University System News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia Gwinnett College’s president announces retirement
By Eric Stirgus
Georgia Gwinnett College President Stanley “Stas” Preczewski announced Monday he plans to retire at the end of the academic year in May. Preczewski was appointed president in 2014 following eight years as the college’s inaugural vice president for academic and student affairs and one year as interim president. University System of Georgia officials lauded Preczewski’s leadership in a statement, particularly its growth as the youngest school in the system.
www.gwinnettedailypost.com
GGC president announces retirement at end of academic year
By Trevor McNaboe
Georgia Gwinnett College is looking for a new leader following school president Stas Preczewski’s announcement Monday that he will retire at the end of the academic year. Preczewski has served as president of GGC since 2014, overseeing the growth of Georgia’s youngest state institution to an enrollment of more than 12,500. “Whether it’s national rankings, fundraising or accomplishments of our graduates, GGC has been on a remarkable upward trajectory for over 12 consecutive years,” Preczewski said in a statement. “The credit goes to the faculty, staff and students who shatter records as a matter of routine operations.
www.athensceo.com
Governor Deal Appoints 25 to State Boards
Staff Report From Georgia CEO
Dr. Stuart E. Rayfield, Center for Rural Prosperity and the Georgia Rural Development Council
Rayfield is the Vice Chancellor for Leadership and Institutional Development for the University System of Georgia. She has two decades of experience in higher education, including serving as interim president of Gordon State College and Bainbridge State College.
www.cbsnews.com
A college student and a minister answer each other’s prayers
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-college-student-and-a-minister-answer-each-others-prayers/
By STEVE HARTMAN CBS NEWS
MONTICELLO, Ga. — Although no one knew it at the time, minister Jerome Jones of the Springfield Baptist Church in Monticello, Georgia, recently went through a crisis of faith. “I was getting ready to stop coming to church so much as I did,” he said. “I didn’t see God doing anything for me.” Jerome said last month he was at his day job with the power company when a note came down from the heavens. It was attached to three balloons and it read, “God, help me go to college… please help me get everything I need to leave Wednesday.” It was signed by Mykehia Curry. Mykehia was about to start her freshman year at Albany State University in Albany, Georgia. No one in her family had ever gone to college, which is why she sent up that prayer – scared and worried. “Scared because this is my first time being away from home. And worried, as in financially,” she said. …She got a student loan, but didn’t have money for other necessities like a fridge for her room or even a comforter for her bed. She needed help. Unfortunately, the wind blew her balloons to just about the poorest preacher in central Georgia. …When he found that balloon message, Jerome said he had a total of $125 to his name. But he spent it all on Mykehia. He delivered a comforter and a mini-fridge — most importantly, a ton of much needed inspiration. “It encourages me to keep going knowing that prayers are answered,” Mykehia said. Likewise, Jerome also has renewed faith. A good reminder that sometimes the best way to get your prayers answered is to answer someone else’s.
www.chronicle.com
How Students Learned to Stop Worrying — and Love Being Spied On
By David Rosen and Aaron Santesso
In the past few weeks, you may have received, as we did, an email advertisement from Macmillan Learning for a new way to keep an eye on your students. “Are you interested in tracking attendance,” it asks, “but don’t want to keep track of paper?” Sign up for the new “iClicker Reef,” which comes with a “geolocation attendance feature.” When students show up for class, an app on their phones will indicate their presence. For large courses especially, the device makes a certain pragmatic sense: The sheer burden of monitoring 500 students means that, inevitably, some of them will disappear unnoticed. Now professors can detect patterns of attendance, and students, in an effort to improve, can track their own bad (or good) behavior.. Our own reaction to this ad, before we hit the delete button, was mainly irritation, with a hint of alarm: Here was one more instance of our students being asked to surrender something precious — their privacy. The possible benefits didn’t outweigh what was being given up. And yet, had we purchased this product, it is highly unlikely that our students would have shared our concerns. The spread of monitoring technologies in higher education has revealed a sharp split along generational and professional lines: Faculty uproar at each new apparent violation of privacy has been met, again and again, by student indifference or even enthusiasm. When the University of Georgia began installing iris-detection cameras last year at the entrances of its dining halls and student center, roughly 900 students voluntarily pre-enrolled within the first week; when Georgia Southern introduced a similar system, in 2013, one student out of the original cohort of 3,000 declined to enroll. In the words of one Georgia Southern first-year, quoted in the campus newspaper: “It’s really cool, and you get through as fast as possible.”
www.onlineathens.com
Mary Frances Early: A life of quiet courage and great accomplishment
By Heather Skyler
Growing up in Atlanta, Mary Frances Early gathered around the radio with her family and listened to classical music. Her father was an amateur singer – at church and social events – and loved music, but he wasn’t able to go to the symphony because it was segregated. So the family made do with “The Bell Telephone Hour.” Early inherited her enthusiasm for music from her father, who died when she was only 12. She went on to pursue degrees in music education and make history. Early, who became the first African American to graduate from the University of Georgia in 1962, recently was honored by UGA as a courageous trailblazer. But her influence extends far beyond Athens. For more than five decades, Early, who is now 82 and living in Decatur, has been a passionate advocate for music education in Georgia and the nation.
www.wgauradio.com
BOARD OF REGENTS WANTS NEW STATE FUNDING FOR UNG
By: Tim Bryant
The state Board of Regents calls for millions of dollars in state funding for work on new facilities for the University of North Georgia: with the approval of the Georgia legislature, which convenes in January, UNG would get $13.6 million for work on the former campus of Lanier Technical College, which sits next to the main North Georgia campus in Gainesville.
www.diverseeducation.com
Albany State and Columbus State offer Nexus Degrees
https://diverseeducation.com/article/127158/
by Tiffany Pennamon
With approval from the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia (USG) last month, Albany State University along with Columbus State University will become the first institutions in the system to offer nexus degree credentials. The 60-credit-hour nexus degree emphasizes experiential learning, skilled knowledge and connections to industry partners in in-demand and emerging career fields. Albany State’s two nexus degree programs will focus on blockchain with machine learning and on data analytics. Columbus State’s will be in film production. “We are committed to meeting the needs of both Georgia’s workforce and industry by giving students the skills they need as they grow into different careers and seek to expand their knowledge base,” said USG Chancellor Dr. Steve Wrigley. “I applaud Albany State and Columbus State for being the first institutions to offer our newest college credential.”
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Georgia Southern Police Department receives Governor’s Challenge award
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_67870b6b-0770-5b5f-a724-59863e6e8752.html
By Rachel Adams, The George-Anne staff
The Georgia Southern Police Department took home first place in the 2017-2018 Governor’s Challenge Wednesday. …To win the Governor’s Challenge award, the GSPD competes with other departments from all over the state of Georgia. Over the course of a year, the department compiles statistics, events and safety checks, and puts them into a book to send in to the Governor’s Office. …The GSPD has won the Governor’s Challenge award several times over the past 10 years, including third place last year.
www.wtoc.com
GSU Armstrong campus gives back to Savannah community
http://www.wtoc.com/2018/09/22/gsu-armstrong-campus-gives-back-savannah-community/
By Bradley Mullis
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -Over 400 Georgia Southern students and faculty spent their Saturday morning giving back with their annual event “Treasure Savannah.” The groups did service projects across the community like sprucing up neighborhoods and working in animal shelters. Even on their own turf, students painted residence halls on the armstrong campus. The coordinator says this day is special to this campus specifically because it’s a part of Armstrong that didn’t leave.
www.redandblack.com
UGA’s Zell B. Miller Learning Center celebrates 15 years
Tessa Green | Campus News Editor
Cupcakes on the colonnade was how the University of Georgia celebrated the 15th anniversary of one of the most popular study spots on campus — the Zell B. Miller Learning Center — on Sept. 20. The MLC director Kathleen Kern said the learning center opened on Aug. 18, 2003, to support students’ learning both within and outside the classroom. “It was meant from the start to be a student focused academic space and to encompass a range of activities,” Kern said in an email. “It combines classrooms, a variety of study spaces, computers, technologies for creativity, tutoring and research and writing assistance.” …Since its founding, the MLC has been a center for student and academic life with its 96 group study rooms, 374 computer workstations, 26 classrooms, a digital media lab with a sound booth and a technology lending program and Jittery Joe’s Coffee Shop. Students passing through the anniversary celebration were encouraged to share the things they love most about the MLC on a white board set up outside.
www.thegeorgeanne.com
Bike-sharing company to roll electric scooters onto Georgia Southern
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/news/article_85beffe8-b3fe-5baf-9a99-cf847a0439d0.html
By Shiann Sivell, The George-Anne staff
Bike-sharing company Lime will roll out electric Lime-S scooters onto the Georgia Southern University campus on Saturday. Following a $335 million deal with Uber over the summer, Lime released shareable bikes on the GS campus. The company is releasing electric scooters, but a few more restrictions to their peddling counterparts. According to the press release from public relations manager Steve Youn, the scooters will be collected on daily basis and redistributed to campus the following day. “This is to make sure our scooters are recharged and parked responsibly throughout Georgia Southern University,” Youn said in an email. “This also helps us ensure [the scooters] are stood upright and parked responsibly so that they do not block pedestrian right-of-way or obstruct any sidewalks or roadways.” Another restriction is that riders for the scooters must be 18 years or older, have a valid driver’s license and wear a helmet. The Lime-S scooters will cost $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute of riding.
www.valdostadailytimes.com
A ‘Nugget’ of a dog: Chick-Fil-A reveals UGA bulldog statue
By Becky Taylor
TIFTON, Ga. — Poultry and canines now coexist in Tifton, thanks to a new addition at Chick-fil-A. “Nugget,” the fourth in a series of University of Georgia Tifton campus decorated bulldog statues, was introduced Monday afternoon at the restaurant. Nugget stands at southwest edge of the parking lot, facing traffic on U.S. 82, his name labeled on the “Call the Dawgs to Tifton” plaque at his feet. The ceremony was briefly delayed by rain, which meant a rainbow was visible behind the statue when its official “unleashing” took place. …Denise Gravitt, who is involved in marketing at Chick-fil-A, said the store is “very proud” to receive the bulldog before she thanked the University of Georgia Tifton campus representatives in attendance. Pettis mentioned in his speech that it was Gravitt who suggested a statue for Chick-fil-A. “Nugget” wears his traditional red UGA sweater and is also adorned with Chick-fil-A logos, including cows.