*SCUPSO—Southern Region News*	September 2009

Greetings SCUP South Members!

Summer closed with a bang for us. First, we had a great conference in Portland. Great setting, the plenaries were creative, funny, and motivational, and the sessions were very rich in content. It was good to greet some of you during the conference and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. As part of that, we watched the change in leadership: the president’s position transitioning from Sal Rinella to John Ruffo, as well as various other positions on the SCUP Board. 

Following that, we had a wonderful Metro Mini Conference at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, GA. Over 80 of us gathered on August 19 to talk about "Planning for the Drought in Resources". We addressed the ‘drying out’ of our physical and financial resources and how various institutions are responding to this. Another ‘atta boy’ to Bob Gunn and an ‘atta girl’ to Cindy Holt. Both of them worked diligently in developing and organizing this one-day event. Special thanks to the staff at Agnes Scott College, particularly Susan Kidd, for hosting this event.

Speaking of events, and as you read this, please go to our web site and REGISTER NOW for our 2009 Southern Regional Conference. It will be held from October 7 to 9 in Memphis and our theme is, "Enhancing and Maintaining Your Institution’s Cultural Heritage". Yes, there are reports of Elvis ...  and you do NOT want to miss that! Tom Woodward, Todd Dolson, Tom Nenon, and a group of council members have been developing a program with a broad range of topics, opportunities to network, and have fun. Please note some of you may be eligible to apply for a Professional Development Assistance Grant.

Finally, as the board transitions, so do we. First, we have added several new members to the council: Jennifer Pearce, At-Large; John Russell, Vice Chair of Communications; Alan Travis, Southern Membership Vice Chair; and Marie Zeglen, At-Large. Ken Higa has taken on additional membership responsibilities as Membership Committee Vice Chair and Cindy Holt has taken his role as the Southern Membership Chair. Mary Ann La Fleur is our new Professional Development Chair and Watson Harris is Coordinating Volunteers.  So we are good to go into next term! 

I hope to see you in Memphis.

Lily Berrios
Principal, Sizemore Group
Atlanta, GA 30318
404.605.0690 voice
lilyb@sizemoregroup.com

SCUP–44 Values and Vision Create the Future
Portland, OR
July 18–22, 2009

If you missed the conference in Portland, check out the following site, www.createthefuture.info/ to see what happened. Of the approximately 1200 attendees, about 120 were southern region members. The following are a few memorable moments involving members from the southern region.

Our very own Marie Zeglen (At-Large member and Communication Coordinator for Florida), of University of Florida, was the plenary and invited session chair for SCUP–44. Zeglen (back row far right in photo), was present at the book signing by Jonathan Kozol following his Monday plenary presentation. The SCUP audience gave him a standing ovation. Along with Zeglen, left to right, are SCUP staffers Phyllis Grummon, Kathy Benton, and Jolene Knapp.

At the new members welcome and orientation on Sunday afternoon, new members were greeted by Ken Higa, Membership Committee Vice Chair, as well as Susan Rogers, SCUP's director of member relations and marketing (photo to the left). 

SCUP's two oldest awards recognize distinguished service to the society and distinguished service to higher education planning. In the photo to the left, from left to right: David Hollowell of the University of Delaware, received the 2009 Founders Award, Thomas C. Flaherty, of Rickes & Associates received the 2009 Distinguished Service Award, and 2008-09 SCUP President Sal Rinella who presented their award. Flaherty is a Southern Region Communication Coordinator who provides news for North Carolina in this newsletter. Congratulations to Tom!

Additional congratulations go to southern region members who were the recipients of other 2009 SCUP awards. There were 185 submittals for 17 awards. Four went to southern region members.

SCUP Excellence in Planning for Restoration/Preservation, Honor Award
- Dignity of Restraint: The Historic Landscape Framework Plan at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC and Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, Chicago, IL

SCUP Excellence in Planning for a District or Campus Component, Merit Award
- Science & Engineering Precinct at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL and HOK, San Francisco, CA

SCUP Excellence in Planning for an Established Campus, Merit Award
- Clifton Community Partnership Urban Design Guidelines at Emory University, Atlanta, GA and Goody Clancy, Boston, MA
- Landscape Master Plan at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA and Robinson Fisher Associates, Inc., Athens, GA

2009 Southern Regional Conference
Enhancing and Maintaining Your Institution’s Cultural Heritage
October 7–9, 2009
Doubletree Hotel in Memphis, TN

Tours and workshop registration are now open.

Memphis celebrates many natural and cultural heritages: the birthplace of blues, civil rights, the mighty Mississippi, the best barbeque, Mud Island, and the KING.

Therefore, the theme of this year’s Southern Regional conference should be no surprise:

What is your institution’s celebrated cultural heritage?  

How does an institution maintain and enhance its cultural heritage with the economic and societal challenges today?

The importance of building on an institution’s cultural heritage for the future was a frequent topic at last year’s conference in New Orleans. An institution’s culture serves as the rhythm of an institution, subconsciously guiding choices through a maze of traditions and values.

Rooting your future in your past means you must understand the institutional rhythm. Is it as slow and mysterious as the mighty Mississippi, as deliberate and predictable as the March of the Ducks at the Peabody, or as fast and controversial as Elvis in his prime? And why?

The reasons for institutional culture inform strategies to preserve, celebrate, modify, and enhance these cultural rhythms in the face of market pressures, budget reductions, and increasing expectations.

As we consider institutional values and traditions, should some be discarded to remain viable in the future? Has your institution been able to differentiate itself despite decreasing resources?

This year’s conference promises to be an exciting one and maybe the best one yet by the looks of everything! A great deal of work has gone into the planning of the conference under the leadership of Tom Woodward, the conference chair. Lily Berrios, Southern Region Council Chair, has also been very active in ensuring this conference is a success. Each year, each chair has worked hard to make the conference surpass the previous conference. We have asked for your feedback and used that to improve on the next. SCUP has always been about service and it shows. See you in Memphis!

For more information:

Chair, 2009 Fall Conference - Thomas S. Woodward - twoodwar@heery.com
Vice Chair & Program Chair, 2009 Fall Conference - William Todd Dolson - tdolson@leoadaly.com
Program Vice Chair, 2009 Fall Conference - Elsa Pena - epena@westga.edu
Local Host Chair, 2009 Fall Conference - Tom Nenon - tnenon@memphis.edu

Metro Mini Conference
"Planning for the Drought in Resources"
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Agnes Scott College
Decatur, GA

The metro mini was at Agnes Scott College, a private, liberal arts women’s college founded in 1889. Agnes Scott College educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times. The metro mini was well attended with 80+ members and nonmembers. A few attendees are shown below as they toured the campus. The photo in the center is the group standing in front of the historic Alumni House. The Anna Young Alumnae House is the oldest alumnae house in Georgia and the second oldest in the nation. It was renovated in 2009 and they hope to be the first LEED certified building in the City of Decatur.

The photos below illustrate several of the sessions and lunch gathering during the conference.

Welcome to Our New Council Members
(First of Two Part Series, Second Part in November)

Marie E. Zeglen joined the Council as an At-Large Member but has been involved as the Communication Coordinator for Florida for a while now. Zeglen’s career has spanned both institutional and governing board roles. She is currently the assistant provost and director of Institutional Planning and Research at the University of Florida. Prior to this position, she has had similar leadership roles for institutional effectiveness, assessment, strategic planning, institutional research, and program review at Florida International University, Cleveland State University, and Northern Arizona University.  She served as executive director of policy analysis for the University System of New Hampshire and a senior policy and planning analyst for the University of Wisconsin System. Zeglen has led workshops and presented papers at national meetings of SCUP and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) on topics ranging from IT and enrollment planning to quality improvement to revenue modeling. She is currently the program chair for the SCUP’s upcoming annual, international conference and idea marketplace, SCUP–45, in Minneapolis, MN.  She holds a M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Washington State University with specialization in research methodology and statistics. 

Jennifer Pearce joined the council as an At-Large Member and will be the Local Host for the 2010 SCUP Southern Region Conference in Charleston. She has been with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston for over ten years, and currently serves as the associate director for Space Management in the Office of Integrated Planning and Assessment. In this role, she oversees activities in campus planning, leasing, signage, space inventory, and other various areas of space management. Prior to coming to South Carolina, Pearce resided in the Washington, DC area working several years as the firm administrator for a public accounting firm, as well as working in marketing for a non-profit association. She is a native of Pennsylvania, and a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College. 

Throughout her career thus far, she has served on various planning and fundraising committees for her employers, college alma mater, and a local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  Pearce has also been singing professionally for over twenty years.  She has been a member of SCUP since 1999, has attended both the annual, international conferences and the southern regional conferences, and is a 2006 graduate of the SCUP Planning Institute.
 

Communications Report

Nancy Nusbaum, Communication Chair, nnusbaum@txstate.edu

SCUP Southern Region News is published by the SCUP Southern Region Council to inform members and friends about SCUP’s Southern Region’s plans, activities, and issues. You will note in the following articles that members of the regional council periodically contribute articles and information to the SCUP Southern Region Newsletter. You can participate in this communication effort, too. We need individuals to step up and volunteer as state or area communication coordinators. Communication Coordinators are asked to contribute information of interest for their state and institutions on a quarterly basis. Three coordinators are needed: Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. If you are interested in representing your state or area, please contact me, nnusbaum@txstate.edu. Planned publication dates are January, April, August, and November. Feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone who might be interested. Then invite them to join SCUP so they can get their own newsletter each quarter.

Special thanks go to SCUP helpers at the home office for their technical assistance with SCUP Southern News and for emailing it to regional members, SCUP officers, and other friends interested in the mission and activities of SCUP.

Regional Sponsors

SCUP’s Southern Region is proud to present our sponsors. Thank you sponsors for your continuing support and participation:

Partner

Hendessi & Associates, www.hendessiassociates.com
Niles Bolton Associates, www.nilesbolton.com

Platinum

Structure Tone, www.structuretone.com

Gold

Broaddus Planning, www.broaddusplanning.com
Facility Programming and Consulting, www.facilityprogramming.com
Mediatech, www.gomediatech.com
Parsons Brinckerhoff, www.pbworld.com

Silver

Balfour Beatty Construction, www.balfourbeattyus.com
Clark Nexsen Architecture & Engineering, www.clarknexsen.com
Cooper Carry, Inc., www.coopercarry.com
Energy Ace, Inc., www.energyace.com
Hardin Construction Company, www.hardinconstruction.com
HSMM | AECOM, www.hsmm.com
Heery International, Inc., www.heery.com
Holder Construction Company, www.holderconstruction.com
Lord, Aeck & Sargent, www.lordaecksargent.com
Skanska USA Building, www.skanskausa.com
SmithGroup, www.smithgroup.com
The Winter Construction Company, www.winter-construction.com
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., www.vhb.com
Watson Tate Savory Architects, www.watsontatesavory.com

Bronze

Herman Miller, Inc., www.hermanmiller.com
KSQ Architects, PC, www.ksqarchitects.com
McCarthy Building Companies Inc., www.mccarthy.com

SCUPers, please contact our generous sponsors for information about their services and products and let them know how much we appreciate them.

Note to potential sponsors: A complete SCUP Southern Region Sponsorship Package and Benefits Listing and Application Form can be found at:
www.scup.org/regions/so/08-09_RegionalSponsorPackages.pdf  and www.scup.org/regions/so/2008/pdf/Southern_application.pdf

You can also contact Gita Hendessi gita@hendessiassociates.com or Lewis Godwin lewis.godwin@gpc.edu

Membership Report & LinkedIn

Link in with the Southern Region through our new group on the social networking site, LinkedIn. "SO SCUP" and Friends is our regional online community dedicated to sharing, learning, and teaching best practices in integrated planning. Connect with your fellow SCUPers from the Southern Region and stay up-to-date on regional activities by joining the LinkedIn group!

As always, if you know of anyone that might be interested in joining SCUP or if you have a question about your membership benefits, please feel free to contact me or any member of the Member Relations Team—we are here to help.

Member Relations Team:
Alan Travis (alan.travis@usg.edu)
Todd Dolson (wtdolson@leoadaly.com)
Mary Ann La Fleur (mlafleu@uvi.edu)
John Russell (jhrussel@angelo.edu)

Professional Development Report

The SCUP Planning Institute can now be scheduled on your campus. The institute is a concrete way to create an effective network of planning colleagues, learn best practices, and grow in your career.

This intensive, three-step program on integrated planning in higher education is designed to develop the following six competencies in participants:  people, language, process, integrated plan, planning context, and resources. 

To arrange the SCUP Planning Institute on your campus, contact Phyllis Grummon, SCUP director of planning and education, at phyllis.grummon@scup.org or 734.998.6661.

If you haven’t joined a SCUP Knowledge Community, please review www.scup.org/page/about/communities for a list of the various knowledge communities. SCUP's Knowledge Communities exist for any higher education professional who is seeking access to expertise to plan for or manage change in a specific topic area. Anyone may join a SCUP Knowledge Community. SCUP wants the knowledge exchange in each to be as broad as possible so we welcome members and non-members alike.

Volunteer Report

Watson Harris, Regional Volunteer Coordinator, wharris@mtsu.edu

We are always looking for a few good people! If you are interested in becoming active or want to increase your activity with SCUP South please contact me. I will be more than happy to help you find a volunteer opportunity that is the right combination of professional development and fun. I look forward to hearing from you!

News from State Communications Coordinators

FLORIDA
Marie Zeglen, mzeglen@aa.ufl.edu

Frank T. Brogan, Chancellor, State University System of Florida
Florida Atlantic University President, Frank T. Brogan has been named as chancellor by the Board of Governors. Brogan, previously the state's lieutenant governor, will be the Florida university system's third chancellor.  Before he was elected education commissioner in 1994, Brogan worked as a teacher, principal and superintendent in Martin County schools. He ran on the gubernatorial ticket with Jeb Bush in 1998 and served as lieutenant governor until 2003, when he became president of Florida Atlantic University.

ARRA
Florida’s economy is being tested in ways we haven’t seen in decades, and during these challenging times, we are grateful for the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). During three budget years, up to $13.4 billion in federal stimulus dollars will be pumped into Florida’s economy.  There will be many direct benefits to both public and private higher education institutions in Florida.  Florida will receive $2.21 billion in 2009-10 and 2010-11 for fiscal stabilization of K-20 funding.  In addition, ARRA provides indirect support to higher education through expansion of student aid funding.  Colleges and universities in Florida are also receiving health and infrastructure project related funds under ARRA.  There are plans for ARRA to conduct a national competition among states this year for $4 billion of the Race to the Top Fund to improve education quality and results statewide.  Governor Crist has established a special web site for individuals in the state to track the ARRA funding:  http://flarecovery.com/

Florida Distance Learning Consortium
House Bill 7121 established the Florida Distance Learning Consortium and charged it as follows:  “The Florida Distance Learning Consortium shall: (a) Manage and promote the Florida Higher Education Distance Learning Catalog, established pursuant to s. 1004.09, to help increase student access to undergraduate distance learning courses and degree programs and to assist students seeking accelerated access in order to complete their degrees.  (b) Develop, in consultation with the Florida College System and the State University System, a plan to be submitted to the Board of Governors, the State Board of Education, the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than March 1, 2010. The plan must address the implementation of a streamlined, automated, online registration process for undergraduate students who have been admitted to a public postsecondary educational institution  and who wish to enroll in a course listed in the Florida Higher  Education Distance Learning Catalog, including courses offered  by an institution that is not the student's degree-granting or 3 home institution.“

It is unclear how quickly the Consortium will be able to move forward given budget challenges in Florida.  The intent of the Consortium seems to be to create the ability for students to complete degrees by taking online courses from many different institutions.  The State’s long standing and strong articulation agreements will help enable such a capability in theory but there are many details that would have to be worked out to make such degrees possible.


NORTH CAROLINA
Tom Flaherty, tom@rickesassociates.com

The big stories in North Carolina higher education this quarter have been the state budget (mostly cuts therein, surprise!), and administrative pay/perqs, and outrage.  Regarding the first, draconian cuts have been proposed, rescinded, and proposed again.  Governor Perdue has been adamant in her defense of K-12 budgets, somewhat less so in the case of higher education.

The University of North Carolina (UNC) System administrative pay story has unfolded like a soap opera for about six months.  In a nutshell:
•  The Governor’s wife was promoted to a high-level North Carolina (NC) State administrative position.  Some eyebrows are raised, but, yes, there are politics operating in NC and it is not considered all that unusual to do a “favor” here and there.  
•  The budget got tighter and the Governor “termed out,” leaving said wife exposed.  Though she vowed to fight on, she eventually was fired.
•  While she was fighting on, the officials who hired her came under fire.  The UNC Board Chair and the Chancellor of North Carolina State University (NCSU) resigned, and the Provost (having come up from the faculty) decided to go back to his teaching position, exercising his contractual retreat rights.  Note: NCSU, like all public colleges in North Carolina is under the UNC Board.)
•  The press got wind of the retreat rights package, which gives the Provost a year, at Provost pay, to prepare to return to the classroom.
•  This led to the disclosure that this is common practice, more or less, in NC public colleges.  Then came the outcry from the recession-weary public.
•  Various higher education officials are defending the time-honored practice while the press and public bore in.
This scenario, if it continues to get traction may be coming to a state very near you.

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has broken ground on a nearly 39,000-square foot classroom building in Salisbury, North Carolina. The facility will be the eighth building on the campus. It will serve as the primary facility for corporate continuing education. In addition to standard instructional classrooms, it will have several computer labs and areas for law enforcement training. The schedule calls for completion of the building by fall 2010.

A proposed $227 million, 68-bed hospital in Hillsborough would create 300 jobs and anchor a major development at a junction of interstate highways south of the town.  The project would mark a milestone for Hillsborough and become the first hospital built by UNC Health Care beyond its main complex in Chapel Hill.  

UNC-Greensboro broke ground on a 120,000 gross square foot “green” School of Education building, scheduled to be ready for the fall, 2011 term.  

North Carolina State University donated 538,000 pounds of dorm room furniture to 18 different local shelters and non-profit groups.  The six buildings’ worth of desks, beds, and chests of drawers, and book carols was diverted from going to the landfill.

You can go home again!  A North Carolina-based development and building company founded by a University of Maine graduate announced last week it intends to build a luxury apartment complex to house University of Maine students starting in the fall of 2010.

UNC-Charlotte began construction on its 12-story Center City Building to house the MBA and other graduate and continuing education programs in uptown’s First Ward.  The cantilevered midrise has been described as “a giant Rubik’s cube that has been twisted,” or as UNCC Chancellor Phil Dubois was quoted “A 12-story stack of books.”  A copy of the campus news release and photo is available at: http://publicrelations.uncc.edu/default.asp?id=15&objId=515.

If you will be traveling in North Carolina, you might want to check out some of our new additions to the National Register of Historic Places.  The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources announced that 19 individual properties and districts across the state were added to the National Register.  A few include:  Old Richmond Schoolhouse and Gymnasium in Tobaccoville, Forsyth County; First Baptist Church, High Point; Harrington-Dewar House, Harnett County; Bishop John C. Kilgo House, Charlotte; Hot Springs Historic District, Madison County; Cold Spring Park Historic District, Hendersonville; Richard Sharp Smith House, Asheville; and Lansing School, Ashe County.

A well-referenced general article citing the success of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, “Research Parks for the Knowledge Economy,” appeared recently in Business Week.  

The Carolina North project—a major expansion of UNC in Chapel Hill—has finally been approved (a/o June 24, 2009).  This will certainly be a boon to UNC and NC, and should generate many opportunities for higher education planners and architects.  Google “Carolina North” for lots more info.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Michael S. Watson, mwatson@watsontatesavory.com

South Carolina institutions of Higher Education are on the list to receive State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) from the stimulus package know as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).  Now that the Governor has officially requested the funds, although under a protest that was muted by the legislature, the requests for appropriations are working their way through the channels at each institution.  Higher Ed is authorized in the state’s budget to receive just under $100 Million in 2009-10 and another $100 Million in 2010-11.  This is of course not additional money but will temporarily replace funds over the next two years that would have been lost due to the economic downturn.  From a report published by the SC Commission on Higher Education, Higher Education has actually lost about $181 Million in recurring operating support from the state since FY 2008-09 or about 24%. Additional cuts in FY 2009-10 are already being anticipated.  Therefore, the stimulus will not make them whole again. It definitely will blunt the blow even though there are strings attached to limit how it might be spent.  The strings also prevent the State from reducing appropriations disproportionately to agencies and institutions that do receive the stimulus funds.  The stated intent of ARRA is to "create jobs and promote economic growth" and under the provisions of the ARRA the federal stabilization funds for higher education institutions may be used for “education and general expenditures, and in such a way as to mitigate the need to raise tuition and fees for in-State students, or for modernization, renovation, or repair of institution of higher education facilities that are primarily used for instruction, research, or student housing, including modernization, renovation, and repairs that are consistent with a recognized green building rating system.”
 
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded South Carolina institutions $20 million to establish a statewide alliance in the field of tissue biofabrication, which could lead to the production of human organs, an international topic of interest these days.  “We are trying to build tissue and organs from the inside out, which is a different approach than anyone has taken,” said lead scientist for the project, Roger Markwald, Ph.D., MUSC. “First, we want to create a three-dimensional vascular tree and then the organ. This will allow us to develop the applications to build many different types of organs.”   The alliance includes the state’s three doctoral granting research universities, Clemson University, MUSC and the University of South Carolina. Three historically black colleges and universities, Claflin University, South Carolina State University and Voorhees College, are included. Furman University and the University of South Carolina-Beaufort are also members of the alliance.  Two-year technical colleges participating in the research are Denmark Technical College and Greenville Technical College. Principal investigator for the award is Jerry Odom, Ph.D., executive director of the University of South Carolina Foundations. South Carolina Research Authority will serve as fiscal agent of the award.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR), will receive $20 million in NIH research funding during the next five years.  MUSC joins 39 previously funded academic medical research institutions within a national network working together to reduce the time it takes to turn laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients, to engage communities in clinical research efforts, and to train the next generation of researchers. These monies will fund 11 programs on campus and through partnerships with the University of South Carolina, Health Sciences South Carolina, Clemson University, South Carolina State University, Claflin University, Greenwood Genetics Center, South Carolina Research Authority, and VA medical centers. The award provides these programs with more infrastructure support, better training for researchers, and perhaps best of all, greater access to top clinical trials and promising new treatments for patients who need them now.
 
The Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC has attained National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, a distinction held by only 63 other cancer centers in the United States, and the only such institution in the state.  NCI based its decision on HCC’s outstanding research facilities, commitment to research, leadership, and vision. NCI designation is accompanied by more than $7 million in federal funding to sustain and grow research efforts at MUSC. The NCI designation awarded to cancer centers is characterized by scientific excellence and the capability to integrate diverse research approaches to focus on the problem of cancer. They play a vital role in advancing the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality from cancer. One way this is accomplished is through increased clinical trials that offer patients new drugs and treatment protocols that would be otherwise unavailable to them.
 
The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia is among the highest-ranked business schools in the world for its international-business education and research. Founded in 1919, the school has a history of innovative leadership, blending academic preparation with real-world experience through internships, consulting projects, study-abroad programs and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Moore school offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees, as well as executive-education programs. In 1998, the school was named for South Carolina native and New York financier Darla Moore, making the University of South Carolina the first major university to name its business school after a woman. Ms. Moore announced a $45 million challenge gift to the business school in April 2004 and recently the University announced that it had exceeded the challenge.  A new business school facility is expected to be programmed and planned in the coming months.

The Clemson Architectural Center in Charleston and MUSC have teamed up to help a small village in Okurase, Ghana to design and build a cultural center.  “This 16-building center is going to save a lot of lives and change a lot of lives, and I think it will be a catalyst for change in the way buildings are built in Ghana and in sustainable architecture,” said Cynthia Swenson, a Medical University of South Carolina professor and Project Okurase volunteer.  When Swenson contacted him, Clemson Architectural Center director and professor Rob Miller quickly took on this semester-long project for his 14 graduate and undergraduate students last year. The center often adopts local architecture projects to give students real-world experience.
 
Now the students’ plans are being translated and Project Okurase founder Samuel Nkrumah Yeboah hopes construction will begin in August, if there’s enough money. Every penny that comes in from fundraising is going to pay the workers and buy supplies.  The 18 villagers from a brick-making class have made about 40,000 bricks and are receiving a regular salary, which is extremely uncommon in the area. Each is so committed to the project that they chose to be paid a lower salary so they could see it through, Swenson said.

TENNESSEE
Teresa A. Hartnett, thartntt@memphis.edu

Economy, desire for degrees fill Tennessee community colleges
Community colleges around the state are reporting a flood of new and returning students looking to bolster their job prospects with degrees. Enrollment at Nashville State shot up 65 percent this year.  With the fall semester just weeks away, Tennessee colleges and universities are still in the shadow of a recession that has gutted their budgets and cut deeply into families' ability to pay tuition. "The community colleges are absolutely booming. We're hearing the technical centers are already at capacity as well," said Richard Rhoda, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. "The economy is down. It's cause and effect." It's also a needed boost for state colleges hit hard by 15 percent state budget cuts this year, with additional cutbacks on the horizon, Rhoda noted.

Boosting University of Memphis research among Governor’s priorities
Gov. Phil Bredesen has outlined the goals of the higher education reform plan he's working on as improving college graduation rates, bolstering the status of one or two research universities and increasing the role of community colleges.  Bredesen has said he's interested in on restructuring the funding "formula" to reward institutions that keep students moving toward graduation and then graduating them.

Tennessee university seeks to encourage more on-campus dining
The University of Memphis, one of two Tennessee schools without a mandatory on-campus dining program, plans to change that starting with the fall semester when all full-time freshmen and sophomores will automatically have $300 charged to their student accounts. Dubbed “Dining Dollar$,” the money will be placed on their student ID cards.
While initially designed to increase food sales, it’s also meant to get students to eat on campus with friends, classmates and professors, which administrators believe will enhance their interactions with peers, said a college administrator.

TEXAS
John Russell, jhrussel@angelo.edu

Texas Southern University, Port of Houston Authority partner on degree
Texas Southern University is teaming up with the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) for a new degree program in Maritime Transportation Management and Security. The program - the first of its kind at any Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the country - will address three imperative national transportation needs: logistics, security and environmental matters.
PHA has committed $2 million to the project over the course of the next two years. A majority of those funds will be used to recruit students and promote and develop the program.

University of Houston partners with junior college for building
A new $37 million, 145,000-square-foot facility is set to open at the University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL) campus. The facility - which includes 44 classrooms, five computer labs, nine science labs, 73 faculty offices and an exercise room - will be shared by UHSSL and Wharton County Junior College.  A community fundraising campaign titled "Building Futures Together" helped secure funds for the venture, including a $4 million gift from the George Foundation and a $3.5 million contribution from the City of Sugar Land.

Texas Tech named partner in $28M DoE project
As part of President Obama's $9.9 billion Energy Department budget, Texas Tech University has been named a research partner on the Pantex Renewable Energy Project.  With a proposed budget of $28 million, the project includes the creation of a wind farm for the Pantex plant near Amarillo. The project also marks the nation's largest collaborative research wind farm, a joint venture between Texas Tech and the Department of Energy.

Goal is more job-seekers with college degrees in workforce
More job-seekers with college degrees entering the workforce in Texas is the goal of a new initiative involving higher education officials statewide. The program, Transfer 101: From Community College to University seeks to encourage more community college students to transfer to four-year institutions. It was developed by higher education officials from The University of Texas System and throughout the state.  The "Transfer 101" initiative is a collaborative partnership of the UT System, the Texas A&M University System and the Texas Association of Community Colleges, a nonprofit association that includes all 50 public community college districts in the state.  Helping create a strong identity for community college students is one of the goals, according to Martha Ellis, associate vice chancellor for community college partnerships at The UT System.

Lawmakers approve full-fledged Texas A&M San Antonio campus
Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill into law that will allow Texas A&M University-San Antonio to begin operating as a stand-alone university.  The law allows the state to release $40 million in tuition revenue bonds to begin construction on the first building on the campus site.
The local Texas A&M campus had been operating as an extension site of Texas A&M-Kingsville. Effective immediately, the local university will no longer operate under the Kingsville banner.

Texas Vote Curbs a College Admission Guarantee Meant to Bolster Diversity
The Texas Legislature voted to scale back a program under which Texans who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high schools were given automatic admission to the state university of their choice. The action put limits on a 10-year-old experiment to increase diversity in the colleges.  The University of Texas, Austin, a top-ranked institution, had sought changes to the program for years because it allowed admissions officials almost no latitude in putting together a class and endangered some important but less popular departments, like music. Last fall, 81 percent of the members of the incoming class were admitted under the 10 percent rule.

TCEQ partnering with University of Houston for emissions testing
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is partnering with the University of Houston to field test a new type of remote-sensing technology used to identify sources of benzene emissions. Helicopters scheduled to swirl around industrial facilities in the Houston Ship Channel this month have been outfitted with the devices.  The project is part of an ongoing TCEQ effort to identify sources of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions in the area. The purpose of this particular project is to field test the capabilities of a more compact and more specialized version of the emission-detecting technology.  The study is set to conclude no later than June 30.

Gov. Clements donates $100M to UT Southwestern
The largest single gift in the history of the UT Southwestern Medical Center - $100 million - is being made by former Texas Gov. Bill Clements.  "My goal in supporting UT Southwestern," said Clements in a written statement announcing the unrestricted donation "is to help encourage and advance scientific discovery and innovation, prepare the next generation of physicians for Texas and the nation, and ensure the delivery of world-class medical care." The pledge will be paid over four years.  The gift to UT Southwestern is not Clements' first. He gave $10 million to complete a clinical and medical research building in 2006 and $1.25 million in 1998 to help fund the medical research of new and promising faculty members.

Texas State to offer doctoral degree in criminal justice
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has granted approval for Texas State University at San Marcos to offer a doctoral degree in criminal justice. Classes are set to begin in the fall.  There are only about 35 criminal justice doctorate programs in the nation, according to Mark Stafford, a professor in the criminal justice department at Texas State who will supervise the program. The degree is aimed at state agency employees and law enforcement personnel interested in conducting original research and applying that research to the criminal justice field, Stafford said.  Enrollment will likely be made up of traditional graduate students and working professionals, according to Stafford.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
Mary Ann La Fleur, mlafleu@uvi.edu

USVI Supports $87 Million Bond Authorization
Governor John deJongh has signed legislation authorizing the Virgin Islands government to issue up to $87 million in bonds to pay for infrastructure improvement projects throughout the territory.  The bond issue backed with funds from rum revenues, includes several local capital projects, including the new 911 communications system, major repairs to schools, road repairs, overhauling the territory’s fish markets and improvement to housing communities.  These activities are seen as providing “ a needed boost to the economic foundation in the Virgin Islands and benefit both the private and public sectors by providing opportunities for small business, improving school and roadways, creating jobs, increasing the currency circulation in the territory, addressing lingering concerns about our landfill and growing tax revenues” according to Governor deJongh.

UVI Has New President
Dr. David Hall became the fifth president of the University of the Virgin Islands on August 1, 2009.  In his first convocation, Dr. Hall gave a speech, “Pathways to Greatness” in which he outlined his “Seven Stepping Stones to Greatness,” or principles on which he envisions UVI operating.  These principles are: become a high-performance organization where quality is the primary focus; become a service-oriented institution that never forgets or neglects its primary customers; become a fiscally responsible institution that uses and invests its resources wisely; where individuals and collective integrity are always present and never compromised by temptation or expedience; we must be an institution where decision are made in a collective and collaborative manner; we must be a place where individual and unit performance are regularly evaluated and assessed based on predetermined goals; we must be a place where the intellectual, emotional and spiritual well being of individuals are valued, nurtured and respected.

Hurricane Season
June 1st marked the beginning of the hurricane season and until this week it has been very quiet.  This week two storms appeared in the Caribbean, Ana and Bill but we managed to escape both.  The season is always one of high alert in the islands but our most active period, at least since I have been here, is usually the third week of September.  There is something about living on a three mile wide island that makes all of this very exciting but frightening all at the same time.

NOAA Issues Warning on Widespread Coral Bleaching
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a warning that this year’s high water temperatures could lead to another catastrophic bleaching of coral die-off both in the Virgin Islands and world-wide similar to the one that occurred in 2005.  In the summer of 2005, an increase of water temperatures led to “bleaching” of the coral.  The living coral/polyps turned white after the warm water forced them to expel the algae that they depend on.   While the coral can stay alive during the bleaching it often will die leaving behind white skeletons. 

OTHER SOURCES

ARKANSAS

Wine and Grape Course at Arkansas Tech University
A new certificate is being offered by the Ozark campus of Arkansas Tech University in wine-making and grape-growing.  The Ozark campus of Arkansas Tech University received approval July 31 from the Arkansas State Board of Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer a technical certificate in Viticulture and Enology.  The programs focus on the study of the science of grape growing (viticulture) and wine making (enology). The technical certificate in viticulture requires students to understand the application of specific agricultural knowledge, techniques, and theories to improve vineyard health. The technical certificate in enology requires the student to demonstrate wine making applications and theory in the wine production process.  The school anticipates between 15 and 20 students in the first year.

GEORGIA

Georgia Gets High Marks for Education
Georgia is one of only 10 states in the United States commended in a new education report for measuring how well its college students perform, using this tracking data to drive policy decisions and providing the information gathered in a useful format to students, their parents, the news media and others.  Education Sector, a Washington-based think tank promoting education reform, analyzed educational accountability systems across the nation at the request of a number of respected education foundations and found varied results in its report, "Ready to Assemble: Grading State Higher Education Accountability Systems."  The survey released in June determined that 38 states have little or no system for measuring learning outcomes, and 36 states have yet to develop a method for linking college funding to performance.   Education Sector measured states in 21 categories of accountability. The highest grade "Best Practice" was given to 10 states with well-developed reporting mechanisms including Georgia.

MEXICO

Mexico: Economy down near 7 percent in 1st quarter
Mexico says its economy shrank nearly 7.0 percent in the first quarter from the previous year, as manufacturing exports plunged 22.8 percent.  Mexico’s Treasury Department says the drop “is due to the deterioration of global economic conditions.” It says the country lost 372,289 jobs during the quarter.  In a recent report, the department says Mexico’s auto industry has been battered by the slowdown in U.S. vehicle sales.  Mexico’s central bank has predicted the economy could contract between 3.8 percent and 4.8 percent this year, but says the forecast could change depending on the effect of the swine flu epidemic.

OKLAHOMA

Water System Upgrade
Oklahoma State University has announced plans to undergo a water system upgrade that will allow the University to rely on untreated or partially treated water for some uses that do not require drinking-quality water. The University expects to save as much as $6 million in four to five years by running its own water system instead of purchasing water from the City. OSU's new system will be capable of serving as a backup to the municipal system in case of emergency

PUERTO RICO

Michigan State University Partnership with University of Puerto Rico-Cayey
A $1.5 million federal grant will help Michigan State University (MSU) increase the number of Hispanic doctoral students trained in the neurosciences.  The grant — from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a division of the National Institutes of Health — serves as an extension of an MSU partnership with the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey.  The goal is to facilitate entry of students into the doctoral program in neuroscience and enhance the likelihood of their success.  The students from the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey will travel to MSU as undergraduates and spend two summers preparing for graduate school while undertaking research projects as part of the Ronald McNair Summer Research Program. The program pairs students with faculty mentors who guide them through the research process.  Students also are taught scientific writing and mentored in writing English.  After two summers on campus, the students return to take nine credits before applying for the graduate program in neuroscience at MSU.  The $1.5 million grant also will fund the graduate students for the first two years while they begin their doctorate studies.

Executive MBA Program to be offered in Puerto Rico
The University of Miami, School of Business Administration today announced that the Puerto Rico Council on Higher Education has authorized the School to deliver its highly regarded Executive MBA (EMBA) program in the commonwealth. The approval clears the way for the School to begin the program in October 2009. Classes for the two-year EMBA program will be held on Saturdays, enabling professionals living and working in the region to earn the University of Miami MBA degree in Puerto Rico without interrupting their careers. The program will be delivered just outside San Juan in Guaynabo.

OTHER NEWS

UN-Led Climate Initiative
Climate Neutral Network (CN Net), an initiative led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), promotes global action to de-carbonize our economies and societies.  Six universities from the US, UK, Spain, and China are the first academic institutions to join.  The US charter members include College of the Atlantic, The Evergreen State College, and Middlebury College.  CN Net participants have agreed to take leadership on the issue of climate change at the local, national, and international levels.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article, “Eight Great Stories about Strangely Named Team Mascots,” featuring the University of North Carolina Tar Heels’ Rameses the Ram on the front page.  Other campuses in the southern region that were highlighted – University of North Texas Mean Green, New College of Florida [], and Georgia Tech’s Ramblin’ Wreck.

Shopping malls are all to common in the States.  Ever wonder what they are like in other countries?  Here is an article you migh find this interesting:  Shopping in Emerging Markets, reprinted with permission from Gensler’s Dialogue 16

Central Europe – Lithuania
Shopping centers are entertainment destinations; western Europe is the benchmark; boutiques cluster in “old towns”; open-air markets are popular.

Central Europe – Poland
Shopping center are social hubs; food shopping local, but bigger stores are making inroads; youth favors Western brands; everyone likes a bargain.

Middle East – Egypt
Shopping lags the region, but middle class and shoppers with a Western taste in clothes are emerging; culture, music, and performing arts are widely available.

Middle East – Kuwait
Shopping centers are social-entertainment hubs; high-end “European”-style luxury brands are preferred (women wear the latest Western clothes at home).

Middle East – Saudi Arabia
Megamalls view with middle-class establishments, homegrown brands, souks, and craft markets; leisure is gender-segregated.

Middle East – UAE
Luxury/sophistication preference; shopping malls are megascale and high-end, appealing to couples, expats, and individual shoppers of both sexes.

India
Small, independent mom-and-pop stores predominate, but franchise brands are growing fast, raising product quality; young shoppers are modern, but not Western.  According to the Financial Times, India’s markets reflect the country’s diversity. Commonalities include a desire for crowded aisles and lots of goods on display.  Real estate costs are high in India, the FT notes, while labor costs are low. Air-conditioning is a necessity given extremely hot summers, so smaller stores with a lot of staff are the norm. (Source: Amy Yee, “Indian stores in search of drama,” Financial Times, 30 December 2008)