WTVM
The University System of Georgia launches the Career Resource Planning Platform
By Ashton Akins
A new tool was recently launched to help Georgia college students land their dream job. The launch of the online platform is tied to the state initiative to help Georgia high schoolers with career guidance. Current college students can use their campus portal to access The Career Resource Planning Platform. …
“I think all students can benefit from this in helping them to understand what their real strengths are and what their personality inclinations are, what their attributes, and even interests are in that regard, tying those to real world careers, letting them know who are companies that actually utilize those kinds of careers,” says University System of Georgia’s Chancellor, Sonny Perdue. The Career Resource Planning Platform is accessible to all college students any Georgia public college or university.
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Albany Herald
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College prepares for 115th birthday celebration
The Albany Herald, Ga.
As the city of Tifton celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2022, many stories were told, and tributes made, to its founder, Captain Henry Harding Tift. The forward-thinking shipbuilder from Mystic, Conn., left his imprint in a variety of ways in south Georgia. But in his own words, the best investment he ever made was his success in securing the location of what eventually became Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. On Feb. 20, ABAC will celebrate its 115th birthday. It was on that day in 1908 that 27 students walked up the steps of the main classroom at the Second District A&M School. That building is now named Tift Hall, and it serves as the college’s historical showcase, including pictures and memorabilia devoted to the legacy of Tifton’s founding father just inside the main entrance.
WRBL
Sunday Conversation: Columbus Tech, Columbus State presidents talk about partnerships
by: Chuck Williams
Columbus State University and Columbus Technical College have been exploring ways to work together. CSU Interim President Dr. John Fuchko and Columbus Tech President Martha Ann Todd sit down with WRBL’s Chuck Williams to talk about those partnerships. The two made a little news when they confirmed that retired Fort Benning commander Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe was working with both institutions on ways to strengthen relationships with the military students and attract soldiers and their dependents to the two state institutions.
The Red & Black
UGA named top Fulbright student producer
Allison Mawn
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has named the University of Georgia a top producer of Fulbright students for the fifth time in 11 years, according to a press release from UGA Media Relations. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the flagship international exchange program for education sponsored by the Department of State. The goal of the program is “to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and countries worldwide,” according to the press release. It offers recent graduates and graduate students opportunities to research, study and teach in more than 140 countries. According to the release, 11 UGA students and alumni were offered Fulbright awards for 2022-2023. Ten were able to accept.
accessWDUN
UNG recognized nationally for sending students abroad with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program
By Logan Landers Anchor/Reporter
The University of North Georgia recently made a national list of four-year institutions for sending the most students abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for 2022-23. The list was released by the U.S. Department of State and showed that UNG tied for fifth among 16 master’s institutions to make the list. The Fulbright enables recent graduates and graduate students to pursue research, earn a graduate degree or teach English overseas. …UNG has earned the designation as a national top producer of Fulbright students for six straight years.
Valdosta Daily Times
Col. John Caranta, commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Southeast Region, recently visited Valdosta State University’s Detachment 172, where he participated in candid conversations with cadets and cadre. “Col. Caranta is interested in the health and well-being of our staff and our cadets,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Lucas M. Brommer, who assumed command of VSU’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 172 in July 2022. “He was excited to engage the cadets in conversation, particularly about their future role as military leaders.” Caranta had an opportunity to learn more about VSU’s Air Interest and Ground School, particularly the state-of-the-art virtual reality flight simulation room that was conceived and constructed by the university’s cadets, university officials said in a statement.
Marietta Daily Journal
‘She lived life to the fullest’: KSU remembers former longtime president Betty Siegel
By Stuart Hendrick MDJ contributor
Over 80 friends and family members gathered at Kennesaw State University on Saturday morning to celebrate the life of Dr. Betty Siegel on the third anniversary of her death. “She was so into life. Into living life. And living it to the fullest. And wanted everybody else to have a taste of it,” university president Dr. Kathy Schwaig said at the beginning of the ceremony, which took place in the campus recreation center that bears Siegel’s name. …Siegel became the University System of Georgia’s first female president in 1981, serving as president of what was then Kennesaw College — it became a university in 1996 — for 25 years, making her the longest serving female president of a state university in the United States. From 3,500 students at the beginning of her tenure to a current enrollment of over 43,000 students, the university continues to grow and thrive, Schwaig stated.
Soldier Systems
A new faculty appointment at Columbus State University is deepening CSU’s expertise in military history and the study of war, the military and U.S. culture. Thanks to ongoing support from the Hallock family and the university’s existing partnerships with the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning and the National Infantry Museum, Columbus State—and Columbus, Georgia, itself—is poised to become a destination for students and scholars interested in learning about and researching matters relating to the military. In 2010, the Richard R. Hallock Foundation endowed the Colonel Richard R. Hallock Distinguished University Chair in Military History to equip Columbus State with the means to recruit a nationally renowned military history scholar. As a result, Dr. David Kieran joined the CSU faculty in August 2022 as the Hallock Distinguished Chair in Military History and an associate professor in the Department of History & Geography.
WRBL
Annual Georgia Thespian Conference makes positive impact on Columbus economy
by: Cristina Feliciano
Over 5,000 people flooded Columbus this week for the 2023 Georgia Thespian Conference. The Georgia Thespians returned to Columbus for their 14th state conference in The Fountain City. The event leaves a lasting impression on students’ lives and a positive impact on the Columbus economy. The three-day conference was hosted at venues across the city: the Columbus Trade Center, the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, the Springer Opera House and the Columbus State University Riverside Theatre.
The Red & Black
UGA student premieres independent film at Ciné
Analiese Herrin
Natalia Gonzalez, a senior entertainment and media studies major at the University of Georgia, premiered her first independent film, “SUPERCUT,” at The Lab at Ciné on Friday, Feb. 10. Friends, family, actors and others attended the screening and Q&A. With a budget of $2,000, Gonzalez wrote, directed and produced the film. It took her roughly three months to write the script, and much of it is filmed in Athens, at locations such as The Rook & Pawn Cafe, Graduate Athens hotel and Sandy Creek Park.
Valdosta Today
VSU Beta Alpha Psi students provide income tax assistance
The Valdosta State University chapter of Beta Alpha Psi recently kicked off its fifth year with the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. The IRS VITA Program assists various underserved populations, especially low- to moderate-income earners, by providing free federal and state tax return preparation and electronic filing. William K. Sandridge, president of Beta Alpha Psi, said several VSU accounting and finance majors volunteered their time to work with the IRS VITA Program this year. All of them passed tax law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards, including maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of all taxpayer information.
Columbus CEO
Sharon Welburn on eSports at CSU and Their Partnership with Mediacom
Sharon Welburn of CSU talks about the growth of eSports at the college and how important the college’s partnership with Mediacom has been.
The Georgia Virtue
Effects of possible recession on agriculture, grocery prices
By Emily Cabrera
Chances are good that you have felt the pinch at the grocery store and bemoaned the price of some of your standard weekly staples. Economists at the University of Georgia say to brace yourselves for more of the same in the upcoming months.
NutraIngredients Europe
Watermelon juice may decrease dysfunction linked to hyperglycemic episodes
By Asia Sherman
Drinking watermelon juice preserves heart rate variability (HRV) response to high blood sugar spikes in young healthy adults, according to a study from a group of U.S. researchers. [study done by Columbus State University and Louisiana State University]
Savannah Morning News
Reader letter: Playing basketball, baseball games at Armstrong would reinvigorate campus
In response to the recently published news and opinion pieces marking the five-year anniversary of the Georgia Southern and Armstrong merger, it appears that the worst fears of the Savannah and Armstrong communities were well founded. As columnist Adam Van Brimmer noted, all the results were foreseeable, but with the right forward-looking strategy, this need not be the final chapter. It is far beyond my pay grade to know what that strategy should be. But I offer this suggestion which should be a vital element in any overall plan: The destruction of the athletic programs on the Savannah campus was a terrible mistake. The college experience and lifestyle thrives when there is a sense of school spirit and pride which rallying around athletic competition fosters.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State sees signs that revenue may dip in months ahead
State tax collections were up slightly in January, but Gov. Brian Kemp’s economist and budget staff expect the skyrocketing revenue increases of the recent past will disappear before the end of Georgia’s fiscal year on June 30.
By James Salzer
State tax collections were up slightly in January, but the revenue report released Friday also provided a sign of what may lie ahead for Georgia. Collections were up 1.1%, or $33 million, over January 2021, but net income tax collections were off 4% and refunds increased. Sales tax collections were up 9.9% over the same period last year. Sales and income taxes provide the majority of state funding to help pay for schools and public health care, prisons, highway policing and parks. State finances have been on a roll since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown ended in the spring of 2020. Consecutive surpluses helped the state boost state employee and teacher salaries and expand services for things such as mental health and substance abuse programs.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: More Georgians get education after high school but not enough
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Today, nearly 54% of working-age Americans hold college degrees, college-level certificates or industry recognized credentials. It’s still not enough to meet rising workforce demands of a knowledge-based economy, especially in Georgia, which trails the national average for educational attainment after high school. In Georgia, only 51% of adults ages 25 to 64 hold college degrees or other credentials of value, according to the Lumina Foundation, which tracks education and training beyond high school using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The foundation just updated its online tracking tool, Stronger Nation, with 2021 data.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Why Are Students So Disengaged?
A new survey by Wiley finds that one-fourth of students said they would be more invested in their courses if they learned in a way that emulated their future careers.
By Johanna Alonso
Undergraduate students are struggling to stay engaged in class—and they believe that material more directly connected to real-life issues could help solve the problem. That’s a key finding of the recent State of the Student 2022 survey by the academic publishing company Wiley, which noted that 55 percent of undergraduate and 38 percent of graduate students said they struggle to remain interested in their classes. The same proportion of undergraduates and 34 percent of graduate students also said they have trouble retaining the material they learn. The survey of 5,258 students and 2,452 instructors in North America was conducted in August 2022 and sought to understand the factors that most impact student success, as well as what factors instructors perceive as the most impactful.
Inside Higher Ed
Income-Driven Repayment Overhaul ‘a Step Forward’
The Education Department received nearly 13,000 comments about its planned income-driven repayment overhaul, which it wants to carry out this year. But first, it will have to review all the comments.
By Katherine Knott
Advocates want graduate students and borrowers with Parent PLUS loans included in the Education Department’s planned overhaul of income-driven repayment, while critics want the planned changes scrapped altogether, citing the cost and concerns of executive overreach. The Education Department received nearly 13,000 comments from borrowers, lawmakers, researchers and others about the draft regulations for income-driven repayment during the 30-day comment period that ended Friday. The proposed changes could transform the financing of higher education by offering more generous terms, including smaller payments and forgiveness after 10 years for borrowers with less than $12,000 in loans.
Inside Higher Ed
College Board Defends Itself on AP African American Studies
By Scott Jaschik
The College Board on Saturday issued a new defense of its record in releasing the new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies. The statement followed criticism of the College Board’s changing the AP course after it was criticized by Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican. “We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander, magnified by the DeSantis administration’s subsequent comments, that African American Studies ‘lacks educational value.’ Our failure to raise our voice betrayed Black scholars everywhere and those who have long toiled to build this remarkable field,” said the statement.
Inside Higher Ed
Plan to Reduce Faculty Workload Delayed Indefinitely
By Scott Jaschik
A plan to reduce faculty workloads at Metropolitan State University of Denver, which had been expected to take effect in the fall, has been delayed indefinitely, Colorado Public Radio reported. The planned reduction would have had most tenure-track faculty members reduced from teaching four to three courses a semester. The university would hire additional faculty members to make up for the lost courses. But a recent memo from Janine Davidson, the president, to faculty members said the board wanted the policy delayed. Board members fear it is not financially sustainable, she said. Faculty members are upset.