Georgia State a go-to law school for nation’s largest law firms

 In its annual list of the top 50 “Go-To” law schools, the National Law Journal ranks Georgia State University College of Law No. 32 for its percentage of graduates who were hired as first-year associates at the nation’s top firms.

The National Law Journal’s survey shows that 22 of 162 Georgia State Law graduates who earned Juris Doctor degrees in 2010 – 13.58 percent – are working as first-year associates at NLJ 250 firms, the nation’s largest law firms identified in its survey.

The Go-To Law School special report ranks the law schools that the nation's 250 largest firms recruited from most heavily to fill their first-year associate classes. Tuition amounts were based on data for full-time, non-resident students obtained from the 2010 ABA/LSAC guide.

The average annual tuition at the 50 Go-To Law Schools was $40,167. The most expensive law school was University of Cornell Law School, which charged $49,020 and was ranked No. 2 on the Go-To list. Annual tuition at Georgia State Law is currently $11,568 for Georgia residents and $32,592 for non-residents (fall and spring semesters). Georgia State Law also recently was named the No. 1 Best Value Law School by The National Jurist.

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GSU Undergraduate Research Conference proposals accepted through January

Georgia State University undergraduates and their faculty advisors should start thinking about research and artistic projects they would like to enter into this spring’s Georgia State University Undergraduate Research Conference.

Proposals for the conference, to be held March 16, 2011 at the Student Center, are due on Jan. 28, said Deborah Garfin, faculty associate for undergraduate research. Work can include poster presentations, oral presentations or artistic displays. Proposals should be submitted online at http://www.gsu.edu/gsurc/22214.html.

“Students from all departments across the university are encouraged to submit proposals,” Garfin said. “GSURC provides a unique opportunity for students to participate in a research conference and discuss their projects with other students and faculty.”

Every presentation must have a GSU undergraduate student as the primary author or artist, and a Georgia State faculty sponsor. Work presented at a previous GSURC cannot be submitted for the 2011 conference.

Last year’s winners included:

• Provost’s Award and 1st place poster award: Julia Eidelman, biology

• 1st place oral award: Imani Mandela, African-American studies

• 1st place art and design: Emily Pidgeon, art and design (photography)

• 2nd place poster: Taiwannika Walker, sociology

• 2nd place oral: Keisha Parker, applied linguistics and ESL.

More information for presenters and faculty sponsors is available at www.gsu.edu/gsurc.

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Financial Times ranks Robinson Executive MBA 26th in U.S., 78th worldwide

Rankings released by the Financial Times (FT) place the Executive MBA (EMBA) at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business 26th among U.S.-based programs and 78th worldwide.

The rankings, limited to the world’s top 100 programs, are based on program, student and faculty information such as alumni satisfaction and changes in their salaries, faculty and cohort diversity, thought leadership by faculty (research productivity), and international experiences in the program.

In faculty research productivity, based on the number of faculty publications in 45 international academic and practitioner journals, the Robinson College is 26th among U.S.-based programs and 46th worldwide.

The Robinson EMBA is 6th among U.S.-based programs and 33rd worldwide for international course experience, defined as coursework conducted outside the country in which the program is located. A hallmark of the Robinson College EMBA program is its international business residency. Each cohort travels to a host country for an intense immersion experience into business and culture. Past residencies have included study in China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Argentina, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece and the Netherlands.

According to Dean H. Fenwick Huss, “The FT rankings are indicative of the Robinson College’s stature as a leading resource for global executive education and our faculty’s leadership in advancing the theory and practice of international business.

"Noting that in 2010 the Robinson College was awarded a Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and that Georgia State was awarded a Confucius Institute," Huss said. “Our ability to offer programs that advance the understanding of international business and global markets will continue to increase.”

Dave Forquer, assistant dean for executive programs, added, “Our position among the best EMBA programs in the world confirms that the Robinson College delivers on our promise to develop global business leaders."

The Robinson College Executive MBA is 17 months in duration. On average, students in the EMBA cohort possess more than 15 years of business experience. The program first made the Financial Times EMBA rankings in 2003 and has been on the list for seven of the past eight years.

For more information about Robinson’s EMBA program please visit http://robinson.gsu.edu/emba. 

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GSU featured in Princeton Review’s Best Law Schools

Georgia State University College of Law is one of the nation’s most outstanding law schools in the latest Princeton Review 2010 edition of “The Best 172 Law Schools.”

There are 663 students enrolled at the College of Law, and the majority of those students are full time. Upon graduation, 95 percent pass the bar exam on the first try. Of the 2009 graduates, 93 percent were employed within six months of graduation.

“We are pleased to recommend Georgia State College of Law ... as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn a law school degree,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review senior vice president of publishing. “We chose the 172 schools for this book based on our high opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data we collect from the schools.”

Princeton Review also considers opinions of students who rate and report on their campus experiences at their schools, according to the survey.

“This accolade confirms what our students tell us – that we’re a law school of choice,” said College of Law Dean Steven J. Kaminshine. “We offer a great value, an unmatched faculty, and an experience that connects the classroom with the outside world.”

The College of Law, opened in 1982, offers an innovative curriculum and a variety of programs. Graduates of GSU’s law school have excellent placement rates, including many of the nation’s top law firms, though some choose public service. The average starting salary for graduates is $79,003 and many leave law school with minimal debt.

Quoting from students who responded to the questionnaire, the survey said, “The College of Law at Georgia State University offers a top-quality law school education. … GSU College of Law offers an incredible value to students, strong academic reputation with a low cost of attendance.”

It also said that professors are “amazing, diverse and open-minded.” One law student who responded to the survey said, “I am challenged every day by brilliant professors who make me think in ways I never thought possible.”

Others said that GSU’s location offers access to the Atlanta legal community with a prime spot in downtown Atlanta. Students can “walk to the 11th Circuit, Supreme Court and Northern District of Georgia courthouses,” the survey said.



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GSU only Georgia institution to receive grant from new federal program to train more nurse practitioners

Georgia State's Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing has recently received a new federal grant to help train needed nurse practitioners who are an important part of the health care system.

The $831,600 grant from the Advanced Nursing Education Expansion program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will provide funds for students for up to two years to help reduce the financial burden of attending school full time, and will help increase graduation rates.

"This highly competitive grant will allow GSU to increase the number of primary care providers available to consumers," said Susan Kelley, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. "Because of the quality of care which nurse practitioners provide, the demand for their services has grown immensely."

"We are very excited to receive this grant," said Barbara Woodring, chair of the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing. "Nurse practitioners will be needed to aid in the health care system in the coming years. The Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing graduates one of the largest numbers of master's prepared nurse practitioners in the region, and the funding will go a long way in aiding our students."

The school of nursing is the only Georgia nursing school to receive a federal grant under this award program, which aims to train 600 advanced nursing professionals nationwide by 2015.

Since they were first trained in 1965, nurse practitioners have aided in the primary health care system, providing services similar to those of a doctor. They diagnose and treat a wide range of health problems, and also focus on health promotion, disease prevention, health education and counseling.

Because of their services, they help to lower the cost of patient care. According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, there are about 14,000 of these professionals in the United States.

Georgia State's program has five areas of focus, including adult health, pediatrics, family health, women's health, and psychiatric/mental health. The federal grant covers all five areas of the program, and must be used for direct support such as tuition, fees and a small stipend for students to attend full time.

The Advanced Nursing Education Expansion program is part of $320 million in grants under the Affordable Care Act.

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GSU College of Law no. 1 in U.S. and Georgia for value

Georgia State University College of Law was ranked No. 1 in the country for its value, according to National Jurist, a magazine geared to law students. GSU jumped to the top of the pack from fourth last year.

Its top ranking represents a new milestone for the law school, which has earned a national reputation for more than just value since its founding in 1982.

"This national recognition strongly indicates we are succeeding in our core mission: to provide an outstanding legal education that is accessible and affordable," said GSU College of Law Dean Steve Kaminshine.

Brigham Young University and the University of Louisville law schools placed 2nd and 3rd. The only other law school in the state to make the list is the University of Georgia, which ranked 15th.

National Jurist based its selection on criteria including bar passage rates, average student debt after graduation, post-graduation employment rates, and the overall cost to attend. Many of the schools selected for the list are public institutions.

The bar passage rate for first-time takers is above the 90th percentile for almost all the top 20 schools ranked in National Jurist. Georgia State University's law students' bar passage rate is slightly above the 94th percentile, the report said, using data from the American Bar Association.

"Our strong performance on the bar exam is a reflection primarily of the students that we admit," Kaminshine said. "Even though we have no special bar preparation courses, our students consistently perform at the top of the state. We give our students a solid foundation, and they have a strong work ethic."

GSU's lower tuition costs mean students graduate with fewer debts to repay. The rankings looked at schools with post-graduation student debts of below $100,000 and factored in the in-state tuition rates at the top ranked institutions.

The university's location in the heart of downtown Atlanta also aids GSU law students with proximity to jobs. Many go on to work in local offices of international law firms, as well as in federal and state courts, which are at the doorstep of the university.

To qualify for the rankings, GSU law students' employment rate nine months after graduation had to be at least 85 percent of the class or higher.

The National Jurist rankings will be available in the magazine's October issue, and were published in the Fall edition of sister publication, preLaw magazine: http://www.nationaljurist.com/content/prelaw-magazine.

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New Georgia Tech/Georgia State Collaboration Designed to Support Certified STEM Teachers

A new collaboration between the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University (GSU) streamlines the process for increasing the number of highly-quality certified math and science teachers.

Approved by the Board of Regents on Aug. 10, the Georgia Tech-GSU Bachelor of Science/Master of Arts in Teaching (BS/MAT) Option is unique because it allows students to apply credits to degrees earned at both institutions while also completing a state-approved teacher certification program. The program will begin this fall.

“This collaboration is consistent with the Regents’ commitment to supporting a high-quality teaching workforce, especially in high need areas. We know that teachers prepared at USG institutions are retained in Georgia classrooms at high levels, making this partnership beneficial for the new teachers, the schools and education across the state,” said Lynne Weisenbach, the University System of Georgia’s vice chancellor for Educator Preparation, Innovation and Research.

The Georgia Tech-GSU initiative focuses on the strengths of both institutions, according to Donna Llewellyn, director of Georgia Tech’s Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. She points out, “Georgia Tech is known for its incredible STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students, and Georgia State is known for its excellent programs for preparing teachers for our state’s and nation’s schools – it just makes good sense to pair up and utilize each of these strengths.”

The initiative supports preparing certified teachers for STEM programs in grades four through eight and six through twelve. Llewellyn adds, “This partnership not only helps develop top-notch teachers who can help educate the Georgia workforce, but it also assures that we have a home-grown pipeline of teachers who can fully prepare students to pursue higher education degrees – this is a win-win!”

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GSU receives Department of Education grant for international business education

Georgia State University has received a $188,000 Business and International Education grant from the Department of Education to establish a Southeast regional alliance of higher education institutions in seven states.

This comes on the heels of GSU’s $1.52 million award to establish a Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business. Members of the alliance of two- and four-year colleges, including historically black colleges and universities, will work to improve core courses in international education.

The alliance also will assist in preparing faculty to teach international business and strengthen the links between businesses and schools on matters related to international education.

Besides Georgia, the regional alliance includes Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The project will be implemented by faculty of the Institute of International Business in the Robinson College.

“This grant, resulting from a very competitive review by DOE, will complement the work of CIBER in providing programs and activities to improve the scope of international business education in our region,” said Tamer Cavusgil, the Fuller E. Callaway professorial chair and director of Robinson’s Institute of International Business.

There are about 600 two- and four-year colleges in the Southeast. The alliance could potentially benefit more than 160,000 students. Also benefitting will be the business community which will have access to a pool of business school graduates with knowledge of the increasingly complex global business marketplace.

The list of consortium schools by state to date includes: Alabama A&M University, Atlanta Metropolitan College, Clark Atlanta University, Clayton State University, Darton College, East Georgia College, Gainesville State College, Georgia Perimeter College, Morehouse College, South Georgia College, Mississippi Consortium for International Development via Jackson State University, Tuskegee University, Shaw University, Winston-Salem State University, and Hampton University.

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Georgia State: College of Education to promote service learning in schools and communities

 Faculty from all six departments in Georgia State University’s College of Education will be working together over the next three years to increase service learning throughout metro Atlanta.

The college received a $654,000 grant last month from a non-profit organization, Learn and Serve America. GSU’s education faculty will use the grant to integrate service learning activities into teacher preparation courses. They will also increase students’ civic engagement and academic learning through service learning activities in metro Atlanta schools.

“I see this grant as a catalyst for increasing community engagement across the College of Education and throughout K-12 schools in the metro-Atlanta area,” said Caitlin McMunn Dooley, assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education who wrote the grant.

“Each department in the College of Education has at least one faculty member who will participate in a professional learning community as we incorporate service learning into educator preparation courses,” she added.

The college will collaborate with Georgia State University’s Center for Teaching and Learning and Office of Community and Civic Engagement, K-12 school districts, Hands on Atlanta and the Children’s Restoration Network.

“We’re trying to build the capacity for service learning in education,” Dooley said. “If we teach something on campus and the resources for it aren’t present in the schools or communities, then the service learning breaks down. I’m hoping that this grant will prevent that breakdown by building strong ties.”

Learn and Serve America is an organization that “offers support to K-12 schools, community groups and higher education institutions to facilitate service-learning projects,” according to the organization’s website. For more information on the grant, visit www.learnandserve.gov. 

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Middle school students get a feel for the brain

On a sunny spring day at Zoo Atlanta, 13-year-old Tamecia Burson literally got hands-on with the human brain.

With the encouragement of Michael Black, a post-doctoral researcher in GSU’s Neuroscience Institute, the seventh grader cautiously reached out to touch the brain’s gyri and sulci, or folds and grooves, before she quickly pulled away.

“I really don’t like touching stuff like that,” she said, “but I’m glad I did it anyway.”

Burson was one of 180 students of Decatur’s Renfroe Middle School who took part in the April 30 Brain Expo, sponsored by the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience.

The center, headquartered at Georgia State, is a consortium of seven Atlanta-area universities, dedicated to furthering research into neuroscience, as well as educating students from elementary school through college about a field that explores the mysteries of the mind. The expo has been produced since 2003.

“My students get an opportunity to experience firsthand the things we we’ve talked about in class,” said Susan Brooks, a seventh-grade science teacher at Renfroe whose class attended the event. “The expo is wonderful because I don’t always have the resources to put on an activity like that.”

Students made their way around teaching exhibits, ranging from the opportunity to touch a human brain, to learning about the phantom limb phenomenon — where the brain can still feel a limb even though it might be amputated. They also learned about sleep, memory, and the effects of alcohol on the brain by trying to dunk a basketball through a hoop while wearing visual distortion goggles.

“I really liked the optical illusion [station] and the ‘too drunk to dunk’ one,” said Mirina Garoufalidis, 12. “The opportunity to touch the brain was interesting, and I also liked learning about sleep.”

The expo was also more than an opportunity for middle school students to learn. Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as high school students from Central Gwinnett High School all took responsibility to operate and create the exhibits, learning more about teaching through the process.

Teaching, as the students of GSU’s Biology 4916/6916 course learned through preparation for the expo, is no small task.

For starters, after you’ve learned so much about neuroscience at advanced levels, figuring out how to explain concepts in a simple fashion and to make them accessible to 12 and 13-year-olds isn’t easy.

“It’s hard to explain these concepts to middle school students, and it takes a lot of effort to create exhibits that will help them understand,” said Mahin Shahbazi, a doctoral student at GSU.

In the end, though, all of that hard work pays off when you’ve sparked a student’s interest in science.

“Not only are we helping to develop new knowledge among both populations of students, the visiting middle schoolers and the university students, but we’re also generating a new enthusiasm for science,” said Kyle Frantz, associate professor of neuroscience and Director of the Expo.

The experiences learned through the process will help Ashley Belflower, a graduating senior at Georgia State, pursue her dream of teaching elementary school pupils. She designed and worked a station that demonstrated the importance of learning and physical activity in order to keep the brain active and its connections alive — something that’s important throughout the lifespan.

“The students have to figure out solutions to problems we present, learning which brain parts might be most active during the process,” she said. “I hope that they would like to pursue neuroscience one day, and I hope that they learn that science is important. I want them to realize that it’s fun, not something that’s boring.”

The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience includes Georgia State, Emory University, Georgia Tech, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, the Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College.

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Georgia State University Art school to receive $4 million from namesake

Faculty members in Georgia State University's Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design are currently researching how to strategically enhance programs and scholarship through a generous gift from the school's namesake.

Ernest G. Welch, the university's oldest alumnus, died at 103 on Dec. 26, 2009. He and his late sister, Frances, left a significant portion of their estates to Georgia State's School of Art and Design, totaling approximately $4 million.

The gift will be invested through the university's endowment, providing annual support to the school, which was named for Welch in 2003.

"It's huge," said Ralph Gilbert, associate dean for fine arts at Georgia State. "This money could support programs, bring in visiting artists and scholars, enhance infrastructure, boost scholarship and develop international programs.

Gilbert said he asked art faculty to start researching the other top art programs in the country to see how the resources can be used to fund new initiatives and build upon the school's existing distinctiveness. Welch also left his camera collection to the school, Gilbert said.

Welch was a 1999 graduate of the School of Art and Design. A long-time resident of Atlanta, Welch earned a business degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1928. He went on to serve in counterintelligence during World War II and landed in Normandy at Omaha Beach 10 days after the invasion. He was stationed in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, where he took photographs of the war effort.

After a decades-long career as a manager for Sonoco Products Company, Welch enrolled in Georgia State's art school in his late 80s. He earned a bachelor of fine arts in photography from the university in 1999.

In the fall semester of 2002, Welch enrolled in introductory painting and drawing classes in order to continuously improve his photography skills. He continued his self-education when he took up digital photography at 102. Welch's work has appeared at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center and Arts for All Gallery in Atlanta as well as the gallery at Georgia State.

During his life, Welch had also been a generous supporter of the GSU art school, giving money for scholarships and enhancements to the photography program.

"Ernest was an incredibly kind and generous man," said Nancy Peterman, vice president for development at Georgia State. "We are truly grateful for his bequest, which will benefit future generations of art students here for many years to come."

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USAID awards $3 million to Georgia State for joint master’s program with Indonesian university

Indonesia's next generation of fiscal policy experts will earn dual master's degrees in applied economics at Georgia State University and Gadjah Mada University in the province of Yogyakarta on Java Island. Georgia State was awarded $3 million by the United States Agency for International Development-Indonesia toward the program, which will begin this year.

As many as 30 staff members of the Fiscal Policy Office at the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia - the country's fiscal policy think tank - will earn dual masters of science degrees under the cost-sharing agreement in a program developed by Georgia State's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies' International Studies program.

Prior to their arrival in Atlanta, Indonesian students will attend a rigorous one-year English language-intensive master's program at Gadjah Mada designed by the Andrew Young School in conjunction with one of its alumna, Artidiatun Adji. Adji directs the graduate program in economics and business at Gadjah Mada and she will lead the new program.

"Our school has been involved in Indonesia since its 1999 transition to democracy, and involved in its fiscal reforms since it decentralized its government in 2001," says Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, International Studies program director and a Regents Professor in the Andrew Young School at Georgia State.

Andrew Young School Dean W. Bartley Hildreth said, "This program highlights the global reach of the Andrew Young School and the draw of its world-class faculty. Our experience confirms that these partnerships advance a new group of leaders into roles that help build the policy infrastructure in their own country."

In 2002, the Andrew Young School started its first USAID-funded Indonesian masters program, awarding degrees in applied economics to 55 Indonesian students, including civil servants. They returned to work in Indonesia, building the country's fiscal capacity and enhancing its economic performance.

Seven remained at Georgia State to earn doctoral degrees in economics, including Adji. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Indonesia's Minister of Finance, was an Andrew Young School visiting scholar in 2002.

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Georgia State accepts first-ever early admission class for fall 2010

In a sign that the institution is becoming more competitive, Georgia State University accepted for the first time an early admission class for fall 2010.

The 1,307 undergraduates had an average high school grade point average of 3.51 and an average SAT score of 1167.

Georgia State is a first choice of an increasing number of students in Georgia,” said Timothy Renick, GSU’s associate provost for academic programs. “This is a way of accommodating their interests and letting them know they have a seat and we want them to come here.”

The early admits have until April to confirm they are coming to GSU. Of the 1,307 students, 166 were made initial scholarship offers in December – another first for the university. These students had GPAs of 3.85 and SAT scores of 1333.

"Our reputation is getting better and by adding the residence hall, more clubs and organizations, we’re becoming a viable traditional institution,” said Scott Burke, director of undergraduate admissions. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in the quality of students applying to us early, which is a very positive sign.”

GSU is also setting records for enrollment for spring 2010. More than 29,000 students have registered for more than 350,000 credit hours, an increase of about 8 percent over last spring. And with almost 1,900 incoming students, Georgia State hit an all-time high for the number of new students admitted for spring semester.

“We are growing much faster than other research institutions in the state of Georgia,” Renick said. “I think students are attracted to our programs, our campus and what we have to offer.”

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GSU to offer transatlantic degrees in international economics and modern languages

Georgia State University and the University of Venice were recently awarded $1 million from the U.S. Department of Education and the European Union to offer a transatlantic dual degree program for undergraduates in international economics and modern languages.

The degree program will be administered by Georgia State's College of Arts and Sciences and the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, as well as the University of Venice, Ca' Foscari. The two institutions plan to award dual degrees to program graduates.

Next fall, the first cohort of students will begin the dual degree program that aims to train economists who are "culturally and linguistically fluent," said Richard Keatley, GSU lecturer for modern and classical languages and program co-director.

"Transatlantic degree programs are the wave of the future," Keatley said. "Graduates will have a year of experience in their own field in the European Union. When they'll complete the program, students will have two diplomas, which will allow them to work in the two largest market places in the world."

Six Georgia State students and six students from the University of Venice, Ca' Foscari will be selected to participate each year, for a total of 24 students over the four year course of the grant. Each student will receive a $12,000 stipend to pay for their education and travel expenses.

Undergraduates will spend more than a year abroad learning language and cultural perspectives, including a semester in France at the Université de Versailles, a third, non-degree-granting institution.

Georgia State students interested in the International Economics and Modern Language transatlantic degree program would apply during their sophomore or junior year. Once accepted, students would need to satisfy graduation requirements of the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents and the Italian National Certifying Board, as well as pass language certification exams in Italian and French.

GSU's proposal for the joint degree program was one of 25 selected this year for funding by the federal ATLANTIS program. ATLANTIS is jointly administered by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education and the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture. It provides grants for up to four years to add a European-United States dimension to international curriculum development and related student exchange.

Georgia State began the offering the International Economics and Modern Languages (IEML) degree program in fall 2006. It was designed to provide students with the analytical tools to do economic research, consulting and policy analysis on global issues, along with the language skills needed to work with the United States' major trading partners.

To date, only three language options have been available to IEML majors: French, German, and Spanish. The ATLANTIS grant adds Italian to the existing program and makes it financially easier for students to add a study abroad component to their degree program, said Shelby Frost, GSU associate professor of economics and program co-director.

"In today's world, it is increasingly important for economists to have a worldwide perspective," Frost said. "Globalization is the new reality and people that understand the global economy stand a much greater chance of making better policy decisions to improve our world."

For more information, please visit http://aysps.gsu.edu/BA_IEML.html.

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Georgia State University and NCKU Signed a Memorandum of Cooperation

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prof. Mark P. Becker, the President of Georgia State University (GSU), U.S.A., and Academician Michael Ming-Chiao Lai, the President of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan, together signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on Nov. 19th. Both of them wish to have a closer relationship in the future and to create a better environment with outstanding achievement in higher education.

They both agreed to establish and encourage mutually beneficial scientific, technological, educational and other relations, including exchange of academic staff members for the purpose of research, teaching and the presentation of special courses in their fields of specialization, student exchange and study abroad programs, establishment of joint research programs, collaboration on third party funded educational or economic assistance activities, exchange of postgraduate students for specific research projects or courses of interest and importance, exchange of scientific and educational literature produced by either or both parties, as well as the exchange of material on the most relevant and topical researches, and organization of conferences, seminars and symposia of mutual interest to the institutions.

President Becker said that Georgia State University is located in the south of US and there are many Chinese there. The weather over there is just like that of southern Taiwan, which will make Taiwanese students feel familiar and easy to adapt to if they go there to study. The University is strong in business, law, and health science. Though the GSU does not have a medical school, they have top research institutions specializing in neuroscience, biology, and disaster research. The GSU will collaborate with NCKU mainly in biochemistry. They have Chinese faculty members teaching biology, mathematics, and computer science, and it is because of their introduction that GSU seeks to extend their academic ties with NCKU and make this signing of MOC possible.

“I am also glad to sign this MOC today. It will be a good opportunity for NCKU to cooperate with GSU. I hope there will be more chances for our students to study in GSU,” said President Lai.

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Model UN Conference comes to Georgia State

This week, Georgia State University welcomed more than 450 high school students to step into the shoes of United Nation's delegates and experience the inner workings of the world's most influential governmental organization.

The College of Education and the Department of Political Science hosted the 15th annual Model United Nations Conference on Wednesday (Nov. 11), and on Thursday (Nov. 12) in the Georgia State Student Center. The event was open to the public to observe, but students had to register by October to participate.

High school students from across the state, as well as their teachers and advisors, will be participating in the two-day conference. Each school will represent one or more delegation from the UN and will be assigned to a committee to debate issues being discussed at the United Nations. The committees will also discuss issues such as human rights, environmental issues, piracy, economic development and globalization.

"The Model United Nations conference at GSU provides a unique opportunity for high school students to learn through a hands-on simulation of the United Nations," said Joseph Feinberg, a Georgia State assistant professor of middle-secondary education and High School Model UN faculty advisor. "They develop and enhance important academic and real-world skills, such as negotiating with others, debating important topics, and supporting arguments."

As "delegates," high school students will make speeches, prepare draft resolutions, negotiate with allies and adversaries, resolve conflicts and navigate the Model UN conference rules of procedures. Prior to the conference, the high school students researched topics their committees will address and studied the policy and needs of their representative countries.

The Model UN helps extend what high school students learn in the classroom through a hands-on experience and gives them the opportunity to see international issues from outside the American perspective, Feinberg said.

Georgia State students and alumni, who will chair committees and help run the event, also benefit from the Model UN conference.

"The conference is a great learning tool for everyone attending. High school students are sharpening their skills in areas such as debating, negotiating policy, and research. College students leading the committees are advancing their leadership skills and learning how to run a conference" said Kyle Proctor, a GSU alum helping organize the conference.

Such skills will come in handy this spring, when the Georgia State students assume delegate roles and travel to the National United Nations Conference in New York, which is their most prestigious competition. The GSU team will once again try to take home the top prize for Outstanding Delegation, as they did last April.

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GSU's Alpharetta Academic Facility to open next fall

Georgia State University officials broke ground Friday (Oct. 30) on the new Alpharetta Academic Facility, a 45,000-square-foot classroom building set to open next fall that will expand the institution's urban footprint even further.

The state-of-the-art facility, which will be adjacent to GSU's existing Alpharetta Center at 3705 Brookside Parkway, will have 16 classrooms including three large tiered "conference center" type classrooms, a computer classroom and open computer lab for student use.

The center will serve thousands of students, mostly working professionals who are pursuing graduate level degrees in business and education.

"We look forward to continued growth and success in the days, weeks and months ahead," Georgia State University President Mark Becker said at Friday's groundbreaking ceremony.

Georgia State's J. Mack Robinson College of Business will continue to offer its Flexible MBA and Professional MBA programs at the new Alpharetta Center.

"This is a great opportunity to expand our already growing college and part of our broader plan to continue growing in every corner of metro Atlanta," Dean H. Fenwick Huss of the Robinson College of Business said.

The College of Education will also expand its graduate level courses in teacher education at the new facility and offer an undergraduate program in Early Childhood Education.

"This facility is key for us because of the extraordinary demand for our teaching and non-teaching programs," College of Education Dean Randy Kamphaus said. "Applications for our teacher education, communication sciences, counseling and virtually all of our 50 plus other programs are at record levels."

GSU, along with Georgia Perimeter College, has had a presence in Alpharetta for several years. This is the second building in what is envisioned as a three-building campus.

"This new facility will benefit the north Fulton community," said Yvonne Chrimes, director of the GSU Alpharetta and Brookhaven Centers. "Whenever there is a university presence, it helps the area's economic development. We're serving the needs of the individuals of north Georgia as the population grows."

Alpharetta Mayor Arthur Letchas and representatives from New South Construction and the Board of Regents joined Georgia State officials at the ground breaking. Lawmakers included Rep. Mark Burkhalter (R-Johns Creek), Rep. Jan Jones (R-Alpharetta), Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta), Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth).

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Georgia State to offer master’s and doctorate degrees in neuroscience

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has granted approval to Georgia State University to offer Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees in neuroscience.

“Through a rigorous academic curriculum and an emphasis on cutting-edge research, those graduating from Georgia State’s new Ph.D. program will add to the greater body of knowledge that will ultimately bring forth new treatments and interventions to neurological diseases and disorders that affect millions across the globe,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Risa Palm.

“Georgia State has long been a national and international center for neuroscience research,” said Dean Lauren Adamson of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The creation of a Ph.D. program in neuroscience will let us take a leading role in educating the next generation of researchers.”

The program begins during the fall semester of 2010. Applications will be accepted starting in mid-November, and the deadline for applications is Jan. 5, 2010.

“The program will help to increase Georgia State’s visibility nationally and internationally in a field that is very important to both biotechnology development in the state, as well as biomedical research,” said Walter Wilczynski, professor and director of the Neuroscience Institute.

The program will also allow Georgia State to build better neuroscience collaborations with other universities in the state, such as Emory University, the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and the Medical College of Georgia, Wilczynski said.

The program will be based in Georgia State’s Neuroscience Institute, an interdisciplinary unit within the College of Arts and Sciences, which includes faculty from biology, chemistry, psychology, physics and astronomy, computer science, mathematics and statistics, and philosophy. Additional faculty and students will be drawn to the institute from other areas such as computer information systems, and educational psychology and special education.

Officials are developing a curriculum of core courses to be added alongside GSU’s existing courses in fields such as biology and psychology. Students in the Ph.D. track will earn the M.S. degree as they complete the doctoral program. About 14 students per year are expected to graduate from the program.

Neuroscience graduate students at GSU can become active members of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, headquartered at Georgia State. The CBN is a multi-disciplinary community of neuroscientists across seven metro Atlanta colleges and universities, for broader educational training. As CBN members, graduate students participate in collaborative research and groups that take multi-disciplinary approaches to complex research questions.

The CBN also affords opportunities for graduate students to participate in neuroscience education efforts that range from elementary school through the graduate level.

This past spring, Georgia State partnered with Georgia Tech to establish the Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, which provides expert brain imaging facilities to support research in basic and clinical human neuroscience, including a research-dedicated functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

For more information about the Neuroscience Institute, visit http://neuroscience.gsu.edu.

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Financial Times ranks Robinson College Executive MBA 23rd in U.S.

Rankings released Oct. 19 by the Financial Times place the Executive MBA (EMBA) program at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business 23rd among U.S.-based programs and 65th globally. Locally, it is the only EMBA offered by a public university to make the list.

The latest rankings, which list 95 schools, are based on a combination of survey results from EMBA graduates who received their degrees in 2007, and data provided by each school that covers increases in salary, international faculty representation, total female faculty and students, and more. Robinson's EMBA first made the Financial Times rankings in 2003 and has been on the list for six of the past seven years.

"We are proud to be recognized among the world's elite Executive MBA programs" said Robinson Dean H. Fenwick Huss. "This ranking underscores Robinson's stature as a leading resource for global executive education. It also is a tribute to the quality of our faculty, staff and students."

Added Dave Forquer, assistant dean of executive programs, "One of the most significant elements of the Financial Times ranking is its survey of EMBA students. Our position among the best programs in the world confirms that we deliver on our promise to develop global business leaders."

Robinson's Executive MBA is an accelerated course of study that allows students to earn their degrees in 16 months. The average Robinson EMBA student has more than 15 years business experience. Classes meet every other week on Friday and Saturday at Georgia State University's Buckhead Center. In addition to its emphasis on leadership, one of the highlights of the EMBA program is an international residency in which students gain a greater understanding of international trade through an immersion in the culture, business climate and business practices of the host country.

Past residencies have included study in India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Argentina, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, the Netherlands and Iceland.

Noted for an emphasis on educating leaders, the Robinson College and Georgia State University have produced more of Georgia's top executives with graduate degrees than any other school in the nation.

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Georgia State to receive $13.5 million U.S. Department of Education Grant

Georgia State University’s College of Education has been selected to receive a record $13.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement to increase the number of highly qualified teachers committed to high-need schools.

The five-year grant, the largest federal grant ever received by GSU’s College of Education, will fund the Network for Enhancing Teacher Quality Project (NET-Q), whose primary goals are to enhance teacher preparation programs, create a teacher residency program, impact teacher retention and student achievement.

“Teacher quality is still an issue for the state of Georgia and that’s apparent by the state’s ranking in terms of high school drop out rates and how our students rank on standardized tests,” said Gwendolyn Benson, College of Education associate dean for school and community partnerships and principal investigator of the NET-Q Project. “Research has indicated that high-need schools have difficulty attracting the best prepared teachers and so it’s our effort to support those high-need schools by preparing highly qualified teachers, who are effective with culturally diverse populations.”

Six school districts in metro Atlanta are partnering with Georgia State on the NET-Q Project, including Atlanta, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett County Public Schools. In addition to Georgia State, participating higher education institutions include Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Perimeter College, Albany State University and Columbus State University.

“This award recognizes the quality of Georgia State University faculty and their important ideas in improving teacher quality in our region,” said Risa Palm, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “It is a reflection of the progress of our university as a center for research, new ideas, high quality teaching and service to the metropolitan area and the state.”

Participating schools will focus on developing teachers’ knowledge and skills related to mathematics, science, special education, English Language Learners, technology and literacy. These fields represent Georgia’s greatest needs for highly qualified teachers. Special education constitutes the second largest shortage area of teachers in Georgia with, 43.2 percent of elementary special education instructors not fully certified, Benson said.

“Partnership is key,” Benson said. “We must continue to work collaboratively in a more intense way to impact teacher quality.”

A major focus of the project will be establishing paid teacher residency programs across the metro Atlanta area. Through the one-year residency positions, teachers will get real world experience while focusing on critical need fields, such as math, science and special education, Benson said. School districts will have up to five teacher residents each year and will alternate between content areas to ensure positions will be available for the teachers after they complete the residency program.

“There’s evidence that teachers who participate in a paid residency, a year before they take on the role of classroom teacher, stay in the profession longer,” Benson said.

Prospective teachers will focus on integrating a number of technological tools to enhance traditional curriculum in Pre-K through 12 classrooms, including social networking, Smartboards and online communication gaming tools, such as Second Life. Georgia State, in collaboration with Georgia Public Broadcasting, will also create a digital mentor training program, as well as air Georgia State classes, including state approved endorsement programs.

“Just as we have online classes it will be similar. Teachers will be able to register for a Georgia State class through Georgia Public Television from anywhere in the state, including many rural districts,” Benson said.

Through a partnership with the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, teaching residents, mentors, and university faculty will also be participants in a Teachers Learning in Networked Communities (TLINC) online community of support.

“The TLINC online communities will connect our teacher residents with other teacher residents across the country,” Benson said. “These communities build proficiency with learning technologies and establish the habit of participating in a collaborative teaching culture that teachers will carry with them throughout their teaching careers.”

For years, Georgia State has been working hard to address the shortage of teachers in Georgia, by expanding teacher preparation programs and building mentoring networks to keep teachers in Georgia’s schools.

Through the NET-Q Project Georgia State will be able to continue building relationships with many school districts it partnered with during a previous five-year Department of Education grant, which ended in September 2009. The Professional Development School Partnerships Deliver Success (PDS2) program, which is currently in 20 schools in the metro Atlanta area, placed Georgia State faculty members and pre-service teachers in high–need schools to help increase student achievement, meet strategic goals and recruit and retain high-quality teachers.

“I congratulate all of our faculty, school, and community partners on this recognition of their years of work to prepare teachers of unquestioned quality. This grant will allow our college to build on these accomplishments to produce effective models of teacher education that will have national and international impact,” said College of Education Dean Randy Kamphaus.

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