University System News:
Albany Herald
ABAC kicks off fall semester with enrollment increase
Fall semester is under way at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College with its largest enrollment increase in five years. More than 3,700 students are enrolled, a total that reflects an increase of more than 3.5% from last fall. “Considering the challenges that higher education is facing across the country, this increase is a testament to the hard work from so many people on this campus,” ABAC President Tracy Brundage said in a news release. “In the last year, our focus on enrollment and retention has been intentional. We’re seeing that hard work pay off.”
Athens CEO
FVSU, UGA College of Pharmacy partner to support future pharmacists
Fort Valley State University (FVSU) and the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Pharmacy signed an agreement allowing FVSU undergraduate chemistry students to have a streamlined approach for admission into UGA’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. Kelly Smith, Pharm.D., dean of UGA’s College of Pharmacy; Olufunke Fontenot, Ed.D., FVSU’s provost; and Fares Howari, Ph.D., dean of FVSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, signed the articulation that provides students with a guided pathway into UGA’s four-year curriculum.
Albany Herald
Marching for promise: Albany recognizes 60th anniversary of March on Washington
By Lucille Lannigan
Jalyn Eady, a 24-year-old Albany State University student, attended the march with her mom. Already at the beginning of the event, she said she felt inspired and eager to learn about and re-enact such a significant moment in history. Eady said she hoped to learn more about the March on Washington, the Albany Movement and why King felt moved to come to the place where she grew up. “It’s shedding light on the importance for change within the black community,” Eady said. Many Albany State students from Greek life organizations participated in the march. Anthony Morman, Albany State’s Director of Greek Life, also attended and rewarded students who did so. “It’s so important because of the legacy of the Albany Movement,” he said. “Greek organizations played a huge role in the movement, and it’s imperative we recognize it.”
13 WMAZ
It’s not a bird or a plane — it’s a pizza robot. Here are the new robots roaming Georgia College
It’s not a bird and not a plane. It’s a little robot. Pizza and college students go together like midterms and all-night study sessions. Georgia College and State University has brought a new technology to campus that makes the two meeting easier, and students are eating it up. Classes started last week and so did the pizza bots. Sodexo, which partners with the university, has invested in 10 of these bots that will be delivering pizza, snacks and drinks all over campus. They even have names, like Barnacle.
See also: WSB Radio: Georgia college unleashes fleet of robots to deliver pizza, other items to dorm rooms, 41 WMGT: Georgia College & State University expands meal options for students
Albany Herald
Georgia’s Rural Center offers ‘phenomenal’ return on investment
By Staff Reports
July marked the fifth anniversary of the creation of Georgia’s Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation. Known as Georgia’s Rural Center and headquartered on the Tifton campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, the center was created by the state’s General Assembly during its 2018 session. The establishing legislation granted the center statewide authority to work with communities and the private sector to promote general welfare, encourage business, and achieve prosperity through innovation and investment in rural communities throughout Georgia.
The City MenusUWG’s The Other Night School returns for Fall 2023
The University of West Georgia’s The Other Night School will continue its eight-year legacy as an esteemed opportunity for exposure to lectures regarding eccentric subjects with its return in Fall 2023. A wide array of lectures, from medieval runestones to marvelous marble, are sure to satisfy the curiosity of numerous attendees. All are invited to the free events at UWG Newnan and the Carrollton Center for the Arts.
WABE
Georgia’s warming climate leads farmers to try growing a new crop: citrus
On a punishingly hot August morning, University of Georgia Extension Agent Jake Price walked through his rows of citrus trees, tucked in the back corner of a field behind a Valdosta elementary school. They look like an image right out of a Tropicana commercial: lush, leafy trees, many of them laden with plump little tangos — one of the easy-to-peel varieties of citrus sold in stores as Cuties. “Look how much fruit this tree has,” Price said, approaching one of them. “There’s probably 25 pounds per tree on these.”
Miami Herald
This Miami rapper’s life will be the subject of a new law class at Georgia State University
By C. Isaiah Smalls II
Professor Moraima Ivory’s new class starts the same way every day: playing a Rick Ross track. It might be “Hustlin’.” It might be “Stay Schemin’.” Maybe even “Tears of Joy.” The concept, however, is rather simple: to put her students in the mindset of the Rick Ross, the artist, before learning about Rick Ross, the business. “You get an opportunity to see how he has built this empire that he has amassed,” said Ivory, professor of practice and director of the Entertainment, Sports & Media Law Initiative at the George State University’s College of Law in Atlanta, “whether it’s in music, real estate, in brand partnerships, equity, positioning — he has done it.” For this reason, Ivory will teach a new class entitled the “Legal Life of Rick Ross” that allows students to get a better understanding of the Miami Gardens native “through the contracts he signed along the way,” she said.
Other News:
The Brunswick News
Idalia expected to intensify, bring hurricane conditions to Isles
Tropical Storm Idalia is now forecast to intensify into a major hurricane before making landfall on Florida’s west coast this week, the National Weather Service in Jacksonville said. On its current predicted track, the storm could bring Category 1 hurricane conditions to the Golden Isles by Wednesday. Glynn County’s emergency management leadership team is meeting Monday morning to discuss response to the storm, said Emergency Management Agency director Andy Leanza in an email.
Higher Education News:
accessWDUN
Fire Commissioner urges college students to purchase renters insurance
Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King is urging college students moving into rental properties this fall to consider obtaining renters insurance. King believes renters insurance is “crucial to protect your property in the event of theft, fire or other unexpected disaster.” While many landlords reportedly have insurance coverage that protects the property itself, those policies rarely cover a tenant’s belongings.
Higher Ed Dive
How the FAFSA delay could impact colleges and students
By Danielle McLean
The U.S. Department of Education is overhauling the Free Application for Federal Student Aid this year, but the agency plans to roll out the new form in December — two months later than usual. That delay could cause issues for college administrators and states, financial aid experts say. The new FAFSA represents the first major redesign of the form in over 40 years. The revamp intends to create a more streamlined process for students applying for federal financial aid, expands Pell Grant eligibility and lower barriers for certain student populations, including those who are homeless, incarcerated and come from low-income backgrounds.
Inside Higher Ed
Community colleges double down on dual enrollment
By Jessica Blake
The Santa Barbara Unified School District and Santa Barbara City College recently received over half a million dollars in state grants to expand their dual-enrollment program. The funds will go toward professional development for instructors and counselors, community outreach events, and infrastructural updates, all in hopes of increasing the number and expanding the demographics of the high school students who participate in the program and subsequently enroll at the two-year college. Sonya Christian, chancellor of the California Community Colleges system, described such investments as “critical,” especially as college administrators across the state work toward a goal set by the governor in his 2022–23 budget proposal of ensuring 70 percent of working-age Californians have completed a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2030.
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
Massachusetts governor launches free community college initiative
By Walter Hudson
Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey launched MassReconnect, her administration’s new program establishing free community college for Massachusetts residents aged 25 and older and awarded $100,000 to each of Massachusetts’ 15 community colleges to support the quick implementation of the program this fall. “MassReconnect will be transformative for thousands of students, for our amazing community colleges, and for our economy,” said Healey.
Inside Higher Ed
Promising, then revoking, ‘forever’ alumni status for certificate grads
By Kathryn Palmer
Who gets to claim alumni status at the University of Southern California and benefit from its powerful network? For years, Brian Ralston, who earned a graduate certificate in music scoring for motion pictures and television from USC in 2002, thought he did. After all, he’d attended a commencement ceremony wearing a hooded gown and cap just like the graduates of traditional master’s programs, and the university referred to his and other graduate certificate programs as a “degree” on its website. That “conferred degree from USC” was the only requirement for membership in the alumni association, according to an archived webpage from the early 2000s.
Higher Ed Dive
Accreditors are in the perfect position to support diversity, New America says
By Laura Spitalniak
Accrediting agencies can enhance campus diversity following the overturn of race-conscious admissions by focusing on admissions requirements, according to a brief from New America, a left-leaning think tank. They can influence colleges to move to test-optional or test-blind admissions, the brief states. Research suggests going test-optional modestly increases enrollment of students from underrepresented racial groups. Accreditors can also steer admissions policies away from requiring applicants to take advanced-level or college-ready courses, which not all K-12 schools have resources to provide.