Albany Herald
Governor signs freedom of speech bill for public higher ed campuses
From staff reports
Gov. Brian Kemp signed HB 1 (the Forming Open and Robust University Minds Act) into law Tuesday, a law state officials said will secure freedom of speech on Georgia’s university and technical college system campuses by preventing the creation or elimination of any existing “Free Speech Zones” and designating all unrestricted outdoor areas of campus as public forums. “Freedom of expression is one of this great nation’s fundamental liberties,” Kemp said in a news release. “Here in Georgia, we will protect those rights and that which is appropriate for any place of higher learning — the ability to learn of different ideas.
See also:
Valdosta Today
Kemp signs college campus freedom of speech bill
Inside Higher Ed
Georgia Law Bans ‘Free Speech Zones’ at Public Colleges
AllOnGeorgia
Legislation Signed Tuesday to Protect Freedom of Speech on Public Higher Education Campuses
Albany Herald
Tracy Brundage to succeed David Bridges as president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
From staff reports
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has named Tracy L. Brundage president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, effective Aug. 1. Brundage currently serves as the president of Keystone College, a private institution with more than 50 fields of study located in La Plume, Pa. She has been Keystone’s president since 2018. ABAC President David Bridges announced plans last year to retire after serving as president for 16 years. “I’m excited to welcome Dr. Brundage to ABAC and know she will bring a sharp focus on student support and work force development to an institution that’s so critical to communities, especially in south Georgia,” USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “Her skills and experience will build on the good work done by Dr. Bridges, and I appreciate the efforts of the campus search committee to find such a strong candidate to lead the students, faculty and staff of ABAC into the future.”
See also:
AP News
Pa. college president to lead Georgia agricultural college
Albany Herald
Albany State receives National Science Foundation grant
From staff reports
Albany State University received $199,997 from the National Science Foundation Catalyst Program. The grant “Technically Speaking: Building Scientific Communication Self-Efficacy” will focus on improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students’ academic competency and science efficacy. The project’s goal is to support and retain undergraduate STEM students and improve scientific communication skills. The NSF Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to establish the research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics in undergraduate education and research.
Gwinnett Daily Post
PHOTOS: Scenes from Georgia Gwinnett College’s 2022 Preview Day
Todd Cline
Spring Preview Day on April 16 drew college-bound students and their families to Georgia Gwinnett College’s campus. GGC’s faculty and staff were on hand to talk about academic programs, housing options and financial aid to more than 350 participants. Photos courtesy of GGC
Columbus CEO
Margie Yates of Columbus State University Discusses Graduate Education
Margie Yates is Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at Columbus State University. She talks about some of the graduate programs the college offers to students.
Albany Herald
Zheng Jennifer Huang named ABAC Fine Arts department head
From staff reports
Zheng Jennifer Huang has been selected as the new department head for Fine Arts at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Matthew Anderson, dean of the ABAC School of Arts and Sciences, said Huang will replace Susan Roe, who is retiring June 30. “While we are very sorry to see Dr. Roe retire, rest assured that the Department of Fine Arts will remain in good hands,” Anderson said. “Dr. Huang teaches ABAC courses and lessons in support of the associate’s in Fine Arts in Music degree, along with the general music appreciation course.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clayton State University names new chief of police
By Leon Stafford
Clayton State University has named Mike Keener its new chief of police and director of public safety. Keener, an 18-year veteran of law enforcement, served 16 years with the University of West Georgia Police Department and led as the school’s administrative services division commander. Prior to that role, he ran criminal investigations for the university and served as the evening watch patrol division commander.
See also:
Times-Georgian
Former UWG lieutenant named CSU Chief
WJBF
Mental Health Matters: Back to mental health basics
by: Marlena Wilson, “The Means Report” Executive Producer
Mental health matters because you matter. It is a month-long initiative on The Means Report to bring you everything you need to know about mental health; not only mental health awareness and what it is, but the resources that are out there in case you, or a loved one, needs help. …Brad Means: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I suspect we will re-air this series later in the year, but I can tell you that it’s beginning right here as we kick off the month of May. And I can’t think of a better person to help us kick off Mental Health Awareness Month and our mental health series than Dr. Vaughn McCall. He’s going to help us answer several questions and tackle these topics, the basics of mental health. What it is, the stigma of mental illness. We’re constantly trying to get rid of that, aren’t we? I wonder if it still exists. We’ll ask the doctor. And how to know if something isn’t right. How to tell the difference between just perhaps a mood swing or something that might require professional attention. Dr. McCall is the chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and he is so kind to rejoin us. Thanks for coming back to “The Means Report.” You’ve been a frequent guest because this is a topic that affects so many people. Thanks for coming back. Dr. Vaughn McCall: Thank you, Brad. It’s great to be here again.
Marietta Daily Journal
Kennesaw State and Beacon Foundation celebrate eight years of support for students
Over the past eight years, support from the Beacon Foundation Charitable Trust has helped send Kennesaw State University students on trips abroad, while also providing food and housing to students in need. Since 2014, the Beacon Foundation has given $453,000 total to Campus Awareness, Resource & Empowerment Services and KSU Journey Honors College. Included in that amount was $10,000 to each for COVID relief at the virus’s peak. Elizabeth Smith Williams, the Foundation’s Cobb County trustee and KSU partner, said she is proud of the effect the Foundation’s support has had on the KSU community and its students.
Marietta Daily Journal
Kennesaw State student will use technology to create magic during Disney internship
April Breedlove’s passion for computers and coding, combined with her fierce perseverance, has earned her a prestigious internship at Disney World this summer. Breedlove, a junior computer science major in the College of Computing and Software Engineering, will live in Orlando for three months and work as a software engineering intern with Walt Disney Attractions Technology. “I’m going to be living out my dream,” said Breedlove, who transferred to KSU this fall after graduating high school early. An experience in Disney World three years ago shaped that dream and changed the trajectory of her life.
WTOC
Georgia Southern University’s guitar exhibit opens in Statesboro
By Dal Cannady
Music lovers can check out a collection of vintage instruments in Statesboro, thanks to one company’s relationship with Georgia Southern University. The Visit Statesboro Welcome Center serves as a satellite gallery for Georgia Southern’s Museum. This one-of-a-kind display shows the influence of a company that’s now a major university benefactor. Last year, Fred and Dinah Gretsch announced an endowment to the university that includes music artifacts from their family’s company across its 140 years.
WGAU Radio
UGA study speaks to hazards of one-sport athletes
“We might need a more balanced approach to dealing with sport specialization”
By Leigh Beeson, UGA Today
High school students who focus on one sport are more likely to get injured or suffer from burnout. But new research from the University of Georgia suggests their motivation for specializing in one sport is pure: love of the game and competition. Published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, the study surveyed 975 high school athletes in the U.S. and found more than one in five reported a high level of specialization in one sport. More than 42% reported a small level of specialization.
Newswires
AcademicInfluence.com Ranks the Best Colleges & Universities in Georgia for 2022
The top colleges & universities in Georgia get an updated ranking for 2022 in the AcademicInfluence.com series “The Best Colleges & Universities in the USA.” The updated series includes rankings that cover multiple categories of higher education institutions in the state of Georgia.
…Which colleges & universities in Georgia rank among the best overall?
• Albany State University (Albany)
• Columbus State University (Columbus)
• Dalton State College (Dalton)
• Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley)
• Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville)
• Georgia Gwinnett College (Lawrenceville)
• Georgia Southern University (Statesboro)
• Georgia Southwestern State University (Americus)
• Georgia State University (Atlanta)
• Georgia Tech (Atlanta)
• Savannah State University (Savannah)
• University of Georgia (Athens)
• University of West Georgia (Carrollton)
• Valdosta State University (Valdosta)
Higher Education News:
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Analysis: Why college and university mergers are difficult to pull off
By Hilary Burns – Editor, The National Observer: Higher Education Edition
Jeffrey Senese, president of Saint Leo University, spoke boldly last summer about his vision of building a national university by acquiring other Catholic colleges, including Marymount California University. The deal was supposed to be buttoned up and final by now. Instead, nine months later, Senese said in late April that the schools are walking away from the deal and Marymount is shuttering in August as a result The reasons for the deal falling through are cloudy. Senese told the Tampa Business Journal’s Lauren Coffey that finances were to blame but the school later pointed to timing issues. Saint Leo’s regulator, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, first denied the deal in December over concerns that Saint Leo could not fulfill its financial responsibilities post-merger. …The Business Journals recently spoke with Ladd and Alexander about why college and university mergers are likely to fail. Here’s a look at what they had to say: Colleges and regulators react too slowly to financial challenges …Loyalty to college brands …The success stories
Inside Higher Ed
A spate of initiatives across the country are bringing high school graduates and their relatives to college in hopes of improving the financial status of families and increasing college retention rates.
By Sara Weissman
Rodney Braziel is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Toledo this spring after a two-decade hiatus from college. He always planned to return to college and complete his last semester and graduate, but as a working parent supporting a family and raising four children, it never felt like the right time. Everything changed when Braziel, 44, and his 18-year-old son, Rayvon, were offered dual scholarships to attend college at the same time. Father and son enrolled this academic year—Rayvon is a freshman at Ohio State University, and Rodney is a senior at the University of Toledo—and have been helping each other through the transition. …HOPE Toledo is one of a handful of recent admissions initiatives and scholarships launched nationally designed to bring students and their family members to college in hopes of improving college completion rates and lifting whole families out of poverty, as multiple members earn degrees that can lead to higher wages. Leaders of these efforts hope this multigenerational approach to college access is the start of a new trend in higher ed.
Inside Higher Ed
University Seeks to Cut 67 Faculty, 44 of Them Tenured
By Scott Jaschik
The administration of Henderson State University, in Arkansas, on Monday proposed cutting 67 faculty jobs, 44 of them held by tenured professors. The university also seeks to eliminate another 21 positions that are unfilled. In addition, the university would eliminate all part-time and adjunct positions. Twenty-four majors would be eliminated under the plan, including English, history, political science, biology, chemistry and mathematics. New “meta-majors” will be created in health, education and social sustainability, applied professional science and technology, business innovation and entrepreneurship, and arts and humanities. The university has declared financial exigency, which the American Association of University Professors says is necessary to lay off tenured faculty members.