Augusta CEO
Keel Visits Savannah and Brunswick for President’s Summer Tour
Milledge Austin
Last week, Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel, PhD, embarked on his first President’s Summer Tour since 2019, visiting the Savannah and Brunswick areas. During his weeklong visit, Keel met with local and regional leaders and alumni, as well as current and future students, to discuss ways that Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia can better ensure a successful future for not only our students, but all Georgians. Keel’s whirlwind week — which included numerous events involving students and alumni — began July 18 at the Savannah Rotary Club. Keel, who was joined by fourth-year medical students Krishna Shah and John Henriquez, who attend Augusta University’s Southeast Campus, addressed the physician and nursing shortage in the state, particularly in rural areas of Georgia. He also discussed solutions that Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia has created to address these issues, including the MCG 3+ program and multiple campuses in 350 urban and rural sites across the state.
Savannah CEO
Georgia Southern Donors Help University Reach Record-breaking Fundraising Year
Staff Report
For the second year in a row, Georgia Southern University set a record for private fundraising, according to figures from the last fiscal year. Total cash, pledges and in-kind gifts to Georgia Southern University amounted to $22,363,915 during Fiscal Year ‘22, which ended on June 30, 2022. That surpasses the total from the previous year, which was also a record at $17.8 million. The previous record was $16.2 million raised in fiscal year 2019, the year that the University’s College of Business was named for Greg Parker. The Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation, in conjunction with the Department of Athletics, significantly helped the University’s overall total with its own record-setting fundraising numbers for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation raised a record $10.6 million in new pledges and outright gifts.
Albany Herald
From staff reports
A reception at Tift Hall scheduled for Thursday to welcome Tracy Brundage as the incoming president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has been postponed. Brundage has tested positive for COVID, and all of her activities for the week will be rescheduled. “On this day, I was hoping to greet you in person as an official member of the ABAC Family,” Brundage wrote in an email Monday morning, informing the ABAC campus about the news. “I can’t wait to get to my desk in Tift Hall. I’m getting regular updates on what’s happening on the campus and being where the action is dominates my every thought. I will see you very soon, and together, we’ll begin this fall semester on a high note.”
University Business
Higher ed will lose 2 more top university presidents in 2023
Boards at North Georgia and Wayne State will be searching for new leaders to replace Bonita Jacobs and M. Roy Wilson.
By: Chris Burt
Two leaders who have overseen a slew of successes at their universities during the past decade announced they will be stepping down at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. University of North Georgia President Bonita Jacobs said she is planning to retire next June, while Wayne State University’s M. Roy Wilson did not offer a reason that he will not pursue a contract extension at the end of July 2023. They join the growing scroll of presidents who are walking away from power posts after enduring more than two years of the COVID pandemic and facing new challenges, including meeting lofty enrollment and fiscal goals. Like the dozens who have relinquished control over the past few months, they offered upbeat statements about the resiliency of their institutions as they head toward 2030 under new leaders.
Patch
Georgia Southern University special education faculty created an Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) program to assist undergraduates.
Georgia Southern University special education faculty created an Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) program to assist undergraduate special education students with earning an advanced degree in special education in less time. The team, including the College of Education’s Eric Landers, Ph.D., Cynthia Massey, Ph.D., Stephanie Devine, Ph.D., Kathryn Haughney, Ph.D., Caitlin Criss, Ph.D., and Karin Fisher, Ph.D., received approval for the new ABM to begin this fall, encouraging special education undergraduates at Georgia Southern to complete a M.Ed. in Special Education.
Inside Higher Ed
By Doug Lederman
Joanne Ardovini, dean of the Audrey Cohen School for Human Services, Education, Public Administration and Affairs, Community Health Education, and Emergency and Disaster Management at Metropolitan College of New York, has been chosen as provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Gordon State College, in Georgia.
The George-Anne
How To Get The Best Out of The Armstrong Campus
Jabari Gibbs, Editor-in-Chief
I’ve been here on the Armstrong Campus since 2020; during COVID, the campus was quite desolate, essentially a ghost town, which allowed me to learn the ins and outs of the campus and the elements that separate Armstrong from every other college campus in the world.
The Galley
One of the first elements that I will mention is the Galley. Everyone that I know that has made the trip down from Statesboro notes that the Galley is superior to the dining hall in Statesboro. Likely because of the smaller size, Nonetheless I can assure you that you will be getting the best gourmet at Georgia Southern University. Furthermore, if you are a freshman living on campus, you must have either the Eagle Gold or Eagle Blue dining plan. Both of these dining plans are excellent; to save some extra cash, you should take advantage of them.
The Red & Black
Welcome to campus: 4 upcoming events welcoming freshman at UGA
Grace Walton
As the University of Georgia prepares to welcome all students back to campus, many organizations within the university are pouring their efforts into welcoming the Class of 2026 into the traditions and lifestyle of UGA with events kicking off Aug. 13. Welcome UGA is dedicated to planning and coordinating freshman events and getting the new class accustomed to university life, but other groups like the Student Alumni Council and the Department of Student Transitions each have a role in promoting the freshman experience.
1. Freshman Welcome
WTHR
College mascots from around the country coming to Indianapolis for conference
Butler University and the University of Indianapolis will host the Collegiate Live Mascot Conference.
Author: Gina Glaros
Butler University and the University of Indianapolis are hosting the Collegiate Live Mascot Conference. Butler Blue IV and Grady the Greyhound will welcome mascots and their handlers from all over the country. Their team will explore topics like branding and costumes. The conference, which is not open to the public, is taking place Wednesday, Aug. 3 and Thursday, Aug. 4 at Butler University, located at 4600 Sunset Ave. The following schools’ mascots are attending the conference: …Georgia Southern University
Augusta CEO
Augusta University Expert Talks importance of BIPOC Mental Health Month
Milledge Austin
Mental health has been at the forefront of conversations around the world in recent years, with awareness growing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. These discussions have also brought to light why mental health issues are a particular concern for Americans who are Black, Indigenous, or other people of color (BIPOC). Since 2008, July has been recognized as BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, and medical organizations and advocacy groups have ramped up efforts to highlight the gap in the BIPOC community finding mental health care and helping these individuals get the treatment they need. Melanie Wilcox, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Public and Preventive Health, and the Department of Psychiatry at Augusta University studies the economic barriers that people — particularly BIPOC Americans — face as a result of historic marginalization and the resulting challenges for mental health.
Athens CEO
UGA launches Staff Comprehensive Compensation Review
Staff Report
The University of Georgia has announced a new initiative to complete a comprehensive review of staff compensation. Made possible through a partnership with Deloitte Consulting, the Staff Comprehensive Compensation Review initiative will evaluate the university’s current classification and compensation structure, while analyzing job and market salary competitiveness as well as related policies and procedures. The final report is scheduled to be completed later this academic year with implementation of project outcomes to coincide with the development of the fiscal year 2023 budget. The project has five goals:
Marietta Daily Journal
Kennesaw State Department of Dance presents Double Exposure
Staff reports
The Department of Dance at Kennesaw State University will present Double Exposure Aug. 26-27 at 8 p.m. at the KSU Dance Theater on the Marietta campus. Made possible by the Eleo Pomare–Glenn Connor Dance Endowment, the 2022 Choreographic Residency Program features up-and-coming choreographers Tsai Hsi Hung and Chuck Wilt. The two choreographers, who emphasize innovation and movement invention, were selected by a panel of university professionals for a four-week residency to create two world premieres for the KSU Dance Company. The residency culminates in two fully produced pieces, presented as a double bill in Double Exposure.
Grice Connect
Savannah doctor earns MBA to be a better physician, advocate for patients
Savannah doctor Timothy Connelly earned a Master of Business Administration because he saw it as an opportunity to grow in his current career
For Savannah doctor Timothy Connelly, earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree wasn’t about advancing his career in the business world. Instead, he saw it as an opportunity to grow in his current career. “I did not get my MBA to look for a different job, a better job or a higher paying job,” Connelly said. “I went for it to do a better job.”
Georgia Southern University offers its MBA program through the Parker College of Business online and at the Armstrong Campus in Savannah. The program had the right balance of flexibility, reputation and cost-effectiveness to meet Connelly’s high-demand schedule.
“After doing my research and looking up many different MBA and executive MBA programs, I felt the Georgia Southern MBA to hold by far the best value for furthering my education,” Connelly said. “Few programs balance cost, educational outcomes and program flexibility for the working adult better than the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern.”
Medical Xpress
Disease of the microscopic blood vessels that feed the white matter of our brain is associated with worse cognitive function and memory deficits in individuals with Alzheimer’s, scientists report. “The main message of this paper is the mixed pathology as we call it—microvascular disease and Alzheimer’s—is associated with more brain damage, more white matter damage and more inflammation,” says Dr. Zsolt Bagi, vascular biologist in the Department of Physiology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Theirs and other recent findings suggest that some people with Alzheimer’s who have brain changes widely associated with the condition, like amyloid plaques, may not develop dementia without this underlying vascular dysfunction, the researchers write in the journal GeroScience.
Forbes
4 STEM Tips From A Scientist As K-12 Schools Begin
Marshall Shepherd Senior Contributor
It’s that time of year. Parents will be posting pictures in social media of their kids on the way back to school. Here in Georgia, many K-12 school systems start this week. I am a Professor at the University of Georgia and an atmospheric scientist. Prior to academia, I spent 12 years at NASA working on weather-climate satellite missions and related scientific research. I am also the parent of a first-year college student and a 10th grader. From these various perspectives, I offer 4 tips to parents and students that would improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) experiences at the K-12 level. Here they are.
Food Safety News
Salmonella in poultry, the issues and solutions, hearing from the experts
By Jonan Pilet
In an IAFP 2022 session on Aug. 1 titled “Salmonella in Poultry: Issues and Solutions” speakers talked about how the contamination of poultry with Salmonella continues to be one of the most pressing issues in food safety. Salmonella serotype Enteritidis and Typhimurium are responsible for multiple cases linked to poultry and in recent years Salmonella Infantis has become a re-occurring, emerging and persistent serotype. …
Salmonella Enteritidis and Breeder Supply Chain
In the last part of the session, Xiangyu Deng of the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety discussed his study, titled “Salmonella Enteritidis and Breeder Supply Chain.” The study hypothesized that the international trade of infected breeding stocks causes the global spread of the pathogen. The study discovered recent, genetically near-identical Salmonella isolates from domestically raised poultry in North and South America. They also identified patterns of international trade of breeding stocks and quantitatively established a driving role of the trade in the geographic dispersal of Salmonella Enteritidis, suggesting that the centralized origins were infected breeding stocks.
Higher Education News:
EdSurge
Opinion – Relationships Matter in Student Affairs — But So Do Data and Strategy
By Jeff Doyle
I grew up as a self-described math and science nerd. I took Calculus I, II, and III in high school at the local college, and when I enrolled at the University of Virginia, my courses included honors chemistry and physics for physics majors—although I did not major in physics. As an achievement-minded young man, I “knew” that my worth was predicated on my grade-point average. I studied for hours every day, rarely going out to do anything fun. It reached the point where I was depressed and in serious need of some help. It was not until my third year in college that I discovered there was life outside of classes (the reverse of most students). That year, I tried out and made the men’s club volleyball team and I joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Soon thereafter, I began to experience the power of honest and caring relationships. This shifted my focus on career prestige to one focused instead on students like me seeking transformative relationships in college. As soon as I discovered it, I fell in love with student affairs. However, I also quickly realized that I was not like my colleagues.
Higher Ed Dive
College students average less than 22 credits in their first year, too few to graduate on time
Rick Seltzer, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
Barely over half of a group of first-time, full-time students — 51% — earned 24 or more credits in their first year of college, meaning most aren’t on track to graduate in four or even five years, according to research released Tuesday by the National Student Clearinghouse. The average full-time student took classes worth under 27 credit hours and earned fewer than 22. Just 28% of students earned 30 hours of credit or more in their first year, which is the annual pace typically required to graduate on time from four-year bachelor’s programs. Students earned nine of every 12 credits they took, on average. But rates varied widely based on factors like institution type, degree sought, college readiness, enrollment intensity, and race and ethnicity.
Higher Ed Dive
20 AGs urge Biden to extend waiver loosening Public Service Loan Forgiveness rules
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
Dive Brief:
Twenty attorneys general urged the Biden administration last week to extend and modify temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that are meant to help borrowers receive debt relief. Under the PSLF program, borrowers who become public servants — such as teachers, nurses or police officers — can have their outstanding balances forgiven after they’ve made a decade of qualifying payments. However, rampant issues within the program led to high denial rates for debt relief. The U.S. Department of Education announced a PSLF waiver last year that counts all payments certain borrowers made toward forgiveness, including those that wouldn’t have previously qualified for the program. The attorneys general argued in a Friday letter that the waiver’s deadline should be extended before it expires in October.
Inside Higher Ed
Colleges Face a Student Housing Squeeze
Some colleges attribute long wait lists for campus housing to heightened demand for a residential experience following two-plus years of COVID-19 disruptions.
By Josh Moody
Students are scrambling to find housing as the fall semester rapidly approaches, with many colleges managing lengthy waitlists and frustrations from would-be residents desperate for a bed on campus. At some institutions, housing waitlists are a positive sign for both booming enrollment and student preferences. But even as they deal with such welcome developments, institutions still have to figure out where to place students for the coming academic year. While some universities are turning to familiar strategies–such as placing students in nearby hotels–others are deploying new tools to incentivize students, and even alumni, to help ease high housing demands.
Inside Higher Ed
College in the Metaverse Is Here. Is Higher Ed Ready?
“Metaversity” proponents say virtual reality boosts student engagement, achievement and satisfaction. But others worry it may prioritize corporate profits, violate student privacy and introduce bias. With the launch of 10 metaversities this fall, the ethical details are being worked out in real time.
By Susan D’Agostino
…This fall, students at 10 universities, including Morehouse College and California State University, will attend metaversities—a portmanteau of “metaverse” and “universities”—such as the one attended by the Fisk students. A metaversity is an immersive virtual reality platform where remote faculty and students don VR headsets and meet synchronously as they would on a physical campus. (In some cases, the virtual campus is a digital replica of the institution in which they are enrolled. In other cases, the technology is deployed in face-to-face classes.) In metaverse “classrooms,” students may learn history while “traveling” on the Underground Railroad “armed” with Harriet Tubman’s pistol. Or they may learn about literature while “sitting” on the judge’s bench in the courtroom that was at the center of To Kill a Mockingbird. The universities that will deliver programs in the metaverse this fall are part of a growing ed-tech trend that promises to broaden higher ed’s reach. Metaversity proponents say that VR boosts student engagement, achievement and satisfaction. But some scholars are concerned that the private companies that license the technology may prioritize their bottom lines over academic freedom, exploit students’ data or reproduce possibly biased narratives in an immersive format that becomes students’ go-to representation of events.
Inside Higher Ed
Northeastern University’s College of Science says it’s now open to hiring Ph.D.s right out of graduate school as part of a new science faculty hiring program aimed at broadening the candidate pool.
By Colleen Flaherty
Northeastern University’s College of Science is waiving postdoctoral fellowship experience for many faculty applicants, via a novel hiring model called Invest. The premise of Invest is that too many strong scientists leave academe after earning their Ph.D.s due to the widespread expectation that they’ll spend years in unstable, low-paying postdoc jobs before hopefully landing a tenure-track faculty position. So by eliminating the postdoc requirement (real or perceived), Northeastern’s Invest program aims to attract a bigger, more promising pool of faculty candidates. Other features of the program: scientists across disciplines are invited to apply, and a collegewide (not departmental) committee reviews applications with an eye toward interdisciplinary scholarship and possible joint appointments between units. Invest seems to be working. Ten scholars have been hired so far, following two hiring cycles. The most recent cycle, which just ended, saw approximately 800 applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds—an “enormous number,” said Carla Mattos, professor of chemistry and Invest search committee chair.
Inside Higher Ed
Opinion – The 10 Commandments of Experiential Learning
Growth in the field has led to confusion about terminology, methods and best practices, write Jay Roberts and Anna Welton, who have identified some key foundational elements.
By Jay Roberts and Anna Welton
Experiential learning has been on the rise in higher education as colleges and universities look to amplify so-called high-impact practices, such as service learning, problem and project-based learning, global learning, and work-integrated learning in and out of the classroom. The tremendous growth in the field has also led to confusion about terminology, methods and best practices. As a result, implementation of experiential learning has been uneven, and opportunities exist to clarify and deepen the work. We have also found a relative lack of basic information about experiential learning in higher education—most scholarly work and resources seem to be centered on K-12 educational contexts. As a result, and based on our own experiences in higher education and in our current roles at Warren Wilson College—an institution known for its emphasis on experiential learning—we have developed the following “10 Commandments.” The reference is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and the list is certainly not inclusive of all principles and practices in the field. But they outline what we think are the key foundational elements that must be present for learning to be labeled as experiential.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Why One College Is Hiring a ‘Vibrant-Campus-Community Coordinator’
By Brianna Hatch
Calling all prospective student-affairs leaders: This small college is looking to hire someone who can restore “a vibrant student life” to its rural campus, post-pandemic. With (preferably) a master’s degree and an “energetic, dedicated, progressive, and student centered” attitude, you could be the new vibrant-campus-community-coordinator at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, at a salary of $39,000 per year. The college was founded in 1954 as part of the University of Virginia, to support local students. While most colleges have staff members dedicated to community engagement, “vibrant” is not typically in the job description. So why that word choice? Building a vibrant campus has been part of UVA-Wise’s strategic plan for years. But the pandemic set back those efforts, said Robbie Chulick, assistant dean of students.
Higher Ed Dive
Arizona State University launches IT apprenticeship
Kathryn Moody, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
Arizona State University, in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research and CompTIA, announced July 27 that it launched an IT-focused apprenticeship program. Arizona State is the latest organization to join CompTIA’s Apprenticeships for Tech, an initiative that aims to drive more workers into IT positions — particularly talent from underrepresented groups. “The strong demand for IT project management skills reflects the reality that technology is a critical component in virtually every project, whether small, medium or large,” said Amy Kardel, senior vice president for workforce relations at CompTIA.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Celebrates Success of Military Family Education Program
Arrman Kyaw
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf recently celebrated the passage of his PA GI Bill, also known as the Military Family Education Program (MFEP), which allows the Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG) to earn college benefits for their spouse and children.Gov Tom Wolf The program has been in effect since Jul. 1, 2019. 2,879 Pennsylvania Army and Air Guard members have enrolled in the program, and they have registered 3,357 dependents into it. “The PA National Guard is one of the largest, hardest working national guards in the nation. Whether it is foreign or domestic – peacekeeping missions or a pandemic – these dedicated service members never fail when it comes to serving our commonwealth and this nation,” said Wolf.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Penn State Implements Hiring Freeze to Help Balance Budget
Arrman Kyaw
Penn State has implemented a hiring freeze on Aug. 1 through at least next summer to help balance the school’s budget over the next several years. Penn State The school was operating at more than a $150 million deficit last academic year. The freeze includes currently posted positions where an offer has not yet been extended, according to an email sent to select faculty and from Dr. Clarence Lang, dean of the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts.
See also:
Inside Higher Ed