University System News:

 

Rome News-Tribune

GHC President Mike Hobbs chosen by students for national Paragon Award

Georgia Highlands College President Mike Hobbs was nominated by the students for the national Phi Theta Kappa’s Paragon Award. He will receive the award during PTK Catalyst 2024, the society’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida, this April. “Your nomination was strong evidence that you are a student success champion for all students,” PTK President and CEO Lynn Tincher-Ladner stated in a congratulatory letter. “[Your students] know you are working hard to provide them more opportunities and stronger pathways to completion, transfer, and employment. They know you support their learning, and as a result, they have had a better college experience because of you.” The Phi Theta Kappa Paragon Award for New Presidents recognizes college presidents who have shown support of student success initiatives leading to stronger pathways to completion, transfer and employment. They have taken an active interest in supporting high-achieving students and developing student leaders on campus.

See also: WRGA: GHC President Mike Hobbs chosen for national Paragon Award

 

The Newnan Times-Herald

Trinity Christian unveils Aviation Academy

Trinity Christian School solidified a unique partnership with Middle Georgia State University with the official unveiling of the Trinity Aviation Academy recently. The dual-enrollment pathway program connects students with experienced pilots, providing comprehensive theoretical and practical training. Specialized flight courses are required, including training on Trinity’s new Redbird Flight Simulator and preparation for the Federal Aviation Administration’s written exams. Field trips, outside speakers, professional pilot instruction and aviation-specific services and activities are also part of the students’ specialized education, and Trinity Christian will add Aviation Academy Endorsements to students’ transcripts when they complete the program. Students enrolled in the Trinity Aviation Academy will receive college credit from Middle Georgia.

Coastal Courier

GSU gets emergency preparedness grant

As hurricanes, winter storms and the devastating effects of wildfires are frequently in the news, the importance of emergency preparedness remains at the forefront of public health. Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Health Logistics and Analytics (IHLA) and graduate student Joana Tome have received a $20,000 grant from the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) to educate and train students on all three campuses in natural disaster emergency preparedness and response. In partnership with Erick Riner, director of the university’s Office of Emergency Management, the IHLA will create a learning experience specific for students. The training is especially important for South Georgia residents as the region is particularly vulnerable to certain disasters such as extreme heat, flooding and storm surges, and power outages caused by high winds from hurricanes and severe thunderstorms.

WRBL

CSU research: Herbal treatments may kill cancer cells, local expert says

A local professor may be on the way to scientifically proving the efficacy of several herbal cancer treatments. Dr. Ramneet Kaur, originally from India, began her research into herbal cancer treatments in 2018 at the University of North Georgia. In 2020, she shifted from experimental- to computer-based research due to the pandemic. In 2022, she joined Columbus State University (CSU) as an assistant professor in the biology department and later resumed experimental research. “I’m trying to see if the natural things that we eat in food … can kill the cancer cells, as well as cancer stem cells,” Kaur said.

 

Athens Banner-Herald

Cold brew coffee more inviting for bacteria, according to UGA study

The quality that makes cold brew coffee taste smooth also can make it dangerous, University of Georgia research has concluded. The findings are literally enough to make you sick. Scientists at UGA’s Center for Food Safety in Griffin have been pumping cold brew coffee full of bacteria. Strains incude four common pathogens in food-borne illnesses: E. coli, salmonella, Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes. “Specifically, I’m looking at the safety of cold brew and whether bacteria can grow in it,” said Angela Parra, a graduate research assistant at the center. “I’m also looking at other aspects, like how the quality of ingredients can impact hygiene of the drink, temperature control and what conditions allow for the growth of these potential pathogens.”

 

Grice Connect

Southern Stars: Dillon Marcy’s stellar work at University Planetarium

Every week, groups of elementary school students sit down to watch educational and entertaining shows in the Georgia Southern University Planetarium, where they learn about space and the celestial bodies within it. Like them, Dillon Marcy has been visiting Georgia Southern University since he was a kid, when his parents would bring him to the football games on campus. It was early in his youth that he was introduced and drawn to the constellations projected across the university’s planetarium dome. Today, Marcy is a Georgia Southern alum working in that same room as the planetarium and astronomy lab coordinator, teaching another generation about the wonders of astronomy and presenting shows that all members of the community can enjoy.

 

The Union-Recorder

GCSU library brings focus to local contributions in African American history

Those interested in celebrating Black History Month by learning more about African Americans who have impacted Milledgeville can do so with a visit to the Special Collections section at Georgia College & State University’s Ina Dillard Russell Library. “I think we tell some stories that are not told anywhere else, and they’re important stories,” said Holly Croft, the library’s interim associate director for special collections. Take the story of Gloria Walker & The Chevelles for instance. “You really cannot tell the story of R&B and soul music without talking about this part of the world, and we do it mentioning all of the big names that you can think of, but with the lens on Gloria Walker and the Mighty Chevelles from Milledgeville specifically,” said Croft.

 

AccessWDUN

UNG Flagship Program official shares Lunar New Year traditions

Lunar New Year, a holiday marking the beginning of the Lunar Calendar, begins February 10. University of North Georgia Chinese Flagship Program Coordinator and Instructor of Chinese Ran Chen said the festival is associated with several traditions that represent bringing success into a new year. Chen said the traditions begin with several preparations for celebration, including people cleaning out their homes to rid them of “bad luck” and decorating spaces with and wearing the color red. She also said the holiday is a time for families to gather. “The Lunar New Year is about family,” she said, “Family members may travel hundreds of miles to gather for a union dinner on the New Year’s Eve… during these family gatherings,  our elders give red packets filled with money to younger relatives, as the symbol of good luck and prosperity.”

Athens Banner-Herald

Georgia football’s Mecole Hardman catches Chiefs’ game-winning touchdown in 2024 Super Bowl

Former Georgia football receiver Mecole Hardman is eternal. The five-year NFL veteran caught the game-winning touchdown in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58 on Sunday. Hardman caught the 3-yard touchdown with only three seconds left in overtime to give the Chiefs their third Super Bowl victory in five seasons — on a play called “Corndog,” no less. “It feels great,” Hardman told CBS’s Jim Nantz after the game. “But I blacked out when I caught the ball, though.”

 

Higher Education News:

Inside Higher Ed

Potential breakthrough on federal student data system

As conversations swirl about how to improve higher education’s return on investment for students and taxpayers, those discussions often return to an issue that has vexed advocates and policymakers—data, or rather, the lack thereof. The federal government has been barred by law since 2008 from creating a new database of student-level information. But advocates for a new system, including both Republican and Democratic members of Congress, say there’s a need for comprehensive information on student outcomes in higher education, citing important gaps in the data that are currently available. “The current system is very incomplete, and piecemeal, and in some places duplicative and kind of convoluted,” said Mamie Voight, president and CEO of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, a nonpartisan research organization that has advocated for better data.

 

Higher Ed Dive

Indiana proposal to overhaul tenure moves forward

Dive Brief: Indiana’s House will soon consider a proposal that would overhaul tenure and mandate that the state’s public colleges detail their diversity, equity and inclusion spending to state lawmakers. The bill would prevent college governing boards from giving tenure to any faculty member who would “subject students to political or ideological views and opinions that are unrelated to the faculty member’s academic discipline.” Tenure would also be tied to whether candidates expose students to works that espouse a variety of ideologies and political views. It would further require colleges to include intellectual diversity in all DEI programming, review tenured professors every five years and establish disciplinary policies for protestors who disrupt other forms of protected speech.

 

Higher Ed Dive

Almost half of stopped-out community college students cite work as major reason for leaving

Dive Brief: Nearly half of students who left community college without earning a degree or credential cited work as a major reason why they’re no longer enrolled, according to recent survey data from New America, a left-leaning think tank. Almost a third, 31%, said they could no longer afford their programs, while 27% said they had lost self-motivation or ambition. Other top reasons included child care responsibilities, the impact of inflation and personal health issues. Stopped-out community college students faced greater economic hardships in 2023 than they did the prior year, the survey suggests. Sixty percent said they had missed paying important bills, up from 49% in 2022. And 58% said they applied for public benefits in 2023, compared to 49% the year before.

Community College News Now

Study reveals only 16% of faculty is ready for GenAI in higher education

A new study examines potential effects of artificial intelligence on current challenges faced in higher education and notes that few are ready. The 2023-2024 Digital Learning Pulse Survey revealed that three-quarters of higher education trustees, faculty, and administrators believe GenAI will noticeably change their institutions — and help solve ongoing issues. But only 16% of faculty and 11% of administrators feel prepared for change. The survey was conducted by Cengage Group and Bay View Analytics to better understand attitudes and concerns of higher education instructors and leadership. For example, it found that stress, rising costs, and lack of academic support are higher education’s top concerns.