Northwest Georgia News
Rockmart cadet studying in Taiwan through UNG partnership
The University of North Georgia continues to partner with military academies around the world to bring opportunities to UNG and international cadets. This spring, five UNG cadets are studying in Taiwan. Brandon Clark of Rockmart is one of the five students. “Taiwan has been one of UNG’s oldest international partners and currently has three international cadets attending UNG for four years,” retired Sgt. Maj. Terry Baumann, UNG assistant director of global military programs, said. “Last semester UNG hosted several cadets from Taiwan, and now they are hosting classmates from UNG at their respective institutions. It truly is a small world.”
The Brunswick News
Academically Speaking 04.11.22
The following local students were recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. They are Brunswick resident Tyler Nelson, who attends Georgia Southern University; and Jekyll Island resident Logan Folger, who also attends Georgia Southern.
WJCL
NATIONAL CHAMPS! Georgia Southern Cheerleading claims another Championship
Back-to-back for All-Girls Squad
Frank Sulkowski, Anchor/Reporter
Another national championship is coming back to Statesboro. The Georgia Southern All-Girl Cheer squad claimed the 2022 National Championship at the National Cheerleaders Association National Championship Friday in Florida. It was the seventh national championship win for the All-Girl team and the eighth overall for Georgia Southern Cheerleading since 2008.
11Alive
The process of uncovering these lost stories started back in 2017 when GGC Associate Anthropology Professor, Dr. Kathryn Deeley was invited to conduct the excavation
Author: Sydney Spencer
A Georgia Gwinnett College anthropology class is taking on a massive project to find enslaved people who went missing in the 19th century while living on the William Harris Homestead in Monroe, Georgia. According to census records, from 1840 to 1860, around 10 to 18 enslaved people were owned by the Harris family. Although now the Harris Homestead is a museum and education center, a large part of knowing who once lived and worked on the property is still missing. The process of uncovering these lost stories started back in 2017 when GGC Associate Anthropology Professor, Dr. Kathryn Deeley was invited by Harris Family descendants and The Gwinnett Archeological Research Society to conduct the excavation. …The project has expanded to include not only students from GGC but also UGA and volunteers from The Gwinnett Archaeological Research Society
The Brunswick News
College to host second annual Black Scholars Recognition Program
By Lauren McDonald
College of Coastal Georgia launched a Black Scholars Program last year recognizing high achieving high school students in the region. College of Coastal Georgia will host the second annual Coastal Georgia Black Scholars Recognition Program this week to honor African American high school juniors from the region. This year’s program will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Southeast Georgia Conference Center on the college’s Brunswick campus.
The Newnan Times-Herald
Carnegie offers study space during finals week
Those in need of a quiet place to study for the upcoming finals we can visit The Newnan Carnegie Library in downtown Newnan. Between April 18 to April 22, the library will be transforming its event space into a quiet study area for University of West Georgia students to use to study for their exams. There will be a relaxed study area and more traditional space. Free Wi-Fi will be provided. Library computers will be available to use in the main library lobby; there are no desktop computers I the upstairs space.
Forsyth County News
University of North Georgia waiving SAT/ACT requirement for fall 2022
From staff reports
Some good news has arrived for many high school seniors waiting to hear from the University of North Georgia about their admission for fall 2022. First-year bachelor’s degree-seeking students applying for fall semester admission may be admitted without an ACT or SAT score provided their high school GPA is 3.0 or higher, according to a news release. A change in testing policy from the University System of Georgia provided the opportunity to assist students who have faced testing obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic.
11Alive
Hispanic-owned company will get classroom dedication at Georgia Tech (Video)
The husband and wife team are Tech alums.
WALB
GSW unveils brand new baseball locker room
By Kyle Logan
Just 13 months ago, the Canes from GSW officially unveiled their new baseball and softball indoor training facility. It was a first of its kind with the Peach Belt Conference, which has been a dream for the teams and the plan was to always add on. This week the Canes were happy to unveil their brand new baseball locker room, 1,500 square feet, 44 lockers, all privately funded. It will be a place the guys can call their own and a space they are more than deserving of. For the Canes, it was an important step to take, the goal, to provide whatever is necessary to help their athletes succeed.
Columbus CEO
CSU: ‘Spring Swing’ on April 30 to Benefit Dance Minor Scholarships
Staff Report
Outdoor dancing and casual dining under the stars are the hallmarks of Columbus State University’s annual “Spring Swing,” which benefits scholarships in the university’s Dance Minor Program. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, April 30 and begins at 6:30 p.m. in the university’s Rankin Livery & Courtyard in Uptown Columbus. …The annual event, however, is about more than showing off fancy footwork. Spring Swing is part of the Dance Minor Program’s year-round scholarship fundraising efforts and provides a forum for awarding those to CSU Dance Minor students. Those scholarships total around $10,000 annually.
Albany Herald
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College honors alumni at Homecoming Awards Luncheon
From staff reports
The ABAC Alumni Association recognized its 2022 award recipients at the recent Homecoming Awards Luncheon at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Topping the list of recipients were Rick and Sandy Bostelman from Fitzgerald, who received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the top award presented by the Alumni Association.
Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern Art Students Showcasing Artwork on Main Street
Staff Report
It was not too long ago when Maddie Grace Maierhofer was a freshman in high school and beginning her journey toward her painting career. In just a few years, she’d find herself regularly selling her paintings and seeing her pieces in downtown storefronts. “It’s awesome to see people want to buy your art,” Maierhofer said. “I’m still telling people, ‘Oh, I’m going to be an artist,’ but I don’t know if I believe it myself. But it’s happening in front of my eyes, so I guess I need to believe it.” Maierhofer is now a studio art senior at Georgia Southern University. While she has had the experience of seeing her work on display on the streets before, she and her colleagues are getting an impactful opportunity in the coming weeks. Georgia Southern’s Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art is hosting “Main Attractions on Main Street,” a capstone exhibition featuring art from the class of 2022.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1 dead in shooting at Atlanta student housing apartment complex
By Rosana Hughes
One person is dead after a shooting at a student housing apartment complex in northwest Atlanta on Sunday morning, according to police. Officers were called to the Westmar Lofts at 800 W. Marietta St. around 5 a.m. where they found one person with a gunshot wound, according to an Atlanta Police Department news release. The victim, who has not been identified, did not survive. …The Westmar Lofts is an independent student housing complex that markets to students from Georgia State University, Georgia Tech and the Atlanta University Center, according to the community’s website.
Albany Herald
Renowned saxophonist to performs with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Jazz Ensemble
From staff reports
A compelling musical experience is planned for all in attendance on April 21 when Derek Brown performs with the ABAC Jazz Ensemble at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Brown, a Billboard-charting saxophonist, is a musical innovator who is expected to keep the crowd engaged in the 7 p.m. concert at ABAC’s Howard Auditorium as a part of the ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series.
Marietta Daily Journal
The Albany Herald, Ga.
When Herbert Shippey was growing up in Calhoun County and Albany, he had no idea that he would find himself as a young adult in the belly of a plane at night over Southeast Asia. His task was to record secret transmissions in a language about as far from his native south Georgia dialect as a language can be, while at the same time worrying if his plane was about to be shot down by a North Vietnamese fighter jet. Shippey, a retired English professor at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, served as a linguist with the United States Navy Fleet Support Detachment in Da Nang in South Vietnam from 1971-1972, where he flew reconnaissance missions over the Gulf of Tonkin and Laos. Shippey, who continues to teach part-time at ABAC, chronicles these experiences in his new book, “Flying with the Spooks: Memoir of a Navy Linguist in the Vietnam War.” …To honor his service to the country and the college, the ABAC School of Arts and Sciences will host a reading by Shippey from his new book on April 26 at 6 p.m. in Edwards Hall.
NewsBreak
Know and love Ukraine. My country needs your help
By Valentyna Fesenkova
Valentyna Fesenkova graduated from Kyiv National University and worked in the Center of Clinical Immunology in Kyiv as a Senior Scientist. In 2008, she came to the United States and worked with the National Institute on Aging and National Cancer Institute. She now lives in Augusta and works for Augusta University’s Georgia Cancer Center.
I am Ukrainian and am proud of that. It is my war and my battlefield. My heart is filled with pain and desperation. The whole world saw horrifying pictures from Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv. It was a beautiful city with happy families and laughing children. But now, life now is divided into “before” and “after,” and will never be the same.
Savannah Morning News
First City Progress: College for ‘free thinkers’ eyes Raskin Antiques for Savannah campus
Zoe Nicholson
A new university self-proclaimed as the “revival and reinvention of the traditional university” has chosen Savannah for its home, and is looking to take over a longtime antiques shop on Monterey Square for its first physical campus. Ralston College is a Libertarian-leaning university founded by Canadian Stephen Blackwood. The online Humanities-based institution has chosen Savannah as the spot for its campus, according to a February 2022 announcement. …This marks the city’s sixth institution of higher education, joining Savannah Technical College, Savannah State University, the Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong campus, and South University. Ralston College is a tax-exempt nonprofit, meaning it does not pay property taxes. This is standard practice for not-for-profit universities nationwide, but has drawn criticism in Savannah in recent years since schools such as SCAD own dozens of parcels throughout the high-value National Landmark Historic District.
CNBC
Moral outrage in Europe forcing decisions that were unbelievable a month ago, says professor
Robert Bell, distinguished professor of the practice at Georgia Institute of Technology and former defense advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, cites as examples Germany’s defense spending and the Nord Stream 2 decision.
Georgia Recorder
Georgia rolls back precautions two years after COVID-19 shut down, leaving some vulnerable
By: Clay Voytek
State Sen. Donzella James’ voice isn’t as strong as it used to be. In January 2021, James tested positive for COVID-19. She thought it was just her chronic bronchitis, but the next morning, she found herself in a crowded emergency room. After subsequent bouts of pneumonia and blood clots, she finally left the hospital in May. James, an Atlanta Democrat, remains vigilant about COVID-19 today. “I saw people every day dying all around me,” she said. “I am concerned because I know far well what that COVID can do to you.” …Georgia’s vaccination rate is still among the lowest in the country, according to the latest CDC data. According to the state health department, 56% of Georgians have been fully vaccinated, and 40% of those individuals have received a booster shot. “A majority of those who were not vaccinated, they have had some kind of COVID infection,” said Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, an associate professor of epidemiology at Georgia Southern University, explaining that many Georgians now have some form of immunity. Fung said the latest Omicron sub-variant, BA.2, is unlikely to cause a surge in cases as large as Georgia’s most recent wave, but he stressed that immunity doesn’t last forever.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the 13th District, challengers to Rep. David Scott say voters need a fresh voice
By Tia Mitchell
U.S. Rep. David Scott is seeking an 11th term in Congress by running on a message that he has delivered for his constituents over the past two decades while rising to a powerful committee position that newcomers would find hard to match. But his challengers, including three fellow Democrats who Scott will face in the May primary, say fresh blood is needed in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District representing south metro Atlanta. …Clayton State University professor Joshua Meddaugh, who is the coordinator of the school’s political science program, said he believes Scott could be pushed into a runoff by one of his challengers.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Georgia lawmakers’ education agenda escalates culture wars
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Legislature endorses slate of bills that will make teaching true history harder
In the 2022 legislative session, Georgia Republicans passed incendiary education bills designed to invigorate their bedrock voters. The bills reveal the willingness of this Legislature and governor to exploit ginned-up fears of conservative white parents that schools are becoming woke boot camps where their kids learn about LGBTQ relationships, Black Lives Matter and white privilege. These bills threaten the progress Georgia has made in diversifying the Statehouse and the schoolhouse. It’s not a coincidence that the misinformation campaign that Georgia schools taught critical race theory followed the election of Georgia’s first Black and Jewish American senators, and as Confederate monuments fell across the country. …Georgia Tech student Alex Ames spoke at several hearings to remind lawmakers there was real work to be done. “Right now, there are Georgia students who go to schools named after Confederate generals. There are classrooms without enough teachers or textbooks to make it through the year, and there are hundreds of thousands of children learning in poverty. To neglect these issues while simultaneously rewriting the history that got us here is disgraceful,” she said.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated April 8)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,941,256 | Note: The DPH reports that starting on March 30 and into the next several days, it expects to clear a backlog of cases from a laboratory that were not previously recorded. DPH noted that the majority of these cases were from December 2021 and January 2022, and do not represent a spike of new cases in late March.
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 31,311 | 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:
The Washington Post
Prominent colleges see international applications surging
Test-optional admissions is a factor in rising demand for big-name schools.
By Nick Anderson
Prominent U.S. colleges and universities are reporting a surge in international applications over the past two years, fueled by the easing of pandemic travel restrictions and new policies that allow potential students to apply without SAT or ACT scores. The Common Application, an online platform for hundreds of schools, found that as of March 15 the number of international applicants had grown 34 percent since 2020. That far exceeded the 12 percent rate of growth for U.S. applicants. The data reveals a tantalizing source of potential students as colleges nationwide grapple with significant enrollment losses since the pandemic. However, those applicants are often chasing big-name schools that are not hurting for students.
Inside Higher Ed
‘Breaking Ranks’ With ‘U.S. News’
New book offers a harsh critique of the rankings industry and its impact on undergraduate colleges and law schools.
By Scott Jaschik
Steven S. Koblik gave a gift to subsequent presidents of Reed College: in 1995, he declared that the college would no longer cooperate with U.S. News & World Report on its college rankings. Colin Diver, who succeeded Koblik, writes that when he arrived at Reed in 2002, he thought, “I’m no longer subject to the tyranny of college rankings. I don’t need to worry about some newsmagazine telling me what to do.” In a book being published tomorrow, Breaking Ranks: How the Rankings Industry Rules Higher Education and What to Do About It (Johns Hopkins University Press), Diver describes his experience as a college president (and previously as a law dean at the University of Pennsylvania) in dealing with rankings. He absolutely agrees with the decisions Reed made about the rankings. And he believes that rankings aren’t going anywhere but that colleges can, and should, fight them. …U.S. News released this statement: “We haven’t seen the book, but we know students and their families find significant value in our rankings. We strive to provide them with data and information to help make important decisions, using the rankings as one factor in their college search. As always, we continuously welcome feedback.”
See also:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Rutgers B-School Faked Jobs for Graduates to Inflate Its Rankings, Lawsuit Says