University System News:

Albany Herald

Albany State teacher education program increases effectiveness score

Staff reports

The Albany State University School of Education’s Teacher Education Program has seen an increase in the overall score for the Teacher Preparation Program Effectiveness Measures. The TIPPEM score has increased from a two to an overall three, with the highest possible score being an exceptional four. This growth comes from the actions taken by the School of Education’s Faculty to target barriers that could encumber student success.

WALB

GSW aiming to address nursing shortage

By Emileigh Forrester

Starting next year, students at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) can get an associate degree of science in nursing (ASN). “We are truly in crisis mode in terms of producing enough graduates to meet the workforce needs,” said Dr. Sandra Daniel, dean of the GSW College of Nursing Health Sciences. Daniel said the pandemic, work stress and retirements have all highlighted the urgent need for nurses across the country. Southwest Georgia is not immune to that problem.

WSAV

Savannah State University holds its 199th commencement ceremony

By Daisy Kershaw

Those graduating Friday officially becoming part of Savannah State University’s illustrious history. The ceremony was filled with celebration and emotion as the class of 2021 walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. “Words can’t even begin to explain how I’m feeling right now,” says Brian Dawsey, Savannah State’s Director of Admissions who earned his masters degree today. Many of the graduates reflecting on what this milestone means to them. “This day is very monumental for me,” says Avianna Hudson, who provided the undergraduate reflections speech during the ceremony. Hudson continues saying, “I’m a first generational college student, so I’m breaking generational curses and just showing that you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Statesboro Herald

GS Fall graduations at Paulson Monday, Tuesday

Staff reports

Sachin Shailendra and Vic Reynolds will serve as speakers for Georgia Southern University’s Fall 2021 Commencement ceremonies on Monday and Tuesday – Dec. 13 and 14 – at Paulson Stadium and Cherie Dennis will be the speaker Saturday – Dec. 11 – at the Savannah Convention Center. Georgia Southern will hold commencement ceremonies for undergraduate and graduate students from each of the university’s 10 colleges. The commencement ceremony on Saturday will be held at the Savannah Convention Center at 3 p.m. for undergraduate and graduate students from each of the university’s three campuses who wish to graduate in Savannah.

Albany Herald

PHOTOS: Albany State University Fall 2021 Commencement

By Reginald Christian

Photos from the Albany State University Fall Commencement held on Saturday, December 11, 2021.

PHOTOS: Albany State University Educator Preparation Program PENning Ceremony

By Reginald Christian

Photos from the Albany State University Educator Preparation Program PENning Ceremony held on Friday, December 10, 2021.

PHOTOS: Albany State University Health Sciences 0221 Pinning Ceremony

By Reginald Christian
Photos from Albany State University Health Sciences 2021 Pinning Ceremony on Thursday, December 9, 2021.

PHOTOS: Darton College of Health Professions Nursing Pinning Ceremony at Albany State University

By Reginal Christian

Photos from Darton College of Health Professions Nursing Pinning Ceremony at Albany State University on Thursday, December 9, 2021.

Marietta Daily Journal

Hazlehurst graduate named Donaldson Award recipient at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Staff reports

Rebecca Mims Butler, a nursing major from Hazlehurst, received the George P. Donaldson award at the recent fall commencement ceremony at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The award honors the top associate’s degree graduate participating in the ceremony. The recipient receives a plaque and a check for $500 from the ABAC Alumni Association, which sponsors the award and conducts the interviews that lead to the selection of the recipient. George P. Donaldson was president of ABAC from 1947 until 1961. He is one of the most beloved ABAC presidents of all time because of his love for people and his love for ABAC. The award recognizes scholarship, leadership and citizenship.

WMAZ

Middle Georgia State University hosts FIRST Lego League Challenge Regional Tournament

Staff reports

Middle Georgia State University hosted the FIRST Lego League Challenge Regional Tournament. on Saturday. Twenty-four teams of middle schoolers from around the region put their homemade robots to the test. Viewers could watch as they raced their robots around obstacle courses.  FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

The Red & Black

UGA receives record number of early applications, accepts nearly 9,000 new students

By Jake Drukman

The University of Georgia received a record 21,500 early admission applications this year for the class of 2026, up from 20,870 last year, according to UGA Today. In addition, the university has announced acceptances for 8,900 students from 129 counties across Georgia, 47 other states and Washington, D.C. 900 more students were admitted through early action this fall than last year. The middle 50% of newly-admitted students reported a core GPA of 4.12-4.35, an increase from last year’s 4.0-4.33. They had completed or were enrolled in between eight and 13 Advanced Placement, international baccalaureate, or dual enrollment courses. They also reported an ACT score of 31-34 and an SAT score of 1350-1500.

WMGT
FVSU partners with Bibb County School District for ‘Interns as Teachers’

By Lizbeth Gutierrez

Fort Valley State University is known for its agriculture education, but the university is hoping to attract more students to teaching. The pandemic has caused an extra need for more teachers across the nation. That’s why FVSU partnered with the Bibb County School District to get more students teaching.

Valdosta Today

VSU Dual Enrollment Program Continues to Grow

Staff reports

Enrollment in Valdosta State University’s Dual Enrollment Program climbed 49.3 percent between Fall Semester 2019 (205 students) and Fall Semester 2021 (306 students).

Watching more and more high school students take an interest in pursuing higher education at VSU “has been exciting not only for me but also for the university as a whole,” shared Megan Hancock, student services coordinator for VSU’s Dual Enrollment Program. “This semester’s enrollment is a record breaker.”

Marietta Daily Journal

Kennesaw State celebrates appointment of Adrian Epps to Chantal and Tommy Bagwell Endowed Dean’s Chair

Staff reports

Adrian Epps was installed on Dec. 8 as the Chantal and Tommy Bagwell Endowed Dean’s Chair in a celebration held at Kennesaw State University. As the endowed chair, Epps will be able to bolster education research and student and teacher opportunities. The endowed dean’s chair was made possible by a $1 million contribution from Chantal and Tommy Bagwell. Two generations of Bagwells have provided support to KSU and its faculty, staff, students and alumni. The Bagwell College of Education was named for Clarice and Leland Bagwell in 1996. The College is housed in the Chantal and Tommy Bagwell Education Building, named after Clarice and Leland Bagwell’s son and daughter-in-law, and Epps’ appointment to the chair on Dec. 8 is a result of the continued generosity of Tommy and Chantal.

Atlanta Business Chronicle

With new facilities and new content, Georgia film industry continues to grow

Staff reports

This year was another record-breaking one for Georgia’s film industry, according to Lee Thomas, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development… Joel Harber, president of Reynolds Capital, is the CEO of Athena Studios. Once completed in November 2022, the 45-acre campus will feature more than 350,000 square feet of production and educational facilities and sound stages and will partner with University of Georgia’s undergraduate film studies program and the Georgia Film Academy, according to a press release about the project.

Statesboro Herald
Faculty, staff get first look at East Georgia State College-Statesboro new home
Staff reports
East Georgia State College’s Statesboro faculty and staff got a first look inside what will be their new home in January 2022. EGSC-Statesboro is moving into the Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building on Georgia Southern’s campus. Currently, the Nessmith-Lane Building is being renovated. 

The Red & Black

UGA cancels spring 2022 Verona study abroad program

By Nathalee Simoneau

The University of Georgia’s spring 2022 Verona study abroad program was canceled on Dec. 1 due to rising COVID-19 cases in Europe during October and November, according to the email sent to program participants. According to the email, a spike in COVID-19 infections in Italy and the surrounding countries spurred the decision. Although the email acknowledges the presence of the omicron variant, the 57% increase in cases and the 33% increase in deaths in Italy over the past two weeks were particularly worrisome for the program’s organizers.

Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College to host vaccine clinics in December

Staff reports

With news of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, health officials say it’s more important than ever to consider vaccination and booster shots. Toward that end, Georgia Gwinnett College has partnered with CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) to offer vaccination clinics on campus from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Dec. 14 and 15. The clinics, open to all — students, faculty, staff and community members, will be held at the third-floor lounge in GGC’s Student Center (Building E). Officials said the clinics will offer Pfizer-BioNTech first and second vaccine doses and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen single vaccine dose. CORE will also offer booster shots.

KPVI

UGA faculty leads efforts in statewide campaign to address climate crisis

By Maria M. Lameiras
Following the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, which concluded Nov. 12, global leaders have committed to supporting and implementing actionable climate change measures. Closer to home, the Drawdown Georgia project is a multi-institution, multidisciplinary effort to accelerate progress toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The state group was inspired by Project Drawdown, a nonprofit organization “that seeks to help the world reach ‘drawdown’ — the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline.”

The Augusta Press

AU basketball coach admitted, apologized for role in ‘academic dishonesty’ case

By Tyler Strong

Dip Metress, Augusta University men’s head basketball coach, admitted to and apologized for aiding a student-athlete beyond what’s allowed. An HR department investigation concluded the student-athlete could barely read and should not have been academically qualified for college sports. “It was never my intent to do anything that would reflect negatively on me, my program, or the university,” Metress wrote in an Aug. 18 email to AU Athletic Director Clint Bryant. “I have worked very hard over the past 17 years to manage a basketball program to be proud of.”

The Red & Black

UGA freedom of expression zones concern students after November demonstration

By Caitlyn Farmer

Two street evangelism groups held a demonstration at the University of Georgia’s Tate Plaza, a designated forum for expressive activity on UGA’s campus, on Nov. 3. The groups held signs with derogatory messages about multiple groups of people, including LGBTQ+ people and women. Students who gathered to protest the presence of the groups said the preachers called the students slurs. The preaching groups upset students and raised questions about UGA’s freedom of expression policies.

Inside Higher Ed

3 Reasons Why Tenure Remains Indispensable

By David Wippman and Glenn C. Altschuler

The Georgia University System Board of Regents recently adopted a new policy making it easier for administrators to remove a tenured professor, in order to “ensure accountability and continued strong performance from faculty members” post tenure. Critics denounced the policy as a “deep ideological attack on higher education” that would “destroy protections for academic freedom” and the quality of education it supports.

The Times

National faculty association poised to censure University System of Georgia over changes to tenure policy

By Ben Andersen

The battle over academic tenure in Georgia has heated up following an investigative report published Wednesday by the American Association of University Professors that criticizes changes made by the University System of Georgia. The report examines the changes made to the post-tenure review policy in mid-October, which garnered widespread condemnation from university faculty all across the state. More than 1,500 faculty members signed a petition in protest prior to the policy being officially adopted.

Other News:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 10)

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

CONFIRMED CASES: 1,295,855

CONFIRMED DEATHS: 25,940 | 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.

Higher Education News:

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Getting Into a Highly Selective College Is Hard Enough. Getting Into a Lucrative Major Can Be Harder.

By Oyin Adedoyin 

Colleges have wrestled with their role in perpetuating racial inequity in American society. That conversation often centers around admissions and access, whether colleges — especially highly selective universities — are accepting enough students of color. But a new paper suggests that even after underrepresented minority students are enrolled, they face a hurdle that limits their future earnings. 

Inside Higher Ed

‘Enough Is Enough’

By Alexis Gravely