WSB-TV
Father of UGA football player killed in crash seeking $2M from university
By WSBTV.com News Staff
The family of a University of Georgia player killed in a car crash is planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the university. Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy died in a Jan. 15 crash that happened hours after the football program held a back-to-back championship parade in Athens. Recruiting analyst Victoria Bowles and offensive lineman Warren McClendon survived the crash. Athens-Clarke police previously determined in its investigation that racing, reckless driving, speed and alcohol impairment contributed to the crash. …On Tuesday, Channel 2 Action News obtained a copy of ante litem notice dated April 11 that was sent by attorneys representing Devin Willock’s father, Dave Willock, to the Georgia Board of Regents. …By Georgia law, an ante litem notice is required if someone is considering suing the government. …The University System of Georgia said they have received the ante litem notice and declined to comment on pending litigation.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Albany Herald
ASU Blue and Gold Gala raises $190,000 for scholarships
From staff reports
Albany State University, officials say, is built on “a union of work and inspiration” through the collaborative efforts of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners that continue to support the vision of the institution. That union was apparent recently, as ASU raised nearly $190,000 at its annual ASU Foundation Blue and Gold Scholarship Gala.
WGAU Radio
UGA touts latest US News and World Report rankings
By Tim Bryant
Five graduate and professional programs at the University of Georgia earn high ratings from US News and World Report: the magazine, in its latest rankings, gives high marks to UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Education; also the Terry College of Business and the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.
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Gwinnett Daily Post
Grad’s journey takes her from West Africa to Georgia Gwinnett College
From Staff Reports
Of all the students who will walk in Georgia Gwinnett College’s graduation ceremony on May 11, it’s safe to say few have traveled farther than Nana Afia Serwaa Oppong to receive her degree. Oppong grew up in Ghana in West Africa. Her hometown is the small village of Bonwire (pronounced “bon-ray”), where the most popular cloth in Africa, known as “Kente,” originated. According to legend, two brothers from the town learned how to weave the fabric by watching how a spider spun its web.
Albany Herald
Internship aim to strengthen ties between Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
From staff reports
Representatives from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College met recently with Tifton business owners, organization volunteers, and nonprofit directors in an effort to build closer relationships between the college and its external partners. The meeting served as an introduction to internship programs available for students and student engagement programs through housing.
WALB
By Mackenzie Petrie
Signing day is usually a big day for athletes, but Valdosta City Schools has implemented a way to make this day a big day for all of their students. Over 100 seniors, 45 colleges and multiple military service branches made Valdosta High School’s annual College and Military Signing Day on Tuesday one of the largest signing days in school history. …Some of the colleges where students plan to go include Valdosta State University, Mercer, Florida A&M University, University of West Georgia and many more. It’s something UGA Assistant Director Cindy Ganas says should be celebrated.
Barnesville Dispatch
Gordon Hosts First Veteran Student Advocacy Symposium
On Wednesday, April 12th, Gordon State College hosted its first Veteran Student Advocacy Symposium at the Barnesville campus Student Center Highlander Room from 9:00am – 2:30pm with registrants from various Georgia colleges, universities and technical institutes. The Veteran Student Advocacy Symposium was a professional development opportunity organized by GSC Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Inez Jones for faculty, staff and administration to learn more about interacting with, and advocating for veterans and military students. …Participants from GSC, Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Clayton State University, Columbus Technical College, Georgia Highlands College, Georgia Youth Science and Technology, Inc., Gwinnett Technical College, Savannah State University, and Valdosta State University took part in and received a token of completion that certified they were Green Zone trained. Dalton State College Veterans Affairs School Certifying Official (SCO) Katrina Autry was in charge of the in-person training specified for faculty and staff that came in contact with veteran students.
Times-Georgian
Honor role: UWG alumna named outstanding Georgia citizen
By Julie Lineback SPECIAL TO THE TIMES-GEORGIAN
Samantha Fuhrey
While awards are typically given to individuals, a true humble servant knows it takes a village to achieve the outcomes those awards reflect. Few professions exemplify this spirit like educators do, and University of West Georgia alumna Samantha Fuhrey ’00 is no exception. The Newton County School System superintendent — who happens to be the first female lead in the district’s 150 year history — was recently presented with the Outstanding Georgia Citizen award by State Representative Sharon Henderson.
Athens CEO
Georgia Communities Recognized with UGA Resiliency Designation
Staff Report
Two more Georgia counties have earned UGA’s Connected Resilient Community designation after working alongside university experts to complete projects designed to make them more attractive to economic development. Hart and Washington counties were awarded the CRC designation during the 2023 Public Service and Outreach Annual Awards Luncheon, held on Monday at the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.
WGAU Radio
UGA researchers find exoplanet
By Tim Bryant
Scientists at the University of Georgia says they have discovered an exoplanet, a planet outside our solar system. The discovery was made by astronomers in the physics and astronomy department in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
From Alan Flurry, UGA Media Relations…
A University of Georgia research team has confirmed evidence of a previously unknown planet outside of our solar system, and they used machine learning tools to detect it.
The Citizens
Master Gardener program celebrates 50 years of cultivating green thumbs
By Paul F. Brown UGA/CAES
What began decades ago as an experiment in horticultural education is still going strong — and celebrating 50 years of public service. Offered through local extension offices all across the country, the national Extension Master Gardener program brings together local gardeners with a passion for educating others and land-grant universities to help spread the most up-to-date research and information on gardening and horticulture. Through University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and similar programs at other universities, Master Gardeners help educate the public by answering questions during office hours, leading demonstration gardens, giving presentations and serving in numerous other ways.
WALB
UGA professor studies wild pig populations and their impact on crop destruction
By Jim Wallace
A University of Georgia professor is currently studying wild pig populations to learn more about them and how to reduce their agriculture and environmental destruction. WALB’s Jim Wallace sat down with him to learn more. Jim Beasley is a University of Georgia professor of forestry and natural resources who has a very interesting study into wild pigs, their socialization, and what’s going on with them. We know that’s a big problem in South Georgia with these pigs and hogs terrorizing farmers down here. What have you been able to find out in your studies so far, Jim?
The Takeout
Bad news for farmers market devotees: Mother Nature has wreaked havoc on this year’s crop.
By Micheline Maynard
…Last year, it brought Southern peaches, primarily from Georgia, to more than 900 locations around the country, transported on six semi-tractor trailers. Customers who can’t pick up their peach boxes in person can sign up to have boxes delivered, and the company also offers subscriptions that ensure fresh peaches throughout the summer. But this year, the Peach Truck and its network of Southern growers are facing a crisis. In a series of emails to customers, owners Jessica and Stephen Rose warned that there will be vastly fewer peaches this year—perhaps a 60% smaller crop—because of Mother Nature. …Blame the weather
Stephen Rose explained to The Takeout that peach growers have been afflicted by two sets of weather events. First, this past winter was warmer than usual, disrupting the dormancy period when peach trees regenerate. By February, peach expert Dario Chavez at the University of Georgia estimated that the state’s peach crop had received 100 t0 140 fewer chill hours compared with last season. Things actually were fine until January, “but then suddenly, our chill was gone” when temperatures warmed up, Chavez wrote on his peach blog.
Rome News-Tribune
Painting, insecticide can provide relief from carpenter bees
By Gibson Priest ANR/4-H Agent
It is often found flying around the eaves of homes, and boring holes in wood. This insect is commonly called a carpenter bee. The carpenter bee becomes destructive by tunneling into solid wood of poles, fences, and buildings. The tunnels may extend to a depth of a foot or more and are divided into cells by partitions made of sawdust or plant fragments cemented together by their saliva. The food for the young is primarily pollen. These bees, which can sting, are a nuisance for about six weeks during April and May. These bees are considered pollinators. Indications are that wood surfaces painted with oil base paints are not attacked. …For more information and details on upcoming events, check out the Polk County Extension office on Facebook by searching “UGA Extension Polk County.”
The Advance News
Center For Rural Entrepreneurship
The Greater Vidalia Chamber and Toombs County Development Authority, kicked off the 2023 Vidalia Onion Festival week by breaking ground on the regional business incubator facility on Monday, April 17. According to Toombs County Development Authority Executive Director and Greater Vidalia Chamber President Michele Johnson, the Center For Rural Entrepreneurship is a project that has been in the works for the past five years. …John Koon began the groundbreaking ceremony by sharing the purpose and history of the project. “This project is unique in that it is completely rural community driven. The concept was developed and based on the findings of work facilitated by the community advisory council, which was formed for that purpose, as well as the comprehensive market feasibility study and economic impact study – both which were developed by the Center for Business Analysis and Economic Research, a member of the business innovation group at the partner college, Georgia Southern University,” he told the crowd.
USA Archery
JOIN WORLD CUP MEDALISTS AT THE COLLEGIATE TARGET NATIONALS
World record holder Sawyer Sullivan and World Cup Stage 1 gold medalists Madison Cox and Casey Kaufhold are among hundreds of the nation’s top student-athletes set to compete in the Collegiate Target Nationals at Georgia Southern University from May 18-21.
Savannah CEO
TEDxSavannah to Host 12th Annual Event
Staff Report
TEDxSavannah will host its highly anticipated 12th Annual TEDxSavannah event on Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Fine Arts Auditorium at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus, located at 11935 Abercorn St. Highlights will include thought-provoking talks by 15 local speakers as well as high-energy live performances throughout the afternoon. All ticket holders are welcome to attend a complimentary After Party at the Armstrong Center, featuring food trucks and live music, immediately following the main TEDxSavannah event.
The Oconee Enterprise
The Golden Age Of Broadway Comes Alive At The UGA Performing Arts Center
Staff Reports
The life and music of legendary lyricist, librettist, and theatrical producer Oscar Hammerstein II take center stage in The Hammersteins: A Musical Theatre Family, an intimate retrospective at Hodgson Concert Hall Friday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. …Buying Tickets is Easy
Securing tickets for UGA Presents performances couldn’t be easier.
Athens Banner-Herald
Georgia football again has deep NFL draft class that could make another mark early
Marc Weiszer
A year after setting an NFL seven-round draft record with 15 selections, Georgia football could see a program record three top 20 overall picks. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter, outside linebacker Nolan Smith and offensive tackle Broderick Jones all are projected to go in that territory by most analysts, but how it all unfolds on Thursday night when the opening round is held can be unpredictable. Only twice before has Georgia had at least three first-round draft picks. In 2018 , linebacker Roquan Smith went No. 8, offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn No. 23 and running back Sony Michel No. 31.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Federal judge throws out Florida faculty’s challenge to ‘viewpoint diversity’ surveys
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
A federal judge in Florida last week dismissed a lawsuit seeking to strike down a state law that requires public colleges to administer an “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” survey to students, faculty and staff. United Faculty of Florida, a union representing thousands of public college educators, along with other individual professors, argued the law, passed in 2021, restricted First and Fourteenth Amendment rights and treaded on student and employee privacy. But U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in his April 17 ruling that because the survey is optional and anonymous, reasonable people would not self-censor.
Inside Higher Ed
Education Department Inks New Contracts With Loan Servicers
By Katherine Knott
The Office of Federal Student Aid awarded new contracts to five loan servicers—a key milestone in the Education Department’s years-long effort to modernize its student loan system. The department is planning to launch the first phase of the modernization next year. The overhaul would eventually centralize the student loan servicing system through one website.
Higher Ed Dive
College Board to make more changes in African American Studies course
The additional changes come after a months-long controversy over previous changes made amid state laws restricting curriculum around race and ethnicity.
Naaz Modan, Senior Reporter
The College Board will once again alter its AP African American Studies course, after a months-long controversy over previous changes it made amid the spread of state laws restricting curriculum around race and ethnicity. “In embarking on this effort, access was our driving principle — both access to a discipline that has not been widely available to high school students, and access for as many of those students as possible,” the organization said in a statement announcing the decision Monday. “Regrettably, along the way those dual access goals have come into conflict.”
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Cybersecurity Dive
More than 2K organizations at risk of major attacks linked to SLP vulnerability
David Jones, Reporter
Dive Brief:
A high-severity vulnerability in a legacy internet protocol could lead to massive denial-of-service amplification attacks around the world at more than 2,000 organizations, researchers from BitSight and Curesec said Tuesday. Researchers have identified more than 54,000 instances of the service location protocol vulnerability, involving more than 670 different products, including VMware ESXi hypervisor, Konica Minolta printers, Planex Routers, IBM Integrated Management Module and other products that attackers could leverage to launch these attacks. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has reached out to affected vendors following coordinated disclosures from the researchers, according to BitSight.
Inside Higher Ed
Grading Amid a Grad Workers’ Strike
University of Michigan graduate student instructors and staff assistants have been striking for almost a month. Now, the institution is trying to grade without them.
By Ryan Quinn
The graduate student workers’ strike at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor is nearing its one-month mark and the end of the spring semester—impacting grading in the last week of final exams. “We see this as a big point of our leverage,” said Amir Fleischmann, a Ph.D. candidate and a graduate student instructor who chairs the graduate workers’ union contract committee. …“The university needs to put in those grades, and we do not think they’re going to be able to do it without us,” Fleischmann said. The major undergraduate student graduation ceremonies are Saturday, university spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said. “We’ve made it clear to the students this year that even if there are even further delays for some reason in grades, it won’t affect their ability to participate in commencement,” he said. “You know, this is not anything that’s within their control.”
Inside Higher Ed
‘We’re Not Slowing Down,’ Student Workers Say
Undergraduate workers are winning collective bargaining rights, making student unions increasingly common. They’re driven by the pandemic, pro-union sentiment and each other.
By Liam Knox
Campus labor activism and union organizing have exploded in recent years, engaging everyone from graduate students and adjunct faculty to academic department staffers and librarians. In the past few months, bold strikes at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the University of California system won significant gains for workers; at Temple University, a pitched battle between the graduate student union and university administration helped lead to the president’s resignation. Now another group of campus workers is ramping up their union activity: undergraduates. In the past three years, the number of recognized undergraduate unions went from one—the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s 20-year-old union of Resident Assistants and Peer Mentors—to over a dozen. …About a dozen more campaigns are currently underway.
Cybersecurity Dive
IT managers uneasy with snooping software: report
Roberto Torres, Editor
Dive Brief:
IT leaders are wary about deploying surveillance tech and would even help coworkers find workarounds, a survey from software company 1E. Nearly three-quarters of IT managers said they would not feel comfortable instructing their staff to install surveillance technology, especially if the company is not being fully transparent, the survey found. The study, conducted by Wakefield Research, surveyed 1,000 IT managers and workers in the U.S. Higher levels of workforce attrition correlated with surveillance tool use, some IT managers found. More than 1 in 4 managers noticed an uptick in employees quitting and difficulty hiring new employees when surveillance tools were in use.
Cybersecurity Dive
Teenagers, young adults pose prevalent cyberthreat to US, Mandiant says
The brains behind high-profile attacks last year, teenagers and young adults use sophisticated social engineering techniques for intrusions.
Matt Kapko, Reporter
A group of teenagers and individuals in their 20s from the U.S. and United Kingdom are among the most prevalent threat actors today, Mandiant Consulting CTO Charles Carmakal said Monday at an off-site media briefing during the RSA Conference. This congregation of malicious actors typically speak English as their first language and are incredibly effective social engineers, Carmakal said. Teenagers and young adults were responsible for some of the most high-profile attacks during the last year, including intrusions at Twilio, Uber, and Okta. The attack against Twilio led to at least 163 downstream victims, magnifying the potential damage caused by these sophisticated phishing attacks.
Federal News Network
Commentary
Cybersecurity teams should be taking a military approach to winning the invisible cyber war
William “Hutch” Hutchison
Globally, we are in an undeclared cyber war. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the first hybrid war, incorporating espionage, cyberattacks and internet-based disinformation alongside the more traditional military onslaught. The Ukraine ministry says it is facing constant attacks against its government and private infrastructure networks. However, the cybersphere has no borders, and Russia’s cyber offensive is also spilling out into NATO countries, with US infrastructure being the most attractive target of all. …With no tanks rolling down American streets, the majority of the population is lulled into a false sense of security. However, security teams tasked with protecting government and business networks need to see beyond this illusion of peace and tranquility and bring a warfare response to combat bad actors. If there are any weaknesses in their defences, they will be discovered and exploited by the cybercriminals probing day and night for a weak point in their armor. Security teams at businesses and critical national infrastructure organizations should be training like the U.S. military. That is, they should train as they fight and train to failure, because they are on the front line.