The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jonesboro councilman in home stretch of Clayton State degree, track career
By Leon Stafford
At 36, Alfred Dixon is ready to do what eluded him in his 20s — graduate from college. Eighteen years ago, when he first enrolled at Clayton State University, Dixon saw a bright future for himself. He was motivated, on the school’s track team as a high jumper and planned a post-college career in business. But by his sophomore year, his life detoured, he says. He threw a successful party with a couple of fellow track teammates to blow off some steam. …His grades plummeted and he ended up being dismissed from the university. …Today, Dixon is back at Clayton State and just months away from receiving a bachelor’s in political science in December. … There are many students like Dixon at Clayton State. Nontraditional students make up as many as 40% of Clayton State’s student body, which was about 5,300 last spring. Nontraditional students are defined as learners who entered as freshmen at least five years after they graduated from high school, according to the University System of Georgia. The average age of undergraduate students at Clayton State is nearly 25, second oldest in the University System. With projections that college enrollment in Georgia will drop in a few years due to declining birthrates, University System officials are looking at older students as a potential area of growth. Online brochures for nontraditional students note free tutoring and other services in its Center for Academic Success. The University System offers access to several courses and degree programs that they believe are well suited for adult learners.
WALB
State leaders visit Albany State to discuss ways to improve economic growth
By Gabrielle Taite
Southwest Georgia is bringing in help from higher up to improve the economy in our region. Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and Senate President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy came to both listen and advise local leaders on what they can do to improve Southwest Georgia’s economy. “We’re lagging quite a bit,” Senator Freddie Powell Sims said. “And we know that it’s our time. These gentlemen are here to listen to our concerns and also to guide us through the process. What do we need to do? Is it customer service? Is it workforce development? Is it healthcare? Is it education? All of these entities are needed in order to have economic expansion.” Jones and Kennedy will also venture into other parts of Southwest Georgia today to see what can be developed. “They’re going to visit Albany State University,” Senator Sims said. “We’re going to do a tour. We’re also going to go over to the hospital. Phoebe Putney Memorial Healthcare System. And we’re also going to go to Shellman, Georgia to visit with our ag base there.” … Having a college like ASU contributes to the number of qualified graduates that could become workers in the region. ASU is looking to expand programs, like nursing and aerospace engineering… to encourage students to stay in Albany. …“Albany State is a big partner with the community and with Southwest Georgia,” Michael Montgomery, who is the Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications at ASU, said. “A lot of people don’t realize it, but we contribute two hundred and sixty million dollars to the Southwest region along with graduating probably more students than any other college in the region.”
Albany Herald
Fort Valley ranks as top Georgia public HBCU for sixth straight year
From staff reports
Fort Valley State University has been recognized as the No. 1 public historically black college and university in Georgia for the sixth consecutive year, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 rankings. Additionally, FVSU has achieved the highest ranking in the state for social mobility among public regional universities. U.S. News & World Report’s rankings have placed FVSU at the forefront of higher education institutions in the southern United States. The university has moved up significantly, climbing from No. 39 to No. 32 for top public universities in the South. FVSU’s dedication to academic excellence, innovation, and commitment to student success is clearly reflected in this achievement, FVSU officials said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How Georgia’s public Black universities are funded
By Vanessa McCray
Georgia has 10 historically Black colleges and universities, one of the largest totals in the nation. While most of them are private, three of those schools are public and part of the University System of Georgia, which receives state funding to operate. The heads of two federal departments wrote a letter Monday to the governors of several states, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, raising concerns that land-grant HBCUs have been underfunded by their states. Georgia has one land-grant HBCU, Fort Valley State University.
Marietta Daily Journal
Georgia lottery president touts benefits for education
By Joel Elliott
With the Powerball jackpot soaring past $500 million, members of the Cobb Executive Women hosted Georgia Lottery President Gretchen Corbin and discussed what they would do if they were to win the lottery. Some said they would donate to charities. Others said they would purchase homes near their children so they could visit. None said they wouldn’t play the lottery. The Georgia Lottery is a state-administered corporation that has provided five years of returns of more than $1 billion for the state, including last year’s $1.5 billion for the HOPE scholarship and Pre-K programs, according to Sasha Ugi, a member of Cobb Executive Women’s steering committee who introduced Corbin. Since its inception, the lottery has returned more than $26.8 billion and benefited more than 2 million students…Corbin said that the Georgia Lottery and HOPE is unique in that it has never received state funding, but rather serves as a vehicle to send revenue to the state for the governor to appropriate funds to the Department of Early Care and Learning, for Pre-K; to the university system’s Board of Regents and to the technical college system of Georgia, for grants and scholarships.
Augusta CEO
The Dental College of Georgia Appoints Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Stacey Hudson
Gregory Griffin, DMD, associate professor in the Department of General Dentistry, has been named associate dean for student affairs at the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University. “I am honored for the opportunity to serve as the next associate dean of student affairs,” Griffin said. “I am excited to work with DCG leadership, our Georgia dental organizations, our student organizations and our alumni and dentists throughout the state of Georgia to create enrichment experiences and paraprofessional training opportunities for our dental and oral biology students.” As an alumnus of the DCG, Griffin has the experiential and educational background to tackle the college’s growing and changing enrollment.
WGAU Radio
Ten UGA faculty members named Women’s Leadership Fellows
By Hannah Gallant, UGA Today
The University of Georgia has named 10 faculty and academic leaders to the university’s 2023-2024 class of Women’s Leadership Fellows. The new cohort includes representatives from seven schools and colleges. UGA established this program in 2015 as part of its Women’s Leadership Initiative to provide a select group of current faculty and administrators with an opportunity to develop leadership skills while gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities confronting higher education. The program specifically focuses on issues women face in academic administration. From September 2023 to May 2024, fellows will attend monthly meetings to learn from senior administrators on campus as well as visiting speakers from academia, business and other fields.
Monroe Local
UNG freshman cadets from the local area complete FROG Week
Sharon Swanepoel
One hundred and seventy-eight cadets began their time as University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets with Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week from Aug.13-19. FROG Week marks the transition from civilian to military life within UNG’s Corps of Cadets. These new cadets included:
Elijah Glasco of Loganville, GA. Matthew Walden of Monroe, GA. Positioned in the fastest-growing region of the state, the University of North Georgia comprises five campuses united by a single mission focused on academic excellence and academic and co-curricular programs that develop students into leaders for a diverse and global society. The University of North Georgia is a University System of Georgia leadership institution and is The Military College of Georgia.
Athens Banner-Herald
With a national blood supply shortage, here’s how Athens, UGA are helping the Red Cross
Sarah Dolezal
Amid a national shortage, Athens area blood banks are seeking to re-supply an annual shortage caused by the University of Georgia and local summer breaks. The American Red Cross put out a notice earlier this month that the “national blood supply has fallen to critically low levels.” …Athens’ blood donation supply is heavily influenced by the semesters’ schedules, said Patti Duckworth, executive director of the Northeast Georgia chapter of the American Red Cross. “Athenians plan their life around the university’s school and activity schedule,” Duckworth said. …During the fall and spring semesters, Duckworth partners with the University of Georgia’s Red Cross Club, a student-led organization that hosts blood drives either at the Tate Center or Memorial Hall, one to two times a month. She said that the Red Cross also sponsors blood drives with over 15 organizations at UGA such as fraternities and sororities, and many takes place at UGA dorms and the UGA School of Law, for example.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
From: Beth McMurtrie
Subject: Teaching: Want your students to be skeptical of ChatGPT? Try this.
This week I: Share one writing instructor’s experiment with ChatGPT, and the surprising results. Point you to advice pieces and resources on generative AI that you may have missed.
Writing Prompt
David Weiss was a bit nervous when he decided to dive into the ethically complicated world of generative AI this semester. A part-time English instructor at Georgia Gwinnett College, Weiss teaches English composition to first-year students. What lessons would they draw from using it? Was he handing them a tool to cheat? It turns out the assignment went far better than he ever expected, to the point where he’s convinced that his students are now as wary as he is of outsourcing hard work to AI. “If you’re a professor who doesn’t want your students to use ChatGPT,” says Weiss, “if you want to really discourage it, do this experiment. It will scare the crap out of students, and it should.”
Transport Topics
Hyundai, Georgia Tech to Research Hydrogen Power for Trucks
Agreement Formalizes Partnership on EV Batteries and Alternative Fuel Research
Hyundai Motor Group signed an agreement with Georgia Tech on Sept. 19 to collaborate on research and development of hydrogen-fueled engines for large trucks and electric vehicle batteries, both critical steps in the South Korean automaker’s plans to be a leader in alternative fuels. The agreement, called a memorandum of understanding, formalizes Hyundai and Georgia Tech’s partnership on EV and hydrogen research and establishes workforce training and curricula for Hyundai’s EV and battery factory near the Georgia coast and a battery plant in Bartow County.
Times-Georgian
On the Case: UWG alumni hold rank at GBI
BU Julie Lineback and Abby Grizzard
Four University of West Georgia alumni have, beyond a shadow of a doubt, superbly represented the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as their careers continue to unfurl. Their induction to the GBI exemplifies the change that every UWG student can catalyze. Their motive: To create a better world for students and citizens alike. UWG invested time and effort into these students and aided them in pursuing their path to make a difference in Georgia. UWG’s guidance, coupled with unrelenting dedication from the alumni when they were students, led to the influential individuals who contribute to the GBI’s workforce today.
NJ Today
Dentistry professor hopes to take a bite out of Alzheimer’s disease
A professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry has been awarded a five-year, $1.85 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study a link between periodontal disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Periodontitis, characterized by periodontal inflammation and bone loss, is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults and one of the most common human infectious diseases. … “Increasing evidence suggests that there is a positive correlation between periodontitis and Alzheimer’s,” said Ping Zhang, DDS, Ph.D. …Supported by a $297,000 pilot grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and NIA, we demonstrated that periodontal infection could accelerate cognitive and behavioral impairments, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration in pre-clinical Alzheimer’s models.” With this five-year support, Zhang and her team will conduct an in-depth investigation into the potential reasoning behind this connection. …Zhang also collaborates with Qin Wang, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neuroscience and regeneration at Augusta University,
Mirage News
NIH Develops New Method for Identifying Stroke Therapies
Researchers have identified uric acid as a potential therapy to enhance recovery from acute ischemic stroke using a new method for conducting preclinical animal research. In the study, researchers from the National Institutes of Health’s Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network (SPAN) rigorously tested the effectiveness of six novel therapies in reducing ischemic brain injury in rodents using strategies normally reserved for clinical studies in humans. The results suggest that uric acid warrants further investigation in additional studies, and potentially human clinical trials. The study was published in Science Translational Medicine. …Although these treatments help patients recover, scientists are seeking a therapy that could protect the brain from damage, known as a cerebroprotectant, that occurs before or during the restoration of blood flow. …SPAN is composed of a coordinating center at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and six research laboratories at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University;
Morning AgClips
Focus on the Farm – Spray drones getting attention, demos at Sunbelt Expo
Sunbelt Ag Expo will be held Oct. 17-19
Drones aren’t new to agriculture. They’ve received ample attention. But drones with expanding onboard capacity to apply useful chemistry to fields and crops are recatching interest. Simer Virk, a precision ag specialist with the University of Georgia Extension based in Tifton, Ga., said the spray-capable drones are another tool in the precision ag toolbox, but a tool showing potential to help remedy some application problems.
Morning AgClips
UGA Extension Food Scientist Hosts New Brewing Workshop
Food science and technology department hosts workshops and on-site training sessions
A new workshop brewed up by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension food science and technology process specialist Kaitlyn Casulli opened the tap on insider knowledge for craft brewers seeking to start a business. Casulli, an assistant professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Food Science and Technology, is a food safety engineer and craft beer aficionado. During the August workshop, she presented the logistical and cultural side of craft brewing, focusing on opening a brewery rather than the technical aspects of brewing beer.
The Red & Black
Nominations for TEDxUGA 2024 are open
Jisu Stanfield
The Morton Theatre will host its annual TEDxUGA conference on March 29, 2024. UGA staff, students and alumni will speak at the event, inspired by TED’s mission to share “ideas worth spreading.” Speakers will give short talks presenting new research and ideas. TEDxUGA speakers can be UGA staff, students or alumni and can be nominated by others or self-nominated. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 30 at 11:59 p.m.
Higher Education News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
US education chief considers new ways to discourage college admissions preference for kids of alumni
President Joe Biden’s education chief says he’s open to using “whatever levers” are available — including federal money — to discourage colleges from giving preference to the children of alumni and donors
By Collin Binkley and Carole Feldman – Associated Press
President Joe Biden’s education chief said he’s open to using “whatever levers” are available — including federal money — to discourage colleges from giving admissions preference to the children of alumni and donors. In an interview with The Associated Press, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said legacy admissions must be revisited for the sake of diversity on campuses following the recent Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action. In a step beyond his previous comments, Cardona said he would consider taking stronger action to deter the practice.
Higher Ed Dive
This week in numbers: Budget cuts loom over public colleges
We’re rounding up some of our top recent stories, from program reductions at SUNY Potsdam to loan cancellations by the Education Department.
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
From further budget cuts at West Virginia University to a loan cancellation announcement from the U.S. Department of Education, here are the top-line figures from some of our biggest stories of the week. … $12B The amount of state funding historically Black land-grant colleges have lost out on over the past few decades, according to the Education Department. The agency found the largest funding deficits were in Tennessee and North Carolina, where HBCUs in each state should have received more than $2 billion. 1 The number of institutions that dropped out of the top 10 in this year’s college rankings from U.S. News & World Report. Despite methodology changes, the upper rankings hardly budged compared to last year — though University of Chicago slid to 12th place and Brown University climbed into the top 10, at No. 9.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Arrman Kyaw
Pay raises for University of Wisconsin employees are under threat of being blocked by Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who is asking the school to cut diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and staff by $32 million, the Associated Press reported. Months earlier, the GOP-controlled Wisconsin legislature cut funding to the UW system by $32 million, the amount Republicans identified as going toward DEI efforts at UW. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers then vetoed parts of the legislation to protect 188 DEI positions at UW.
Inside Higher Ed
Massive Data Breach at University of Minnesota
By Jessica Blake
The University of Minnesota confirmed Thursday that three decades’ worth of sensitive information about applicants, students and employees were accessed in a data breach, according to The Star Tribune. The disclosure comes two months after murmurs of a potential cyberattack first surfaced. The data were drawn from financial aid applications spanning from 1989 to 2021 and included dates of birth, Social Security numbers and passport information, according to a news release from the university. The university is now facing six lawsuits from individuals whose personal information was obtained in the data breach and who claim the university didn’t properly protect their personal information or promptly notify them when the breach occurred.
Inside Higher Ed
Open-Access Books Help University Press Revenues, Study Finds
By Lauren Coffey
Open-access publications can generate significant revenue, despite hesitancy among universities to embrace free and open online access to research, a new report finds. The Association of University Presses, in collaboration with Ithaka S+R, published a report Tuesday looking at print revenue and its relationship to open-access monographs. Monographs, while defined differently depending on the audience, appeal to specialized academic readers and are typically longer than journal articles.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Morris Brown College Can Again Enroll International Students
Arrman Kyaw
After two decades, Morris Brown College (MBC) can again enroll and educate international students with the F-1 visa. “International students can now pursue their education at Morris Brown College, which happens to be one of the most affordable colleges in the entire state of Georgia, and the most affordable HBCU in Atlanta with a tuition fee of $4,250.00 per semester,” said MBC President Dr. Kevin James. “We will promptly begin recruiting students from the Bahamas, the continent of Africa, and various other locations worldwide.”
Inside Higher Ed
A Tenure Critic May Cut Faculty—by Ending Their Programs
Dickinson State University in North Dakota could lose its undergraduate degree offerings in English, math, music and other areas.
By Ryan Quinn
West Virginia University’s position and degree slashing captured national attention this month because the level of cuts was unusual for a flagship university. The WVU board voted last Friday to eliminate more than 140 faculty jobs, and, this week, administrators asked their Morgantown Libraries academic support unit to plan for cutting “up to $800,000,” nearly 6 percent of the budget. The libraries dean said in a statement, “We have a lot of work to do in a short time.” Now there’s another, lesser known university that appears poised to do what WVU was just criticized for: move quickly to cut common academic programs, using that as an excuse to lay off tenured faculty members without declaring financial exigency.
Higher Ed Dive
Florida public universities to weigh anti-trans bathroom rule
The state’s college system approved a similar regulation in August following a legislative mandate.
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
The State University System of Florida’s board is considering a rule that would prevent transgender students and employees from using bathrooms that align with their gender identities. If the draft regulation is passed, the system’s 12 institutions would have to offer men’s, women’s and unisex restrooms and changing areas to be used by individuals based on their sex assigned at birth. The proposal would let individual universities determine disciplinary actions against employees who violate the rule. A Florida law passed in May prompted the proposal, as it largely bans people from using bathrooms in public buildings that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth. The university board is expected to vote on the draft regulation in November, after it has been posted for public review.
Higher Ed Dive
Contextualizing grades could help diversify college admissions
Researchers find that considering resources available to students when evaluating grades and test scores links strongly with college success.
Naaz Modan, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
A holistic college admissions process that takes into account resources available to students when evaluating their grades and standardized test scores is strongly associated with student success in college, according to a study released Monday by researchers at the University of Michigan and University of North Carolina. Additionally, contextualizing grades — like considering an applicant’s grade-point average in relation to others at their high school — has a stronger and more consistent link with college success than contextualizing test scores. As a result, this practice could be the most helpful at test-optional or test-free colleges in leveling the playing field for historically marginalized students, according to the study, which relied on data from 2.3 million students, as well as data from all high schools and 4-year higher education institutions in an unidentified Midwestern state.
Inside Higher Ed
Will ChatGPT Transform Research? It Already Has, Say Nobelists
Nobel-winning scientists are now using large language models, but experts say their impact on research is only just starting.
By Jack Grove for Times Higher Education
I think ChatGPT can make anyone 30 percent smarter—that’s impressive,” said Michael Levitt, the South Africa–born biophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2013. “It’s a conversational partner that makes you think outside the box, or a research team who have read a million books and many million journal papers.” A pioneer of the computer modeling of molecules, Levitt is not easily dazzled by technological wizardry but admits he has been impressed by the large language models that have emerged over the past year. “I didn’t expect to this kind of stuff in my lifetime—they’re a very powerful tool. I still write code every day, but ChatGPT also writes programs very well,” he said.
Inside Higher Ed
Latest DACA Ruling Leaves Students in Limbo
A federal district court judge ruled again that the program for young immigrants is illegal. Undocumented students and their supporters were unsurprised but dismayed by the decision.
By Sara Weissman
A recent federal district court ruling that deemed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, illegal is heightening concerns and uncertainty about the future of the program among undocumented students and their advocates. The Obama-era program, which protects immigrants brought to the country as children from deportation and allows them to work in the U.S. legally, has been intermittently under fire since it went into effect in 2012, losing political support during the Trump administration and regaining it under the Biden administration. Judge Andrew Hanen of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas decided the program was unlawful in a decision affirmed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals last week. Under his ruling, DACA recipients who attained protected status as of July 2021 can continue to participate in the program and apply for renewals, and new applications can be submitted but not processed.
Inside Higher Ed
House Ed Committee Wants Stronger Campus Free Speech Protections
By Katherine Knott
In a report released Thursday, Republicans on the House Education and Workforce Committee called for “strong federal protections,” which they say are needed to ensure that all college students can realize their rights to free speech. “The worst kept secret in American postsecondary education is the long-standing and pervasive degradation of First Amendment rights,” the report says, citing instances of students shouting down speakers and professors who have faced repercussions after criticizing diversity, equity and inclusion policies, among other examples. The 20-page report criticizes bias-reporting teams, free speech zones, universities’ antiharassment policies and the use of diversity statements in hiring. In recent years, states have passed legislation to protect the First Amendment on college campuses; however, not all of those laws have “effective enforcement mechanisms,” per the report.