Savannah CEO
GEORGIA MATCH Direct College Admissions Program Seeing Positive Results
Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.
The University System of Georgia’s new direct admissions program is off to a strong start, system Chancellor Sonny Perdue said Wednesday. Nearly 12,000 high school seniors had requested information about the GEORGIA MATCH program through Jan. 7 or taken it a step further by claiming a spot at one of the system’s 23 colleges and universities participating in the initiative. “It’s working as we hoped,” Perdue told members of the university system’s Board of Regents. “(But) it’s the beginning. We’re just getting started.” …Georgia’s workforce development needs drove the planning for GEORGIA MATCH, an effort the Governor’s Office put together in collaboration with the Georgia Student Finance Commission, the university system, the Technical College System of Georgia, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, and the state Department of Education.
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WTVM
Columbus State University creates scholarship to honor slain graduate student
By Gabriela Johnson
A Columbus State University graduate killed last month in Phenix City will forever be recognized through a scholarship created in his honor. 23-year-old Ryan Boles was murdered December 12 while leaving a Christmas party in Phenix City. A 16-year-old and 13-year-old have been arrested and charged with his murder. The Ryan Boles Student Support Fund will be for CSU’s Department of Communication and Georgia Film Academy. It’s to allow Columbus State students to live out their dreams in movies the way Ryan did. “Ryan Boles was an amazing young man who is continuing to leave a very promising legacy,” said Danna Gibson with the CSU Department of Communication.
Nuclear News
Roy G. Post announces “50 for 50” scholarship awards
The Roy G. Post Foundation has announced the awarding of more than 50 graduate and undergraduate scholarships for 2024 for outstanding students who have demonstrated excellent academic achievements and leadership qualities and who have made positive impacts in their communities. The awards, meant to advance education and nurture future leaders in radioactive waste management and nuclear fields, are part of the foundation’s “50 for 50” initiative, which aims to bestow 50 scholarships in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the annual Waste Management conference (WM2024), organized by its parent organization, Waste Management Symposia. …The winners This year’s scholarship recipients are students at the following institutions: …Augusta University (Augusta, Ga.); …Georgia Institute of Technology (Savannah, Ga.)
Athens CEO
UGA VP Del Dunn Remembered through Fund for Service-learning
Wes Mayer
Without Del Dunn, there would be no Office of Service-Learning at the University of Georgia. During his decades-long career at UGA, Dunn was active on many committees and task forces dedicated to strengthening and expanding learning experiences for students. One of these was the Task Force on General Education and Student Learning, which was co-chaired by Dunn, then vice president for instruction, and UGA President Jere Morehead, then vice provost for academic affairs. Recommendations from this report led Dunn and Art Dunning, former vice president for Public Service and Outreach, to forge a partnership that founded the UGA Office of Service-Learning in 2005. Dunn passed away in 2021, and this year, his wife, Ann, created the Delmer Delano Dunn Fund for Service-Learning in his memory. This generous endowment will provide ongoing support for the Office of Service-Learning, and it will be fully matched by the University of Georgia Foundation from unrestricted funding.
The Georgia Virtue
Georgia Southern University expands campus sexual violence prevention with NASPA partnership
Georgia Southern University is partnering with 15 colleges and universities from across North America for the eighth cohort of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Culture of Respect Collective Program. The Collective is an ambitious two-year program that guides cohort institutions through a rigorous process of self-assessment and subsequent organizational changes. This partnership is in conjunction with the Georgia Southern Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), which continues to maintain a national reputation as a model for campus sexual violence response and education.
WGAU Radio
UGA program addresses food insecurity in Athens
By Kristen Linthicum, UGA Today
Many people in the Athens community are facing food insecurity, and they are served by organizations dedicated to addressing their significant need. The University of Georgia’s Office of Service-Learning has established longstanding partnerships with community organizations to help address food insecurity in Athens. …In 2023, OSL launched the AmeriCorps Community Food Fellows program to further support these organizations. Leveraging federal AmeriCorps funding, the program has 20 part-time fellows who devote 900 hours of service to local organizations over the course of a year. Seventeen of the fellows are full-time UGA students. …Since the program began in September, the 20 fellows have connected with organizations across the Athens community, serving daily meals at Our Daily Bread, harvesting food at UGArden, packing meals with Campus Kitchen, and delivering meals to families served by the Athens Community Council on Aging.
Classic City News
UGA police lieutenant: ‘I’m here to teach, and I’m here to protect’
By Krista Richmond/UGA Today
Carlyn Lee is prepared for anything. As a lieutenant with the UGA Police Department, she’s ready for any situation and makes sure her team is, too. “I’m here to teach, and I’m here to protect,” she said. …She knew she wanted to become a police officer, and when her parents decided to retire in Georgia, she looked for opportunities here to start her career. “I knew I liked university policing. I liked the setting, and I like the students. I wanted to do more outreach with them and thought a college campus would be the best way to do that,” she said. “I want to help people when their parents aren’t here to walk them through it. I want to be that friendly face.” Lee has been an officer with UGA’s police department for nearly nine years.
WGAU Radio
UNG’s Kim named leader finalist at conference in Korea
By Agnes Hina, UNG
Dr. Joanna Kim, a University of North Georgia professor and music associate department head of music, was named a finalist at the 2023 Future Leaders’ Conference held in Seoul, South Korea. The distinction, bestowed by the Korean government, recognizes Korean individuals overseas, and not only gives finalists acknowledgment of their expertise, but also provides networking opportunities, professional development, visibility for their university, and inspiration for future projects and student work. The distinction increases individual growth and community impact, solidifying its significance as a noteworthy recognition within the global Korean diaspora.
CBS News
The Peabody Awards moving to Los Angeles for the first time
By Mika Edwards
The Peabody Awards is coming to the City of Angels. For the first time in its 84-year history, the prestigious award will be held this summer in Los Angeles. The organization made the announcement Thursday. The awards will be handed out at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on June 9th. The awards are given in the categories of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, and public service programming. …The Peabody program is based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
Savannah Morning News
Forsyth Farmers’ Market brunch connects diners with historic Gullah Geechee foodways
Josephine Johnson
Fourteen months ago, when Dr. Deirdre Grimm stepped into the role of executive director of Forsyth Farmers’ Market, one of her goals was strengthening community connections to local food, its cultivation and distribution. The inaugural Gullah Geechee Farmsgiving brunch, celebrated on Jan. 7, held true to that aim. The mostly locally sourced luncheon kicked off a series of new quarterly dinners meant to foster relationships among residents and regional farmers, while also emphasizing the deep cultural roots of Southern cooking in crops and agricultural knowledge from Africa. A greeting from Amir-Jamal Toure, J.D., core faculty in the Africana Studies program at Georgia Southern University, detailed how Coastal Georgia and the Lowcountry strongly resemble Western Africa, the home of many enslaved people before their forced Atlantic crossing. Though separated by a vast ocean, both regions are suitable for growing similar crops.
Effingham Herald
Exley presents ‘to-do’ list for Rincon Council
By Barbara Augsdorfer, Editor for the Effingham Herald
Rincon Councilmember Kevin Exley was seated after winning a special election in September; and now has been joined by re-elected Michelle Taylor and newcomers Brandy Riley and Mona Underwood. All four of them campaigned that they want to get things done for the City of Rincon. …Underwood added Lynn will be reaching out to Georgia Southern University to possibly adding some intern positions to help with guidelines for the advisory boards and other tasks for the city.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Ga. needs better maternal, infant care
March of Dimes Report Card shows need to improve healthcare for mothers and infants.
By José Cordero Dr. José Cordero is a pediatrician, March of Dimes volunteer and head of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health.
Imagine preparing to welcome home a new baby, only for your child to be born too sick and too soon. The worry, sadness, and fear that impacts families facing a preterm birth can be devastating and is sadly the reality for 14,960 families in Georgia. In Georgia, 11.9% of babies were born before 37 weeks in 2022, up from 10.9% a decade ago. The March of Dimes’ 2023 Report Card is a clear reminder that the state of maternal and infant health in the U.S. and Georgia is in crisis. Released during Prematurity Awareness Month in November, the Report Card features key indicators across infant and maternal health, offering a full picture of the challenges we face today. The results are clear: As a nation we’re not doing enough to prioritize the well-being of moms and babies, and in Georgia there’s especially more work to be done.
Science
New undersea robot digitally captures the sea’s most delicate life
Combining advanced imaging, sequencing, and collecting technologies paves the way for better species descriptions
By Elizabeth Pennisi
Deep in the ocean are millions of creatures representing thousands of species that have yet to be studied by scientists. But a new effort to film, capture, and pull DNA out of elusive jellyfish, tunicates, worms, and other soft-bodied creatures may change that, say researchers behind a study out today in Science Advances. As a proof of concept, they describe new details about four squishy creatures from the deep. “It is an exciting new way to sample the ocean,” says Adam Greer, a biological oceanographer at the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography who was not involved with the work. “It’s the largest habitat on Earth, and it’s effectively been unexplored,” adds Karen Osborn, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History.
CBS News
Alligators have the ability to hear well both on land and underwater, scientists say
By Hunter Geisel
If you thought alligators were terrifying enough, then you might want to stop reading — since scientists have found out that they have the extraordinary ability to hear on land and underwater. According to a June 2023 study published in The Anatomical Record of the American Association for Anatomy, researchers at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine have found that alligators have specialized ears that allow them to hear well above and below the water’s surface. “An alligator’s ear is located just behind the eye, but it is covered by an earflap to keep water out of the ear,” stated a Facebook from the University of Georgia’s Coastal Ecology Lab. According to the UGA Coastal Ecology Lab and the published study, scientists dissected nine alligator ears of various sizes and ages to see how the muscles worked to aid in the reptile’s hearing.
Premier Health Center
Yes, lowly baking soda found at the back of the refrigerator, still priced less than one dollar per box may be the key to reducing joint inflammation caused by weather changes. Folks, we’re in Missouri, right? Weather changes daily, right? Well, quite frankly this topic only became important to me when I found that after a recent knee injury I too have become the Dave Murray of weather forecasting! What else you ask? YES IT HURTS: stiffness, pain, and a general anxiety about what tomorrow’s weather will bring. Then I remembered that crazy professor in college who insisted that baking soda was the cure to all maladies big and small. Dr. Paul O’Connor, renal physiologist at the Medical College of Georgia Department of Physiology in Augusta University suggests that cells responsible for inflammation in the spleen trigger an inflammatory cascade throughout the body which can be turned off by taking baking soda for as little as two weeks.
The Georgia Virtue
Fellowship of Christian Athletes recently honored Georgia Southern University’s baseball coach Rodney Hennon with this year’s Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award. FCA presents the Kindall Award each year at the ABCA Convention to the college or high school baseball coach who best exemplifies the Christian principles of character, integrity, excellence, teamwork and service.
Times-Georgian
UWG men’s track set to compete at Vanderbilt Invitational
By Addison Browder UWG Sports
The University of West Georgia’s track and field team will be heading to Nashville, Tennessee for the Vanderbilt Invitational on Friday at 10:00 a.m. from the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility. UWG’s track and field team has not competed in over a month, with their last meet being on December 1 at the BSC Panther Indoor Ice Breaker.
BVM Sports
University of West Georgia Women’s Basketball Faces Montevallo in Gulf South Conference Matchup
By BVM Sportsdesk
The University of West Georgia women’s basketball team is preparing for a Gulf South Conference matchup against Montevallo at home, following a seven-day break between games.
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Inside Higher Ed
Interest in Skill-Based Learning Not Keeping Up With Demand
A new study found 86 percent of faculty and staff say there’s a need for new skills-based learning models, but only 22 percent of their institutions had implemented them.
By Jessica Blake
A recent study suggests that although there is growing interest in skills- and competency-based learning, few colleges and universities have actually implemented the new model. The report, released Wednesday by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a network of colleges and universities across the country, states that despite a majority of higher education faculty and staff (86 percent) agreeing with the need for academic programs designed to build specific skills, far fewer (22 percent) said their institutions had actually implemented a campuswide competency-based framework.
Inside Higher Ed
Arizona State Joins ChatGPT in First Higher Ed Partnership
By Lauren Coffey
Arizona State University is slated to become the first higher education institution to partner with the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, which will give ASU students and faculty access to its most advanced iteration of ChatGPT. OpenAI announced the partnership Thursday. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, aims to bolster research and coursework at ASU through the use of ChatGPT Enterprise, which focuses on larger entities instead of individual use.
Higher Ed Dive
House lawmakers weigh bipartisan proposal to establish national NIL rules
During a Thursday hearing, NCAA President Charlie Baker advocated for more protections for college athletes entering name, image and likeness deals.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
Federal lawmakers and collegiate sports representatives volleyed ideas Thursday for creating a national standard governing name, image and likeness, or NIL, deals involving college athletes. During a House subcommittee hearing, lawmakers discussed a draft bill unveiled by Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis on Jan. 11. The proposal would create an independent regulatory body to oversee NIL procedures and establish national rules for how college athletes can earn money through these agreements. NCAA President Charlie Baker stressed the importance of federal legislation, though he took issue with some elements of the draft legislation. College athletes who testified, meanwhile, were divided on the proposal.
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Inside Higher Ed
Foxx Wants Cardona to Answer for Failed Audit
By Katherine Knott
A House committee is seeking answers after an independent auditor found “material weaknesses” in the Education Department’s financial statements for the second consecutive year. North Carolina representative Virginia Foxx, the Republican who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, said in a letter sent Thursday to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona that the committee will hold a hearing about the audit next month. “Simply put, the Department has failed an audit two years in a row, been derelict in its duties, and continues to make up estimates it cannot defend to its auditor,” Foxx wrote along with Representative Lloyd Smucker, a Pennsylvania Republican. “We are deeply disturbed by this administration’s bungling, general ineptness, and deliberate wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. The American people deserve better.”
Higher Ed Dive
This week in 5 numbers: Republican bill pitches college borrowing limits
We’re rounding up some of our biggest stories this week, from a GOP bill that would reshape federal loans to employee cuts at the University of New Hampshire.
Natalie Schwartz, Senior Editor
From a new Republican bill that would reshape the federal student loan landscape to employee layoffs at the University of New Hampshire, here are the top-line figures from some of the biggest stories of the week.
By the numbers
$50,000 – The maximum amount undergraduate students would be able to borrow from the federal government for college expenses under a new Republican bill. …
75 – The number of employees the University of New Hampshire is laying off to help reduce its yearly expenses by $14 million. …
12 – The number of Republican state lawmakers who are sponsoring a bill in Nebraska that would eliminate tenure at the state’s public colleges. …
19 – The number of academic offerings that University of North Carolina at Greensboro is looking to cut amid falling enrollment. …
52% – The share of Black adults who say the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down race-conscious admissions is “mostly a good thing,” according to a recent Gallup poll. …