WSB-TV
University System of Georgia reports enrollment hit record high, adds almost 10,000 new students
By WSBTV.com News Staff
The University System of Georgia reported record-high enrollment for the fall 2023 semester. According to the USG, almost 344,400 students were actively enrolled in state institutions, “reversing two years of enrollment declines” and rising 3%. The boost to students in classes impacted 23 of the 26 public colleges and universities in the state’s system, officials said. … For the current fall semester, the university system said enrollment increased across all four sectors of state higher education, hitting a total of 344,392, or a nearly 10,000 student increase versus the fall 2022 semester. Of those, more than 6,500 were Georgia students.
Grice Connect
Georgia Southern expands veterans program to Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF
Georgia Southern’s ongoing commitment to military and military-connected students is recognized once again – this time by Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges. The University’s success is reflected in its top 10% ranking in the comprehensive annual ranking of schools for military service members and veterans. … Veterans, service members and military-connected students make up nearly 14% of the University’s student population.
Statesboro Herald
GS gets grant for more study of preventing injuries to US soldiers
DoD funding $1.5M grant
From staff reports
Georgia Southern University’s Soldier Performance and Readiness program received recently a $1.5 million, two-year grant from the Department of Defense’s U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command.
Ledger-Enquirer
CSU students relieve stress, help STEM efforts with ‘Pie in the Face’ fundraiser
By Mike Haskey
One group of Columbus State University students found a great way to help others relieve stress during finals week, and also raise money to fund outreach efforts. Members of the American Chemical Society chapter at CSU hosted a “Pie in the Face” event Thursday near the clock tower on main campus to do STEM outreach events for area elementary and middle school students.
Albany Herald
Albany State University launches student portal
From staff reports
Albany State University has announced the successful launch of its Ellucian Experience Portal, a cutting-edge digital platform designed to enhance student engagement and streamline the university experience. As the first institution in the University System of Georgia to launch the portal, ASU is leading the charge in providing students with an innovative solution to interact with the university. Within a few weeks of the launch, the portal has received more than 3,000 unique log-ins, helping students stay connected and engaged. With the Ellucian Experience Portal, students can access a wide range of features and resources, including personalized dashboards, one-click access to important campus services, and real-time updates on on-campus events and news. … The portal, named “MyASU Portal,” features a user-friendly, centralized, and secure dashboard using a single-entry point to the critical information students need without switching screens or multiple sign-ons.
Athens CEO
Class Announced for Inaugural UGA Statewide Youth LEAD Georgia Program
Thirty youth from across Georgia have been selected to participate in the inaugural statewide Youth LEAD Georgia program that will be run by the University of Georgia. These 30 10th- and 11th-graders were selected by an external committee from more than 300 nominations received by UGA. A partnership between the UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, Chick-fil-A, and Rodney Bullard’s The Same House organization, Youth LEAD Georgia is designed to equip youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to be the future leaders of our state.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Gwinnett faculty vote reveals divided view on college leaders
By Vanessa McCray
A Georgia Gwinnett College faculty vote that finished Friday revealed a deep rift in how faculty members assess the leadership of President Jann Joseph and Provost George Low. Roughly three-quarters of the college’s 434 eligible faculty members participated in the two-day vote. Just over half of those who voted said they lacked confidence in the college’s two top leaders. Among the 332 faculty who voted, 188, or 56.6%, said they do not have confidence in Joseph’s leadership. Another 105 faculty members said they do have confidence in her, while 39 faculty cast a vote to abstain. Asked if they have confidence in the provost’s leadership, 170 of the 332 voting faculty members, or 51%, said they do not. Another 112 faculty said they are confident in Low, while 50 faculty abstained. University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue said Joseph has his “wholehearted support.” The system oversees Georgia Gwinnett and 25 other public colleges and universities around the state. “Every president has the challenging job of listening to all stakeholders, balancing competing demands and aligning them with budgetary considerations. At GGC, she and her team have stayed focused on making the best decisions in the interest of the institution and, most importantly, for the success of students,” said Perdue, in a written statement.
The Georgia Virtue
Georgia Power Foundation awards grant for BIG Edge Entrepreneurship Program
Georgia Southern University’s Business Innovation Group (BIG) has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc., to empower diversity in early-stage entrepreneurship. In turn, BIG has created the BIG Edge Entrepreneurship Program for six entrepreneurs to have offices and participate in entrepreneurship programs at the Georgia Grown Innovation Center (GGIC) in Metter, Georgia, for one year.
Morning AgClips
Ga. Foundation for Agriculture Offers $65,000 in Ag Scholarships
The GFA will award scholarships in the following four categories
The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture (GFA) is offering $65,000 in scholarships to Georgia students pursuing a degree in agriculture, veterinary medicine, family and consumer sciences or a related field. The GFA will award scholarships in the following four categories: Scholarship for Agriculture – This scholarship is for high school students who plan to enter a college that is part of the University System of Georgia, Berry College, Emmanuel College or any accredited college/university in Georgia with an ag program during the 2024-25 academic year to pursue an undergraduate degree in agricultural and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences or a related agricultural field. The GFA will award 10 scholarships of $3,000 each. The top two ranked applicants will be eligible for an additional $1,500. … Rising College Junior/Senior Scholarship for Agriculture – This scholarship is for college students who have at least two semesters of college remaining to receive an undergraduate degree from a unit of The University System of Georgia, Berry College, Emmanuel College or any accredited college/university in Georgia with an ag program. Applicants must be majoring in agriculture and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences or an ag-related field. The GFA will award eight scholarships of $2,000 each. UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship – This scholarship is for students currently enrolled in the UGA Veterinary Medicine program specializing in large animal/food animal practice. The GFA will award two $5,000 scholarships.
Ledger-Enquirer
‘Free, Free Palestine’: Columbus State University students hold protest on campus
By Kelby Hutchison
Mike Haskey Columbus Ledger-Enquirer “Bombing children is not self defense,” read one sign held up Thursday by protesters on the campus of Columbus State University. Students on CSU’s campus gathered together in a peaceful protest near the Davidson Student Center on the main campus in support of Palestine. Chants of “Free, Free Palestine” and “Cease Fire Now” rang out from the crowd of approximately 60 to 70 people as Palestinian flags waved on the windy day. A small band of Israel supporters soon showed up across the way.
The Red & Black
UGA School of Computing hosts Research Day at Georgia Center
Keynote speaker Irfan Essa, the senior associate dean of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, explained recent developments of artificial intelligence and how these advancements may impact society at the University of Georgia School of Computing’s Research Day on Nov. 17. “Ask not when, or if, AI will replace people,” Essa said. “Ask when people using AI will replace people not using AI.” There was also computer science trivia and a panel discussion, in addition to the keynote address. Anna Stenport, Dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, opened with a speech emphasizing the importance of the new School of Computing and all the new possibilities that come with the establishment of this interdisciplinary school.
Farm Progress
Short pecan crop gets shorter on tough weather
Georgia’s 2023 pecan production will be off by at least a third of what was expected according to many pecan grower.
Brad Haire
The weather wasn’t kind to Georgia pecans. A late-spring freeze nipped buds. A tropical storm ruined orchards, along with other environmental phenomena, too. As growers progress with harvest, they are looking at a short crop getting smaller. Lenny Wells is the University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, stationed in the southern part of the state, where most of the pecans grow. “Overall, the state crop is off by at least a third of what was expected according to many growers,” he said, and expectations weren’t that high, considering what the crop went through.
The Red & Black
UGA students hospitalized after fight outside Brumby Hall
Jesse Wood
The University of Georgia Police Department was dispatched to Brumby Hall on Nov. 12 at 4:16 a.m. after a fight broke out between several individuals, resulting in two UGA students being transported to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center. Four visitors, two of which are students at Georgia Southern University, spent their evening on the fifth floor of Brumby Hall playing video games. The altercation began on the steps outside of Brumby Hall when three UGA students passed the four visitors. The two groups reportedly “made comments” to one another, ultimately leading to the physical altercation. One of the visitors potentially had a firearm that he used to beat the UGA students.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Online Enrollments Spike at Community Colleges
Federal data suggest larger shares of students at two-year colleges are enrolling online. Higher ed experts say the trend calls for more online supports.
By Sara Weissman
Lone Star College, a community college with eight campuses in Texas, has one “campus” that’s different than the others—it’s all online. The student government is made up of remote students, faculty members transferred from other campuses to focus on teaching online courses and college officials are working on helping students start e-clubs, including a possible crocheting group. Lone Star College-Online was launched in fall 2022 to serve the growing percentage of students who wanted to pursue degrees fully online in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic, in fall 2019, 57 percent of students in the system took at least one online class and 18 percent were registered fully online. … The college isn’t an outlier. Community colleges are increasingly finding that online enrollments make up a sizable chunk of their student bodies.
Higher Ed Dive
Work experience, not college, prepared employees for jobs, study finds
Half of the employees surveyed said they wished they had known how to manage career progression prior to entering the workforce.
Ginger Christ, Reporter
Dive Brief:
Nearly half of workers (46%) don’t think higher education prepared them for their current jobs, according to a survey released Nov. 8 by online learning platform Go1. Sixty-one percent of the 3,000 full-time office workers surveyed in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. said work experience was the best preparation for their positions, followed by formal on-the-job training and life experience. Half of the respondents said they wish they had known how to handle career progression prior to entering the workforce. Employees also said they wish they had better understood the fundamentals of the role and how to collaborate across departments. Sixty-six percent of those surveyed said learning and development opportunities make or break their decision to take a job or stay at a company, and 73% said their current employer provides L&D options that meet their needs, the survey found.
Higher Ed Dive
How the federal government is responding to campus antisemitism and Islamophobia
Multiple agencies have mobilized as tensions and protests escalate at colleges over the Israel-Hamas war.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Ever since Hamas, labeled a terrorist group by the U.S. government, attacked Israel in early October, colleges nationwide have struggled to regulate protests and combat rising antisemitic and Islamophobic acts. Institutions of all sorts have seen turmoil — from the small private nonprofit Cooper Union, where Jewish students sheltered in a library while pro-Palestinian protesters banged on the building’s doors, to the prominent New York University, where students alleged in a lawsuit last week that the college allowed campus antisemitism to flourish. Meanwhile, at Vanderbilt University, in Tennessee, Muslim students have reportedly been called terrorists. The U.S. Department of Education is now investigating a handful of colleges, including Cooper Union. The Biden administration has mobilized federal agencies, particularly the Education Department, to try to tamp down on prejudicial acts.
Inside Higher Ed
Will the Feds Strip Colleges’ Funds Over Anti-Jewish, Muslim Bias?
Pulling federal money from colleges would happen only after a long, complicated process. For the Education Department, it would be a “nuclear option.”
By Katherine Knott
Amid the protests and incidents that have rocked college campuses since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a cry has gone up from conservative politicians and groups for the federal government to pull federal funding from colleges and universities if they fail to quell antisemitism and protect their Jewish students. Republican presidential candidates and members of Congress have been especially vocal in calling for such punishment. “We’re not in the business of using taxpayer dollars to provide and nourish hate,” said Utah Representative Burgess Owens, a Republican who chairs the House subcommittee on higher education, at the end of a hearing last week on campus antisemitism. “That is not the American way.” But stripping colleges of their access to federal funds would be an unprecedented step for the Education Department to take.
Inside Higher Ed
California Professor Charged in Jewish Protester’s Death
Prosecutors alleged that the community college instructor involuntarily contributed to the death at an off-campus protest. His lawyer challenges the official account.
By Ryan Quinn
California prosecutors have charged a community college faculty member with involuntary manslaughter and battery with serious bodily injury in the death of a Jewish protester during off-campus Israel-Palestine demonstrations. On Thursday, Ventura County sheriff’s detectives arrested Loay Alnaji, a now-suspended employee of Moorpark College, part of the county’s community college district. His faculty webpage was taken down, but the Wayback Machine archive from earlier this month showed Alnaji as a full-time faculty member. According to Alnaji’s attorney, he is a Jordanian Muslim. “Effective immediately, Mr. Alnaji will be placed on administrative leave,” the community college district said in a statement Thursday. “… Necessary protocols have been taken to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff, which will remain our top priority.”