University System News:
The 74million
Silicon Valley, Seattle and other major innovation hubs may be better known for their ability to attract talent in technology, but a state traditionally revered for its peaches and peanuts is introducing a big initiative to grow skilled tech workers right at home. Georgia wants to position its college graduates at the forefront of the financial technology boom — by way of a new degree that offers highly specialized coursework and a foot in the door at major fintech companies. The nexus degree in fintech from the University System of Georgia debuts this spring and entails 18 hours of coursework — approximately one year of study — in technical areas like payment transactions. At least six of those hours are spent in the field working for one of the financial technology companies that calls Georgia home. The name of the degree — “nexus” — refers to this connection between learning in the classroom and learning on the job.
11alive
All the top innovators and financial tech trends! Cara Kneer takes you inside Technology Association of Georgia’s FinTech South 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Florida Times-Union
Friday Editorial: We’re eating Georgia’s dust when it comes to the film industry
By Times-Union Editorial Board
A movie set in St. Petersburg was shot in Savannah. A movie about Tampa’s Ybor City was shot in Georgia, which had to recreate the look of Ybor City. A movie set in part in coastal Florida was shot in Georgia. Huh? Why are Florida movies being shot in Georgia? Money talks, and movie companies are attracted by the strong incentives offered in Georgia. Georgia has shot to the pinnacle of the movie and TV production industry with a brilliantly simple set of incentives. There is no cap, which makes sense. If an incentive produces results, why artificially turn down revenue for the state? And there is no sunset to the incentives, which reassures filmmakers that Georgia is serious. Georgia offers a 20 percent tax credit for companies that spend $500,000 or more on production in Georgia. The state gives another 10 percent tax credit if the finished product includes a promotional peach logo provided by the state. If the company has little tax liability, it can transfer or sell its credits. The economic impact of Georgia’s film industry has increased by an amazing 4,000 percent since 2007; in the 2018 fiscal year, the economic impact of 455 film projects was $9.5 billion.
The Tifton Gazette
ABAC hosts Wildlife Society Southeastern Student Conclave
College and university undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States compete for three days in a variety of physical, artistic, and intellectual events at the Wildlife Society Southeastern Student Conclave. For the first time ever, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College recently hosted this annual competition of wildlife minds. The University of Georgia (UGA) was the overall 2019 conclave winner with the highest scores across all competitions. Mississippi State University finished second followed by North Carolina State University, and Haywood (N.C) Community College. A total of 21 colleges and universities, all with wildlife-related programs, competed in the conclave, bringing 359 registrants, including student competitors and their faculty advisors, to Tifton. Eleven states were represented, ranging from Maryland to Arkansas.
The Brunswick News
College honors student veterans at ceremony
By LAUREN MCDONALD
College of Coastal Georgia works year-round to be an inclusive campus for veteran students. Work done by groups like VALOR, a student veterans organization, and support from the college leadership both play key roles in making the campus welcoming. And once a year, the college hosts a ceremony to honor its veterans. The college held the annual Military & Community Partner Appreciation Ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the service of faculty, staff and students as well as the work of community partners. …Ray Crouch, a retired captain in the U.S. Navy and Navy fighter pilot, shared his own experience balancing the responsibilities of serving in the military with the importance of receiving a college education.
Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern Professor Accepted in Prestigious 2019 PRIDE Institute Summer Program
Georgia Southern University Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) Assistant Professor Tilicia Mayo-Gamble, Ph.D., has been accepted into the 2019 Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE). She will be a part of the Functional and Translational Genomics of Blood Disorder Program.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Honors and Awards in Higher Education for Five African Americans
The University of Georgia College of Education has launched an initiative to name the college for Mary Frances Early, the university’s first African American graduate. A native of Atlanta, Early came to UGA in the summer of 1961. …She became the first African American to earn a degree from the University of Georgia when she graduated on Aug. 16, 1962, with a master’s degree in music education. She returned in 1964 to continue her education, earning a Specialist in Education degree in 1967.
The Compliance and Ethics Blog
An Interview with Ling-Ling Nie, Georgia Tech’s New VP of E&C
By SCCE
The Hanzo Profiles of Excellence series interviews industry leaders in compliance, eDiscovery, investigations and risk management to learn about their experiences in the field and give them a platform to share advice. In this edition, we speak with Ling-Ling Nie, experienced ethics and compliance professional, who recently started a new role at Georgia Tech, a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia founded in 1885 with over 6,000 staff members and nearly 30,000 students. (AUDIO INTERVIEW)
WTOC11
Breast cancer survivor, son speak about experience ahead of Komen Race for the Cure
Thousands are preparing to lace up their shoes for the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this weekend. Breast cancer survivor Patti Clark has been volunteering for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for nearly four years. She says while her story has inspired others who are suffering to keep pushing, her son is now becoming a part of that effort as well. “I am a five-year breast cancer survivor, just passed my fifth year in December. My mother is a 31-year survivor; the same type of cancer,” Clark said. She says while it might be a time for her to celebrate, it’s also a time to give back and help people who are unable to afford mammograms and would otherwise go untreated. …Clark says her son, Daniel, who is a student at Georgia Southern, is now joining in the effort to keep hope alive for others suffering.
Gainesville Times
This UNG alum is in a class ‘by himself’ as an Army Ranger
Joshua Silavent
Michael Rose, a 2011 graduate of the University of North Georgia and a current Army captain, became the first person to win the David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition three times … Capts. John Bergman and Michael Rose take part in a round robin event April 13. Bergman and Rose of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, earned the title of “Best Rangers” during an awards ceremony at the Maneuver Center of Excellence headquarters April 15 at Fort Benning. Rose is the first ranger to win three times.
The Brunswick News
JWSC chairman inducted into Georgia Tech hall of fame
By TAYLOR COOPER
Engineering, particularly in the field of water and sewer utilities, has been a nearly lifelong pursuit for local utility official Ben Turnipseed. “God has really blessed me. I started a company, and I’m blessed it turned out like it did,” Turnipseed said. The Georgia Institute of Technology inducted Turnipseed, the current chairman of the Brunswick-Glynn County Joint Water and Sewer Commission and a 50-year veteran of the water and sewer utilities industry, into its engineering hall of fame this month, recognizing his achievements and contributions to the water and sewer utilities industry.
Index-Journal
Greenwood chamber honors Women of Excellence at annual luncheon
By Adam Benson
A trio of women who have found success in male-oriented fields — and then used their own stories to inspire legions of younger females — were honored Thursday for their excellence. Former Greenwood County engineer Rossie Corwon, Piedmont Technical College associate vice president of assessment and compliance Donna Foster and state Commission on Higher Education member Bettie Rose Horne were named 2019 “Women of Excellence” at a Women’s Leadership Council-sponsored luncheon that also honored Faith Home co-founder Aileen Barnes and Greenwood District 50 teacher Amy Fennell. The program is an initiative of the Greenwood SC Chamber of Commerce.
Bettie Rose Horne
Horne, a former high school English teacher in Lebanon, Kentucky, worked at Lander University from 1968 through 1986 as a professor of linguistics and English, and then from 1986 through 1995 as director of instructional services. From 1995 until 2002, Horne was vice president and dean of academic affairs at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia and spent a year as an academic associate to the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Ga A&M U explained, Warren’s student debt plan
By Eric Stirgus
Making college less expensive is a frequent topic for educators, students and others. This week, one presidential candidate presented her plan to lower costs for students, a prominent University of Georgia graduate opened her checkbook to support student scholarships at her alma mater and a group of UGA supporters discussed a different approach to lower college costs. Here’s a look at some of this and other topics in this week’s AJC On Campus. …Justice Dept. opinion’s potential impact on Ga. Colleges A recent U.S. Justice Department opinion could cost Georgia some of the money that pays for programs such as the popular HOPE Scholarship, according to a published report. There’s uncertainty over the legality of online gambling that crosses state lines. The Associated Press said states are “anxiously waiting on a clarification from the Justice Department about its opinion that, if strictly interpreted, would outlaw lottery tickets sold online and prohibit all lottery-related activities that use the internet.” Some lottery funds help for scholarship programs. …About that Georgia A&M bill For weeks, many inquiring minds have wondered what was the rationale for the last-minute bill in the Georgia Legislature that would create a new system called “Georgia A&M University” from the state’s public historically black colleges and universities. (The bill was withdrawn.) … UGA’s ongoing Baldwin Hall problem The University of Georgia’s handling of remains found on a burial site near Baldwin Hall in 2015 continues to draw criticism from some on and around campus. For some, it’s started a larger conversation about how the university can better support descendants of the enslaved and reparations. Top news dawg gives back to UGA ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts is giving $100,000 to her alma mater, the University of Georgia, for needs-based scholarships, the school announced this week. The university’s foundation will give match the gift. …Top Georgia Tech official resigns after ethics probe Georgia Tech is in search of a new chief information officer. The school released a report that concluded the official, Mark Hoeting, violated ethics rules when he directed business to a vendor based on a personal relationship with an employee that was romantic at one point. … Elizabeth Warren’s student loan debt solution U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic from Massachusetts who is running for president, made some news earlier this week when she proposed a plan to reduce student loan debt by making college free with a 2% annual tax on the 75,000 families with $50 million or more in wealth. …Campus carry hearing The state’s Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday for and against the legality of Georgia’s law that allows licensed gun owners to carry firearms on some portions of public college campuses.
The Augusta Chronicle
University Hospital to sell Evans surgery center to AU Medical Center
By Damon Cline
University Hospital’s board voted Thursday to sell its remaining stake in the Surgery Center of Columbia County to Augusta University Medical Center. The sale, expected to close before June, is valued at more than $2 million. The 18,500-square-foot ambulatory surgery center struggled with patient volume since its inception in the 1990s and has been a money loser for University Hospital since 2014. “It has never really lived up to expectations,” University Hospital CEO Jim Davis told board members. “There are so many single-specialty surgery centers in this market…without those specialties in a surgery center, it’s a tough road to make any money, so it’s just never done that well.” AU Medical Center already owns one-third of the surgery center at University Hospital’s Evans campus off North Belair Road.
The Augusta Chronicle
AU Health CEO attributing big loss to possible accounting errors
By Tom Corwin
What appears to be a major loss despite high volumes could be due to some significant accounting errors that AU Health System is hoping to straighten out as it takes a closer look at the books. On paper, it looks like a $24 million loss for AU Health Services through nine months of its fiscal year. CEO Lee Ann Liska said she believes there may have been significant bookkeeping errors that made expenses look much higher than reality and is promising a “deep dive” into the books to get a more accurate picture. As the health system board met Thursday, the system was showing just over a $24 million loss for a fiscal year that will end June 30. But that includes a $4 million payment due to Augusta University and an unrealized loss of $1.5 million from interest rate swap so the loss from operations was closer to $18.3 million. That comes despite high volumes and an increase in revenue of $32.4 million over its previous year. …But the health system also recently discovered an accounting error where some Medicaid patients were booked incorrectly at a higher potential reimbursement and had to take a one-time $2.5 million hit to correct that, Liska said. Both the executive vice president for finance and the AUMC’s CFO left earlier this year to take other positions, and AU President Brooks Keel said the health system has launched national searches to replace both that are being pursued quickly.
Marietta Daily Journal
New Kennesaw State basketball coach implicated for paying player at previous college
By John Bednarowski
New Kennesaw State men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was implicated Thursday in testimony as part of a federal college basketball corruption trial in New York, according to CBS Sports. CBS sports reporter Matt Norlander, who is attending the trial, alleged in a tweet that Abdur-Rahim — then an assistant at Texas A&M in 2017 — met with ex-sports agent Christian Dawkins, financial adviser Marty Blazer — a key federal witness — and an undercover FBI agent to discuss paying student-athlete Robert Williams $11,000. Williams ultimately signed to play at Texas A&M, where he spent two years before joining the NBA as a first-round selection of the Boston Celtics last June. Norlander added in the tweet that a pair of shoes were purchased at The Cosmopolitan — a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip — and were stuffed with the cash before being shipped to Williams. When contacted by the MDJ, Kennesaw State spokesman David Beall said the university would issue a statement Friday.
WGAU Radio
UGA RESEARCHERS REPORT VACCINE BREAKTHROUGH
By: Jeannie Prine
Research teams at the University of Georgia have successfully discovered a single-dose vaccine that provides complete protection against the Crimean-Congo Hemorraghic Fever, or CCHF, virus in mice, a disease that poses a public health risk and has the potential to cause a major epidemic. Results of the study have been published in Emerging Microbes and Infections. The study was led by associate professor Scott Pegan (pictured above) at UGA’s College of Pharmacy department of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, led by Éric Bergeron.
Higher Education News:
U.S. News & World Report
What Free College Could Mean for You
As student loan debt hits $1.5 trillion, free college programs offer some students new options.
By Emma Kerr, Reporter
When Kenyatta Lovett’s father wanted to attend college, he took a job laying bricks to pay for school. But relying on just a summer or part-time job to pay for college today is next to impossible, says Lovett, executive director of Complete Tennessee, a nonprofit advocating for increasing postsecondary access and completion in Tennessee, which was the first state in the country to make community college free statewide. “If anyone today wanted to go out and lay bricks and even pay for books that semester, it’s probably not going to happen. And so the realities of what college cost for my father look drastically different than today,” Lovett said during a panel discussion on free college in March. Today, around 20 states offer free college programs in the U.S., and those options continue to grow as more states and institutions announce similar opportunities. These programs may increasingly become among students’ first choices as they seek to get around the skyrocketing cost of college.
Pacific Standard Magazine
AS GRADUATE SCHOOL COSTS SKYROCKET, THE STUDENT-DEBT PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE
Universities are increasingly turning to graduate programs to balance their books. Students are shouldering the costs.
JON MARCUS
…In addition to the academic demands, she and her friends acknowledge, they’re concerned about the cost of their graduate educations, the debt they may accumulate to pay for it, and whether jobs will be available at the other end. But many say they don’t think they have much of a choice. “Nowadays everyone’s going to graduate school,” says Ernesto Rivero, a second-year law student sitting nearby, who hopes to become an agent for artists, actors, and musicians. “Most of my close friends are in law school or medical school. That’s what they tell you to do.” As the number of undergraduates steadily declines in seeming direct proportion to rising costs, debt, and the many other obstacles faced by college students, graduate enrollment is quietly on the upswing. It’s being driven by the better job prospects and higher salaries people think it will bring them—and by a conscious strategy among universities like this one to add graduate programs that produce much-needed revenue.