Atlanta Business Chronicle
Executive education offerings in Georgia reflect global trends
By Jessica Saunders – Senior Editor for Special Projects
The fastest-growing graduate degree programs within the University System of Georgia (USG) reflect global trends related to technology, workforce development and the overall economy. This is according to Ashwani Monga, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer at the USG, which encompasses four research universities, four comprehensive universities, nine state colleges, nine state universities and the Georgia Public Library Service.
WRDW
AU recognized as a leading university for student success
By Staff
Augusta University has received a second national recognition as one of the country’s top universities for increasing the earning potential of students from all backgrounds. BestColleges ranked AU in the Top 10 of universities with the best return on investment, joining Georgia Tech and Stanford University among others. Last year, the Third Way think tank ranked Augusta University in the top 5% of universities in the country for improving economic outcomes for lower- and moderate-income graduates. BestColleges reviewed the average cost of attendance, federal grant aid awarded to students and future expected earnings to determine the universities that have the best financial outcomes for graduates. Augusta University ranked No. 5 in the country.
Gwinnett Magazine
A UGA Degree Is Closer Than You Think!
The UGA Gwinnett Campus is a vibrant advanced learning center for non-traditional and working professionals. Located conveniently in Gwinnett County, the campus is accessible to students living in or near the north-central Atlanta and northeast Georgia areas. As UGA’s professional graduate campus, we offer numerous graduate degrees and professional certificates in Education, Public Health, Social Work, Public Administration, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. We are proud to say our UGA Gwinnett students and graduates are leaders in their chosen professions. Dr. Beth Duggan, an anesthesiologist, recently graduated with her master’s from the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program at UGA Gwinnett. What she learned in the program has helped her relate to patients and colleagues. And she attributes her time spent in the program and on the UGA Gwinnett campus as a key factor in her professional success. Along with our educational and professional programs, UGA Gwinnett prides itself on building partnerships with multiple Gwinnett County businesses and professionals.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU freshman Clemmons hosts back-to-school drive in Marietta
By Griffin Callaghan
Chase Clemmons is giving back to the community before even playing his first game for Kennesaw State’s basketball team. The former Etowah point guard hosted a back-to-school event Sunday at the Salvation Army’s Marietta facility, distributing free bookbags, school supplies and other classroom essentials. …The 6-foot, 165-pound guard will make the short trip down Interstate 575 after signing with Kennesaw State, and he is striving to become a key part of the community. Sunday marked Clemmons’ initial foray into community service. His back-to-school drive sponsors included Jersey Mike’s and TEN91 Sports, among others. Following his commitment to the Owls, Clemmons said he was focused on making a great first impression. Clemmons, who was initially committed to Nebraska, joins a Kennesaw State program that went to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Owls went 26-9 and won the ASUN Conference championship for the first time, but they have a new coach in former Alabama assistant Antoine Pettway.
WTOC
Georgia Southern freshmen volunteer ahead of the upcoming school year
By Dal Cannady
While thousands of new Georgia Southern students will come to town next month, fewer than 100 have already arrived to learn about their new home and how they can give back. Some put the finished touches on candles for one non-profit, while others sorted donated school supplies. They are some of the 70 or so students in BUILD or Building Undergraduate Involvement in Leadership Development. “I wanted to come and meet new people, meet new friends and get to know people and also giving back to the community,” said freshman Trinity Russell. The program has been around since 2006, with a few years hiatus during the pandemic. Students cover their own lodging and meals for the week to be part of it.
Albany Herald
UGA food science student winner of Testing for Life Award
By Jennifer L Reynolds UGA/CAES
Zhihan Xian’s innovative research into new methods of food origin tracing has been named this year’s winner of the Testing for Life Student Award by AOAC International, a nonprofit association that was established in 1884 and seeks to set standards of analysis to help ensure food safety globally. Xian, a doctoral student in food science at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is on the leading edge of research of food origin authentication. Typically done with chemical analysis, food origin authentication is a method of testing food to ensure that it originates where a producer says it does.
Athens CEO
Education Economist Named Head of Terry’s Department of Economics
Merritt Melancon
On any given day, the front pages of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times feature headlines about fiscal policy, product market competition, health care regulation and labor market dynamics. Each article highlights how society might be impacted and includes debates about optimal strategies that governments, firms or individuals should pursue. That’s where economics comes in, said Josh Kinsler, a professor of economics and newly appointed head of the Department of Economics at the Terry College of Business.
GPB
In Savannah, a Georgia Senate study committee looks at how to end workforce shortages statewide
By: Ambria Burton
At the second meeting of the Georgia Senate Study Committee on Expanding Georgia’s Workforce in Savannah, representatives from regional companies detailed their work to grow and improve the local workforce. According to committee chair state Sen. John Albers, the group will hold six meetings to address the growing concerns regarding years of shortages in Georgia’s workforce. …Graduates of the program are hired by Gulfstream and can take the skills they learned in school directly to their roles as employees of the company. “Although it is an aviation pathway program, the skills that the kids are learning through this program are equally applicable to any advanced manufacturing job,” said Jay Neely, Vice President of Law & Public Affairs at Gulfstream. Other companies present at the meeting shared programs such as: …Daniel Defense: A program that starts high school students on the plant floor and, in partnership with Georgia Southern University, allows them enrollment and designation to Georgia Southern University’s engineering program;
Connect Savannah
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Are there potholes on the way to progress?
No doubt about it, electric vehicles are coming and coming fast. Production of EVs has ramped up in the last couple of years but there are many issues that need to be addressed before they become the everyday choice for consumers. Richard Franza, PhD, professor of management at the Hull College of Business at Augusta University, emphasizes that the timing of EVs is contingent on a few critical factors. He states, “It’s not a question of if they’re coming, but how fast they will be here. One is the speed at which there is infrastructure built for them. There are still not a lot of places to charge a car. We need more charging stations. Eventually, EVs will be predominant.”
Film Columbus GA
Columbus State University Graduate Thrives with Georgia Film Academy On-Set Training
Grayson Turner, a native of Conyers, Georgia, discovered his passion for storytelling at a young age. Growing up in the small town, he found himself drawn to the captivating world of news production. Even as a student at Lorraine Elementary, he immersed himself in editing the school’s news shows, showcasing his natural talent behind the scenes. With an undeniable knack for film production, Grayson’s passion only grew stronger as he transitioned to middle school. It was during this pivotal time that he crossed paths with fellow students who shared his enthusiasm and creative drive. Together, they embarked on a journey to bring their imaginations to life, crafting their own compelling short films. As Grayson’s passion continued to evolve, he reached a turning point at Heritage High. It was there he found an exciting opportunity—an affiliation between his school and the Rockdale Career Academy, known for its film program. This fortuitous connection opened the doors to a world of possibilities, granting Grayson access to the state-of-the-art film equipment he needed to bring his cinematic visions to life. Upon graduation, he chose Columbus State University, where he earned a communications degree with a focus in film production. It was there, he learned about Georgia Film Academy (GFA).
Savannah Tribune
Congratulations Dr. Sharon (Lawyer) Gilliard-Smith
Dr. Sharon (Lawyer) Gilliard-Smith graduated from Valdosta State University on Friday May 5, 2023, with a Doctor of Education and an emphasis in Curriculum & Instruction. Dr. Gilliard-Smith was a former employee at Memorial Health University Medical Center as an Imaging Specialist for 28 years and has been employed at Georgia Southern University (Armstrong Campus) in the Department of Clinical Sciences for over 23 years where she is an Assistant Professor/Program Director for the Radiography Program. Dr. Gilliard-Smith obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Health Science from Armstrong Atlantic State University, (Armstrong State College).
The Augusta Chronicle
Free Hawks tickets, Zoo Atlanta passes & more. Your Georgia library card gets you more than books
Miguel Legoas
A Georgia public library card gives any resident access to the millions of books and other resources provided by more than 300 libraries across the state. But did you know that’s not where the benefits end? Through the various partnerships with the Georgia Public Library Service, card holders are eligible for all sorts of perks like tickets to an Atlanta Hawks game, free parking at any Georgia State Park and a day out with the family at Zoo Atlanta. Here are more details on these and some of the other exciting programs available to those with a free library card:
Tifton Gazette
Syd Blackmarr, S.Ga. arts advocate, passes away
A woman whose name is synonymous with Tifton and South Georgia arts has passed away. Syd Blackmarr passed away Tuesday, July 25, according to her obituary. She was 89 years old. She founded the Arts Experiment Station at ABAC. The Tifton arts center is named in her honor. She established the well-known Love Affair fine arts festival. She was an advocate for the arts not only in Tifton and South Georgia but throughout the state. She received the 2014 Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities from then Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal in 2014. For her the arts were important not only in communicating ideas but for their ability to bring people together.
Atlanta News First
Law enforcement: Hundreds of pills seized during Carroll County man’s arrest
By Talgat Almanov
On Tuesday, a drug bust resulted in the arrest of one man after a months-long investigation into the distribution of opioid pills in Carroll County, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Billy Daniel, 45, was charged with trafficking oxycodone, two counts of possession of schedule II with intent to distribute, possession of schedule III with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sheriff’s office said the Aggressive Crime Enforcement (ACE) Unit conducted search warrants on two houses on Hong Liver Road and Park Drive. …The ACE Unit is a combined group of investigators from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Carrollton Police Department, and the University of West Georgia Police Department.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Over 1,900 colleges not requiring SAT, ACT scores for fall 2024 admissions
The updated count from FairTest shows continued proliferation of test-optional and test-free policies.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
More than 1,900 U.S. colleges and universities are not requiring SAT or ACT scores for admissions for fall 2024, continuing the proliferation of test-optional and test-free practices. This is the latest count from FairTest, a group that advocates for limited application of entrance exams and has long tracked which institutions do not mandate them for admissions. It includes colleges that flipped to test-optional policies during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as those that historically have never asked for assessment scores. FairTest said Wednesday that several dozen other institutions have not yet made public their fall 2024 admissions test requirements, “but most are expected to remain test optional.”
Higher Ed Dive
Persistence rate in fall 2022 returned to pre-pandemic normal
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found improvements in persistence and retention disproportionately benefited some institutions.
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
The persistence rate among first-year college students has returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Of first-year students who enrolled in fall 2021, 75.7% returned to college by the following year. That’s the same average persistence rate seen among the 2016, 2017 and 2018 freshman classes. Community colleges, public four-year institutions and private nonprofit colleges all increased their persistence and retention rates between fall 2021 and fall 2022. But four-year for-profit colleges and those that primarily grant associate degrees saw declines.
See also:
Inside Higher Ed
MOVEit Attack Signals Growing Cybersecurity Threats for Higher Ed
Security experts warn the success of recent hacker actions will mean more attacks against vulnerable institutions.
By Lauren Coffey
Hacking attacks against higher education institutions are on the rise as other industries battered by cybersecurity threats tighten their defenses and many in education remain unprepared, experts warn. The ransomware group called Cl0p appeared on the radar for many educational institutions in May after it took credit for a massive cyberattack against hundreds of organizations, including higher ed institutions. The group claims it stole data by breaching MOVEit, a software product used for file transfers, and security experts estimate the information of millions of people may be affected. “There was always a focus on government entities, then there was COVID, and the health-care industry was slammed with cyberattacks,” said Lorri Janssen-Anessi, director of external cyber assessments at BlueVoyant, a cybersecurity defense platform.
Inside Higher Ed
A National Summit on a Higher Ed ‘Low Point’
At a daylong conference on affirmative action, there was much commiserating but little guidance as higher ed leaders searched for a path forward.
By Liam Knox
Speaking at an affirmative action summit hosted by the Department of Education Wednesday, Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary in the department’s Office for Civil Rights, urged college leaders to continue pushing for racial equity in admissions through lawful means, asserting that the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down affirmative action “did not question the educational value of diverse student bodies.” And in a sly but unmistakable reference to a letter sent by Students for Fair Admissions, the group that brought the lawsuits to the highest court, Lhamon encouraged institutions to sit tight, await official federal guidance and disregard third-party advice. “I have heard of groups who are not the Department of Education sending messages saying what institutions can do and what the law says,” Lhamon said. “I will just say this: when you hear from us, you will know … for now, focus on admissions.”
Cybersecurity Dive
To execute the national cyber strategy, it’s going to take the whole US government
Experts applaud the desired outcomes, but the tasks and responsibilities now assigned to agencies underscore the challenges that lie ahead.
Matt Kapko, Reporter
Crafting a strategy to improve the nation’s cybersecurity required a significant yearslong effort from cyber authorities. Now, the hard work of bringing those goals to fruition hinges on the White House’s ability to delegate cyber initiatives to a broad set of government offices and agencies. The implementation plan for the national cybersecurity strategy divides the strategy’s 27 objectives into 69 initiatives. One agency is assigned to take point on each initiative, and many are, at times, assigned to work with a cast of contributing government entities. The Office of the National Cyber Director and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are the most prevalent lead agencies, responsible for 14 and 10 initiatives each, respectively.
Cybersecurity Dive
White House taps longtime military, intelligence leader for national cyber director
National security veteran Harry Coker Jr. would succeed Chris Inglis after the long-expected nomination of Acting Director Kemba Walden fell through.
David Jones, Reporter
The White House plans to nominate Harry Coker Jr., a Navy veteran and a senior-level leader on national security issues, to become the new national cyber director. Coker would finally succeed Chris Inglis, who stepped down as national cyber director earlier this year. Kemba Walden is expected to leave her post as acting national cyber director after her expected nomination did not materialize, reportedly in connection to a personal debt issue, according to The Washington Post. Coker was executive director of the National Security Agency from 2017 to 2019 and currently serves as a senior fellow at Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. He previously worked as the director of Open Source Enterprise at the CIA’s Directorate of Digital Innovation.
Inside Higher Ed
Visa Denials Disproportionately Affect African Students
By Liam Knox
International students from African nations and the Global South are much more likely to have their visas rejected, according to a new report from the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and the Shorelight Education. The data, collected through public records requests, show that African students faced a visa rejection rate of over 50 percent in 2022, up nearly 10 percent from 2015. That’s double the rejection rate for students from Australia and the Pacific islands and more than five times higher than the rate for European students.
Inside Higher Ed
Opinion
College Mental Health Counselors Aren’t OK
Long-standing failures to invest adequately in college counseling centers have left mental health professionals burned out and feeling that their roles on campus are neither appreciated nor understood, Philip J. Rosenbaum and Richard E. Webb write.
By Philip J. Rosenbaum and Richard E. Webb
The ongoing college student mental health crisis is creating an untenable situation for the field of college counseling. Specifically, college counseling centers are facing hiring challenges, dealing with burnout and exhaustion among existing staff, and experiencing an unprecedented exodus of directors leaving for other positions. As summed up in a recently published position paper by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, we need a new a path forward for college counseling centers, one that balances student care with care for clinicians. From our perspective, this is a necessary course correction for addressing what we have come to think of as the moral injuries that college counseling has undergone over the past several decades. Defining “moral injury” broadly as feeling disconnected or alienated from personal ethics or belief, our contention is that the current situation in most college counseling centers reflects decades of neglect by institutions of the central importance of the centers charged with addressing student distress.
Cybersecurity Dive
Mandiant finds no evidence of data or cryptocurrency theft in JumpCloud attack
The incident response firm only has insights into one of a handful of downstream victims, but the research suggests the damage may be limited.
Matt Kapko, Reporter
One of the JumpCloud customers compromised by last month’s cyberattack was a U.S.-based software firm that ultimately had four macOS devices targeted by a cryptocurrency-seeking APT actor, according to Mandiant research released Monday. The incident response firm hasn’t observed any data theft and “there is no evidence to suggest cascading compromise,” Mark Golembiewski, incident response manager at Mandiant, a unit of Google Cloud, said via email. “Mandiant does not have full visibility into all downstream victims of this supply chain attack,” Golembiewski said. “However, where we have visibility, we have not identified any successful cryptocurrency theft as part of this campaign.”