Albany CEO
USG Regent, Albany Chamber CEO Celebrates Columbus State Fall Graduates
University System of Georgia regent and chamber of commerce executive Bárbara Rivera Holmes drew from personal and professional experiences as she spoke to Columbus State University graduates on Friday, Dec. 8. As the featured speaker at all three of the university’s commencement ceremonies, Holmes — president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce — commended graduates for the decisions that led them to Columbus State and their graduation. “Every choice you make — and every choice you don’t make — leads somewhere,” she observed. “Some choices are small steps. … Some choices are leaps. No matter — every choice sets a path to a destination. In fact, through a series of your choices … we are together, today, in celebration.” As both a regent and business leader, Holmes advocates for workforce and economic development. She emphasized to the graduates that, through their educational and future achievements, they too will build communities where they will live, work and lead.
Athens CEO
UGA Commencement Set for Dec. 15
The University of Georgia will welcome its newest alumni on Dec. 15 as 1,626 undergraduates and 1,340 graduate students—a total of 2,966—have met requirements to participate in the university’s fall Commencement ceremonies. The undergraduate ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. Harold Alonza Black, emeritus professor of finance at the University of Tennessee and notable University of Georgia alumnus, will deliver the fall undergraduate Commencement address. The graduate ceremony will follow at 2 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. …Black and two other students¬¬—Mary Blackwell Diallo and Kerry Rushin Miller—were the first African American students to enroll as freshmen and complete their undergraduate degrees at UGA. The university named its newest residence hall, Black-Diallo-Miller Hall, in their honor in 2022.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College pre-law grad earns degree in honor of late mother, grandmother
By Ken Scar Special to the Daily Post
If Tricia Nicole Burgess taught her son Harrison Clark one thing, it’s resiliency. Burgess’s work as a contract manager kept them moving around a lot: from Georgia to Ohio to Pennsylvania and back to Georgia. They never settled for long in one place until they landed in Dekalb County, Georgia, in 2011, where Clark and his younger brother Haiden finished out their young adult years. Once settled in Georgia, Burgess began attending college to earn a bachelor’s degree and ensure a more secure future for her two boys but passed away suddenly on Christmas Eve, 2012, when Clark was 13. …The brothers were taken in by their grandmother, Patsy Burgess, an Army veteran who worked for the Army Corps of Engineers. She became the second strong woman to instill her values in the boys. …Clark graduated from Redan High School in 2016, determined to make something of himself to honor the two women who raised him. …College seemed out of the question, but one of his friends suggested he take a chance and apply to Georgia Gwinnett College. …To his amazement, he was accepted. … With the help and guidance from Lana McDowell, director of GGC’s Integrative Studies program, and Ebony Gibson, director of GGC’s African American studies minor, Clark was able to elevate his career aspirations to new heights by blending aspects of psychology, pre-law and African American studies.
WGAU Radio
By Lindsey Derrick, UGA Media Relations
The Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership’s Athens Free Clinic has been named the recipient of the 2023 Star of Community Achievement award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. The award is a nationally recognized honor presented to a campus that has improved the health status of its community or achieved its social mission through collaboration with its community.
WGAU Radio
By Agnes Hina, UNG
The University of North Georgia made the Best for Vets college list yet again. Released by the Military Times on Nov. 6, the guide helps military veterans determine the best path for their secondary education as they transition to civilian life. UNG ranked fifth among Georgia universities and was the only senior military college on the 2023 list. …UNG has veterans’ resource lounges on the Dahlonega, Gainesville and Oconee campuses, as well as the Student Veterans of America organization on UNG’s Dahlonega Campus, whose mission is to advocate for and provide mentoring for student veterans, and the Student Veterans of North Georgia on UNG’s Gainesville Campus.
The Brunswick News
CCGA has massive impact on local economy
By Gordon Jackson
The economic impact the 26 University System of Georgia institutions have on their communities cannot be understated. The colleges had a collective impact statewide of $20.1 billion based on spending by the institutions and their students in 2022. College of Coastal Georgia is among those contributing to the local economy. More than $87 million is spent in the community annually. The impact includes college personnel, operating expenses and student spending.
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA student readies for 31-mile ultramarathon to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease
UGA student to take on 31-mile ultramarathon to raise money, honor dad
UGA student readies for 31-mile ultramarathon to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease. University of Georgia senior Christian Spence has always enjoyed running, which has been his preferred method of staying fit, relieving stress and keeping a clear head.
Albany Herald
Albany State professor selected as Governor’s Teaching Fellow
From staff reports
Sonya R. Mosely, an assistant professor of teacher education at Albany State University, has been selected as a Governor’s Teaching Fellow for the 2023-24 academic year fellowship. Mosely was one of 16 faculty members from institutions of higher education across the state to participate in the symposium following a highly competitive application and selection process.
The Georgia Virtue
Business Management Students Learn from Local Professional
Tal Johnson, a CPA with Dabbs, Hickman, Hill, & Cannon, LLP, shared his wisdom with Ogeechee Technical College Business Management program students during class the last week of November. Johnson, who holds a BBA in Accounting from the Terry College of Business at UGA, and a Master of Accountancy from Georgia Southern University, was invited to class to help business management students understand the importance of accounting.
11 Alive
First 50 people chosen for DeKalb teacher residency program
Video
It’s a new approach to recruiting and retaining teachers in the district. Recruits will be able to get their master’s degree through Middle Georgia State University.
WGAU Radio
UGA’s Hu, Sellers named Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors
University of Georgia Provost S. Jack Hu and Professor Holly Sellers have been elected Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, joining 14 other UGA faculty members who have received the honor since the academy began electing fellows in 2012. This marks the fifth consecutive year that UGA has had faculty elected as NAI Fellows, described as investigators who “show a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society,” according to NAI’s website.
Columbus CEO
Patrick Aiken on Cybersecurity at Columbus State University
Director of the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity at Columbus State University Patrick Aiken talks about the different cybersecurity programs offered at CSU and providing workforce development programs to the area.
Futurity
VR can help people with autism navigate the real world
Posted by Brian Consiglio-U. Missouri
University of Missouri researcher Noah Glaser—in collaboration with Matthew Schmidt, an associate professor at the University of Georgia, and others—partnered with a program at the University of Cincinnati on a pair of studies geared toward providing autistic people virtual training opportunities to practice using a public bus to get around town. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the research team found that people with autism often experience their environment differently than their neurotypical peers, and that their attention and gaze patterns are often diverted due to sensory processing challenges in overstimulating environments. The findings pave the way for future research exploring how virtual reality simulations can provide a safe space to practice various tasks and help individuals with autism increase their self-confidence and community engagement.
The Hilton Head Sun
Sea Turtle Patrol: Safeguarding The Future Of Sea Turtles
By Glenda Harris, Contributor
A recent event at Poseidon Rooftop Bar was held in celebration of sea turtles and the success of the 2023 Sea Turtle Patrol (STP) Hilton Head Island. Led by the director of STP, Amber Kuehn and Dr. Brian Shamblin of the University of Georgia, attendees enjoyed good food and drink and the informative discussion regarding new and continuing efforts to protect and conserve habitat for sea turtles. They also shared the results of these efforts including DNA discoveries on the island. The results of the 2023 Sea Turtle Patrol season were about the same as last year with a total of 353 nests on the island’s shores. Surprisingly, this included three Green sea turtle nests and one Kemp’s Ridley nest.
Fast Company
Why Yamaha is funding research to bring oysters back to Georgia
By Grist
Oysters stabilize shorelines, trap carbon-rich sediment, and help marshes grow.
On a sunny day this fall, two Georgia Southern University grad students stood waist-deep in the North Newport River near St. Catherine’s Island on Georgia’s coast, while their professor and a team from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources used a winch to lower pallets full of oyster shells into the water. The students guided the pallets into place on the muddy river bank. Those pallets, piled with shells, will provide a hard surface for baby oysters to latch onto. “We are creating a foundation which wild oysters can populate and grow into an independent reef,” said Cameron Brinton, a marine biologist with DNR. Oysters used to be abundant here: Georgia led the nation in oyster harvesting in the early 20th century, according to the University of Georgia.
Psychiatric Times
Effects of Clozapine on Cognition in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia
Brian Miller, MD, PhD, MPH
Researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of clozapine on cognitive function in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
Approximately one-third of patients have treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS),1 which is associated with poorer functional outcomes. Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is also associated with poorer functional outcomes. There is meta-analytic evidence for pronounced deficits in all cognitive domain in patients with TRS compared with antipsychotic-response patients. Clozapine is the “gold-standard” medication for patients with TRS. Previous reviews of the cognitive effects of clozapine have not explored its effects in the TRS population. Clozapine’s complex pharmacodynamics profile also predicts variable effects on cognition.
Albany Herald
CAES leads effort to tackle emerging threat to watermelon, cucumber production
By Jordan Powers UGA/CAES
Seven East Coast states harvested nearly 102,000 acres of watermelon and cucumber in 2019 and 2020, representing more than 62% ($410 million) and 45% ($180 million) of the U.S. production of the two crops, respectively. Growers of cucurbits — which include melons, pumpkin, squash and cucumbers — face numerous challenges in production, leading to decreased profitability and less produce on grocery shelves. Weeds, insect pests and plant diseases are prominent biotic threats.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How the AJC and media partners conducted the petition study
By Charles Minshew
The Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition is seeking a city-wide vote on whether Atlanta should proceed with the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center currently under construction in DeKalb County. In order to prompt a referendum, petition signers must have been eligible to vote in the November 2021 mayor’s election and still be registered voters in the city of Atlanta. To be successful, the coalition must collect 58,231 signatures from such people, according to the city clerk. Petitioners collected and presented 16 boxes of signatures pages to the city clerk’s office on Sept. 11, saying the boxes contained approximately twice as many signatures as required. … Media partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Associated Press, Georgia Public Broadcasting and WABE spent nearly two months examining and analyzing petitions…The partners shared the methods and findings with Trey Hood, director of the Survey Research Center at the University of Georgia’s School of Public & International Affairs. The partners also consulted with UGA’s Statistical Consulting Center, who reviewed the methodology.
Guitar World
By David Mead (Guitarist)
Aaron Phillips and Dr. Matthew Hill give Guitarist a tour of the Fred and Dinah Gretsch Instrument and Artifact Collection at Georgia Southern University
Apart from funding music education at the university itself, Fred and Dinah Gretsch have donated some historic Gretsch guitars and other artifacts to a museum overseen by Georgia Southern University. Situated at the Plant Riverside District in Savannah, it tells the story of the development of Gretsch as a major force in the guitar marketplace and contains some of the brand’s most prized vintage instruments. We join coordinator Aaron Phillips and curator Dr. Matthew Hill to find out more.
WGXA
“Wildcat Nation Unleashed: Fort Valley State University Prepares for Historic Showdown”
by Carlos Stephens
A thrilling chapter is about to unfold as linebacker Malik Harp and the Fort Valley State University football team gear up for an electrifying showdown against the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls this Wednesday. Promising to put on a show, the Wildcats, including Florida native Fralon Waren Jr., are not just chasing victory on the field—they are aiming for a triumph that resonates far beyond. For Fralon Waren Jr., this game signifies more than a home team advantage. It’s a bold assertion of confidence, a conviction that their win will not only be celebrated on the field but will draw more South Floridians up to Georgia.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU’s Burden Named ASUN Player of the Week
Staff reports
Terrell Burden averaged 17.5 points per game over the past week to earn ASUN Conference Player of the Week honors.
Times-Georgian
Donatlan named GSC Player of the Week
By Darrell Redden, Jr. UWG Athletics
After playing the best basketball of his career and leading the University of West Georgia Men’s Basketball team to two wins last week, Camron Donatlan has been named the GSC Player of the Week. Donatlan wins the first GSC Weekly Award of his career after averaging 29 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game in UWG’s two wins over Valdosta State and West Florida.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Nearly half of companies say they plan to eliminate bachelor’s degree requirements in 2024
Many employers are dropping degree requirements to create a more diverse workforce and increase job candidate numbers, survey results show.
By Carolyn Crist
Forty-five percent of companies plan to eliminate bachelor’s degree requirements for some positions in 2024, according to a Nov. 29 report from Intelligent.com. In 2023, 55% of companies removed degree requirements, particularly for entry-level and mid-level roles, the survey shows. Employers said they dropped these requirements to create a more diverse workforce, increase the number of applicants for open positions and because there are other ways to gain skills. “Due to the expense of attending college, earning a bachelor’s degree is generally more difficult for people from traditionally marginalized groups and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds,” Diane Gayeski, higher education advisor for Intelligent.com and professor of strategic communication at Ithaca College, said in a statement.
Higher Ed Dive
Short-term Pell bill advances out of House education committee
Some Democrats expressed fears that for-profit programs would try to skirt consumer protection guardrails proposed in the legislation.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce advanced a highly watched bill Tuesday that would allow students to use federal Pell Grants on short-term programs. The legislative proposal, which passed 37-8, would create Workforce Pell Grants that students could apply to programs as short as eight weeks, starting in the 2025-26 academic year. However, some Democrats fear that for-profit programs would try to set up shoddy credentials that would skirt consumer protections in the bill. State and federal regulators, as well as accreditors, would determine which programs would qualify for the new grant. Democrats are also objecting to a funding provision that would block private colleges with large endowments from offering federal student loans.
Inside Higher Ed
Education Department Opens 6 More Title VI Investigations
By Katherine Knott
Another six universities are under investigation for alleged discrimination involving shared ancestry, according to the Education Department’s updated list of open inquiries. The department said Tuesday that it’s now investigating complaints against Rutgers University; the University of California, San Diego; the University of Washington; Whitman College in Washington; Stanford University; and the University of California, Los Angeles. Tuesday’s update brings the total of investigations opened since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to 27. Nineteen of them involve a college or university.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Underrepresented Students in STEM Classes Resulted in Higher Grades
Arrman Kyaw
The presence of underrepresented racial minority (URM) and first-generation college students in a course is related to higher STEM grades for all students in the class, especially for the minority students themselves, according to a recent study published in AERA Open. The December-published study, “The Role of Minoritized Student Representation in Promoting Achievement and Equity Within College STEM Courses”, examined the effects of having URM and first-gen students in undergraduate STEM classes.
Inside Higher Ed
Florida Officials Urge FAU Presidential Do-Over
By Josh Moody
A report from the inspector general for the Florida State University System’s Board of Governors recommended that Florida Atlantic University restart its presidential search due to a “failure to comply” with state laws and university regulations, The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. FAU’s presidential search has been stalled since July, when system chancellor Ray Rodrigues, a former Republican lawmaker, raised concerns about anomalies in the search process. He and other state officials criticized how FAU’s presidential search committee used a straw poll to anonymously rank candidates and trim the applicant pool from 60 to 20. In November, Florida’s attorney general found that FAU’s search violated state sunshine laws.
Higher Ed Dive
Columbia and NYU would pay millions more in property tax under new proposal
Legislators would route the additional funding to the City University of New York system, which has faced budgetary and enrollment challenges.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
New York lawmakers unveiled a legislative proposal Tuesday that could end a property tax exemption for private nonprofit universities that had more than $100 million written off in the prior fiscal year. Just two universities would be affected — New York University and Columbia University. Columbia is the largest private land-holder in New York City and would have paid $179 million in property taxes last year without the exemption, according to the bill’s sponsors. NYU would have paid $142 million. Under the plan, the resulting property tax revenue would go to the City University of New York, the city’s public higher education system that has faced budgetary challenges.
Wisconsin State Journal
Kimberly Wethal
A narrowly divided UW Board of Regents on Saturday rejected an agreement between Universities of Wisconsin system President Jay Rothman and legislative Republican leaders authorizing UW system funding and pay raises in exchange for changes to universities’ diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. At an emergency meeting Saturday morning, regents voted 9-8 against approving the deal that could have provided UW-Madison a new engineering building, implemented pay raises for UW system employees and restored a $32 million cut Republicans made to the UW system’s budget last summer.
Inside Higher Ed
Palestinian Communication Professor Says She’s Been Censored Again
For a second time, Ahlam Muhtaseb, of California State University, San Bernardino, lost an opportunity to share her message due to concerns over her using the word “genocide.” This time, she says, she didn’t even use it.
By Ryan Quinn
A Palestinian professor, whose speech at last month’s National Communication Association conference was canceled after she was told that association leaders objected to her calling the deaths in Gaza “genocide,” says she is again facing a familiar situation. Once again, it involves at least one communications professional taking issue with Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb’s use of that charged term—but the pushback has now come from her own university. And, she says, she didn’t even use the word this time. On Nov. 30, an “Inside CSUSB” email, containing a list of news and links regarding California State University, San Bernardino, went out to campus and the press, she said.
Inside Higher Ed
Senate Bill Would Tax Universities to Fund Israel, Ukraine and Border Security
By Katherine Knott
Republican senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas wants to levy a 6 percent tax on 10 universities’ endowments to support Israel and Ukraine and fund border security efforts. The one-time tax, proposed Tuesday as part of the Woke Endowment Security Tax Act, would raise about $15.47 billion, according to a news release from Cotton’s office. According to the release, the 10 universities subject to the tax would be: Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis and Yale University.
Inside Higher Ed
Russia Seeks to Arrest CUNY Professor, ‘New Yorker’ Writer
By Ryan Quinn
Russia has placed a new distinguished professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York on a wanted list, the Associated Press reported. Masha Gessen, a Russian American author and New Yorker staff writer who joined CUNY this fall, faces charges of spreading falsehoods about Russia’s army. The AP reported that, according to Russian media, a criminal case against Gessen started over an interview posted on YouTube in September 2022, in which Gessen and another reporter discussed Russian atrocities in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. The Newmark J-school released a statement Monday defending Gessen. The school said Russian authorities issued an arrest warrant for them Friday.
Inside Higher Ed
Former Arizona State Employee Accused of Misspending $100,000
By Lauren Coffey
A former Arizona State University technology employee faces 14 felony counts after an internal audit found he allegedly misspent thousands in university funds over four years. The office of Arizona’s auditor general released its report Monday, alleging that Carlos Urrea, a former manager of information technology at Arizona State, spent more than $124,000 on a university credit card. The 810 purchases, made from June 2017 to December 2021, included two Christmas trees, 12 gaming consoles, a washer and dryer, a treadmill, and 11 Costco gift cards totaling $1,000 each.
Inside Higher Ed
Brown Arrests 41 Student Protesters
By Susan H. Greenberg
Brown University arrested 41 students Monday night following a sit-in at University Hall, where they demanded that the university divest its endowment from arms manufacturers, The Providence Journal reported. The students were charged with “willful trespass within school buildings” after they refused to leave by the end of the business day, according to The Hill.
Inside Higher Ed
The U.S.’s Aging Agricultural Producers: Academic Minute
By Doug Lederman
Today on the Academic Minute: David R. Buys, state health specialist and associate professor at Mississippi State University, examines how we can help the U.S. find new farmers.
Cybersecurity Dive
White House wants to set minimum cyber standards for hospitals, healthcare
The sector has faced a wave of ransomware linked to the critical CitrixBleed vulnerability, which has led to major attacks from LockBit and other threat groups.
David Jones, Reporter
Dive Brief:
The White House plans to work with the Department of Health and Human Services on a plan to develop minimum standards to protect the healthcare sector from ransomware and other malicious cyber activity, according to Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, said Thursday. The administration is working with HHS and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to raise minimum cybersecurity standards, said Neuberger, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum. It’s part of an ongoing effort by the White House to improve security across 16 critical infrastructure sectors. Neuberger noted a recent wave of attacks is linked to a security flaw that has been on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for weeks. Neuberger did not specify which vulnerability she was referencing, but HHS in late November urged hospitals and other healthcare facilities to urgently patch against the CitrixBleed vulnerability. The vulnerability was already exploited in numerous ransomware attacks since October.
Cybersecurity Dive
Norton Healthcare ransomware attack exposes 2.5M people
Ransomware attacks are soaring in the healthcare sector, impacting more than 88 million people in the first 10 months of 2023, according to HHS.
Matt Kapko, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
Norton Healthcare said sensitive data on 2.5 million people was exposed by a ransomware attack in May, the clinic and hospital group said Friday in a data breach notification filed with Maine’s attorney general. Norton Healthcare discovered the cyberattack on May 9, which it later determined was ransomware. The threat actors had access to some network storage devices between May 7 – 9, but the healthcare group’s medical record system was not compromised, the company said in the filing. An investigation into the attack, which was completed in mid-November, determined names, contact information, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, health and insurance information, and medical ID numbers were compromised.