University System News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia Board of Regents updates campus sexual misconduct investigation policies
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-board-regents-updates-campus-sexual-misconduct-investigation-policies/mWVjzqI1ZFo6VzoXeG07TO/
Eric Stirgus
The Georgia Board of Regents voted Tuesday to revise its process of investigating sexual misconduct complaints on the state’s four-year public colleges and universities. The new rules are aimed ensuring administrators at the University System of Georgia greater oversight over these investigations, allowing officials to spend more time educating students about sexual misconduct and ensuring greater consistency in how campuses conduct sexual misconduct investigations. Some major changes include the USG’s office being notified when a complaint is filed that could lead to the suspension or expulsion of a student. The new policy also more directly spells out penalties – suspension or expulsion – of students who file false complaints.

www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
State increases oversight of sexual assault investigations on Georgia campuses
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2017/08/08/state-increases-oversight-of-sexual-assault-investigations-on-georgia-campuses/
The Georgia Board of Regents just released new policies on sexual misconduct investigations on the state’s public campuses. The new policies require reports to the University System of any cases involving alleged violations that may result in a suspension or expulsion. Nationwide, colleges are examining how they handle complaints of sexual misconduct in response to mounting criticisms that the rights of the accused are being ignored. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos met with students, parents, schools, advocacy groups and experts to learn about their experiences. She sat down with victims of sexual assault and students who, according to ED, “have been falsely accused and disciplined under Title IX.” DeVos is investigating whether directives from ED’s Office of Civil Rights have led to protracted and unfair investigations. She says her goal is balancing the rights of accusers and the accused. …Here is the statement from the Regents:

www.ajc.com
Georgia Tech land purchase proposal in Cobb County moves forward
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-tech-land-purchase-proposal-cobb-county-moves-forward/YNW4py6Lo0H7NGX05SuxzO/
Eric Stirgus
Georgia Board of Regents members reviewed a $63 million proposal Tuesday by Georgia Tech to purchase land in Cobb County to expand its research efforts and expect to vote on the plans in September. Tech wants a lease-revenue bond package to acquire and renovate 32 acres in Marietta owned by Lockheed Martin. Renovations would include 755,000 square feet of office and warehouse space in four buildings, which previously housed operations for the F-22 Raptor fighter jet program.

www.mdjonline.com
Georgia Tech pitches $63 million plan to buy, renovate Lockheed property
http://www.mdjonline.com/news/georgia-tech-pitches-million-plan-to-buy-renovate-lockheed-property/article_0b1b059e-7be0-11e7-a4e2-dfb6d8a58707.html?sp-tk=90DC1825047BF66AE85896116D2513FD910F52361B8128B207A46A683FF7B200B9BF14ED09EE2C517F4AFC696900ED452BECA9F4156A456A5584C1C67BC726C2B2E6B163D50E3986B6452AA64A1C0B381E95D107B9B7AD9CA202FD50E8F3540E0F861118D67DD04B16615166ADFCFA64E6CB3373FA4E7D3BCEEC9DD9A35B9C4EDE655EE8E6CD9AF5A43D079353248A1A37904766
Shaddi Abusaid
Georgia Tech wants to spend $62.8 million to expand its research center on part of Marietta’s Lockheed Martin campus. The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents will hear Georgia Tech’s request to acquire and renovate part of the Lockheed campus at its meeting this morning. The purchase would include the revamp of four existing buildings for the growing Georgia Tech Research Institute, an applied research arm of the university that is contracted to conduct about $400 million worth of research annually. The deal could bring as many as 500 jobs to Cobb, a university spokesman said Monday.

www.macon.com
Gordon State president set to retire
http://www.macon.com/news/local/education/article165846587.html
By Andrea Honaker
The president of an area college is retiring at the end of the year. Max Burns, leader of Gordon State College since January 2012, will leave his post Dec. 31. “It has been my great honor to serve as president of Gordon State College,” he said in a statement. “I’ll always be cheering for Gordon State, which has an incredibly bright future.” …“The success of Gordon State College can be directly attributed to President Burns’ outstanding leadership,” Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. “(His) emphasis on creating learning opportunities and building a campus community that cares about its students has helped Gordon State achieve greater student success.”

www.ledger-enquirer.com
Columbus State president: ‘We are on the verge of something extraordinary”
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/article165910187.html
By Mark Rice
As he marked the beginning of his third year as Columbus State University president, Chris Markwood told approximately 700 faculty and staff members Monday that he is “more excited than ever about our future because of all the great things happening on this campus and in our community.” Next year will be the institution’s 60th anniversary, Markwood noted. “I believe we are on the verge of something extraordinary,” he said during the Lumpkin Center luncheon, welcoming back the faculty and staff as they prepare for next Monday’s start of the 2017 fall semester. “From the state leadership in Atlanta, to unparalleled community support, to the magic happening in our classrooms, everything seems to be lining up for Columbus State University to shed its expired label as just a ‘local’ university.”

www.ledger-enquirer.com
New UGA faculty members touring Georgia to learn about state’s economy
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/education/article165887152.html?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=40a47b5daa-eGaMorning-8_8_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-40a47b5daa-86731974&mc_cid=40a47b5daa&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
By Larry Gierer
About 40 new members of the University of Georgia faculty are touring the state this week to learn more about the its diverse economy. A story by Kelly Simmons on the school’s website says the Public Service and Outreach tour of the state will take the members through 14 cities and 43 counties. The bus tour began Monday with a trip to Jaemor Farms near Gainesville to learn about agribusiness in north Georgia and the growing agritourism industry across the state. Other highlights of the trip will include a visit to Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville, and Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega; stops at the Georgia Capitol and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta; and a driving/walking tour of Senoia, where participants will learn about the growing film industry in Georgia. In addition, the tour will take faculty members to the new Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center on the UGA Griffin Campus; the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth; Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins; agricultural facilities at UGA Tifton; the Okefenokee Swamp in Waycross; and Gulfstream Aerospace and the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant facilities

www.ajc.com
UGA nixes prof’s plan to let students decide grades to lessen stress
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/uga-nixes-prof-plan-let-students-decide-grades-lessen-stress/2IxJwvmazEkxL0FtzeA0FJ/
Maureen Downey  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A well respected University of Georgia business school professor, concerned over the stress on his students, posted online course policies that would have allowed them to change their grades, abandon group work that taxed them and take open book tests “designed to assess low level mastery of the course material.” While Terry College of Business students may have applauded Richard Watson’s policies as posted this week, UGA did not. The policies have been stricken from Watson’s online syllabus and will not be allowed, according to the university. Watson is the J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Chair for Internet Strategy.

www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Yes, a UGA professor did post policy that allowed students to set own grades to ease stress
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2017/08/08/yes-a-uga-professor-did-post-policy-that-allowed-students-to-set-own-grades-to-ease-stress/
I have to admit that I did not believe it when I read last night that University of Georgia professor Richard Watson, a respected researcher in the business school, was going to allow students to decide their own grades in an effort to ease their stress, especially after I hunted down student reviews that describe his classes as tough. Yet, there was an online story that went viral after being picked up by the Drudge Report that quoted his syllabi for two courses as saying: “if students feel “unduly stressed by a grade for any assessable material or the overall course,” they can “email the instructor indicating what grade [they] think is appropriate, and it will be so changed” with “no explanation” being required. “If in a group meeting, you feel stressed by your group’s dynamics, you should leave the meeting immediately and need offer no explanation to the group members,” the policy adds, saying such students can “discontinue all further group work” with their remaining grade being “based totally on non-group work.” …The online accounts lacked any verification from either the professor or UGA so I waited to report on the issue until UGA confirmed this morning these were Watson’s “actual words.” I was about 97 percent certain the story was based on a misunderstanding or misreading so I wanted to talk to UGA before I wrote anything. Turns out I was way wrong. They were Watson’s actual words.

www.ajc.com
KSU officials recommend changes to reduce police turnover
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/ksu-officials-recommend-changes-reduce-police-turnover/Eq9od3hPKoOhtA8VaWCKpO/
Eric Stirgus The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kennesaw State University human resource officials are recommending its police force review its internal affairs policies and explore ways to diversify its command staff after many officers complained of high turnover in the department. Some officers and its chief are blaming each other for the trouble, according to an internal report the university released Monday. The turnover rate has been as high as 25 percent since Roger Stearns became chief in 2014, the report said, with 23 terminations in 2015. The report written by KSU’s human resources office says many officers have “little to no respect” for Stearns’ leadership abilities. Stearns, who announced last week he’s resigning at the end of August, complained of stubbornness in the department. Stearns’ resignation letter had no criticism and praised the department for improving and increasing services.

www.valdostadailytimes.com
VSU among affordable colleges
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/local_news/vsu-among-affordable-colleges/article_90425c71-fc92-5dcb-bd49-e5533e94ffc4.html
VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University is ranked No. 4 on the College Affordability Guide’s 2017 Top Online Colleges in Georgia list. To determine its rankings, the College Affordability guide, a product of Degree Prospects LLC in Washington, D.C., analyzed data from every institution of higher education in Georgia to determine which ones are serious about making sure students of all backgrounds get their money’s worth, according to a university press release. A total of 14 colleges and universities made the final cut for the College Affordability Guide’s 2017 Top Online Colleges in Georgia list.

www.savannahnow.com
Merged Armstrong, Georgia Southern to offer 140+ degrees
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-08-07/merged-armstrong-georgia-southern-offer-140-degrees
By Dash Coleman
A committee tasked with consolidating Armstrong State and Georgia Southern universities held its last scheduled meeting Monday, passing about 140 recommendations that help define the size and scope of the combined school. At the meeting, which took place in Statesboro, the committee approved an academic structure that allows for 142 degree programs starting in fall 2018. There is still fine tuning to be done. “We’re taking our time,” said Armstrong State Interim President Jennifer Frum. “We’re being deliberate. It’s really important that we get this right for students. It’s a great step forward to get approval on the core curriculum and academic degree programs. Faculty will go back and actually create the curricula.”

www.onlineathens.com
UGA students fill dorms for fall
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-08-07/uga-students-fill-dorms-fall
By Red Denty
More than 4,500 students recently moved into on-campus housing at the University of Georgia. The annual event usually brings with it traffic jams and large crowds, but thanks to new move-in policies implemented by the university, the congestion associated with the arrival of thousands of students on Saturday and Sunday is a thing of the past. “This is the second year that we have had arrival appointment times,” said University Housing spokeswoman Carrie Campbell. “It helps us spread the move-ins throughout the the day. This way we avoid the problems like 30-minute elevator lines and traffic all the way down Baxter Street.” Jennifer Lombardi, who was moving her freshman son Brendan into McWhorter Hall, called the system a breeze.

www.douglasnow.com
SGSC PHI THETA KAPPA STUDENTS ATTEND HONORS INSTITUTE
http://douglasnow.com/index.php/education/item/4468-sgsc-phi-theta-kappa-students-attend-honors-institute
South Georgia State College’s Phi Theta Kappa members Mark Freeman (Waycross, GA) of the Waycross Campus Alpha Rho chapter, and Alexandra Cardiel (Pearson, GA) of the Douglas Campus Kappa Sigma chapter, along with advisor Ms. Amy Hancock recently attended the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Institute at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois. They joined approximately 500 members, advisors and alumni for an intensive five-day exploration of the 2016-2017 Honors Study Topic, How the World Works: Global Perspectives, with presentations by speakers from a variety of disciplines as well as small group discussions in seminar sessions. …Headquartered in Jackson, Miss., Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is the largest honor society in higher education with 1,285 chapters on college campuses in each of the United States, Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, Peru, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions.  Nearly three million students have been inducted since PTK’s founding in 1918, with approximately 131,000 students inducted annually.

www.wtoc.com
Attack, ATM robbery brings questions about Statesboro neighborhood safety, GSU alerts
http://www.wtoc.com/story/36075711/statesboro-police-investigate-reported-robbery-kidnapping-on-robin-hood-trail
By WTOC Staff
By Dal Cannady, Reporter
A Georgia Southern University student was attacked and robbed over the weekend in his off-campus apartment on Robin Hood Trail. Tyler Strudgeon’s face tells the story of what happened when woke up to attackers pistol whipping him not long after he’d walked home on Sunday morning. “I’ve walked home there before, I guess with a false sense of security not knowing I was being watched,” Strudgeon said.  He told police they forced him to drive to an ATM and withdraw money, then left him there bleeding and needing medical attention. He says the thieves threatened to kill him before running away with his money. Meanwhile, the post is now trending on Facebook after the victim’s mother responded to the post to warn Georgia Southern students who are headed back. She said her son, a military serviceman, was held at gunpoint when the men broke into his home while he was sleeping. She also said her son has serious injuries.

Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
40% of 2-Year College Grads Earn a Bachelor’s
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/08/08/40-2-year-college-grads-earn-bachelors?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=2e2909c6fa-DNU20170808&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-2e2909c6fa-197515277&mc_cid=2e2909c6fa&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Paul Fain
Among community college graduates who hold no previous degrees or certificates, 41 percent earn a bachelor’s degree during the next six years. That’s among the findings from a new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which is able to track almost all students who enroll in U.S. colleges. The center’s analysis looked at 575,067 community college students who graduated in 2011. Roughly 65 percent of these students enrolled at four-year institutions within six years (with 41 percent of the graduates eventually earning a four-year degree). The youngest group of community college graduates (20 and under) were the most likely to succeed at a four-year institution, with 62 percent earning a bachelor’s within six years.

www.forbes.com
Student Loan Debt Is Not Hurting The Economy
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2017/08/07/student-loan-debt-is-not-hurting-the-economy/#479413d41c9f
Jeffrey Dorfman , Contributor
Student loan debt has risen to a record high of $1.4 trillion and this rise has been accompanied by a corresponding mountain of stories about how this debt load is keeping millennials from buying houses or cars and is slowing the economy. Such stories come from sources as varied and impressive as Business Insider, Bloomberg, Time, and even the Chronicle of Higher Education. The evidence on car and home buying is somewhat mixed (see here and here), but it is possible that student loan debt is keeping some millennials from buying homes. The story about student loan debt hurting the economy, however, is completely false and misguided.

www.chronicle.com
College Diversity Officers Face a Demanding Job and Scarce Resources
http://www.chronicle.com/article/College-Diversity-Officers/240875?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=6046ac30a2ca4351997be0efc0ad628f&elq=be1a448774fe429091171386fc7710e7&elqaid=15058&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6398
By Sarah Brown
Seven months ago, Mark Brimhall-Vargas became Brandeis University’s chief diversity officer. He was the first person to hold that job, though he has spent about 20 years doing diversity work in higher education. Mr. Brimhall-Vargas reports directly to the president, and for the first time in his career he feels like he has a seat at the table when major institutional decisions are made. Four full-time staff members report to him. But according to a new survey of chief diversity officers at institutions nationwide, Mr. Brimhall-Vargas is in the minority. Fewer than half of respondents said they began with adequate resources to carry out their responsibilities effectively. …Witt/Kieffer, an executive search firm that often works with colleges, surveyed 81 chief diversity officers about the challenges they face, particularly during their first year on the job. Most worked at colleges, though a handful of the respondents were at a hospital, an academic medical center, or a medical school. Dozens of campuses have created such positions in the past 15 years, often in response to pressure from student activists, but the role is still relatively new. More than half of the survey’s respondents said they were the first chief diversity officer at their campus, and a similar proportion have been in the job for fewer than five years.

www.chronicle.com
Education Dept.’s Progress Is Stalled in Complying With Consumer Rule
http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/education-dept-s-progress-is-stalled-in-complying-with-consumer-rule/119586?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=b57af971836641c58b73f6e6f501c752&elq=be1a448774fe429091171386fc7710e7&elqaid=15058&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6398
by Adam Harris
The Education Department has not made any progress toward generating data this year to comply with the Obama-era gainful-employment rule and does not have “any timetable” for doing so, according to a letter last week from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The hotly contested regulation, a holdover from President Barack Obama’s administration, is meant to hold career-preparation programs accountable when their graduates’ education debts consistently exceed their ability to repay them. The letter came in response to questions submitted by Sen. Richard J. Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, as part of a Senate committee’s consideration of the Trump administration’s 2018 budget request. Senator Durbin asked the secretary about the draft completer list — the first step in generating gainful-employment data.