University System News:
The Red & Black
Board of Regents approves master’s film program for UGA as film industry grows in Georgia
Stephen Barr | Contributor
It’s lights, camera and soon-to-be action for the University of Georgia’s master’s film program. A request by UGA to develop a Master of Fine Arts with a major in film, television and digital media was approved in mid-February. The program intends to aid Georgia’s growing television and film production industry while also addressing issues of diversity. The program, approved by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents on Feb.12, will last two years and will include coursework from both Grady College and Franklin College.
WALB
Heroes Among Us: Ramona Mulleins-Foreman
By Emileigh Forrester
WALB and Montlick and Associates would like to recognize the Heroes Among Us. Each month, we will spotlight an active duty man or woman, a veteran, or a fallen hero whose service to our country goes beyond the battleground. “They’re going out, and they’re putting their lives on the line, and I’m there to put them back together,” said Army Col. Ramona Mulleins-Foreman. Overseas, she experiences life-altering circumstances that many of us will never see. “You have to see it, really, as an adventure, because you honestly don’t know what’s going to come around the corner next,” she explained of her nearly 34 years in the Army. That includes three deployments to the Middle East. This time last year, she was commanding a surgical team in the heat of the action: Afghanistan. When she got the call to deploy nearly two years ago, the university at which she is an assistant professor, Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, essentially told her they would be waiting when she got back. “They sent me a care box every month,” she said of her employer while she was deployed. “Socks, cookies, books, at Christmas, I had Christmas ornaments.” Fast forward a year, and reminders of that time sit throughout her office at GSW.
Athens Banner-Herald
UNG hires new dean for college of business
By Clark Leonard
Mary A. Gowan has been named dean of the University of North Georgia’s Mike Cottrell College of Business. Gowan, who began her new role on Feb. 4, comes from James Madison University, where she has served as professor of strategic leadership studies since July 2018. Before that, she was dean and Kenneth R. Bartee endowed professor from 2013 through June 2018 in the university’s College of Business. UNG has campuses in Dahlonega, Gainesville and Watkinsville. “Dr. Gowan brings a wealth of experience to the position, having previously served as a dean at both James Madison University and at Elon University,” interim Provost Chaudron Gille said. “We are happy to have her join UNG at this exciting time in the development of the Mike Cottrell College of Business,” she said. …The UNG business college is among the less than 5 percent of the world’s business schools to have earned the hallmark of excellence with accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University of Georgia names new provost
By Eric Stirgus
The University of Georgia announced Monday it has named a high-ranking administrator from the University of Michigan as its new provost. S. Jack Hu, vice president for research at the University of Michigan, has been named the University of Georgia’s next senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, effective July 1. Hu was chosen among four finalists identified through a national search to fill UGA’s chief academic officer role. “I believe Dr. Hu possesses the unique background and experience to continue elevating our national prominence in research, innovation and graduate education while building on our superior undergraduate learning environment,” UGA President Jere Morehead said in a statement. “I am excited to welcome him to campus this summer.” …UGA began its search last year after Pamela Whitten was hired to become president of Kennesaw State University.
Tifton Gazette
New equipment at Georgia hospitals assists ABAC students pursuing degree in nursing
Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing just got a lot easier in South Georgia thanks to the cooperation of six rural hospitals who utilized grant funds to install mobile video carts to assist nurses enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) online program at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. “Despite the popularity, online teaching and learning sometimes present challenges,” Dr. Jaibun Earp, dean of the ABAC School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said. “Using this dedicated video conferencing technology in the classroom increases faculty-student interaction and social presence which improves student learning outcomes.” Troy Spicer, director of the ABAC Health Center, says visuals really make a difference. “Putting a face with a name goes a long way in today’s digital world,” Spicer said. “Making a connection with students in an online program, especially one as rigorous as nursing, can lead to increased student success.”
Albany CEO
Staff Report From Albany CEO
For the first time in Georgia Southwestern State University’s history, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences held a White Coat Ceremony on Tuesday, February 26 to recognize 40 junior nursing students’ transition from the classroom to the clinical setting. The white coat signifies their role and status as a healthcare professional. “This is a historic event as it is the first for our university, and I know that it will become a time honored tradition as we move forward,” said College of Nursing and Health Sciences Dean Sandra Daniel, Ph.D. “White coat ceremonies have long been a ritual for medical students, and such ceremonies now encompass other healthcare professions including nursing.” The White Coat Ceremony, initiated in 1993 by world-renowned pediatric neurologist Arnold P. Gold, Ph.D., was designed to recognize the important milestone of successfully completing the first semester in the nursing program. This recognition establishes a student’s commitment to deliver high quality, compassionate care and to instill a culture of respect and dignity for patients and professionals. The significance of the white coat ceremony acts as a rite of passage as students embark on their nursing career.
Albany Herald
Sorority pledges endowment funds to ASU
Alpha Kappa Alpha plans $10 million in donations to HBCUs
From Staff Reports
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., in partnership with the Educational Advancement Foundation, has pledged an endowment in the amount of $100,000 to Albany State University as part of the organization’s AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund. ASU President Marion Fedrick joined 31 other presidents of historically black colleges and universities on Feb. 28 at the Alpha Kappa Alpha International Headquarters in Chicago to accept the first installment of their institution’s award.
WRBL
Women of Columbus share their struggles and how they overcome gender inequality
By: Anjelicia Bruton
Whether it’s through beautification of the city, encouraging kids to chase their dreams, or coming to the rescue for individuals when times are rough, these women are there. Panelists were from Hope Harbour, Homeless Resource Network, Minors in Business, SparkArt and Columbus State University. Although they play a huge part in our community, they all addressed gender inequalities they say they’ve faced in their work and personal lives. “I’ve noticed that there’s some gender inequalities in terms of pay or actual job position or progression. There’s also a lot of issues that are down south versus further up north that I’ve seen as well, so we need to implement some changes that make it an even playing field for all,” Kar’retta Venable,M.S. said. Kar’retta Venable is a professor at Columbus State University and Columbus Technical College for environmental sciences and physics. During the panel, she shared the struggles she faced as a woman while getting her PHD.
Macon Telegraph
Cyber defense, education, chemistry and farming: Middle Georgia folks conquer all
BY Jenna Eason
Middle Georgia State University has a cyber defense competition team, the Cyber Knights, and they have advanced to the regional level of the 2019 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. “I was excited,” said Jacob Corley, the team captain. “We were confident going in, but it’s definitely a good feeling to move on to the regionals and get one step closer to going to the nationals.” Corley said the regional competition consists of different cyber attack scenarios.
FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA AWARDS
Veterans High School FFA students won four awards during the Georgia Career Development Event that will allow them to move on to the National FFA Convention, according to a press release. Two Veteran High students won individual awards at the competition on Feb. 9 at Fort Valley State University, and teams from Veterans High won first place in agriculture sales and second place in floriculture, according to the release.
WGAU Radio
Sometimes, there’s just not enough sunshine. Just ask any indoor farmer. When the sun hides too much, they have to switch on the greenhouse lights to nourish the crops. It works, but it’s costly: Electricity can fry profit margins. A pair of researchers at the University of Georgia came up with a novel idea. What if indoor lighting could be calibrated more precisely to account for changing weather and the differing daylight needs of crops? Erico Mattos and Marc van Iersel figured out how to do just that. They launched Candidus, a company that develops technology and “lighting strategies” to optimize light for indoor farmers, saving them money and increasing their crop yields.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tech women’s basketball grad assistant fired in wake of MaChelle Joseph leave
By Ken Sugiura
A Georgia Tech women’s basketball graduate assistant said she was fired by the school on Friday for not following instructions to the staff to not have private conversations with team members in the wake of coach MaChelle Joseph being put on leave. Antonia Peresson, who played for the Yellow Jackets for four seasons and graduated this past May with a degree in business administration, had been a graduate manager for the team since August. An athletic department spokesman confirmed that Peresson is no longer with the program.“They told us that we could not have private conversations with student-athletes, and I did,” Peresson told the AJC Sunday. “I got in touch with a student-athlete because I was one of their teammates and I have that bond. They were like my little sisters. I have that bond. I was just worried about them because of this whole thing.”
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Trump Says He’ll Sign Order Requiring Colleges to Protect Free Speech
By Katherine Mangan
President Trump announced on Saturday that he would soon sign an executive order threatening to cut off federal research money to colleges that fail to support free speech. He made the announcement at a gathering outside Washington, D.C., of the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC. “Today I’m proud to announce that I will be very soon signing an executive order requiring colleges and universities to support free speech if they want federal research grants,” he said. The crowd, including young people wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats, erupted in applause. Within an hour, the CPAC post of his announcement had been retweeted and liked thousands of times. The president said he would sign the order “very soon” but gave no further details.
See also:
Inside Higher Ed
Trump Vows Executive Order on Campus Free Speech
President says he will deny federal research dollars to institutions that do not protect free speech. Higher ed groups question need for a measure. Could Solomon Amendment be a model for Trump?
PBS
Most Americans don’t realize state funding for higher ed fell by billions
By Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report
At a time when so many employers are struggling to find workers who have university degrees, Tyler Duffield thinks supporting higher education is as obvious an obligation of state government as it is essential. “It’s kind of unthinkable that the government would scale back that kind of thing,” said Duffield, 20, a North Carolina community college student majoring in environmental engineering. “Any country that chooses not to prioritize higher education makes itself less competitive in the world.” Most Americans believe state spending for public universities and colleges has, in fact, increased or at least held steady over the last 10 years, according to a new survey by American Public Media. They’re wrong. States have collectively scaled back their annual higher education funding by $9 billion during that time, when adjusted for inflation, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP, reports.