Georgia Southern University to Offer Online Master of Science in Computer Science

The University System of Georgia's Board of Regents approved a new online Master of Science in Computer Science degree in Georgia Southern University's Collge of Information Technology. Classes in the new program are set to begin in the fall of 2010.

"The online Master of Science in Computer Science degree program is another example of how Georgia Southern’s College of Information Technology is leading the way in preparing professionals for a future in a field that touches every aspect of our lives," said Georgia Southern University President Brooks Keel. "As the only College of Information Technology in Georgia we are dedicated to educating professionals who will have a large impact on the businesses and industries already in Georgia, and whose presence here will attract new ones as well."

The program is the latest addition to Georgia Southern’s growing list of 100 percent online programs that are opening up educational opportunities for professionals and other non-traditional students. The University’s online programs are particularly attractive for individuals who need more flexibility in order to complete a degree and may not be able to travel to the University’s main campus.

"A student’s distance from Georgia Southern, or the obligations of a demanding career, used to stand in the way of many professionals pursuing degrees," said Gary Means, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Georgia Southern University. "Our new online Master of Science in Computer Science degree program will allow students to do their coursework and interact with professors and classmates when it is convenient for them and without interfering with their day-to-day responsibilities."

The online Master of Science in Computer Science degree is the first graduate degree to be offered by Georgia Southern’s College of Information Technology, which was founded at Georgia Southern University in 2003. Since that time, the College has quickly positioned itself as a leader in information technology higher education. The College was the first four-year institution in the world to teach virtualization on VMware and its undergraduate game design program was recently ranked one of the top in the U.S. and Canada by The Princeton Review.

"This new masters degree program is an important step for the College of Information Technology and our students," said Interim Dean Ronald Shiffler. "There is a definite need and we are seeing an increasing demand for information technology professionals. This new online program has been specifically designed to provide an advanced level of education and expertise in a high-demand field."

The degree program places an emphasis on data mining and data warehousing and will prepare students for positions including data warehouse managers and architects, business intelligence engineers, database application developers and principle data analysts.

"There are many IT professionals actively involved in using databases and database queries. This masters degree program carries their knowledge one step further, allowing them to understand how to query information from sources that are not as strictly organized as databases," said Jim Harris, who leads the department of computer sciences in the College of Information Technology.

The online Master of Science in Computer Science is a 30-hour degree program that can be completed by taking two courses a semester for five semesters. The courses in data mining and data warehousing will be taught by faculty who are internationally recognized in their fields.

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Georgia Receives High Marks for Educational Data System

Georgia is one of only 11 states that have the 10 Essential Elements of developing and using longitudinal data systems to improve student achievement, according to a national report released last week. A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce report, Leaders and Laggards, also showed Georgia ahead of other states in the use of data to impact classroom instruction.

"These two reports verify that Georgia is on the right track to getting a longitudinal data system that will help our educators across the state make sound policy decisions for the benefit of the students," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "Accurate data that identifies a problem is critical to tackling an issue head on. Without good data we would just be engaged in random acts of school improvement."

Data Quality Campaign (DQC) Report

The 2009 DQC report showed Georgia is one of only 11 states to have all 10 Essential Elements. DQC's annual survey results track individual states' progress towards implementing the 10 Essential Elements, as well as the policy implications of creating longitudinal systems. The DQC provides a forum for states to learn from each other as they continue to improve their systems.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Report

In it's second Leaders and Laggards report measuring Education Innovation, Georgia was one of only five states to receive more than one "A" in the eight categories. The "A's" were given for Georgia's quality data system and the ability to remove ineffective teachers. The report highlighted Georgia's data system and how the public reporting of college remediation data is factored into the accountability system.

"Our existing data collection and reporting infrastructure is not perfect yet but we are on our way," said Superintendent Cox. "As businesses have effectively used data to boost profits, educators are using data to boost student achievement."

The federal government has also recognized Georgia's commitment to a robust educational data system. In April, Georgia was one of twenty-seven states awarded a Longitudinal Data System (LDS) grant, and one of only three states to receive the maximum amount: $8.9 million.

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Economic Impact of University System Reaches $12.1 Billion

A newly released report confirms that in the midst of a severe economic downturn, Georgia’s public university system continues to be one of the state’s major economic engines. Together, the 35 institutions of the University System of Georgia (USG) made a $12.1 billion economic impact on the state’s economy during Fiscal Year 2008.

The Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business analyzed data collected between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2008, to calculate the University System’s FY2008 economic impact. This work updates similar studies conducted on behalf of The Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP), an initiative of the Board of Regents’ Office of Economic Development. The previous report, based on FY2007 data, placed the USG’s economic impact at $11 billion. The first study in the series calculated the USG’s impact at $7.7 billion in FY1999. The latest $12.1 billion thus is a $4.4 billion increase since FY 1999 – or a growth of 57 percent in the system’s economic impact on Georgia’s communities.

“While our research has consistently shown the important economic contributions public colleges and universities make to communities and the state, this latest study supports the argument that the University System can play an important role in helping Georgia’s economy recover,” said study author Dr. Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of economic forecasting for the Selig Center. “For each job created on a campus, there are 1.6 jobs that exist off-campus because of spending related to the college or university. These economic impacts demonstrate that continued emphasis on colleges and universities as a pillar of the state’s economy translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater production of goods and services for local households and businesses.”

In addition to the $12.1 billion in total impact generated by the University System in FY2008, the study determined that Georgia’s public higher education system is responsible for 108,405 full- and part-time jobs – 2.6 percent of all the jobs in the state – while approximately 39 percent of these positions are on-campus jobs, a majority – 61 percent – are positions in the private or public sectors that exist because of the presence in the community of USG institutions.
Humphreys’ report quantifies the economic benefits that the University System of Georgia’s institutions convey to the communities in which they are located. He determined that $8 billion (66 percent) of the $12.1 billion in total economic impact was due to initial spending by USG institutions for salaries and fringe benefits, operating supplies and expenses, and other budgeted expenditures, as well as spending by the students who attended the institutions in FY2008.

Re-spending – the multiplier effect of those dollars as they are spent again in the region – accounted for another $4.1 billion (34 percent). Researchers found that, on average, for every dollar of initial spending in a community by a University System institution, an additional 51 cents was generated for the local economy hosting a college or university.

The University System’s largest institution – the University of Georgia (UGA) with 34,180 students – has the single greatest economic impact: $2.2 billion on the Athens-area economy, or 18 percent of the System's total statewide economic impact.

Eight institutions in the metro Atlanta area – Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Clayton State University, Kennesaw State University, Southern Polytechnic State University, Georgia Gwinnett College, Atlanta Metropolitan College and Georgia Perimeter College – accounted for $5 billion of the University System’s $12.1 billion total, and 41,282 jobs.

The study shows that the System’s two regional universities are significant economic players in their host communities. Georgia Southern University had an impact of $506 million on the local economy and an employment impact of 5,470 jobs, while Valdosta State University’s economic impact was $326 million with 3,317 jobs.

In north Georgia, the combined economic impact of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College was $344 million with an employment impact of 3,129 jobs.

The Augusta area receives a substantial economic benefit from the presence of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) and Augusta State University. Together, these two institutions have a $1.2 billion economic impact on the Augusta economy and produce 10,667 jobs.

The economic impact of two USG institutions in the Savannah area is significant. Together, Armstrong Atlantic State University and Savannah State University pumped $332 million into the Savannah economy and the two institutions produce more than 3,180 jobs.

The University of West Georgia and Columbus State University have a combined economic impact of $570 million and contribute 5,515 jobs to the west Georgia region.

“This report underscores the important role the USG plays not only in higher education but also in the ongoing economic vitality of Georgia,” said Terry Durden, interim assistant vice chancellor of the University System’s Office of Economic Development.

The Selig Center’s research has its limitations – it neither quantifies the many long-term benefits that a higher-education institution imparts to its host community’s economic development nor does it measure intangible benefits, such as cultural opportunities, intellectual stimulation and volunteer work, to local residents. Spending by USG retirees who still live in the host communities and by visitors to USG institutions (such as those attending conferences or athletic events) is not measured, nor are additional sources of income for USG employees, such as consulting work, personal business activities and inheritances.

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Smart Money Magazine Re-Ranks UGA #4 After Data Submission Error

An error discovered in data submitted by the University of Georgia to Smart Money magazine has resulted in a re-ranking of the top four universities in the publication’s recent “Best Payback” list. UGA now is ranked fourth in the list on which it originally was placed first based on the inaccurate data. The magazine posted the correction to its website, http://www.smartmoney.com/, this afternoon.

“The data that UGA submitted to Smart Money magazine for this ranking was inadvertently in error, in that it failed to take into account the university’s transition from the quarter system to the semester system in 1998. That error skewed the calculation of the return on investment in a UGA education,” said UGA Vice President for Public Affairs Tom Jackson. “We regret the error and apologize to Smart Money and to the other institutions in the ranking.”

As a result of the re-ranking, the previous #2, #3 and #4 institutions move up to the top three spots, respectively. They are Texas A&M, the University of Texas at Austin, and Georgia Tech. No rankings other than the top four were affected by the data error.

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