The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Federal data shows a nationwide primary care shortage. Here’s how Georgia fares.
By Donovan J. Thomas and Vanessa McCray
As Georgia is preparing to fund construction of a new medical school with the hope of solving a shortage of doctors, the federal government has been tracking areas with primary care provider shortages for decades. Across the country, the federal government has designated over 1,000 areas as primary care shortage areas. To earn this designation, an area, typically a county, demonstrates a need for primary care physicians based on the ratio of doctors to residents, along with the percent of population below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and travel time to the nearest source of care. Gov. Brian Kemp unveiled plans last month to include $50 million in spending to speed the construction of a new medical school on UGA’s campus. Clarke County, where Athens is located within, is designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). According to federal data, the area is short 16 clinicians needed based upon the number of residents in the area. …Kemp and his allies have said the new medical college would help address the statewide physician shortage.
Times-Georgian
UWG nursing students earn esteemed DAISY Award
By Abby Grizzard Special To The Times Georgian
The DAISY Foundation recently awarded the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to three University of West Georgia Tanner Health System School of Nursing (THSSON) students who exemplify compassion and excellence in nursing — Kristie Gardner ’23, Dejah Shipman ’24 and Emily Powell ’24. Patients, family members, faculty and others who observe or experience exceptional care from nursing professionals nominate DAISY candidates who epitomize the qualities needed to excel as a nurse.
WSB-TV
UGA economic impact on Georgia hits new high, officials say
By WSBTV.com News Staff
The University of Georgia, the fourth most populated university in the state, announced a new record for its yearly economic impact. According to the announcement from the university, UGA’s economic impact on Georgia reached $8.1 billion in 2023, citing a new study measuring a university’s teaching, research and public service value. Officials said an increase in the number of alumni in both undergraduate and graduate level courses, alongside the continuing “thriving research and innovation ecosystem and award-winning public service and outreach programs,” had contributed to the record level of impact on the state’s economy.
The Georgia Virtue
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.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Fort Valley State University Partners With Robins Air Force Base in Georgia
The Office of Strategic Academic Partnerships and Student Engagement at historically Black Fort Valley State University in Georgia, has a partnership with the Department of the Air Force, represented by Robins Air Force Base. Robins Air Force Base is one of the largest employers in the Middle Georgia region. It is also a large provider of internship opportunities for FVSU students. Because of the dynamic relationship between Fort Valley State University and Robins Air Force Base, many FVSU graduates and alumni are employed on the base. The educational partnership is designed to advance students’ knowledge in computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, mathematics, and other STEM programs at FVSU.
WGAU Radio
Report: UGA Latin program is the nation’s largest
By Tim Bryant
The study of classical languages at the University of Georgia dates to the university’s founding, when Latin and Greek were required for admission. In the wake of industrialization and the two world wars, higher education in the United States shifted its focus to modern languages. However, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Classics department at UGA continued to thrive. In the most recent report by the Modern Language Association, UGA was listed as having the largest Latin program in the nation.
Grice Connect
Introducing Dr. Todd Beasley, Director at the Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern University
Special to Grice Connect
For over 25 years, Dr. Todd Beasley has been connecting people to plants through his work in horticulture and education. He has held senior leadership positions at several nationally recognized botanical gardens. With his wealth of experience, he lent his expertise as a consultant to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, assisting them in reopening the Orchid Conservatory and leading the Perennial Garden renovations, post-pandemic. He also collaborated with Chris Hoffman at Cape Fear Botanical Garden on several projects. Todd is always glad to share his knowledge and make a positive impact wherever he can! …We are thrilled to announce Dr. Todd Beasley as the new director of the Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern University. His remarkable background, experience, and family ties to Statesboro make him invaluable to our growing garden.
Columbus CEO
A recent economic impact study by Dr. Fady Mansour of Columbus State University’s D. Abbott Turner College of Business & Technology has helped the city of Columbus hit a grand slam in bringing professional baseball back to the Chattahoochee Valley.
Morning AgClips
Ga. Ag Forecast Features Economic Outlook, Farm Bill Update
Bruce Redmond named Georgia Farmer of the Year
A positive takeaway from the 2024 Georgia Ag Forecast held Jan. 26 in Tifton is Georgia’s chances of experiencing a recession this year are only about 33% compared to the United States having a higher probability of just under 50%. Dr. Gopinath Munisamy, distinguished professor of agricultural marketing at the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES), expects the U.S. economy will see a slowdown in its gross domestic product (GDP) – the market value of all the goods and services produced here. He forecasts Americans will invest less this year and there will be a modest increase in the unemployment rate. We will probably see lower growth in U.S. government spending and lower growth in exports of U.S. products.
Scientific American
Why Does the Same Temperature Feel Hotter or Colder in Different Places?
The answer isn’t just about temperature. Our physiology, psychology and clothing choices also factor in
By Amanda Heidt
A cold snap recently gripped the U.S., plunging many states into temperatures far below what is typical for an average winter. In Nashville, Tenn., readings plummeted to minus one degree Fahrenheit (–18 degrees Celsius), while Oregon declared a state of emergency as a severe ice storm caused lows in the teens and an uptick in weather-related deaths. In famously balmy Florida, thermometers dipped as low as 20 degrees F (–6.7 degrees C)—chilly enough to see cold-stunned iguanas falling from the trees and residents complaining on social media about the deep freeze. But rather than finding sympathy, people in the Sunshine State faced a barrage of jokes from across the Internet; what feels unbearably cold to Floridians may be nothing to, say, people from Minnesota. …Humidity and wind chill are among the two most important factors that “can make an otherwise neutral temperature feel much hotter or colder than it is,” says James Shepherd, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Georgia.
Valdosta Today
TCSG launches 2024 Senior Leadership Academy
The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) is proud to announce the launch of the 2024 Senior Leadership Academy, a professional development program designed to foster career advancement within TCSG and its 22 affiliated colleges across Georgia. The 2024 cohort comprises a diverse group of talented professionals selected for their potential and dedication to the mission of TCSG. This yearlong program, split into eight two-day sessions, offers an intensive learning experience totaling 160 hours of content. This includes an 18-hour leadership training segment conducted by the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
NigeriaWorld
Forbes names Tope Awotona, 42, who owns $3bn tech company, as richest US-based Nigerian
Awotona is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Calendly, a scheduling software company, worth $3 billion. He was born in Lagos but immigrated to the US in his teenage years, and previously worked as a salesman for tech firms like EMC (now Dell EMC). Forbes disclosed that Awotona started Calendly in response to his frustration with the time-consuming back-and-forth emails needed for meeting scheduling. Having self-funded Calendly for an extended period, Tope Awotona secured a substantial $350 million investment in 2021, propelling the company’s valuation to $3 billion. …He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Georgia, Awotona resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his family.
The Red & Black
UGA Executive Committee discusses changes to tenure promotion guidelines
Guinevere Grant
The Faculty Affairs Committee held two proposals at the University of Georgia’s Executive Committee council meeting on Wednesday — changes to the appointment, promotion and tenure guidelines for academic ranked faculty, and changes to the appointment guidelines for librarians. Brock Woodson, the chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee began the first proposal, saying they wanted to establish that being head of department required you must be a tenured individual, thus non-tenure individuals cannot fill this role.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech to hire Georgia State’s Cory Peoples as assistant coach
By Chad Bishop
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key is hiring Cory Peoples to his defensive coaching staff, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Peoples will join Key’s staff to coach the safeties. He’s the fourth addition to Key’s staff this offseason, joining defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci, defensive line coach Jess Simpson and outside linebackers coach Kyle Pope.
Other News:
The Times
Ben Anderson
Former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal spent Thursday morning reading to students at Riverbend Elementary and White Sulphur Elementary as a way of honoring his late wife’s love of literacy on what would have been her 82nd birthday. Sandra Deal earned a reputation as a tireless advocate of children’s literacy, having read to more than 250,000 students at more than 1,000 schools in all 159 of Georgia’s counties.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
‘Excuse After Excuse’: Republicans Slam Biden for FAFSA Launch
GOP senators say officials prioritized debt relief over rollout of the new aid application. The GAO will investigate what went wrong.
By Katherine Knott
Leading Senate Republicans accused Biden administration officials of focusing on student debt relief at the expense of their core responsibility to update the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which they said contributed to the troublesome rollout of the new form. “President Biden and Secretary Cardona, you need to explain why the American people are having to live with the consequences of this administration’s upside-down priorities,” Dr. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said at a press conference Thursday. At the request of Cassidy, the senior Republican on the Senate education committee, and other lawmakers, the Government Accountability Office is now looking into the FAFSA launch, which included several technical glitches and other errors. The Education Department said earlier this week that it won’t send completed FAFSAs to colleges until next month, further delaying when institutions can tell students how much aid they can expect.
Inside Higher Ed
Another Chinese Partnership Bites the Dust
Florida International University is ending numerous successful partnerships in China to conform to a state law regulating colleges’ relationships with “countries of concern.”
By Liam Knox
Florida International University is ending several partnerships with Chinese universities to comply with a state law that limits public institutions’ relationships with “countries of concern.” The decision affects a dual-degree Spanish language program that FIU runs jointly with Qingdao University, as well as engineering exchange programs with seven Chinese institutions. But perhaps most surprisingly, FIU is terminating its largest and most successful international initiative: a dual-degree hospitality program run jointly by the university’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Tianjin University of Commerce.
Higher Ed Dive
UNCG chancellor makes final call to cut 20 academic offerings
The public university’s leader pointed to “current conditions and the higher education landscape” as reasons for the program eliminations.
Natalie Schwartz, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s leader announced plans Thursday to wind down 20 academic offerings, spanning from bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and physics to graduate programs in nursing and mathematics. The final program cuts come about two weeks after UNCG unveiled recommendations to discontinue 19 course offerings, minors, bachelor’s degrees and graduate programs. On Jan. 22, UNCG Provost Debbie Storrs added an additional program — a Ph.D. in computational mathematics — to the list of recommended cuts. Thursday’s decision didn’t save any programs from the chopping block, though one undergraduate degree program is transitioning to a concentration. The affected programs will no longer accept new students, though current enrollees will be able to complete their studies at UNCG if they maintain good academic standing.
Higher Ed Dive
Does completing college influence borrowers’ ability to pay back their loans?
Students who didn’t complete their studies collectively owed more four years after entering repayment than they originally borrowed, a new analysis finds.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
Borrowers with federal student loans who didn’t graduate collectively owe more than they initially borrowed four years after entering repayment, according to a new report from the HEA Group, a higher ed-focused research firm and consultancy. After four years in repayment, noncompleters collectively owed $15.8 billion, or 6% more than they initially borrowed. In comparison, students who finished their postsecondary programs owed $49.9 billion, amounting to 6% less than they took out. The type of college that stopped-out students attended also influenced their loan burdens. Attendees of for-profit institutions had the greatest levels of increased debt after entering repayment.
Inside Higher Ed
Counseling Centers See a Rise in Traumatized Students
Nearly half of all students who visit counseling centers report trauma. In response, colleges are changing the treatments and supports they offer.
By Johanna Alonso
Nearly half of students who attend college counseling sessions say they have experienced trauma, according to the 2023 annual report from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Pennsylvania State University. That represents an increase of nearly 10 percentage points since the data were first reported in 2012, from 37.5 percent to 46.8 percent. As a result, college counseling centers are looking to hire therapists with expertise in treating trauma and to make their centers friendlier to students who have experienced traumatizing events.