Capitol Beat News Service
Duncan appoints HBCUs study committee
by Dave Williams
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is forming a Senate study committee to look for ways to foster growth at Georgia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and promote access to high-demand industries for the schools’ graduates. The Interim Legislative Study Committee on Excellence, Innovation and Technology at Historically Black Colleges and Universities will include four Senate Democrats and one Republican. As lieutenant governor, Duncan serves as president of the Senate. “Georgia’s recognition as a leader in workforce diversity would not be possible without the support of the state’s HBCUs, which produce top-notch graduates that go on to serve as leaders in their respective industries,” Duncan said Wednesday. “This committee will play a vital role in ensuring the Peach State has the necessary infrastructure to promote and retain the talents of HBCUs and their graduates.”
Albany Herald
UGA diabetes prevention program earns top recognition from CDC
By Cal Powell
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension diabetes prevention program has received the highest recognition offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s Full Plus certification is reserved for lifestyle change programs that have effectively delivered a quality, evidence-based program that meets all the standards for CDC recognition and additional retention thresholds. The certification is based on participant achievement of attendance, weight loss, physical activity minutes reported and retention in the year-long program.
Patch
Faculty from Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) have secured a federal grant totaling more than $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote inclusive excellence in health informatics and health equity. With the goal of empowering minority students through education, JPHCOPH’s Professor and Department Chair Gulzar Shah, Ph.D., as principal investigator, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Nandi Marshall, DrPH, as co-investigator, received the grant as part of the $7.98 million award for the TRIUMPH (Training in Informatics for Underrepresented Minorities in Public Health) consortium, which included three other universities and four public health organizations.
NewsBreak
Augusta University President gives state of the university address
By Nikita Dennis
“I think we have a strategic plan that will not sit on the shelf and it certainly won’t collect any dust its innovative it’s unique it’s exciting“ said Augusta University President, Dr. Brooks Keel. During the Dr. Brooks Keel’s state of the university address he focused on past and present plans for students at Augusta University, starting with enrollment. Dr. Keel says the university has been increasing undergraduate enrollment since 2015. He says each year the university loses about 800 undergraduate students, However, this year that number increased to a thousand due COVID. He says that hasn’t stopped AU from gaining students.
Patch
I join with many, many others in the Georgia Southern community who are mourning the passing of Betty Foy Sanders. Many know her as a former first lady to Georgia’s 74th governor, Carl Edward Sanders Sr., but I knew her as a friend, longtime supporter, and namesake to the Georgia Southern Department of Art. I was blessed to meet with her several times, and as many around her know, once you spend some time with Betty Foy Sanders, you never forget her spark, passion and love for art. My wife, Jane, joined me on our visit last summer and sang for her…it was a very special afternoon that we will never forget.
The Post Searchlight
Summer Boyd selected as Recipient of the 2022 McNair Family Scholarship
By Staff Reports
Summer Boyd, Customer Service Representative, First Port City Bank, Bainbridge, has been selected as the first-place recipient of the inaugural McNair Family Scholarship. Ms. Boyd is enrolled at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Bainbridge, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business management. The McNair Family Scholarship recognizes and honors the achievements of Nicholas (Nick) R. Cimino. The scholarship is awarded once per year to an adult learner who is currently employed at a Georgia community bank and plans to work towards an associate, bachelor, or trade degree. An adult learner is someone two years removed from high school and working at least 25 hours per week at a Georgia community bank. The award is for $1,000.00 and is designed to offset student expenses (tuition, study materials, and expenses).
Marietta Daily Journal
Kennesaw State student’s research aids in approach to deadly horse ailment
Kennesaw State University’s Lauren Christian knows the importance of the phrase “healthy as a horse.”
As an equestrian, she’s been around horses her whole life and used her undergraduate research to help horses and their owners. …While completing coursework for her bachelor’s degree in computational and applied mathematics, Christian connected with Susan Mathews Hardy, senior lecturer of statistics. …In December 2021, Christian presented her research at Analytics Day, a special event put on by KSU’s School of Data Science and Analytics for undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their analytics research. Her research poster and presentation won first place in the undergraduate research category. …Christian has been accepted into an online graduate school, where she plans to continue her studies in statistics. The online program will allow her to continue training and participating in mounted archery competitions.
Athens CEO
Biotech Company Dalan Animal Health Relocates to Athens
Staff Report
Dalan Animal Health, Inc., a biotech company focused on insect health, announced today that it will relocate its headquarters to Athens, Georgia. The company is anticipated to create 20 new jobs over the next five years. Dalan Animal Health (www.dalan.com) seeks to prevent diseases that affect beneficial insect populations to increase the profitability and yield of pollinated crop farms worldwide. Dalan’s first product to market is a honeybee vaccine for American Foulbrood, a highly contagious disease threatening beehives worldwide. The company will expand its product development to other honeybee diseases as well as underserved industries, such as shrimp, mealworms, and grasshoppers used in feed and food production. …The company’s headquarters is located in the University of Georgia’s Innovation Hub, within the growing Innovation District in downtown Athens.
The Tifton Gazette
Donna Webb, assistant vice president for student affairs, recently received the additional appointment of dean of students at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Webb joined the ABAC administration as director of enrollment services in 2008. She was appointed to a new position as assistant vice president for student affairs in 2020. Now with the retirement of longtime Dean of Students Bernice Hughes, Webb has taken on added duties, college officials said in a statement. …Webb’s duties include providing oversight and leadership for all student affairs activities including recreational sports, residence life, and student leadership programs. She is also a point of contact for providing resources for mental health issues on campus.
The City Menus
Dishman begins as new UWG College of Education Dean
By Julie Lineback
Wolves don’t crow, but as Dr. Mike Dishman sees it, the University of West Georgia has every reason to be proud. And he’s honored to have joined the Pack as the new dean of UWG’s College of Education (COE), home to the 13th largest graduate education program in the United States. “As a department chair in Kennesaw State University’s College of Education competing with UWG for faculty and students, I knew the UWG College of Education offered outstanding programs, was well-known for quality in educator preparation, and was a formidable competitor,” said Dishman, who began his new role on June 1 after spending 17 years at Kennesaw State University (KSU).
Rome News-Tribune
Dr. Dixon Freeman named assistant dean at MCG Northwest Campus
Dr. Dixon Freeman, a Rome, Georgia, OB/GYN who has served as clerkship director at the Medical College of Georgia’s Northwest Campus since it opened in 2013, has been named campus assistant dean, effective July 1. As assistant dean, Freeman will have academic oversight of students, clinical faculty and teaching sites at the Northwest Campus. Campus associate dean, Dr. Leonard Reeves, is retiring at the end of June and a national search for his successor will begin in July.
Griffin Daily News
Gordon State appoints Stinson as head basketball coach
By Karolina Philmon Marketing Manager Gordon State College
Gordon State College names Darryl C.A. Stinson as the new head basketball coach.
He joins GSC with 11 years of coaching experience from various institutions, including Bethune Cookman University, Claflin University, Paine College, Lynn University and Boynton Beach Community High School.
WTOC
Business owner reacts to Georgia Southern hosting NCAA Regional
By Dal Cannady
Offer up an extra Eagle football game in November or December and local merchants would be thrilled at the chance for more business. One business owner says it means even more this time of year. The owner of Soyumi restaurant, said he’s excited at the prospect of baseball fans coming to town. He says this is even better than usual because this regional means three teams and their fans as well as Eagle Nation converging here. …“Usually in the summertime, business slows down in Statesboro. After Georgia Southern lets out, everybody heads out. The fact of the matter is this is one of those “blessings in disguise”,” Adam Tsang, Restaurant Owner said.
Statesboro Herald
Georgia Southern Baseball – Eagles set to make history
GS excited for 1st NCAA Regional at J.I. Clements
Josh Aubrey/staff
The Georgia Southern baseball players have been flying high since getting the news Sunday night that they would be hosting the first NCAA Regional in school history. The Eagles have had to try and patiently wait for Friday to get everything started as they take on No. 4 seed UNC Greensboro at 7:00 at J.I. Clements stadium. “We are all just so amped up because it is just a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Eagle pitcher Jay Thompson. “A lot of us have been on social media seeing how everyone is pumped up and trying to get tickets. It is going to be a great time and we are so looking forward to starting things Friday.”
The Augusta Chronicle
UGA beasts of East under Kirby Smart, but division days numbered in future SEC schedules
Marc Weiszer
Athens Banner-Herald
In the last five seasons, no team has made more trips to the SEC championship game than Georgia. That’s a product of both where Kirby Smart has positioned a program coming off its first national title in 41 years and that the SEC East division that the Bulldogs play in has provided a more manageable path than coming out of the West. The SEC’s divisions are looking like they will be ditched when Oklahoma and Texas begin league play in 2025 at the latest. That’s the last season the current four-team playoff runs through. Smart, who is 27-2 against SEC East opponents since the start of the 2017 season, said Tuesday he’s taking a big picture view of discussions this week on future scheduling.
Times-Georgian
UWG Athletics partners with Hometown Ticketing for 2022-23
By UWG SPORTS
The University of West Georgia athletic department has announced a new partnership for the 2022-23 academic year, joining with Hometown Ticketing to offer digital ticketing for all home athletic events in the coming year. “UWG Athletics is excited to partner with HomeTown Ticketing to provide our customers with a more form-fitting purchasing portal. HomeTown Ticketing continues to grow its footprint within the industry and we are excited to bring this ticketing solution to our loyal Wolves fans,” said Jason Carmichael, Director of Athletics at the University of West Georgia.
Athens Banner-Herald
Judge to rule on Athens Banner-Herald’s effort to access UGA NIL records
Wayne Ford
The hot topic in collegiate sports known as NIL — for name, image and likeness — was debated Friday in the Oconee County Courthouse. Superior Court Judge Eric Norris listened as David Hudson, representing the Athens Banner-Herald, and Edward Tolley, the attorney for the University of Georgia Athletic Association, argued about whether the Athletic Association should release documents through the open records act on UGA athletes with NIL contracts. Norris has not yet ruled on the newspaper’s complaint, but from the outset he noted what a “novel issue” NIL has become for those working in college sports.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
A Financial Incentive for Promoting Mental Health
New partnership between United Educators and The Jed Foundation gives colleges a credit on their insurance premiums if they implement a JED program to improve student mental health on campus.
By Maria Carrasco
In a first-of-its-kind arrangement, United Educators is partnering with The Jed Foundation (JED) to motivate institutions to implement mental health programs on their campuses. Colleges that launch a program designed by JED, a nonprofit devoted to emotional health and suicide prevention, will receive a discount on their premiums from United Educators, an insurance company owned and governed by 1,600 K-12 and higher education member institutions. At the college level, the JED Campus program offers two iterations: a four-year plan and a shorter, 18-month JED Campus Fundamentals program. In the four-year program, institutions create a team of administrators, faculty, staff and students to examine mental health on campus; conduct a student mental health survey; complete a self-assessment; and create a strategic plan to address mental health concerns. The Fundamentals program is similar but requires less engagement and time on the institutions’ part.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Enrollment in Prisons Continued to Climb, Despite the Pandemic
Liann Herder
COVID-19 may have stalled enrollment in higher education at large, but within prisons, higher education continued to blossom. A new report from the Vera Institute of Justice, a national organization that partners with communities to transform the criminal legal system, has found that the enrollment of incarcerated students in Second Chance Pell higher education programs increased steadily for five years, even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inside Higher Ed
Another College Restores Mask Mandate
By Scott Jaschik
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, restored its indoor mask mandate on Tuesday. This is the last week of classes in the spring quarter. The mandate will be in place until at least June 12. …The University of California, Los Angeles, restored its indoor mask mandate last week, joining the University of Hawai‘i system and the Pennsylvania State University main campus in making such a move.
Inside Higher Ed
Defining the Role of Digital Learning on Campus: Key Podcast
By Doug Lederman
How are colleges and universities going about rethinking their teaching and learning strategies in the wake of widescale experimentation with digital instruction? That’s the subject of this week’s episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, part of a three-part series on the role of digital teaching and learning. This week’s episode features Dhanfu E. Elston, chief of staff and senior vice president for strategy at Complete College America, discussing an effort involving six historically Black colleges and universities
Inside Higher Ed
Student reluctance to speak freely on campus rose again in the last two years, according to a survey. But are things as bad as the numbers indicate?
By David Steele
The percentage of college students who believe the political and social climate on their campus prevents people from freely expressing themselves rose from 54.7 percent in 2019 to 63.5 percent in 2021, according to a new survey conducted by Heterodox Academy. At the same time, the percentage of students who describe themselves as reluctant to speak freely on certain topics deemed controversial was far lower—nearly 41 percent felt that way in 2020, according to the nonpartisan education research organization. The survey also found that 39.5 percent of students felt reluctant to freely discuss political topics in 2021, and 30.5 percent and 31.8 percent of students, respectively, in those years were hesitant to discuss religious topics. The survey found that students nonetheless overwhelmingly favor free and open expression among themselves and others on campus, with the percentage of those supporting it rising from 85.4 percent in 2020 to 87.4 percent in 2021.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Diversity Statements Are Still in Legal Peril
Most are administratively imposed, and academic freedom thus affords them little protection.
By Brian Leiter
Brian Soucek, a law professor at the University of California at Davis, assures readers that diversity statements “are constitutional — at least if they are done the right way” and reveals that the University of California is changing its approach to their utilization accordingly. In so doing, he effectively admits that earlier criticisms of the legality of diversity statements, including mine, were in fact correct, which is why changes were needed. Alas, Professor Soucek does not openly acknowledge that the critics were right, even as he misleads readers about our views and offers false assurance to proponents of diversity statements at public universities.
CNBC
54% of teenagers feel unprepared to finance their futures, survey shows
Carmen Reinicke
Teenagers are looking at the costs of higher education and fear they won’t be able to keep up. Some 54% of teens say they are worried about financing their futures, according to a survey from Junior Achievement USA and Citizens Bank of 1,000 children aged 13 to 18 between Feb. 18 and 24. What to do after high school is the biggest stressor around money, the survey found. Nearly 70% of the teens said that rising higher education costs have affected their post-graduation plans.
Higher Ed Dive
Biden to cancel Corinthian students’ remaining $5.8B in federal loans
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday it is discharging $5.8 billion in student loans held by borrowers who attended Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit chain that collapsed in 2015. All 560,000 borrowers with outstanding loans will receive discharges under the borrower defense to repayment rule, which allows students who’ve been defrauded by their colleges to have their education debt forgiven. The Ed Department said the action is the single largest loan discharge in its history. Borrowers who attended the chain from its founding in 1995 through its closure in 2015 will receive relief even if they have not filed for a borrower defense discharge. Altogether, the Biden administration has forgiven some $25 billion in student debt since January 2021, including $7.9 billion for students whose institutions closed or who received relief under the borrower defense rule.
Higher Ed Dive
North Dakota public colleges drop admissions test requirements permanently
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education voted late May to end admissions requirements that undergraduate applicants provide standardized test scores. The board had temporarily allowed students to forgo submitting SAT or ACT scores through summer 2023 in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Its recent vote makes the test-optional policy permanent. Exam scores may still be used for course placement and determining scholarship awards.