WTVM
University System of Georgia working to increase statewide college enrollment
By Gabriela Johnson
Despite a state and national college enrollment decline over the course of the pandemic, one university in southwest Georgia is anticipating the largest enrollment number in school history. Carly Reneau is starting her first of four years at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW). The Biology Premed Major and her mom can agree that GSW has a welcoming atmosphere. …More than 3,300 students are currently enrolled this fall, which is an increase of more than 300 students compared to last fall. The school credits enrollment success to a strong recruitment strategy and quality student initiatives like the Jimmy Carter Leadership Program. Statewide, the University System of Georgia hopes to increase enrollment and graduate rates …Dr. Sonny Perdue is the University System of Georgia Chancellor [who says] …goals of the plan include increasing the number of Georgians who decide to attend Georgia colleges, increasing retention rates statewide and having students enter notable career fields.
Capitol Beat News Service
New Georgia teacher prep rules scrap ‘diversity,’ other ‘woke’ words
by Dave Williams
Legal limits on how Georgia teachers can approach potentially divisive subjects are spreading from elementary and secondary school classrooms to university lecture halls. Controversial changes to rules for teacher training the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) adopted in recent months take effect Aug. 15. The new rules delete words including “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion,” and replace them with phrases including “fair access, opportunity, and advancement for all students.” …Brian Sirmans, the commission’s chairman, said the University System of Georgia (USG) asked for the new rules to clarify expectations for incoming teachers. The words the commission voted unanimously to delete from teacher preparation standards have come to mean different things to different people in recent years. which has made interpreting them difficult, Sirmans said he was told by university system officials. The changes are not aimed at reducing educational opportunities for minority students in Georgia, Sirmans told his commission colleagues before a vote in June. …The university system, in a statement issued Thursday, said the new rules came about after the system asked the commission for improvements in literacy education and in what’s required of teacher education programs on how to teach children to read. “The proposed changes are the result of USG and PSC working together to review and revise rules for teacher preparation based on research-based practices that have been demonstrated to work best in teaching reading,” the statement read. “USG teacher preparation programs will follow these rules as updated and approved by the PSC.”
13WMAZ
Study says Central Georgia public colleges create 7,500 jobs
The state report says Georgia College, Middle Georgia State and Fort Valley State have a $750 million impact on the local economy.
Author: 13WMAZ Staff
Georgia’s public colleges mean big business for Central Georgia — a $750 million dollar business. That’s according to an economic study released this week by the University System of Georgia. They analyzed the economic impact that the colleges brought to Central Georgia from July 2021 to June 2022, or fiscal year 2022. They’re looking at how spending at the state’s public colleges benefits the surrounding communities. According to the state system:
Georgia College in Milledgeville pumps just over $300 million, directly and indirectly, into the local economy.
Middle Georgia State University brings $288 million to Macon, Cochran and neighboring counties.
Fort Valley State provides $164 million dollars to Peach County’s economy.
Among them, the report says, the three colleges create more than 7,500 jobs both on and off campus.
Times Higher Education
How to make dual-enrolment programmes work
Dual enrolment can create student pipelines from high school to university, meet community education needs and improve retention and graduation rates. Here, Laura Brown Simmons breaks down the essential elements
Laura Brown Simmons, Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities
When Georgia Tech started its distance calculus programme nearly two decades ago, the face of the programme was a venerable mathematics professor standing in the front of a small auditorium in full cycling gear. He lectured wide-eyed first-year university students in the room and beamed his recitations live to five maths classrooms in metro Atlanta high schools. Everything about the programme was unorthodox, starting with the availability of post-calculus maths for high school students in Georgia. Fast-forward to today, and the class reaches more than 90 high schools in Georgia and models the possibility of dual enrolment, allowing us to use innovative delivery and solid partnerships to serve the state and to create pipelines. Here are strategies we have learned along the journey.
Fagen Wasanni Technokogies
Digital Course Materials at Georgia Southern Save Students Over $1.7M in Textbook Costs
Chelsea Johnson
From August 2022 to May 2023, Georgia Southern University’s Day1Access program saved students more than $1.7 million by providing digital course materials instead of traditional textbooks at a reduced cost. Since the program began in 2019, students have saved a total of over $4.2 million in required course materials costs. The university’s Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, Carl Reiber, emphasized the significance of reducing the financial burden on students and their families. He stated that Day1Access not only offers cost savings to students but also ensures access to educational materials regardless of their location. The University Store partners with Willo Labs to provide the digital course materials. Students can access the materials through Folio, using their My.GeorgiaSouthern.edu accounts.
Gwinnett Daily Post
PHOTOS: Move-in Day at Georgia Gwinnett College
Photos by Rod Reilly/GGC
College move-in day is typically a time of anticipation, exploration and newfound independence. That wasn’t lost on Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) students who moved into the campus residence halls this week. From tearful goodbyes from parents to excited introductions with new friends, students navigated the maze of dorm rooms, carrying dreams, hopes and their cherished belongings. Officials say that campus housing is at full capacity for the fall, which is a healthy sign of engagement on the college’s campus. Move-in day kicks off GGC’s Grizzly Welcome, which features 10 days of campus events designed to welcome students back to campus and engage them in the GGC community.
WJCL
[Georgia%20Southern%20University%20welcomes%20new%20students%20to%20campus]Georgia Southern University welcomes new students to campus
Over 5,000 students will come to two campuses during Operation Move-In
Dave Williams , Reporter
With the start of classes Monday, college students continue to make their way to campus for the new academic year. Friday, it was Georgia Southern’s turn to welcome their students. Moving on to a college campus and away from home for the first time can be a pretty daunting experience, that’s why the folks at Georgia Southern University try to make that experience as stress-free as possible. That’s one reason you’ll see Georgia Southern president Kyle Marrero there to lend a helping hand at Operation Move-In and personally meet the parents and students.
AP News
Energy Department announces largest-ever investment in ‘carbon removal’
By Isabella O’Malley
The Energy Department announced Friday it is awarding up to $1.2 billion to two projects to directly remove carbon dioxide from the air in what officials are calling the largest investment in “engineered carbon removal” in history. The process, known as direct air capture, does not yet exist on a meaningful scale and could be a game changer if it did and were economical. “If we deploy this at scale, this technology can help us make serious headway toward our net zero emissions goals while we are still focused on deploying more clean energy at the same time,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a press conference call. …Tim Lieuwen, executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology agreed that the pollution from some kinds of heavy industry will need to be addressed through technologies like direct air capture.
Albany Herald
Five UGA faculty members receive research awards
By Asif Sandeelo UGA/CAES
Five University of Georgia early-career faculty members have been recognized in 2023 by the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program, which rewards faculty who have the potential to serve as leaders in the advancement of research and education. UGA’s newest awardees include Akram Alishahi (Department of Mathematics), Amanda Frossard (Department of Chemistry), Le Guan (School of Computing), Kevin Vogel (Department of Entomology) and Krystal Williams (Institute of Higher Education).
Express Healthcare Management
Georgia Southern Students Tackle Health Concerns with Federally Funded Program
Jaishankar Chigurula
Graduate students at Georgia Southern University are participating in a federally funded program aimed at addressing health concerns nationwide. The program, funded by President Joe Biden’s administration, focuses on improving the overall health of the country. The two-year informatics program teaches students how to analyze data, such as poverty rates by race and Hispanic origin, to identify areas for improvement in the healthcare industry. The data analyzed by the students is then sent to the president’s office to inform decision-making. The program, which is part of a multimillion-dollar grant, is exclusive to Georgia Southern University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and the University of Minnesota. Assistant Professor Kristie Waterfield emphasizes the ambitious goals of the program, striving for a nation that is prepared against future pandemics, has reduced rates of food insecurity, and lower levels of diabetes and obesity.
The Augusta Chronicle
As the fall semester gets underway, Augusta University professors considering uses for AI
Abraham Kenmore
Augusta University prepared for the new fall semester with a series of faculty and staff conversations on one of the newest technologies in the classroom — artificial intelligence. Last semester the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Augusta University held a roundtable to discuss the implications of AI, but heading into the new year staff wanted to do something more robust. “The idea was just to help … professors who have maybe not thought as much about this or are feeling, you know, really anxious,” said Dr. James Garner, associate director of the Center for Writing Excellence in Pamplin College. “And I think there’s a lot of justifiable anxiety.”
HuffPost
The 1 Thing That’ll Wash Pesticides Off Fruits And Vegetables (And It’s Free)
Complicated washes are trending on TikTok. But are they even necessary?
By Taylor Tobin
…The good news for the budget-minded among us is that, in Johnson-Arbor’s professional estimation, the water right from your faucet will clean produce quite effectively. …Fruits and vegetables are absorbent by nature, so it’s generally not recommended to use any type of soap, detergent or cleaning solution on them. “According to the FDA, washing fresh produce with soap, detergent or commercial produce wash is not recommended, as their safety and effectiveness have not been adequately tested,” explained Emma Laing, the director of dietetics at the University of Georgia. “Because produce is porous, soaps and detergents can be absorbed even with thorough rinsing, and this can lead to illness.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Homegrown: Georgia’s first leases for oyster farms hit the water
By Marisa Mecke – Savannah Morning News
Georgia is at the precipice of a renaissance for its once great coastal industry: oysters. Only a handful of the oysters consumers eat on the 100-mile Georgia coast are locally grown. But that number is set to rise as the first handful of oyster aquaculture operations — maritime farms for the mollusks — put out their crop thanks to that state’s first-ever mariculture leases. …All the Georgia oyster producers grow a native species of oyster that’s produced locally by the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Sea Grant’s Shellfish Research Laboratory. They purchased about 100,000 “seed,” or baby oysters, from the extension that arrived in two batches in June and July.
Dairy Herd Management
It’s Cool to Protect Vaccine Integrity
By Maureen Hanson
A barn refrigerator may hold many treasures, from cooled colostrum to workers’ lunches and drinks. But the most precious cargo of all in a barn fridge is most likely the biologics you purchase to vaccinate your herd to prevent diseases. Dr. Emmanuel Rollin, Clinical Associate Professor of Dairy Production Medicine at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, said protecting the integrity of vaccines in the final stage before they are administered is a form of on-farm risk management.
Energy Central
Biden’s climate change agenda adds nuclear to the mix but it’s still second fiddle to wind and solar
President Biden is traveling the West to promote his net-zero emissions goal while one of the nation’s largest generators of clean energy powers through its second week of operation in Georgia without windmills or solar panels and with an awkward fit into the left’s climate change agenda. Plant Vogtle, the nation’s first nuclear power station to come online in seven years, began commercial operation on July 31. The reactor, about 30 miles south of Augusta, is generating enough power for a half-million homes and may herald a renaissance for the U.S. nuclear power industry, which has been declining since 1991. …Steven Biegalski, chair of the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering and Medical Physics Program at Georgia Institute of Technology, told The Washington Times that young people are studying nuclear engineering in significant numbers. Georgia Tech reported a 40% increase in freshman applications for its nuclear engineering program, he said. “What it tells me is that the views of our 17-year-old and 18-year-old high school seniors are significantly changing to have a positive view of nuclear,” Mr. Biegalski said. “They see nuclear as being a clean energy source, vital to our future. They see a lot of other nuclear technologies, including nuclear medicine, as being very beneficial to society. And these all are adding together to have a sort of resurgence that we’re seeing here directly.”
MSN
Researchers discover algorithm to create shapes that roll down pre-determined paths
Story by Lindsay Clark
Lopsided solids promise applications in quantum mechanics and medicine
Researchers have developed a method to construct solid objects that roll down pre-determined paths, which they reckon could have applications in quantum mechanics and medicine.… The team of researchers were led by Bartosz Grzybowski, distinguished professor at the Institute for Basic Science in Korea, and included first authors Yaroslav Sobolev and Ruoyu Dong. …In an accompanying article, Elisabetta Matsumoto, post-doctoral fellow at the School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Henry Segerman, assistant professor at the Department of Mathematics, Oklahoma State University, said: “This approach is surprising, and suggests that there should be a precise mathematical statement saying exactly when a two-period trajectoid exists.
CNBC
The great debate over banning TikTok
CNBC Senior Media & Tech Correspondent Julia Boorstin asks experts to weigh in on the great TikTok debate. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr expresses his national security concerns associated with TikTok while Georgia Tech Professor Milton Mueller defends the opposite perspective. The Professor published an academic study that analyzed the impact of Tiktok on National Security and told CNBC that their study found “no evidence” the app poses a national security threat.
Peach Belt Conference
GCSU’S RICHARDSON NAMED THE PBC NOMINEE FOR NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Georgia College & State University women’s soccer standout Kate Richardson has been selected as the Peach Belt Conference nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year. Richardson was among the six school nominees for the award that were revealed in July and voted as the conference nominee by the league’s Senior Woman Administrators. From Marietta, Ga., Richardson graduated from GCSU this past spring with a degree in marketing with a concentration in logistics. The 2023 class valedictorian, she finished her academic career with a 4.00 grade point average. A PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar, she accumulated a long list of academic accomplishments, among them a CSC Academic All-District Selection, D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards and the PBC Team of Academic Distinction.
Other News:
Griffin Daily News
State Health Benefit Plan premiums going up 5%
By Dave Williams Bureau Chief
Georgia Recorder
State employees, public school teachers and retirees will pay 5% more for health insurance coverage next year on average. The Georgia Board of Community Health approved the premium increase Thursday, only the second in the last six years. The increase, which takes effect Jan. 1, will cost enrollees in the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) $7.25 per month on average for those covered through individual plans and $23.61 a month for families.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
U of Houston Flip-flops on Announcing DEI Office Closures
By Johanna Alonso
The University of Houston appeared to be shutting down its LGBTQ Resource Center and Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion after paper notices appeared in front of both offices stating that they would be disbanded in accordance with Senate Bill 17. The bill, signed by Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, two months ago, bans diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public colleges and universities. But in a statement to Inside Higher Ed, a spokesperson for the university and the larger University of Houston System, Shawn Lindsey, said that the signs had been posted prematurely and that both offices are currently still in operation. According to the statement, the university system is working to comply with SB 17 and is developing a “full implementation plan” to present to the Board of Regents later this month.
Higher Ed Dive
WVU will aim to eliminate 169 faculty positions as part of a major academic restructuring, partly to address a $45 million deficit.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
West Virginia University will move to eliminate nearly three dozen degree programs, including all of its world languages, as well as merge several other academic offerings, it announced Friday. It’s also aggressively cutting its faculty numbers, looking to shed 169 positions. WVU has been reviewing about half of its programs as part of massive rework of the public flagship’s academic operations that means to correct an estimated $45 million budget shortfall. A dozen undergraduate majors and 20 graduate-level programs are on the chopping block, which the university said will affect 147 undergraduate students and 287 graduate students, based on fall 2023 enrollment.
See also:
Inside Higher Ed
Legislating an End to Legacy Preferences
A wave of bills targeting alumni preferences is building across state houses and in Congress. Has the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ban paved the way for their success?
By Liam Knox
As scrutiny over legacy admissions intensifies in the wake of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ban, lawmakers have been emboldened to target the practice through legislation designed to prohibit it or penalize colleges that use it. Proposals from Democratic state legislators in New York and Connecticut seek to ban the practice outright at public and private institutions in their states. Legislators in other states, including Pennsylvania and California, have promised to introduce similar legislation in upcoming sessions. A bill currently moving through the Massachusetts statehouse takes a less direct approach. Rather than ban legacy admissions, it would establish a tax for institutions that use it, channeling the revenue to a public trust fund for community colleges.