University System News:
Fox News
Best of 2019: Seven acts of kindness that went viral
By Greg Norman
The Christmas and holiday season is synonymous with giving, sharing and helping out those in need. But for many across America, whether they be teachers, mailmen – or even Uber drivers – the desire to do good in their communities doesn’t fade away at the end of the calendar year. Here are seven acts of kindness that went viral throughout 2019… One empathetic college professor in Georgia has been praised as a “saint” after lending a helping hand to one of her students who unexpectedly couldn’t find a sitter for her young son during an 8 a.m. biology class. Dr. Ramata Sissoko Cissé, an assistant professor at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, told Yahoo Lifestyle that the student asked her the night before “if she could bring the baby with her to class because she had missed a class already and did not want to be behind.”
Associated Press
South Carolina educator to lead University of West Georgia
A South Carolina educator will be the next president of the University of West Georgia. The Georgia Board of Regents voted on Monday to name Brendan Kelly, now the leader of the University of South Carolina Upstate, as president of the 13,000-student public university in Carrollton. Kelly will start work on April 1. Kelly had been named the sole finalist for the position last week. Kelly and his wife visited the West Georgia campus on Thursday to meet with students, faculty, staff and university supporters.
AJC.com
GBI: Clayton teen who collapsed during school workout died from heat
By Leon Stafford
The GBI ruled her death an accident, and concluded hyperthermia, acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis caused Imani’s death, according to the autopsy. The teen had had no prior medical issues that would have contributed to her passing…Clayton State University gave Imani a posthumous associates degree of arts in integrative studies earlier this month. The teen enrolled at the school in fall 2018 as a dual student earning college credit while completing her high school requirements.
WABE
UGA Partners With Pinewood Studios On MFA In Film Program
By Sophia Saliby & Kenny Murry
The University of Georgia has created a new Master of Fine Arts program in film. Students will spend one year in Athens learning about screenwriting, producing and directing. Their second year will take place at the Georgia Film Academy at Pinewood Studios in Fayetteville. During that time, students will work in groups to produce a short film, trailer or pilot. Dean of UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication Charles Davis said the goal of the program is to grow Georgia’s work force in the film industry beyond just technical professions.
Indianapolis Star
Disease-causing tick common along Gulf Coast is now in Indiana, IU experts say
By Michael Reschke
Indiana University researchers have found a Gulf Coast tick in southern Indiana. As the name suggests, this species of arachnid is primarily found in states that border the Gulf of Mexico. Its presence in Indiana could signify an expanded range, and for Hoosiers that would mean an increased risk of contracting a nasty disease. Tidewater fever, or rickettsia parkeri, is a form of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Both illnesses can result in fever, headache, rash and muscle aches… A student who was sorting ticks in the IU lab recently noticed one that looked different. Clay thought it was a Gulf Coast tick, but he wanted to be sure. High-resolution photos of the bug were taken and sent to the U.S. National Tick Collection at Georgia Southern University.
Commentary Magazine
A New Cause for Fear for Free Speech on Campus
By Jonathan Marks
In March, I reported optimistically about the state of free speech at our colleges and universities. At that time, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which tracks attempts to disinvite or shut down campus speakers, recorded just nine “disinvitation” events in 2018. That was down from 43 in 2016, a record year, and 36 in 2017… In contrast, attempts that come from the right of a speaker are up—FIRE has already recorded 11 in 2019, more than double 2016’s five. One of the most troubling cases of 2019 occurred at Georgia Southern University, where students burned copies of Make Your Home Among Strangers, a novel by Jennine Capó Crucet. Her critics objected to what they considered her racism against whites.
Augusta Chronicle
Loeffler talks lock and dam in Augusta visit
By Tom Corwin
Senate-Designate Kelly Loeffler talked about a number of issues in her first official visit to Augusta since being named earlier this month by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The issue with New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam has just been dropped into Kelly Loeffler’s lap, but she still thinks there is a way to work it out. Some Augusta officials think they already know what it should be, Loeffler, chosen by Gov. Brian Kemp to take Sen. Johnny Isakson’s seat when he retires at year’s end, made her first official foray to Augusta on Monday, though the Republican has taken clients to the Masters Tournament before and calls the city “the best-kept secret in Georgia.” After delivering blankets to patients at AU Medical Center and touring the Georgia Cancer Center and Children’s Hospital of Georgia, Loeffler was briefed about the lock and dam by U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga.; Georgia Ports Authority Chairman William D. McKnight; and others, several of whom oppose the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to remove the structure and replace it with a rock weir that will significantly drop the pool of water in the Savannah River.
Albany Herald
Albany State University Foundation receives clean 2019 audit
Staff Reports
The Albany State University Foundation received a clean audit for the July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019 fiscal year. This year’s audit did not include any material weaknesses or recommendations for improvement from the auditor. “The ASU Foundation has continued to improve its financial management, procedures and staff training,” A.L. Fleming, vice president for Institutional Advancement and executive director of the ASU Foundation, said in a news release. The audit is a regular review of the fundraising and nonprofit unit of Albany State University. The Foundation’s finances and practices were audited by the accounting firm Mauldin & Jenkins.
Thomasville Times-Enterprise
SRTC Foundation awards nearly $50K in scholarships
For the 2020 spring semester, which begins on January 7, the Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) Foundation awarded scholarships to 63 students totaling $49,150. These funds assist students with education-related costs such as tuition, fees, books, classroom and lab supplies, and more… SRTC offers over 155 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get students quickly into a desired career, and 28 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia.
Higher Education News:
The Federalist
How An Unlimited Supply Of Borrowed Cash Is Destroying Higher Education
By Rebecca Kathryn Jude and Chauncey M. DePree, Jr.
“You have to go to college” was an article of faith when we were growing up in poor families. Now we wonder if our ticket out of poverty still has the same value. Far too many of this generation are leaving college with substantial debt and few meaningful job opportunities. Put a little differently, what is the value of a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies or sociology or any other fields that are not science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or business? Ask some of the young people working at your local coffee shop or favorite restaurant. They will probably tell you, “not much.” The problem has become so overwhelming that politicians are talking about “free” college and “forgiving” college debt. It sounds good. The truth is that these proposals are a disaster in the making because they ignore the root cause of out-of-control costs of higher education.