The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia regents name Sonny Perdue finalist to lead University System
By Eric Stirgus, Greg Bluestein
The Georgia Board of Regents on Tuesday named former governor and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as the sole finalist to lead the state’s University System. Perdue is poised within weeks to become University System of Georgia chancellor, one of the most powerful positions in state government. The system has about 340,000 students and roughly 48,000 employees and consists of schools such as the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State universities. The board must now wait 14 days before taking a vote on appointing the Republican to the post. The board voted without dissent Tuesday to name Perdue the finalist, saying they interviewed several excellent candidates for the job. Regents chairman Harold Reynolds cited Perdue’s background in public service and his “passion for higher education” in naming him the finalist.
See also:
AP News
Georgia university regents nominate Sonny Perdue as leader
Capitol Beat
Sonny Perdue selected sole finalist for University System of Georgia chancellor
Athens Banner-Herald
Former Gov. Sonny Perdue named sole finalist for University System of Georgia chancellor
Higher Ed Dive
Georgia system poised to appoint former Trump official Sonny Perdue next chancellor
Georgia Recorder
Critics fume as Sonny Perdue closes in on Georgia’s university chancellor job
The Washington Post
Sonny Perdue likely to be Georgia’s next university system chief
Republican former governor and Trump Cabinet member is named sole finalist for chancellor position
The Chronicle of Higher Education
A Trump Cabinet Secretary Is Poised to Take Over Georgia’s Public-College System
Inside Higher Ed
Politics Prevail in Search for Georgia Chancellor
Former two-term governor Sonny Perdue is all but certain to become the next leader of Georgia’s 26-institution public system. Students fear that if Perdue’s tenure looks anything like his time as governor, funding cuts will follow.
Albany Herald
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College set to celebrate 114th birthday
From staff reports
When Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College celebrates its 114th birthday on Sunday, all faculty, staff, students and alumni should give a hearty shout out to Henry Harding Tift. The founder of Tifton was the key figure in securing the location of the Second District Agricultural and Mechanical School in Tifton when 30 men traveled to Albany on Nov. 23, 1906, to bid on the rights to host the area high school. The Tifton delegation, worth an aggregate of $10 million, according to The Tifton Gazette, bid against representatives from Albany, Pelham, Camilla and Ashburn. The newspaper reported that Tift County’s offer was 315 acres of land lying along the Georgia Southern and Florida right-of-way located a mile north of town, and $30,000 in cash. …The newspaper proclaimed in its next edition, “The Hallelujah Day Has Come, Tifton Lands the A&M School.” At a commencement ceremony years later, Tift said, “Of all the investments I have ever made, this school has brought me the biggest dividends.”
Middle Georgia CEO
MGA’s 2022 Academic Recognition Day Scholar Plans Career In Dentistry
Alexander James “A.J.” Kahrmann, Middle Georgia State University’s 2022 Academic Recognition Day Scholar, hopes to return to his hometown of McRae-Helena in a few years to begin a career in dentistry. But first things first. The 22-year-old biology major will graduate from Middle Georgia State this spring, then he’s off to the Dental College of Georgia, part of Augusta University. “I can see myself returning to (the region) to work as a dentist in our underserved communities,” Kahrmann said. “Eventually I would love to start my own dental practice or work with some of the incredible dentists that I have shadowed.” Kahrmann said he chose MGA because it’s close to his hometown and he could commute to the University’s Cochran Campus. “My two older brothers attended MGA, and they enjoyed their time, studies, and friends,” he said.
Times-Georgian
UWG’s Student Innovation Lounge named for Michael and Andrea Stone
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES-GEORGIAN
Michael and Andrea Stone have witnessed firsthand the impact that philanthropic giving can make in the lives of students. As longtime supporters and friends of the University of West Georgia, they are known for their commitment to creativity and innovation by enhancing the overall student experience. Yesterday, community members gathered at Roy Richards Sr. Hall, new home to UWG’s Richards College of Business, to celebrate the couple’s most recent endeavor: naming the Michael and Andrea Stone Student Innovation Lounge.
Griffin Daily News
Gordon State to host Third Annual Legacy Lecture
Gordon State College will host its Third Annual Legacy Lecture 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, with featured guest speaker Mimi Kirk. This event is being hosted by GSC to bring the community and campus together for an evening of music, reflection and leaving a lasting legacy, organizers said in a statement.
Columbus CEO
Miss CSU, Miss Columbus Partnership to Enhance Scholarship, Community Service
Columbus State University and the Miss Georgia Scholarship Competition are pleased to announce a new partnership that will amplify community involvement and promote both scholarship competitions. For the first time, the two organizations are co-hosting their annual scholarship competitions. Both Miss CSU and Miss Columbus will be crowned on Saturday, Feb. 19, held on CSU’s Main Campus in University Hall. The open-style competition will allow CSU students to be crowned Miss Columbus. The partnership allows more young women to enter the competitions and will continue after the scholarship competition, with the new titleholders working together in the community on a variety of initiatives.
Savannah Business Journal
Savannah Business Journal Staff Report
Georgia Southern University is partnering with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), the leader in student success and equity through quality instruction, on a new national study made possible through a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Georgia Southern’s faculty will join more than 1,500 educators nationwide in a study to examine the relationship between evidence-based teaching practices, faculty mindset and student outcomes. In addition, up to 90 Georgia Southern faculty will have the opportunity to earn ACUE’s nationally recognized credential in effective teaching practices. Collectively, this will benefit more than 80,000 students.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College revitalizes Future Georgia Educator days
By Collin Elder Special to the Daily Post
Because teacher shortages are widespread in Gwinnett County and across the nation, schools are doing more to attract students to the profession. To that end, Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) has partnered with the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) to be part of the solution to remedy that problem with their Future Georgia Educators (FGE) days. The events held throughout the University System of Georgia’s campuses offer a snapshot of what it’s like to be a teacher.
The George-Anne
Faces of Armstrong (Benjamin Morris)
Terrell Jackson Jr., Staff Writer
The Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong campus is filled with diversity and joyous energy. Ranging from the students who skate to class to other students who participate in intramural sports, this campus is teeming with all walks of life from just about everywhere. However, the question that should be asked is, do we really know each other and who we are as people? Introducing this new segment, the George-Anne Inkwell staff will randomly select students, staff and teachers on campus and give them an opportunity to explain who they are and what their story means to them. This segment will be known as “The Faces of Armstrong”, bringing light to those who may not be known of or those you just see in passing every other day.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CEO finishes college degrees after being sidelined by dyslexia
By Keri Janton
Joy Mitchell’s eyes filled with tears when she saw her family smiling from the stands of the University of Alabama coliseum. Shoulder to shoulder they stood, her husband, her siblings, her five children, all to watch the highly successful CEO earn her Bachelor’s degree. Joy’s college journey did not go as she hoped after high school. As the youngest of four, her mom frequently reminded her of the value of education. Her older sisters both earned their doctorates, her brother graduated from Georgia Tech, but, unlike them, Joy struggled with reading and writing. She attended Georgia College for a while, she moved back home and tried cosmetology school for a semester, then attended Georgia State for a short time. …Though she’d proven she could be successful without a college degree, her desire for it never waned. While pregnant with her fourth child, Joy secretly began classes at Georgia Gwinnett College. … Once again, in secret, Mitchell applied to a school, this time to the University of Georgia for her Executive MBA. A year later, she walked at her second graduation ceremony.
WGAU Radio
CNN correspondent to deliver UGA’s McGill Lecture
Address named in honor of the late AJC editor Ralph McGill
By Tim Bryant
He was arrested on live TV while covering the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis: CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez is on campus today, delivering the University of Georgia’s McGill Lecture. It is a Grady College address that honors the late AJC editor Ralph McGill. The speech is set for 4 o’clock in the University’s Journalism Building.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Georgia kicker Kanon Parkman dies
By Chip Towers
The Georgia Bulldogs have lost another darn good Dawg. Former Georgia place-kicker Kanon Parkman, who was known for kicking one of the greatest – if not the ugliest – game-winning field goals in school history, died Monday. He was 48. His son Blake Parkman, a freshman on the Bulldogs’ golf team, confirmed the sad news via social media Tuesday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s fledgling oyster industry struggles to meet demand
By Sarah Swetlik
In a bustling seafood kitchen outside Atlanta, chefs scramble to shuck and prepare plates of fresh, glistening oysters for the lunch rush — but the mollusks are from Maine, not the Georgia coast some 200 miles East. Rich Clark, the owner of C&S Oyster Bar in Vinings, said he buys Georgia oysters on the rare occasions he can find them because they have a wonderful, unique flavor that combines the brine of the coldwater Northern oysters with the plump texture and mildness associated with those from the Gulf. “I would prefer to buy straight from the farmer,” said Clark. …Oyster farmers and others who hope to see the industry grow will be closely watching an experimental off-season harvest this summer conducted by the state Department of Natural Resources, the state Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia. That could open the door for year-round oyster harvesting, creating jobs and supplying restaurants like Clark’s with more of the popular delicacy, they say.
13WMAZ
Macon gym braves pandemic, chip shortage to keep business open
The pandemic has caused some businesses to struggle, or worse, shut down, but one Macon gym about was able to keep their doors open. Dr. Greg George, director of MGA’s Center for Economic Analysis, comments on the computer chip shortage.
Georgia Recorder
Prosecutors in federal hate crimes trial say Arbery’s killers had history of racist slurs
By: Stanley Dunlap
The three men facing federal hate crimes charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery will have to overcome a jury’s reactions to racial slurs in text messages and conversations as evidence that the murderers were motivated by race when they gunned down the 25-year-old Black man on a Brunswick-area street on Feb. 23, 2020. Tuesday marked the second day of testimony in the Brunswick U.S. District courtroom where father and son, Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan are set to have a jury decide their fate for the second time in months. …Chad Posick, criminal justice and criminology professor at Georgia Southern University, said in an interview to expect federal prosecutors to present the defendant’s racially charged statements to match up with their actions on the day Arbery was murdered. Defense attorneys minimized Arbery’s race as a factor in the pursuit of Arbery through Satilla Shores during the state trial last year.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Feb. 15)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,896,497
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 28,781 | 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:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Polls Shows Broad Public Support in Reduction or Removal of Student Loans
Liann Herder
A new poll from the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) and Data for Progress shows that 63% of likely voters support action by the federal government to cancel some or all student debt. In fact, the move has broad popularity, with 61% of voters without a college degree supporting, 58% of voters without any student debt, and 57% of voters over age 45.
CC News
NASFAA Survey Reveals Early FAFSA’s Impact
Rebecca Kelliher
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) released findings from its survey that show students are starting to benefit from the Early Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which was implemented about five years ago. NASFAA is a nonprofit professional organization for student financial aid administrators with more than 32,000 members at nearly 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. Between January 14 and 21, 2022, NASFAA distributed its survey to 2,621 member institutions about the timing and format of their financial aid offers. With a 16% response rate, the survey found that more than one third of the respondents said they sent initial financial aid offers to students before February 2022.