Marietta Daily Journal
Staff reports
Today, the Aspen Institute named Georgia Highlands College (GHC) as one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges. The institutions selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds. GHC was previously named a Top 25 Semifinalist for the 2023 Aspen Prize.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Video
Board of Regents’ Hall of Fame Alumni & Distinguished Friends Award: Dr. Joseph Hobbs
President Brooks Keel highlights the many contributions of Dr. Joseph Hobbs to Augusta University upon receiving the Board of Regents’ Hall of Fame Alumni and Distinguished Friends Award before over 550 guests at the University System of Georgia Foundation Gala in Atlanta.
Jagwire
Values Week 2023 makes impact on campus community
Written by Kevin Faigle
During the sixth annual Values Week from Nov. 6-12, Augusta University is celebrating its six core values – collegiality, compassion, excellence, inclusivity, integrity and leadership – with various events. In addition to the daily events, the university will host a blanket drive to benefit the Center for Patients and Families to help spread comfort and joy to the inpatients at Wellstar MCG Health. Blankets can be dropped off Greenblatt and Reese libraries and Annex 1 through Nov. 21. This year’s Values Week event calendar includes: …Wednesday, Nov. 8 Chancellor’s Panel: Ethical considerations for a data driven landscape – 10 to 11 a.m. This event is part of the USG Ethics Awareness Week. Join through this link.
Athens CEO
UGA Extension Provides ‘Boots on the Ground’ to Fight Farmer Mental Health Crisis
Sean Montgomery
It is no secret that the success of Georgia’s No. 1 industry rests in the hands of one key group: farmers. But across generations of farmers who have passed down land and trades to their children, the pressure and stress that comes with carrying on the strong agricultural legacy continue to mount — so much so that it has reached crisis level. Partnering with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and other key members, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) Commissioner Kevin Tanner formally announced a statewide collaboration to address the growing mental health crisis for farmers and families during a press conference Wednesday at the 2023 Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia.
Classic City News
New director discusses the future of UGA School of Computing
By Alan Flurry/UGA Today
The University of Georgia elevated its longstanding department of computer science to a School of Computing in July 2022 in response to rising student enrollment, the growing role of computing in a range of fields, and the institutional investment in a Presidential Hiring initiative in data science and artificial intelligence. Created within an interdisciplinary framework, the School of Computing is jointly administered by the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering. After a national search, Gagan Agrawal was selected as the inaugural director of the UGA School of Computing and began his appointment on July 1, 2023. Agrawal, most recently professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University, shared some of thoughts about computing at UGA, his vision for the school, and serving students in one of the largest undergraduate majors on campus.
Bollyinside
Georgia Southern University Introduces Checkout-Free Store with Amazon’s Just Walk Out Technology
Edited by Delia Reynolds
Georgia Southern University has unveiled its latest innovation at the Fielding D. Russell Union on its Statesboro campus. The newly renovated Gus Mart convenience store now features Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, making it the first university in the state to offer this seamless, checkout-free shopping experience. With extended hours, guests can conveniently shop whenever it suits them.
The Baldwin Bulletin
College of Business & Technology debuts stock trading rooms
By Bailey McCully
Georgia College’s J. Whitney Bunting College of Business & Technology cut the ribbon Oct. 5 to its new trading rooms. The rooms are located on the second and third floors of Atkinson Hall. These locations house six Bloomberg Terminals that may be used by students of any major. Bloomberg Terminals will allow students to analyze, extract, and compare stock market data in real time. According to the Bloomberg website, the terminals are meant to bring the real world into the classroom using the same platform as the world’s leading banks, corporations and government agencies. “The top business schools have Bloomberg Terminals. So, with the introduction of a finance major last fall, we began preparations to have terminals on campus,” said Dr. J.J. Arias, an economics professor. According to Arias, there are five terminals in the trading room and one terminal located in a preexisting computer lab. Three to four students can use a terminal at once and for classes, the terminals will be used for group related work and projects.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Notable Georgia authors give glimpses of writing, publishing journeys
By Elizabeth Crumbly – for the AJC
November is National Novel Writing Month, and Georgians are no strangers to the presses. In their own words, here are some of the inspirations and accomplishments that keep notable, locally based authors clacking away at the keys, pitching to publishing houses and connecting with readers. …Kathy Bradley …“Sifting Artifacts,” which Mercer University Press published in 2022, is a book of essays that provides a new lens for Bradley’s examinations of community, humanity and stewardship. Bradley resides on a farm in Bulloch County. She’s retired from a career practicing law with about half that time spent as an assistant district attorney. She instructed at Georgia Southern University as an adjunct professor, and spent 21 years as a newspaper columnist.
Emanuel County Live
Annual Family & Friends Fun Day held at East Georgia State College
East Georgia State College’s (EGSC) Annual Family and Friends Fun Day was held on Saturday, September 30 on the campus of EGSC-Swainsboro. EGSC faculty, staff, students, and the community were invited to enjoy the free event. The event offered fun for the entire family including bounce houses, games, and the Bobcat Regatta. The Bobcat Regatta is a competition made up of teams who build boats out of cardboard and duct tape – nothing else! The team that crossed Ezra Pond the fastest and placed first was EGSC’s Art Mania Club. The Uncommon Cru placed second in the competition and EGSC’s African American Male Initiative (AAMI) Program placed third.
WSAV
Georgia Southern Holiday Helper Tree celebrates 30 years of giving back
by: Eden Hodges
Georgia Southern’s Holiday Helper Tree is celebrating 30 years of giving back. Each ornament on the tree represents people in need of a little extra help this holiday season. Since 1994, The Holiday Helper Tree has encouraged the community to send gifts to families in need. The 250 people helped in their first year soon became thousands.
Savannah Morning News
Savannah Wind Symphony to audition conductors through 2023/24 performance season
Josephine Johnson
On Nov. 5, the Savannah Wind Symphony celebrates seasons of change and performance with its annual Fall Concert. Since 1977, the more than 60-member, all-volunteer community group has regaled audiences with iconic as well as lesser-known works for brass and woodwind instruments. …Though COVID brought a three-year performance hiatus, and last year, the ensemble lost their revered director of 25 years, Mark Johnson, to cancer, those dark times are brightening to better days. Last year, the Savannah Wind Symphony became a stand-alone non-profit, separate from Georgia Southern University, with the power to do its own fundraising. The group remains in great standing with the university as the Savannah campus is where performances will continue. …The personnel are professional players, Georgia Southern professors, retired military band players, and everyone wants to be music makers and perform at a high level.
The Union-Recorder
Lakeview Primary’s McCue is Teacher of the Year
Matthew Brown
It’s a night on par with the graduation commencement in the spring for the Baldwin County School District. It’s the night to recognize the honorable profession of the school teacher and name the Teacher of the Year. Six schools in the Baldwin District name their Teacher of the Year, all of whom then become eligible for the system-wide distinction. For the 2023-24 school year, that goes to Mary Ashley McCue of Lakeview Primary. That night, Thursday, also happened to be her birthday (age will not be revealed here). Not only did she get the flowers, the checks, the swag bags and the plaque, but also the “Happy Birthday” song at the Georgia College & State University Magnolia Ballroom.
Georgia Online
Georgia: Dr. Alex Reyes wins Commitment to Diversity Award
Alex Reyes received the Commitment to Diversity Award from the Georgian Southern University of Education. She exemplifies ongoing engagement in diversity issues and offers innovative and unique perspectives to promote and build respect for diversity in the classroom. Alex Reyes, Ph.D., is the program director for the M.Ed. in Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (TCLD). She is the program coordinator for the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement. She is an associate professor for the Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education. She has been with the College of Education since 2018. Her accomplishments include chairing the Faculty Senate Inclusive Excellence Committee and the President’s Diversity Advisory Council (PDAC). She has also chaired the College of Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.
WGAU Radio
UGA Homecoming Carnival tonight
By Tim Bryant
A University of Georgia homecoming carnival is underway at 7 o’clock tonight at UGA’s Legion Field. The Georgia Bulldogs homecoming football game is set for Saturday, 3:30 against the 14th ranked Missouri Tigers.
From the UGA master calendar…
It’s Homecoming Week, so that means the Carnival is back. Join University Union on Legion Field and the Legion Parking Lot from 7-11 p.m. for carnival rides, game, food and more.
11Alive
Georgia’s Jewish community to walk in solidarity against antisemitism
Atlanta campuses participating include Emory, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State.
Author: 11Alive Staff
The Jewish community of Georgia is coming together on college campuses Wednesday to show solidarity in protecting Jewish students. College students across the country say they have experienced antisemitism and have not felt safe since the start of the Israel-Hamas war back in early October. The Walk with Hillel event is expected to kick off at 12:30 p.m. Among the universities participating are: …Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, …University of Georgia, Athens
Columbus CEO
Upcoming Conference Performances Signal Strengths in Schwob School’s Ensemble Programs
A quartet of upcoming conference performances by ensembles in the Joyce and Henry Schwob School of Music will place Columbus State University students center stage nationally and internationally. Performances of this caliber spotlight the school’s strengths while developing students’ musical interests and talents. …Under the direction of Dr. David Hahn, the Schwob Singers is the school’s flagship auditioned SATB choral ensemble and is comprised of 35 undergraduate and graduate students majoring in both music and other disciplines. The Schwob Singers was invited to be the in-residence choir for the Graduate Conducting Masterclass at the upcoming National Collegiate Choral Organization’s National Conference, to be hosted at Atlanta’s Morehouse College in November. That’s especially meaningful for Columbus State, as this year’s biennial national conference is the organization’s first in-person gathering since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
WTVM
Columbus State, Columbus Tech team up for military spouses’ appreciation event
By Jessie Gibson
Columbus State University and Columbus Tech are teaming up to thank the community’s military spouses. The event is set to take place on Tuesday, November 7, at 8:30 a.m. at the Fort Moore 1918 Club. In addition to showing their appreciation, the program will give military spouses insights into ways they can benefit from educational resources available to today’s military-connected college students. Those opportunities range from professional certifications that lead to immediate employment opportunities, to starting or resuming their college-level education that ultimately leads to a degree.
Albany Herald
Quilts of Valor presentation at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
From staff reports
The Wiregrass Quilters Guild will present hand-made quilts to local service members and veterans on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Chapel of All Faiths at 1 p.m. “This is a partner event for the Georgia Museum of Agriculture Gallery, the Wiregrass Quilters Guild, and the Quilts of Valor Foundation,” GMA Curator Polly Huff said in a news release. “The Wiregrass Quilters Guild is our local member organization of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Over the last 12 years, the Quilts of Valor event has been a part of the annual American Legacy Quilt Show. However, with attendance steadily growing, this is the first year the guild is presenting it as a separate event.”
Savannah CEO
Quadruple Eagle, Emeritus Leader to Address Fall 2023 Graduates this December
Quadruple Eagle and nationally recognized social worker Jackie Brown-Pinkney, Ed.D., (‘93,’04,’06,’15) and Professor and Executive Director of Leadership, Emeritus, Todd Deal, Ph.D., will address Georgia Southern University’s Class of 2023 during the 32nd annual Fall Commencement ceremonies. Graduates in Savannah will hear from Brown-Pinkney during the ceremony on Dec. 16 at Enmarket Arena, and graduates in Statesboro will hear from Deal during the ceremony on Dec. 14 at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. … Brown-Pinkney …works as an adjunct professor for the Department of Social Work at Savannah State University …Deal was named Executive Director of Leadership, Emeritus, upon his retirement from Georgia Southern University in 2018.
BVM Sports
Augusta Turns in Fifth Place Finish at Hurricane Invitational
The Augusta University women’s golf team turned in a fifth-place finish at the Hurricane Invitation to close out their fall season. Augusta ended the fall on a strong note, shooting a shooting five-under 859 for fifth place at the Biltmore Golf Course.
Specialty Crop Grower
Lingering Drought: Water Needs Continue for Pecan Crop
By Clint Thompson
Pecan harvests are well underway across the Southeast. Some varieties have not reached maturity stage yet. As a result, growers should not abandon their irrigation needs, especially as the current drought lingers and worsens across Alabama and Georgia, according to last Thursday’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, discusses the situation facing pecan producers.
Specialty Crop Grower
Let the Plantings Begin: Vidalia Onion Growers Benefit from Lack of Tropical System
By Clint Thompson
Georgia Vidalia onion producers dodged Hurricane Idalia went it passed through the Southeast on Aug. 30. That, so far, has turned out to be the area’s only threat of a tropical system this fall. It has been a positive development for growers who are on the verge of transplanting this year’s crop, says Chris Tyson, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension area onion agent. “That timeframe when we’re growing seedbeds, September and October, there’s always a tropical storm or hurricane or multiple ones that occur. That’s a real threat for us…” Tyson said his growers’ plants “look good.” Much of that can be attributed to the lack of a major storm wreaking havoc on the seedbeds. Producers have also dodged excess rain events this fall as well.
Cotton Farming
Deer Damage In Southeast Cotton
As The Cotton Board’s Southeastern regional communications manager, my territory includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The concerns I hear from cotton producers in the field typically vary from state to state. However, as I have visited with growers throughout the spring and summer this year, cotton producers in all my states have voiced one common concern. Producers are experiencing significant issues with deer damage to their cotton. In the early season, deer were eating the buds out of the field causing producers to replant their cotton. Later in the season, deer have continued to damage cotton and affect yields. This has become a top issue and concern with growers across the entire Southeast. …Several other strategies are being tried across the region to combat deer damage in cotton. Many of the cotton producers I have spoken with have special hunting permits to help reduce the deer population, but the sentiment remains that producers can’t farm all day and shoot deer all night. Camp Hand, University of Georgia cotton specialist, thinks that population management is a good approach.
WSB Radio
Rapid fire Qs for UGA Turfgrass Specialist Clint Waltz
By Ashley Frasca
UGA Turfgrass Specialist Clint Waltz spent time on the show the last weekend of October, and I shared with him many of the questions that have been on your mind! “Do you have to blow leaves off the grass to effectively water a new lawn?” A: “No, they don’t hamper the irrigation getting to the grass, but they could cause other problems. Remove the leaves, allowing the water to dry out on the grass canopy to prevent disease. Also, if the grass is still green, it’s photosynthesizing, producing sugars that go down to reserves to help the grass green-up next spring. Those leaves are shading photosynthesis, which could slow green-up next spring.” “Is preemergence beneficial if put out in November?”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ex-Georgia Tech official sentenced to prison, ordered to pay $1.9 million
By Vanessa McCray
A former chief scientist for the Georgia Tech Research Institute was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and must pay more than $1.9 million in restitution for conspiring to defraud the school and the CIA, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Authorities said James G. Maloney, 58, of Marietta pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
See also:
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
What Do Universities Owe Their Donors?
Some megadonors are outraged over institutions’ responses to the Israel-Hamas war. But experts say big checks shouldn’t buy influence over university leaders.
By Josh Moody
Weeks into the war between Israel and Hamas, conflict continues to spill onto campuses in the US. Among other things, numerous high-profile donors have threatened to close their checkbooks over how college presidents are—or aren’t—communicating about a complicated geopolitical issue thousands of miles away. Donors, mainly to highly selective institutions, have accused those institutions’ presidents of failing to condemn Hamas soon or forcefully enough for the Oct. 7 attacks on Israeli civilians. Some donors have demanded the resignation of presidents they believe have not adequately addressed the war. Others have accused colleges of allowing antisemitism to go unchecked on campus, particularly in relation to student protests and support for Palestinians. At the heart of those tensions lie a few questions: How much influence do donors exert over the institutions they support?
Inside Higher Ed
ACLU Urges Colleges Not to Investigate Pro-Palestine Student Groups
By Jessica Blake
The American Civil Liberties Union issued an open letter on Wednesday to U.S. college and university presidents urging them to defend students’ free speech rights and not pursue investigations of campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine. The organization’s letter was in response to an Oct. 26 open letter to more than 200 university presidents from two Jewish advocacy groups, the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, alleging that the SJP chapters are providing material support to Hamas, a designated terrorist group, and calling on the administrators to investigate the student groups. The ACLU letter states that institutions have a “responsibility to address discrimination” but urges presidents and chancellors not to “disband, or penalize student groups on the basis of their exercise of free speech rights.”
Inside Higher Ed
Universities Can’t Accommodate All the Computer Science Majors
High interest in the field has led to overcrowded classes and other issues. Now some institutions are adding requirements to help force students out of the major.
By Johanna Alonso
Before this year, if you wanted to major in computer science at the University of Michigan, your only barrier was getting accepted to the university. But a new model requires all students who want to study computer science—whether they are incoming or already enrolled—to apply for the major separately. …Michigan is hardly alone. According to Wellman, it is among the last of its peer institutions to introduce some sort of restriction in the hopes of capping the number of computer science majors. Over the past decade, STEM degrees have gained rapid popularity, spurred in part by the idea that they lead to better job outcomes with higher pay. The rise in demand is causing many programs significant strife. Class sizes, especially for upper-level courses in which students receive more personalized attention, are ballooning; some students are unable to get seats in their desired courses. And while departments can grow to accommodate the increased demand, financial limitations on hiring more faculty—coupled with the fact that most computer science Ph.D.s can make far more in industry—complicate that effort.
Inside Higher Ed
Title IX Activists Reflect on Last Decade
Know Your IX’s transformation from online campaign to organization with a national network of student activists is a snapshot of how the movement to end campus sexual assault has evolved.
By Katherine Knott
When Alexandra Brodsky and Dana Bolger launched what they thought would be a short-lived social media campaign to inform students about their federal civil rights, they planned to share resources, protest at the Education Department and go on with their lives. “It turned out there was a real need for sustained student organizing,” said Brodsky, who co-founded Know Your IX, an advocacy group focused helping survivors of sexual assault, in 2013 with Bolger. Know Your IX is focused on ensuring students know their rights under the federal anti–gender discrimination law, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and improving and advocating for improvements to that law to help students. The organization made a name for itself in pushing the Obama administration to ratchet up enforcement of the law and fighting with the Trump administration over its rewrite of Title IX regulations. More recently, the group has been part of a coalition calling on the Biden administration to release its overhaul of the Title IX rules.
See also:
Inside Higher Ed
Florida AG Finds FAU Search Violated Sunshine Laws
By Josh Moody
A straw poll to rank candidates seeking the presidency of Florida Atlantic University violated the state’s government transparency laws, according to Attorney General Ashley Moody. The search committee used a straw poll to rank candidates anonymously in order to trim the pool from 60 to 20. In her findings, issued this week, Moody wrote that committee members are not permitted “to use anonymous communications with an intermediary search firm about their preferences for certain candidates when such communications are subject to the Sunshine Law and the search firm gathers such input in lieu of the members’ discussion.” Moody added that the law prohibits “anonymously surveying and organizing members’ input, even if those rankings are not a final vote and are only used to replace or limit discussion at a future meeting.”
Higher Ed Dive
Cal State faculty union inches closer to strike
The California Faculty Association said it remains far apart from the university system on pay, parental leave and other policies.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
A union representing 29,000 employees at the California State University system overwhelmingly voted to strike if necessary, signaling a willingness to walk out if labor negotiations continue to stall. Last week, 95% of the California Faculty Association’s members voted in favor of authorizing a strike, the last step before the union could formally call a strike. CFA, which represents positions like faculty and librarians, has long been critical of the system’s pay and parental leave policies, among other policy concerns. “Members sent a powerful message that low pay, growing workloads, and systemic inequities are not sustainable,” the union said Tuesday. “We are willing to withhold our labor if CSU management continues to say no to investing their money where it matters – the people who are directly responsible for student learning and success.” Cal State, one of the country’s largest public college systems, has 23 campuses and enrolled nearly 458,000 students in fall 2022.