Douglas Now
Sahm Family Foundation, Elixir Extrusions Award $50,000 Each To SGSC
The South Georgia State College (SGSC) Foundation has been awarded a grant from the Sahm Family Foundation in the amount of $50,000 to fund the creation of the Sahm Family Foundation Mechanical Engineering Technology Innovation Center in support of SGSC’s new Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology (BSMET) program. SGSC President Dr. Ingrid Thompson-Sellers anticipates the Center as a highly valuable asset to the BSMET program’s success. “The Sahm Family Foundation Mechanical Engineering Technology Innovation Center will be the hub of our program,” she says. “It will support one of the primary goals for the program by providing an infrastructure where students can engage in activities related to real-world experiences and mentorship for success.”
Albany Herald
Georgia Southwestern president celebrates 5-year anniversary
From staff reports
Five years ago, on July 15, 2017, Georgia Southwestern State University officially welcomed Neal Weaver as its 11th president, his first presidential role. Under Weaver’s leadership, GSW has seen the highest enrollment in university history, has implemented four new academic programs, improved retention and graduation rates, completed four construction projects with one underway, and increased annual giving. Weaver was selected by then-University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley to lead Georgia Southwestern, replacing Charles Patterson, who served as GSW’s interim president for more than two years. Weaver served as vice president for University Advancement and Innovation at Nicholls State University for nearly three years and vice president for Institutional Advancement at West Texas A&M University for more than six years. “It’s hard to believe it’s already been five years,” said Weaver. “I have had the distinct pleasure of getting to know and work with amazing faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the university who all help make GSW special. We have been able to make remarkable progress because of them and GSW’s outstanding executive leadership team.”
Georgia Trend
Art featured from across Georgia
By Kenna Simmons
Professors of art both teach and do, and you can see the evidence at a new show at Atlanta’s eyedrum gallery. “Professors of Art: Georgia” opened July 16 and will delight any art lover in its variety, showcasing works in a number of media and styles created by faculty from Georgia’s public and private higher education institutions. Work from 31 professors at Kennesaw State University, Georgia Southern University, Augusta University, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State University, Mercer University and others are included. One artist will receive an Award of Top Honor and will have a solo exhibition at eyedrum in 2023.
WJCL
Girls Code Games Camp wraps up after a week
One of a kind camp teaches middle school girls about designing marine science-based games
Dave Williams, Reporter
A unique summer camp gives girls a one-of-a-kind experience. The Girls Code Games Summer Camp wrapped up Friday afternoon at the Georgia Southern Armstrong campus. Some 30 middle school-age girls from Savannah-Chatham public schools participated in the week-long which gave them an opportunity to learn about marine science from the UGA Marine Education Center and then design and program a playable game around that theme.
Rome News-Tribune
GHC makes second highest economic impact among state colleges in Georgia
The total economic impact for fiscal year 2021 at Georgia Highlands College has topped $175 million. GHC holds the second highest economic impact among state colleges in Georgia. GHC’s $175 million economic impact is part of the total $19.3 billion University System of Georgia contribution to Georgia’s economy between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. That’s a $700 million — or 3.8% — increase over the previous year’s system total, a new study shows. The study was conducted on behalf of USG by Jeffrey M. Humphreys, Ph.D., director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. It also showed GHC was part of the system generating 152,629 full- and part-time jobs across Georgia over the same period of time.
Athens CEO
NSF Grant Enables UGA to Expand Statewide STEM Program
Staff Report
A highly successful UGA-led statewide alliance has just received a major boost in federal funding to increase participation in STEM fields among students from underrepresented groups. The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Georgia $2.5 million to expand the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) – a coalition of six public colleges and universities in Georgia formed to increase the number of underrepresented students statewide who complete undergraduate and advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The initiative provides academic enrichment, professional development, financial support, peer and faculty mentoring, and research opportunities for students. Initiatives include summer research programs, GRE test preparation, faculty mentor programs, academic planning and advising seminars, tutoring and K-12 outreach, and STEM career planning.
Times-Georgian
UWG alum, retired staff member gives back
By Julie Linebeck UWG Department of University Communications
The University of West Georgia has remained a constant presence in H. Franklin “Frank” Pritchett Jr.’s life for almost 40 years — first as a student, then alumnus and employee, and today a retiree. As a manifestation of this multifaceted relationship, Pritchett recently confirmed his legacy gifts of three scholarships. “UWG provided a solid academic experience and changed my life trajectory in immeasurable ways,” said Pritchett ’88 ’92. “My planned gifts reflect my gratitude to my alma mater and the importance of giving.
Albany Herald
Carole King Songbook performance kicks off ABAC at The Tift series
From staff reports
Followers of the much-loved songstress Carole King will “feel the earth move” on Sept. 15 when Suzanne Davis presents a salute to a true musical icon in the season opener for the ABAC at the Tift series sponsored by Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. “It’s a great way to start ABAC’s performing arts events for the year,” Wayne Jones, who coordinates the plethora of entertainment opportunities planned for the 2022-23 season, said. “Everyone loves Carole King’s music, and it will be front and center at the historic Tift Theater.”
Savannah CEO
Dr. Jolyon T. Hughes of Georgia Southern University On Changing Technology in Communications
Dr. Jolyon T. Hughes is an Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Humanities at Georgia Southern University. He talks about how the college evolves its learning based on available technology in the real world.
Patch
Emergency Fund Input + Gwinnett Co. Is Pivotal To GA Midterms
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Dacula.
Danielle Fallon-O’Leary, Patch Contributing Writer
Here are the top three stories in Dacula today:
…A Georgia Gwinnett College professor is advising the community to prepare for rising inflation demands. According to Dr. Cathy McCrary, the best way to prepare for the unexpected is with an emergency fund. She advises the community to put aside a piece of each paycheck into a separate account. Recurring transfers might be the easiest way to begin an emergency fund.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Five Georgia Gwinnett College tennis players named ITA Scholar-Athletes
From Staff Reports
Five Georgia Gwinnett College tennis student-athletes have been honored as 2022 Scholar Athletes by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for their academic successes as well as helping lead their teams to NAIA national championships during the 2021-22 school year. Women’s tennis players Stephanie Fernandez, Maria Genovese and Tereza Koplova joined men’s tennis members Rikhardt Bierman and Alex Gurmendi in being recognized by the ITA for achieving a 3.5 or higher grade point average during the past academic year.
Savannah Morning News
UGA engineers launch new project to insure salt marshes for their environmental benefits
Marisa Mecke
A project recently undertaken by University of Georgia engineers hopes to insure coastal marshlands remain protected. In a new collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, and funded by Georgia Sea Grant, the researchers are approaching marsh preservation by bringing unlikely partners to the table: insurance agencies.
WRBL
Local scientist explains benefits of revolutionary Webb space telescope
by: Amanda Peralta
Images from the James Webb Space Telescope were released on Monday, showing images deeper into the cosmos than ever before. Dr. Shawn Cruzen, the Executive Director of Columbus State University’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center, spoke with WRBL about what these discoveries could mean for people on Earth. “It affects us in two ways; number one- it gives us a fundamental understanding of our universe and specifically about some interesting things like these exoplanets that may be harboring life, somewhere else in our galaxy which is very interesting,” said Dr. Cruzen.
Albany Herald
UGA study determines why some COVID patients have GI symptoms
By Jennifer L Reynolds
Building on research by others, a new study by UGA virologist Malak Esseili points to the reasons that some patients have gastrointestinal issues with COVID-19 and others do not. From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts and health officials have witnessed a wide variety of symptoms — one patient may have a severe cough, while another may have no symptoms at all. While reported symptoms were predominately respiratory, a percentage of patients also reported digestive issues such as upset stomach and diarrhea. A new study by University of Georgia virologist Malak Esseili points to the reasons that some patients have gastrointestinal issues with COVID-19 and others do not.
ABC News
Case of 10-year-old rape victim challenges anti-abortion rights movement
After decades of unity, the movement is divided on how to handle the issue.
By Anne Flaherty
In a House hearing on Capitol Hill this week, an anti-abortion rights advocate said ending a pregnancy isn’t an abortion when it involves a 10-year-old rape victim. The comment stunned the Democratic lawmaker questioning her. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines abortion as a “medical intervention provided to individuals who need to end the medical condition of pregnancy.” “Wait, it would not be an abortion?” said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. Catherine Glenn Foster, head of the anti-abortion group Americans United for Life, told Swalwell she didn’t think it was. “If a 10-year-old with her parents made the decision not to have a baby that was a result of a rape, if a 10-year-old became pregnant as a result of rape, and it was threatening her life then that’s not an abortion,” Foster told the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. …Daniel Williams, a history professor at the University of West Georgia who studies politics and religion, said support among conservatives for exceptions to rape and incest have changed over time. In this case, leaders in the anti-abortion rights movement probably weren’t prepared for such a case to confront them so soon after the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, he said.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Collaborations needed to boost K-12, higher ed enrollments
Kara Arundel, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
Enrollment declines in both schools and colleges call for comprehensive and collaborative actions to investigate the root causes and find solutions to boost attendance and engagement, said speakers during a Thursday session at the National Forum on Education Policy, hosted by Education Commission of the States in Washington, D.C. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that K-12 public schools saw a 3% drop in enrollment between fall 2019 and fall 2020. Undergraduate enrollment fell by 4.7%, or by 662,000 students, between spring 2022 and spring 2021, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Better collaborations are needed between K-12 and higher education systems to provide supports to students, families and school staffs. Also needed to boost preschool through higher education enrollments are strategies for addressing individual barriers to enrollment and engagement, the speakers said.
Higher Ed Dive
Here’s the latest thinking on how to reenroll stopped-out college students
Attracting some of the 39 million people in the U.S. with some college but no degree requires creativity and flexible, affordable options, experts say.
By Lilah Burke
Approximately 39 million people in the U.S. have some college experience but no credential, according to a recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That means they likely have some of the debt that comes with attending college, but few of the benefits. As institutions search for ways to improve enrollment, targeting adults with some college experience might be one way to increase headcounts while helping people achieve personal and professional goals. But in the 2020-2021 academic year, just 2.4% of stopped-out students reenrolled. Experts say that bringing students back to college after an absence doesn’t have to be a mystery. Here are some of their tips and recommendations.
Higher Ed Dive
Opinion
We must invest in Black colleges’ digital future
Complete College America leaders share what they heard about digital infrastructure needs from students, faculty and administrators at HBCUs.
By Yolanda Watson Spiva and Dhanfu E. Elston
Yolanda Watson Spiva is president and Dhanfu E. Elston is chief of staff and senior vice president at Complete College America, an organization focused on addressing inequities and performance gaps. They are alumni of HBCUs.
Historically Black colleges and universities are today receiving enormous amounts of resources — from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott’s transformative multimillion-dollar donations to billions of federal dollars flowing to HBCUs through COVID-19 relief funding. Though these investments in HBCUs are long overdue, they are still welcome developments that shine a well-deserved light on these institutions. HBCUs have a capacity for resilience and innovation that has gone unappreciated for far too long. They’re places where Black students thrive, often against long odds and a chronic shortage of resources. They make up only 3% of all colleges and universities in the United States, yet they produce 20% of our nation’s Black college graduates, a quarter of this country’s Black STEM graduates, half of all Black attorneys and 80% of Black judges. And as society and higher education have begun the long process of broadly acknowledging and dismantling systemic racism and injustice, they have sought support from HBCUs.
Inside Higher Ed
Harvard Lobbies Congress to Cut Endowment Tax
Harvard is pushing Senate Democrats to consider reducing the controversial tax that draws an estimated $50 million annually from its $39 billion endowment. Many wealthy private universities want the tax eliminated.
By Meghan Brink
Many wealthy private universities across the nation have voiced strong opposition to a tax on their endowments. Leadership at Harvard University are pushing Congress to reduce the tax on their income from private donors. Leaders of similar universities with large endowments are in support of a reduction or elimination of the tax in its entirety. In an email obtained by Inside Higher Ed, Suzanne Day, Harvard’s senior executive director of federal relations, urged others to reach out to Democrats in Congress to reduce the endowment tax, a 2017 tax change passed by Republicans that imposes an excise tax on wealthy endowments, through the budget-reconciliation process this fiscal year. Colleges and universities subjected to the controversial tax want it eliminated. The 1.4 percent tax on net investment income applies to all colleges with endowments larger than $500,000 in assets per student. Nearly 100 colleges are currently subject to the tax.
Inside Higher Ed
Undergraduates Produce Usable Data for Scientists
Roosevelt University undergraduates engaged in a community science project that produced usable data for scientists at Chicago’s Field Museum.
By Susan D’Agostino
…College and university leaders often trumpet the benefits of undergraduate research programs—and for good reason. Many of these leaders say that students in such programs gain real-life experience in data collection, technology tools, research methods and analysis, while also developing mentoring relationships, changing their perspective on failure and developing transferable skills. Others note that undergraduate researchers gain communication, problem-solving, project management, budgeting and proposal-writing skills. These points are valid but often omit mention of beneficiaries beyond the students. A new study on Von Konrat’s and Pivarski’s collaboration published in June in Research Ideas and Outcomes highlights that scientists may also benefit from undergraduate research. The student-generated data sets their partnership yielded were reliable and very helpful to the museum’s researchers.