Albany Herald
Albany State among HBCUs to receive intern support grants
From staff reports
The HBCU National Center Foundation is bestowing $41,000 in Intern Support Grants to the HBCUs whose presidents or chancellors are participating in the 2022 National HBCU Week Conference, sponsored by the White House Initiative on HBCUs. The Intern Support Grant is a $1,000 cash grant that is intended to be used by the HBCU in any manner that advances, promotes, or sustains its Washington, D.C., internship program. Among the schools selected to receive the grants are Georgia’s three public HBCUs: Albany State, Fort Valley State and Savannah State universities.
The Red & Black
Lifting voices: Photo exhibit explores disability inclusion at UGA
Ireland Hayes
Thursday evening marked the opening of “The Lived Experience of Disability Inclusion on Campus,” a 15-photo exhibit focusing on the lived experiences of people with disabilities on the University of Georgia’s campus, displayed at the Georgia Museum of Art. The small room was full of students, faculty and Athens residents, all ready to see the photovoice project from the Ritchie Research Lab in UGA’s Institute for Disaster Management. Photovoice is a method of research combining qualitative research, advocacy and photography, according to Michelle Ritchie, an assistant professor in the Institute for Disaster Management and the lead faculty member on the project. Ritchie said that she had never used the photovoice method, but it was something that intrigued her.
Tifton CEO
Atlanta Chamber Players Headline ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series on October 10
Staff Report
The Atlanta Chamber Players will bring their special brand of music to Tifton in the ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College on Oct. 10 with a 7 p.m. performance in ABAC’s Howard Auditorium. Founded in 1976, the Atlanta Chamber Players are a mixed ensemble of strings, winds, and piano. The group performs classical masterpieces by Beethoven and Brahms as well as contemporary works. The Players have spent 45 years performing in critically acclaimed concerts in hundreds of cities throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico. International radio broadcasts of the Players’ performances have spread the word about the talented group of musicians worldwide.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Geoff Collins, Todd Stansbury both dismissed at Georgia Tech
By Ken Sugiura
Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury and football coach Geoff Collins have both been dismissed from their positions, according to a person familiar with the situation. They were both informed of the decisions Monday morning by institute president Angel Cabrera. Collins’ firing in his fourth season and Stansbury’s likely termination had been reported Sunday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but it’s believed that no official face-to-face meeting had yet to take place. A special session of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association board was called for Monday afternoon, where Stansbury’s firing will be approved. Cabrera has installed senior Frank Neville, the institute’s senior vice president for strategic initiatives and chief of staff, as the interim athletic director. The interim football coach’s identity was not immediately known.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Albany State University student dies in dorm
Albany State University canceled classes Monday and Tuesday after a student was found dead Sunday in a residence hall room on campus. The GBI is investigating the death of the student, Yasmine Durham, 21, of Atlanta. University officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution there was no threat to students or staff. An autopsy will be performed on Durham by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office, university officials said.
Farms
Why We Need a Soybean Variety That Cannot Fix Nitrogen
By John Lovett
Breeding a modern soybean that does not “fix” its nitrogen may initially seem counterintuitive. However, it is part of the grand plan to assess nitrogen fixation in new high-yielding varieties and potentially reverse the decline in grain protein content seen over the past 30 years. Although U.S. soybean yield increased by about 14 bushels per acre between 1986 and 2019, average grain protein concentration decreased by about 2 percent. In typical soybean plants, root nodules interact with microbes in the soil to fix nitrogen from the air, eliminating the need to apply nitrogen fertilizer. With support from the United Soybean Board, researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in collaboration with scientists at Kansas State and the University of Georgia have bred high-yielding soybeans in Maturity Groups 4 and 5 that do not create root nodules interacting with microbes and source nitrogen from the atmosphere.
Forbes
Ian Will Likely Be A Hurricane Soon – 3 Concerns As It Approaches The U.S.
Marshall Shepherd Senior Contributor
Marshall Shepherd Senior Contributor (Director of the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Atmospheric Sciences Program)
Tropical Storm Ian is on approach to the United States, and it is a storm that could make everyone quickly forget the relative calm of the early hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center is monitoring the storm, which is expected to become a major hurricane (category 3 or higher) before it makes landfall in the U.S. From my meteorological lens, I have 3 big concerns as it approaches.
…Inland impacts
Here in Georgia, many of us remember the inland impacts of storms like Michael (2018) in southwest Georgia and Irma (2017). A rapidly moving Michael ravaged peanut, pecan, cotton and other crops in Georgia while maintaining 100+ mph wind gusts. Irma brought tropical storm winds as far north as Atlanta and Athens. Trees were down everywhere and the power supply was disrupted for days in some places. It is too early to understand impacts further inland with Ian, but it is certainly something people in places like Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas should pay attention to.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia defensive starter arrested, charged with DUI
By Chip Towers
A defensive starter for the No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs was arrested and jailed for DUI and six other misdemeanor charges early Sunday. Javon Bullard, a sophomore from Milledgeville who has started all four games in the defensive backfield this season, was booked in Athens-Clarke County Jail at 4:57 a.m. Sunday and released at 8:30 a.m. after posting $4,250 in bonds through Citadel bail bonds. Typically, such alleged offenses result in automatic suspensions for athletes, per UGA Athletic Association policy. Bullard was pulled over by UGA Police. He was charged with five driving offenses: no license exhibited, improper turning, failure to maintain lane, holding a cellphone while operating a vehicle and no headlights. He was also charged with furnishing or possession of alcohol under the age of 21 and DUI alcohol.
Athens Banner-Herald
Police investigate $300,000 theft from upscale Athens RV park for UGA sports fans
Wayne Ford
Bulldog RV Park in Athens is a facility oriented to providing University of Georgia sports fans with the “excitement of University of Georgia football gameday in a country club atmosphere.” But a message sent earlier this year notifying tenants that homeowner association rates were increasing apparently raised a different brand of excitement. A criminal investigation has been underway into possible embezzlement at the park after association board members reported on Aug. 6 that a substantial amount of money was missing, according to an Athens-Clarke police report. That shortage led to a hike in association rates. The missing money was found after board members formed an audit committee to examine what caused a shortage in the account, police Lt. Jody Thompson said Friday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: No college degree? You can be a teacher in some states anyway
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Educator Peter Smagorinsky retired from the University of Georgia at the end of 2020. His book, “Learning to Teach English and the Language Arts,” was awarded the 2022 Exemplary Research in Teaching and Teacher Education Award from the American Educational Research Association. In this satirical essay, Smagorinsky reviews the solutions to the teacher shortage being proffered by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others.
By Peter Smagorinsky
It has come to my attention that there is now a growing teacher shortage in the USA. I know a teacher who just quit her job and took a 30% pay cut to do something else. She is one of many who’ve quit teaching since school began. To replace the teachers who are bailing, schools are coming up with innovative solutions. One story details the revolutionary thinking behind programs that will turn the tide on teacher attrition. They all agree on the obsolescence of the archaic idea that a teacher needs to have teaching credentials from some university. A “college degree” is no longer needed. In the words of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a diploma is just “a magic piece of paper which likely would have cost too much anyway.”
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
How to (and How Not to) Recruit Minority Students
At NACAC meeting, educators share tips for how colleges can land a diverse student body. And others caution about what not to do.
By Scott Jaschik
How can a college recruit more minority students? The answer seems to frustrate many colleges, whose leaders say they want more diversity on their campuses. Also frustrated are the people (many of them minority professionals themselves) tasked with coming up with ideas for how to recruit more students. At a panel here, at the annual meeting of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, four of those individuals explained their perspectives. They said their efforts need more money and more support from top levels of the administration. But they also said that the strategies that work are known and can succeed (at least if the Supreme Court doesn’t outlaw them).
Higher Ed Dive
Students still value career-oriented education over liberal arts experiences, research finds
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
Incoming college students can correctly identify the tenets of the liberal arts, but many think they can find that type of education anywhere, which bodes poorly for this set of institutions and their market position, according to new research from consultancy Art & Science Group. The consultant interviewed more than 750 U.S. high school seniors this year and found nearly 60% believe you can find a liberal arts education at any type of institution. That’s about the share of students who said the same when Art & Science Group conducted similar research in 2017. The organization’s data also suggests students want an education that directly prepares them for a job much more highly than they value the concept of a liberal arts experience. So “it remains the case, in terms of broad market appeal, that no advantage, and some potential disadvantage, accrues to an institution laying claim to the ‘liberal arts,’” Art & Science Group wrote in its report.
Inside Higher Education
OPINION
Why Higher Ed Needs Leaders With Disabilities
The paucity of data on leaders with disabilities suggests that few people are even thinking about this crucial aspect of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, Darla Schumm writes.
By Darla Schumm
Take a moment to envision your ideal higher education leader. What attributes come to mind? I ask a similar question in a sexual ethics class I teach—but there, I ask students to identify the characteristics of their ideal partner. When they’re done, I ask if anyone described a person with a disability. After more than 20 years of teaching, I have never encountered a student who says yes. The final exam includes a question asking students to reflect on the most important things they learned in the course. Students almost always return to the ideal-partner class exercise. They write that that was the moment when they recognized their own ableism and the ableist cultural standards around beauty, attractiveness and what is deemed “normal.” My guess is that you’re not that different from my students.
Higher Ed Dive
Ed tech leaders just predicted these 3 trends will unfold in higher education
Ed tech leaders gathered in New York on Thursday to discuss trends in the sector. Here’s what they had to say.
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
It’s a brutal moment for ed tech companies. The stock market has been battered over the past few months, and the technology sector has been particularly hard hit. Meanwhile, colleges are experiencing enrollment declines at the same time their coronavirus relief funds are drying up, potentially constraining how much they can spend with vendors. Still, ed tech CEOs and investors remained bullish about their own sector’s future during a conference in New York on Thursday held by HolonIQ, a market analysis firm. Here are three trends they say are coming down the pike.
Higher Ed Dive
OPINION
These steps can help keep colleges from being easy targets for cyberattacks
A cybersecurity strategist outlines cultural and technical changes to help institutions stave off attacks like malware or business email compromise.
By Immanuel Chavoya
Immanuel Chavoya is a threat detection and response strategist at SonicWall.
As the spring semester came to a close, a wave of high-profile cyberattacks hit multiple colleges and universities including Kellogg Community College, disrupting IT services and forcing schools to cancel classes and finals. This fall could very well be similar. Higher education has long been a target for cyberattacks due to colleges’ research programs with potentially valuable data. These institutions are also often considered an easy target due to the large number of users and entry points on college campuses. But attacks are on the rise, with a wave of incidents hitting colleges across the country in 2022. In fact, recent data from SonicWall revealed surging attacks across the board in the first half of the year, with the overall education industry seeing a 110% spike in IoT malware attacks and a 51% increase in ransomware — despite a global decline in ransomware attacks. Over the last two years, cybersecurity concerns have come to the forefront for many industries, with governments and critical infrastructure operators taking new steps to secure their digital assets. As the education industry faces the same impacts of rising cybersecurity threats, it is critical that educational institutions take the following steps to invest in their security.
Inside Higher Ed
DOJ Awards $22M to Combat Sexual Violence on Campuses
By Sara Weissman
The U.S. Department of Justice announced plans Thursday to award almost $22 million in grants to prevent sexual and domestic violence on campuses. The Office on Violence Against Women will issue 36 grants amounting to $10,688,200 to address these issues through the Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking on Campus Program. The Consolidated Youth and Engaging Men Grant Program will also give out 25 grants, totaling $11,031,653, to create programming to encourage boys and men to work toward eliminating sexual assault and domestic violence. … Historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, and Hispanic-serving institutions will be among the grant recipients, according to the release.
Inside Higher Ed
Florida Asserts Control of Public Universities’ Curricula
By Scott Jaschik
The state of Florida, in responding to a lawsuit, asserted that it has near total control of the curriculum at public universities. Six professors, one retired professor and a student have sued to challenge the Individual Freedom Act, which bars them from endorsing eight concepts of race or racial superiority. The professors say the law unfairly restricts their freedom to speak out. The state’s response: “Plaintiffs’ First Amendment challenge fails because the Florida Government has simply chosen to regulate its own speech—the curriculum used in state universities and the in-class instruction offered by state employees—and the First Amendment simply has no application in this context.”
Inside Higher Ed
Misspending or Misunderstanding?
An audit report by the Department of Education’s inspector general says Gulf Coast State College misspent about $1.8 million in emergency assistance funds. College leaders say they received conflicting guidance from the department about how to spend the money.
By Sara Weissman
Gulf Coast State College received $2.6 million in emergency assistance funds in 2019 after Hurricane Michael severely damaged its Florida campus the year before. The college used about three-quarters of that funding for inappropriate purposes, according to an audit report issued Thursday by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General. College officials argue that, while responding to the crisis, they sought advice from department officials, who approved spending choices that are now being deemed problematic. The report concludes that Gulf Coast is nonetheless responsible for spending $1.8 million of its emergency assistance funds on expenses that fell outside federal requirements.