University System News:
AJC.com
AJC On Campus: New TCSG leader, Trump’s order, UGA goes Hollywood
By Eric Stirgus
State leaders in the last week have proposed ways to improve higher education in Georgia and are looking at a veteran official to improve operations at the organization that manages its technical college system. Meanwhile, President Trump, someone who wants his job and another leader in Washington drew up plans they believe will improve campus safety and make college more affordable. Here’s the latest on these items and other issues in this week’s AJC On Campus.
Growing Georgia
ABAC Opens New Greenhouse at J.G. Woodroof Farm
Students enrolled in the bachelor’s degree programs in Environmental Horticulture and Agricultural Education are utilizing a new 3,600 square foot greenhouse at the J.G. Woodroof Farm at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. “It has all the bells and whistles of a modern greenhouse,” Dr. Mark Kistler, Dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said at the recent ceremonial cutting of the ribbon. “It will benefit the entire campus but primarily students involved in horticulture and ag education.” Kistler thanked the Georgia Department of Education for a $150,000 construction-bond grant which supplied the majority of the funding for the structure. He also credited Atlas Greenhouse, Barber Construction Company, and the ABAC administration for their support.
Griffin Daily News
Wheelan Encourages Gordon Graduates to Give Back
By Katheryne A. Fields
Sharing her own lessons in life, Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, Ph.D., President of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, encouraged graduates to laugh more, be angry less and always give back in her keynote address at Gordon State College’s Fall Commencement ceremony Monday.
WJCL
Georgia Southern unveils historical marker honoring Armstrong State University
By Jackson Kurtz
Armstrong State University is leaving behind a reminder of its past with a new historical marker at Georgia Southern University. University officials say the historical marker is to remind students of Armstrong State University’s beginnings, all the way to its merger with Georgia Southern University in 2017. The Georgia Historical Society unveiled the marker at the quad fountain behind Burnett Hall on Georgia Southern Armstrong campus in Savannah. “It’s a great opportunity to not just look back and celebrate, which were doing today, the people who founded this institution, that made this happen, at Armstrong and the marker, but also look forward with programs coming here to Armstrong,” said Dr. Kyle Marrero, president of Georgia Southern University.
WRBL
CSU hosts informational session on new cybersecurity degree program
By Jemeisha Lyde
Columbus State University’s TSYS Cybersecurity Center is hosting several information sessions on the new Nexus Cybersecurity degree. The sessions feature discussions on the requirements of the program and the shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the workforce. Currently, there’s a dire need for new talent in cybersecurity with more than 18,000 positions vacant in Georgia. The next session starts tonight at the Frank Brown Hall at CSU’s River Park Campus at 7 p.m.
USA Today
Ciara surprises Georgia students using STEM to remix her songs
By Associated Press
Recording artist Ciara returned to the city where she launched her career to surprise students at an Atlanta-area STEM high school Monday. The R&B artist sat in on a class at Paul Duke Stem High, a Norcross school which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math education. Students there have been using computer coding skills to remix her songs “Melanin” and “Set.” Ciara spoke to the class and watched students rework her music as they participated in a competition sponsored by Amazon’s future engineer program. The teenagers used EarSketch, a platform developed by Georgia Institute of Technology, that teaches computer science through music remixing, research engineer Roxanne Moore told WSB-TV.
WRBL
Law enforcement officers hosted their sixth annual Blue Lights and Smiles event
By Anjelicia Bruton
Local law enforcement officers responded to a call at Piedmont Columbus Regional about several kids excited about the holiday season. The West Georgia Chapter of the Police Benevolent Association hosted their sixth annual Blue Lights and Smiles. The officers met at Columbus State University Police Department. In a convoy the officers took their donated gifts and dropped them off at the pediatric unit at Piedmont Columbus Regional. The officers and other local officials visited the rooms of 20 kids who may not be home for Christmas.
Albany CEO
Staff Report
Georgia Southwestern State University’s (GSW) College of Education is effectively preparing new teachers for the classroom according to the 2019 Teacher Preparation Program Effectiveness Measures (PPEMs) published by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). The PPEMs assess how well education programs across the state are preparing teachers for the classroom. The primary purposes of the PPEMs are to provide programs data to inform improvement, to provide accountability for the quality of teachers produced by each program, and for public transparency regarding quality of teachers produced by education programs. “I am proud of the work of the faculty and staff in the College of Education,” said Dean Rachel Abbott, Ph.D. “We focus on continuous improvement and will use this data to make informed programmatic decisions to ensure we continue to produce quality teachers in the state of Georgia.”
AJC.com
Contest merges music, coding to lure students to computer science
By Arlinda Smith Broady
Just because your teens watch movies and play video games on their phones and would rather communicate through social media than in person, doesn’t mean they are up-to-date on work-world technology. With the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating that by next year there will be 1.4 million computer-science-related jobs available and only 400,000 graduates with the skills to apply for those jobs, many schools are readying the next generation to fulfill that need. Computer science students at Paul Duke STEM High School recently showcased some new skills in a competition that teaches how to write code that makes music. Using Georgia Tech’s learn-to-code-through-music platform, EarSketch, high school students have the opportunity to win prizes by composing an original remix featuring the song “SET” from Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter Ciara. The competition is intended to get young people excited about computer science and coding.
Tifton CEO
ABAC Nursing Honors Graduates at Pinning Ceremony
Staff Report
Taylor Kight from Moultrie, Summer Landeros from Ashburn, and Shelby Stacey from Valdosta received the three top awards presented by the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College at the recent fall semester pinning ceremony. Kight received the Carillon Award, which goes to the student with the highest-grade point average among the graduates. Named for the carillon bells in the ABAC Chapel of All Faiths, located adjacent to the Health Sciences building, the award is sponsored by Colquitt Regional Medical Center. Landeros received the Clinical Excellence Award, which recognizes a student who demonstrated excellence in evidence-based clinical practice and patient-centered care. The award is sponsored by Southwell Tift Regional Health Systems.
Higher Education News:
The New York Times
The Machines Are Learning, and So Are the Students
By Craig S. Smith
Jennifer Turner’s algebra classes were once sleepy affairs and a lot of her students struggled to stay awake. Today, they are active and engaged, thanks to new technologies, including an artificial intelligence-powered program that is helping her teach. She uses the platform Bakpax that can read students’ handwriting and auto-grade schoolwork, and she assigns lectures for students to watch online while they are at home. Using the platform has provided Mrs. Turner, 41, who teaches at the Gloucester County Christian School in Sewell, N.J., more flexibility in how she teaches, reserving class time for interactive exercises. “The grades for homework have been much better this year because of Bakpax,” Mrs. Turner said. “Students are excited to be in my room, they’re telling me they love math, and those are things that I don’t normally hear.”
Inside Higher Ed
By Scott Jaschik
How best to thank students, alumni, employees and others for their work and to wish them well during the holiday season? Johns Hopkins University this year opted to create a crossword puzzle, with clues about the campus, alumni and other Hopkins trivia. But most colleges and universities opt for videos. Adelphi University focused on giving — but also included some of the mistakes that were made in the filming of the video.