Augusta CEO

Georgia Chamber Hosted a Successful Georgia Inventure Prize

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted a successful first annual Georgia InVenture Prize. Joined in partnership with the Technical College System of Georgia, Georgia Department of Education, University System of Georgia and Georgia Public Broadcasting, the Georgia Chamber was able to host the two-day competition, and is looking forward to watching the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs expand their skills. The first place winner of the Georgia InVenture Prize is Extendo Socket from Fort Valley State University. Extendo Socket is an extension cord that is built into the outlet socket and can retract back into the outlet when not being used. The second place and People’s Choice Award winner is Spartan Wheel Chariots from Southern Regional Technical College. Spartan Wheel Chariots is a wheelchair designed for an outdoor lifestyle, with more opportunities through thick wheel treads. The Georgia Chamber proudly thanks the Georgia Power Foundation and the Georgia Inventure Prize sponsors, University System of Georgia, NCR Corporation, Georgia Lottery Corporation and Gulfstream, for their participation in a great opportunity for college students in Georgia.

South Bend Tribune

Indiana University South Bend interim chancellor named president of Georgia Gwinnett College

South Bend Tribune Report

SOUTH BEND — Jann Joseph, the current interim chancellor of Indiana University South Bend, will soon be president of Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Ga. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Joseph as the college president earlier this month, according to a news release from the university system. Her first day on the job will be July 1. Joseph became IU South Bend’s interim chancellor after Terry Allison, the former chancellor, resigned in June 2018. Joseph was previously executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Savannah Morning News

Georgia Southern University budget constraints could temper growth plans

By Ann Meyer

Kyle Marrero, the new president of Georgia Southern University, introduced himself to faculty by stating: “I set the tone and the tempo of the university.” Marrero, who began his career as an opera singer, also referenced his 9-year-old daughter’s favorite movie, “Cinderella,” to explain what he considers sage words of advice: “Have courage and be kind.” “I think that’s what’s going to be our steady line here. We have to have courage to make decisions we know are going to be right for the future,” he said at a faculty senate meeting April 3. Marrero understood when he accepted the top post that it wouldn’t be easy to unify Georgia Southern, given the distinct histories of Armstrong and Statesboro, but he wanted the challenge. He is ambitious in his goal of making Georgia Southern “sought out” as an institution of higher learning. His track record at the University of West Georgia, where he served as president for five-and-a-half years, included 16 percent enrollment growth over five years, a 32 percent improvement in graduation rates, and new funds for scholarships. Online courses and dual enrollment also grew and Marrero is credited with launching a K-16 education collaborative to strengthen the university’s pipeline. A different story at GSU

Savannah CEO

Site-synchronous Classrooms at Georgia Southern Connecting Students on All Three Campuses

Staff Report From Savannah CEO

Georgia Southern University is showing that the distance between its three campuses is just a number for students by introducing the site-synchronous classrooms pilot program, which uses state-of-the-art cameras in classrooms to connect students in Statesboro, Savannah and Hinesville. The classes taught in this new synchronous-learning environment still bring students together with either the instructor or a teaching assistant in the physical classroom on their primary campuses. In a traditional distance education class, professors would give out information to students who are dispersed. The pilot classes at Georgia Southern maintain a traditional face-to-face atmosphere with everything happening in real time, allowing for more natural discussion. Faculty senate president and Associate Professor of Literature Dustin Anderson, Ph.D., said the discussion-based format, combined with the campuses coming together, affords him and the students new opportunities.

Savannah Morning News

Savannah hotel developer to restore marker for Armstrong Junior College birthplace

By Eric Curl

Hotel developer Richard Kessler is planning to restore a historic marker that had stood on the lawn in front of the 100-year-old Armstrong Mansion he recently purchased and restored, according to Peter Werner, construction project manager with the Kessler Collection. Some concerns have been raised on Facebook after the marker was spotted leaning against a wall in a nearby parking lot. Werner said Monday that Kessler owns the parking lot and the marker is expected to be installed on the sidewalk in front of the mansion in about a week. The marker, which had experienced some cracking, is to be restored first, Werner said. The marker recognizes the building as the birthplace of Armstrong Junior College, which went on to become Armstrong State University before being consolidated with Georgia Southern University in 2017.

Tifton Gazette

Kaycee Aultman wins second place in statewide competition

Kaycee Aultman, a writing and communication major from Tifton at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, finished in second place in the recent statewide Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference for her research paper titled “The Performance Rhetoric of Hillary Clinton at the 2016 DNC.” “This is the first time in at least eight years that an ABAC student has won a research award at the Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference,” Dr. Cyndy Hall, who has directed the ABAC Honors Program for the past eight years, said. “Since joining the ABAC Honors Program, Kaycee has taken every opportunity to embrace educational and professional engagement.” The 2016 Tift County High School valedictorian, Aultman presented her work in 2017 in Washington D.C. at the National Collegiate Honors Conference with honors students from across America. She is the daughter of Stacy and Jerri Kaye Aultman of Tifton and serves as president of the ABAC Ambassadors.

accessWDUN

UNG students place in top 5 college teams in startup competition

By Alyson Shields

Two University of North Georgia students placed among the top five college teams in a student startup competition. This is the first year for the Georgia InVenture Prize competition, and senior business management majors Caleb Hearn and Samuel Herrera were one of five finalist teams to pitch a startup to judges during a live GPB broadcast. They were up against teams from Fort Valley State University, who took the gold, Southern Regional Technical College, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia. Hearn, from Powder Springs, and Herrera, from Cumming, showed off their app Opus Affinity during the semifinals on April 3 and 4. The app targets craft breweries and wineries across the state, helping both tell the brand’s stories and building brand loyalty using software that links videos in the app and giving the options for those who gift craft brews and other specialty items using the video software.

Athens CEO

UGA Student-athletes are a Hit with Special Olympics

Staff Report From Athens CEO

University of Georgia student-athletes teamed up with Special Olympics athletes from Athens-Clarke County for the 10th annual Hometown Rivals baseball game on April 1. Running back D’Andre Swift took the mound to throw out the first pitch of the game at Foley Field. Swift joined a group of more than 100 Georgia athletes from different sports that signed on as volunteers. “This just means everything to me, any chance I can get to give back in any kind of way,” said Swift. “I mean throwing the first pitch and them coming to me to do it, I would do it any day of the week. I’m just so happy to be out here with these kids.” The Hometown Rivals baseball game draws the largest group of UGA student-athlete volunteers every year.

41NBC

MGA SET TO BRING NEW ENROLLMENT CENTER AND RESIDENCE HALL TO CAMPUS

By Rashaad Vann

There are two new additions coming to Middle Georgia State University in Macon. MGA is set to open a new student residence hall and enrollment center on its Macon campus in 2020. Vice President For Enrollment Management, Jennifer Stenander says the University is giving students more opportunities as enrollment increases on campus. “We have the second highest percentage growth in the University System of Georgia, we want to accommodate our students as much as we can,” Stenander said.

Fox 5

Hidden cemetery found on University of West Georgia campus

By George Franco

An archeological survey may have found an undiscovered cemetery on the campus of the University of West Georgia in Carrollton. It’s the picturesque campus of the University of West Georgia, currently home of the wolves and previously a plantation. Now questions are swirling about this small plot of land covered in pine straw next to Melson Hall, the first building on campus. “I just know that they are looking into graves they found for slaves and it was being part of an archeological study,” said Raiden Green, a UWG student. The University confirms it sponsored an archeological survey of this area in a ‘comprehensive mapping project’ to gather information and a cultural understanding of the former Bonner Plantation property. University officials said after several rounds of ground and soil testing were concluded, the archeological survey found anomalies suggesting the presence of a possible cemetery.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Payday loan group paid KSU for favorable research, records show

By Willoughby Mariano, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia considers payday loans so hazardous to borrowers that they’re banned within state lines. U.S. military officers testified before state lawmakers that the high interest, short-term paycheck advances drown sailors and soldiers in debt. At one point, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal consumer watchdog agency, planned a crackdown. So when a Kennesaw State University study concluded that borrowers who take out a long string of payday loans fare better than those who don’t, industry advocates used it to fight off the planned crackdown. A Washington, D.C., lobbyist hand-delivered the report to a key administrator with the federal agency days before its public release, recently-released KSU emails show. This was no ordinary academic study. The Consumer Credit Research Foundation, a group run by a payday loan industry backer, gave KSU $30,000 for the research, payable upon completion of the paper, according to a consulting agreement obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The foundation sought out a KSU professor who had never published research on the subject, overlooking experts who have studied payday lending’s impact on consumers for years. It directed her approach, selected the data, and at one point, asked her to re-do her work, according to the consulting contract and other records.

41WMGT

GEORGIA SENATE BILL TO MERGE 3 HBCUS FAILS, BUT DISCUSSION CONTINUES

By Tanya Modersitzki

Georgia State Representatives are expressing their disapproval for a senate bill that would combine some of the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Senate Bill 273 didn’t pass last week, but state senators plan to reintroduce it during the next legislative session. The new bill is Senate Bill 278. The bill proposes Fort Valley State University, Albany State University, and Savannah State University combine into the Georgia Agricultural University System. Senate Bill 273 was introduced on the 39th day of the legislative session, the day before the session closed. It caused an uproar from some representatives, including Calvin Smyre. He says he’s upset a bill of this magnitude popped up with no forewarning. …Representative Patty Bentley says these universities need to stand independently, and if the bill passes the senate, she will fight for the bill not to pass the house.

Connect Savannah

How to get into the film industry

By Charles Bowen

SO YOU want to be in a pictures? Considering that Savannah is transforming into a thriving entry point for film and television careers, you are definitely in the right place. Until fairly recently, almost all roads leading to the film and television screen started in Los Angeles or New York City. Over the past decade, however, advances in technology and financial incentives like those the state of Georgia adopted in 2008 have expanded the industry far beyond California and New York. Georgia has been the primary beneficiary of this expansion with Atlanta topping the list of current filming locations and significantly-smaller Savannah coming in second. If you are interested in becoming a part of Georgia’s film industry, you should know one thing up front: no one starts at the top. The movie and television industry rewards experience and is merit-based. …If you still feel drawn to invest in a film-related future after being on a set, Savannah has you covered. Thanks to Savannah Technical College, our city hosts one of the 12 campuses of the Georgia Film Academy. This unique partnership of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia provides a certification program of 18 credit hours, complete with internship opportunities. Georgia Film Academy students study a curriculum of on-set production, set construction and scenic painting, lighting and electric, grip and rigging, introduction to special makeup effects, post-production effects and, in the future, production accounting.

Tifton Gazette

ABAC inducts new Athletics Hall of Fame class

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Athletics Hall of Fame was enriched Friday evening at Gressette Gymnasium with the additions of five individuals and one team. All inductees were honored at the annual Hall of Fame ceremony, which started with an introduction by ABAC athletic director Alan Kramer. Kramer gave thanks “to ABAC folks who support this and ABAC athletes.” He specially mentioned ABAC director of public relations emeritus, Mike Chason, and athletics administrative associate, Shirley Wilson, for making the night possible. The ceremony paused for dinner, with an invocation delivered by Hall of Famer Craig Sowell. …The 2019 class of inductees were the 1968-69 men’s basketball team, Alfred Barney, Lisa English Doherty, Jennifer McCarthy, Terry Mixon and Sidney White. The individual athletes were inducted for their skills in basketball, tennis, softball, baseball and football.

41WMGT

FVSU ONE OF TWO GEORGIA INSTITUTIONS TO RESEARCH, DISPENSE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

By Tanya Modersitzki

State and local lawmakers are giving a clear picture on the bills passed during the 2019 legislative session. Fort Valley State University was full of politicians for its Ham and Eggs Legislative Breakfast and Georgia Agricultural Showcase Friday morning. Politicians highlighted that FVSU will be one of two universities to research, grow, and dispense medical marijuana. “The Farm Bill, for Fort Valley State to be designated with some appropriation with the Farm Bill. With that in mind, it was a good day for FVSU, it’ll mean a lot to the university to get in on the growth side and the dispense side,” Representative Calvin Smyre said.

Blavity

Pregnant Georgia Mother And Son Killed During Atlanta SWAT Standoff Between Gunman And Police

It was the first of two SWAT standoffs in Atlanta between Thursday and Monday.

Jazzi Johnson

Two standoffs in Atlanta over the past few days have put the city on edge. One resulted in the brutal killing of a pregnant mother and her son. CBS News reports Stockbridge Police were responding to a domestic dispute on Thursday morning when a gunman shot and wounded two officers. The incident, recorded on body camera, shows the two officers being ambushed upon entry of the front door and retreating, wounded. The gunman reportedly yelled that he had a hostage before threatening to let off rounds of ammunition he claimed to have. After shooting the responding officers– one in the hand and another in the hip — 47-year-old Atlanta-native Anthony Tony Bailey Jr., 47 then barricaded himself in the home with the pregnant woman and teenage son. It is uncertain if the victims were dead or alive at the time. …In fact, they held off for 15 more hours but eventually forced entry after the gunman refused to show proof of the hostage’s well-being and became unresponsive. Late Thursday night, officers fired gas into the Stockbridge home but was met with rounds of bullets. By pre-dawn Friday morning, the SWAT team made the decision to intervene on the scene again, this time finding three deceased bodies. The victims, 39-year-old Sandra Renee White who was eight months pregnant, was found in the home’s garage. Her son, 16-year-old Arkeyvion White, was found deceased in an upstairs bedroom. The gunman, Bailey, was also found in the bedroom, dead via suicide. …Sandra White was a registered working nurse at WellStar Health System and had been taking classes at Georgia Southern University to further her training in the field. Arkeyvion was a football player and Dutchtown High School.