Savannah Business Journal
Savannah Business Journal Staff Report
Savannah-area high school students are getting a first-hand look at engineering concepts through the Eagle Engineering Ambassadors (EAA) program, a new NASA-funded mentorship program that partners students in Georgia Southern University’s Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing with teams of high school students. The new program, much like its predecessor the Engineering Design Challenge (EDC), introduces high schoolers to engineering concepts through hands-on projects and mentorship from Georgia Southern students. Led by Priya Goeser, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering, and Thomas Murphy, Ph.D., associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, the program is funded through a grant from the Georgia Space Grant Consortium.
Times Higher Education
Liberal arts degrees must change to meet industry needs
Liberal arts programmes should be revamped and rebranded to emphasise the competencies they provide graduates entering the workplace, says Costas Spirou
Costas Spirou (Costas Spirou is provost and vice-president for academic affairs at Georgia College & State University and editor of the Johns Hopkins University Press Higher Education and the City book series)
Almost 80 years ago The Atlantic published an essay by the Harvard professor E. K. Rand bemoaning what he saw as the dilution of liberal arts programmes. His June 1943 piece titled “Bring back the liberal arts” may seem familiar to present readers. Rand claimed that colleges and universities were re-evaluating their curricula of study and “into the gap rushed easier and broader subjects, supposed to be more immediately related [on] success in the struggle for existence”. About 70 years later, after decades of back and forth on similar themes, Sanford J. Ungar, then president of Goucher College, addressed a new set of concerns in a 2010 article titled “7 major misperceptions about the liberal arts”. He wrote about the perceived unwillingness of liberal arts to focus on career preparation during a period of recession, the delivery of irrelevant majors disconnected from industry needs, and their reputation for serving children of wealthy families with ample time and resources to pursue esoteric subjects and debate big thoughts. These criticisms will surely continue as long as liberal arts courses persist – and they are often persuasive.
The City Menus
UWG alum renovates computing center in honor of retired professor and mentor
Thanks to the generosity of a successful alumnus, the University of West Georgia recently cut the ribbon on a new space that will enhance the educational experience of computing students and provide them with a place to hone their skills and connect with one another. The Mitchell H. Clifton Computing Center – named by UWG alumnus Rusty West ’88 in honor of his faculty mentor and professor emeritus Mitchell Clifton – opened in the Technology-enhanced Learning Center (TLC) in Fall 2022 with a modernized design and improved technological capabilities to provide students in the College of Arts, Culture and Scientific Inquiry with a first-choice university experience.
Forbes
The Top 20 American Universities For R And D Funding In Engineering
Michael T. Nietzel, Senior Contributor I am a former university president who writes about higher education.
Total research and development (R and D) expenditures at American colleges and universities topped $89 billion in fiscal year 2021, an increase of more than $3.4 billion (4%) over FY 2020. Of the total R and D expenditures in FY 21, $14.3 billion was in engineering, more than 60% of which came from federal agencies ($8.7 billion). The top 20 universities, ranked by total engineering R and D in FY 21 were:
Georgia Institute of Technology $839.071 million
Total university expenditures topped $1 billion in six of the eight engineering subfields that are reported. Here are those subfields and the top five universities for R and D spending in each:
Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering: $3.080 billion -Georgia Tech $311.881 million; Mechanical engineering: $1.882 billion -Georgia Tech $56.376 million; Bioengineering and biomedical engineering: $1.56 billion -Georgia Tech $53.59 million; Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering: $1.45 billion -Georgia Tech $253.035 million; Chemical engineering: $1.024 billion -Georgia Tech $26.064 million
Seven universities ranked in the top five in two or more of the engineering subfields that had $1 billion or more in expenditures: Georgia Tech (5)
Columbus CEO
Reba Wissner on the Public Musicology Certificate at Columbus State
Assistant Professor of Musicology at Columbus State University’s Joyce and Henry Schwob School of Music talks about the Public Musicology Certificate program and what students can expect once enrolled.
Griffin Daily News
UGA Griffin Young Scholars Program deadline approaches
By Savannah Shockley Assistant Managing Editor
The deadline to apply for the Young Scholars Program at the University of Georgia Griffin campus is Jan. 31. The Young Scholars Program is a paid summer internship program for high school students that are drawn to the fields of agricultural, food and environmental sciences. It lasts for six weeks, starting at the end of May.
Rome News-Tribune
Audit: Georgia sales tax exemption on manufacturing proving major economic driver
Dave Williams
Georgia’s sales tax exemption on inputs used in manufacturing is a loser in the strict sense of its net impact on state and local tax revenues, according to a new audit. However, the tax break more than pays for itself in terms of investment and jobs created in the state’s manufacturing businesses, the Center for Business Analytics and Economic Research at Georgia Southern University concluded in a report commissioned by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. The General Assembly eliminated the state sales tax on energy used in manufacturing a decade ago, adding it to other exemptions on production inputs already in state law, including equipment, industrial materials and packaging supplies.
Now Habersham
Georgia lawmakers plan to push for higher police pay, improved retirement benefits
By Stanley Dunlap
A quick survey of the salaries for police officers in rural southwest Georgia found that some officers started off earning $12.70 per hour, providing further insight into why so many local law enforcement agencies are struggling to recruit new personnel and keep experienced officers on staff. In a fall meeting, a panel of state lawmakers, police chiefs, sheriffs, and state law enforcement officials discussed the pressing challenges facing their profession as Georgia ranks near the bottom of the nation in average law enforcement pay. The House Study Committee on State and Local Law Enforcement Salaries report could become the lynchpin for new legislation once lawmakers return next Monday after the committee signed off on recommendations granting local officers access to a statewide retirement plan, providing income tax breaks, and encouraging city and county leaders to adopt a minimum salary of $56,000 to match the national average. …In addition to a salary bump from local departments, the study committee recommends the University System of Georgia Board of Regents should consider creating a law enforcement bachelor’s degree and streamlining the transfer of credits earned at police academies.
The Augusta Chronicle
Georgia General Assembly to get back to lawmaking. Here’s what to expect in the 2023 session
Rep. Jon Burns to lead Georgia House while Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to head Senate as 2023 session opens Monday, Jan. 9
Abraham Kenmore
Gov. Brian Kemp easily won another four years as governor, but he will be working with new faces in the state legislature. Both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly, the House and Senate, will be starting the 2023 session with new leadership. On the House side, Rep. Jon Burns (R-Newington) appears ready to take over as speaker after the retirement and then death of former House Speaker David Ralston. On the Senate side, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan declined to run for re-election and President Pro Tempore Butch Miller stepped down to mount an unsuccessful run to replace Duncan. Burt Jones, another state senator, won the election to the lieutenant governor’s seat, and Sen. John Kennedy will likely serve as president pro tempore. “The governor is going to be more powerful, because he is the only holdover,” said Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political science professor. “And the new speaker, and particularly lieutenant governor, are going to be kind of a shakedown cruise.”
WTOC
Georgia Southern professor discusses impacts of U.S. House struggling to elect Speaker
By Hayley Boland
Some are calling it a once-in-a-century fight because the last time the U.S. Speaker of the House was elected by multiple ballots was in 1923. A sixth vote to elect nominee Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, failed this afternoon. The House cannot conduct any other business, including swearing in new members, until a Speaker has been elected. Dr. Kimberly Martin with Georgia Southern University says there’s been multiple ballots for speaker only 15 times in our country’s history – 13 of those times predate the Civil War. Dr. Martin says this could have serious implications on the future of the Republican Party this session.
HackSpirit
12 traits of a genuinely honest person
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by Louise Logarta
Lying is a curious thing. The social status quo is clear: lying is bad; honesty is good. Whether we want to get tips on how to become more honest, or are simply curious as to how to spot people who are truly honest, read on. In this article, we’ll be looking into why people lie as well as 12 traits of a genuinely honest person. …2) They don’t talk about other people behind their backs
Gossiping – defined by researchers as talking about people who aren’t there – isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The University of California’s assistant professor of psychology, Megan Robbins, said that this “comes very naturally to us” and that it’s a way through which we impart and gain information. Author and psychology professor at Georgia Gwinnett College, David Ludden, said that gossiping isn’t always negative either. It can be positive or neutral.
13WMAZ
Central Georgia athletic trainers discuss medical emergencies after Hamlin’s cardiac arrest
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency highlights athletic trainers preparedness
Author: Kamilah Williams
Damar Hamlin’s injury has many people talking about safety on the football field, including at the high school and college levels. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Georgia has 1,190 athletic trainers as of May 2021. The requirements to become an athletic trainer include having a master’s degree and “obtaining a license from the Georgia Board of Athletic Trainers to practice.” Stacey Lampkin is the director of athletic training at Georgia College in Milledgeville. She says athletic trainers do more than what people may think.
The Sun
Jim Sheridan
Hamlin lost consciousness on the field and was rushed to hospital after being worked on by medics. It was later confirmed that the former Pittsburgh star had suffered a cardiac arrest. Two cardiology experts have since taken to social media to inform fans of the potential cause of such an unexpected injury. Chris Haddock, a cardiology physician from Ringgold, GA, proposed that Hamlin had suffered a “commotio cordis”. Haddock explained: “As a physician I believe Damar Hamlin was likely suffering from commotio cordis where a blow to the chest at a precise moment in the electrical cycle stops the heart.” Haddock graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor of science degree in biology and received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia.
WSAV
International students must now test negative for COVID before reentering US
by: Hollie Lewis
With the holiday season coming to an end, it could be a little tough for some returning international students. Specifically, if they visited their families in China, some regions of Hong Kong and Macau for the holidays. Starting Jan. 5, all air passengers two years and older originating from China will have to test negative for COVID-19 to travel to the U.S. The FDA-approved test must be taken no more than two days before their departure from China, Hong Kong, or Macau. Schools and universities in Savannah like Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus, and Savannah State University are home to a growing population of international students from China and other countries. The institutions have a Public Health Emergency Response Plan available to anyone interested in order to keep all of their students safe.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s governor blasts tailgating policy at football title game
By Greg Bluestein
A ban on tailgating outside SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the college football national championship has drawn the wrath of the state’s most powerful Georgia Bulldog fan: Gov. Brian Kemp. “While California may not know this, in the South a tailgate with friends & family is the only way to prepare for a big game,” the Republican tweeted of the restriction ahead of Monday’s title game between Georgia and TCU. “When Georgia hosts the 2025 #NationalChampionship,” Kemp added, “we’ll make sure fans are able to tailgate! Even if it’s at the state Capitol!!”
Capitol News Beat
Inspector general finds state workers got erroneous unemployment payments during pandemic
by Dave Williams
Nearly 300 state employees erroneously received unemployment benefits totaling $6.7 million and averaging $23,700 per employee during the last two pandemic years, the Georgia Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported Wednesday. In a letter to David Dove, Gov. Brian Kemp’s executive counsel, Inspector General Mike McAfee wrote that data obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor and the State Accounting Office (SAO) tentatively identified more than 280 full-time state employees who erroneously received unemployment insurance payments in 2020 and 2021. The OIG has conducted about two dozen interviews with employees from across state government, nearly all of whom have been terminated, McAfee wrote. “As Governor Kemp’s administration is acutely aware, the nearly $6 trillion in emergency spending authorized by the federal government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges in oversight and accountability,” the inspector general wrote. “An unfortunate side effect was ‘one of the largest frauds in American history, with billions of dollars stolen by thousands of people,’ ” the letter continued, quoting from articles The New York Times and Washington Post published last year. “Offices of inspectors general and other investigative agencies across the country continue to struggle with the sheer volume of incoming referrals. Unfortunately, this office can confirm that Georgia’s state workforce was not immune.”
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Regional public universities educate nearly 5M students, according to new list
Rick Seltzer, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
A group of researchers identified 474 institutions that they’re classifying as regional public universities — an effort they hope will help policymakers, other researchers, philanthropists and the colleges themselves, which often sit in the shadow of more prominent research and land-grant universities. The Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges says that regional publics on its new list educate more than 5 million students, representing 47% of all students seeking bachelor’s degrees at four-year public institutions. Some 37% of their students receive federal Pell Grants, on average, indicating many are from low-income families. Regional public institutions educate 58% of Black or African American students attending public four-year colleges. They enroll 35% of Asian American students, 47% of American Indian or Alaska Native students, 39% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students, 44% of Hispanic or Latino students, and 44% of multiracial students.
Inside Higher Ed
Rick Singer Gets 3.5 Years in Prison
Sentence for mastermind of admissions scandal is longer than any of the 50-plus that came before but is shorter than what the government asked.
By Scott Jaschik
Rick Singer, who masterminded the Varsity Blues admissions scams, was sentenced Wednesday to three and a half years in prison for his role in the scandal. U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel ordered Singer to pay $10 million in restitution to the federal government. In March 2019, Singer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to defraud the United States. But he was not sentenced then because he was cooperating with prosecutors in the case. He tried to get students into highly competitive colleges in return for bribes through a fake foundation. In many cases the students posed as athletes, which made it easier for them to be admitted. In other cases, the bribes were paid to corrupt proctors to change answers on the students’ SAT or ACT tests. The actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were the most famous of the people who participated.
Inside Higher Ed
War Upends Plans for Kyiv Campus
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stymied plans to open an American university in the capital. After moving online the first year, the institution is charting a path through the chaos.
By Liam Knox
At the start of 2022, leaders and faculty attached to a brand-new American university in Ukraine were bullish about the future. American University Kyiv, the result of a partnership with Arizona State University and Cintana Education—a private subsidiary of ASU that helps manage international campuses—would be the first institution in Ukraine developed in line with U.S. higher education accreditation standards. The university purchased classroom and office space in a historic building downtown overlooking the Dnieper River and prepared to launch a slate of graduate and undergraduate degree programs, starting with a School of Business Management. There were discussions of exchange programs with U.S. institutions. AUK even held a launch event last February, at which dignitaries including Kyiv’s mayor and a former American ambassador to Ukraine toasted the economic and social benefits the university would bring to the country.