University System News:
www.myajc.com
Georgia Board of Regents looks to logistics to grow educational opportunities
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-board-regents-looks-logistics-grow-educational-opportunities/mZatkOejesglTiYfxxsM5J/
By Eric Stirgus
University System of Georgia officials discussed Wednesday how helping students improve their expertise in logistics may help the state in a growing segment of the economy. Dalton State College officials gave a presentation about its bachelor of business administration degree in logistics and supply chain management, suggesting they’re in a prime area for such economic development because of its proximity to railroads, warehouse and distribution factories. The Dalton officials project logistics and supply chain management will generate 270,000 new jobs annually, about 10 percent of all new jobs nationwide.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
Georgia Gwinnett College names research lab in honor of Clyde and Sandra Strickland
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/georgia-gwinnett-college-names-research-lab-in-honor-of-clyde/article_4a45a65c-3f63-509e-83e0-419fad70d6a1.html
By Curt Yeomans
A research laboratory at Georgia Gwinnett College will now bear the names of two of the college’s biggest supporters. The school announced this week that it is naming the lab in honor of Clyde and Sandra Strickland, with officials citing contributions the couple of made to the school over the years. One of those contributions was the recent funding of improvements to the School of Science and Technology’s cell biology research lab, the college said. “The Stricklands’ humanitarian efforts will benefit many generations to come, both directly and indirectly. The connection starts with our current SST faculty and students but goes on to reach individuals who will be impacted by the research conducted in this lab,” School of Science and Technology Dean Dr. Tom Mundie said in a statement. “The research conducted here is comparable to what you would find at a Tier 1 institution. The critical thinking skills developed will change lives and help students find their career paths.” Georgia Gwinnett College officials said the Stricklands support of the cell biology lab allowed the school to add emergency power lines, fluorescence microscopes, additional incubators, more refrigeration equipment and a dark room to the facility.
www.mdjonline.com
Bonds for Georgia Tech expansion into Cobb given final approval
Development authority OKs nearly $56.9M in bonds for project
http://www.mdjonline.com/news/bonds-for-georgia-tech-expansion-into-cobb-given-final-approval/article_51e55ebe-cb42-11e7-b7aa-472f1809e44d.html
Jon Gargis
Members of the Development Authority of Cobb County gave their final approval Thursday to the issuance of nearly $56.9 million in bonds to allow Georgia Tech to expand operations on part of Marietta’s Lockheed Martin campus. The Atlanta-based university had sought the bonds to buy 32 acres on the northern portion of Lockheed’s property adjacent to Dobbins Air Reserve Base and the Georgia Tech Research Institute, an applied research arm of the school. The funds will also go toward construction, renovations and equipment at four existing buildings on the site to provide additional research space.
www.mdjonline.com
Betty Siegel’s husband, Joel, has become loving caregiver as KSU’s past president enters her next chapter
http://www.mdjonline.com/news/betty-siegel-s-husband-joel-has-become-loving-caregiver-as/article_6a77569e-ccc8-11e7-ab07-1f99f01b0fe1.html
Katy Ruth Camp
Although they are rarely illuminated by her signature red-rimmed glasses anymore, Dr. Betty Siegel’s bright eyes are still the windows to her soul. But with each passing day, the sparkle in those eyes becomes dimmer. …Betty’s accolades are so copious, they could easily fill the enormous living room shelves where her beloved books rest, if she weren’t so humble. From 1981 until her retirement in 2006, after years of teaching and serving in leadership roles at other universities, she served as the president of Kennesaw State University. She was the first woman to lead an institution in the University System of Georgia and still holds the record for the longest-serving female president of a public university in the entire nation.
www.dailycitizen.news
Margaret Venable: Much to be thankful for in this season of gratitude
http://www.dailycitizen.news/opinion/columns/margaret-venable-much-to-be-thankful-for-in-this-season/article_56d2d477-d44a-53fb-8ff3-dc897d141d05.html
As Thanksgiving and a whirlwind of other holidays and end-of-semester activities approach, I take time to contemplate the past year, the coming year, and all that I have to be thankful for. In the world of Dalton State College, my list is long. The recent visit to Dalton by Steve Wrigley, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, reminded me of all we are doing and must do to contribute to create a more educated Georgia and why education is important to us all. The University System of Georgia and Dalton State contribute to the economic development of our state in a variety of ways. The Selig Center for Economic Growth of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business reported that Dalton State generated a total economic impact for the Northwest Georgia region in fiscal year 2016 of $136,550,655, up 13 percent over the previous year. Dalton State sustained a total of 1,526 full and part-time jobs. Furthermore, 830 students graduated from Dalton State during the 2016-2017 academic year and on Nov. 3, the new executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University System of Georgia, Tristan Denley, delivered an inspirational presentation to faculty and staff on his “Momentum Year” ideas for improving student success rates at USG colleges and universities. He also met with students and key academic administrators and staff during his visit.
www.valdostadailytimes.com
ABAC students offer Thanksgiving meals in annual Manna Drop
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/ga_fl_news/abac-students-offer-thanksgiving-meals-in-annual-manna-drop/article_f48bab52-b907-5f54-8d67-505748605a8f.html
Students at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will help to make Thanksgiving dinner a hearty feast when they distribute 450 meals through the annual ABAC “Manna Drop” on Saturday. Manna Drop will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 18 at the Charles Spencer Elementary School in Tifton. It will continue until all the bags of food have been given away. ABAC student volunteers will help direct traffic and give away the food. Lane Riley, a junior from Adel, organized the event along with Madison Woodson, a senior from Jesup, and Caroline Langdale, a sophomore from Valdosta. “It’s the weekend before Thanksgiving, and we wanted to give back to our community,” Riley said. “This is something that Dill Driscoll had been doing through the Stafford School of Business, and we wanted to keep it going.” The 450 meals is a 50 percent increase from the 300 meals they gave away in 2014, the first year Riley was involved.
www.11alive.com
$385,000 in science-based scholarships given to 52 Georgia students
The money came from the all-women volunteer organization ARCS
http://www.11alive.com/article/news/education/385000-in-science-based-scholarships-given-to-52-georgia-students/85-492475271?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=c8ffa4d011-eGaMorning-11_17_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-c8ffa4d011-86731974&mc_cid=c8ffa4d011&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
Author: Staff , WXIA
ATLANTA — Thursday was an important moment for advancing science in America as 52 students at four leading Georgia universities shared $385,000 in scholarship money. The money came from the all-women volunteer organization ARCS and the students, both undergraduate and graduate, outlined their area of scientific or medical research to a packed auditorium at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Atlanta. Those students were from the University of Georgia, Morehouse, Emory, and Georgia Tech.
www.ajc.com
Emory, Georgia Tech students selected as Rhodes scholars
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/emory-student-selected-rhodes-scholar/0SDvxMmj00HpXPipjRrOKK/
Eric Stirgus
Two students at Georgia universities have been selected for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, the Rhodes Trust announced this weekend. … Chelsea Jackson, a double-major in political science and African-American studies, will study at the University of Oxford in England. She is the fourth woman and first African-American student from Emory College to receive the scholarship. Jackson plans to earn a master’s degree in criminology at Oxford.
www.washingtonpost.com
10 African Americans named Rhodes scholars, most ever
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/higher-education/some-firsts-among-32-us-students-picked-as-rhodes-scholars/2017/11/19/0e0503b4-cd2e-11e7-a87b-47f14b73162a_story.html?utm_term=.910522d711f2
By Gene Johnson | AP
The latest group of U.S. Rhodes scholars includes 10 African Americans — the most ever in a single Rhodes class — as well as a transgender man and four students from colleges that had never had received the honor before… Calvin Runnels, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the second self-identified transgender Rhodes scholar from the U.S., following Pema McLaughlin, who was named a winner last year. A senior at the Georgia Institute of Technology, he has organized rallies in solidarity with the immigrant community and led efforts to increase the number of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. Runnels will study biochemistry at Oxford. His research investigates the origin of the ribosome, which could provide insight into the origins of life, the Rhodes Trust said.
www.statesboroherald.com
Bulloch REACH scholars chart path to college
Program awards $20,000 scholarships to 6 students in county middle schools
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/82754/
By JULIE LAVENDER
Herald Writer
Bulloch County Schools recently honored six new REACH Georgia Scholars at a signing ceremony at the Board of Education’s central office. Each scholar now has $20,000 to fund their post-secondary education thanks to local financial support from REACH Georgia, the Bulloch County Foundation for Public Education and matching funds guaranteed by Georgia colleges and universities. The year’s REACH Scholars for 2017 are: Jordan Glover and Camilla Williams of William James Middle School; Kiara Raymond of Portal Middle High School; Teresita Mendoza of Langston Chapel Middle School; and Joanna Reyes and Maritza Figueroa of Southeast Bulloch Middle School. Chosen from hundreds of eighth-grade applicants, the new REACH students join 20 others chosen in Bulloch County since 2013. …The Georgia Student Finance Corporation holds the scholarships until they graduate from high school. Upon graduation, each student will have up to $20,000 available to attend college. This overall $100,000+ investment is made possible by REACH Georgia, the Foundation and local post-secondary partners like Georgia Southern University, East Georgia State College and Ogeechee Technical College, who have agreed to double-match each of the original $10,000 scholarships.
www.daily-tribune.com
Improving processes ends GHC’s string of enrollment increases
http://www.daily-tribune.com/newsx/item/9402-improving-processes-ends-ghc-s-string-of-enrollment-increases
Written by Donna Harris
Georgia Highlands College didn’t see the climbing enrollment figures for summer and fall semesters that it had been experiencing, but there’s a good reason. The college spent the past two semesters improving and updating the enrollment processes for all students on its five campuses, which was risky for enrollment growth for those semesters but is expected to help students in the future. For summer semester, 74 fewer students overall enrolled at GHC, a decrease of 3.4 percent from summer 2016, while the fall enrollment remained at 6,013 students, the same as fall 2016, according to enrollment reports from the University System of Georgia.
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Who got into University of Georgia today?
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2017/11/17/who-got-into-university-of-georgia-today/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=e3b13576eb-eGaMorning-11_20_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-e3b13576eb-86731974&mc_cid=e3b13576eb&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
From the University of Georgia press office today: Nearly 15,000 students applied for early action admission to the University of Georgia’s Class of 2022, bringing record academic qualifications to the birthplace of public higher education. This year more than 8,000 students are being offered early action admission to UGA, and their average GPA of 4.11 reflects their dedication to academic excellence and rigorous coursework such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.
www.mdjonline.om
MELVYN FEIN: Complete Georgia: Completely mistaken
http://www.mdjonline.com/opinion/melvyn-fein-complete-georgia-completely-mistaken/article_8e5bb942-cda4-11e7-ab45-abbd8ea32e6c.html
The pressure is less than it once was, but Georgia colleges and universities are still being asked to graduate students as quickly as possible. One of the measures of success is the percentage of students who complete their degrees in four years. This is a mistake. Indeed it is a profound mistake. Part of the impetus is to save money, yet another is apparently to improve the quality of education. Unfortunately, in the long run it does neither. As is well known, there is a robust correlation between economic success and a college degree. As a result, this credential is often regarded as magical. It is thought to be especially useful to students who come from straightened circumstances. This is to be their ticket to social mobility.
www.myajc.com
Atlanta college lays off 18 employees
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/atlanta-college-lays-off-employees/uFspppU8EQAjfX1JZrpeeI/
By Eric Stirgus
Atlanta Metropolitan State College laid off 18 employees Wednesday as part of recent cost-cutting measures, officials said.
The job cuts included five faculty positions. College officials said they’ve previously frozen hiring and delayed the purchase and repair of equipment to save money. College officials said they’ve had to cut expenses due to a recent enrollment decline. The college’s enrollment is about 2,500 students, a 10 percent decline from the prior year, according to an annual University System of Georgia report completed last month.
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
Local colleges collaborate to stage Trauma Day
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/local-colleges-collaborate-to-stage-trauma-day/article_378e6b50-abbd-56ca-b72b-f3ade3e3f64d.html
From Staff Reports
Respect was the outcome of Trauma Day held at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville recently when EMT, nursing and medical students from three different colleges in Gwinnett joined forces to hone their skills in a chaotic environment. “The main premise was to bring these disciplines together so that we could communicate among each other effectively for the best patient outcomes,” said Dr. Sharon Grason, the director of nursing at Georgia Gwinnett College. Jeff Adams, the director of simulation for Georgia Campus — Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM), said: “Our biomedical sciences students built a total of 10 different cases that were reviewed by our faculty members to ensure they were clinically sound. Each of the students had a goal to reach.” “Collaboration and communication were our two objectives that we worked to meet,” Grason said, allowing the students to experience what it is like to work across disciplines.
www.thebrunswicknews.com
Goodyear, CCGA partner to tutor students
http://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/goodyear-ccga-partner-to-tutor-students/article_dd8a2f2a-7e17-515d-8a79-213c49b2a05c.html
By LAUREN MCDONALD
A group of Goodyear Elementary School students spent the semester learning to be skilled readers. They also were told, often, that good readers go to college. So last week, those students came to college. Goodyear Elementary partnered with a College of Coastal Georgia class of student teachers this semester to provide weekly tutoring to students in the after-school program. Every Tuesday and Thursday for the past several months, the CCGA teacher candidates visited the school and worked with students in small groups, to teach them reading techniques and the skills needed to be visible learners. “The focus at Goodyear was what they call ‘visible learning,’” said Jessica Graves, the chair of the department of education and teacher preparation at CCGA. “So that’s what we wanted by the end of this program, is for the students not just to know they were good readers, but to be able to say why, so they have strategies that they can carry with them.”
www.myajc.com
KSU cheerleaders resume kneeling for national anthem
http://www.myajc.com/news/ksu-cheerleader-resume-kneeling-for-national-anthem/kk2IVpzubApALSPqlCvMAK/?ref=cbTopWidget
By Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the wake of weeks of criticism, some Kennesaw State University cheerleaders have resumed taking the knee during the national anthem. Last Saturday on Veterans Day, KSU cheerleaders did not kneel during the national anthem at the home game. However, some of them instead linked arms while they were standing on the field for the first time after being relegated to a tunnel for the national anthem for recent games. At this Saturday’s game, many boos could be heard from the stands at the start of the anthem right after they knelt.
www.myajc.com
Georgia college students score victories in free speech battles
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-college-students-score-victories-free-speech-battles/LyIhviAMQSXZsaigdjD6jL/
By Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chike Uzuegbunam found surprise allies in his legal battle with Georgia Gwinnett College over where he could evangelize on campus about his Christian faith: a state representative and the attorney general of the United States. College authorities muzzled Uzuegbunam, saying he didn’t follow their rules for speaking on campus, such as asking permission three days in advance. He sued. A state representative concerned over the issue filed campus free-speech legislation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions weighed in with a “statement of interest” supporting Uzuegbunam’s lawsuit against the college. “A national recommitment to free speech on campus and to ensuring First Amendment rights is long overdue,” Sessions’ statement said. “We will enforce federal law, defend free speech, and protect students’ free expression.” The skirmish in Georgia came at a time when colleges and universities across the nation are grappling over how to ensure the free-speech rights of students and guest speakers while attempting to prevent speech that administrators fear can distrupt a campus or cause violence, such as last summer’s racially-charged clash at the University of Virginia that that ended with a death. Resolving the rights and questions are important because learning, expressing and debating ideas are critical to educating students and developing democracy, educators say. In recent weeks, Georgia college students have won victories in free-speech battles with administrators.
www.savannahnow.com
Locals, lawmaker speak out about Georgia’s rape kit backlog
State officials say they are finally making progress; others say it is not enough
http://savannahnow.com/crime-courts/news/2017-11-18/locals-lawmaker-speak-out-about-georgia-s-rape-kit-backlog
By Brittini Ray
It’s been four years since Paige Bullard was sexually assaulted on Savannah State University’s campus, but her journey as a rape victim advocate is just getting started. And she says one of the biggest lessons that she has learned is that “what happened to her did not have to happen to someone else.” “My rape kit sat on a shelf, untested and untouched, for nearly three months,” she said. “In this time (my attacker) went about and continued to terrorize the community…Had my kit been tested, at least one other victim would have been spared and one would have been alive today to been able to watch her son grow up.” Bullard was one of four women sexually assaulted by convicted serial rapist Torrey Scott. …A rape kit, also known as a sexual assault kit (SAK), is a package of items used by medical personnel for gathering and preserving physical evidence following an allegation of sexual assault. The evidence collected from the victim can aid the criminal rape investigation and the prosecution of a suspected assailant. After the passing of SB 304, Georgia’s backlog of untested forensic rape evidence kits totaled more than 10,000, according to a January 2017 report by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It’s the kind of discovery that garnered the state national attention and fostered a dialogue among state legislators on how sexual assaults investigations are handled.
www.wtoc.com
Coastal Empire colleges see rise in students battling anxiety, depression
http://www.wtoc.com/story/36872791/coastal-empire-colleges-see-rise-in-students-battling-anxiety-depression
By Romney Smith, Anchor/Reporter
More and more college students are turning to their counseling centers to get help with conditions like anxiety and depression. The American College Health Association says a record number of college students are reaching out for help and it could be straining resources. Everyone knows that college is hard. Donovan Veasey is a fourth-year student at Georgia Southern University and says he’s grateful to have friends and family to help him through school. “It’s just really stressful. I know I personally feel anxious a lot with classes and with tests and stuff like that,” says Veasey. The director of Georgia Southern’s Counseling Center, Dr. Jodi Caldwell, said her department services about 10 percent of the student population. “There is no magic threshold to when counseling may be appropriate for someone. So if a student is even questioning ‘Am I really struggling right now?’ I’d encourage them to take advantage of the services we have to offer,” Caldwell said. Georgia Southern offers individual and group therapy, mental health workshops, training opportunities, a 24-7 on-call number for a crisis and more. Jenny Sergent is a student and says knowing resources are always available makes it a little easier to proactively reach out for help.
www.atlanta.curbed.com
UPDATE: At Georgia Tech, demolition signals move toward a tech-oriented library
Bound volumes reign supreme, but Georgia Tech has embarked on a journey toward a more digital library.
https://atlanta.curbed.com/2017/11/20/16676062/georgia-tech-library-construction-bookless-technology
BY MICHAEL KAHN
With a decrease in physical book usage in the digital age—in favor of online publications—academic libraries have been forced to adapt to the changing ways of research. Now, Georgia Tech is in the midst of renovating their main library in order to create a “research library of the 21st Century.” Demolition has begun on the old Price Gilbert Library as part of the Library Next initiative. Crews have spent the past few months stripping the building’s tower—which used to be filled with books—readying it to be a lighter, brighter home for technologically focused media.
www.ajc.com
3 arrested after campus shooting at Albany State University
http://www.ajc.com/news/local/arrested-after-campus-shooting-albany-state-university/yNBN6JhsfZkEg6Lmk8LTrN/
Ellen Eldridge The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Three people have been arrested in connection with a shooting at Albany State University that injured two people over the weekend. Timothy Dennard, 21, of Pelham; George Dennard, 19, of Pelham; and Dorell Edmonds, 20, of Baconton, were arrested and charged with aggravated assault/party to a crime, ASU Police Chief John Fields said Thursday in a news release. Diamond Kalukango, an ASU student, was shot in the foot on Saturday, according to the police report. Her friend, Joshua Barnes, was grazed on the back by a bullet, …Barnes told officers he is a Savannah State student who was staying with Kalukango for the weekend.
www.albanyherald.com
Shooting incident at ASU leads to additional arrest
ASU police arrest another in connection to Nov. 11 campus shooting incident
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/shooting-incident-at-asu-leads-to-additional-arrest/article_388fccc2-a7c5-56ab-b5c2-6646be36d209.html
By Jon Gosa
The Albany State University Police Department announced Saturday an additional arrest in connection with a Nov. 11 on-campus shooting. Ronderrious Huntley, 20, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. He was being transferred Saturday to the Dougherty County Jail, ASUPD reported. ASUPD officials say they are still seeking Daquezny Huntley for questioning. ASU’s East Campus was locked down for just over two hours during the night of Nov. 11 after reports of an on-campus shooting near two of the university’s residence halls. There were no life-threatening injuries, though two people, one an ASU student, were wounded. One person was reportedly shot in the foot and the other grazed by a bullet. The two individuals were treated at the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and released from the hospital.
www.albanyherald.com
College basketball player from Alabama found dead in Albany
Dougherty County coroner says medical condition may be cause for death of Albert Luke, 19
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/college-basketball-player-from-alabama-found-dead-in-albany/article_5d1f720d-fa49-5e44-9d7e-9833839734d2.html
By Chauntel Powell
ALBANY — Tragedy struck during day two of Albany State’s Rams Rising men’s basketball causing the event to be called off less than an hour before tip-off. Albert Luke, a sophomore forward for the University of Montevallo (Ala.) was found deceased in his hotel room Saturday morning. Dougherty County coroner Michael Fowler said the 19-year-old appeared to have died from natural causes. “He was found at the hotel unresponsive. Other basketball players woke up that morning and found him in the room unresponsive,” Fowler said. “He went to bed last night not complaining of anything.” Luke and the Falcons had just defeated Columbus State 73-62 Friday night. Luke had eight points and four rebounds in the contest. “The entire faculty, staff and students of Albany State University are deeply saddened by the sudden death of University of Montevallo student athlete A.J. Luke, on November 18. We extend our deepest sympathy to the Luke family and the University of Montevallo at this time of enormous loss,” ASU President Art Dunning said in a statement released Saturday by the university.
www.ajc.com
Police: UGA student hit 110 mph while using social media during chase
http://www.ajc.com/news/local/police-uga-student-hit-110-mph-while-using-social-media-during-chase/WHZEHMvLUdeFXOjqD0nAhK/
Ellen Eldridge The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A University of Georgia student might have gotten away if he didn’t use his cellphone to record his speed on Snapchat while leading a police chase, Athens-Clarke County police say. Hunter Ty Wilkerson reached speeds of 110 mph during the Thursday morning chase before he ran off the road, went airborne and crashed into several parked cars, according to a police report. Police said the 19-year-old fled after stealing five traffic signs off the UGA campus.
Higher Education News:
www.diverseeducation.com
Members of Congress Introduce Legislation to Simplify FAFSA Form
http://diverseeducation.com/article/105240/?utm_campaign=DIV1711%20DAILY%20NEWSLETTER%20NOV17&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua
by Tiffany Pennamon
Democrats on the Committee on Education and the Workforce recently introduced new legislation that would simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. On Thursday, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester D-Del., introduced the Simple FAFSA Act of 2017 that will amend the Higher Education Act, removing barriers for students seeking financial aid by simplifying the FAFSA application process. Legislative changes include requiring the FAFSA to be filed only one time, providing the FAFSA in multiple languages and creating a standardized financial aid award letter. The bill is co-led by Ranking Member Robert “Bobby” Scott, D-Va., Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., and Delegate Gregorio Sablan, I-Northern Mariana Islands.
www.chronicle.com
GOP Bill Would Force Students Who Don’t Graduate to Repay Pell Grants
http://www.chronicle.com/article/GOP-Bill-Would-Force-Students/241813?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=aff7026630a24643b63c3bcb2efa8c8a&elq=d35bea7026ba4ff4891fd89a1bf5b833&elqaid=16784&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=7257
By Adam Harris
A new bill, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, aims to “motivate students” to graduate by taking aim at Pell Grants. The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Francis Rooney, Republican of Florida, and Rep. Ralph Norman, Republican of South Carolina, would compel students to repay Pell Grants — which, unlike loans, do not require repayment — if they did not complete their program within six years. The bill would apply to all students eligible for Pell Grants, including students at community colleges. In a news release announcing the proposal, Mr. Rooney said it would guarantee “more bang for the taxpayer’s buck.” While it is important for Pell Grants to be accessible to low-income students, he said, it is equally as important that the students are “committed to graduating and joining the work force.”
www.chronicle.com
How the House GOP Tax Plan Would Affect Grad Students
http://www.chronicle.com/article/How-the-House-GOP-Tax-Plan/241824?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=2f45437b5e294b15af6671b90413ea84&elq=d35bea7026ba4ff4891fd89a1bf5b833&elqaid=16784&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=7257
By Eric Kelderman
The U.S. House of Representatives, on a largely party-line vote on Thursday, passed an overhaul of the tax code that could have far-reaching consequences for higher education — and especially for graduate students who work as teaching or research assistants. The Republican-sponsored bill contains a provision that would tax tuition waivers provided to employees of colleges, including those graduate students. The waivers serve as a significant benefit to student workers who otherwise would not be able to afford to pay tuition on what is often meager pay from their institutions.
www.washingtonpost.com
Tax bill reflects rift between many Republicans and higher education
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/tax-bill-reflects-rift-between-many-republicans-and-higher-education/2017/11/19/33f52a6e-cb0c-11e7-aa96-54417592cf72_story.html?utm_term=.d1b5aa3efe7e
By Nick Anderson
Ending a tax deduction for interest paid on student loans. Raising taxes for more than 100,000 graduate students who receive tuition waivers. Imposing a levy on endowments at certain private colleges and universities. These actions are anathema to higher education leaders across the country. Yet they all appear in the House-approved Republican tax overhaul, evidence of a growing disconnect between large segments of the GOP and colleges that, for generations, have wielded enormous clout on Capitol Hill. “I didn’t see it coming,” said Robert L. Caret, chancellor of the public University System of Maryland. “Obviously, there’s a very different tenor here in Washington.”
www.nytimes.com
House G.O.P. Tax Writers Take Aim at College Tuition Benefits
By ERICA L. GREEN
It may not be one for long — or at least could be severely curtailed. The sprawling House tax bill, set for a vote on Thursday, would tax the value of college tuition benefits conferred on thousands of university employees like Mr. Vautour, one of several provisions that would hit colleges, universities and their students, hard. Republicans drafted the bill with the premise that it would simplify the nation’s tax code and cut rates for middle-income Americans. To help pay for the $1.5 trillion tax cut, lawmakers eliminated many individual tax breaks, arguing the overall plan would compensate for any lost benefits. The result: while many families and businesses would see tax cuts, a large percentage of undergraduates and graduate students would see their tax bills increase, some dramatically.
www.washingtonpost.com
Grade Point
Government analysis shows House tax bill would increase the cost of college by $71 billion over a decade
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/11/16/government-analysis-shows-house-tax-bill-would-increase-the-cost-of-college-by-71-billion-over-a-decade/?utm_term=.be3cd65e5031
By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel
The repeal and revision of higher-education tax benefits in the bill passed Thursday by the House would cost students and families more than $71 billion over the next decade, according to an official analysis by Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation. In a letter obtained by The Washington Post, the committee provides individual scores of the education provisions in the House bill. Those that directly benefit current students, borrowers and employees seeking college credentials amount to tens of billions of dollars in revenue for the government, but lost savings for taxpayers. The committee tallied the costs at the request of Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
www.educationdive.com
Gordon Gee: For higher ed to survive, we’ve got to ‘blow up the box’
https://www.educationdive.com/news/gordon-gee-for-higher-ed-to-survive-weve-got-to-blow-up-the-box/511068/
AUTHOR Autumn A. Arnett
West Virginia University President Gordon Gee says when he “first started as a university president nearly 40 years ago, you’d send your kid off to school, maybe they’d join a fraternity or sorority, then they’d come back home and get a real job.” “Now, our universities and colleges and higher ed in general is the economic driver” of the country, he said, addressing a crowd gathered in Washington, D.C. Wednesday for the Committee on Economic Development’s policy conference.
www.chronicle.com
A University’s Free-Speech Committee Pledges Transparency — Then Closes Its Meetings to the Public
http://www.chronicle.com/article/A-University-s-Free-Speech/241800?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=c0f09e9f32f84b7eac7fae10618d01d6&elq=219f480d37d64cae8056427fd9154ae2&elqaid=16768&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=7247
By Sam Hoisington
At its first-ever meeting on Tuesday, a free-speech advisory group at Ohio University “discussed the critical importance of transparency” — and then unanimously voted to close its meetings to the public. Transparency is one of the group’s core values, Scott Titsworth, dean of the Scripps College of Communication and a member of the advisory group, said in a statement posted online. “The group decided meetings should continue to be held in private in order to accomplish the work at hand in an efficient manner and meet the expected delivery deadline for recommendations.” Although minutes of the meetings will be released and members of the group will be made available to the news media after the meetings, the decision has been criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union and others. “We are extremely disappointed with the university’s decision to convene that advisory committee outside of the public’s eye,” said J. Bennett Guess, executive director of ACLU of Ohio. “It is extremely ironic, even absurd … that they would be meeting in secret.” Universities across the nation are grappling with their free-speech policies in the wake of appearances on campuses by white nationalists, and the counterprotests they often provoke.
www.chronicle.com
Here’s What Sexual Harassment Looks Like in Higher Education
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Here-s-What-Sexual/241807
By Katherine Mangan
As the momentum of the #metoo campaign brings more allegations of sexual harassment to the surface, people are looking around their workplaces and professional networks disturbed, but not necessarily shocked at the stories emerging. Across many industries, sexual harassment persists because people (usually men) with clout can get away with it, and victims (typically women) either are disregarded or keep quiet, fearing they will be. But higher education has additional risk factors that make the problem particularly pervasive. Stark power differentials, especially between professors and students. The intensity of intellectual exchange. A sense of entitlement by a star faculty member, with tenure and maybe an endowed chair, who is revered in his field. A potential protégé with what feels like a make-or-break publication, grant, or job on the line. Boozy conferences, secluded labs, remote research sites. Colleges and universities have long harbored influential academics who’ve seemed confident that they could target students or junior colleagues and never be held to account. They may have gotten away with it because of their research money, political capital, or prestige.
www.chronicle.com
Sexual-Harassment Case at U. of Southern California Prompts Push for Tougher Punishments
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Sexual-Harassment-Case-at-U/241806
By Nell Gluckman
One thing has become clear since women and men started coming forward to tell their stories of sexual harassment in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein revelations: Often those incidents are kept secret. That’s been the case at colleges such as the Berklee College of Music, whose president said this week that 11 faculty members had been quietly fired for sexual misconduct in the past 13 years. Students at the University of Southern California’s school of social work are trying to change that. Last month, after Karissa Fenwick, a sixth-year Ph.D. student, sued the university and her dissertation adviser, claiming he had made unwanted sexual advances toward her, dozens of students formed a coalition that has been putting pressure on the university to change how it handles cases of sexual harassment. People in the social-work school, which offers master’s and doctoral degrees, are debating questions that other campuses may have to ask too, like whether investigations into sexual misconduct should be kept confidential and how a university should respond to transgressions that make people uncomfortable but can’t be proved.