University System News:
www.albanyherald.com
GSW president honored at investiture ceremony
Neal Weaver is Georgia Southwestern’s 11th president
From Staff Reports
AMERICUS — University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley and other prominent guests took part in the investiture ceremony of Neal R. Weaver as Georgia Southwestern State University’s 11th President Friday. In addition to Wrigley and other University System presidents, guests at the ceremony included 12th District state Sen. Freddie Powell Sims and 13th District Sen. Greg Kirk, House District 137 Rep. Bill McGowan and Americus Mayor Barry Blount. The convocation ceremony was conducted at GSW’s Convocation Hall in the Student Success Center.
www.albanyherald.com
ASU Gala to support scholarship fund
Elegant event part of Albany State homecoming celebration
By Danyelle Gary
Special to The Albany herald
ALBANY – Officially, it is the Blue & Gold Scholarship Gala. Unofficially, it is the premier formal event in southwest Georgia. The Blue & Gold Scholarship Gala, which will be held Oct. 19, signals the beginning of a grand homecoming weekend celebration for Albany State University. The formal event serves as an opportunity to raise scholarship funds to support ASU students. All proceeds will go toward need- and merit-based scholarships. “The Gala offers an opportunity to provide financial support to ASU students in a major way,” A.L. Fleming, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the ASU Foundation, said.
www.albanyherald.com
ABAC to showcase programs at Sunbelt Expo
ABAC will connect students, alumni with program exhibits at Sunbelt Expo
From Staff Reports
TIFTON — Fifty-four years ago, in 1964, faculty and students at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College sponsored an event called Dealer Days on the ABAC campus. The small farm equipment show grew into the event known as the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition. ABAC is now an annual exhibitor at the Expo, which moved to Spence Field near Moultrie in 1978. At the ABAC building at this year’s expo Oct. 16-18, visitors will get to look at different segments of ABAC life. ABAC students, faculty, staff and administrators will be at the expo to greet visitors at the exhibit, and interactive games will allow guests to learn more about the college. Landmarks at the building include the Golden Stallion mascot statue and the ABAC pulling tractors. ABAC alumni can discover their role with the alumni association and its many activities, including homecoming 2019. Prospective students will get a taste of ABAC through displays, brochures and conversations with current students. Musically-gifted ABAC students will offer entertainment options for expo visitors.
www.gainesvilletimes.com
How UNG is working with the FBI on cybersecurity
https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/how-ung-working-fbi-cybersecurity/
Nick Watson
For those wary of phishing emails, scammer phone calls wanting your Social Security number and ransomware locking down vital computer files, the University of North Georgia is partnering with the FBI to send out a statewide cyber-threat survey in early 2019.
www.bizjournals.com
UGA planning $53 million renovation of high-rise student tower
By David Allison – Editor, Atlanta Business Chronicle
The University of Georgia is planning a $53.8 million renovation of one of its largest student housing towers. UGA is proposing a comprehensive renovation of Brumby Hall, an approximately 214,000-square-foot high-rise residence hall that was constructed in 1966 and contains 950 beds and primarily serves first-year students. The renovation would reduce the number of beds to 938. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia is scheduled to vote on the project at its Oct. 9-10 meeting. “To improve the student experience, the living, bathroom, and programmatic spaces would be reconfigured to improve privacy and enable more flexible furniture placement,” UGA says. “Enhanced student amenities such as laundry facilities, community kitchens, and increased study spaces, would be provided to encourage interaction and engagement.
www.mdjonline.com
KSU student gets unexpected chance to sing at Braves game
Staff reports
KENNESAW — Kennesaw State University student Sirena Grace brought a roar of applause from the crowd when she performed “God Bless America” at the Atlanta Braves game at SunTrust Park on Sept. 21. Not bad for someone who had only two hours to prepare to sing in front of 34,370 people. “That moment, I felt extremely proud and the energy of the crowd was exhilarating,” Grace said. “I felt the emotion and the pride that was in the stadium, and it gave me strength to be able to hit those high notes and sing with love.” Grace, a journalism major and a student in the Joel A. Katz Music and Entertainment Business Program (MEBUS), happened to be at SunTrust Park that night to watch friends give a pre-game show at The Battery. The sound engineer, Andrew Tanguay, recognized Grace from a local talent show earlier this year, and he asked if she would like to sing “God Bless America” because the scheduled performer had canceled. …Performing “God Bless America” was a deeply personal moment for Grace, the daughter of immigrants from El Salvador and the Dominican Republic and the first person in her family to be born in the United States. Also, Grace shares family ties to the military: her father is an ex-Marine, her brother serves in the U.S. Air Force and her late fiancé, Willie James Wiley, was serving in the U.S. Army when he died in a car accident.
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
Giving Rural Students ‘the Short Box’
Colleges often go about recruiting rural students in the wrong way, admissions experts say. But they can commit to better practices if they recognize “rurality is different everywhere.”
By Rick Seltzer
A student’s decision about where to apply to college can depend on what is in front of her, Jazmin Regalado said during a session at the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s recent annual meeting. Regalado, a freshman biology and premed student at New Mexico State University, recounted her application process in high school. …Growing up, her elementary, middle and high schools were all together. One counselor is supposed to help seniors, but she didn’t have time to do it all, Regalado said. An English teacher also tried to recruit colleges and universities to come talk to students. “There are five in the state, and out of those five, like three came, and there was one from Texas that came,” Regalado said. She had wanted to attend the University of Chicago, but the application was long, and she never finished it. She ended up sticking with the institutions that visited her school. …Regalado spoke alongside several professionals involved in college admissions in a session about outreach to rural students. It’s a topic of interest at many colleges and universities as leaders continue to grapple with polling showing deep skepticism of higher ed from Republicans, and as a rural-urban divide contributes to the country’s political schisms. Panelists didn’t address the politics of recruiting rural students. But they did make the case that those students can be very different from what admissions officers picture.