University System News:
AJC
Opinion: Too few Georgia students fill out critical application for college aid
Scholarship expert says less than 50% of high school seniors in Georgia apply for federal aid. Jessica Johnson is founder and executive director of the Scholarship Academy, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income/first-generation families create four- year college funding plans. In this guest column, she urges college-bound Georgia students and their families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, better known as FAFSA. The form is used by schools to determine a student’s eligibility for financial aid. Johnson is a past chair of the Fulton County Office of Workforce Development’s Youth Council. She is a member of the Georgia GEAR UP Leadership Team, and an Inaugural member of the Atlanta Youth Commission. By Jessica Johnson
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College students cheer up CHOA patients, stock the Lawrenceville Co-op for MLK Day
During the Martin Luther King Day of Service “Brunches and Blankets” community service project, Georgia Gwinnett College students made get-well soon cards, created “no sew” blankets and friendship bracelets, and wrote letters to young patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
UGA Today
Project to transform STEM education is taking shape
Just one year after its inception, a University of Georgia project to transform STEM education is fostering collaborations on campus as well as nationally. Funded by a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the Department and Leadership Teams for Action program, or DeLTA, will engage more than 100 University of Georgia faculty across multiple departments to transform STEM education at institutions of higher education nationwide.
The George-Anne
The Widow Maker Collective brings a dream to Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern University’s Center for Art and Theatre is currently holding an exhibition for multimedia art group The Widow Maker Collective.
“Bedtime Stories” has been on display since Jan. 13 and is the latest collection of the group’s unique art style. An artist talk and reception was held on Jan. 16 to celebrate the exhibit.
Red&Black
UGA researchers receive $1 million grant for electron microscope
The National Science Foundation has awarded researchers at the University of Georgia $997,499 to fund a new electron microscope on the UGA campus, according to a UGA Today news release. The UGA Office of Research and the Georgia Research Alliance will provide additional funding for the project as well. According to the release, the microscope will be “the only one of its kind” in the state once it’s on the UGA campus.
Thomasville Times-Enterprise
ABAC Arts Series launches ‘Pirates of Penzance’
Colorful singing pirates will take the stage of the Tift County High School Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 when Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series features the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players in “The Pirates of Penzance.” The premise of the play involves a band of tender-hearted pirates celebrating the coming of age of Frederic, who was mistakenly apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday.
The Augusta Chronicle
Rooftop bar also will serve as testbed for culinary students
Edgar’s Hospitality Group expects to open a rooftop bar on Broad Street in late March. An Airstream trailer will be suspended 50 feet above the 600 block of Broad Street, on the third-floor balcony of the Augusta University office tower, sometime in mid-February. The bar will be an outdoor beer station at the future Edgar’s Above Broad rooftop bar and restaurant. Through it, students will get opportunities for internships and possible full-time employment at the Marriott International-owned upscale brand. Ritz-Carlton employees will serve as adjunct faculty.
The Signal
A recent history of HOPE and how it’s changed at Georgia State
Between the years of 2015 and 2018, the HOPE Scholarship helped 48,490 in-state students at Georgia State to go to school virtually for free — when combined with other grants and scholarships — or with very little debt upon graduation. Since the 2012-13 school year, Georgia State’s tuition has increased by 6.92%, but this increase doesn’t impact the coverage of HOPE. HOPE coverage is determined by a percentage rather than a fixed amount. Therefore, when tuition costs increase, the amount of financial aid awarded by the HOPE Scholarship program increases automatically as well.
Higher Education News:
AJC
AJC On Campus: Lawmakers tackle dual enrollment, student-athlete pay
The 2020 Georgia legislative session began last week and lawmakers worked quickly to propose some changes that could impact higher education in the state. The discussion included dual enrollment, leadership, student loans, research, and other topics.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges struggle to serve millions of dropouts. Have these men cracked the code?
Ten years ago, Dennis Littky,75, and his business partner, Adam Bush, 39, started College Unbound in a Providence triple-decker, a college that caters to students with some of the highest dropout rates — low-income, minority, working adults. It offers just one degree: a bachelor of arts in organizational leadership and change. Students design their own programs and work to solve problems they’ve encountered firsthand. The faculty structure looks nothing like mainstream higher ed either, and is evolving collaboratively with faculty members. Currently, the college graduates 83 percent of the students, typically in two and a half years or less. Since its inception, the college has grown from 10 to 120 students.
Inside Higher Ed
The 2020 Census is approaching, and civic engagement leaders on college campuses are reaching out to students to encourage participation and remove potential barriers.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Saving History at College Radio Stations, One Tape at a Time
Jocelyn Robinson, who has been working to find out what kind of archival radio material black colleges have for the past year, was awarded an audio-preservation grant from the Library of Congress to survey radio archives on HBCU campuses. She has visited nearly 20 stations. Robinson spoke with The Chronicle about the path she took to becoming a radio preservationist, the challenges faced by radio stations at HBCUs, and the importance of audio to an understanding of history.