University System News:
Atlanta Business Chronicle
University System of Georgia chancellor appoints task force on mental health
By Dave Williams – Staff Writer
University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Steve Wrigley named a task force Wednesday to address growing concerns over mental health issues facing the state’s public college and university campuses. A recent survey by the American Council on Education Wrigley cited found 80% of 1,700 college and university presidents participating characterized mental health as a greater priority on their campuses today than three years ago. “Incidents of mental health challenges are too common on campuses across the country and in the university system,” he said. “I am charging task force members to understand the scope of the issues and to review programs, policies and best practices within USG as well as campuses around the country. Collaboration among USG institutions, along with state and local agencies and community stakeholders is critical to ensuring all resources and partnerships are on the table.” The 15-member task force will be co-chaired by Albany State University President Marion Fedrick and Valdosta State University President Richard Carvajal and will be made up of representatives of the university system – including students – state agencies, mental health organizations and the medical field.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mental health task force created to help Georgia college students
By Eric Stirgus
With statistics showing 1 in 4 college students nationwide have a diagnosable mental illness and news accounts of students committing suicide, University System of Georgia leaders recognized they had a problem. On Wednesday, the system announced it has created a 14-member task force to find more support and services for students struggling with anxiety, stress and mental illness. The task force of college administrators, mental health professionals, faculty and students will look at what’s working at some of its 26 colleges and universities and identify successful programs at schools across the nation to see if they can be replicated in Georgia. Additionally, the task force will explore partnerships with state and local agencies to support students. The University System last year had a record-high enrollment of about 328,000 students.
Albany Herald
ASU president to co-chair University System of Georgia mental health task force
Albany State SGA president among those on council
From Staff Reports
University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley has appointed a mental health task force to address the growing concern of mental health challenges on college and university campuses. The task force will be co-chaired by Albany State University President Marion Fedrick and Valdosta State University President Richard Carvajal. “The stigma and misunderstanding around mental health have substantially impacted college campuses across the nation, affecting student success and faculty and staff productivity,” Fedrick said. “I applaud the University System of Georgia for advancing a proactive approach in addressing the issues, both known and unknown. I look forward to collaborating with the task force to facilitate awareness, support and resources for a complex issue facing our universities.” The University System group also comprises representatives from the university system, state agencies, mental health organizations and the medical field.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia board approves naming UGA school after first black graduate
By Eric Stirgus
The Georgia Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a request from the University of Georgia to name its College of Education after Mary Frances Early, its first African American graduate. Early arrived at UGA in the summer of 1961, a few months after Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes became the first African American students to enroll there. 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.
Albany Herald
GSW Day of Giving far surpasses fundraising goal
From Staff Reports
Georgia Southwestern State University’s inaugural Day of Giving, which ran midnight to midnight on Oct. 10, almost quadrupled the initial collection goal of $5,000, netting $18,844.60 for the University. This was GSW’s first time hosting a Day of Giving, which served as a 24-hour giving challenge, mostly focused online and through a social media driven effort, to bring the campus and surrounding community together in an effort to raise money and awareness for the university and its programs.
WTVM
Fraternity hosts annual ‘Shave to Save’ at CSU to support breast cancer awareness
By Olivia Gunn
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a fraternity at Columbus State University is supporting the cause through an annual charity event. Members of Kappa Sigma gathered at the CSU Clock Tower Wednesday to give out free haircuts to the school and community to show their support for breast cancer awareness. The event is called Shave to Save. The fraternity has a goal to raise $15,000 from donations. Organizers said they love hosting the event each year.
Emanuel County Live
Annual FESA Advisory Council meeting held at EGSC
by Harley Strickland
On Thursday, October 3, 2019, the Fire and Emergency Services Administration Program at East Georgia State College hosted its Fifth Annual FESA Advisory Council meeting. The meeting was held at the Sudie A. Fulford Community Learning Center on EGSC’s Swainsboro campus. The FESA Advisory Council is composed of fire and emergency services administrators from across the state of Georgia. This ad hoc group provides support and guidance for the Fire and Emergency Services Administration degree programs at EGSC. Also, in attendance at this year’s meeting were several graduates of the EGSC’s FESA Program, as well as representatives from several of the technical colleges in Georgia that sponsor Fire Services and EMS training programs. Participants were updated on the states of both the bachelor and associate degree programs in Fire and Emergency Services Administration, as well as the availability of new scholarships for the program.
Do Savannah
Family fun goes under the sea with Skidaway Marine Science Day
By Adam Messer
Who lives in the bottom under the sea? Well, if you had kids, you know who that is: Spongebob Squarepants. Luckily for non-Bikini Bottom residents, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is here to study marine life and share their love of science with the public. Events like the Skidaway Marine Science Day on Saturday offer a “great opportunity for all ages to get out in the beautiful fall weather and experience an event that is both fun and informative,” said external affairs manager Michael Sullivan. Established in 1968, the marine research laboratory is located on the north end of Skidaway Island. The faculty teach through UGA’s Department of Marine Sciences and offer students the opportunity to conduct hands-on research in marine environments. “Our scientists conduct research in all the major disciplines, biology, chemistry, physics, and geology, in locations ranging from our own back yard to anywhere in the world. We have also had an educational component our mission,” said Sullivan. The Marine Science day will be chock full of activities for the entire family, including critters in touch tanks, behind-the-scenes tours of the research labs, a reptile encounter and crabbing lessons.
The George-Anne
Questions and answers from the SGA open forum
By Davon Johnson and Nathan Woodruff
The Georgia Southern University Student Government Association held an open forum alongside President Kyle Marrero and Provost Carl Reiber on Wednesday night to discuss last week’s book burning incident on campus. Accommodations had to be made to the ballroom to enlarge the space for the amount of people in attendance. The event began at 6:50 with SGA President Juwan Smith welcoming the packed Russell Union ballroom, with the event planned to start at 6:30. The floor was then opened up for questions. The exchange between Marrero, Reiber and the audience is transcribed below in Q&A format.
The Red & Black
UCWGA and other Athens organizations protest institutional fee, call for higher UGA wages
Sherry Liang | Enterprise Editor and Jacqueline GaNun | Contributor
Surrounded by metal barricades outside a University System of Georgia Board of Regents meeting, the United Campus Workers of Georgia and other Athens organizations demonstrated for the removal of the special institutional fee on Oct. 15, among other issues. Approximately 30 people attended the rally at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel “to bring attention to the financial hardships of graduate students” and the “burden” of the special institution fee, said Justin Simpson, a member of the UCWGA Graduate Committee.
Savannah Business Journal
Four Savannah locals named to Georgia Southern University’s ‘40 Under 40’ Class of 2019
Savannah Business Journal Staff Report
Four Savannah locals, Brian J. Prevatt, Leia Dedic, Clinton A. Smith and Kyle W. Hollis, D.M.D., have been named to the Georgia Southern University Alumni Association’s “40 Under 40” Class of 2019.
Athens CEO
UGA’s Kerstin Emerson on Working with Partners for Gerontology Research
Clinical Associate Professor at the College of Public Health at UGA Kerstin Emerson talks about partnering with local clinics and hospitals for gerontology research.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Pa. College Eliminates Campus Counseling
By Madeline St. Amour
Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania has eliminated its on-campus mental health counseling services for students, Spotlight PA reported. The largest community college system in the state is instead referring students to off-campus providers. A memo on the change was sent to counselors and administrators on Sept. 25, but the plan has yet to be announced to the public or students. Pennsylvania was one of the states hit hardest by the Great Recession, and Harrisburg is dealing with a $2.7 million budget deficit as its enrollment declines. The college’s president, John Sygielski, told Spotlight PA that the move is part of a larger reorganization to streamline services. External counseling could extend service hours for students and provide virtual options, he said. The move is controversial, as it comes at a time when most colleges are beefing up mental health services.
Inside Higher Ed
Warren to DeVos: Drop Navient’s Contract
Massachusetts Democrat puts loan-servicing giant in the crosshairs. But removing Navient from federal student loan program would be difficult, observers say.
By Andrew Kreighbaum
In a sign of growing scrutiny of student loan companies, Senator Elizabeth Warren is urging the Trump administration to end its contract with Navient, one of the biggest contractors that collects payments on federal student loans. Navient has a “more-than-decade-long history” of allegations of abusive consumer practices, wrote the candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in an October 11 letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Signing the letter with Warren was Senator Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat. The two lawmakers also addressed the letter to Mark A. Brown, the chief operating officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid. The company’s portfolio includes nearly 20 percent of all outstanding federal student loan debt. Its contract to manage those loans expires in December.
Inside Higher Ed
Colleges need to get paid but students face many barriers in affording higher education. Where is the middle ground between forcing out students who are behind in tuition payments and collecting money owed?
By Madeline St. Amour
Students at Thomas Jefferson University were surprised to receive stern notices about unpaid bills in early September. The emailed notices said students had to arrange to pay outstanding tuition bills in the next six days or they would be dropped from fall classes, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The college, which merged with the largely undergraduate Philadelphia University two years ago, had sent out similar warnings before to its graduate student population. However, undergraduate students told the Inquirer that the notices were the harshest warning about unpaid bills that they’d received thus far. Students held a sit-in to push back on the email, and the university withdrew its threat to de-enroll students with unpaid bills. …The widely publicized incident led to discussions in higher ed circles about how far colleges should go in trying to get students to pay up. There is a wide spectrum of opinions on what strategies colleges should use to ensure tuition and other fees are paid. The National Association of College and University Business Officers focused on this issue in a 2016 article published in its magazine, Business Officer, that looked at what various institutions do to collect money owed.
Inside Higher Ed
Fewer Chinese Students at Many Campuses
After an unprecedented boom in Chinese undergraduate enrollments, universities see declines.
By Elizabeth Redden
The number of students from China who attend American colleges and universities more than quadrupled over a decade, fueled by an unprecedented boom in Chinese students going overseas for their undergraduate study. But now some colleges that had come to count on the steadily growing stream of full-tuition-paying students from China are seeing those numbers begin to contract.