WGAU Radio
UGA trumpets retention, completion rates
By Mike Wooten, UGA Today
The University of Georgia’s first-year retention rate rose to nearly 95% this year, reflecting several ongoing efforts to improve the academic environment and support students. Newly released data show the percentage of first-time freshmen who continue at UGA their second year rose to 94.6%, compared to 94.3% the year before. The university’s six-year completion rate held steady at 88%, matching the record high set last year. In addition, the four-year completion rate shows nearly three-quarters of UGA students graduate within four years. On each metric, UGA continues to outpace its peers. According to the most recently available data, the average retention rate at UGA’s peer institutions is 91%, while the average six-year completion rate is 80%.
The Augusta Press
Augusta University celebrates graduates at 2023 winter commencement
Celebrating the fall class of 2023 with cheer, Augusta University hosted a graduation ceremony at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 14. With 941 fall graduates, the university congratulated 351 receiving undergraduate degrees.
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Photos
Gwinnett Daily Post
PHOTOS: 2023 Georgia Gwinnett College Fall Commencement
More than 560 Georgia Gwinnett College students graduated during the school’s fall commencement on Thursday.
WGAU Radio
Caps and gowns for graduates at UGA, UNG, and Brenau
By Tim Bryant
Today is a graduation day in Athens and elsewhere: the University of Georgia, the University of North Georgia, and Brenau University in Gainesville are all holding fall commencement exercises. UGA’s undergrad graduation is set for 10 o’clock this morning in Stegeman Coliseum. Terry College Alum Harold Black (pictured), now professor emeritus of finance at the University of Tennessee, is today’s commencement speaker.
James Magazine
From GA CEO: Board of Regents honors Robert F. Hatcher, Sr.
by JMO Staff
Middle Georgia State University President Christopher Blake highlights the many contributions of Robert F. Hatcher, Sr. to MGSU 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.
Rough Draft
Scott Votaw highlights Georgia Film Academy role in entertainment workforce development in state
by Sammie Purcell
Scott Votaw, executive director for the Georgia Film Academy, has been on the road with the Georgia Unscripted Roadshow discussing workforce development and education within the state’s entertainment industry. Votaw, who also serves as the assistant vice chancellor for the University System of Georgia, will be at the Roadshow’s Atlanta event on Dec. 14, and spoke with Rough Draft Atlanta prior to the stop about the Georgia Film Academy’s role in preparing students from a young age for different jobs in the film and entertainment industry.
Grice Connect
Georgia Southern earns National Park Service contract for Andersonville National Historic Site
The contract will allow associate professors Heidi Altman, Ph.D., Jennifer Sweeney Tookes, Ph.D., and Ryan McNutt, Ph.D., to perform an ethnographic overview and assessment of the cultural resources associated with the Andersonville National Historic Site.
A trio of Georgia Southern University faculty members have been awarded a $190,000 contract to work with the National Park Service (NPS) for an Andersonville National Historic Site project. The contract will allow associate professors Heidi Altman, Ph.D., Jennifer Sweeney Tookes, Ph.D., and Ryan McNutt, Ph.D., with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences to perform an ethnographic overview and assessment of the cultural resources associated with the Andersonville National Historic Site.
Americus Times-Recorder
By Ken Gustafson
Sandra Daniel, Ph.D., dean of Georgia Southwestern State University’s (GSW) College of Nursing and Health Sciences, is retiring effective Jan. 1, 2024 after serving GSW for 36 years. “It has been a privilege to serve Georgia Southwestern in several capacities,” said Daniel. “Starting as an instructor in 1986 and progressing through the tenure ranks to professor has been an honor. The most exciting thing has been to serve as dean since 2008, allowing me to form lasting relationships with administrators, faculty, staff and students at GSW, as well as collaborate with healthcare providers in our region.” During Daniel’s tenure, GSW’s nursing program has increased its enrollment several times, including the addition of a Spring admission period for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students, the development of several graduate programs and, most recently, the revival of the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program. The Guaranteed Acceptance Program, a competitive early enrollment process, also attracts high school seniors.
Motorblog
Augusta University D2L: An Online Learning Platform for Educational Success
In today’s educational environment, technology plays a crucial role in enhancing the learning experience. Augusta University D2L (Desire2Learn) is an online learning platform that has been adopted by Augusta University to provide students with a more efficient and effective way of acquiring knowledge and skills. D2L has become an integral tool for both teachers and students as it offers a range of resources and features that promote active engagement, collaboration, and access to quality educational content. The platform facilitates course organization, delivery of study materials, assessment management, and enables smooth communication between teachers and students. One of the highlights of Augusta University D2L is its focus on personalized learning.
13 WMAZ
Georgia College offers solar job training to build greener world — while making you some green, too
The classes are free and open for anyone to enroll, including the public. Classes start in January.
Author: Jessica Cha
The future is green at Georgia College and State University. A new course that starts in January won’t cost any green to take, but it aims to help you make some. “Teaching people how to design and install solar panels as well as how to engage in entrepreneurship in the green energy industry,” Nicholas Creel explained. The idea for the solar energy class began when Associate Professor of Physics Hasitha Mahabaduge approached Assistant Professor of Business Law Creel.
WGAU Radio
UGA names the latest Bulldog 100
By Rachael Adams, UGA Today
The UGA Alumni Association has released the 2024 Bulldog 100, a list of the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UGA graduates. This year, businesses are headquartered in a total of 7 states, with 89 of the businesses located in the state of Georgia. In total, 139 alumni representing over a dozen industries, including health care, financial services, agriculture, and real estate are being recognized as a part of this year’s list.
USACE
Mobile District and UGA Forge Partnership with Archaeology Collection
By Chuck Walker
One of the most important jobs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is to save, store, and preserve archaeological finds on its work sites or the controlled recreational sites. The Mobile District collection is the largest number of materials in all of USACE. The University of Georgia’s archaeology department curates most of the District’s collection. Dr. Victor Thompson, Director of the Laboratory of Archaeology at UGA, and his wife, Dr. Amanda D. Roberts-Thompson, Operations Director of the Laboratory of Archaeology at UGA, both stated that the collections stored by UGA are of national and international importance in that they speak to the indigenous Native American History of the southeastern region of the United States and have implications for broader human history.
allnurses
10 Best Nurse Practitioner (NP) Programs in Georgia
Discover the best nurse practitioner (NP) programs and specialties in Georgia, along with information on the role, responsibilities, and salary expectations.
by allnurses (Editorial Team / Admin)
In the state of Georgia, the demand for skilled nurse practitioners (NPs) continues to grow, offering registered nurses (RNs) an opportunity to further their careers with various nursing programs, including the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and post-master’s certificates. As enrollment in these programs increases, it’s essential to choose a reputable institution. Considering this, we’ve meticulously researched the best NP programs in Georgia, highlighting their offerings and accreditations, and outlined the role of an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) in today’s healthcare landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned RN or a recent graduate, these institutions offer a pathway to achieving your professional aspirations. Best NP Programs in Georgia 2. Georgia State University; 3. Georgia College & State University; 4. Georgia Southern University; 5. Kennesaw State University; 6. Augusta University; 8. Clayton State University; 9. Columbus State University; 10. Valdosta State University
WALB
UGA studies opioid crisis in rural Georgia
By Jim Wallace
A new University of Georgia (UGA) project study about the opioid crisis, especially in rural Georgia. Dr. Diane Bales, the principal investigator in the new UGA extension project study, talks about what they have learned so far. “Not too surprisingly that the misuse of opioids is a big problem. It’s a problem everywhere. It’s a problem in urban areas, but it is in a lot of cases, especially a problem in rural communities and what makes it so difficult. Is in a lot of rural communities. There’s not a lot of help, support, help, services and support services. So people who are struggling have to travel long distances or can’t access the treatment, the support, the counseling, the things that they need to improve and to get through their crisis. So it is a big problem,” she said.
yahoo!life
Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits for Women: What You Need to Know
Marygrace Taylor
If you open your pantry cabinet, odds are you have a bottle of apple cider vinegar perched on a shelf. It adds a unique tang to sauces and stews, and it’s a staple in many salad dressing and marinade recipes. But more than that, apple cider vinegar (or ACV) is packed with beneficial compounds. In fact, apple cider vinegar benefits for women are so plentiful, the liquid has been used to heal common ailments for thousands of years. As far back as 400 BC, Hippocrates — the father of modern medicine — was prescribing apple cider vinegar for everything from cleansing and energizing the body to curing coughs and colds. It turns out he was on to something. “Apple cider can be beneficial when it’s used as a vehicle for people who start making other healthy changes, like choosing healthier foods or getting more physical activity,” says Elena Dent, PhD, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at Augusta University in Georgia.
Albany Herald
Research grant aims to improve hurricane guidelines for Georgia pecan growers
From staff reports
In a significant development for rural communities in Georgia, the University of Georgia and The Jones Center at Ichauway were awarded a research grant to help pecan growers reduce risk from hurricanes. The one-year study aims to improve hurricane mitigation guidelines for pecan growers and understand how hurricane risk changes with tree size and orchard placement.
MoneyGeek
Guide to Vaccinations: Costs, Information & Expert Panel
By Kylie Ora Lobell
Featured Experts
Jessica Schwind, Ph.D., MPH, CPH, Trisha Gum, Peter Bailey (Schwind, Director, Institute for Health Logistics & Analytics Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Georgia Southern University)
Vaccinations help to prevent the spread of dangerous illnesses in everyone, from infants to seniors. Many people, however, may not be aware of when or how to get recommended vaccines. If you and/or your children are getting vaccinated, it’s important to review your finances and develop a plan for immunizations. Then, you can protect yourself, your loved ones and the surrounding community. Learn more about how to pay for vaccines, how they work and reasons to vaccinate from medical professionals.
The Griffin Daily News
Gordon State College names new executive director of advancement
By Karolina Philmon GSC Marketing Manager
Natalie W. Rischbieter was recently named executive director of advancement at Gordon State College. Rischbieter returns to the Highlander community having previously served as alumni affairs and annual fund administrator from 2011 to 2014.
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yahoo!finance
ROWEN CELEBRATES MILESTONES ONE YEAR AFTER GROUNDBREAKING
The 2,000-acre Knowledge Community Poised to Make Massive Progress For Georgia’s Economy
One year ago, the Rowen Foundation hosted its formal groundbreaking and tree-planting ceremony to mark the beginning of Georgia’s first-ever foundation-led knowledge community. Since then, tremendous progress has been made on the 2,000-acre site, with Phase 1 infrastructure on track for completion in 2024. Since Governor Brian Kemp and Gwinnett Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson joined hundreds of leaders and dignitaries at the ceremony, grubbing, clearing and grading has been completed for much of the project’s first phase of infrastructure, which includes more than two miles of environmentally friendly complete streets, paths and sidewalks. …At complete build-out, Rowen is projected to bring nearly 100,000 jobs to Georgia, contributing $8 to $10 billion to the state’s economy annually. The site continues to build on the land’s rich history of environmental stewardship by utilizing green building approaches throughout the construction process. Five of Georgia’s top institutions of higher education are engaged as Foundation board members, including Emory University, Georgia Gwinnett College, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Spelman College and the University of Georgia.
The Union-Recorder
GALLERY: GCSU Bobcat Education Day
Photos by Eric Jones
Georgia College & State University Basketball teams host area students on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023.
BVM Sports
Dariana Luna Named CSC Academic All-District
Augusta volleyball senior Dariana Luna has been named to the Academic All-District Team selected by College Sports Communicators. The 2023 Academic All-District® Volleyball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Luna, who was named Peach Belt Conference First Team All-Conference, played in all 34 matches.
Savannah CEO
Dr. Barry Joyner Discusses the Tactical Athlete Program at Georgia Southern University
Dr. Barry Joyner of Georgia Southern University talks about the Tactical Athlete Program being offered at Georgia Southern and who it designed for.
Grice Connect
TEDxSavannah Announces Call for Speakers for 2024 Event
TEDxSavannah will host a free Speaker Application Workshop on Thursday, January 11 at 5:30 p.m. on the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University in Solms Hall, Room 110. Anyone who is interested in being a TEDxSavannah speaker is welcome to attend. The deadline to apply to be a TEDxSavannah 2024 speaker is Sunday, Jan. 21.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Interest in guaranteed admission surged after the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ban. But the main beneficiaries of the programs are often overlooked: transfer students.
By Liam Knox and Sara Weissman
It’s been a good year for guaranteed admission policies. In September, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville announced it would guarantee admission to the top 10 percent of the state’s high school graduates. Later that month, a coalition of 10 Michigan universities promised to guarantee admission to students who met a 3.0 GPA eligibility threshold. Virginia Commonwealth University adopted its own top 10 percent plan in October. Such policies are not new; Texas implemented the first top 10 percent admission plan in 1997, in response to a state ban on affirmative action resulting from the 1996 Hopwood v. Texas case. Even before the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ban this summer triggered a new wave of concern over accessibility and equity, guaranteed admission was lauded for boosting applications from low-income students to selective institutions and improving access at four-year universities.
Higher Ed Dive
States should overhaul how they give colleges money, report says
Complete College America suggests states give institutions funding upfront to hit completion goals rather than rewarding them only after they meet their targets.
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
Dive Brief:
States with college completion goals should adopt funding practices that give higher education institutions enough money upfront to meet those targets, according to a new report from Complete College America, a nonprofit aiming to raise postsecondary attainment. The organization described this approach as “completion-goals funding,” which would tie state money to the “actual cost of educating enough students to reach statewide completion goals,” the report said. This model would break from outcomes-based funding, which boosts the amount of money colleges receive only after they meet certain goals, such as improving graduation rates. Outcomes-based funding creates “unfunded mandates” because colleges don’t receive the money needed to improve student outcomes upfront, according to the report.
Inside Higher Ed
Wisconsin Board Reverses Vote, Approves Funding Deal
By Liam Knox
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted 11 to 6 Wednesday night to approve a deal to cut spending on diversity, equity and inclusion in exchange for $800 million in funds held hostage by state Republicans, reversing a first vote held last Saturday that rejected the deal 9 to 8. The green-lighted proposal will cap all DEI staff hires for three years, restructure and redefine the roles of one-third of the system’s current DEI staff, and freeze all administrative hires across the system, among other concessions. In exchange the UW system will receive $800 million in state funding, including long-frozen pay increases for employees and money for a new engineering building at UW Madison, that was voted down last month.
Higher Ed Dive
AAUP accuses Spartanburg Community College of ‘abuses of power’
The administration’s decision to dissolve its faculty senate earlier this year was a “direct attack on academic freedom,” the organization said.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Spartanburg Community College, in South Carolina, is under heavy scrutiny from faculty advocates and state investigators after its administration unilaterally dissolved the faculty senate earlier this year. In mid-April, Spartanburg’s then-chief academic officer, Lisa Satterfield, dissolved the faculty senate just hours before members were scheduled to vote on a new policy forcing full-time instructors to be on campus for most of the work week, according to a Wednesday report from the American Association of University Professors. Satterfield then replaced the faculty senate with a new governing body, called an academic council. But AAUP, a faculty group, said in its report that the replacement had only “a paper-thin notion of shared governance” and called the actions of the college’s leaders autocratic. In the wake of the faculty senate’s dissolution, Satterfield also knowingly sent news outlets false statements and requested surveillance of the former senate president’s emails, according to a recent report from the state’s inspector general. “This is not a story about a disgruntled faculty,” AAUP said in its report. “It is a story about the chilling of faculty speech and about abuses of power.”
Inside Higher Ed
Big Changes to U of Arizona’s Financial Oversight
In the wake of a multimillion-dollar miscalculation, university leaders announce cuts and a new CFO to help fix the financial mess.
By Josh Moody
The University of Arizona announced dramatic changes to its financial oversight Wednesday in the wake of last month’s embarrassing revelation that administrators had miscalculated the institution’s cash on hand by hundreds of millions of dollars. First and foremost, President Robert Robbins accepted the resignation of CFO and senior vice president for business affairs Lisa Rulney, on whose watch the multimillion-dollar blunder took place. …Robbins announced that John Arnold, the Board of Regents’ executive director, will serve as interim CFO.
Inside Higher Ed
Pa. Lawmakers Block Funding for Penn Vet School
By Josh Moody
Pennsylvania lawmakers, voting along party lines, denied the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school more than $33 million in state funding on Wednesday amid a recent flurry of criticism over allegations of antisemitism on campus, the Associated Press reported. While House Democrats voted in support, Republicans largely voted to block the funding. “Until more is done at the university in terms of rooting out, calling out and making an official stance on antisemitism being against the values of the university, I cannot in good conscience support this funding,” House minority leader Bryan Cutler, a Republican, said during the funding debate.
Inside Higher Ed
From the Ivies to UC, Campus Speech Should Be Free
Opinion/Views
Colleges are hypocritical in their handling of offensive speech, but the answer isn’t to expand the range of punishable utterances, Alex Small writes.
By Alex Small (professor and chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.)
I want to be happy about Elizabeth Magill’s resignation from the presidency of the University of Pennsylvania. Her congressional testimony, along with that of fellow university presidents Claudine Gay (Harvard University) and Sally Kornbluth (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) regarding campus protests, antisemitism, speech codes and harassment, was rife with hypocrisy. It strains credulity to think that the slogans chanted about Israel and Israelis would elicit no administrative responses sterner than “Look, in context, it’s not a rules violation” if they were raised against any other ethnic or religious group with minority status in the U.S. So I want to celebrate Magill’s downfall. Alas, I cannot celebrate an event that will surely expand the range of punishable speech, not the range of allowable debate.
Inside Higher Ed
In California, Ethnic Studies for Everyone? Syllabus Podcast
By Doug Lederman
This week’s episode of The Syllabus podcast, from the Office of Open Learning at American Jewish University and Inside Higher Ed, features a conversation with Laura Roberts, vice chair of the equity task force at Vacaville Unified School District in California. Speaking with host Mark Oppenheimer, Roberts discusses the state’s new ethnic studies curriculum, what classes will be dropped to make room for this new required course and more.
Cybersecurity Dive
Credit unions recover from outages caused by third-party ransomware attack
While Ongoing Operations said some of its data was compromised and notified impacted customers, credit unions have yet to disclose damages downstream.
Matt Kapko, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
Dozens of credit unions caught in a ransomware attack against a third-party vendor last month have resumed normal operations, the National Credit Union Administration said Wednesday. Ongoing Operations, a subsidiary of Trellance that provides IT services to the industry, was hit by a cyberattack isolated to a segment of its network on Nov. 26, the company said last week in an incident update. “As of Dec. 13, and based on our outreach to affected credit unions regarding their operating status, the affected credit unions are fully operational and serving member needs,” Joseph Adamoli, acting director and media relations manager at the National Credit Union Administration, said in an email.