WGAU Radio
New UNG president sets dates, locations for listening tour
By Tim Bryant
Michael Shannon, new president of the University of North Georgia, says his month-long listening tour will kick off next Tuesday at the UNG campus in Dahlonega., and will extend through August 30, wrapping up on the North Georgia campus in Blue Ridge. Shannon, a former Georgia Tech administrator, is serving his first year as UNG president, taking over for the now-retired Bonita Jacobs.
From UNG…
University of North Georgia President Michael Shannon has initiated a 45-day Listening Tour to learn more about UNG and the university’s priorities and opportunities. The Listening Tour includes a wide variety of campus meetings and community events as UNG prepares for the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, as well as the following one-hour meetings scheduled for August.
The Union-Recorder
GCSU student travels to Costa Rica to Work with sloths
Special to The U-R
This summer, Amelia Pound, 21, of Savannah, Ga. spent two weeks in Costa Rica helping animals, discovering Costa Rican culture, and learning hands-on what it’s like to be a veterinarian. Traveling with study-abroad organization Loop Abroad, Pound was selected as part of a small team that volunteered to care for sloths, kinkajous, monkeys, parrots and other animals in the Costa Rican rainforest. The Loop Abroad Pre-Veterinary Wildlife Medicine program brings students to Costa Rica for two weeks to volunteer alongside veterinarians from the U.S. and Costa Rica. For two weeks, Pound and her team volunteered at the Costa Rica Rescue Center Research. They created enrichments for monkeys and performed veterinary labs, such as necropsies. Pound helped to feed and care for primates, as well as learn about their diagnoses alongside an experienced vet.
Clayton News-Daily
Clayton County Public Schools receiving more than 4,000 air purifiers
From staff reports
Clayton County Public Schools is receiving more than 4,000 air purifiers for the 2023-24 school year through a partnership with Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Health Logistics & Analytics. It’s part of a $15.7 million contract between Georgia Southern and the Georgia Department of Public Health to manage COVID-19 mitigation in Georgia K-12 schools.
Athens Banner-Herald
Feeling fit: UGA grad student opens new gym in Athens featuring group HIIT training
Mary Renfroe, Contributor
As a nutritional sciences master’s student, Grace Burton, 23, spends her days going to class, completing assignments, and now, owning and operating her own gym. With its recent grand opening, fitness classes at F45 Training West Athens are now in full swing. …With over three years of experience as a fitness instructor, Burton became familiar with the F45 brand during her undergraduate years at North Carolina State University. Falling in love with the F45 fitness community during her time coaching for NCSU in Winston-Salem, an F45 training center was the only thing Athens was missing for Burton. After the University of Georgia declined a college partnership with F45, Burton decided to take matters into her own hands. “I took this as an opportunity. Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to open a business, so I was like the need is there, let’s just go for it,” said Burton. …Graduating with her masters this upcoming December, Burton plans to stay out the year in Athens growing the F45 community before pursuing an internship in dietetics.
AACSB Innovation
Easing the Way for Campuswide Innovation
By Nicholas Creel, Micheal Stratton
To become hubs of innovation, universities do not need to transform their entire campuses—they can tap into the latent creativity of their communities by making small institutional changes. Centers of innovation can facilitate these changes through low-cost activities such as seminars and student competitions. They also can generate revenue through student consulting. By establishing dedicated centers, schools can encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations and break down bureaucratic barriers that often hinder innovation in higher education settings. Innovation has become a buzzword embraced by universities over the last several years—by business schools, in particular. The demand for innovation has become so great that AACSB has made it a central component to the shared philosophy of its membership. …That is our goal for the newly established Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Georgia College & State University (GCSU) in Milledgeville. The mission of the center, managed by GCSU’s J. Whitney Bunting College of Business and Technology, is to maximize the innovative potential and positive societal impact of our campus.
Columbus CEO
Dr. Cindy Ticknor of CSU on Designing Pathways for Students Aspirations
Dr. Cindy Ticknor – Columbus State University explains how CSU can create a unique pathway for each student and the benefits of this process.
WGAU Radio
UGA works to restore native plants to Athens roadsides
By Laurel Clark, UGA Today
Native plants installed by the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia near the GA-10 Loop in Athens are changing the area from being covered in kudzu back to a more natural state. The project, funded by Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful, was planted in November 2021. Volunteers from the State Botanical Garden, Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful, the Georgia Department of Transportation and students from the UGA College of Environment and Design all pitched in to plant the area along the entrance ramp next to the GA-10 Loop at Milledge Avenue. Zach Wood, the grasslands coordinator at the State Botanical Garden, said all the plants chosen for the project are native to Georgia. He said they selected hardy species of plants they felt pretty confident would survive.
Albany Herald
UGA researcher tests utility of farm drones in Moultrie
By Alan Mauldin
Today’s farm isn’t your grandfather’s, and agriculture today features technology not dreamed of a few decades ago. From spray applicators that drive themselves and apply chemicals where needed to a farmer having control of far-flung irrigation pivots on a cellphone, agriculture has claimed its place in the high-tech world. Among the game-changing equipment now available are drones, which can cast a wide net of a camera over acres and acres of crops. Those eyes in the sky can survey and monitor the condition of the plants, alerting farmers to the presence of disease or spots where more or less water is warranted. A current University of Georgia project is looking at whether drones can be effective in treating small areas in a field with aerial applications of herbicides and fungicides where a large application isn’t needed.
The Huntsville Item
New doc explores Central State Hospital, once nation’s largest mental health facility
Leah S. Bethea | The Union-Recorder
While a new documentary chronicles the unique history of Central State Hospital, its creators believe that it can also serve as an important component in mental health discussions that are very much relevant today. “Central State Hospital: An Oral History” is a film by Daniel McDonald, Stephen Price Jr. and Joe Windish that has been more than a decade in the making. Its origins trace back to 2009, when the U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement agreement with the state regarding conditions at Georgia’s seven psychiatric hospitals that led to major changes in the way the state operates its mental health care services. …McDonald worked as a local and state government reporter for The Union-Recorder during that time and had written several articles concerning Central State Hospital, including that landmark settlement that fell under his reporting beat. Later, though he was then working at Georgia College’s Russell Library, …Price was a professor in the college’s mass communications department at the time and quickly grew interested in the project as well, working to recruit a filming crew and getting his students involved. …Windish, who is retired from Georgia College’s Russell Library, served as editor for the film, and his main involvement began years after the interviews were shot.
Catholic Digest
A Summer First-Aid Primer
By Kate Wicker
Who says school’s out for the summer? This summer first-aid primer offers a crash course on preventing and treating common summertime afflictions. …Lennon also recommends spraying bug repellant on clothing as opposed to skin. Even with bug spray, though, chances are, your kids are going to have a few bug-induced welts to contend with. Luckily most bug bites, while annoying, aren’t serious. Uncomfortable itching and swelling can be treated with over-the-counter medications such as Benadryl, but use oral rather than topical medication. “Oral Benadryl is a systemic medication, meaning it gets into your child’s system and helps with the swelling and itching in most cases. Topical Benadryl is virtually a waste of money,” says James Wilde, MD, a pediatric emergency-room physician at the Medical College of Georgia Health System. Applying ice can also reduce symptoms.
WJBF
Helping your garden thrive in the summer heat
by: Tiffany Hobbs
Extreme summer heat can be detrimental to your garden, but there are plenty of ways to help your plants thrive during the season. Daily temperatures in the 90s and 100s sometimes prevent plants from doing the respiration they need to survive. “Temperatures at night don’t cool down,” said Campbell Vaughn, UGA’s Richmond County Agriculture Natural Resource Extension Agent. “They stay in the low 80s or something- the plants don’t have time to recover, so it’s kind of starting off in a deficiency.”
Paulick Report
New Research: Could A Horse’s Skin Provide Clues To DSLD Diagnosis?
by Paulick Report Staff
Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis (DSLD) is a condition that causes progressive deterioration of the tendons and suspensory ligaments in horses. Though it has been documented for decades, there has been no cause—or cure—identified. A horse with DSLD often has bilateral dropped fetlocks or straight hocks. They often have trouble standing up once they’re lying down. Their limbs may swell, especially around the suspensory ligaments and their branches. As the disease progresses, horses often become lame and are euthanized. DSLD is often only confirmed via necropsy as taking tendon or ligament samples for analysis is risky – it can damage the structure, leading to poor healing and possible permanent impairment. Dr. Jennifer Hope Roberts of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and a research team have found that the overexpression of two genes in a horse’s skin and hair may be able to be used as a biomarker to diagnose the disorder in living horses.
ReportWire
It’s Time for Congress to Reform Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts
Nicholas Creel is an assistant professor of business law at Georgia College & State University.
A group of Republican House members led by Matt Gaetz recently announced their desire for Congress to allow the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to expire, as will happen at the end of this year if it is not renewed. While it would be a mistake to allow the act to sunset as Gaetz and his small conservative coalition demand, it would be nearly as poor a choice to allow it to renew without reform. By making some modest changes to the courts created under FISA, we can achieve a realistic and appropriate balance between liberty and security. It should be acknowledged that there is very little chance FISA does not get renewed. National security issues tend to unite politicians across the aisle given that neither party wants to open themselves up to being cast as weak when it comes to protecting Americans from hostile foreign powers.
Newsweek 90
Ron DeSantis Accused of Wasting Retirees’ Money on Bud Light Lawsuit
By Nick Mordowanec
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is receiving criticism for focusing a new investigation into Bud Light’s business and marketing practices for claimed negative effects on state retirees’ pension funds as the effect is small in the grand scheme. DeSantis, who in May announced his candidacy to be the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee, has regularly criticized what he calls “woke ideologies” while in office and on the campaign trail. Critics have lambasted him for perceived anti-LGBTQ+ policies, book bans, teaching a different side of Black history, and for his “Don’t Say Gay” bill that sparked a legal battle with Disney. Bud Light’s partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in the spring led to the company’s market value taking a drastic drop. Criticism against that marketing campaign sparked a wave of similar cases against major companies, including Target, based on the perceived targeting of children in terms of LGBTQ+ clothing and advertising.
Joanna Schwartz, marketing professor at Georgia College & State University, told Newsweek that DeSantis’ new effort is “remarkably misguided” considering Bud Light has advertised to the LGBTQ+ consumer base years before Mulvaney entered the picture.
The Augusta Press
Augusta University professor arrested for pleasuring himself in Math Lounge
Author Greg Rickabaugh
An associate professor at Augusta University has been arrested for public indecency after he was caught pleasuring himself in a math lounge, authorities said. Dr. John Christopher Sligar, 65, was arrested last Monday, a week after he was allegedly seen with his pants down and watching porn on his personal computer in the lounge, according to an AU police report released late last week
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Students Relying on More Financial Aid but Fewer Take Out Loans
By Katherine Knott
Federal financial aid continues to be a key source of funding for students going to college, though a lower percentage of students are taking out loans to foot the bill, according to federal data released today as part of a comprehensive national study of student borrowing. The National Center for Education Statistics found in its National Postsecondary Student Aid Study that about 72 percent of undergraduates enrolled during the 2019–20 academic year received some type of financial aid, while 36 percent took student loans. The study is conducted every four years and includes undergraduate and graduate students. “The data released today show the role that financial aid plays in financing undergraduates’ education,” NCES commissioner Peggy G. Carr said in a statement.
Higher Ed Dive
Education Department cancels $130M in student loans for attendees of shuttered CollegeAmerica
This will benefit about 7,400 students who agency officials said were misled by the institution’s parent
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Department of Education will forgive $130 million in student loan debt for some borrowers who attended the Colorado locations of CollegeAmerica, a closed chain of private institutions. The cancellation will benefit about 7,400 students who enrolled in CollegeAmerica between January 2006 and July 2020, the Education Department announced Tuesday. Agency officials said CollegeAmerica’s parent company — the shuttered Center for Excellence in Higher Education, or CEHE — misled students about salary and job prospects post graduation, its academic programs, and the terms of a private loan it offered.
Borrowers will be notified in August about the discharge, which will occur automatically. Any payments those borrowers made to the Education Department will be refunded.
Higher Ed Dive
Harvard faces civil rights inquiry into legacy and donor admissions preferences
A Monday letter from the Education Department says the agency will consider whether these practices amount to racial discrimination.
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
The U.S. Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into whether Harvard University discriminates by giving admissions preferences to applicants related to alumni and donors, according to a legal group that filed a federal complaint over the institution’s policies. In a Monday letter, the department’s Office for Civil Rights said it will examine whether the university’s donor and legacy preferences in undergraduate admissions amount to racial discrimination. The complaint to the Education Department earlier this month by Lawyers for Civil Rights argued that students who benefit from these admissions practices are overwhelmingly White.
See also:
Inside Higher Ed
Texas A&M Professor Suspended for Allegedly Criticizing Lieutenant Governor
Texas A&M already lost its president in the wake of a Texas Tribune article on the mishandled hiring of a Black professor. Now, the Tribune connects politics to the investigation of a current professor.
By Ryan Quinn
On Friday morning, Texas A&M University announced its president had retired, citing the ongoing controversy over A&M mishandling the hiring of a Black professor. The already bad public relations worsened as the day went on. The head of the university’s Department of Communication and Journalism alleged that, despite now-former president Kathy Banks’s statements otherwise, Banks had “injected herself into the process atypically and early on.” … But, on Tuesday, The Texas Tribune published another story on conservative political influence affecting a second professor—this time a white woman who was already employed as a professor and whom A&M suspended for something she reportedly said during a lecture on how to stop opioid deaths. A Texas A&M spokeswoman confirmed the Tribune’s new reporting Tuesday. This new story directly implicates Sharp, including a text between him and Dan Patrick, the Republican lieutenant governor of Texas who recently pushed failed legislation to end tenure and successful legislation to end DEI programs. And the new story includes the University of Texas Medical Branch, where Professor Joy Alonzo spoke, joining in on criticizing the professor’s speech.