Augusta CEO
Georgia Chamber Hosts Business Prospects for Annual ‘Georgia Quail Hunt’ in Albany
Staff Report
This week, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Georgia Quail Hunt in Albany, as business leaders representing state recruitment and expansion prospects joined local and state economic development officials, including Lt. Governor Burt Jones and University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, to learn about the benefits of doing business in Georgia. Now in its 34th year, the Georgia Quail Hunt is the state’s premiere economic development recruitment event.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia schools wrestle with the potential and pitfalls of ChatGPT
By Vanessa McCray
Jude McLaren’s professor issued a warning on the first day of a class at Georgia Tech. In the future, the professor acknowledged, everyone will use ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence computer program that can spit out sophisticated essays almost instantaneously, explain complicated concepts and tackle other tasks. But, don’t be tempted to try it in her computer science ethics class. …The chatbot’s public release late last year is already transforming academia. College professors and high school teachers, concerned the technology poses a cheating threat, are revamping homework and lesson plans to deter its use or to integrate it so assignments remain meaningful. …University of Georgia leaders urged faculty to update their spring 2023 syllabuses to explicitly state their expectations. …At Georgia Tech, the admissions director predicted colleges will drop the standard essay requirement for applicants or use unscripted interviews, short videos and proctored writing samples to help decide which students get in.
Coastal Courier
Marrero wants to shine light on Liberty campus
Georgia Southern, Hyundai team up to build workforce
Pat Donahue
Speaking at Georgia Southern University’s Liberty campus, university president Dr. Kyle Marrero said he wants to enlighten the community about the facility.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Ingrid Thompson-Sellers Appointed President of Atlanta Metropolitan State College in Georgia
Ingrid Thompson-Sellers is the new president of Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC) in Georgia. She took office on February 1. The college enrolls just over 1,600 students, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 85 percent of the student body. In 2017, Dr. Thompson-Sellers was appointed president of South Georgia State College in Douglas.
Griffin Daily News
Gordon State College holds Heart for Gordon gala
By GDN Staff
Gordon State College hosted its inaugural A Heart for Gordon gala on Saturday. The gala’s mission was to raise funds to further strengthen GSC’s mission by ensuring students receive the scholarships they need to complete their degrees and become thriving members within their community, according to Karolina Philmon, GSC marketing manager.
Augusta CEO
MacKinnon Announces New Provost’s Learning Scholars Program
Milledge Austin
Since arriving at Augusta University two years ago, Provost Neil J. MacKinnon, PhD, has spearheaded the creation of several programs aimed at setting faculty up for success. These efforts have included the provost fellows, the Faculty Inclusive Excellence Initiative and more. In that same spirit, MacKinnon, who also serves as executive vice president for academic affairs, is proud to introduce the Provost’s Learning Scholars Program beginning in the 2023-24 academic year. Each of the Provost’s Learning Scholars will lead a learning community that will engage in conversations about innovation, teaching and learning.
WTOC
Georgia Southern graduate student working on library exhibit dedicated to late Senator Jack Hill
By Dal Cannady
A library exhibit will soon be created at Georgia Southern University in dedication to the late State Senator Jack Hill. A GSU graduate student is studying a roomful of records and more of Hill’s and will help generations to come know about him. Kimberly Liebl has become quite the expert on a person she never met. Jack Hill from Reidsville served 30 years in the Georgia Senate as one of the state’s key leaders. “He kept everything. He kept everything! Every email he received, he printed out,” said Liebl. Hill’s family donated to his alma mater boxes and boxes of letters, photos, bumper stickers after he passed away in 2020. Kimberly is helping prepare an exhibit inside the Henderson Library.
Grice Connect
Eagle Nation awards three military spouses scholarships
The Landings Military Spouse Scholarship provides a total of $10,000 for fall and spring semesters
While military families make incredible sacrifices for their country, Georgia Southern University has developed a reputation for supporting these families while they pursue their academic dreams. The Georgia Southern Military and Veterans Services Department will award Military Spouse Scholarships provided by the Landings Military Spouse Academic Assistance Funds in February. Three students who are married to service members will be awarded this scholarship to cover their spring 2023 term as well as funds to pay for textbooks and supplies.
Poultry Producer
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Awarded $1,175 USPOULTRY Foundation Student Recruiting Grant
The USPOULTRY Foundation awarded a $1,175 student recruiting grant to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Georgia. The grant was made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from the Don Dalton Student Recruiting Fund. The grant funds will be used to raise awareness of the significant expansion of the poultry industry in South Georgia and the correlating opportunities for well-prepared graduates.
Athens CEO
UGA Law School Receives $1.4M Grant from The Stanton Foundation
The University of Georgia School of Law has received a $1.355 million grant from The Stanton Foundation to help reduce the neglect and abuse of dogs. The school’s Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills will use the funding to create resources for animal control personnel, law enforcement, prosecutors, law students, advocates and the general public.
Americus Times-Recorder
Georgia Southwestern provost named president at SUNY Potsdam
By Chelsea Collins
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) Suzanne Smith, Ph.D., has been named president of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam after serving nearly five years at GSW. Smith accepted the position at Potsdam after it was officially voted on by SUNY Board of Trustees and will start on April 17, 2023. “It has been a tremendous honor to serve as provost and VPAA at Georgia Southwestern for the last five years,” Smith said. “GSW is a special place, with talented faculty and staff who put student success at the forefront of everything they do, and provide an exceptional educational and co-curricular experience. I will miss serving with each of them, and with our amazing students, as the people are what makes GSW special.”
Inside Higher Ed
Georgia Senate Committee Reports on Ways to Support HBCUs
By Sara Weissman
A Georgia Senate committee released a new report on the needs of the state’s 10 historically Black colleges and universities and shared recommendations to better support the institutions at a press conference at the state capitol on Thursday. “This is an opportunity for Georgia to become the nation’s leader in how states fully support HBCUs and maximize their economic and social impact for their graduates and surrounding communities,” State Senator Sonya Halpern, chair of the State Senate’s Study Committee on Excellence, Innovation and Technology, said in a press release.
WRBL
Local charity partners with CSU’s Communication Department
by: Markaysia McMillan
Scott Ressmeyer and the Miracle Riders are partnering with a class in the Department of Communication’s new graduate program at Columbus State University (CSU). Students will create a social media campaign to help spread awareness and raise funds for the Miracle Riders, which will support programs and services for local children as part of their graduate-level strategic communication campaign management course.
Augusta CEO
Augusta University Professor Featured in First Solo Show at New Downtown Gallery
Stacey Eidson
When Augusta University art professor and sculptor Brian Rust was asked to have his artwork featured in the inaugural solo exhibition of the new art gallery CANDL Fine Art in downtown Augusta, he jumped at the opportunity to help draw attention to local artists.
WTVM
National Civil War Museum tells story of war during Black History Month
By Tiffany Maddox
As February marks Black History Month, many local organizations are doing their part to educate and explain the importance of African American figures to people throughout the area – including the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus. The National Civil War Naval Museum is telling the story of the Navies of the Civil War, which includes some Black History. For the month of February, the museum is highlighting who they call the unsung black heroes of the Civil War in a Black History showcase for the community. For its seventh year, the National Civil War Naval Museum will host its ‘Lift Every Voice of African Americans in Civil Navies’ showcase. It’s a combination of a stage play and tour experience with actors from Columbus State University and surrounding areas – telling the stories of African American figures who made a significant impact in the Navy.
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern University kicks off Black History Month
Nakya Harris
Georgia Southern University celebrates Feb. 1 by hosting a Black History Month kick-off celebration.
Here’s what took place:
Food was provided, games were played such as a Black History month themed Bingo, poetic guest showcased their talent and organizations presented their specialties.
Students were given a chance to learn more about the organizations on campus and make connections.
Quotes from the Director of Multicultural Affairs: Kevin Reese …
The Brunswick News
College events celebrate Black History Month
By Lauren McDonald
Glynn and surrounding counties are home to crucial facets of African American history, which will be shared and explored throughout February for Black History Month. Numerous local organizations work to preserve and promote Black history, and several were represented Wednesday at an African American History Roundtable hosted at College of Coastal Georgia. The college will celebrate Black History Month with numerous events in the coming weeks.
The Red & Black
The Andy Warhol Foundation awards $60,000 grant to UGA’s Athenaeum
Mary Dodys
Every year, the Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts awards dozens of organizations grants to fund art exhibits, research, commissions and more. In the fall 2022 grant cycle, the foundation awarded $4 million dollars in grants, and one recipient was University of Georgia’s own Athenaeum. Located on West Broad Street, the Athenaeum is an educational resource and gallery extension of the Lamar Dodd School of Art. It hosts a wide variety of local Athens artists’ exhibits and is a non-collecting contemporary gallery. The Andy Warhol Foundation granted the gallery $60,000. This is the Athenaeum’s first time receiving the prestigious award.
Athens Banner-Herald
Smith: A trip to St. Simons brings back memories of the Bankston brothers
Loran Smith Columnist
…The Bankston’s taught themselves how to dive at the Casino pool and became UGA aficionados owing to their older brother, Byron, who drove to Athens every home game Saturday. That became a ritual which all in the Bankston family embraced. …As undergraduates, the Bankston’s worked their way through school, taking advantage of a work-scholarship at old Payne Hall where they served meals behind the steam table. They were enterprising and frugal. Jimmy was one of the most versatile swimmers ever at Georgia. Just before he passed away, he got the news that he had been elected to the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, a big day for a man who truly appreciated his scholarship.
Toxchange
By Joshua Gray
This award recognizes an SOT member who has made substantial and seminal scientific contributions to the understanding of the science of toxicology and is actively involved in toxicological research.
Anumantha G. Kanthasamy, PhD, is awarded the 2023 SOT Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award for his service to the fields of toxicology and neuroscience and particularly for his leadership in unraveling novel signaling pathways contributing to neurotoxicity and Parkinson’s disease. As part of this award, Dr. Kanthasamy will deliver the Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award Lecture on Tuesday, March 21, 11:00 am–12:00 Noon as part of the 2023 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo. …In September 2021, he joined the University of Georgia (UGA) as the John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in the College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. He also is the founding Director of the Center for Neurological Disease Research at UGA.
Athens Banner-Herald
Report: Despite access, Georgia ranks low in vaccinations for COVID, flu
Abraham Kenmore
Augusta Chronicle
A new health report suggests not enough Georgians are seeking vaccines, whether for COVID-19 or influenza. Georgia is in the bottom 10 states for COVID-19 vaccine distribution and the bottom five for flu vaccines, according to a report from Augusta University.
Poultry Producer
Researchers Evaluate Methods to Improve Salmonella Surveillance in Turkeys
Principal Investigator:
Nikki Shariat, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center
Vaccine programs are a primary pre-harvest Salmonella mitigation strategy, and development of effective programs rely heavily on effective Salmonella serovar surveillance. Noteworthy hurdles to surveillance and vaccine program development includes the fact that traditional isolation identifies only the most abundant serovars in a population, while underlying serovars remain unknown. Further, there is a lack of understanding where in the supply chain samples should be taken to inform serovars present in the system. This completed project encompassed two objectives.
WSBTV
UGA researchers go deep into Georgia swamp to find massive gator after losing GPS signal
By WSBTV.com News Staff
His name was Doc. Coming in at about 400 pounds, the massive 11-foot gator was the dominant male that lived in Mud Lake in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The last time researchers came across Doc was in June 2022 and they realized something was wrong. “He was very skinny. We suspected Doc was an older alligator based on the sheer number of injuries he had, but when we saw how much weight he had lost in just over a year we realized he was even older than we initially thought,” the University of Georgia’s Ecology Lab said in a Facebook post this week. The team of researchers first captured Doc in April 2021 and tagged him as part of their satellite tag study. Last year, Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen went with UGA researchers as they tagged gators across Georgia and into South Carolina. The goal of the team was to figure out what the future holds for reptiles and other species that call our planet home and change potential negative outcomes before it’s too late.
AA
Proximity to surface, type of fault line key in Turkish quakes’ severity, say US experts
Seismologist Lucy Jones says quakes that hit southern Türkiye unlikely to lead to severe earthquakes on other fault
Islam Dogru
Monday’s deadly earthquakes in southern Türkiye, which hit 10 provinces, were quite severe due to their close proximity to the surface and the type of fault, according to prominent US seismologists. Seismologist Lucy Jones, also known as “the earthquake lady,” and Clark Alexander, director of the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, spoke to Anadolu about the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes which hit Kahramanmaras, southern Türkiye on Monday, affecting over 13 million people.
Physorg
Study finds support for second look sentencing
by American Society of Criminology
Washington, D.C., has recently implemented second look sentencing, giving incarcerated individuals who committed their crime while young the opportunity to petition a judge to take a second look and consider releasing them from prison. Legislators in about half of U.S. states have recently introduced second look bills, and federal efforts to allow resentencing for youth crimes have bipartisan support. A new study examined local and global support for second look sentencing. The study found that most respondents backed this approach, regardless of the incarcerated individual’s age. In addition, support was likely to rise when petitioners signaled their intent to reform (e.g., by completing a rehabilitation program or obtaining a recommendation from the warden) and had the support of the victim or their family. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati, Georgia Southern University,
Simple Flying
In Conversation: How Fyve By Is Using A.I To Protect Aircraft From Damage On The Ground
By Sumit Singh
Benjamin Youngstrom is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fyve By, a company that seeks to reduce the number of aircraft incidents by providing precise real-time visual locations of planes, cargo, tools, and people. Simple Flying recently spoke with the innovator to find out more about how his firm is solving challenges on the ground. A committed AvGeek, he met the company’s co-founder, Preston LaVangie, at Georgia Southern University, where Youngstrom was studying business and LaVangie was studying mechanical engineering.
Athens Banner-Herald
How moving students closer in Stegeman Coliseum & flipping benches can help UGA basketball
Marc Weiszer
Braelen Bridges views a decision by Georgia’s athletic administration to move the students lower in Stegeman Coliseum and closer to the floor as a good one. He’s seen its effect on the road in the SEC at a rival school. “I think that would be nice,” said the Bulldogs center who is in his final college season. “Auburn has a pretty good student section. I think it will be nice for them, but I won’t get to see it.” The re-seating of Stegeman at Georgia for men’s basketball was unveiled by athletic director Josh Brooks this week and is set for the 2023-2024 season. Student seating will extend to section T next to their current sections U and V and be more towards the center of the court “where they can make an impact on the game,” Brooks said.
Other News:
Savannah Morning News
Georgia’s revised 2023 budget returns dollars to taxpayers. Here’s what you need to know.
Tax collection surplus means property owners will get one-time payout and additional funds for education, elections, workforce development and more
Adam Van Brimmer
Many Georgians could soon receive a tax refund – even those who have yet to file their 2022 returns. The Georgia Senate is considering an amended 2022-2023 budget that calls for a homestead exemption for property owners. The legislation passed the Georgia House on Feb. 2. Once the $32.6 billion budget passes that chamber, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp can sign it into law. …Here’s what else is in the amended budget: Transportation infrastructure funding: $1.1 billion … Education: $139 million … Elections: $4 million … State employee retirees: $14 million … Workforce Housing: $37.5 million … Workforce development: $56 million … Regional business assistance grants: $167 million … Domestic violence shelters: $2.4 million
The Augusta Chronicle
College and Career Readiness: Here is how Augusta schools score
Miguel Legoas
The Georgia Department of Education’s College and Career Ready Performance Index measures content mastery, college/career readiness, and other important factors in all Georgia schools each year. An overall score for each school was not calculated in 2022 due to the data limitations stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the individual components of the overall score were calculated.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
‘Procrastination-Friendly’ Academe Needs More Deadlines
Some faculty members believe eliminating deadlines optimizes flexibility for students. But cognitive psychology research suggests that students fare better academically and personally under numerous short-term deadlines.
By Susan D’Agostino
…Some equity-minded professors may believe that a single long-term deadline is better than numerous short-term deadlines, especially for students whose schedules lack flexibility due to significant work or family responsibilities. Others argue that professors should set boundaries with students, not for them. Still others offer anecdotal reports that optional attendance policies, flexible deadlines and ungrading increase student engagement. Yet another faculty contingent resists structuring courses with short-term assignments that build to a large project out of concern that doing so coddles students. But the science says that a single, far-off deadline for a substantial assignment undermines traditional-aged students’ success, as their self-monitoring and self-regulation skills are still developing.
Cybersecurity Dive
National cyber director to retire this month
Chris Inglis, the president’s top cyber policy advisor, is stepping down as the nation awaits the unveiling of the National Cyber Strategy.
David Jones, Reporter
National Cyber Director Chris Inglis will retire from his position Feb. 15, ending a more than four decade career in national security. Kemba Walden, principal deputy national cyber director and a former legal executive at Microsoft, will become acting director until Biden names a nominee for the post. The NCD post requires Senate confirmation. A spokesperson for the Office of the National Cyber Director confirmed Inglis’s departure following a report by CNN. Inglis became a leading advisor to President Joe Biden on how to secure U.S. digital infrastructure against a rising threat of malicious attacks, serving as the first U.S. NCD, a role he was confirmed to in June 2021.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Rand Corporation Reports Examines Teachers’ Response to Curriculum Restrictions on Race
At least 17 states have prohibited the teaching of certain topics relating to race or gender in K-12 classrooms. Most of these states are in the South or the upper Midwest. A new study by the Rand Corporation examines teachers’ awareness of and responses to limitations on how they can address race- or gender-related topics in their instruction. The authors found that teachers experienced limitations that infringed on their instructional autonomy, which included their choice of curriculum materials and topics for classroom discussion. These limitations originated from a variety of sources, including state, school, and district leaders and family and community members, and encompassed a wide span of topics, including, but not limited to race- or gender-related topics.
Inside Higher Ed
Florida Officials Were in Frequent Contact With College Board
By Scott Jaschik
A new letter has revealed that Florida officials were in frequent contact with the College Board about the new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies. The New York Times reported on the letter, which contradicts the College Board’s statements that it did not make changes in the AP course to please Florida officials. The College Board responded with its own letter Thursday.
Inside Higher Ed
Campus Evacuated After Explosive Is Accidentally Produced
By Johanna Alonso
Multiple buildings were evacuated and closed on the University of Delaware campus Wednesday after researchers accidentally created “a small amount of a shock-sensitive explosive chemical” in a campus laboratory, according to the Delaware News Journal. Delaware State Police deployed an explosive ordnance–disposal unit to remove the substance from the laboratory and conduct a controlled detonation on the campus’s South Green. …No injuries were reported, and the buildings reopened Thursday.
Higher Ed Dive
Temple University comes down hard on graduate students who are striking
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
Temple University, a public institution in Philadelphia, has pulled tuition remission benefits for its graduate student employees who are currently on strike. All striking graduate students must pay their tuition bill in full by March 9 or face a $100 late fee and a financial hold on their student accounts that will keep them from registering for future classes, according to an email from the university. Temple has also deactivated the health insurance plans of striking students, according to the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association, the union representing teaching assistants, research assistants and graduate assistants. TUGSA, which represents 750 graduate employees, went on indefinite strike Jan. 31 after over a year of stalled negotiations with the university over pay, healthcare and parental leave. This is the first time in the group’s 26-year history it has gone on strike.