The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia regents name finalist to become Kennesaw State president
By Eric Stirgus
The state’s Board of Regents announced in a meeting Tuesday they’ve picked Kathy “Kat” Schwaig as its finalist to lead Kennesaw State University. Schwaig, the university’s interim president, knows KSU well. She was previously the university’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Schwaig joined the faculty in 2002 as an associate professor of information systems. “Promoting academic excellence has been central in each of my leadership roles at KSU and I am honored to be given a chance to continue that work,” Schwaig said in a statement. “KSU is a special place, and I believe my experience along with my profound affection and appreciation for the institution and its people can make a difference as we move forward. I would be honored to lead the university into its next chapter.”
See also:
Marietta Daily Journal
Finalist named for the Kennesaw State University presidency
Inside Higher Ed
Students Who Study Abroad Graduate Faster Than Peers
By Maria Carrasco
A new study from the University System of Georgia found that students who study abroad graduate faster than their peers. The study compiled semester-by-semester records from 221,981 students across 35 U.S. institutions, with more than 30,000 of those students having studied abroad. Those who went abroad had a six-year graduation rate of 95.1 percent—considerably higher than the 62.7 percent six-year graduation rate for those who didn’t study abroad. Additionally, students who studied abroad and graduated within six years did so about half a semester earlier than students who didn’t study abroad but graduated in that time frame. And students who studied abroad earned slightly more credits while taking less time to complete a degree.
Columbus CEO
Columbus State University’s new public musicology undergraduate certificate program will equip students interested in public-facing music history. Students in the university’s Joyce and Henry Schwob School of Music who earn the certificate will be well prepared for careers as music critics, oral historians, museum educators, music archivists or grant writers. As the first undergraduate certificate program of its kind in the country, it will include courses in music encoding, music and identity, and writing about music. Students will create a robust portfolio of work, including writing grant proposals, authoring publications and creating editions of music that can be used for future employment.
WJCL
PHOTOS: Inaugural Parker College of Business Gala
The inaugural Parker College of Business Gala was held Saturday, March 5, 2022 at The Desoto in Savannah.
Savannah Business Journal
Savannah Business Journal Staff Report
The UGA SBDC at Georgia Southern University, a Public Service and Outreach unit of the University of Georgia, and a team of experts are partnering for a two-day, in-person class to provide the technical and educational services available to those hungry minds who decide to launch their dream food into a food business.
WALB
What would it take to get a pro sports team in South Georgia?
By Jim Wallace
Professional sports teams once lived in the Southwest Georgia area, but recently it’s been years since the area has had a sports team. On Monday, WALB’s Jim Wallace sat down with Dr. Chris Barnhill with the Sports Management Program at Georgia Southern University regarding this matter. “What’s it going to take as pro sports explodes across the state of Georgia, for it to come back to Southwest Georgia?” Wallace asked.
Athens CEO
A seafood pitch competition launched by UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant will award funding to seven projects that support Georgia’s working waterfronts and seafood products. The competition, called What’s the Hook?, is funded by the National Sea Grant College Program and is designed to help individuals and businesses in the seafood industry recover from economic disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Albany Herald
Research in plant genomics answers biological questions
By Jill Hamilton CAES News
Since Robin Buell joined the University of Georgia faculty in fall 2021, there’s been a flurry of activity in her lab. Buell and her researchers have nine projects underway in plant genomics — and Buell has already secured millions of dollars in federal funding. This complex, very exacting work — begun in 1999 when Buell began sequencing plant genomes — has led to wide-ranging breakthroughs across a variety of fields, including medicine, farming and energy production. Her research has laid the foundation to boost worldwide food supplies through improving crop yields and plant hardiness, increase the biofuel potential of bioenergy crops, and harness the inherent power of plants to product healing substances.
Georgia Recorder
Senate education panel advances ‘divisive concepts’ bill, stripped of college rules
By: Stanley Dunlap
A Georgia lawmaker’s proposal to prohibit the teaching of “divisive concepts” in public schools will no longer force colleges and universities to comply. The Senate Education and Youth Committee voted Monday in favor of Senate Bill 377 after its author stripped away higher education so that it now only prohibits k-12 teachers and other school staff from causing students to feel guilty or ashamed by talking about race, ethnicity, or other sensitive topics in the classroom. Cornelia Republican Sen. Bo Hatchett said he removed colleges from his bill after speaking with professors and educators’ groups. So-called divisive concepts legislation has been criticized for potentially chilling discussions about race in public schools. …Matthew Boedy, [English professor at the University of North Georgia] Georgia chapter president of the American Association of University Professors, said he sent an email to Hatchett saying the bill would undermine the academic freedom policy set by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The Augusta Chronicle
As Georgia lawmakers discuss teaching race theory, USG faculty worry about academic freedom
Abraham Kenmore
James Wilson wants to make sure that Black students in the University System of Georgia can learn a truthful version of their own history. “Black history isn’t just the history of the country, it’s the history of our families,” he said. “There’s people that are trying to sanitize that history, they’re trying to whitewash that history, and in some cases just straight up trying to erase it.” Wilson, a Georgia State University first-year student from Covington, Georgia, studying public policy wanted to attend a public university because he liked the idea of a higher education organization that was run, indirectly, by the state’s democracy. But in his view, some of the legislative proposals being put forward by the General Assembly run contrary to those values. That’s why, amid his macroeconomics homework, he made time to testify against S.B. 377, which would regulate how K-12 schools, the Georgia Technical College system and the University System of Georgia would teach “divisive concepts” around race and history.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gubernatorial candidate and anti-drug activist dies at 81
By Dan Klepal
Ken Krautter founded the Stop Drugs At The Source nonprofit
Ken Krautter may have been Georgia’s most famous unknown politician. Krautter ran an independent campaign for governor in 1970 — a race in which he got no traction against a relatively little-known former state senator named Jimmy Carter, who went on to defeat Republican Hal Suit by nearly 20 percentage points. But Krautter managed to grab headlines afterward, by founding an anti-drug petition drive that turned into one of the largest and most successful such efforts in U.S. history. Krautter’s Stop Drugs At The Source drive eventually became a nonprofit organization that won the backing of President-elect Ronald Reagan. Krautter died Monday after battling a series of illnesses in recent years. He was 81. …How under-the-radar was Krautter’s run for governor? University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock couldn’t recall the candidacy. …Krautter was a 1958 graduate of Marist School and studied accounting at Georgia State, later earning his CPA.
WTOC
Georgia Southern professor discusses exactly why we are seeing high gas prices
By Sarah Winkelmann
Gas prices around the country are still on the rise. Here in Savannah the price at the pump has gone up about 42 cents per gallon in the last week according to GasBuddy.com. Richard McGrath, an economics professor at Georgia Southern University says we can expect to see high numbers at the pump and pay prices of more than $4.00 a gallon at least for a few months. The reason behind the cost is all because of the Russia and Ukraine war. McGrath says because crude oil markets are international markets, once there is an impact somewhere in the world, it impacts gas prices across the globe.
11Alive
Why to consider keeping your checking and savings accounts in separate banks
It all comes down to impulse control.
Author: Jerry Carnes
As soaring inflation forces us to pinch pennies, some financial experts explain it may be time to examine where you keep your money. Balancing your finances can be like walking a tightrope. Keeping your savings and checking accounts in one bank can provide a safety net. Some need it, while others actually do better without it. But, as Dr. Michael Thomas of UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences explained, it’s all about impulse control. Linking your checking and savings accounts at one bank provides a sense of security. Should you overdraw on your checking, your savings account is there serving as a safety net. However, Dr. Thomas said there is a downside.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UGA, coach Tom Crean to part ways after basketball season
By Chip Towers
Tom Crean stood by himself, leaning against the painted cinderblock wall of the tunnel underneath Section P at Stegeman Coliseum. Facing the court, the building was empty except for UGA facilities personnel, who were busy sweeping, mopping and tidying up the 58-year-old arena an hour after Georgia’s 75-68 loss to Tennessee. Asked by a passerby what he was doing, the Georgia head coach said, “Oh, just taking everything in.” Crean could have punctuated that line with “one last time,” but he didn’t. Whether he knew it then or not, all indications are that was the last Georgia home game he’ll coach. After overseeing the longest season in the history of Georgia basketball, all indications are that Crean and the Bulldogs will part ways after the season concludes, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. However, an official decision has not been made.
The Augusta Chronicle
Mel Gibson film ‘Agent Game’ releases first trailer, features Augusta landmarks
Jozsef Papp
A new trailer has been released for an upcoming Mel Gibson movie, “Agent Game,” which was filmed in Augusta, Thomson and Evans. Filming took place in March and April last year in downtown Augusta and at a warehouse on Evans to Locks Road. In the trailer released Monday, Augusta’s downtown is in view around 1:15. Mel Gibson stands at the corner of Broad Street and Seventh Street talking on the phone before he starts shooting at a “Flowers on Broad” delivery van that turns onto Seventh Street, right in front of the Augusta University office tower at 699 Broad Street. Some scenes were also filmed inside the office tower.
Higher Ed Dive
AAUP censures Georgia system over new tenure policies
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Reporter
Dive Insight:
An AAUP censure is intended to signal to the public that an institution or system hasn’t satisfactorily fostered an environment where academic freedom can thrive. It does not have immediate consequences, but the organization has argued it drives off prospective students and faculty. More than 50 institutions are currently censured. AAUP threatened a censure a couple of months after USG’s governing board approved its new tenure policies, which create new routes to fire tenured faculty. Faculty can also be dismissed for not improving unsatisfactory performance after a post-tenure review. The faculty group in December released a report outlining in greater detail how the policies allegedly violate academic freedom. Acting USG Chancellor Teresa MacCartney at the time said she “wholly and strongly” disagreed with that report’s conclusions. On Saturday, AAUP President Irene Mulvey issued a statement doubling down on the organization’s accusations that the new policies flout academic freedom.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated March 7)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,915,855
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 30,104 | 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
What The American Rescue Plan Did for Higher Ed, One Year Later
Rebecca Kelliher
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) last year provided one of history’s biggest one-time infusions of federal dollars to community colleges, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and other higher education institutions through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). On Monday, the Department of Education (ED) announced a state-by-state breakdown of funding for colleges and universities that came from ARP.
Inside Higher Ed
‘Earning Is More Important Than Learning’
The authors of a new book discuss how higher education lost its way and what institutions need to do to get back to their mission of transforming students’ lives.
By Susan H. Greenberg
In their new book, The Real World of College: What Higher Education Is and What It Can Be (MIT Press), Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner, researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, argue that higher education has become a largely “transactional” endeavor, focused entirely too much on jobs and bogged down in well-intentioned institutes, centers and programs that distract from its main purpose: “to get the mind to work better,” as Gardner put it. The authors spent 10 years conducting and analyzing more than 2,000 in-depth interviews with students, parents, faculty, administrators, trustees, alumni and others at 10 disparate liberal arts and science institutions. They spoke with Inside Higher Ed via Zoom. Excerpts of the conversation follow, edited for length and clarity.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Increasing Opportunities for Justice-Impacted Students
Rebecca Kelliher
Although Congress recently lifted a nearly three-decade-long ban on incarcerated students receiving Pell Grants, many advocates say more policy reforms are needed to ensure formerly and currently incarcerated people can equitably take part in quality college programs. A new report from The Education Trust scanned eight states’ justice policies and recommended ways to better support students in and out of prison at state, federal, and institutional levels.
Inside Higher Ed
‘A Voice That Needs to Be Heard’
The American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers are teaming up to boost faculty say in legislative affairs and in academe’s future.
By Colleen Flaherty
The American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers on Monday announced plans to expand their affiliation and become a stronger faculty voice in national, state and campus-based discussions about the future of higher education. Under the tentative agreement, each group would maintain its independent mission and organizational structure, but union organizing activities would be combined. The AFT would also contribute to the AAUP’s nonunion advocacy efforts regarding academic freedom and tenure. The AAUP would also continue to censure institutions for alleged violations of faculty rights. Irene Mulvey, president of the AAUP and professor of mathematics at Fairfield University in Connecticut, said the groups are expanding their partnership as professors face challenges on multiple fronts, from continued attacks on tenure to legislation limiting their ability to discuss certain topics in the classroom.
Inside Higher Ed
Hawaii Senator Takes Aim at Tenure—and More
The state senator behind several bills designed to overhaul operations at the University of Hawai‘i has a long and contentious history with the institution and no shortage of opponents.
By Josh Moody
Changes to tenure could be coming soon at the University of Hawai‘i. A State Senate bill designed to fundamentally alter tenure is headed to a third and final reading. If it passes, it will go to the House. The bill’s sponsor claims the legislation will lower costs and prevent students from taking on too much debt; critics argue it is a blatant power grab by lawmakers that undermines collective bargaining agreements. And unlike tenure challenges in other states, this bill comes not from Republicans but from a powerful Democratic senator in the deep-blue Aloha State.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
US universities sever Russian ties, shed investments following Ukrainian invasion
By Hilary Burns – Editor, The National Observer: Higher Education Edition
U.S. colleges and universities are weighing whether to shed Russian investments and partnerships following the country’s illegal invasion of Ukraine last week, higher-ed experts and attorneys said. Some schools, including the University of Colorado and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are already taking action. “Part of the effect of disenfranchising assets related to Russia is portraying the public message that we are in support of Ukraine,” said Michael Cooney, a partner with law firm Nixon Peabody and a member of the firm’s higher-education team. …The Business Journals reached out to 10 of the wealthiest universities in the nation to inquire about plans to divest Russian assets. One declined to comment (Williams College) and eight did not respond to the request by deadline. Yale University spokeswoman Karen Peart told The Business Journals “that Russia has not been an area of interest for the investments office.”
Inside Higher Ed
European University Association Kicks Out Russian Universities
By Scott Jaschik
The European University Association suspended the memberships of 12 Russian universities whose leaders signed a statement by Russian rectors backing their country’s view of the war with Ukraine. The suspensions will last “until such time as they are once again compliant with European values.” The European association said, “As set out in its recent Statement on Ukraine, EUA condemns the aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. It advises member universities to ensure on a case-by-case basis that continuation of education and research collaborations with Russian academics remains appropriate at this time, …