Jagwire
Building on the success of its groundbreaking cybersecurity engineering degree program launched in 2019, Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences (SCCS) is further expanding learning opportunities to train the next generation of engineers. Augusta University received approval today from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to introduce a new engineering undergraduate program for Fall 2023, a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Systems Engineering (BMSE), and once again, this is the first such program in Georgia. Nationally, there are many undergraduate degree programs in biomedical engineering, but few, if any, focus on biomedicine and health care system integration with an emphasis on cybersecurity.
The George-Anne
GS Officer Awarded for Saving Drowning GS Student
Nazahria East, Correspondent
Georgia Southern University Department of Public Safety Officer Katie Hodges was awarded 2022 Bulloch County Public Safety Officer of the Year after saving the life of a drowning GS student in April 2022.
Americus Times-Recorder
GSW’s Propel campaign for scholarships over halfway to $1 million goal
By Ken Gustafson
By Chelsea Collins
Propel: GSW’s Campaign for Scholarships is over halfway to its goal of raising $1 million in scholarship funding for Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) students. Since the campaign launched at the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year, $537,020 has been raised. “As the costs of daily living are on the rise, the importance of private scholarship dollars are more significant than ever before,” said Stephen Snyder, assistant vice president for Advancement and GSW Foundation executive director. “Our GSW Advancement team is thrilled at the success of the scholarship fundraising campaign. We anticipate our goal will be met ahead of schedule, but we won’t be letting up on our efforts to provide private support for GSW students.”
NAFSA
Awardees include a Historically Black College and University and a Hispanic Serving Institution
Today, NAFSA: Association of International Educators announced that seven U.S. universities and colleges, including a Historically Black College and University and a Hispanic Serving Institution, have been selected to receive a 2023 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. Named after the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, the awards celebrate outstanding innovation and accomplishment in campus internationalization, defined by NAFSA as a conscious effort to integrate and infuse international, intercultural, and global dimensions into the ethos and outcomes of their students’ education. …The Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization distinguishes overall excellence in integrating international education throughout all facets of university and college campuses. The 2023 Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization recipients are: …Georgia State University (Atlanta, Georgia) …The Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award recognizes a specific program or initiative that contributes to internationalization on campus. The 2023 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award recipients are: Albany State University (Albany, Georgia) Program: Curriculum Internationalization Initiative
WGAU Radio
UGA assesses impact of campus safety spending
By UGA Today
The University of Georgia remains committed to enhancing the culture of safety for all students, staff, faculty and visitors. Now in its third year, results from UGA’s $8.5 million commitment to support multiple safety initiatives can be seen across campus and beyond. In December 2021, the UGA Ride Smart program was launched to provide an on-demand, late-night transportation program for students as part of the university’s commitment to safety. In partnership with Lyft, students are eligible to receive discounts on up to four rides per month. As of November 1, 2022, the per-ride portion provided by UGA increased to $7.50 per ride, a 50% increase from the previous maximum of $5.00 per ride. Since its inception, nearly 28,000 discounted rides have been provided to students. …New safety information and updates are also regularly made available on the Watch for Dawgs website, including information for pedestrians, news updates and micromobility safety tips.
Jagwire
Dental College of Georgia hosts Give Kids a Smile Day
Stacey Hudson
Nearly one in four children under the age of 5 already has cavities, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many children enrolled in Medicaid receive no dental services throughout the year. To combat this statistic locally, Augusta University’s Dental College of Georgia participates every year in the Give Kids a Smile event organized by the American Dental Association. Give Kids A Smile Day is held annually during National Children’s Dental Health Month in February to provide free, easily accessible dental services to qualifying individuals, raise awareness of the epidemic of untreated dental disease occurring locally and nationally, and create local public and private partnerships to increase access to oral health care to solve this crisis. …The DCG has been hosting Give Kids A Smile events since 2003, the first year the ADA launched the initiative. Each year, about 350,000 to 400,000 children benefit from more than 1,500 events, all because of the efforts of 40,000 or more annual volunteers nationwide.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Senate panel approves bill limiting use of TikTok, other social media
By Maya T. Prabhu
A Senate panel approved legislation that aims to ban Georgia employees from using social media such as TikTok or WeChat on state equipment. Senate Bill 93 was filed by Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Jason Anavitarte of Dallas to put into law a December directive from Gov. Brian Kemp that prohibits executive branch state employees from using TikTok, WeChat and Telegram on state devices. SB 93 would prohibit all state employees in all branches of government and all K-12 public schools from using any social media that is owned by governments deemed to be “foreign adversaries” on state-owned equipment. Legislators in Florida have filed similar legislation. The bill passed the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security unanimously on Monday.
EureakAlert!
$10 million USDA grant to fuel economic resilience and sustainability in Eastern US forests
Grant and Award Announcement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $10 million grant to Purdue University to help landowners and stakeholders better adapt their forests to increasingly complicated economic and climate conditions in the Eastern U.S. About five million small, private landowners control just over half the acreage of forests in the Eastern U.S. This contrasts with Western U.S. forests, which are mostly publicly owned. Purdue and its project partners—the University of Georgia, the University of Maine and the U.S. Forest Service—aim to improve the management of 15 million acres of those forests, an area nearly as large as the state of West Virginia.
CBS46
Spring 2023 College Application Campaign set to begin next week
by: AJ Holliday
Next week, high school students will have the opportunity to participate in the Spring 2023 College Application Campaign from Feb. 20 through Feb. 24. “During our college application campaign held in October, we had over 26,000 seniors across the state apply to colleges and universities. …Here’s a list of colleges and universities who have officially waived their application fees this week to allow Alabama students participating in ALCAC, Spring 2023, to submit their applications to their institutions at no cost: Georgia Gwinnett College; Georgia Southwestern State University; University of West Georgia
Athens CEO
UGA FoodPIC Partners with Lova Naturals to Produce Beauty and Wellness Product
Lillian Dickens
The University of Georgia’s Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center (FoodPIC) helps small businesses and entrepreneurs make their mark on the food industry through research, formulation, prototyping and more. With a focus on small businesses and entrepreneurs, FoodPIC is committed to helping its clients hone their products efficiently and economically. Lova Naturals Beauty Repair is one of these products. Creators Sallie and Lorenzo Nicastro, both lifelong food scientists, launched their collagen peptide powder in 2019 as a result of their mutual passion to deliver natural products that are “truly effective, noninvasive and affordable.”
Albany Herald
PHOTOS: 2023 Albany State University Mathematics Tournament
Photos contributed by Reginald Christian
Albany State University (ASU) recognized and rewarded student participants from around the state Friday, February 10, 2023 at the 2023 ASU Mathematics Tournament.
AllOnGeorgia
Six Floyd County students advance to state semifinals in the Governor’s Honors Program
Six sophomores and juniors from Floyd County high schools have advanced to the semifinals in the Governor’s Honors Program (GHP). The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement indicated that approximately 4,200 students were nominated to the state level GHP competition and over 1,500 of them have been selected as semifinalists for state interviews/auditions. All semifinalists’ interviews will take place at Georgia Southern University on March 11, 2023.
WJBF
Augusta University Jaguars baseball program receives $250,000 donation for new locker room facility
by: Brendan Robertson
Rich Henderson loves college baseball and how passionate Augusta University coach Chris Howell is about his players and their experiences. It’s the reason Henderson has pledged $250,000 toward a new baseball locker room. He has been a sponsor on and off for AU Athletics for almost 10 years because he wanted to be involved and to do his part to support local student-athletes. Henderson said he met Howell at an athletics event and walked away with a good first impression. As the years have gone on, the two developed a strong friendship.
Athens Banner-Herald
Mike Bobo back as Georgia football offensive coordinator to replace Todd Monken
Marc Weiszer
Georgia Offense Quality Control coach Mike Bobo arrives at the Dawg Walk before the start of a NCAA college football game between Vanderbilt and Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.
Kirby Smart’s next offensive coordinator is going back to the future for Georgia football. Mike Bobo, the former Georgia quarterback and offensive coordinator, will take over for Todd Monken who returned to the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens after three seasons with Georgia, Smart announced in a statement Tuesday morning.
Athens Banner-Herald
Details on UGA coach’s new deal after program’s best season in more than 25 years
Marc Weiszer
Georgia gave volleyball coach Tom Black a boost in pay when it extended his contract last month after the program made its deepest postseason run in more than a quarter of a century. Black’s annual salary rose $10,000 to $235,000 annually, according to information obtained by the Athens Banner-Herald in an open records request, and his contract was extended through 2027. Black was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 2022. The Bulldogs went 23-8 this past fall, reaching the NCAA tournament second round for the first time in 27 years. “His teams have achieved remarkable success, and we are excited to watch this program continue to excel under his leadership,” athletic director Josh Brooks said.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Higher Ed Charitable Giving Up by Double Digits
Donations to higher ed institutions rose by 12.5 percent last fiscal year—the largest increase in over two decades. Experts say philanthropy is stepping up to fill other funding gaps.
By Liam Knox
Philanthropic giving to higher education increased by 12.5 percent last fiscal year to a total of $59.5 billion, the highest year-over-year increase since 2000, according to the latest Voluntary Support of Education survey from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. In fiscal 2021, giving rose 7 percent, and the previous year it declined slightly, by less than 1 percent. The contributions went mostly to restricted endowments, primarily to fund scholarships, and to “operations with restrictions on use”—usually research projects. Together, those areas accounted for nearly 80 percent of total giving. Sixty-one percent of charitable donations to higher ed came from organizations, 22 percent came from alumni and 16 percent came from individuals who were not alumni.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Council of Graduate Schools Applauds Legislation to Extend and Expand Pell Grant
Arrman Kyaw
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is applauding currently introduced legislation that would extend lifetime Pell Grant eligibility from 12 to 16 semesters and allow students with a Pell Grant award during undergraduate education to use remaining Pell Grant eligibility towards a first graduate degree. The Pell to Grad Act was introduced by Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA). CGS urged lawmakers to pass the bill.
Higher Ed Dive
30 higher ed groups praise IDR proposals but call for comprehensive student loan reform
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
Dive Brief:
The American Council on Education led a group of 30 higher education organizations last week in commending regulatory proposals to revamp income-driven repayment plans but urging the Biden administration to work with Congress to review the entire student loan system. The U.S. Department of Education debuted draft regulations in January that would make large changes to income-driven repayment plans, which allow borrowers to have their loans forgiven after they make a certain number of qualifying payments based on their income. The proposals — which are expected to vastly increase the number of people eligible for the programs and reduce their monthly payments — drew more than 13,000 public comments. The proposal includes elements that are “important and long overdue,” ACE President Ted Mitchell wrote in a public comment on behalf of the 30 organizations. However, a more effective way to deal with pervasive issues with federal student loans would be a “comprehensive effort to review the entirety of our lending and repayment system,” Mitchell wrote.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Arrman Kyaw
The College Board has admitted almost two weeks after publishing a revised AP African American Studies course framework that it made mistakes in the course’s roll out and condemned the actions and rhetoric of Florida officials surrounding the matter, The Hill reported.Gov. Ron DeSantis “The dialogue surrounding AP African American Studies has moved from healthy debate to misinformation,” College Board said in a statement. “We are proud of this course. But we have made mistakes in the rollout that are being exploited.” The organization accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration of misinformation. DeSantis’s administration had criticized and rejected the initial pilot program.
Inside Higher Ed
A new National Academies report recommends systemic changes to confront racism in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine disciplines.
By Ryan Quinn
A new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report notes some improvement in minority representation in higher education related to science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM)—but not enough to match those groups’ share in the overall population. “Despite improvements, the collective attainment of S&E [science and engineering] degrees for Black, Indigenous and Latine Americans lags behind the U.S. population, and these racial/ethnic groups remain underrepresented throughout all sectors of the U.S. STEM enterprise,” the report says.
Inside Higher Ed
Deadly Shooting at Michigan State
A gunman unaffiliated with the university killed three students and critically wounded five others before killing himself.
By Scott Jaschik
A gunman shot and killed three students at Michigan State University Monday night. The shooter also injured five students, all of whom were listed in critical condition at a local hospital as of Tuesday morning. Authorities said at a news conference Tuesday that the gunman was Anthony McRae, a 43-year-old with no connection to Michigan State. He shot himself dead, off campus, after police tracked him down. At the news conference, officials said they had no indication as yet of the motive for the shootings.