University System News:
www.athensceo.com
UGA Advances in National Research Ranking
http://athensceo.com/news/2017/12/uga-advances-national-research-ranking/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=19bddb0ee1-eGaMorning-12_12_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-19bddb0ee1-86731974&mc_cid=19bddb0ee1&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
Staff Report From Athens CEO
The University of Georgia climbed seven spots to No. 54 among all U.S. universities, colleges and research institutions in the latest National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development rankings. “This is dramatic progress,” said Vice President for Research David Lee. “Institutions normally rise or fall in these rankings a spot or two at a time.” In the new rankings, which reflect fiscal year 2016, UGA’s total research expenditures reached $410 million, up from $374 million and a ranking of 61st the year before. UGA also advanced on the basis of federally supported research expenditures, ranking 79th with $144 million, up eight spots from the prior year. Data for fiscal year 2017 show continued growth in research activity, with $458 million in total research and development expenditures-an increase of 12 percent over fiscal year 2016.
www.macon.com
Gordon State selects interim president
http://www.macon.com/news/local/education/article189124249.html
BY ANDREA HONAKER
Gordon State College has selected an interim president. Current President Max Burns is retiring at the end of this year, and Stuart Rayfield will take over as the school’s interim leader Jan. 1. Rayfield has been the interim president of Bainbridge State College since June 2016. Her previous roles include associate professor and director of the Servant Leadership Program and interim associate provost for Undergraduate Education at Columbus State University and student affairs consultant at Auburn University in Alabama. “Dr. Rayfield has done an outstanding job leading Bainbridge State through a period of significant change over the past year and a half,” said Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. “I am grateful to Dr. Rayfield for her willingness to shift her focus, qualifications and expertise to the deserving students, faculty and extended community at Gordon State College.”
www.myajc.com
Kennesaw State set to graduate 2,300 Owls this week
http://www.myajc.com/news/local/kennesaw-state-set-graduate-300-owls-this-week/oEPkZBGYeAvPSJByhYyZlN/
By Ben Brasch – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The nest is going to be a bit lighter after this week. Kennesaw State University, which was covered in snow this weekend, will graduate 2,300 students over five ceremonies between Tuesday and Wednesday. Folks can expect to hear from a retired Georgia supreme court justice and the executive director of a program that advocates for women in STEAM fields.
www.publicnow.com
With A Song In Her Heart
First-generation grad plans to teach music in British Virgin Islands
http://www.publicnow.com/view/E489D218BCDCE19FC83A244A3694FD523159379C
For Jennell Smith, it’s been a long journey since her 2005 high school commencement, but the vivacious soprano and first-generation Kennesaw State student is looking forward to graduating this month with a bachelor’s degree in choral music education, summa cum laude. Then, it’s on to a new challenge as a music teacher in the hurricane-ravaged British Virgin Islands.
www.ajc.com
Slain DeKalb man went to Georgia Gwinnett College, was driven by music
http://www.ajc.com/news/local/slain-dekalb-man-went-georgia-gwinnett-college-was-driven-music/cyajr9kNozMxRTX7Yz0dbP/
Joshua Sharpe The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As a mother grieves a slain son, she processes an arrest of a man accused in his death. Annette Pritchett’s son, 26-year-old Gary Pritchett, was shot on Oct. 3 outside his apartment off I-85 in Chamblee. Police said it happened during a drug deal for $5,000 worth of pot, which the victim was selling. They charged Keishawn Daly, 25, with felony murder in the death and arrested him last week. …A native of Manhattan, New York, he attended Georgia Gwinnett College and worked at Life Time Fitness off Sugarloaf Parkway outside Lawrenceville. He was a graduate of Peachtree Ridge High School.
www.myajc.com
$90M student housing and retail tower in the works near GSU
http://www.myajc.com/news/local/90m-student-housing-and-retail-tower-the-works-near-gsu/eT6r7bSKLaWInHVs55gBKM/
By Becca J. G. Godwin – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The development of a 26-story student housing project near the Georgia State University campus is moving forward, SunTrust Banks announced Monday.
The company closed on a $58.3 million loan for the development of a 467,125-square-foot tower, which will accommodate 685 students and include 8,200 square feet of retail space. The total cost of the project at 120 Piedmont Avenue NE is nearly $90 million, according to a press release. The loan is with an unnamed affiliate of Atlanta-based South City Partners, who SunTrust worked with on the Square on Fifth at Georgia Tech project. South City was formed in 2011 by Mark Randall and John Long. 120 Piedmont’s amenities are to include a rooftop deck, a “resort-style” pool and clubhouse, fitness center, on-site library, internet cafe and Wi-Fi throughout the building.
www.gwinnettcitizen.com
An Unlikely Partnership of Science and Faith – GGC’s New Strickland Research Lab
https://gwinnettcitizen.com/local-news/3755-an-unlikely-partnership-of-science-and-faith-ggc-s-new-strickland-research-lab
By: Tiffany Brix | Staff Correspondent | Gwinnett Citizen
Most people find it challenging to let science and faith coexist. Science demands tangible proof, and faith only exists without it. Often those with the most sincere faith do not feel called to pursue science. Likewise, those who gravitate toward science seem to be frustrated by impalpable faith. Clyde and Sandra Strickland have partnered with the Biology Department of Georgia Gwinnett College and found a way to nurture both. They forged a seemingly unlikely bond as a catalyst to propel the young minds of the students further. In a gesture of earnest gratitude, GGC, in turn, dedicated the newly renovated space to their patron – The Strickland Research Lab.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Scuttlebiz: MCG Foundation moving out of the way of its own development
http://chronicle.augusta.com/business/2017-12-09/scuttlebiz-mcg-foundation-moving-out-way-its-own-development
By Damon Cline Staff Writer
Back in the late 1990s, a wealthy radio entrepreneur donated the shopping center at 15th Street and the John C. Calhoun Expressway to the Medical College of Georgia. The school’s nonprofit foundation – best known for funding scholarships and faculty salaries – suddenly turned into a commercial real estate developer. Now, 20 years later, it’s ready to start acting like one. Early next year, the MCG Foundation will move from its small offices near the old shopping center site into a 6,000-square-foot suite at the historic Sutherland Mill office condo complex, where the St. Sebastian Way overpass crosses the Augusta Canal. At just over $1 million for the space, the suite is “a little more classy than what we need,” MCG Foundation President Ian Mercier acknowledged, but he said it was the most suitable space it could find near the medical district.
www.coed.com
Georgia State University Building Evacuated Due To Suspicious Package
Georgia State University Building Evacuated Due To Suspicious Package
By ERIC ITALIANO
Georgia State University evacuated the University Lofts on the morning of Monday, December 11, due to a suspicious package. Police say they evacuated the building as a precaution. Georgia State Emergency Dispatched confirmed the evacuation at the University Lofts located on Edgewood Avenue SE in the downtown campus. Atlanta police, Atlanta fire, and Georgia State University police are working together on the scene. According to Georgia State, the suspicious package was found in the rear parking deck behind the building near maintenance.
www.savannahnow.com
NATHAN DEEN: Why Savannah State picked the worst time to drop to Division II
http://savannahnow.com/news/sports/local-colleges/2017-12-10/nathan-deen-why-savannah-state-picked-worst-time-drop-division
After 16 years of scraping the bottom of Division I-AA, Savannah State has picked the worst possible time to make the move to Division II. Next season could be a historic one for the Tigers. Second-year head coach Erik Raeburn has orchestrated perhaps the best rebuilding job in college football that no one talks about — and in two seasons, the Tigers have produced more wins than they earned through the 2010-2015 seasons combined. Now the stage is set for their first potential winning season as an FCS member. …Since their application to begin the official transition to Division II won’t be submitted until Feb. 1, university president Cheryl Dozier and athletic director Sterling Steward should consider putting it on hold. They need to wait and see what FCS Savannah State football might look like with a winning product on the field.