University System News:
Albany Herald
University System of Georgia increases statewide economic impact to $17.7 billion
USG created 168,284 direct and indirect jobs in Fiscal Year 2018
From staff reports
The University System of Georgia had a $17.7 billion economic impact on communities across Georgia in Fiscal Year 2018, an increase of almost 5% over the previous fiscal year. The system also created 168,284 direct and indirect jobs, a nearly 3% increase over last fiscal year. “While we remain focused on graduating more students, keeping college affordable and increasing our efficiency in delivering a quality education, we are proud our colleges and universities help power Georgia’s economy,” USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. “USG and its 26 institutions play an important role in generating jobs and boosting businesses across the state, befitting the investment Georgia’s leaders have made in us.”
See also:
AllOnGeorgia
USG: Ga Colleges & Universities Have Statewide Economic Impact of $17.7 billion
Savannah Morning News
Georgia universities contribute billions to economy in 2018
USA Today
Burro bandits, sugarcane shake-up, naked bike ride: News from around our 50 states
Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern’s Annual Economic Impact Continues to Grow, Topping More Than $1B
Staff Report
A new report shows Georgia Southern University has increased its annual economic impact of more than $1 billion on the region it serves. The report, released by the University System of Georgia (USG), says Georgia Southern is a significant part of the system’s $17.7 billion economic impact on the state of Georgia in FY 2018. The report found these economic impacts demonstrate that continued emphasis on colleges and universities as a pillar of the state’s economy translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater production of goods and services. For Georgia Southern, the report said 11,639 jobs can be tied to the University, contributing to an annual economic impact measured at $1.04 billion, an increase from $1.02 billion in FY 2017.
Middle Georgia CEO
Gordon State Contributes Nearly $137M to Region
Staff Report
Gordon State College contributed nearly $137 million to the regional economy and provided 1,368 jobs in fiscal year 2018, according to a report released Tuesday by the University System of Georgia. The fiscal year spanned July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018. Of the college’s total job impact, 331 exist on campus with 1,037 off-campus jobs that exist due to institution-related spending. According to the report, which showed a slight increase over the last fiscal year, spending by GSC students accounted for $80 million of the $137 million contributed to the regional economy. There are 3,663 students enrolled at Gordon State College.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Bud Peterson on 10 years at Georgia Tech: ‘It’s been a great run’
By Maria Saporta – Contributing Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Aug 23, 2019, 4:00am EDT
As Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson leaves his post on Aug. 31 after 10½ years, he is proud of the progress the university has enjoyed under his watch – from research, economic development, innovation centers, online degrees, higher academic standards to community outreach. Peterson sat down with Atlanta Business Chronicle for a 90-minute interview on Aug. 20 when he reflected over his tenure as he prepares to turn over the reins to Angel Cabrera on Sept. 1. Cabrera stepped down as president of George Mason University in July to come to Georgia Tech, where he earned both his master’s and doctorate degrees in cognitive psychology. Coincidentally that is the same day Peterson will turn 67. “I’m going to celebrate Angel’s presidency,” Peterson said with a smile. He also plans to donate most of his 43 gold ties to the campus closet that provides clothes to students. “I’m not going to need them.” Not that Peterson is going far. He and his wife, Val, have bought a home in Buckhead. He will begin teaching mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech in the winter session, and he will continue his research in heat transfer, combustion and energy systems. That means Cabrera will have two former presidents – Peterson and G. Wayne Clough – on campus.
Athens Banner-Herald
Morehead to receive excellence award
University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education. He will be honored at the 2019 NSEE conference awards luncheon on Sept. 24. The Burke Award is presented by the National Society for Experiential Education and funded by The Washington Center for Academic Internships and Seminars in memory of TWC’s founder, William M. Burke. It also includes a $2,000 scholarship to be awarded to a UGA student who is involved in experiential learning. The award recognizes a sitting college president who has made significant contributions to the field and exemplifies Burke’s commitment to college students through entrepreneurial support of experiential education on campus and in the community.
11Alive
Study: Georgia State University among 100 most secure college campuses in the U.S.
The study analyzed 11 years’ worth of crime data for hundreds of public and nonprofit colleges in the U.S.
Author: Joe Henke
A recent study named Georgia State as the 39th safest school in the country. Despite several incidents near the GSU campus – which sits in the heart of Downtown Atlanta over the years – the institution is one of three in the state being recognized by “A Secure Life.” After a spike in robberies around Georgia Tech’s campus in 2018 and four people being shot near Atlanta University Center library last week, students say they try to remain alert on campus and said they feel very safe at school.
Metro Atlanta CEO
KSU Recognized for First-generation College Student Success
Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO
Kennesaw State is one of only two universities in Georgia recently named among the inaugural cohort of institutions designated as First Forward institutions by the Center for First-Generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and The Suder Foundation. The designation recognizes 80 colleges and universities that have demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes for first-generation college students. As a First Forward institution, Kennesaw State will engage with peer institutions to share best practices about how to help first-generation students succeed in college and beyond.
Albany Herald
Albany State University students return to kick off new academic year
Albany State University students started the new semester in full swing, returning to the campus last week for the first week of classes. “The first day back went incredibly well,” ASU President Marion Fedrick said in a news release. “Our faculty and staff members have welcomed our students back for another successful year, and this is just the beginning.” Students and faculty began the first day with plenty to look forward to for the new year.
The George-Anne
51 upperclassmen moved to off-campus housing, all freshmen living in dorms
By McClain Baxley
The fear of having freshmen forced to live in common areas or in off-campus facilities never came to fruition as all Georgia Southern University first-year students had housing accommodations in residence halls. To meet the qualifications of having all freshmen live on-campus, 51 upperclassmen were given the opportunity to cancel their lease without penalty and find their own housing options. “We sent an email to upper class students. If they were interested, they could fill out a form and then we went first come first serve with roommate groups and that type of thing,” said. Ryan Heins, housing director for business and administration. “That process helped get all of our first year students space on campus once we were able to finish that.” GS signed a master lease agreement with Lakeview at Market District, formerly known as the Grove, and had 51 upperclassmen move from Freedom’s Landing or University Villas into the off-campus apartment complex.
Douglas Now
MOST DEGREES CONFERRED AT SOUTH GEORGIA STATE COLLEGE SINCE 2013
South Georgia State College continues to see positive results in the six years following the 2013 consolidation of Waycross College and South Georgia College with the maximum number of graduates in 2019. Since the joining of the two campuses, the college saw its highest numbers in degrees conferred with a 41 percent increase from spring 2014 to spring 2019. South Georgia State has been deliberate in placing the attention on academic support and student success over the past several years to align with the University System of Georgia’s goals. With the adoption of the 2019-2024 strategic plan, Moving Forward, strategies have been developed and implemented to “improve student success rates as measured by course completion, retention, graduation and transfer to other post-secondary institutions after attaining a degree from SGSC.” Programs addressing the Student Success Goal in Moving Forward includes a college-wide retention plan and events to support student engagement.
Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern University Offers New Tool to Match Course Credits for Military Experience
Staff Report From Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern University is making it easier for active-duty military or veterans to find out what courses they can receive credit for based on their previous military experience. The university’s new widget, available at GeorgiaSouthern.edu/military-veterans, asks for information like the branch of military served in, highest level of experience and job title to determine what Georgia Southern courses match their experience. The tool is available to prospective or current students, and it provides an immediate response with courses for which someone may receive credit.
WTOC
Georgia Southern graduate, undergraduate students to graduate together fall 2019
It’s official – graduate and undergraduate students at Georgia Southern University will graduate together this fall. The university says students will be able to choose which graduation ceremony to attend based on which location they would like to graduate from. One ceremony will be held Friday, Dec. 13 at the Savannah Convention Center. Another ceremony will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro. Both ceremonies will take place in the afternoon. News of the commencement plan spread quickly from Statesboro to Savannah.
Athens CEO
CAES Ambassadors Gear Up for Another Year of Service
Sadie Lackey
Nearly 40 University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Ambassadors are ready to welcome back students, faculty and staff for another school year on both the Athens and Tifton campuses. The CAES Ambassador program is designed to help CAES students develop leadership and professional skills by representing the college at events, helping with activities such as Orientation 2.0, and speaking about topics related to agriculture, the environment and student opportunities at CAES. Students are expected to be knowledgeable about CAES, their respective campuses and UGA overall. At the same time, CAES Ambassadors gain leadership and communication skills through professional development training, said Pam Cummins, director of student recruitment for the Athens campus.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College hold part-time job fair for students
By Curt Yeomans
Fresh off the start of a new school year, Georgia Gwinnett College students got a chance to learn about part-time job opportunities in the area this week. The college hosted a part-time job fair Thursday with 57 employers showing up to highlight the opportunities they had for students to earn some money and work experience while they attend school. GGC officials said more than 450 students attended the fair. “Many GGC students work to support their education and their families,” GGC Director of Career Development Roslyn Brown said. “The Part-Time Job Fair connects students with local organizations for off-campus employment opportunities.”
Savannah CEO
Staff Report From Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education (i2STEMe) received the 2019 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity, a diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. The Inspiring Programs in STEM Award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the fields of STEM. Award winners were selected by INSIGHT Into Diversity based on their efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives.
Albany Herald
Georgia Southwestern business students take worldwide competition by storm
Athletic footwear company, Catalyst Kicks, was managed by online students at GSW
From staff reports
A team of three Georgia Southwestern State University senior business students received high accolades for their performance in the Business Strategy Game over summer term when their “company,” Catalyst Kicks, tied for first place worldwide out of 1,665 teams from 131 colleges and universities. The athletic footwear company, Catalyst Kicks, was managed by online students Baylie Lane of Brunswick, Jessica Sparkes of Linwood, Mich., and Wessley Sutton of Cordele.
WTVM
Phenix City Mayor’s Ball Committee donates $25K in scholarship funds to CSU
By Olivia Gunn
The Phenix City Mayor’s Ball Committee gave back in a major way on Tuesday. The committee donated $25,000 in scholarship money to Columbus State University. The donation is the fourth endowment partnership with the university and the funds came from the annual mayor’s scholarship drive, which raises thousands of dollars for Phenix City students to attend college.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
What was it like to be on the Bruce Willis movie set? We asked locals who were there.
By Mark Rice
Through a public-private partnership, the Columbus Film Commission has a $5 million fund providing incentives to attract film and video productions to the Chattahoochee Valley. But those cinema and TV projects won’t come here if they can’t find suitable locations and crew members. That’s how folks such as Jenny and Daniel Hord, as well as Jullian Vann and Matt Westlake, are key parts of this effort. Daniel is a Columbus firefighter and manager of the family’s Turntime Farms in Harris County. Jenny is a homemaker. They allowed the action movie “The Long Night,” starring Bruce Willis and Chad Michael Murray, to be filmed at their house. Westlake and Vann are two of the 10 Georgia Film Academy students at Columbus State University who interned on the set as production assistants. They shared their experience with the Ledger-Enquirer.
AGU News
2019 AGU Union Medal, Award, and Prize Recipients Announced
The world’s largest organization of Earth and space scientists honors 36 exceptional individuals.
By Robin Bell and Mary Anne Holmes
Each year, AGU honors individuals for their outstanding achievements, contributions, and service to the Earth and space science community. AGU medals are the highest honors bestowed by the Union. In this, AGU’s Centennial year, when we commemorate the past and look to the future, we recognize individuals for their body of scientific work and sustained impact within the Earth and space science community. AGU Union awards and prizes recognize individuals who have demonstrated excellence in scientific research, education, communication, and outreach. This distinguished group of honorees—scientists, leaders, educators, journalists, and communicators—embodies AGU’s mission of promoting discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. On behalf of AGU’s Honors and Recognition Committee, the selection committees, and AGU leaders and staff, we are pleased to present the recipients of AGU’s 2019 Union medals, awards, and prizes and honor the important role they play in amplifying the voice of the Earth and space community while inspiring other scientists to help improve lives around the world. …
Climate Communication Prize
Marshall Shepherd, University of Georgia
Forbes
UZO, The Student Staffing Platform Eradicating College-Based Business Workforce Shortage
Madhvi Mavadiya Contributor
Fintech
While 63 percent of parents claim to be confident in their children’s ability to manage finances in their first year of college, 35 percent of students polled revealed that they had incurred unexpected debt in their freshman year, with one in three hiding debt from their parents. Alongside this, 27 percent of first year students incur banking fees: 37 percent incurred $300 and 10 percent, $1,000 or more (Quicken.) I caught up with Stephen Okala, Co-Founder and COO of UZO, the on-demand staffing platform for college students, to see how this new app can help students through this time and allow them to acquire new skill-sets, while at the same time, eradicating workforce shortage. UZO is a SaaS product that includes a web based application for businesses, and Android and iOS apps for students. With the backing of their technology, UZO has already launched at the University of Georgia and have recruited around 100 students with two major college-based businesses as their customer. They are also planning launch this fall at Clemson University, as well as licensing out their SaaS solution to Kennesaw State University this fall.
Gainesville Times
UNG brigade commander encourages women to ‘get out there’
Kelsey Richardson
Cadet Col. Logan Scott entered the University of North Georgia’s Corps of Cadets with the mindset of being on equal grounds with everyone at the school, including men. Cadet Col. Logan Scott is the second woman to be named the Boar’s Head Brigade commander for the University of North Georgia’s Corps of Cadets.
Columbus CEO
CSU Collaborates on Research Trip with Visiting Scientists
Staff Report From Columbus CEO
On the weekend of August 10, Dr. David Schwimmer and four CSU geology students joined scientists from the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Southern Mississippi on a research trip. The four CSU geology students and Dr. Schwimmer led a field trip for visiting scientists to several research localities in the region, in search of important fossils from the Cretaceous Period. “It was a great opportunity for CSU students, and me, to bring together colleagues from the top institutions to our best research sites. All considered, rarely do seven PhD geologists get together in South Georgia to consider matters about 75-million-year-old events,” said Schwimmer. “The results of this weekend will be new collaborations and publications, new ideas, and perhaps PhD graduate school opportunities for CSU geology majors. In addition, some of the most important published research specimens from my work may be permanently cataloged into the US National Museum.”
WGAU Radio
Crich recruited as UGA’s newest Eminent Scholar
The University of Georgia has added to its impressive roster of Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars, as renowned chemist David Crich joined the faculty this fall with a joint appointment in the department of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences in the College of Pharmacy and the department of chemistry in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Crich, the winner of major prizes in organic and carbohydrate chemistry, also is affiliated with UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. GRA Eminent Scholars are acknowledged leaders in areas of science that are strategically important to the state of Georgia and its research universities. Crich is the seventh Eminent Scholar recruited to UGA since 2015 and the 19th to date.
WRBL
Pageant winners make history in the fountain city
For the first time in the history of pageants here in Columbus, all of the titleholders are minority women. The 2019 Miss Columbus State University, Miss Columbus Outstanding Teen, and Miss Southern Rivers are all black women who will be representing the fountain city. The three ladies say they were excited to win but to be able to inspire other young minority girls with their platforms is a plus. Safiyyah Abdullah serves as Miss Columbus. …Jessica Roberts serves as the 2020 Miss Columbus’ Outstanding Teen and Lyndsay Richardson serves as the 2020 Miss Southern Rivers.
Savannah Morning News
Editorial: SSU’s downsizing more like a rightsizing
Part of the Savannah State University campus’s charm is its uncrowded feel. Spread over 201 acres with plenty of greenspace and bordered by a sweeping marsh, the property conveys an incredible vastness. Even as enrollment doubled over a dozen-year span earlier this century, the campus retained a spacious ambience. As classes open today, students will notice the campus’s roominess like never before. Enrollment is down, with as few as 3,600 students expected, down from 4,077 in the spring. The shrinking student population is a trend — SSU was down more than 800 students last academic year compared to two years earlier, when enrollment hit an all-time high of 4,955 students. The dip alarms many, particularly the conspiracy theorists who foresee Savannah State going the way of Armstrong and merged into Georgia Southern. Such fears are unfounded and without merit, the state’s top university official, Board of Regents Chairman Don Waters, told attendees at a July meeting of the Savannah Branch NAACP.
Growing Georgia
Center for Rural Prosperity & Innovation opens Ellijay office
By: Georgia Farm Bureau
The Georgia Center for Rural Prosperity & Innovation has opened a North Georgia Office in Ellijay. The office is located in the Collaboration on River’s Edge (CORE) Building, a workplace innovation space and initiative of the Greater Gilmer Community Foundation. The center, also known as Georgia’s Rural Center, has named Janet Cochran to lead the North Georgia Office. Cochran comes to the center with more than a decade of experience as a project manager with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Headquartered at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, the Center for Rural Prosperity & Innovation serves as a central information and research hub for rural best practices, including community planning, industry-specific assistance and cooperative efforts with community partners.
Albany Herald
ASU alumni named to magazine 40 under 40 list
By Rachel Lawrence Special to The Herald
Twelve Albany State alumni have been chosen as Rural Leader Magazine’s 2019 40 under 40 honorees. The Rural Leader 40 under 40 honor was designed specifically for young leaders from small communities who represent various sectors, including business, education, nonprofit, health care, criminal justice and faith-based organizations. “Selection is based on the nominee’s professional accomplishments, leadership and community service,” said Kuanita Murphy, editor–in-chief and publisher of the magazine. Two of the honorees are Albany State power couple Joshua and Dedra Williams. Joshua Williams (’02) has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and currently works for the city of Albany as a buyer in the Central Services Office. Dedra Williams (’04) has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is the associate dean for Student Engagement at ASU. The couple invests a lot of time into being role models and providing service to the community.
Athens CEO
New Faculty UGA Tour Provides Education and Impact
Michael Terrazas
The trip ended where it began, with a large coach bus parked outside the Georgia Center in the August heat, a group of about 50 faculty, administrators and staff milling about with their luggage and backpacks. Except, with the UGA 2019 New Faculty Tour now complete, that’s where the similarities ended. The group that boarded the bus Aug. 5 was subdued, even quiet, few of the participants familiar with each other. When they stepped off the bus on Aug. 9, there was laughter, smiling, hugs and hearty handshakes—and a lot of plans being made. That was the impact of their five-day trek across their new home state, a whirlwind odyssey that carried the group from Athens to the mountains of North Georgia, down through Atlanta to the sandy soils of the south, east to the Atlantic coast and then back again. Five long, jam-packed days that started on the bus at 7 a.m. and ended past 9 p.m. with few breaks in between—and every minute its own reward. “On this tour, you will recognize the historical and synergistic bond that exists between the university and the citizens of this state,” President Jere W. Morehead told the group just before they departed. “You’re going to see a lot of love for UGA. It’s deep and profound.”
WGAU Radio
UGA WEEKEND INCLUDES BOT GARDEN GROUNDBREAKING, DAWG DAY OF SERVICE
By: Tim Bryant
Today is a groundbreaking day in Athens: a 10 o’clock ceremony marks the start of work on a new Center for Art and Nature at the State Botanical Garden on South Milledge Avenue. The University of Georgia’s University Curriculum Committee holds its first meeting of the new fall semester: it’s set for 3:30 at New College on Herty Drive in Athens. It is billed as the University of Georgia’s largest annual day of community service: this year’s Dawg Day of Service is set for Saturday, with volunteers gathering at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning at UGA’s Tate Student Center.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Prepare college students to find careers after graduation
Two-thirds of college seniors said they didn’t feel well prepared to succeed in a job search
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Tim Renick is senior vice president for student success at Georgia State University.
With classes set to start Monday at GSU, Renick highlights the university’s efforts to help its students make the transition from college to career. By Tim Renick
The Red & Black
UGA expands defense research with new appointment
Hunter Riggall | New Editor
The University of Georgia has hired Martin Bink to expand the university’s research in defense and related fields by helping to “lay the groundwork and forge the connections that will make UGA more competitive in securing research funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, other related agencies such as NASA, and the major private contractors that serve those agencies,” according to a UGA news release. Bink, who spent 12 years with the civil service of the U.S. Army Research Institute, joined the university at the start of July. “Defense agencies are interested in more than just weapon systems,” Bink said in the release. The university is looking to grow its research in areas related to defense, space and security, the release said. Bink will spend approximately half of his time working with UGA faculty.
Crain’s Cleveland Business
MetroHealth physician receives $7.2 million to study TB transmission in Uganda
LYDIA COUTRÉ
Dr. Charlie Bark, an infectious-disease specialist at MetroHealth and assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has received a $7.2 million federal grant to study patterns of tuberculosis (TB) transmission in Kampala, Uganda. The five-year National Institutes of Health grant will allow Bark, principal investigator for the research, and his team to study how TB is transmitted in the community in hopes of identifying strategies to prevent transmission, according to a news release. …The co-principal investigators for the research are Dr. Christopher Whalen, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Georgia,
WJCL
Georgia Southern Biology Department trapping Tegu Lizards
Dave Williams
If you’re living in the Toombs and Tattnall County area. There is a species a lizard living there, that is certainly rare to this area. And now the Georgia Southern Biology Department has teamed up with the Georgia Department of Natural resources to do something about it. It’s been quite an eventful last couple of weeks for the folks in the Biology Department at Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro campus. They’ve been on the hunt for the Tegu lizard, who are being found in great numbers in the Toombs and Tattnall County areas. They have trapped them, in an aim to cut down on its population which can be as much as 30 offspring at a time. “We’re worried that they’ll become a really invasive species and be detrimental to our native wild life,” said Dr. Lance McBrayer, Ga. Southern Biology Professor. “And so we’re trying to trap them and get rid of them before they become potentially a big problem.”
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Novelis is setting up an innovation hub at Georgia Tech
By Jessica Saunders – Managing Editor
Novelis Inc. is setting up an innovation hub at Georgia Tech. The Atlanta-based maker of aluminum sheet products is investing $2.5 million to establish the Novelis Innovation Hub at the research university located in Midtown. Novelis has longstanding ties to Tech, providing internships, full-time jobs and mentoring to more than 50 graduate students, and funding sponsored research and research equipment, including co-investing in additive manufacturing in the Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility at Tech.
WABE
Closer Look: Robotics & Agriculture, GA Tech’s Wearable Robotics; Future of Telemedicine
Candace Wheeler
Wednesday on “Closer Look with Rose Scott”:
… 3:14: By the year 2050, the world’s population is expected to reach more than 9 billion people. Dr. Charlie Li, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Georgia, explains how he hopes to use drones and robotic technology to feed a growing population.
17:53: Tech Week continues with a visit to the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Human Physiology of Wearable Robotics laboratory, where Georgia Tech Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Greg Sawicki is working with a team to create robotic limbs.
Psychology Today
The Strange Link Between Pet Ownership and Cancer In Women
Why should owning cats and birds be linked to cancer in women but not in men?
Hal Herzog
The marketing departments of the $70-billion-a-year pet products industry are working overtime these days to convince you that pet ownership is the key to human health and happiness. (See, for example, The Pet Effect campaign developed by the industry-funded Human-Animal Bond Research Institute). In reality, however, the scientific evidence that pets are good for people is decidedly mixed. Some studies have indeed found pet owners are better off. But the corporate PR departments and the media conveniently ignore studies that report pet-owners are more susceptible to a host of maladies. These include hypertension, anxiety, depression, insomnia, gastric ulcers, migraine headaches, and obesity. And I suspect the pet food industry is not going to send out press releases on three recent studies that link pet ownership to cancer death rates. The studies were conducted by a research group headed by Dr. Jian Zhang, an epidemiologist in the College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University. The three papers were based on data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shooting sparks debate about closing access to Ga. college campuses
By Eric Stirgus Ty Tagami
Clark Atlanta University student Micah Lee arrived for the first day of school Wednesday morning thinking not only about his classes, but also his safety. … Kimbrough said many of Atlanta’s largest universities — Emory, Georgia State and Georgia Tech — are “wide open” campuses that would be difficult to close off. … At Georgia Tech, robberies of students have been a problem in recent years; the latest occurring Thursday on a corner leading to campus. Visitors can easily walk through the heart of campus. First-year student Cody Masterman-Smith said he was reminded during orientation, despite the desire to be chivalrous, not to hold the dorm doors open for anyone, particularly at night. Some seeking access may not be students.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Feds: Georgia Tech prof defrauded National Science Foundation
By David Allison – Editor
A former Georgia Tech professor has pleaded guilty to wire fraud as part of a scheme to defraud the National Science Foundation. The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday that Maysam Ghovanloo, who owned Bionic Sciences Inc. and was a professor at Georgia Tech, has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he submitted certifications that contained materially false and fraudulent statements and omissions, followed by electronic payment requests to the NSF. The objective of the scheme was for Ghovanloo to obtain funds for projects conducted by Bionic Sciences, the feds say.
WTOC
Georgia Southern football player pleads not guilty, 911 call released of incident in Fla.
By Lyndsey Gough | August 22, 2019 at 5:00 PM EDT – Updated August 22 at 7:04 PM
BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. (WTOC) – Audio obtained by WTOC from the Bradford County, Fla. Sheriff’s Office sheds some light on the disturbing details that led to Georgia Southern University football player Quan Griffin and his two family members being arrested and charged with multiple felonies. In the recording, you hear the 911 dispatcher try to calm down Griffin’s ex-girlfriend and mother of his child. …According to the police report, the woman and man were in bed asleep when they heard a loud bang and three black men entered the bedroom. …Griffin faces charges of first degree misdemeanor battery, second degree felony aggravated battery, second degree felony weapon offense, first degree misdemeanor criminal mischief, first degree felony burglary, third degree felony larceny, first degree felony robber for a home invasion with a deadly weapon and third degree felony of obstructing justice for threatening or intimidating a witness or victim. Griffin is being held in jail with a $345,000 bond.
Higher Education News:
Patch
Georgia’s Incoming College Freshmen Unsure About Student Loans
A new report shows how incoming college freshmen in Georgia rank in expected college loan debt.
By Kathleen Sturgeon, Patch Staff
The transition to college is a monumental step for many high school seniors across the country. The College Board, with the help of Seventeen Magazine, recently surveyed more than 110,000 students to discover what’s on the minds of incoming freshmen as they continue their educational journey. The students were asked about everything from the cost of college to expectations for dorm life to their major field of study. For many, a big concern is how they’re going to pay for their college educations. Out of the incoming freshmen in Georgia who responded to the survey, 36 percent said they planned to take out student loans. The survey went to graduating high school seniors during April and May 2019. Not all the approximately 110,000 students who completed the survey responded to every question. Additionally, states weren’t ranked on questions that received fewer than 50 responses.
Inside Higher Ed
Study finds that applications go up, yield goes down … and (maybe) SAT scores go up a bit for colleges in the program.
By Scott Jaschik
The Common Application — love it or hate it — is a force in American higher education. It has been criticized for (allegedly) encouraging colleges to sacrifice an original essay question for one that the Common App would like, and for encouraging more and more students to apply to colleges that they don’t have any intention of going to. But the Common App also been praised for easing the process for hundreds of thousands of students, and for making it simpler for colleges to attract applicants. Amid the debate, relatively few studies have been done about what the Common App does. Does it get more applications? Does it cut yield? Does it get more applicants with high SAT scores?
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
New Initiative Tackles Graduate Student Mental Health
by Sara Weissman
Graduate students are six times as likely to experience anxiety and depression as people in other fields, a study in Nature Biotechnology found last year. About 39 percent of graduate students surveyed were found to be moderately to severely depressed compared to only 6 percent of the general population. Statistics like this inspired the Council of Graduate Schools and the Jed Foundation, an organization for youth mental health, to partner on a new initiative called “Supporting Mental Health and Wellness of Graduate Students.” The two organizations will embark on a 22-month research project, surveying 500 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada about their services for graduate students and exploring strategies for improving graduate student mental health. They’ll also run focus groups with students, faculty and administrators from programs across disciplines, with an emphasis on the needs of students of color.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
1 in 10 College Students Think Credit Cards Give Free Money
by Sara Weissman
College students need serious help with financial literacy, according to a 2019 study by WalletHub. The survey found that two million college students – 1 in 10 – think credit cards offer free money. “Unfortunately, I am not surprised that 1 in 10 students think credit cards are free money, considering the current state of financial literacy education,” said WalletHub CEO Odysseas Papadimitriou. “Schools aren’t teaching money management, at least not nearly enough, and many parents are actually more comfortable talking about sex than money.” The study of over 200 students found that 14 percent would rather miss a payment than a party. Low-income students were four times more likely to choose missing a payment than their peers.
The Wall Street Journal
Historic Rise of College-Educated Women in Labor Force Changes Workplace
Companies are restructuring their compensation and benefits packages to attract these qualified women
By Likhitha Butchireddygari
This year is shaping up to be the first year that women make up the majority of the college-educated labor force, a milestone that is already altering benefits packages offered by companies and one that could influence family sizes in the future. Women make up only 46.6% of the overall labor force, but they first reached 45% of the college-educated labor force at the turn of the century. Since 2013, the female share of college-educated workers has been around the 49% mark, with 2019 being the year that women cross into a very slight majority.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Federal Rule Change Likely to Impact International and Immigrant Students
by Lois Elfman
While the U.S. public-charge rule has existed since the 1990s, the new version recently published has far-reaching implications for immigrant and international students and their families. The rule requires individuals seeking to enter the U.S. either as immigrants or nonimmigrants to show they are self-sufficient and will not require public resources, including government benefits such as welfare, for support. In the new version, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expanded the definition of “public charge” to include non-cash public benefits. “That’s a major change,” said immigration attorney Allen Orr, Jr. “It could be books. It could be a housing stipend. It could be any number of things that are not specifically cash.” The rule defines “public charge” as someone who has received one or more designated public benefits for more than 12 months within any three-year period. These would include, but not be limited to, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), most forms of Medicaid and certain housing programs. “Colleges and universities have, especially recently, been trying to connect students with public benefits programs like SNAP,” said Dr. Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigrants, an organization that brings together college and university leaders dedicated to increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact students.