Americus Times-Recorder
Every college graduate has a story to tell, a journey of facing obstacles through the course of their studies and pushing forward to make it across that stage on graduation day. …And then there are some graduation stories that stand out; they leave a mark on us, lift us up, inspire us, and enlarge our faith in the human spirit—like the story of Sarah Mathis. Sarah was born with biliary atresia—a rare, congenital liver disease that can only be cured by a liver transplant. With a combination of procedures and medications, doctors were able to control her condition for 18 years, until, as a senior in high school, Sarah underwent her first liver transplant in the fall of 2017. …Sarah was ready to branch out after her recovery, even defying her doctor’s orders to stay close to home for college. She chose Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) because she observed the same close-knit community she valued in Statesboro. …By all accounts, Sarah was thriving as she entered her senior year of college, with one exception: she was experiencing more frequent spikes in blood tests that measured the health of her liver. These abnormal levels would send her to the hospital for 2-3 days at a time to receive IV steroids. …Sarah was able to return to her remote classwork in March, and with the help of her GSW professors, was able to graduate with honors and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology on December 9 of this year. “I know I wouldn’t have graduated if Dr. [Gary] Fisk, Dr. [Ellen] Cotter, and Dr. [Laura] Boren hadn’t put in so many extra hours to help me get the work done. They didn’t have to care, but they pushed me to do my best. I could tell they wanted to see me succeed like I was their own.”
See also:
Albany CEO
GSW Student Graduates After Surviving Two Liver Transplants
yahoo!news
Kaiser Permanente supports Georgia’s health care workforce through education
Kaiser Permanente is supporting the nursing programs at four University System of Georgia institutions by providing $100,000 to nursing students and faculty. The $25,000 grants for each institution are part of Kaiser Permanente’s ongoing commitment to help shape the future of health care in the state by bolstering its workforce pipeline through education and training. The four metro Atlanta institutions that Kaiser Permanente will help fund are: Kennesaw State University, Clayton State University, Georgia Gwinnett College and Georgia State University.
Athens CEO
Justice Verda Colvin to Give Holmes-Hunter Lecture
Staff Report
The Honorable Verda M. Colvin, a Georgia Supreme Court justice and UGA School of Law alumna, will present the 2023 Holmes-Hunter Lecture on Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. in the Chapel. Named in honor of Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes Sr., the first African American students to attend the University of Georgia, the lecture is sponsored by the Office of the President and focuses on race relations, civil rights and education. It has been held annually since 1985. Justice Colvin was appointed to the Supreme Court on July 20, 2021, by Gov. Brian Kemp, becoming the first Black woman to be appointed to the bench by a Republican governor.
WICZ
Best Universities Announces 2023 Most Affordable Online IT Degrees
Designed for students looking to complete or further their education, the rankings evaluate online IT degree programs. In order to create the list of the most affordable online IT degree programs, Best Universities has collected college data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics survey. Best Universities has ranked the most affordable online IT degree programs based on average net price.
Full Rankings
Middle Georgia State University; Georgia Southwestern State University
WRDW
Augusta colleges plan annual celebration in honor of MLK
By Staff
Three local colleges have announced the information for this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. The 2023 public celebration will be held Jan. 13 at noon at Paine College’s Gilbert-Lambuth Memorial Chapel. “For many years, Augusta Technical College, Augusta University and Paine College have joined together to co-host the celebration of this ‘warrior for justice’ who dedicated his life toward nonviolence, freedom, equality, and justice,” said Paine College President Cheryl Evans Jones. The three colleges have announced that this year’s speaker will be an Alabama native, Dr. Lewis Baldwin, a historian, author, and professor specializing in the history of black churches in the United States.
Medical Xpress
Blood pressure drug holds promise for treating PTSD
Dr. Qin Wang and research scientist Hasib Rehman. Credit: Michael Holahan, Augusta University
There is new evidence that a 50-year-old blood pressure drug could find new purpose as a treatment to mitigate the often life-altering effects of increasingly prevalent PTSD, scientists say. Clonidine is commonly used as a high blood pressure medication and for ADHD. It’s also already been studied in PTSD because clonidine works on adrenergic receptors in the brain, likely best known for their role in “fight or flight,” a heightened state of response that helps keep us safe. These receptors are thought to be activated in PTSD and to have a role in consolidating a traumatic memory. Clonidine’s sister drug guanfacine, which also activates these receptors, also has been studied in PTSD. Conflicting results from the clinical trials have clonidine, which has shown promise in PTSD, put aside along with guanfacine, which has not. Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University say it’s time for another look at clonidine.
AgFax
UGA Researchers Work to Develop Innovative Solutions to Aflatoxin Contamination in Peanut
By Maria M. Lameiras, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
On a warm morning in mid-September, tractor-drawn peanut-digging equipment burrowed beneath the peanut vines on the first of Tift County peanut farmer Greg Davis’s fields. Spanning several rows, the digger inverted the vines, exposing the peanuts to the air and sun to dry the pods for several days above ground. Field workers then drove a peanut combine over the rows, picking up the plants and separating the peanut pods from the vines, dirt and debris from the field. This is the day peanut producers — and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents and UGA peanut researchers — work all season for. …The UGA team is exploring several potential methods to control aflatoxin. One option is improving peanut varieties with increased drought tolerance to reduce susceptibility or concentration of aflatoxin in peanuts. Another is control through production strategies such as irrigation, improved detection strategies, and preventing insect or other damage to peanut pods during the growing season.
Science Daily
Blood pressure drug holds promise for treating PTSD
There is new evidence that a 50-year-old blood pressure drug could find new purpose as a treatment to mitigate the often life-altering effects of increasingly prevalent PTSD, scientists say. Clonidine is commonly used as a high blood pressure medication and for ADHD. It’s also already been studied in PTSD because clonidine works on adrenergic receptors in the brain, likely best known for their role in “fight or flight,” a heightened state of response that helps keep us safe. These receptors are thought to be activated in PTSD and to have a role in consolidating a traumatic memory. Clonidine’s sister drug guanfacine, which also activates these receptors, also has been studied in PTSD. Conflicting results from the clinical trials have clonidine, which has shown promise in PTSD, put aside along with guanfacine, which has not. Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University say it’s time for another look at clonidine.
Successful Farming
USDA CORN ESTIMATES ARE ACCURATE OVERALL, SAYS REVIEW
By FERN’s Ag Insider
The government often is the best source of information about U.S. corn plantings, yields per acre, production, and likely season-average prices, said three researchers who analyzed 80 studies on the accuracy and market impact of USDA reports involving corn. “USDA helps uncover these market conditions for all market participants, thereby providing a level playing field for all, even though the process is sometimes bumpy,” they concluded. The National Corn Growers Association commissioned the independent study in response to doubts among growers about the accuracy of USDA reports and a decline in voluntary participation rates for the reports. Conducting the review were professors Olga Massa of Virginia Tech, Berna Karali of the University of Georgia, and Scott Irwin of the University of Illinois. Corn is the most widely planted crop in the country and the United States is the largest corn grower in the world.
Hyperallergic
Native Landmarks Hard-Hit by Hurricane Ian, Researchers Say
Multiple cultural heritage sites of the Native Calusa people were impacted when the Category 4 storm hit Florida last September.
by Rhea Nayyar
The National Science Foundation has awarded three research institutions a collective $65,000 in emergency funding to survey the damages across 20 square miles of Florida’s Pine Island Sound and Estero Bay. Home to several precious archaeological sites of the Native Calusa people, who inhabited the region until the late 1700s, Pine Island was particularly brutalized by Hurricane Ian last September and continues to suffer from long-lasting effects of the Category 4 storm. Researchers from the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Georgia, and Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) have set out to examine the level of destruction, which includes heavy erosion and vegetation damage, to the remaining Calusa sites caused by the 150 mph winds and aggressive storm surge. The Calusa people resided on the South Florida coast for over a thousand years before their villages were wiped out by European explorers.
Drovers
By Burt Rutherford
If it’s true that it takes two to tango, then it stands to reason that both sides contribute equally to the genetics of the offspring. As that applies to the cattle business, according to Dr. Francis Fluharty, that means don’t forget about the cows. Fluharty, head of the Animal and Dairy Science Department at the University of Georgia, reminded Wagyu enthusiasts attending the 2022 Shaping the Future annual conference of the American Wagyu Association (AWA) that on an individual basis, the cow contributes half of the genetic potential her calf possesses. That can be good or bad.
GPB
Large, eerie shadows lurking below surface of Georgia’s blackwater swamps are alive
By: Mark Price
Winter is an eerie time in Georgia’s blackwater swamps, and among the strangest of sights are the large shadows often seen lurking just inches below the murky surface. Never, ever reach out to touch them, experts warn. These phantoms are alligators participating in a seasonal ritual — underwater napping, according to the University of Georgia’s Coastal Ecology lab.
Higher Ed Dive
Here’s a look at which colleges are blocking TikTok
Several governors banned the app from state-owned devices over privacy concerns and China. Some public institutions are following suit.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Colleges across the U.S. have spent years hollowing out niches on TikTok, the social media app du jour where users can choreograph brief dance routines and engage in lip sync battles. Admissions offices have set up accounts to woo potential students. Athletics and communications departments have relied on it to tout campus events. But for some institutions, using TikTok as of late has grown far more complex — or downright impossible. At least 19 states have banned TikTok in some fashion from government-issued devices. This prohibition has trickled down to public colleges, some of which have restricted the app — like blocking access to it on their wireless networks. …Below, we’ve collected a sample of state actions against TikTok and how that affects public colleges in different parts of the country.
Georgia
The University System of Georgia, a collection of 26 public institutions, banned TikTok from all of its computers and mobile devices. This was after Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, on Dec. 15 blocked the app, as well as two popular messaging services, WeChat and Telegram, from government tech. Georgia law doesn’t enable the governor to directly give orders to public colleges, so the system’s choice is its own.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University releases statement following arrest of Georgia baseball player
By Chip Towers
A Georgia baseball player was arrested for felony aggravated assault on New Years Day. Davis Rokose, a left-handed pitcher from Johns Creek, is accused of choking his girlfriend during an argument that turned physical after a night of drinking in downtown Athens, according to police. Rokose was booked into Athens-Clarke County Jail on the morning of Jan. 1 and released on $5,700 bond the next day. Rokose is no longer listed on the Bulldogs’ 2023 roster but his status with the team and as a UGA student currently is unknown. Spring semester classes begin Monday.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Enrollment Remains Top Risk Cited by Colleges
By Susan H. Greenberg
Enrollment remains the biggest risk cited by colleges and universities for the fourth year in a row, according to the 2022 Top Risks Report from United Educators. Data security ranked second for the third consecutive year. Recruitment and hiring jumped from 14th place to third, and student mental health—broken out in the survey for the first time this year—ranked fifth. …The survey reflects the most pressing risks named in September 2022 by the leaders of 105 colleges and universities.
Inside Higher Ed
Could Undergrads Save the Public Health Workforce?
Bachelor’s programs in public health have surpassed master’s degrees in popularity. What does that mean for a field that desperately needs more workers?
By Johanna Alonso
Tabitha Edson always knew she wanted to work in health sciences. She earned a nursing assistant certification in high school but decided not to pursue the field at Westminster College, a small private institution in Salt Lake City; she worried that it would limit her job opportunities when she graduated. Instead, she found herself drawn to public health, inspired by an introductory course in the subject required for both public health and nursing majors. …Edson is hardly alone. The number of undergraduate public health majors has skyrocketed over the past two decades, according to new research from the University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins University and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health that analyzed three different data sets. According to the study, the number of graduates with an undergraduate degree in public health jumped by more than 1,100 percent between 2001 and 2020, outpacing master’s degrees as the most popular public health degree by 2020. The increase comes from a combination of new undergraduate public health programs in the U.S. and growth in existing ones.
Higher Ed Dive
Are college e-scooter bans an overreaction to safety concerns?
Scooters bring risks and benefits, mobility experts say. Dangers are heightened by infrastructure built for cars.
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
On some college campuses, it’s nearly impossible to walk between buildings without seeing a menagerie of electric scooters. Their ease of use — it can take just minutes to download a rental app and turn a mile-long hike into a brisk ride — has made them a popular option for students and staff alike. But the cons of e-scooters, like clogged sidewalks and the risk to public safety, outweigh the pros, according to critics. With the vehicles’ rise in popularity has come a corresponding rise in e-scooter-related emergency room visits, a surge of nearly 450% from 2017 to 2021, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. …As a result, some colleges have had enough and are banning electric scooters from campus.
Higher Ed Dive
Biden administration defends student loan forgiveness plan in Supreme Court brief
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
The Biden administration pleaded with the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to allow cancellation of mass amounts of student loan debt, arguing officials have executive authority to do so. In a court filing late Wednesday, lawyers for the Education and Justice departments said a group of six Republican-controlled states have no standing to sue over President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, which would wipe away $10,000 in debt for borrowers earning up to $125,000, and $20,000 for those who received federal Pell Grants in college. Those states — Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina — argued in a lawsuit last year that the White House lacks the power to greenlight broad loan forgiveness and that doing so would rob some of them of future tax revenue.
Higher Ed Dive
Here’s the Education Department’s next regulatory agenda
A final Title IX rule, as well as negotiated rulemaking on topics like accreditation and distance education, are on the horizon.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
The U.S. Department of Education unveiled sweeping regulatory priorities late Wednesday, pinning a publishing date for its final Title IX rule and announcing policy negotiations on such topics as accreditation and distance learning. The Biden administration’s policy roadmap follows regulatory work over the last two years that largely moved to clamp down on for-profit institutions and bolster protections for student loan borrowers. As Congress remains gridlocked with a Democratic-controlled Senate and a wafer-thin Republican House majority, most substantial policy changes will likely stem from executive action. In May 2023, Education Department officials intend to publish a completed Title IX rule after U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona issued his proposal last June.