Atlanta Business Chronicle
Savannah to get new medical school campus
By Rebecca Grapevine – Staff Reporter
Georgia is slated to get a new four-year medical campus in Savannah as soon as next year. The new Medical College of Georgia (MCG) campus will begin accepting students in fall 2024, if the accrediting body for U.S. medical schools approves the plan. MCG, the sole public medical school in Georgia, is headquartered in Augusta. The expansion is aimed at addressing Georgia’s physician shortage. …The state’s Board of Regents, which oversees public colleges and university, this week approved $1.7 million in funding to create a new anatomy lab and complete other renovations at the Armstrong Campus’ health professions building to prepare it for the new medical students. The four-year Savannah campus would join the main MCG campus in Augusta and an additional four-year campus in Athens.
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WRGA News
Atrium Health Floyd, Georgia Highlands College create partnership focused on nursing
A new partnership between Atrium Health Floyd and Georgia Highlands College will increase the number of nursing student positions at the college and grow the number of nurses entering the workforce in northwest Georgia. The multi-year agreement builds on a 50-year history of collaboration between the organizations, said Kurt Stuenkel, president of Atrium Health Floyd. Atrium Health Floyd has provided clinical training programming, scholarships, and career pathways for Georgia Highlands graduates for generations. …“This agreement to provide a clear pathway from GHC’s nursing program to nursing careers in our community is an investment in our region that will benefit northwest Georgia for years to come,” said University System of Georgia Board of Regents member Lowery May. “GHC provides top-notch nursing graduates, and since the nursing program was founded, GHC has added over 3,500 nurses to the workforce.” The nursing program at GHC was established in 1971, and the program celebrated its 50th graduating class in 2022.
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Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College women’s tennis coasts into NAIA Final Four
From Staff Reports
A second straight 4-0 victory has put the No. 2-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College women’s tennis team in the semifinal round of the NAIA Championship tournament at the Mobile Tennis Center. This time the Grizzlies (19-1), the six-time defending national champions, defeated No. 10 seed St. Thomas University (Florida) Thursday afternoon in quarterfinal action.
Victory Sports Network
Gutsy Pitching, Hitting Propels Georgia Gwinnett Baseball to World Series
The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team will be making its sixth Avista NAIA World Series appearance, and the fifth straight trip to Lewiston, Idaho, after defeating Freed-Hardeman University (Tennessee) 7-1 in Thursday’s championship game of the NAIA Opening Round’s Lawrenceville Bracket at the Grizzly Baseball Complex. The top-seeded Grizzlies (50-6; No. 3 NAIA national ranking) are taking a similar pathway to their 2021 tournament run, which culminated in a national championship.
Inside Higher Ed
Colleges Race to Hire and Build Amid AI ‘Gold Rush’
Cue the bulldozers to make room for hordes of new AI faculty. But computer scientists willing to teach are in short supply, and innovation’s trajectory is rarely predictable.
By Susan D’Agostino
OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT in late 2022 launched an artificial intelligence arms race among Google, Microsoft and countless other tech giants and start-ups. That development has since reverberated across higher ed, unleashing a surge of new faculty hires, buildings and institutes—all for AI. … Emory University will hire between 60 and 75 new faculty members, including an endowed chair, for its AI Humanity Initiative. …The National Science Foundation has backed some of the initiatives with $140 million to start seven new national artificial intelligence research institutes at U.S. colleges and universities. …Georgia Tech will lead a statewide AI initiative, backed with $65 million and designed to “train the trainer where they live,” that includes transforming one of its facilities into the Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing Pilot Facility.
Athens CEO
UGA Startup Wins $135,000 Investment at Rice University Entrepreneurship Competition
Merritt Melancon
Valeria Brenner didn’t celebrate with fellow University of Georgia graduates at Undergraduate Commencement last Friday, but her decision to enter the Rice University Business Plan Competition resulted in another reason to celebrate: Winning $135,000 in investment for her business Thryft Ship. The prize money and experience were worth the tradeoff, she said. …Brenner, who earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing and is pursuing a Master of Marketing Research degree at the Terry College, launched Thryft Ship in 2021 after participating in a UGA Entrepreneurship Idea Accelerator.
Times-Georgian
UWG student earns national award for production and set design
By Abby Grizzard SPECIAL TO THE TIMES-GEORGIAN
University of West Georgia theatre student Kian Michael DeVine received national recognition as a finalist for the Kennedy Center of American College Theater in regard to his projection and set design for UWG’s recent production of “Fahrenheit 451.” Kian Michael DeVine appeared on the scene of University of West Georgia’s theatre program in 2020, ultimately leading to his national recognition as a finalist for the Kennedy Center of American College Theater in regard to his projection and set design for UWG’s recent production of “Fahrenheit 451.” DeVine began his personal journey in the world of theatre with UWG, but his love for the art was established far before.
GPB
How a default on U.S. debt could affect Georgians
By: Peter Biello
Predictions for what would happen if the debt ceiling isn’t raised are dire. America’s credit rating would drop. The stock market would lose trillions in value. A recession would spread not just across the U.S., but across the globe. And the government would then have to prioritize which of its bills it would pay, creating what Michael Toma calls “winners and losers.” He’s Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Economics for Georgia Southern University in Savannah. He spoke with GPB’s Peter Biello.
Bionity
Analysis of single plant cells provides insights into natural product biosynthesis
Single-cell multi-omics reveals that cell types are differentially involved in the production and accumulation of medically relevant plant compounds
In a new study published in Nature Chemical Biology, an international team of researchers from the University of Georgia, USA, and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, presents a promising strategy for elucidating metabolic pathways for plant compounds of medicinal importance. The research team studied the biosynthesis of two alkaloids from the plant Catharanthus roseus that are used in human medicine as anti-cancer agents. The genes for the formation of these active substances are expressed in different cell types. By using single-cell analyses, the scientists were able to discover new genes important for biosynthesis and show that the intermediates of the metabolic pathway accumulate in specific cell types. The researchers predict that this methodological approach will provide important new insights into the biosynthesis of many other natural products from the plant kingdom.
WFXG
Couple donates to Augusta University for new sports center
Student-Athletes at Augusta University will soon have a new sports training center. The University says it’s all thanks to a generous donation from a local business owner Alvin Harris and his wife, Yvette. The new building will be named after them and called the Alvin and Yvette Harris Sports Performance Center.
Alvin Harris owns Horizon Motor Coach, a professional charter bus transportation company in Harlem, and his wife, Yvette, is the manager. Mr. Harris is also co-chair of the Augusta University Foundation, and the couple are members of the Augusta University President’s Club. …Fox54 is told the Harris sports center will be equipped with essential fitness machines, free weights, and other tools to help student-athletes boost strength and enhance performance while providing appropriate training and conditioning to help prevent injuries.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Regents must honor commitment to academic freedom in Georgia
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
In a guest column today, Matthew Boedy, an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of North Georgia, praises the Board of Regents for affirming its commitment to academic freedom. Boedy hopes a policy revision by the Regents strengthening that commitment signals that Georgia will not follow Florida down the road of gutting academic freedoms and allowing politics to shape what is taught in its public colleges. Boedy is conference president of the Georgia chapter of the American Association of University Professors, a national organization that represents the interests of college and university faculty members.
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Higher Ed Dive
Former professor sues University of California system over diversity statements in hiring
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
A former University of Toronto psychology professor sued the University of California system Thursday over its use of diversity statements in its hiring process. These statements typically detail job applicants’ commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, and how they have furthered these ideals in their careers. But the ex-professor, J.D. Haltigan, in court documents alleged they are “loyalty oaths,” likening them to the ones that proliferated during the Cold War. A UC spokesperson declined to comment Thursday, saying the system has not yet been served with the lawsuit.
Inside Higher Ed
Default Likely to Negatively Impact Country’s Economy, Higher Ed
Experts and lobbyists warn that the economic consequences of a government default will make it more expensive for colleges to operate and harder for students to afford tuition and for researchers to work.
By Katherine Knott
The United States is heading toward defaulting on its debt—a move that could lead to “economic calamity” unless Congress acts soon, experts and lobbyists warn. Negotiations to avert a default are ongoing. A default would likely have vast implications for the nation’s economy and the ability of the federal government to operate, though it’s unclear what would actually happen. Higher education experts and lobbyists are unsure what a default would mean for colleges and universities and the financial aid that students rely on, but they agree institutions will be affected by the resulting economic turmoil. The immediate and more far-reaching consequences of the default will likely depend on how long it persists.
Higher Ed Dive
Non-elite colleges should consider radical steps to improve their financial future, report says
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
Dive Brief:
Non-elite colleges in the U.S. largely aren’t making big enough moves to become financially stable in the face of declining enrollment, rising costs and wavering government funding, according to a new report from consultancy EY. It recommends college leaders consider radical approaches to improve their finances, including merging with other institutions, investing in digital learning and cutting academic programs that lose money. To create the report, EY worked with Times Higher Education, a British higher ed publication, to analyze the sector’s financial data and interview 11 university leaders in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Although non-elite institutions in all four regions face similar financial challenges, the report pointed out that in the U.S., college mergers and closures accelerated over the last two decades.
Higher Ed Dive
Law school students can take up to half of their credits online after ABA policy change
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
Law school students can now take up to half of their classes online following a recent policy change by the American Bar Association. ABA’s accrediting body voted last week to raise the ceiling on the number of credits students can earn online for their J.D., up from one-third. It also struck down a prohibition on first-year law students taking no more than 10 credit hours remotely.
Higher Ed Dive
Texas bill restricting transgender college athletes nears the governor’s desk
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
Texas lawmakers appear poised to pass a bill that would ban transgender athletes in public colleges from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity, drawing ire from pro-LGBTQ+ organizations.
The Texas House of Representatives signed off on proposed legislation Thursday in a 95-50 vote. It now returns to the Senate for a final vote, and is widely expected to win approval from Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. The measure would also shield whistleblowers who report colleges for potentially violating the law and allow individuals to file civil lawsuits against institutions.
Inside Higher Ed
Professor to Students: ChatGPT Told Me to Fail You
By Susan D’Agostino
“I will not grade this chat Gpt shit,” Jared Mumm, an agricultural sciences and natural resources instructor at Texas A&M University–Commerce, wrote to one of his students this week, according to The Washington Post. Mumm had suspected that this student and others had used ChatGPT, the AI-powered chat bot, in his animal science course. In an email to the students that was reposted and went viral on Reddit, Mumm let the students know that all would all receive an X for “incomplete.” Those deemed guilty of using the AI-powered chat bot would receive a zero. But Mumm’s approach to determining the authenticity of the students’ prose was misguided. He had copied the students’ writing into ChatGPT and asked the bot whether it had written the prose. ChatGPT is not designed to detect AI-generated writing. AI-writing detection tools exist, but they deliver verdicts in probabilities. As such, even high probability scores may not foretell whether an author was sentient. …Since the start of the year, colleges leaders have raced to build and bolster their AI infrastructure and offerings in what some have dubbed an AI “gold rush,” even as they troubleshoot in real time. As faculty members contend with academe’s new ChatGPT-infused reality, many are scrambling to redesign assignments. But understanding how to help students mitigate risks and realize opportunities largely remains a work in progress.
Inside Higher Ed
UC Working Group to Explore Undocumented Student Employment
By Johanna Alonso
The University of California’s Board of Regents has created a working group to explore the possibility of allowing undocumented students to work on campus. “The University is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their immigration status, can pursue and attain a world-class UC education. This should include providing enriching student employment opportunities to all students,” UC’s president, Dr. Michael V. Drake, and board chair, Richard Leib, wrote in a statement on Thursday. “After an in-depth discussion, consistent with the adopted policy statement, the Board of Regents appointed a Regents working group that, by the end of November of this year, will consider relevant issues and develop an implementation plan and a legal strategy. The working group will determine whether, how and when to implement next steps.”
Inside Higher Ed
State Report Blames Leaders for Financial Issues at N.J. City U
A report from the New Jersey state comptroller found that inadequate budget processes and a lack of board oversight led to a fiscal crisis at New Jersey City University.
By Josh Moody
A scathing report from the New Jersey comptroller’s office found that a financial emergency at New Jersey City University was the result of systemwide failures, including deliberate missteps by the former president and a lack of oversight by the institution’s governing board. The report, released Thursday, found that NJCU leadership prepared a budget that “contained an unlawful use of federal COVID-19 relief funds, then failed to disclose that fact for months,” according to a press release from the Office of the State Comptroller. State officials went on to call the actions of senior administrators who provoked the crisis “remarkably irresponsible.” The comptroller’s office also offered recommendations to the embattled public university as it seeks to dig out of its fiscal crisis.
Inside Higher Ed
At Michigan, Getting an A Because Your Instructor’s On Strike
The University of Michigan graduate workers’ strike caused grading issues. Some department chairs have said they plan to give out A’s.
By Ryan Quinn
The University of Michigan graduate student workers’ strike may have been a boon to certain students: some department chairs have said they plan to give out A’s. “Any classes that don’t have grades submitted by noon tomorrow (May 16th) will have to have grades inputted by the department,” Gaurav Desai, chair of the English Language and Literature Department at Ann Arbor, wrote in an email Monday. “We do not have any mechanisms for submitting ‘real’ grades. So any students with outstanding grades will receive an ‘A.’”