University System News:
Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News
Board of Regents OKs renovation project for UGA film program
Dave Williams Capitol Beat News Service
The University of Georgia’s new master’s program in film, television and digital media soon will have its own digs. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved a plan Wednesday to renovate more than 5,800 square feet of space at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications to house the two-year master of fine arts program the school launched last year. The $3.75 million project, to be funded through private donations, will provide studio and support space for the master’s program. The renovation will be designed, constructed and outfitted in collaboration with the Georgia Film Academy (GFA), which the state created and financed to train Georgians in the skills needed to work in the fast-growing film industry.
The Augusta Chronicle
Former Augusta jail gets second chance for use in film productions
By Susan McCord
Augusta’s former jail at 401 Walton Way got a second chance Wednesday for use in film and television productions. Voting 9-0 to postpone the planned demolition of the jail, Augusta commissioners took no action on a tumultuous riverfront development deal and received from attorneys a “no update” update on multiple criminal investigations of one of their own, Sammie Sias. Speaking to commissioners about the Georgia Film Academy, Columbia County Commissioner Trey Allen said saving the jail will bolster Augusta’s role in what’s become a $4 billion state industry.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WSB’s Aaron Diamant becomes University System of Georgia’s communications chief
By Rodney Ho
Channel 2 Action News investigative reporter Aaron Diamant has been named vice chancellor of communications for the University System of Georgia. Diamant, who joined WSB-TV in 2011, will leave the station at the end of month, according to news director Suzanne Nadell. he Emmy-winning journalist starts at USG Feb. 3. …He replaces Jen Ryan, who is leaving this month to open her own communications consulting firm.
WRBL
Recent CSU grads start their first day teaching in Muscogee County Schools
by: Anjelicia Bruton
School is back in session for students here in the fountain city and for many teachers this is their first day. Thanks to a partnership with Muscogee County School District graduates of Columbus State University(CSU) are guaranteed a contract if they meet the necessary requirements for certification. Muscogee County School District Superintendent David Lewis says this is a great opportunity for the CSU students and addresses the shortage of teachers.
GPB
Keys To Leo Frank’s Prison Cell Discovered By UNG Student
Mary Anne Lane
In 1913, a sequence of disturbing crimes occurred in the Atlanta area, beginning with the shocking murder of Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old employee at the National Pencil Factory who was found strangled in the basement of her workplace. The factory’s Jewish superintendent, Leo Frank, was convicted of her murder and subjected to vigilante justice when he was kidnapped from prison and lynched in 1915…Many university professors also cover the case when discussing social justice, race relations, and sensationalism in the media, among other topics. One such professor, Dr. Lauren Yarnell Bradshaw, who is an assistant professor of teacher education at the University of North Georgia, promotes inquiry in her Social Studies Methods class by inviting her students to analyze artifacts from the Leo Frank case. …While Dr. Bradshaw typically provides artifacts from the Frank case or directs her students where to find them, one student this past semester produced an artifact that neither Dr. Bradshaw nor any expert on Leo Frank had ever seen before: Warden J. E. Smith’s keys from the Milledgeville State Prison. These were the same keys that the lynch mob used to unlock the prison’s infirmary door before seizing Leo Frank. …Brittany Rhodes, a graduate student at UNG, discovered the keys in 2002 while she and her mother Stephanie were cleaning out Warden Smith’s estate in Decatur. The keys and their history would likely have been thrown out if it weren’t for Stephanie’s love of old keys.
Griffin Daily News
Georgia Archives exhibit to feature textile mill villages
FROM STAFF REPORTS
The Georgia Archives’ latest exhibit will highlight the state’s textile mill towns.
WGAU
UNG, North Ga Tech sign course credit transfer agreement
By: Tim Bryant
Administrators at the University of North Georgia and North Georgia Technical College say they have simplified the transfer process between their two schools. The agreement signed this week allows for more than a dozen courses from North Georgia Tech to be accepted at UNG.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kennesaw State says $10 million donation to be used for scholarships
By Eric Stirgus
Kennesaw State University announced Wednesday it has received its largest gift ever, a $10 million donation that will be used for student scholarships. KSU is using the donation from Rosemary and John Brown to establish an endowment matching fund to benefit the university’s Honors College. The university is hoping to raise as much as $25 million from other donors. John W. Brown was the longtime chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the Stryker Corp., a medical device company based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Rosemary Brown retired after a 30-year career as a math teacher and is an active member of KSU’s Honors College Advisory Board.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Augusta University taps Baptist Health in Alabama for new C-suite innovation post
Jessica Saunders, Managing Editor
A Baptist Health executive from Alabama has been tapped as vice president and chief innovation officer for Augusta University Health System. Mallary Myers’ appointment to the newly created position was effective Friday, Jan. 3. Myers will be responsible for promoting a culture of innovation across the health system.
Statesboro Herald
City, DSDA seek $2 million grant for expansion of GS City Campus
Would require $500,000 from Statesboro
AL HACKLE/Staff
City Council on Tuesday authorized the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority to apply for a $2 million grant for an expansion of Georgia Southern University’s downtown City Campus involving a DSDA-owned building.
Albany Herald
Educational initiatives top Albany Chamber’s priorities for state lawmakers
By Alan Mauldin
Diesel truck drivers and technicians to keep the big rigs rolling are among the most in-demand jobs in the area, and helping to train the drivers and technicians of tomorrow is at the top of a business group’s agenda for Georgia lawmakers. The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce listed three education-related items at the top of its wish list for the Georgia General Assembly, which convenes on Wednesday. Those funding priorities are $7.69 million for the Diesel Equipment & Auto Collision Demonstration Center at Albany Technical College, $800,000 to fund the design of the regional health professions simulation lab at Albany State University and $964,000 for Georgia MathCorps at the Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy.
The Augusta Chronicle
Georgia, AU and Cyber Center partner on election security
By Tom Corwin
Georgia teaming up with Georgia Cyber Center and Augusta University on securing elections. Georgia election officials are turning to Augusta experts for help in ensuring election integrity this year. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday that his office will partner with the Georgia Cyber Center and Augusta University School of Computer and Cyber Sciences to ensure Georgia’s new electronic voting systems are secure. “This is exciting,” said Dr. Alex Schwarzmann, dean of the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences. “Georgia is moving absolutely in the right direction.” …The Augusta experts will examine the state’s systems — which is receiving new equipment this year — and the environment in which they are employed to look for potential vulnerabilities, Schwarzmann said. The center will get a replica of the real systems deployed to help with that evaluation, he said.
WGAU
UGA researcher gets grant for work on brain diseases
By: Jeanne Prine
Yao Yao, assistant professor in the department of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences at the University of Georgia’s College of Pharmacy, has been awarded a $1.88 million National Institutes of Health research grant to find new treatments for stroke and other diseases involving the blood brain barrier, a complex structure that determines what enters and exits the brain.
app.com
Gluten-heavy diets in young kids linked to celiac disease, study says
Morgan Hines, USA TODAY
Children fed gluten-heavy foods such as pastas and breads frequently in their early years may be more likely to develop gluten intolerance or celiac disease, according to a new study. Researchers found that “higher gluten intake during the first 5 years of life was associated with increased risk of celiac disease autoimmunity and celiac disease among genetically predisposed children,” according to a study published last week in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA. …The study involved 19 researchers with differing affiliations including The University of Colorado and Augusta University. Together, they looked at more than 6,600 children born between 2004 and 2010 in Sweden, Finland, Germany and the United States for the TEDDY Study Group.
Advisor News
Investigators publish new report on Risk Management. According to news originating from Savannah, Georgia, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Though U.S. motor vehicle crashes as a whole have decreased over the past few years, fatalities among vulnerable road users have increased. Pedestrian deaths rose nationally by 27% between 2007 and 2016 accounting for 16% of all motor vehicle fatalities.” Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Georgia Southern University, “This increase continues to burden transportation specialists, public health professionals, and community stakeholders. Potential risk factors include characteristics of the built environment, distractions, and pedestrians’ use of alcohol and drugs.
WSAV
Leaders push for census participation after Chatham Co.’s troubled past
by: Kelly Antonacci
Governor Brian Kemp’s statewide effort to increase census participation made its way to Chatham County Wednesday. Dozens of city and county leaders gathered at Georgia Southern University Armstrong Center to encourage everyone — regardless of age or citizenship — to fill out the form when it opens on April 1. “The census is one of the most important undertakings that we will take in 2020,” said Chatham County Commission Chair Al Scott, who opened the presentation flanked by Mayor Van Johnson, Savannah Chatham County School District Superintendent Dr. M. Ann Levett and a representative from Georgia Southern University.
JOT/UP
Mediacom Business Teams with Columbus State University for eSports Competitions
Mediacom Business today announced a partnership with Columbus State University to support the school’s eSports Team for the upcoming Spring 2020 season. Dan Templin, Senior Vice President of Mediacom Business, said his company will deliver a 1 Gig fiber optic connection to the campus “Genius Room” where the Columbus State University eSports Team practices and competes against other Peach Belt Conference Schools. Mediacom Business will also provide ongoing scholarships to attract team members to this rapidly growing sector of student life.
WSAV
Georgia Southern tabs Sweany for Interim Athletic Director
By: Greg Talbott
A comprehensive mix of student-athletes, supporters and university employees has been tasked with finding Georgia Southern’s next athletic director. Until the process is complete, Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero has named Lisa Sweany as interim athletic director.
“Lisa is an experienced leader and is well-suited for this role as she has served as Deputy Athletic Director at Georgia Southern since 2017 and has played an integral role in the success of day-to-day operations within the department,” Marrero said. “We will not lose a step in our momentum, or with our ongoing projects to propel Eagle athletics to even greater heights.”
WMAZ13
Brothers Anthony and Antony Edwards bond through basketball
Georgia’s freshman sensation Anthony Edwards’ biggest fan is his big brother Antony, who always knew “Ant Man” had the talent.
Author: Marvin James
The Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team is making headlines across the state thanks to 5-star recruit and arguably number one pro prospect in freshman Anthony Edwards who has a Middle Georgia State connection and the Knights basketball team.
Athens Banner-Herald
Lawsuit seeks damages from UGA, others after father of offensive lineman severs finger
By Mark Weiszer
The parents of a Georgia offensive lineman who is transferring are suing the University of Georgia Athletic Association and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and others after the player’s father suffered a severed finger during a recruiting visit more than two years ago. In a lawsuit filed Dec. 5 in the State Court of Clarke County, Kevin and Melinda Mays, parents of Cade Mays, are seeking damages after the father’s right pinky finger was partially amputated on the hinge of a folding chair as he attempted to stand up. The lawsuit is seeking $3 million for Kevin Mays to pay for bills, pain and suffering, lost wages and attorney fees, according to court documents. It is seeking another $500,000 for Melinda Mays for a “loss of consortium.” Other defendants include corporate furniture retailer DeKalb Office and Mity-Lite, the manufacturer of the folding chair.
Higher Education News:
WSB-TV
Flagging revenues cloud chance for Georgia teacher raises
By Jeff Amy, AP
Gov. Brian Kemp has promised Georgia public school teachers another $2,000 in pay raises, after the legislature provided funding for $3,000 last year. But even the strongest advocates of raises say they may not happen this year, in part because of flagging tax revenues that led the Republican to order budget cuts. “It may not come this year,” said Charlotte Booker, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, an affiliate of the National Education Association. “It may come next year. But I’m hopeful he will live up to his word and give at least $1,000 or more this year.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
New Law Creates Working Groups on Foreign Influence on Campus
By Karin Fischer
Defense legislation signed into law by President Trump creates two new working groups to tackle the issue of foreign influence on American university campuses. One commission, based in the White House, will work to coordinate action by more than a dozen government agencies to protect federally funded research projects from cyberattacks, theft, and other foreign threats. The other group, a roundtable run by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, will bring together officials from higher ed, government, and industry to provide advice about safeguarding national security.
Inside Higher Ed
Gates Foundation’s New Grants for ‘Intermediaries’
By Paul Fain
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday announced a new $20 million grant program for 12 organizations that will act as intermediaries between a broad set of partner groups and colleges that are attempting substantial transformations around student success. “Pressure is mounting for colleges and universities to transform — demand for an educated workforce is rising, financial pressures are intensifying and public confidence is wavering,” the foundation said in a written statement. “A growing number of institutions are embracing the need to transform, and they seek networking, resources and guidance for their efforts.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Audrey Williams June
As the job market in English and foreign languages has gotten worse and worse in recent years, the Modern Language Association has sharpened its focus on professional development, while continuing to give pointed advice about job seeking and hiring to candidates and search committees. But more than 50 years ago, the MLA, whose annual meeting starts Thursday, included job-market guidance for graduate students as part of a compilation of faculty job openings that served as the forerunner of what is arguably one of the association’s best known products: the MLA Job Information List.