What to do with stimulus money?
As the first 8 million Americans begin receiving their part of Congress’ $100 billion economic stimulus package this week, they may be more apt to spend it than they were seven years ago, according to a Georgia State University financial planning expert. While there are indications about one-quarter of those who received the 2001 economic stimulus saved it, Conrad Ciccotello, director of the Personal Financial Planning program, says this round of stimulus is geared more toward taxpayers who are less likely to save. “This one is tipped a little further down the income stream than the last one. That probably means there’s going to be more consumption and more debt repayment,” he said. Paying down debt, he said, will be a logical choice for many, as a $600 credit card balance, at 18 percent interest over 35 years, can total more than $196,000 in debt. To speak with Ciccotello, contact Michael Davis (404) 413-1361 or mdavis6@gsu.edu.

Union agreement critical to airline merger
If a consolidated Delta and Northwest Airlines is unable to get the airlines’ two pilots unions to agree on pay and seniority issues, it could spell trouble for the new mega-airline, according to a Georgia State labor economist. “If the pilots are going to be battling this out, it will be difficult to achieve cost savings through consolidation and coordination of the two carriers’ routes,” said Barry Hirsch, the W.J. Usery Chair of the American Workplace. “You could have a poorly motivated workforce and the potential for minefields down the road.” Until recently, labor represented an airline’s single largest cost, with pilot costs a sizable share of the total. But even as fuel has surpassed labor costs, unions maintain considerable leverage, Hirsch says, and are able to effectively shut down an airline through a strike or cripple operations through work slowdowns. “Cooperation of the pilots is critical,” said Hirsch, who has studied airline workers’ wages and the effects of labor unions. “If you have two union groups, either one may effectively veto needed changes by a combined airline. Consolidation of Northwest’s unionized and Delta’s nonunion flight attendants, mechanics, and other ground workers presents a related set of challenges.” To speak with Hirsch, contact Michael Davis at (404) 413-1361 or mdavis6@gsu.edu.

The importance of preparing early child educators
Research suggests children who spend time in high-quality early education programs have better test scores, improved language development, fewer behavior problems and many other advantages. For these reasons, Georgia State is starting in the fall a program to ensure educators are prepared to effectively teach children from infancy through kindergarten. The birth through five-year-old bachelor’s degree program will provide candidates with academic preparation and field experience to work in a variety of settings. Graduates of the program will hold a state of Georgia teaching certificate and a preschool special education endorsement. “There is a major need to provide highly-qualified teachers for the birth through kindergarten setting, particularly those serving children with special needs,” said Ruth Saxton, program coordinator. For more information, contact Liz Babiarz at (404) 413-1356 or lbabiarz@gsu.edu. 

Exchanging educational ideas with teachers in Mexico
For three years, College of Education students and faculty have traveled to Xalapa, the capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz, for a cultural immersion seminar course. While there, they have visited a variety of schools and community centers to gain cross-cultural understanding, share educational ideas and teach English courses. Now, for the first time, teachers from Xalapa schools are coming to Georgia State. Over the next week, the Mexican elementary school educators will have the opportunity to tour the university, talk with faculty and graduate students, and observe Georgia State alumni who are now teaching in Atlanta public schools. “The goal is to exchange information and ideas across the school systems,” said Laura Meyers, assistant professor of early childhood education, who helped create the course in Xalapa. For more information, contact Liz Babiarz at (404) 413-1356 or lbabiarz@gsu.edu.

HAPPENINGS AT GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Andrew Young to speak at commencement
Georgia State will come together to celebrate the accomplishments of 2,849 graduates during spring commencement at 2 p.m. May 10 in the Georgia Dome. The guest speaker will be Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor, U.S. congressman and U.N. ambassador. The spring ceremony is the last one in which Carl Patton will participate as Georgia State president. Patton is retiring this summer after 16 years at the helm of the university. Also at the commencement, John C. Portman, architect, developer, business entrepreneur and civic leader, will receive an honorary degree.

Bioinformatics symposium coming to Georgia State
Top researchers in bioinformatics will descend on Atlanta May 6-9 for the 2008 International Symposium on Bioinformatics Research and Applications, hosted by Georgia State University. The symposium provides a forum for researchers, developers, and practitioners of bioinformatics and computational biology. One of the central topics will be the use of computer processing in decoding genomes. The symposium will be held at the Helen M. Aderhold Learning Center, 60 Luckie St. NW. For more information, contact Van Jensen at (404) 413-1357 or vjensen@gsu.edu.

State Supreme Court Justice to speak at hooding ceremony
Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham will speak at Georgia State University’s College of Law hooding ceremony at 6 p.m. May 9 in the Sports Arena, 125 Decatur St. Benham, a native Georgian, formerly served on the Georgia State Court of Appeals and as a special assistant attorney general. For more information, visit http://law.gsu.edu/hooding/.

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