GOOD NEWS:
www.gainesvilletimes.com
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/81696/
Technical college head lauds relationship with University System
By Jeff Gill
The relationship between Georgia’s technical colleges and the University System of Georgia “is better than it has ever been,” the Technical College System of Georgia’s commissioner said Thursday in Gainesville. Ron Jackson, speaking at the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors meeting, said 27 core classes in the technical college system are now transferable to the University System.
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/share/blog-post/eric-curl/2013-04-01/uga-georgia-trend-magazine-recognizes-tybees-preservation#.UVsHLXCTpGN
UGA, Georgia Trend magazine recognizes Tybee’s preservation planning
Submitted by Eric Curl
The University of Georgia’s Public Service and Outreach division and Georgia Trend magazine are recognizing Tybee as one of four communities in the state with the Four for the Future award. The recipients are demonstrating collaboration, leadership and innovation in projects ranging from protection of the coast to literacy, from economic development to quality healthcare, according to a news release. Tybee is recognized for its work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and Georgia’s Sea Grant program to address the long-term impacts of rising sea levels.
USG NEWS:
www.thepostsearchlight.com
Bainbridge State College expanding to Donalsonville
By Justin Schuver
Bainbridge State College has announced its plans to expand into Donalsonville, Ga., by opening a 6,000-square-foot facility that will be called the BSC Learning Center. BSC President Dr. Richard Carvajal said he hopes the new building will be completed in time for the fall 2014 semester. The facility will be located on vacant lots on the corner of U.S. Highway 84 and Cherry Street, in the middle of downtown Donalsonville.
www.effinghamherald.net
http://beta.effinghamherald.net/section/1/article/21030/
GSU targets fall for start of shooting sports center work
By Al Hackle news@effinghamherald.net
Plans for a $7 million Shooting Sports Education Center at Georgia Southern University could go to the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents within two months for construction to begin this fall.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2013-03-31/historic-gru-buildings-undergo-12-million-renovations?v=1364793699
Historic GRU buildings undergo $1.2 million in renovations
By Steve Crawford
Staff Writer
Project Superintendent Paul Clark walks through the downstairs entryway of the Maxwell House at the Summerville campus of Georgia Regents University. The house is undergoing renovations. Georgia Regents University is in the midst of $1.2 million in renovation work at two historic buildings at the former Augusta State University campus as part of a plan to consolidate its disparate campuses onto one system.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2013-04-01/standard-downtown-athens-master-plan-makes-progress
The Standard, with downtown Athens master plan, makes progress
By NICK COLTRAIN
The foundations are being laid for the start of one of three developments with perhaps the most potential to change the footprint of downtown Athens. Workers have been focusing on infrastructure and other behind-the-scenes work for the Standard at Athens, a promised $30 million student housing and retail development at Thomas and Strong streets. The project, being developed by Athens-based Landmark Properties, is slated to open in fall 2014.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2013-03-29/overgrown-weeds-grass-removed-former-georgia-golf-hall-fame-property?v=1364590031
Overgrown weeds, grass removed from former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property
By Meg Mirshak
Staff Writer
Unsightly and overgrown grass and weeds at the former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property met their match Friday. Work crews hired by Georgia Regents University began clearing the overgrowth visible to Reynolds Street and Masters Week visitors.
USG VALUE:
www.globalatlanta.com
http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/26182/ambassador-to-raise-italys-profile-thru-supportive-networks/
Ambassador to Raise Italys Profile Thru Supportive Networks
by Phil Bolton
While Italy’s government is in a state of gridlock, its activist ambassador to the U.S., Claudio Bisogniero, is encouraging Italians living in Georgia to form networks to reinforce already healthy bilateral relations. Besides visiting in Atlanta with the Italian business community and local economic development and chamber officials March 27, Mr. Bisogniero met with professors from five Georgia universities at Emory University… Included among the professors from the Georgia Institute of Technology were Massimo Ruzzene, professor of aerospace engineering and Anthony Yezzi, who holds the endowed Ken Byers professorship at the school of electrical and computer engineering. Georgia Tech is partnering with the Politecnico di Torino and the University of Trento to offer dual master’s degrees in election and computer engineering and computer science. The University System also recently approved joint doctoral degrees between Tech and Politecnico di Torino and the Politecnico di Milano.
www.link.brightcove.com
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid836881587001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAFIvhljk~,Nz7UFI321EYoDFWhcIAZKj2ZX6ZuGWU-&bclid=1138058770001&bctid=2270462207001
WSBtv
College and High School
DeKalb Early College Academy (DECA) and their partnership with Georgia Perimeter College
The schools were asked to share their affiliation in the media with the University System of Georgia and the College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) which pays for the students’ textbooks.
www.vahi.patch.com
http://vahi.patch.com/articles/the-gems-club-at-inman-middle-school-receives-7500-ga-tech-award#photo-13836212
The GEMS Club at Inman Middle School Receives $7,500 GA Tech Award
Inman’s Girls Excelling in Math and Science Club received the funds as part of a 2013 Educational Partnership Award.
By Marc Richardson
Girls Excelling in Math and Science, better known as the GEMS Club at Inman Middle School, posed for a funny picture to celebrate their winning of the 2013 Educational Partnership Award from the Georgia Tech Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. TalkUp APS reported that the Educational Partnership Award is an annual Georgia Tech award of $7,500 that recognizes “genuine and substantial partnerships between the faculty and students of Georgia Tech and the K-12 community.”
RESEARCH:
www.ibtimes.com
http://www.ibtimes.com/increase-happiness-working-commuting-less-study-1164567
Increase Happiness By Working, Commuting Less: Study
By Eric Brown | April 01 2013 11:09 PM
A team of researchers has discovered the formula for a perfect day. The secret? Less time spent communing and working and more time with loved ones. The results come from a study published in the Journal of Economic Psychology. In the study, conducted by Christian Kroll of Germany’s Jacobs University and Sebastian Pokutta of Georgia Tech, a team of researchers surveyed people in the hope of finding activities that they deemed most deeply fulfilling.
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/a-healthy-conversation/2013/04/uga-researcher-lands-15m-to-study.html
UGA researcher lands $1.5M to study Legionnaires
Jacques Couret
Senior Online Editor-Atlanta Business Chronicle
The University of Georgia researcher Vincent Starai got $1.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease, Legionella pneumophila, overcome the body’s defenses.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/capuchin-monkey-fueled-by-human-relation-tool-usage/article_b529f6fe-9a70-11e2-ab7d-0019bb30f31a.html
Capuchin monkey fueled by human relation, tool usage
Matthew Simmons
University of Georgia researchers looked into how the bearded capuchin monkey utilized tools, a skill which is rare in monkeys.
A distant ancestry to humans brought about interest in the bearded capuchin monkey’s use of tools, said Freya Liu, a graduate teaching assistant in the department of psychology and one of the co-authors of the study.
www.news.cnet.com
http://news.cnet.com/%20/8301-1009_3-10067994-83.html
Botnets on cell phones in 2009?
A new report on emerging threats cites a unique opportunity to design mobile device security properly.
by Robert Vamosi
About 15 percent of all online computers are infected with bots, says a new report (PDF) on emerging threats for 2009 from Georgia Tech Information Security Center. And according to Patrick Traynor, assistant professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Computer Science, “We’ll start to see the botnet problem infiltrate the mobile world in 2009.” In Traynor’s view, if botnets, or large networks of infected computing devices, gain a foothold on mobile devices, they could be used to create a distributed denial of service attack on the cellular network itself, inconveniencing thousands of cell-phone customers. …According to the report, researchers like Traynor expect standards for handset security to emerge within the next 12 months.
STATE NEEDS/ISSUES:
www.walb.com
http://www.walb.com/story/21824392/study-ga-has-some-of-the-fattest-kids-in-america
Study: Ga. has some of the fattest kids in America
By Ashton Pellom
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – It’s no secret that America’s collective waistline is expanding. Obesity is even becoming an epidemic among children, especially here in Georgia. New numbers show we’re almost at the very bottom when it comes to childhood obesity rates.
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/news/2013-04-01/legislative-session-marked-juvenile-ethics-video-game-reforms#.UVsFZ3CTpGN
Legislative session marked by juvenile, ethics, video-game reforms
By WALTER C. JONES
ATLANTA — The settling dust from the 2013 legislative session that ended Thursday night reveals three major reforms likely to have a lasting impact on the state. Some of the bills getting the biggest headlines are less likely to have such a noticeable impact. For example, a bill that had a controversial Senate amendment ending coverage of abortion expenses for state-employee health plans never came up in the House for a vote. Likewise, a measure expanding where holders of concealed-weapons permits could take their firearms stalled in a conference
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2013/03/29/easing-of-hope-grants-grade-standard.html
Easing of HOPE grants grade standard clears legislature
Dave Williams
Staff Writer-Atlanta Business Chronicle
The General Assembly gave final passage Thursday night to legislation restoring the standard for technical college students to qualify for HOPE grants to a 2.0 grade point average.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/new-gambling-bill-could-help-hope/article_978f76e2-9aec-11e2-9ebb-001a4bcf6878.html
New gambling bill could help HOPE
Erica Techo
More control over video gambling machines could mean greater finances for the HOPE scholarship due to the passing of House Bill 487 Thursday. The bill, which would allow for more control over the profits of video poker machines and track money put into the machines, was passed through the Senate on Thursday. It now awaits approval by Governor Nathan Deal.
www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/news/2013/04/01/ga-gun-rights-expansion-still-possible
Ga. Gun Rights Expansion Still Possible
By Adam Ragusea
MACON, Ga. — State legislators from both parties say a push to expand gun rights in Georgia is far from over, as there is relatively little disagreement among a majority of lawmakers.
www.walb.com
http://www.walb.com/story/21827829/ga-gun-bill-fails
GA gun bill fails
ATLANTA, GA (WALB) -Information from the GA Pundit-
The bills to expand concealed carry rights failed because of differences between the chambers on campus carry. Rep. Alan Powell blamed the Board of Regents, saying: “The Board of Regents has been opposed to this since day one and, yes, they are the fourth branch of government,” he said. “We were fighting an uphill battle.”
www.wsav.com
http://www.wsav.com/story/21632803/ga-proposed-legislation-would-allow-guns-on-college-campuses
GA Proposed Legislation Would Allow Guns On College Campuses
By Raquel Rodriguez, Reporter
The Georgia House of Representatives passed House Bill 512 which includes allowing guns on college campuses. The “Safe Carry Protection Act” is now in the Senate. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia opposes House Bill 512. In a statement the Board of Regents states “We are deeply concerned about proposed legislation in the Georgia General Assembly that would permit firearms on our campuses-in our classrooms, student centers, and our academic and administrative buildings.
www.mms.tveyes.com
http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=6435&DateTime=4%2F1%2F2013+10%3A10%3A17+AM&Term=Kennesaw+State&PlayClip=TRUE
Kennesaw State on WSB-AM (Radio) – Atlanta, GA
Kennesaw State University
last Friday I learned that in their city they passed it all back in nineteen eighty two that said that every household should possess a weapon regulated to navigate him enforce it but guess what … they pass the ordinance the crime rate in general so has gone down and stay down finally
www.chronicle.augusta.com
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/2013-03-30/deal-top-republicans-keep-firm-hand-session?v=1364681087
Deal, top Republicans keep firm hand on session
Deal, house speakercall effort a success
By Bill Barrow
Associated Press
ATLANTA — The final days of the General Assembly’s annual session were a flurry of activity, but the overall tenor of the 40-day effort was smoother than many years past, and the finished product suggests that Gov. Nathan Deal and top Republican legislators are firmly in control at the Georgia Capitol. Deal, House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle all declared the session a success after getting most of what they wanted out of relatively short agendas. Also of interest is whether Deal and Republican leaders can proceed next year, with elections looming, without settling unfinished debates on abortion and guns.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/opinion/guns-a-dangerous-proposal-for-schools/nW6px/
Guns a dangerous proposal for schools
By Eran Mordel
I was initially in favor of allowing concealed carry guns on University System of Georgia campuses. However, after conversations with concealed carry advocates, members of the Board of Regents, members of the Georgia Tech administration and many students, I came to realize that allowing concealed carry on university campuses will not create a safe environment for students.
www.mdjonline.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/22120297/article-State-lobbyist-spending-bill-not-perfect–but-time-is-on-lawmakers%E2%80%99-side?instance=lead_story_left_column
State lobbyist spending bill not perfect, but time is on lawmakers’ side
by Don McKee
Columnist
Georgia lobbyists and legislators have plenty of time to figure out how to conduct business under a spending-limit bill approved in the final hours of the General Assembly session last week. If signed by Gov. Nathan Deal, the measure won’t take effect until next Jan. 1, shortly before the legislature convenes again — not exactly a sign of great urgency about what lobbyists can spend to wine, dine and otherwise treat legislators to influence their votes on issues. So for the next nine months, there is no limit on lobbyist spending.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/stratedgy/record-highs-record-lows
Record Highs, Record Lows
By Dayna Catropa
Institutions are announcing their admissions data, and it’s another year of record highs and lows.
The NYTimes reports that 7 out of 8 Ivy League schools are reporting lower acceptance rates. Here they are with their admit rates (updated March 29, 2013):
www.newrepublic.com
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112731/moocs-will-online-education-ruin-university-experience#
MOOCs of Hazard
Will online education dampen the college experience? Yes. Will it be worth it? Well…
BY ANDREW DELBANCO
In the spring of 2011, Sebastian Thrun was having doubts about whether the classroom was really the right place to teach his course on artificial intelligence. Thrun, a computer-science professor at Stanford, had been inspired by Salman Khan, the founder of the online Khan Academy, whose videos and discussion groups have been used by millions to learn about everything from arithmetic to history. And so that summer, Thrun announced he would offer his fall course on Stanford’s website for free.
www.boss.blogs.nytimes.com
http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/a-start-up-fund-that-lets-college-students-make-the-decisions/
A Start-Up Fund That Lets College Students Make the Decisions
By JESSICA BRUDER
Most college dormitories are a mixture of unmade beds, fireproof carpeting, beer pong, ramen noodles and that poster of John Belushi in “Animal House.” Investors want to add two more ingredients: successful start-ups and budding venture capitalists.
www.nytimes.com
Need a Job? Invent It
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
WHEN Tony Wagner, the Harvard education specialist, describes his job today, he says he’s “a translator between two hostile tribes” — the education world and the business world, the people who teach our kids and the people who give them jobs. Wagner’s argument in his book “Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World” is that our K-12 and college tracks are not consistently “adding the value and teaching the skills that matter most in the marketplace.”
www.csmonitor.com
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Articles-on-Christian-Science/2013/0401/Affirmative-action-and-the-court-of-Spirit
Affirmative action and the court of Spirit
A Christian Science perspective.
By Valerie Minard
Affirmative action has always been a sensitive topic, with passionate arguments on both sides of the debate. And the issue is coming to the fore this year, as the US Supreme Court considers the affirmative-action case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/04/02/essay-florida-atlantic-university-and-academic-freedom
Jesus and Academic Freedom
By Cary Nelson
It seems that whenever a university administration issues a statement undermining academic freedom it begins by reaffirming its undying commitment to exactly the principle it is about to damage. While such doublespeak, as Orwell famously demonstrated, is common to bureaucracies, that does not much help the cause of higher education when our own administrations once again prove his point.
Education News
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/02/private-colleges-ga-open-doors-students-technical-colleges
Technically Liberal Arts
By Paul Fain
A group of 19 private colleges in Georgia have struck a deep transfer agreement with the state’s technical college system, guaranteeing admission to any student with a grade-point average of at least 2.5 and an associate of science or applied science from one of the state’s 25 technical colleges.
www.macon.com
http://www.macon.com/2013/04/01/2420279/mercer-experiencing-unprecedented.html
Mercer University experiencing unprecedented growth
By HAROLD GOODRIDGE
Underwood: Vibrant community helping Mercer attract students
Mercer University President Bill Underwood’s state of the university address Monday to the Rotary Club of Macon could be summed up in three words — It’s all good. …Underwood said Mercer’s most recent group of 766 entering freshman and transfer students was the largest in the school’s history by more than 100. The SAT scores and grade point averages of those new students are also at an all-time high. “The average SAT score is above 1,200 and the average grade point average is 3.7,” he said.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/04/02/problem-title-iv-eligibility-under-state-authorization-rule
Problem with Title IV Eligibility Under State Authorization Rule
Many colleges in Florida — and potentially other states, including California and Texas — could lose eligibility for their students to receive federal financial aid under a new interpretation of the Education Department’s “state authorization” rule.
www.daltondailycitizen.com
http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x2055654975/The-411-on-529-college-investments
The 411 on 529 college investments
Ex-state senator promotes Georgia plan
By Christopher Smith
A college degree is a “gateway to dreams fulfilled,” said former state senator Mitch Seabaugh, R-Sharpsburg. But the key to the gateway — tuition — is becoming harder to pay for.Seabaugh said the state has something to ease the burden: The Path2College 529 investment plan.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/81844/
Schools will soon be judged on new criteria
By Shannon Casas
A new way to measure school success is rolling out as early as this week, and local school officials say it’s a baby step in the right direction. The College & Career Ready Performance Index will look at a lot more data than its predecessor, Adequate Yearly Progress, and it will provide schools with a total score out of 100 instead of just a pass or fail. The new index is part of a waiver the state was granted from the No Child Left Behind Act.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/02/focus-groups-find-problems-various-award-letter-templates
Confusion on College Costs
By Libby A. Nelson
Most colleges will soon send out financial aid award letters for the upcoming academic year, informing admitted students (as well as those already enrolled) about how much they are expected to pay. In recent years, those letters have prompted a flurry of complaints that they are too confusing and sometimes misleading, and the Education Department, consumer advocates and some members of Congress have pushed for greater standardization.
www.rt.com
http://rt.com/usa/college-graduates-minimum-wage-174/
Hundreds of thousands of college graduates work minimum wage jobs
Equipped with pricey degrees and weighed down by loans that may take decades to repay, nearly 300,000 Americans graduate from college, only to find themselves working minimum-wage jobs that can barely pay for rent.
College-educated Americans are being thrust into poverty while increasingly finding that their degrees have no value in the work force. About 280,000 Americans with bachelor’s degrees and 37,000 with advanced degrees were working minimum-wage jobs in 2012, the Labor Department reports.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/02/purdues-mitch-daniels-challenging-higher-education-leadership
Purdue’s Outsider
By Kevin Kiley
WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – A conservative Republican governor walks into a university president’s office. It sounds like the start of a bad joke (or, in certain parts of the country these days, an academic’s nightmare), but it’s a daily occurrence here, where Mitch Daniels recently assumed leadership of Purdue University after a high-profile eight-year run as Indiana’s governor.
www.edweek.org
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/03/27/26tracking.h32.html?tkn=LSPFawIdjYZaxw85ijrhrm5OF8DKxfr9vpMN&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
More Teachers Group Students by Ability
Study finds oft-disparaged approach rising
By Sarah D. Sparks
After being condemned as discriminatory in the 1990s, grouping students by academic ability seems to be back in vogue with a new generation of teachers, according to an analysis of federal teacher data.