The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Bill would pay student loans for police; a new ‘Regents Cup’
A roundup of news and happenings from Georgia colleges and universities
By Vanessa McCray
Should Georgia pay off student loan debt to recruit and retain police officers? That proposal, which stalled during last year’s legislative session, is getting another look amid ongoing backing from Gov. Brian Kemp. In this edition of AJC On Campus, we bring you updates on two pieces of higher education legislation and tell you how the University System of Georgia plans to promote free speech on college campuses through a new debate contest. …Campus debate Last year, Georgia Board of Regents Chair Harold Reynolds voiced concerns that some college students may avoid talking about controversial topics for fear of being canceled. At a January board meeting, he announced a way to combat that by promoting campus debate. The board and the University System of Georgia plan to sponsor a debate series with the aim of teaching students to discuss differing ideas in a civil way. “We want to be known for that as a system. That the University System of Georgia is somewhere you can go and say what you think in a respectful manner,” Reynolds said. Chancellor Sonny Perdue said details of the contest, which he referred to as the “Regents Cup,” are still being worked out but it will start this spring at schools that already have debate teams and will grow from there. The goal, Perdue said, is to teach students to “debate with words, not violence” when they disagree.
WTVM
Local and political reaction to Georgia State Rep. Richard Smith death
By Gabriela Johnson
Community and political reaction is pouring in – in the wake of the death of Georgia State Representative Richard Smith. The Georgia House Rules Committee chairman passed away in his Columbus home Tuesday morning. …The University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue also commented on the loss. “Georgia State Rep. Richard Smith had an unerring sense of what it meant to be a leader and citizen legislator and didn’t need to shout to be heard. Having known him for many years, back to my own service as governor, he never failed to stand for what was right.” …Columbus State University President Dr. Stuart Rayfield says Smith was a friend, donor, and advocate saying: “Chairman Smith’s quiet style meant that his tremendous influence was often overlooked, but his impact on our state will be remembered for many years to come.”
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WGAU Radio
UNG’s championship softball team honored at the Capitol
By Tim Bryant
The softball team at the University of North Georgia, winners of last year’s national championship, met with the Governor and were honored in a ceremony at the state capitol. …Before beginning a new season, the University of North Georgia softball program had a high-profile chance to celebrate its 2023 NCAA Division II national championship. Twenty-three players and the team’s coaches visited the Georgia Capitol on Jan. 30, receiving a commendation from Gov. Brian Kemp and first lady Marty Kemp and Senate and House resolutions honoring the team’s national title. The team also presented Kemp, state Sen. Steve Gooch and state Rep. Will Wade with personalized UNG jerseys. Gooch, the Senate majority leader, and Wade are UNG alumni.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New FAFSA delay means longer wait for financial info for Georgia students
Issue slows down aid offers that students need as they compare cost of colleges
By Vanessa McCray
The U.S. Department of Education announced further delays Tuesday in the already waylaid federal college financial aid application process. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form typically opens Oct. 1, but didn’t launch until Dec. 30 because of an application redesign. That slow rollout prompted the Education Department to initially tell colleges not to expect data from the FAFSA until “late January.” Now, the Education Department says it “will begin transmitting batches of FAFSA information” to colleges “in the first half of March.” The announcement pushes back an already tight timeline that had some Georgia colleges warning students weeks ago that it could take longer than usual to send out financial aid offers. …Georgia Tech recently announced it would extend its priority deadline for the 2024-2025 FAFSA from Jan. 31 until Feb. 15.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cobb County wins award for Georgia’s 2023 ‘Library of the Year’
The Georgia Public Library Service annual award winners are nominated by library patrons, trustees and staff.
By Taylor Croft
The Cobb County Public Library system has been named Georgia’s library of the year for 2023 by the Georgia Public Library Service, officials announced this week. The library system is being recognized in part for its unique community programming and partnerships with other local organizations. The library launched its Books by Mail program for homebound residents last year, partners with Vision To Learn to offer free eye exams for children, and provides free lunches during the summer for children with the Happy Helpings program, along with several other programs acknowledged with the award. …The Georgia Public Library Service is the state library administrative agency and a unit of the University System of Georgia. …Julie Walker, a vice chancellor and state librarian at the Georgia Public Library Service, said in a news release that the award winners “showcase the vital role that public libraries play in post-pandemic recovery, competitiveness, and resilience throughout Georgia.”
WABE
With primary elections looming, Georgia GOP lawmakers turn attention to American Library Association
Craig Nelson | The Current
Savannah’s five-term state senator, Ben Watson, has joined 18 other Georgia Republicans in the state’s upper chamber as a sponsor of legislation that takes aim at the oldest and largest library association in the world. The measure, SB 390, would bar city, county and regional library trustees and the State University System of Georgia from using “any public or privately donated funds on any materials, services or operations offered by the American Library Association or any of its affiliates.”
WSAV
WSAV opens Statesboro bureau at Georgia Southern University
by: Molly Curley
WSAV News 3 has a new newsroom on the campus of Georgia Southern University. The Statesboro bureau will allow us to work daily in one of the fastest-growing regions in the state, including Bulloch and Bryan counties. You can expect in-depth coverage of the transformation to the area expected by the creation of the Hyundai Metaplant. WSAV will also welcome Eagle interns to assist in the bureau as we work with Georgia Southern Communications faculty, investing in the success of future journalists.
TurfNet
SeaBreeze is Georgia’s newest paspalum release
The turf-breeding program at the University of Georgia has released its latest vegetative seashore paspalum variety that is bred for enhanced resistance to many biotic and abiotic stressors. The result of 16 years of R&D, SeaBreeze was developed at Georgia’s Griffin facility and can be used on golf courses on greens, tees and fairways. It is the fifth paspalum variety developed by UGA turf breeders and the third under Paul Raymer, Ph.D., professor of crop and soil science at the university’s Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics.
Fast Company
“We’ll have flying cars before we will have AI tutors,” says one of the creators of IBM’s Watson. But others see AI a positive transformation for education.
By Jeffrey R. Young6 minute Read
When Satya Nitta worked at IBM, he and a team of colleagues took on a bold assignment: Use the latest in artificial intelligence to build a new kind of personal digital tutor. This was before ChatGPT existed, and fewer people were talking about the wonders of AI. But Nitta was working with what was perhaps the highest-profile AI system at the time, IBM’s Watson. That AI tool had pulled off some big wins, including beating humans on Jeopardy in 2011. …AI experts are busy trying to offset the hallucination problem, and one of the most promising approaches so far is to bring in a separate AI chatbot to check the results of a system like ChatGPT to see if it has likely made up details. That’s what researchers at Georgia Tech have been trying, for instance, hoping that its system can get to the point where any false information is scrubbed from an answer before it is shown to a student. But it’s not yet clear that approach can get to a level of accuracy that educators will accept.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fulton court clerks, tax and DMV offices closed to residents due to hack
By Jim Gaines
The cyberattack that took down many of Fulton County’s computer systems over the weekend also left Edgar Summers frustrated for a second straight day. …Many Fulton government systems in addition to the library’s public computers remained down following the weekend’s cyberattack. …Few details have been released about the attack. Many county offices were closed Monday, when County Commission Chair Robb Pitts confirmed there had been a “cybersecurity incident” over the weekend. …The lack of details released so far makes it hard to tell the scope and effects of the attack, said cybersecurity expert Brendan Saltaformaggio, associate professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Cybersecurity & Privacy. “I really would encourage Fulton to get that information out to the public as quickly as they can,” he said. What stands out to Saltaformaggio so far is the “big spread of systems” that were affected. That could be due to one very broad-based attack or several small ones, likely all from the same source. It could take “weeks or months” to figure out who’s behind it, he said.
Science Daily
Gut microbiota influence severity of respiratory viral infection
The composition of microbiota found in the gut influences how susceptible mice are to respiratory virus infections and the severity of these infections, according to researchers from the Center for Translational Antiviral Research in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University. The findings, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, report that segmented filamentous bacteria, a bacterial species found in the intestines, protected mice against influenza virus infection when these bacteria were either naturally acquired or administered.
Successful Farming
Fortifying defenses against soybean cyst nematode (SCN)
Novel gene discovery could bolster Peking resistance to SCN.
By Staff Author
Researchers have discovered a new and unexpected way to prevent soybean cyst nematode (SCN) from attacking soybeans. It’s been found that the loss of function of the GmSNAP02 gene in resistant soybean varieties like PI 90763 and PI 437654 thwarts SCN’s ability to attack the soybean plant. “Think of it like a lock-and-key model, where SCN is the key and GmSNAP02 is the lock,” explains Melissa Mitchum, professor in the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia and a member of the research team that made the discovery. “If you get rid of that lock, the nematode can’t access the plant. You make the parasite ineffective.” The SCN Coalition is excited about the discovery and encourages farmers and industry stakeholders to continue to advocate for new tools like this.
11 Alive
Trooper killed in crash saved man’s life in 2021 | What we know about Jimmy Cenescar
Born in Haiti and raised with a fierce work ethic, Jimmy Cenescar is remembered as a young law enforcement officer who had a bright future ahead.
Author: 11Alive Staff
Jimmy Cenescar, according to a Georgia Gwinnett College profile from 2022, knew he wanted to be in law enforcement from an early age. Born in Haiti, his parents emigrated to the U.S. when he was four, and he said that “hard work and the tenacity to never give up was instilled in me” by his family. Cenescar was on a bright path in law enforcement, first with the Atlanta Police Department while he was at GGC and then with the Georgia State Patrol, where he graduated from the 114th Trooper School in Jan. 2023. He died in the line of duty in a crash on Sunday, leaving behind his loving family and a fiancée, according to a statement by Gov. Brian Kemp.
Athens CEO
UGA Kicks Off Statewide Youth Leadership Program Youth LEAD Georgia
Charlie Bauder
Thirty high school students from across Georgia are developing leadership skills and building knowledge about the state through a statewide youth leadership program at the University of Georgia. The 10th and 11th graders from 29 counties, selected from more than 300 nominations, are participating in Youth LEAD Georgia. A partnership among UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, Chick-fil-A Inc. and The Same House organization, Youth LEAD Georgia is designed to equip youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to be the future leaders of the state. In all, Youth LEAD Georgia will consist of four weekend retreats held in different communities across the state and a four-day summer bus tour.
Valdosta Today
Wiregrass to offer film, creative industry training in Spring 2025
Georgia Film Academy will bring hands-on film and creative industry training to Wiregrass College in Spring 2025. Georgia Film Academy (GFA) announced it is expanding its hands-on training in the film and creative industries to South Georgia. Through partnership with PhilanthroFilms, an organization dedicated to building a film production workforce in South Georgia, GFA is set to bring professional film/television production and post-production courses to Wiregrass Georgia Technical College in Spring 2025 with additional universities and technical colleges in the area to follow.
WGAU Radio
UGA Spring Career and Internship Fair today
By Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia’s Spring Career and Internship Fair is on tap for today, underway from noon til 5 at the Classic Center. UGA says more than 150 companies will have representatives on hand, looking to fill internships and full-time job openings.
Savannah CEO
Cecilia Arango on the Upcoming TEDxSavannah 2024
Cecilia Arango gives details on the upcoming TEDxSavannah 2024 set for May 16th at the Fine Arts Auditorium at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus in Savannah.
Albany Herald
Sumter sheriff speaker at Georgia Southwestern MLK Convocation
From staff reports
Georgia Southwestern State University hosted its 44th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation in the GSW Storm Dome recently with Sumter County Sheriff Eric Bryant serving as keynote speaker. The theme for the event was “It Starts with Me: Cultivating a Beloved Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems.”
The National Provisioner
USPOULTRY elects 2024 leadership
Mikell Fries to serve as the chair of the board of directors.
By Industry News
Mikell Fries, Claxton Poultry Farms, Claxton, Ga., was elected chair of the board of directors of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. The board meeting was held during the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2024 International Production & Processing Expo. Fries previously served as vice chair. Fries is a graduate of Georgia Southern University, where he obtained a degree in business management.
WGAU Radio
Claude Felton announces retirement from Georgia athletics
By UGA
Claude Felton, a cornerstone of the University of Georgia Athletic Association since 1979, has announced his retirement, effective Jan. 31, 2024. One of the most beloved and respected members of the Georgia Athletic Association and across the collegiate athletics landscape, Felton has served in the roles of Senior Associate Athletic Director, Associate and Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Communication Director and, most recently, the Loran Smith Senior Associate Athletic Director.
Gwinnett Forum
FOCUS: GGC revamps athletic department administration
By Dale Long
Georgia Gwinnett College has announced the appointment of Dr. Darin S. Wilson as vice president for campus and external engagement after spending 13 years establishing and guiding the college’s successful athletics program as associate vice president of athletics. The college also named Georgia Gwinnett College athletics Administrator Dr. Ian Potter as the executive athletics director, succeeding Wilson.
Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Colleges won’t receive FAFSA applicant info until March, Education Department says
The delay further truncates the timeline for institutions to make financial aid offers, and experts have worried that holdups may harm students.
Natalie Schwartz, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it won’t transmit information from students who filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to colleges until the first half of March, further shortening the timeline for institutions to make financial aid offers. Usually the Education Department makes the FAFSA available on Oct. 1 and colleges receive applicant data shortly thereafter. This year, the department released the FAFSA form on Dec. 30 — nearly three months later than usual. The delay was meant to give the Education Department time to unveil a new, simplified form that reduced the maximum number of questions students and their families must answer from over 100 to less than half of that. But the debut has been hamstrung by delays, technical glitches and last-minute adjustments to the funding formula.
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Inside Higher Ed
Majority of Colleges Surveyed Have Restrictive Speech Policies, Report Says
By Kathryn Palmer
Eighty-five percent of 489 colleges and universities surveyed have at least one policy that could be improperly used to limit free speech on campus, according to an annual report on campus speech rules released Wednesday. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s 2024 “Spotlight on Speech Codes” report rated the free speech policies of 376 four-year public colleges and 113 private institutions. The advocacy organization, which is focused on protecting free speech on college campuses, found some of the most common types of restrictive speech codes include policies on harassment and bullying, civility, bias reporting, protests and demonstrations, technology usage, and posting and distribution of materials.
Inside Higher Ed
New Report Shows Increasing Interest in Higher Ed Data Sharing
By Jessica Blake
Results from a recent survey show that although state higher education agencies already share student outcomes data with the agencies overseeing K-12 education and workforce development, many of those agencies are beginning to expand their data sharing to more stakeholders. The survey report was released Monday by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. It indicates that as higher ed agencies realize the benefits of linking their data with data collected by other state agencies, such as health and human services, foster care, and corrections—the rate of data-system connections is rising.
Inside Higher Ed
House Democrats Counter Republicans’ Vision for Higher Ed Reform
The Democrats’ newly released plan has three pillars: affordability, access and student support.
By Katherine Knott
House Democrats want to make community college free, double the Pell Grant and fight food insecurity among postsecondary students, as outlined in their just-released vision for how to improve higher education. Ahead of a hearing Wednesday on the majority Republicans’ plan to overhaul higher education, Democrats on the House Education and Workforce Committee today issued their own blueprint, the Roadmap to College Student Success, shared first with Inside Higher Ed. Initially a package of seven bills, the road map is aimed at making college more affordable, improving access to high-quality programs and supporting students once they are in school.
Inside Higher Ed
Small COVID Outbreak Closes Paine College
By Susan H. Greenberg
Responding to a minor COVID-19 outbreak, Paine College in Augusta, Ga., closed its campus to the public Monday and mandated that its roughly 300 students get tested for the coronavirus Tuesday, The Augusta Chronicle reported. “Although the number of COVID cases is small in comparison to the college’s student body of 309, the priority is to minimize the potential spread of the virus,” the private historically Black Methodist college said in a statement Tuesday. Classes temporarily moved online. Only staff required for essential duties were allowed on campus; the rest were instructed to work remotely.
Inside Higher Ed
Florida State Suspends Student Group for Disrupting Board Meeting
By Susan H. Greenberg
Florida State University has suspended its campus chapter of Students for a Democratic Society after members chanting pro-Palestinian slogans disrupted a Board of Trustees meeting in November, The Tallahassee Democrat reported. The decision means SDS loses its status as an official student organization and cannot participate in campus events. The suspension will last until May 15, 2025, at which point the group can reapply for recognition.
Cybersecurity Dive
MOVEit liabilities mount for Progress Software
The company revealed multiple government investigations are underway into the MOVEit vulnerability. It’s also party to more than 100 class-action lawsuits.
Matt Kapko, Senior Reporter
Progress Software has endured minimal financial impacts from the MOVEit zero-day vulnerability identified in May, but lawsuits and government investigations are mounting. The Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, domestic and foreign data privacy regulators, and several state attorneys general are looking into the MOVEit zero-day vulnerability and resulting exploits, the company said in an annual report filed Friday with the SEC. The enterprise software company is also “party to approximately 118 class-action lawsuits filed by individuals who claim to have been impacted by exfiltration of data from the environments of our MOVEit Transfer customers,” the company said. …MOVEit zero-day exploits directly compromised at least 100 customers, but the Clop ransomware group behind the attacks used that access to ultimately steal data from at least 2,700 organizations, exposing more than 93 million personal records.
Inside Higher Ed
Mental Health of College Athletes: Academic Minute
By Doug Lederman
Today on the Academic Minute: Robert J. Romano, assistant professor in the division of sports management at St. John’s University, explains the importance of looking after the mental health of athletes, who face significant competitive pressures.