The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Board of Regents hires president for Columbus State University
By Vanessa McCray
The Georgia Board of Regents on Thursday appointed Stuart Rayfield to serve as president of Columbus State University. She starts the new job July 1. Rayfield is currently the vice chancellor for leadership and institutional development for the University System of Georgia, which includes Columbus State and 25 other public schools. The University System announced last week that she was the sole finalist to lead Columbus State, a decision the board finalized Thursday.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Jeremy Redmon – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Madgie Robinson and Monaé Templier – Fresh Take Georgia
Kennesaw State bursting with pride after going from nearly worst to the Big Dance
Bethany Fortson was still hoarse days after joining a sea of fellow students chanting inside Kennesaw State University’s packed Convocation Center last weekend: “You don’t want to go to war with the Owls! With the Owls!” Fortson watched as the men’s basketball team made history with its thrilling 67-66 victory over Liberty University in the Atlantic Sun Conference championship. The win earned KSU its first NCAA Tournament berth and so much more. The suburban research university is now enjoying the national spotlight, extensive news media attention and a big boost in school pride among its more than 40,000 students.
Albany Herald
Trail section linking Albany State to downtown Albany scheduled for completion over summer
By Alan Mauldin
For many people, the word connectivity brings connotations of the world of the internet. But a new Flint River Trail section linking Albany State University to downtown Albany hearkens back to an older meaning of the term. On Thursday, Dougherty County officials were joined by university and Albany officials to break ground on the 1.3-mile section that will extend from Radium Springs Road at the campus to West Broad Avenue downtown.
Times-Georgian
University of West Georgia hosts 41st Media Day
By Brittany Yates
The University of West Georgia’s School of Communication, Film and Media hosted their annual networking and student showcase, Media Day, on March 8. The event has been a staple for students for 41 years running. The event began with keynote speaker Karlyn Exantus, a 2006 alumnus who now works in the film industry as a script supervisor. Following the keynote speaker, alumni returned to speak in a panel. The panel was about how many of these successful students were able to make the most out of their college experience.
Americus Times-Recorder
Mark Laughlin named Dean of GSW College of Arts and Sciences
By Ken Gustafson
Mark Laughlin, D.M.A., has been named dean of the Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) College of Arts and Sciences after serving as interim dean since July 2022. Laughlin’s new role is effective immediately. “I am honored to have the privilege of serving as the next Dean of GSW’s College of Arts and Sciences,” said Laughlin. “I look forward to continuing my work with all institution and community stakeholders to expand our interdisciplinary collaborations, and support our continued experiential learning and career-ready opportunities throughout the region. Together, we will strive to inspire the next generation of critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and leaders who will shape our community and the world for the better.” …Laughlin is currently participating in the University System of Georgia’s 2022-2023 Executive Leadership Institute after being nominated and selected for the comprehensive program designed to enhance leadership skills and prepare participants for advanced and cabinet-level leadership positions. …Laughlin holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Alabama, a Master of Science from Georgia College and State University, a Master of Education from Georgia Southern University, a Master of Music from the University of Memphis, and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Clayton State University.
WSB-TV
Georgia Tech researchers working to predict tornadoes before they form
By Brad Nitz, WSB-TV
Severe Weather Team 2 knows every minute counts when it comes to keeping your family safe during severe weather events. Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Brad Nitz spoke with researchers at The Georgia Tech Research Institute about a project that could help predict a tornado before it happens. It begins with a deeper understanding of lightning activity. Nitz first introduced us to the research in its very early stages, one year ago.
MedicalXpress
Most people don’t know what a preprint is. Here’s why that matters
by Leigh Beeson, University of Georgia
New research from the University of Georgia suggests most people don’t understand the difference between a preprint and a published academic journal article. Preprints are research papers that haven’t undergone peer review, the process by which studies’ findings are validated by experts who weren’t involved with the research themselves. The study found the majority of readers have little to no understanding of what a preprint actually is. That lack of understanding could lead to public distrust in science since findings and how those findings are described can change between the preprint phase and publication following peer review. Frequent reporting of scientific preprints could also hurt trust in news.
Athens CEO
UGA Students Offer Free Tax Prep Services Through VITA Program
Cal Powell
Beginning Jan. 30, University of Georgia students will again provide free tax preparation services as part of the UGA Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. Since 2006, UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences faculty members have collaborated with the Internal Revenue Service to provide the VITA program to the Athens community. Through a partnership with UGA Cooperative Extension, the program also provides free tax filing services virtually to communities across the state. The VITA program offers free tax help to low and moderate income households or those who would like assistance preparing their own returns.
Bloomberg
Business Schools Soften Admissions Requirements to Scoop Up Laid-Off Tech Workers
Critics say the moves are unfair to applicants with jobs and smack of desperation.
By Paul Keegan
Layoffs in the technology industry may have raised the anxiety levels of job-hunting MBA graduates. But they’ve led many business schools to try to tap into what they see as a growing pool of prospective students. In mid-November, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management said it would waive its standardized test requirement for laid-off tech workers who apply. Almost a dozen other MBA programs have put forth similar incentives—such as waiving GMAT/GRE test scores or application fees—for newly unemployed workers. … [Among institutions that are…] Easing Application Requirements for 2023 Classes: Georgia Tech (Scheller).
MSN
Universities are turning into real-estate hedge funds — and students are paying the price
Story by insider@insider.com (Catherine Liu) • Wednesday
The most cutting jokes are the ones with a bit of truth behind them. While the increasingly popular quip that “colleges are just real-estate hedge funds with classes attached” may inspire eye rolls, recent moves are making the joke cut deeper. In January, the University of California system — one of the largest public-university systems in the world and where I teach — made a $4 billion investment in the Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust fund, one of the world’s largest real-estate funds. … And the University of California system isn’t alone in its ambitions — universities across the country have invested in or bought up real estate. And some large public universities such as Georgia Tech, the University of Washington, and the University of Texas at Austin have even teamed up with private developers to build “innovation districts,” hubs of office buildings and retail shops that are leased to private companies instead of being used for classes or student housing, on university property.
Patch
Savannah Leaders Oppose House Bill 189 + 2023 Logistics Summit
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Savannah.
Danielle Fallon-O’Leary, Patch Staff
Here are the top three stories in Savannah today:
…Georgia Southern University students, faculty, and staff planted 13 trees on the Armstrong and Statesboro campuses for Arbor Day. They planted three longleaf pine trees near the Student Union on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah, and 10 dogwood trees along Southern Drive toward Sweetheart Circle. The newly planted trees join more than 250 species varieties across the Savannah and Statesboro campuses. The planting event was organized by Sustain Southern in the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement, The Division of Facilities Services, and the student organization EcoAdvocates.
GPB
Georgia Today: NAACP seeks WellStar investigation; Kemp wants more housing; Atlanta pro volleyball
By: Peter Biello and Jake Cook
… A study from the Georgia Department of Transportation projects the greater Savannah area will grow 34% by 2045. And an economics professor from Georgia Southern University who spoke at the summit called Savannah, quote, “the hottest market in the logistics industry right now.” For GPB News, I’m Benjamin Payne in Savannah. … Twenty years ago this month, U.S. forces invaded Iraq. …What followed was years of military effort to stabilize the country at a cost of thousands of lives. This week, a symposium presented jointly by Columbia State University and the National Infantry Museum, looks back at the war and the lessons learned. … Joining me now to discuss it is Dr. David Kieran. He’s associate professor and Col. Richard R. Halleck Distinguished Chair in Military History at Columbus State.
WTOC
Your 2023 Guide to St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah
By WTOC Staff
WTOC wants to make sure you are prepared for the biggest event of the year in the Hostess City. The Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee will host the 199th annual Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Friday, March 17. Here’s everything you need to know to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah. …Parade Grand Marshal – This year’s Grand Marshal is George F. Schwarz III. He will lead the 199th St. Patrick’s Day parade. Schwarz has been a St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee member for 40 years. He graduated from Jenkins High School and Georgia Southern University.
Athens Banner-Herald
Big brands to small businesses among hundreds jumping in to strike deals with UGA athletes
Marc Weiszer
Kelee Ringo’s photo is still plastered on a billboard on Atlanta Highway for “Take 5 Oil Change.” The national championship hero from the 2021 season became a coveted NIL pitchman after his interception return for a touchdown sealed the victory. “NIL is a huge thing that’s changed a good amount of college football,” Ringo, now getting ready for the NFL draft, said before last season. “The best way to get those opportunities is definitely to play good on the field.” Companies jumped aboard the UGA train when the world of NIL ramped up in college athletics just as the Bulldog football team was on the march to what turned out to be back-to-back national titles.
Statesboro Herald
Georgia Southern Men’s Basketball declines to renew Burg’s contract
Georgia Southern University Director of Athletics Jared Benko announced today that head men’s basketball coach Brian Burg’s contract will not be renewed. “I would like to thank Brian Burg for his contributions to our men’s basketball program over the past three seasons,” said Director of Athletics Jared Benko. “No one wanted to bring a Sun Belt title home to Georgia Southern more than him, and we greatly appreciate his commitment towards accomplishing that goal with our student-athletes, coaches and staff.” Chris Shumate will serve as the interim head coach for the program for the Eagles, who concluded their season last week.
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Inside Higher Ed
A DEI Director Ousted for Questioning DEI?
The faculty director of a California community college’s Office of Equity, Social Justice and Multicultural Education says she questioned her college’s “orthodoxy” on such issues. She says her work was impeded and her contract isn’t being renewed.
Ryan Quinn
The faculty director for a California college’s Office of Equity, Social Justice and Multicultural Education says she’s being terminated after she questioned antiracist “orthodoxy,” objected to the college’s land acknowledgments for an Indigenous tribe, tried to bring a “Jewish inclusion” event to campus, declined to join a “socialist network,” refused to use the gender-neutral terms “Latinx” and “Filipinx,” inquired why the word “Black” was capitalized but not “white,” and allegedly disrespected a founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. Tabia Lee also wrote, in a narrative explaining her situation, that “I no longer participate in gender pronouns because I find that the same toxic ideologies around race ideologies are now being advanced under gender ideologies; I also find that the constant obsession with pronouns and declaration of pronouns causes deep discomfort for individuals who identify as gender fluid or who struggle with gender dysphoria.” Lee (at right) Tabia Lee, a Black person with curly purple hair who is wearing pink lipstick.is Black. She said an employee in her office accused her of “white speaking,” “whitesplaining” and supporting white supremacy.
Inside Higher Ed
Biden’s Budget Calls for $820 Pell Increase
The administration also wants $90 billion over 10 years to make two years of community college free.
By Katherine Knott
President Biden is seeking a third increase to the annual Pell Grant, of $820, as part of his budget request to Congress, which was unveiled Thursday. Department officials said the budget proposal, which is for fiscal year 2024 beginning Oct. 1, would help build a higher education system that grows the middle class, drives the economy forward and prepares students for highly skilled jobs. The budget proposal is the opening salvo in what will likely be a fierce budget battle with House Republicans, who have said they want to return spending to pre-pandemic levels. House Republican leaders, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, criticized the proposal as “reckless” and “unserious.”
Inside Higher Ed
A New GMAT Will Arrive Next Year
By Scott Jaschik
A new version of the Graduate Management Admission Test will debut next year. The Graduate Management Admission Council, which runs the test, announced the change Thursday without providing much detail. It said the GMAT Focus “is more efficient, flexible, and insightful by honing in [sic] on the higher-order critical reasoning skills and data literacy especially relevant and applicable in the business environment of tomorrow.” But Business Because, which is owned by the GMAC, said the new test “comprises three 45-minute sections, reducing the test time by one hour.” The writing of an essay will no longer be part of the test.
Higher Ed Dive
More than half of jobs don’t need 4-year degree requirements, report says
Kathryn Moody, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
More than 60% of middle-skill jobs are “soft bachelor’s” jobs — jobs with descriptions that require a four-year degree despite a degree not being a good evaluation for the skills required, according to a Feb. 22 report by Bain & Company, OneTen and Grads of Life. By focusing job descriptions on industry-specific skills needed for the position, jobs open up to a more diverse workforce, the report said, particularly bringing in Black talent. One of OneTen’s goals is to get 1 million Black workers without a four-year degree into “family-sustaining jobs” in 10 years. Making a company’s hiring process “skills-first” requires efforts that span the whole talent acquisition process, from pre-hire to onboarding, Bain said. Job postings need to be updated; hiring panels need to be made diverse; and onboarding should focus heavily on key skills, among other strategies, the report noted.
Inside Higher Ed
Contrasting Views on Ending Tuition-Sharing Agreements
U.S. officials got an earful at a “listening session” where consumer advocates said such arrangements put students at risk and campus leaders insisted the agreements help them serve working students better.
By Doug Lederman
If officials at the U.S. Department of Education hoped the “listening sessions” they arranged this week would provide consensus on whether to stop letting colleges pay outside companies a share of tuition revenue when they help recruit students, they were surely disappointed. Like just about every policy discussion in Washington these days, this one found the students, consumer advocates, college officials, corporate leaders and others who shared their opinions in three-minute increments to be sharply divided, with little to no middle ground to be found. Virtually all of them—whether they argued for or against current policy guidance, which permits revenue-sharing agreements if the provider “bundles” nonrecruitment services with the recruitment work it does—purported to be speaking on behalf of students.
Higher Ed Dive
Legislators urge Education Department to expand race, legacy data in admissions
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
A coalition of 18 federal legislators is urging the U.S. Department of Education to broaden its collection of college admissions data and publicly disaggregate the information by gender, race and ethnicity. In a Tuesday letter to James Kvaal, the Education Department’s top higher ed official, the Democratic members of Congress said the agency should help address the sector’s “persistent racial inequities” by mandating new transparency from colleges. Submitting new data would be a light lift for colleges, as many already collect it for internal use, the letter said. The lawmakers also called for a demographic breakdown of students admitted through legacy considerations, when preference is given to alumni’s family members.
Inside Higher Ed
Making Slavery ‘Normal’ in English America: Academic Minute
By Doug Lederman
Today on the Academic Minute, part of SUNY Distinguished Professor Week: Lou Roper, SUNY Distinguished Professor of History at the State University of New York at New Paltz, explains why we should keep talking about the history of slavery.
Inside Higher Ed
University of Iowa to Pay Full Football Bias Settlement
By Jaime Adame
The University of Iowa will pay the full amount of a legal settlement that ended a racial bias suit filed by former members of the university’s football team. The university’s president announced Thursday that the payment would be made after an uproar among state lawmakers over an earlier plan to use taxpayer funds to cover $2 million of the $4.2 million settlement, The Des Moines Register reported. “After listening to the concerns of Iowans and in consultation with the Board of Regents leadership, I have determined the University of Iowa Department of Athletics will reimburse the state general fund for the $2 million due to the recent settlement,” President Barbara Wilson said in a statement.