Savannah CEO
Staff Report
The Savannah metro economy’s path of slowing growth continued for the fifth consecutive quarter, according to Georgia Southern University’s latest Economic Monitor, which reflects Q4 2022. Yet, the outlook for the region is optimal.
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Savannah Morning News
First City Progress: Georgia Ports see cargo slowdown, but don’t ring the alarm just yet
Regional economy eases, but employment steady and poised to grow
Albany Herald
UGA Extension, CAES partner with Georgia Organics to support state growers
By Emily Cabrera UGA/CAES
What began as a grassroots growers cooperative in the 1970s has become one of the Southeast’s most prestigious member-supported nonprofit farming organizations. After 25 years as a 501(c)(3), Georgia Organics continues to hold its ground in one of the country’s most agriculture-rich states, supporting organic growers and championing the local food movement. In a region where the climate lends itself to abundant plant diseases, weeds and insect pests, organic farmers face greater challenges than those of conventional agriculture. Organic production, by its very nature, compels farmers to exhaust alternative management tools before using organically approved chemical products.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Piedmont Healthcare picks former UGA Foundation VP to lead philanthropy efforts
By Crystal Edmonson – Senior Editor, Community Engagement and Live Journalism
Piedmont Healthcare has a new executive leading its fundraising efforts, tapping Kelly Kerner to be its new chief philanthropy officer. Kerner previously served as vice president for development and alumni relations and executive director of the University of Georgia Foundation. Last year, he helped the university raise a record $257 million. After nine years at UGA, he joined Piedmont Healthcare April 5.
Times-Georgian
UWG alumni remains committed to community years after franchise switch
By Noah Schroyer
David Collings was a pitcher at Andrew College for two years before transferring to the University of West Georgia on scholarship. Collings’ career was cut short due to an auto accident, but he wanted to stay around baseball which prompted him to get into coaching. Through connections Collings had made at UWG, he was able to begin as an instructor and manager at Next Level Sports Center when it opened in Carrollton. Collings graduated from UWG with a degree in marketing. He returned to get a Master’s Degree which he credited to learning more about managing and running a business.
Youtube
Military Historians are People, Too!
S312 David Kieran – Columbus State University
A Podcast with Brian Feltman & Bill Allison
Our guest today is the guitar-playing, hiking, marathon-running, American Studies guy-turned-historian David Kieran! Dave is an Associate Professor and the Colonel Richard R. Hallock Distinguished Chair in Military History at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia.
Albany Herald
William Brooks named director of bands at Albany State
From staff reports
Albany State University officials have announced that William T. Brooks has been named as the university’s director of bands. Brooks also will serve as an assistant professor of music in the College of Arts and Humanities. Brooks is a native of Detroit. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Middle Tennessee State University’s McLean School of Music. …“Brooks exhibits extensive knowledge, vision, and passion for the success of our music program and students, which makes him the best fit for ASU,” Albany State President, Marion Fedrick said in a news release. “I look forward to his innovative strategies to improve and connect our campus with local and global musical talents.”
Albany Herald
From staff reports
Acclaimed jazz trumpeter Scotty Barnhart will brings his musical talents to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Bainbridge Campus on Friday as the final show of the Carter Arts & Lecture Series. The concert will be held at 7 p.m. at the Bainbridge Main Square. Barnhart is in his 20th year with the Count Basie Orchestra and has been appointed the group’s new director. Acknowledged as one of the leading authorities on the history of the jazz trumpet, he researched and wrote the groundbreaking book “The World of Jazz Trumpet — A Comprehensive History and Practical Philosophy.”
The Georgia Virtue
The summer before James Brown began his graduate school career at Georgia Southern University, he found himself alongside Waters College of Health Professions Associate Professor Greg Grosicki, Ph.D., in Tahoe City, California, surrounded by more than 40 of the world’s most elite athletes and about half a dozen researchers. Brown, who chose to pursue his master’s degree at the Armstrong Campus in Savannah, was getting a head start on his graduate assistantship. Under the advice of Grosicki, Brown helped collect data for a large-scale research study to see how the gut microbiome changes in athletes during the Western States Ultramarathon, the world’s oldest 100-mile footrace. …Grosicki, who began researching how gut microbiome changes as humans age during his postdoctoral work, saw there was limited research on how exercise might change the gut microbiome.
The Red & Black
UGA Pollinator Project to host annual campus census this week
Ellis Goud
Whether it’s a colorful butterfly or a small honeybee, we see pollinators as a notorious symbol for the springtime. As these insects buzz, flutter and fly across campus, it is important to know just how many there are. To count the population of these critters, the University of Georgia Pollinator Project is hosting the UGA Campus Pollinator Census on April 20-21. Now in its third year, the census collects data that will help to create a healthier community of pollinators on campus. Anyone can participate in the census survey, which can be found on the Office of Sustainability website. The Campus Pollinator Project is a commitment to the protection of pollinators and their habitats. Through UGA’s certification as a Bee Campus, the university strives to conserve native pollinators through planting native plants, providing nest sites and reducing the use of pesticides.
GPB
Fun Ways To Celebrate Earth Day
By: Mary Anne Lane
Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, and is considered the birth of the modern environmental movement. Use these lessons and classroom activities to continue the tradition of promoting environmental awareness on April 22 or any time throughout the school year.
GPB’s Live Explorations
Georgia Pollinators Live Exploration
Grades: 3-8
COMING SOON! On May 9, 2023, at 10 am, join GPB Education for a special live program from the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens. We’re teaming up with the University of Georgia to explore the importance of pollinators, how they impact our daily lives, and ways we can help protect them.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Start your home garden with Farmers’ Almanac’s 5 easiest veggies to grow
By Nancy Clanton
Now that temperatures are rising, it’s time to dig out your tools and play in the dirt. The coronavirus pandemic prompted many people to grow some of their own food, as evidenced by the more than 20 million Instagram posts containing #gardening. If you want to try your hand at cultivating a new hobby, here are the five vegetables Farmers’ Almanac says are the easiest to grow at home.
Lettuce
Lettuce is a cool-season vegetable that can be planted in early spring in Georgia. According to the University of Georgia Extension, lettuce enjoys cool temperatures and can even tolerate a light frost, but extremely cold or hot weather will cause it to perish.
Gwinnett Daily Post
From Staff Reports
A history-making NAIA performance has earned Georgia Gwinnett College sophomore Annalise Wood honors as the Continental Athletic Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week. Wood became the first NAIA pitcher to toss three perfect games in a single season after retiring all 21 batters she faced in last Saturday’s victory at Truett-McConnell University (Georgia). The right hander went 3-0 with three shutouts for the week.
Albany Herald
Albany State tennis earns Player of the Year, Coach of the Year Awards
From staff reports
Natalya Ogunwale of Albany State has been named the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Women’s Tennis Player of the Year and headlines the 2023 All-SIAC Team. Albany State’s head coach Jo Ann Matthews was named 2023 SIAC Coach of the Year. Valerie Essome of Benedict earned this year’s Freshman of the Year honors. The honors, announced Saturday, were determined by votes from the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Tennessee Again Targets ‘Divisive Concepts’
While other Southern states advance legislation targeting what they define as DEI, Tennessee has passed legislation inviting complaints about professors.
By Ryan Quinn
While Texas and Florida have been targeting diversity, equity and inclusion—or at least opponents’ idea of DEI—a third Southern state passed legislation last week doubling down on its past crackdown on “divisive concepts.” The Tennessee General Assembly on Thursday finished passing Senate Bill 817, which now awaits a signature or veto by Governor Bill Lee, a Republican. Last year, the General Assembly passed a law saying public college and university students and employees couldn’t be penalized for not endorsing certain “divisive concepts.”
Higher Ed Dive
Vermont State University pauses controversial digital library plan after president resigns
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
Vermont State University is pausing a controversial plan to shrink its physical libraries after its president, Parwinder Grewal, abruptly stepped down last week — less than three months before the formal launch of the newly configured institution. The public institution announced Grewal’s immediate departure Friday. He spearheaded the project to transform the libraries into an “all-digital format,” a decision that attracted a torrent of criticism from students and faculty. This led to Vermont State, a consolidation of three state public colleges set to formally open July 1, to scale back the plan and say it would still offer print resources.
Higher Ed Dive
New England College to shut down Manchester campus, previously an art institute
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
New England College is shutting down its campus in Manchester, N.H., which was previously the New Hampshire Institute of Art before it merged with the private nonprofit institution in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic weakened participation in arts education nationally, a trend to which New England College was not immune, its president, Wayne Lesperance, said in a statement Friday. This led it to close the Manchester campus, which houses what is known as the college’s Institute of Art and Design. The college plans to move students and faculty from the Manchester branch to the main campus in fall 2023. Students’ financial aid awards and scholarships will not change, the institution said.
Inside Higher Ed
Cal State Undergraduates Push for Union Vote
By Liam Knox
Undergraduate student assistants at the California State University system submitted 4,000 signed union cards to the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) on Monday, hoping to prompt the board to schedule a vote. The students, some of whom are financially independent, say they need higher wages—or more hours—and benefits like paid sick days and holidays in order to make ends meet. System leaders say the students’ hours are limited to 20 a week during the school year to maximize their time focused on academics. If the PERB schedules an election, a simple majority of yes votes is required to establish the union; the next step would be institutional approval, which could be offered voluntarily or sought through a petition with the National Labor Relations Board.
Inside Higher Ed
Duquesne University Police on Strike
By Sara Weissman
Police officers at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh went on strike yesterday after contract negotiations between their union and the university fell through on Sunday. The campus police department, represented by Teamsters Local 249, has been negotiating for nearly eight months in a total of 19 meetings, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
Inside Higher Ed
GWU Students Protest Arming Campus Police
By Johanna Alonso
Around 150 students and community members protested George Washington University’s decision to begin arming campus police officers, marching on Monday afternoon to F Street House, the residence of GWU president Mark S. Wrighton, with signs reading, “We keep us safe” and “Guns ≠ public safety.” Wrighton announced last Thursday that some members of the university’s police force will begin carrying firearms. He cited increasing gun violence at institutions across the country, including recent shootings at Michigan State University, the University of Virginia and the Covenant School, an elementary school in Nashville. He noted that only certain “highly qualified supervisory officers” who have received formal police academy training and specialized firearms training will be armed. In addition to the protest, 20 student organizations signed a statement decrying the announcement and arguing that arming police officers will only lead to increased violence, particularly against students of color.