USG e-clips for October 27, 2022

University System News:

Patch

7 Georgia Universities Among Best In The World: U.S. News

The Georgia Institute of Technology is the top-ranking Georgia school on a global list of best universities.

Amanda Lumpkin, Patch Staff

The University of Georgia and Georgia State University are among seven Georgia schools included on this year’s list of the best universities in the world, according to a new ranking by U.S. News & World Report released Tuesday. The publication’s 2023 Best Global Universities list ranks more than 2,000 schools in dozens of countries based on academic research and reputation. Overall, 95 countries are represented on the 2023 list. …The Georgia Institute of Technology was among U.S. schools on this year’s list of best global universities. …Overall, the university ranked 51 on this year’s list. Also included are Emory University, UGA, Georgia State, Augusta University, Georgia Southern University and Kennesaw State University.

WRDW

A look inside one of Georgia’s oldest public libraries

Video

Mary Willis Library built by her father back in 1888 opened in 1889 in Washington, Georgia, one of the oldest libraries in Georgia. It’s more than a just library – part library part museum.

Athens CEO

Tull School of Accounting Professors Appointed to Endowed Faculty Chairs

Merritt Melancon

Two Terry College of Business professors in the J.M. Tull School of Accounting were appointed to endowed chairs and professorships following approval by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. John Campbell was appointed the Herbert Miller Chair of Financial Accounting, and Margaret Christ was named the J.M. Tull Chair of Accounting.

WGAU Radio

UGA names speaker for fall commencement

By Tim Bryant

Chris Womack spoke at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business last December: the CEO of the Georgia Power Company will be back in Athens this December as the commencement speaker for UGA’s fall graduation exercises. Graduation day is set for December 16 in Stegeman Coliseum. …Alan Darvill, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and director emeritus of the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, will deliver the address at the graduate ceremony.

Emanuel County Live

Dr. Schecter speaks to retired educators

The Emanuel Retired Educators Association held its October meeting Wednesday, October 19th at Emanuel County Institute. ECI Principal Anetria Edenfield provided a warm welcome for the group, and members enjoyed a delicious meal provided by Anna Johnson and her Family and Consumer Science students. Karen Jones with Pruitt Health Hospice spoke to the group and provided valuable information about the different types of hospice care. She also provided information for members desiring to become volunteers. President Jean Schwabe introduced guest speaker, Dr. David Schecter, East Georgia State College President. Dr. Schecter gave an informative presentation regarding the college and shared his vision for the future. Along with the main campus located in Swainsboro, East Georgia State has locations in Augusta and Statesboro. The college is an access institution of the University system of Georgia and boasts of having the lowest tuition rates in the System. East Georgia State is student-focused and works to meet the individual needs and goals of each student. Dr. Schecter shared the return of the College’s Vision Series, an initiative that brings programs of intellectual and cultural enrichment to the College and the community.

Savannah CEO

Dominque Halaby of Georgia Southern University on the Virtual Incubation Program

Dominque Halaby of Georgia Southern University talks about the development of a virtual incubation program in partnership with SCORE.

The Georgia Virtue

East Georgia State College Welcomes Pool As New Director Of EGSC-Statesboro

East Georgia State College (EGSC) is excited to announce Tifani L. Pool as the new Director of the EGSC-Statesboro location. Pool will oversee the day-to-day operations of EGSC-Statesboro which is located in the Nessmith-Lane Building on the campus of Georgia Southern University.

WTVM

Annual PATH Conference kicks off in Columbus

By Jatavia O’Neal

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities kicked off this year’s PATH Conference in Columbus with its ‘Stand Down for Homelessness’ event. The day of service and outreach was hosted at Safehouse Ministries on Hamilton Road. Organizers spent time giving the homeless information about housing and determining whether they were eligible for benefits like Medicaid and Social Security. This event was in collaboration with local agencies and colleges, including Columbus State University, United Way’s Home for Good and the Pastoral Institute, to name a few.

c&en

Mary K. Carroll elected 2023 ACS president-elect

The Union College chemistry professor will focus on supporting the dissemination of research, communicating science to the public, encouraging outreach, and increasing diversity

by Alexandra A. Taylor

…In other election news, …Two candidates were elected director-at-large: Malika Jeffries-EL, associate dean for the graduate school in arts and sciences at Boston University, and Will E. Lynch, Chemistry Department chair and professor at Georgia Southern University.

WSB Radio

Timely visit with UGA turfgrass specialist

By Ashley Frasca

I guestimate that the popularity of my radio show has to do with the variety of topics I choose to cover, because they’re things that I’m curious about, and also in large part due to my excellent guests who are experts in their fields! With a transition in season comes many lawn questions. I recently visited with esteemed UGA Extension Turfgrass Specialist Clint Waltz, and we covered a lot of ground on the radio show… pun intended there!

Business of Home

Renovations are outpacing new builds, a metaverse interior design award and more

By Caroline Bourque

…Business News

September marked the eighth straight month of declining existing home sales in the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reports, making it the longest such streak in 15 years. …According to a new report by online marketplace HomeAdvisor, the majority of consumers today agree that when it comes to homebuying, it’s what’s inside that counts: 76 percent of respondents agreed that they would buy a house that was ugly on the outside but perfect on the inside. As Alina Dizik writes for The Wall Street Journal, the statistic has to do with the fact that homebuyers have shifted their focus to interior spaces since the start of the pandemic, making the day-to-day experience within a house more important than its curb appeal. …The Educational Foundation of the International Furnishings and Design Association announced its five professional grant winners for 2022. This year’s recipients will pursue subject matter ranging from the creation of intelligent cities to holistic health care design, along with wholesale antiquing and historic preservation. Winners include Saman Jamshidi, assistant professor of interior architecture and design at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Christine Wacta, assistant professor in the college of behavioral and social sciences at the school of human ecology at Georgia Southern University;

USGS

First Study to Track a Wild Bird Know to Have Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

For the first time, scientists have tracked the movement of a wild bird known to be infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza in North America. The new research, led by the U.S. Geological Survey, can help improve estimates of when and where the virus could spread in the environment and to other birds. There is a current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in numerous wild and commercial bird species across North America. Highly pathogenic avian influenza is different than low pathogenic in that it can be fatal to poultry. The researchers did not know the bird—a lesser scaup in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland—was infected with avian influenza when they released it back into the wild. The bird did not show signs of infection during observation and was not originally captured for avian influenza research. A swab test taken as an adjunct to the main research came back more than a week later indicating that the bird was infected. …The USGS worked with the University of Delaware, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Georgia and Ducks Unlimited, leveraging their ongoing avian ecology research.

Marietta Daily Journal

Joe Frank Harris endorses Kemp for governor

By Dave Williams Capitol Beat News Service

Former Georgia Gov. Joe Frank Harris, a Democrat, endorsed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp Wednesday. “Governor Kemp is a proven leader,” Harris said in a prepared statement. “I am proud of the tough decisions he has made during these challenging times.” Kemp, who is seeking a second term in office, is being opposed by Democrat Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost to Kemp four years ago. Harris, a businessman from Cartersville, served two terms as governor from 1983 to 1991. He later spent seven years as a member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

WTOC

Early voting location offered at Georgia Southern’s campus in Statesboro

By Dal Cannady

As early voting continues, a temporary voting site on Georgia Southern’s campus gives thousands of people a different convenient option to the usual polling place in downtown Statesboro. Bulloch County voters can come to Georgia Southern’s Russell Student Union to vote, whether you’re GSU faculty, staff, students or not. Folks came through the Union ballroom a few at a time, with no lines, to vote. Some said it’s easier here than going across town after work.

Higher Education News:

Inside Higher Ed

State-Awarded Financial Aid Declined Slightly in 2020–21

By Susan H. Greenberg

State-awarded student financial aid decreased negligibly in 2020–21 to $14.784 billion, down 0.1 percent from the $14.801 billion awarded in 2019–20, according to the latest annual survey from the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs. The survey found that the majority of state aid—about 87 percent—came in the form of grants, 73 percent of which were need based. That represents a decrease of about 0.4 percent from 2019–20. Undergraduate need-based grant aid decreased slightly nationwide from $9.3 billion in 2019–20 to about $9.15 billion in 2020–21, a decline of about 1.8 percent in nominal terms.

Inside Higher Ed

Law Students Are Happy Learning Online, Survey Says

By Liam Knox

Law school students are increasingly both satisfied and comfortable with online learning, according to the 2022 Law School Survey of Student Engagement. The results are a potential sign that the pandemic’s normalization of online classes is bolstering a growing acceptance of, and heightened proficiency in, virtual instruction among law students and instructors. Fifty percent of the survey’s nearly 13,000 respondents took at least one course taught mostly or entirely online; three-quarters of them said they were comfortable with nearly all features of online education, including communicating with faculty and taking exams.

Higher Ed Dive

AAA partners with universities to develop tech talent

Lindsey Wilkinson, Associate Editor

Dive Brief:

Amid economywide tech talent challenges, AAA has partnered with universities to provide students with internships and for-credit opportunities while tapping a new talent pool, according to Shohreh Abedi, executive vice president and chief operations and technology officer at AAA. “We started initially very slow [with] just an internship program and fusing the interns into our R&D teams,” Abedi said during the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2022 last week in Orlando, Florida. “Then we expanded with joint workshops with universities.” One of the biggest wins for AAA so far that came from intern involvement in projects is a new quote-on-demand feature, which lets members take a picture, upload it and receive an instant and accurate quote.

Higher Ed Dive

Education Department touts new flexibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, income-driven repayment plans

The agency will credit borrowers for past payments, even late or partial ones, on PSLF and income-based plans.

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter

The U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday it will pave an easier route to student loan forgiveness for some borrowers enrolled in income-driven debt repayment plans and those designed for public service workers. The Education Department intends to credit those borrowers for past payments that didn’t qualify toward clearing the balance on their loans — in essence making permanent some temporary flexibility on repayment plans the agency has offered. The department is focusing on income-driven repayment plans, which are determined by a borrower’s income and run 20 or 25 years, as well as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF, a program that cancels federal student loan debts of those working in jobs like teaching or government once they have made decade of qualifying payments.