WGAU Radio
UNG student wins national award
By Agnes Hina, UNG
University of North Georgia senior Sharon Tran was selected as one of four recipients of the Shannon Kelly Kane Scholarship, a 2023 National Association for Music Education Collegiate Professional Achievement Award. Tran received the award at the NAfME National Leadership Assembly and Collegiate Leadership Advocacy Summit in June. “The Department of Music is proud of Sharon’s accomplishments and her commitment to the field of music education,” Dr. Marie Graham, UNG coordinator of music education, said. “This award is a testament to her dedication to NAfME and music education.” The award is presented to graduating seniors of a higher education institution pursuing a degree in music education or planning to pursue an advanced degree in music.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tax-credit program seeks more donors for giving former foster kids college aid
Donations wanted for program that helps fund former foster youth in higher education pursuits
By Katherine Landergan
Earlier this summer, Brianna Nunnally was walking on a financial tightrope. The 23-year-old had aged out of Georgia’s foster care system, and found herself a half-step away from homelessness. …Then, through a simple Google search, she stumbled across a new state program: aid for Georgia’s former foster care youth who are pursuing a post-secondary education. …In 2022, the Georgia Legislature…unanimously passed a bill that was seen as a win-win for state businesses and taxpayers as well as those aging out of the foster care system. It created a donation credit program for former foster care youth who are working towards a post-high school degree. The program funds everyday costs, such as housing, transportation and food. …Many government aid programs exist to pay the tuition for former foster youth, said Bob Bruder-Mattson, president and CEO of FaithBridge Foster Care, one of the organizations distributing these donated funds to former foster youth. The issue these young adults are facing, he said, is having enough funds for everyday living and school expenses. …One young person he’s met through this work was a former student at Kennesaw State University. That young man was in a math class and needed a Texas Instruments calculator, which can run north of $100. The student couldn’t afford the calculator and so he dropped out of the class, triggering a domino effect that ultimately led him to drop out of school.
Columbus CEO
RNCareers.org Ranks Columbus State’s RN-to-BSN Program One of Georgia’s ‘Best’
RNCareers.org, a leading nursing education resource, has ranked Columbus State University’s RN-to-BSN program fourth among the “best” of its kind in Georgia. This accolade further distinguishes the university as a Nationally Recognized Nursing School of Distinction. More than 1,700 nursing schools were thoroughly evaluated by RNCareers.org to compile these merit-based rankings. The publication considered critical factors such as NCLEX passing rates, program accreditation, program offerings and school reputation. In its comprehensive evaluation, RNCareers.org emphasized the tangible benefits for students enrolling in Columbus State’s RN-to-BSN program.
Emanuel County Live
Georgia Foundation for Agriculture offers $65,000 in Ag Scholarships
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, …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, …UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship…
Grice Connect
Heading to GS Fall Graduation? Helpful tips for a stress-free day
Congratulations Georgia Southern University Fall 2023 Graduates! If you’re attending the Statesboro ceremony on Thursday or the Savannah ceremony on Saturday, check out this helpful information about parking, ticketing, accessibility, and more. …Hopefully, Statesboro will always be your “second” home as you move forward into the world. We wish each of you tremendous success! …Most of the information we are sharing has been put together by GS University and can be found here. One ceremony will be held at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro on Thursday, December 14, at 2pm. A second will be held on Saturday, December 16, at 2pm at Enmarket Arena in Savannah. Each ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate candidates from all colleges within the university.
Athens CEO
University of Georgia Institute of Government Knows Workforce
Margaret Blanchard
More than 300 participants attend third annual Georgia’s Workforce Pipeline Conference
Addressing workforce development is a team sport, and the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government is leading the way by convening stakeholders, sharing best practices and unpacking the latest data for industries across Georgia. More than 300 participants recently gathered at the third annual Innovating Georgia’s Workforce Pipeline conference in Athens to network and learn about talent development needs and building long-term workforce pipelines. The conference has grown over time, with nearly 1,000 professionals participating since its launch. It is an initiative of the UGA Institute of Government’s Georgia Workforce and Economic Resilience Center, a hub of programs and services designed to support continued economic and workforce competitiveness.
Farm Progress
Nitrogen innovation heads to the farm
Biological products bring a slew of benefits to nitrogen management.
Picture of Sarah McNaughton
Sarah McNaughton
Dependable nitrogen, proven performance and promising climate solutions are just a few of the benefits Pivot Bio says it can bring to the agriculture industry. CEO Chris Abbott and Karsten Temme, chief information officer and co-founder, share how the company can increase yield and crop performance while saving farmers money. Pivot Bio products are a biological solution to dependable nitrogen for crops from corn to small grains. Utilizing biologicals, they harness the natural solution to deliver nitrogen to plants. Through genetic coding, these microbes allow producers to reduce the amount of synthetic nitrogen that is applied, they say. …Results are summarized in the paper as follows:
More mass. Research from University of Georgia found that corn grown with Pivot Bio ProveN 40 had more mass — with test bushels weighing as much as 3.2 pounds more than their untreated counterparts — as well as a consistent yield advantage.
WJCL
New bugs showing up in Georgia and South Carolina. University of Georgia professor explains why
Similar to how most humans move from place to place, a bug will out-grow a spot, and move to a new, more attractive area to stay.
AJ Sisson, Reporter
Have you seen a strange-looking bug recently and want to know what it is? Or have you ever wondered what’s the cause for seeing new critters in our area, like the Yellow-Legged Hornet or the Asian Longhorned Tick? We wondered the same things and found answers from the University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, as well as a cool way to share your “creepy-crawly” findings with your community.
Morning AgClips
Study Overturns Conventional Wisdom Wild Turkey Nesting
Findings shed new light on how climate change may affect wild turkey populations
A new study finds that precipitation levels during nesting season are not related to reproductive success for wild turkeys, which runs counter to the conventional wisdom regarding the role that rainfall plays in wild turkey nesting success. The findings shed new light on how climate change may affect wild turkey populations. …The paper, “Robust assessment of associations between weather and eastern wild turkey nest success,” is published open access in The Journal of Wildlife Management. The paper was co-authored by David Moscicki, a Ph.D. student at NC State; Krishna Pacifici, an associate professor of forestry and environmental resources; Adam Terando, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey; Bret Collier, a professor of wildlife ecology at Louisiana State University; and Michael Chamberlain, the Terrell Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at the University of Georgia.
BioSpace
Bionano Laboratories today announced the publication of a study covering the analytical validation of its laboratory developed test (LDT), marketed as OGM-Dx™ HemeOne. This LDT is based on optical genome mapping (OGM) analysis of blood or bone marrow samples to detect structural variants (SVs) of diagnostic and prognostic utility in individuals with a new or an existing diagnosis of a hematological malignancy. The publication also included a multi-site peer-reviewed IRB-approved analytical validation study of OGM for the analysis of hematological malignancy samples, conducted by researchers at laboratories including Bionano Laboratories, Augusta University, University of Rochester Medical Center, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
WGAU Radio
By from UNG
Following a national search, Anel Lilic has been named the fifth head coach in University of North Georgia men’s soccer history. President Michael Shannon and Athletic Director Mary Rob Plunkett made the announcement in a team meeting at the UNG Soccer Field House at Lynn Cottrell Park on Dec. 12. Serving in an interim role, Lilic led the 2023 program to a season of firsts as the Nighthawks posted a 9-8-2 overall mark and 5-3-2 record in Peach Belt Conference play.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Colleges’ costs increased 4% in FY23
Consumer inflation outpaced the Higher Education Price Index for the second year in a row, Commonfund found.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
Colleges’ expenses rose 4% in the 2023 fiscal year compared to the year prior, according to new data from Commonfund, an asset management firm that tracks inflation in the higher education sector. That’s a lower rate of inflation than the Higher Education Price Index, or HEPI, tracked in fiscal year 2022. That year, the rate reached a decades-long high of 5.2%. Consumer inflation outpaced colleges’ increases for the second year in a row, an unusual occurrence. The Consumer Price Index hit 6.3% in fiscal 2023. Since fiscal 2000, annual CPI has outpaced the HEPI just 21% of the time.
Inside Higher Ed
Most Americans Lack Confidence in College Leaders
By Johanna Alonso
A majority of Americans lack confidence in higher education leaders, according to a new U.S. News–Harris poll that surveyed 2,000 adults from Dec. 8 to 10. Nearly 80 percent said that college and university leaders are more concerned with their institutions’ endowments than with students, and over 60 percent expressed worry that college leaders prioritize the interests of donors and other outside constituents over those of students. About 60 percent of respondents said they believe colleges are failing students. Survey respondents also expressed concern about college access and diversity, with just under 80 percent saying they worried that if colleges “don’t become more accessible to all people and emphasize diversity, then the leaders of tomorrow will all be the same.”
Inside Higher Ed
Free Speech Center Urges Caution on Tracking Campus Hate, Antisemitism
By Jessica Blake
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University sent a letter to the U.S. attorney general and the secretary of homeland security Tuesday urging them to ensure a recent initiative to track hate threats and antisemitism on college campuses does not threaten First Amendment rights. Although the letter states that it is “entirely appropriate” for the Biden administration to address threats of violence on campus, it also notes past surveillance abuses involving “racial, religious and political minorities” and calls on the agencies to clarify the scope of the initiative and to institute the proper safeguards.
Inside Higher Ed
Future of OPMs in Flux as Regulations Loom
University relationships with online program managers could be turned on their heads in 2024, as the government considers more oversight into OPM contracts.
By Lauren Coffey
After months of uncertainty about whether the federal government would revise its guidelines for how colleges work with online program management firms and other outside providers, the Education Department said last month that it would do so early next year. Depending on how it is written and what is ultimately approved, the guidance could dramatically alter the relationships between colleges and OPMs, which offer an array of services to help institutions build, market and operate their online academic programs. Another policy change under consideration could compel the companies to shift away from paying the institutions up front in exchange for a share of tuition revenue over time, instead adopting a fee-for-service model that would require campus leaders to use their own money to fund projects. It could also lead to even more consolidation in the OPM market, experts say.
Cybersecurity Dive
Senate confirms Harry Coker Jr. as national cyber director
The national security veteran assumes the role at a critical time, tasked with implementing the White House’s national cybersecurity strategy.
Matt Kapko, Senior Reporter
The Senate confirmed Harry Coker Jr. as national cyber director Tuesday, ending a 10-month absence of a permanent leader in the role. The Navy veteran and executive director of the National Security Agency from 2017 to 2019, will lead the Office of the National Cyber Director and its team of about 100 employees after the Senate confirmed his nomination by a 59-40 vote. Coker joins the White House at a critical time, with the onus now on him to implement the national cybersecurity strategy that aims to shift the responsibility for security to technology manufacturers and vendors instead of customers.