University System News:
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Board of Regents won’t change names of buildings, colleges with racist links
By Dave Williams
The University System of Georgia has decided not to pursue plans to rename dozens of buildings and colleges named for historical figures associated with racism. The board voted Monday not to accept the recommendations of an advisory board headed by Albany State University President Marion Fedrick formed in June of last year to explore the issue. “The intent of the advisory group was to better understand the names that mark our buildings and colleges, recognizing there would likely be a number of individuals who engaged in behaviors or held beliefs that do not reflect or represent our values today,” the regents wrote in a joint statement. “We acknowledge, understand and respect there are many viewpoints on this matter. Going forward, the board is committed to naming actions that reflect the strength and energy of Georgia’s diversity.”
Stories also appeared in The Augusta Chronicle, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Press, The Hill, Washington Post, UPI, The College Post, The Myrtle Beach Sun News, The Miami Herald, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
WSAV
SSU celebrates over $810,000 in scholarship donations
By Steven Poeling
Savannah State University (SSU) over the weekend celebrated more than $810,000 in scholarship contributions. According to the school, SSU alumni, faculty, and staff donated $629,000 for tuition assistance. SSU says the university, thanks to Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, will receive matching funds for five of those scholarships, dollar-for-dollar, bringing the total to more than $810,000.
Athens Banner-Herald
Memorial scholarship set up in honor of UGA student Shawn Kuhn who died from COVID
By Stephanie Allen
Following the death of a University of Georgia student battling COVID-19, a character-based scholarship is being set up in Shawn Kuhn’s name. Kuhn died Oct. 11 at 21. His sister, Sharla Kuhn, confirmed that Shawn died due to COVID-based pneumonia, which he fought for six weeks. She added that Shawn was fully vaccinated. “Shawn had the biggest heart of anyone we have ever known. He spread love and joy into the hearts of everyone he came in contact with. He loved to make other people laugh, pick their spirits up on low days, and find any way he could to make sure those around him were full of happiness and light,” Sharla said. As a way of remembering Shawn, his family set a goal of raising $25,000 to fund a scholarship, which will be based on character rather than academics.
KPVI
Colleges with the best ROI in Georgia
Staff reports
They say the college years are the best of your life. They shape the way you see the world, the passions you wish to pursue, and the person you hope to be. But much more than an emotional, personal, and professional starting point, college is a significant financial investment. In the last 10 years, the cost of college has gone up by more than 25%, according to CNBC. For the 2019 academic year, private colleges cost an average of $48,510 per year, and public ones cost $21,370. After four years, and in many cases five to six years, that cost can stack up significantly, so you’re going to want to ensure that you’re putting your dollars into an institution that is going to make it worth your while. Those who have a bachelor’s degree earn about $32,000 more annually than those without, reports the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities. But some colleges have a higher return on investment than others. Universities that specialize in STEM studies (science, technology, engineering, and math) tend to have a higher return on investment for their graduates. STEM has gained ground over the past 10 years as more and more careers have a need for science and tech knowledge… No. 8 University of North Georgia, No. 7 Georgia State University, No. 4 University of Georgia, No. 3 Augusta University, No. 1 Georgia Institute of Technology.
WGAU
UGA names speaker for Freedom Day Breakfast
By Tim Bryant
Art Dunning is returning to Athens: the former UGA administrator who served most recently as president of Albany State University will deliver the University of Georgia’s annual Freedom Day Lecture, speaking at the 19th annual Martin Luther King Junior Breakfast now scheduled for January 14 at the University’s Tate Student Center. From Hayley Major, UGA Today… Arthur N. Dunning, esteemed scholar, lecturer and author, will deliver the keynote address at the 19th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast. Hosted by the University of Georgia in collaboration with Athens-Clarke County and the Clarke County School District, the event will be held Jan. 14 at 8 a.m. in the Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center. The theme for this year’s event is The Power of the Dream: Footsteps of Courage.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OPINION: Action needed in Ga. and Congress on immigration relief
By Charles Kuck
Immigrants of all backgrounds contribute to our economy, workforce, and communities in the form of skills, talent, labor and financial support. Today, one in 10 residents in the Peach State is an immigrant and about 10% of Georgia’s foreign born residents are undocumented. As a whole – regardless of status – the immigrant community holds an annual spending power of over $29 billion and they pay an estimated $10.8 billion in taxes annually. These contributions are already significant, and they are even more so when considering the state of our economy following the pandemic… The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported that 21 of 26 colleges in the University System of Georgia showed a decrease in enrollment. However, if we reduce arbitrary barriers for undocumented Georgians to attend college, the school system and our entire state, would directly benefit.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
South Carolina Legislators Want to ‘Cancel’ Tenure
Kate Hidalgo Bellows
A bill prefiled in the South Carolina legislature could spell trouble for the tenure system at the state’s public colleges. House Bill 4522 — the “Cancelling Professor Tenure Act” — seeks to prohibit public colleges and universities from awarding tenure to employees hired in 2023 or later. Instead, faculty members would be offered contracts no longer than five years… South Carolina’s is the latest attempt by a state legislature to weaken the protections of tenure. The bill comes about a month after the University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved changes in its post-tenure review policy that would allow colleges to revoke the tenure of, or even terminate, faculty members who receive unfavorable reviews two years in a row. Critics, including numerous Georgia faculty members and the American Association of University Professors, said the change will threaten academic freedom at USG’s 25 tenure-granting institutions.
WMAZ
Middle Georgia State certified StormReady by the National Weather Service
By Alexandria Dorsey
Middle Georgia State University (MGA) is now officially a StormReady university. It’s an official certification given out by the National Weather Service that helps equip communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property. In order to become StormReady, MGA was required to establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center, have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public, create a system that monitors weather conditions locally, and promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Nov. 22)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 25,591 | 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: 1,279,849
Higher Education News:
Ossoff, Johnson make pitch for cybersecurity funding bill for HBCUs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Eric Stirgus
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson made their pitch Monday for a bill that would fund cybersecurity job training for Georgia’s historically Black colleges and universities and others across the nation. The legislation would require 50% of all federal funding for cybersecurity grants to go to HBCUs and minority serving institutions. The remaining 50% would go to public colleges and universities who serve large populations of students receiving financial aid. Georgia has nine accredited HBCUs. Morris Brown College is in an ongoing effort to regain its accreditation.
Inside Higher Ed
By Kate Hermsmeyer, George Dou and Kelsey Oberbroeckling
What are you? What racial box do you check on forms? Are you more Black or white?
These questions are only a few of the microaggressions ever so familiar to people who hold multiracial identities. We as a society subconsciously put individuals into categories based on our preconceived notions of appearance. Those who feel they do not fit into just one racial category often have a sense of isolation and lack of belonging, especially when joining an academic community. How do we shift away from this antiquated way of thinking? We need to challenge ourselves to rethink the constructs of race and ask ourselves what we can do to help increasing numbers of students from multiracial backgrounds feel included in our communities.
Inside Higher Ed
How Students See Cheating, and How Colleges Can Contain It
By Melissa Ezarik
During Pamela Vallejos’s freshman year at Hofstra University, she learned a tough lesson when a peer on a group project got away with passing off her work on a lab report as his own. “My teammate had to write the intro, but he asked me to help. So I wrote what I would have done for the intro, and he used that entire thing,” says Vallejos, a biochemistry major with plans to go to med school after her 2022 graduation. Her conclusion didn’t fare as well as that intro grade-wise. “He ended up getting better compensated and taking all the credit.” Reporting his actions didn’t help. “I spoke to the professor, and he kind of laughed in my face,” she says. Surely the Google document history, showing only her name as intro author, would rectify the injustice? “The professor didn’t end up taking my side,” Vallejos says. Rather than focusing on that frustration, Vallejos got involved in supporting the university’s honor code, a statement of shared values adopted by faculty members, the Student Government Association and the president in 2012. This academic year, she’s one of seven undergrads serving on the Honor Board, a group of faculty, staff and students overseen by the provost’s office that helps promote and implement the code.