Six Mile Post
Search for new president underway
Brandon Dyer, Editor-in-Chief
A search for someone to fill the role of Georgia Highlands president has officially begun nine months after the departure of former president Don Green. The Board of Regents named the members of the two committees that will oversee the search: the Presidential Search and Screening Committee and the Regents Special Committee. The PSSC will submit their work to the Regents Special Committee for consideration after choosing a handful of candidates from the applicants selected by the search firm Storbeck Search. Storbeck Search held a virtual open-forum on Feb. 1 to ask faculty and students what they thought some of the qualities should be for the new president.
The College Fix
Professor protested — but not canceled — for his COVID ‘scamdemic’ syllabus comments
Charlotte Mckinley – Biola University
A Georgia Institute of Technology math professor recently took heat for his COVID “scamdemic” comments on his syllabus, but remains a professor as his employers defended free speech. Longtime Associate Professor of Math John McCuan wrote on his spring semester syllabus: “If you’re sick, stay home. Don’t pass what you’ve got around to others. If you want an instructor who is hysterical concerning the scamdemic, perhaps I’m not your guy. I would hope you’re not going to complain about me not wearing a mask. I hope you’re not going to complain about me not being injected with experimental pharmaceuticals. A little bit of critical thinking would save you from such pitfalls.” Georgia Institute of Technology does not require masks or COVID-19 vaccines, but strongly recommends them. The policy adds: “No student, faculty, or staff member should be treated differently based on their Covid-19 vaccination status.”
Zipe-Education
Augusta University team wins state innovation award – Jagwire
A team of innovators at Augusta University recently won the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation’s Community Award, which, for 2022, was themed around addressing the effects of COVID-19 in the local community. The award was for Happy Hands, a device that uses positive reinforcement to encourage good hand hygiene. The device senses when a person approaches a hand-sanitizing station and flashes a red frowny face. If the person stops and dispenses hand sanitizer, it flashes a green smiley face.
Fox5 Atlanta
Georgia triplets celebrate 22nd birthday on 2-22-22
By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
For triplets, good things usually come in threes, but this set of Georgia siblings are celebrating everything “two” for their birthday this Tuesday. Jill, Ross, and Jake Bieniek of Duluth, Georgia are turning 22 on Feb. 22, or 2/22/22. …In May, Jill and Ross will graduate from the University of Georgia and Jake will graduate from Georgia Southern.
The College Fix
College student and son of legal immigrant runs for statehouse to protect the American dream
Logan Dubil – Point Park University
Said he wants to ‘preserve and uplift those sentiments and values of our great state and country’
A University of West Georgia student running for the statehouse recently shared with The College Fix why he wants to get elected. “I was born in Austell, GA, to a legally immigrated father [from Colombia] and a blue-collar middle-income mother,” Preston Parra (pictured) said via Instagram messaging. “My mom is white, and my brown dad gave me incredible insight into what it meant to be an American from both perspectives.” He is 20-years-old and a political science major with a focus on pre-law. His family history has motivated him “to preserve and uplift those sentiments and values of our great state and country,” according to his campaign announcement. “After a lot of thought, prayer, and contemplating with my family over the layout of it all, I decided to run.”
Albany Herald
Albany State University NCAA probation lifted
From staff reports
After a successful fall 2021 athletic season, Albany State University announced Monday the National Collegiate Athletic Association has lifted the ASU Athletics Department’s probation status. The lifting of probation sanctions comes after an accomplished season for ASU’s Athletic Department. Some of the highlights of the season include the women’s cross country team’s No. 2 finish in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship and the women’s volleyball team’s SIAC East Division title for the third year in a row. ASU’s football team ranked No. 3 in the NCAA’s Super Region 2, won the SIAC championship and hosted an NCAA playoff game.
WSAV
Honoring Black History: The Black Book Club at GSU
by: Dr. Jamal Touré
Michayla Knox, and Davis Green are two of the emerging young African American leaders arising from Georgia Southern University. The Black Book Club at GSU is providing an opportunity for young African Americans to gather and develop plans for the elevation of their communities.
See also:
WSAV
Georgia Southern football players bond through book club
WALB
GSW talks importance of leadership program
By Gabrielle Taite
Monday marked Presidents Day and for some Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) students, that meant continuing to demonstrate the qualities they have learned through a special program at the school. The Jimmy Carter Leadership Program is a special program at GSW where students gather to focus on different aspects of life, such as leadership and community service. Each year, 20 students are selected for the four year scholarship based on the work they did before entering university.
Times-Georgian
Special awards to highlight UWG Alumni Weekend, April 29-30
The University of West Georgia has more than 73,000 alumni all over the world and from all walks of life. One of the many ways in which the university honors them is via the upcoming annual Alumni Weekend featuring the 45th annual {span class=”s1”}Alumni Awards program. Allyson Bretch, executive director of alumni engagement for UWG, said she is thrilled for the opportunity to welcome and recognize so many amazing alumni on April 29-30. “Alumni Weekend is an exciting opportunity to engage with old friends and to network with new ones,” Bretch said.
Albany Herald
Georgia Southwestern, Chattahoochee-Flint RESA to hold teacher career fair
From staff reports
Recruiters from school systems throughout the state of Georgia will be on hand at the 2022 Teacher Career Fair sponsored by Georgia Southwestern State University’s College of Education and Chattahoochee-Flint RESA. The fair will be held March 4 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the intramural gym located in the Georgia Southwestern Storm Dome at 800 GSW State University Drive in Americus. Certified educators and those eligible for teaching certification for the 2022-23 school year are encouraged to participate
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA’s Valerie Boyd, who died Feb. 12, to be inducted into Georgia Writers Hall of Fame
Valerie Boyd, a writer, editor, professor and mentor, will be inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame later this year. Boyd, a journalism professor at the University of Georgia, was elected to the Hall of Fame in the fall of 2021, but plans for the upcoming ceremony had not been set prior to her death on Feb. 12.
NewsBreak
New finding may help protect bones as we age
By Knowridge
Drugs like prednisone can weaken our bones and so can aging, and scientists working to prevent both have some of the first evidence that the best target may not be the logical one. In a new study from the Medical College of Georgia, researchers found that in aging bone, the mineralocorticoid receptor, better known for its role in blood pressure regulation, is a key factor in bone health. And drugs that block the receptor, like the hypertension medications spironolactone and eplerenone, may help protect bone cells.
Athens Banner-Herald
Georgia offensive line coach Matt Luke to resign after two seasons in Athens
McClain Baxley
Georgia offensive line and associate head coach Matt Luke has resigned after two seasons on the Bulldogs’ staff, UGA athletics confirmed on Monday. Luke is stepping down to spend more time with family, a release stated.
Morning AgClips
Industry partnerships yield new turf facilities on UGA Griffin campus
In Georgia alone, turfgrass covers 1.8 million acres
Any time you walk through a park, play a recreation-league soccer game or enjoy an afternoon on the golf course, you are using the products of the multibillion-dollar turfgrass industry. In Georgia alone, turfgrass covers 1.8 million acres, making it one of the largest agricultural commodities in the state, employing more than 100,000 people with a maintenance value of $1.56 billion. Despite its economic importance, turfgrass researchers often face a lack of research infrastructure and facilities to conduct Extension and educational activities. That is no longer the case at the University of Georgia Griffin campus, where industry-funded partnerships have led to the installation of a research golf green and a research and Extension soccer field. Together, Bayer Environmental Science, Green Tee Golf Inc., Sports Turf Company, NG Turf and Pike Creek Turf provided financial support for the facilities, which came at a fortuitous time, said Alfredo Martinez-Espinoza, a professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Department of Plant Pathology.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Feb. 21)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,904,915
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 29,275 | 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
Are Recommendation Letters a Form of Discrimination?
Most four-year colleges require them for admission, but some say they favor wealthy, white students.
By Scott Jaschik
If you are applying to the University of California, Los Angeles, you can’t submit a letter of recommendation. The reason is equity, said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, vice provost for enrollment management. “The caseload for most public school counselors is incredibly heavy,” she said. “Despite their desire to support their senior students, they have many responsibilities.” She said low-income students “are more likely” to have teachers who are overworked and are teaching under emergency credentialing systems. Copeland-Morgan said that when you consider the context, it is unfair to accept letters, so UCLA has not done so “for decades.” …David Hawkins, chief education and policy officer of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said 80 percent of colleges that participated in a recent NACAC survey said letters of recommendation were important (although they differed on how important), and only 20 percent of colleges said they played no important role. But letters of recommendation are the subject of increasing scrutiny in admissions, he said. A report last month from NACAC and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators suggested that colleges rethink their entire admissions and financial aid processes to focus more on equity issues.