AllOnGeorgia
University System of Georgia in FY2023 Awards Another Record Number of Degrees
The overall number of degrees awarded by University System of Georgia (USG) institutions in FY2023 increased by 1% over the previous fiscal year, reaching a new all-time high for the system of 75,228 degrees conferred annually. The number of degrees awarded has risen by 37.1% since USG joined the Complete College America program in 2011 and prioritized increasing degree completion in Georgia. Over the same period, system enrollment increased 5.2%, meaning the rate of awarding degrees continues to far outpace enrollment.
The Augusta Chronicle
‘On a high note’: Augusta University President Brooks Keel talks decision to retire
Abraham Kenmore
Augusta University President Brooks Keel is retiring completely when he steps down from his role in June. “I’ve got the greatest job in the world right now and to step away from it and do something else I think would just seem kind of a let down,” he said. “… I’ll be able to sit on a beach somewhere and look at the ocean and have a big smile on my face because of the way this university has gone and the way it’s going.” Keel, who will be 68 in December, announced Friday that this academic year would be his last as president of AU. …”I had always wanted to retire … on a high note, when things were going well and I think things are going incredibly well at the university,” Keel said, highlighting closing the merger with AU Health and Wellstar as well as steady enrollment growth and strong faculty and staff.
Athens Banner-Herald
Athens campus of Augusta University nursing school reopens after renovations
Chris Starrs Contributor
A shortage of nurses is an ongoing concern throughout Georgia and the nation. A 2022 report by the Georgia Healthcare Workforce Commission – established in early 2022 by Gov. Brian Kemp – noted that the state is expected to experience a shortfall of registered nurses, behavioral health and specialty care workers, as some 20% of them are 55 and older and most are likely to retire in the next decade. Fortunately, Augusta University’s College of Nursing is responding to the expected shortage by turning out trained nurses each year. And Athens is doing its part, as Augusta University has had a presence in the Classic City for more than 50 years, and more than three decades ago established a local campus.
Times-Georgian
By Bruce Guthrie
The move is official. In a ceremony equivalent to an athlete signing a letter of intent with a university to play a sport, the University of West Georgia signed to play all of its sports in the Atlantic Sun Conference, making it West Georgia’s Division-I home, a move that was approved by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents on Friday.
Albany Herald
Internships give ABAC students competitive edge on vet school applications
From staff reports
Biology and animal science majors at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College gain a competitive edge when applying to veterinary school due to a partnership with the University of Georgia Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Jenny Harper, a professor of biology at ABAC’s School of Arts and Sciences, said that that the internship is funded through a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant opportunity designed to streamline and track the acceptance rate of ABAC students into veterinary colleges.
Albany Herald
GSW’s bachelor’s degree in computer science accredited
From staff reports
Georgia Southwestern State University’s bachelor’s degree program in Computer Science has been accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. ABET accreditation assures that programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies, and anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public.
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA Pet clinic is expanding exam rooms, kennel space and more with $5 million grant
Abraham Kenmore
The Pet Health Center at the University of Georgia is expanding by almost two thirds to provide more training opportunities and more room to take care of their canine clients. The Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia last week approved the renovation for $5.5 million, $5 million of which is coming from the Stanton Foundation. …The Pet Health Center, 125 Veterinary Loop, Athens, was built in 1973, according to the Board of Regents agenda, and is used by fourth year students at the College of Veterinary Medicine as a rotation and by the community as a veterinary practice, mostly taking care of dogs. The current building is hitting its capacity, however, limiting both the training and veterinary service opportunities.
Middle Georgia CEO
Middle Georgia State University (MGA) and United’s Aviate program announce a new partnership to provide a career pathway for MGA pilots. The pathway program will be provided through United Aviate, established by United Airlines in 2019 to support the airline’s pipeline of highly qualified pilots. As an Aviate university partner, MGA’s School of Aviation will give flight students and instructors an opportunity to apply to the Aviate program and follow a defined pathway to a career at United. Aviate is United’s industry-leading pilot career development program, offering aspiring and established pilots the most secure path to the United flight deck.
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Lanier County News
ABAC SGA holds 9/11 Remembrance ceremony
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Student Government Association hosted a remembrance ceremony for the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The event was held at the college’s Chapel of All Faiths. Emily Rowland, SGA senator representing the School of Arts and Sciences, said it was important to continue to have events like this so the post-9/11 generation can remember the events of that day and the people who were impacted. “Without events like this, it’s just words in a textbook,” she said. “Events like this make a connection.” On the day of the attacks, ABAC President Tracy Brundage was living in Pennsylvania, where Flight 97 crashed after passengers fought back against the hijackers and forced the plane down in a field instead of allowing it to be flown into a building. …Brundage spoke about ABAC’s veterans’ assistance programs and said that ABAC honors those who served and continue to serve not only on days of remembrance but throughout the year.
Medical Xpress
Study reports on contributions to white matter injury in Alzheimer’s disease
by Impact Journals LLC
A new editorial paper titled “Microvascular contributions to white matter injury in Alzheimer’s disease” has been published in Aging. In their new editorial, researchers Zsolt Bagi, Larry S. Sherman and Stephen A. Back from Augusta University discuss mechanisms of cognitive impairment and dementia. Impairments in cognitive and executive function of presumed cerebral microvascular origin are important and recently recognized neuropathological manifestations of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID).
Cannon Courier
Land-Grant University Scientists Are Making Turfgrass Safer
As the whistle blows, referees across the nation are signaling for teams to take the fields. From elite college football players to those in pre-school and elementary soccer leagues, athletes of all skill levels are busy running, kicking and throwing balls across a variety of surfaces. As they compete, players’ bodies often are slammed, thrust and thrown across these surfaces. That’s just one of the reasons researchers at land-grant institutions across the nation are busy working to improve turfgrass to keep athletes safer. In addition, they also are studying how to help minimize negative environmental impacts from practices used to maintain these playing surfaces. …University of Georgia
University of Georgia turf research program faculty and research scientists are taking their turfgrass information to a new level by providing information to Spanish-speaking audiences abroad. Led by Alfredo Martinez-Espinoza, a professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and a UGA Cooperative Extension Service plant pathologist, members of the UGA Turf Team recently were invited to develop a training and certification program to support the field managers of Mexico’s premier soccer leagues as they prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Inside Higher Ed
Presidents, Twitter and U.S. Soft Power: Academic Minute
By Doug Lederman
Today on the Academic Minute: Stephen Collins, professor of government and international affairs at Kennesaw State University, examines the importance of words in politics through the lens of social media. A transcript of this podcast can be found here.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Underground Atlanta developers see possibilities in student housing
By Douglas Sams – Editor-in-chief
Across U.S. cities, planners are studying how to convert obsolete office towers into apartments. The same is true in Atlanta, where Downtown leaders are considering the possibilities as the U.S. office market struggles. There’s history with such conversions. About 18% of Downtown residential buildings are adaptive reuse projects. Underground Atlanta developers are following the same line of thinking. Lalani Ventures, the owner of Underground Atlanta, aims to convert a 30-story office tower at 34 Peachtree into apartments. To pencil out financially, that project will likely need some level of government subsidies. The student housing construction pipeline is also robust, with almost 130,000 units in some stage of planning or development and 36% of those projects in the Southeast, according to commercial real estate firm Berkadia and data provider RealPage. David Tracht, vice president of development with Lalani Ventures, told Atlanta Business Chronicle it aims to build a student housing tower for Georgia State University. The developer is seeking a partner on the tower and is open to one with the university, Tracht said.
WGAU Radio
It’s only a test: UGA emergency alert drill today
By Tim Bryant
It’s only a test: the University of Georgia says it will be testing its campus alert system shortly after 11 o’clock this morning, with texts, emails, and phone calls going to University students, staff, and faculty.
From the UGA master calendar…
This full test of UGA Alert, the university’s emergency notification system, will include a full activation of the UGA Alert emergency notification system. Prior to the test, students, faculty and staff should review their contact information (phone numbers and email addresses) in the UGA Alert system to ensure that their personal contact information and their specific preferences for being notified are accurate. Contact information may be checked and updated at www.ugaalert.uga.edu.
WGAU Radio
Bayeux Tapestry replica coming to UNG
By Denise Ray, UNG
The University of North Georgia will host an exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry replica from Sept. 26-28 at the Convocation Center at the Dahlonega Campus. The exhibit is free and open to the public, and will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. those days. Part of the UNG Permanent Art collection, the replica is the only full-size copy in the United States of the famous embroidery that visually captures the story of the Battle of Hastings, a military conflict that turned the tide of British and European history in 1066. It was during this conflict Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, defeated an English army led by Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson. The replica will provide special opportunities for art history students to practice museum skills in art installation and art audience education.
BVM Sports
Augusta Athletics is mourning the loss of J. Fleming Norvell, a foundational supporter of the Augusta University golf program. Norvell was instrumental in the creation of The Birdie Club, the establishment of a women’s team, and the construction of the J. Fleming Norvell Golf House. His efforts contributed to the team’s success, including two National Championships. Norvell also supported initiatives to provide educational opportunities through golf. Augusta Athletics deeply mourns the loss of their dear friend and supporter.
Georgia Law News
While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may not have the success he expected in his presidential campaign, it appears some Georgia lawmakers are still all too eager to follow his lead and push for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education to attack. The finding: Dissatisfaction among educators in Georgia is growing, and many are considering seeking employment in another state, according to a recent survey by the American Association of University Professors. A brain drain will not only have a devastating impact on academia, but also on the future of the economy and our state’s growth potential. That’s why I’m saddened and deeply disturbed by the results of this survey and by the University System of Georgia’s decision, announced late last month, to ban statements about diversity in hiring. Georgia’s strength lies in its rich spectrum of cultures, backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. This is particularly true in higher education, where freedom of thought is essential to the functioning of a democratic society and the protection of individual rights.
Georgia state Rep. Tanya F. Miller is a Democrat who represents the 62nd District, which includes parts of Atlanta, College Park, East Point and South Fulton. State Rep. Miller also serves as Vice Chairman of the Georgia House of Representatives Democratic Caucus.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
‘U.S. News’ Rankings Not the ‘Behemoth’ Perceived
A new report says the publication’s “Best Colleges” rankings play a “notable but decidedly supporting role” in students’ college decisions.
By Jessica Blake
There is a stark gap between the premium many college leaders place on the U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings and the interests of the prospective students they aim to attract, according to a new report by Art & Science Group, a higher education consulting firm. While 58 percent of high school seniors who graduated this spring said they actively considered rankings in some way during their search, only 5 percent “thought they knew” the U.S. News ranking of their first-choice school well enough to identify it, the report shows. Even fewer students, about 3 percent, could actually do so correctly. The report, which was released Tuesday and is based on a survey of just over 800 recent high school graduates, suggests that “U.S. News is not the behemoth that one might think it is,” said David Strauss, a principal at Art & Science Group.
Higher Ed Dive
Overtime rule comment period opens; employers can weigh in through Nov. 7
DOL proposed a salary threshold of about $55,000 per year but suggested in a footnote the final level could be more than $60,000.
Kate Tornone, Lead Editor
Stakeholders may comment on a proposed overtime rule through Nov. 7, according to a notice published Friday. The U.S. Department of Labor last week announced plans to increase the salary threshold for overtime eligibility — currently $35,568 — to $1,059 per week, or roughly $55,068 per year. It said in a footnote, however, that the final rule would include a threshold based on the most recent wage data available. Depending on how long the process takes and the calculation used, that could be more than $60,000, according to DOL. The proposal also adopts automatic increases for the threshold, something the Fair Labor Standards Act regulations do not currently include. The American Council on Education, higher education’s top lobbying group, on Monday urged colleges to analyze the impacts the rule would have on their institutions and share comments with the Labor Department.
Higher Ed Dive
Ohio Republicans to push revised bill limiting college DEI and faculty strikes
The author of the far-reaching proposal is optimistic it will pass the House, despite strong pushback from faculty groups and unions.
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
The Ohio Legislature made headlines in May when its Senate passed a bill that would largely ban diversity, equity and inclusion training efforts at public colleges, bar institutions from taking positions on “controversial” topics and limit employee collective bargaining. The bill, SB 83, is meant as “an urgent course correction to protect Ohio students and the integrity of our universities and colleges,” Republican state Sen. Jerry Cirino said when he introduced it in March. Cirino more recently told Higher Ed Dive that he believes faculty need to start thinking out of the box and be a little bit more flexible, especially since “they have not seen fit to reform themselves for many, many, many years.”
Inside Higher Ed
SUNY Expands Academic Support Program
By Sara Weissman
The State University of New York system will bring an academic support program for low-income students, developed in the City University of New York system, to 25 of its campuses this upcoming spring, SUNY chancellor John B. King Jr. announced at a recent system Board of Trustees meeting. The model, called Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), and a similar support model for students earning bachelor’s degrees, known as Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE), have been replicated in seven states since ASAP’s founding in 2007. These programs focus on comprehensive wraparound supports, including robust, personalized academic advising and covering various expenses, including tuition and fees after state and federal financial aid, public transit, and textbooks.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Jon Edelman
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are getting some recognition from President Joe Biden. The White House has issued a proclamation designating this week, September 11-17, as National Hispanic-Serving Institution Week. …The White House described HSIs, which two-thirds of Hispanic college students in the US attend, as essential in an environment where not everyone has an equal shot.
Inside Higher Ed
Why Professors Are Polarized on AI
Academics who perceive threats to education from AI band together as a survival mechanism. The resulting alliances echo divisions formed during online learning’s emergence.
By Susan D’Agostino
Corey Robin, distinguished professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York Graduate Center, has reluctantly considered implementing in-class exams for the first time in 30 years. He detailed the evolution of his thinking this summer in a personal blog post, “How ChatGPT Changed My Plans for the Fall.” The article did a great job conveying the sense of grief and mixed emotions many writing instructors are feeling, according to Daniel Stanford, a lecturer at DePaul University’s Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media. But when Stanford read the comments, he was bothered by the vitriolic tone of the debate surrounding AI’s role in teaching and learning—a tone he and other academics have also seen surface in real life.
Inside Higher Ed
New student orientation satisfaction rates fell early in the pandemic but they’re back up, according to Student Voice survey data. First-year experience leaders say it’s not business as usual: less is now more.
By Colleen Flaherty
When asked to rate satisfaction with their overall orientation experience, students entering college during COVID-19 had more negative perspectives than those who began college before and after reopenings. That’s according to data from the newest Student Voice survey on the college experience from Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse, with 3,000 respondents. Four-year college students in the survey were particularly dissatisfied with virtual orientations, which predominated early the pandemic, and this certainly explains part of why the Class of 2024 (many of whom started college in 2020 and whose orientations were thus disrupted by COVID-19) rate their orientation experiences more poorly than the Class of 2023 (many of whom started college in 2019, prior to COVID-19).
Inside Higher Ed
NYU to Divest From Fossil Fuels
By Josh Moody
After years of protests and ongoing pressure from student activists, New York University leaders will divest from fossil fuel companies, The Guardian reported Tuesday. The announcement appears to have been formalized in a letter last month from William R. Berkley, the chair of NYU’s Board of Trustees. That letter, sent to student activists and obtained by The Guardian, indicated that the university aims to “avoid any direct investments in any company whose primary business is the exploration or extraction of fossil fuels, including all forms of coal, oil, and natural gas, and not to renew or seek out any dedicated private funds whose primary aim is to invest in the exploration or extraction of fossil fuels.” The divestment decision is an about-face for the Board of Trustees. In 2016 Berkley wrote that the board was “not persuaded” that divestment would “reduce dependency on fossil fuels.”