11 Alive
Happy birthday, UGA! The oldest public university in the United States turns 239
UGA received its charter from the state in 1785, which made the university the first state-charted public university in the United States.
Author: Reeves Jackson
Fellow Georgia Bulldogs celebrated quite the birthday for their beloved alma mater on Saturday. Regarded as the birthplace of public higher education in America, the University of Georgia celebrated its 239th birthday. UGA received its charter from the state in 1785, which made the university the first state-charted public university in the United States. The college didn’t actually begin admitting students until 1801, four years after the University of North Carolina, but the site was selected in Athens, Georgia, 16 years earlier — making it the oldest university in the nation.
The Outlook
DHS graduate rises up in Albany State’s SGA
By Abigail Murphy Multimedia Reporter
Adam Hatchett is making waves at Albany State University. The former class president for the Dadeville High School Class of 2023 is now serving as the executive assistant to the Student Government Association president. Hatchett joined SGA in September as part of the public relations committee. With a change in administration, Hatchett was recommended to be appointed as executive assistant by the department leader. Hatchett is now in charge of supervising all assistants and secretaries within SGA, acting as an extension of the SGA president’s office, being the executive communicator for the executive board and managing project calendars, ideas and agendas of different activities. “SGA brings a lot of benefits,” he said. “It helps you network, you meet a lot of different people, and it’s a great way to showcase leadership ability on campus.” Hatchett said he hopes this role will also lead to higher leadership positions throughout his college career. …Hatchett is majoring in healthcare management and hopes to become an administrator of a hospital. …Hatchett said Albany State has a variety of resources and offers affordable higher education opportunities.
Inside Higher Ed
Scaling Up: Boot Camp Helps Diversify Rising Advertising and PR Talent
A program originating at the University of Georgia that has attracted students at 24 higher ed institutions trains the next generation of advertising and public relations leaders.
By Ashley Mowreader
An educational outreach program from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication seeks to aid students from diverse backgrounds who are looking to launch careers in advertising and public relations by connecting them with career-prep skills and a professional network. The Myra Blackmon AdPR Academy for Diversity and Inclusion is a four-day boot camp that unites upper-level students from different institutions with working professionals in advertising and PR roles through training and mentorship initiatives. Since launching in 2021, the program has helped over 150 students from two dozen institutions gain hands-on skills and experience for their future careers.
The Union-Recorder
Andalusia wins Special Project Award from the Georgia Association of Museums
Special to The U-R
Georgia College & State University’s Department of Historic Museums earned a prestigious state-wide award Friday, Jan. 19, for Andalusia: The Home of Flannery O’Connor. The Georgia Association of Museums (GAM) presented its 2024 Special Project Award to Georgia College’s Andalusia Interpretive Center — a 5,300 square-foot, $3.5 million building completed in March 2023. The center competed against the largest and most well-funded museums in the state for GAM’s highest-tier Special Project category. GAM President Marcy Breffle and Award Committee Co-Chairs Melissa Swindell and Karin Dalton presented the award to Matt Davis, director of Historic Museums at Georgia College, and Cassie Munnell, curator at Andalusia.
Albany Herald
Albany State launches inaugural Leadership Development Institute
From staff reports
Nineteen senior-level employees at Albany State University have been selected as part of the inaugural class of the ASU Leadership Development Institute. The institute is a presidential initiative that is part of ASU’s strategic plan for leadership and employee engagement. “Leadership and employee development are integral to our institution’s current and long-term success,” ASU President Marion Fedrick said. “This important investment in our employees will equip them with the necessary tools to expand and transform their leadership skills.
accessWDUN
Two University of North Georgia alumnae earn inaugural award
By Logan Landers Anchor/Reporter
University of North Georgia alumnae Nataly Morales Villa and Melissa Silva have earned one of six inaugural Gilman Alumni Changemaker Awards. The Gilman Scholarship funds alumni up to $10,000 to create positive change in their local communities. The grant will support Morales Villa and Silva’s work in helping explain the home ownership process to local Hispanic and immigrant communities. They will also create educational content in Spanish, collaborate with Hispanic-serving organizations and host informational seminars.
NPR
Coronavirus FAQ: How long does my post-COVID protection last? When is it booster time?
Max Barnhart (Max Barnhart is a Ph.D. candidate and science journalist studying the evolution of heat-stress resistance in sunflowers at the University of Georgia.)
Readers asked us: How long does it take after getting infected to test positive? When can you unmask after testing negative? And when should I get my booster? And if you do get sick, does that give you months of protection against another infection? For this edition of the FAQ, we’re trying to wrap our heads around the mysteries of COVID time and more. …Let’s say I have some symptoms that could be COVID – a cough, a sore throat, fever. Should I test right away to see if it’s COVID? Or is it better to wait a day or so? How long does it take to test positive after I first start feeling sick? For a lot of folks, the first thing they do if they feel sick is to grab an antigen test and swab away. And the result is negative. So … are you definitely COVID-free? Well you might have the flu. Or something else. But you in fact might have COVID. Tim Brown, director of interprofessional education at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and a professor of pharmacology and toxicology, puts it this way: “If you get an [antigen] test and it’s positive, you have COVID. But if you get a test and it’s negative, that doesn’t rule out COVID.”
Albany Herald
UGA Extension announces 2024 Georgia Farmer of the Year
By Maria M. Lameiras UGA/CAES
Building on the foundation set by his father in Effingham County, Shiloh Farms owner Bruce Redmond has expanded his operation through innovation and dedication, earning him the honor of 2024 Georgia Farmer of the Year, presented at the 2024 Georgia Ag Forecast in Tifton on Friday. Nominated by Blake Carter, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Effingham County, Redmond assumed full ownership and operation of Shiloh Farms in 2018 after the passing of his father, Larry Redmond, combining his operations with his family’s holdings. Today, Bruce Redmond farms 2,800 acres of rented and owned farmland, including both dryland and irrigated acres of peanuts and cotton.
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Nation World News
AU breaking ground on parking deck for health sciences campus
Soon, students will have more parking on Augusta University’s Health Sciences Campus. On Monday, the university will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new parking deck. Student parking has been a major problem on this campus for a very long time. Many students say that finding parking and reaching class on time is a daily struggle. 7 years ago, some people living near campus went to the Augusta Commissioners to complain that AU students were blocking driveways and bus and ambulance access. The new deck will provide more than 1,300 parking spaces. This is a 60 percent increase in parking capacity. University officials hope the new deck will also help deal with overcrowding in nearby areas.
Grice Connect
Small Business Development Center to host program on USDA grant program
The UGA Small Business Development Center at Georgia Southern University invites all agricultural-based producers, business owners, and entrepreneurs to attend a no-cost training program on the Value Added Producer Grant. This workshop is offered in partnership with USDA Rural Development, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Grown, Georgia’s Rural Center and private grant writers to educate agricultural producers on the opportunities available through the Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. Offered through USDA, the VAPG program helps agricultural producers enter value-added activities to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What rising beef prices might mean for chicken and Georgia agriculture
By Matt Kempner
Georgia farmers aren’t likely to see profits this year remain as sky high as they were when the pandemic eased, according to the latest University of Georgia forecast. But some of the state’s biggest agriculture sectors could do fairly well. Beef prices are expected to continue to rise nationally, and that could keep pushing consumers to buy more chicken instead, said UGA agriculture professor Gopinath Munisamy, a specialist in international trade and agriculture policy. That should be relatively good news for Georgia’s poultry industry, which accounts for a massive chunk of the state’s agriculture business. Munisamy, who shared his outlook at UGA’s annual agriculture forecasting event on Friday, also sees potential positives for peanuts and maybe cotton, two other key commodities for Georgia.
The Baldwin Bulletin
GCSU offers program to provide minority students access to research opportunities
By Bailey McCully
Georgia College & State University (GCSU) began a three-year program to provide underrepresented minority students access to research opportunities in the biomedical field this past summer. The Diversity in Cancer Research Institutional Development Grant, funded by the American Cancer Society, encourages students to join research activities and pursue careers in research or the biomedical field.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Stephen Mihm: Is plagiarism stealing, and if so, how should it be punished?
Stephen Mihm
Bloomberg Opinion (Stephen Mihm, a professor of history at the University of Georgia)
Plagiarism, a sin generally associated with underperforming undergraduates, has suddenly hit the academic elite, beginning with Claudine Gay, then the president of Harvard University. She had copied sentences and phrasings in her dissertation and published articles without the requisite attribution. As soon as conservative billionaire hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman toppled her on these grounds, Business Insider reported that his starchitect wife, Neri Oxman, lifted entire passages in her dissertation from Wikipedia. People have been attempting to expose plagiarists — often to serve their larger agenda — for centuries. For all the righteous indignation, the accusation rarely amounts to much. History helps explain why.
Savannah Morning News
Construction start date comes into focus for next big Georgia athletics project
Marc Weiszer
Athens Banner-Herald
Construction on Georgia’s new outdoor track and field facility on South Milledge Road is being planned to begin this summer, athletic director Josh Brooks told the UGA Athletic Association board’s facilities and development committee Thursday. A funding request for the project won’t be made at the board’s winter meeting Wednesday, but could come in March or April before approval by the University System Board of Regents at a May meeting.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College’s Ajay Sczepkowski Named Preseason All-American
From Staff Reports
Georgia Gwinnett College senior outfielder Ajay Sczepkowski, the reigning NAIA Baseball National Player of the Year, has been named to the 2024 NAIA Preseason All-America team, announced on Thursday, January 25. He was one of four outfielders listed among the 17-player All-America team.
BVM Sports
Columbus State Women’s Basketball Team Scores Stunning Victory Over Lander University
The Columbus State University women’s basketball team defeated top-ranked Peach Belt Conference opponent Lander University in a thrilling game at home Saturday afternoon, scoring 62-60. Columbus State takes the game to record their third straight victory and raises their overall record to 9-7 (5-3 PBC).
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UGA’s Smart, Georgia ports and pension chiefs are highest-paid state employees
By James Salzer
More than a dozen state employees topped the $1 million pay mark in 2023, including football and basketball coaches, the head of Georgia’s ports and a pension investment director. The highest pay went to University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart, which isn’t surprising since during fiscal 2023 — which ended June 30 — his Bulldogs won a second consecutive national college football title. College football is a huge revenue generator for the state flagship university’s athletic program. …Rank-and-file state employees got $2,000-$6,000 raises from lawmakers last spring, depending on their job. Members of the General Assembly earn about $24,700 a year. Gov. Brian Kemp is proposing more pay raises in the coming year.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Utah lawmakers pass bill banning DEI at public colleges
State Republicans fast-tracked the legislation, which would bar diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Gov. Spencer Cox is expected to sign it into law.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
Utah House lawmakers Friday approved final changes to a sweeping bill that would effectively eliminate public colleges’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, one of the last key steps before it heads to Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk. The legislation would replace campus DEI centers with broader “success and support” centers accessible to all students. Any programs bearing the words “diversity, equity, and inclusion” would be considered discriminatory and prohibited. The bill would implement similar bans throughout the state’s K-12 schools. Following a final signature from the state Senate president, Cox is expected to sign the bill into law. It would take effect July 1.
Inside Higher Ed
Biden Administration Looks to Clamp Down on Inclusive Access
For nearly a decade, universities have been able to automatically charge students for books and supplies, creating a system the Education Department says lacks transparency.
By Katherine Knott
The Biden administration wants to roll back an Obama-era policy that allowed a procurement model for digital textbooks and course materials to flourish—a move that’s alarmed publishers and institutions, but one that student advocates say would give students more choices. The Association of American Publishers says nearly half of all degree-granting institutions have adopted a version of the sourcing option known as inclusive or equitable access, in which students receive all required course materials—offered for sale at below-market rates through deals struck between institutions, publishers and campus bookstores—by the first day of class as part of their tuition and fees. The Education Department proposes to take away colleges’ ability to automatically bill students for their books and supplies, with only a few exceptions. Instead, students would have to opt in.
Inside Higher Ed
New Unions Represent Over 40K Grad Students, Postdocs, Researchers
By Ryan Quinn
Last year, 26 new bargaining units representing over 40,000 graduate student workers, postdoctoral workers or researchers officially formed across the country, according to new data from the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions. The center, at the City University of New York’s Hunter College, listed all the bargaining units that were certified—by either the National Labor Relations Board or state labor relations agencies—or earned voluntary recognition from their institutions.
Cybersecurity Dive
Midnight Blizzard attack seen as another sign of Microsoft falling short on security
Critics say the hack of senior Microsoft executives’ emails is another example of a longstanding series of security lapses and foot-dragging by the computing giant.
David Jones, Reporter
The hack of Microsoft’s senior executive team is seen as an aggressively bold move by one of the world’s leading state-linked threat groups. However, veteran researchers and industry analysts also see the attack as a reminder of what they consider longstanding weaknesses in Microsoft’s security capabilities. There’s also a perception that Microsoft, a dominant player in business applications and cloud computing, does what it wants.