University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Attacks bring out support for Israel, Palestinians on Georgia campuses
By Cassidy Alexander and Vanessa McCrayHeads bowed under rain and grief, roughly 200 students gathered at Emory University on Wednesday evening for a vigil for Israel. Students and faculty spoke about how fearful they’ve been for friends and loved ones in Israel who were victims of the surprise attack by Hamas militants over the weekend. … Across town at Georgia Tech, Jewish student groups organized a Wednesday event to pray and show solidarity with Israel, saying they stand with the people of Israel and “affirm their right to defend themselves.” … Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera declined an interview request. In a message to student organizations, the student engagement and well-being office expressed deep sadness at the loss of life and offered mental health services and other resources. … At the University of Georgia, Students for Justice in Palestine announced a Thursday protest in Athens. … The “Day of Resistance” is part of an effort led by the group’s national organization, and the event has been criticized by the Anti-Defamation League and condemned by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. … In a Wednesday statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, UGA said it is supporting all those “affected by the horrific terrorist acts and loss of life in Israel” and encouraging students to access campus services. The university’s president, Jere Morehead, plans to visit UGA Hillel on Thursday, officials said in a statement.
Savannah Business Chronicle
Georgia Southern’s public health center receives $4 million to assist rural hospitals nationwide
Georgia Southern University’s Center for Public Health Practice and Research at the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) received a $4 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide targeted technical assistance to rural hospitals nationwide. The funding will support the team’s implementation of the Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program over a five-year period (2023-2028). “Many rural hospitals are struggling financially across the U.S.,” said JPHCOPH Dean Stuart Tedders, Ph.D. “Long-term, the primary program goal of this grant is to ensure that all rural hospitals are financially viable and positioned to serve their communities with the essential health care services that we all need and expect. …”
Albany Herald
NAIA approves membership for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Council of Presidents officially approved Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for membership at its recent meeting. The membership is effective July 1, 2024. “Joining the NAIA is a giant step for ABAC as we continue our transition to four-year athletics for all our sports,” ABAC President Tracy Brundage said. “We are excited about moving to a higher level of competition, and we look forward to establishing new rivalries with the teams in our conference.” According to a statement from the NAIA, prospective schools must meet criteria that include financial stability, sports sponsorship, accreditation, and a commitment to character-driven athletics before being approved.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Kennesaw State University basketball success helps drive historic fundraising campaign
By Rebecca Grapevine
The Kennesaw State University basketball team’s success in 2023 helped its capital campaign hit fundraising records. During the 2022-2023 season, the KSU men’s basketball team won the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament and participated in the NCAA’s Division 1 March Madness tournament for the first time in its history. Those achievements, just a few years after the team posted only a single win during the whole season, propelled donations to The Campaign for Kennesaw State University and helped the athletics department make fiscal 2023 the best fundraising year in its history, said Lance Burchett, vice president for university advancement and CEO of the KSU Foundation Inc.
WGAU
By Mike Wooten
The University of Georgia has earned national recognition for its commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence for the 10th consecutive year. The Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity is the only national recognition honoring colleges and universities that demonstrate outstanding efforts and success in promoting diversity and inclusion. UGA is one of 109 institutions nationwide to receive a 2023 HEED Award. “The University of Georgia is honored to receive the HEED Award once again,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Receiving this national recognition each year since 2014 reflects our strong and steadfast commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment across our campus.” The HEED Award process consists of a rigorous review of universities’ recruitment and retention of students and employees, leadership support for diversity, and campus culture and climate, among other criteria. In the past year, UGA has launched several new initiatives designed to enhance its efforts in the area of inclusive excellence. … the Georgia Ready Summer Institute is a one-week residential program for high-achieving students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds in Georgia who are entering their senior year of high school. …The ALL Georgia program provides students from rural parts of the state with a network of resources and common experiences. … The U.S. Department of Education-funded TRIO programs serve students from families with low incomes, first-generation college students and students with disabilities. …
AccessWDUN
Ivester Foundation to create endowment for UGA business students from Hall County
By Steve Winslow
Gainesville natives Doug and Kay Ivester are continuing to show their support for the growth of education with an endowment of $600,000 being established to fund study abroad scholarships for University of Georgia students from Hall County. The Deer Run Global Fellows program establishes a fund for Hall County students attending the Terry College of Business to experience study abroad programs.
WTVM
Columbus State, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper partner to keep local waters clean
By Justin Brown
Columbus State University (CSU) and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper recently announced a partnership that allows CSU students to collect water samples to analyze them for harmful bacteria and chemicals. One of the ways the students do this is by studying the fish living in the rivers and streams. Dr. Michael Newbry is a professor in the biology department at CSU, and he says the partnership has been very beneficial so far. “It shows the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper where these problems are occurring in real-time. As a scientist, I collect data. It goes through a peer-review process, and then we publish it. But, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper they can look at the data in real-time and go, ‘Oh. There’s a problem here. Maybe we need to have a closer look at this,’” said Newbry.
WRDW
Augusta University now offers student headshots with new photo booth
Augusta University students have a new resource on campus. The new Iris Air photo booth is up and running, ready to give students a do-it-yourself professional headshot experience. With just a few touches on a screen and a few poses, students can get high-quality career-ready headshots for free. “I think it’s fantastic. For a long time, we’ve heard from graduate students how tough it is to get really nice quality headshots not just in Augusta, but everywhere around the country. They have complained as well about the financial issues with getting good headshots. Hearing all these complaints, I think we wanted to make a difference and it seems that this photo booth has done exactly that,” said Mehul Mehra, graduate student government association vice president.
Valdosta CEO
VSU’s Alyssa Foskey joins state effort to help early care, education industry thrive
Alyssa Foskey, director of the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University, is on a mission to help childcare businesses across the Peach State thrive. “Many UGA SBDC consultants across Georgia have an area of expertise,” she shared. “Since 2020, my area of expertise has been childcare. Over the past few years, I have had an opportunity to collaborate with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning and licensed childcare programs it oversees to help support efforts to meet the childcare needs of Georgia’s children and their families.”
Higher Education News:
Gwinnett Daily Post
Gwinnett Technical College hits record enrollment at nearly 10,000 students
Gwinnett Technical College has recorded the highest enrollment numbers in the school’s 39-year history, officials said. More than 9,800 students across the region are drawing to the classrooms at Gwinnett Tech “for exciting educational programs and career opportunities.” The 2023 Fall semester has recorded a 16% boost in enrollment over a year ago. These numbers do not include the later fall mini-mester (term C) enrollment figures expected in early November. This past spring, Gwinnett Tech saw a 9% jump in enrollment over the previous spring.
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
Student ACT scores decline from year before
By Arrman Kyaw
The average ACT test composite score fell to 19.5 for the Class of 2023, signaling a 0.3-point decrease from the year before, according to new data. Data from the nonprofit organization indicated that average scores in mathematics, reading, and science were all below their respective ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, the minimum scores for students to have a high probability of success in credit-bearing first-year college courses.
See also: Higher Ed Dive: ACT scores fall for 6th straight year
Inside Higher Ed
Education Department offers more insights into new debt relief plan
By Katherine Knott
The Education Department clarified Wednesday what kind of debt relief it’s considering after an advisory committee pushed for more specifics. Essentially, the department wants to cancel some or all of borrowers’ outstanding loan balances if they fall into certain categories, such as spending several years in repayment or experiencing hardship. Following that clarification, the 16-member advisory committee tasked to negotiate with the department over its plan started to dig more into the specifics of how to provide that relief—and which borrowers will get it. This week’s negotiation sessions, which kicked off Tuesday, were more of an opportunity for the department to listen to the committee’s feedback rather than hammer out specific details of a plan. Department officials plan to use feedback from the committee to draft proposed regulations that will be released prior to the committee’s next meeting on Nov. 7.
See also: Higher Ed Dive: Conservative groups target Education Department’s $39B forgiveness plan
Inside Higher Ed
AI buzz dominates annual ed-tech conference
By Lauren Coffey
As Susan Grajek wrapped up presenting Educause’s top 10 strategic trends for 2024—a list topped by cybersecurity, data quality and the enrollment crisis—she paused. “Isn’t something missing?” she asked the packed ballroom with a knowing laugh. “Something big that popped around 11 months ago that’s taking a lot of everyone’s attention. Generative AI?” While artificial intelligence landed at No. 13 on the “top tech trends” list, Grajek, Educause’s vice president of partnerships, communities and research, acknowledged that the technology is so pervasive that Educause made AI an “honorary topic” for the top 10 list.
Inside Higher Ed
After Emporia State cut tenured faculty, enrollment plunged
By Ryan Quinn
On Sept. 27, the Kansas Board of Regents released encouraging news: overall enrollment in the state’s community colleges, universities and other public higher education institutions grew 2 percent from last fall, according to preliminary numbers. The same day, the University of Kansas released triumphant news: It achieved its highest enrollment in 13 years and its largest-ever freshman class, which grew 18 percent from last year. Kansas State University, meanwhile, saw only 0.1 percent increase in its overall enrollment. But that was its first increase since 2014. The Board of Regents’ data did show that three smaller public universities lost students. For two of these, the drops were modest: 2.2 percent fewer students at Pittsburg State and a less than 1 percent dip at Fort Hays State. But then there was Emporia State University. Its enrollment plummeted 12.5 percent from last fall.
Diverse: Issues in Higher EducationAchieving the Dream releases new equity toolkit
By Arrman Kyaw
Success for all students in higher education cannot simply be achieved with a “one-size-fits-all approach,” according to a new equity toolkit from Achieving the Dream (ATD). “To be clear, ensuring equity requires that we disavow the one-size-fits-all approach and that we intentionally consider institutional context and capacity for engaging in equity-minded work,” the report stated. “Equity is everyone’s job at an institution,” said Francesca Carpenter, director of equity initiatives at ATD and contributor to the toolkit. “So, it’s important for a team or committee of people to look at the policies together in community and in conversation, so that they can then make the changes that are necessary.”