The University System of Georgia: a worthy investment, Nov. 2008

The University System of Georgia: A Worthy Investment
Adding Value through Outstanding Faculty, Staff, Students and Programs
November 2008

Dr. Sethna Helps Georgians Read More

University of West Georgia President Beheruz N. Sethna has a passion for reading and appreciates the importance of reading for young children and their education. That is part of the reason he is featured on a promotional poster not once, but twice, on the Georgia Department of Education's Georgia Read More web site.

He shares company with former President Jimmy Carter, Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz, country singer Travis Tritt and Leah Ward Sears, Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.

Sethna, a professor of busi-

ness administration, is the

only member of the Univer-

sity System of Georgia to be

featured and the only dignitary

to be featured twice because

of the number of readings he has done. For example, Sethna read "The Magic Rabbit" by Richard Jesse Watson and

Dr. Beheruz Sethna poses with poses with his "Read More" poster.

the classic, "The Three Little

Pigs" by Maggie Moore to Carrollton Elementary School

students.

"It is quite an honor to be on a poster with the likes of President Carter, Travis Tritt and Justice Sears," said Sethna. "I love to read, and I love to read to kids. Reading is so fundamental to their academic and intellectual growth and any time we spend helping them experience the joys and potential of reading is time very well spent."

"The books are fun to read and send meaningful messages to the kids," Sethna said with a smile.

The posters are on display at all elementary school libraries and most central offices. To view the posters of other readers visit the DOE web site.

Early Bird Advising at Georgia High-
As a two-year point of access to higher education, Georgia Highlands College (GHC) has welcomed underserved student populations first-generation students, GED earners, non-traditional students who may already have families and jobs, and traditional students from all socio-economic groups. Many of these students need learning support and early intervention to prevent them from dropping out of college.
Responding to the Board of Regents' mandate to extend advising to meet all students' needs, key faculty members, led by Laura Ralston, associate professor of mathematics, developed and implemented an advising model designed to help all students plan the coursework needed to complete their program of study. The program is called Early Bird Advising and began spring semester 2005.
During fall 2008, the college added classroom-based advising, where all faculty members advise and promote the program to the captive audience.
During the first week of classes, instructors make themselves available as an academic advisor. During the second week, any student struggling academically is referred to the appropriate student support services office. Finally, during week seven, faculty members discuss semester progress and associated options, alert students to upcoming registration, cover the importance of planning their schedules and review graduation requirements.
Ninety to 100 percent of the participating students registered for suggested coursework for the upcoming semester, and 82 - 100 percent registered for recommended coursework for the following semester. While the data is still being studied and correlations haven't been verified, the spring semester 2008 graduation rate rose by 11 percent over the 2007 rate.

Adding Value through Outstanding Faculty, Staff, Students and Programs

2

Robotic Technology Inspired by Service Dogs

Service dogs, invaluable companions providing assistance to physically impaired individuals, are an elite and desired breed. Their presence in a home can make everyday tasks that are difficult if not impossible achievable, enhancing the quality of life for the disabled.

A service dog showing how it helps with duties, such as opening doors.

Yet with a cost averaging $16,000 per dog not to mention the two years of training required to hone these skills the demand for these canines exceeds their availability.

But what if these duties could be accomplished with an electronic companion that provides the same efficiency at a fraction of the cost? Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have engineered a biologically inspired robot that mirrors the actions of sought-after service dogs. Users verbally command the robot to complete a task and the robot responds once a basic laser pointer illuminates the location of the desired action.

Employing this technology, users can accomplish basic yet challenging missions such as opening doors and drawers, and retrieving medication.

"It's a road to get robots out there helping people sooner," said professor Charlie Kemp, Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering. "Service dogs have a great history of helping people, but there's a multi-year waiting list. It's a very

expensive thing to have. We think robots will eventually help to meet those needs."
Kemp and graduate student Hai Nguyen worked closely with the team of trainers at Georgia Canines for Independence in Acworth to research the command categories and interaction that is core to the relationship between individuals and service dogs.
"As robotic researchers we shouldn't just be looking at the human as an example," Kemp said. "Dogs are very capable at what they do. They have helped thousands of people throughout the years. I believe we're going to be able to achieve the capabilities of a service dog with robotics sooner than those of a human caregiver."
Fort Valley State College of Education
One of the brightest stars on Fort Valley State University's campus is the rebirthed College of Education. Under the strong, knowledgeable leadership of Dr. Judy Carter, the college has gone from losing its accreditation in 2005 to having 175 students taking coursework in undergraduate and graduate programs.
"It was really exciting to come here and work with a group of people who were interested in restructuring the teacher education program. It has been very challenging and rewarding at the same time to do what we have done," said Carter, who arrived in 2005 from Benedict College in Columbia, S.C., as a consultant to the teacher education program and was hired as dean of the College of Education in January 2006.

Dr. Judy Carter in front of the William Hubbard Education Building.

El-E, a robot designed to aid users with mobility impairment with everyday tasks.

But Carter and the professors in the College of Education are not resting on their laurels. "We are going to work for National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education certification," Carter said.

The University System of Georgia: A Worthy Investment November 2008

Adding Value through Outstanding Faculty, Staff, Students and Programs

3

HOLA at Armstrong Atlantic State University
The Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) Hispanic Outreach and Leadership (HOLA) Program was founded in 2003 with the goal of assisting AASU Latino students to succeed academically by providing them support services and cultural programs showcasing Latino culture. The program incorporates scholarship, recruitment, retention and community service aspects.

Directions Helps Students, Parents Plan Education
Directions is an annual initiative held for eighth graders and their parents to keep them informed of students academic options. The program began in the winter of the 2005-06 school year, to address the local dropout rate and the availability of a skilled workforce within Emanuel County.

Since the establishment of HOLA, Latino enrollment at AASU has increased 37 percent, with more than 268 Latino students currently enrolled, or roughly 3.9 percent of the total student population. Before the establishment of the HOLA program, AASU reported an average 2.4 percent Hispanic student enrollment each year. Currently, AASU boasts the second highest enrollment of Hispanic/Latino students per capita in the University System of Georgia.

The Atlanta-based Goizueta Foundation has supported HOLA through The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund at AASU. Some 69 scholarships have been awarded from 2003-2004 through 2008-2009 academic years.

In September 2008, AASU's HOLA program and its founder

and director Melody Rodriguez were recognized as a semifi-

nalist for a national award from Excelencia in Education, a

non-profit organization that promotes Latino education and

academic achievement. As a semifinalist for the 2008 Excelen-

cia in Education Award, HOLA will be included in the 2008

edition of "What Works for Latino Students: Examples of Ex-

celencia Compendium". The compendium will be distributed

electronically

later this

year to more

than 13,000

constituents.

Addition-

ally, key

educational

organizations

and policy

leaders will

receive

printed copies. Also, as a semifinalist, HOLA is now part

Melody Rodriguez, director of AASU's Hispanic Outlook and Leadership (HOLA) program celebrates with a recent Latino graduate. Since its establishment in 2003, HOLA has provided 69 scholarships to Latino students at AASU.

of Excelencia's national campaign to promote effective in-

stitutional practices that show evidence of supporting greater

numbers of Latino students earning higher-education degrees.

Karen Jones, director of admissions at East Georgia College; Jean Schwabe, assistant superintendent with the Emanuel County School System; Dr. John Black, president of East Georgia College; Larry Calhoun, president of Swainsboro Technical College (STC); students from Swainsboro Middle School (in front).
Directions is a collaboration among East Georgia College, Swainsboro Technical College, Emanuel County School System, David Emanuel Academy, Georgia Rural Economic Development Center, and the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce and Joint Development Authorities. The program was designed to address the local dropout rate and the availability of a skilled workforce within Emanuel County.
The Emanuel County School System and the community have been concerned for years about the local dropout rate and its effect on the availability of a skilled, educated workforce. Students who lacked a plan for their future have entered high school at a disadvantage not being completely aware of available educational opportunities and jobs/careers. Many parents while wanting to be supportive of their children often lack this same information.
Eighth-grade students and their parents meet with program representatives on a predetermined evening to explore the full range of opportunities open to students and to emphasize the importance of educational planning. Both students and parents are given information about career choices, scholarships opportunities, financial aid, GaCollege411 and advice on how to make smart choices. They are also given a 4-year planner specifying what to do when in high school in order to be prepared for college.

The University System of Georgia: A Worthy Investment November 2008

Adding Value through Outstanding Faculty, Staff, Students and Programs

4

Skidaway Helps Guide Coastal Development

Another Skidaway Institute scientist is assisting local agencies deal with a water quality issue of an entirely different kind.

The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is well positioned, both geographically and scientifically, to help Georgia's coastal region handle its burgeoning growth. Located on a coastal island near Savannah, Skidaway Institute scientists conduct research that ranges from a global scale to issues in their own back yard Georgia's coastal waters, estuaries and salt marshes. Most development experts agree that the Georgia coast is facing a growth boom in the coming years, and lawmakers and regulators need solid science on which to base their decisions regarding that growth.

Using funding primarily from the Environmental Protection Agency, Marc Frischer is conducting a two-phase project to help solve a long-standing problem of fecal contamination in a local waterway. In the first phase of his project, he is using DNA analysis to determine whether the source of the contamination is human or animal domestic, farm or wild. In the second phase, he is developing a new tool to track the origin of

"Our quandary is that the information that we don't know now is what we will need to know in the future to ensure appropriate protection, use and wise stewardship of coastal resources," said Skidaway Institute Director James Sanders. "Our

failing septic systems. He is using a virus to tag E. coli bacteria in septic systems and then searching for those virus-tagged bacteria in the waterways.

current science efforts, combined with information gathered over the past decades, can answer these questions."

Georgia's Saltwater Marshes

"We will keep our sights firmly

focused on Georgia's needs, as we

continue to conduct cutting-edge research," said Sanders.

"We are working to ensure that governmental entities, regulatory agencies and individuals get the information they need in

Macon State Helps Central Georgia Leaders

a form they can use so that progress can continue."

Macon State College's Center for Economic Analysis and

Skidaway Institute scientists achieve this through cutting-

Forecasting (CEAF), at the request of Macon Mayor Robert

edge research that also has a focus on application and through careful input, interpretation and sharing of scientific data with

Reichert, completed a pilot program modeled after the City of Baltimore's CitiStat division. Throughout the three-month

private and public groups.

pilot program, the CEAF, established COMSTAR (City of Ma-

"One great aspect of this is that almost all of this research is funded by sources other than the State of Georgia," said Sanders.

con Statistical Tracking and Reporting program), a system of departmental oversight that utilizes data reporting and tracking. COMSTAR is a management process that improves city services, eliminates inefficiencies, ensures accountability, fosters

Professor Peter Verity has been studying the effect of hu-

communication and increases transparency in city government.

man development on the coast since he arrived at Skidaway Institute in the 1980s. His more-than-20 years of data show a direct correlation between increased coastal population and a decline in water quality. The research shows a steady increase in bacteria and a decrease in dissolved oxygen over the past two decades. During the summer, when oxygen levels are seasonally at their lowest, some of Georgia's coastal waters are considered hypoxic, with oxygen levels too low to adequately support fish and shellfish, such as shrimp, crabs and oysters.
Verity has shared his research through a range of public talks and advisory roles, including heading the science and technology committee of the Georgia Coastal Comprehensive Plan and providing scientific advice to a wide range of state and local agencies, including helping to rewrite K-12 curricula in sciences.

The CEAF also completed an assessment of a social work program for the Peach County Family Connection (PCFC). Every year, PCFC must demonstrate quality-of-service improvements by submitting an assessment of a valuable community service. An after-school program for disadvantaged children in four Peach County communities was selected for assessment. The CEAF was asked to continue its work in Peach County this year assessing a youth mentoring program.
Also, the Center for Economic Analysis and Forecasting published the Warner Robins Economic Update, a publication delivered quarterly to the Warner Robins Chamber of Commerce. The update contained national, state and local economic data and forecasts to aid local businesses in their respective areas. CEAF also made presentations to local community groups regarding the local economic outlook.

The University System of Georgia: A Worthy Investment November 2008