The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Lawmakers mull funding formula tweaks; GSU’s space grant
A roundup of news and happenings from Georgia colleges and universities
By Vanessa McCray
Updating the state’s funding formula for universities is akin to turning a battleship. So says Georgia House Higher Education committee Chairman Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, who nonetheless plans to attempt the complicated maneuver during the upcoming 2024 legislative session. “I think everybody recognizes that it’s a tough thing to do,” Martin told committee members recently as they mulled ideas to revise how the state appropriates money to Georgia’s public colleges and universities. Also in this edition of AJC On Campus, we bring you news about big grants to Emory, Georgia State and Middle Georgia State universities and new building projects coming to Kennesaw State and Georgia State universities.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia growth to slow but likely no 2024 recession, UGA experts predict
Recession odds down to one-in-three for Georgia as forecasters say ‘soft landing’ more likely, report said
By Michael E. Kanell
With speed bumps like higher interest rates, lingering inflation and lower commercial real estate values, the Georgia economy will tap the brakes in the new year. But though growth might slow, it won’t decelerate by as much as the national economy, according to the annual forecast of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. Moreover, growth will continue for both Georgia and the U.S., said Ben Ayers, Terry’s dean, who delivered the prediction Monday to a luncheon crowd of nearly 600 at the Georgia Aquarium. …The greatest dangers to the Georgia economy may come from far-off geopolitical events like the war in Ukraine or an expanded Middle East war that disrupts oil shipments and sends energy prices soaring. But unless those kind of crises spin out of control, the Georgia economy should skirt disaster, according to the UGA prediction.
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Business News
UNG uses grant to build workforce skills
by Shawn Johnson
UNG spent the past three years helping students in Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Hall and Lumpkin counties gain employment skills through projects funded by a $1.45 million labor grant. The University of North Georgia (UNG) spent the past three years helping students in Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Hall and Lumpkin counties gain employment skills through projects funded by a $1.45 million US Labor grant. UNG provided a total of 4,630 services through the grant. These efforts are in line with Governor Brian Kemp’s emphasis on Georgia’s universities and technical colleges partnering with K-12 schools for workforce development, which Kemp announced at the inaugural Workforce Georgia Summit in early October.
Times-Georgian
UWG celebrates more than 700 fall grads
By Julie Lineback Special To The Times-Georgian
Higher education isn’t merely about acquiring knowledge — it is a transformative odyssey that sculpts character, instills resilience and fosters a deep understanding of our world. In this spirit, more than 700 University of West Georgia students celebrated similar journeys on Saturday when they received their degrees during UWG’s Fall 2023 Commencement ceremonies.
Dawson County News
UNG adds new track for students to receive degree in addiction counseling
Erica Jones, DCN Staff
University of North Georgia (UNG) students now have the option to participate in the only accredited addiction counseling track in the state of Georgia, thanks to the new option added recently by the university.
Albany Herald
Albany State kicks off holiday season with faculty, staff social
From staff reports
Albany State University recently celebrated the start of the holiday season with a fun-filled holiday social for its faculty and staff. The event, which took place at the Old President’s House and the L. Orene Hall Building on the historic east campus, featured caroling, hot cocoa, marshmallow roasting, food, door prizes, an ugly sweater contest, entertainment, and more. Students from the Department of Visual and Performing Arts performed caroling music as a brass ensemble. …The holiday social provided an opportunity for the ASU community to come together and celebrate the season.
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Northwest Georgia library system continues fine-free program, citing its success
by Andrew Wilkins
After a two-year pilot program, the suspension of fines for returning library materials late will be continued at a library system in Northwest Georgia. The decision was made at a collective meeting of the Northwest Georgia Regional Library System, which includes the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library, Calhoun-Gordon County Public Library and the Chatsworth-Murray County Public Library. The system’s board and three libraries boards voted unanimously to continue the program. Darla Chambliss, director of the library system, described the reasoning behind the decision to continue the fine-free program in a written statement. “We were one of the three pilot programs in the state, and our boards agreed that this pilot program is good for the libraries, but more importantly, good for users of the library,” she said. “It removes a burden to the public and specifically to students in our area.” …The Georgia Public Library Service provided assistance and support for the program.
Farm Progress
Two monumental herbicide challenges face farmers
Stanley Culpepper cautions challenges are not just a threat to currently available herbicides but also to later bringing on additional herbicides.
John Hart
Farmers face two monumental challenges when it comes to managing weeds with herbicides: resistance and regulatory actions. That’s the prognosis from University of Georgia Extension weed specialist Stanley Culpepper who cautions that these challenges are not just a significant threat to retaining currently available herbicides but are a threat to bringing additional herbicides to the market in the future.
Rome News-Tribune
2 Floyd County Police Officers Earn Georgia Command College Degrees
From staff reports
The Floyd County Police Department announced the graduations of Pfc. Mike Bell and Sgt. William Wacker from the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College at Columbus State University. Both officers graduated with a master’s degree in Public Safety Administration. “We are committed to serving the citizens of Floyd County with a professional police agency,” Police Chief Mark Wallace said in a press release. “Our goal is to be the premier law enforcement agency in Northwest Georgia. It is our officers who will allow us to obtain that goal. We congratulate both Mike and William on this great accomplishment.”
The Columbusite
Finding Joy in Performance: An Interview with Maxwell Rounsaville
Maxwell Rounsaville is an actor from Acworth, Georgia and is currently working on his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre at Columbus State University. However, he plans on switching to a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance at the end of the year. He is currently a first year and is completing his first semester in a few weeks. Max is an accomplished singer, dancer and actor. His dedication to theatre shines through in all of his work. During the semester, I had the privilege of sharing several classes with him where I witnessed not only this, but his overwhelming talent. More recently, I saw him in the Springer Opera House’s production of Cabaret where he played Victor. Sitting down with him, I was excited to get a peek into the mind of such an impressive student and talk about what his process is and what theatre is about for him.
The City Menus
UWG Football Names New Head Coach
Joel Taylor, defensive coordinator at Mercer University, has been named the head football coach at the University of West Georgia, Director of Athletics Jason Carmichael announced Saturday. Taylor becomes the 12th head football coach in program history and will lead the program into their first season of Division I football in 2024. He will be formally introduced at a welcome event on Tuesday, December 5th at 12 noon in the atrium of The Coliseum.
Times-Georgian
11th-ranked Wolves get past Argos to move to 9-0
By Darrell Redden, Jr. UWG Athletics
The University of West Georgia Men’s Basketball team kept their perfect record in tact on Sunday, moving to 9-0 on the season after an 82-77 win against the West Florida Argonauts. West Georgia (9-0, 5-0 GSC) had another phenomenal night on the offensive side of the ball as the Wolves shot 54.4% from the field while holding West Florida (3-6, 1-4 GSC) to 38.8%, which led to their ninth consecutive win to begin the year.
BVM Sports
Georgia Southern to Retire Seven Basketball Jerseys in Doubleheader Tribute
By BVM Sportsdesk
Georgia Southern men’s and women’s basketball will retire a combined seven jerseys during a February doubleheader at Hanner Fieldhouse, as announced by director of athletics Jared Benko. The former student-athletes being honored include four men’s basketball standouts and three women’s basketball Hall of Famers. The men’s basketball honorees are Tookie Brown (No. 4), Charlton “CY” Young (No. 12), Johnny Mills (No. 14), and Fran Florian (No. 35). The women’s basketball honorees are Phylette Blake (No. 15), Regina Days-Bryan (No. 42), and Trina Roberts (No. 50).
The Augusta Chronicle
Richmond County Education Day means more for this Augusta University basketball senior
Will Cheney
For Augusta University forward Timmy Sellers, Thursday’s Richmond County Education Day game meant just a bit more. The senior stayed in the gym for nearly an hour after the final buzzer of the Jags’ 86-73 win over Brewton-Parker College, signing autographs for the 2,000-plus Richmond County elementary school students in attendance. It was a full-circle moment for the Glenn Hills High School alumnus. …Thursday marked Augusta University’s eighth-annual Education Day game, an idea that coach Dip Metress and former athletic director Clint Bryant brought to the Richmond County School system nearly a decade ago. …Sellers is set to graduate this week, and he’ll begin working toward his master’s degree in business in January. He began his career at Charleston Southern before transferring to Augusta after his freshman season.
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Higher Ed Dive
Why more colleges are adopting direct admissions
The practice — which notifies students that they’re admitted before they even apply — is taking off at public systems and some private institutions.
By Lilah Burke
Scrutiny over selective college enrollment has increased in recent years in the wake of high profile university scandals and the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling against race-conscious admissions. But the majority of students in the U.S. don’t attend highly selective colleges. In many cases, the more prevalent admissions issue is convincing students to pursue higher education at all. Some higher education experts point to direct admissions as one potential solution to that problem. The practice — where institutions automatically accept students based on data like their GPAs — has slowly been gaining ground.
Inside Higher Ed
Effort to Re-Enroll California College Students Has Early Success
The California Reconnect program is re-enrolling adults who left college without earning degrees at higher rates than the national average for re-enrollment.
By Jessica Blake
Just one year into a three-year effort to re-enroll adult learners in California who previously attended but did not complete college, the initiative known as California Reconnect appears to be having some success. Seven colleges have boosted re-enrollment rates to four times higher than the national average, according to new data released today. About 5,700 former students who previously stopped out have been contacted by the campaign, and of those around 480, or 8.4 percent, have re-enrolled. Comparatively, the national re-enrollment rate was 2.1 percent in 2021–22, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The new data document the progress of the pilot initiative since it formally launched in spring 2023.
Inside Higher Ed
Lawmakers Ask for Clarity on FAFSA Launch
By Liam Knox
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is calling on the Department of Education to offer “clear guidance and communication” to students and families ahead of the launch of a new “simplified” Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, according to a statement from a congressional spokesperson. The group, led by Indiana Republican Chuck Grassley and Washington Democrat Patty Murray, is asking, among other things, for a definitive launch date for the much-delayed new FAFSA. As of now the form is set to be released before the end of the year—with the caveat that processing delays could extend turnaround time, sparking worries that students may not receive their financial aid offers with enough time to make informed decisions about where to attend college.
Inside Higher Ed
Bipartisan Progress on Pell Grant Expansion, but Hurdles Remain
The House wants to expand the Pell Grant to shorter career training programs. To pay for it, a new bill would cut off federal student loans to the nation’s wealthiest private colleges, starting in July.
By Katherine Knott
As Congress gears up to head home for the holiday season, proponents who have hoped to see a breakthrough on the long-running issue of expanding Pell Grants to career-training programs lasting fewer than 15 weeks have received an early gift—a bipartisan deal in the House. Key lawmakers in both parties have wrangled for years over the expansion, with talks breaking down over whether to include for-profit institutions and how to ensure the programs are of high quality. Supporters of what’s commonly referred to as short-term or workforce Pell say it will help low-income students access training programs they need to find better-paying jobs. Opponents have questioned whether the Pell Grant should be used as a workforce development tool—and whether the short-term programs actually pay off. Still, the Pell Grant expansion has steadily gained momentum and garnered bipartisan support in recent years; experts predicted that if any higher-education bill could pass this Congress, it would be this.
Inside Higher Ed
UVA Expands Free Tuition for State Residents
By Liam Knox
The University of Virginia will waive all tuition and fees for Virginia state residents whose families make less than $100,000 a year, university president Jim Ryan announced Friday. The move, which will be funded primarily through philanthropic gifts, is an expansion of the university’s AccessUVA program, which has covered residents from families making less than $80,000 since 2004. It is meant to make the highly selective state flagship more accessible for Virginians as well as account for inflation after a tuition hike, according to the university’s announcement.
Inside Higher Ed
Fallout From Wisconsin System’s Failed Deal
By Liam Knox
A six-month standoff between the Universities of Wisconsin and Republican state legislators appeared to be drawing to an end last weekend after system leaders reached a deal to free up $800 million in funding in exchange for cuts and wide-ranging changes to the system’s DEI initiatives. But the Board of Regents unexpectedly shot down the proposal in a nail-biting 9-to-8 vote on Saturday after a public campaign to reject the deal gained steam. As the dust settles and all three parties go back to the drawing board, the potential consequences of that vote are just becoming clear.
Inside Higher Ed
N.Y. Legislation Seeks End to 2 Institutions’ Tax Exemptions
By Johanna Alonso
New York lawmakers are slated to introduce a bill that would impose property taxes on Columbia University and New York University, both of which are among the city’s largest private property owners, The New York Times reported. That tax revenue would subsequently be allocated to the City University of New York system. Currently, the two institutions, like many other nonprofit universities in New York and across the country, are exempt from paying property taxes. If they were required to pay them, the universities would have owed $327 million this year.
Higher Ed Dive
579 colleges consider legacy status, new Education Department data finds
The agency recently started asking about the contentious practice of giving admissions preference to alumni’s relatives.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
At least 579 federally funded colleges consider whether applicants are related to alumni in their admissions process, according to data the U.S. Department of Education released Tuesday. For the 2022-23 academic year, the Education Department started asking about colleges’ use of legacy status for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. IPEDS is a publicly available database that details information like colleges’ enrollment numbers and tuition costs. Of the 1,900-plus federally funded colleges that are at least somewhat selective, 1,344 do not factor in legacy preferences, the department found. Colleges self-disclose IPEDS data, however, opening up the possibility for mistakes and misinterpretations.
Inside Higher Ed
The Future of Flexible Work in Higher Ed: A Compilation
By Doug Lederman
“Shaping the Future of Flexible Work in Higher Education” is a new print-on-demand compilation of articles and essays from Inside Higher Ed. The free booklet explores how limited remote work options have become a driver of staff turnover in higher education, how some institutions are adapting (or not) in response to employee expectations and the differing perspectives of various campus constituencies.