The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sonny Perdue’s next test: Supporting Georgia’s public colleges
By Vanessa McCray
In his first year as chancellor, Sonny Perdue has served as the University System of Georgia’s lead salesman. His product? A college degree. After years of growth, the University System, which he’s overseen since his contentious appointment last spring, has lost students at most of its 26 public colleges and universities the last two years. “Many people today say you don’t need a four-year degree. I think that’s a fad that will very quickly change as the economy changes,” Perdue said in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I still think the credentials of a bachelor, four-year degree is the best ticket for the future prosperity of life that we know about.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5 things from the AJC’s interview with Chancellor Sonny Perdue
By Vanessa McCray
Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, has now spent a year on the job. He sat down March 22 with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for a wide-ranging interview. Here are five things from that discussion:
On the fatal UGA crash … On working with faculty …On hiring college presidents …On his relationship with Gov. Brian Kemp …On literacy training
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Gordon State prez to leave, student loan bills advance
By Vanessa McCray
Lawmakers recently passed bills to repay student loans for college nursing instructors and state medical examiners. But they failed to push through similar incentives for police officers. In this edition of AJC On Campus, we’ll give an update on the fate of legislation impacting Georgia colleges and students. We also will fill you in on some big grants awarded to schools and the latest on the presidential positions at two of Georgia’s public colleges.
The Georgia Virtue
Not all are pleased with Georgia’s fiscal 2024 spending plan
Georgia lawmakers passed a fiscal 2024 budget that anticipates more than $32.4 billion in state funds, but not everyone is happy about the spending plan. …According to a Georgia Budget and Policy Institute analysis of the budget, the spending plan fully funds the Quality Basic Education formula for Georgia’s schools. It also allocates $229 million to help school districts pay for a 67% increase in employer contributions for classified employees’ monthly health insurance premiums. However, the University System of Georgia is raising concerns about its budgeted $3.1 billion in state funds, which it says is an “additional” $66 million decrease in state funding, including nearly $11.3 million for Georgia Tech. USG officials say the reduction will impact teaching budgets, staff and students statewide.
WTOC
State budget change means HOPE Scholarship now covers 100% of tuition
By Camille Syed
Free tuition is music to many students’ ears. HOPE scholarship will soon pay 100 percent of public university students’ tuition after the Georgia state budget passed with extra funding. Before, it only covered about 90 percent of tuition. …Georgia Southern Armstrong campus sophomore and current HOPE recipient Gabrielle Harris’s tuition is already 90 percent paid for. But college isn’t cheap. …Harris is juggling a job, classes and extra curriculars. “I’m going to be going to grad school. So right now I’m using my college funds to pay for the difference that HOPE doesn’t make,” Harris said. Thanks to the Georgia state budget, her full tuition will be paid next year. She says it’s setting her up for success and no student loan debt.
13 WMAZ
City of Warner Robins, Middle Georgia State University offer free entrepreneurship classes
The goal: to provide small businesses a place to start and eventually revive the city’s business district.
Author: Caleesha Moore
So you want to build a business? The City of Warner Robins and Middle Georgia State University wants to help you get it off the ground. “Mayor Patrick and myself met with Middle Georgia leadership and just talked about the future vision for the downtown commercial circle area,” Warner Robins director of community and economic development Kate Hogan said. Hogan says that’s when they realized a need and created the three part Warner Robins entrepreneurship series. The goal is to provide small businesses a place to start and eventually revive the city’s business district. Hogan presents part of the course lending expertise on several topics.
Southeast Agent Radio Network
Georgia Cotton Commission Approves ’24 Research
By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Cotton Commission’s approved funding for research conducted for the 2024 season at the University of Georgia speaks volumes about its commitment to the long-term sustainability of cotton in Georgia. Taylor Sills, executive director of the Georgia Cotton Commission, discussed the funding which was approved during its March board meeting. “They decided to allocate $740,609 for 19 research and Extension projects for the University of Georgia (UGA). Some of these projects are focused towards things like variety selection, everyday pest management, monitoring new varieties and new products that come on the market. Some of them are kind of out there, focused on long-term crop breeding program that Dr. Peng Chee has at the University of Georgia,” Sills said.
Emanuel County Live
Writing from the heart: celebrating national encourage a young writer day
by Brittany Hall
Some people are meant to share too much. These people are the creative innovators of our world who risk their intelligence to shift the ideology of generations by simply owning their craft and artistic point of view. These story tellers should be encouraged and appreciated by all because it’s their vivid imaginations that create compositions that ultimately change the world. …21-year-old aspiring young Journalist, Blake Williams, is an old soul who is deeply rooted in life’s simple, nostalgic pleasures, such as those that can only be provided through physical print. …It was during his first years as a college student that he expanded his love for illustration and broadcasting, by propelling himself on a journey that he originally never envisioned but welcomed with open arms. …“After graduating from East Georgia State College with some courses in Education, I transferred to Georgia Southern. …Today, Williams is a journalist for Georgia Southern University’s, George-Anne Media Group where he oversees campus events, crimes, and documents student life through human-interest stories.
AtlantaInno
Georgia Tech’s cyber-physical systems program track tackles the new frontier of cybersecurity
By James Ritchie – Contributor
When you think of cybersecurity, you might think of protecting networks from hackers who want to steal money, personal information or trade secrets. But in an increasingly connected world, attacks can threaten our physical comfort and safety, as well. The rise of smart technology in cars, home appliances, electrical grids and beyond is providing numerous physical targets for cybercriminals to exploit. And the unprecedented vulnerabilities mean there’s high demand for cybersecurity professionals who can address them. …Georgia Tech cybersecurity experts talked about a few of these emerging risks, along with how Georgia Tech’s online master’s program is addressing cybersecurity education needs through its cyber-physical systems track.
GPB
Climate change could affect the baseball season. Experts explain how
By: Sarah Kallis
As Georgians celebrate the start of the Atlanta Braves’ season, weather could change how the game is played. A report from Climate Central found that Major League Baseball cities were about 2.5 degrees warmer in 2020 than they were in 1970. The implications of warmer cities could have implications for player and viewer fatigue, but could also lead to more home runs. “Warmer air tends to be less dense,” said Dr. Marshall Shepard, a University of Georgia professor and climate expert. “So if you have less dense air, there’s less resistance on the ball as it’s traveling in the air.” He said that less dense air could also cause curveballs to curve less.
WGXA
Author Annette Clapsaddle visits MGA for reading “Even As We Breathe”
by Carmen Russell
Author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle is the first published novelist of her tribe and has many more stories to share with the world. The author visited Middle Georgia University’s (MGA) Macon campus for a reading of her 2020 novel, “Even As We Breathe”. A novel, full of suspense, historical fiction, thrill, chills, and suspense for those who seek.
Statesboro Herald
Bulloch Relay for Life set for April 21
From staff reports
The annual Relay for Life of Bulloch County/Georgia Southern University to help raise funds in the battle against cancer is set for Friday, April 21. The 2023 Relay will be held in downtown Statesboro on Main Street.
Athens Banner-Herald
Kirby Smart still bullish on lining up challenging nonconference games with new SEC schedule
Marc Weiszer
The deadline to get 2023 Georgia football season tickets was the end of last month. The big appeal, of course, is to ensure a seat to watch a program that has won the last two national championships and get to spend seven fall Saturdays in what’s considered one of the best settings around. The drawback is a schedule that offers up UT-Martin, Ball State and UAB on the nonconference slate, all in September. The SEC adding Texas and Oklahoma to start play in 2024 and a new schedule format should mean a more appealing home schedule. Coach Kirby Smart said he’s not backing away from his bring ‘em on scheduling philosophy that added a slew of attractive nonconference games to the slate for future years.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia State University to crack down on safety after weekend mayhem
By Vanessa McCray
More cameras and metal plates to deter drag racing are coming to the streets near Georgia State University’s Atlanta campus where stunt driving and shootings took place over the weekend. The university said it also will partner with multiple police agencies this weekend to enforce traffic and criminal violations in the area. The effort includes flying police drones if weather permits to observe vehicle and foot traffic. “We will be monitoring the area extremely closely and have plans to act rapidly if there is an escalation in criminal activity,” its president, M. Brian Blake, said in a Thursday message posted on the school’s website. “We have been meeting with our security teams of off-campus housing providers to ensure we are immediately notified of large gatherings, criminal violations and unruly behavior.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UPDATE: SWAT standoff with barricaded gunman ‘resolved’ in SW Atlanta
By Henri Hollis
An incident involving a barricaded gunman in southwest Atlanta has been resolved, authorities said, but a street remains shut down as investigators work the scene. Officers and a SWAT unit engaged in a standoff with a suspect on Metropolitan Parkway near the Casplan Street intersection Friday morning, according to Atlanta police. They appeared to focus on a white sedan stopped near a car wash. A police spokesman confirmed that the situation had been resolved, but did not say how. …The location is near the entrance to Atlanta Metropolitan State College, but spokeswoman Sheila Tenney said the school’s security had been in touch with police and there was no impact to the campus.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
The Push for a 3-Year Bachelor’s Degree
Representatives from a dozen colleges met at Georgetown University last week to discuss three-year bachelor’s degree pilot programs. Their ambitions are grand, but the future is uncertain.
By Josh Moody
Huddled around a table in the Georgetown University Alumni House, roughly two dozen academics convened last week to address two of the most persistent challenges in higher education: improving student outcomes and lowering the cost of a bachelor’s degree. Their proposed solution is an unconventional one—to create a three-year bachelor’s program equivalent to a four-year college degree. Unlike the other three-year options that exist on the market, their proposal isn’t focused on accelerating bachelor’s degree programs but rather redesigning them to fit within three years. That means cutting off chunks of credits and building a tightly packaged curriculum with all the essentials. While the standard bachelor’s program is 120 credit hours, their proposals require 90 to 100 credits.
Inside Higher Ed
As increased demand continues to burden college counseling centers, some professionals are wondering if students could be better served elsewhere on campus.
By Johanna Alonso
Hannah Nunez’s job at Northern Arizona University requires her to be a few different things at once: an advocate, a compassionate ear, a repository of information about campus resources. As a behavioral health coordinator, part of her role includes screening potential counseling patients. During a roughly 20-minute appointment—either in person or virtually, depending on client preference—students describe the problem they’re facing, and she helps them decide the best course of action, which, she says, isn’t always counseling. “They might mention they’re struggling academically, and that might be a flag for: we’re going to talk to them about tutoring,” she said. Some students seem to be looking for someone to talk to, and those are the students Nunez typically refers to counseling. But before she does, she tries to figure out if they have a problem that can be solved instead by accessing any of the other extensive on-campus resources at NAU.
Higher Ed Dive
Medaille to become part of Trocaire, with both colleges citing enrollment issues
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
Medaille University plans to become part of Trocaire College this summer in a move they say is meant to help both New York institutions weather declines in regional enrollment. The private nonprofit colleges are set to finalize the merger July 31, pending approval from the New York State Education Department, the institutions’ respective accreditors and other regulatory agencies. Medaille’s students should see little change day to day, according to the university’s interim president, Lori Quigley. All Medaille credits will transfer to Trocaire, the cost of attendance will not change, and graduates this spring and summer will receive a Medaille diploma. Beginning in the fall semester, graduates will earn degrees from Trocaire.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
A Rise in Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among African American College Students
A new study led by researchers at Tulane University in New Orleans finds that simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use among college students is on the rise across the country. Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use is defined as using both at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other. The survey includes responses from nearly 56,000 full-time college students ages 18 to 22. The study compared survey data from 2006-2019 when more states were increasingly legalizing marijuana use, including medical marijuana use, which was linked to increases in overall marijuana use among U.S adolescents and young adults.
Higher Ed Dive
Average full-time faculty pay fell 2.4% after inflation, AAUP finds
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Hand with a stack of hundred US dollars bills, close up
Dive Brief:
Average salaries of full-time college faculty fell by 2.4% in the 2022-23 academic year after adjusting for inflation, according to preliminary data by the American Association of University Professors released Thursday. The faculty group found that though average full-time wages jumped by more than 4% in 2022-23 — the greatest single-year increase since 1990-91 — inflation outpaced that growth. Average pay for continuing faculty members, those who were employed in 2021 and continued those jobs into last year, fell by 1.7% after accounting for inflation, according to AAUP. It said it plans to release a more comprehensive report on the economic state of the professoriate in July.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Kara Freeman to Lead the National Association of College and University Business Officers
Kara D. Freeman was appointed president and chief executive officer of the National Association of College and University Business Officers. NACUBO, founded in 1962, is a nonprofit professional organization representing chief administrative and financial officers at more than 1,700 colleges and universities across the country. When she takes office on June 1, Freeman will be the first African American woman to lead the organization. Freeman has been serving as the senior vice president and chief operating officer at the American Council of Education. She has worked there since 2006.
Higher Ed Dive
Education Department proposes regulation that would block explicit bans on transgender athletes
In certain circumstances, however, federally funded schools would be able exclude transgender students from sports matching their gender identity.
Naaz Modan, Senior Reporter
The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday released long-awaited proposed Title IX protections for transgender student athletes. The regulatory plan would prohibit districts and states from categorically banning transgender students’ participation on athletic teams aligning with their gender identities. Doing so would be considered sex discrimination. “Such bans fail to account for differences among students across grade and education levels,” said the Education Department in a Thursday press release. “They also fail to account for different levels of competition — including no-cut teams that let all students participate — and different types of sports.” Instead, the proposed rule provides federally funded schools with criteria and considerations they should take into account when developing athletic team eligibility.
Cybersecurity Dive
IT security leaders still told to keep data breaches quiet, study finds
David Jones, Reporter
Dive Brief:
More than 2 in 5 IT and security professionals in the U.S. and Western Europe have been told to keep a cyber breach confidential, despite knowing the incidents should be disclosed, according to a report released Wednesday from Bitdefender. The disparity in the U.S. is even more stark — 7 in 10 IT and security professionals said they were given the same instructions. The report is based on a survey of 400 IT and security professionals in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Spain and Italy. More than half of the survey respondents said they have experienced a data breach or data leak in the past 12 months. In the U.S., that number rises to three-quarters of respondents.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Alabama A&M Launches Effort to Combat Racial STEM Teacher Gap
Jon Edelman
Experts believe that without a strong STEM workforce, America could lose its position as the world’s preeminent power. However, America is facing a STEM labor shortage, and part of the reason is racial. African Americans are underrepresented in STEM jobs, and Black students leave STEM majors at nearly double the rate of whites. The problem has roots at the K-12 level: while 15% of public school students are Black, only 7% of the STEM teacher population is. On Wednesday, Alabama A&M University, the largest HBCU in the state, launched an effort to tackle the problem: AAMUTeach, a program allowing STEM majors to get a secondary school teaching certification while earning a bachelor’s, without any additional time or cost.
Higher Ed Dive
Ripe for poaching: Will DeSantis’ higher ed policies drive out Florida faculty?
One university provost has already publicly promised to recruit Florida students and professors amid the state’s political strife.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Editor’s note: This story includes homophobic language that could be disturbing to readers.
Last month, as Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, dialed up his legislative crusade to transform the state’s public colleges according to his vision, the provost of another institution — in New York — wrote an essay about it. “Send us your woke, your trans,” read the headline of Donald Hall’s op-ed in the Miami Herald, in which he proclaimed his college, the public Binghamton University, would aggressively recruit and poach Florida students and faculty amid DeSantis’ campaign to wipe out diversity programs and restrict faculty tenure on state campuses.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Educators and Advocates Critique Ohio Anti-DEI Bill
Jon Edelman
In the wave of anti-DEI state legislation that has crested over America this year (29 bills in 17 states), the recently introduced Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act (SB 83) is uniquely comprehensive. “What a Frankenstein’s monster of a bill,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, a free speech organization. “This is the longest and most complex educational gag order I’ve ever seen; it is also one of the two or three most censorious.” SB 83 would ban DEI training and programming for staff and students, as well as diversity statements in hiring and promotion. It restricts what can be taught in the classroom and changes how professors would be evaluated, even after tenure. And it forbids schools from having relationships with Chinese universities and faculty from striking, among other provisions that would re-shape higher ed in the state.