The system supplement: a report of the Georgia Board of Regents, Vol. 43, no. 7 (Oct. 2006)

The
System Supplement
A report of the Georgia Board of Regents 8 Vol. 43, No. 7 8 October 2006
"Creating a Mo re Educated Georgia"

New Board Policy to Recognize and Reward College Faculty Involved in Teacher Preparation for Working to Improve K-12 Schools

The Board of Regents acted at its October meeting, held at Fort Valley State University, to further strengthen the importance of teacher preparation programs in the University System of Georgia (USG) with the approval of a new "Work in the Schools" Policy.
The new policy will recognize and reward USG education faculty and arts and science faculty who are involved in the preparation of teachers for Georgia's K-12 schools as well as faculty efforts targeted toward school improvements. The policy states that recognition will come through "decisions in promotion and tenure, pre-tenure and post-tenure review, annual review and merit pay, workload, recognition, allocation of resources and other rewards."
The regents approved the "Work in the Schools" policy after hearing a presentation by Dr. Jan Kettlewell, associate vice chancellor for P-16 Initiatives, which promote the successful progression of students from pre-school through c o l l e g e .
"The new policy is a top-down, bottom-up change strategy," Kettlewell said. "We are changing the policy at the board level and faculty and administrators are changing the culture at the institutional level. We are going to be national leaders in this work," she told board members. "We are going to be actively advocating for our faculty to be significantly involved in school improvement efforts, setting the tone and the expectations for our institutions."
The policy defines teacher preparation and school-improvement efforts for USG faculty as documented involvement in:
Improving one's own teaching so as to model effective teaching practices in courses taken by prospective teachers;

Contributing scholarship that promotes and improves student learning and achievement in the schools and in the university; and
Collaborating with public schools to strengthen teaching quality and to increase student l e a r n i n g .
The "Work in the Schools" policy owes its genesis to a $34.6 million grant received by the USG in 2003 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch the Partnership for Reform in Science and Mathematics (PRISM) in Georgia. PRISM is a comprehensive nationwide research and development project that seeks to: 1) increase achievements by students in pre-school through Grade 12 in science and mathematics in order to improve their readiness for careers in these disciplines; 2) increase the responsiveness of higher education faculty in science and mathematics to the needs of K-12 schools; and 3) close the achievement gaps among various demographic groups through partnerships at the university and P-12 level in each region of the state.

PRISM research has enabled educators to confirm the validity of what had been a basic assumption that college-level faculty play an important role in strengthening teaching quality and increasing student learning in public schools.
Kettlewell explained that PRISM has been employing a number of strategies to increase student achievement in science and mathematics, including conducting a seminar for college-level faculty to show them how to teach future teachers to help students do better in introductory science courses. The lessons learned in implementing these strategies are then used to influence statewide change in policy and practice.
Through PRISM, researchers have been exploring whether teaching in the public schools gets better if there is increased collaboration with higher education and whether student achievement in science and mathematics increases if there is increased collaboration with higher education.
See "Policy for Teachers," Page 2
Regents Visit FVSU, Robins AFB Museum
A visit to the Robins Air Force Base Museum of Aviation gave the Board of Regents a respite from the business at hand when the board's October meeting held at Fort Valley State University (FVSU) broke for the evening on Oct. 10. FVSU President Larry Rivers (left), Kenneth Percell, executive director of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Repl. Calvin Smyre, Rep. Freddie Powell Sims and Fort Valley Mayor John Stumbo were among those who addressed the regents, BOR staff members and other guests who attended the "Wildcats on Wings" dinner and reception.

Policy for Teachers
Continued from P. 1 ...
"We have growing evidence that tells us the answer is `yes'," Kettlewell said. For example, she noted, teachers in Georgia school districts involved in PRISM have changed how they teach in ways that increase student engagement in science and mathematics, and Georgia teachers also have increased their academic knowledge in these disciplines. Plus, students in 10 of the 15 school districts participating in PRISM partnerships with the USG increased their SAT scores in mathematics last year by more than the statewide average increase of 4 points.
Kettlewell told the regents that these positive results can be sustained beyond the five years PRISM has been funded by the NSF grant if the amount of collaboration between higher education faculty and the public schools is significantly increased.
"Partnerships with our state colleges and universities are vitally important as we seek to attract and retain the best and brightest

teachers," said State School Superintendent Kathy Cox. "This policy change will encourage more collaboration and, in the end, will benefit our students and our state."
The USG institutions that offer teacher-preparation programs will

receive guidelines from the Board of Regents encouraging formal institutional recognition of faculty undertaking such activities. The guidelines will further define and provide examples of the teaching improvements and various forms of scholarship the policy seeks to reward. Q

Graduate Tuition Policy, Tuition Guarantee Plan Undergo Minor Refinements

The Board of Regents approved minor refinements to policies governing graduate tuition rates and the new Guaranteed Tuition Plan for University System of Georgia (USG) colleges and universities during its October monthly meeting, held at Fort Valley State University.
Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs Bill Bowes informed the board that its approval in June of the Guaranteed Tuition Plan which provides students and their parents with greater predictability in planning for college costs and encourages ontime graduation necessitated changing how graduate tuition rates are determined by the institutions, since prior to this, graduate rates were based on a percentage of the undergraduate rates.
Now that undergraduate tuition is based on the year a student enters the University System and therefore varies from student to student, each USG institution offering graduate programs will request the regents' approval for a core graduate tuition rate that will apply

across the board to all of that institution's graduate programs. The institutions also may request approval to charge separate competitive rates for specialized graduate programs, Bowes said.
The regents also approved minor revisions to the policy governing the Guaranteed Tuition Plan that:
Add programs offered by Armstrong Atlantic State University's Liberty Center in Hinesville to the list of special programs for which the guarantee will be extended to five years, since the center serves students in the same way as the USG's three university colleges (university colleges are two-year programs offered by four-year institutions in areas not served by twoyear USG colleges);
Limit the guaranteed rate for students who transfer to the Medical College of Georgia's health profession programs as third-year students to no more than two years or six consecutive semesters;

Allow students in Middle Georgia College's Georgia Academy of Mathematics, Engineering and Science (GAMES) and the University of West Georgia's Advanced Academy of Georgia to be treated as new students, eligible for a four-year guaranteed tuition rate, when they first enter the University System; and
Make students in the University of Georgia's undergraduate programs in landscape architecture and forestry and natural resources eligible for the guaranteed tuition rate for four years, even though these programs have differential tuition rates.
The Guaranteed Tuition Plan, implemented this fall for new students, offers new freshmen entering four-year USG institutions a fixed tuition rate for the next four years and new freshmen at two-year institutions a fixed rate for three years. The plan applies only to degreeseeking undergraduate students, and does not include mandatory fees or expenses for room and board. Q

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USG in the News
The University System of Georgia is
well represented in the host of college guides issued annually by Princeton Review (no affiliation with Princeton University). Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia (UGA) are included in "The Best 361 Colleges," which does not rank the institutions against each other. Along with Georgia College & State University and the University of West Georgia (UWG), Georgia Tech and UGA also are listed in "The Best Southeastern Colleges," which lists 146 institutions, also unranked. Georgia Tech and UWG are included among "America's Best Value Colleges" (unranked). Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, UGA and UWG are among the PrincetonReview's"The Best 282 Business Schools." "The Best 170 Law Schools" lists UGA and Georgia State. UGA's Terry College of Business was ranked No. 4 on a list of the top 10 schools with the "Best Campus Facilities," based on students' assessment of the quality of classrooms, library and gym facilities. Students also ranked Georgia State's College of Law as No. 5 in terms of "Most Welcoming of Older Students."
Hispanic Business magazine
has ranked Georgia Tech's College of Engineering as the nation's No. 3 engineering school for Hispanic postgraduate students. The national magazine cited Tech's research reputation and its rapidly growing enrollment of Hispanic, female and other minority students, which prepares all Tech students to be part of a multicultural workforce. "It's a sign of our commitment to welcoming students of Hispanic origin and making sure they feel comfortable at Tech," said J. Carlos Santamarina, professor of civil and environmental engineering,
who holds the Goizueta Foundation
Faculty Chair. The foundation has contributed more than $4.5 million toward Hispanic recruitment and retention. Q
The
System Supplement
John Millsaps
INTERIM ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR
Diane Payne
PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR
To Provide Feedback
write to: diane.payne@usg.edu

ON CAMPUS

Georgia Southern Administrators, Faculty

Make `House Calls' to First-Year Students

Reprinted from Georgia Southern magazine

Each fall semester at Georgia Southern University, freshmen move into their residence halls and get up for the first day of class, but that's just the start of getting off on the right foot.

To ensure that students

don't have lingering questions

or apprehensions, each fall

and spring semester the De-

partment of University Hous-

ing makes "House Calls," a program designed to help first-year students become more comfortable in their oncampus homes. "House Calls"

Robert Meguiar (far left), a member of Georgia Southern University's admissions staff, and Dean Jane Rhoades Hudak (seated next to him) make a "house call" with students in their residence hall.

has been in operation since

the fall semester of 2003.
This fall more than 70 administrators, faculty and staff from across the University volunteered to visit the new students in their residence hall rooms. They will visit again when students return from the holiday break in January.

"Research indicates that developing a relationship with a faculty or staff member can have a significant impact on students and increase retention," she said. "Consequently, this program is a valuable asset to the Georgia Southern campus and our goal of being a student-centered insti-

"The purpose of the program is to tution."

welcome residence hall students to the campus community and provide them with an opportunity to interact with faculty members and administrators on a personal level," said Allison Williams Scott, coordinator

"The volunteers introduced themselves and asked the students if they had any concerns or issues," Scott said. "Any concerns or issues were
See "House Calls," Page 4 ...

for occupancy management in

University Housing.

Tech One of Academia's Top Places to Work

Readers of The Scientist magazine ranked Georgia Tech as one of the top 15 places in academia to work in the United States. In a national survey, "Best Places to Work in Academia 2006," readers of the life sciences magazine and news site named Tech as the No. 11 U.S. institution. Survey results were published in the October issue of The Scientist.
Survey respondents listed personal fulfillment as the top factor in determining workplace satisfaction. Peer relations, institutional management and tenure procedures also ranked among the most important factors. Institutions earning high marks in those categories took this year's top honors.

The Scientist posted an on-line questionnaire and invited readers and registrants on its web site to respond. Participants had to identify themselves as tenured or tenure-track life scientists working in academia or other non-commercial research organizations. More than 1,600 responses were evaluated. The magazine ranked 58 institutions from the United States, seven from Canada, and 10 from the United Kingdom. The survey is in its fourth year. Q

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Biesinger Commended for `Visionary' Leadership of GAcollege411 Project
Dr. Kris Biesinger, assistant vice chancellor for advanced learning technologies for the University System of Georgia (USG), received a commendation on Oct. 4 from Gov. Sonny Perdue for her outstanding work in launching the new GAcollege411 program well ahead of schedule while on loan from the Board of Regents to the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC).
In July 2006, Biesinger wrapped up two years of managing the creation of GAcollege411.org, a state-wide initiative that helps high-school students and their families to plan for and select a college, and apply for admission and financial aid online.
During a ceremony at the Capitol, Perdue noted that Biesinger brought the GAcollege411 project to fruition five months earlier than expected. Perdue credited her as "the visionary for a website that, since February 2005, has attracted almost 200,000 new accounts, all directed at helping students enter college."
The commendation ceremony was attended by USG Interim Vice Chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology Tom Maier, GSFC President Tim Connell, Shelley Nickel, director of the Office of Planning and Budget, and Ron Jackson, interim assistant commissioner for the Office of Information Technology, Planning and Development at the Department of Technical and Adult Education. Q

Savannah State's Ken Sajwan Honored as a `National Role Model'

Dr. Kenneth Sajwan, a professor in Savannah State University's Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics who has earned national recognition for his teaching, research and scholarly activities in environmental science as well as his mentoring of minority students, is in the spotlight again.
Sajwan received a 2006 National Role Model Award from the non-profit organization Minority Access, Inc., at a national conference in Las Vegas in September.
Sajwan's previous honors have included the Richard Nicholson Excellence in

Science Teaching Award from the Quality Education for Minorities in Math, Science and Engineering Network; the National Science Teachers Association's 2004 Distinguished Science Teacher Award; and the 2003 Ernest L. Boyer Inter-national Award for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. Q

House Calls
Continued from P. 3 ...
documented and, if the volunteers couldn't answer a question, the University Housing staff followed up with the answer."

"House Calls" was recognized by the Board of Regents in 2005, when it received a Best Practices Award in the Student Services category. Q

B O A R D OF REGENTS
Allan Vigil Fayetteville
CHAIR
William H. Cleveland, M.D. Atlanta
VICE CHAIR
Hugh A. Carter, Jr. Atlanta
Michael J. Coles Kennesaw
Robert F. Hatcher Macon
Julie Ewing Hunt Tifton
Felton Jenkins Madison
W. Mansfield Jennings Jr. Hawkinsville
James R. Jolly Dalton
Donald M. Leebern Jr. Columbus
Elridge W. McMillan Atlanta
Patrick S. Pittard Lakemont
Doreen Stiles Poitevint Bainbridge
Willis J. Potts Jr. Rome
Wanda Yancey Rodwell Stone Mountain
J. Timothy Shelnut Augusta
Benjamin Tarbutton III Sandersville
Richard L. Tucker Duluth
O F F I C E R S
Erroll B. Davis Jr. CHANCELLOR
Julia M. Murphy SECRETARY TO THE BOARD
William R. Bowes TREASURER

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