University System News:
Athens CEO
University System of Georgia Enrollment Increases to Record High
Staff Report
The headcount enrollment for the 26 institutions of the University System of Georgia in Fall 2019 was 333,507, representing an increase of 1.5 percent (4,795 students) over the Fall 2018 enrollment of 328,712, according to USG’s Fall 2019 Semester Enrollment Report. This continues a six-year trend of modest increases in student enrollment within USG. This fall also marks the fifth consecutive year of growth to reach an all-time high in the number of students enrolled in USG institutions.
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WABE
Enrollment At Georgia’s Universities, Colleges Continues To Increase
The Augusta Chronicle
AU fields its largest-ever freshman class
By Tom Corwin
Augusta University increased enrollment by more than 200 students from the previous fall and saw its largest-ever freshman class. Augusta University saw its largest freshman class ever this fall, with more than half from outside Augusta, and is continuing to grow overall, enrollment figures show. The University System of Georgia released Fall 2019 enrollment figures on Tuesday and AU grew from 9,072 students the previous fall to 9,274. That includes its largest freshman class of 1,089. About 54 percent of those new students were from outside the Augusta area, a trend that the university has been seeing for a while now, “which is great news,” said AU Provost Gretchen Caughman.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College sees enrollment gains in Fall 2019
By Taylor Denman
The University System of Georgia reported enrollment gains for Georgia Gwinnett College for the fall semester of 2019. The USG lists GGC’s overall fall enrollment at 12,831, which is a 2.6% increase from 2018. GGC was the only one of eight state colleges that reflected an increase in enrollment from last year. GGC also saw a 3.1% gain in full-time student enrollment. GGC has the second-highest percentage of full-time students among USG’s state colleges (66%). GC is the eighth largest of the 26 institutions within the USG and the largest classified as a state college. Fall enrollment for freshman students increased by 14% from 2018.
Albany Herald
Georgia Southwestern fall enrollment up 1.5 percent
From Staff Reports
Georgia Southwestern State University’s fall 2019 enrollment increased by 1.5 percent from fall 2018, according to figures released by the University System of Georgia Wednesday. Georgia Southwestern’s total enrollment now stands at 2,950 students. This number includes both undergraduate and graduate students. “We are very pleased to report an increase in enrollment at Georgia Southwestern for the fall of 2019,” GSW President Neal Weaver said in a news release. “The entire campus is focused on student success and growing the impact of the university by attracting and graduating more students who will impact the regional economy through their career choices.” Georgia Southwestern was one of only two USG schools in south Georgia that experienced any sort of gain.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
KSU sees enrollment growth, proposes new dorm for students
By Kristal Dixon
Kennesaw State University’s student enrollment continued on its upward trajectory for the fall 2019 semester. The university’s enrollment grew by 6.7 percent to reach 37,807 students, which is higher than its fall 2018 enrollment of 35,420 students, according to numbers released Tuesday by the University System of Georgia. Kennesaw State is the third-largest university in the state. Georgia State University ranks first with 53,619 students, and is followed by the University of Georgia with 38,920 students. Georgia Institute of Technology comes in fourth with 36,489 students. KSU welcomed about 6,500 new freshmen students this fall, which is a 30-percent increase from last year, the university said.
WCTV
Valdosta State hits record enrollment
By: Emma Wheeler | WCTV Eyewitness News
Valdosta State University Blazers are stepping onto campus in record numbers. Officials with Valdosta State University announced this week enrollment and student retention rates are up for the first time in several years. Enrollment at VSU increased by .5% from fall 2018, and retention rates increased by 5%. Valdosta State is one of only two regional comprehensive universities in the state to see this increase. School officials cited a new advising model helping to keep students on track to graduation.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Georj Lewis Named President of Atlanta Metropolitan State College
Staff Report
The Board of Regents today named Dr. Georj Lewis president of Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC). Lewis has been serving as interim president of AMSC since July 1, 2019. “Dr. Lewis has stepped in and shown excellent leadership in less than six months. I have great confidence in his ability to lead the institution going forward,” said University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Steve Wrigley. “Dr. Lewis brings great experience to the role of president, and the students, faculty and staff and the citizens of Georgia are being well-served by his leadership.”
The Inkwell
Marrero Talks Spring Commencement, FYE Program and Reflects on His First Semester as President
Madison Watkins, Editor-in-Chief
Last week, the Inkwell interviewed with University President Dr. Kyle Marrero for the last time this semester, and discussed spring commencement, the FYE program, the future of this campus and his thoughts about how his first semester as president has gone.
The Brunswick News
Performing arts center project receives go-ahead from USG
By LAUREN MCDONALD
The University System of Georgia’s board of regents voted Tuesday to authorize College of Coastal Georgia to move forward with plans for a performing arts center. The project has been on the minds of local residents for many years. This announcement allows concrete steps toward the center’s construction to begin. The performing arts center will be built on the college’s Brunswick campus and will be funded through an education special-purpose local-option sales tax (ESPLOST). Operating costs for the facility will be funded by the college.
Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern to Debut New Program in School of Human Ecology in Fall 2020
Staff Report
With support from the College of Education, the Georgia Southern University School of Human Ecology will debut the Birth to Kindergarten Teacher Education Program, which will be housed on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah. The program is the only one of its kind in South Georgia, and classes will begin in the 2020 fall semester. The program of study leads to a Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Development with a concentration in Birth to Kindergarten Teacher Education. The program offers students the opportunity to apply for a Georgia teaching certificate at the completion of all program requirements. Associate Professor of Child and Family Development Dina Walker-DeVose, Ph.D., said the program will operate with a strong social justice lens.
WALB
South Georgia State College gains degree accreditation in nursing program
By Kim McCullough
South Georgia State College has been awarded full accreditation for an associate of science and a bachelor of science in nursing through the spring of 2027. The program gained its accreditation through the Accreditation Commission of Education in Nursing (ACEN), an accreditation that is a voluntary, self-regulatory process where non-governmental associations recognize educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality.
Savannah Business Journal
Georgia Southern Releases New Strategic Five-Year Plan
Staff Report
After a yearlong effort, with multi-stakeholder collaboration across three campuses and various communities, Georgia Southern University has fully implemented a new strategic plan focusing on impact and culture. The plan articulates the university’s mission and vision, defines its core values, and establishes clear, measurable goals to meet its objectives. Officials are embedding the plan into everyday Georgia Southern operations by trying it to university priorities, budgeting, leadership scorecards, personnel evaluations and even meeting agendas. The Strategic Plan for 2019-2024 centers around five main pillars: student success; teaching and research; inclusive excellence; operational efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability; and community engagement.
Athens CEO
UGA to Hold Ceremony February 25th to Name the College of Education in honor of Mary Frances Early
Staff Report
The University of Georgia has announced that the official naming of the College of Education to honor Mary Frances Early – UGA’s first African American graduate and a pioneering educator – will take place at a ceremony on Feb. 25, 2020. Albany State University President Marion Ross Fedrick will deliver the 20th annual Mary Frances Early lecture on the day of the naming ceremony, UGA President Jere W. Morehead said. Fedrick earned two degrees from the University of Georgia: a bachelor’s degree in adult education with a concentration in organizational development, and a master’s degree in public administration.
Savannah Morning News
Chatham ETC students graduate from Georgia Tech program
By Katie Nussbaum
A birthday is always a reason to celebrate, but for Sirmarri Benton, who turned 16 on Wednesday, the day was extra special. Benton, a student at the Chatham Education Transition Center, was one of eight Chatham ETC students to graduate from the Georgia Tech University Logistic Education and Pathway (LEAP) program during a ceremony at the Georgia Tech Savannah campus. The students completed the program as part of a partnership between the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and Georgia Tech.
WGAU
UGA student shot, wounded in April will set up Foundation
By: Tim Bryant
The official unveiling will come next week at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center: his family says Tate Prezzano will launch a foundation that will set up scholarships for student-athletes at the University of Georgia, those who compete in non-scholarship sports. The hospital says the foundation also will serve as a way to increase security measures on the UGA campus to prevent future incidents from occurring. Prezzano, a 22 year-old lacrosse player at UGA, was shot and critically wounded in an April robbery attempt on South Milledge Avenue in Athens.
Tifton CEO
ABAC Student Presents Research at Jekyll Island Conference
Staff Report
Crysta Botdorf from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College was selected from college students across the state to present her research at the recent conference of the Georgia Sociological Association at the Jekyll Island Club.Dr. Jewrell Rivers, Botdorf’s faculty research mentor and academic advisor, said that Botdorf received a scholarship from the editorial board of the Journal of Teaching Historically Underserved Student Populations (JTHUSP) to present her research at the conference. Her research was sponsored by the Helping Professions Association (HPA), a student organization on the ABAC campus. …Botdorf’s research involved a literature review over media influences on violent crime. She is a Rural Community Development major from Sylvester with a concentration in Social and Community Development.
Albany Herald
UGA researchers working to develop universal flu shot
By Madeline Laguaite
University of Georgia researchers are receiving millions of federal dollars to help create a “universal” flu vaccine. But what does that term mean? And will a breakthrough vaccine persuade more Americans to get flu shots? Right now, fewer than 40 percent of adults get a flu shot. And that’s bad. …The National Institutes of Health recently signed a contract with the University of Georgia for funding to develop a universal flu shot. Led by Ted Ross, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Infectious Diseases and director of UGA’s Center for Vaccines and Immunology, the project aims to create a vaccine to protect against many strains of influenza virus.
Youth Today
College Students With Homelessness, Foster Care Backgrounds Need Help Building Network
ByKim Skobba and David Meyers
Earlier this year we wrote a column in Youth Today about the barriers faced by college students who had experienced homelessness or foster care during high school. This column highlights some key findings from our research, which was supported by the Spencer Foundation, on the education, housing and life experiences of 33 students at 12 colleges across the state of Georgia. We knew that students who have experienced homelessness and/or foster care face significant barriers getting to and staying in college and we wanted to understand what that looked like in the everyday lives of these students so that we could learn from them and work on potential solutions. In this column, we take a closer look at how the self-sufficiency skills developed by college students who have experienced homelessness or foster care may serve as a liability in navigating higher education.
Tiger TV
Sleep deprivation among college students
Margaret O’Rourke
Some may say that getting into bed is one of the best parts of the day but for many college students the stresses of school and life cause sleep deprivation. With the stress of finals looming over students in the next few weeks sleep is becoming less of a priority. …Sleep deprivation is common among college students who get an average of six to six point nine hours of sleep per night. According to the National Sleep Foundation college age students need seven to nine hours of sleep. According to the University of Georgia, some consequences of sleep deprivation are a weakened immune system, mental health issues, poor athletic performance and the consequence that effects a student’s education is a lower grade-point average.
Online Library
Abstract
Objective
This study examines monomer permeation of commercial dental adhesive through nitrile‐based gloves, and correlates findings with clinical case studies of dental students having localized skin eruptions following resin placement on a gloved hand to manipulate composite.
Methods
Three dental students self‐reported presenting itchy, red skin lesions underneath the area where they placed uncured adhesive resin on a nitrile‐gloved hand. Histories and cursory examinations were performed in the Department of Dermatology at The Medical College of Georgia. Infrared spectroscopic methods were used to determine permeation times of known monomer components of commercial adhesive material used through nitrile glove. Monomer permeation times were correlated with the time when the commercial adhesive first applied and penetrated through the glove.
Magaziner
Stem Cell Therapy For Bone On Bone Knees
Researchers suggest that Stem Cell Therapy has the potential to regenerate lost cartilage, stop and reverse cartilage degeneration, provide pain relief, and improve patient mobility. In a recent study, (1) doctors at Georgia Regents University suggest: “(stem cell) cellular therapies have the potential to regenerate the lost cartilage, combat cartilage degeneration, provide pain relief, and improve patient mobility. One of the most promising sources of cellular regenerative medicine is from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs can be isolated from adipose tissue, bone marrow, synovial tissue, and other sources.” The excitement surrounding research on stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis centers on the possibility of stem cell therapy reducing the need for joint replacement as primary care for diseased joint.
News-Medical
Scientists find driver for more deadly prostate cancer
A transcription factor that aids neuron function also appears to enable a cell conversion in the prostate gland that can make an already recurrent cancer even more deadly, scientists say. BRN4 is mostly expressed in the central nervous system and inner ear, but now scientists have the first evidence it’s amplified and overexpressed in patients with the rare but increasing neuroendocrine prostate cancer, they report in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. As their name implies, neuroendocrine cells also are more common in the brain, but the walnut-sized prostate gland also has a small percentage of them and they appear to become more numerous and deadly in the face of newer, more powerful hormone therapy. The sex hormone androgen is a major driver of prostate cancer so hormone therapy to suppress it or its receptor — called chemical castration — is a standard frontline therapy, says Dr. Sharanjot Saini, cancer biologist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
Advisor News
Morgan Stanley, National Geographic Society and the University of Georgia College of Engineering today announced a partnership to scale and enhance the citizen science movement to help prevent and reduce plastic waste in coastlines and waterways through support for the Marine Debris Tracker (Debris Tracker). The Debris Tracker is a mobile app that allows individuals to log plastic waste pollution as well as a suite of educational materials about the sources of, and solutions to, plastic waste. It is the only litter-tracking tool that enables users to learn by exploring and contributing to an open-data platform with over two million items tracked to date. Together, this partnership will improve understanding of the sources of plastic debris and pollution, generate scientific findings, inform solutions and inspire upstream design.
NCH
New general surgeon joins Northwest Community Healthcare
Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH) Medical Group is pleased to welcome Jin Sol Oh, M.D., a general surgeon. Dr. Oh joined the NCH Medical Group in August and sees patients at 880 W. Central Road, Suite 5000, in Arlington Heights. Dr. Oh earned a medical degree and residency at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Higher Education News:
WALB
Valdosta High offers Georgia’s ‘Apply to College’ workshops
By Ri’Shawn Bassette
Valdosta City Schools is celebrating Georgia’s Apply to College Month. On Wednesday, Valdosta High School (VHS) hosted its first “Apply to College” workshop of the year. The event is set to give students the opportunity to apply to college with specialists present to help them navigate the process. Amelia Roberson with Valdosta City Schools said that they’re hoping students leave the event at least one step further into their college application process. …During these events, there will also be several local colleges available on campus for insight.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
U.S. Supreme Court Weighs DACA’s Fate as Immigrants Rally Outside
By Katherine Mangan and Danielle McLean
As thousands of undocumented immigrants and their supporters rallied on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on a cold, rainy morning, their fates rested in the hands of nine justices who by some accounts on Tuesday seemed to be leaning toward allowing the protections that have kept the immigrants from deportation to end. Supporters of the so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the United States illegally as children but have lived here nearly their entire lives, were braced for that possibility, with the nation’s highest court now possessing a conservative majority.
Inside Higher Ed
Return on Students’ Investments Varies Over Time
Colleges ranking highly after 10 years aren’t necessarily the same ones at the top after 40 years, report says. The middle tier is a perhaps surprising mix of public, nonprofit and for-profit institutions.
By Rick Seltzer
What kind of a return on investment can a student expect to get on his or her college education? The answer depends on any number of factors. Cost of attendance, choice of college and type of degree attained are just a few of the major ones. A new report released today by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce examines several of those factors and how they affect returns on students’ investment. The report uses data made available on the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard — net price and median earnings — in order to calculate the net present value of degrees and credentials from different colleges over short and long time frames. It ranks more than 4,500 public, private nonprofit and private for-profit colleges awarding bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees and certificates. It ranks the institutions as a whole but not their individual programs, although its authors hope to be able to analyze program-level return on investment in the near future. …Public colleges tended to return more on investment over 10 years than private nonprofit colleges did, but private nonprofit institutions returned more over 40 years.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
How to Get More Rural Students Ready for College? Start With Broadband.
By Goldie Blumenstyk
Rural students lag in college readiness. What’s the fix? For starters, better broadband.
A report on the state of rural education came out last week, asserting that some schools and places “face nothing less than an emergency in the education and well-being of children.” Part of that emergency is the low level of “college readiness” in many of these rural districts, which enroll nearly one in five public-school students in the United States. They had me at “emergency.” My plan was to use the report, “Why Rural Matters, 2018-2019: The Time Is Now,” from the Rural School and Community Trust, as the basis for some pithy assertions about how policy makers and college leaders have failed when it comes to preparing these 9.3 million young people for the world that awaits them. That fits well with the narrative we hear a lot about how rural America is being left behind. And it jibes with my own sense that this is a brewing crisis, especially after spending time in central New York this summer, talking with ex-dairy farmers at Farm Aid, in September, and hearing news this week of a 24-percent surge in farm bankruptcies.
Inside Higher Ed
Mental Health, Bullying, Career Uncertainty
These are among the top concerns for Ph.D. students, according to a new survey by Nature.
By Colleen Flaherty
More than a third of Ph.D. students have sought help for anxiety or depression caused by Ph.D. study, according to results of a global survey of 6,300 students from Nature. Thirty-six percent is a very large share, considering that many students who suffer don’t reach out for help. Still, the figure parallels those found by other studies on the topic. A 2018 study of mostly Ph.D. students, for instance, found that 39 percent of respondents scored in the moderate-to-severe depression range. That’s compared to 6 percent of the general population measured with the same scale.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
University of Southern California Grapples With Increase in Student Deaths
by Jessica Ruf
Nine student deaths at the University of Southern California (USC) this school year have left students, faculty and administrators with mounting concern over how to handle and prevent student death. A campus of 47,500 students, USC usually averages four to 15 student deaths each school year. But since Aug. 24 the university has already suffered the loss of nine students — three more than the six deaths recorded last year, according to a Los Angeles Times report. With autopsies and toxicology tests still pending, the cause of death for a majority of those students has yet to be determined. However, in a letter sent to students on Tuesday, USC officials urged students to stay away from opioids and synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl — both of which are the main cause of drug overdose deaths. In the same letter, the university noted its commitment to strengthening its mental health services, especially as the Center for Disease Control reported in October that the suicide rate among people aged 10-24 increased 56% between 2007 and 2017. The university confirmed that three of the nine deaths were suicides.
Inside Higher Ed
UN Moves Into Higher Education
It plans a new system to track the qualifications of migrants and refugees.
By Jack Grove for Times Higher Education
The United Nations is set to begin its most significant intervention in higher education with the approval of plans to establish a new global system of qualification recognition to help migrants and refugees. The intergovernmental organization has historically not been involved in post-18 education, with its education arm — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) — focusing instead on improving education outcomes at primary and secondary levels. However, its decision to make “equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university” one of its targets for 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals framework adopted in 2016, has led the UN to engage with higher education.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
As Funding for Nuclear Weapons Grows, So Does University Involvement, Report Says
By Nell Gluckman
When the University of California and the Texas A&M University systems were selected last year to manage a nuclear-weapons laboratory, researchers at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, were interested. The University of California wasn’t a surprise. The system had been managing the facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico, since its creation, during World War II. But the fact that another university had been added to the contract seemed to confirm the advocates’ suspicion that nuclear proliferation, and universities’ involvement in it, is again on the rise. …“We discovered links to about 50 colleges and universities that are undergirding the U.S.’s push for new nuclear weapons,” Van Duzer said. “This is happening in contravention of many university mission statements.”