The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
See how many students earned early admission into UGA, Georgia Tech
By Eric Stirgus
It remains tough to get accepted into Georgia’s two most competitive public universities. The University of Georgia and Georgia Tech each accepted about one-third of its early action applications, according to recent data. UGA released information Monday that shows it offered admission to about 9,000 of the 26,760 early action applicants for the Class of 2028. The number of early action applicants was a record. …Georgia Tech released data about a week ago that shows it admitted 2,688 of the approximately 7,000 Early Action 1 applicants, which are reserved specifically for Georgia students, including Georgia residents attending high school out of state. …Both schools have said they are making stronger efforts to enroll more students from Georgia. Georgia Tech said the students it accepted live in 111 Georgia counties and 404 high schools across the state. …UGA admitted students from 107 Georgia counties and 368 high schools.
The Georgia Virtue
From grief to graduation: Public Administration graduate uses education as her anchor
When Melinda Roell received her Master of Public Administration degree, she defied unimaginable odds. “Life has a way of surprising you,” Roell said as she recounts her early days, from Flagstaff, Arizona, to when she started college. Life took unexpected turns with marriage, motherhood, a military relocation, back to Arizona, and finally to Georgia for a divorce. To Roell, it didn’t matter. “I’ve always believed in the power of education, no matter what life throws at you.” Roell’s academic path at Georgia Southern started in 1994 as a transfer student, but her trajectory was far from linear. …Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation remission, relapse and remission became part of her routine, but she persisted in her academic pursuits. …“Education became my anchor,” said Roell. “It was the one thing I could control amidst the chaos.” Through these trying times, Roell discovered the support of the Georgia Southern community. “My professors and fellow students became my pillars of strength. They provided empathy and compassion and supported me during my struggles.” Roell’s resilience carried her through, and she completed her master’s degree graduating in Fall 2023.
Middle Georgia CEO
Middle Georgia State University Honors Houston Healthcare With Naming Of Nursing Suite
For 19 years, Houston Healthcare has been a continued supporter of Middle Georgia State University’s nursing programs, helping to shape the education and future careers of aspiring nurses. In recognition of its dedication, MGA is honored to announce the naming of the nursing suite on the University’s Warner Robins Campus as the “Houston Healthcare Nursing Suite.” …For nearly two decades, Houston Healthcare’s generosity has contributed $1.2 million to MGA through nursing faculty line support alongside program and scholarship funding that helps ensure nursing students remain enrolled and graduate without the worry of financial burden. They have also provided vital medical equipment, which has been instrumental in preparing students for a challenging career in healthcare.
Albany Herald
UGA researcher explores ancient wheat genomes to improve bread wheat diversity
By Maria M. Lameiras UGA/CAES
University of Georgia plant genomics expert Robin Buell is part of an international team seeking to mine an untapped genetic resource for wheat improvement by sequencing the genomes of ancient varieties representing the worldwide diversity of bread wheat. The two-year project — called the Wheat Diversity Project — is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and will bring Buell together with researchers from the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium and collaborators in France to sequence 12 landrace genomes and update the IWGSC Chinese Spring reference sequence, which is the primary genome reference for bread wheat research.
Savannah Morning News
UGA horticulture specialist searches for the perfect Christmas tree to grow in Georgia
Richard Burkhart
Video
Mark Czarnota, University of Georgia associate professor and extension specialist, believes Momi firs would be great trees to grow in Georgia.
WGAU Radio
UNG alum retires as US Army Brigadier General
By Clark Leonard, UNG
University of North Georgia alumnus Brig. Gen. Charles “Rob” Parker retired this year after 30 years in the Army. The 1993 UNG graduate served in a variety of command positions, including his final role as commanding general of the U.S. Army 7th Signal Command (Theater) and deputy commanding general for the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command. …Parker earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from UNG. UNG cadets plan and execute all of their events with oversight from the commandant staff. Parker said that model laid a solid foundation for his career.
Grice Connect
Happy 220th Birthday, Statesboro, GA!
The City of Statesboro celebrates its 220th birthday on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.
On Tuesday, December 19, 2023 the City of Statesboro will celebrate its 220th birthday. According to a historical marker placed in Triangle Park by the Bulloch County Historical Society, Statesboro, the only town bearing this name in the country, was created on December 19, 1803, as the seat of a young Bulloch County. …Education has also played a formative role in the town’s history. In the early 1900s, Statesboro competed against neighboring communities and won the opportunity to host a new institution of higher learning. The First District Agricultural and Mechanical School, now known as Georgia Southern University, was founded in 1906 on a hill south of town. For over a century, the University has served as a magnet and distributor for education, culture, and ideas.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
‘The Gloves Have Come Off’: Lawmakers Ramp Up Scrutiny of Higher Ed
Republicans are eyeing ways to penalize and punish elite institutions amid controversies over how they’ve responded to antisemitic incidents.
By Katherine Knott
In the wake of this month’s hearing on campus antisemitism, Republicans in Congress want elite colleges and universities to pay—one way or another. Over the past week, they’ve proposed bills to end federal student loans to the wealthiest private colleges, to levy new taxes and to restrict institutions’ diversity, equity and inclusion policies. And the list will likely grow in the new year. The growing hostility in Congress toward higher education, particularly elite institutions, represents a shift that could mean more legislation designed to change colleges and universities’ operations and governance, increase federal oversight and accountability, and impose budget cuts, experts said. House Republicans had already proposed zeroing out the budgets for Federal Work-Study and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, which sends money to low-income students who qualify. With a presidential election year ahead, the pressures are likely to only ramp up in 2024.
Inside Higher Ed
Texas Colleges Prepare for the End of DEI
Eliminating multicultural centers. Adding new offices for “engagement” and “citizenship.” Dispersing DEI personnel. These are just some of the steps Texas institutions have taken ahead of the Jan. 1 launch of SB 17.
By Johanna Alonso
For public colleges and universities in Texas, Jan. 1 isn’t just the start of the new year. It’s also the day the state’s anti–diversity, equity and inclusion bill, SB 17, will go into effect—a development many institutions have spent months preparing for. But that preparation has varied greatly depending on the institution. Some universities jumped into overdrive as soon as Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill in June, immediately cutting DEI and related offices, such as multicultural and LGBTQ+ resource centers. Other institutions remain in limbo, unsure what if any actions to take ahead of the Jan. 1 deadline. The result is a messy patchwork of campus policies, procedures and approaches designed to ensure compliance with the new law
Inside Higher Ed
House Republicans Cry Foul as Biden Administration Delays Antisemitism Regulations
By Katherine Knott
Republicans on the House Education and Workforce Committee say the Biden administration’s decision to push back the release on new regulations aimed in part at combating antisemitism on campuses is “appalling.” The rules were initially expected in December 2022 but were delayed to this month. Now, the Biden administration is saying they won’t be released until next December, according to its updated regulatory agenda. The Education Department is planning to propose regulations that would amend Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to implement a Trump-era executive order on antisemitism and address how the federal law applies to harassment and other discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
Higher Ed Dive
Penn faculty say outside groups are threatening its academic freedom
Professors expressed concerns after a major donor asked the university’s trustees about potential changes to its academic departments.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania are pushing back against external influence on staffing and academics after Elizabeth Magill resigned as president on Dec. 9 amid donor pressure. The faculty senate wrote a letter to the university’s governing board rejecting the premise that trustees, advisors, alumni and donors should determine how Penn sets its academic priorities and governance policies. As of Monday afternoon, it attracted more than 1,200 signatures. The letter comes after Marc Rowan, a Penn alum and a major university benefactor, led the call for other donors to pull their money over Magill’s lack of response to the latest Israel-Hamas war. Rowan also recently sent Penn’s trustees a letter seeming to press for changes to instruction, faculty requirements and campus speech, according to the university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
Inside Higher Ed
Harvard Early Applications Take a Dive
By Liam Knox
Early undergraduate applications to Harvard fell by 17 percent this fall, according to data shared by the university. Harvard’s early-action program drew 7,921 applicants this cycle, compared to 9,553 last year. It’s a marked decline amid a sea of rising troubles for the institution. Harvard came under fire earlier this month for President Claudine Gay’s responses during a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism. And this summer the university lost a landmark Supreme Court case on affirmative action, resulting in a nationwide ban on the practice. The news also comes as early admissions policies are under renewed scrutiny; many critics believe they give priority to wealthy, white students. However, nationwide early applications increased from pre-pandemic levels by 38 percent this fall, according to preliminary Common App data provided to Inside Higher Ed.
Inside Higher Ed
Columbia Chicago, Long-Striking Faculty Have Tentative Deal
By Ryan Quinn
Columbia College Chicago and its union representing part-time faculty members reached a tentative agreement Sunday, possibly ending an unusually long contingent faculty strike, which began Oct. 30. Diana Vallera, president of the Columbia College Faculty Union, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement that members will vote through Wednesday on whether to accept the deal. Neither side provided details Monday about what’s in the proposal, saying they were waiting until members voted. In a news release, Vallera said the deal “addresses many of our concerns on behalf of our students and adjunct faculty.”
Higher Ed Dive
Education Department puts CEHE on the hook for $23M in closed-school loan discharges
The request is the latest development in an ongoing legal battle between the agency and the Center for Excellence in Higher Education.
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Department of Education is demanding $23 million from the Center for Excellence in Higher Education, a former college operator whose institutions closed in 2021. The money is meant to cover closed-school loan discharges for the organization’s former students. The Education Department notified CEHE how much it owed in a Dec. 8 letter and gave the organization 45 days to either pay or appeal the decision, according to recent court documents. The request is the latest development in the legal battle between CEHE and the department. The college operator has accused the Education Department of forcing it to close and sued the agency last year seeking $500 million in damages.
Cybersecurity Dive
What the SEC weighed in finalizing the cyber disclosure rules
The SEC’s head of the corporate finance division said the burden of meeting compliance and fears of tipping off threat groups were carefully considered prior to final recommendations.
David Jones, Reporter
The leader of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporate Finance downplayed concerns that the agency’s new cybersecurity rules will provide a roadmap to threat groups about their attacks or place an undue burden on security executives. Erik Gerding, director of the Division of Corporate Finance, said staff carefully considered those issues as part of their internal deliberations prior to the final rules being adopted in July. …The economy is heavily dependent on digital systems, and the increase in remote work, use of digital payments and a greater reliance on third-party providers for IT, including cloud computing services, is adding to the cyber risk climate.