Savannah CEO
University System of Georgia CFO Tracey Cook Receives National SHEEO Leadership Award
Georgia (USG) Chief Fiscal Officer Tracey Cook has been named the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) David L. Wright Memorial Award winner, in recognition of her leadership and support of USG institutions and students. The award is the highest national honor given to an agency staff member by SHEEO, an organization that serves the executives of statewide governing, policy and coordinating boards of postsecondary education and their staffs. SHEEO made the announcement Tuesday evening as it unveiled its 2023 Excellence Awards recipients.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Student loan relief, Morehouse hires, UGA fundraising soars
By Vanessa McCray
A roundup of news and happenings from Georgia colleges and universities
Tens of thousands of Georgians who have been repaying their student loans for years will receive debt relief, despite the defeat of President Joe Biden’s sprawling student loan forgiveness plan. In this edition of AJC on Campus, we tell you about a new study that examines how student loan debt may impact borrowers’ mental health, a new hire at Morehouse College and the philanthropic support that’s flowing to the University of Georgia. …The new study, whose lead author is from the University of Georgia, examined loan-related posts published on Twitter and Reddit between 2009 and 2020. It found student loan debt may worsen mental health issues. …The University System of Georgia’s chief fiscal officer won a big honor from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. Tracey Cook received the David L. Wright Memorial Award from the organization. The award is given to a staff member of a statewide higher education agency who makes outstanding contributions and displays integrity, work ethic and commitment. …The University of Georgia reported $242.8 million in private gifts for the fiscal year that ended in June, the second-highest tally in the school’s history. …Georgia State University will introduce two graduate certificate programs this fall. …Researchers at Georgia State University will examine the academic impacts of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. …Georgia College & State University will receive $2.6 million over four years to train rural health providers.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s Brian Harman runs away with British Open
By Staff and wire reports
Fellow Bulldog Sepp Straka finishes tied for second
Brian Harman turned back every challenge in the British Open, from big names to bad weather, and took his place among major champions Sunday with a victory that was never seriously in doubt at Royal Liverpool. Harman, who played college golf at Georgia, twice responded to a rare bogey with back-to-back birdies, leaving everyone else playing for second. He closed with a 1-under 70, making an 8-foot par putt on the last hole for a six-shot victory. At age 36, he is the oldest first-time major winner since Sergio Garcia was 37 when he won the Masters in 2017. …Fellow Georgia Bulldog Strepp Straka (69) finished tied for second with Masters champion Jon Rahm, who birdied his last hole for a 70 to make it a four-way tie, Tom Kim (67) and Jason Day (69) at 7 under.
See also:
The Georgia Virtue
Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Health Logistics and Analytics (IHLA) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) have once again joined forces to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in confinement facilities across the state. DPH has awarded the IHLA a contract worth $10 million to complete a second year of work. “Throughout the pandemic, COVID-19 was a significant cause of illness and death among confinement facility residents and employees,” said Jessica Schwind, Ph.D., director of IHLA. “SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is still circulating and we need to continue to support these facilities in reducing viral transmission.” With the funding, the IHLA assists with the purchase and coordination of allowable COVID-19 mitigation items for enrolled facilities across the state of Georgia. The focus in year two of the project is to improve air quality and offer a seamless process for confinement facilities. Recipients do not incur any direct costs and the paperwork and the procurement process is handled entirely by Georgia Southern.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Athens mansion that serves as UGA president’s home to be sold
By Vanessa McCray
A prime piece of historic real estate in Athens will soon be available for purchase. The University System of Georgia plans to sell the mansion that serves as the presidential house for the state’s flagship university. The University of Georgia announced Thursday that the white columned, Greek revival home at 570 Prince Avenue will be sold because of the growing cost to maintain the sprawling house that sits on nearly five acres.
The Washington Post
Opinion AJC report on University of Georgia football program is a big fumble
By Erik Wemple
Media critic
The University of Georgia sent a nine-page letter to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) last week seeking a retraction of the paper’s June 27 investigative report, “UGA football program rallies when players accused of abusing women.” News organizations occasionally receive demands for retractions, which often amount to little more than a PR stunt designed to placate supporters. This, however, was something different. “Upon review, we discovered parts of the story did not meet our standards, and for that we apologize,” the AJC said in a statement issued Wednesday. It published a story announcing corrections, changed the original piece and fired the reporter who wrote it. There was no retraction, but there might as well have been — such was the gap between what the story had promised and what it delivered. The episode affirms that a rule of grade-school mathematics applies to journalism: Show your work.
WGAU Radio
UNG to offer new online communication degree options
By Tim Bryant
The University of North Georgia will offer two new online communication degree options for the UNG fall semester that begins August 21.
From Agnes Hina, UNG…
Starting this fall, University of North Georgia students will be able to pursue communication degrees with concentrations in organizational leadership and public relations through the School of Communication, Film & Theatre’s first two fully online communications degree programs. The option provides students more flexibility in their courses.
The Moultrie Observer
ABAC’s Ag Education and Communication Department named best in Georgia
Staff Reports
The Agricultural Education and Communication Department at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College recently added more awards to its already crowded collection. Earlier this month, the department was named the Outstanding Post Secondary Agriculture Program by Georgia Vocation Agriculture Teachers Association (GVATA). The award recognizes the efforts that the department has had in addressing the agriculture teacher shortage, their preparation of highly skilled graduates, and quick starter agriculture teachers, according to a press release from the college. … This marks the fifth year that graduates are also certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). To date, ABAC Ag Ed has prepared over 150 new teachers now working in the public schools, ABAC said. In May, ABAC Ag Ed graduated its largest cohort class of future agriculture teachers with 44 graduates.
Augusta CEO
Augusta University’s VolunTeen and VolunJag Programs Open the Door to Health Care Careers
More than 40 high school and college students joined the Augusta University and AU Health community this summer to participate in the Summer VolunTeen and VolunJag programs, designed to give students the chance to serve side-by-side with medical professionals and gain a deeper understanding of the health system. “We like to give our departments dedicated individuals we know can aid in their mission to improve the lives of patients and guests each day,” said Shayna Crawford, volunteer engagement coordinator for the Office of Volunteer Services & Community Engagement. “This is why we make sure the students we select are not only passionate about the field of health care but serving their communities as well.”
Albany Herald
Businesses can benefit from UGA ‘Digital Marketing Boot Camp’
From staff reports
Businesses that need help telling their story can get valuable inside information at the Digital Marketing Boot Camp presented by the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center on Aug. 16 from 9 a.m.-noon at the 125 Pine Ave. Candy Room. The event is being sponsored by the Albany-Dougherty County Economic Development Commission and the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce. The “boot camp” covers the fundamentals businesses need to tell their stories, connect with online audiences, map customers’ journeys and master social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Participants also will learn how to design a website that is optimized for search engines and local audiences, along with other key strategies to build a more powerful online presence.
The Georgia Virtue
Kiwanis Club of Statesboro Donates to Georgia Southern PD
The Kiwanis Club of Statesboro recently provided a donation to the Georgia Southern Department of Public Safety. Chief George Sterling, United States Marshals Service (ret.) presented Deputy Chief Clay Gracen with a check in the amount of $1,100 during their weekly meeting. These funds will be used toward crime prevention projects to help enhance the safety of all students, staff, and visitors of Georgia Southern University.
WSAV
SNAP changes could impact college students at risk of hunger
by: Tyler Carmona
The SNAP food stamps program will be returning to its pre-pandemic era rules — which didn’t allow college students to qualify for benefits unless they received an exemption. During the pandemic, the USDA relaxed snap eligibility requirements which allowed students with no financial support to be added to the program. As a result of this, researchers estimate as many as 3 million students received benefits. This served as a viable manner of preventing hunger among college students. …According to the USDA, if you are enrolled in school at least half-time, you are not eligible for snap benefits unless you meet specialized criteria. While these benefits are going away, most colleges do have a food bank available, we’ve provided a few nearby ones. The Captain’s Cupboard Pantry is located at Georgia Southern’s Armstrong Campus in the student success complex. At the University Of Georgia, the Tate Student Center has a free food pantry. There is also a food pantry at Savannah State University.
Medscape
Rural Healthcare Disparities Are Greatest in US: Study
Ken Terry
There are more healthcare disparities between rural and urban residents of the United States than between rural and urban residents of 10 other developed countries, according to a new study published July 7 in JAMA Network Open. Using data collected by the Commonwealth Fund for its 2020 survey of 11 advanced nations, the researchers analyzed the information for differences between the rural and urban participants in each country, looking at 10 indicators in three domains: health status and socioeconomic risk factors, affordability of care, and access to care. …The authors of the study said that the results were partly related to the fact that the US is the only one of the 11 countries that doesn’t have a national health system. The other nations included Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. In an interview with Medscape, lead author Neil MacKinnon, PhD, a professor at the Medical College of Georgia, elaborated on this thesis: “If you have a single-payer system, there’s more consistency across geography,” he said. “In the US, because its system is so different from that of the other countries, there are bigger differences [between rural and urban healthcare] because of payer mix and so forth.”
Study Finds
Onion shortage averted? Researchers find clues to protect beloved Vidalia crops
by StudyFinds Research
What would the world be like without sweet, Vidalia onions? Hopefully, we will never find out. The renowned Georgia onions are facing a grave threat from the bacterial pathogen Pantoea ananatis. This destructive pathogen causes severe rotting of onion bulbs and leaves, resulting in significant losses for Georgia’s onion growers. With no disease-resistant cultivars available, the situation is critical for the state’s onion industry. However, new genetic research many keep the crops from disappearing. The culprits behind this devastation are the 11 genes within the HiVir cluster, responsible for producing the plant toxin pantaphos. However, the exact role of most genes in the cluster remains unknown, leaving much to be discovered about the infection process. In a determined effort to combat this agricultural crisis, Dr. Brian Kvikto and Dr. Bhabesh Dutta from the University of Georgia have spearheaded an intensive research program.
Air Quality News
North America wildfire smoke as bad as ‘secondhand smoke in bars’
As air quality in North America suffers again due to Canadian wildfire smoke, discussion is taking place about how dangerous this smoke actually is. Particulate matter has become part of everyday conversation in the US this Summer but those conversations have tended to focus on the amount of the pollution, rather than focusing on what it actually is. …Health reporter Stephanie Stahl asked him: ‘If trees are burning in these wildfires how is that more toxic than emissions from cars?’ To which Jose replied: ‘That initial smoke reacts with the air, reacts with the sun, leading to a change in the chemical composition.’ …Jose Laurent’s comment about the smoke reacting with the sun is supported by research conducted by the University of Georgia last year. The team from Georgia, led by Associate Professor Rawad Saleh, knew that as smoke rises into the atmosphere, its chemical make-up is altered by exposure to the sun but set out to discover how much.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Thermostat strategy can help keep you cool as temperatures soar
Avoid overloading A/C; small increments add to your energy savings
By Allyson Chiu Washington Post
If you’re seeking relief from the scorching summer heat, resist the urge to dramatically turn down your thermostat. “Definitely don’t do that,” said Jennifer Amann, senior fellow in the buildings program at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit group. “It’s not going to really cool your home any faster.” …One study conducted on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens in summer 2014 found people reported feeling comfortable in indoor temperatures anywhere between 71 and 77 degrees. “If a person was in their house and they’re going to be there all the time, they could maybe turn up to 76 or 77 or so,” said Thomas Lawrence, a professor of practice emeritus at the University of Georgia who co-wrote the peer-reviewed paper. The study’s results suggest “most people will be fine with that.” “People should realize that if it’s really hot outside, having it at 77, 78, or even more, on the inside for a little while still feels good,” he said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How Marjorie Taylor Greene became President Biden’s ‘unintentional’ ally
By Greg Bluestein
President Joe Biden is hardly saying anything about Donald Trump’s growing legal troubles. But he has increasingly relied on another polarizing Republican to help his case for reelection: Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The president has repeatedly invoked Greene as a personification of Trump’s hard-line MAGA loyalists. He’s taken jabs at her at prime-time events and promised a visit to her northwest Georgia district later this year. …“Winning swing states and swing districts requires winning over moderate swing voters,” said Nathan Price, a University of North Georgia political scientist. “Biden’s team is betting that Marjorie Taylor Greene is out of touch with the median voter in the states and districts that are going to determine which party wins Congress and the presidency next year,” Price added.
BVM Sports
Georgia Southern Rifle Launches 10X Club
Georgia Southern head rifle coach Soren Butler announced Friday the launching of the 10X Club, a rewards-based giving society designed to benefit the Eagle rifle program and its student-athletes. “We’re really excited to announce our new rifle-specific giving opportunity to our Georgia Southern family,” Butler said.
BVM Sports
Georgia Southern Football Players Recognized on HERO Sports’ Group of Five All-America Teams
Key points:
Georgia Southern’s Khaleb Hood, Khalil Crowder, and Marques Watson-Trent have been named to HERO Sports’ Group of Five All-America Teams
Hood earned second-team honors, while Crowder and Watson-Trent were named to the third team
The Eagles will open the 2023 season at home on Sept. 3 against The Citadel
Three Georgia Southern football players have been named to HERO Sports’ Group of Five All-America Teams. Khaleb Hood, Khalil Crowder, and Marques Watson-Trent earned honors, showcasing the talent of the Georgia Southern Eagles.
Savannah Morning News
Election 2023: Four candidates qualify for special election to Chatham Commission seat
Adam Van Brimmer
Four candidates will vye for a Chatham Commission seat left vacant by the death of Larry “Gator” Rivers. The qualifying period for the Sept. 19 special election to fill the District 2 post closed Thursday. Rivers’ widow, Jean Rivers, is serving as commissioner in the interim. Gator Rivers died of cancer in April. Three Democrats and one Republican will compete to finish out Rivers’ term, which expires in 2024. The candidates include three-term Elections Board Member Malinda Hodge and 2020 Chatham Commission candidate Michael J. Hamilton, Sr. The other challengers are Ni’Aisha Banks and David Tootle. …Here are brief bios on the candidates. Ni’Aisha Banks, Banks is working, single mother and a full-time student at Georgia Southern University. … Malinda Hodge is the lone candidate in the field who has served as an elected official. …Hodge is a Savannah native and a Savannah State graduate. She works at Savannah State in an administrative position.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2 arrested, 1 injured in shooting on University of Georgia campus
By Caroline Silva
Two people were taken into custody after a man was found shot at the University of Georgia campus early Saturday morning, school officials confirmed. His injuries were non-life threatening. The shooting, which happened in the area of Jackson and Fulton streets, spurred a chain of alerts from the university to students and staff on campus urging them to stay away from the active scene. At around 2:15 a.m. UGA police officers heard what they believed were gunshots near the undergraduate admissions building, university spokesman Rod Guajardo said.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Why are HBCU presidential departures surging?
Since 2022, more than 20 HBCU leadership spots have become available due to retirements, resignations or involuntary resignations, one expert said.
By Danielle McLean
Presidential turnover at historically Black colleges and universities surged in 2023 — with institutional leaders leaving by way of resignation, early retirement or apparent termination at small and large HBCUs alike. The issue is not necessarily unique among HBCUs, as tenures of college presidencies across higher education have been shortened in recent years, Felecia Commodore, a professor at Old Dominion University with expertise in HBCU leadership, governance and administrative practices, said in an email. Nonetheless, the numbers at HBCUs have been staggering.
Cybersecurity Dive
Microsoft attackers may have data access beyond Outlook, researchers warn
Microsoft is pushing back on claims by Wiz that compromised private encryption keys may have exposed SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive data to an APT actor.
David Jones, Reporter
Dive Brief:
The China-linked threat actors behind the theft of U.S. State Department and other Microsoft customer emails may have gained access to applications beyond Exchange Online and Outlook.com, according to a report released Friday by Wiz. Researchers said the compromised private encryption key may have allowed the hackers to forge access tokens for multiple types of Azure Active Directory applications, including SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive. “Many of the claims made in this blog are speculative and not evidence based,” a spokesperson for Microsoft said via email. “We recommend that customers review our blogs, specifically our Microsoft Threat Intelligence blog, to learn more about this incident and investigate their own environments using the indicators of compromise we’ve made public.”
Cybersecurity Dive
White House secures safety commitments from 7 AI companies
OpenAI, Microsoft and Google are among the companies committing to robust testing and investments in cybersecurity safeguards to defend AI models prior to release.
Lindsey Wilkinson, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
Seven leading AI companies have committed to building secure systems and increasing transparency regarding model behavior, The White House announced Friday. Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and ML startup Inflection pledged to submit their systems to testing by independent experts, The White House said. The group of companies will also invest in cybersecurity and insider threat safeguards, prioritize research on AI’s societal risks and publicly report AI systems’ capabilities and limitations. The Biden-Harris Administration said it is drafting an executive order and will pursue legislation to promote responsible innovation.
Inside Higher Ed
Bridge Programs Over Troubled Water
Precollege programs can help boost access for students from underrepresented communities. The Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling could force colleges to rethink them.
By Liam Knox
Rice University president Reginald DesRoches launched his career as a civil engineer–turned–higher ed administrator back in the early 1980s, when he joined a summer bridge program for students from underrepresented backgrounds before his freshman year at the University of California, Berkeley. The program was made up of about 90 percent students of color, he said, and it helped him feel more at home in Berkeley’s largely white engineering program. He even replicated it decades later with the Rice Emerging Scholars Program, which he said has a similar demographic makeup to the old Berkeley one. …Those initiatives, like many race-conscious efforts to boost equity and access in higher education, have come under increased scrutiny since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in admissions last month.
Inside Higher Ed
End Admissions Preferences for Athletes
Admissions preferences for athletes favor wealthy, white families and corrupt youth sport, Rick Eckstein and Linda Flanagan write.
By Rick Eckstein and Linda Flanagan
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning affirmative action, editorial boards, policy makers and pundits have presented their own ideas on how to preserve college student diversity. Abolish early decision. End the advantages for the kin of big donors. Further de-emphasize standardized tests. Within days of the ruling, a civil rights organization sued Harvard to force it to stop favoring the children of alumni. But almost completely absent from the discussion is the most significant beneficiary of preferential college admissions: recruited athletes. The advantages are irrefutable: data presented in the Students for Fair Admissions case show that athlete admissions advantages dwarf those offered to legacies and traditionally underrepresented groups. According to a recent study in the Journal of Labor Economics, the admission rate for recruited Harvard athletes is more than twice the rate for legacies. In addition, reinforcing research from the early 2000s, Harvard’s recruited athletes have lower academic credentials than nonathlete admits.
Inside Higher Ed
State Appeals Court Upholds U of Michigan’s Ban on Weapons
By Scott Jaschik
A state appeals court has unanimously ruled that the University of Michigan is within its rights to ban weapons on campus, The Detroit Free Press reported. In the judges’ opinion, it “is constitutionally permissible because laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places are consistent with the Second Amendment.”
Cybersecurity Dive
JumpCloud cyberattack hits up to 5 customers, 10 devices
Security researchers attributed the highly targeted attack to a cryptocurrency-seeking APT actor linked to the North Korean government.
Matt Kapko, Reporter
Dive Brief:
JumpCloud confirmed the impact of a cyberattack last month was limited to a handful of its customers, the company said Thursday in a security incident update. “Fewer than five JumpCloud customers were impacted and fewer than 10 devices total were impacted, out of more than 200,000 organizations who rely on the JumpCloud platform for a variety of identity, access, security and management functions,” CISO Bob Phan said in the incident report. The identity and access management provider directly notified all impacted customers, Phan said. JumpCloud declined to identify the organizations impacted or say what, if any, data was stolen.