University System News:
WRBL
Retired Columbus real estate executive appointed to Georgia Board of Regents
A retired Columbus real estate executive has been appointed by the governor to the Georgia Board of Regents. Mat Swift will sit on the board that governs the 26 Georgia public colleges and universities. It has been more than a decade since Columbus had a representative on the Board of Regents. Swift brings the history of the Columbus State University-community relationship. He also has been on the state Economic Development Board. Gov. Brian Kemp and University System Chancellor Sonny Perdue are pushing for more workforce development from higher education institutions. “Columbus is the second largest city in the state of Georgia, and Columbus needs to have a representative on that board,” Swift told WRBL. “And so I’m honored. I’m very humbled by the governor asking me to go there. And I’m pleased to go there and do whatever I can for the 3rd District.”
See also: Off Plan Property Exchange: Mat Swift appointed to Georgia Board of Regents
Albany CEO
President Neal Weaver highlights the many contributions of Major General Thomas Carden, Jr. to Georgia Southwestern State University 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.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia colleges hustle after federal delay slows financial aid process
It may take a bit longer than usual for some students to get financial aid offers from Georgia colleges. That’s because the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which typically opens Oct. 1, didn’t launch until Dec. 30 due to an application redesign intended to streamline the form and make more low-income students, including an additional 16,463 in Georgia, eligible for federal Pell Grants. The holdup frustrated families trying to complete the form during the winter break and prompted some schools to warn it will take longer to notify students of how much financial help they stand to receive for the 2024-2025 year. … So far, Georgia Tech is not changing any of its deadlines by which students must apply for financial aid, though the school “will keep a close eye on what our students need to make an informed decision,” said Paul Kohn, vice provost for enrollment management, in a statement. … The University of Georgia didn’t say whether the late launch of FAFSA would delay financial aid letters. In a statement, spokesman Greg Trevor said that UGA is “closely monitoring the challenges related to navigating the rollout. We are going to be as flexible as possible to ensure students and their families have access to the federal assistance that they are eligible to receive.”
Albany CEO
Spring enrollment on the rise at Georgia Southwestern State University
Early enrollment numbers at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) indicate a notable 15% increase for Spring 2024, compared to the previous year, surpassing 3,200 students. This growth follows an 11% increase in Fall 2023, setting a record with 3,415 students, and a 7.3% increase in Summer 2023. “Georgia Southwestern continues to be a leading institution in the state, providing tremendous value to our students and region,” said GSW President Neal Weaver, Ph.D. “This growth reflects the strategic efforts and dedication of our faculty and staff who are focused on ensuring student success, enhancing the overall campus experience, providing programs relevant to our economy and graduating students who will make a real impact in our region’s workforce.”
Athens CEO
UGA PROPEL Rural Scholars program announces second class of scholars
Fifteen University of Georgia undergraduate students have been named as PROPEL Rural Scholars for the 2023-2024 academic year. The experiential learning program is in its second year, and the new class of scholars is nearly twice as large as the inaugural cohort. This year’s scholars range from second-year to fourth-year students from nine UGA colleges with a variety of academic backgrounds, from agribusiness and civil engineering to biology and political science. PROPEL (Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership) guides rural cities and counties through a six-step model to develop and implement a plan to advance their economies. It helps communities build resiliency and capacity for long-term economic success. The two-semester PROPEL Rural Scholars program equips future leaders with knowledge and experience that will empower them to take roles in economic development, community development and civic leadership. The scholars program was founded initially with support from the UGA Foundation.
FOX 5
Georgia Tech researchers develop computing breakthrough with new semiconductor
Researchers at Georgia Tech have successfully created the world’s first functional semiconductor made from graphene. The material is a single sheet of carbon atoms that are held together by the strongest bonds currently known by science. The school says the discovery “throws open the door to a new way of doing electronics.” The graphene-based semiconductors could replace silicon, the material that is used in nearly all modern electronics and is getting close to the limit of its computational power.
See also: Network World: Georgia Tech researchers achieve key breakthrough in graphene semiconductors
13-WMAZ
Economists forecast positive trends for Macon, Warner Robins and Central Georgia
Good news for Central Georgia: Economic experts said they expect overall positive trends for the local and state economy. In fact, the folks from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia said Macon’s economy is stable and Warner Robins is on set to “outperform the U.S. economy.” As the state’s premier economic forecast series began at the Macon Centreplex Thursday, business partners and community leaders from all over Central Georgia gathered to learn how the year’s economy will impact us over lunch. The Selig Center for Economic Growth at the Terry College of Business provides ecconomic forecast data and analysis. Dean Benjamin C. Ayers delivered the state forecast; keynote speaker Greg George, the associate professor of Economics and director of the Center for Economic Analysis at Middle Georgia State University, delivered the 2024 economic forecast for the Macon region. They say Macon’s stability is thanks to “a focus on transportation and logistics, financial services, higher education, and healthcare.” As a healthcare hub for Central Georgia, the experts say that’s an advantage for the economy. Experts expect a positive employment outlook because of new jobs on the way. However, one thing that’s held Macon back, experts say, is the lack of high-tech jobs. They said it’s because students who graduate from colleges in the area tend to move away.
Savannah Morning News
Savannah metro saw ‘subdued growth’ in Q3 of last year, recent GSU analysis shows
The Savannah metro economy finished quarter three with modest growth, a slight rebound from the previous quarter, according to the most recent Coastal Empire Economic Monitor by Georgia Southern University. The “subdued growth” last quarter was led by gains in regional employment, sustained port activity and electricity sales that reflect activity from the area’s residential, commercial and industrial sectors. The regional business index logged 0.1% growth in quarter three. “This represents a modest uptick as compared to the 1.3% rate of decline in the second quarter,” the monitor states.
Albany Herald
Fraternity’s initiatives encourage healthier men, families, communities
The brothers of the Gamma Omicron Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. have an important message for southwest Georgians, a message as simple as a walk in the park: Be kinder to your body. Influential people in and around Albany will be wearing smart-looking black-on-gold and gold-on-black T-shirts with that logo in days to come, a reminder by the fraternity to “inform and inspire the people to adopt healthier lifestyles.” “We have our own initiatives — ‘Be Kinder to Your Body,’ ‘Knowledge Is Power,’ ‘Eat to Live,’ ‘Sleep Well to Live,’ ‘Move to Improve’ — in which we challenge participants to meet the performance guidelines for the four healthy habits of the program,” Alpha Maurice Elliard, an adjunct professor at Albany State University, said this week as he delivered “Be Kinder to Your Body” T-shirts. “But when we see other groups in the community — like the LINKS Organization’s March health initiative — we join them and try to do what we can to promote healthier living.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College class seeks volunteers for free physical assessments and exercise program
The Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education at Georgia Gwinnett College is seeking volunteers for participation in a 10-week exercise program. The program is designed to help exercise science students sharpen their hands-on skills, while gaining experience in a practical fitness setting. Volunteers will have a pre-training and post-training fitness assessment performed. … Following the pre-training assessment, participants will undergo a 10-week personalized fitness training program two days per week. … For more information, or to see if you meet the requirements, please contact GGC’s Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education at exscpracticum@ggc.edu before Jan. 21.
Tifton CEO
GMA Gallery hosts Evelyn Mercer photography exhibit
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture will host “Lost to the Ages,” a visual portfolio of rural Georgia from photographer Evelyn Mercer. GMA curator Polly Huff said that the exhibition will have a soft opening on Saturday, Jan. 13, and will run through May 24. Mercer is a native Floridian whose love of outdoor scenery and wildlife photography career began over 40 years ago. Her extensive travels throughout the country have expanded her photography and promoted her work professionally in various art shows and literary publications.
WRDW
VIDEO: Augusta University holds 3rd annual Stuff the Stadium event
In the first two years of Augusta University’s Stuff the Stadium event, they donated over 2,000 stuffed animals. On the third go around, they were trying to top that combined number in year three, and they got pretty close. After the Jags scored their first bucket of the game against Clayton State, everyone in attendance threw stuffed animals from the stands onto the court. We’re told roughly 1,900 stuffed animals of all kinds were flying through the air this year. Once all the stuffed animals are picked up, they will be cleaned and then donated to multiple local organizations, including Safehomes, Ronald McDonald House, Boys & Girls Club, Garden City Rescue Mission, and Copeland and McBean elementary schools.
Statesboro Herald
A re-imagined Georgia Southern University Band
The Georgia Southern University Band is being re-imagined for the Spring 2024 semester by interim Director of Bands Dr. John Franklin to include members of the Statesboro and Bulloch County community. And, following placement auditions held Monday in the Foy Annex on the Georgia Southern campus, Franklin is even more excited about the possibilities for the band. “The University Band has been a class for some time and has been a great opportunity for GSU students, particularly non-music majors, who want to continue playing in college after having done so in high school,” Franklin said. “After Monday, we’re looking at a group of 45 in the band, which surpasses what I was hoping for the first band. Roughly half are members of the community – not students. It really is turning into what I hoped this ensemble would be — a town and gown group equally split between students from the campus and people from the community.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alcohol, cash used in UGA football recruiting, court filing alleges
Attorneys representing a former University of Georgia football recruiting analyst injured in a crash involving alcohol that killed two members of the program say coaches and staffers regularly drove UGA athletic association rental vehicles after drinking. The attorneys also allege that UGA’s coaches spent cash during unofficial recruiting visits. Such spending by coaches may have violated NCAA rules, according to court papers filed on Thursday. The allegations are part of an amended complaint in a lawsuit filed against the athletic association and others by former Georgia recruiting staffer Victoria “Tory” Bowles. Her attorneys allege alcohol and coaches’ cash helped lubricate Georgia’s powerhouse recruiting machine.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Florida university system hits back at free speech lawsuits brought by SJP chapters
Dive Brief: Florida higher education leaders are defending themselves against two lawsuits filed by campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine that allege the officials violated their free speech rights. The lawsuits center on an October memo from State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues that demanded the system’s university leaders deactivate their local SJP chapters. In response, SJP chapters at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida filed lawsuits seeking to block enforcement of Rodrigues’ order. However, in December court documents, attorneys for the state’s university system contend that the memo has no “independent legal effect” on the chapters but is more like an “open letter.” They also note that the student chapters haven’t been deactivated.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Students protested the police. The university called the cops. Faculty members want answers.
When Emory University students started protesting on a Monday afternoon last April, the scene was calm. Their activism targeted a police-training facility planned for construction in an urban forest a few miles outside of downtown Atlanta. On Emory’s quad, a couple hundred students filtered in and out throughout the day; they sat in the grass, sang songs, and dyed shirts. Several faculty members who stopped by described it as “kumbaya.” Then some of the students decided to camp out overnight. Tensions between students and administrators escalated. In the early morning hours, nearly a dozen Atlanta police officers showed up, and the students were threatened with arrest. Administrators said they shut down the event over concerns about campus safety. Students said calling in Atlanta police officers made them feel unsafe — especially because the protest was about the Atlanta police. In the months since, Emory faculty members have gotten involved, saying the incident exposed flaws in the university’s protocol for handling protests. They weren’t satisfied with the progress of the official investigation into administrators’ actions. So this fall, they started their own.
Inside Higher Ed
Gaming the student visa system
Portland State University isn’t the type of institution one would expect to have much name recognition outside Oregon, let alone thousands of miles across the Pacific. Yet a few years ago, the mostly local-serving public university began attracting an unusually large number of international applicants, primarily from India and Bangladesh. The university’s leaders were pleasantly surprised: for a regional public college that relies heavily on tuition revenue, full-paying international students can play a big role in meeting enrollment goals. Last year Portland State accepted 46 international students from India and Bangladesh and received deposits from 20 of them. But when the semester started last September, only three of those students signed up for classes—a devastating gap between expected and actual yield.
Inside Higher Ed
When Harvard University president Claudine Gay stepped down on Jan. 2 amid swirling plagiarism charges, it was a win for her conservative political opponents and a blow to her many supporters. … Now, in the wake of her exit, questions abound about Harvard’s vetting process for Gay, how institutions should assess a presidential candidate’s academic work during the search and how plagiarism may be deployed as part of the culture war between liberals and conservatives.