WTOC
Georgia Southern University says they are seeing benefits from digital textbooks
By Dal Cannady
The high cost of textbooks used to be considered as much a part of college life at dorm rooms and dining halls. But Georgia Southern says they and other schools are seeing a benefit from digital downloads for students and professors. Lines in the bookstore have gotten shorter as more courses use the Day One Access system that gives students digital access to materials even before school starts. …More than 500 classes now use digital materials from Day One Access or the statewide “No Cost/Low Cost” digital inventory. Southern’s students saved a combined $1.7 million dollars during the last school year and more than $4 million since 2019.
Emanuel County Live
AAMI receives $10,000 grant from Nordson Corporation
The East Georgia State College (EGSC) African American Male Initiative (AAMI) Program recently received a $10,000 grant from the Nordson Corporation Foundation. A check presentation was held Wednesday, July 26, followed by a plant tour at the Swainsboro Nordson facility. At the check presentation, EGSC faculty and staff discussed the AAMI Program with Nordson Corporation leadership and the impact the grants have on the students in the program and the community. The tour that followed the presentation gave EGSC an up-close look at the operations that take place each day at Nordson Corporation’s Swainsboro facility. The AAMI Program began in 2013 at EGSC. The program’s mission is to help African American males successfully navigate college with a purpose to increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of African American males in the college’s service area.
Albany Herald
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College welcomes new faculty members
From staff reports
Ten new faculty members joined the ranks of the teaching professionals at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for 2023. In the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the new faculty members include A. Preston Byrd, assistant professor of Agricultural Education; Jennifer L. Culpepper, lecturer of Agribusiness; Camille E. McAvoy, assistant professor of Environmental Horticulture; Samuel Mensah Opoku, assistant professor of Forestry; and Sharon P. Wagner, assistant professor of Agricultural Communication. In the School of Arts and Sciences, new faculty members include Jessica L. Beard, assistant professor of Biology; and Catherine E. Funk, assistant professor of Political Science. Danielle M. Kistler, assistant professor of Nursing, is new on the faculty of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, while, in the Stafford School of Business, new faculty members include Earl F. Denham, lecturer in Business Management; and Tatyana Pashnyak, lecturer of Business. “I’m excited to welcome these talented educators to ABAC,” President Tracy Brundage said. “They will make an incredible impact on our students.”
Albany Herald
ASU police chief named Chiefs Association Second VP
From staff reports
Albany State University is built on a foundation of excellent students, faculty, staff, and officers of the law such as ASU Police Chief Anita Allen. Allen was sworn in recently as the second vice president for the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and is slated to become president of the organization in 2025. The GACP has grown in membership and is the largest professional association for law enforcement administrators in Georgia, as well as one of the largest in the country.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Developer defers tax break request for Beltline apartment project
Vote and discussion was delayed until September
By Zachary Hansen
A Fulton County agency deferred consideration of a developer’s request for a tax break for a residential project along the Beltline’s popular Eastside trail. Maple Multifamily Land SE, a subsidiary of Trammell Crow Residential, asked the Development Authority of Fulton County to delay hearing the case at its Tuesday meeting. The developer did not provide a reason why it sought to postpone a hearing on its request for $4.3 million in tax savings for the project along Edgewood Avenue and Ezzard Street. …The authority board also approved $70 million in bonds Tuesday for the Georgia Tech Athletic Association to make improvements to Bobby Dodd Stadium and build a new 96,000-square-foot athlete performance center. The deal will not affect on Fulton’s property tax collections.
WGAU Radio
UGA study: dogs in shelters at risk for ticks, mosquitos
By Leigh Beeson, UGA Today
Long the bane of pet owners’ existence, ticks and mosquitoes are expanding their geographic range due to warming temperatures, frequently bringing disease with them. A new study from the University of Georgia suggests shelter dogs in the Eastern U.S. may be bearing the brunt of that burden. The researchers analyzed blood samples from 3,750 dogs from animal shelters in 19 states across the Eastern U.S. to determine the prevalence of heartworm and three tick-borne bacteria.
ReachMD
Menopause Curriculum Lacking in Most Ob-Gyn Residency Programs
Most obstetric and gynecology residency programs lack a dedicated menopause curriculum, according to a study published online Aug. 8 in Menopause. Jennifer T. Allen, M.D., from Augusta University in Georgia, and colleagues surveyed 99 U.S. obstetrics and gynecology residency program directors to assess menopause education, resources, and needs among obstetrics and gynecology residency programs. The researchers found that nearly all participants (92.9 percent) strongly agreed that residents nationwide should have access to a standardized menopause curriculum, yet only 31.3 percent reported having a menopause curriculum in their residency program.
AP News
TrippBio, Inc. (TrippBio), a clinical development-stage biopharmaceutical company developing antiviral treatments, announces that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of PanCytoVir™ as a treatment of acute, uncomplicated influenza disease. …Ralph A. Tripp, PhD, Professor & Georgia Research Alliance Chair in Vaccine and Therapeutic Development, University of Georgia and co-founder commented, “Antiviral drugs have limitations due to toxicity and resistance development when fighting mutating influenza viruses. Further, new vaccines must be developed to keep up with the different strains. PanCytoVir™ can bridge these gaps and immediately fill an important need.”
Drug Discovery News
Chagas disease stems from a parasitic infection. Now, with the help of a few insect-eating monkeys, a new treatment for this condition is on the horizon. For more than fifty years, the only drugs for Chagas disease, a parasitic infection that leads to deadly cardiac and gastrointestinal outcomes, have been difficult to get ahold of, plagued by unwanted side effects, and have not been very effective. Now, by using a naturally infected nonhuman primate model, researchers have identified a new compound that may be the best hope yet for treating Chagas disease.
Host: Stephanie DeMarco; Guests: …Rick Tarleton at the University of Georgia … Stephanie DeMarco: Hello everyone! Welcome back to a new episode of DDN Dialogues! I’m your host, Stephanie DeMarco. In today’s show, we’re taking a virtual trip down to South Texas, specifically to a primate research center just outside Austin.
WGAU Radio
Part-time job and internship fair today at UGA
By Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia’s part-time job and internship fair takes place today, underway at 11 and lasting til 2:30 in UGA’s Tate Student Center. The University says dozens of area employers will have representative on hand, looking for part-time workers and interns.
Dawson County News
Dawson County Chamber board member and UNG employee graduates from regional leadership program
Erica Jones
University of North Georgia (UNG) employee and Dawson County Chamber of Commerce board member Bobbi Larson recently became one of 39 people to graduate from the regional Appalachian Leadership Institute.
Albany Herald
Albany State’s Landon Kiefer named Freshman Pitcher of the Year
Albany State Golden Rams standout Landon Kiefer was named the 2023 Division II National Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Kiefer finished the season with a (9-2) record and a 2.06 ERA. Kiefer also had 3 complete games and led the Golden Rams with 76 strike outs.
“Kiefer probably flew under the radar playing for the Golden Rams, but stacking his stats up against other freshmen, there were few better. Kiefer had the best ERA and WHIP among freshmen starters and finished 9-2 with more than a strikeout per inning,” said Wayne Cavadi (NCAA.com).
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Education investments, not carrot-and-stick tactics, aid students
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
In a guest column today, Matthew Boedy, an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of North Georgia, warns that the performance-based funding being touted in Georgia is a proven failure and does not help students, especially first-generation and minority students. Boedy is conference president of the Georgia chapter of the American Association of University Professors, a national organization that represents the interests of college and university faculty members.
By Matthew Boedy
It’s that time of year again. Students showing up on campus. Books being bought. And in Georgia, faculty being told they won’t have a job next year. These are tough times in higher education. It’s hard to know how many faculty are facing job loss around the state after the double whammy of budget cuts due to enrollment declines and the political spat between the University System of Georgia and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones that slashed an extra $66 million.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Here’s the latest findings from Common App’s direct admissions experiment
The organization began piloting the model in 2021, with the latest iteration sending 33,000 automatic admissions offers to students at 13 colleges.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
A couple of years ago, the Common Application began wading into a relatively novel higher ed concept known as direct admissions. Under the model, institutions automatically admit students without them needing to apply. Various colleges and higher ed systems, sometimes with the help of tech companies, are trying it out. In part, direct admissions intends to bring clarity to an often cumbersome process, as well as introduce students to institutions they might not have otherwise discovered. These ventures can also target students historically underrepresented in higher education, who can especially be befuddled by mass amounts of paperwork and disparate admissions policies.
Inside Higher Ed
Direct Admissions Boosts Applications, but Not Enrollment
Large-scale study finds that guaranteeing free, simplified admission increases college applications from minoritized, low-income and first-gen students, but cost still deters them from enrolling.
By Susan H. Greenberg
Students offered direct admission to college were 12 percent more likely to apply to a postsecondary institution but no more likely than those who applied through traditional channels to enroll, according to a new large-scale study released Tuesday. Jennifer Delaney, a professor of higher education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and one of the study’s authors, said the findings—which are “fairly consistent” with previous, smaller-scale studies—underscore the benefit of direction admission as a “lighter-touch” intervention in promoting college attendance.
Inside Higher Ed
The Next Iteration of Community College?
A new national, for-profit community college seeks to bring a promising but costly educational model to scale online.
By Lauren Coffey
Community colleges have a long-standing—and seemingly intractable—struggle with student completion. Though measures vary, the rate at which students at two-year institutions earn an associate degree or certificate within three years is at about 36 percent, rising to 43 percent over six years. The reasons why are plentiful and complex, ranging from inadequate funding to institutional deficiencies. And while some have attempted to tackle the problems over the years, the progress has been slow—even by academe’s standards.
Cybersecurity Dive
MOVEit attack spree makes Clop this summer’s most-prolific ransomware group
The financially-motivated threat actor was responsible for one-third of all ransomware attacks in July, according to NCC Group and Flashpoint.
Matt Kapko, Reporter
Clop was responsible for one-third of all ransomware attacks in July, positioning the financially-motivated threat actor to become the most prolific ransomware threat actor this summer, according to multiple threat intelligence reports. Clop’s mass exploit of a zero-day vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer service rapidly catapulted the group to the head of the global ransomware threat actor pack. The threat actor has compromised more than 730 organizations as part of this campaign, according to the latest figures tracked by Emsisoft and KonBriefing Research.
Higher Ed Dive
2 more University of Wisconsin campuses weigh layoffs and furloughs
UW-Parkside and UW-Platteville warned employees Monday of possible cost-cutting measures as the system faces budget woes and enrollment declines.
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Two University of Wisconsin campuses are considering layoffs, furloughs and early retirement incentives as they stare down large budget deficits, according to letters sent to campus employees Monday. In southwest Wisconsin, UW-Platteville predicts its budget will fall $9.7 million short in the 2024 fiscal year. On the state’s southeast border, UW-Parkside expects a budget deficit of at least $4 million by the end of the current fiscal year. The two campuses, though on opposite sides of the state, are battling strikingly similar challenges. Both attributed their budgetary woes to declining enrollment, high inflation, reduced state funding and a decade-long tuition freeze.
Higher Ed Dive
University of Michigan graduate workers vote to tentatively approve contract
The union and university have been in negotiations for nine months, with workers on strike half of that time.
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
The union representing the University of Michigan’s graduate student instructors and assistants tentatively approved the institution’s most recent contract proposal, capping off nine months of negotiations. The Graduate Employees’ Organization, or GEO 3550, said Tuesday that its members voted to authorize its bargaining team to reach a tentative agreement with the university. The announcement comes one week before the University of Michigan’s fall semester starts and amid an ongoing graduate worker strike that began in March.
See also:
Higher Ed Dive
Petition emerges to save Dickinson State arts programs amid $1M deficit
The president of the North Dakota public college is looking to cut a still-to-be-decided number of tenured faculty.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
A petition has emerged to save Dickinson State University art majors as the president of the North Dakota public college looks to cut its academic programs. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition has attracted 430 signatures. It states that the “arts serve as an important tool for learning, teaching, and communicating. Not only would these proposed changes take away educational opportunities from North Dakotans, they would be a detriment to the entire community.” Dickinson State also intends to lay off a yet-to-be-determined number of tenured faculty to resolve a projected $1 million deficit, drawing concerns from longtime professors.
Inside Higher Ed
George Washington U Will Arm 2 Officers
By Johanna Alonso
Despite student pushback, George Washington University is moving ahead with plans to arm some of its police officers, the institution announced Monday. The Washington, D.C.–based university will take the first step in a “multi-phase implementation process” by arming two high-ranking police officers at the beginning of the fall semester.
Inside Higher Ed
Yale Slams Police Union ‘Survival Guide’
By Johanna Alonso
The Yale Police Benevolent Association, a union representing Yale University’s campus police, handed out pamphlets to freshmen containing “disturbing and inflammatory rhetoric about the safety of Yale’s campus and its home city of New Haven” during move-in day, the university said in a statement Monday. A photo of one of the handouts circulated on X (formerly Twitter) Sunday, featuring a Grim Reaper–like illustration, crime statistics for New Haven and a list of tips for “surviving” in the city. The pamphlet advised students to “stay off the streets after 8 p.m.” In a press release, the Ivy League institution said the pamphlets contained “misleading” information and stressed that rates of violent crime and robberies are currently down, both on campus and in New Haven. It also noted that the police union and the university are currently in contract negotiations.
Cybersecurity Dive
Zoom’s AI terms overhaul sets stage for broader data use scrutiny
The shift to adopt generative AI has created tension between SaaS vendors’ data desires and enterprises’ security concerns.
Lindsey Wilkinson, Associate Editor
Zoom updated its terms and conditions — again — on Friday following persistent criticism related to language that allowed the company to use customer data to train its AI systems. The latest iteration of the terms allows Zoom to access customer content for legal, security and safety purposes, but the company will not use any audio, video, chat or screen-sharing data to train third-party or its internal AI models. The industry’s sudden shift to adopt generative AI has caused tension between vendors that want data to bolster offerings and enterprises that are deeply concerned with security. For some analysts, Zoom’s swift response was a welcome change.
Inside Higher Ed
How AI Might Improve Online Discourse: Academic Minute
By Doug Lederman
Today on the Academic Minute, a Student Spotlight during Cornell University’s Impacts of AI Week: Jonathan P. Chang, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science, explores how artificial intelligence might improve the nature of online discourse.