University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia colleges crack prominent online rankings lists
By Eric Stirgus
Several colleges and universities in Georgia offer some of the nation’s top online programs, according to rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. Here’s where those schools ranked among the top 50 in various categories: Bachelor’s degrees… MBA; Master’s business… Master’s education… Nursing… Information Technology
WGAU
By: Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia’s New Student Resource Fair is on tap for today, underway at 3 and lasting til 5 at the UGA’s Tate Student Center: the University says several schools and colleges will be on hand.
WJCL
Georgia Southern begins new semester with inclusivity in mind
As Georgia Southern starts a new semester, the school is still recovering from two racially charged incidents late last year
Sharon Johnson, Reporter
As Georgia Southern starts a new semester, the school is still recovering from two racially charged incidents late last year.
The Red & Black
Pre filed state legislation would require 90% of UGA early action offers go to Georgia residents
Foster Steinbeck | Staff Writer
Bryce Melton, a high school lacrosse captain for two years, scored a 35 on the ACT and had a 3.8 GPA when he applied to the University of Georgia as an early applicant, confident he would be admitted. He received his deferral letter in November. “Seeing that I got deferred, especially when I expected to get in, was definitely a little demoralizing,” the Alpharetta High School senior said. “It made me think more realistically than I was.” Stories like these prompted state Sen. Brandon Beach to pre-file a bill in the Georgia Senate last month. If passed, 90% of all offers of admission for early action applicants to all University System of Georgia research universities — Georgia State University, Augusta University, Georgia Institute of Technology and UGA — must go to Georgia resident students. Beach plans to call the legislation the “Keep Georgia Kids First Act.”
The Red & Black
NIH awards UGA professor $1.88 million grant to study blood-brain barrier
Jacqueline GaNun | City News Editor
Yao Yao, a University of Georgia professor in the department of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences, was awarded a $1.88 million National Institutes of Health research grant, according to a news release from UGA Today. Yao is researching the blood-brain barrier, the structure that determines what enters and exits the brain. According to the release, Yao’s team will use the grant to develop new treatments for medical conditions affected by disruption of the barrier, such as a stroke.
Geek Tech Online
Scientists have figured out how to deal with cancer using regular salt
Scientists from the University of Georgia discovered a new way to attack cancer cells, which will be the least harmful to the patient. As it turned out, sodium chloride nanoparticles, better known as salt in everyday life, are toxic to affected cells. Nanoparticles can become a Trojan horse, which will destroy the internal structure of cancer cells, which will lead to their death. And since salt will be used for treatment, it will not harm the body.
WJBF
Building a destination for future doctors and researchers
by: Marlena Wilson
We are going look at the state of MCG today. This broadcast being recorded mere hours before the actual State of MCG address is delivered by its dean. We want look at gene editing. We did a story, not too long ago, on CRISPR and the efforts to edit human genes and what that might mean when it comes to diseases and immunity and other health issues. So, we’ll get the dean to break that down for us. And we need more doctors. We talked about that with Georgia’s governor last week and we’ll talk about it with the Dean of the Medical College of Georgia. He is Dr. David Hess. And he is back on the set of “The Means Report.”
Arizona Daily Sun
New NAU Dean of Students works to boost student assistance
Kaitlin Olson Sun Staff Reporter
At the start of his second full semester at Northern Arizona University, Dean of Students Andrew Dies looked right at home, his office well decorated with framed credentials and personal touches — Mickey Mouse mug and all — as if he had been there for years. Dies began at NAU in late July after serving as the Dean of Students at the Armstrong and Liberty campuses of Georgia Southern University. …Dies, who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Georgia Southern University, said he has never lived as far west as Arizona — and was surprised by the lack of humidity when he arrived this summer from Savannah, Georgia.
WJZ13
Family Of Towson Hit-And-Run Victim Tom Gluick Offers $20K Reward For Information
The family of a college professor killed in a hit-and-run near Towson Town Center on New Year’s Eve is offering a $20,000 reward for information in the case. …The assistant professor of chemistry at Georgia Gwinnett College was reportedly in the area to visit his former wife Shelia Garrity.
The George Anne
FIVE YEARS OF GEORGIA SOUTHERN NEWS
Headlines that defined Georgia Southern’s reputation
By Sarah Smith
Georgia Southern was granted university status in 1990. 30 years later, GS has had ups and downs that have won championships, changed laws and landed mentions in national news outlets. Here are some moments from the past five years that shaped GS as a university and community.
The Augusta Chronicle
Finalists named for Augusta human resources director
By Susan McCord
Augusta commissioners interviewed three candidates for the open position of human resources director Thursday. The three were the second batch of finalists to interview since the commission voted in January to fire former HR director Gwendolyn Conner after less than a year. The commission rejected the three who interviewed in September. The finalists are: Dwight Baker, director of human resources for Albany, Ga. since 2016. His previous HR jobs have been with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, Macon-Bibb HR director and the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia. He has a bachelor’s degree in management and human resources from Morris Brown College and a Doctor of Business degree specializing in human resource management from Capella University.
Savannah Morning News
Logistics Technology Corridor looks to state for future growth
By Katie Nussbaum
As support continues to grow for the Savannah Logistics Technology Corridor, the task force behind the endeavor is looking to the 2020 Georgia General Assembly for the next step in the corridor’s future as several incentives are presented to the delegation for consideration. “This is a team effort between the Savannah corridor and the (Fort Gordon Cyber Security and Information Technology Corridor) to bring these very targeted incentives that will help to make our corridors more attractive and unique in many ways to other tech areas in the country,” SLTC task force chairman Keith Fletcher said of the incentives that will be presented to the Georgia Legislature, which convenes Monday, Jan. 13. …As the task force awaits the presentation of the incentives, it’s also gearing up to start a study to explore a location for a physical space thanks to $400,000 in 2019 state-approved funding along with an additional $100,000 from the Savannah Economic Development Authority. The money will also be used for the future design of the building, Fletcher said. Georgia Southern University will be heading up the study, and the task force aims for the facility to be similar to Tech Square in Atlanta, which according to its website has the highest density of startups, corporate innovators, and academic researchers in the southeastern United States.
WJBF
Intelligence experts warn about cyber threats following recent conflicts with Iran
by: Ashley Osborne
The recent conflicts between the United States and Iran continue to dominate headlines. House democrats are working to limit his war powers. Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the President needs congressional approval to take action against Iran again. The President says he will consult congress on a case by case basis. President Trump defends his decision to kill Iran’s top commander. He says Iran appears to be standing down, but is still a threat. Cyberspace is an arena where those threats are likely. Cyber experts warn that attacks could be in the works or coming soon. Here at home, Augusta University is training the future leaders in cyber security. The school sent out an email reminding students, faculty and staff to pay extra close attention to what they do online because of recent events.
WALB
Professors: Australia’s recovery will take decades
By Marilyn Parker
It’s been Australia’s worst brushfire on record with a death toll of 27 and more than 2,000 homes destroyed. Biology professors at one Southwest Georgia university said it will take Australia years to recover from this crisis. “Here we have Bender, he’s a Tegu lizard. He’s related to some of the lizards you would find in Australia,” said Georgia Southwestern (GSW) Biology Professor Tom Lorenz, who studies animals. …Professor and Chair of Biology Stephanie Harvey said the plants are taking a major hit.
WALB
Ga. Southwestern professor: Iran’s attack against U.S. was to ‘save face’
By Marilyn Parker | January 9, 2020 at 12:23 AM EST – Updated January 9 at 11:50 AM
A Southwest Georgia educator said Iran was trying to “save face” in its attacks towards Americans. Dr. Brian Parkinson with Georgia Southwestern State University said he wasn’t surprised hearing Iran responded to the killing of Qasem Solemani with missiles. He said it’s because for many years, the country has been trying to provoke the USA.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Racist Incidents, Budget Cuts, and Faculty Warnings: Inside the Run-Up to a Campus Book-Burning
By Lindsay Ellis
Chris Caplinger left his phone outside the bedroom that night in October, so it was only when he awoke early the next morning that he saw the text. It came in just before midnight, and it carried alarming news: Students are burning a book.
On Common Ground
Georgia NAACP State President to deliver DeKalb’s MLK Day Charge
The Rev. James “Major” Woodall, state president of the Georgia NAACP, will deliver the charge during DeKalb County’s 36th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. At age 25, Rev. Woodall became the youngest state president in NAACP history when he was elected to lead the Georgia NAACP in 2019. He serves as an associate minister at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Marietta. Rev. Woodall also is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve. An alumnus of Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in religious studies, Rev. Woodall currently is enrolled at the Interdenominational Theological Center pursuing a master of divinity degree through the Morehouse School of Religion.
Albany Herald
Shakespeare classic part of ABAC arts series
Shakespeare comes to Tifton on Jan. 28 when Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College presents the National Players’ production of “As You Like It” at 7 p.m. at the Tift County High School Performing Arts Center. …The performance is a part of the ABAC Art Connection’s ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series.
The Tifton Gazette
Auditions for ‘The Spitfire Grill’ on Jan. 21-22
Auditions for the Baldwin Players upcoming musical, “The Spitfire Grill,” will be held on Jan. 21-22 at 6:30 p.m. each night in Room 319 of Conger Hall on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, according to a press release. …Ray said the auditions are open to all interested ABAC students, ABAC faculty and staff members, and members of the community.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
When It Comes to Future Earnings, Liberal-Arts Grads Might Get the Last Laugh
By Bennett Leckrone
Students from liberal-arts colleges don’t merely recoup their tuition dollars in the long run. They eventually earn more than those who attended trade or business schools, a new report shows. The return on investment, or ROI, from a liberal-arts education skyrockets as people’s careers progress, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce concludes in the report, “ROI of Liberal Arts Colleges: Value Adds Up Over Time.” Forty years after enrolling, a graduate of one of the 210 liberal-arts colleges analyzed for the report will have a median ROI that is nearly $200,000 above that of all U.S. colleges, says the study, published on Tuesday.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Sarah Brown
As demand for campus counseling skyrockets and therapists are forced to manage increasingly larger caseloads, students are less likely to see improvement in their mental-health symptoms. That’s according to a report from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, at Pennsylvania State University, which examined the impact of students’ increasing demand for mental-health services on the effectiveness of the treatment that colleges can provide. The report includes data from 163 campus counseling centers, covering more than 200,000 students who have sought treatment.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Study Finds Marijuana Use Increase Among College Students in Legalized States
A recent study by Oregon State University found that college student’s use of marijuana have increased within legalized states. According the survey, students in legalized marijuana states were 18% more likely to use marijuana in the past 30 days over students in states that have not legalized the drug. Additionally, the students were also 17% more likely to be frequent users.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Johns Hopkins Has Quietly Stopped Giving Children of Alumni Preference in Admissions. Here’s Why.
By Nell Gluckman
Over the past 10 years, the Johns Hopkins University has phased out an increasingly controversial admissions practice: legacy preferences. Common among selective colleges, legacy preferences give the children of alumni a boost when they are applying to a parent’s alma mater. In the last several years, as conservative activists have challenged affirmative action in court and scandals like Varsity Blues have exposed how admissions can be rigged for wealthier applicants, defenders of legacy preferences have been on shakier ground. Johns Hopkins had already, it turns out, done away with the practice. But the university remained relatively quiet about the change until recently.