education Notebook:
http://www.macon.com/news/local/education/article41414391.html
TWO MGSU EMPLOYEES RECEIVE STATE AWARDS
Melinda Rodgers and the Middle Georgia State University Enrollment Call Center team received a silver award for service excellence from University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby. Their recognition is in the category of front desk/help center service excellence.
www.noodls.com
Clayton State Ranked High in U.S. News & World Report, James
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/30479217/clayton-state-university/clayton-state-ranked-high-in-us-news–world-report-james
Morrow, GA, September 10, 2015 – Clayton State University was recently recognized in two publications for its outstanding academic programming and value in higher education. In the recent U.S. News & World Report education rankings and reviews, Clayton State secured its ranking for the second year in a row as eighth in Top Public Schools – Regional Colleges (South) and was the highest-ranking University System of Georgia institution to appear in this category. Clayton State climbed two spots to number 60 in Regional Colleges (South), and was the highest-ranking public institution in Georgia to appear in this category as well. …Last month, Clayton State received the number one in best value in Georgia higher education ranking by James magazine for the second consecutive year. James magazine’s 2015 education issue also listed Clayton State among the top ten regional colleges and universities in the state.
www.noodls.com
Georgia Children’s Cabinet Visits the Kennesaw State University Veterans Resource Center
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/30468163/georgia-governors-office-for-children-and-families/georgia-childrens-cabinet-visits-the-kennesaw-state-univers
Kennesaw, GA – In support of November Military and Veteran Appreciation Month, First Lady Sandra Deal and the Georgia Children’s Cabinet visited the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Veterans Resource Center.
The campus veterans center is just one of 23 campus centers throughout the University System of Georgia (USG), all established with the mission to support Georgia’s returning veterans. Supportive initiatives available to veterans through these resource centers include financial aid assistance, such as claiming financial aid benefits from the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, which expands educational benefits to veterans who have served after September 11, 2001. The center also provides family support services and workforce integration programs and helps veterans pass educational financial benefits on to their spouses and children. – See more at: http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/30468163/georgia-governors-office-for-children-and-families/georgia-childrens-cabinet-visits-the-kennesaw-state-univers#sthash.M73kKPLq.dpuf
www.myajc.com
Albany State financial aid audit finds misconduct; four fired
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/albany-state-financial-aid-audit-finds-misconduct-/nn77K/
By Janel Davis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four financial aid employees at Albany State University were fired after an audit of the department revealed a history of misconduct involving student aid payments dating back three decades. The internal audit of financial aid histories of five students, who were also employees, included one person who had been awarded more than $270,000 in federal student financial aid since 1985.
www.ecnmag.com
Texas Instruments Gives $3.2 Million for Student Plaza and Maker Space at the Georgia Institute of Technology
http://www.ecnmag.com/news/2015/10/texas-instruments-gives-32-million-student-plaza-and-maker-space-georgia-institute-technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has received a $3.2 million gift from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) to support the construction of the Texas Instruments Plaza and Maker Space for Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The plaza and the maker space will be located, respectively, adjacent to and in the Van Leer Building on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. This recent gift to Georgia Tech reinforces TI’s commitment to support both research and a hands-on learning environment to educate future engineering innovators.
www.crossroadsnews.com
Grant to fund GPC peer coaches
http://crossroadsnews.com/news/2015/oct/23/grant-fund-gpc-peer-coaches/
Georgia Perimeter College has been awarded a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to increase the number of students who exit remedial math in two or fewer semesters through the use of academic success coaches. The grant, the largest single award in GPC history, is part of the DOE’s Predominantly Black Institutions Program. …Raising Achievement and Increasing Success in Education and its accomplishments in student retention and graduation are a big reason GPC received the recent grant, said Dr. Margaret Ehrlich, dean of mathematics, computer science and engineering.
www.daltondailycitizen.com
‘Supplying a Trained Workforce’: Dalton State’s new degree reflects collaboration
http://www.daltondailycitizen.com/news/supplying-a-trained-workforce-dalton-state-s-new-degree-reflects/article_3db7ebf4-7b86-11e5-bd72-cfe63116c18d.html
There is a severe shortage of trained workers with a chemistry background to support local flooring and chemical industries, according to the president of a local business. Providing degrees to help fill the workforce is a priority at Dalton State College. And the college’s 21st bachelor’s degree, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Scientific Technology with a concentration in chemistry, should help meet the needs of local businesses and industry.
www.macon.com
Middle Georgia State University adds flight programs at Macon Downtown Airport
http://www.macon.com/news/local/education/article40834395.html
BY LINDA S. MORRIS
Middle Georgia State University is expanding its fixed-wing flight and airport management instruction by offering it at Macon Downtown Airport. The university also will manage the fixed-base operation and fuel farm at the airport in east Bibb County. The announcement was made Thursday morning by MGSU officials and the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority. The authority will lease to the school about 5,100 square feet of classroom and office space and about 6,100 square feet of hangar space. “We hope there will be aviators and airplanes buzzing over this airport in short time,” said MGSU President Christopher Blake. The establishment of the FBO at the airport “is the first step in a broader plan for addressing the aviation needs in this state. … This is really an opportunity for this airport to fly in the next few years.” MGSU will offer courses in flight training, ground school and fixed-base operations in newly renovated facilities at the airport.
www.biometricupdate.com
Georgia Southern University expands use of iris biometrics ID system
Georgia Southern University expands use of iris biometrics ID system
By Justin Lee
Georgia Southern University has expanded its use of its iris recognition identification system to the campus recreational center, following the implementation of the technology last year at campus dining halls as part of an opt-in program, according to a report by CR80 News. The adoption rate for the iris recognition system at campus dining halls has rapidly increased since it was first introduced in August 2013, according to Richard Wynn, director of the Eagle Card Office at Georgia Southern University. …In partnership with the Eagle Card Program, the university’s Recreation Activity Center (RAC) is providing the option of accessing the building through the quick, hygienic, hands-free iris recognition process. Alternatively, students can present their ID card at the front desk or use the fingerprint reader to enter the RAC.
www.saportareport.com
HOPE scholarship deters college students from majoring in STEM fields: GSU report
HOPE scholarship deters college students from majoring in STEM fields: GSU report
By David Pendered
Fear of losing a HOPE scholarship may be one reason college students are steering away from a degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, according to research conducted by a professor at Georgia State University. “We find that as a result of these merit aid programs, there was a significant drop in the probability of students majoring in STEM,” David Sjoquist, co-author of the study, said in a statement. Sjoquist is an economics professor in the Center for State and Local Finance and the Fiscal Research Center at GSU’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. John Winters, of Oklahoma State University, collaborated on the project. Sjoquist and Winters have produced two reports since August that are adding substance to the debate over the need to tweak the HOPE scholarship.
www.valdostadailytimes.com
VSU student killed in I-75 wreck
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/local_news/vsu-student-killed-in-i–wreck/article_9c25184c-7b40-11e5-8d67-8f4d4cf91cd6.html
Staff reports
A Valdosta State University student has died in a wreck on Interstate 75, according to the Georgia State Patrol. Sunday at about 2:49 a.m. S/Tpr. Victor Mobley responded to an accident involving three vehicles at the 24 mile marker on I-75 southbound in Lowndes County, according to a statement from the patrol. The investigation concluded that a green 2000 Mazda Miata was traveling south on I-75 in the right lane. The vehicle was driven by 22 year old Geraldo Vargas, a Valdosta State University student from Omega, Georgia.
www.onlineathens.com
Fired UGA police officer settles whistleblower lawsuit for $325K
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2015-10-23/fired-uga-police-officer-settles-whistleblower-lawsuit-325k
By JOE JOHNSON
A former University of Georgia police officer who filed a whistleblower suit claiming he was fired for abiding by the state’s alcohol amnesty law and not arresting intoxicated UGA students reached a $325,000 settlement with the state of Georgia this week, according to the former cop’s attorney. The settlement, reportedly reached Tuesday during mediation, comes less than a month after the Jay Park sued the Georgia Board of Regents, UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson and two of Park’s former supervisors. The settlement includes an agreement under which the lawsuit’s defendants will send a letter to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council “exonerating (Park) from any wrongdoing,” said Park’s attorney, Michael Puglise.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
A Decade Ago, The Chronicle Envisioned Higher Education in 2015. How’d We Do?
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Decade-Ago-The-Chronicle/233874?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=6fc0207e516d4da4846551c2bab3e9dd&elqCampaignId=1687&elqaid=6678&elqat=1&elqTrackId=f742451cf5094b8ea813551e7a764efb
By Goldie Blumenstyk
In 2005 a team of Chronicle reporters and editors undertook a reporting experiment to predict the state of higher education 10 years in the future. We based that series of articles, “Higher Education 2015: How Will the Future Shake Out?,” on seemingly durable trends, available data, and some educated guessing by dozens of experts. To reflect the range of possibilities, we offered up predictions based on both best-case and worst-case scenarios for such topics as the state of tenure, for-profit colleges, and the pace of internationalization. How did we (and those experts) do? Well, let’s just say that going back to the future is a lot easier in the movies. We’ve reproduced the entire series of articles as they appeared in print in 2005 in this document. For several of the pieces, Chronicle staff members have added annotations where the predictions were spot on or way off.
www.theatlantic.com
Are Public Universities Going to Disappear?
Facing giant budget cuts, the chancellor of the University of Kansas worries aloud about the future of state-funded higher education.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/are-public-universities-going-to-disappear/411685/
Alana Semuels
Will there be public universities in 20, 50, 100 years? The question was posed Tuesday night during a dinner of journalists and university presidents, including those from Arizona State University, the University of California Riverside, and Georgia State University. For most of the dinner, presidents equivocated on issues such as paying adjuncts fairly and keeping tuition costs low, defending their universities while expressing optimism about the future and not necessarily saying anything new. But for the question of the long-term future of public universities, at least one president didn’t dress things up. “In 100 years? Maybe not,” said Bernadette Gray-Little, the chancellor of the University of Kansas.
www.chronicle.com
ACT Tells Colleges They Will Receive Some Test Scores Later Than Expected
http://chronicle.com/article/ACT-Tells-Colleges-They-Will/233885?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=fb9873b26e78428ebda919d96e551912&elqCampaignId=1680&elqaid=6672&elqat=1&elqTrackId=1776c5a3b10e4629bd13ff32731e178a
By Eric Hoover
ACT Inc. has informed colleges that they will receive some students’ ACT scores later than usual because of recent changes in the examination’s optional writing section. The delay could affect colleges with early-admission programs, as well applicants planning to meet early deadlines this fall. On Thursday, Edward R. Colby, a spokesman for ACT, said the new writing test, which uses a different rubric than the old version, had slowed down the scoring process.
www.chronicle.com
Feud at Florida A&M Has Echoes of Governance Issues at Other Black Colleges
http://chronicle.com/article/Feud-at-Florida-A-M-Has-Echoes/233918?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=6fc0207e516d4da4846551c2bab3e9dd&elqCampaignId=1687&elqaid=6678&elqat=1&elqTrackId=23c99d20beb94df590c986f71f98a160
By Katherine Mangan
A bitter feud between Florida A&M University’s president and the chairman of its Board of Trustees culminated on Friday in the chairman’s stepping down and the president’s narrowly hanging on to her job.
But the turmoil has raised questions that are reverberating beyond the boundaries of the public, historically black institution. Among them:
• When does a board’s involvement in day-to-day matters devolve from responsible oversight to micromanaging?
• Are historically black institutions, which often face unique enrollment and financial challenges, particularly prone to boards that overreach?
• Are male-dominated boards more likely to challenge the authority of female presidents?
• Does a president who publicly criticizes the board, as Elmira Mangum did when she accused Florida A&M trustees of “mudslinging” and conducting a “witch hunt” against her, deserve some of the blame when relations fray to the point of breaking?
Experts on historically black colleges and universities are divided on whether the tensions at Florida A&M reflect governance problems specific to HBCUs or might have cropped up at any college with severe financial challenges.