University System News:

Tifton CEO

ABAC Nursing Program Honors Top Graduates

The nursing program at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College recently honored its top graduates at the 2021 pinning ceremony. …The Dedication to Nursing Award is given in honor of the nurses both past and present for their hard work and dedication to excellence at South Georgia Medical Center.  The Clinical Excellence Award recognizes a student who demonstrated excellence in evidence-based clinical practice and patient-centered care.  The Academic Excellence Award goes to the graduate with the highest cumulative grade point average. The Spirit of Nursing Award honors the memory of Lisa Purvis Allison who began the nursing program at ABAC as a single parent of two children following the accidental death of her husband.

Gwinnett Forum

GGC students tutoring GCPS students over the summer

By Ken Scar

Students and graduates from Georgia Gwinnett College’s (GGC) School of Education (SOE) are partnering with Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) to tutor middle-and-elementary-school children over the summer break. This is the first year GGC students from the School of Education have participated in the program. The program aims to recruit “year one” teacher candidates and graduating student teachers admitted to the Educator Preparation Program in the School of Education.

Patch

Georgia Gwinnett College 2021 Huddle Conference To Take Place July 15-16, See Agenda

Created by higher education communications and marketing professionals, the annual Huddle Conference draws presenters and participants from a wide range of public and private colleges and universities across North America. Presenters and participants collaborate during this free annual event, which features opportunities to network, share best practices and bring actionable solutions to communications and marketing challenges.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Mark Richt discloses he has Parkinson’s disease

By Chip Towers

Former Georgia football coach Mark Richt disclosed Thursday night that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Richt, 61, made the announcement via his social-media platforms. “I have been waddling around lately and people have asked me what’s wrong,” Richt wrote in a Twitter message posted at 7:51 p.m. Thursday. “I’ve decided to tell everyone at the same time. I have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”

See also:

Albany Herald

Former University of Georgia football coach Mark Richt says he has Parkinson’s

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

KSU quarterback found dead in Florida shooting

By Henri Hollis

Florida native and Kennesaw State University quarterback Ladarius Clardy was found shot to death in a car near Pensacola early Thursday morning. Clardy, 18, was found in the driver’s seat and pronounced dead at scene, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said in a news conference. A 19-year-old passenger was found in the car with Clardy. He was taken to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. …Clardy is listed on the KSU website as a sophomore who appeared in two games during the truncated 2020 season. He previously played at Pine Forest High School in Pensacola.

See also:

Marietta Daily Journal

Kennesaw State QB Ladarius Clardy shot, killed in Florida

The Red & Black

Activists frustrated at USG naming advisory committee 1 year later

Lucinda Warnke | News Editor

When Jay Mathias — a University of Georgia alum and founder of Dawgs Demand Better, an online campaign advocating for racial justice at UGA — first learned that the University System of Georgia had created a committee to review building names on Georgia’s public college campuses during the summer of 2020, he felt change was on the way. “It seemed as though [USG was] taking it seriously. The members of the advisory board seem really well accomplished and well suited for those roles,” Mathias said. “I was optimistic.” …However, despite activists’ initial optimism, a year has passed since the advisory group’s formation, and no buildings at UGA have been renamed. While students, faculty, families and alumni continue to push for change, the naming advisory group’s silence has left them frustrated and wondering what’s next.

BBC

Spider species around the world can catch and eat snakes, according to new study

When it comes to phobias, lots of people would admit that spiders and snakes are both high up on the list of their most feared creatures. However, a new study suggests that it’s snakes that should perhaps be scared of spiders! Most spiders are insectivores, which means they mainly feast on insects, but the study found that some turn to small snakes for their meals – yum! Dr. Martin Nyffeler, who is an arachnologist at the University of Basel, and Professor Whitfield Gibbons who is a herpetologist at the University of Georgia, USA carried out lots of research to find out more.

Henry Herald

UGA officials prepare for pollinator census

By Angela Hsiung CAES News

Later this summer, Georgia residents will have the opportunity to help researchers find out what’s the buzz with insect pollinators in their state. The Great Georgia Pollinator Census, hosted by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, will be held this year on Aug. 20 and 21. During the census, Georgia citizens are asked to visit plants in their gardens or other spots frequented by insect pollinators and count how many pollinators they observe in a 15-minute window. Those who participate then submit their counts online via the census website.

The Washington Post

Capitol Recap: Perdue plant deal clouds chancellor picture

By Jim Denery

Timing, price of purchase prompt call for investigation

Sonny Perdue’s prospects of new employment as head of the University System of Georgia grew cloudy this past week after The Washington Post reported that he had benefited from a remarkable business deal. The Post reported that the former Georgia governor, just weeks after then-President Donald Trump picked him to be the U.S. secretary of agriculture, acquired a grain plant from one of the nation’s biggest agricultural firms at a fraction of its value. …Still, the timing of the acquisition raised legal and ethical concerns with a former federal prosecutor that the Post contacted. Julie O’Sullivan, now a law professor at Georgetown University, said the deal “stinks to high heaven” and should be investigated to determine whether there was any quid pro quo. Following up on the Post report, the chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, also called for an investigation. Perdue did not respond to repeated requests for comment from the Post, and he also did not comment immediately to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Several members of the Board of Regents, which oversees Georgia’s higher education system, also declined to comment. The Post report adds a new level of complication to what has already been a tricky situation concerning Perdue’s pursuit of the job as chancellor of the University System.

See also:

InsiderAdvantage

Perdue’s chancellorship bid dealt new setback

Other News:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated July 1)

An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state

CONFIRMED DEATHS: 18,503 | This figure does not include additional cases that the DPH reports as suspected COVID-19-related deaths. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.

CONFIRMED CASES: 903,732

Higher Education News:

Inside Higher Ed

Pell for (Very) Short-Term Credentials

A community college system leader and a higher education policy expert discuss the pros and cons of expanding the main federal financial aid program to include eight-week vocational programs.

By Doug Lederman

Congress recently opted not to fold into federal legislation on research and innovation a provision that would have made Pell Grants available to learners in very short-term training programs. But it is widely believed to be only a matter of time before federal law is changed to allow Pell funds to be used for that purpose. Debate over that idea has smoldered for several years. In one corner, supporting the change, are community college leaders, many major corporations and groups focused on increasing the skills of the unemployed and other disadvantaged Americans. In the other are critics who argue that using Pell Grants for programs as short as eight weeks would hurt, not help, low-income and minority workers and learners.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

3 Interactions With a Mentor Can Help a Student Graduate. Here’s How.

By Goldie Blumenstyk

Following is a transcript of the conversation.

“College to most students is that experience. It’s stepping onto a campus, feeling like a stranger in a strange land. And there’s so much that can be accomplished in college when someone has the right relationships at the right time.” —Jackson Boyar

Goldie Blumenstyk: Welcome to Innovation That Matters, a Chronicle of Higher Education podcast sponsored by HP. In this special series, we’ll be sharing the stories of change makers working to improve equity in higher education. Hello, I’m Goldie Blumenstyk, and that voice you just heard is Jackson Boyar, co-founder and CEO of Mentor Collective. Hey, Jackson, thanks so much for joining us today.

Jackson Boyar: Thanks for having me, Goldie.

Blumenstyk: So Jackson, in your company’s name, it’s got “mentor” right there, Mentor Collective. And I hear a lot about advising and coaching and mentoring. Can you give me a little sense of what the difference is between a mentor and a coach and a tutor?