University System News:
Thomasville Times-Enterprise
FVSU plant science biotechnology alumna fulfills childhood dream of becoming a doctor
The journey to become a doctor started well before Xavia Taylor stepped foot onto a college campus. The 28-year-old had desires of becoming a physician before she was old enough to know her timetables or perform long division. “I started putting it into the atmosphere in second and third grade. At that age kids want to be a lot of different things. But for me, I wanted to be a physician and it stuck,” she said chuckling. Taylor credits some of her desires to study medicine and early influences in healthcare to her great grandfather, Verdell Blount Sr. “My grandfather was on the board of directors for the hospital in my hometown of Moultrie, Georgia. He would attend hospital retreats, and I would attend with him. I was able to sit in during meetings and meet doctors and talk to them at a very young age,” Taylor said.
WCLK
Atlanta Metropolitan State College presents Trailblazer Day
Support for WCLK is made possible in part by Atlanta Metropolitan State College, hosting its 2023 Trailblazer Day on Saturday, December 9th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This is an opportunity for students to cover all the bases in a single day, like visiting the office of recruitment and admissions; meeting with the financial aid team; getting academic advice, getting registered; getting access to student accounts and so much more.
WRGA
GHC to hold nighttime information sessions for potential students
In the coming days, Georgia Highlands College will host evening information sessions for anyone thinking about enrolling for classes. The nighttime sessions are something new GHC is trying, according to Bradley Gilmore campus manager at the Floyd County campus. “We understand that people have jobs, families, and school,” he said. “So, we are trying something a little bit different by offering nighttime information sessions. Those sessions are designed so that you can come in and ask any questions you might have. It’s all about getting ready to start school next year in 2024 or 2025, whenever you want to start.” The sessions start Monday at the Marietta campus and Tuesday at the Paulding County campus.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia Tech: More details emerge about its new ‘vibrant arts district’
Georgia Tech’s next major expansion near its Midtown campus aims to create a “vibrant arts district” on the westside of Atlanta focused on creativity and innovation, a spokesperson said Friday. It’s called Arts Square and could span 2.5 million square feet. For perspective, if completely built out, it could not fit in The Coca Cola Co.’s massive office campus next door. Arts Square would include housing, offices, a hotel, retail space and academic facilities. It would also bring entertainment venues, sound stages and production studios to the site, according to new details Georgia Tech provided Atlanta Business Chronicle Friday morning.
Dalton Daily Citizen
A love ‘stronger than death’: Loved ones honored during Dalton State’s remembrance service
“What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose; all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” Those words, penned by famed author and activist Helen Keller in 1929, hold a deep meaning for Jodi Johnson, the vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Dalton State College. On Thursday, just as she has done in years past underneath the James A. Burran Bell Tower on Dalton State’s campus, Johnson echoed Keller’s words during the college’s annual service of remembrance, a tradition that dates to 2016.
WGAUUNG lines up fall commencement speakers
The University of North Georgia lines up speakers for fall commencement exercises: Carvil Chalk, a University alum in 1994, is the deputy director for aviation technology at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center, and Dr. Sloane Guy is the director of minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery at the Georgia Heart Institute at Northeast Georgia Health System. They will speak at UNG’s December 16 commencement exercises to be held on the University campus in Dahlonega.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
VIDEO: CSU brings back to Columbus treasure trove of historic photos from the Chattahoochee Valley
Columbus State University recently celebrated the official opening of the Ledger-Enquirer photography collection at CSU’s Simon Schwob Memorial Library. The collection includes more than 100,000 photos, is made possible through charitable donations, and is now owned and curated by CSU’s Archives & Special Collections.
The Conversation
These programs make college possible for students with developmental disabilities
For students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, opportunities to attend college may appear few and far between. But this is changing, thanks to inclusive postsecondary education — known as IPSE — programs at colleges across the United States. … I teach at Kennesaw State University, where I serve as executive director of the oldest and largest of nine IPSE programs in Georgia: the Academy for Inclusive Learning and Social Growth. The academy currently enrolls 48 students. Students may attend the academy for two years or four. Years one and two constitute the Academic, Social, and Career Enrichment Program. Years three and four are known as the Advanced Leadership and Career Development Program. After successfully completing the first two years, students may be invited back for the second two years. Students in each program earn a certificate that is recognized by the Georgia Board of Regents.
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
Exploring the context and implementation of Georgia’s new College Completion Grants program
Access to education, regardless of race or economic background, is a widely shared value. Yet, for many Georgians, especially those of color, the expense of a higher education is an absolute barrier. Equitable need-based aid can help lower costs and expand higher education access for people of color, and modifying the College Completion Grants program based on data is a good starting point. State financial aid staff can learn from student experiences to improve the program, while legislators can build on the momentum of College Completion Grants by expanding need-based aid. … In the fall of 2021, the University System of Georgia (USG) reported that 67% of Asian students and 60% of white students received the HOPE Scholarship, while only 50% of Hispanic students and only 33% of Black students enrolled in USG were awarded HOPE. Multiple research studies have shown that merit-based scholarship programs like the HOPE Scholarship do not help alleviate historical race and class gaps in college attendance.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sandra Day O’Connor spoke at Georgia Southern University in 1990
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who died Friday, spoke at Georgia Southern University in 1990 at the invitation of then-university President Nicholas Henry. The two met in Arizona, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported at the time, while she served on the Arizona Court of Appeals, and he was a dean at Arizona State University. She spoke about the Bill of Rights.
Patch
Rebuilding oyster reefs along the Georgia coast could help fight climate change
In a collaborative effort between Georgia Southern University, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Yamaha, a project to revive oyster reefs along the state’s coast is not only bringing back a vital marine habitat but also contributing to the fight against climate change. Historically, Georgia was a leader in oyster harvesting during the early 20th century. However, overharvesting by the 1930s led to a significant decline in oyster populations. Now, scientists and environmentalists are working together to reintroduce these crucial organisms to coastal ecosystems.
The Red & Black
UGA Student Food pantry helps relieve food insecurity
Right in the heart of campus, the UGA Student Food pantry provides non-perishable and refrigerated items to students in need. Students are able to visit the pantry located in the Tate Center room 146 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to their website. In 2011, UGA students created the pantry in order to address student hunger across campus. The pantry is regulated by student volunteers and receives donations from different organizations across UGA and Athens. “Volunteers are crucial to the pantry’s function because without them, we would have a hard time keeping our doors open,” Director of Student Pantry EB Billig said in an email to The Red & Black. “By having constant volunteers, our Panhellenic Delegates, who also serve in the food pantry, have the flexibility to pull items out of backstock in order to keep the shelves stocked.”
The Tifton Gazette
ABAC annual Christmas Concert scheduled for Dec. 7
Sounds of the season will ring throughout the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College on Dec. 7 when the Department of Fine Arts presents its annual Holiday Music Christmas Celebration. Dr. Jennifer Huang, Head of the Department of Fine Arts, said the free concert, featuring students, faculty, and community musicians, will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Howard Auditorium, located on ABAC’s main campus. A selection of holiday prelude music will be performed by ABAC music ensembles beginning at 6:10 p.m. “We are very excited for this concert,” Huang said. “This long-standing tradition is our gift to Tifton and the entire South Georgia region, and all of our performers are thrilled to ring in the season with song.”
Athens CEO
State Botanical Garden at UGA debuts redesigned Winter WonderLights
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia opened the third season of Winter WonderLights on Nov. 22, unveiling the show’s new design. Winter WonderLights, presented by the UGA Office of the President, was reimagined this year with new and exciting light displays. Visitors to the show travel through a Winter Wondercave, along Jingle Bell Lane, into the Northern Lights and through a Frosted Forest, among other dazzling features. Over 8,700 guests attended the show on opening weekend, which included the night before Thanksgiving.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Academic cuts loom at UNC-Greensboro. Faculty question whether they’re needed at all.
For months, administration at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro has intimated the public college will need to scrap academic programs to stave off financial turmoil. The institution faces stiff competition with some other, and often better known, University of North Carolina System campuses, UNCG Chancellor Franklin Gilliam said during his State of the Campus address in October. The intense market competition and recent enrollment declines at the university means it must reevaluate its academic array, Gilliam said during that speech. But some faculty members aren’t convinced the university needs to cut back. They’ve spoken out against how UNCG is evaluating which programs it should preserve.
CC News Now
Michigan launches new education department, consolidates education programs
The state of Michigan has launched a new education department, which aims to consolidate early childhood and post-secondary education programs, the Detroit Free Press reported. The Michigan Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP) department – created by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s controversial executive order in July – will have three offices, for early childhood education, higher education, and education partnerships. It will not replace Michigan State Board of Education (MDE). Rather, Whitmer wants the two organizations to work together. MiLEAP will also take over scholarship programs from the Department of Treasury.
Diverse Issues in Education
Medical schools embrace efforts post-Affirmative Action decision
On June 29, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) made the decision to officially end affirmative action practices at all public institutions in the U.S. The ruling sent medical schools across the nation scrambling to adjust admission standards to abide by the new law of the land. Dr. Jessica Faiz.Dr. Jessica Faiz. Black and Brown students face extraordinary barriers to medical school, including discrimination and educational and financial hurdles, says Dr. Jessica Faiz, an emergency medicine physician, assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, and health services researcher at the Greater Los Angeles Veteran’s Affairs Healthcare System. “These barriers [to entry] manifest early, prior to even applying to medical school,” says Faiz. “This is why we really can’t be doing enough to recruit underrepresented groups to medicine, and why the recent Supreme Court decision really sets us back, while we are already behind.”
Inside Higher Ed
Pushback against lawmaker’s calls for antisemitism inquiry
Some faculty members at Indiana University at Bloomington fear academic freedom on their campus is under attack by a local congressman reacting to claims of antisemitism among some members of the student government association. The lawmaker, U.S. Representative Jim Banks, a conservative Republican and evangelical Christian who is running for U.S. Senate in 2024, has asked the university’s president to address allegations of antisemitism on campus related to the Israel-Hamas war or potentially risk losing federal funding. He wrote a strongly worded letter to IU’s president, Pamela Whitten, on Nov. 15 implying anti-Jewish and pro-Palestinian activism on campus and imposing a deadline for a response to numerous questions about alleged incidents.
Diverse Issues in Education
The College of Saint Rose to close permanently at the end of school year
The College of Saint Rose in New York will close permanently due to financial challenges, ending its 103-year span in higher ed. The school’s Board of Trustees voted Thursday to close at the end of the academic year, after May 11 graduation. The closure leaves 500-600 employees without jobs, forces students to continue their education elsewhere, and tens of properties vacant. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the school had 118 full-time faculty and 107 part-time faculty in Fall 2022. The school’s various properties in the city of Albany will become empty, though most of them are zoned to allow several kinds of uses, from residential to retail.
See also: Inside Higher Ed: Enrollment, financial challenges prompt Saint Rose closure, Chronicle of Higher Education: A college will close after years of labor battles and enrollment declines
Chronicle of Higher Education
A star misinformation scholar says Harvard pushed her out for criticizing Meta
Joan Donovan, a leading scholar of online-disinformation campaigns, is going public about why she believes she was recently forced out of Harvard University’s Kennedy School: because her research threatened the school’s financial ties to the social-media behemoth Meta. Since 2018, Donovan had been running a team of researchers, focused on misinformation and extremism, at the school’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, where she was research director. Their investigations into how communities use social media to communicate and organize — whether around COVID falsehoods, white supremacy, or the January 6 Capitol riot — were widely covered by reporters and noticed by policymakers. Testifying multiple times before Congress, Donovan became one of the world’s most visible experts on misinformation.