The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How high court’s affirmative action ruling impacts Georgia’s colleges
By Vanessa McCray
Education leaders have been waiting for months for Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision, which ruled race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina were unlawful. Experts believe the ruling could limit affirmative action enrollment programs at colleges and universities across the nation. The University System of Georgia, though, does not consider race in its admissions process. ”At all 26 University System of Georgia institutions, race or ethnicity is not a determining factor in admissions. USG follows the law with regards to the admission of students,” it said in a statement released Thursday just after the court’s decision.
See also:
Rolling Out Magazine
Ingrid Thompson-Sellers, Atlanta Metropolitan State College president, molding future leaders
As president of Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Ingrid Thompson-Sellers, PhD, has the vision to help students excel
By Malik Brown
With over 30 years of experience in higher education, Ingrid Thompson-Sellers, Ph.D., is eminently qualified to lead Atlanta Metropolitan State College. Appointed as the school’s president in February 2023, Thompson-Sellers is striving to create a brighter future for students, faculty and staff. AMSC boasts an enrollment of more than 1,600 students, and African Americans comprise 85% of the student body. Thompson-Sellers is aware of the disparities Black students face when it comes to education and hopes to provide better opportunities for those students. Thompson-Sellers wants to equip these future leaders with the skills they will need to be in the same, or higher, position than she’s attained.
WGXA
by Greg Loyd
Fort Valley State University hopes to inspire a new generation of Black educators and leaders with its iDream Stem Camp. “With the Next Generation Black STEM Teachers, we are partnering with the Academy for Future Teachers at Fort Valley State University as well to host and make sure we’re feeding the pipeline for our next teachers,” said Jessica Jefferson, grant director for The Next Generation Black STEM Teachers and assistant professor at The Fort Valley State University. This week, The Next Generation Black STEM Teachers is welcoming students from surrounding counties to learn about robotics. The eight to 14-year-olds participating are a part of the Academy for Future Teachers. Some of the high-tech robotic lessons include coding and other STEM activities.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
5 reasons Georgia State Robinson’s Executive MBA program tops others
By Katy Smith – Contributor
Taking time out from the fast pace of leading a company to get an MBA seems challenging. But with the right program, the return on investment more than pays off in better problem-solving skills, increased confidence, heightened empathy for customers and a more powerful network of business connections — not to mention 20% higher pay, on average, by the time students graduate. The Executive MBA program at Georgia State University Robinson College of Business stands out for the depth of experience it offers the professionals who enroll. Robinson students get access to faculty who come from top positions in the business world, and they benefit from the program’s focus on activating students’ natural leadership.
Athens CEO
MBA Admissions Director Opens Doors for Up-and-Coming Business Leaders
Irene Wright
The University of Georgia Executive and Professional MBA programs, housed in the Terry College of Business Executive Education Center, have seen record enrollment in recent years. With nearly 400 students enrolled in the programs in fall 2022, the programs offer working professionals the opportunity to earn an MBA on a schedule that works for them. Rebekah McElwain helps make that possible.
WJBF
Augusta University camp for kids interested in cybersecurity
by: Kim Vickers
This week, Augusta University is hosting a camp for kids that could prepare them for a future career. It’s called VICEROY Kids Camp, and it’s geared towards children with an interest in cybersecurity. The idea is to create more interest in cyber security careers as well as teach kids to protect themselves from hackers.
Construction Equipment Guide
Food Bank Officials in Statesboro, Ga., Kick Off New $2M Facility Construction
Supporters of the Statesboro Food Bank in the southeast Georgia community, including officials from the city and Bulloch County, broke ground on the morning of June 27 for a new $2 million, 12,000-sq.-ft. facility envisioned to include not just a food pantry but classrooms for lessons on healthy eating and a dining hall where hot meals will be served to the hungry. “We’re planning to provide breakfast, lunch and, hopefully, with the assistance of Ogeechee Tech and Georgia Southern, supper,” explained Sheila Stewart-Leach, executive director of The Food Bank Inc. “There will also be two classrooms in the new building where we will teach not only how to cook the items that are in the food boxes for people who want to learn, but also [hold] classes in nutrition and container gardening.” Classrooms also could serve as “spillover space” if the dining hall, planned to seat 135 people, fills to capacity, the Herald reported. Stewart-Leach and members of the Food Bank’s volunteer board hope to use a courtyard for container gardening and to landscape the grounds with “edibles” such as fig and pear trees.
USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced its selection of 50 projects for potential award, totaling approximately $300 million. These innovative projects will help improve access to land, capital, and markets for underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access (Increasing Land Access) Program, which is funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, works to increase access to farm ownership opportunities, improve results for those with heirs’ property or fractionated land, increase access to markets and capital that affect the ability to access land, and improve land ownership, land succession and agricultural business planning.
…Examples of selectees for potential award include: …Alabama A&M University, in collaboration with four other 1890 land grant universities (Southern University, Alcorn State University, Fort Valley State University, and Tennessee State University) and many other local organizations, will provide delivery of technical assistance to underserved farm populations in chronically and economically depressed communities of Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi to ensure the success of existing farmers and ranchers and to rapidly increase the numbers of small farm operators in the targeted communities.
WALB
UGA professor seeking to create more bee habitats
Video
Bees are essential to the health and diversity of our ecosystems’ flora.
AgriMarketing
UNIVERSITIES COMBINE EXPERTISE TO BUILD TRUST BETWEEN PORK PRODUCERS AND PORK CONSUMERS
The National Pork Board recently announced a new five-year effort focused on addressing consumer questions related to the pork industry’s We Care Ethical Principles and strengthening consumers’ confidence in choosing pork for their plate. …The Real Pork Trust Consortium consists of Iowa State University, the University of Georgia, North Carolina State University, A&T, and the University of Minnesota. Among the five universities, leading experts in science communication, animal science, animal welfare, veterinary medicine, meat sciences and product safety, nutrition, agricultural economics, sustainability, sociology and agricultural education will work side by side using a systems approach.
Study International
Stetson University: Providing Rich Opportunities for Hands-on, Experiential Learning
…Students like Asuboah find a wealth of opportunities at Stetson in experiential learning outside of the classroom, becoming immersed in high-impact practices like internships, study abroad, undergraduate research and community engagement. These hands-on experiences build on the academic excellence inside of the classroom, allowing students to apply and reflect on what they have learned. …At the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, she [Noureen Saeed]will work alongside Dr. Qin Wang and enhance her knowledge in neuroscience. Dr. Wang’s lab investigates cell surface receptor signaling and neuropharmacology in the context of brain physiology and disease pathology, helping to illuminate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease. Saeed plans to pursue a PhD in cognitive neuroscience in the United States and one day go into research and academia, too.
Higher Education News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp says he wants to continue to fully fund Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship
By Alice Tecotzky
Gov. Brian Kemp expressed his desire to provide complete state funding for Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship in future budgets. Kemp made the remarks in an interview after a news conference Wednesday celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Georgia Lottery, which funds the scholarship program that covers tuition costs for academically eligible students at Georgia colleges and universities. The lottery also covers the state’s Zell Miller Scholarship for stellar students and Georgia’s pre-K program.
The Washington Post
Supreme Court restricts race-based affirmative action in college admissions
By Robert Barnes
The Supreme Court on Thursday held that admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina that relied in part on racial considerations violate the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, a historic ruling that will force a dramatic change in how the nation’s private and public universities select their students. The votes split along ideological grounds, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. writing for the conservative members in the majority, and the liberals dissenting. “The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race,” Roberts wrote. “Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”
See also:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Diverse Issus in Higher Education
Report Finds 100% of Incarcerated Borrowers in Default, Limiting their Access to Pell Grants
Jon Edelman
On July 1st, incarcerated Americans will re-gain access to Pell grants for the first time in nearly 30 years. Reformers have hailed the change as a critical step towards enabling people in prison to experience the myriad benefits of higher education. But a new report has revealed that an important segment of this population may be largely left out: those who already have student loans.
Inside Higher Ed
N.D. Presidents Fear Fallout From Minnesota’s Free Tuition Plan
By Josh Moody
Amid ongoing enrollment challenges, the presidents of North Dakota colleges made a plea to state officials Tuesday to respond to a program in Minnesota that they worry could lead to a loss of students, The Forum of Fargo-Moorehead reported. The program—the North Star Promise—will offer free tuition to in-state families earning under $80,000 a year. North Dakota college presidents on the eastern side of the state fear that the program will deter Minnesota students from crossing the state line for college in North Dakota, potentially harming enrollment.
Inside Higher Ed
Foxx, Cassidy Question Education Department’s Plans to Restart Loan Payments
By Katherine Knott
Top congressional Republicans want more information from the Education Department on its plans to resume student loan payments in September following a three-year pause. North Carolina representative Virginia Foxx and Louisiana senator Dr. Bill Cassidy, both of whom are Republicans, sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona this week demanding documents and a briefing before July 20 on the issue.
Higher Ed Dive
Rising interest rates could reduce public colleges’ adjusted net pension liabilities, Moody’s says
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
Dive Brief:
Rising interest rates could improve public colleges’ balance sheets by reducing their adjusted net pension liabilities, according to a new report from Moody’s Investors Service. However, public colleges’ pension obligations could still increase if plans experience investment losses as inflation drives up personnel costs. Higher wages would lead to colleges more rapidly accumulating pension liabilities. Most public universities participate in their state’s multi-employer pension plan, so they cannot make changes to mitigate those concerns on their own, Moody’s said. But states can take steps to reduce risks, including by shifting to less volatile asset allocations.
Higher Ed Dive
Here’s new guidance for colleges that host foreign-funded cultural centers
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
Dive Brief:
U.S. colleges should develop ways to spot and curb risks associated with hosting foreign-funded language and culture institutes on their campuses, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Protections include having university control over the curriculum, instructors and programmatic decisions at these institutes. The report also recommends colleges periodically review these institutes and limit their employees’ access to university computer networks. Colleges should consider additional vetting to mitigate risks presented by institutes with ties to “countries of concern,” which the National Academies say are “fluid and change over time.” The U.S. Department of State and some colleges maintain lists of these countries, which often include China and Russia.
Higher Ed Dive
Which law students are more likely to prefer online J.D. classes?
By Lilah Burke
Dive Brief:
Part-time students, caregivers, adults over 30, and students at law schools listed low on U.S. News & World Report’s rankings were more likely than their peers to report favorable experiences in online J.D. classes, according to a survey conducted by Gallup and AccessLex Institute. However, the majority of all groups of surveyed students preferred in-person courses over online classes. Caregivers were the subgroup most likely to favor online classes, with 40% of them saying virtual courses were preferable to in-person ones. Students who are members of racially underrepresented groups were more likely to prefer online courses compared to non-Hispanic students who are White or Asian. But underrepresented students were also less likely to believe that their programs were worth the cost.
Higher Ed Dive
‘Unrelenting demands and stressors’: College leaders discuss mental health in academia
Johns Hopkins University held its workplace well-being summit Tuesday, focusing on graduate students and faculty.
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
“Not every organization readily accepts mental health as a strategic priority. Not every organization has these types of resources readily available. But that shouldn’t stop you or anyone, as a manager or leader, from supporting the cause.” That was the advice Tuesday from Merica Shepherd, senior director of Total Rewards, the health and well-being benefits program at the University of Virginia, during a conference at Johns Hopkins University on challenges facing graduate faculty and students. The conference, the National Summit on Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing, hosted by the university’s school of public health, comes on the heels of research that found mental health among college students and employees worsened last year.
Inside Higher Ed
Office for Civil Rights Resolves Title IX Investigation Into Montgomery College
By Katherine Knott
Montgomery College responded promptly in investigating a professor accused of requiring female students to remove their shirts in class but failed to notify students about the results of its investigation, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights found during its own investigation of the college. The Office for Civil Rights reached an agreement with the college to resolve its sexual harassment investigation into Takoma/Silver Spring campus of Montgomery College in Maryland. A complaint alleged that the college discriminated against a student on the basis on sex by failing to promptly and equitably respond to the sexual harassment allegations.
Cybersecurity Dive
Rubrik, Microsoft partner to leverage generative AI for faster incident response
The collaboration will integrate Rubrik Security Cloud with Microsoft Sentinel and Azure OpenAI Service.
David Jones, Reporter
A collaboration between Microsoft and data management and security firm Rubrik will let enterprise customers use generative AI and natural language processing to speed up security response times during cyberattacks and data breaches. The two companies will integrate Rubrik Security Cloud with Microsoft Sentinel and Azure OpenAI Service, which will help organizations prioritize alerts and conduct faster investigations, according to an announcement Wednesday. The collaboration comes at a critical time for security operations teams. Cybersecurity departments have been dealing with a rise in zero-day vulnerabilities and ransomware threats as the industry grapples with a shortage of qualified workers.
Cybersecurity Dive
Cyberattack exposes data on nearly 9K American and Southwest Airlines pilot applicants
Two of the world’s largest airlines no longer use recruitment portal Pilot Credentials after personal data and specialized credentials were stolen at the end of April.
Matt Kapko, Reporter
The personal and specialized information of almost 9,000 pilot and cadet applicants for American Airlines and Southwest Airlines was exposed by a cyberattack on a pilot recruitment system used by both airlines in late April. The systems of Pilot Credentials, a Texas-based company that manages pilot recruitment portals for multiple airlines, was breached by an unauthorized actor on or around April 30, according to data breach notifications the airlines filed in Maine last. The data breach was discovered on May 3. The incident underscores how major businesses can be compromised when malicious activity occurs on a third-party platform in their supply chain. American and Southwest, two of the world’s largest airlines, disclosed the extent of compromise in notifications sent to impacted individuals.
Inside Higher Ed
Are We Losing the ‘Public’ in Public Higher Ed?
Opinion
The University of Idaho’s plan to buy the University of Phoenix is a symptom of public universities operating more like for-profits, Neal Hutchens and Frank Fernandez write.
By Neal Hutchens and Frank Fernandez
The University of Idaho announced last month that it will purchase the for-profit University of Phoenix for $550 million. It plans to turn Phoenix into a nonprofit corporation that would function as a separate legal entity. The move came after the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees came out against a proposal to buy Phoenix and marked the latest effort by a public university to acquire a for-profit institution. Do these mergers indicate the for-profit model is dying or, instead, that public institutions are becoming more like for-profit entities, either by copying their business methods or just through outright acquisition of for-profit institutions?