Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College, Gwinnett County Public Schools teaming up on new programs to help students
By Curt Yeomans
Georgia Gwinnett College and Gwinnett County Public Schools are launching a new partnership that is intended to offer additional educational resources to students and educators. Three new programs announced by the college and the school system join other programs, such as dual enrollment, that are already available to students. GGC President Jann L. Joseph and GCPS Superintendent Calvin J. Watts signed an agreement this week to formalize the partnership with more than 50 people, including University System of Georgia Regent Jose Perez, in attendance for the agreement signing. … The partnership includes a pilot program for GCPS students, a volunteer program for GGC professors and a higher education pathway for students studying technical programs. The goal is to help improve graduation rates, offer students new ways to college and establish a system that will not only help Gwinnett County students do better in school, but also be sustainable over a long period of time. To reach those goals, officials from GGC and GCPS worked together to come up with a strategic way to use resources available to both the college and the school system.
13WMAZ
MGA respiratory therapy program adds neonatal track to curriculum
It’s the only respiratory therapy degree with a neonatal track offered in Georgia, and few such tracks in respiratory therapy programs exist across the U.S.
WGAU Radio
UGA funds work with community projects in Athens
$100 thousand contribution to an outreach fund established by Athens native Bobbi Meeler Sahm
By Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia says units within the University can soon apply for funding to work with a variety of ventures in Athens. University president Jere Morehead has made a $100 thousand contribution to an outreach fund established by Athens native Bobbi Meeler Sahm. The money comes from the UGA Athletic Association.
From UGA Today…
Thanks to a fund established by a University of Georgia alumna and supported by President Jere W. Morehead, units at UGA will be able to apply for funding to support collaborative ventures with the local community.
The Brunswick News
College to host Coastal Scholars Showcase
By Lauren McDonald
College of Coastal Georgia will host the fourth annual Coastal Scholars Showcase in-person this week. The event is planned for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Southeast Georgia Conference Center on the college’s Brunswick campus. The showcase will highlight the expert work of faculty and staff at the college who continue to contribute to their fields and support student success. This year’s theme is “Self and Community: Scholarship and Discourse on Complex Societies.” The Coastal Scholars Showcase serves as an opportunity for faculty and staff to share their research, scholarship and creative works with colleagues, students and the community.
yahoo!news
‘Quiet Trailblazer’ Mary Frances Early to speak at writers museum
The Albany Herald, Ga.
Officials with the Georgia Writers Museum here say they are “humbled” and “inspired” by the opportunity to meet a national icon. Mary Frances Early, a soft-spoken troublemaker — of good trouble, as late civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis described it — was the first African American graduate of the University of Georgia in 1962. Her courageous path to that important “first” is the subject of her book, “The Quiet Trailblazer.” The book will be the subject of her Meet the Author event at Georgia Writers Museum on March 1 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, and the event also will be available on Zoom. A key feature of this event will be a short interview with Early by local retired educator Sandra Parham.
CBS News
Video: Savannah State University First President
How a former enslaved person helped make Black History Month a national celebration
President Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment and abolished slavery on February 1, 1865. That date would eventually lead to the Black History Month we celebrate each year, thanks in part to the efforts of a former enslaved person, Richard Robert Wright Sr. Michelle Miller explores how Wright’s own life story is just what this month is meant to honor.
Tifton Gazette
ABAC hosts Black History Month events
Black History Month activities at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College are underway kicking off with a performance by ABAC musicians and a speech by Judge Larry Mims, 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, in Driggers Hall. ABAC fine arts major Elijah Alford organized the program, college officials said in a statement. “The reason I put this program together is to challenge everyone to think about what Black history means to them,” Alford said. “Perhaps it’s a friend, teacher, coach or musician. In some form, everyone has been positively affected by Black history.” Alford will be playing his saxophone as a part of the event. Other events during the month include 7 p.m. movie nights in the ABAC Lakeside lobby starting with “Candyman” Feb. 7, “The Photograph” Feb. 14, and “Harriett” Feb. 28.
Marietta Daily Journal
Combat photography exhibit opens at KSU History and Holocaust Museum
By Zach Edmondson
When Rachel Copeland joined the U.S. Army and became a combat photographer, she had no idea how dangerous the job she had signed up for was. “I watched a training video of people at war, and the instructors are like ‘you are going to shoot these videos,’” Copeland said. “What you fail to realize is that you are actually at war. Everything you are photographing is actually happening to you.” The Museum of History and Holocaust Education at Kennesaw State University has opened a new exhibit to showcase the work of Copeland and fellow combat photographer Amber Stephens.
WALB
GSW’s new student recreation center will have new, old elements mixed
By Keshawn Ward
Georgia Southwestern State (GSW) students are getting the chance to make good use of a new renovation on campus that costs over $3 million. Imagine working out on the same floor as former President Jimmy Carter — no seriously imagine that. GSW students will get the chance to get some of the old and some of the new in the brand new facility. “I definitely think that the student body was advocating for a new gym just because the old facility was small and it was outdated,” Olivia Moore, a GSW senior, said. That was something that GSW officials were mindful of when it came to the new design at the Florrie Chappell Gymnasium. …The gym cost the university millions of dollars. “Funding came from the University System of Georgia and donors. So between the combination of the two, that’s how we funded Florrie Chappell,” said Boren. The second phase of the project will start once they get more funding for the project.
Athens CEO
Terry College Names New Director of Executive Education Program
Merritt Melancon
Linda Read has a deep knowledge of pairing business professionals with educational experiences New skill sets, new technologies, new ways to work with teams: Business professionals have a lot to learn to thrive in these demanding times. The challenge for Linda Read, who in November was named director of Executive Programs at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business, is finding methods to connect those professionals with the training needed to excel. Consider the challenge accepted.
Ledger-Enquirer
A Columbus State University leader is a finalist for a similar job elsewhere
By Mark Rice
A Columbus State University leader is a finalist for a similar job elsewhere BY MARK RICE UPDATED Deborah Bordelon One of Columbus State University’s leaders is a finalist for a similar job at a Texas university. Deborah Bordelon, CSU’s second-in-command as the provost and executive vice president, is among five finalists to be the next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Houston-Downtown. The four other finalists announced by UHD are:
Savannah Morning News
We celebrate high schoolers who sign athletic scholarships. What about the top students?
Last week, star athletes were celebrated as they accepted athletic scholarships on National Signing Day. The time has come for similar recognition for top academic achievers.
This is an opinion commentary by Opinion Editor Adam Van Brimmer.
Another National Signing Day has come and gone, and once again we have celebrated dozens of college-bound youth for their athletic talents. Schools set up ceremonies. Moms and dads took off of work. The press showed up with their cameras and notepads. Scholarship offers were signed. Social media saw spikes in traffic as Bobby announced where he would play college football and Janie told all where she plans to kick a soccer ball next. Congratulations to all. Now, what about the scholars? For the hundreds of Savannah-area high schoolers who will receive scholarship money to play college sports, there are tens of thousands more whose academic excellence will earn them college financial aid. Locally, more students will receive Zell Miller Scholarships, worth approximately $10,000 each, than athletic grant-in-aids. Students who achieve academically and receive scholarships for their studies should be better celebrated. These “Zells” as they call them are good for full tuition at University System of Georgia schools, such as the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Savannah State. And here’s a too-little-known fact — very few of those we heaped praise on last week for their athletic prowess will receive that much scholarship money for passing, shooting, kicking and backstroking.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College men’s tennis passes 150 straight wins with Saturday sweep
From Staff Reports
The Georgia Gwinnett College men’s tennis team achieved another historic milestone, extending its winning streak to 151 matches with three victories Saturday against NCAA Division II Belmont Abbey College (N.C.) at the GGC Tennis Facility. The Grizzlies (4-0) didn’t lose a point in either match, capturing the first two by 7-0 scores before a 5-0 triumph to wrap up the busy day on the courts. Along the way the team got contributions from throughout its roster. Sophomore Alex Gurmendi won both of his singles matches on the No. 1 court.
The West Georgian
LITERARY ARTISTS COMING TO UWG
By Taylor Blessett
The University of West Georgia is hosting the School of Arts Reading series of literary artists this spring. Artists will speak to students about their own personal creative journeys and read from their work. Recently, UWG hosted Irish poet Annemarie Curran in January, who read from her most recent poetry collection, “The Poison Glen”. Chad Davidson, Director of School of the Arts and English Professor, prepared a lineup of literary artists to speak at UWG. Having visiting authors gives students insight into potential careers and inspires them to create.
Athens Banner-Herald
Photos: Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández performs at UGA
31 PHOTOS
Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández performed to a sold-out crowd during the company’s 70th anniversary tour at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 in Athens. Dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernández founded Ballet Folklórico in 1952, celebrating the music, dance and costumes of Mexican folklore from pre-Columbian civilizations through the modern era.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bomb threats disturb life at Georgia’s historically Black colleges
By Eric Stirgus, Ernie Suggs
Albany State University sophomore Eyanna Vereen was in her apartment across the street from campus this week when her phone starting buzzing with calls and text messages from her mom and friends who heard about a bomb threat at the school. Vereen soon saw messages from the university urging students who weren’t on campus not to come there. Outside her window, she spotted police cars and a fire truck on campus. “My mind was blown,” said Vereen, 19, a business management major. “Is this really happening? Is this really a bomb threat?” Albany State is one of three historically Black colleges and universities in Georgia to receive bomb threats this week, along with Fort Valley State University and Spelman College. For Spelman, the prestigious women’s college near downtown Atlanta, it was the second threat this year. …Pierce said the threats are traumatizing for many Black Americans — reminders of other experiences of racial discrimination. Howard University in Washington, D.C., which has received three threats, closed Friday, declaring it a mental health day “in recognition of the additional challenges that have been heaped upon our shoulders.”
Athens CEO
UGA Study: Geography Affects Mental Health Care
Substance abuse, access to mental health care and costs remain a burden for people living in rural areas, even if they have private insurance. These are the findings of a new study published recently in the Journal of Rural Health. The study, led by Zhuo “Adam” Chen at the University of Georgia College of Public Health, examined over 10 years of insurance claims data from 2005 to 2018, detailing how adults with employer-based, private insurance used and paid for mental health care services in urban and rural areas. The researchers found that overall, urban enrollees used more mental health care than rural ones. And although the usage gap narrowed from 2005 to 2018, the quality and cost of care weren’t equitable, even for privately insured patients.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia revenue collections stay on a roll in January as economy remains strong
By James Salzer
Georgia’s tax collections remained strong in January as state lawmakers began reviewing a record spending package pushed by Gov. Brian Kemp The governor’s office reported Friday that collections were up 16.7% over January 2021 in another sign that the COVID-19 pandemic is not putting a damper on economic activity in the state. … The revenue numbers are good news for state lawmakers, who are beginning to consider Kemp’s proposal to increase state spending by $3 billion this year. Kemp’s plan includes pay raises and bonuses for teachers and state and university employees, plus big increases in funding for education and health care. If his budget proposal is approved by the House and Senate, about 300,000 teachers, school employees, university staffers and state workers will receive bonuses before the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
Albany Herald
Critical race theory poised to rank among hottest debates in 2022 General Assembly
By Dave Williams Bureau Chief Capitol Beat News Service
While Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly tangle over guns, noncitizen voting and Medicaid expansion, education could become the most highly charged issue of the election-year session that began last month. GOP Gov. Brian Kemp set the tone during his State of the State address, promising to wade into in an aspect of education Democrats and educators want the state to stay out of – what teachers can teach. …The Georgia Board of Education adopted a resolution last June essentially endorsing Kemp’s position opposing the teaching of critical race theory, which emphasizes the existence of systemic racism in America. But the resolution doesn’t carry the weight of law. Republican lawmakers are looking to codify the GOP’s stance against critical race theory into state law with four bills – two in the state House of Representatives and two in the Georgia Senate. All four of the bills would apply to elementary and secondary schools across the state. While only one – Senate Bill 377 – specifically targets Georgia’s public colleges and universities and the state’s technical colleges, all four mention “state agencies,” a term that includes the University System of Georgia and the technical college system.
Georgia Recorder
Top Republican state lawmakers line up behind hot-button culture war clashes
By: Stanley Dunlap
The powerful Republican Georgia Senate Majority Caucus legislative priorities for 2022 include dismantling license requirements to own firearms and banning so-called critical race theory from public school classrooms. The lightning-rod legislation is on the move in the 2022 General Assembly with Crossover Day – a key deadline for a bill to clear at least one chamber – about a month away. And top Republican officials including Gov. Brian Kemp, House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s willingness to lend their muscles could go a long way turning the bills into law. …Charles Bullock, University of Georgia professor of political science, said Democrats don’t have enough votes to block regular Republican legislation, so the success of GOP proposals is all but guaranteed when the governor, caucuses, and chamber leaders are in agreement.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GOP candidates pushing conservative measures through Georgia Senate
By Maya T. Prabhu
Often considered the more conservative of the two legislative chambers, the Georgia Senate this election year is serving up political “red meat” to the Republican base. Despite recent polling that showed a majority of Georgia voters, including many Republican voters, are not interested in “culture wars” legislation that addresses topics such as abortion and handguns, several state senators are making it a priority. And some of the hot-button GOP measures are being fast-tracked for quick passage. While every lawmaker is up for election this year, many of the most conservative measures are coming from Republicans who are running for statewide office. And though the bills may make it through the upper chamber, their futures are less certain in the House, which in recent history has stalled and stopped some of the Senate’s most controversial proposals. Charles Bullock, a longtime political scientist at the University of Georgia, said it’s been a consistent strategy for conservative lawmakers running for higher office to try to prove just how conservative they are when facing a primary election. …Senate Bill 319, which would remove the licensing requirement for Georgians who want to carry a concealed handgun, passed a Senate committee last week. And legislation addressing “critical race theory” was recently introduced by Kemp’s floor leader, state Sen. Bo Hatchett, a first-term Cornelia Republican. Kemp’s office has said neither bill originated with him, but the governor has said he supports passing permit-less carry legislation and will back a bill to stop the “divisive ideology” of critical race theory in schools.
WTOC
Growers relieved blueberries survive cold scare
By Dal Cannady
Despite some freezing temperatures over the weekend, folks in the blueberry business say they might have been spared from at least some of the damage they feared just a week ago. Winds still blew across acres of blueberries in Appling County. Mild winter weather has berry bushes budding weeks ahead of schedule instead of staying dormant. …But Appling County Extension agent Shane Curry says timing may have been everything. “It didn’t get as cold Friday night as expected. On Saturday, when we had the coldest temperatures, the winds did lay down. So, guys who have freeze protection were able to run it,” said Shane Curry, with UGA Extension Service. …They’ll have a better idea of what survived and what didn’t later this month. Curry says that they won’t know the full extent of the damage for a little while, however they are remaining optimistic.
The US News
Buying groceries online could lead to missing key information, says study
The first reaction of mankind, when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic was, to run to the nearest grocery store and stock up essentials like vegetables, fruits, tinned food, frozen food and toiletries for months. As humanity’s trust in human contact started declining, it shifted to the safety of online shopping and contactless delivery to get things it wanted. But the transition to online shopping hasn’t been seamless, according to a new study published ‘Public Health Nutrition’, as reported in CNN. Packaged foods are required by federal regulations to have nutritional facts and ingredients available for consumers to review when they are shopping in traditional grocery stores. But the study found that, information for some products in many online grocery retailers was not listed anywhere. …There is a limitation to the study in that the sample size is small, noted Wendy White, industry manager for food and beverage at Georgia Institute of Technology. Wendy was not affiliated with the study, but added that the small sample could limit the ability of the research to give an accurate look at the state of online nutritional information. In a world where people are growing more aware about what is in their food, Pomeranz speculated that leaving out nutritional information is a strategy to sell packaged foods. But White thought the issue was more logistical than strategic.
Athens CEO
SRS Works with University of Georgia Laboratory to Address Challenging Groundwater Contamination
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) has turned to a local laboratory to address a challenging contaminated groundwater plume that resulted from Cold War operations at the Savannah River Site (SRS). “We have some of the most creative and innovative engineers and scientists in the world tackling these issues, and we’re asking them to apply their expertise and knowledge to this new task, working with the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) to make it a reality,” said Jeff Thibault, an SRNS Engineer.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Will COVID’s shadow follow high school students to college?
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Campuses confront impacts of pandemic on their incoming classes
Georgia high school seniors have endured more than two years of pandemic disruptions in their education. Will they be ready for college? And, even more importantly, will colleges be ready for them? We have already seen stark impacts on higher education from the COVID-19 pandemic. Undergraduate enrollment in U.S. colleges fell by 3.1% or 465,300 students over last year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The fall of 2021 first-year class had 213,400 fewer students compared to pre-pandemic levels in fall of 2019. Now colleges are striving to ensure that COVID-19 won’t affect how many students complete their degrees.
11Alive
How do scientists determine if COVID tests are accurate? | What to know
The RADx team tests the tests to make sure they’re ready for store shelves and can detect new variants.
Author: Jerry Carnes
Atlanta is the focal point for making sure the COVID-19 test you use at home is giving you an accurate picture of your health. Scientists with Emory University, Georgia Tech, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta are collaborating with the National Institutes of Health to form the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative or RADx. …The RADx team assembled in Atlanta several years ago to look at other tests involving nanotechnology, which would reduce what was once laboratory work into a test you can take home.
Axios Atlanta
Sonny Perdue could become chancellor of Georgia’s university system
Emma Hurt
It seems counterintuitive: Brian Kemp appears to have paved the way for his opponent, former Sen. David Perdue’s cousin, former Gov. Sonny Perdue, to be named chancellor of the University System of Georgia.
Why it matters: The person running the University System of Georgia oversees 26 public colleges and universities, 48,000 faculty and staff, more than 341,000 students and a budget of nearly $10 billion.
What’s happening: Kemp, who appoints the Board of Regents that oversees the university system and selects its chancellor, has replaced four regents skeptical of Perdue’s nomination with four who could be more supportive.
Catch up quick: The AJC first reported Perdue’s possible candidacy for the job almost a year ago.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Feb. 4)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,867,677
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 27,962 | 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
Academic Minute: Fostering Resilience Among College Students
By Doug Lederman
Today on the Academic Minute: John Lefebvre, professor of psychology at Wofford College, explores how bringing struggling students together to talk helps them heal.
Inside Higher Ed
House Approves College Transparency Act
It calls for all colleges to release information on student enrollment, persistence, transfer and completion measures for all programs and degree levels.
By Scott Jaschik
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved an amendment to add the College Transparency Act to another bill, which the House then passed. Under the College Transparency Act, colleges would be required to collect and submit data to the Department of Education regarding student enrollment, persistence, transfer and completion measures for all programs and degree levels. The data would also be disaggregated by demographics, including race and ethnicity, gender, and age. The bill would permit the Department of Education to periodically share limited data with other federal agencies, like the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration, to calculate postgraduate outcomes, such as income and career prospects. The result would be much more information about how colleges perform at educating students.
AP News
Leaders at Black colleges alert, undeterred by bomb threats
By Cheyanne Mumphrey and Jeff Martin
From her office in Birmingham, Alabama, DeJuana Thompson looks across the street and sees a daily reminder of terror. Her window overlooks the 16th Street Baptist Church, where a bomb in 1963 killed four young Black girls. “Living in the era of bomb threats is not new to people of color,” said Thompson, president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Nearly six decades after that bombing by the Ku Klux Klan, the FBI is now investigating last week’s bomb threats against at least 17 historically Black colleges and universities across the U.S. Thompson said the threats underscore the need to teach new generations the history of violence targeting people of color so the lessons of the past can be applied to the present. The FBI said the hate crimes probe involves more than 20 field offices and “is of the highest priority.” Investigators have identified at least five “persons of interest,” a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.