As the University of West Georgia closes another year in the history books, we look back on what happened at the university in 2009. Our list of memorable events marks the sublime, and maybe a little bit of the ridiculous, in recapping how the Wolves closed out the decade.
Here, submitted for your approval or disapproval, is the list:
The Greek Village opens, amid much rejoicing from the fraternities and sororities that occupy the enclave, and even more rejoicing from their former neighbors.
The Coliseum opens, providing a new home to the basketball and volleyball teams, as well as a venue for commencement, which now can be completed in just two ceremonies in one day, compared with the nearly three dozen that were formerly required.
Dee-fense! Dee-fense! The Wolves football team makes its first homecoming in its new stadium one to remember (unless you're from West Alabama), holding the Tigers to nine points, and snapping a losing streak that is now long-forgotten.
Georgia Highlands College (GHC) and theUniversity of West Georgia will collaborate on an educational facility in Douglasville, Ga., school and city officials reported.
Douglasville, Block and Kahan Properties and theUniversity System of Georgia (USG) signed a 10-year agreement to bring the educational facility to fruition. The building, formerly the home of Cub Foods on Stewart Parkway, is about 44,000 square feet. A $1.5 million renovation will create seven classrooms, both a wet and dry lab with a common prep area, auditorium, faculty offices, student lounge, library and conference room.
USG, which several years ago identified the area as underserved, also inked an option on a 50-acre site in Douglasville that could accommodate future expansion as enrollment increases.
“We want to establish a concentration of universities and colleges in Douglasville,” said Darren Bak, chairman of the Douglasville Development Authority, in a news release. “The future strength of the city’s economy is tied to our ability to grow businesses that are based on human capital. Higher education begins to move us in that direction and provides us with the workforce needed to support a variety of knowledge based companies.”
Georgia Highlands College is a two-year institution with more than 5,000 students at six sites in Rome, Cartersville, Marietta, Dallas and Douglasville.
The University of West Georgia is a residential, doctoral comprehensive university that offers a broad undergraduate and graduate curriculum based on a liberal arts foundation. UWG has more than 11,000 students through its College of Arts and Sciences, Richards College of Business, College of Education, and School of Nursing.
--Atlanta Business Chronicle
Prior to his arrival at IBBS, Todd served as Vice President of Sales for Momentum Telecom’s wholesale line business which he successfully grew by a compound annual rate of 157%.
“Todd is a very highly-regarded industry professional with an established presence in the broadband and cable marketplace,” said IBBS Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sandra Jimenez. “He is known for a high level of professionalism and the enthusiasm he brings to every assignment. We are confident that Todd will be a great addition to the IBBS team.”
For more than ten years, Mr. Zittrouer has proven to be an exceptionally successful sales leader who has consistently driven revenues to new heights. Throughout his career, he has been recognized as a top contributor.
Among Mr. Zittrouer’s priorities will be to drive new business for IBBS’ recently introduced Commercial Services and Network Services offerings, which represent tremendous opportunities for the company in North America.
“While at Momentum Telecom, I was fortunate to work with IBBS as a strategic partner and was very impressed with its leadership position in the cable market,” commented Mr. Zittrouer. “I am excited about joining this exceptional team and look forward to helping IBBS realize significant growth for years to come.”
Todd earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of West Georgia.
About IBBS
IBBS is a leading provider of mission-critical OSS software and services for cable operators and broadband Internet Service Providers worldwide, accounting for more than 800,000 high-speed data subscribers. The company’s diagnostic and provisioning software, network management services and tier-1 NOC, as well as its US-based call center, empower support professionals to cost-effectively monitor and service customers with a scalable, secure, fully-integrated solution that ensures maximum network uptime and lower operating expenses. Since 2001, IBBS and its customers have been providing world-class customer service and network management by using the Broadband Explorer (BBX) Provisioning and Diagnostic Software Suite and enabling the Triple Play through wired and wireless networks. IBBS is located in Atlanta, GA, with western operations in suburban Vancouver, BC.
Additional information can be found at http://www.ibbs.com or by calling 770-387-2053.
More than half of those attending a college or university in Georgia graduate with debt, but that debt is among the lowest in the nation.
The average debt at graduation from one of Georgia’s universities in 2008 was $17,296, compared with a national average of $23,200, according to The Institute for College Access & Success’ Project on Student Debt report. Fifty-five percent of Peach State graduates left with debt in 2008.
Of Georgia’s public universities, Medical College of Georgia topped the list with an average graduate debt of $43,169. Columbus State University came in second with an average graduate debt of $26,905.
Among the private universities, Agnes Scott College topped the list with $25,577.
Click here to see the complete Georgia list.
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/12/14/daily17.html
Dr. Faye McIntyre recently announced two im-
portant additions to the Richards College of Business
award-winning international programs. The Univer-
sity of West Georgia and China’s Zhongnan University
of Economics and Law (ZUEL) have established a
program with the Richards College that will allow stu-
dents from ZUEL to attend UWG in their senior year.
The new program will allow approximately 40 finance
majors annually to attend UWG and earn a degree
from both institutions. Dr. Charles Hodges, professor
of finance at the college, was one of the facilitators of
a partnership that will allow the Chinese students to
earn a bachelor’s of business administration in finance.
He believes the partnership will benefit both ZUEL
students and UWG students.
An agreement with France’s ESCEM (Ecole Su-
perieure de Commerce et de Management) was final-
ized in October to establish the Richards College first
business student exchange program. Up to 30 UWG
students will have the opportunity to study in France,
and 30 of their students will study here for a semester
or a year.
Erich Bergiel, faculty advisor for the Japan Study
Abroad program explains the importance of study
abroad.
“The experience of international travel is invaluable.
As technologies expand, global markets are becoming
seamless. It is no longer a question of ‘if’ we will need
to interact or communicate in a global environment
but ‘when’. These students have the opportunity to
experience this prior to getting into the real world.
Some have barely left Georgia and their minds are
opened and enlightened by experiencing a culture so
different from their own. There is only so much that
can be interpreted from readings and textbooks, but to
fully embrace and experience it can be life changing.
Our course in Japan does not just teach about the
Japanese culture but it allows students to improve
their ability to understand and appreciate differences
in others. That is a worthwhile lesson.”
The Graduate Record Examinations, the test that serves as a gatekeeper to most American graduate programs, will undergo a host of significant changes, including dropping analogy questions and introducing a new scoring scale, the Educational Testing Service announced on Friday.
The changes in the GRE general test, reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education, are the most extensive in the test's 59-year history. It will be offered starting in the fall of 2011. They were announced here at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools.
The new GRE will adopt a narrower range of possible scores, from 130 to 170 points, in order to encourage more-accurate comparisons between test takers. The existing range, from 200 to 800 points, magnifies small differences in scores that have little statistical significance, testing-service officials said.
The verbal-reasoning section of the GRE will stop using two types of questions, antonyms and analogies, that are believed to encourage excessive rote learning of vocabulary, especially among international students. Those questions will be replaced with reading-comprehension exercises, said David G. Payne, executive director of the GRE program.
"Having a good command of English vocabulary will be necessary, but it won't be sufficient, to get a high score on the test," Payne said.
The new test will also allow computer-based test takers to revisit previous questions within the same section, a practice that is not allowed on the current test. The test will retain an adaptive format, meaning questions can get tougher if a test taker is doing well, or easier if the test taker is doing poorly. But question difficulty will only change at the beginning of a new section of the test, not with each new question.
The entire test will take four hours, about 30 minutes longer than now. Some of the changes were proposed several years ago, but they were delayed after test takers experienced a shortage of testing sites in Europe.
Speaking contest winners are, from left, Jessi Burgess, Andrew Struletz and Chelsie Wilson.
On Dec. 1, the Department of Mass Communications and Theatre Arts sponsored the sixth annual Gibson Public Speaking Contest. The event was named in honor of Dr. Chester Gibson, who served in the department for more than two decades.
Competition is fierce.
Of the hundreds of students studying public speaking, only seven were chosen to take part in the contest. Speech faculty select students to participate based on the quality and effectiveness of their persuasive speeches.
Judges for the evening were Dr. Bruce Lyon, Ms. Jane Simpson, and Mr. Gary Leftwich. Lyon has served the University of West Georgia in various capacities, most recently in the Ombuds Office. Simpson is university general counsel. Leftwich is director of corporate communications at Southwire; he is also an alumnus of UWG, having graduated with a degree in mass communications.
Each contestant received a cash prize for their participation. Receiving $50 for participating (and the titles of their speeches) were Bernell Grizzard (“The Bottled Water Hoax”), Brenden Jonassaint (“Broken by Divorce”), Ferris May (“2 Laws of 2: Reducing Drunk Drivers”), and Daniel Vinson (“Getting What You Want: The Greatest Good”). Andrew Struletz took third place and a $200 prize for “Alcohol Should be Illegal.” Taking second place and $300 was Jessi Burgess for “Comprehensive Sex Education.” The first-place winner and recipient of $400 was Chelsie Wilson, whose speech was entitled “The FDA Should Strengthen Their Regulation on Painkillers.”
Speech faculty (Meda Rollings, Gail Reid, Bruce Daniel, Kelly Williams, and Wendell Stone) hosted the event. Awards were made possible through the generous support of textbook publisher McGraw-Hill and Dr. Chester and Mrs. Faye Gibson.
College and university leaders are regularly criticized for making too little information available or presenting only the data that show them in the best light.
No such statement can be made about the leaders of 24 public college systems that on Thursday -- as part of atwo-year-old initiative aimed at boosting college completion and closing racial and socioeconomic gaps in enrollment and graduation -- released extensive data about their performance on those fronts.
READ MORE HERE:
Health Services has received another shipment of seasonal flu shots.
The shot is free to students and costs $15.00 for faculty and staff.
We also have the H1N1 shots which are free to faculty, staff, students and families.
The two shots may be taken at the same time.
To take the shot(s) come to Health Services between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and bring your UWG ID.
The last day of operation for Health Services for fall semester is Friday, Dec. 11.
For further information regarding influenza please see the following site: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.
The Department of Art at the University of West Georgia is
pleased to present the third annual "Good Things Come in
Small Packages," a show featuring artwork from UWG
students, faculty, alumni, friends & community.
The Bobick
Gallery will be filled with artwork in a variety of media
including painting, photography, drawing, ceramics, mixed
media, printmaking and sculpture, with no dimension being
larger than 12 inches.
This exhibition is an opportunity for
students, faculty and the local art community alike to
exhibit their work side by side and share their ideas and
inspiration.
There will be a reception tonight from 6pm - 8pm in the Bobick Gallery, Humanities first floor.
Today marks the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Day. The red Christmas lights/globes located at the University of West Georgia’s main entrance (in the trees) will be lit at dusk. Each globe represents one year of HIV Awareness.
Many will be remembering lost loved ones. While new medications have been developed that prolong life, the struggle is ongoing.
Additionally, we have many reasons to be thankful.
As the holidays approach, it is our wish that you have a wonderful, healthy, and peaceful season. The lights will be a visual reminder to give thanks and to cherish the ones we love.
The Star of Bethlehem, a multimedia astronomy presentation, will take place Friday, Dec. 4 from 7pm - 8:30pm in the Math-Physics (Crider) Lecture Hall. Suitable for ages 10 years and up, it is free and open to the public. The program will be presented by Dr. Ben de Mayo, Professor Emeritus of Physics, and is sponsored by the Departments of Physics and Continuing Education and by the Georgia Space Grant Consortium-NASA.
For more information, phone 678-839-4087 or 678-839-4097.
Sponsored by the Department of Mass Communications and Theatre Arts, the contest is named in honor of Dr. Chester Gibson, professor emeritus, who served the department as professor and chair.
A box of Moon Pies can make a soldier’s day.
With that thought in mind, the University of West Georgia campus community has begun a Holiday Cheer for Soldiers gift drive to benefit military personnel serving overseas.
Using the U.S. Postal Service's Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes at a discounted price, packages can be mailed to military personnel for as little as $4.95.
“If it fits, it ships” is the motto that reminds senders that weight does not affect the price. All U.S. post offices, including the Campus Mail provider at UWG, provide boxes free of charge.
The boxes range from a single VHS video mailer for $4.95, two medium boxes for $10.35 and a special military mail price of $11.95 for the largest box.
To guarantee delivery in time for the holidays, packages should be shipped by Dec. 11. The priority mailings can also be sent overseas throughout the year to men and women in the armed forces.
Contents can include inexpensive toiletries, non-perishable food items, batteries, books, disposable cameras and clothing. Anyone interested in sending a gift package can go to the Operation Military Pride Web site at www.operationmilitarypride.org for a more detailed list of items that can be sent.
UWG faculty and staff have provided names and addresses of people serving overseas:
Dr. Thomas Peterson, professor of Educational Foundation, has a son serving overseas:
2nd LT Nolan Peterson, 130th Engineer Brigade, Cos Marez, APO AE 09334
Paulette Ward, coordinator of Office Services for Learning Support and Testing, has a son-in-law who is a UWG alumnus serving as a chaplain for 3,000 soldiers in Kuwait:
CH (Captain) Derek Smith, 151 CBRN, BSB-N, APO, AE 09330
Denise Kotajarvi, office of the Controller, has a nephew who is serving in Afghanistan:
2nd Lt Douglas S. Toulotte, 4th LAR BN, B CO, Unit 40650, FPO AP 96427-0650
Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics David Boldt has a son serving in Germany:
CPT Philip Boldt, CMR 416 Box 1005, APO AE 09140
Music Professor Dawn McCord’s former student is serving in Afghanistan:
SSG Guy Serapion, RTC (Headquarters RPAC), APO AE 09354
Professor Diane Wise, School of Nursing, shared two names of young soldiers (Joshua has not received a package since deployment). Both have the same mailing address:
LCPL Jeffrey McDougall
and
LCPL Joshua Smith
3/24 Weapons Company Map 1, UNIT 43545, FPO/AP 96426-3545
Regina Mailloux, Office of the Registrar, said her niece is a supervising nurse in an immunization clinic on a base in Iraq. She would like holiday lollipops and band-aids to give out during the holidays.
SGT Melissa DiMaggio, 248th ASMC, Phipps TMC, APO AE 09391
For more information on Holiday Cheer, call 770-328-4768 or 678-839-6643.
The Georgia State Patrol is predicting 3,750traffic crashes with 1,398 injuries and 16 deaths this holiday period. The holiday extends from 6 p.m. Wednesday to midnight Sunday.
“Thanksgiving is the most heavily traveled holiday of the year and that’s a recipe for disaster that doesn’t belong on anyone’s holiday menu,” said Bob Dallas, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
The majority of the crashes are preventable, Dallas said.
“The Georgia State Patrol reports alcohol and the lack of a properly buckled safety belt are involved in almost half of the fatal crashes they investigated during the Thanksgivingtravel period last year,” Dallas said in a statement.
During last year’s Thanksgiving holiday, Georgia state troopers responded to 3,815 crashes with 1,457 injuries and 19 deaths, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Drivers should expect safety checkpoints this holiday, police said.
Police will beef up patrols, but officers are asking drivers to help by slowing down, wearing their seat belts and not driving drunk.
“Everyone’s best defense against careless and impaired drivers is a buckled seat belt and that’s a fact,” a police spokesman said.
More than 70 percent of motorists involved in crashes in the U.S. in 2008 survived because of seatbelts, the spokesman said.
Student Professional Association of Georgia Educators (SPAGE) is sponsoring
a Scholastic Book Fair between 9:00 AM and 5:30 PM until Friday, Dec. 4, in the Education Center. You are welcome to stop by to shop for books
for your family and friends and support a needy Carrollton family with 5
children.
All books are sold in their original price.
For any questions
about this book fair, please contact SPAGE advisors Dr. Jill Drake at
678-839-6080 or Dr. Fenqjen Luo at 678-839-6059.
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Learn what higher education issues will be on the state legislators' agenda
in 2010 when state Rep. Mark Butler presents key legislation as a guest
speaker for the League of Women Voters Carrollton/Carroll County's Monthly
Meeting. The program will take place at the Tracy Stallings Center at 118 S.
White St. on Monday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m. Butler will offer an update on the
upcoming legislative session and higher education issues that will be
addressed. The community is invited to attend.
This is the time of year when Daryl Dickey is giving his best recruiting speech to talented recruits across the state and southeast. Next week, Dickey is set to deliver a different type of speech to a vastly different gathering.
The University of West Georgia’s head football coach and athletics director is Monday’s scheduled guest speaker at the weekly luncheon meeting of the Touchdown Club of Atlanta. The event is set for 12 noon, at Fox Sports Grill at Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta.
“I will be talking a little about football and a lot about West Georgia,” said Dickey of Monday’s appearance. “This will be an opportunity to talk about our university, its direction, and the leadership we have in place here.”
The Touchdown Club appearance places Dickey on an exclusive list of guest speakers to address the club this season. Others to appear this season include coaches Paul Johnson of Georgia Tech, Mark Richt of Georgia, and Auburn’s Gene Chizik. Also, media personalities such as Tony Barnhart, Bob Rathbun, and Randy Cross have been the club’s guests this season.
Dickey adds, “It is exciting to be a part of the group to address the Touchdown Club this season. I am thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to it.”
As state tax collections continue to decline, the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents today approved plans to adjust the System’s budget from a six percent reduction ($135 million) to an eight percent reduction level, ($176 million) for the current fiscal year (FY2010). The Board’s actions call for new reductions to the System’s 35 public colleges and universities as well as implementing an additional mandatory student fee.
The increase in the mandatory fee for all USG students, which will be effective for the upcoming spring 2010 semester, has been set at $100 at research universities and six other universities, $75 at most comprehensive universities, and $50 at two-year and state colleges. The increase will be added to the current mandatory fee, which went into effect in January 2009. The total new mandatory fee thus will be $200/$150/$100.
In addition to the fee, the board approved a moratorium on student fee increases for FY 2011 and a sunset date of June 30, 2012 for the total mandatory student fee increase. The lone exception to the moratorium will be fees for public/private venture projects, such as residence halls, student-financed recreation centers and other facilities with a revenue stream or fees required under extraordinary circumstances and with significant student support.
Initially approved in concept and for planning purposes by the regents in August 2009, the eight percent reduction plan is designed to help preserve academic quality while having the least possible negative effect on students, Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs Usha Ramachandran advised the board. “We are striking that delicate balance between maintaining high academic quality and preserving affordability in these very tough economic times.”
While the additional student fee will generate $24 million in FY 2010, an additional $12 million in savings must also be realized in the budgets of the System’s 35 public colleges and universities, either through additional employee furlough days, the elimination of positions, employee layoffs or other program and structural changes. Including continuing cuts from FY2009 of $275 million as well as FY2010 reductions, USG officials are currently managing $410 million in state funding cuts, which were only partially offset by $148 million in formula funding received in FY 2010 as a result of significant increases in student enrollment.
To move from the six percent to the eight percent reduction level, the original August budget reduction plan called for no additional cuts to institutional budgets and a somewhat higher student fee, of $150 at the research universities and six comprehensive universities, $100 at most comprehensive universities, and $75 at two-year and state colleges.
“When the board approved the initial concept, we were working from data we had at the time on the economy and the state budget,” said Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “Since August, the situation has evolved. While the state’s budget situation has continued to decline, we were able to revise our eight percent reductions in a way that minimizes the financial burden on students as much as possible.”
Ramachandran noted that the overall Fiscal Year 2010 reductions spread the impact among faculty and staff, campus operations and students in a very balanced manner. “Approximately 86 percent, or $152 million of the reductions are being borne by our institutions and employees,” she said. “The student share of the cuts with the additional fee is 14 percent, or $24 million.”
For more information, see the Spring 2010 Mandatory Fee Frequently Asked Questions
A report released Monday by the Institute of International 
The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange is published annually to review the number of international students studying in the US and the number of American students studying abroad.
The report's data is based on surveys conducted at 2,800 universities and colleges.
"The reason that the number of Middle Eastern students has risen has to do with the fact that demand for US education has never gone down," Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra, the founding president of the American University of Kuwait, told The Media Line.
READ MORE:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258027309539&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
For high school seniors considering college but who are unsure about how to apply, Gov. Sonny Perdue has proclaimed Nov. 9 through Nov. 13 Apply to College Week in Georgia.
“We have made the application process easier than ever by launching the GAcollege411 website and encouraging high schools seniors to make it their first stop in deciding how, when and where to apply to a Georgia college,” Perdue said.
Georgia Apply to College Week will be held at 44 participating Georgia high schools. While open to all seniors at those schools, the program will provide college application information designed to encourage and aid those who would be the first in their family to attend college, minorities and non-traditional age students.
During each local Apply to College event, seniors can apply to college using www.GAcollege411.org
Students interested in applying to the University of West Georgia can also access the university’s home page www.westga.edu, click on the “apply now” link, choose the undergraduate admission application, and complete the entire application process online.
UWG hopes to stand out among the list of colleges that prospective students will consider. “ Our main goal is to serve our students,” said Dr. Bobby Johnson from the university’s admissions office. “We focus on academic excellence, strong campus support to help students through the transition from high school to college and creating a beautiful campus for students to be proud of.”
This year UWG has added new facilities to the campus such as the Coliseum, football stadium and Greek Village, with more additions still to come.
“We encourage students to come visit our campus to see first hand all the advantages that UWG has to offer,” said Johnson.
UWG has two remaining preview days left, one on Jan. 31 and the other on April 11. This is an opportunity for prospective students and their families to take a tour of the campus and get details on the university.
Students have confirmed that placing a specific focus on Apply to College Week helps to grab their attention and encourages them to start the application process early.
At the first Georgia Apply to College Week in 2008, more than 50 volunteers assisted almost 900 students with completing admission applications at eight pilot high schools. Seven of the eight 2008 pilot high schools reapplied to participate in 2009.
This week of events is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Foundation of Independent Colleges, the Georgia Student Finance Commission, Communities in Schools, the Technical College System of Georgia and the University System of Georgia (USG), and endorsed by the Georgia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. The event is receiving funding from the College Access Challenge Grant, a federal program that fosters partnerships among federal, state, and local governments and philanthropic organizations through matching challenge grants that are aimed at increasing the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
For more information, please visit www.usg.edu/apply-to-college
