University System News:
Gainesville Times
John Blessing becomes UNG’s first Truman Scholar
Joshua Silavent
The University of North Georgia is celebrating the accomplishments of student John Blessing after he was named a Harry S. Truman Scholar last week, the first in the school’s history. And UNG is the only school in Georgia with a 2019 Truman Scholar winner. “I honestly couldn’t be more grateful, not only to Truman who is giving me a tremendous opportunity, but also to my friends and professors,” Blessing said. UNG President Bonita Jacobs revealed the news to Blessing on April 9 at the school’s Gainesville campus, noting the scholarship’s prestigious legacy. …The Truman Scholarship awards up to $30,000 for prospective graduate students working toward a career in government and public service.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU grad, inspired to lift up others, follows example of strong female role models
Sally Litchfield
Ebony Upton understands the importance of women encouraging women. The 2017 graduate of Kennesaw State University is pursuing a Master’s Degree in social work from the University of Georgia so she can help others. Born into a modest community outside of Macon, Upton’s biological father left her mother when she was pregnant with Upton. Her mother remarried when Upton was age 13 and moved the family to Augusta. …Upton’s mother helped her through the struggle. “I realized that God really had a purpose for me and that I should continue to fight for life. I got myself back on the right path. I continued to push through life and see what the next step in my purpose was. That’s when I decided to attend Kennesaw State University where I met Sharon (Brownlow) at a new student retreat in 2014,” Upton said. Upton worked with Brownlow, Director of Parent and Family Programs at KSU as a Family Ambassador. “I am very vulnerable. (Sharon) showed she cared about me. When I was dealing with outside conflict of not knowing who I am, what’s my purpose, struggling with peers, I would just go into her office. I always call her ‘my away-from-home mom.’ She has helped shape me and encouraged me to know I am doing everything right and that I have a purpose,” Upton said. …In keeping with connections, Brownlow introduced Upton to her 90-year-old aunt, Betty Bellairs, the first graduate of the UGA School of Social Work (MSW ‘66) who confirmed Upton’s desire to be a social worker.
The George-Anne
Three students discuss their trials and triumphs as first-generation college students
By Shiann Sivell, The George-Anne staff
From the time we are born we have no choice but to trust our parents to guide us, to mold us and to help us make better decisions for ourselves. The greatest challenge they are supposed to help us overcome is what to do with our lives after we are legally no longer their responsibility. In families where a college education was not stressed or considered, many young people will struggle to decide what they want to do with their lives. Some may be able to pick from what their high schools have to offer while others must decide their own paths without guidance. Three Georgia Southern University students shared their stories of how they chose a path their parents did not, and how they overcame the stigma held against them thanks to the help of tact and unlikely mentors.
Ruben Benitez, a fifth year senior public relations major … Christopher Bernard, freshman theater major … Kristen Edwards, a senior public relations major
13WMAZ
Be The Match: MGSU student gives dad a second shot at life with bone marrow donation
Edward Jolley’s dad was battling Leukemia until he learned he could save his life
Author: Wanya Reese
A Middle Georgia State University student is used to living life in the sky since he’s studying in Eastman to become a pilot. But when he found out he had the chance to save his dad from cancer, he didn’t hesitate to ground his plans. Edward Jolley III is your average college student. “I enjoy watching movies — superhero movies mainly,” Jolley said. The junior at Middle Georgia State University’s Eastman campus studies aviation. “Planes are always flying over the top of my house and I said, ‘That looks interesting, I would like to do that one day,'” Jolley said. With a passion to fly, his plans were suddenly grounded when he learned his dad, Edward Jolley Jr. was sick.
WRBL
CSU students help women battling addiction find hope by renovating a recovery center
By: Anjelicia Bruton
Several Columbus State University students donated their Saturday to paint several rooms in the Valley Resuce Mission Women’s Recovery Center. Each room will house three women for a nine month period as they work through addiction. The Valley Rescue Recovery Women’s Center is a christ centered program that promotes spiritual and personal growth to rebuild a life after addiction. Matthew Westlake says he proposed the idea to his class and was happy to see his classmates back him on this day of service. “Each one of us, I would like to believe has a soft spot for wanting to reach out to the community. All of us have or at least have encountered a woman or child in our lives who has needed help and why not do our best to get that help out into the community,” Westlake said. Once renovations are completed Kayla Daniel will move from the women and children’s center to start recovering from meth. She says seeing the community give back to the center makes her feel like she’s found a safe haven.
Albany Herald
ASU quiz team to compete for $75,000 prize
From Staff Reports
After winning a series of regional competitions, Albany State University is one of 48 schools that will vie for the championship title at the 30th annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, America’s premier academic competition for historically black colleges and universities. The national championship, which started Saturday and will continue through Wednesday, invites more than 10,000 students from HBCUs around the country to Torrance, Calif., to compete for a $75,000 grand prize in the academic tournament. Funds will be used for scholarships and program development. “Honda has been a major supporter of HBCUs for decades, and they have contributed millions of dollars to programs that impact students at our institutions,” John Williams, the ASU team coach and an associate professor of biology in the Department of Biological Sciences, said in a news release. “Albany State University has been participating in this competition since the beginning, and it is only fitting that we compete for the title on the 30th anniversary.”
Gainesville Times
How UNG student uses cancer research to inspire women in STEM and future scientists
Kelsey Richardson
Jessica Nix, a junior biology student at the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus, comes from a family of former smokers. When her professor, Shannon Kispert, pitched a research idea to her, Nix eagerly jumped on board for the chance to make an impact in cancer research. The project furthers Kispert’s doctorate research, which she worked on at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Since the summer of 2018, Kispert and Nix have worked together to examine certain proteins and their connection to bladder cancer and cigarette smoking.
Savannah Morning News
Georgia Southern student lands prestigious clinical rotation at Mayo Clinic
Georgia Southern University medical laboratory science student Lauren Frank recently earned a six-month medical laboratory assistant clinical rotation at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. The U.S. News & World Report ranked the Mayo Clinic as the No. 1 hospital overall and No. 1 in more specialties than any other hospital in the nation in its 2018-2019 rankings of top hospitals. Frank said that landing a spot at Mayo Clinic was more than an accomplishment; it was the realization of a childhood dream. “It means so much to be chosen for a clinical rotation at the Mayo Clinic,” she noted. “It has always been a dream of mine to work at Mayo.” Diagnosed with a rare cancer at age five, Frank said her experiences in the hospital encouraged her pursuit of a degree in the medical field to help others the same way she received help.
GrowingAmerica
ABAC’s Stafford School of Business Celebrates Fifth Anniversary of Degree
Students, faculty and staff from the Stafford School of Business at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College recently joined with their community business partners to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Bachelor of Science degree in Business at ABAC. Dr. Renata Elad, Dean of the Stafford School of Business, said the school bases the success of the degree on five tenets. “Our business partners in the room know we have a well-rounded, broad-based program because they hire our students as interns,” Elad said. “We also pride ourselves on hands-on experiential learning, strong faculty mentorships, an innovative curriculum, a low student-to-faculty ratio, and a quite affordable degree.”
WGAU Radio
UNG, CCSD ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
During her first summer as the executive director of University of North Georgia’s (UNG) Oconee Campus, Dr. Cyndee Perdue Moore noticed the quiet, serene campus environment. “I thought we should be doing something with the space in the summer,” Moore said. She saw several signs in and around Watkinsville and Athens, Georgia, for camps focused on art, music, sports and more. “Some of those are expensive. Then I thought, ‘We can offer an accessible and affordable experience to benefit middle school students here.'” Thanks to a partnership with Clarke County School District, Moore will see her idea of a “more camp, less summer school” experience come to fruition in summer 2019. The Nighthawks Student Opportunities for Accelerated Readiness (SOAR) program will run from June 10-28 with students at Athens Community Career Academy in the morning and UNG’s Oconee Campus in the afternoon. The free six-hour program is designed to bridge the education gap for rising sixth- through eighth-grade students during the summer. SOAR will target economically disadvantaged youth who are prospective first-generation college students.
Patch
5 Georgia Public Colleges Ranked Among Best In The Nation
A new report ranked the best public universities in America. These Georgia colleges are listed in the top 250 schools nationwide.
By Deb Belt, Patch National Staff
In a state with renowned higher education institutions, it can be a challenge to sort through the college options best for your student. That’s where rankings from various publication can help, giving you an idea of the strengths universities have and their costs. The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta is the best public college in the Peach State, according to new national rankings published by Business First. Business First released its 2019 rankings Monday after analyzing data for more than 500 public colleges across the country. Here are the colleges and overall rankings for the schools in Georgia:
Georgia Institute of Technology, No. 11
University of Georgia, No. 28
Georgia State University, No. 175
Georgia College and State University, No. 194
Georgia Southern University, No. 202
WTOC
Over 200 GSU students on Statesboro campus being relocated due to structural problems
By Dal Cannady
More than 200 students on Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro campus found out this week they are moving out of their campus apartments due to structural problems. Friday, the university started relocating those students to vacant spots around campus and elsewhere. The end of the school year is less than a month away, but University Village looks like the beginning of the year as many students found out they’re moving. A caravan of moving trucks sat in the parking lot to get students to their temporary homes. Matthew Hunter hurriedly packed his things after getting notice this week that his building would close. …University staff met with students this week to explain how they would move them to vacant units, either on campus or off campus, at university expense.
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern student arrested at Eagle Village for cocaine sale and other charges
By Matthew Enfinger
An investigation by the Statesboro Police Department’s Impact Team led to the arrest of a Georgia Southern University student at Eagle Village on Friday for the sale of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine and other charges. According to a Facebook post by SPD, a search warrant was executed at an Eagle Village dorm room on Friday. Angelina Marie Levitt, 19, was taken into custody without incident for charges from this case.
Daily Report
UGA Law School Honors Legal Luminaries
“They are outstanding role models for our students as we prepare them to be leaders and demonstrate the value of serving their communities,” said UGA law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge.
By Katheryn Tucker
The University of Georgia School of Law used its alumni gathering this month to honor three legal luminaries and one up-and-coming young lawyer. “I am tremendously pleased to be recognizing these four distinguished and accomplished individuals,” Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said in announcing the awards. “They are outstanding role models for our students as we prepare them to be leaders and demonstrate the value of serving their communities.” Rutledge and University of Georgia President Jere Morehead presented the law school’s highest honor—the Distinguished Service Scroll—to: Kathelen Van Blarcum Amos, former Aflac general counsel who was responsible for the insurance company’s public relations and media during the conception of the famous duck, and current president of the Aflac Foundation, leading the company’s founding family’s philanthropic endeavors; William Porter “Billy” Payne—most famous for driving Atlanta’s campaign to host the Olympics in 1996 and the only person to lead a host city’s efforts from beginning to finish, from 1987 to 1997, who went on to become chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club and chairman of the real estate developer Centennial Holding Corp.; and Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton, who formerly served as an assistant attorney general and executive counsel to Gov. Sonny Perdue. At the same time, the dean and the president presented Mercedes Ball with the “Young Alumni/Alumnae of Excellence Award.” She is a 2009 UGA law graduate …
Savannah Morning News
Viewpoints, Sen. Ben Watson on 2020 legislative session
By Sen. Ben Watson
The 2019 legislative session was a very productive one that adjourned right before midnight on April 2. As I look back on our work “under the gold dome,” the following bills stand out as either successes, disappointments or future focuses. Locally, we were successful in finishing and furnishing the Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus nursing building with $4 million in the budget and forming a state partnership with the Savannah Economic Development Authority for the upcoming logistics center building search. Both will contribute to the betterment of our community.
Higher Education News:
USA Today
Students accused of sexual assault are suing colleges — and winning most of the time
David Jesse, Detroit Free Press
Nearly a year after having what he claimed was consensual sex and she claimed was assault, the two Aquinas College students were back together, this time separated by a curtain. For 50 minutes, they appeared in front of a panel of employees of the college in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In a 10-minute opening statement, the male student defended himself against charges he had sexually assaulted the female student. The female student offered no opening statement. A few questions from the panel later, the hearing was done. Six days later, the male student was expelled. Ten months later, he filed a federal lawsuit. Several months after that, Aquinas settled the lawsuit. Those involved are barred from talking about the case by the agreement. In suing, the Aquinas student joined a growing tide of male students, accused of sexually assaulting fellow students, who have lodged federal lawsuits against their schools, alleging discrimination and violations of their due process rights. Despite the continued heat of the #MeToo movement that has brought down celebrities, politicians, business leaders and religious leaders, the male students are finding success in the court system. In 2011, then-President Barack Obama’s administration urged universities to take more action on sexual assault complaints. Since then, universities have lost more decisions in these lawsuits than they have won, according to an analysis of federal court filings. Most of the losses are judges deciding against universities’ motions to dismiss the cases. …Several hundred cases have been filed in the last eight years, with the pace picking up in recent years. Now a case is filed every two weeks or so, experts said.