Regents Adopt New Policies on Undocumented Students

A final report presented today to the Board of Regents finds that only 501 undocumented students – all paying out-of-state tuition – are among the 310,000 students enrolled in University System of Georgia (USG) institutions this fall. While the numbers are small, beginning in fall 2011, all applicants will undergo new steps designed to strengthen the ability of USG institutions to properly classify students for tuition purposes.

These steps are outlined in four recommendations by the Residency Verification Committee approved today by the Board of Regents. They will go into effect for the fall 2011 semester. These include:

The addition of language on all applications that outlines the legal penalties for “false swearing,” or knowingly providing incorrect information on the forms. USG officials indicate this will better educate individuals about the process of applying to college.

The addition of language on all applications that, for the first time, will require applicants to state whether they are seeking in-state tuition. This will help institutions in making a decision on whether or not additional residency verification is necessary.

A policy requirement that USG institutions verify the lawful presence in the United States of any applicant that is admitted. Students who note they are seeking in-state tuition will, if not applying for federal financial aid (which has its own stringent verification processes), be subject to additional verification by the institution.

A policy that any person not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible for admission to any USG institution which, for the two most recent academic years, did not admit all academically qualified applicants.

“We are an educational agency in the business of preparing individuals for careers requiring knowledge and skills; we are not in the immigration business, nor are we equipped to serve as the immigration authorities,” said Regent James Jolly, who chaired the Residency Verification Committee. “However, these new policies do strengthen our ability to ensure proper tuition classification for all students – a process and a commitment the System has undertaken and met since being formed in 1931.”

Jolly noted that the committee, formed by former Board Chair Robert Hatcher in June, sought to address three concerns: that the University System was being swamped by thousands of undocumented students, that Georgia taxpayers were subsidizing the education of these students through in-state tuition, and that undocumented students were taking seats in college from academically qualified Georgians.

“The review of all students over the summer by our institutions answers the first two concerns,” Jolly said in his report of the committee’s work to the regents. He said that the review found only 501 undocumented students enrolled in the system, with all paying out-of-state tuition, which is set at the full cost of instruction. “Every student paying out-of-state tuition actually covers more than the cost of instruction,” Jolly said.

“The fact that we have so few undocumented students and that at present, all are properly classified for tuition purposes, shows that our admissions departments are doing their job, and doing it quite well,” Jolly said. He said the review shows the USG’s admissions processes are quite strong, even prior to the implementation of the new recommendations approved by the board.

The third concern, that undocumented students deny seats to qualified Georgians, is addressed by the policy denying admission to undocumented students at institutions that have to turn away academically qualified, legal residents. “Only five institutions fall into this category, with 27 undocumented students enrolled this fall,” said Jolly. The five are Georgia College & State University, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Georgia.

The committee’s work follows that of an audit on residency and tuition conducted by the Georgia State Audit Department two years ago. That audit found that the vast majority of students – both domestic and foreign – were properly classified for tuition purposes. However, USG institutions adopted more stringent guidelines for admissions procedures following that audit, and these new recommendations add yet another layer of verification.

The issue of undocumented students attending USG institutions jumped into the headlines this summer as part of the ongoing national and state discussion on illegal immigrants, sparked in Georgia by the case of an undocumented student at Kennesaw State University. Consequently the regents and Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. ordered an internal review process of USG admissions of both current and new students.

The Residency Verification Committee was formed and charged to oversee the review of student tuition classification and to develop and propose any needed recommendations to the full board. In addition to Jolly, other members of the committee were regents Larry R. Ellis, Felton Jenkins, William “Dink” NeSmith Jr., and Larry Walker; four USG presidents, including Dr. Mark Becker (Georgia State University), Dr. Virginia Carson (South Georgia College), Dr. Martha Nesbitt (Gainesville State College), and Dr. Lisa Rossbacher (Southern Polytechnic State University) and University System Office staff members John Fuchko, chief audit officer, Burns Newsome, vice chancellor, Legal Affairs and secretary to the board, Amanda Seals, executive director for Government Affairs and Mendi Spencer, chief of staff for Academic Affairs.

The University System follows current federal and state laws, which allows for undocumented individuals to be enrolled, if academically qualified. Such students cannot receive any federal or state benefits. In-state tuition, which is subsidized by the state, is such a benefit, and thus undocumented students must pay out-of-state tuition, which is set at least at the full cost of instruction.


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Lack of Funding Limits Community College Ability to Meet National Need

/PRNewswire/ -- Community colleges have for decades received the short end of the funding stick--both at state and national levels. Now a new policy brief from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) points to the consequences of that funding disparity--both for student access and for the nation's economic progress.

Doing More With Less: The Inequitable Funding of Community Colleges paints a bleak and worsening scenario for the institutions that currently educate almost half of all U.S. undergraduates and the highest percentages of first-generation and minority students. During the current economic recession, community college enrollments have surged an average 17% over the last two years, as students and families sought a lower-cost college option. But heightened student demand--coupled with persistent state budget cuts--is now impacting core college activities, the brief asserts, as course reductions, enrollment caps and other cost-saving measures result in denied access for thousands of students.

Ironically, the unremitting belt-tightening on community college campuses comes at a time when both the Obama administration and leading foundations have identified these low-cost, highly accessible institutions as a key solution to increasing the numbers of college-educated Americans over the next decade to ensure U.S. global competitiveness.

Following are key findings from the study.

For the full brief, see http://www.aacc.nche.edu/Publications/Briefs/Pages/rb09082010.aspx.

-- Community colleges received just 27% of total federal, state, and
local revenues for public degree-granting institutions from 2007 to
2008, while serving 43% of all U.S. undergraduates.
-- State investment in public higher education has consistently declined,
from 7% in 1989 to 5.4% in 1993 to 4.5% in 2008. (Community colleges
receive close to 60% of operating funds from state and local sources.)
-- Of the $36.4 billion invested directly in higher education by the
federal government, community colleges received significantly less
than did other higher ed sectors for grant programs such as Academic
Competitiveness, SMART and TEACH grants and Federal Work-Study.
-- While community colleges committed a higher percentage of dollars to
instruction (44.5%) than did other sectors of higher education, they
have been unable to allocate adequate amounts to other activities with
demonstrated impact on student success, such as counseling, especially
in advising students how to navigate the complex financial aid
process. Of Pell-eligible students, only 58% at community colleges
applied for financial aid compared to 77% at 4-year public
institutions and 84% at private 4-year institutions.
-- Reduced capacity has especially affected the numbers of students
admitted to high-demand programs such as health care, for which
community colleges prepare more than half of new
professionals--despite a projected need for workers to fill 2.7
million jobs over the next 8 years.



The American Association of Community Colleges is a national organization representing the nation's close to 1,200 community, junior and technical colleges and their more than 12 million students. Community colleges are the largest and fastest growing sector of U.S. higher education.


This policy brief was supported in part by Lumina Foundation for Education. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Lumina Foundation for Education, its officers, or employees. Lumina Foundation for Education works to ensure that 60% of Americans have high-quality degrees or credentials by 2025. 

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Georgia Recognized for Improving Low-Performing Schools‏

Georgia is one of six states recognized in a recent report published by the Center on Educational Policy entitled Improving Low Performing Schools: Lessons from Five Years of Studying School Restructuring under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Georgia was highlighted in the report for its policy on restructuring of schools in the most severe status of Needs Improvement levels 5 and above.

“This report illustrates that Georgia’s strategies for improving low-performing schools are working,” said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. “Many of these once very low-performing schools are experiencing incredible gains in student achievement.”

As part of Georgia's Differentiated Accountability Plan, each school in Needs Improvement level five and above has a full-time state director that works in the school ensuring that faculty, staff, and students do what is necessary to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). That includes providing observations and professional development for teachers, academic coaches, and administrators. The state directors work to help the schools implement strategies and policies that can be sustained after the school has been removed from State-Directed status so the schools continue to make AYP.

At its November meeting, the State Board of Education and Superintendent Cox recognized 17 of these State-Directed schools for being removed from Needs Improvement status. With the help and guidance of the state directors placed in these schools, the administrators and teachers were able to implement strategies that helped their schools do what once seemed impossible and make AYP two years in a row.

“Each of these schools had several factors in common that helped them come ‘off the list,’” said Superintendent Cox. “They had a great principal who focused on instruction and provided job-embedded professional development. The teachers worked closely with each other to share lesson plans and strategies. And, each of these schools renewed its focus on teaching rigorous state standards to all students with an understanding of students' individual needs.”

17 State-Directed Schools Removed from Needs Improvement Status

• Kennedy Middle, Atlanta Public Schools
• Long Middle, Atlanta Public Schools
• Oak Hill Middle, Baldwin County
• Bryan County Middle, Bryan County
• Henderson Middle, Butts County
• Crawford County Middle, Crawford County
• Merry Acres Middle, Dougherty County
• Franklin County Middle, Franklin County
• East Hall Middle, Hall County
• Mitchell County Middle, Mitchell County
• Clements Middle, Newton County
• Pelham City Middle, Pelham City
• Morgan Road Middle, Richmond County
• Spirit Creek Middle, Richmond County
• Tubman Middle, Richmond County
• Upson-Lee Middle, Thomaston-Upson Schools
• MacIntyre Park Middle, Thomasville City

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UGA to host conference on state/federal roles in education policy May 1

Nearly 100 state policymakers, school administrators and University of Georgia faculty will gather to hear about and discuss how the nation’s new Congress and administration may re-shape the federal role in education policy at a Friday, May 1 conference hosted by the UGA College of Education.

The conference, titled, Changing Horses or Paddling Harder? Reconsidering the State/Federal Relationship in Education Policy, will feature faculty and student research that critically examinesthe programs and policiesof the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently the No Child Left Behind Act).

UGA Regents Professor Jeremy Kilpatrick, one of the nation’s most renowned scholars in mathematics education and keynote speaker at the conference, will deliver a luncheon address titled, “Education Policy in Transition: The White Papers Project of the National Academies.”

Over the past year, Kilpatrick has co-chaired a committee on mathematics and science education for the National Academies’ “Education Policy White Papers Project,” an initiative to help policymakers in the new administration and Congress better understand key education issues and help them create more effective policies by providing them with independent, research-based information.

Kimberly Robinson, an associate professor at Emory University Law School, will open the conference with an address titled, “A New Theory of Education Federalism: How Collaborative Federalism Would Reinvent the Federal Role in Ensuring Equal Educational Opportunity.”

Robinson teaches education law and policy, and civil procedure and has extensive litigation experience from her work for the Office of the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education and Hogan & Hartson, L.L.P., in Washington, D.C.

Elizabeth DeBray-Pelot, an associate professor and associate director of UGA’s Georgia Education Policy and Evaluation Center, will follow with an address titled, “Reflections on Congress, the New Administration, and the Institutional Environment.”

The conference also will include three panels of UGA education faculty and students which will provide multiple perspectives on a range of topics including the impact of No Child Left Behind, federal legislation and the needs of subgroups, and policy design and resource allocation.

The conference, which will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rooms K-L at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, is sponsored by EPEC in conjunction with the Georgia Assessment Center, the Learning and Performance Support Laboratory and the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education, all based in the UGA College of Education.

It is the second statewide spring conference on education policy hosted by EPEC. The center also hosted its first State of the State of Education Conference last fall.

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Education Policy Forum Planned Wednesday For Area School Board, State Legislative Candidates

WHAT/WHY: The Education Policy Forums are offered every election year for school board and state legislative candidates. The half-day session is a primer on education in Georgia. Presented by experts in several fields, the Forum is designed to give candidates a strong foundation on which to build their candidacy and, if elected, on which to make sound education decisions. Topics include: choices in education; early learning; education finance; governance and policymaking; school leadership; standards, assessments and accountability; student achievement; and teacher workforce. The information provided is based upon non-partisan research and is compiled in a Primer that covers each topic in-depth. All participants receive one of the resource books. This is the second of 12 sessions to be presented around Georgia in June.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 4, 12:30 – 4:45 p.m.

WHERE: Clayton State University, 2000 Clayton State Blvd., Technology Bldg., Room 222.

WHO: The sessions are sponsored and presented by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and the Georgia School Boards Assn. They are open to local school board and state legislative candidates as well as other candidates for office who feel the session would be beneficial to them in addressing education issues. Currently, there are 32 registrants (seven are Clayton County School Board candidates).