University System News:
Columbus CEO
CSU Student Named 2019 Barry Goldwater Scholar
Staff Report From Columbus CEO
Columbus State University student ZiJie “Jerry” Lin has been selected as a 2019 Barry Goldwater Scholar. The prestigious award for students in the sciences funds up to $7,500 in educational expenses. Lin, CSU’s first ever Goldwater recipient, was one of only 496 recipients selected nationwide out of pool of about 5,000 college sophomores and juniors. “This scholarship process has been a very long journey. I really poured all of my research experience and career aspirations into my application,” said Lin, who expects to graduate in May 2021. “The fact that I was awarded this scholarship confirms that I am capable of competing against the top students in the nation and it represents the culmination of my work at Columbus State University. Furthermore, this award will now propel me on towards earning a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry.”
The Red & Black
Food for Fines raises 13,000 pounds of food, lets students waive UGA parking tickets
Gabriela Miranda | Contributor
On April 18, the University of Georgia’s Student Government Association partnered with UGA’s Transportation and Parking Services and the Northeast Georgia Food Bank to offer students an affordable option to pay for their parking tickets while giving back to the local community. …“UGA students, as well as faculty and staff members, were given the opportunity to donate 10 canned good items in exchange for a waiver or refund toward their most recent parking citation valued $50 or less. The event, Food for Fines, lasted between 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and donations were accepted at the Tate Surface Lot. A total of 1,202 individuals brought in canned donations, said Allison Brannen, Auxiliary Services marketing and communications manager. …The event focused on helping both the local community and fellow Bulldogs exceeded the expectations of its organizers.
The Florida Times-Union
Mark Woods: For his sister, fulfilling a promise of perfection
By Mark Woods
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — At age 4, Alex Kunda walked onto the stage at Satilla Marsh Elementary School to accept an award for his sister. The principal leaned over, patted him on the back and handed him a certificate as big as his chest. As people applauded, some pausing to dab their eyes, he smiled. When he came off the stage, he told his parents, Preston and Arlene, he was going to do something for his sister. He was going to continue what she started. He was going have perfect attendance, all the way until high school graduation. Miranda Faith Kunda had been a first-grader at Satilla Marsh. She had long dark hair, blue eyes and a laugh that made everyone else laugh. She also had autoimmune hepatitis, a disease that made her liver look like it belonged in a 70-year-old alcoholic, not a 7-year-old girl. …When she was in kindergarten, Miranda missed some days for doctor’s appointments. But in that fall semester of first grade, she didn’t miss a day. She never made it back to school after the winter break. She died Jan. 6, 2006. A few months later, the school called the Kundas and said they wanted to give them Miranda’s perfect attendance award. …So maybe it shouldn’t have come as surprise that he wanted to be like her, to do something for her. But perfect attendance? All the way to high school graduation? Thirteen years later, standing near the entrance to Brunswick High School shortly after another awards ceremony, his parents recall their thoughts when Alex made that pledge. “Never going to happen,” they say in unison. … When Alex crossed this stage and accepted a laminated certificate — “Perfect Attendance throughout his entire school career in Brunswick, Georgia” — he got one of the biggest cheers of the morning. Bigger than the top scholars, bigger than star athletes. …He will walk across another stage May 23, graduating from Brunswick High. He plans to head to college across the street, at College of Coastal Georgia. He’s interested in political science.
Athens CEO
Faculty in UGA’s College of Education and in Cooperative Extension Named PSO Fellows
Staff Report From Athens CEO
Faculty members from the College of Education and Cooperative Extension, in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, have been named Public Service and Outreach Faculty Fellows for 2019-20. Darris R. Means, in Counseling and Human Development Services at the College of Education, will work with the Archway Partnership to study the tools, skills and resources that rural high school students need to prepare for college. …Svoboda “Bodie” Vladimirova Pennisi, an associate professor and UGA Cooperative Extension Specialist at the UGA Griffin campus, will work with the Small Business Development Center to implement online learning opportunities. …Launched in 2011, the Faculty Fellows program provides professors with an opportunity to apply their research and course curriculum to the needs of a specific PSO unit. As a result of the program, departments across the university have a sustained relationship between the designated unit and the Faculty Fellows’ departments.
The Red & Black
OPINION: Electric buses at UGA are an excellent step toward campus sustainability
Stroud Payne | Contributor
The University of Georgia recently announced its plans to buy up to 20 Proterra Catalyst E2 electric buses, which will create one of the biggest electric bus fleets in the country. The decision will make the university more sustainable and provide students with greater transportation service. Investing in electric buses will enable the university to take a stand against climate change and pollution.
The Red & Black
Activists demand response to request for meeting with Morehead at third protest in a week
Spencer Donovan | Staff Writer
For the third time in a week, University of Georgia students and Athens community members protested UGA President Jere Morehead’s response to demands that the university address its history of slavery, fund a center for slavery research at UGA, create reparational scholarships and pay all its workers a minimum of $15 per hour. The Coalition for Recognition and Redress requested a meeting date be set with Morehead and a representative of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents on April 29. Coalition leaders were told they would have a response within two to three business days, but UGA has not yet responded to their request. On May 6, a group of about 50 protestors marched from the Arch to the UGA Administration Building, where a sign on the building’s front door read: “Pursuant to University Policy, expressive activity is not permitted in interior spaces such as the Administration Building. Please call 706-583-0759 to request entry or to request an appointment.” The sign was no longer posted by 6:15 p.m.
Savanah Morning News
UPDATE: Suspect in custody after student was shot at Savannah State University; GBI investigating
UPDATE: Savannah State University Police Department is investigating a shooting incident near University Commons Building 32 this afternoon. The victim, a student, has been transported to a local hospital. A suspect, who is not a student, has been arrested and is being transported to Chatham County Jail. Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) will assist in the ongoing investigation.
EARLIER UPDATE: Officials have issued an all clear for students, faculty and visitors. The lockdown has been lifted. Anyone with additional information pertaining to this incident, please contact the Savannah State University Police Department-Campus Police (912) 358-3004
WTOC
Suspect in custody after student shot at Savannah State housing facility
Police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of University Commons at Savannah State University Tuesday afternoon. Savannah State University sent out an alert encouraging all residents along with faculty and staff, to remain indoors until further notice. That safety lockdown has since been lifted. According to school officials, a shooting incident occurred at University Commons Building 32. The victim, a student, has been transported to a local hospital. A suspect, who is not a student, has been arrested and is being transported to the Chatham County Jail.
Valdosta CEO
UGA SBDC at VSU Offers Workshops in Federal, State, Local Government Contracts
Staff Report From Valdosta CEO
The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University will present Doing Business with GDOT for Routine Maintenance Service Contracts-Procurement and Intro to Government Contracting and Small Business Certifications-Procurement on Tuesday, May 14. …Headquartered in Athens, the Small Business Development Center is a partnership between the University of Georgia, Valdosta State University, the University of West Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Southern University, Clayton State University, and Kennesaw State University. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the United States Small Business Administration, boasts 17 offices across the state, and strives to enhance the economic well-being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, including no-cost, confidential consulting services.
Higher Education News:
Issues in Higher Ed
White House Forms Committee on U.S. Research
By Andrew Kreighbaum
The White House National Science and Technology Council on Monday announced the formation of a joint committee that will address obstacles to the production of research in the U.S. The joint committee will count among its co-chairs Kevin Droegemeier, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as the leaders of the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as the Department of Energy’s undersecretary for science.
WPR
Decline In College-Aged Students Continues
Universities, Colleges Make Cuts And Program Changes To Try And Adapt To Shrinking Enrollment
By Shamane Mills
After years of having plenty of students, colleges and universities across the country now have the opposite problem — dwindling enrollment leading to cost-cutting measures like buyouts and other changes. Some changes are highly controversial. Last month, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point dropped plans to scrap six majors to solve a budget deficit after backlash from students and staff. It’s not just public schools adjusting to declining enrollment. In late February, Edgewood College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Madison, offered buyouts to three dozen faculty members. Six accepted. The decision was first reported by Edgewood’s college newspaper.
Central Maine
View from Away: Hungry, homeless and in college
The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice at Temple University found a staggering 45 percent of students in colleges and universities nationwide have been food insecure in the past 30 days. And more than half have experienced housing insecurity. The report surveyed 86,000 students at 123 colleges across the country, including two-year and four-year institutions. A range of questions delved into food issues such as “I lost weight because there was not enough money for food” or “I didn’t eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food.” These are heartrending statements for anyone to make, especially anyone who is living in this wealthy country. But for young adults who are pursuing an education, it’s especially poignant. There’s a big leap between the poetic version of the poverty of youth and the deprivations that can have an impact on one’s ability to study or otherwise thrive.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Another Big Move Hits Higher-Ed Publishing, as Wiley Buys Knewton
By Goldie Blumenstyk
Another big publisher in higher ed is making a strategic move. John Wiley & Sons announced on Monday that it was buying the assets of Knewton, an 11-year-old company that has at times been held up as the poster child for ed-tech overhype. Knewton was initially known for its adaptive-learning tools designed to work with content from commercial publishers, but more recently it has shifted focus toward its platform that incorporates open educational resources, or OER. The move came on the heels of last week’s merger announcement from Cengage and McGraw-Hill.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
An Idealist Set Out to Change College Admissions. It Was a Long, Lonely Quest.
By Eric Hoover
Lloyd Thacker pulled an armful of overstuffed folders from a closet and spread them on his dining-room table. “I don’t know why I keep all of this,” he said one morning in late March. He shuffled through handwritten notes, old handouts, and dog-eared copies of speeches he had written. Each page was a remnant of his former life — the life of a professional idealist. Thacker long tried to reform college admissions, a process that often grinds ideals to dust. For 15 years he gave talks, held summits, wrote op-eds, and oversaw research projects. Then, in December, he shut down his one-man nonprofit group, the Education Conservancy. At 64, he felt ready to retire. But there he was this spring, picking through a past he couldn’t quite leave behind. Just two weeks earlier, the nation had learned all about the biggest admissions scandal ever: For years, an independent college consultant had bribed college coaches and testing proctors to get the children of wealthy clients into big-name institutions. The news hit Thacker in the gut. He saw it as yet more evidence that the whole system was a mess of misplaced priorities and warped values, just as he had often proclaimed.