The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Medical College of Georgia’s $105M request comes amid Wellstar talks
By Vanessa McCray, Ariel Hart
State officials are asking the Georgia Legislature to pay $105 million in taxpayer dollars toward a new electronic medical records system for the Medical College of Georgia, part of Augusta University. The new records system would improve operations at Augusta University Medical Center and other facilities under the Augusta University Health System, according to school officials and documents.
Albany Herald
Albany State University student’s design featured in Target stores
From staff reports
Albany State University senior visual and performing arts major Cameron Burnam is one of three winners of the 2023 Target HBCU Design Challenge. Burnam’s design is featured on T-shirts sold in Target stores nationwide. “The entire ASU campus community celebrates Cameron’s national debut and Target’s recognition of his work as part of its Black History Month celebration,” ASU President Marion Fedrick said in a news release. “Our goal is to provide students with access to opportunities that will ensure their success. Cameron is an excellent example of the game-changers and innovators we are preparing to live out their dreams and compete in the global marketplace.”
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Atlanta Business Chronicle
Kennesaw State University researchers work to solve problems around the globe
Researchers across Kennesaw State University’s colleges in Metro Atlanta look to solve problems, whether they exist on a local, national or global scale. From alleviating a tropical disease to understanding forces shaping world politics or creating safer roads, University faculty delve into issues from around the globe, often providing research experiences to their undergraduate and graduate students in the process.
Global Atlanta
UGA Law School Partners With Top Counterpart in India
Trevor Williams
The University of Georgia School of Law has nailed down a partnership with its top-ranked counterpart in India. UGA Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge and Sarah Quinn, executive director of the school’s Dean Rusk Center for International Law, traveled to O.P. Jindal University in December to sign an agreement aimed at enacting student exchanges by this fall. According to the Dean Rusk Center’s Exchange of Notes blog, the partnership will eventually lead to faculty exchanges, collaborative research, seminars and dual-degree programs for students of the Jindal Global Law School, from LL.M. degrees to Juris doctors. The Rusk center is set to manage these partnerships, as outlined in a memorandum signed by Mr. Rutledge and Professor C. Raj Kumar, vice chancellor of the university and dean of Jindal Global Law School, during the trip.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU unveils renovated Engineering Technology Center on Marietta campus
Jake Busch
University officials, alumni and students gathered Monday for the unveiling of Kennesaw State University’s renovated Engineering Technology Center, a $5 million project. The 140,000-square-foot facility, known colloquially as the “G Building,” was built in 1962, said KSU President Kathy “Kat” Schwaig – the same year as she was, Schwaig joked – and last renovated in 1984. Schwaig spoke of the importance of students having a space for hands-on, collaborative work in the sciences.
Americus Times Recorder
Georgia Southwestern hosts inaugural Gold Force Gala to benefit student scholarships
By Ken Gustafson
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) hosted the inaugural Gold Force Gala on Saturday, Jan. 21 in the GSW Storm Dome with over 230 guests raising money for student scholarships as part of the ongoing Propel campaign. …“In our first-ever Gold Force Gala, the University wanted the community of GSW Alumni and Friends to know how much their accomplishments and service mean to us,” said Stephen Snyder, executive director of the GSW Foundation and AVP of Advancement. “We also wanted to highlight the importance of giving back and how impactful scholarship dollars can be to our students. I believe we accomplished all of that….” The 2022 Outstanding Alumni Awardees were honored for their professional and personal achievements as well as their contributions to the University.
Savannah Morning News
Falling enrollment, half-empty dorms: Georgia Southern Armstrong five years after the merger
‘The name Armstrong is kind of meaningless.’ Resentment lingers over controversial consolidation of Georgia Southern and Armstrong as Savannah campus experiences rocky adjustment period.
Nancy Guan
Five years ago this month, Armstrong State University students watched as crews removed the many blazing red flags bearing a Pirate logo from around the southside Savannah campus and replaced the banners with Georgia Southern University pennants emblazoned with a white eagle head. The flag swap followed the consolidation of the two state-run universities in January 2018. The merger was meant to better the educational experience for students and make Georgia Southern, already one of the state’s largest schools in terms of enrollment, a regional “economic powerhouse” with ties to several of Savannah’s growing economic sectors, such as health care, engineering and ports-related industries.
Savannah Morning News
GSU Armstrong’s future? Georgia Southern leaders refine vision for Savannah campus
With enrollment declining and concerns about student life on campus, task force works to ‘ensure future success’ of Georgia Southern Armstrong
Zoe Nicholson
Three days into the spring semester, Georgia Southern University’s southside Savannah campus is quiet. Cars filled about half of the available parking spaces, students sparsely populated sidewalks and moms with strollers power-walked the campus’ trails. The school used to be Armstrong State University, but was consolidated into the GSU institution in 2018, along with a third campus in Liberty County. Advocates for the merger cited the need to create an “economic powerhouse” and bring more educational opportunities to Savannah.
WGAU Radio
UGA alum, arts advocate wins President’s Medal
By James Hataway, UGA Today
The University of Georgia bestowed one of its highest honors on Robert G. “Bob” Edge, a UGA alumnus, attorney, civic leader and advocate of the performing arts. The President’s Medal recognizes remarkable contributions of individuals who are not current employees of UGA and who have dedicated their lives to supporting UGA students, championing UGA’s research enterprise or engaging in public service on behalf of the UGA community. The honor is awarded in conjunction with the university’s annual Founders Day celebration. “Bob Edge has played a key role in the establishment of some of UGA’s most impactful academic and performing arts programs,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “We are incredibly grateful for his extraordinary support and all that he continues to do on behalf of our university.”
Southeast Agent Radio Network
Georgia’s Peanut Acreage Could Move Closer to 700,000 Acres in 2023
By Clint Thompson
Georgia’s peanut acreage could increase back up to 700,000 acres, if not more, for the 2023 season. That will depend on how farmers approach their cotton acreage. Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Extension peanut agronomist, discussed the crop during the recent Georgia Peanut Farm Show in Tifton, Georgia.
Inside Higher Ed
Designing Assignments in the ChatGPT Era
Some instructors seek to craft assignments that guide students in surpassing what AI can do. Others see that as a fool’s errand—one that lends too much agency to the software.
By Susan D’Agostino
Is an ice cream sandwich a sandwich? How about a sushi roll, chicken wrap or sloppy joe? These were some of the prompts included in a classification and model-building assignment in the fall 2022 Knowledge-Based AI course that David Joyner taught at the Georgia Institute of Technology. But when Joyner, executive director of online education and the online master of science in computer science and senior research associate, was scheduled to teach the course again in the spring 2023 semester, he reconsidered the assignment in the presence of ChatGPT—the OpenAI chat bot that burst onto the global stage in late 2022 and sent shock waves across academe. The bot interacts with users in a conversational way, including by answering questions, admitting its mistakes, challenging falsehoods and rejecting inappropriate requests.
Savannah CEO
Tybee Island Marine Science Center Names New Executive Director
Staff Report
The Tybee Island Marine Science Center has announced that Chantal Emilie Audran will serve as its new Executive Director. Prior to the announcement, Audran served as the Center’s Acting Director. In making the announcement, Doug Duch, president of the Tybee Island Marine Science Foundation’s Board of Trustees, said, “Chantal has helped to ensure a smooth transition since our longtime executive director, Maria Procopio, left the Center. Between her more than 10 years with the Center and her well-established role as a dedicated curator, Chantal has proven to be a true leader and innovator. She definitely has the knowledge, experience and excitement necessary to take the helm of this organization. …Upon completing her education in Biology and Chemistry at Loyola University Chicago and Georgia Southern University, she continued her path in marine education at the University of Georgia, Marine Extension in Savannah, GA, as a summer camp educator before joining the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
Cision PR Newswire
Scientists at Artificial Cell Technologies (ACT) have developed a fully synthetic microparticle vaccine for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) that elicited a protective immune response in mice while simultaneously lowering pulmonary inflammation after exposure to the virus. New results of their preclinical research have been published in the journal Vaccines. …Powell and his colleagues sought to increase the potency of their G-protein vaccine while also reducing the potentially harmful Th2-type inflammatory response. To do this, they added a TLR2 ligand to the vaccine to properly engage the innate response and redirect the adaptive response away from Th2-type and toward the less inflammatory Th1-type. To test their hypothesis that the modified microparticle would protect the host from both infection and excess inflammation, the ACT team vaccinated mice with one of two microparticle candidates (one with the TLR2 ligand and one without), then infected the mice with RSV. …ACT’s collaborative study with Dr. Ralph Tripp of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (1R43AI092924-01) awarded to ACT.
WHTC
Local Beekeepers Applauding Breakthrough in Addressing Disease Affecting Honeybees
By Gary Stevens
Researchers at the University of Georgia are trying to make life a bit sweeter for honeybees. A team has joined forces with a locally-based biotech company in Athens to develop what’s considered the world’s first honeybee vaccine. Its development came about after a certain virus was identified as causing higher mortality and colony collapse, and the vaccine will be distributed through a sugary dough-like substance. Beekeepers such as Don Lam of Don Lam Bees in the Holland area are applauding this latest development.
Officer Magazine
While these aerosol sprays continue to receive criticism, they have certainly reduced deadly force encounters and increased the safety of police officers and the public.
Robert Bowling
The use of aerosol spray irritants by law enforcement dates back to 1965. That year, Mace was on exhibit at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference held in Miami Beach. One of the topics discussed at the conference was how to change the image of a police officer. …When Mace was unveiled at the conference, police administrators were enthusiastic as it gave officers another force option instead of using their guns or nightstick. It was considered a more humane weapon for law enforcement. When Mace was invented, it was initially intended as a defensive weapon for women. … The history of OC dates back to two years before Litman invented Mace. Letter carriers with the US Postal Service were averaging about 7,000 dog bites yearly, costing over a million dollars in lost work time and medical expenses. The solution proposed was an aerosol spray of OC called “Halt.” It was developed at the University of Georgia by James H. Jenkins, professor of wildlife management, and Dr. Frank Hayes, director of canine parasite research within the school of veterinarian medicine. Halt was designed to incapacitate animals but not harm them. After the Humane Society approved the product, Halt was implemented for all postal service workers nationwide. The company also produced a similar product, “Rebuff,” marketed as a “human repellent” for women against muggers.
Statesboro Herald
Now sober, former addict to offer counseling
Friday open house set at Cynthia Wheeler’s Boro practice
JIM HEALY/staff
Cynthia Wheeler first came to Statesboro in 2008 for eight weeks of addiction treatment at Willingway Hospital. The day after she completed the program, Wheeler said she was smoking crack again — and she saw only two choices. “I was going to either put a gun in my mouth, or I was going to finally do something different — and God intervened,” Wheeler said. “I don’t know what happened. But I made a commitment to my counselor at Willingway.” Her commitment finally held, and Wheeler hopes to use her life experiences, training and empathy to help others in their addiction recovery. Wheeler just opened Rising Tide Counseling, a private practice that she said will focus on treating alcoholism and drug addiction, particularly opioid abuse. …She earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Georgia Southern University in 2021 and is now a Certified Addiction Counselor Level II (CACII) and a Nationally Certified Addiction Counselor Level I (NCACI).
Albany Herald
DICK YARBROUGH: More random thoughts, more random topics
By Dick Yarbrough
…I wonder how the boobirds feel now. You will recall that Gov. Brian Kemp was jeered at the state GOP convention on Jekyll Island a couple of years ago by delegates who felt he didn’t do enough to help Donald Trump win an election they thought (and probably still do) he should have won. Fast forward to today. A poll conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs for the Atlanta newspapers, shows the governor’s approval rating at a record high and that most Georgians say the state is on the right track. He is also positioning Georgia as the primary location for the electric vehicle industry. Since 2018, 35 EV-related projects have brought $23 billion in investments across the state.
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Inside Higher Ed
Class of 2022 Left $3.6B in Pell Grants Unclaimed
By Katherine Knott
Nearly $3.6 billion in Pell Grants wasn’t claimed by eligible high school seniors last year, a new analysis from the National College Attainment Network found. That’s a slight drop from the Class of 2021, which left $3.75 billion in Pell Grants on the table. NCAN’s latest report is the second in a series tracking unclaimed Pell Grant dollars. The report estimated the amount of unclaimed Pell Grant by looking at Free Application for Financial Student Aid completion rates for each state, the percent of Pell-eligible students who did apply and the average Pell Grant for each state.
Inside Higher Ed
Report: Income-Driven Repayment Changes Estimated to Cost $333B
By Katherine Knott
The Biden administration’s proposed changes to income-driven repayment would cost $333 to $361 billion over the next 10 years, economists at the Penn Wharton Budget Model found. The estimate is more than double what the Education Department said the plan would cost. The department said the plan would have a net budget impact of $137.9 billion over the next 10 years, assuming that the administration would be able to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for eligible Americans and that the volume or quantity of loans issued wouldn’t change.
Inside Higher Ed
Should Colleges Honor Disgraced Ex-Presidents?
Portraits, special ceremonies, emeritus status and massive payouts are just a few of the perks some ex-presidents receive—no matter what kind of upheaval they leave behind.
By Josh Moody
Lou Anna K. Simon and Graham Spanier are arguably among the most controversial U.S. college presidents to have served in recent years. Both left their institutions—Michigan State University and Pennsylvania State University, respectively—under a cloud cast by predatory sex-abuse scandals that took place on their watch. But despite their tarnished reputations, neither is a stranger to the campus they unceremoniously departed. And their persona non grata status among many campus constituents hasn’t stopped their prior employers from honoring them. Among other things, both carry president emeritus status at their respective institutions. …When Disgraced Presidents Return
While Simon and Spanier may be among the more notorious presidents to resign amid scandal, they’re not alone in the club of ousted presidents who can still count on big payouts and honorifics from their former employers. …Oftentimes presidents who step down—disgraced or not—return to the faculty with salaries that far outstrip their peers. Wilde wonders, in such cases, if colleges are getting what they pay for. She urges institutions to consider tenure on a case-by-case basis rather than granting it automatically in presidential contracts. And even if an ex-president is admired on campus, colleges must consider what value they add.