Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia Tech’s massive biosciences project gets go-ahead
By Savannah Sicurella – Reporter
The Georgia Institute of Technology’s long planned biosciences and health innovation district has moved one step closer toward completion. The Development Authority of Fulton County unanimously approved a $647.5 million revenue bond inducement resolution to fund the university’s expansion of its Technology Enterprise Park on Jan. 25. The motion enables developer Trammell Crow Co. to bring over 365,000 square feet of life sciences-focused laboratory/office space and 280 apartments to raw land on the campus over the next eight years.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clayton State University names new Spivey Hall artistic director
By Leon Stafford
Katherine “Katie” Lehman, the former interim artistic manager for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, has been named executive director and artistic director of Spivey Hall. Lehman, who also has served as executive director of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, will be the third executive director of the Clayton State University music venue since it opened in 1991. “Ms. Lehman’s depth and breadth of experience as an accomplished musical artist, educator, and performance venue leader will be a fantastic asset to Spivey Hall at Clayton State University,” Clayton State President T. Ramon Stuart said in a news release.
WGAU Radio
Area briefs: UGA’s Morehead to deliver State of the University speech, TSPLOST committee meets
Hartwell to add downtown parking
By Tim Bryant
University of Georgia president Jere Morehead delivers his annual State of the University Address today, speaking virtually at 3:30 this afternoon.
Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern University Receives Slew of High Rankings in U.S. News Best Online Program Rankings
Georgia Southern University scores high in several categories of the U.S. News & World Report 2022 Best Online Program rankings. Georgia Southern is among the nation’s leaders in offering quality education for online students as professors ensure students are ready for the real world. Georgia Southern’s highest ranking was No. 44 in Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs.
11Alive
It took a seven-year fight to get Ava’s Law, which mandates insurance coverage for children with autism. Now Ava hopes her story can inspire a new battle.
Rebecca Lindstrom
This is part of a series of reports called #Keeping. The reports expose gaps in our healthcare and support systems that lead to child abandonment. The children’s parents shared these painful videos to educate others and raise awareness. Ava Bullard is no stranger to Georgia’s Capitol. For seven years, Ava and her mother Anna showed up to testify before legislative committees and lobby in the halls. She is the namesake of Ava’s Law which passed in 2015, mandating insurance provide coverage to children for treatments associated with autism. …From a toddler that couldn’t talk to a senior at Toombstone High School. Ava is a cheerleader at the top of her class as a dual enrollment student at Georgia Southern.
Savannah CEO
Dr. George Fredrick of Georgia Southern, Working with a Great Team
Director of Military & Veteran Services at Georgia Southern University Dr. George Fredrick talks about having a fulfilling career and working with a great team.
Athens CEO
Dr. Todd Applegate on the New Poultry Science Building at UGA
Dr. Todd Applegate, Department Head of the Department of Poultry Science at UGA, talks about the new Poultry Science Building at UGA and the impact poultry production has on Georgia.
Moultrie Observer
‘A Farm Story’ exhibition opens at ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture Feb. 1
Staff Reports
An insightful new exhibition titled “A Farm Story” involving a unique collaboration between an artist, her mentor, and ABAC Curator Polly Huff opens to the public for the first time on Feb. 1 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture. Huff said the exhibition by Mary VanLandingham and Steven S. Walker will be on display at the Gallery at the Museum until April 30, with a special opportunity to meet the two artists and engage in conversation about their art from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on April 2.
Connect Savannah
Travel in Time with GSU’s Piano in the Arts Series
By Kareem McMichael
The Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music at Georgia Southern University wants the audience to take a musical journey with them at they present “Piano in the Arts, Travels in Time” featuring Gretsch School of Music Faculty Members, Larisa Elisha, violin and Karla Rocker, Piano. …This is their 9th season of the annual series Piano in the Arts. The series is committed to showcasing the versatility of the piano through producing a series of distinctive concerts that encompass many genres of music.
Athens CEO
Register Now for the 2022 Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest
Jordan Powers
Blueberry barbecue sauce. Gunpowder finishing salt. Fig bourbon jam. Pecan-peanut butter. These are a few of the unique flavors from every corner of Georgia that have vied for top prizes in past Flavor of Georgia contests. Now registration is open to hopeful contestants for the 2022 Flavor of Georgia contest to be held April 21 in Athens. Held at the Classic Center, Flavor of Georgia helps Georgia food entrepreneurs launch new products and garners increased publicity and sales for products already on the market. From rural farmers to urban businesses, successful and talented food artisans have emerged from all over the state with delicacies created from Georgia’s abundant agricultural products. Registration for the 2022 contest, coordinated by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Department of Food Science and Technology and UGA Cooperative Extension, is now open and closes at 5 p.m. Feb. 15. Contest rules and product guidelines are available to help prepare applicants for registration.
WJCL
‘We’ll have a pronounced pollen season this year’: Experts say early pollen season is not unusual
People are noticing dirt on their cars, but it may actually be pollen.
Nikiya Carrero
Many people are noticing a difference of not only what’s in the air… but also frustrations to their noses. WJCL found out it’s just the beginning. You may walk out to your car one morning and think it’s dirty. Well, experts are saying that is not dirt on your car, but just some pollen. “What I think will probably happen is we’ll have a pronounced pollen season this year,” said allergist Dr. Jack Eades. Eades, of Southern Allergy and Asthma in Savannah, says he is seeing the effects of allergies to pollen a lot sooner this year. …“The people have been noticing that for at least 20 years. And in fact, every year pollen season is in fact starting earlier and earlier,” said Alan Harvey, a professor of biology at Georgia Southern University. Professor of Biology Alan Harvey says there are specific reasons for that.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
South Georgia farm hopes satsumas bring sweet results
By Ligaya Figueras
Corbett Brothers Farms a leading player in Georgia’s emerging citrus market and home of Besties satsuma brand
Swaths of acreage across rural south Georgia look very different compared to a few years ago. Grove after grove of satsuma trees have now matured to become pixilated snapshots of orange and green during harvest season, the colors even more dramatic against the backdrop of cloudless blue skies on balmy November and December days. Sun-kissed orbs dangle in clusters from every branch, the weight of so much ripe fruit forcing the limbs to bow. Satsumas have taken root as a commercially viable crop in Georgia, which has surpassed Florida and California to become the leading satsuma-producing state in the nation. …Jake Price, University of Georgia extension agent and coordinator for Lowndes County, said that Georgia citrus has proven to be surprisingly cold hardy, with satsumas topping the charts. …Learning the ins and outs of satsuma growing has been a lot of trial and error for the Corbetts, despite their research and support from UGA Extension and the fledgling Georgia Citrus Association.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Too many disputes over college admissions focus on race
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Supreme Court will hear challenge to Harvard and University of North Carolina
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up the ever-contentious issue of race in college admissions. Critics of race-conscious admissions contend that student merit — as manifest in test scores and grade-point averages — should be the determining factors. But GPAs and test scores have never been the only factors. If they were, many colleges would have far fewer winning football seasons. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found the 2014 freshman class at Georgia Tech had an average SAT score of 1445. However, for incoming football players, the average SAT was 420 points below the class as a whole. Gaps were also found among athletes at the University of Georgia, Georgia State and Georgia Southern. The annual survey of admitted students by the Harvard Crimson found recruited athletes in the class of 2025 had an average SAT score of 1397, while non-athletes averaged 1501.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia lawmakers try to identify critical race theory in schools
By Maya T. Prabhu, Ty Tagami
Republicans in Georgia’s legislative chambers have vowed to rid the state’s schools of “critical race theory,” but first they say they have to legally define it. Critical race theory is used in higher education to examine the effect of racism on society. Public school leaders say the theory itself is not taught in k-12 classrooms, but critics say its tenets about systemic inequity have influenced teachers and curriculum. State Sen. Bo Hatchett, a Clarkesville Republican, said Tuesday that a blanket ban on teaching CRT is the “most straightforward approach” but that legislators need to better define what they see as the problem. “In order to have an honest dialogue, we have to define the terms,” Hatchett said. “We believe that there are concepts that are being taught in Georgia colleges and universities and seeping down into our k-12 schools — concepts that an overwhelming majority of Georgians outright reject.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Speaker David Ralston introducing rare bill of his own, for mental health
By Patricia Murphy, Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell
News and analysis from the politics team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Of the many powers and prerogatives that House Speaker David Ralston exercises, introducing his own bills is almost never one of them. That will change today, when Ralston puts the force of his Speakership behind a piece of legislation for only the second time ever when he introduces a bipartisan bill to address Georgia’s acute shortage of mental health care services. …Oh boy. The Augusta Chronicle reports that Teresa MacCartney, the acting chancellor of the University System of Georgia, sent a request out last week to the presidents and provosts of University System of Georgia schools asking if “privilege” and “oppression” are being taught on their campuses. The letter follows an inquiry from state Rep. David Knight, R-Griffin, chairman of the House Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee, and asks three questions about curriculum, including:
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Jan. 25)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,777,459
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 27,191 | 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:
Inside Higher Ed
Women Earn More Under Female Presidents, Study Shows
Women make up about a third of college and university presidents and 44 percent of provosts. Their institutions employ more women, in higher positions and for better pay, than those led by men.
By Emma Whitford
Female senior faculty and top administrators earn more at institutions with female presidents and provosts than at institutions where men are in charge, a new analysis from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources shows. Nearly one-third—32 percent—of colleges and universities have female presidents, according to CUPA-HR data. For every dollar male presidents earn, female presidents earn $0.91.