University System News:

Savannah Now

Gretsch scholar Eric Davis is helping Georgia Southern students ‘discover their musical identities’

By Foster Steinbeck

When asked how he’d like to be remembered as a teacher, Georgia Southern University’s first-ever Gretsch Distinguished Scholar of Guitar/Music Industry Eric Davis answered instantly. “As one who cared for their students, knew them as individuals, and also was able to help them discover their musical identities.” Davis, a longtime veteran of the music industry, was the first student to graduate with a master’s degree in guitar performance from The Julliard School in 1991. 

WGAU

If students can’t get to the coast, UGA brings the coast to students

By Emily Kenworthy

For more than 50 years, educators at the University of Georgia’s Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island have hosted pre-K to 12th grade students for hands-on programs about the coastal environment. This year, those educators are taking the show on the road. With support from Bass Pro Shop, Georgia Power and Friends of the UGA Aquarium, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant staff and volunteers are taking programs into every school in Savannah-Chatham County.

 

Tifton Gazette

ABAC student selected for collegiate advisory council

By Staff

Justin Nichols, a senior at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has been appointed to serve on the 2022 Collegiate Advisory Council of Alpha Gamma Rho. Nichols will be a part of a seven-man ambassador team, working alongside the fraternity’s national leaders with the responsibility of coordination between collegiate members and alumni, college officials said in a statement. Nichols will serve a two-year term as a liaison between AGR chapters in his district and the national headquarters, representing Region Three, which reaches from Alabama up to Kentucky and down to Texas.

Coastal Courier

Students, staff at GSU’s Liberty campus enjoy Leopold’s Ice Cream

By Lewis Levine

Staff and students of Georgia Southern University’s Liberty Campus were treated to an endless supply of Leopold’s Ice Cream and sliced fruit last Tuesday, July 12. GSU Liberty Campus President Kyle Marrero said it was day one of a three-day summer celebration, which started in 1948 at the Statesboro campus. Marrero said GSU and Leopold’s Ice Cream have long been partners, as owner Stratton Leopold is a graduate of GSU. Marrero said it was a chance to celebrate with the community four weeks prior to the start of the next semester.

 

WJBF 

AU Health nurse travels to Ukraine to help children in the war-torn country

By Barclay Bishop

If you visit Augusta University Health, you may run in to Elizabeth Curry. “We help out with any sick babies in the unit. We go to L and D for any high-risk deliveries,” said Elizabeth Curry, a nurse at AU Health. For more than 30 years Curry’s been a nurse helping the sick and injured. When she saw the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine after the Russians invaded, she knew she wanted to help.

Statesboro Herald

Positives all around for GS Athletics

By Josh Aubrey 

Even though there have been a few sports at Georgia Southern that struggled the past year overall, it has been a great year for Georgia Southern athletics. The spring was the most successful in school history with the men and women’s golf teams advancing to the NCAA Regionals, with the guys moving on the national championship in Scottsdale AZ. The Eagle baseball team also hosted their first ever NCAA Regional.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Local golf: David Ford runs away with 116th Southern Amateur

By Stan Awtrey

David Ford of Peachtree Corners, a rising sophomore at the University of North Carolina, used a second-round 62 to propel himself to victory at the 116th Southern Amateur Championship at Sea Island’s Plantation Course. Ford shot rounds of 67-62-70-65 to finish at 20-under 264 and beat Georgia Southern’s Mason Williams and Jiri Zuska of the University of Louisville by three shots. Georgia Tech’s Bartley Forrester of Gainesville, who earlier this summer won the Monroe Invitational, and Dacula’s Jackson Buchanan, who plays for Illinois, tied for sixth at 13 under. Georgia Southern’s Ben Carr of Columbus tied for 10th.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Tech student: End partisanship by student associations

By Maureen Downey

As an aspiring astrophysicist, Angela Hill is studying physics with a minor in nuclear engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Hill plans to join the effort in space exploration or nuclear power generation. A member of the Yellow Jacket Marching Band and the GT Astronomy Club, Hill writes for the Liberty Jacket, an independent student publication at Georgia Tech that encourages a range of political points of view. By Angela Hill

While diversity is promoted at Georgia Tech, that doesn’t always extend to diversity of thought. The Student Government Association recently published a slideshow called “Resources for Reproductive Health and Advocacy” on its Instagram page and a “Reproductive Justice Resource Guide” on its Linktree. Both came in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to overturn the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade and 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The two rulings protected the practice of abortion nationally.

Other News:

Albany Herald

Georgia officials use federal grant to create school safety website, training for school districts

By T.A. DeFeo 

Georgia authorities are using a federal grant to fund a new website to disseminate school safety resources and updated training to Georgia schools. The Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency are using a Bureau of Justice Assistance STOP School Violence Grant to fund the new Georgia Center for School Safety website.

Athens CEO

The Fastest Growing Industry in Georgia

By Staff

Economic pundits are increasingly predicting that the U.S. is headed toward recession–if the economy is not in one already. Unemployment remains at historic lows, but heightened inflation over the last year has increased the cost of nearly everything for businesses and consumers alike. With the U.S. Federal Reserve hiking interest rates to slow inflation, most experts forecast slower or negative GDP growth this year. A potential recession could mark the end of a decade-plus of upward GDP growth. In the Great Recession, GDP bottomed out at $18.4 trillion in the second quarter of 2009. Since then, inflation-adjusted GDP has grown by more than 30% overall to $23.9 trillion, even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Reuters

U.S. governors vow to boost computer science education at schools after business push

By Staff

Fifty U.S. governors have committed to funding a computer science curriculum at more schools after hundreds of executives including Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates sent a letter this week urging action. The effort, announced on Thursday by the National Governors Association, was organized by Governor Asa Hutchinson as part of an initiative he outlined last year. The executive letter was led by the Seattle-based non-profit Code.org, which aims to provide computer science to students and help them seek careers in technology.

 

The Augusta Chronicle

Japanese manufacturer to build North American headquarters in Augusta

By Dave Williams

The Japanese manufacturer of a type of copper foil used in printed electronics will build its North American headquarters in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wednesday. Denkai America is making an initial investment of $150 million on a 115-acre site in Richmond County. Ultimately, the company will spend $430 million on a headquarters and manufacturing plant, creating 250 jobs during the next five years.

 

Higher Education News:

 

EdScoop

Unifying sources ‘key’ to higher ed data and analytics, Educause finds

By Emily Bamforth 

Higher education needs to modernize data governance and structure before using data and analytics to guide decisions effectively, Educause researchers found in a recent report. The higher education IT organization released Monday the first data and analytics edition of its “Horizon Report” series. A panel of higher education experts agreed on a list of technologies and practices that are “key” to the future of higher ed, many of which centered on staff getting a handle on where data is recorded and stored and who manages the information.

 

GPB

200,000 student borrowers who say they were ripped off may get their loans erased

By Cory Turner
A fight over when and how the U.S. Department of Education can cancel some federal student loans will soon play out in a federal courthouse on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. On Aug. 4, a federal judge will decide whether to preliminarily approve a settlement that would erase the debts of 200,000 borrowers who say they were defrauded by their colleges. The lawsuit, Sweet v. Cardona, centers on a federal rule, known as borrower defense, that allows borrowers to ask the department to erase their student debts if a school has lied to them – about their job prospects, their credits’ transferability or their likely salary after graduation.

 

Higher Ed Dive

Education Department issues new guidance to prevent ‘accreditation-shopping’

By Natalie Schwartz

The policies could make it harder for colleges to switch accreditors and may clash with a new Florida law, experts say. The U.S. Department of Education released guidance Tuesday that could make it harder for colleges to switch accreditors — potentially setting up a clash with a new Florida law requiring the state’s public colleges to change accrediting agencies every accreditation cycle. The guidance requires colleges to obtain the agency’s approval before they attempt to switch accreditors or else risk losing access to federal financial aid. 

 

Higher Ed Dive

Another bipartisan federal bill targets income-share agreements

By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

Bipartisan federal legislation reintroduced this week would place new restrictions on income-share agreements, a controversial tool for financing a college education. Income-share agreements, or ISAs, allow college graduates to pay back their tuition and fees with a set percentage of their income over an established timeframe. But critics say the terms of these deals are often murky, lack government oversight and may saddle students with even more debt. Versions of the latest bill have been put forth since 2015, but none have passed into law. The current iteration contains provisions like a 20% cap on the percentage of income an individual would pay and requirements that ISAs contain detailed disclosures.

 

Higher Ed Dive

These legal issues should be on college business officers’ radars

By Rick Seltzer 

A panel at the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ annual meeting covered legal questions spanning many offices on campus. College business officers will be talking to their general counsels about a long list of issues as colleges continue grappling with the fallout of the coronavirus, U.S. Supreme Court decisions and an unsettled athletics landscape, panelists said during a session at the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ annual meeting this week. “The partnership between finance and business officers and the legal teams on our campuses is absolutely critical,” said Ona Alston Dosunmu, president and CEO of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.

 

Inside Higher Ed

U of Utah Admits ‘Shortcomings’ in Murder of Student

By Scott Jaschik

The University of Utah has admitted to “shortcomings” in the death of Zhifan Dong, a first-year student from China allegedly killed by a fellow student, Haoyu Wang, on Feb. 11. “The university acknowledges shortcomings in its response to this complex situation, including insufficient and unprofessional communications, a need for clarity in the training of housing workers and a delay in notifying university police and the Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Title IX of indications of intimate partner violence. These immediate deficiencies have all been addressed, including corrective actions with employees,” said a university statement.

 

Inside Higher Ed

Academic Freedom Threatened in India

By Pola Lem for Times Higher Education  

Scholars who have criticized the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi say they have been reprimanded. Academic freedom is coming under threat in India due to increasingly stringent restrictions and institutions using tactics of intimidation and harassment, scholars in the country have warned. The Times Higher Education logo, with a red T, a purple H and a blue E. There have been reports of university officials reprimanding academics for openly speaking out against the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regime in the latest sign that the prime minister’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, first elected in 2014, is using its power to stamp out freedom of speech. “No doubt censorship has increased in the last couple of years,” said Ayesha Kidwai, a professor at the Center for Linguistics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, noting that the “insulation that the academic sphere used to give you” has all but disappeared.

 

Inside Higher Ed
Higher Ed’s Hiring Woes

By Josh Moody  

Recruiting and retention challenges are hitting colleges, according to numerous panels at the National Association of College and University Business Officers conference. At scheduled sessions, happy hour chats and informal dinner conversations, a common theme popped up over and over again at this week’s National Association of College and University Business Officers conference: colleges are seriously struggling to hire and retain employees. The conference, held outside Denver, featured a number of sessions focused on staffing challenges in a new era of work reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. Common issues include employees leaving for better pay, increased competition from the corporate sector, demands for remote work and rigid hiring policies that limit institutions from recruiting and retaining talent even as vacancies linger.

 

Inside Higher Ed

Why DEI Initiatives Are Likely to Fail

By Mariappan Jawaharlal

The math does not add up. DEI faculty hiring initiatives are but cheap talk without corresponding efforts to build the pipeline, Mariappan Jawaharlal writes. I recently called a friend who led diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to recruit underrepresented minority (URM) faculty to his institution during the last hiring cycle. These efforts frustrated him, as he had nothing to show after his meticulously planned sequence of activities: workshops to create DEI awareness on campus, diversity training for search committee members, targeted postings of faculty positions on newsletters serving URM groups, etc. Despite good intentions and the institutional support these efforts received, his institution could not hire a single Black or Hispanic faculty member. He said he felt good about what his institution attempted to do but was disappointed with the outcome.

 

The Chronicle of Higher Education

A College’s Explosive Online Growth Drew Scrutiny. Now the Feds Are Stepping In.

By Michael Vasquez

An unconventional “free college” partnership with trade unions created stunning enrollment growth at an Ohio community college — but the U.S. Education Department says the online program actually violated federal law. In a blistering three-page letter sent to Eastern Gateway Community College this week, federal education officials ordered an immediate halt to the program “as currently implemented.” The core problem: The college, federal officials say, used Pell Grant and state financial-aid dollars from students to finance its “free” college offerings, but it improperly waived all tuition costs for students who didn’t qualify for financial aid.

 

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Why This Fall’s Campus Housing Shortages Could Be Different

By Brianna Hatch

Colleges across the nation are facing housing shortages and increased demand, leaving hundreds of students waiting for assignments or scrambling to find off-campus options as the fall semester quickly approaches. Housing shortages are nothing new. But this year is different, according to Kevin Kruger, president of Naspa: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, because the demand for on-campus housing may be even higher. He cited two factors: “post-pandemic, pent-up demand” and the national housing crisis driving up rent off campus.

 

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Can a Teaching Track Improve Undergraduate Education?

By Beckie Supiano

Jennifer L. Wong-Ma had a tenure-track job in computer science more than a decade ago at Stony Brook University. But she found herself more interested in her teaching than in her research. A few years in, she decided it was time for a change. So Wong-Ma talked to her chair. He was understanding, she recalls. But the department had two flavors of faculty career: the tenure track, with its heavy tilt toward research; or annual contracts to teach classes as a lecturer. The chair got creative, and in 2013 finessed a way to keep Wong-Ma at the same salary in a non-tenure track job, where she’d teach twice as many courses. Her position, oddly, was called “research assistant faculty.”

 

U.S. News & World Report

Education Department Issues Sweeping New Guidance on School Discipline

By Lauren Camera