University System News:
Savannah Tribune
Savannah State Announces Esteemed Commencement Speakers
Savannah State University (SSU) will hold its 195th undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14, in Tiger Arena. The processional will begin at 8:30 a.m. Approximately 350 students will receive bachelor’s and associate degrees. The graduate commencement and hooding ceremony will be held Friday, Dec. 13, 5 p.m., in Tiger Arena. Approximately 50 students will receive hoods and master’s degrees. …Sarah- Elizabeth Langford Reed, J.D., will give the address during the graduate hooding commencement ceremony. …She currently serves on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia system upgrading core college education curriculum
By Eric Stirgus
Kennesaw State University computer science student Rebekah Roepke said the courses in her major teach the technical skills necessary for a career in her field, but not all of the communication skills, the “soft skills” many employers say students are not learning in college. Roepke comes to Atlanta several days a week for an internship at InComm, a financial technology company, where the student said she’s working on those communication skills, particularly by doing presentations. InComm’s executive vice president, Bob Skiba, was on a committee involved in the early stages of an effort by Georgia’s public university system to update the general education, also called core curriculum, for its undergraduate students. The goal is to better prepare students for their educational journeys, and to align with the demands of business executives looking to fill jobs. …A new committee of about 40 administrators, faculty and students met this month to discuss the next steps. System officials are seeking feedback on its website, where anyone can answer three questions such as “What changes would you suggest making to the current general education structure to align with the new principles?” They hope to get approval from the state’s Board of Regents by next spring and have the new course requirements in place by no later than 2021.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Appointments, resignations, retirements, awards, deaths
Compiled by Julia Piper
CHIEF EXECUTIVES
Appointments
Stuart Rayfield, vice chancellor for leadership and institutional development at the University System of Georgia, has been named interim president of the University of West Georgia. She will replace Micheal Crafton, who plans to step down as interim president and provost at the end of the fall semester.
Emanuel County Live
USG enrollment reaches record high, state colleges see drop
by Harley Strickland
The headcount enrollment for the 26 institutions of the University System of Georgia (USG) 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. Meanwhile, enrollment patterns varied by institution across the USG. Headcount enrollment grew by 3.8 percent in research universities and 1.8 percent in comprehensive universities. Enrollment declined by 1.2 percent at state universities and 2.5 percent at state colleges. Enrollment increased at 11 institutions, while 13 had a decline and 2 were relatively flat. East Georgia State College was one of the institutions that saw a decrease in students.
Henry Herald
Clayton State waives out-of-state tuition for South Carolina students
From Staff Reports
Clayton State University announced it is offering out-of-state tuition waivers to residents of South Carolina, expanding affordable college education to even more students. This is the first-ever waiver for students from a border state the university has offered.
13WMAZ
Troy Carroll suffered from PTSD after two tours in Iraq with the Marines.
Author: Katelyn Heck
After high school, Troy Carroll joined the Navy as a corpsman, specializing in emergency medical care. He went on to serve two tours in Iraq with the Marines. “The stuff you run into, you train and practice so hard, it’s muscle memory,” he said. Back on American soil though, Carroll felt less comfortable. …Now Carroll is a student at Middle Georgia State University, pursuing his lifelong goal of becoming a nurse. “My mom was a nurse, and I wanted to get in the medical field, but we couldn’t afford to put me through college.” Carroll says he still goes through challenges with his back problems and PTSD, but he is determined to move forward for himself, his family, and fellow veterans. … He’ll graduate with his Bachelor’s in two years.
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA Disability Resource Center enables diversity, opportunity for all students
By Sarah Freund / Correspondent
Entering into a college environment for the first time can be a daunting experience for any new student. A wide-range of emotions can settle in as they explore campus for the first time, get adjusted to class schedules and encounter droves of new people. For students with disabilities, the initial experience can encompass a range of unexpected difficulties, such as finding wheelchair accessible areas or getting academic assistance. At the University of Georgia, they need not go far without seeking assistance from the school’s Disability Resource Center. The facility, located on the school’s campus in Clark Howell Hall, is an extension of the Division of Student Affairs and exists to serve those with apparent or hidden disabilities, enabling them to thrive during their time in college.
Athens Banner-Herald
Service dog aids UGA student’s mobility
By Sara Freeland
Scorpio sleeps through most lecture classes he attends at the University of Georgia, and he’s still the teacher’s favorite. But Scorpio isn’t technically the teacher’s pet; he’s the service dog for Tyler Burrell, a fourth-year international affairs and communication studies major. Burrell has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and Scorpio is her mobility assistance dog. He helps Burrell with her balance. He can retrieve and help Burrell carry items like small bags. “He’s the unofficial mascot of any class that we’re a part of,” she said. “Everyone loves to have him in the class. He’s very well behaved.
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA student raises awareness for ‘invisible illness’
By Sara Freeland
Tyler Burrell is on a mission to teach others about “invisible illness”— that not all people who look normal are able-bodied and healthy. “That person needing the elevator for one floor, the person with a handicap pass who looks totally healthy, might not be,” she said. “You never know someone’s whole story.” Burrell, a University of Georgia senior international affairs and communication studies major, is part of the Disability Resource Center’s Speaker’s Bureau. She has talked to a First-Year Odyssey class and new graduate teaching assistants about how to help students with accommodations for disabilities. There, people are able ask questions in an open, comfortable environment and have a discussion about disabilities. “The goal is people gaining knowledge and increasing awareness, especially for invisible illness in general,” she said. “We have people with so many disabilities, a huge variety: deaf, learning disabilities. I would encourage people to ask questions, to learn.
Albany Herald
Trip to ‘Little Grand Canyon’ brings UGA-Tifton class to life
By Maria Sellers CAES News
Hands-on learning opportunities are a focal point for students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on the University of Georgia Tifton campus and a key part of its academic mission. Glen Harris, a CAES professor who teaches a soils and hydrology class each semester, offers students a variety of hands-on learning experiences each semester through field trips. “If you can show it to them rather than tell them about it, they pay closer attention and it’s more real,” said Harris.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta City Council to honor UGA’s first black graduate
By Raisa Habersham
Atlanta City Council will honor Mary Frances Early, the University of Georgia’s first black graduate, during its meeting on Monday. Early will be one of a handful of people honored, …The honor comes weeks after the Georgia Board of Regents approved a request from UGA to name its College of Education after Early.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
University of Georgia Scholar Honored by the American Educational Studies Association
Cynthia B. Dillard, the Mary Frances Early Professor of Teacher Education in the department of educational theory and practice of the College of Education at the University of Georgia, was recently awarded the 2019 Taylor & Francis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Foundations of Education from the American Educational Studies Association. The association is comprised of college and university professors who teach and research in the field of education and focus within liberal arts disciplines such as history, politics, and sociology. Dr. Dillard was honored at the association’s annual conference in Baltimore earlier this month.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
A Trio of African American Faculty Members Who Have Been Assigned New Duties
Leon Prieto, an associate professor of management at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia, has been named an associate research fellow at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge in England. Dr. Prieto joined the faculty at Clayton State in 2012 after teaching at Savannah State University in Georgia. Dr. Prieto is a graduate of Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He earned an MBA at Georgia Southern University
Independent.IE
History made at opening of first US University outreach centre in Ireland
David Looby
Cheers rang out in the newly revamped hall of the old municipal buildings in Wexford town as Georgia Southern University – the first ever American public university to open an outreach learning centre in Ireland – was officially opened during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday. Officially called Georgia Southern Global Hub – Ireland, the campus was christened the more manageable Georgia Southern Wexford by President of Georgia Southern University Dr Kyle Marrero. Located on Spawell Road, the campus can accommodate up to 100 students from a variety of academic disciplines, beginning this spring. The building directly across from the campus will provide accommodation for students, while plans are being progressed to convert the old convent on Bride Street which was vacated by the Adoration Sisters, into student accommodation.
Albany Herald
UGA Extension helps start conversation about rural stress
By Clint Thompson
Farmers are extended family for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents throughout the state, and agents are uniquely positioned to raise awareness about rural stress and mental health concerns for Georgia farmers. Agents put time, attention and knowledge into helping producers make everyday decisions that affect their livelihoods and relationships and this forges trust, according to Echols County Extension Coordinator Justin Shealey. “I see the same market data they do,” Shealey said. “I know what market prices are. I know that when I’m looking out my window and it’s not raining, their dryland crops are suffering. I know what they’re going through.” But it’s not enough that UGA Extension agents be sympathetic with their farmers’ daily concerns. They need to be ready to direct their growers to appropriate medical professionals if concerns are warranted. With suicide rates among Georgia farmers on the rise, UGA Extension is key to starting the conversation about stress and mental health in rural Georgia, says Andrea Scarrow, UGA Extension Southwest District director. …Scarrow is part of a coalition of southwest Georgia partners formed to educate farmers about the negative impact of rural stress.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia State crime victim thankful after supporters rally
By Jennifer Brett
A happy ending after someone boosted his Boosted board
As crime stories go, this one’s pretty mild. No weapons, no injuries, no sirens or blue lights. Still, imagine your kid calling a month into his college career to say he’d just been robbed. “I was a little concerned about him going to the big city,” Ned Rinalducci said after getting the phone call from his son, Georgia State University freshman Mason Rinalducci. “He’s a fairly resilient kid but he was certainly rattled.” The family lives in Wilmington Island, near Savannah. Mason considered Georgia Southern University, where his dad is a sociology professor, but chose Georgia State for its film program. “Georgia State’s just leagues ahead and film in Atlanta is just crazy,” Mason said. …He was waiting for a friend near Centennial Olympic Park when four guys came walking up. “They were like, ‘We have coke. You want to buy some?’” Mason recalled, adding, “It’s not all that unusual for someone to come up and offer you weed, but cocaine?” He declined. One of the guys then grabbed Mason’s electric skateboard and zoomed away while his pals took off in the opposite direction. …His dad, who went to high school in Atlanta, wrote about the unfortunate incident on his Facebook page. The response was overwhelming, with longtime friends not only offering support but urging him to start a GoFundMe to help Mason buy some new wheels. …The campaign, titled “Restoring Mason’s faith in humanity,” launched under the conditions that Mason write thank-you notes to his benefactors and that it would end as soon as it hit the amount needed to replace the board. It didn’t take long. “In three days there’s the $1,000 that this overpriced skateboard cost,” Ned Rinalducci said.
SF GATE
Feather Touch Dental Care is among an exclusive group of dental practices with a large number of five-star ratings and superior online reviews. As a result, Find Local Doctors has once again chosen Feather Touch Dental Care as a Top Patient Rated Atlanta Dentist. …This well-respected dental practice is led by Dr. Neal Shah and Dr. David Kim and provides a wide spectrum of expert general, restorative or cosmetic dentistry in Atlanta, GA. Feather Touch Dental Care also offers modern orthodontics using Invisalign, Dental Implants, emergency dentistry and specialty dental care for senior citizens. This patient-centric Midtown Atlanta dental practice combines the latest in cutting-edge, innovative dental technology, including the Single Tooth Anesthesia (STA) system, TRIOS® intraoral scanner, 3D imaging, ZOOM! teeth whitening and the DentalVibe injection system. …Dr. Neal Shah attended the Medical College of Georgia, earning his D.M.D. He has spent over 2000 hours in continuing education towards receiving his Fellowship and Master of Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Shah is a general and cosmetic dentistry specialist who is the official team dentist for the professional basketball team, the Atlanta Hawks. Dr. David Kim also earned his D.M.D. at the Medical College of Georgia.
The Augusta Chronicle
Augusta University hosts 100 Black Men of Augusta tournament
By Will Cheney
Area high school basketball players will get an opportunity to showcase their skills at a college venue this weekend. The 26th annual 100 Black Men of Augusta tournament will be held at Augusta University’s Christenberry Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday, featuring some of the top area boys’ programs. Glenn Hills was the location for last year’s tournament. For Evans head coach and athletic director Kevin Kenny, this tournament is a staple of basketball season in Augusta.
Albany Herald
Business school leads way in Give Back to ABAC campaign
From staff reports
For the fourth consecutive year, the faculty and staff of the Stafford School of Business at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College recorded a 100 percent participation rate in the annual Give Back to ABAC campaign. ABAC Annual Giving and Development Coordinator Ric Stewart said the Give Back to ABAC campaign began in 2016, and every faculty and staff member in the Stafford School of Business has participated all four years.
Tifton Gazette
Manna Drop provides Thanksgiving dinner
TIFTON — Students from Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College (ABAC) and Tifton Fire Department joined forces to feed 400 families the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day. For seven years now, students from ABAC have fundraised and organized for the Manna Drop and created a club devoted to feeding families every year before Thanksgiving. Last year, the college campus club became recognized as a non-profit organization. Though the gates opened at 9:30 a.m., hundreds of cars lined up outside Charles Spencer Elementary School waiting for the students to begin handing out meals. A truck-bed filled with ice and over 400 hams sat waiting to be handed out to help ease the financial burden for many community members in Tifton. The term “manna” comes from the Bible and means bread. Many of the students handing out meals to families were members of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) club on ABAC campus. …The future of the Manna Drop hangs in the balance as many of the students who have served as the backbone to the organization will graduate soon. It will be up to the younger students in the organization to figure out a way to pay for the next year’s Manna Drop.
Athens CEO
Greg Wilson, Public Service Assistant with the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government, discusses how they are addressing challenges in finding talented employees.
The Red & BLlack
UGA’s College of Engineering receives grant to study field of STEM education
Savannah Sicurella | Campus News Editor
The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Georgia’s Engineering Education Transformations Institute, which is part of the UGA College of Engineering, a $1 million grant to conduct research in the field of STEM education, according to a UGA Today press release. The EETI will use the grant to help STEM professors and lecturers in the U.S. examine student learning at universities and colleges. The EETI-led project will focus on STEM programs in the Southeast with large numbers of underrepresented students, according to the release.
The Guardian Tribune
Ultrasound market likely to touch new heights by end of forecast period 2017 – 2025
Global Ultrasound Market: Market Potential
Augusta University is working on developing a 3D ultrasound machine to not just support their research but also to aid conclusive diagnoses of concussions and other injuries to the head. This machine will be designed, specifically for sports injuries. The team received a handsome grant to develop a chip that will be incorporated in the conventional transducer to make it a 3D transducer. This machine will be relatively cheaper than the currently available 3D and 4D ultrasound solutions.
Morning AgClips
UGA entomologist Michael Toews using grant to study sugarcane aphids
Five-year project, is a collaborative effort among multiple institutions
A team of agricultural scientists across the Southeast are using a $1.8 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) grant to study the impact of aphids in sorghum crops. Michael Toews, an entomologist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is among the scientists on the five-year project, which is a collaborative effort among multiple institutions throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain region including UGA, USDA ARS, Fort Valley State University, Auburn University, Clemson University, North Carolina University and the University of Florida. The grant funds graduate students, technical support, fertilizer and crop inputs, analytical testing, lab supplies and general applied field research work. According to Toews, multiple scientists are needed to work on the problem because the sugarcane aphid is a difficult pest to manage on sorghum in the Southern U.S.
WBTW
Why cold weather makes us crave comfort food
by: Ashley Osborne
The only thing better than time with family and friends during the holidays is the food. It seems like when the temperatures drop outside, comfort food seems so much more enticing. We talked to a dietitian to find out why we crave comfort food when it is cold outside. “Instinctually we want something that’s going to warm us up,” says Augusta University Health dietitian Sarah Tankersley. Tankersley says it is a multi-part answer as to why we crave comfort food during the winter months. “There is possibly some sort of evolutionary interest there so we know a lot of animals today will hibernate during the wintertime so they build up their fat stores to make sure that they’re going to make it through the winter,” Tankersley points out. However, more than likely, it iss a mental game more than anything else.
Savannah Morning News
Georgia Southern coaches receive bonuses with a win over Georgia State Saturday
By Travis Jaudon
When Georgia Southern hosts Georgia State at Paulson Stadium Saturday (6 p.m.) in the regular season finale, a lot will be on the line for the Eagles (6-5, 4-3 Sun Belt Conference). The rivalry between the Sun Belt’s only Georgia schools provides plenty of motivation for coaches and players, and earning the season’s seventh win would mean GS — which is already bowl eligible — is a lock for a postseason bowl. “Getting bowl eligible is important. And you’ve got to get get to six wins or that’s not going to happen,” said Georgia Southern head coach Chad Lunsford Monday, Nov. 25. “But six wins doesn’t guarantee us anything, and our guys understand that. We gotta’ go get it done to make sure we secure a (postseason bowl) spot.” A seventh win would also result in salary bonuses amounting to $46,000 for the 12 coaches on the Georgia Southern coaching staff. According to employment contracts obtained by the Savannah Morning News through open record requests to Georgia Southern University, incentive-based bonuses kick in for every member of the GS coaching staff should the team win seven games in the regular season. …Approved by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents in March, the contracts for Lunsford, both coordinators and every assistant coach in 2019 included base salary bumps after the Eagles turned in a 10-3 record in 2018, the first year for Lunsford and his staff.
The Augusta Chronicle
Morris Communications names Craig Mitchell CEO
By Damon Cline
Augusta-based Morris Communications Co. LLC announced Friday Craig S. Mitchell, treasurer and chief financial officer, has been named president and CEO. Mitchell, who joined the family-owned company in 1994, will oversee the day-to-day operations of its magazine, broadband, real estate and agribusiness holdings in more than two dozen states and several foreign countries. Company Chairman William S. Morris III said the appointment is effective Dec. 1. …Before joining Morris, Mitchell worked in the tax department of accounting firm Deloitte Haskins & Sells and, later, served as treasurer of President Baking Co., then-owner of Murray Biscuit Co. He and his wife, Lisa, have two adult children: daughter Madeline Wills, associate general counsel for Augusta University Health System, who is married to Charles Wills, and has a daughter Elizabeth Jane; and a son, Maxwell, who is a mergers and acquisitions manager for Deloitte’s Atlanta office. Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Augusta College and a master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Georgia.
Marietta Daily Journal
Georgia Academy of Family Physicians elects local doctor as president at annual Meeting
Staff reports
The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians inaugurated Jeff Stone MD, MBA, MHA, FAAFP during their 51st Congress of Delegates, in conjunction with the Annual CME Meeting on Nov. 16. A Canton resident, Dr. Stone is a family physician at WellStar Health System in Marietta. …In 2014, he obtained his Master of Business Administration and Master of Healthcare Administration from Georgia State University. …In 2017, he was awarded the Preceptor of the Year Award at Mercer University School of Medicine and Georgia Regents University.
Forsyth News
Northside Hospital adds former UGA all-American to its sports medicine network
Brian Paglia
Northside Hospital announced it has added a host of new physicians, including one to its Orthopedic Institute Sports Medicine that will serve the Cumming area. Dr. Kellie K. Middleton, a Norcross native who was an all-conference softball player at Notre Dame and all-American player at the University of Georgia, will provide “advanced, comprehensive orthopedic and sports medicine care, specializing in complex shoulder, elbow and knee” issues, according to a press released. Middleton graduated early from Notre Dame as a double major in biology and psychology, then transferred to Georgia where she received her Masters of Public Heath degree.
morehouse.edu
National Education Reform Leader Hired To Launch Morehouse Center for Excellence in Education
Dr. Nina L. Gilbert, a national education reform leader, adjunct professor, and executive founder of Georgia’s first single-gender public charter school network, was recently hired to launch Morehouse College’s new Center for Excellence in Education. As director of the Morehouse Center for Excellence in Education, Dr. Gilbert—who is also a faculty member—is working to develop a pipeline of world class K-12 practitioners, innovators, policy makers, leaders, and researchers who are equipped to transform and improve educational outcomes in urban communities. Through an interdisciplinary design, MCEE will allow students to customize their area of study by selecting the courses, programs, and activities that align with their career interests. …Gilbert holds a doctorate in educational and organizational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Clark-Atlanta University, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of West Georgia.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Katherine Mangan
Changes around the country in developmental education are allowing hundreds of thousands of students to bypass remedial classes and jump right into college-level work. Still, significant challenges remain as instruction is revamped and supports beefed up to meet the needs of less-well-prepared students. Remedial courses are just one component of the field widely referred to today as developmental education, which includes tutoring, study skills, and financial and other assistance. But even as the terms educators use to describe their work have shifted from “remedial” to “developmental,” some say both connote a “deficit mind-set” that discourages students.
Inside Higher Ed
The Digital Courseware Accessibility Problem
High-tech instructional materials are gaining popularity with instructors, but they can be problematic for students with disabilities. Colleges and publishers say there’s no easy fix.
By Lindsay McKenzie
Educational publishers such as Cengage, McGraw-Hill and Pearson are investing heavily in digital courseware — interactive, personalized course content that aims to improve the learning experience. Videos, simulations, quizzes and built-in homework assignments make these products an attractive option for faculty and students alike. But not every student’s learning experience is enhanced by them. College accessibility staff say that digital courseware is frequently inaccessible to students with disabilities, particularly blind students who use screen readers. Universities and colleges that receive federal financial aid are required by law to ensure their digital learning materials are accessible to all students or provide reasonable alternatives in a timely manner.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Is the Threat to Academic Freedom Growing?
By Megan Zahneis
In China, students and scholars are being imprisoned by the Communist Party at “re-education camps.” In Sudan, authorities are beating and tear-gassing students participating in protests. And as Brazil reels from the election of the antidemocratic president Jair Bolsonaro, public officials are suggesting policy changes that pose threats to universities’ autonomy. All of those situations are detailed in a new report by the Scholars at Risk Network, an international group that provides aid to scholars whose work is targeted by threats. This year’s “Free to Think” report rounded up 324 documented “attacks on higher-education communities” spanning 56 countries. Started by Robert Quinn two decades ago, Scholars at Risk works with a global network of higher-education institutions to arrange what it calls “academic refuge” for scholars whose work has come under fire.
Inside Higher Ed
Study on Campus Carry Legislation
By Paul Fain
A new study analyzes the conditions that can contribute to the passage of campus carry legislation. For example, it found that “open shooter incidents” anywhere within a state positively influence the introduction of these bills. Educational Researcher has accepted the study, which was conducted by David R. Johnson, an assistant professor of higher education leadership at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Liang Zhang, a professor of higher education at New York University. “Panel data logistic regression analyses reveal that active shooter incidents, the percentage of Republicans in state government, citizen political ideology and policy diffusion influence the introduction of campus carry legislation,” they wrote.