University System News
WGXA
MGA faculty says ‘we’re going to be in trouble’ if nursing shortage continues
by Ereina Plunkett
Bridget Albright holds nursing close to her heart. “I want to be there and to help people through their hard times, and I want to have an impact on people’s lives,” Albright said. After all, it was the nurses who kept her family strong after her brother’s paralysis. “My brother had surgery and he had complications with his surgery, and he was paralyzed from the waist down. He was in the hospital and for two years. My parents say it was the nurses and the physical therapist that got them through it,” Albright lamented. Now she’s listening to her heart and paying it forward, becoming a nurse. “My brother still remembers the nurses’ name and they helped him get through that and I want to make an impact, an impact on multiple people’s lives,” Albright said. But nursing shortages in the industry have made things skip a beat. According to the American Medical Association Georgia ranks 42nd in the nation for the supply of registered nurses. Associate professor of Nursing at Middle Georgia State University, Dr. Lacey Wallace, has 20 years of experience and says the vitals on the industry are worrisome.
WABE
Esports are growing – and so is Atlanta’s role in the industry
By Emil Moffatt
Thousands of Georgians already work in the video game industry, and with the continued worldwide growth of esports, many more are hoping to get in on the action. Atlanta sports franchises are hoping an investment in the industry will help attract a younger generation of fans too… The stakes are high for the players, with millions of dollars in prize money going to the winners. That kind of money is something Chris Miranda never imagined when he started playing video games as a kid. “These were the days when you get in your car with a bunch of your friends and drive to somebody’s house and just play because they were trash-talking you on message boards on AIM,” said Miranda. “Nobody played for money, we just played.” Miranda has taken that affinity for video games and turned it into a career pathway. He’s now a student at the Creative Media Industries Institute at Georgia State, majoring in game design.
Tifton CEO
Carpenter Named Manager of Stores & Shops at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Tonia Carpenter sits up in her desk chair with an excited look on her face when she talks about the ideas she has for the Stallion Shop, the official bookstore in the heart of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College campus. As the new Manager of the ABAC Stores and Shops, she is constantly thinking of unique ways to attract visitors, both on and off campus. “There are a lot of things I want to do,” she said. “I’m always looking at new items, new products, different styles. And I like to get feedback from the students. They are our customers, and we want to know what they are looking for.” Carpenter began her ABAC career in 2007 as a Stallion Shop employee when the store was in Branch Hall. She moved to ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture in 2011 where she was the manager of the Country Store and the Village Drug Store. Earlier this year, she added the pro shop at ABAC’s Forest Lakes Golf Course to her duties. In her new position, she heads up all four facilities.
CNHI
Newberry opens Jess Usher Lecture Series
TIFTON — Five presentations with storytelling venues ranging from Ireland to Scotland to King Arthur’s England will highlight the Jess Usher Lecture Series at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Dr. Jeff Newberry, a professor of English and ABAC’s poet-in-residence, opens the series at 7 p.m., Sept. 27, when he speaks on “The Right Kind of Tradition: Seamus Heaney, Irish Identity and the Southern Problem,” college officials said in a statement.
WUGA
Regents cut 215 inactive academic programs
By Jeff Dantre
The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents has terminated 215 programs at 18 schools. The AJC reports each of the programs have already been deactivated for more than two years because of lagging enrollment and officials say that any impacted students have received advice on how to pursue other degrees.
Other News
US Department of Education
Today, the Department of Education is announcing new awards to help recruit, prepare, develop, and retain a strong, effective and diverse teacher workforce for classrooms across the country through the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant program. This year’s investment includes 22 new five-year grants totaling $24.8 million through its TQP program. The award recipients represent IHEs and national nonprofits, including three HBCUs and one MSI.
“At the U.S. Department of Education, we recognize the value of supporting our nation’s educators, and we have a responsibility to providing resources and opportunities that promote a diverse educator workforce,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “These programs help prepare, place, develop, and retain effective teachers and leaders in our schools and classrooms. Our students need quality educators now more than ever to address their academic and mental health needs.” Today’s announcement builds on the recent White House meeting on addressing school staffing shortages, and comes as Secretary Cardona, joined by the First Lady Jill Biden, will meet with teachers and teachers-in-training who are participating in leading teacher pipeline programs in Tennessee and North Carolina. This marks the first day of the Department’s Road to Success Bus Tour, a week-long, multi-state road trip that showcases the many ways school communities are helping students recover and thrive – putting them on the road to success.
Higher Education News
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Despite Sky-High Inflation, No Sign Yet of Surging Tuition Costs
By Dan Bauman
While high inflation continues to bedevil the wider economy, those price increases have yet to translate into significant spikes in college-tuition costs across the nation, according to data released on Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since August 2021, out-of-pocket college-tuition costs for households have climbed by 2.79 percent in a 12-month span, according to the bureau’s analysis. In contrast, prices across the economy grew by 8.3 percent in comparison with a year ago.
Higher Ed Dive
U.S. News rankings don’t ding colleges for lacking SAT and ACT data in nod to test-optional growth
- A change to U.S. News & World Report’s closely watched college rankings system means standardized test scores for students at some institutions weren’t considered for listings released Monday.
- The SAT and ACT scores of incoming first-year students typically make up 5% of a college’s ranking. In the past, institutions with too few students submitting test scores had their scores effectively reduced. But for institutions that reported less than 50% of their fall 2020 and 2021 entering class scores, standardized tests did not affect placement on the new “Best Colleges” list for 2022-2023.
- Instead, the ranking used a blend of colleges’ average six-year graduation rates and high school class standing. The mix historically correlates with the standardized test ranking factor, according to U.S. News.
Inside Higher Ed
The Needs and Preferences of Fully Online Learners
By: Susan D’Agostino
Students who actively choose virtual programs because their work or family lives demand it are more satisfied with their online studies than they were before the pandemic, a new survey finds. Many surveys of student attitudes about online learning during the pandemic focus on the majority of learners who found themselves studying online against their will. The closing of their campuses thrust them into virtual courses that neither they (nor, in many cases, their instructors) were prepared for. As a result, many such surveys found mixed reviews of online learning. Many thousands of students actively choose virtual programs, however, because their work or family lives demand it, and a new survey finds that such students are more satisfied with their online programs than they were before the pandemic. The report, published by Wiley University Services, is based on a national survey of 2,500 adults who are enrolled in, planning to enroll in or recently graduated from fully online degree or certificate programs. A strong majority (94 percent) of respondents rated their online college experiences as “positive” or “very positive,” compared with 86 percent before the pandemic.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Is College Worth It? Biden’s Loan-Forgiveness Plan Puts the Debate in Overdrive
By Adrienne Lu
When President Biden unveiled his unprecedented plan for student-loan forgiveness last month, he alluded to a growing concern for some: that college, in some cases, just isn’t worth it. It’s a message that many in higher education would prefer not to acknowledge. And yet with college attendance on the decline and an enrollment cliff not far on the horizon, the future of the industry may well depend, in part, on how well colleges can counter that belief.
Inside Higher Ed
New Affiliate Network Launches to Meet Colleges’ Needs
By: Josh Moody
Core Education Services will help small and midsize colleges with such challenges as employee recruitment, enrollment and technology modernization, among other things. Like many higher education institutions, small and midsize colleges face a litany of challenges, including attracting students and recruiting and retaining employees in a competitive environment. Now, a new company called Core Education Services aims to help colleges meet those challenges through its affiliation network. The public benefit company, which launched Tuesday, describes itself as a “new private network for the exclusive benefit of small and mid-sized colleges and universities.” Services provided will include “marketing, enrollment resources, workforce programs, technology modernization, operational efficiency, capital strategies, campus operations, and compliance services,” according to a press release.