University System News:
www.military-technologies.net
Georgia’s Chancellor, Panama’s President and Florida Congressman Keynote 2017 Spring Commencement
http://www.military-technologies.net/2017/04/27/georgias-chancellor-panamas-president-and-florida-congressman-keynote-2017-spring-commencement/
Georgia Tech graduates will be sent off to their next phase of life with inspiring words from a trio of officials in three ceremonies scheduled May 5-6 at McCamish Pavilion on campus. In the Ph.D. and Master’s Ceremony, 7 to 9:30 p.m., May 5, University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley will speak, and an honorary doctorate will be bestowed on Dr. John H. Burson, a physician and triple Georgia Tech Alumnus (ChE 1956, MS MET 1963, Ph.D. ChE 1964). Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and tickets are required.
www.gareport.com
Political Notes — Deal will sign budget several times on Monday
http://gareport.com/story/2017/04/27/political-notes-deal-will-sign-budget-several-times-on-monday/
By TOM CRAWFORD
Gov. Nathan Deal, as he’s done in past years, will fly around the state Monday to hold several staged signings of the $25 billion state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The governor will emphasize different aspects of the spending plan at each of three stops he has scheduled during the budget fly-around. …The third stop will be in Savannah at the Armstrong Center Atrium of Armstrong State University. The governor will tout $22 million for the construction of a health professions academic center at Armstrong State along with $36.4 million for the GBI’s new crime lab in Savannah.
www.onlineathens.com
UGA raises will average 2.5 percent this year, university President Jere Morehead says
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-04-27/uga-raises-will-average-25-percent-year-university-president-jere-morehead
By Lee Shearer
University of Georgia workers will get an average 2.5 percent pay raise this year, pending Gov. Nathan Deal’s final approval of the state budget. That budget adds money to raise state workers’ pay by 2 percent on a merit basis — some will get more than 2 percent, some less. UGA President Jere Morehead also said he planned to raise the starting pay for UGA’s lowest-paid jobs by $500 a year. Those jobs start at $23,500, but beginning July 1, will go up to $24,000. As of Thursday, 305 workers were being paid that $23,500 rate, according to university records. The unsigned budget also contains $18.7 million in construction money for the third and final phase of UGA’s new Terry College of Business complex, Morehead said Wednesday after one of the president’s periodic cabinet meetings. The second phase of the “Business Learning Community” — built with both state funds and private donations — is now nearing completion at the intersection of Hull and Baxter streets. This year’s budget also would give UGA $4.6 million to plan what Morehead called a STEM building, which would incorporate science, technology, engineering and math.
www.ajc.com
Kennesaw State hiring more faculty to meet increasing enrollment
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/kennesaw-state-hiring-more-faculty-meet-increasing-enrollment/61dEJsTz7JZqK5BDcGr6wM/
Eric Stirgus
Kennesaw State University president Sam Olens said Friday his deans are trying to hire more faculty members as the school grapples with its increasing enrollment. The university has hired additional faculty members this school year, he said, in areas such as engineering. Olens said he’s directed his team to hire at least 25 professors by the fall as more students apply, particularly with stronger academic records. “We’ve found ourselves cut short at times with the need for certain types of professors,” Olens said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. KSU’s enrollment, about 33,000 students, has increased by more than 5,000 students since 2010. It merged with Southern Polytechnic State University in 2015.
www.patch.com
GHC Breaks Ground On New Academic Building at Cartersville Campus
The 52,000-square-foot structure is scheduled to open in fall 2018 and will focus on the STEAM areas of study.
https://patch.com/georgia/cartersville/ghc-breaks-ground-new-academic-building-cartersville-campus
By Kristal Dixon
More than 250 people came together April 26 for a groundbreaking ceremony commemorating a new academic building at Georgia Highlands College’s Cartersville Campus. GHC employees, elected officials, the GHC Foundation Board, USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley, community members, and more spent time at the site learning more about what the future holds for GHC. The 52,000-square-foot structure is scheduled to open in fall 2018. It was designed by Stanely Beaman & Sears and will be constructed by Juneau. President Don Green opened the event and was followed by Chancellor Steve Wrigley. Other speakers included Vice President of Advancement Mary Transue, Vice President for Academic Affairs Renva Watterson, Campus Dean Leslie Johnson, and Student Government President Lucas Lester.
www.middlegeorgiaceo.com
Georgia College Preps Students for Jobs in State’s Burgeoning Movie Industry
http://middlegeorgiaceo.com/features/2017/04/georgia-college-preps-students-jobs-states-burgeoning-movie-industry/
Staff Report From Middle Georgia CEO
Georgia College’s first course in moviemaking prepares students to work in the state’s $7 billion industry, dubbed “Hollywood of the South.” Only five of 30 schools in the University System of Georgia (USG) – and four schools in the Technical College System of Georgia – have partnered with the Georgia Film Academy (GFA) to offer “Introduction to On-Set Film Production.” Internships on movie sets, as well as access to $100,000 worth of real film equipment at Georgia College, make this opportunity exciting, according to Dr. Karen Berman, chair and artistic director of theatre and dance. “Georgia College needed to be teaching film. It was always on our wish list,” she said. “We got in on the ground floor, and we weren’t sure how it was going to work, but it’s been growing with us.”
www.bizjournals.com
Hundreds of AT&T executives leaving Atlanta
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/04/28/hundreds-of-at-t-executives-leaving-atlanta.html
Ellie Hensley and Maria Saporta
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Big changes are underway for Atlanta’s fourth-largest employer. AT&T plans to relocate hundreds of its executives from Atlanta to its operations hub in Dallas and its entertainment hub in Los Angeles. About 300 jobs will leave Atlanta, including most leadership in the entertainment division. Atlanta Business Chronicle first reported the news on April 25… “Atlanta will be fine no matter who is running the show,” De la Vega said at the time. “Glenn Lurie is great. It will continue to be a great hub for AT&T.” Lurie also appeared to be high on Atlanta as a center for AT&T. On March 27, Lurie was the keynote guest at the Rotary Club of Atlanta, where he was questioned by Chamber President Moddelmog. Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson is hopeful Atlanta will remain a hub of innovation for AT&T. “Glenn and I have talked, and he has assured me that AT&T is committed to maintaining and strengthening the partnership we have developed between AT&T and Georgia Tech,” Peterson wrote in an email. AT&T is an important partner for Georgia Tech in research and education, and a leader in innovation in the Atlanta area. AT&T opened a Foundry innovation center in Tech Square four years ago, creating momentum for other corporations to open corporate research and innovation centers in Midtown.
www.ajc.com
JP Morgan Chase gives $400,000 grant for Morehouse College entrepreneurship program
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/morgan-chase-gives-400-000-grant-for-morehouse-college-entrepreneurship-program/k42b6nzLb1B7LBnWu6a19O/
Eric Stirgus
Morehouse College is partnering with JP Morgan Chase on an effort to help grow new minority-and-women-owned tech businesses. The company is giving the college’s Entrepreneurship Center a $400,000 grant for a program called Ascend 2020 Atlanta, Morehouse officials announced Wednesday. A kickoff to the effort is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The grant is aimed at helping increase capital and training for minority and female entrepreneurs in metro Atlanta. “This partnership could increase economic development in communities in the shadows of Morehouse College,” said Morehouse College interim President Bill Taggart. “It gives entrepreneurs access to some of our most talented professors and a team of experts working in the tech industry.” Others involved in the partnership include TechSquare Labs, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, and the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
AU Health System still losing money through first nine months fiscal year but expects turnaround
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/2017-04-28/au-health-system-still-losing-money-through-first-nine-months-fiscal-year-expects-0
By Tom Corwin Staff Writer
AU Health System was still losing money through the first nine months of its fiscal year, but an official said things were improving and the health system was hoping to be profitable at the end. The health system board on Thursday approved a $60 million bond issue that will replace a $40 million bank loan and mostly repay projects it has completed. Part of the health system’s struggles has been a lack of key physician recruits, which the health system and its physician practice group hopes to remedy soon. Through March 31, the health system was showing a $2 million overall loss, compared to $10.4 million in margin the previous year and a budgeted margin of $23.3 million. “This year, we are very much behind our plan,” said Greg Damron, chief financial officer for AU Medical Center. …Dr. David Hess, the interim dean of Medical College of Georgia, used a baseball analogy to say the health system just doesn’t have a very deep “bench” of people in many areas and, should they lose one, they are difficult to replace quickly. The health system has been improving each quarter and management feels there is an opportunity for growth, Damron said. “We should finish out the year fairly strong, just not at budget on operating income,” he said.
Higher Education News:
www.myajc.com
Atlanta named one of the best cities for new graduates seeking work
http://www.myajc.com/classifieds/jobs/atlanta-named-one-the-best-cities-for-new-graduates-seeking-work/6VzxKK3WbNghesRaVqMfcI/
By Myles Ma – Credit.com
Graduation season is around the corner, which means it’s time to put that degree to work. Many graduates have little to tie them to any particular place, so they can choose to start their careers where jobs are available. But which cities have the most jobs? Data provided by Monster, the employment website, show the best and worst cities for job seekers, based on the number of openings. Monster used the CEB TalentNeuron tool to analyze all entry-level job ads posted online from January 1 to March 22, 2017 that require a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree. … Locations on the list are all in metropolitan statistical areas with populations of at least 200,000 or counties with populations of at least 15,000. …7th Best: Atlanta; 10,937 job postings
www.chronicle.com
In Trump’s First 100 Days, Higher Ed Sees More Shadow Than Substance
http://www.chronicle.com/article/In-Trump-s-First-100-Days/239929?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=3d2c37cbbe8e41eea76ae092f22bd3eb&elq=512f69b55c2f483997295b74f167d12f&elqaid=13705&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5699
By Adam Harris
At an October campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio, Donald Trump, then the Republican nominee for president, gave his most substantive speech on higher-education policy. He suggested a simplification of income-driven repayment plans for student-loan borrowers and railed against government regulations — a staple of his campaign. Mr. Trump vowed that if he became president, he would “immediately take steps to drive down college costs by reducing the unnecessary costs of compliance with federal regulations so that colleges can pass on the savings to students in the form of lower tuition.” As President Trump approaches his 100th day in office, several observers say his administration has yet to scratch the surface of setting or pursuing significant higher-education policy — let alone achieving success in it. And aside from the offering in October, President Trump has rarely spoken at length about higher education — a trait that is shared by his education secretary, Betsy DeVos.
www.foxnews.com
Trump talks to NRA in Atlanta as Georgia debates guns on college campuses
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/28/trump-talks-to-nra-in-atlanta-as-georgia-debates-guns-on-college-campuses.html
By Jonathan Serrie
The NRA kicks off its annual meeting in Atlanta at a time Georgia is in the middle of two hot debates — one over who will represent the state’s 6th Congressional District, and another on whether Republican Gov. Nathan Deal should sign a bill allowing registered gun owners to carry firearms on public college campuses. House Bill 280 is a more restrictive version of legislation the governor vetoed last year. State lawmakers modified the bill to prevent the general public from bringing firearms into college sporting events, student housing and shared space with preschool and grade school students, such as daycare facilities.
www.businessinsider.com
10 states allow guns on college campuses and 16 more are considering it
http://www.businessinsider.com/states-that-allow-guns-on-college-campuses-2017-4
Abby Jackson and Skye Gould
As high-school seniors recently admitted to college start to think about furnishing their dorm rooms, they’ll soon learn there are some fairly universal items they will need to avoid. Items that pose a risk of hazard to students, like toasters, space heaters, and even Christmas trees, are frequently banned from their rooms. But another set of items, once banned, are increasingly allowed on college campuses across the nation: concealed weapons.
www.insidehighered.com
Not in My Classroom
Study suggests professors widely oppose campus carry as inimical to academic freedom, but fewer would alter their teaching habits under the law.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/04/28/study-professors-widely-oppose-campus-carry-inimical-academic-freedom-fewer-would?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=f0ff0a9e72-DNU20170428&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-f0ff0a9e72-197515277&mc_cid=f0ff0a9e72&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Colleen Flaherty
One of the major arguments against campus carry laws like the one imposed on Texas public universities last year is that having guns in the classroom chills academic freedom. Professors might avoid hot-button issues in class discussions, for example, or fear meeting one-on-one with students. But how many faculty members actually feel that way? Preliminary research being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association gives new insight into what share of professors feel intellectually limited by the specter of guns in their classrooms or would adjust their teaching styles if they had to teach under campus carry. Some three-quarters (70 percent) of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement “I support the right of license holders to carry concealed weapons on campus.” A similar number (71 percent) agreed or strongly agreed that campus carry laws “will have a negative impact on the free and robust exchange of ideas at the my university.” While there was overwhelming antipathy for campus carry and concern about how it might affect academic freedom institution-wide, responses to questions about how individual professors might alter their own teaching practices were more varied.
www.washingtonpost.com
A survey on sexual assault alarmed colleges. Here’s how top schools responded.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-survey-on-sexual-assault-alarmed-colleges-heres-how-top-schools-responded/2017/04/25/1c6dd3f0-29e0-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html?utm_term=.dc80d904c074
By Susan Svrluga and Sarah Larimer
Startled by data suggesting that sexual assault is common and underreported on campuses across the country, university leaders have increased staffing, training and support for students in recent years, according to a new survey of leading universities. Schools have increased spending and hiring to combat sexual assault on campus, the survey found, adding an average of five new full-time employees in the past few years. At the University of Virginia, those efforts have cost $1.6 million since 2014. That’s just one sign of what the Association of American Universities says is a sweeping response by top schools.
www.ajc.com
Expelled for sex assault, young men are filing more lawsuits to clear their names
http://www.ajc.com/news/expelled-for-sex-assault-young-men-are-filing-more-lawsuits-clear-their-names/yfaX94cVi1h1pZYCnj48bM/
T. Rees Shapiro The Washington Post
A rising number of young men who were kicked out of college for sexual misconduct are suing those schools, alleging they were treated unfairly as their cases were investigated and decided, legal data show. Many are securing settlements that clear the discipline from their record, lawyers and advocacy groups say. Some even are being allowed to return to campus. The legal pushback from these men has emerged in response to a wave of campus activism in recent years and a shift in federal enforcement of Title IX, the anti-discrimination law that led to more reports of sexual assault and major changes in how colleges resolve those complaints.
www.chronicle.com
Battling Sexual Assault on Campus
http://www.chronicle.com/resource/battling-sexual-assault-on-cam/6283/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=1558d7cbeea74cfdbf17c93d0382b32d&elq=512f69b55c2f483997295b74f167d12f&elqaid=13705&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5699
The pressure is on colleges to step up efforts to prevent sexual assault and handle complaints more effectively, without adding to the emotional harm experienced by the accuser or treading on the rights of the accused. Part of the pressure comes from the federal government, which in 2011 signaled stricter enforcement of the gender-equity law known as Title IX. The 10 articles in this collection will help college officials understand their legal obligations toward students in matters of suspected sexual violence and consider which strategies they might use to keep students safer.
www.diverseeducation.com
N.Y. College President Heard Blaming Alleged Assault Victim
http://diverseeducation.com/article/95822/?utm_campaign=DIV1704%20DAILY%20NEWSLETTER%20APR28&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua
by Associated Press
SANBORN, N.Y. — A New York community college president who was recorded disparaging an alleged victim of sexual assault has retired, just before a vote to consider firing him. Niagara County Community College says James Klyczek notified the board of trustees of his retirement shortly before a special meeting Wednesday evening in which the trustees were to decide whether to remove him as head of the two-year college located north of Buffalo. In a statement, the board’s president called Klyczek’s reported words and actions inconsistent with the college’s values. WKBW-TV of Buffalo aired a recording in which Klyczek is allegedly heard calling a middle-aged woman who reported being sexually assaulted near the campus library “too stupid to follow (her) instinct.”
www.chronicle.com
Advocates for HBCUs Aim to Keep Pressure on Lawmakers
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Advocates-for-HBCUs-Aim-to/239928?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=decae0878b3147c5947c5fe5be997769&elq=512f69b55c2f483997295b74f167d12f&elqaid=13705&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=5699
By Adam Harris
The Trump administration indicated early in its tenure that it would place a heavy focus on historically black colleges and universities — with the president signing an executive order in February that moved the White House Initiative on HBCUs back to the White House from the Department of Education. But as the administration’s 100-day mark looms, there is scant evidence of that extra attention. On Thursday members of the HBCU Collective, a group of alumni, students, and supporters of HBCUs working in politics and advocacy, journeyed here to urge legislators to take direct action on HBCUs in the absence of increased support from the administration. Dozens gathered at the U.S. Capitol to meet with more than 30 lawmakers and their staffs. The collective wants Congress to permanently restore the year-round Pell Grant program and to indefinitely protect the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The group is also recommending that Congress authorize federal agencies to increase to 5 percent the share of STEM grants awarded to HBCUs, among other requests. “It is past time for HBCUs to only get crumbs,” said David Wilson, president of Morgan State University, in Baltimore. “It is time for us to get the full loaves of bread.”
www.chronicle.com
Purdue’s Purchase of Kaplan Is a Big Bet — and a Sign of the Times
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Purdue-s-Purchase-of-Kaplan/239931
By Goldie Blumenstyk
With a surprise deal to acquire the for-profit Kaplan University, announced on Thursday, Purdue University has leapfrogged into the thick of the competitive online-education market. Purdue plans to oversee the institution as a new piece of its public-university system — a free-standing arm that will cater to working adults and other nontraditional students.
The purchase, conceived and executed in just five and a half months, puts Purdue in position to become a major force in an online landscape increasingly dominated by nonprofit institutions. Until now, said Purdue’s president, Mitch Daniels, the university “has basically been a spectator to this growth” in distance education, with just a few online graduate programs. Mr. Daniels, a former Republican governor of Indiana, described the acquisition as adding a “third dimension” to Purdue, along with its research-rich flagship in West Lafayette, Ind., and its regional campuses. For Kaplan and its parent company, Graham Holdings, the deal offers a potentially profitable exit strategy for an operation that has seen its bottom line battered for several years by falling enrollments. (Kaplan now has 32,000 students.)
www.diverseeducation.com
Stakeholders Divided Over Accreditation Reform
http://diverseeducation.com/article/95834/?utm_campaign=DIV1704%20DAILY%20NEWSLETTER%20APR28&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
WASHINGTON — As Congress seeks to reform the accreditation system for institutions of higher education, it should avoid a “one-size-fits-all” approach that fails to take into account the varied missions of different colleges and universities that serve diverse student populations. Dr. George A. Pruitt, president of Thomas Edison State University, said that it’s “important that metrics be mission-sensitive.” That was the advice that Dr. George A. Pruitt, president of Thomas Edison State University, proffered Thursday during a two-hour hearing on accreditation conducted by the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce. “It is certainly important that metrics be mission-sensitive,” Pruitt testified. “In the absence of that, metrics tend to assess the demographics of the student body and not the quality of the institution.” To illustrate his point, Pruitt noted how some observers might disdainfully regard institutions with graduation rates of 20 percent or lower as being “too low.” “It is too low if your students are going to school full time and expect to graduate in four years,” Pruitt said. “None of the 17,000 in my institution go full time and none expect to graduate in four years,” he explained about Edison, a Trenton, New Jersey-based institution that he described as a “specialty” university that provides flexible coursework for “self-directed” adults. Conversely, Pruitt said of Princeton University — his institutional colleague “down the street” — virtually all of the students attend full time and expect to graduate in four years.