UGA Law Professor Says O.J. Simpson Sentence is Fair

According to nationally-recognized trial law expert and University of Georgia law professor Ronald L. Carlson, after today’s sentencing in the kidnapping and armed robbery case in Las Vegas, many will say that O.J. Simpson’s punishment was excessive, as a make-up for his earlier homicide acquittal.

“Simpson’s defense team says the justice system is punishing him for the Los Angeles murders. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“[Clark County District Court] Judge [Jackie] Glass undercut the recommendation which had been made by the court’s parole service, a recommendation of 18 years. Doubtless, those parole officials were moved to advocate a stiff sentence by what Judge Glass described as O.J.’s arrogance. The lack of remorse for an armed attack on hotel room occupants understandably undermines a plea for leniency.

“O.J.’s professed sorrow apparently first surfaced at the sentencing hearing earlier today.

“Appeals will be next but, for the moment, it appears justice was done.

“When O.J. maintained there were no guns displayed in the retrieval of property at the Palace Station Hotel, a denial which was rebutted when several witnesses saw the weapons, his credibility was hopelessly comprised.”

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Regents Take Action to Meet an Additional Two Percent Budget Cut

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) approved December 3rd in a special called meeting a change in health benefit plans for USG employees as well as a temporary fee for all USG students. The changes will help the System’s 35 colleges and universities meet an additional two percent reduction in the current Fiscal Year 2009 budget.

As a result of the board’s action today, as of Jan. 1, 2009, the employer contribution rate for health insurance for the System’s PPO and HMO health plans will be reduced from 75 percent to 70 percent. USG employees enrolled in these plans will thus pay increased premiums ranging from approximately $17 to $65 a month, depending upon the plan and number of individuals covered. The employer contribution rate for the Indemnity plan will be the same as the PPO plan. The employer rate for the System’s high deductible health plan will continue at its current level of 90 percent. This change will result in an additional $8 million in savings throughout the System.

Effective for the spring 2009 semester, all USG students will pay a temporary, one-semester fee: $100 at research universities and six other universities, $75 at most comprehensive universities, and $50 at two-year and state colleges. The fee will offset an additional $20 million in budget reductions at the institutions.

An additional $12 million in savings will occur as a result of instructions that allow all USG institutions to defer maintenance expenditures. This budget reduction measure initially was approved by the regents this past August and did not require additional approval in today’s meeting.

“These are difficult decisions,” said USG Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “The board’s action today will protect the System’s core teaching mission and maintain academic quality.”

The regents took action in August to reduce the System’s budget by six percent ($136 million), and also to approve contingency plans for additional reductions. Health care plans and the student fee were two components of these additional reduction plans.

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University System of Georgia Fall Enrollment Increases 4.8 Percent

Enrollment Reaches All-Time High Approaching 283,000 Students

When the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents adopted a new strategic plan in August 2007, the plan predicted an additional 100,000 students enrolling in Georgia’s 35 public colleges and universities by 2020. The numbers in the board’s fall 2008 enrollment report, released today, show the system is on track to reach and perhaps surpass that prediction, with a record 282,978 students.

And 46,711 of those students this fall are first-time freshmen. This group increased 9.6 percent over fall 2007 and is evidence of the increasing demand on public higher education resources by Georgians.

The overall numbers represent a gain of 12,956 students from fall 2007, or an increase of 4.8 percent. This follows a gain of 10,077 students from fall 2006 to fall 2007. To put the gains in perspective, the USG has grown by 32,319 students, or 12.9 percent, in the last five years.

“We have added the equivalent of another University of Georgia to the system over the past five years,” said USG Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “This represents significant growth, during a period in which we are challenged to serve more students at a high level of quality with diminished resources.” For example, a new USG analysis shows that the number of faculty and staff in the system to serve students has decreased by 18 percent per 1000 students from fall 2000 to fall 2007, while over the same period, enrollment increased 31.5 percent.

An analysis of the numbers shows two key developments, says Dr. Cathie Mayes Hudson, vice chancellor for Research and Policy Analysis. “First is that the regents’ strategic goal of meeting capacity by increasing enrollment at the state and two-year colleges is producing results. And second is that the System increasingly reflects the state population in terms of the diversity of the student body.”

In the first example, Hudson is referring to a decision by the board to increase access to the System’s eight state colleges and eight two-year colleges. State college enrollment grew by 6.1 percent, while two-year college enrollment grew by 8.4 percent, both well above the USG average of 4.8 percent. Some of the biggest enrollment percentage gains were at these types of institutions. For example, from fall 2007 to fall 2008, enrollment growth was in the double-digits at:

Atlanta Metropolitan College, up 19.1 percent to 2,241 students;
Bainbridge College, up 16.2 percent to 3,091 students;
East Georgia College, up 28.6 percent to 2,555 students;
Gainesville State College, up 10.2 percent to 8,238 students; and
Georgia Gwinnett College, up 98.4 percent to 1,563 students.

Two state universities also have experienced double digit growth from fall 2007 to fall 2008. Fort Valley State University is up 21 percent to 3,106 students and Georgia Southwestern State University is up 13 percent to 2,717 students.

But overall in the System’s 13 state universities, growth was smaller, at 5 percent, which is in line with the Strategic Plan that calls for more modest enrollment growth in this sector. And at the two regional universities – Georgia Southern University and Valdosta State University, enrollment grew 4 percent from fall 2007 to fall 2008, for a combined student body of 29,254.

Enrollment increased at the four research universities by just 2.6 percent – again, right in line with the objectives of the Strategic Plan to shift enrollment to the System’s four- and two-year institutions. Among the four research universities, Georgia State University posted the largest percentage increase, of 4 percent, to a fall 2008 enrollment of 28,229 students. Right behind Georgia State in the percentage increase in enrollment is the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a 3.6 percent increase in enrollment, to 19,424 students. The Medical College of Georgia saw its enrollment increase 2 percent, to 2,919, and the University of Georgia’s enrollment grew 1 percent, to 34,180 students.

The increasing diversity of the USG student population is central to the board’s second goal in its strategic plan. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, Georgia’s African-American population was 29.2 percent, and Hispanic population was 5.3 percent, with the Asian population at 2.4 percent. The numbers in the fall 2008 enrollment report reflect progress in increasing access to the USG by underserved groups, said Hudson.

African-American enrollment increased by 7.5 percent, or 4,878 additional students from fall 2007 to fall 2008. African-American enrollment now stands at 69,771 students, or 24.7 percent of the total enrollment. And African-American student enrollment growth rates have exceeded the total student growth rates for several years: the five-year growth rate is 18.7 percent, and the 10-year rate is an increase of 60.7 percent.

Likewise, the report shows Hispanic enrollment up 12 percent in fall 2008 over last year, to a total this fall of 9,874 students. This year’s gains mirror a 12.6 percent increase from fall 2006 to fall 2007, and reflect the continued growth in the number of Hispanics seeking greater opportunities through higher education. Hispanics now represent 3.5 percent of all USG students.

The enrollment of Asian/Pacific Islander students increased by 6.5 percent, or 1,087 students from fall 2007 to fall 2008 to a total of 17,805 students. This group represents 6.3 percent of all students.

Looking at gender, 57.7 percent – 163,320 students – of the USG student body is female. However, the growth rate for male students, at 5.3 percent from fall 2007 to fall 2008, exceeded that of female students, at 4.4 percent. Eleven USG institutions have more than 65 percent female enrollment.

The system’s full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE) for fall 2008 is 247,168, an increase of 5.1 percent over fall 2007, adding 11,982 more FTE students. This increase is above the overall enrollment increase of 4.8 percent, which indicates that more students are taking additional hours of courses, compared to students in fall 2007.

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UGA Makes Top 20 List for Public Universities in U.S. New & World Report's "Best Colleges" Guide

The University of Georgia is tied for 20th among public universities and tied for 58th overall according to the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide. UGA has been ranked among the top 20 leading public universities in the nation eight of the last ten years.

“I am always pleased when the students, faculty and staff of the University of Georgia are recognized for their quality and their very good work,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “Recognition such as this is a reflection of a commitment to excellence in everything that we do at the University of Georgia and should be a point of great pride for our alumni and friends.”

UGA also was listed among 25 national universities for 2007 graduates with the least debt.

The undergraduate program at the Terry College of Business is ranked 30th overall and 18th among public business schools. Of the more than 2,000 U.S. business schools, fewer than 500 have achieved full accreditation and are eligible to be ranked by U.S. News. This year’s ranking marks the 10th consecutive year Terry has been ranked in the top 30. Terry’s risk management and insurance program maintained its second place ranking nationally, as did the real estate program, which is ranked third in the country.

“This is another affirmation of the high quality of the undergraduate program and the Terry College overall,” said Dean Robert T. Sumichrast. “It’s now time for Terry to expand from these areas of strengths, like risk management and real estate, and advance across an even broader front of program improvement. When we adopt our new strategic plan later this year, we’ll be in a better position to pursue our vision of national prominence.”

The 2009 rankings are available on-line at www.usnews.com and highlights of the college rankings will be published in the September 1 issue of U.S.News & World Report, available for newsstand purchase Monday, August 25. The 2009 America's Best Colleges guidebook will be available as of Tuesday, August 26.

U.S. News considers several factors in producing the annual ranking. Among those are graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and peer assessment.

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Georgia Tech Ranked Seventh Nationally Among Public Universities for Undergraduates

GFP Note: Kudos to Tech! We're proud of your accomplishments.

Georgia Tech ranks seventh nationally among public universities for undergraduates in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. For the past decade, Georgia Tech has been among the top ten public universities for undergraduates.

“Georgia Tech undergraduate programs continue to excel, and I’m pleased that we’ve been able to maintain this measure of excellence for so long,” said Interim President and Provost Gary Schuster. “Our engineering college continues to be a strength, while other programs around campus continue their national climb.”

The College of Engineering, which is the nation’s largest, moved up in the rankings to fourth compared to fifth last year. Six College of Engineering programs ranked in the top five among specialty areas. Industrial Engineering ranked first, Aerospace ranked second, Biomedical ranked third, Mechanical ranked fourth (not ranked in top 5 last year), Civil ranked fifth and Electrical ranked fifth (not ranked in top 5 last year).

The College of Management ranked 35th nationally among Best Business Programs. The internship and senior capstone programs were cited as “Programs to Look For.” Georgia Tech also ranked 47th on the “Great Schools, Great Prices” list.

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